Appletell

Today, Apple quietly discontinued the 23 inch Cinema Display. This was expected considering it’s basically being replaced by the new 24 inch Cinema Display.  The Apple Online Store lists the display’s shipping status as Discontinued. On a more positive note, the shipping is still free.

The newer 24 inch Cinema Display has the new Display Port connection. It also is perfect for any owner of a brand new Apple MacBook, since it has a mini Display Port adapter, a MagSafe cord and a USB hub built into it. The display also comes complete with speakers and an iSight camera built in. There are few advantages to the older display, so I suggest you get the newer, bigger, better 24 inch display. But if you simply can’t stand a glossy screen, then you might want to make a stop by the local Apple Store to pick up one of the 23 inch models before they are gone.

As to the 20 and 30 inch models, I’d say your days are numbered.

Product [24 inch Cinema Display]
Via [TUAW]

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I have never worked for Apple. I, however, am curious as to what it might be like to work for the company. So I did some research using some simple means—the internet, of course (we can believe everything we read on the internet right?), a telephone, and some word of mouth. This is what I found…

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I recently wrote an article regarding my first impressions on the new Apple 24” LED Display. After writing the article, my representative at Apple gave me a call to let me know Apple had updated the ship date to “7-10 business days.“ I had asked him to give me a call about this as I plan to purchase one for myself.

Something strange happened, though. Between the time when he left me the message and when I went online to order the display, the page switched back to displaying “Ships: November.“ I quickly called the representative to see if he had any clue what happened.

After a long discussion, I came to the conclusion that Apple made a mistake and must not be shipping the display in 7 to 10 business days, but rather by the end of November. He also informed me, as MacRumors reported on Wednesday, Apple has “end-of-lifed” the 23” Cinema.

While this might not sound like such big news, I believe it is. Apple recently delayed the shipments of the new MacBook Air, and there have been no signs of when the new Apple In-Ear headphones will ship, either. It appears Apple’s shipping dates have overall not been so reliable recently, and I think it might be time for an explanation on Apple’s end.

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If you live somewhere between “Middle of Nowhere” and “Where am I?“, then chances are you have to use Direct TV to get most of the channels you want. Along with that service, you can get one of their DVRs (digital video recorders). This DVR allows you to record and play back any show that is in the guide. It can record shows in the future and the set top box does not even have to be on.

The Apple TV does not have this functionality.

Most households have at least one DVD or digital video disc player. Some play DVDs through an Xbox or a Playstation (the 360 or PS3 give you a high definition or Blu-Ray option as well). Some have a stand-alone DVD player.

The Apple TV does not have this functionality.

The functionality it does have, however, is to play shows and movies that you have in your iTunes library. It’s Front Row for your television. At $329.00 for the 160GB version and 229.00 for the 40GB version, I can think of a lot of ways to get my media onto my HDTV without spending that money. If you’re a person with money to burn and you get all of your shows and movies from the iTunes store, then the Apple TV might be right for you.

But I do not need one. Do you?

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I am not going to bad mouth Microsoft or Bill Gates; there are enough people out there who choose to do that. Bill Gates donates millions of dollars every year to charity, and even has his own charitable foundation. That being said, let me describe a situation for you and explain why switching is better than dealing with the huge downsides of remaining a Windows user.

My father lives in a small town in Illinois, population of about 3,000. He was a lifetime Windows user. He has had PCs with everything from Windows 3.1 all the way to Windows XP. Being that he is in his 60s, both change and technology are things he does not take kindly to. Recently, he was in the market for a new computer…

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Apple’s new employee from IBM, Mark Papermaster, has been ordered by a Judge to halt work at Apple until the lawsuit IBM has filed against him gets figured out. Papermaster is taking over for Tony Fadell as a top position in the iPod/iPhone division. IBM feels that Papermaster is breaking part of his contract with them by joining forces with Apple because he could possibly release some of IBM’s chip technology secrets to Apple. Papermaster’s lawyers are arguing that causing Mark to obey this clause in his IBM contract with be “incredibly damaging” to his career.

On the other hand, IBM is arguing that the nature of his work is too dangerous in general to allow him to switch side and work with Apple. If you ask me, I think Papermaster and his lawyers have the most compelling argument in this case. If IBM won’t let him work here, where will they let him work? Give it some time and I think we will see Mark Papermaster back at Apple designing the newest in their iPod line in no time.

Via [AppleInsider]

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A new study from SquareTrade, a company that offers additional warranties for devices, indicates that Apple’s iPhone is twice as reliable as RIM’s Blackberry line. Using data from 15,000 cell phones covered under their plans, this company found that the malfunction rate for iPhones after one year is a measly 5.6%, while the Blackberry is in double digits at 11.2%. Even higher up the scale is the Treo at a nice 16.2%. Another interesting stat from this data is that less than 0.5% of the iPhone malfunctions were due to battery issues. Furthermore, it was found that the iPhone has fewer call quality issues.

Although these numbers are good for both Apple and the iPhone, keep in mind that their are more Blackberry users than iPhone users. Despite this, RIM has had a much longer time to improve upon their phones, so theoretically their malfunction rate should be lower than what we see here. However, the numbers don’t lie, and Apple’s iPhone appears to be coming out on top in yet another survey.  If you ask me, the iPhone is looking better and better for all types of people.

Read [SquareTrade] Via [MobileCrunch]

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When it comes to a consumer oriented smart phone, the iPhone is right up there at the top of the list along with your favorite Blackberry and other phones. However, until recently, the iPhone hasn’t really been noticed nor used as a business oriented phone. With recent updates including Exchange and other business features, this has changed. So much so, in fact, that J.D. Power and Associates has found Apple’s iPhone to be ranked #1 in business user satisfaction in their latest survey of 1,388 smart phone users. Click through to after the break for some more interesting numbers.

Interesting numbers after the break.

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Every quarter, Apple must tell the SEC how much money they are returning to Steve Jobs for all of his travel expenses. As an example, last quarter Apple reimbursed Jobs a staggering $102,000 for his flight and travel expenses on his Gulfstream jet. Even more staggering than last quarter’s number is this quarter’s, in which Jobs racked up a nice $189,000 in travel fees. All in all, over the summer and this year, with the release of the iPhone 3G and such, Jobs spent about a half a million dollars so far. Although it may seem like Jobs is spending a lot of Apple’s money, there are also upsides to these numbers.

One important thing these large numbers could mean is that our favorite CEO is making more and more negotiations worldwide. This is obviously good for Apple as a company as it can help them keep in good terms with their suppliers and retailers across the world. So, in general, when Mr. Jobs’ travel expenses are up, so are the chances we will see new products and announcements from Apple. The only downside I can see to his travels is the little money Apple spends on them (compared to how much they currently have), as well as the carbon footprint.

Via Alley Insider

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Everyone who was holding their breath for a new Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Pro or Apple TV (myself included), can stop. Bill Evans, an Apple spokesman, killed the rumors, and possibly our hopes and dreams along with them.

“Our holiday line-up is set,” Apple spokesman Bill Evans told Macworld.

And just like that, all the rumors are smashed. No November 10th/11th event, no new desktops, no secret netbooks, no nothing. But I’m not discouraged, and I don’t plan on wasting any time as far as rumors are concerned. All this means is that no new products or refreshes can happen earlier than 2009. So, now I ask the obvious question. What does Apple have in store for January?

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