Appletell

Now that we’re pretty certain something is in the pipes for a September Apple event, let’s start sifting through rumors. One notable rumor has to do with possible changes to the inner workings of certain Macintosh Laptops and Desktops. For a long time, Apple has been regarded as the company to go to if your computing needs fall in a more creative range than what is offered with a PC. At the top of that list for creative computing needs is movie making. With Apple’s many applications just for this (iMovie, iDVD, Final Cut, Shake), Apple has taken out (most of) the guesswork when it comes to putting your clips into a polished home movie. Now, should these rumors prove to be true, Apple may hope to go the extra mile when it comes to ease of use for their movie editing software.

Find out how after the break.

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If you’re a Mac user, you’ve heard the comment; “I’d like to own a Mac, but they’re too expensive.” Just this weekend, I got into a computer conversation with a Toys ‘r’ Us employee (do I look so geeky that electronics department reps feel they can approach me with computer questions?) regarding system requirements for a PC game. The conversation led to all the hassles he faced when upgrading computers, so I told him about the ease of this process on the Mac (answer a couple questions, attach FireWire cable, wait). He admitted then, he would’ve rather purchased an iMac, but felt they’re just too expensive.

Are they, though, when you get down to it? Sure, the up front cost looks like more, but how does that play out over a year? Two? Three? How about resale value? Support? Maintenance?

According to Charles Moore over at Applelinks, the Mac, over time, is the clear winner. Jump past the break to find out why.

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Learning absolutely nothing from the entire Psystar saga, Open Tech has announced their version of the Mac clone.

See what an Open Tech machine gets you after the break

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In a rather speedy conclusion to the suit Apple brought against Mac-cloning company, Psystar, Apple wants to recall all of the clones that Psystar has sold. The suit, filed July 8th, brought eight claims of copyright infringement, breach of contract, trademark and trade infringement, and unfair competition. A mass product recall such as this will undoubtedly make the company go bankrupt, and, to add insult to injury, Apple wants any and all profits Psystar has made.

Now, please, cover your eyes for the brutal beating Psystar is about to receive. Moral of the story? Don’t cross His Steveness.

Via [Yahoo]

Macessity has released and has ready for pre-order their new Slimkey V2 Stand for $64.99. This slim, beautifully designed aluminum stand comes with four USB 2.0 ports on the side for easier access than provided by your Mac. This stand can be used to hideaway your slim Apple keyboard when not in use, but it also doubles as a cooler if you use a Apple laptop by getting your machine up and off of the desk. You can also place any monitor that is under 35 pounds on top of the stand.

The stand is powder coated to match your aluminum iMac or Apple display. and comes with a compact power adapter. This seems like a pretty nice accessory to not only clear up some space on your desk when you’re not using your computer, but to look good doing it. If you have used any version of this products, be sure to let us know how they are.

Product [SlimKey V2 Stand]

The Blu-ray technology finally made it to Mac courtesy of MCE’s new Blu-ray Internal Drive for Apple Mac Pro and PowerMac, simply called the SuperDrive. This MCE Super Drive features 6X Blu-ray write-speeds and 16X DVD recording speed. It plays both Blu-ray and HD-DVD media and fully supports Lightscribe. It can record to 25GB single-layer and 50GB dual-layer discs.

In addition, the MCE SuperDrive is also compatible with all variants of both DVD and CD recordable media, includes DVD±R/RW + Dual/Double Layer, DVD-RAM, and CD-R and CD-RW. This SuperDrive will come packed with Toast 8 Titatinium and a 25GB Blu-ray rewritable disc. All this for an SRP of $699. This BU burner runs with Windows XP/Vista on a Boot Camp partition and requires Mac units running OS X 10.4 or higher.

Product [MCE] Via [Electronista]

FBR Research analyst Craig Berger is estimating quite high numbers for the stock of the iPhone 3G, as well as the original iPhone. With the iPhone 3G coming in at 15 million units and the original iPhone at 2 million, it would appear as if Apple is planning on smashing their 10 million unit goal. On top of this, he adds that Apple has ordered about 15% more iPod Nanos and Classics, while lowering the iPod Touch production. This led him to believe that a new Classic or Touch iPod could be on the horizon. Looks like Apple’s mobile devices are still selling strongly.

As for actual Macs, Berger says that laptop production is up 10% and desktop production is up 20%. This must mean these products are also selling extremely well.

Hopefully, these high iPhone numbers will prevent Apple from running out of stock across the world on July 11th. Also, I would love to see an iPod line refresh, and maybe a change to the iPod Touch to make it a more logical choice for customers. As always with Apple, we can only sit back and watch.

Via [Silicon Alley Insider]

The June issue of Consumer Reports featured a survey that outlined the best tech support from various companies. On top of that list was Apple for both laptops and desktops. One area where Apple really came out on top was the percentage of solved problems. Whereas the average percent for problems solved by tech support was about 60, Apple garnered 80%. The Chatham Journal reads, “When it came to solving problems, wait time on the phone and the knowledge of support staff, Apple’s tech support received high scores across the board...” Great job, Apple!

I’m not really surprised by this survey, which was based on around 10,000 experiences. With both the Genius Bar and AppleCare, Apple does a great job making sure their customers get their computer problems handled in an efficient manner. They realize the customer still matters after they make the purchase and want to make sure they keep coming back. Hopefully, this helpfulness continues and the support keeps a comin’ at the same high quality.

Via [Chatham Journal]

For those who are wishing to have the MacBook Air or iPhone touch screen features in their iMacs, you’ll be glad to know that Troll Touch has released a user-installable SlipCOVER touchscreen for these machines. Troll Touch, for those who are not aware, provides Apple with touchscreen system for its hardware.

The new SlipCOVERs for the 20 and 24 inch aluminum iMacs feature a high-resolution, analog resistive touchscreen technology that allows fingertip, gloved hand or stylus driven controls for the iMacs. The system is composed of a touch sensitive overlay that can be used in place of the iMac’s display glass. And to make it work as a touch screen system, you just have to connect it to your iMac using a USB cable. You don’t have to worry about altering the appearance of your iMac when you use the SlipCOVER, as it will be barely noticeable.

To have the new SlipCOVER installed on your iMac, Troll Touch is giving two options; you can either buy the complete SlipCOVER system from the company or have your iMac sent to Troll Touch’s office and have it modified for you. The SlipCOVER is available for $699 for the 20-inch aluminum iMac and $899 for the 24-inch version.

Product [Troll Touch]

Looking for a replacement for your desktop computer? According to SFGate.com, you need look no further than the MacBook Pro.

Of the four computers listed in their article, the Apple MacBook Pro 2008 scores the highest as a desktop computer replacement, receiving an 8.2 out of 10 Cnet rating. The Acer Aspire 8920-6671 and Gateway P-6860FX both received 8 out of 10 with the HP Pavilion dv9700t coming in at 7.9 out of 10.

The MacBook Pro received positive marks for the Penryn-class Intel CPU, the improved battery life, and the touch-pad gestures from the MacBook Air, while being docked for it small performance premium over the cheaper 13-inch MacBook, the limited tech support and the lack of an SD card reader. And apparently, the high rating doesn’t come at a price. At $2,500, the MacBook Pro is more expensive than only the Gateway system which costs $1,350. The Acer and HP systems are $2,600 and $3,000, respectively.

Now, this is all well and good, but you can have my iMac when you pry it from cold...well, not dead, but certainly reluctant hands. Portability’s fine, but I like my big screen, I like my detached keyboard, and I like the much, much lower price. Yes, I know, I can get an external keyboard and a separate monitor, but that’s yet more money, and it kind of defeats the whole purpose of portability, you know.

How about you? Knowing the MacBook Pro scores so highly, would you consider making the switch from your desktop world?

Via [SFGate.com] Product [MacBook Pro]