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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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]

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]

“What happens in Vegas will be visible to your iChat buddies when the $2.9 billion Fontainebleu resort opens in Sin City next fall,” Stephen Sande reports for TUAW, after the Fountainbleu announced its partnership with Apple to put one iMac in every single one of the nearly 4,000 rooms and suites.  Fountainbleu will be one of the most innovative and design oriented resorts on the strip when it opens, and its shear size and overall glamor will definitely bring in some serious publicity for Apple.  The fact that this resort chose Apple over any other computer company is a testament to their recent successes and superiority over the average PC.  The following is an excerpt from Fountainbleu’s extensive online brochure:

“Fontainebleau guests experience a new sensory landscape through an innovative relationship with Apple. The program includes intuitive and simple options for booking and pre-planning stays online and interactive programming throughout the resort. An iMac in every guest room inspires guests to share memories and encourages personal expression.”

And who knows, with 300,000 square feet of on-site shopping space, maybe Apple will even open a store within the resort!  Actually, this may actually be in the works.  If you watch the introduction video, when the video details the shopping area, you can see a glimpse of an iPhone add as you whip through the virtual corridors.

[Fountainbleu] Via [The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

This coming Monday, Apple is expected to announce their 2008 Back-To-School Promotion, and, according to Apple’s senior Vice President Ron Johnson, it is the biggest promotion of its kind “ever”.  Specifics on the promo have yet to surface, but the iPod Touch and MacBook Air are probably going to be added to the slew of products to get rebates.  If past trends continue into this year’s promo, rebates could be as much as $219 for any qualifying Mac or iPod, with rebates coming in last year and the year before at $199 and $179 respectively.  MacNN reports the following:

The expectations are based upon yearly increasing incentives, with last year’s $199 discount covering the cost of a 4GB Nano. In 2006 and 2005, the promotion ran for a $179 rebate, which earned students a 2GB iPod nano and Mini, respective to the years.

The iPhone, iPod Shuffle, Apple TV and Mac Mini are expected to again be excluded from the deals, but all other Mac and iPod models are most likely to be covered by the rebates. 

Via [MacNN]

FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger has been surveying Apple’s supply chain and found some interesting stats to crunch.  For one, he has found that in the June quarter, Apple will increase its iPod supply by about 15% compared to the March quarter.  Berger says, “We see greater Shuffle, Classic, and Nano builds slightly offset by fewer Touch builds with greater Shuffle builds accounting for most of the increased iPod builds.” Along with this, he has found that Apple’s desktop supply will decline by about 15% due to higher notebook production.  This comes as no surprise to me as many customers are switching to more portable machines in this day and age.

It’s time for some analyzing of my own.  The reason the iPod production is being lowered may be because Apple is expecting large 3G iPhone sales when they announce it this June.  With customers switching over to an iPhone, they will have no need to buy another iPod.  Also, the quote above states that the iPod Touch builds are being lowered the most.  Again, this could be because it is so similar to the iPhone and Apple may be expecting many people to just go for the more functional device even despite being forced into an AT&T contract.

Via [iPodnn]

At the recent Design And Art Direction (D&AD) Awards, Apple picked two of the prestigious Black Pencils.  Apple is now the company with the most Black Pencils in the D&AD’s 45-year history, having won many in the past.  Although Apple has only six Black Pencils (First Place) in past years, they have picked up at least one award since 1999.  The most notable awards this year was a Black Pencil for the aluminum iMac in the Work & Industry category, and another Black Pencil for the iPhone in the Leisure section.  Other awards include the Wireless Aluminum Keyboard which got a Nomination Pencil also in the Work & Industry category.  Apple also cleaned out the Leisure category, with the iPhone at the top, the iPod Touch taking the Yellow Pencil (Second Place) and the iPod Nano receiving the Nomination Pencil.  Chris Foresman for Infinite Loop couldn’t have said it better:

“While many have often scoffed at paying an “Apple Tax” for cool design, Mac users know that the care and attention to detail are more than skin deep. This recognition of Apple’s hard work should further support the fact that design matters, even in a computer.”

This is the first year in which Apple has done so well, and this year brought their win total to six.  One of the main reasons why the Black Pencil is the most coveted award in the event is because in past years, D&AD have actually refused to hand out the Black Pencil due to a lack of a deserving contestant.  These awards are a sure testament to Apple’s superiority in design.

[D&AD] via [9 to 5 Mac]

In a recent MacWorld test, the controversial Open Computer was pitted against the likes of the Mac Mini and the lower-end iMac.  In the tests, one thing was clear from the beginning.  The Mac Mini doesn’t really hold a candle to the Open Computer, making it more of an iMac competitor.  Using the Speedmark performance-measuring tool, the base-line Mac Mini scored 28% lower then the opposition.  Although the base-line iMac scored higher then the Open Computer, it didn’t win by much.  There was only an 8% deviation between their scores. 

With very similar specs to an iMac, and at almost $500 less, you may think that an Open Computer would be a worthy investment, but don’t jump too soon.  First off, the Open Computer seems significantly lower quality then anything Apple would put on the market.  The reviewer of the computer from MacWorld reported not only that there was only a box and packing peanuts protecting the computer from the elements during shipping, but that he had to reroute the power cable, as it was getting caught in the cooling fan.  I wouldn’t ever trust a computer with such simple design flaws.  Another aspect of complaints is the software update issue.  Somewhere along the line, someone decided to disable the Software Update application.  Instead, you have to trudge on over to the Psystar website and fetch the updates manually.  Some of the out-of-the box updates needed (shipped systems come with basic OS X 10.5, no updates) include one that enables Time Machine, which for some reason doesn’t work automatically.  Supposedly an update is in the works for an automatic updater, but its not here yet.  The software updater issue is one of the main complaints of users so far. 

Have you had any Open Computer experience?  If so, please detail some of what you like or dislike in your machine in the comments below.

Read [MacWorld]

Apple’s update of the iMac line on Tuesday is really beginning to show the direction that Apple is taking in its computers. Most significantly, Apple seems to be showing signs of preparing its Macs for the world of gaming.

Some evidence of this is the new 3.06GHz processor option for the 24-inch iMac, which is suspicious only because Apple is working the current technology to get 3.06GHz out of something designed to only give 2.8GHz. Another piece of evidence is the GPU, which seems to be a stock nVIDIA 8800M GTS (even though Apple calls it an 8800 GS, but Apple also called Mobility HD 2600 XT parts HD 2600 Pro). This is a very high-end GPU and offers much more power than most Mac users currently need from the iMac.

Implementing the overclocked processor and a high-end nVIDIA GPU in an iMac is a suspicious move for Apple to make. Whether Apple is starting to optimize Macs for gaming using Boot Camp with Windows, or even preparing Mac OS X-based gaming, no one can be sure. Either way, it appears that Apple is taking a step forward towards a future of gaming in its Macs.

Apple has announced that coming June 2008, a majority of G4 computers will be classified as “obsolete” or “vintage” which means they are no longer supported by Apple in terms of hardware (except for vintage computers, which are only supported in the state of California due to legislation.) If your computer is still supported by Leopard or other software, it’s fine to run it, but if something breaks on your computer, Apple wont fix it, even for a fee. They just won’t have the parts.

As of June 17, 2008, the following computers are no longer supported by Apple.

• iBooks with 32 MB VRAM
• iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
• Sunflower iMac Flat Panel (Summer 2001)
• eMac
• Power Mac G4 with Firewire 800

Think it’s too soon? Sound off below!