Week 6 in review

Apple releases 1GB iPod nano! They also bring down the prices of the 512MB and 1GB iPod shuffle to $69 and $99 respectively. The 1GB nano by the way cost $149. It was reported last week that Dell quietly killed its hard-drive based digital music players and left their DJ Ditty standing alone against the iPods. With the new 1GB nano and the lower-priced shuffles, Ditty might also be on the way out soon. Apple is slowly choking its competitors and might be in the position to start invading your living room. Asian chipmakers' stocks took a hit following the release of the 1GB nano, as fears of a steep decline in chip prices were expressed. Apple's competitors such as Creative and Reigncom are said to be pressured to lower their prices in order to stay competitive with Apple.


1GB iPod nano reviews: ILounge is quick to the draw. They already have a review of the 1GB iPod nano and they noted that the new nano's screen is less brighter when compared to its higher capacity brethrens. Macsimum News rates the latest nano a 7 out of 10 saying the 1GB nano is "sweet, if you can live with the 240-song limit."

A ZDNet writer thinks that the iPod shuffle is on the way out and forecasts 8 to 16 GB nanos by second-half of this year. I'm personally looking forward to it. Article also explains why only the 5G iPod can play videos.

The Billion Songs Countdown is on. The lucky billionth song downloader will get a 20" iMac, 10 60 GB iPods, and $10,000 iTunes gift certificate. For every 100,000 download a prize package awaits consisting of a 4GB black iPod nano and a $100 iTunes gift certificate. Let the mad rush begin!

After his first look at Garageband 3, Bob 'Dr. Mac' Levitus reviews the rest of the applications in the latest version of Apple's multimedia suite, iLife 06. New features are added in all the applications; themes, and being able to see effects and transitions real-time in iMovie HD, making widescreen format using iDVD, and a faster iPhoto with a capacity of up to 250,000 and photcasting. The latest addition to the iLife suite, iWeb, lets you effortlesly mash up all the things you created in the other iLife apps and put them into your very own website. You can easily add music, movies, and photos as well as a blog or podcast. If you have a .Mac account, publishing is just a click away. If you don't have a .Mac account, just export it and load it up via ftp. Dr. Mac highly recommends iLife 06 and the $79 price is a steal.

Business Week's slide show entitled "The Revolution Will Be Podcast" shows Steve Jobs and Bob Iger with the things that Disney-Pixar might be able to bring to thehe dynamic duo world of the media. An associated story talks in length about how Steve Jobs is as a CEO and as an entepreneur, and how he could shake up the entire world of entertainment. (Picture is from Business Week Online)

The young and hip choose Macs and in a cafe in San Francisco Apple portables out number their Windows counterparts 22 to 7.

After revolutionizing podcasting and bringing video podcasting to new heights with the 5G iPod, Apple is now set to bringing Macs into the homes of iPod users. In what is called as the iPod "halo effect," non-Mac iPod users are drawn to Apple's other hardware, curious as to what Apple's portables and desktops can do. People may also find other reasons, such as Windows inherent insecurity and the Macs' design that are easy on the eyes and easy to use, that will make them decide to get a Mac. MacBook Pro availability is pushed back 3-4 weeks. Which means the newest Mac portables won't be available until March. Might this mean that there are some issues like battery life that they are having difficulty resolving? Or it might mean that production is slow and they can't keep up with the demands. Late or not, the first to get the first MacBook Pro will be Intel's CEO, Paul Otellini.

Apple Insider reviews the 20" Intel iMac. Users will only feel the increase in speed when using native apps like iLife 06 or iWork 06. There are still few applications that are complied to run under Intel Macs. Rosetta is a memory hog and it is advisable that users upgrade their RAM if they plan to use many non-native applications on the new Macs. Perhaps it is better to wait before buying an Intel Mac until such a time more of your favorite third-party apps can run natively on these new Macs. Bob "Dr. Mac" Levitus, however, highly recommends the 20" Intel iMac and says that the non-Universal Binary applications ran acceptably, contrary to what Macworld said. Dr. Mac advises people who regularly uses Adobe Photoshop or applications that are sluggish to run under Rosetta to hold off purchase and instead stick with their PowerPC. Macworld has a review of the iMac Core Duo from a Computerworld writer and it basically says the same things as other reviews have: spring for more RAM and don't buy one if you need to run non-native apps like Photoshop. TUAW reviews the reviewers. The piece tells us to always take a grain of salt on what these whiny geeks write.

Macworld's Dan Miller took a deep breath and then cracked open the new Intel iMac. Well, perhaps "crack open" is such a strong word. What he did was to ease out the innards with a spatula. The gory details and pictures will be posted soon.

Bill Shein is not buying a Mac, so stop pestering him, you Mac heads! (Funny piece. Read it if you have time.)

Apple is investigating problems in the new Intel iMacs related to video playback problems when playing videos in Front Row.

Just what is the real deal behind the Power PC vs Intel power struggle? Did Apple lie to its faithful about the Power PC being faster and better than Intel a few years back? MacSlash offers an insight on the events that forced Apple to do their own switch.

A car is probably the most expensive iPod accessory that I can think of. The new website, iPodCarParts.com, features mobile solutions for your iPod like mounting systems, factory and aftermarket stereo systems, and many others. It's good site to get an idea on what you need for that seamless integration of car and iPod.

Speaking of cars, Lexus buyers who are not getting their cars yet because of a recall received surprises in their mailbox. A buyer who had to wait for another week to get the car he purchased and instead got a loaner car, was surprised to see a package on his doorstep. Inside was a 2GB iPod nano. Lexus sent out the nanos to their customers (old and first-time) for "appreciation of their time and understanding as well as for being a valued member of the Lexus family." Wow. I mean, wow. Where can I get a Lexus?

You listen to your iPod while you walk, work, and drive. It's safe to say that you live an iPod life. Now, why not take it a step further? Why not make the iPod the last thing you hear before you go to sleep and the first thing you hear when you wake up. You've heard of iPod-compatible vehicles. Well, there's now an iPod-compatible bed. Pause features an iPod universal dock and Bose speaker system that's built into the design of the bed. The dock also acts as a charger for the iPod. (Picture is from Design Mobel's website)

Enteprising university students are selling iPod nano skins with university logos. DLO releases new transparent cases for the nano, the nanoshell. They come in five different colors. (Picture is from the DLO website)

The iPod is creeping into education with podcasts from the likes of Stanford and Harvard. Now, a Nebraska professor is putting his lectures online which can be downloaded as podcasts. Aside from that, all his home assignments are now online. Asked whether he was worried about class attendence, he said he wasn't, saying he thinks he puts on a pretty good show. What's next? Video lectures by the end of the semester.

A new magazine on podcasting is out. PodcastUser Magazine is geared towards the podcaster, the listener, and for those who uses podcasts for business. Download the first issue and in it you can find news, reviews, articles, and tutorials related to podcasting. I seem to have a problem viewing the PDF. I would see the spinning beach ball before a page would load. Must be my machine.

One of my favorite podcasters, Ken Ray, has teamed up with Macsimum News and The Apple Groups Team to bring Mac OS Ken: the Macsimum Podcast. This is after a brief hiatus by Ken Ray from Inside Mac. I still don't know what really happened on why Ray left Inside Mac. He said he grew tired and weary from podcasting but later realized he missed doing shows. Ken Ray's associate, Laura Burstein, will also do special features in the new show. Great development for Mr. Ray and I wish him the best. Oh yeah, I got to remember to vote for him at Podcast Alley. I'm going to subscribe to Small Dog Electronic's Pawcast and see if I like what I hear.

Networks are reaping benefits from putting their shows in iTMS with ratings increase on shows that are available for download in iTMS. Showtime Networks (owned by CBS) has jumped in the band wagon and is now offering three of their shows on iTunes. "Weed," "Sleeper Cell" and "Fat Actress" are among the more than 50 shows being offered in iTunes for download with a $1.99 price per episode. There has been 12 million video downloads to date. But TVPredictions calls 12 million video downloads in four months as "a big disappointment." Download and view the latest Superbowl commercials on your PC, iPod or TV. (Can't believe the Seahawks lost. Too many bad calls, in my opinion).

According to IDC, Apple came in ninth in the list of the top-10 notebook vendors for 2005. Apple managed to ship 2,171,000 million units, experiencing a 36% growth and getting 3.32% of market share.

Though Mac and iPod sales figures look good, Apple stocks have fallen hard since reaching its all-time high of $86.40 last January 12. As of February 6, Apple's stock is valued at $67.30. This is amid concerns that though Apple continues to grow as a company, they are perceived to be slowing down. Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray calls the idea of slow Macintels sales due to lack of third-party software as "absurd." Other concerns raised include whether Disney buying Pixar will distract Jobs from his work in Apple, and issues like lawsuits claiming the iPod nano cannot be used normally without sustaining scratches severe enough to make the screen unreadable.

Apple has applied for patents on a user interface for devices such as a tablet PC. It is difficult to imagine the ideas behind the patents. The World of Apple has posted a link and a movie that shows what could be the possible future for Apple computers is. Hrmpf.com again features a patent filed by Apple, again naming Jonathan Ive as one of the inventors. The patent figures show an iPod user interface using a touch-sensitive screen. The user will be able to control aspects of the iPod through a virtual onscreen click wheel and will also be able to choose an item directly through the touch sensitive screen using a finger. The same user interface is again shown on an iTunes- and iPhoto-like application.

Intel Power Macs by September? There are reports from the wild that Intel Macs can boot from USB 2.0 drives. Portal Player, the supplier of audio chips for Apple's iPods, intends to put bluetooth and Wi-Fi support into their chips. Wireless iPods by 2007?

Think Secret says according to reliable sources Apple will be releasing a true video iPod with a 3.5" touch screen screen and get this, the click-wheel will be digital and can be accessed when a finger touches the screen. The click-wheel will then hide itself when the finger is removed. This and the wireless iPod are the loudest of the rumors circulating among the Apple faithfuls. Incidentally, Think Secret also mentions that last fiscal quarter, Apple sold 3.9 million 5G iPods and 8 million iPod nanos.

Needham & Co. takes things further. Analysts from the company says the 'real' video iPod is coming and it's coming earlier than expected. Apple is said to unveil the video iPod with a touch-activated click-wheel, along with the new single core Intel iBooks, on April 1, Apple's 30th anniversary. Two things hinted the possible release of the video iPod: the fast expanding video library in iTunes and Apple reducing 5G iPod component orders from Asia. The 'real' video iPod will maintain the size of the original iPod but sport a much bigger screen.

Should Apple consider buying Palm? Forget it. What can Palm do that Apple can't? I think Palm is living on borrowed time. Apple had a PDA called the Newton. The road from the inception of the idea to the release of the actual product was rough and bumpy. Low End Mac recalls the story on how the Newton came to be.

How to...
... move your podcasts from iTunes to other applications.
... have high quality movies at low bit rates.
... make triggers in Quicksilver.
... easily open a folder or location using the title bar and find yourself in Mac OS X.
... create 3D models using the open-source software Blender.
... create pixel art.
... fix a stuck pixel on an LCD (Not a dead pixel. There is a difference).
... take a caffeine nap.

The National Ledger just printed a story that mentioned "Microsoft's Apple Computer, Inc.." (It has since been edited. Thanks to MDN for catching it.) Anyway, the article talks about the "useless iPod lawsuit" filed by a Microsoft retainer in behalf of John Kiel Patterson of Louisiana who allegedly had hearing loss because listening to loud music in his iPod. Americans are getting more stupid everyday.

A columnist for the Chicago Tribune blames the iPod nano for installation problems instead of blaming Microsoft for not being able to handle device drivers well. He has posted another column of which he is giddy from all the attention he got. I didn't put the link anymore since it has become quite obvious some 'columnists' have resorted to write 'complaints' on an Apple product knowing they will get reactions, and hence clicks, from angry Mac zealots.

Contrary to what some might believe, the Mac OS X platform being unaffected by viruses, spyware and malware should make it a bigger target. The challenge to write the first virus for the Mac platform is too good to pass up for hackers. But even though there may be exploits within programs like Quicktime and iTunes, malicious programs simply cannot install themselves since the Mac comes with security features enabled by default, unlike in Windows where the features will have to be turned on first. The threat, however, is real, and the popularity of the iPod, iTunes, and the Mac OS itself will make Apple's OS a bigger target. Read more of Thomas Zizzo's article here.

An online guy backs off from his claims that the Mac OS X is "relatively free" of viruses. Mac fans (or zealots. It's all relative.) politely told him that he used the wrong term since there never has been a reported case of a virus of the Mac OS X. The not -so-relatively-free Windows system will get an additional protection from all the bad things floating in the net... for a fee. "Cough up $50 for additional protection", Microsoft says. "You don't want anything to happen to your nice computer, do ya?" So instead spending a bit of their billions in making Windows more secure, Microsoft instead tells people that it's their fault why there are viruses in their computers and users should pay Microsoft for the hurt they have caused them. I wonder how long before somebody pounces on Microsoft for this? If people will pay $50 as protection money for their computers from the mistake Microsoft can't correct, then what will motivate Microsoft to improve their operating system? Not only is Microsoft running a protection racket, it is also killing the competition. As it turns out, Microsoft's own anti-spyware software renders Symantec's anti-virus unusable. Of course, the program is still in beta so Microsoft cannot be held reliable for systems that have gone haywire. I wonder what's Symantec's take on this. Another thing, Gates mulls over an iPod killer.

Mariah Carey appears in a new Intel ad. Will try to look for a link of this ad. Clovertown to hit shelves by 2007.

Freeware galore. I am a great believer in Quicksilver and apparently, so does Chris Barylick of The Mac Observer. Though Spotlight is a wonderful feature in Tiger, he thinks that it still has weaknesses. Quicksilver might be able fill in some of the shortcomings. Senuti lets you copy your iPod's contents to a computer. EnzymeX lets molecular biologists determine which restriction enzyme to use to cut DNA. Measure software performance with Apple's CHUD.

Cool 3D street art.