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Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category

Crystal Ball: What’s Coming in the Next iPhone?

Written on July 09, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 9 people have commented

Yes, the iPhone 3GS is still hot out of the oven (too hot, perhaps?), but if you’re a true gadget addict, then you probably can’t help but think ahead to what Apple could possibly cram into the next iteration to ensure consumer mouths continue to drool. Of course, if you’re like me and you were [...]

Google OS Announced: How Will it Affect Apple?

Written on July 08, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 22 people have commented

Late yesterday evening, the folks at Google made official what many have suspected for months, or even years: They’re working on an operating system. The new OS, dubbed Chrome OS after Google’s recent entry into the ongoing browser wars, will have speed and Internet connectivity as its two top priorities, and be based on a [...]

More Evidence of a New iPod touch Found

Written on July 08, 2009 by Charles Jade and 11 people have commented

Pinch Media, an analytics firm for iPhone OS developers, has found evidence of a third-generation iPod touch. An “iPod3,1″ string has been showing up as the version identifier in its online logs, with first- and second-generation identifiers for the touch being “iPod1,1″ and “iPod2,1,” respectively.
In a blog posting, Pinch Media reported applications using its analytic [...]

What’s Next for Apple’s Living Room Strategy?

Written on July 07, 2009 by Michael Wolf and 5 people have commented

A Question: Where do consumers go to relax and consumer technology vendors go to die?
If you guessed the living room, you’d be right. While Apple is in no danger of extinction, they are no doubt aware of the struggles that a host of startups and big vendors have faced in the consumer electronics market. While [...]

Apple’s Tilt to SD Cards Looking Smarter Than Ever

Written on July 06, 2009 by Charles Moore and 8 people have commented

Last month I commented that Apple’s substitution of Secure Digital Card (SD) slots for ExpressCard slots in the 15″ MacBook Pro made considerably good sense. It would be nice to have both, but the ExpressCard support wasn’t being heavily used, according to Apple, while SD was growing more popular. The 13″ MacBook Pro also gets [...]

Apple Looking to Add Photog Flair to iPod Line?

Written on July 06, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 9 people have commented

Evidence is mounting that Apple could indeed be planning on bringing at least one new hardware feature to the iPod touch. First, it was just general whisperings, involving the addition of a video camera after the appearance of the iPhone 3GS with similar functions. Then, a crop of case designs turned up that boasted a [...]

30″ LCD Showdown: Apple vs. Dell

Written on July 06, 2009 by James Dempsey and 28 people have commented

In my quest to upgrade an aging dual-monitor setup, a 20” main screen with a 17” screen off to the side to house application palettes, iTunes, etc., the only question in my mind was choosing between an Apple 30” Cinema Display and a Dell 30” UltraSharp Widescreen. In this article, I’m covering both monitors from an average user’s perspective – and you may be surprised what this Apple-fanatic found.

Apple Stores Can Now Replace iPhone Displays While You Wait

Written on July 06, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 25 people have commented

For many of us, the iPhone has become a staple item in our daily assortment of tech gear. Like any product that gets heavy use on a daily basis, sometimes it can fail. For the iPhone, that means a trip to the often crowded Genius Bar for help. Now as more consumers are adopting the digital device, Apple is facing an increasing number of iPhones in need of repair. The good news for consumers is, the majority of those repairs can now be done by your local Genius.

Jailbreak for iPhone 3GS Now Available Online

Written on July 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 2 people have commented

At this point we probably shouldn’t need to start a jailbreaking post off with a disclaimer about how doing it with your iPhone is not condoned with Apple, and may void your warranty, so you should approach doing so at your own risk, but a friendly reminder never hurts. Now, on to the reason behind [...]

Psystar Returns From the Dead, Offers New Apple Knock-Off

Written on July 02, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and No one has commented

If you thought bankruptcy would keep the industrious folks at Psystar from making any more Mac clones, you were sorely mistaken. Like a zombie rising from the dead with an insatiable thirst for lawsuits, the little clone-maker that couldn’t is advertising a brand new model of its “Open” line of computers on its web site [...]

Apple/NVIDIA Rift to Spark Major Component Changes?

Written on July 02, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 7 people have commented

If you bought a MacBook Pro between May 2007 and September 2008, you might be painfully aware of NVIDIA’s major screw-up in providing fundamentally faulty 8600M GT graphics processors for Apple computers, as well as others. Apple no doubt still remembers that, too, since the warranty extension and repair refund policy is undoubtedly costing it [...]

Shipments of Open-Source Smartphones May Hit 223M By 2014

Written on July 02, 2009 by Lisa Hoover and 2 people have commented

Over at OStatic yesterday, Sam Dean pointed to a study from Juniper Research that claims shipments of smartphones with open-source operating systems will double by 2014. According to Jupiter, operating systems and available applications are among the top concerns when customers shop for smartphones, and that may give the open-source community all the leverage it [...]

MacBook Air is the Apple Netbook, End of Story

Written on July 01, 2009 by James Dempsey and 54 people have commented

Apple Announces Netbook! That’s the headline you wanted to see, right? That’s the headline that industry analysts and so-called experts believe Apple must have to remain relevant in today’s economic climate. That’s also the headline you’re not likely to come across unless it happens to be April 1st.

The truth is, Apple already has a netbook on the market, which they’ve been selling for over a year now. It’s called the MacBook Air.

What Do You Do With “Retired” Macs?

Written on June 30, 2009 by Charles Moore and 27 people have commented

What do you do with your old Macs when you upgrade to a new system? Many folks sell their old computer on eBay or locally, but that’s something I’ve rarely done. I mostly either keep them as “B-team” units, or hand them off to other family members.
My Mac laptops are tools of my trade, and [...]

Macs in the Enterprise: A Firsthand Tale

Written on June 30, 2009 by Mark Crump and 33 people have commented

While I live and play in the land of Apple, where rainbow-farting unicorns frolic in the meadows, I work in a Windows world. While being a card-carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Apple Pundits dictates otherwise, I don’t view Microsoft as the Great Satan; a computer is but a tool to do a job. [...]

iPhones Heating Up: Anyone Playing “Hot Potato” With Their 3GS?

Written on June 30, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 35 people have commented

My 3GS has given me (relatively) little cause for complaint since I got it, though there was the one little replacement issue for what I thought were Wi-Fi problems. Turned out to be a persistent issue that hopefully will be resolved with a firmware update, but it’s more superficial than anything else. What I haven’t [...]

Do Boomer Demographics Make a Tablet Mac Inevitable?

Written on June 30, 2009 by Charles Moore and 12 people have commented

Born in the early-middle of the Baby Boomer generation (1951), I’m one of the folks O’Reilly Radar’s Mark Sigall is talking about in a recent essay contending that an Apple assault on the tablet computer market is “inevitable,” since such a device would be so symbiotic for we Boomers, who, now aged 53-73, constitute a [...]

EU Set to See Single Charging Interface for All Cell Phones, Apple On Board

Written on June 29, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 13 people have commented

In a surprising move, Apple has signed on with a handful of other major mobile device manufacturers to end the madness of proprietary charging interfaces and agreed to one standard for all, according to Reuters. That’s in Europe, anyway, although there’s hope that the agreement could result in more cross-compatibility on this side of the [...]

Mac Mini Least Profitable Apple Product?

Written on June 29, 2009 by Charles Jade and 12 people have commented

While Apple’s Mac mini has never compared favorably to low-end PCs on price, its value being in size, weight and quiet computing, a report from iSuppli shows the $599 retail cost in a more favorable light.
According to the market research firm, an estimate of part costs in the Mac mini comes to $376.20, with another [...]

How Bandwidth Caps Hurt Your Mac & What Apple Can Do About It

Written on June 29, 2009 by Dave Greenbaum and 36 people have commented

As a responsible Mac user, I usually feel immune from most Internet threats…except for one. Using my Mac exactly as Apple intends it to be used sometimes renders my Internet connection virtually unusable for up to a month, and costs money to fix.
Could this happen to you? It depends on whether your Internet provider has [...]