Desktop applications on the other hand were purchased through licenses and advertisements downloaded from the net through desktop applications were deemed security issues that security firms like Symantec blocked through their anti-spyware or anti-adware programs.

Steve Jobs is on the other side of the bed as he wants advertising to fill our operating system with ads and has filed a patent that embeds advertisement right on your desktop. Are we getting the operating system for free?

The patent attorneys were focused making sure every aspect and detail of the patent are well explained. One of the sections of the patent says the operating system can halt the operating of the system to make sure the user gets to focus on the advertisement. Again, are we getting paid when that happens? The patent goes even further by making sure they have not identified the personal computer only for the advertisement but it encompass every device that has an operating system which includes tablet PC, portable devices, pocket PCs, celfones, etc.

Microsoft is the largest software company in the world and its operating system is running on 1 billion of the 1.2 billion computers in the world. I wonder what the software giant is thinking about that patent. Should have they thought about that sooner? Or have they thought about it and felt it was plain stupid.

Microsoft is making lots of money through its licenses and I don’t think they would ever change that business model. Apple has been a revolutionary company and they may be able to pull this through especially when they offer to give out rebates or money back to the sale of the operating system whenever their OS has made money through advertising directly to the desktop.

Image from my Windows 7 computer.

Post from: EveryJoe

Advertising Embedded on the Operating System

I was never really a big fan of Apple’s mice. From the hockey puck one and all the mice in between up to the Mighty Mouse, I felt it was ok but there were far superior mice at a fraction of the cost.

Apple Magic Mouse - Image courtesy of Apple Inc.

The Magic Mouse is different… oh it’s so different. It looks sleek and it seems like it’s right out of a sci-fi movie. It’s in heart it’s still a mouse but it’s so much more. It’s like combining a mouse and a trackpad in one pointing device. You can click and drag but you can also scroll and swipe without using a button or the irritating trackball that the Mighty Mouse had. You use the whole surface of the mouse to navigate pages and scroll through your iTunes collection.

It as no moving parts so it’s going to be durable. Apple says it can last up to 4 months on a single set of batteries so you know it’s energy efficient. It’s so well thought of and constructed for a device that’s supposedly simple.

True to Apple’s identity when they went to redesign their mouse, they really put a lot of thought and work into it. The result is a device that is so simple at the surface but so magical underneath it.

So much so that I patiently waited till a friend of mine went online just so I can ask him to try and bring me home one. It happens that he’s in the U.S. for a trip and I’m here in Manila. We won’t be seeing the Magic Mouse for maybe a month so I wanted to see if he could get me one sooner. Oh God please, I hope he does.

Apple Magic Mouse press release

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple’s Magic Mouse is Simply… Magic!

All New iMac - Image courtesy of Apple Inc.

Headlining the updates are the new iMacs. Now available in two sizes. A 21.5″ version as well as a massive 27″ model. Both models feature a 16:9 aspect ratio LED-backlit display that gives it stunning images. The new displays also feature a technology called in-plane switching or IPS that makes for great viewing at a wider angle. So even if you’re looking at the screen skewed it’s still manages to give a superb image.

The iMac isn’t just for show. While it’s sleek outside it also gained more muscle. The basic model now sports a 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processors while the top end models feature quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 “Nehalem” processors.

Another surprising but great thing that Apple did is to do away with the wired keyboard and mouse. Now every iMac comes with a wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse (more about the mouse in another article). It’s surprising because those two peripherals aren’t exactly cheap.

All in all the new iMac is a stunning evolution to a great line of computers.

Apple MacBook Unibody - Image courtesy of Apple Inc.

Apple also introduced a completely redesigned MacBook. The Macbook now is clad with a unibody plastic casing that looks similar to the MacBook Pro 13″ only it’s in white plastic. Still it looks really sexy. It’s now only 1.08 inches thin and lighter at 4.7 pounds.

Apple took out the rubber feet found in the old MacBook and replaced the lower surface of the MacBook with a durable non-slip material that ensures that your computer stays put.

Same as the previous MacBook, it only now comes in one variant. A 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo model with 2GB DDR3 RAM. It has a 250GB hard drive and an 8x Super drive. Apple also applied its new battery technology to the MacBook giving it a reported 7 hour batter life.

Mac Mini - Image courtesy of Apple Inc.

Rounding up the computer updates is the new line of Mac Minis. Apple is touting it as a “Mightier Mini” with processors running of up to 2.53Ghz and RAM now upgradeable to 4GB it’s certainly a more powerful machine. It’s also still very energy efficient.

Apple added another variant to the Mini. Now there’s a Mac Mini Snow Leopard Server. It’s basically a Mac Mini without the optical drive and now packed with twin hard drives. It also comes with the Snow Leopard Server software that makes it easy for small groups/businesses to run a server in-house. Apple says it’s amazingly easy to setup and manage.

For more information regarding Apple’s new line of Mac computers. It’s best to checkout the links below.

iMac Page
MacBook Page
Mac Mini Page

Apple iMac Press release
Apple MacBook Press release

Post from: EveryJoe

All New iMacs, MacBooks and Mac Minis

The biggest news is the Magic Mouse. Apple has always struggled when it comes to making a really useful mouse, but initial impressions of this one is that it could be the winner Mac users have been waiting for. It uses the patented multi-touch technology Apple has used to great success on the iPhone and last-generation MacBooks.

The device has a low-profile top shell that’s all one piece — no buttons or scroll wheels in sight. Instead, all of those functions and more are done using gestures on the touch-sensitive shell. Like old Mac mice, the entire Magic Mouse is one big button, though PC-style right-clicking is made easier now by simply clicking the top right corner of the shell. To scroll up, down, side to side, or even in circles, just brush your Magic Mouse in the direction you want to scroll. A two-finger swipe function allows you to easily browse iPhoto pics or go back or forward in your web browser.

The Magic Mouse comes standard on all new iMacs (see below) but can be added to any Bluetooth-friendly Mac desktop for $69.

Another big — but expected — announcement was the upgraded white plastic MacBook. Though the price hasn’t changed from the standard $999, Apple boasts that it’s been completely redesigned. The sleek “unibody” design that Apple has successfully used to minimize the thickness of the aluminum MacBook Air and MacBook Pro has finally made it to the plastic MacBook, as has the glass multitouch trackpad. Apple claims that the new MacBook runs more energy-efficient than its predecessor, lasting up to seven hours on a single charge. The laptop also has a brighter, more brilliant screen, thanks to its 13″ LED display. You can expect all of the usual upgrades in power and storage space as well, along with a greener, more environmentally friendly profile.

The iMac got a small overhaul, going up in display size to 21.5″ and 27″ LEDs. The 21.5″ has a 1920×1080 pixel resolution, but the 27″ displays at a mind-boggling 2560×1440 pixels, which is well beyond HD standards. Included standard are a wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse. Storage is now available up to 2 terabytes, memory goes up to 16GB, and for the first time ever, the iMac has an SD card slot nestled right beside the DVD-ROM drive. There are several other little aesthetic enhancements, but most of them are the kind of thing that improve the experience without drawing attention to themselves.

Not a bad showing, but the biggest takeaway here might be that neither the MacBook nor the iMac got two long-awaited features: Blu-ray drives and touchscreens.

Last but not least, the Mac Mini got a boost in power and environmental factors, jumping up 200% in memory over the last generation. You get a GeForce 9400M graphics processor, and built-in WiFi. And for the first time, your Mac Mini can function as a server, with Snow Leopard Server in the mix, and the option to expand the device’s memory up to a full terabyte.

Images: Apple Inc.

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple unveils Magic Mouse, new MacBooks

Gizmodo is reporting insider information that the iPad will do a lot more than surf the web and run iPhone apps. Apple is looking to take on Amazon’s Kindle, too — and redefine what an ebook is. A big push of the iPad will be into the arena of college textbooks, where Apple believes it can present a more appealing opportunity to textbook publishers by cutting out bookstores, who re-sell the expensive tomes yearly without the publishers seeing a dime. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The rumor is that Apple has been talking to major newspapers, magazines, and book publishers about creating a new format of ebook that upgrades the entire format to something more interactive. This could take the form of some kind of hybrid multimedia book, where audio, video, and imagery are used to make the typically static formats of traditional books into something truly next-gen.

Image: Robin Parrish.

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple Tablet Hopes to Redefine Print

Light Peak is a cord using fiber optics that can stretch up to an impressive 100 meters without losing signal strength. The cable maxes out at 10 gigabits per second, and can carry data at that rate in both directions simultaneously. Intel hopes that Light Peak will reach 100 gigabit transfers within the next ten years.

Intel has already received a commitment of support for Light Peak from Sony, and Gizmodo is reporting insider info that indicates that Apple has big plans for the technology as well.

In fact, according to Gizmodo, the idea for Light Peak came directly from Apple, because Steve Jobs & Co. want to use the tech in major new projects. Reportedly, Apple plans to introduce Light Peak with its various devices starting in Fall 2010, with a lower-power-consuming version to follow in 2011.

It’s anybody’s guess which devices Apple will debut Light Peak with, but the iPhone seems like an obvious choice, as well as the impending iPad tablet.

Image: Intel.

Post from: EveryJoe

Intel’s universal PC cable: the future?

This brings me to the topic of my post today. I’m happy about the fact that Apple has shown a lot of responsibility towards the environment and going green. As evidenced by their current line of products plus how they build them. It’s explained in their environment section of their web site.

Apple is explaining their environmental footprint and the breakdown. According to their site, 38% of their footprint is on caused by manufacturing, 5% by transportation, 1% by recycling, 3% by facilities and the biggest is product use which comprises of 53%.

Over the past few years Apple has tried to lessen the amount of materials they use for their products. Achieving this through better design and engineering. The current generation of iMacs uses 55% less materials than the 1st 15 inch iMac launched years ago. They’ve also tried to keep their packaging as compact as possible in order to use less materials and ship more products per container, thus saving on transportation costs.

The materials used on the products have been taken into consideration as well. Apple is leading the way in reducing or in some cases eliminating toxic substances in their products. Limiting the use of plastics and other materials that are not recyclable.

And because the biggest part of the environmental foot print comes from the usage of the products, Apple has tried as much as possible to make their products energy efficient. Quoting from their web site.

Take Mac mini, for example. It uses as little as a quarter of the power consumed by a typical lightbulb,⁴ making it the most energy-efficient desktop computer in the world.⁵

As we’re now feeling the effects of our actions, we should be more responsible in conversing energy and our natural resources. I’m just glad that the company that manufacturers the computer I’m using is doing it’s part. Learn more about Apple’s environmental program here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Hooray For Green Apples!

How would you like to own the Macintosh computer that was given to Gene Roddenberry by Apple directly? Now you can if you bid enough in an auction being presented by the Profiles In History website.

Profiles in History is the leader in Hollywood and movie memorobilia auction items. They’ve auctioned away some of the coolest items from some of the greatest sci-fi movies ever. Items like the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); a T.I.E. Fighter filming miniature from Star Wars ($402,500); a King Kong six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); the Command Chair from the “U.S.S. Enterprise” ($304,750); Harrison Ford’s hero blaster from Blade Runner ($258,750); the original “Robot” from Lost in Space ($264,500); Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber ($240,000); a Frankenstein one-sheet movie poster ($212,400); the Black Beauty car from The Green Hornet ($192,000); George Reeves’ Superman costume from The Adventures of Superman ($126,500); the H.R. Giger designed Alien creature suit from Alien ($126,500); a full-scale T-Rex head from Jurassic Park ($126,500), the Leaping Alien Warrior figure from Aliens ($126,500), Christopher Reeve’s ‘Superman’ costume from Superman: The Movie ($115,000), C-3PO’s helmet ($120,000),  The Wizard of Oz ‘Winkie’ Guard Costume ($115,000); a “Ming the Merciless” cape from Flash Gordon ($115,000) and the Hydraulic screen-used Velociraptor from The Lost World: Jurassic Park II ($115,000).

Enough about that though, we’re talking about getting a piece of Star Trek and Apple history by successfully winning the Macintosh 128, which was later upgraded to a Macintosh Plus for Mr. Roddenberry. The auction will take place October 8-9th and you can put in your bid at the auction website. Estimated price for the item is $800-$1200 which I think is kind of odd because that’s about what you’d pay for a bare bones Mac computer today.

Update: Current price of the item is now $2750.

Image: Provided by MJK Public Relations

Post from: EveryJoe

Own Gene Roddenberry’s Mac

With Macintosh’s popularity with music and video production the Cakewalk release of new driver’s for the Snow Leopard operating system brings the functionality and features of Cakewalk’s mobile studio production equipment.

Boston, MA (September 11, 2009) — Cakewalk, the world’s leading developer of powerful and easy to use products for music creation and recording, announces immediate availability of new Snow Leopard Mac Operating System (version 10.6) device drivers for the V-Studio 100 portable music production system.

Also now available are Snow Leopard hardware drivers for the UA-1G audio interface and UM-1G, UM-2G and UM-3G MIDI Interfaces. More Snow Leopard hardware drivers will be announced soon.

The introduction of the SONAR V-Studio 100 and other hardware drivers for Snow Leopard furthers Cakewalk’s commitment to making its products compatible with the Macintosh.

I’ve not heard much amazing new reasons to upgrade to the new Macintosh operating system, but I’m sure keeping your Cakewalk drivers updated are always good. Visit their website to download these new drivers and keep your Cakewalk software running at it’s top performance.

• SONAR V-Studio 100
• UA-1G Audio Interface
• UM-1G MIDI Interface
• UM-2G MIDI Interface
• UM-3G MIDI Interface

Post from: EveryJoe

Snow Leopard Drivers Available for Cakewalk’s V-Studio 100

In the “yes” column: iTunes 9.0. Full-length album download format. Facebook & Twitter integration in iTunes. Lower iPod prices. Whole new iPod Nano with built-in video camera, FM radio tuner, microphone, speaker, pedometer, available today.

And all this under the long-awaited return of Steve Jobs.

Let’s break it down.

iTunes

iTunes got a major upgrade today in the form of iTunes 9.0, which sports a clean, fully redesigned interface and tons of enhancements both big and small:

• The big news is iTunes LP (the project formerly code-named Cocktail), a snazzy new format for downloading entire albums. Purchase a full album that’s LP-enabled and in addition to all the songs, you get full lyrics, photography, liner notes, videos, and other “extras” similar to what you might get on a DVD.
• Similar to iTunes LP is iTunes Extras, additional interactive content and “DVD Extras”-style features for downloadable movies.
• Greatly hyped was the new ability to manage iPhone/iPod Touch Apps from inside iTunes. This is something users have been begging for, for years: the ability to reorganize how Apps are displayed on your home screen.
• Genius Mix is a new function that culls together music from your playlist in a never-ending stream of like-minded songs, like your own personal radio station.
• Home Sharing lets you copy any media from one version of iTunes in your house to any other version of iTunes in your house — on up to 5 computers.
• Twitter and Facebook have been integrated with iTunes at last, thanks to little arrows next to the “Buy” button on each song, that let you do more than just buy: you can add a song to a wishlist, gift a song to someone else, or microblog about a song on Facebook and Twitter.

iPod

There was less unveiled here than everyone seemed to be hoping for, with the biggest news being the new model iPod Nano. The Nano, which Apple says is the “most popular music player in the world,” now comes with a built-in video camera, a built-in FM radio tuner, a pedometer that can be synced to Nike’s popular workout software, a microphone, and even a speaker — a first for a non-Touch iPod. Two models are available: an 8GB version for $149, and a 16GB version for $179. They come in nine high-gloss colors.

The iPod Touch saw no major enhancements, but got a price drop down to $199 for the 8GB version, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for the new 64GB version.

The iPod Classic did not get discontinued, as some had speculated it might. Instead it also got a bump up in capacity, from 120GB up to 160GB, but the price remains the same: $249.

The iPod Shuffle was another device some thought might end up on the chopping block, but it ain’t so. The device itself got no major improvements but Apple announced that new and different kinds of headphones will soon become available for the Shuffle, all with the Shuffle’s controller built into their connector cord. Five new colors were introduced for the Shuffle, which sells for $59 (2GB) and $79 (4GB). A special edition brushed stainless steel version was also shown off.

iPhone

Not to be left out, the iPhone got a little love today as well, in the form of iPhone OS 3.1, which adds the Genius function to Apps, to recommend Apps you’d like based on ones you’ve already bought. Also included is the ability to buy and download Ringtones right from your iPhone for $1.29 a pop. Apple claims to have 30,000 Ringtones available from all four major record labels. OS 3.1 is a free download that’s available today.

Looks like that’s about it, kiddies. The fabled iPad tablet remains exactly that: a fable. The Beatles catalog won’t see the light of day for a while, if ever. But we have a whole new iTunes and some mild upgrades to the various iPod models.

So are you excited by what Apple showed off today? Or was it too much hype and not enough action?

Images: Apple Inc.

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple lowers iPod prices, unveils iTunes 9