So while the iPhone and Apple TV got shiny new firmware updates and new features for free today, iPod touch owners will have to lay out $20 to get Mail, Weather, Stocks, Notes, and Maps -- five apps the iPhone's had since day one. That seems like a raw deal to us -- but then again, we're up to our necks in handheld devices that can check email and take notes. So what's it going to be, iPod touch owners -- will you be laying down a Jackson or what?

Well, seems Steve wasn't fibbing when he mentioned we'd see the iPhone and iPod touch update today, as it does seem to have landed. Hit the link below to get at the package if the auto updater just isn't doing it for you -- and judging from our luck so far, there are some issues. Note that you're going to need iTunes 7.6 to roll this update out.

Read - 1.1.3 update package for iPhone
Read - 1.1.3 update package for iPod touch

You brought AOL to its knees, you took out the Apple online store, but now the true test: can the power of one billion fanboys take on Akamai?

Update: The answer was a quick yes -- but we're sneaky and figured out the direct link. Have fun, kids.

Here's the new Time Capsule NAS from Apple. Not much to say about this one. It's a bit larger than we expected, but still pretty well sized for a NAS.

We sort of understood it with iPods, and we grudgingly accepted it with the iPhone, but the MacBook Air has a sealed, non-user-replaceable battery, and that means we're suddenly a lot less in love. We're digging for details on how much it'll cost to swap out -- and what Apple expects road warriors to do when their slick new ultraportable dies on the go, stick with us.

Apple may think it's over for optical media, but we have a feeling a lot of MacBook Air customers are going to end up spending the $99 on the external SuperDrive. The 1.06-pound USB-powered dual-layer burner is as slickly encased in aluminum as the Air itself, has a built-in cable and features 4X DL read / write speeds, 8x DVD±R, and 24x CD-R. No official word on availability just yet, but we'd guess it'll ship alongside the Air in two weeks. Interestingly, the specs say it requires a MacBook Air -- but we'll be recklessly plugging it into whatever we have handy soon enough, stay tuned.

Look at that. Five of the faithful lined-up since noon Monday for Tuesday morning's MacWorld keynote address by Steve Jobs. Not a girlfriend in sight. We presume that their eyes rolled-back in prostrated worship once the photo opp ended.

According to a report from the market-mindful Bloomberg, old Jobsy could be dropping the iPhone on Canada come tomorrow's keynote. If you believe what RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky says (and that's a big if), Apple will unleash the phone via Rogers Communications -- the country's largest mobile service provider. "There's a very good chance that Apple will announce or discuss some kind of other carrier roll-outs, beyond the ones it has done in Europe and the U.S." He said, adding that, "There is definitely very strong demand and interest here." To which we say, "Duh," and, "Hey, we've heard this before." Though we're not sure Steve will have time for the Canadian launch in his keynote, what with all the algae-based hard drives, unicorn laptops, and rays of pure energy he'll be introducing.

[Thanks, Paolo]

With CES in the books, banners flying up and rumors running rampant, only one thing could be on the horizon: Steve's Macworld 2008 keynote. Unfortunately, it seems he's a bit short on time, and needs you to access a totally awesome web-based game to help round up garb, VIPs and top-secret gear before taking the stage. Okay, so all of that is complete rubbish, but if you've got a moment to kill and can't stop obsessing over next Tuesday, hit the read link and have a laugh.

[Thanks, Mikkel]

Come, reader. Take a step into our very special Engadget Blog Archive 2000™ device, watch as we wave our fingers through the air and say, "Doo-do-dodo, doo-do-dodo," and think back to this time last year when industry conferences CES and MacWorld overlapped, overworked (and heavily caffeinated) tech writers tripped over themselves to cover both, and Apple introduced a little product called the iPhone. Wired's got a look at the development of the groundbreaking handset and, though most of this may be a rehash for our gadget-savvy readers, there are some interesting moments documented in the piece: The chronology of the failed Motorola ROKR; the porting of OS X to the iPhone (which didn't start until early 2006); and the year Apple engineers spent working on a tablet PC, whose tech was obviously rolled into the iPhone's multitouch display. It's worth a stroll down the tattered corridors of your memory before El-Jobso's Macworld keynote next week.
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This one's a bit of a no brainer: Apple's going to have to ship a next-gen disc drive at some point this decade, and Macworld 2008 is as good a place as any. Apple also has a friendly history with Sony, has Blu-ray happy Disney in its pocket and is on the Blu-ray consortium, so the Blu-ray format seems a bit of a shoo-in. Analyst Shaw Wu thought he'd made the prediction all the same, and while his track record isn't close to immaculate, we'd say he's got a pretty safe bet here. However, Shaw does say that there's a small possibility of Apple picking a hybrid drive just to stay clear of the format wars. Rumors of the drives come alongside word of a major overhaul of the Mac Pro internals, so it seems like the timing is right, but we'll really never know until Steve takes the stage and starts clicking us through the keynote. Wu also has word of a "MacBook mini" or "MacBook slim," iTunes rentals, some sort of "external HDD storage / dock / streaming device that can work with MacBook mini as well as Airport Extreme," and an Apple TV upgrade down the road to allow for more web content and perhaps a TV tuner. Shaw doesn't play the rumor game super conservative, but it sure is a lot more fun this way.

Well kids, it was bound to happen. With Macworld speeding our direction, and all the exciting, unfounded, and wildly hopeful Apple rumors we've been hearing as of late, a doctored (or not doctored) picture was bound to crop up. Well, here you have it -- a rendering, real or otherwise, of the supposed (yet not in any way confirmed) ultraportable MacBook we've been hearing about. It goes without saying that this image is totally unverifiable and probably fake, especially taking into consideration that the point of origin is the first (and only) post of an unknown contributor to the MacRumors forum. As evidenced by the photo, the thin-as-hell MacBook has no optical drive and sports an extra wide trackpad and button, which makes the whole thing look pretty goofy. We're not going to let the fact that this prototype user also seems to be reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons further shake our confidence -- though it's hard to get below zero. Inspect the picture above and draw your own conclusions.

[Thanks, stem]

We're not certain why anyone treats the inevitable arrival of a second-gen iPhone sometime next year as earth-shattering news, but Goldman Sachs released a note to clients yesterday saying that the rumored 3G version is in its "final design phase." The investment firm's David Bailey says he got the info from the usual assortment of moderately-reliable Asian component suppliers, and that he expects the new model to have "similar form factor" with a "different look." Rounding out his list of obvious predictions, Bailey also said the existing model will get a capacity bump sometime next year as well, which makes sense given the proliferation of 32GB flash devices we've seen pop up lately. Somewhat more interestingly, Bailey also said that Apple is planning on retooling the Apple TV next year, and that his sources the new version may pack an LCD screen. Sadly, Bailey didn't have much to say about that rumored subnotebook, only that he's heard of possible "design issues." That doesn't sound too promising -- but we're certain Steve will fill us in next month.