According to the Associated Press, the iPhone has finally officially launched in China, with one major feature missing: built-in Wi-Fi. A ban on Wi-Fi by the Chinese government had forced Apple to produce iPhones with Wi-Fi removed specifically for sale in China, but the ban on Wi-Fi had been lifted shortly after Apple started producing the modified iPhones.

With the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity in the iPhones that had gone on sale today, many are speculating on why the devices remain so expensive. The relatively high price may be due to competition with unlocked iPhones from the United States and other countries that are being sold on the streets for a cheaper price and no contract. The imported iPhones reportedly cost Chinese buyers up to 20% less than the official Chinese version in stores. An estimated 1.5 to 2 million imported iPhones are already operating on China’s Unicom carrier network.

So far, Apple has refrained from offering public sales targets for the Chinese market. A rumor had gone around in the past claiming that China’s Unicom carrier had committed to purchasing 5 million iPhones for sale on its network, although it was quickly denied by a spokesperson for the carrier.

To be honest, if I lived in China, I would most likely buy a 3G S with Wi-Fi on the streets rather than pay 20% more for a legit Chinese iPhone without Wi-Fi capabilities, wouldn’t you? Leave feedback in the comments.

Full Story » | Written by Patrick Lutz for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Yesterday, Apple seeded Mac OS X 10.6.2 to developers, a release which comes only one week after the previous build was seeded to developers for testing. According to AppleInsider, the new build focuses on graphics drivers, trackpad preferences and virtual machine creation, and continues to list that there are no known issues remaining. This information suggests that Apple is finishing up the 10.6.2 update and release it to users in the near feature.

One of the biggest changes in Mac OS X 10.6.2 is a serious bug fix that involves guest accounts and has caused data loss among some users’ regular user accounts. Another major change is for full native support for Apple’s new Magic Mouse, which began shipping today. Software updates are already available for Leopard and Snow Leopard users so they can take full advantage of the new mouse without requiring OS X 10.6.2.

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Today, Apple announced the launch of the 3.0 software upgrade for its Apple TV, which offers a redesigned user interface and compatibility with Apple’s recently released iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, along with Genius Mixes and Internet radio. Shortly thereafter, Apple also released iTunes 9.0.2, which adds support for Apple TV’s 3.0 software, a new “dark” viewing option for Grid View, and additional accessibility support.

The redesigned main menu in Apple TV’s 3.0 software offers direct access to recently rented and purchased movies, as well as a variety of other content. iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras are available in full-screen viewing for both audio and video titles. The addition of Genius Mixes in Apple TV, a feature which was first introduced by Apple last month with iTunes 9, allows users to listen to automatically generated playlists from their iTunes libraries. Thousands of Internet radio stations are now also accessible within Apple TV with the new software update. Finally, another new feature included is enhancements for viewing photos, as the Apple TV can now make use of the Faces and Events features in Apple’s iPhoto Mac software.

Along with adding support for the Apple TV 3.0 software and the other two new features/additions, iTunes 9.0.2 also once again breaks syncing with the Palm Pre.

Read [Engadget]

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Apple has posted a notice on its ZFS open-source project page indicating that the project has been terminated, as quoted below:

The ZFS project has been discontinued. The mailing list and repository will also be removed shortly.

ZFS is an advanced file system developed by Sun that had been ported to Mac OS X and released in 2007 as an open-source project on Apple’s Mac OS Forge collaboration site. ZFS had been rumored to become the default file system for Mac OS X Leopard, but ended up appearing with only limited read-only capabilities.

Apple continued to show interest in ZFS when they included the technology in its early product description pages for Snow Leopard Server, although the information was subsequently removed from Apple’s site and support for ZFS was not included in either Snow Leopard or Snow Leopard Server upon release.

Rumor was that the lack of ZFS support in Snow Leopard was caused by licensing issues with Sun, leaving the future of ZFS uncertain; although Sun’s pending acquisition by Oracle left open the possibility that the technology could be revisited by Apple in the future. Apple’s discontinuation of the ZFS project, however, suggests that the company may have given up hope of achieving decent licensing terms for the technology, and has instead redirected its resources elsewhere.

Via [TUAW]

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Several people have noticed and pointed out that Apple’s user guide for its new Magic Mouse makes a reference to the not-yet-released Mac OS X v10.6.2. Quoted below is the specific reference to OS X 10.6.2 in the user guide:

To use your Apple Magic Mouse and its full range of features, update your Mac to Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or later and install the Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0; or update to Mac OS X version 10.6.2 or later.

While OS X 10.6.2 is not required for the Magic Mouse to function, users running OS X 10.5.8 through OS X 10.6.1 will have to install a separate software update to enable support for the new device. The mention of OS X 10.6.2 suggests that Apple plans or at least did plan for the update to be released to consumers around the product launch.

After more careful review of the Magic Mouse’s user guide, it is also noted that the Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0 will enable the Magic Mouse to work on Leopard and earlier versions of Snow Leopard as well (from Mac OS X 10.5.8 to 10.6.1). However, since the user guide references 10.6.2 as including built-in support for the new mouse, it still suggests that Apple had intended to release OS X 10.6.2 around the same time it launched the Magic Mouse.

To date, Apple has already seeded four builds of OS X 10.6.2 to developers, with the most recent (Build 10C531) having been delivered earlier this week. Although we cannot be certain at this point, it is safe to say that the likeliness of OS X 10.6.2 coming very soon is quite high.

Read [Ars Technica]

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Whether you like or use Twitter, it is certainly clear the service has had some value when it comes to promoting brands. Until recently, Apple has solely had iTunesTrailer, an account with around 1.2 million followers, as part of their social media band wagon. However, Apple has recently created a few more Twitter accounts to help promote various types of media in the iTunes store.

The accounts are as follows:

• iTunesMusic
• iTunesMovies
• iTunesTV
• iTunesPodcasts

While some of the accounts have more followers than others, and some have yet to tweet, they are a great place to go if you are looking for some highlights of recent content in the store. I’ve personally been following iTunesTrailers for a while and have also now added iTunesPodcasts since I am an avid podcast listener. Even though you could just open iTunes and explore for yourself, it’s interesting to see what Apple is promoting and what others may think of it.

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

In the slew of Apple product updates released yesterday, the company also quietly introduced a new remote to be used with their new iMacs. According to Apple, this device will allow you to, “Control your Mac, iPod, or iPhone from afar with the sleek aluminum Apple Remote. Play, pause, adjust volume, move forward and back, and access menus while playing music and video.”

This remote, which takes on the aluminum enclosure of many of Apple’s other products, has a small interface change but the same amount of buttons. For some reason, Apple decided to move the Play/Pause button from in the middle of the circle to the bottom right and pushed the Menu button a tad to the left. As far as the reasoning for this goes, I can only assume it’s because some people, such as myself, may have complained about sometimes accidentally hitting the middle button when adjusting volume, etc.

The remote is available for individual purchase at a price of $19.00 through the online Apple Store, and will ship in 2 to 4 weeks. If the configuration of the current Apple Store remains, the Apple Remote will not longer be included with Mac computers, but can be added for the $19.00 fee when ordering.

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Along with several other updates today, Apple gave some lovin’ to the all-in-one machine: the iMac.

The most obvious change would be the screen. There are two models available—a 21.5-inch and 27-inch—both in 16:9 aspect ratio. The glass goes right to the edge of the machine, so, as Jony Ive himself says, “It’s all display.” The 27-inch model has the option of being wall mounted using Apple’s VESA Mount Adapter Kit, and with a viewing angle of 178 degrees, you’re sure to be in full few of your projects.

A top-spec new iMac could see you with a 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM (with support for up to 16GB) and a 2TB Serial ATA hard drive. Now that’s sounding like quite a mean machine; you’re really not going to be too limited by what this computer will allow you to do any time soon. The base iMac comes with the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, with the option to upgrade to the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card for use with the quad-core processor. Since the 21.5” iMac display is 1920-by-1080 HD and the 27” display is a whopping 2560-by-1440 resolution (78 percent more pixels than the 21.5-inch iMac), you’re really going to see amazing quality imaging on the glossy 16:9 widescreen.

I think it’s also worth a mention that the new iMac comes equipped with an SD card slot. This is something that has been missing from Macintosh computers for some time, with many consumers wishing they had the ability to import photos form their digital cameras by simply inserting their SD card. It’s nice to see Apple addressing this request, and including four USB 2.0 ports for the rest of your peripherals.

Every iMac ships with a Bluetooth Apple Keyboard, the brand new Magic Mouse, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife ‘09, so you will be enjoying your new purchase in no time. Unless you’re using any additional hardware, the only cable you’ll need is the power cord. I hate to bring it up, but have you looked behind a PC recently? You get the point.

I believe it’s safe to say that these updates have seriously improved the iMac. A few days ago, for serious computing, your best bet was probably the Mac Pro. Now, with up to 16GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive, the iMac is not to be laughed at. And with a 27-inch widescreen beyond HD display, everything will look amazing. Shame there’s no ability to watch Blu-ray discs, but that won’t stop you from downloading high definition titles from the iTunes Store.

The new iMac. The ultimate all-in-one. Available now, either at Apple’s online store, or at your nearest Apple Retail store.

Product [iMac]

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Without much fanfare, Apple this morning announced the Magic Mouse, “the world’s first multi-touch mouse.” Taking cues from the iPhone and MacBook track pad, the Magic Mouse takes advantage of multi-touch technology to deliver much more control than was possible with buttons and a scroll wheel. Instead the seamless surface reads gestures of one and two fingers to provide functionality. Hold down the control key on your keyboard, and you’ll enable even more multi-touch commands.

From Apple’s website:

The Multi-Touch area covers the top surface of Magic Mouse, and the mouse itself is the button. Scroll in any direction with one finger, swipe through web pages and photos with two, and click and double-click anywhere. Inside Magic Mouse is a chip that tells it exactly what you want to do. Which means Magic Mouse won’t confuse a scroll with a swipe. It even knows when you’re just resting your hand on it.

Very cool stuff. The Magic Mouse also features laser tracking that Apple claims is “... far more sensitive and responsive on more surfaces than traditional optical tracking,” and connects to your iMac or MacBook/Pro via Bluetooth (secure connection of up to 33 feet). The mouse will ship with all new iMacs, but I’m betting a lot of MacBook owners will picking one up separately. I use an external keyboard with my MacBook at my desk, and I hate losing the multi-touch functionality of the track pad. The ability to get some of that back with the mouse will be awesome.

Via system preferences, you’ll be able to disable whatever commands you don’t like, and as with all recent Apple mouse devices, the Magic Mouse has 100% ambidextrous design. Lefties are just as welcome to the magic as are righties.

The Magic Mouse requires a Bluetooth-enabled Mac computer, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later with Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0, and existing keyboard and mouse for setup. It’s available now online for $69 with a shipping estimate of 5 to 7 business days. We’ll have a hands-on up at Appletell very soon, so be sure to check back with us.

Product [Magic Mouse]

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We have rumors gone true, folks. I like to call those trumors. Just as predicted, we have new unibody MacBooks (not Pro), Mac Minis (including a Server version), iMacs and the Magic Mouse.

MacBook

You’ll be able to pick up the new unibody MacBook today in Apple Stores. The casing is made in the unibody fashion, but it’s made of plastic. It also has a new glass multitouch touchpad to go along with it’s non-user-replaceable 7 hour battery.

iMac

We have two sizes, 21.5 and 27 inches. These are both 16 by 9 format, and all aluminum. They have viewing angles of 178 degrees and a bare minimum resolution of full 1080p HD.  The insides are pretty similar as that of older models, with some obvious bumps up. The most notable differences are the new SD card slot and a video-in on the 27 inch model (it needs a special cable). And now, you’re new iMac will come standard with a wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse!

Mac mini

The base model is now a 2.26GHZ Core 2 Duo CPU with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD at a cool $599. Possibly the biggest news in the Mac Mini world is the option for a Mac Mini Server. The Mac Mini already makes a great server, but this version does away with the optical drive and replaces it with another 500GB HDD. It also does away with the Mini DisplayPort and $999 of your cash.

Magic Mouse

My favorite product of the day Now you see it, now you don’t. Okay, that’s not what’s magic here, but I’m happy to report that the new Magic Mouse is scrollball-less.  The multitouch gestures you’ll be using will replace that and then some.  All of your flicking will be accompanied by inertia, so your webpages will scroll smoothly.  Its battery (yes, it’s wireless) will last about 4 months. This guy’s sleek acrylic case will cost you $69.

Apple Remote

Apple also snuck one past the rumors. It’s a new Apple remote. Its design fits right in with the newest iMacs and MacBook Pros. Aluminum with black buttons. $19.

Wow, quite a round of updates for Apple. I’m very surprised there wasn’t a press event or the like.  Either way, I think Apple will be seeing a lot of our money today.

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

It seems that John Gruber could, in fact, be correct with his ideas that Apple will release new iMacs, MacBooks (the white plastic model), Mac Minis, and of course a new Mighty Mouse. Almost as though he knew something, the Apple store has indeed gone down this morning, which leads to either maintenance (yeah, right) or the possibility of new toys from Apple.

While we have been waiting for sometime for an update for the Mac Mini, I am personally looking forward to the release of a new Mighty Mouse, or “Magic Mouse” as John Gruber believes. A multi-touch mouse would be a great addition to any computer set up, and without the tiny trackball to gather dust at an alarming speed, people’s issues with the Mighty Mouse may fall to the sideline.

Either way, check out the rumors that Jake Gaecke wrote up earlier today and stay tuned for the store to return back online. If anything does change, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Yes, it seems that Apple plans to refresh or update every product you already own in an attempt to make you lust for a new ones. We’re talking about newMac Minis, iMacs and even a new iMouse! At least, that’s what the latest report from Engadget claims, and it’s all set to go down today.

John Gruber seems to be the source of all of the new Apple hardware fun.  He’s claiming that today Apple will announce a new Mac Minis, iMacs, (low end) plastic MacBooks, and the new Mighty Mouse. The new Mac Minis may even have a model that ships with Mac OS X Server. The new Mighty Mouse, which can no longer be marketed as such, will be rebranded as the “Magic Mouse,” and it will have multitouch support.  Will it revolutionize the way you computer?  Will Apple sell millions of them even if it doesn’t?

I’m most excited to see the new Magic Mouse, even though this name sounds ridiculous to me.  I’m very interested to see how multitouch will be incorporated; hopefully it rids the device of it’s easily broken scroll ball.  I’m also quite intrigued by the new Mac Mini.  Perhaps they’ll finally receive that long overdue new design I’ve been dreaming about, but I’m not holding my breath. And the OS X Server option sounds like a step in the right direction for many users.

I think today is going to be interesting…

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Apple has pulled Elgato’s EyeTV app for iPhone from the App Store. Why? I like to think it’s because the app was too awesome, but they say the official reason is due to its hidden ability to stream live TV over 3G. Mind you, EyeTV for iPhone doesn’t actually appear to stream live TV over 3G to the casual user. In fact, I was unable to verify this feature myself until…

Sorry, I’m back.  I just had to check “something.”  Like I said, it’s not immediately apparent how to get this to work.  So let me tell you!  When the notification that you aren’t allowed to do this pops up, all you have to do is miss the “OK” button and tap the text above it instead.

The whole business here is actually some leftover testing code that was never removed before submission being submitted to the App Store.  They weren’t trying to circumvent AT&T, but it seems they have done so by accident. Elgato made a Press Release today about all of this silliness, and here it is for your reading pleasure:

Some test code that enabled live TV streaming over the cellular network was accidentally left in the the EyeTV App.  Apple requested that we remove the code since their agreement with AT&T does not allow redirecting TV signals over the cellular network.  The code was removed and a 1.0.1 version of the EyeTV app was submitted.  We expect EyeTV to return to the App Store when the 1.0.1 version is approved.

Honestly, this is quite silly, and here’s why.  The EyeTV app streams prerecorded videos over 3G, so why the big fuss over live TV?  Does it really matter that it happened only a few seconds ago?  The video still has to be converted by your machine.  The process of streaming prerecorded media and live media are very much the same.  As far as I can tell, no more or less data are transmitted with either method.

While AT&T is not directly to blame for the pull from the App Store, I’d like to place all of the blame right on their shoulders.  Once again, AT&T is letting their true colors show.  They might be cool with you making VoIP calls over 3G, but darnit, if you want to watch live TV, you’re SOL. Just to say thanks, I totally won’t be streaming live TV to my iPhone all night. Remember, the “upgrade” will likely make it to the App Store soon. Though, AT&T likely won’t disconnect your iPhone if you don’t upgrade. Just sayin’.

UPDATE:  Looks like the original version of EyeTV is once again available on the App Store.  A change of heart from AT&T?  Probably not, but you might want to grab it ASAP if streaming live TV is your thing.

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

When iPhone OS 3.0 was first released, Apple stated that only paid apps would be able to take advantage of in-app purchases. This allowed developers to offer, say, the first 10 levels of a game, then to charge a little extra for additional levels. Now, free applications will be able to offer upgrades via in-app purchases, which will hopefully clear the App Store of the hundreds of lite titles of which I am personally not a fan.

For developers, this will hopefully simplify things. Rather than having separate applications for full-featured and lite versions, developers could now concentrate on a single application, offering upgrades to more features through in-app purchases.

There are a few questions for current applications that may choose to migrate to using in-app purchases, especially if you’ve already bought the full-featured version. We’re still waiting on an answer from Apple on this one, as there are a few things that need to be altered in Apple’s App Store policies.

You can expect to see new applications using the new free/in-app purchases model hitting the App Store in the coming weeks. We’ll let you know when they begin to arrive.

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Listen up Rebel scum; Apple may soon be making the iPhone 3GS fully operational. What’s that? You didn’t know your iPhone 3GS hasn’t hit puberty yet? Well, soon you may finally be able to use that FM radio that’s been hiding inside of your iPhone 3GS and/or iPod Touch (2nd Gen) unbeknownst to you this whole time.

According to a 9to5Mac tipster, Radio.app, as it’s referred to, will be allowed to run in the background a la the iPod.app we all know and love. It will function very similarly to the iPod nano’s FM radio app. A notable feature of the existing iPod nano app is its ability to pause live radio, and continue whenever you please, just like a DVR.  It’s rumored that Apple wants to incorporate iTunes Store linking to songs played on radio stations broadcasting with RDS information (song metadata).

Now there’s always the possibility that this will actually be integrated into iPod.app before its final release, which is fine by me.  You should know, though, that the tip gives no hard date, or even that it will be released “soon.”  Still, it seems silly for Apple to include hardware you’ll never get to use.

Well, that’s not completely true. If you use your iPhone 3GS or iPod touch (2nd Gen) with some Nike+ gear, then you’ve used the FM radio already. Still, there’s so much more that could be done with this piece of hardware. Heck, it’s even able to function as an FM transmitter, though likely never will.

Personally, I’d love to see Radio.app see the light of day, though I’m not sure why.  The reason I use an iPod is so that I can escape what passes for radio.  But that’s just me.  Anyone truly excited for FM radio support?

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Did you salute Major Snow Leopard Bug? If you did, you watch entirely too much just the right amount of How I Met Your Mother. But even if that didn’t get your attention, I hope you’ll continue reading because there are few things worse than losing your data.

According to numerous discussions on Apple’s support board’s, there’s a major bug in Snow Leopard that can delete all of your data with very little effort on your part.

It appears the problem is a result of an error on how Guest Accounts are handled. If you upgraded to Snow Leopard from Leopard and had Guest Accounts enabled, you might be at risk. Normally, a Guest Account will delete its own data after log-out, but at risk machines may mistakenly clear data from the previous user’s account instead.

The proposed fix is to disable Guest Accounts all together. A separate account can be created in System Preferences - Accounts, and it can be restricted via Parental Controls if necessary.  It’s recommended that at the very least you take a peak inside of System Preferences, disable and re-enable Guest Accounts if you absolutely need the functionality until it can be patched.

As always, you should consult your Doctor before taking health advise to see what’s the best option for you…  Right, this is Mac health, not physical health. Sorry. Those warnings are just so fun to type. Seriously though, go check this out right now. There’s nothing wrong with double checking. The last thing you want to do is lose all of your data when it can be prevented. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, several times.

Read iTWire

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The latest firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch has today been released from Apple. There are no new features here, just a few bug fixes to keep your iPhone or iPod touch on top form. The update should fix small issues regarding cellular service, video playback and a reported problem where the iPhone does not wake from sleep mode.

The update is available now from within iTunes via the usual method. It’s around 241 MB in size, and is for the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch.

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

That was fast. Seems Apple was quick to respond to issues found with the first version of Snow Leopard, seeing that it was released only two weeks ago. Issues addressed in this update include all the usual—fixes for some printer problems you may have been experiencing, and an update to the current version of Flash, among other things.

Here are the update notes, as provided by Apple.

The 10.6.1 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes for:

• compatibility with some Sierra Wireless 3G modems
• an issue that might cause DVD playback to stop unexpectedly
• some printer compatibility drivers not appearing properly in the add printer browser
• an issue that might make it difficult to remove an item from the Dock
• instances where automatic account setup in Mail might not work
• an issue where pressing cmd-opt-t in Mail brings up the special characters menu instead of moving a message
• Motion 4 becoming unresponsive

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3810.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Remember, to update your Mac, just click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen and select Software Update while connected to the internet.  Alternatively, you can find the update here: Mac OS X 10.6.1 Update.

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Along with the obviously exciting product updates and announcements at Apple’s September event was the familiar face we all know and love, Steve Jobs. After sincerely thanking the donor of his liver and Apple community for helping him make it through his tough time in dealing with health, he went on to offer some fairly interesting numbers about Apple and their products. Ranging from the iPhone to iTunes, they help to give an insight into where Apple will be focusing.

As far as the iPhone goes, there has been a staggering 1.8 billion application downloads (take that, Pam Pre!) from over 75,000 available applications in the App Store. If you ask me, those sure are some large numbers for a service that is only about two years old. Furthermore, around 30 million iPhones have been sold in that time, which obviously helped lead to those high download numbers. With software updates like iPhone OS 3.1 released, I imagine this will keep climbing as improvements are continuously made.

On the software side of things, iTunes is now the #1 music retailer in the world. With 8.5 billion songs downloaded through the product, it’s no surprise that is has made it all the way to iTunes 9 with some new features and exciting new concepts to get people to purchase even more music. These song downloads are spread across the 100,000,000 accounts now on iTunes which are making it one of the largest web stores around.

As you can see, both the iPhone and iTunes have brought tremendous success to Apple and will continue to do so through improvements like those just released.

Via [TechCrunch]

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Today’s music-themed event from Apple saw various updates to the iPod touch, iPod nano and also the iPod classic. While the iPod shuffle didn’t receive much attention on stage, it’s worth mentioning the very slight additions it did gain: colors. Five of them to be precise.

Unlike the iPod nano though, the five colors available are all matte. It’s up to yourself as to whether that’s a good thing or not. I’m sure it will be more scratch resistant, but might not look as impressive as a gloss finish. If you’re desperately after an iPod shuffle with a gloss finish, you’ll need to head down to your nearest Apple Store, as there’s a Special Edition iPod shuffle in polished stainless steel available only direct from the Apple Store. The price is unchanged at $59 for the 2GB model, or $79 for 4GB of memory. The Special Edition comes in at $99 for 4GB.

If you were holding off on buying an iPod shuffle in the hope that more colors would become available, now is the time to buy.

Product [iPod shuffle]

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Apple has just released the latest version of iTunes at the September 9th event in San Francisco. iTunes 9 has some new welcome features, including the ability to organize your iPhone and iPod touch applications within iTunes to sync across to your device.

Syncing all types of media to your iPhones and iPods is now a lot easier, allowing you to choose selected artists, albums and the like. Movies now show you small thumbnails of each title along with the film’s rating, running time and size. Nothing major here, but great little enhancements to make syncing easier and more convenient.

A new feature called Home Sharing allows you to copy media between up to 5 authorized computers within your home network. So, your iTunes library can be the same anywhere in your house, wherever you want that new dance playlist to be heard. You can either select items to sync with Home Sharing, or simply choose your entire library. Either way, you can get your media on up to five computers with iTunes 9.

So what else is new? Well, along with Home Sharing and improved syncing options, there are also new features in Genius, allowing you to view Genius playlists based on the music you already know. For example, it will show you an artist you have in your library as a comparison to a selected track, rather than a new album from the iTunes Store. Again, it’s not a ground breaking feature, but nice to know what works well with what within your own iTunes library.

The iTunes Store has also seen a little redesign. There’s now a task bar at the top of pages, and the “new music” section is now a horizontal slide window. According to Jeff Robbin, the store is now “... much more spacious and open—it’s a welcome improvement.” We’ll have to see the majority of user interface changes when we get our hands on it a little later today, but from the keynote screen captures, it’s looking a lot more fresh and clean.

Another big feature of iTunes 9, and also the iTunes Store, is something called LP. This gives you liner notes, lyrics, band photographs and more general information about the album. Whereas previous to this feature you occaisionally got bonus video and booklet materials, now it will all work within iTunes in a nice interface designed by the artist, so everything will fit with the album itself. There are almost no limits to what the LP can include, so be on the look out for albums including this feature, as you’ll get some interesting extra’s along with the title itself.

Stay tuned on the Appletell live blog for the latest releases from the September 9th event as it happens.

[Update: Now available for download via Software Update.]

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We all kind of saw it coming, and now Apple has made it a reality; the iPod nano now sports a video camera. That’s not all, though; there’s now also a speaker and microphone, along with a built-in pedometer and refreshed vibrant gloss colors.

Apple apparently wanted in on the portable video camera market, alongside the FlipMino’s camera. For this reason, the iPod nano has gained it’s own video camera, in the same place that rumors suggested some time ago.

Along with the camera, the screen has been increased in size to 2.2-inch to make your home movies and photographs look just that little bit better. If video and photography isn’t your thing, you’ll be pleased to hear of the new microphone included in the nano. It uses an application similar to that found on the iPod touch and the iPhone. It’s great for taking audible notes, recording classes and lectures, and just generally recording random sounds. You’d be surprised at the fun you can have with a microphone.

For the sport-enthusiasts out there, there’s now a built-in pedometer that syncs back to Nike+ to record your data. And if there’s nothing that suits your mood in your iPod playlists, you’ll now have the option to listen to your preferred radio stations on the move via the FM radio.

The feature that was released as part of the iPod shuffle has also seen its way into the iPod nano. That’s right, you can now hear which song you’re listening to with the VoiceOver feature. Still, the voice itself is fairly annoying, so you might still wish to just check the screen.

Apple has also decided to go all out with colors, offering the iPod nano in a polished anodized aluminum in nine vibrant colors. Judging from the photographs, it looks great, so using it on a daily basis will surely be a pleasure.

There are two models available from today: an 8GB version for $149 and a 16GB model for $179.

To see all of today’s product announcements, check the Appletell live blog.

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The iPod classic managed to get a mention on stage at today’s Apple event, while nothing really happened to the device itself.

The only news to report are the memory boosts and price reductions. The current 120GB model is being upgrade to 160GB for the same previous price: $249. Nothing major here, but another nice update all the same. You can now hold even more music than before, or even your entire movie collection for your viewing pleasure. The updated iPod classic now holds 40,000 tracks. Impressive, eh?

For all of today’s Apple press event announcements, check our live blog.

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[Update: iPhone OS 3.1 is now available via iTunes.]

Steve Jobs has just announced the latest software upgrade available today for the iPhone and iPod touch - iPhone OS 3.1.

The new software update doesn’t include many new features, but has integrated the Genius function of the iTunes Store into the App Store on the device. Now, you can also use the Genius function to find similar apps and content based on what you already own.Not a ground-breaking update, but another useful and convenient feature to have available.

iPhone 3.1 also sees ringtones added to the device’s iTunes Store, giving access to over 30,000 ringtone’s priced at $1.29 each. The price seems a little high for a 30 second clip of a song, especially since you could buy the whole song for $.99 and make the ringtone yourself in GarageBand. Still, the option is there if you’d prefer a more professional attempt at selecting the best 30 seconds for a ringtone.

The update is free for both iPhone and iPod touch owners. Yes, that’s free for iPod touch owners. It’s not usual for the iPod touch to receive the software updates for free, but hey, I’m not complainin’.

That’s pretty much all that was announced on stage for iPhone OS 3.1. I’m sure there will be other small updates that we’ll see once we have a chance for hands-on with the software update in a few hours time. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow the live blog for up-to-the-minute updates on the rest of the keynote.

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Apple has just released a few updates to the ever-popular iPod touch at the music-themed press event in San Francisco. While the device itself has stayed the same, the price has dropped and the memory has expanded.

To go into a little more detail, you can now pick up an 8GB iPod touch for just $199, a 32GB model for $299, and—you guessed it—a 64GB model for $399. A 64GB flash drive inside the iPod touch is great. As flash memory is taking off quite quickly now, having 64GB of a storage in your iPod touch means more movies, more music, and whole lot more applications. A problem with the 8/16GB models is that you reach the memory limit way too soon, leaving you without your entire music or movie collection, and desperately waiting for a memory boost. While it’s not close to a nice terabyte of storage, 64GB is certainly a nice enhancement.

The 32 and 64GB iPod touch models are also going to be faster after this update, as Apple are utilizing OpenGLES, which is a way for the software to connect to the embedded graphics within the iPod touch chips. An improved connection between the graphics unit and the device’s processor itself means the experience will be smoother and quicker - a bonus all round.

There’s also a new TV advertisement for the device, which you may see on your TV screens in the coming weeks, or on Apple’s website in a few hours.

While you’re waiting, check back with the Appletell live blog to follow the rest of the action from San Francisco.

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If the heiress of John Lennon is to be believed (that’s Yoko Ono)—and as Cult of Mac suggested back in August—then tomorrow’s special event might finally bring the Beatles to iTunes.

Yoko’s comment made a brief appearance on Sky News (link no longer works) and then quickly vanished thanks to the powers that be. The only remaining evidence is thanks to some quick eyes at 9to5Mac and a partial Google cache.

I usually believe that rumor removal requests tend to represent facts, but you just never know.  And besides, it’s almost kind of funny that the Beatles aren’t on iTunes yet, anyway. By the time they finally are, no one will need it, we’ll all have the CDs already.

Just to balance it out a bit, The Financial Times is reporting just the opposite.

“Conversations between Apple and EMI are ongoing and we look forward to the day when we can make the music available digitally. But it’s not tomorrow,” Ernesto Schmitt, EMI’s global catalog president, told the FT’s Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.

So will the Beatles make an appearance on iTunes tomorrow? The only way to make sure they do is to pick up one of their digitally remastered albums set to be released tomorrow. Though they just might make it to the iTunes Store as well. Check back with us for Appletell’s live blog of the press event for the announcements as they happen.

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As many of you will be aware, Apple is hosting a music themed event in San Francisco on September 9th. The tagline on the invitations reads “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,” which certainly suggests music will play an important role in the keynote. While there are certainly rumors surrounding an update to the iPod line, there are also many other rumors that have been circulating the Internet, so here’s a round-up of all the possibilities we could see from Apple tomorrow.

iTunes 9

The last major update to iTunes included the App Store, along with updates to iTunes DJ. This upcoming event is rumored to see the release of iTunes 9 which could include the option to incorporate your library and listening styles with your favorite social networks, such as Facebook and Last.FM.

A long-awaited feature from many customers has been to have the ability to re-organize your iPhone/iPod touch applications from within iTunes, which would then synchronize across to your device. According to the Boy Genius Report, this could also be making an appearance in iTunes 9, something I personally am certainly looking forward to.

It doesn’t stop there, however. The third major update that could feature in iTunes 9 is support for Blu-ray movies. This was rumored for the previous upgrade to iTunes, but with HD DVD out of the race, it’s more possible that Apple hase decided to jump on the band-wagon with Blu-ray support.

iTunes 9 could also see an iTunes Unlimited service come to life. Similar to what’s available with the Microsoft Zune, customers would have full access to the entire iTunes Store, with the option to buy the tracks to keep, if you’d prefer. A similar service to this has been launched in the UK, called Spotify, and has been incredibly successful.

iPod and Nike+ Refreshes

Previous to the iPod shuffle, the last iPod to receive an update was the iPod nano—a year ago on September 9th 2008. Sources believe that the iPod nano could see a slight update in its design, making it more convenient to hold and use, especially during sporting activities. It is also expected that Apple will add a camera to both the iPod nano and iPod touch, making them more useful and more media-based rather than simply music players. Apple Premium Resellers are reporting they are not replenishing their stock of the iPod nano, iPod touch or iPod classic, which leads to believe that updates will be appearing for all three models.

This could also include a refresh for Nike+ to include support for the iPod range, and also the iPhone 3G and 3GS. With the iPhone’s GPS capabilities, the Nike+ software could provide a lot more information that could synchronize back to your computer for you to review.

Apple iTablet

While rumors have been coming in about this for quite some time, it’s quite unlikely we’ll see such a device on Wednesday. If only because of the music theme for the event. It’s also plausible such a device would warrant its own event, possibly closer to the Christmas holiday season, if not in February 2010 at another event. It would be great for an iTablet, or iPad to be unveiled tomorrow, but, as I said, we’re clutching at straws for that one. It’s unknown at this point whether such a device would use a modified version of the iPhone OS or of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Findings within the accessibility settings within Snow Leopard that reveal full-size keyboards lead us to believe Snow Leopard could be the basis for a tablet device upon its launch.

Apple TV

We mentioned this last week on Appletell that an Apple TV update could be the “outsider” of the event. Wall Street analyst Gene Munster believes Apple could be phasing out the smaller 40GB model to leave space for an update to the device. If an iTunes Unlimited option also included TV shows and movies, the Apple TV could become quite popular. Even if you were required to pay a monthly subscription to access the iTunes store via the Apple TV, it would still be a hit. It’s certainly an outsider at this point, but there’s always hope for the “One More Thing…” section of the media press conference on September 9th.

Tomorrow, all will be revealed

So there you have it; the most likely (and not so likely) updates that could be emerging from Apple HQ tomorrow. Is there anything in particular you’ve been waiting to see, or something else you wish would get a little love from Apple this September? Personally, I feel we’ll see a refresh for the iPod classic, iPod nano and iPod touch, along with iTunes 9. An update for Nike+ could also be likely, while I feel an Apple Tablet and a new Apple TV are less likely to appear at this particular event. Feeling the same? Let us know below in the comments.

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Word from MacNN has it that Apple and AT&T may together add support to the iPhone for overage alerts and new Voicemail settings.

The first proposed new feature, overage alerts, would come in the form of a push notification. This feature might be able to alert you when you are coming close to using up all of your monthly minutes or messages.

The second feature, if it comes to fruition, would be a response to recent voicemail unhappiness brought up by our friend David Pogue.  David, like almost everyone who’s ever used a phone, is sick of finding out that we can leave a message after the tone. It could also disable introductions when calling other AT&T phone numbers.

MacNN is quick to point out that Apple is usually reluctant when pushing carrier specific updates. After all, AT&T is not the only iPhone service provider in the world, and they arguably aren’t the best, either.  Either way, these feature may find their way on to an iPhone near you as soon as iPhone OS 3.1, which we are expecting in the not too distant future.

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Well, we are about a week or so into Apple’s new operating system release, Snow Leopard, and all we’ve gotten are wallpapers and disk space. It certainly has been an interesting announcement and release, as people on the Internet have been discussing the price and whether it even constitutes a new operating system at all. But that’s neither here nor there. And while I’ve gotten my hands on a copy of Snow Leopard for only $10 (through the Up To Date program), I have yet to install it. I certainly have reasons for this, but I also wanted to provide my thoughts on the popular consensus of this release.

The main reason I haven’t installed Snow Leopard is because I haven’t had time. However, that wasn’t the case at all with Leopard. While Snow Leopard is certainly exciting with it’s stability fixes, Leopard offered so many new features that I planned my other social events around it and installed it the first day. Although I certainly want to be running the latest and greatest from Apple, I don’t feel as if I’m in any rush to add this install to my laptop. However, this isn’t the only reason. I’ve also been closely watching the Snow Leopard compatibility wiki to make sure the applications I need to work will function in Mac OS 10.6. So far, it has been looking pretty good.

All of that said, it appears as if the public has taken the Snow Leopard release well. With some amazing marketing by Apple, it appears as if this $30 upgrade has made its way to many Apple users around the world, and even earlier than expected. While the switch from 32 bit operating to 64 bit hasn’t been an easy one for either Microsoft or Apple, I believe it will definitely pay off in the end. As far as Snow Leopard goes, Apple seems to have done a really great job of making the back end work as nicely as possible with existing applications and uses. While some apps simply don’t work, there haven’t been any deal breaking issues as far as I’ve heard.

Nonetheless, it appears as if Apple is hard at work with an upgrade already, so hopefully many of the existing issues will be fixed. I plan to install Snow Leopard this weekend as my Labor Day fun (yeah, I know, I’m a geek), so we’ll see how it turns out for me.

How was your first week with Snow Leopard?

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Yesterday, we wrote that an AT&T employee had leaked that iPhone OS 3.1 would be released in September. Today, AT&T released a press release stating that the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) will be coming to the iPhone on AT&T on September 25th.

The service will become active through a software update for the iPhone, which will most likely be iPhone OS 3.1. AT&T have recently heard allegations that their networks are too slow and unreliable to handle the heavy traffic, but one of the reasons that it’s taken so long is so they were sure their networks would be ready from the start.

The unique capabilities and high usage of the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities required us to work on our network MMS architecture to carry the expected record volumes of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience from Day One. We appreciate your patience as we work toward that end.

While the press release covers MMS, there’s still no word on when we’ll be seeing tethering for the iPhone. The feature was announced with iPhone 3.0, and is available in other countries, but is still not active in the US. AT&T are expanding their networks and coverage, and so it could still be some time before we hear an announcement for iPhone tethering. Still, let’s be happy that in a few weeks MMS will be active. That’s something at least, right?

Read [AT&T Press Release]

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Today sees the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the latest update to Apple’s ever-popular operating system. There’s so much talk of the speed boosts and enhancements that what you’ll actually get may not seem so clear, so here’s what you can expect from Snow Leopard regarding 64 bit processing.

Even though the majority of Snow Leopard might look the same on the outside as your current installation of Leopard, that’s not the case for the internal workings of the OS. Why? Because Snow Leopard has been completely rewritten to take full advantage of the latest Intel hardware and, of course, 64 bit support. While Apple has had limited support for 64 bit since Tiger, most, if not all of the applications you were using were still 32 bit, along with the operating system itself. Apple has rewritten the OS, and the majority of its native applications (Mail, Finder, iChat, Safari, iCal etc…) are now utilizing 64 bit processing. Unfortunately, iTunes hasn’t received the same treatment, but an iTunes 9.0 update shouldn’t be too far around the corner.

So what will 64 bit mean for the average consumer? Possibly a little less than you might expect. Despite Mail being written for 64 bit processing, it won’t be lightening fast. On the whole, it’s a very responsive application. Sure, It will feel more responsive and smoother, but working with your emails won’t speed up too much. The main advantage of 64 bit comes from the serious applications on your desktop. Importing thousands of photographs into iPhoto, or using intensive filters in photo editing suites will have a noticeable speed increase. But, if you’re a user of Photoshop, this speed may take a little longer to reach you; the latest version of Photoshop for Macintosh isn’t written for 64 bit. Adobe have stated that a 64-bit version will ship as part of CS5 for Mac. Until then, you’ll have to make do with the smaller speed boosts thanks to the operating system itself.

If you’re thinking you may need to update your processor, hang on for a minute. If your Macintosh is using the Intel Core 2 Duo chip, you’ll be pleased to know that this is a 64 bit chip. If your Mac is using the Intel Core Duo chip, you won’t have the full power of 64 bit, but you’ll still notice speed increases thanks to the slimmer Snow Leopard and more effective code. If you’re a retro Macintosh user with a PowerPC Mac, I’m afraid you won’t be able to install Snow Leopard. From this point forward, it’s Intel only, despite the latest G5 chip being 64 bit.

If you have more room for RAM in your Mac, you may be pleased to hear that you can add a little more to help process your data. Theoretically, Leopard can already support up to 32GB of RAM, but applications can only use 4GB of that at a time, so installing any more was not necessary. 64 bit applications could theoretically support up to 16 exabytes of RAM (16 billion GB). Yes, that is an insane amount. Snow Leopard itself will only be able to support up to 16TB of RAM, which is still an insane amount of RAM. Keeping with your current RAM should be fine for now, but remember you have the options to add more if you feel your Mac becoming a little sluggish.

So, the entire core of Snow Leopard has been rewritten to support 64 bit processing. The majority of Apple’s native applications have also been rewritten, but not including iTunes, Front Row, DVD Player or Grapher. Generally, using your Mac will feel quicker and more responsive, with the real speed boosts coming with more memory intensive applications. Not all applications support 64 bit at present, but in the near future, it will likely become standard.

For just $29, you’re getting a lot more power than you had with Leopard, yet even that was miles ahead of, say, Vista. With Snow Leopard, lagging will be a thing of the past, and the more powerful operating system will allow you to concentrate on making great things on your Macintosh, the way Steve Jobs intended.

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With Snow Leopard set to release this Friday, August 28th, many Apple fans are excited to both try it out and get some space back on their hard drive. Also, if you’re like me, you don’t really care that it doesn’t include any great, new features as long as it promises to be as stable and fast as Apple promises. However, one thing that would be extremely interesting to see at any point in time is Apple-developed antivirus built into the operating system. And that’s the rumor, according to Intego’s Mac Security Blog.

While it would certainly be a good idea for Apple to get ahead of the game and include this in their core operating system, I don’t think we will see it just yet. Not just because there isn’t a terrible need for it, but because this news popped out of nowhere two days before the software’s release. There was no mention of this anywhere in the developer builds that were released, and nothing was leaked about it until now. Not only that, but we haven’t seen any news of Apple hiring security experts to come in and help with this type of thing (although I’m sure they already have some).

While I wouldn’t mind seeing it, I’m taking this one with a grain of salt. How about you?

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The Apple Store has returned online with one noticeable change: the addition of Snow Leopard. Apple are now allowing customers to pre-order Snow Leopard, and says it will ship by August 28th. I would imagine it will also be available in Apple Retail Stores on August 28th, along with premium resellers and other outlets.

Customers who pre-ordered from Amazon.com should also get the same treatment, with various people saying their transaction has changed status to “prepared for shipment.”

The price has also stayed at $29 for the single user upgrade and $49 for the family pack. For an OS as advanced as this, the price tag is amazing. Apple hopes this will cause the majority of Mac owners to upgrade quickly, allowing Apple to continue forward with more advancements. Unfortunately, Snow Leopard will only operate on Intel machines. If you’ve needed to upgrade your computer, Snow Leopard has given you the perfect excuse.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and pre-order your copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, I know I will.

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It would appear that the Apple Store is once again down, which signifies either maintenance (yeah, right) or that something will be stamped with a “new” sticker in a few hours. If it’s the later, could it be the latest version of Apple’s operating system, Snow Leopard, will hit the shelves a few weeks earlier than anticipated?

A few weeks ago, the latest build of Snow Leopard was referred to as the “Gold Master”—a term that identifies this latest build to be almost ready; the final version before shipping usually. So the OS itself is apparently ready, or at least very close to being ready, to ship. It’s already available to pre-order on Amazon.com, but there’s no release date to be found. Rumors suggest September, but today’s a good enough day, right? Apple may have built in Snow Leopard to their apparent keynote event in early September, but we’ve already heard about the OS at January’s WWDC, so, to simply update the store would be suitable.

Only time will tell as to what will be revealed when the curtain is again lifted on the Apple Store. Are you hoping to see Snow Leopard appear today? It would certainly make it a happy Monday if it does. Stay tuned on Appletell.com to find out the latest as the Apple Store returns to normal.

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You’ve been waiting, and now you have to wait just a little longer…maybe. The guys over at AllThingsD say Apple is…well, here, read…

Multiple music industry sources say Apple executives have told them the company is planning one of its famed keynote events for the week of Sept. 7.

Honestly, this isn’t that big of a surprise.  Heck, it’s almost tradition for Apple to tease us with rumors all summer and then hold a special event after Labor Day.  Last year it was the updated iPod nano, and the year before that they announced the iPod touch (shortly after most of us bought the original iPhone).

So what will they have to say? I wouldn’t be surprised to see updated iPods. I’m thinking it’s likely we’ll see both a new iPod touch and iPod nano, both with cameras. But that’s not really what you want me to say is it? I know what I want to hear, and it goes a little something like this…

One more thing.

The Apple tablet. We all want it. I’d say it’s highly possible for Apple to announce the mythical tablet, but as always, there’s much disagreement among rumors. Some think it might happen, and some sources deny it tooth and nail until at least 2010. We’ll see, it’s less than a month away. Stay tuned.

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When Apple announced its unibody MacBook Pro and the overall design of the computer was updated for the best, the matte display—which at one time was a free option for consumers—was left in the dust. Users, at that time, could no longer choose to have their MacBook Pro shipped with a matte screen. Graphic designers, photographers, and any other computer user who values color accuracy over colors that “pop” protested, and Apple eventually reinstated the matte option to their 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Starting this week, however, Apple has begun to once again offer a $50 matte display option to their 15-inch MacBook Pro, calling it the “Antiglare” widescreen display. It will join the 17-inch MacBook Pro as models that have matte displays, but the 13-inch MacBook “Pro” will not have this option available.

So, rejoice matte-lovers!  The time is nigh, if you were previously holding out, to order your matte MacBook Pro.

Order [Apple]

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People are talking about the current status of build 10A432 for Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the new operating system that Apple will be shipping to their customers sometime in September. According to many, this build, which came after build 10A421a, has been designated as the “Gold Master.” In the software development field, this means that Snow Leopard has been tested enough by developers and consumers to make it nearly ready to ship. From there, it will be rapidly reproduced and made widely available on probably the last day of September.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard promises to be a nice update to the current Leopard OS. While there aren’t many improvements of the user interface and new features, Apple has promised that 10.6 will make up for this under the hood, where an emphasis has been placed on saving space while making it more robust and increasing speed. Hopefully, it isn’t one to disappoint, as Microsoft’s Windows 7 also appears as if it will be a very good operating system.

Oh, and you’re welcome to pre-order Snow Leopard from Amazon if you so choose.

Read [MacRumors]

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According to reliable sources over at The Boy Genius Report, the ninth version of iTunes will have some nice new features. The first of these rumored features says that iTunes will be receiving Blu-ray support finally, despite some of Apple’s (or should I say Steve’s) comments in the past. This isn’t the first time this has been rumored, but it seems a little more plausible now that HD DVD has had some time to fade away.

Furthermore, it appears as if users will now be able to rearrange and organize their Applications section in iTunes. While this isn’t groundbreaking or anything, I certainly would love the ability of some customization in this section of the application. The last of the potential features involves some sort of social network integration, but it wasn’t made very clear, according to the report.

UPDATE: The Boy Genius Report now has images of some of these possible features of the new iTunes. You can check them out below, and they mostly showcase the Last.fm integration.

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As we near the release of Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), the final updates for the current version of OS X will slowly start to trickle in. Today, Apple has made available Mac OS X 10.5.8, the 8th revision of the Leopard operating system. It is available through Apple’s website, as well as OS X’s Software Update.

The update entails the following fixes:

• Compatibility and reliability issues when joining AirPort networks.
• An issue that could cause some monitor resolutions to no longer appear in Displays System Preferences.
• Issues that may affect Bluetooth reliability.

All of this is in addition to the general increase of security, stability, and compatibility of the operating system.

I’d be on my way to update, but I figure that Apple’s servers are being eaten alive by OS X users.

Download [Apple] Read [Apple]

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This week, Apple quietly updated their Time Capsule line by adding a 2TB model alongside the existing 1TB model. These new 2TB models will cost a nice sized $499.00, while the 1TB model has been lowered to just $299.00. The specs on the new, larger model appear to be the same as the 1TB model that has existed for a while now, except for, obviously, the size of the hard drive. It doesn’t even appear as if Apple has mentioned this new product update on their home page.

The current specs of these machines consist of 802.11n wireless networking capabilities that is dual band so users can work on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. These also integrate very nicely with Apple’s Time Machine backup solution software. You can get them now at the Apple Store.

Product [Time Capsule]

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