The Apple Core: Apple’s iTV: what the heck is it?
08 December 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
A friend really got me thinking about what, exactly, the iTV is. Currently I have more questions about it than answers.
I don't think that iTV is a "glorified storage device" at all. In fact, I don't think that it has any storage. I think that it's more likely to be a podium for a Mac mini to sit on - which gives it a) storage and b) a DVD player (Blue Ray hopefully!)
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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Apple's lucky bag returns
07 December 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Last year the Apple store Shinsaibashi in Japan sold a limited amount of "lucky bags" - essentially a grab bag of Apple goodies, including an iPod nano and a limited edition t-shirt. The catch is that you don't know what's inside. The lucky bags are back again this year in limited quantities, but the difference is that you can also get them online. Sorry kids, like many cool things, they're only available in Japan...
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Patent application revelations II
06 December 2006 11:10 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
In yesterday's installment I covered some of the revelations found in Apple's United States Patent Application #20060268528 for a "handheld computing device includes an enclosure having structural walls formed from a ceramic material that is radio-transparent."
Some of the more interesting parts of Apple's patent application discuss a seamless one-piece iPod enclosure constructed from radio transparent ceramics and internal rails that serve as a guide for positioning and supporting the internal components.
Today I'll discuss some of the other interesting aspects of United States Patent Application #20060268528 as they are likely to be a prelude of things to come from Apple.
Dive into the world of multiple input devices, dedicated power and new battery technology on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Patent application reveals much about iPod/iPhone
05 December 2006 09:47 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Yesterday I posted a note about Apple's United States Patent Application #20060268528 for a "handheld computing device includes an enclosure having structural walls formed from a ceramic material that is radio-transparent."
The details of the patent (USPTO, text, PDF) are extremely revealing about where Apple is headed with the future of iPod and iPhone - if you read between the lines a little bit. Keep in mind that Apple (and most tech companies) keep their patent applications intentionally vague.
Dive into the world of seamless enclosures, extruded tubes, internal rails and radio transparent ceramics on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: iPhone patent revealed
04 December 2006 10:59 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
On November 30, 2006 Apple filed what appears to be a patent for the iPhone, a mobile phone/iPod hybrid that has been rumored to be in development for over three years. In United States Patent Application #20060268528 Apple refers to the device as:
A handheld computing device is disclosed. The handheld computing device includes an enclosure having structural walls formed from a ceramic material that is radio-transparent.
It's pretty interesting that Apple is building the iPhone enclosure from ceramic material (which they call Zirconia in the patent) for "radio transparency." The change from aluminum and/or plastic (like the iPod) may allow Apple to make the iPhone's antenna internal, much like PalmOne did with the newish Treo 680.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Hollywood wants to change iPod DRM
01 December 2006 09:13 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Hot on the heels of Microsoft's deal with Universal Music (a unit of Vivendi) to pay a US$1 royalty on every Zune player sold in exchange for licensing its recordings for Microsoft's new digital music service, Hollywood now wants in on the action.
Why in the world would Microsoft agree to such a dangerous precedent? The obvious reason is that MS needed to get access to the Universal catalog. My favorite (and more dastardly) reason comes from Macalope who claims that Microsoft did it "to try to screw up Apple's business model."
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Vote: TIME's Gadget of the year
28 November 2006 09:06 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Among eight selected products, TIME magazine nominated the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and MacBook Pro as the 2006 Gadget of the Year. Vote for your favorite gadget now.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Internet betting hits Macworld Expo
22 November 2006 05:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Internet betting hits MacworldInternet casino Bodog.com is taking bets as to what new Apple products will be announced at Macworld Expo in January 2007. The betting is centered around two of Apple's most-anticipated new products: the iPhone and Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.
Place your bets on the following three scenarios...
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Fast Web searches via Quicksilver
20 November 2006 11:23 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If you're not already using QuickSilver, stop reading this post right now and download this excellent piece of software. QuickSilver is the quintessential launcher application for Mac OS X and it saves me tons of time.
If I want to launch an application or document I hit the command and space bar keys (which I've mapped to QS) then I enter the first few characters of what I'm looking for, select it from the resulting list (if needed), then hit enter to launch it. All without leaving the keyboard.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: What iPhone has going for it
17 November 2006 09:27 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Yesterday I took a shot at the iPhone for being long on compromises and short on utility and your comments were tremendous. Today I want to take a look at some of the positive aspects and potential of the iPhone.
No carrier baggage
One of the single best potential features of the iPhone is that won't be tied to a specific mobile phone carrier. One of the commenters yesterday said it best:
Even the best and most popular phones on the US market are always a political compromise between makers and carriers. Everyone pulls in their direction; carriers want features that will squeeze more money (sending pictures and videos; text messaging, etc); makers want more and more features, so that they can charge more. Ordinary users are ignored.
Locked phones are heavily subsidized by the carrier so that they can be sold for almost nothing - with a two year contract and significant early termination fee. The best part of a carrier-free (also called "unlocked") mobile phone is that Apple doesn't have to cripple its features because the greedy carriers want to charge for every picture, text and ring tone.
A perfect example of this is how Verizon Wireless forces handset manufacturers to disable all but the Bluetooth headset profile. Another example of carrier compromise is the Motorola ROKR's artificial 100 song limitation and inability to purchase and download tracks from iTunes Over The Air (OTA). Hopefully Apple's carrier divorce will mean that the iPhone has features that users want, like BT syncing.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: I don't want an iPhone
16 November 2006 12:50 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've been inundated with speculation and rumor about Apple's iPhone. Am I the only one that doesn't want one?
AppleInsider reports that Foxconn Electronics (a.k.a. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd.) has received an order from Apple for 12M iPhone handsets, that it will ship unlocked, equipped with a 2MP camera and even that iPhone could add 22% to Apple's earnings for 2007.
My problem is that I don't really want an iPod/phone hybrid because I'm more of a smartphone guy myself.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: CoolBook adjusts Core Duo voltage and clock speed
15 November 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Hot on the heels of my story yesterday about undervolting your Core Duo CPU to save on battery and heat comes a nifty piece of shareware. CoolBook is a GUI to control CPU clock speed and voltage. It's like the author was reading my mind!
CoolBook is a $10 shareware application for the MacBook and MBP that allows you to adjust the frequency (clock speed) and voltage of Intel Core Duo and Core 2 Duo CPUs.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: "Undervolting" promises to increase battery life
14 November 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Everyone's heard of overclocking a CPU to wring the last few drops of performance out it, right? Well, a notebook jockey's equivalent is called "undervolting" and it's designed to increase battery life not clock speed.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Apple needs to do more with Google
13 November 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
On 29 August, 2006 Google Chief Executive Officer Dr. Eric Schmidt was elected to Apple's board of directors (Dr. Schmidt also sits on Princeton University's board of trustees.) Apple and Google are the silicon valley's power couple and Apple needs to take better advantage of this relationship by doing more to partner with Google.
I have been playing with Google Documents and Spreadsheets a lot lately and they're both fantastic. Docs has replaced Backpack for me and has the potential to replace more than a few Wikis.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Apple targets adult products named "Pod"
10 November 2006 08:23 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
It's no secret that Apple is clamping down on the term "Pod." Lawyers from everyone's favorite fruit company have gone after Web sites, products and magazines using the term "Pod" in their name. Who does Apple council have in their cross hairs next? Adult toy manufacturers.
You've probably been forwarded an email about the OhMiBod - who's slogan is "A whole new way to Plug 'N Play" - and snickered a bit. The iPod accessory's Web site teases:
Simply plug OhMiBod into your iPod or any music player and it automatically vibrates to the rhythm and intensity of the music. Let your body feel the vibrations as you get down with your favorite tunes.
Ahem, right.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: The MacBook Chasm Shrinks
09 November 2006 06:25 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
A very short two weeks ago I wrote about the MacBook chasm, the difference in features and benefits between Apple's consumer MacBook and the professional MacBook Pro. I wrote that Apple's revving the MacBook Pro to the faster and cooler Core 2 Duo processor essentially widened the gap between the two lines and that it would make potential MacBook buyers think long and hard about the MBP before buying.
Well no more.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: NVIDIA to acquire PortalPlayer for US$357M
07 November 2006 08:42 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
PortalPlayerIf you've ever scrolled deep into the Legal menu on an iPod you've probably seen the logo pictured at right. PortalPlayer is most popular for providing the audio chips for the Apple iPod.
Until April 2006 PortalPlayer sold 90 percent of their chips to Apple for use in iPods. Apple switch suppliers in April and dropped PortalPlayer, reportedly because of product delays, causing PortalPlayer stock to drop over nine dollars in one day.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: How-to: Take your MacBook Pro's temperature
06 November 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If you've used an Apple notebook for any extended length of time you probably have an opinion on its operating temperature. But how do you quantify the temperature of an Apple's notebook? Let's take a look at different ways to measure the temperature in the MacBook Pro.
You may have noticed that CoreDuoTemp (upper highlight in the screen shot at right), smcFanControl (lower highlight) and Fan Control all report different temperatures on the MacBook Pro. That's because they're measuring different things.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: How-to: MacBook Pro hard drive transplant
03 November 2006 11:33 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I recently purchased a new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro and wanted to share some of the intricacies of swapping out the hard drive.
Whenever I place an order for a new just-released machine from Apple I usually buy one of the stock configurations to avoid the potential delay of the Configure-To-Order (CTO) process. I also pay the extra $18 for delivery in "2-3 Business Days" (as opposed to opting for the free shipping) because it means that it ships via FedEx priority service and sometimes arrives several days early.
Since I purchased the 120GB configuration and my previous MacBook Pro has a 160GB drive (which is 80 percent full, mind you) it wasn't practical to use Apple's handy Migration Assistant to move my data over. Nor was it possible to clone one drive to the other with Mike Bombich's excellent Carbon Copy Cloner software.
My strategy was to physically swap the larger 160GB hard drive from the old MBP to the new one but you need to do a few things to make it work properly.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Inside Apple's new blue logic boards
02 November 2006 09:42 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If you've opened a Mac to upgrade a hard drive or RAM recently you may have noticed that Apple is now using blue circuit board material as opposed to the more traditional green G10-FR4 epoxy circuit boards.
According to a colleague who has worked in the semiconductor industry for years blue boards used to be less reliable and more prone to wiskering (copper migrating between plated through holes and shorting connections) and were not as temperature stable as their green G10-FR4 counterparts.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro runs 40 degrees (F) cooler
01 November 2006 03:01 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I received my brand new MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it runs much cooler than my previous MacBook Pro.
My Core Duo MacBook Pro 2.0GHz (2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive) would frequently reach temperatures of 162° Fahrenheit after running for more than an hour. It would become so hot that it required me to run Fan Control 1.1 if I needed to use my machine anywhere near my lap.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Inside the MacBook Pro's 3GB RAM limitation
30 October 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
One of the big new features in the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro is the new 3GB RAM maximum that it supports. But 3GB is a funny number for a machine with 2 RAM slots. Why not max that puppy out with two 2GB sticks - for a total of 4GB? MacFixIt has learned that it's not a physical space limitation and that both of the new MBP's RAM slots are large enough to accommodate the bigger 2GB modules.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Apple issues fix for MacBook random shutdowns
27 October 2006 09:14 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple yesterday released MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.1 which "improves the MacBook's internal monitoring system and addresses issues with unexpected shutdowns." The update was released to address RSS or Random Shutdown Syndrome that has plagued MacBook owners.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: The MacBook chasm expands
26 October 2006 10:03 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple's announcement of the new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro did more than raise the performance bar for their portables. The addition of the new, faster Intel chip in only the Pro model serves as a key differentiating factor between the consumer MacBook and the professional MacBook Pro.
Prior to the announcement of the Core 2 Duo, the MacBook easily had the best price/performance ratio of any Mac in history. For US$1100 you get a screaming Intel-based Mac portable. The only advantage in the twice-as-expensive MacBook Pro were a larger screen (15.4 v. 13.3), a dedicated video card (which drives 30-inch displays), ExpressCard/34 slot and the Aluminum skin.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Inside Apple's new Core 2 Duo chip
25 October 2006 09:05 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple released a significant update to the MacBook Pro yesterday adding a new Core 2 Duo T-series processor to the mix. Let's take a look at what's changed.
Core 2 Duo Microprocessor
Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro to the latest Intel silicon and the Core 2 Duo chip features a 64-bit architecture. Unfortunately, Mac OS 10.4 is only a 32-bit OS. The good news is that Apple has promised that Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and most of their software will be 64-bit aware by the time Leopard is released in the Spring of 2007.
The other significant bump in the Core 2 Duo processor is that it ships with 4MB of Level 2 cache, double the L2 cache in the previous MacBook Pro. That alone should add a noticeable performance jump in the new MacBook Pro.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
Note: We're still having some issues with the PowerPage server. Please keep an eye on my ZDNet Blog, The Apple Core, while we sort it all out.
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The Apple Core: DIY Mac paint
23 October 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Many people responded positively to Apple's latest PRODUCT (RED) iPod nano and further rumors that Apple may release other products in (RED) to support the cause. Customers are becoming optimistic that the return of multi-colored nanos on 12 October could signal that Apple is going to again release more colored enclosures.
While I'm not in a big hurry to return to the Strawberry and Tangerine days of yore (although I still like Sage and Ruby) I like the fact that Apple offers black and white MacBooks and that they're experimenting with color again in iPods.
If Apple doesn't offer a Mac or iPod in a color you like, there is a solution: paint it. Not yourself of course, that'd be far too much trouble. Instead leave it to paint professionals like the folks at ColorWare.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Apple patent hints at satellite potential of iPod
20 October 2006 10:16 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I'm a big fan of satellite radio and was a subscriber to XM radio for three years before switching to Sirius about a year ago.
Back in December 2004, I wrote that Apple was in talks with Sirius to discuss an iPod with a built-in satellite radio receiver. The "SatPod" would be able to receive satellite radio broadcasts from either XM or Sirius (ideally both) and even record the content to the iPod hard drive. Sources told me back then that about such a device.
Almost two years later Apple has filed for a patent which hints that a satellite radio accessory for the iPod may become a reality.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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The Apple Core: Apple announces fiscal Q4-2006 earnings
19 October 2006 09:27 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple yesterday announced preliminary financial results for its fiscal 2006 fourth quarter ended September 30, 2006. They also noted that the preliminary results may be subject to "significant adjustment" as a result of a likely restatement of historical results.
The company posted revenue of $4.84 billion and net quarterly profit of $546 million, compare to revenue of $3.68 billion and net profit of $430 million in the year-ago quarter. CFO Peter Oppenheimer anticipates revenue of $6.0 to $6.2 billion for the first fiscal quarter of 2007.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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