Apple‘s fiscal Q4 2009 conference call is just about to begin, but the press release is already out and about. Wondering how Jobs and Company did? Precisely like you thought they would: they’re making out like gangbusters over there. While the rest of the world slowly sees profits inching back up, Apple’s relishing in $1.67 billion worth of net profit it pulled in from $9.87 billion in revenue. A year ago, the outfit managed to post a quarterly profit of “just” $1.14 billion, and we’re also told that gross margin was up 36.6 percent. It should be noted that international sales accounted for a whopping 46 percent of this quarter’s revenue, and Mac computer sales managed to shoot up some 17 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. In keeping with Apple’s own acknowledgment that the standalone iPod is dying, sales of the iconic media player dipped 8 percent year-over-year (10.2 million units were sold), while 7.4 million iPhones were moved representing a 7 percent uptick from this period a year ago.
Stevie J himself is quoted as saying that Apple is “thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter,” and in case you haven’t noticed, the holiday quarter hasn’t even been completed yet. Oh, and if you were looking for bread crumbs as for what’s on deck, chew on this: “We’ve got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010.” Great new products, you say? Would one of them happen to include some sort of, say, tablet PC?
This article was written on July 17, 2008 by CyberNet.
Back in the beginning of June at WWDC, Apple announced that they would be replacing their .Mac service with a new service called MobileMe. They described it as “Exchange for the rest of us” and said users would have push email, contacts and calendars. It sounded impressive, but would cost users a subscription fee of $99 for 20 GB of online storage. For someone who really wanted push email, contacts and calendars, the $99 would be worth it. As it turns out, Apple is guilty of what we would call “false advertising” because MobileMe really doesn’t use Push technology. Apparently there have been enough complaints because they have instructed their sales teams to no longer use the slogan, “Exchange for the rest of us.”
Paul Thurrott wrote an extremely informative article over at his SuperSite for Windows website where he talks about a note that the Apple employees received. It read, “MobileMe messaging is being updated effective immediately. In order to set appropriate expectations with our customers, focus your sales discussion on “automatic sync” rather than “push.” Additionally, we will no longer describe MobileMe as “Exchange for the rest of us.” Exchange really does use push technology, MobileMe does not.
Thurrott also pointed out some of the other issues with MobileMe. He points out that an estimated 75% of Windows users still use Internet Explorer yet in IE 7 they’ll get a message saying that the browser isn’t fully supported and they should either switch to Firefox or Safari. Fine, if Apple wants to be that way they can, but then don’t you think Firefox should be a supported browser if you want to sync your bookmarks in MobileMe? It’s not. At that point your only options are Safari or Internet Explorer. None of it makes sense.
Given that a good chunk of iPhone users are Windows users, MobileMe will be a real problem for them, especially when they find out it’s not “Exchange for the rest of us” and they’ll have to wait about 15 minutes for that update they made on their PC to sync. If it were really “push,” it would update instantly.
It’s interesting to note that not many people have made a big fuss over this, at least not yet. If Microsoft pulled a stunt like this, their critics would be ALL over them. What Apple did by promoting MobileMe as “Exchange for the rest of us” and saying it supports Windows when it doesn’t fully, was not smart, and it’s disappointing. Thurrott wrapped up his article saying “Seriously, where is the outrage” and we second that, where is it?
Avast! There be a mighty tempest rocking the good ship Gadget Lab. OK, it’s just raining really hard in San Francisco and most of the Bay Area. But what better time to check off all those do-it-yourself gadget projects you’ve exiled to the bottom of your to-do list?
Sure, copious sunlight makes it hard to concentrate on backing up your data. But when it’s pouring and there’s nothing better to do than geek out, tasks like beautifying your iTunes library, turning your Mac Mini into the ultimate media center, or hacking your netbook can be a dorktastic blast.
Even if the skies are clear in your city, here’s a list of tech-centric activities you can take on when the weather is being a harsh mistress. Trust us — they’re a lot more fun than playing Monopoly or constructing a magical butterfly garden.
1. Straighten Out Your iTunes Library With TuneUp
Anybody with a sizable iTunes music collection is bound to have a bunch of albums with incorrect or ungrammatical song tracks (e.g., Track 01, Track 02, “here comes the sun,” etc). TuneUp is an awesome plug-in that hooks into an online database and analyzes your incorrect track titles and automatically renames them for you.
The TuneUp plug-in automatically launches with iTunes, and you drag a list of incorrect song tracks into the TuneUp menu to begin automatic renaming. The only drag is that it takes about 5 to 10 seconds per song, so if you have a ton of improperly named tracks, this can take a pretty long time.
Other than renaming songs, TuneUp can also identify any albums in your iTunes library that are missing cover art. Then, it will download that art from its database and automatically tag it onto the respective album.
TuneUp isn’t 100 percent reliable, especially when it comes to dealing with super-indie tracks, but it successfully fixed up about 80 percent of my iTunes library, which contains about 5,000 songs. Not bad. TuneUp costs $20 for a one-year license, or $30 for a lifetime license.
2. Turn Your Mac Mini Into the Ultimate Entertainment Box
Ever dream of a TV set-top box that offered every type of media you can imagine? An ultraversatile media machine doesn’t really exist yet on the market, but if you own a Mac Mini, you’ll like this solution. Sporting a gorgeous UI, Plex Media Center is a Mac app that serves your movies, TV shows, music and even content from websites such as Hulu and Netflix. It supports a large number of file formats, so even digital pirates will be pleased. Just install Plex on a Mac Mini, hook up the Mini to your TV and you’re gold. You can access and control Plex with your Apple remote, so forget about that shoddy keyboard-and-mouse experience.
Similar to TuneUp, Plex uses metadata from the internet to automatically retrieve art to accompany your media. In the screenshot above, Plex provides that slick Seinfeld background. One caveat: It’ll take some time to make Plex look just right. Plex can be pretty particular about just how you organize your files in order for it grab metadata for your media files. That means you’ll have to do lots of renaming of files and folders. Example: To load that Seinfeld menu, Plex required arranging the folders as such: Movies–>Seinfeld–> Season 3. Still, it’s worth the time and effort.
The best part? Plex is free.
3. Hack and Mod Your Netbook
Netbooks are popular not just because they’re so small and convenient to carry around everywhere; they’re surprisingly hackable. There’s a wealth of literature on the web that will teach you how to hack a netbook to run Mac OS X, or install mods such as an HDTV tuner, GPS or Bluetooth.
… the digital cloud that is the interwebs, of course. Indeed, cloud storage is the hip way to manage your data (unless you’re a T-Mobile Sidekick customer). By throwing your files into a cloud-based service such as Dropbox or Box.net, you’re automatically backing them up to protect against data loss. Not only that, you can enjoy access to your files from any computer with an internet connection. For example, on my office computer, I can listen to my entire iTunes library, which I copied into Dropbox.
The words “cloud storage” are pretty yawn-inducing, but once you get past that and start experimenting with the tech, it’s pretty fun. After trying out cloud backup services, you might consider throwing your notes into Evernote, an online note-taking service. Evernote has apps not only for the Mac and Windows, but also for several smartphones including the iPhone and RIM BlackBerry. When I find a recipe I like while browsing the web with my computer, I paste it into Evernote, hit Sync, and then on my iPhone I launch the Evernote app — and there’s the recipe. Pretty sweet.
5. Set Your iPhone Free
Apple plays gatekeeper for its iPhone, enforcing stringent control over what types of third-party software appear in its App Store. This, of course, has resulted in some questionable app rejections, most of which blew over after a short duration. But Apple crossed an invisible line when it rejected the Google Voice app, a service that enables users to rely on a single phone number to ring all their phones, while also delivering the gift of free text messages and voicemail service, as well as cheap international calls. Fortunately, there’s a way around Apple’s restrictions: Jailbreaking the iPhone.
Jailbreaking (i.e. hacking) the iPhone gives you access to an unauthorized app store called Cydia, which offers a Google Voice app among other wares Apple would forbid. Want to tether your iPhone? There’s a Cydia app for that. Want to download files larger than 10 megabytes on the 3G network? Yup, there’s an unauthorized app for that, too. Jailbreaking is also the first step you must take if you wish to unlock your iPhone to work on a different carrier, such as T-Mobile.
The drag about jailbreaking is that it just isn’t very convenient. Every time Apple releases a software update, you lose access to Cydia, and your unauthorized apps temporarily disappear. Then you must jailbreak and re-download those apps again. (If you paid for a Cydia app the first time, you don’t have to pay to download it again.) But if you actually have free time, having a jailbroken iPhone can be largely beneficial.
From our experience, the best tutorials on jailbreaking can be found at iClarified, and if you need more visual aids, plenty of YouTube users have posted tutorials as well. What are you waiting for? Jailbreak away!
What are the rainy day activities you enjoy with your gadgets? Post your suggestions in the comments below.
Product rumors have been fairly quiet on the Apple front recently, but the tech community has begun exchanging whispers about new Macs due in stores soon.
Here, we round up all the Mac-related rumors that have surfaced in the past month and rate their probability. Eager to buy a new Mac? Wait a little longer: Any Tuesday now (Apple traditionally rolls out product upgrades on Tuesdays), you’ll most likely see a slew of brand new Macs in the Apple Store.
Thinner, groovier iMacs On average, Apple refreshes its iMacs every seven months, and the last batch of iMacs were released in March. History suggests that new iMacs should arrive any day now.
What’s new about them? Financial publication Barron’s cites research firm Wedge Partners, who claims the new iMacs will sport a “thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges.” That’s reasonable to believe: The current aluminum form factor hasn’t been changed for about two years. The previous white iMac lasted two years before receiving the aluminum makeover. So a new design for the next iMac would make sense. Also, a thinner, rounder design upgrade would be consistent with the look of the new aluminum MacBook Pros.
Corroborating the claim of thinner iMacs, a purported foreign Apple advertisement for a new iMac emerged on Google.nl, stating “iMac: Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099. Apple Store.”
As for the new iMac’s innards, there have been conflicting reports claiming the iMacs will feature a quad-core processor, an upgrade from their current dual-core brains, while other publications claim the iMac will continue using dual-cores. We’re undecided on who’s right, but what’s obvious is the new iMacs should be speedier in performance. French blog Mac4Ever claims the new iMacs will include SD card readers, just like those featured in the MacBook Pros. Apple does enjoy consistency across its product lines, so that sounds plausible.
Multitouch mouse The iMac is rumored to be shipping with an extra bonus: a new multitouch mouse, which will presumably sport a touch-sensitive housing to do away with the roller ball on the current Mighty Mouse. Sources told AppleInsider that the new mouse would apply the multipoint touch detection technology seen in the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
A new iMac is the perfect opportunity for Apple to roll out a new mouse. Wired.com believes a multitouch mouse should function similarly to the unibody MacBook trackpads, which detect multitouch gestures. On new MacBooks, tapping the trackpad with two fingers triggers a right-click function, for example; this rumored multitouch mouse might copy this behavior. Also, for a mouse, we would expect a multitouch gesture to replace scrolling in different directions, and perhaps there will be special gestures that trigger Exposé commands as well.
New White MacBooks Remember the MacBook? You know, that lone white notebook in the Mac family. Rumors say the MacBook will soon receive a design overhaul and be joined by additional models. Not much is known, other than that the new MacBooks will reportedly be thinner and lighter, and the internal architecture will be reworked. Financial blog Barron’s cites research firm Wedge Partners, who claims the MacBook redesign “is likely to be limited.” That’s vague, but we think many of us would consider thinner and lighter to be a “limited” redesign (i.e., not mindblowingly exciting).
Several reports say the new MacBook will be released simultaneously with the new iMac. The MacBook was also alluded to in the purported Apple advertisement that may have been accidentally leaked: “MacBook: Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today.”
Of course we believe new MacBooks are imminent: Apple would not neglect its most affordable notebook, which has been a hot seller, especially among students. Mac Mini Last and definitely least, there have been scarce rumors about a new Mac Mini also launching with the iMac and MacBook. Apple’s treatment toward the Mac Mini has been inconsistent with its other products: The company waited 600 days before releasing the current Mac Mini, and the upgrade was only minor; it introduced no changes to form factor. Mac Mini customer feedback suggests the device is being used for niche applications including cheap server setups, digital music servers for audiophiles and replacements for Windows PCs.
We’d guess Apple will deliver another mini upgrade for the Mac Mini, perhaps increasing its storage and adding a slight bump to performance. The purported Apple ad also includes the Mac Mini, suggesting it will drop in price: “Faster and more affordable than ever. From only €499. Order immediately.” A price drop is believable: It suggests the Mac Mini isn’t a big seller, which we would expect, and if that’s the case, we wouldn’t expect a significant upgrade.
There’s no easy way to say this so we’ll just spit it out: Mac owners are bigger gadget nerds than PC owners. At least that’s the conclusion drawn in NPD‘s 2009 Household Penetration Study. NPD concludes that Mac owners not only own more computers than the norm, they also own more types of consumer electronics — the average Apple household owns 48 consumer electronics devices compared to 24 in the average computer household. In fact, NPD suggests that “Apple household owners’ actions and purchases can be used by the industry as leading indicators for hot new products and adoption.” Unfortunately, there’s no direct mention of Linux PC owners because they usually still live with their parents. Oh!
Your Mac mini cranks out its video via DisplayPort and audio via a mini Toslink. Chances are your home entertainment system doesn’t like either of those. It will, however, like the Kanex Mini DisplayPort Adapter, which can turn a DisplayPort video signal into a 1080p signal over HDMI, and will even integrate either digital or analog audio into the mix. It’s USB powered, so there’s no need for a clunky power adapter, and while $70 isn’t particularly cheap for a chubby cable ($50 for the USB analog audio model), it’s about the cleanest way to get your Mini pumping tunes and vids through your system.
This one is for all you online tea leaf readers and Apple SKU / crystal ball aficionados: Further confirming our suspicion that something more affordable may be on the horizon, Google AdSense this weekend started serving users in the Netherlands with ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis. Pointing to a dead link at the country’s Apple Store, the ads read (via Google Translate): “Apple’s Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today,” “The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,603). Apple Store,” and “Apple’s New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately.” (For a little perspective, that’s €100 ($145) less than the cheapest Mac mini currently on the Netherlands online store.) Granted, whenever peeping purported translations from foreign tipsters we’re always half-afraid that we’re actually reading Celine Dion lyrics or dialogue from Caddyshack, but this one seems to be the real deal — for whatever that’s worth.
Update: Apple’s “New Mighty Mouse” advertised as well.
Ah, Snow Leopard. It’s the same cat you’re used to caressing (or beating, as the case may be), but in a much, much colder climate. Or something like that. OS X 10.6 promised Leopard users a “refined” experience, and one that would only cost upgrading users $29. At that price, most Apple fanatics figured that picking it up on launch day was a no-brainer, but as we’ve come to sadly expect from Cupertino’s software labs these days, all wasn’t perfectly well with the big snowy cat. Even now, users are still kvetching about broken functionality and mental pains that are literally indescribable. Even if you’re not in that camp, we’re eager to hear how your Snow Leopard experience has been. Are you satisfied with the upgrade? Will you never, ever install an Apple update again before a million others try it first? Are you already looking forward to 10.7 Windows 7? Tell all in comments below — you never know who could be tuning in.
Today is the day that the BlackBerry-toting Mac faithful have been waiting for. After years of “making do” with less-than-desirable options like PocketMac and Missing Sync, RIM has taken it upon itself to finally release a home-cooked solution for Mac users who simply want to back up their devices without having to install a virtual machine or revert to a Windows PC. Well, it’s been a long month and a half since they first announced it was coming, but BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac has finally landed (officially, we mean), and we’re glad to say it definitely gets the job done. Check out our full impressions and a quick rundown of the big features over on Engadget Mobile!
Folks who just so happen to own a Mini DisplayPort-equipped monitor (you know, like Apple’s 24-inch LED Cinema Display) have been longing for this adapter for what feels like forever, and while Atlona assured us it was coming way back in July, it has taken until now for the all-important ship date to arrive. The AT-DP200 is capable of maintaining resolution and HDCP compatibility, but considering the $179 price tag, we might suggest picking up a new graphics card instead. Your call, buster.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
Back in the beginning of June at WWDC, 
