A lot of people are pissed at Apple right now. This guy is shoot-it-with-a-gun-and-burn-it mad. Don’t watch the video if you loves them Apple. Oh, who am I kidding, this stuff is fun to watch!
If you’re unaware of this by now, there’s a growing anti-Apple sentiment going around the interwebs. It has a lot to do with their dictatorial and somewhat monopolistic practices in their running of the App Store. Apple decides which apps get in by a process that is not transparent, not consistent, not logical and often anti-competitive. The latest uproar is over their refusal of Google Voice, an app that could have fundamentally changed the way you use your multiple phone lines. The FCC is looking into it and if there’s any good in this world, things may get straightened out without the need for more iPhone-busting bullets.
For a long time now, Apple has only offered glossy screens on their notebooks, which has frustrated some people to no end. Apple ended up offering an anti-glare option on their 17-inch MacBook Pros, but not for any of their others. Well today Apple has caved into demands and allowed buyers of 15-inch MacBook Pros to pay an extra $50 for this option.
Personally, I love the glossy screen on my 15-inch unibody MBP. I have three other monitors sitting on my desk (because I’m an over-achiever) and my MBP looks better than any of them. Still, people love to have a choice, and it’s good to see that Apple is listening. If you read through the description, you can see that they aren’t exactly trying to sell you on this option. They describe the glossy display as one that “lets you view graphics, photos and videos with richer colors and deeper blacks.” They don’t bother saying anything about the antiglare screen other than the fact that it is optional.
It’s no secret Apple fetches some healthy margins for its products. How healthy, exactly? Check out the above graphic, showing Apple averages 40%, with RIM far behind in second place at 20.7%. Of course, they don’t have the highest revenues since margins aren’t everything, Nokia still sells a lot of phones ($17billion in the first half of the year) but with an 11.3% margin they still managed a lower operating profit than Apple.
Despite being a Mac user (I swing both digital ways) I’ve never been all that excited about Apple’s Time Capsule. I use Mozy for backing up local files and a FreeNAS box to store everything crucial. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I’m cheap. However, if the Time Capsule is exactly what you’re looking for, then you’ll be happy to know that Apple has given the line a nice little refresh.
Starting today you’ll be able to pick up a 1TB model for $300 and a new 2TB one for $500. For all of you playing along at home, you read that right. They’ve doubled the storage on both models and kept the price the same.
Palm recently updated it’s operating system for the Pre to version 1.1. Most notable in the update is that it now re-enables syncing with iTunes 8.2.1. which had previously been deliberately broken by Apple. Pre owners are now able to transfer music, videos and photos directly from the popular software.
While it’s not immediately clear just what the changes consist of, it’s not a complete surprise that Palm was able to pull this off as many of its engineers used to work at Apple. It is believed they were familiar with iTunes hardware identification scheme so were able to once again fool the software into thinking the Pre is a native device.
The update also does a few other things and is available over the air.
Remember back when we found out that the Pre was able to sync with iTunes? I suspected that it wouldn’t be long until Apple put an end to that handy little feature. Well it took a good month and a half, but they’ve finally done it.
The latest iTunes update (8.2.1) mentions in the notes that it “addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.” In case it wasn’t specific enough for you, it means that the Pre is no longer mistaken as an iPod. It was fun while it lasted guys, but if you want to keep using the two together, you probably shouldn’t update iTunes. Ever. Time to find something better to suit your music syncing needs.
While yesterday’s support note didn’t specifically call out the Palm Pre by name, it was pretty obvious what they were talking about. Well Palm was listening, so now they have posted a rebuttal, which is below:
Palm’s media sync works with the current version of iTunes. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.
I really hope that Apple doesn’t go out of their way to specifically block the Pre. Honestly I think it’s in their best interest to leave it alone. After all, media players are dime a dozen, however, Apple only stands to make money off of Pre users if they are able to purchase music from the iTunes store.
Remember not that long ago when we let you know that the Pre would be able to sync with iTunes straight out of the box? Well we knew it was only a matter of time before Apple tried to do something about it. While the likely have no legal grounds to take action directly against Palm, they’ve already warned users that the functionality isn’t going to last. They released a support note that stated the following:
Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.
What this means is simply that they know of the Pre’s capabilities, and they’re going to make sure that it won’t work with a future version of iTunes. I love iTunes, and while I also am very happy with my iPhone, I don’t see any reason why those with a Pre shouldn’t be able to enjoy similar compatibility. So here’s my advice: Go to Apple’s site, download the latest version of iTunes. Now save the installation file somewhere safe. Now you’ll always have a version of iTunes that works with your Pre.
With Apple’s WWDC coming up quick, there are plenty of rumors swirling around the interwebs. I don’t think anyone really doubts that there will be a new iPhone announced, but my favorite rumor is of the Apple Tablet. This is one of those rumors that just won’t die, mostly because so many people are wishing that it would be real. As often as these rumors crop up, I’m actually surprised that Apple has yet to show any real interest in such a product. In case you weren’t sure where all of this was going, there’s a rumor about a new Apple tablet floating around.
This time someone has nailed down Wintek as the supplier for this seemingly imaginary product. Essentially they are supposed to be providing an “e-book form factor netbook product.” The main uses for the touchscreen tablet will be internet browsing, and VoIP, which strikes me as a bit odd. Sure, I’d browse the net on a 10-inch tablet, but don’t you think I’d look a bit silly with that thing up against my head? Yes, a headset would seem the more likely solution, but it still seems like a strange application for an oversized iPod Touch. The rumor pegs the device as launching sometime in 2010, which means that we may or may not hear about this at the WWDC next month (provided that it’s true in the first place).
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By David Ponce
