appleinsider
Latest
Adobe CS4 announcement expected Sept. 23
Just when you thought you just bought (or just finished paying for) Adobe Creative Suite 3, get ready to take out another mortgage for Adobe CS4, which will be publicly unveiled on September 23. AppleInsider conjectures the software will drop in October. Adobe will be delivering several webcasts that day to showcase the new software to the public. You can register here to participate in the webcasts. Improvements to Photoshop and Flash are expected to headline the event. Adobe did not release any details about how the software will be bundled, nor any pricing information. Full versions of Adobe CS3 can cost as much as $2,500 for new users, and $160 for those who want to upgrade. Adobe released preview editions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth in late May. [Via MacFreaks and cnet.]
AppleInsider: Mac OS X 10.5.5 hits 9F13
AppleInsider reports that the Mac OS X team is squashing ever more bugs, and has released version 10.5.5 build 9F13 to developers. Unlike prior builds, Apple released it without any known issues. The article notes that Apple has made 115 corrections to Mac OS X code as a part of the 10.5.5 update. Improvements to power management, mail sync, preferences sync, networking, firewall, kernel, file system, and the Mobile Me preferences pane are all expected to be included. AppleInsider expected that the update would be released to the public in "the coming weeks."
Rumor: OS X on the iPod in September
The latest rumor to hit the iPod trail, besides the obviously faked nanos, is that the iPod is headed for an OS X-based system, and that Apple is planning to unify all of their products. This one's actually be floating around for a bit, and at this point, it's almost more of an educated inference than a rumor at all-- Apple has already shown that they're looking to start making connections across product lines. CoverFlow moved from iTunes to the iPhone, and we've already seen evidence that the iPhone interface may find a place in OS X proper.So it's only natural that the iPod would join the crowd. What will that entail? More CoverFlow, more album art, a better iPhoto '08 interface. So far, the same old click wheel seems to be involved (so no phone-less iPhone yet), but in general, a flashier interface than the old scrolling text screens we're used to.While we've heard (and speculated) on all of this before, this is the first time we've heard a solid date: AppleInsider is saying that by the end of September (before the holiday season), we'll be looking at an iPod with OS X on it. I don't disagree-- if Apple is planning to update the iPod in this way, they'd want to do it before the holidays. If we don't see anything by October, my guess is we'll have to wait until early 2008 to see any updates at all. Of course, by that point, we'll be too ga-ga over Leopard to worry about it.
EA officially backs off of Mac releases
Shame on you, EA! Shame! Back at WWDC, you promised to release four of your franchise games simultaneously on PC and Mac in July. But July came and went, and we saw (and played) nothing.And now EA has told Apple Insider that Mac faithful shouldn't have held their breath on those promises-- Madden 08 was the big release on Tuesday, but while it did appear on PC, the Mac version has been officially delayed until "September or October" (which means late December, in videogame-release-speak). Additionally, even EA doesn't know what's going on with its own games-- they claim that Battlefield 2142, Command and Conquer 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Need for Speed Carbon are all in stores, but when asked which stores they were actually in, EA didn't have an answer.I can't say I'm surprised-- for all the talk at WWDC, the Mac isn't quite the platform of choice for most game makers, and who knows who would have actually bought any of those games on Mac if they had been released (I wouldn't have). But the fact is that EA stood on stage at WWDC, and got lauded for it. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, Electronic Arts.
Some truth behind persistent iPhone "nano" rumors?
These rumors just keep popping up from all over the interwebs, and with Apple, persistent rumors often lead to real product. As we've mentioned time and time and time again, all signs point to a new iPhone revision later this year, either in the US, Europe, or both. To add fuel to the fire, AppleInsider has posted that an extremely reputable source reports that the Apple roadmap for 2007 does indeed show two distinct handsets. Touted as a scaled back version of the iPod, the "nano" would focus on music and offer basic cellular features -- so you can likely kiss web surfing and mail goodbye. All this makes sense if you look back on the iPod's original launch: the 5 and 10 GB models were out within 4 months of each other, with a hardware refresh 4 months after that. If they stick to a comparable timeline, perhaps the 3G -- if there will be a 3G -- will land in early '08. We're hoping that the nano name doesn't stick, though; how about the Apple iBashful?
EA, id back gaming on the Mac
Well how about that. Not a few days after I announce that I'm going to be posting news about gaming on the Mac, we get the biggest announcement about exactly that since Bungie released Marathon: EA and id both showed up at the WWDC Keynote yesterday to promote 3D gaming on Apple's computers.id went so far as to announce and show a new game engine called "id tech 5" (usually engines are named after games, but apparently we're in uncharted territory here), and EA came on stage to say it was going to start selling its most popular franchises, including Need for Speed Carbon, which has never been seen on the Mac before. Apple Insider points out that this isn't necessarily what we were hoping for (that is, games running natively and uber fast in OS X)-- instead, the EA games will be wrapped in Transgaming's Cider engine, which means the games will have to run on Intel-only Macs.Tuncer Deniz, who's been covering Mac gaming for a long time at Inside Mac Games, says this is both good... and bad (figures, right?). It's good because EA using Cider means we'll see Mac versions come out faster. But it's bad because whatever EA expects to sell of these games, it's probably not as much as they want to. Still, id's engine looks pretty-- if gaming is going to make a comeback on the machine we love, this is as good a chance as it'll ever have.
AppleInsider says the Mac Mini is dead
Well, we're getting closer to another Stevenote and the Apple rumor mill is at full tilt, so take this one with a huge grain of salt, but the team over at AppleInsider says they "sincerely believe" that the Mac Mini is about to be discontinued. Citing sources for whom they have the "utmost respect," AI says that Apple management was only bending to shareholder demands for a sub-$800 Mac when it developed the Mini, and that the recent release of the Apple TV all but spells the end of significant updates to the lil' bugger. We can see what they're getting at, we suppose: the Mini has never gotten a lot of attention, but the similarly-discontinued products AI compares it to -- the Cube, the PowerBook 2400, and the 12-inch PowerBook G4 -- were all higher-end machines, while the Mini sits at the very bottom of Apple's product line. On top of that, the description of the Apple TV as the "next-generation Mac Mini" strikes us as a little odd, since the Mini was never sold as a media extender (even though you can use it that way) and the Apple TV was never sold as a general-purpose computer (even though you can use it that way). AI does seem pretty confident in the case it's laid out -- but as with all things Apple, only time will tell.
AppleInsider: WWDC to take place June 11th - 15th
Take this with a grain of sodium chloride, but AI is reporting that "people familiar with conference planning" have tipped them off to the dates of this year's World Wide Developers Conference. These "people" call June 10th - 15th for WWDC 2007, nearly two full months before last year's knocked-back WWDC, which took place on August 7th, 2006 (delayed, presumably, to make way for the release of the Mac Pro). Even though many folks, including students such as myself, typically consider June to fall under the Summer category, these dates are still technically Spring, which is fueling speculation that Leopard could possibly land on June 10th - the first day of WWDC where Steve Jobs has traditionally done the keynote thing.AI also speculates that iLife and iWork updates could also depend heavily on Leopard technologies, which means we might not see even these software packages until WWDC also. However, they did respond with a coy "stay tuned!" when asked about these updates in their recent Q1 2007 financial results that we liveblogged, so... uh, stay tuned!
Apple shares reach year's best
MarketWatch is reporting that Apple's shares reached a 52-week high of $87.95 today, apparently fueled by furious rumors of - you guessed it - an iPhone. I'm sure the report that Hon Hai received a manufacturing order from Apple for just such a device isn't doing anything to stop people from losing their investing sense either. If the iPhone is really going to happen, the word on the street hasn't changed from "the first half of next year" yet, unless you consider this latest momument to craptastic journalism from AppleInsider about a second iChat-based iPhone already in the works (seriously guys: try drawing the line somewhere - for once).As usual, you'll hear more as soon as we do.[via MacMinute]
Apple trademarks "iPhone," two models coming?
In a perfect world, we'd be at the point now where we could stop writing about the iPhone and start playing with it, but in the meantime, we're getting to the point where no week is truly complete without a smattering of iPhone rumors du jour. Actually, the first tidbit is less of a rumor and more of a fact: Apple's been taking the liberty of trademarking the word "iPhone" in a variety of countries across the world as of late. While that really comes as no surprise to anyone -- after all, as AppleInsider points out, iphone.org has redirected to apple.com for years -- it'll be interesting to see if Apple actually sticks with the name, seeing how it's become a bit... shall we say, overheated across the 'nets and it seems like it might be to Apple's advantage to take everyone by surprise with a creative new marque (iChat? iCall, perhaps? We know we're going out on a limb here). Next up is the (more interesting) news that the boys and girls in Cupertino appear to be working on not one, but two iPhones: a slim, music-oriented handset, and a full fledged smartphone with integrated keyboard and WiFi, both of which we'll probably have to wait until January's MacWorld Conference to get confirmed. Did someone say, "spiritual Newton successor?"[Thanks, Woody F. and Brian]Read - AppleInsiderRead - Red Herring
Apple to introduce iTunes Movie Store, new iMac, iPod nano, and video streaming device?
Wow, that's a long title. Blame it on AppleInsider, who believes most -- if not all -- of those yummy goodies will be delivered to us in a nice wrapped package by The Jobs himself at next week's supposed media event. According to the rumor peddler, at the yet-unconfirmed September 12th event Jobs will take the wraps off...drumroll please: An $9.99-a-pop movie download service with films from at least one major studio. The idea is that the rest will see how Freakin' Amazing it is and follow suit -- a la TV shows. A new 23" iMac that we reported on earlier. A new non-scratch metal iPod nano with "at least double the storage capacity of today's models." What they believe is a new Airport Express-like device designed to stream video content from your Mac to your TV/home entertainment system. AI says "it's arguably been one of the most closely guarded secrets at Apple since the evolution of the first iPod digital music player." That list makes this year's Macworld seem lacking. I'm most interested in that streaming device. This isn't in the article, but imagine: plug your Airport Express to a TV and be greeted by a Front Row-like interface that streams videos/music/photos directly from your Mac, controllable by the included Apple Remote. Pipe dream? Maybe. But I guess we'll find out next week. Check out the article for more in-depth information and AI's standard "it could be pushed back a little" disclaimer.
Mac rumors are boring
I don't mean Apple rumors are conceptually boring -- I enjoy the Mac and iPod rumor mill as much as the next Apple geek -- they're just boring to read. Daring Fireball's John Gruber hit the nail on the head last month when he wrote about his dislike for Mac rumor site Think Secret. At the time he was talking about a rumor suggesting that Aperture was about to bite the dust. Of course, we all know it didn't, as we covered later on, but the inherent poor aim of rumor sites isn't the topic of this post.What the Mac web really needs, ok, wants, is a rumor site that merges the style of Crazy Apple Rumors with that of Think Secret and AppleInsider. Like Gruber says, the "objective" style of TS and AI apes that of the Associated Press (read: dull) when it should be taking a page out of the much loved, but now-defunct, Mac the Knife column. That fundamental element of gossip, the "we know that you know that this isn't important, but we also know that you know that this is fun" tone is completely missing from sites like Think Secret, AppleInsider and even rumor aggregation site Mac Rumors. We can understand why these sites pretend to be objective. It certainly *sounds* more legitimate if you write like the NYTimes (coincidentally this style makes it easier for us to pick apart the rumors, as you saw last week). However, this isn't the NYTimes. It's just a bit of gossip about our favorite computer company. Nothing more, nothing less.[Image credit]
AppleInsider posts MacBook pictures
Those rumormongers over at AppleInsider headed to their local Apple store and snapped a few photos of the new MacBook (in this case they manhandled a black one). The most interesting picture of the bunch, to me, is above. Look at that new keyboard. Swanky.Head on over and check out the rest of the pictures.
So, how about that MacBook launch?
As recently as yesterday, the rumor mill was turning with discussions of the MacBook, Apple's Core Duo-based successor to the iBook, which was said to be coming today. However, yesterday also brought us the first inklings of a "delay" (can an unconfirmed, rumored event actually be delayed?), via AppleInsider. Today, ThinkSecret joined the delay party, and reported that due to "supply issues," the launch was postponed at the "last minute," and the new laptop won't show up until next Tuesday. We suspect that Apple never planned to launch it today in the first place; after all, the company doesn't like to share the limelight, and launching today would have forced it to vie for coverage with the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo. Still, we can't help but feel sorry for anyone who shows up at tomorrow's CompUSA seminar on the "new iBooks" -- not to mention the poor schlub who actually has to push last year's models as the "go-anywhere digital solution." ("MacBook" design by William W from our WWJD 3 contest.)Read - AppleInsiderRead - ThinkSecret
No new MacBooks today?
This is why I don't pay any attention to rumors. I know, I know, why do I write about them if I don't cotton to them? Well, the simple fact is that many a Mac fan enjoy the constant rumormongering (and there is nothing wrong with that), so we give the people what they want; unless they want a new MacBook today.That's right, AppleInsider is now reporting that Apple won't be announcing the successor to the iBook today. Fear not, faithful readers, ApppleInsider sites faithful sources that say Apple will be launching the new MacBooks in tandem with a change in the iPod line up.Thanks, Ben.
Analysts predict 4GB and 8GB iPod nanos with video
Take the following information with the usual grain of salt; when it comes to speculation about Apple's intentions, nothing is ever certain until the esteemed Mr. Jobs is on stage, product in hand, delivering the pitch. This time around, we have word from AppleInsider that American Technology Research analysts are reporting that their most recent "checks" indicate impending capacity doubling for the iPod nano line-- to 4GB and 8GB -- as well as the addition of "basic video capabilities," in models to be released during the "September quarter." If true, none of these developments would be all that shocking, as the current nanos already have sharp little color screens, and storage boosts are just a natural part of any digital audio player's lifecycle. ATR's Shaw Wu also seemingly contradicted earlier AppleInsider info when he cited an anticipated June/July release window for the as-yet-unannounced 13.3-inch Intel-powered Macbook laptop, which AI had previously suggested would be available sometime before June.
