Apple
Editorial: Apple’s iPad – The Good and The Not So Good
Jan 30th
So this morning Apple announced their highly anticipated tablet, The iPad, strangly enough, Apple don’t actually hold any trademarks or domains featuring iPad name, but like the iPhone, which was owned by Cisco, that should change fairly soon. So onto the device, the iPad itself is an extremely polished device in way of design, very much in the Steve Jobs vain, sporting a 9.7″ Multi-Touch, multi angeled IPS LCD screen, 16GB-32GB-64GB variants, WiFi only or WiFi and 3G. It comes in at 9.56 inches (242.8 mm) High, 7.47 inches (189.7 mm) Wide and 0.5 inch (13.4 mm) Thick, which is really amazing considering 
its power and speed. Under the bonnet of the iPad is the Apple A4, a 1Ghz Samsung made, Apple designed SOC that contains the Processor, Graphics, IO, Memory all on the chip, this allows the iPad to render 720p HD video with ease and also flick through photos, play 3D games and change orentation with breaking a sweat, it’s also extremly low power, giving the iPad 10 hours battery use with 30 days standby. Positioned to take on netbooks head to head, this could speel the end to the netbook category that has helped a number of PC manufacturers capture a significant portion of market share in the portable computing space. Can Apple again dominate a market with it’s first product in a new market? Their track record certainly seems so.
Apple’s Tablet to finally see the light of day? Or iPhone 4.0 to take centre stage?
Jan 19th
Invite to Apple’s rumoured Jan 27th event were sent out this morning, confirming the event and also sparking massive speculation that this is going to be the date that Apple reveal it’s much hyped Tablet. There have been reports by Clayton Morris that the event will showcase the much anticipated Tablet, iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife. In all of this the only thing I’m really interested to see is the iPhone OS 4.0, I’m excited to see what news features or tweaks Apple are looking at adding to the iPhone platform. Dont get me wrong, I’m extremely interested to see what Apple have done with this Tablet of theirs, but knowing the price range its going to be in I’m extremely confident I wont be getting one any time soon, plus I already have a iPhone 3GS so, the announment that seems most relevant to me of course is the iPhone OS update. I’ll be up at 2am my time ready and waiting for all to be revealed.
iPhone 3GS, when will more stock arrive?
Sep 14th
In a nutshell? No one knows. I have spoken to people at both Optus and Vodafone and they have no ETA, 32Gb models are filthering into stores in limited quanties and at a very slow pace, maybe very 3 weeks or so. 16Gb models have not been seen by many people since launch. I would hope stock would become widely available again with the next 2 months, but other then that, dont hold your breath.
New iPod's to be announced on the 9th of September
Sep 1st
09/09/09 is the magical date for Apple’s annaul iPod/Music event, called “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,” which referenes a Rolling Stones lyric. Being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, we are expecting to see a new lineup of iPod Touches with cameras and also the release of the rumoured iTunes 9, which is due to include both social networking integration as well as Blu-Ray support. The offiical keynote is due to start at 10am Pacific Time.
There is also another significant take on this event, its also on the same date that The Beatles are having their entire catalogue re-released and also marks the release of the The Beatles: Rock Band, could this also be a great time to announce the release of The Beatles discography on iTunes??? We will have to just wait and see.
New Facebook 3.0 iPhone App Approved and in App Store
Aug 28th
The day has finally come for the much anticipated Facebook 3.0 iPhone App. Today the app was approved by Apple and has already appeared on the US App Store and has just appeared on our shores. As soon as I have had a play, I will do a review on the changes, which there are plenty. Some of the major changes include:
* Redisigned Home Screen
* Video uploads for iPhone 3GS
* Uploading of photos to any album
* “Like” option available for posts and Photos
* Visit links with the in-built browser
* Make friend requests
iPhone 3G S shipping to Australian stores as we speak.
Jun 23rd
UPDATE: Vodafone just released pricing, check out both Optus and Vodafone’s below.
With Friday only a matter of days away, the biggest fear i had was a repeat of last year, where only flagship stores carried iPhones on launch day and others had to wait via raincheck processes. This year a different story is emerging, stores have already started to recieve stock and for stores that haven’t, they should have stock for Friday’s launch. This is good news for customers, as no pre-order was available to customers this time around in Oz. Optus have released pricing already, with the 32gb version avaiable free on their Timeless plans. Vodafone and Virgin are still yet to finalise pricing but it is expected today or tomorrow.
New iPhone 3G S to hit Australia on the 26th of June
Jun 10th
It’s been a while since i last posted but i thought this was well worth it. The new iPhone 3G S, announced on Monday will be hitting Australia on the 26th of June. At this stage both Optus and Vodafone have taken the handset, but in usual Apple style nothing in regards to pricing or availability has been released. Vodafone has also now released visual voicemail for the iPhone, which correct me if I’m wrong is the first carrier in Australia to do so. Stay tuned, we will get more word on pricing and stock as i find out.
Apple’s “1984” commercial turns 25
Jan 25th
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8]
Something a bit different now, Apple’s “1984” commercial turned 25!! Seeing that i was only 1 when it came out i certainly dont remember it, but it was and still is one the best campaigns done in the IT industry. Take a look, it is definitely different.
[From OSnews.com]
Apple wants to trademark "OS X" but leaves "Mac" at home
Jan 15th
So they mentioned it a bit ago and now here it is. Apple have filed for the trademark for it’s “OS X” operating system, but has decided that it doesn’t need the “Mac” anymore. It seems as if Apple are starting to slowly move their positioning from the once computer manufacturer to technology manufacturer. Steve talked about re-branding back in January 07 when the first iPhone was released, dropping the “Computer” from it’s name to become just Apple Inc. I can certainly understand the “OS X” trademark as it is name a Operating System not just for Mac’s but the iPhone and iPod Touch and Apple TV. They are no longer the computer company they were once know as, but now manufacturers of some awesome technology
[From AppleInsider]
Steve Jobs to take a medical leave of absence.
Jan 15th
UPDATE: It seems Apple may now face possible lawsuits from investorswho are unhappy with the way Steve’s health has been cloaked in a vail of secrecy. Come on guys it’s a guys personal health we are talking about, should a company CEO have to disclose to all shareholders and the world if he is sick? Maybe so, Steve is an incredibly public person, and when you look at it when you say Apple you think iPhone, iPod and Steve Jobs, so saying that if i was a shareholder and my stock dropped do to they way something was handled, I wouldn’t be happy.
Well i don’t think this is a surprise but it is certainly sad to see. There has been a lot or rumours surrounding Jobs and his health of late, specially considering he didn’t deliver the keynote at Apple’s last Macworld and also his rapid weight loss that was seen at other public appearances. Jobs did release an open letter to Apple fans stating that he was suffering from a hormone inbalance that had contributed to his weight loss and that he was being treated for it, but yesterday Apple released a statement from Jobs in regards to his health issue:
Team,
I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.
I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.
Steve
This is a sad day for Apple and the community as a whole, but hopefully Jobs will return in June and be bigger and better than before. We wish you well Steve, hope to see you back soon.
