Appletell

It’s nearly been a year since Axiotron announced the ModBook, and they’ve apparently set a final ship date. The modified MacBook-tablet will (hopefully) ship on January 8th, right around the Macworld conference. Although the ModBook is simply is a MacBook with a Wacom tablet built in, the tablet has gotten a lot of hype throughout the year. Of course, the device’s specifications have been updated within the past year, boosting the OS to 10.5, improving processor speeds, and including a GPS unit in each model (the GPS was previously optional). The ModBooks will cost you anywhere from $2280 to $2580.

Via [Gadget Lab]

Adium 1.2 is just around the corner, with a download available from the beta page. The team have added many improvements into the next version of the popular messaging client, specifically Bonjour improvements. Bonjour, Group Chat, XMPP, AppleScript and many minor features have been fixed and improved, resulting in a less-buggy version of the app. With group chat, inviting contacts is now as simple as clicking and dragging, and Bonjour file transfers are now possible. AppleScript has been improved as well, with it being completely rewritten. Within the contact window itself, groups are detachable from the main contact list.

A download is available at Adium’s beta page.

Via [Infinite Loop]
Download [Adium]

Along with rumors of Fox partnering with Apple for movie rentals this morning, rumors of DVD copying have risen as well. Apple’s infamous DRM system, FairPlay, will be used to allow the copying of Fox DVDs to iTunes, iPods, iPhones, and AppleTVs. Although users have been able to copy DVDs and import them for a while, a one click system would be easier and faster. Hopefully, other studios will hop on board if this is a success. All will hopefully be unveiled at the Stevenote.

Via [Valleywag]

Nicholas Ciarelli, Owner and Editor of popular rumors site Think Secret, may have gotten some cash in his settlement with Apple, MacRumors Reports:

The L.A. Times cites sources in-the-know that claim that ThinkSecret’s Nick Ciarelli did indeed receive some amount of monetary compensation from Apple as part of their final settlement.
[Ciarelli] also received a payment from Apple, according to a person familiar with the case. Both sides declined to discuss details of the agreement.

[Ciarelli] also received a payment from Apple, according to a person familiar with the case. Both sides declined to discuss details of the agreement.

There has been a tremendous amount of speculation that this may have been the case, but no real confirmation.

Here’s what I’m wondering: how is this not obvious?? Ciarelli was still going fairly strong when he announced that he would shut down to move on to “greater journalistic pursuits.” So after a 3 year old lawsuit, he’ll just up and shut down for no reason other than that he suddenly wants to “move on?” It’s not like he was working his rear off there anyway. Posts came weeks apart. It is clear that Apple gave him some sort of incentive to leave, and unless they provided him with a lifetime supply of any Apple product he wanted (I’d want in!), they gave him money. And probably quite a bit.

Think Secret shut down last week with a statement that they were closing down as part of an amicable settlement with Apple over their 3 year feud about Think Secret spilling trade secrets. 

You’re going deaf. That’s what the Daily Mail thinks, at least. The paper says that because iPod users are going deaf due to the extensive volume control on the iPod, Apple is implementing a new, automatic volume control. The patent reveals that soon-to-come iPods may automatically lower or raise the volume, based on elapsed listening time. Volume will also be controlled when the iPod is turned on, making sure not to start a song too loud. Although the Daily Mail thinks this is the real deal, weblog Engadget is weary of automatic volume control making it to iPods in the future.

Via [Daily Mail] [Engadget]

The UMPC rumors have become more popular by the day, with more pieces and information regarding the ultra portable Mac arising. The latest rumor focuses on the form factor and display. Reports now indicate that the device is meant to be gripped with two hands, one on each side, similar to a Sony PSP. A depressed button is supposedly on each side, allowing some sort of control. Regarding the display, rumors report it will be a 5.2” 800x480 touch display from Balda. Lastly, the device won’t have a physical keyboard, but a virtual, software keyboard similar to the one found on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Of course, none of this is completely confirmed yet, and still goes down as a rumor.

Via [Computerworld]

According to recent posting on Boy Genius Report, new laptops at Macworld are 100% guarantee.

The report states that one of their “music industry spies” confirms that Apple is paying some big-name performers who performed at a recent holiday event with “new laptops that are coming out at Macworld. They apparently have no idea what type of notebook this would be, but it is pretty much a consensus that a new notebook at Macworld would be an ultra-portable MacBook Pro.

This “confirmation” is sketchy in many ways and, to me, offers no more assurance than any of the other rumors. That Apple would pay performers with laptops is slightly weird, especially since they have not yet come out. It is entirely possible, but I am inclined to give this report a pass.

Read [Boy Genius Report]

Flip4Mac WMV, the WMV solution from Telestream, has finally been updated to a stable Leopard-compatible release.

Flip4Mac WMV 2.2 doesn’t bring much else than Leopard compatibility, and if you have already downloaded the Leopard compatible beta, updating is a cinch. Just open your Flip4Mac WMV System Preferences Panel and run an update check.

Flip4Mac WMV is a QuickTime Plugin released in cooperation with Microsoft that allows for videos of Microsoft’s proprietary format WMV and audio format WMA to be played in QuickTime on Mac OS X. Microsoft began distributing Flip4Mac after they discontinued their stunted Windows Media Player for Mac in 2006. Flip4Mac enables WMV and WMA to be played most everywhere in the system, including Front Row, Safari, Mail, and all other QuickTime reliant programs.

Via [Mac Daily News]

Yes, this rumor has been spread and told a million times, but now Bloomberg’s confirming it. And when Bloomberg confirms it, you know that it’s a load of crap real.

The financial news giant reports that Jobs is unveiling a brand new, thin Mac. The sub-notebook will apparently cost more than a MacBook Pro, and will do ten times less. Now that’s good pricing structure. Bloomberg also reports that Apple will be putting out a 16 GB version of the iPhone, with 3G to come later. However, there is no mention of an SDK. The 16 GB model will retain the current $399 price.

Venturing into the media category, Apple will release a new, updated Apple TV, despite that most believe Jobs is tossing it into his fireplace o’ products. iTunes will get movie rentals, with more movies and TV shows added as well.

Via [Bloomberg]

This is part two of a five part series leading up to MacWorld.

MacBook Pro- The MacBook Pro is a really good computer right now as it is. I think we may see bigger Hard Drive sizes, but other than that, there’s not much more than a price drop that we can hope for. Not to say a price drop isn’t awesome.

MacBook- I’ve already written an article here about what they need to do to keep the MacBook in step with the rest of the product line, but I doubt much will happen with the MacBook. What I’d like to see is a switch to an aluminum finish, but it would confuse too much with the MacBook Pro and the rumored sub-notebook, so I doubt that will happen. I’d also like to see the high end version get dedicated graphics, but thats another unlikely one. Most likely the MacBook will be pretty ignored this MacWorld.

MacBook Mini- Even though I’m calling it the MacBook Mini, it won’t fall near the price range of the Mac Mini. What we’re looking at for the Ultra-Portable notebook (stupid as one may be) is a 12 or 13 inch screen, probably 64 GB of NAND-based flash hard drive space (128 GB as a BTO?) 2 or 3 GB of RAM that is not expandable, and no optical drive. So basically a MacBook without a CD/DVD drive. And an aluminum or black finish.