Appletell

Ok, everybody, time to ingest a nice, big grain of salt. Done? Mkay, moving on.

According to a recent issue of a German car magazine, Apple has resumed chats with Volkswagen about the iCar. Along with the picture of a futuristic car, the cover of the magazine in question shows an iPod Touch with the caption “So einfach wie ein iPod,” (As simple as an iPod). Could this really be the new iCar? Probably not. Sorry guys. 

Ever since Steve Jobs and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn had a couple meetings to discuss the possibility of integrating Apple software into a sub-compact VW, the rumor mills have been abuzz with the possibilities. Despite the fact that the talks fell through late last year, Apple fanboys keep the iCar light aflame. I apologize again for the disappointment, but rumors surrounding Apple have a strange tendency to be not what is most likely to happen, but rather what users want. According to an iSuppli analyst, something as futuristic as an iCar doesn’t have a chance of showing up until at least 2010.

Heck, if Mercedes and Swatch can collaborate to make a super-popular car, why can’t Apple and VW?

Via [9 to 5 Mac]

According to AppleInsider, Apple is getting ready to send out developer builds of Mac OS X 10.5.4. 10.5.3 was just released about a week ago, and many users have been reporting graphics issues and issues with files and Adobe CS3. Apple will likely be addressing these issues in 10.5.4.

The new update may come sooner rather than later, as it is expected to carry updates pertaining to the 3G iPhone and a .Mac renaming, both of which are expected to launch at WWDC June 10th, less than a week away.

Direct quote from Apple Insider:

People familiar with the matter say developers could have the first pre-release copies of the update in their hands by week’s end. It’s almost a certainty that the beta software will surface by the company’s developer’s conference next week, they add.

Only time will tell if Apple plans to push out another update so close following 10.5.3.

Via [AppleInsider]

Over the years, Apple has been making less and less of an appearance at the annual Apple Expo in Paris, France. This year, reports claim that Apple is ditching the event all together. In the past, Apple has had two booths, one just called “Apple,” and the other “Apple Store,” but both of those names are absent on this year’s docket of events. According to a MacGeneration report, Reed Exhibitions France, the event organizer, plans to make a statement on the anonymous tip-offs within the week. The Paris event used to rival the likes of WWDC and MacWorld, but times have changed, and Apple Expo has become more of sideshow than a big time event. The last time Apple made a full-blown keynote there was 2004. 

But, to compensate for the lack of attendance to the Apple Expos, Apple will soon be opening its first French Apple Store, located in Carousel de Louvre in the heart of Paris. Coming in at two stories and almost 8,000 square feet, this new store is strategically important for Apple, as the store is expected to attract 9 million people, 60% of which will be local Parisians, and the other 40% being tourists.  “Apple’s other retail stores have typically been restricted to US, the UK, Canada and Japan, although expansion is underway in countries such as Italy and Australia,” reports MacNN.

Apple Store via [MacNN]
Apple Expo via [Apple Insider]

According to an undisclosed Taiwanese worker at an undisclosed Taiwanese case company, Apple is planning on a redesigned case for their MacBooks.  On a Taiwanese Apple forum, the worker wrote about Apple’s recent order for Aluminum casing for the MacBook.  Citing a non-disclosure agreement, he refused to answer further questions about the order.  This move to anodized aluminum cases would unify the entire Macintosh computer line, with everything from iMacs to MacBook Airs in sleek aluminum coverings.  When talking about a partial redesign of the Apple computer line, Appleinsider writer Kasper Jade reports that “13-inch consumer MacBooks will undergo the most significant metamorphosis, shedding their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel, people familiar with the matter say.” Some of the other possible changes to the line up include thinner computers across the board.  All of these changes are highly anticipated, as the MacBook and MacBook pro have looked the same and have been built the same since 2006.  It will hopefully be coming soon, as Apple’s average design cycle (18-24 months) is up for the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Via [Appleinsider]

So every couple of days a new rumor comes out about how Apple will succeed and what product is to be released next. Now, its not just sites and writers making up these rumors, its usually ‘analysts.’ I don’t quite understand what it is these analysts do other than create rumors and get paid to do so (sounds like an awesome job though).

The latest is from an analyst who explains that there will be over 45 million iPhone sales in 2009. The reasoning behind this? Current rumors about where the iPhone will be released next. It’s actually quite funny to see people believe this stuff, I could just as easily pull a number out of nowhere and throw in a few BS facts to say what is going to happen next.

I want to know what you think though, what do you think of analysts and do they provide any use to the industry other than starting rumors? Let me know in the comments.

Nicholas Ciarelli, Owner and Editor of popular rumors site Think Secret, may have gotten some cash in his settlement with Apple, MacRumors Reports:

The L.A. Times cites sources in-the-know that claim that ThinkSecret’s Nick Ciarelli did indeed receive some amount of monetary compensation from Apple as part of their final settlement.
[Ciarelli] also received a payment from Apple, according to a person familiar with the case. Both sides declined to discuss details of the agreement.

[Ciarelli] also received a payment from Apple, according to a person familiar with the case. Both sides declined to discuss details of the agreement.

There has been a tremendous amount of speculation that this may have been the case, but no real confirmation.

Here’s what I’m wondering: how is this not obvious?? Ciarelli was still going fairly strong when he announced that he would shut down to move on to “greater journalistic pursuits.” So after a 3 year old lawsuit, he’ll just up and shut down for no reason other than that he suddenly wants to “move on?” It’s not like he was working his rear off there anyway. Posts came weeks apart. It is clear that Apple gave him some sort of incentive to leave, and unless they provided him with a lifetime supply of any Apple product he wanted (I’d want in!), they gave him money. And probably quite a bit.

Think Secret shut down last week with a statement that they were closing down as part of an amicable settlement with Apple over their 3 year feud about Think Secret spilling trade secrets. 

Think Secret, one of the earliest Apple Rumors sites, has shut down as a result of an ongoing dispute with Apple.

It was announced today in this pres release:

Apple and Think Secret have settled their lawsuit, reaching an agreement that results in a positive solution for both sides. As part of the confidential settlement, no sources were revealed and Think Secret will no longer be published. Nick Ciarelli, Think Secret’s publisher, said “I’m pleased to have reached this amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits.”

Started in 1998, Think Secret was at one time a reliable and frequently visited hotspot for Apple new before it happened. This was due in large part to sources that allowed publisher Nicholas Ciarelli in 2004 to reveal iWork and the Mac Mini before Apple could. That post led to Apple suing Think Secret, however, and they have been embroiled up until today, when they reached a settlement wherein Think Secret would no longer be published, though Ciarelli would not have to reveal any sources that contributed to that 2004 story.

Read [Think Secret]

You might recall the special event that’s been scheduled for next Tuesday at the Regent Street Apple Store in London. Acompanied by a cryptic catchphrase of “Mum is no longer the word”, the event has been largely assumed to be the unveiling of European iPhones. The store will therefore only be opened at 4pm on that day.

However, AppleInsider has learned that store employees were asked to arrive earlier, at 2pm to attend a 90 minute briefing. In addition, these employees were also told that the store was to operate until 10pm, but they had to remain till 11pm. The electronics giant also began with modifying the store’s theater area, although no further detail was provided.

Read [AppleInsider]

According to a report from The Guardian, it seems like O2 will now be the exclusive mobile carrier of Apple’s iPhone in the UK. Unfortunately, the carrier had to offer as much as 40% of its sales revenue to the Cupertino-based electronics giant. The margin will be confirmed tomorrow, but another competitor has already described the deal as “madly money-losing”.

It’s surprising that O2 would be paying so much, especially since the new iPod Touch comes at a competitive price with twice the storage capacity. The Guardian is also asserting that T-Mobile and Orange have won the contracts for Germany and France respectively; but the rest of the rumor-mongering sites are currently reporting conflicting information with regards to the European iPhone shipment dates.

Via [The Guardian]

What’s an iPod without Mac OS X? This one. It turns out that several folks have received their iPod Touches without the operating system installed. When the iPod starts up, a simple diagnostic utility is displayed showing vital functions like speaker, touch, accelerometer, ambient light, buttons and what’s this? Bluetooth!?

This sounds a lot like a little first-batch stuff up. Still, it’s interesting to note that Bluetooth hardware might actually be embedded into the iPod Touch, which could perhaps be unlocked in a future software update. Oh and did you notice the cereal box for the cereal serial number? Teehee.

Via [Engadget]