9to5 Mac Teen Blog

iPhone Update Tomorrow?

Michael Kahn — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:50:34 +0000

Tomorrow is November 21st, and if the Greeks are to be believed, we will see iPhone Firmware 2.2 appear in iTunes within the next 30 hours. Some of the expected features include Google Street View, a ~~horribly~~ redesigned Safari menu bar, new languages, Japanese Emoji, Line-in audio, and best of all, direct downloading of podcasts to the phone. While the common gripes like Copy/Paste and MMS probably wont be addressed, these are definitely welcome additions, and if we see further bug fixes to go along with these new features, I'm sure a lot of people will be pleased.

Tomorrow is the Greek Orthodox holiday of the presentation of the Virgin Mary into the temple. Let's hope tomorrow also is the presentation of firmware 2.2 into our iPhones.

MacBook Air: For the Price it Should Be

Michael Kahn — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:20:56 +0000

Browsing through Apple's clearance page, I came across one item of particular interest, the previous generation MacBook Air. As you probably know, the air is normally priced at 1799, which in my opinion is way too high considering what you get. However, Apple is now offering the previous generation MacBook air for only 1399, completely new in box. The only difference between the previous generation model and the current generation model are the graphics and Displayport (if you don't have a Displayport monitor, this may actually be an advantage). 1399 for the air is much more reasonable, and is how I feel it should have been priced in the first place.

To go buy it, click here.

nVIDIA Announcement Moved to Familiar Date

Michael Kahn — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:04:02 +0000

This is interesting. Apparently the day nVIDIA was slated to introduce the integrated graphics chip the new MacBook will use has been moved… from September 30th to October 15th. Recall the fact that the MacBook event was originally scheduled for September 29th, and was postponed to October 14th. I find it hard to believe that the announcement wasn’t moved because the MacBook event was moved, so look at this as further confirmation to Mac Soda's report: the MCP7A-U chipset will be in the next MacBook.

My Predictions: October 14th Event

Michael Kahn — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:00:13 +0000

As you all probably know by now, there will be an Apple event on October 14th (it will be announced "officially" October 7th, but we know its coming). It is widely expected for Apple to update their MacBooks and MacBook Pros at this event. Mac Soda offers all of its predictions for the event.

MacBook

The MacBook has been trapped in a plastic enclosure throughout its life, seemingly begging to be placed into a nice, cool, aluminum shell. It will finally get its wish... sort of. The MacBook is going to adopt a lot of its looks from the aluminum iMac. While it will be aluminum on the sides and the front, the back will adopt the plastic backing from the iMac, to differentiate it from the MacBook Pro. While that description may not sound appealing, I think we can all trust Apple to pull it off. The enclosure will also be substantially thinner and tapered, as all of Apple's products have been as of late.

The screen will migrate to a 16:9 aspect ratio, with a new 14.1 inch screen size, closer to the edges. The keyboard will adopt the MBA's black, backlit (finally!), chicklet keyboard. While this is all fine and dandy, the real story is the trackpad. In order to prepare for a multitouch future, the new MacBook will gain a glass (or at least glass-looking) trackpad to accommodate much more advanced gestures. The possibilities are tantalizing. Whether this trackpad will have a screen or not is uncertain, but the odds say no.

As far as the guts are concerned, the MacBook will receive the Intel Centrino 2 processor. Expect similar speeds in Mhz, but better power management and a faster front size bus (1066). In a Mac Soda exclusive, we revealed the graphics card that will be used in the new MacBooks (click for more info). Also, there will likely be no removable battery

Other possibilities include HDMI output, a redesigned compact power adapter, iChat HD, and Blu-Ray (though that will probably be exclusive for the MacBook Pros).

MacBook Pros

The MacBook Pro has been milking practically the same enclosure for the past 5 years. Today, its design is still the best in the industry, second only to the MacBook Air. Redesigning the best designed computer on the market is going to result in one amazing computer. The MacBook Pro will stay aluminum, will be even thinner than it is now, with the tapered edges Apple is currently fixated with. It also will add a magnetic latch, replacing the current, pain-in-the-a**, cheap push latch it currently has. The power button also will resemble the MBA's, rather than the one it has now, that always, without a doubt, dents inward after enough use.

The MacBook Pro's screen will migrate to 16:9 as well, with a 16 inch screen on the base model, along with an amazing 18.1 inch option (an option I am going to get!). Like the iMac, the screen with receive a black bezel. The MBP will also adapt the MBA's keyboard, which should complement the design perfectly. I also expect better and louder speakers to be included, as Apple has seemed to be interested as of late in good sound quality. The trackpad will be glass just like the MacBook.

Inside this beautiful monster will house an Intel Centrino 2 processor, with an option for 4 cores. Internal memory will probably be expandable up to 8 GB, and the graphics card will improve as well, though the specific card was not revealed to us. For connectivity, I expect more USB and Firewire ports, alongside an introduction of a new faster Firewire standard. Also, Blu-Ray will be an option. Apple, despite how much they want digital downloads to win, will have to adopt Blu-Ray for its professional clients, and now is the time. It probably won't be standard, but rather BTO.

Other possibilities, like the MacBook, are HDMI, iChat HD, and a redesigned power adapter. The battery may be removable, but odds are, no.

MacBook Air

While I doubt we will see many physical changes to the MacBook Air, I am sure we will at least see the glass trackpad on the Air, along with spec bumps, and a major price drop. Expect the MacBook Air to start at 1299, possibly even lower. If this is not announced at the event, it will be announced shortly after the event.

MacBook Mini

Did you see Apple's stock yesterday? They don't have a choice but to release this. As the Mac Mini is to desktops, the MacBook Mini will be to laptops. At 599, this is a computer that will be hard to ignore. It will boast 11 inch screen, just so that Steve can make fun of the other guys' small screens, be fairly thin, made of aluminum, feature a relatively large keyboard, Wi-Fi, glass trackpad (maybe), good connectivity, a combo drive (super drive option), and an iSight camera.

Another possibility is that the MacBook will be the low end model, seeing a major price drop (down to 700-800 dollars), and the MacBook Air will fill the MacBook's position in the 1000 dollar laptop market. Whichever scenario comes to fruition, whether it be the MacBook Mini, or a major MacBook price drop, one thing is certain: with the economy the way it is, Apple can't ignore the lower-end marker any longer.

Mac

This is not a prediction, it is a possibility. Apple may finally decide to address their lack of a mid-size tower, and release, as I call it, the Mac. Fairly cheap, and enormously expandable, this combined with the MacBook Mini would complete the grid of computers Apple would like to ship (see below).

Overall, I think we are in for an exciting keynote. I'm in the market for a new MacBook Pro, so what they announce is what I get!

October 14th can't come soon enough...

Apple Tanks, Bailout Fails

Michael Kahn — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:15:48 +0000

I should have sold at 200. Apple stock today plummeted 23 points to a year-low amount per share of 105.26. The reason it dropped so dramatically can be attributed to terrible timing. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty and RBC analyst Mike Abramsky both downgraded to equal-weight from overweight, leading Apple’s stock to take a dive. However, to make matters worse, Wall Street dropped 777 points on the news that the bailout plan proposed was voted against.

I’m gonna take a break from Apple to address an issue I find extremely important. I believe the parties are slowly dividing America. Lawmakers are voting for the opinion of their party rather than their true beliefs. Today we saw this in full effect. Democrats voted against the bailout today, not necessarily because they didn’t agree with it, but because it was proposed by George Bush. They figured that because George Bush has made mistakes in the past, he has no chance of doing anything right, and subsequently voted no to the bailout that could’ve helped a ton of people. Case in point: read this comment from AOL.

“IF BUSH WANTED IT TO PASS, I AM AS HAPPY AS HELL IT FAILED.”

No thought as to what he was proposing, no consideration that perhaps the man America elected two terms in a row might do one thing right, simply a rejection of his proposal based on the current public perception that Bush is a complete, and utter, failure in every aspect of life. I feel sorry for Bush right now: no matter how much he wants to help the country at this point, I don’t think he can. I think he has reached a point, no thanks to the media, in which America will immediately disagree with whatever he says, without even considering what he proposes. I want to make it clear to everyone that I am not a Republican, or a Democrat. I am not pro-Bush or anti-Bush. I don’t believe decisions should be made based on pre-conceived notions regarding a party or person: every politician wants to help the country as much as the other. Bush is not a complete idiot: he may not be a good public speaker, but just because he has a Texas accent doesn’t mean he’s a dumb cowboy. Think back to things Bush has done right: think of the surge, the immediate reaction to 9/11. Yes, he’s made some mistakes, but he’s only human. Yes, he’s misspoken, but you can’t be prefect grammatically all the time. I find it extremely unfortunate that the bailout got rejected, because it shows that politicians no longer pass laws based on what is right for the country: they pass laws based on what is popular, based on their party’s opinions, based on not voting with the other party’s members. As a result of this, we saw today a bad sign of things to come. Unless Washington gets their act together, this may very well be the beginning of the end.

I apologize for the political rant, but I think it needs to be said.

New MacBook Video Card

Michael Kahn — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:49:11 +0000

Hot off the presses. What do you think? Is this the card you want in the new MacBook?

New Microsoft Ad: Much Better!

Michael Kahn — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:22:10 +0000

I just watched Microsoft’s new advertisement, and it beat the old one big time. I love Seinfeld, and I actually enjoyed this ad a bunch more. The best line, when Gates asks Seinfeld why their living a normal life with a family: “You’re living in some kind of moonhouse hovering over Seatle like the mothership, I have so many cars, I get stuck in my own traffic! We need to connect with real people!”

I feel that this ad beats all of Apple’s recent Get A Mac ads in humor: in effectiveness, Apple’s ads win, because they are about selling computers, but I really enjoyed this, and thought it was a great, funny advertisement. I hope it gets talked positively about, so that we can see more ads like this.

You can view it in high quality on Microsoft’s website here.

For the record, I couldn’t stand the last ad.

One Little Question...

Luther Cherry — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:18:03 +0000

Okay, so we've all seen the new iPods and agree they rock. Just one little question. Why does Apple make us compromise every time? I love the new "Shake to Shuffle" feature, but will we see it in the iPod Classic? I know it's "Classic" but when will we see something new in the technology? The thing I hate: I want tons of space, but tons of cool features. The iPod Nano won't hold my entire library, but you can do some pretty cool stuff with it. When will we see an accelerometer in the massive iPod? What will I do if I want to play cool games that require an accelerometer? Complain. That's the answer. Complaining works. One more thing....Color. When will we see more color options for the iPod Classic and Touch? I think that's one of the major reasons people buy the iPod Nano. What's your say? Leave a comment and tell me why you would buy a scrawny little iPod Nano and not an iPod Classic.

And If 100 people read this, I should see 100 comments so don't just leave and not comment!!!

That goes for YOU!!!

This Week's App of the Week: IMPlus

Luther Cherry — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:13:40 +0000

This Week’s App of the Week:
IMPlus

Ever want to Instant Message your friends while on the go? Tired of watching your friends IM using their Sidekicks? Need an IM application? Don't fret, my friend. Look no further. IMPlus enables you to Instant Message your friends, all from your iPhone or iPod Touch. Because you have the choice of using AIM/iChat, MSN/Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk and MySpaceIM, you’ll always be connected to your friends. After trying this application out, I have to say, I love the interface. It is simple and easy to use. It even has an Inbox, which keeps track of open chats and any unread messages. It’s about time an application like this was created, because I have always wanted to IM my friends, while on the go. My old phone just did not cut it. It was also very costly, and I hated using the three letters to-a-key keyboard. This is the perfect application for the iPhone or Pod touch because of the keyboard they possess. Also, you’re not paying crazy internet usage fees.

Surprisingly, I don’t have any real cons for this application, except that it could look a tiny bit better. We should also have the option to change the settings, like our pictures, fonts, sizes, ect. Other than that, this is the perfect Instant Messaging application out there, (that I know of) so far. Search for it in the Application Store. You definitely need to try it out. The best reason: It’s free.

The Easiest 10 Million Bucks Ever Made

Michael Kahn — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:19:56 +0000

This is ridiculous. After all the hype (at least to me… I love Seinfeld), Microsoft managed to take the funniest guy of all time, place him with the least funniest guy of all time, and create an advertisement that not only made no sense, but actually made Apple look even cooler than they did before the ad. I am secretly kind of upset: while its obviously good for an Apple fan when Microsoft makes a mistake, I like Seinfeld so much, I wanted to see something clever and unique. Instead I saw the biggest waste of 10 million dollars of all time. Besides, the whole joke saying “Bill is so rich! But yet he’s buying cheap stuff? Oh the comedic irony!” is old: we already saw this when they spoofed his last day at work.

Check out the video here.