WSJ.com (Paid Membership Req’d): “Analysts say Apple, of Cupertino, Calif., may be attracted to Intel’s low-power mobile processors, which slash power consumption by shutting parts of the processor off when not in use. IBM, whose legacy is in computer-server chips less concerned with power consumption, doesn’t have a comparable notebook-chip offering.”
Read More:
“Talk of Apple, Intel affiliation seems to tickle investors: Changing chips would seem a long shot, analysts caution” San Francisco Chronicle
“Why Apple Won’t Embrace Intel” Forbes.com
“Apple to Intel: Some advantage, lots of risk/Will Apple Computer go to Intel? It’s easy to think about but tough to do, warn analysts.” CNET News.com
“Intel Switch Could Cut Apple’s Component Costs” Forbes.com

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CNN has the story on a new fuel cell battery for laptops: “Cambridge-based CMR Fuel Cells said it had made a breakthrough with a new design of fuel cell that is a 10th of the size of existing models and small enough to replace conventional batteries in laptop computers… Fuel cells have for years been touted as the next big green power source. They produce electricity via a chemical reaction and emit only tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) — the main greenhouse gas blamed by many scientists for global warming.”

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Acording to the PRNewswire a lesbian, formerly employed by Apple as a human resources compensation consultant, has slapped the computer giant with a discrimination lawsuit. Read more…

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The first Apple store in Canada opened on Saturday, May 21. Lines were out the doors, and around the parking lot! Read More…

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced an Apple PowerBook/iBook battery fire hazard recall:
Hazard: An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Apple has received six reports worldwide of batteries overheating, including two reports in the United States.
Description: The recalled lithium ion batteries are used with the following computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15- inch PowerBook G4. The recalled batteries include those with model numbers A1061, A1078 and A1079 and serial numbers that begin with HQ441 through HQ507 or 3X446 through 3X510. Consumers should remove the battery from the computer to view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the unit. No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are involved in this recall.
Sold at: National and regional resellers, catalogers, and Apple’s online and retail stores sold the computers with the batteries from October 2004 through May 2005 for between $900 to $2300. The batteries also were sold separately for about $130.
Assembled in: Taiwan and China
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge. After removing the recalled battery from their iBook or PowerBook, consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.
Consumer Contact: Contact Apple at (800) 275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday or log on to Apple’s web site at http://www.apple.com/support/batteryexchange to check your battery’s serial number and apply for a replacement battery.
Read More:
Apple recalls notebook batteries – again (The Register)
Apple recalls more G4 batteries (ZDNet)
Apple issues recall of iBook, PowerBook Batteries (Macworld)

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Redrevolt has posted a couple of sexy pictures of a nude iBook, and while I have no details on his methodology, I totally dig it. (I suspect that he used a solvent to remove the white paint from the inside of the case.) I’ll update the article when I find out more. It kind of reminds me of my clear PowerBook 5300. It looks exactly like this one.

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Microsoft: “While it’s important to respect your children’s privacy, understanding what your teenager’s online slang means and how to decipher could be important in certain situations and as you help guide their online experience. While it has many nicknames, information-age slang is commonly referred to as leetspeek, or leet for short. Leet (a vernacular form of “elite”) is a specific type of computer slang where a user replaces regular letters with other keyboard characters to form words phonetically?creating the digital equivalent of Pig Latin with a twist of hieroglyphics.”
Related Microsoft Links:
- Teen online lingo
- Online gaming lingo
- Netiquette 101

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The new xBox 360 will run “three symmetrical IBM PowerPC processor cores running at 3.2 Ghz each”. (GamePro).
Another interesting feature of the x360, an “iPod-like MP3 hard drive – The unit can be removed to take with you, but does not function as a standalone MP3 player.”
(Could the xBox 360 be a trojan horse with a playload being a Microsoft “MP3 hard drive?” What’s stopping Redmond from upgrading the portable drive to make it run standalone? -Ed)

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Remember the flap last month about the upcoming unauthorized biography of Steve Jobs? Essentially Apple had all books by Wiley & Sons removed from all of the Apple retail stores after reading an advance copy of iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business (US$16.47 at Amazon.com)
Wired has posted an excerpt from the book on their web site. Read more for a peek and the link…

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The PowerPage has learned that a new Apple Retail store is coming to the Northbrook Court a mall in the affluent Chicago suburb of Northbrook. Trivia: there’s no arcade in the Northbrook Court but they did film Weird Science there (remember the escalator scene where Kelly LeBrock’s high-fiving everyone?). The store opens in July.
An Apple Insider story from back in January dissects Apple’s plans to build an elegant retail store in midtown Manhattan. “Specifics are lacking, but one source claims Apple will give the exterior of the store a look similar to the glass Pyramid found in the Louvre’s cour Napol