Apple news this week has been dominated by rumors of a September 9, 2009 (9/9/9) event. While there has been no official announcement of such an event by Apple, this hasn’t stopped bloggers from speculating on what APple may announce. Here is a run-down of possibilities.
It could be the Apple Tablet that we have been waiting for. Most rumors of this mythical tablet have pointed to later in the year, or early next year for release. But Apple announced the iPhone 6 months in advance, so they could be announcing this tablet early too. If the tablet relies on iPhone apps for content, then an early announcement would give app developers time to adapt their apps to a larger tablet screen.
Apple seems to have September announcements concerning the iPod in most recent years. So this could be an iPod update. There have been rumors of a new iPod Touch that adds a camera and other iPhone features. Add a larger screen and maybe the new iPod Touch and a tablet are one in the same.
One of the rumors that makes the most sense is the release of iTunes 9. Rumored features for this new version are social media links and the ability to sync with non-iPod devices. Apple may want that last feature to keep iTunes as the center of the Mac users’ media world, instead of resorting to a third-party application to sync with their non-iPod device.
The very date of 9/9/9 hints at the Beatles. The words “Number 9, Number 9, Number 9” are from the oddest Beatles song, Revolution Number 9 from the White Album, and are heavily associated with the Beatles in popular culture. The Beatles appearing on iTunes has been rumored for years. 9/9/9 is the release date of the Beatles Rock Band game for game consoles, and the issue of a remastering of the Beatles catalog. This remastering is often linked with the Beatles coming to iTunes. This could also include a limited edition Beatles iPod, similar to the U2 iPod from years ago.
Another possibility could be that September 9 is simply the release of Snow Leopard. This would be a non-event, as Apple has already said that Snow Leopard will be out in September. The only surprise would be if Snow Leopard boxes were unveiled at Apple Stores and it was available immediately.
Of course, the event could be any combination of the above. Throw in a surprise like Steve Jobs making the announcement personally, perhaps with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at his side, and it could be quite exciting.
Hard drive storage is so cheap these days. Check out these Western Digital 1.0TB Drives I’ve got several of them. I use them for Time Machine backups and off-site backups. At $85 a piece, it is extremely worth it to know that I’ve got multiple backups of all my data, photos and projects. I just dock them in a cheap hard drive dock, or swap them in and out of my Mac Pro.
I think drawing on the iPhone is a lot of fun and a great way to pass the time or jot down quick ideas. The free app Doodle Buddy goes even further with the ability to connect two iPhones and work together. You can also select a background, like a tic-tac-toe board, which can come in handy. You can draw on top of your own pictures as well.
In the special application menu, there is the Services, TextEdit, New Window Containing Selection item. This is even more handy when you go to System Preferences, Keyboard & Mouse, Keyboard Shortcuts and add “New Window Containing Selection” as a shortcut under “All Applications.” Then all you need to do is make a selection and use that keyboard shortcut to instantly create a document with that text in it.
Even though Apple doesn't sell T-shirts, there are still plenty of places on the Web where you can buy a shirt to proclaim that you are a fan of Apple, the Mac, iPod or iPhone.
Looks like Snow Leopard really is on target for a September release, if not sooner. Rumor has it that the beat went gold — meaning that it has been sent to factories to be duplicated on to install disks. If that is true, we could see Snow Leopard on sale by the end of the month.
It would be interesting, as Apple could then brag that they beat their own release deadline, as opposed to Microsoft having OS release deadlines slip by months and even years.
How iPhone treats iPhone app developers has continued to be a hot topic this week, with more developers telling their stories and more bloggers writing about it. Apple’s VP Phil Schiller responded to one complaining developer by email and said that Apple is listening to the complaints. An interesting list of rejected iPhone apps can be found here. Aside from a few that were rejected for obvious objectionable content, there is plenty of evidence of Apple’s app reviewers disagreeing with each other and making contradictory calls.
Apple made some small product adjustments this week. They released a bug fix update to Safari, version 4.0.3, available through Software Update. They also resumed offering matte screen options for 15-inch MacBook Pros, much to the delight of those who favored matte screens over the standard glossy versions.
Laptops get hot. And MacBook Pros are no exception. If you use one as your primary computer, you inevitably think about what that heat must do to the internal parts day after day. Spending $30 on a USB cooling pad is a good idea, and I’ve been using the Tripp Lite NC2003SR Notebook/Laptop Cooling Pad with 2 Built-In USB Powered Fans for years. In fact, I keep it plugged into a USB hub, so it occasionally runs 24 hours a day for days on end. It does its job and is quiet and problem-free.
Don’t want to be bothered by the “Are you sure you want to…” dialog boxes when you select Restart or Shut Down. Just hold down the Option key when you select the Apple menu and you’ll notice the … disappear from after these menu choices. Then select them for an instant restart or shut down.
You’ve got two flavors to choose from 3D Good Vs Evil and Good Vs Evil. This game reminds me of an old Apple II game in the 80s. You play a chess-like game that results in quick melee combat when pieces encounter each other.
Apple released a new version of Leopard, Mac OS 10.5.8 this week. To get the new version, simply choose Software Update from the Apple menu. It includes mostly minor security and stability fixes, as outlined in Apple’s official update note.
Apple also released version 5.1 of GarageBand, part of iLife 09. You can get that one from Software Update as well. Changes include adding GarageBand track effects and Audio Units to a guitar track, improved support for Apogee audio interfaces, Magic GarageBand switches to full screen faster and some security fixes.
Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, has resigned from the Apple, Inc. board of directors. This is a reaction to Google entering the OS business with the announcement of Google Chrome. With Apple and Google competing in a number of areas now, it was only a matter of time before Schmidt would have had to leave.
If your Apple Mail inbox is pretty full, you can focus on only a few messages in it at a time. Select those messages, as many or as few as you want. Then choose View, Display Selected Messages Only. This will hide all the other messages and only show you those selected. It can help you temporarily focus on one subject or email from one set of people. Choose View, Display All Messages to cancel.
Here’s another game that simply wouldn’t work on any other device except the iPhone. Lifeboat is a game where you literally rock the boat. By moving your phone you can direct passengers into lifeboats. If they fall into the water, you can throw them a life ring. Did I mention there are sharks in the water?
The best thing about the iPhone is that you can add third-party apps to it. Find out which apps you should add to your iPhone right away. Here are 11 free iPhone apps to get you started. You can search for product and resaurant reviews, check movie times, update your Facebook page, read books, draw pictures and even talk to your iPhone.
