Appletell

Want to put the external disk option in your iPod to good use? I mean, your iPod Shuffle, Nano, and 5th generation with with video models are all good as portable disk drives, right? So why let a good feature go to waste because of Apple’s closed system? With a new product called miShare, you can kiss the problem of file swapping between iPods goodbye. Simply attach one iPod on one end, and another on the other end, et voilà! The first iPod can now save the files to the second one on its hard disk, and vice versa. The only catch is that you have to add all the files, whether they be music, photos, notes, etc., via your PC because as mentioned previously, the data is only saved on the hard disk. But really, isn’t that forgivable given the convenience that this product brings?

miShare is available now for only $99.

Product [miShare] Via [CrunchGear]

There has been tons of rumors lately about what the new iPhone is going to look like and and what features it will have.  Sure, the iPhone is bound to be updated (or announced to be updated) in June at WWDC, but what about that little thing we call the iPod?  Can’t we give them a little loving?  What is the next iPod going to be like?  Unfortunately, it seems like this device has gotten lost in all the iPhone shuffle.  Well, let’s bring it back into the limelight, even if only for a little bit!  Keep in mind, I have no idea when they will be updated, but it’s always interesting to speculate on what they may look like and contain.

So, what do you think?  Is that old scroll wheel out of fashion?  Will they eventually all have wifi and Safari?  Are they all going to contain some sort of touch screen?  These are all good questions to ask, and with the way Apple keeps its secrets, any of those could be just as possible as the next.  I strongly believe they will all have some sort of advanced touch system, whether it be the actual screen or just adding multi-touch to the scroll wheel.  Apple has learned a lot from both the iPhone and iPod Touch about multi-touch displays, and the consumers seem to love them.  Furthermore, I think they will all be capable of wireless connectivity.  Even if it’s not Safari, Apple could possibly even add a more simplified iTunes Store to normal iPods.  This would be a great way for Apple to sell more songs and users to find even more music.

Now let’s talk more hardware.  With flash memory get cheaper everyday, will the new iPods move to flash?  I hope not.  Well, at least not now.  The Classic and its 160GB are great for people who have a ton of music as well as some movies, and I don’t believe hard drives are dead just yet.  Going along with my multi-touch theory, I also believe the new iPods will get larger screens to make them more able to support that feature.

What are your thoughts? Let them fly in the comments!

Graphic via [Gadget Reviews]

According to Henry Milan, owner of patent number 6,991,483, Apple is infringing on his patent for a method to connect a Flash memory device to a connection port on another device, such as a computer.  This would affect devices such as the iPod Touch and iPod Nano, but Information Week has mentioned that, surprisingly, the iPhone is not mentioned in this report although it could be added.  The lawsuit wants to receive damages for the infringement as well as an injunction against the sales of the devices.  However, the law firm, Butzel Long, is not sure whether or not they want to pursue the injunction yet.

I’m sure Apple’s lawyers are busy over in Cupertino trying to get this straightened out, and I hope the lawsuit is settled quickly and efficiently for both sides.  I find it highly unlikely that the iPods will have to stop being sold, but that’s fairly obvious.  What are you thoughts on this patent dispute?  Is Mr. Milan on to something here?

Apple is now threatening legal action against 11 UK e-tailers, unless they agree to stop selling iPods imported from outside the UK. Apple has complained to many well-known online retailers which were buying iPods in the United States (where they sell for £15 less than in the UK), and then selling them at a lower price to customers.

The lawsuit issued by Bird & Bird, a London law firm, demand e-tailers to stop selling what they described as “Grey iPods” anywhere in Europe. The Cupertino-based law firm also threatened to sue any e-tailer that “infringes” Apple’s rights.

Apple also requested that the details of suppliers who provided the “Grey iPods” be given to the law firm. Companies which have cooperated must now also pay a sum to cover Apple’s legal expenses and damages.

A Bird & Bird spokesman announced that the firm was unable to comment on details of the lawsuit because it is a “sensitive, ongoing legal matter.”

Via [Channel Register]

Apple is at again with a new iPod commercial.  This time around the ad features the same same colorful theme with figures of dancers in black as well as a hip song.  You can find the ad on Apple’s iTunes page and the song “Shut Up and Let Me Go” by The Ting Tings in the iTunes Store. Like most of the songs featured on Apple’s new commercials, this one will probably sell like hot cakes, making for a very happy artist.

Apple does a great job on all of their ads, they are very catchy and yet manage to get the point across about the product.  They make you remember them, which is the one of the major points when it comes to advertising.  They are the type of ads that make you stop fast forwarding your DVR and watch them, which is pretty hard to do.  Heck, I will probably end up buying this song now, how about you?

After the recent news of Apple acquiring PA Semi, there was a frenzy of thoughts that Apple may ditch Intel, and maybe their new mobile platform chip, Atom, and use a PA Semi chip in the next iPods and iPhones.  According to Jobs, this is not the case.  He goes on to add that the reason for the purchase was mainly for the company’s intelligence, not for their current products.  With this added expertise, Apple, who has been known to get involved in custom designing their iPod chips, could improve development of those devices.

As for Intel, Jobs says, “We have a great partnership with Intel.  We expect that to continue forever.” He continued by adding that there are no plans to introduce another PowerPC Mac and that, “I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over that.” So there you have it everyone, the real reason behind the purchase of PA Semi according to the man himself.  Now I can finally go get some sleep.

A few days ago, Apple quietly release the fourth installment of its iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), and it is available on the Apple Developer Center site. 

The most publicized and prominent change in the newest SDK version are certain changes to the iPhone simulator.  Previously, a developer would be unable to render 3D graphics in the iPhone simulator, and would be forced to test out those changes on the iPhone or iPod touch.  The Simulator now supports OpenGL ES, allowing the previously mentioned rendering to happen within the iPhone simulator, right on your computer.  Another prominent addition to the SDK is code signing, so though invalidated code will work in the iPhone Simulator, it would be worthless on the iPhone. 

Other less significant changes in the SDK include a slimmed down program, while still maintaining the full capabilities of the last version.  Xcode 3.1 has been included, along with UIFont, UIApplication, Audio ToolBox, and more NSXMLParser support.  With 200,000 subscribed developers and counting, you can be sure to expect a good handful of great new apps available when the App Store opens its doors in June

Via [MacNN]

Something went wrong in the Apple iTunes/iPod world, which has created havoc among the 5G iPod user community. Well, not really. However, the old but still loved media player is having some issues. Videos purchased from iTunes simply will not play, which includes any and all type video purchased from Apple’s iTunes store. After several posts on the Apple Discussion forums, the company has decided to look at the issue and hopefully fix it. Well, fixing it meaning a huge update. Apple has reported that a “huge” update will hit sometime soon, which will supposedly fix the issue. Sadly, all 5G users with purchased video can do is wait for this update to be released.

Via [MacUser]

Late Tuesday night, in an interview with Forbes.com, an Apple spokesman shed some light on their recent acquisition of PA Semi, a small PowerPC computer chip manufacturer.  This buy out is a very interesting one indeed, as Apple ditched PA Semi’s PWRficient processors for Intel’s x86 design back in 2005.  Steve Jobs’ reasoning behind the move was although PWRficient was, you guessed it, very energy efficient, it had no where near the processing power Apple was looking for.  This purchase is also a huge blow to Intel, as Apple was one of their biggest customers.  With the recent acquisition, Intel’s recently released Atom chip, which was targeted at the iPhone, may take a back seat to the versatile PWRficient chips.  The adapted PWRficient chips could be used in every from a MacBook Pro to an iPod Nano, and Apple prefers to get everything from the inside- no third parties are best.

The decision to center the iPhone design around a chip that Apple could own marks a significant strategic choice by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, and is aimed at ensuring Apple can continue to differentiate its flagship phone as a raft of competitors flood the market. According to a source affiliated with the chip company, Jobs and Senior Vice President Tony Fadell led the tiny group of executives who spearheaded the acquisition, which included negotiations that took place in Jobs’ home.

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Apple Japan has recently launched a promo and is including limited edition cases with iPod Nanos and Touches.  However, the Nano case costs 2,280 yen ($22), and the Touch case is 2,680 yen ($26).  The cases are made of hardened polycarbonate and coated in black rubber while the etching are made of a golden color.  The etching features the district it is bought in (Ginza, Shibuya, Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka, or Shinsaibashi), as well as a traditional Japanese symbol.

If you have picked on of these up or plan on it, let us know how it is.  Is it worth the extra money?  From the pictures, it looks pretty interesting.  It could be cool if Apple does something like this in the USA, Europe, or Canada.

Read the article at a Google translated site.