This just in:

July 14 (Bloomberg) — Apple Computer Inc., the maker of iMac computers and iPod digital music players, said third-quarter profit more than tripled as surging iPod sales drove revenue for the period to an eight-year high. The shares rose 6.6 percent.
Net income rose to $61 million, or 16 cents a share, from $19 million, or 5 cents, a year earlier, Cupertino, California- based Apple said in a statement. Sales rose 30 percent to $2.01 billion. Profit and sales may beat analyst estimates this quarter, Apple said.
IPod shipments rose threefold amid “staggering” demand for the mini version of the music player, which Apple will start selling in Europe this month, said Timothy Cook, Apple’s worldwide vice president for sales. The popularity of iPods helped reignite demand for Macintosh computers, fueling the best quarter for shipments in almost four years.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1yd8.XdCobU&refer=news_index

Apple Reports Third Quarter Results
Wednesday July 14, 4:30 pm ET
Revenue Increases 30 Percent and Net Profit Triples Year-Over-Year
CUPERTINO, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple

PowerPage world headquarter is buzzing and the news of the potential arrival of our AirPort Express (APE) portable base station any day now. A check of the Apple online store lists its estimated ship date as “on or before 07/15/2004″ Read More…

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Think Secret is reporting a pretty juicy rumor about the next generation iPods – which we’re calling ’4G’ – due to ship as early as August. Toshiba blew Apple’s little secret when they announced 60GB 1.8-inch HDDs on 02 June, but new in the Think Secret story is a complete change in form factor. According to the site the 4G iPods will be “more compact and have been described as similar to the iPod mini in design.” The 4G iPods are rumored to come in a variety of colors including purple, orange, and yellow.
An interesting parallel can be drawn between the evolution of the iPod and the original iMac. First bondi, then colors… Hmmm. Will lightening strike twice for Jobs? Post your comments in our new comment system – no login required.
Picture courtesy of Gizmodo.

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With the sound of digital music and ……. FUD.
Sony’s claims of more storage in 20GB than a 40GB iPod is a true Apples to Oranges comparison and deceptive to boot since Sony chose 48 Kbps compression to compare with the iPods superior AAC compression set to a much higher bit rate of 128 Kbps. At the other end of the spectrum, I see the NY Times News Service carrying an article from the Taipei Times that slams the iPod for being lo-fi. Everyone is playing the percentages here because of the limitations of miniature drive storage and bandwidth for online downloads.

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TUNEWEAR has announced the PRIE series of carrying cases for Apple’s iPod mini digital music player.
PRIE is available in four color choices: vibrant KEY LIME, elegant RUBY PINK, casual CANVAS GRAY and conservative JET BLACK. With the exception of JET BLACK, each case is two-tone with an eye-catching white accent on the front panel.
PRIE comes in two front panel design choices called Open Face and Classic Face, both of which allow complete access to the iPod mini’s controls. The Open Face design holds the iPod mini securely in place, and when the top cover flap is opened there is nothing covering the front of the iPod mini. The Classic Face design covers the entire iPod mini body except for the click wheel and top access controls. The Classic Face design is equipped with a clear vinyl protector for the LCD.
PRIE features:

• 4 color choices (Key Lime, Ruby Pink, Canvas Gray, Jet Black)
• 2 case type choices (Open Face, Classic Face)
• 2 strap styles choices (Style A: 1 long, 1 short; Style B: 1 long, 1 belt loop)
• 16 total PRIE case styles
• Full access to headphone jack and dock connector
• Top cover flips open for access to controls, or flips closed to cover and protect controls
• Highest quality cut, shape and stitching
• Packaging allows for a 360 degree view of the product inside

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In a photo taken by Diana Walker, for Time magazine, John Kerry is seen using an Apple PowerBook. It looks to be a 15-inch Titanium model. The caption says “From his study in the family’s Pittsburgh, Pa., home, Kerry phones Edwards to officially invite the North Carolina Senator to be his running mate.”

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A Reuters article mentions that Britain’s Ministry of Defence “has become the latest organization to add the iPod to its list of high-tech security risks.”

The pocket-sized digital music player, which can store thousands of songs, is one of a series of banned gadgets that the military will no longer allow into most sections of its headquarters in the UK and abroad.

Anyone remember the story about the boy who plugged his iPod into a Mac at the Apple Store and downloaded the entire Microsoft Office suite to it?
But if you ban the iPod, couldn’t the same be said for other solid state storage such as CF, SD, and all other media players? I’m sure somebody will say it’s there God given freedom to take along anything they want into work. I can hear the cry from those geeks now.

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Vonage announced today that it has completed interoperability testing of an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version of Xten’s X-PRO SIP SoftPhonefor Mac-based Vonage subscribers. Mac users can now download the Vonage X-PRO for the Mac OS X SoftPhone to turn a Mac into a full-functioning telephone via a broadband Internet connection. Road Warriors using the Vonage X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X can access the Vonage service from almost any Internet connected personal computer, the company says. (Source: MacMinute).

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According to a Computerworld editorial “The media and analyst indifference to Apple has diminished the company’s stature among IT managers. But Apple’s indifference to IT’s need for long-term planning information has hurt it even more,” writes Mark Hall.

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Apple Computer has launched a new promo that offers college students a $200 rebate when they buy an Apple notebook computer along with an iPod (the original, not the iPod Mini). The “Cram and Jam” deal runs through Sept. 25 and excludes the low-end CD-ROM version of the iBook. It covers all other iBooks and PowerBooks. (CNET News.com).

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