Myst on the iPhone?

Check it out:

Myst

Apparently they might release Myst for the iPhone. I still remember when Myst was the latest coolest game on the Mac! Back in 1993 or 1994, I still remember seeing the game. It was incredible. According to the article, the last release of Myst was in 2005, and the company all but disbanded after that. How times do change! I feel somewhat nostalgic!

Current iPod line on the way out?

Gentlemen, if this article/rumor is to be believed:

New iPod Line?

the current iPod line is set to be refreshed very soon. It makes total sense - now is the time to do it. Well in advance of the Holiday season, beat everyone to the punch. It seems likely the iPod Touch line will be revitalized at a lower price point. I am interested to see if the ipod nano design will be changed. Supposedly they may go back to the first generation iPod nano form factor, which is more rectangular. I don't know - the current line is pretty darn cool! What do you think?

iMac turns 10 years Old

I just can't believe it. Ten years have passed since the introduction of the original Bondi Blue iMac. Macworld does some speed benchmark tests beginning with a Grape iMac up to the current Core 2 Duo shiny screen iMac. I still remember the old ads for the multi-colored iMacs (yummy!). I must admit, I don't miss the old cathode ray tube iMacs! The current designs are definitely huge improvements. And yet, I still have a tinge of regret of never buying the Flower Power iMac model!

Apple Market Cap bigger than Google's!

Check out the article:

Apple Market Cap

I read an article earlier, but didn't believe it. Maybe it's from the same source, but it says that Apple's market capitalization is now larger than Google's. This really surprised me! Maybe it shouldn't, though, because Apple is becoming a really big player. Some would argue too big, because there's a lot of noise on the web about how Apple is now putting our mediocre products. But that is a topic for another post!

Correction! - Air is not best selling portable!

Correction - after checking the validity of my claims, I see I am completely wrong! The Macbook Air has fallen to number 4! Maybe I'm getting old - I thought just a little while ago it was number 1!

Rumor - New Macbook Air?

Gentlemen, the latest rumor is that of a refreshed Macbook Air. Supposedly the new Air would use the newer 45 nm chip at 2 Ghz which uses less power, and could include a 120 Gb hard drive! If they could keep the cost at where it is, this could be a HUGE hit this holiday season! It already is the best selling portable on the Apple web site. This still surprises me! Jobs is right more often than not about what the market will bear. He clearly called the Macbook Air market correctly. I would never have guessed that so many people would pay a premium for the razor thin form factor!

New Macbook Air

Fire at Apple HQ!

Apparently a fire broke out at the Research and Development complex. Who knows what Apple is "cooking up"? It has to be hot!

Fire at Mothership

Just in - Best Buy to carry iPhone 3G!

Is this a good idea? I don't know, but I do know that Best Buy has lots of traffic. An interesting consequence is that Best Buy will need to have representatives on hand to activate the iPhone, as you can't do it online anymore. Supposedly Apple needs more retailers at which to sell the iPhone because of the long lines at their stores! Robin told me that even a week after the iPhone went on sale, there were still lines at the Chicago store. (Yes, she went to Chicago this summer, and I didn't. Pooey!)

September Special Event?

Rumors abound that the Mothership will introduce a new Macbook as well as an updated iPod Touch:

September Event

Will Apple include finger gestures on the new Macbook? I think it's a little soon for that, but I've been wrong before! (I know, shocking, isn't it?)

Macnight Retreat?

I am back in town, and I was wondering about our Macnight retreat? Any ideas? I believe there are a plethora of meeting places and times which may be explored. Consider: The Apple universe is expanding and, indeed, promises to get far more interesting. I've heard of a rumored iPhone nano which could be "pay as you go". Talk about expanding Apple's reach! There are many people just like myself who just can't see spending an extra $1000 a year to have the internet at my fingertips at all times. But, give me WiFi access and a phone with the cool apps, and who knows?

I also heard rumor of new products or features which would be very difficult to copy by Apple's competitors. What could that be? Perhaps we could discover the meaning at a Macnight retreat? Let us begin the planning process sooner than later!

What's it like to work at Apple?

Here is a very interesting article that quotes an Apple insider on why it's cool to work at Apple. He makes no bones about it - it's tough working with Jobs, but it can be extremely rewarding. I think you need to have the same laser focus for quality and doing things right that Jobs has. I don't know that there are many people like that! Check it out:

Insider

Help save Macnight

I have noticed that the posts to Macnight have dropped off over the past year. Last year we averaged about 12 posts a month. In 2008 we are averaging about 6 posts a month. Has the Mac hysteria dwindled? Is there less exciting news coming out of Apple? Are we taking Apple for granted? I hope not. I believe it is because of the lack of a recent in person Macnight. How about a Macnight retreat. We can paint Apple warpaint on our faces, drink beer, and attest to our Appleness. I believe these types of retreats require somewhat of a near death experience, but I think we can cut that out.

New iPods, Macbooks!

Check out the article:

New Stuff

According to the article, Apple is taking the unusual step of suggesting to its resellers to stock up on a few weeks worth of iPods and Macbooks, as the supplies will get very short in the coming weeks. Is this an indication of imminent, but more substantial, updates? Why not just let supplies dwindle as they have in the past? Are we in for a major overhaul?

Mobile Me Uproar!

Gentlemen, what do you think of the recent uproar over the MobileMe rollout? Walt Mossberg can't recommend MobileMe because there are currently too many bugs, and it isn't truly "push". I happen to be a .Mac (and now, MobileMe) subscriber. I did have difficulties trying to get some files off my iDisk. I could just imagine someone who DEPENDS on the service for business, and not being able to access files. It would be MADDENING!

Is this a case of Apple trying to do too much at one time? What do you guys think?

Perfect Harmony

I thought this picture of the Tesla car company's showcase store in LA just happened to have an iPod billboard above it. Great minds think alike. The new wave in music and the new wave in automobile technology. So if GM goes by the wayside, there are many other American innovators ready to take your place! And yes the Tesla has a place for an iPod onboard.

iPhone Apps store

Is it cool or what?

Goodbye Bill

Well, the time has come and gone. And Bill Gates has finally moved on from Microsoft. And you know, based on his personality and Balmer's. I believe that for all that we despise Micrsoft for. With their monopolistic exploitive ways in which they try to intimidate everyone into following the MS way. Bill was the more sane one. He was more comfortable with the technology end of the business. So we can only conclude that it is Balmer that gave MS the ugly edge we so dispise.

So what happens now. Bill was probably someone who kept Balmer more in check. What will it be like with Balmer fully unrestrained. I believe it can only get uglier. Balmer will try to use the MS strongarm approaches of the past and kick them up a knotch. But MS has already shown weakness in its armor. Yahoo will not be part of MS. Google is an ever increasing threat. If Google convinces businesses that online "Office" tools which are secure are the way to go. Then the MS Office cash cow goes by the wayside. With Office gone, will the other dominos fall too. Do you really need a Windows operating system anymore? Granted many offices need programs outside of Office, but I would have to say that 90% of the software that businesses use is in Office. Google might spur other companies to put their software online, being OS neutral. Connection speeds are high and the desire to have all of your data in the "Cloud" as it is sometimes called is becoming compelling.

So if Balmer goes down the path of strongarming, he may be in for a big surprise. I have already read articles which hint that if MS doesn't hit another homerun soon, then Balmer may be gone in a couple of years too.

Should Microsoft worry about Apple?

Check out the following link:

WSJ Article

While it is true that Microsoft has been attempting to break into the music market with its much vaunted Zune player, this article notes that Microsoft has been ignoring Apple's threat to its dominance of the enterprise market. It says Microsoft is spending too much time worrying about Google while Apple appears to be preparing an assault in the business world with the enterprise friendly iPhone.

The premise is a little shaky - that businesses may want to switch to Apple computers to "ensure compatibility". I don't know about that - it seems to me that the iPod and iPhone are quite platform independent, wouldn't you say?

Jobs looking a bit thin

Did you notice how Jobs appeared thin in the WWDC keynote? I have heard the banter back and forth saying if he was or was not too thin. I believe it was apparent to anyone who has seen Jobs in other keynotes that he was much thinner. The black turtleneck looked like it was hanging on a skeleton. His face did not seem sickly thin though. I have read some comments that this may have been related to his rare form of pancreatic cancer which the treatment does cause you to lose weight. I saw Jobs give a commencement speech at Stanford where he talked about his cancer, and was told he was going to die in a few months but then after doing the biopsy, the doctors found it was a rarer form which is curable.
I don't think that Jobs is on his deathbed but his extreme thinning was noticible. I am sure after the first scare Apple has a solid succesion plan. Jobs has been picking top talent which would be more than capable of driving the company forward. I don't think that Jobs is as active in the day to day operations of Apple as he used to be anyways. He has always been the big picture guy. Anyway, he did not look sickly. You would surely notice that in his face so I don't think there is need to worry anyways.

SDK software examples were cool!

Have you seen the keynote speech from Jobs at the WWDC where they demonstrated some of the cool applications being developed on the iPhone SDK? One of my favorites was the insurance salesman's program which plays virtual musical instruments on the iPhone. Sure it isn't all that useful, but imagine the WOW factor when you show others this program. You just can't help but smile when you see it.

Another very promising one I liked is the one where the iPhone will track the location of your friends in the city on a Google map. Little bubbles appear above each friend with their picture and the ability to contact them immediately. Click on Veronica's bubble who is two blocks down from you and ask her to lunch. I think the Facebook generation would eat this app up. Of course it could cause problems if you notice that your girlfriend is out with your best friend. Ouch.

All of these games that use the accelerometers in the iPhone instead of a gamepad, could be sending some iPhones to the trash heap. Imagine tipping the iPhone back and forth to reach the Temple of the Crystal Chalise and oops the iPhone goes flying out of your hands and smashes on the concrete pavement. Boo hoo. I am sure someone will sell tethers to catch the iPhone if it slips. AKA, like a camera safety strap.

One complaint that I have read from some hard core developers is that Apple does not give them full access to all of the functions of the iPhone. Active GPS navigation is a no go. Apple seems to want to do one on their own. Garmin said they already had an iPhone app using hacks before the SDK but now Apple locks that out in the license. Actually I think keeping the core guts safe from hacks is a good thing. The majority of apps probably don't need to delve into the kernal functions.