I've often said that in a perfect world with unlimited funds I'd probably run with an iMac on my desk as a primary machine and a MacBook Air in my briefcase. It's a very tempting thought, and it got even more tempting this Monday when Apple released new iMacs with faster processors and graphics options. The new iMac includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory (finally!) standard in most models and are expandable up to 4GB. The 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS.

The entry level iMac features a 20-inch screen, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor w, 1GB of SDRAM, a 250GB 7200 rpm SATA drive, SuperDrive, and ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 memory memory all for $1199 US. The top of the line 24-inch model comes with a 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB of SDRAM, a 500GB SATA drive, SuperDrive and an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB memory for $2199.

I am resisting the urge to pull out the Visa as I type this...

From now through April 29th, the folks over at TidBITS are offing a 50% discount on all Take Control and Macworld Superguide eBooks in celebration of their 18th Anniversary. I've long been a fan of these eBooks as they offer a great deal of information on a variety of topics in an easy to read and digest format. They encompass a variety of topics from maintaining your Mac to the individual iApps. TidBITS has long been a strong supporter of the Mac Community and I regularly use their titles when researching and making presentations at my local MUG.

To take advantage of the sale you'll need to use the link below and the appropriate discount will be automatically applied.

Take Control eBooks 50% off Sale

According to MacWorld, Apple has invited the media to a special invite-only event at their London flagship store on Regents Street next week. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 18th at 10am. The Invitation simply says "Mum is no longer the word." All suspicions are that this announcement has to do with the UK launch of the iPhone. We'll of course have all the latest news on our next Podcast.

(P.S. From Katie: I had a chance to visit the Regent Street store when I was in London earlier this month. It's an amazing store with a large theater and display.
You can check out some photos I took Flickr account.)

Posted By: Katie

There's quite a buzz on the web about the $200 iPhone price drop. I personally have very mixed emotions about this subject. I've always thought the iPhone was about $200 over priced and I think this price drop hits the sweet spot where the iPhone should have been priced all along. Investors seem to think differently with Apple's stock taking over a 7 point dive on the day of the announcement. We've seen figures suggesting Apple makes a 50 - 60% markup on their iPhones which means this price drop cuts directly into profit, something Apple stock holders don't like. Then of course the big question is why drop the price now? The iPhone was already the most successful launch of a cell phone in the history of the industry, why drop the price when it seemed to be doing so well? These are all topics we'll discuss at length on our next podcast that will be released sometime this weekend. If you have thoughts or opinions, please send them in now and we'll try to share them on our next show.

(Story Continues...)
Read More...

iTunes and iTunes Wi-Fi

Apple today unveiled the iTunes® Wi-Fi Music Store, offering the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from the iTunes Music Store over a Wi-Fi network directly onto their iPod touch or iPhone. Once they connect their iPod touch or iPhone back to their PC or Mac, downloaded music will automatically sync back into their iTunes library. If users have only partially downloaded a song or album onto their iPod touch or iPhone, their computer will complete the download automatically. Prices and selection on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store are the same as on the regular iTunes Store.

In addition, iTunes customers will now be able to create custom ringtones by selecting up to a 30-second segment from over a million participating songs on iTunes and sync them onto their iPhone. Once a customer has purchased a participating song from iTunes, including previously purchased participating songs, it will cost 99 cents to make up to a 30-second segment of that song into a ringtone and sync it onto their iPhone. Customers can personalize their ringtones by choosing which portion of the song they want to use, and setting custom fade in and fade out points. iTunes 7.4 is now available and includes a larger viewing area for movies and TV, filling the entire iTunes window.

Apple and Starbucks announced an exclusive partnership that lets customers wirelessly browse, search for, preview, buy and download music from the iTune® Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks onto their iPod touch, iPhone or PC or Mac running iTunes. When a customer enters a location the device will recognize the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store with no connection fee or hotspot login. Customers will be able to browse, search and preview of songs, including a new “Now Playing” service which displays the name of the song playing in the Starbucks at that moment, and buy and download songs to their device. Prices and selection are the same as on the regular iTunes Store. The service will make its debut at more than 600 Starbucks locations in New York and Seattle on October 2 the store will then continue its rollout to 350 Starbucks stores in the San Francisco Bay area on November 7; 500 stores in Los Angeles in early February 2008; 300 stores in Chicago in March 2008; and additional markets throughout the US later in 2008. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks will run on the robust T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi network which is available at participating Starbucks locations across the US.

iPod Lineup Revamped

Apple also revamped their entire iPod lineup. The iPod nano now brings video playback, an enhanced user interface with Cover Flow, and a new design. The new iPod nano features a larger two-inch display with 204 pixels per inch which supports video and games. iPod nano delivers up to 24 hours of audio playback or five hours of video playback, is encased in a new design made with anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel and comes in five new colors—silver, black, blue, green and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition. Available today, the 4GB iPod nano comes in silver for $149 (US) and the 8GB model is available in silver, black, blue, green and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition for $199.

Apple also introduced the new iPod classic, featuring 80GB or 160GB of storage, an enhanced user interface featuring Cover Flow, and a new all-metal enclosure. iPod classic is priced at $249 for the 80GB model and $349 for the 160GB model. The iPod classic features up to 40 hours of music playback and seven hours of video playback in the 160GB model, and up to 30 hours of music playback and five hours of video playback in the 80GB model on a single charge.

Rounding out the iPod lineup is the new iPod touch (aka iPhone without the phone) featuring multi-touch user interface, Wi-Fi, Safari, YouTube, and the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store lets users wirelessly browse, preview and buy songs and albums. The iPod touch features roughly the same dimensions as the iPhone and is priced starting at $299. iPod touch features up to 22 hours of audio playback and up to five hours of video playback.

iPhone Price Drop and New Features

Apple is on track to sell its one millionth iPhone before the end of September, and is lowering the price of the to $399 for the 8GB model. The 4GB model is being discontinued but will be offered for $299 at stores while supplies last. A software update is coming to the iPhone later this month to add the new iTunes Wi-Fi capabilities.

It's confirmed. Late today Apple sent out invitations to "special" members of the media (aka not us) to attend a special event at Moscone West in San Francisco on September 5th at 10am. iPods and other music related announcements are expected as you can see from the invitation. We'll of course have all the announcements on our podcast.

I plugged in my new iPhone and just saw that there's a new software update. Apple is keeping pretty quiet on exactly what this update includes, they just say the standard "bug fixes."

At first glance I notice that my airport reception is now showing at full strength no matter where I go in my (albeit small, 2 bedroom condo). Previously, I was getting only 1-2 bars of strength even when I was in the same room as the airport. I'm not sure whether my signal reception is truly better or whether the indicator was just fixed. I've noticed in various mac forums that other users are reporting that the iPod no longer stalls when your browse multiple web pages in Safari. i really haven't had much of an opportunity to use my iPhone as an iPod so I can't confirm this.

We'll have more on this update and the mysterious "bug fixes" on our next podcast...stay tuned.

Apple will hold what it calls a "Mac Focused" event on it's headquarters in Cupertino, California. The event will be held on Tuesday August 7, 2007 at 10 a.m. at Apple's Town Hall facility. According to Engadget Steve Jobs may or may not make an appearance, and the event is supposedly going to be about Mac Products and only Mac products.

The best bet is that we'll see an update to the Apple iMac LIne which ThinkSecret previously reported would be released on this date. Some are hopeful that we'll also get more information on the final ship date of Mac OS 10.5 Leopard and possibly a preview iLife and iWork '08. This is of course all speculation, we'll know more on Tuesday.

As always, we'll bring you the latest news on our next podcast.

YouTube is everywhere! As promised, Apple released today a software update for the Apple TV that adds YouTube functionality.Users can download the free software update using Apple TV’s built-in software update feature, and then navigate through YouTube’s familiar video browsing categories or search for specific videos. YouTube members can also log-in to their YouTube accounts on Apple TV to view and save their favorite videos. The Apple TV software update is said to also include some security fixes for the AppleTV but no additional enhancements to the device have appeared aside from a parental controls option to disable YouTube or require a password to access YouTube content.

Apple also announced that YouTube will also be available on the iPhone, with the "mysterious 12th button" now being revealed as a YouTube interface. A new Apple-designed application on iPhone will wirelessly stream YouTube’s content to iPhone over Wi-Fi or EDGE networks and play it on iPhone’s 3.5 inch display. Apple's website has been updated with images and demos showing this new functionality. There have also been new images added showing off the before-unseen iPhone dock.

To achieve higher video quality and longer battery life on mobile devices, YouTube has begun encoding their videos in the H.264 format. Apple claims that over 10,000 videos will be available on June 29, and YouTube will be adding more each week until their full catalog of videos is available in the H.264 format this fall. YouTube previously supported Flash based video and Apple announced at this year's WWDC conference that Flash support will not be available, at least initially, on the iPhone.

Earlier this week Apple announced that the iPhone will deliver longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. In addition, iPhone will feature up to 250 hours (10 days) of standby time. Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity.

We'll have more coverage of this and other announcements next week on our podcast.

Leopard

Apple unveiled a near final version of Mac OS X Leopard, which is scheduled to ship in October for $129. According to Apple, Leopard will introduce over 300 new features. Leopard includes a new Dock featuring Stacks, which can help manage a user’s desktop clutter by allowing users to instantly fan out the contents of a stack to see each item. Leopard’s Finder has been redesigned, adding with a similar look to iTunes, including the integration of Cover Flow to quickly browse and locate files and applications. Subscribers to .Mac can use the “Back to my Mac" feature to browse and access files on their remote Macs over the Internet. Also new in Leopard is Quick Look, way for users to instantly preview almost any file, and play media files, without opening an application.

Leopard also includes three new technologies that take full advantage of the latest developments in processor hardware: full native 64-bit support to enable applications to take complete advantage of 64-bit processing while still running side by side with existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers; easy multi-core optimization and scheduling to take advantage of the latest Intel hardware; and Core Animation, helping developers easily create animated user experiences.

Safari 3.0 Beta for Mac and Windows

Apple has released a public beta of the new Safari 3.0, and in a surprise announcement, is also expanding Safari over to the PC. Apple claims Safari is the fastest browser running on Windows rendering web pages up to twice as fast as IE 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2.
The free public beta of Safari 3 is available immediately as a download at www.apple.com/safari, and is preview software licensed for use on a trial basis for a limited time. The final version of Safari 3 will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard, and will be available as a free download to Mac OS X Tiger and Windows users in October.

iPhone to Support 3rd Party Applications using Web 2.0 Standard

While probably not the SDK kit that developers were looking for, Apple announced that its iPhone will run applications created with Web 2.0 Internet standards when it begins shipping on June 29. Developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and which can seamlessly access iPhone’s services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps. Third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards can extend iPhone’s capabilities without compromising its reliability or security.

A quicktime stream of the event can be found here: http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/d7625zs/event/

Programing Note: We will record a special WWDC wrap-up with all the news from the Keynote presentation. Look for this special edition of The MacCore to be released late the evening June 11th or in the very early morning hours of June 12th.

Apple today updated its MacBook Pro line of notebooks with the new Intel Santa Rosa chipset. The new MacBook Pros features speeds of 2.2 and 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duos, 4MB of shared L2 cache, an 800 MHz frontside bus, 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (upgradable to 4GB) and the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT. The new 15-inch models feature a mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display while the 17-inch model has an optional 1920-by-1200 high-resolution display. Apple claims these machines are more than 50 percent faster than the original MacBook Pro Core Duo.

The MacBook Pros are available today in three standard configurations:
15" 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo. 2GB RAM, 120GB HD, LED display GeForce 8600M GT 128MB - $1999
15" 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo. 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, LED display GeForce 8600M GT 256MB - $2499
17" 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo. 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, GeForce 8600M GT 256MB - $2799

Apple and AT&T have released three new iPhone ads that state June 29th will be the release date for the iPhone. The ads are available on the Apple website. The three ads demonstrate the different iPod, Phone, and Google Maps functionality of the device. There doesn't appear to be any additional information released regarding the iPhone's features or price other than those previously advertised. The ad does state that the iPhone requires a minimum 2-year activation. As of this posting the AT&T webpage has yet to be updated.

It's been a busy day for Apple. While speaking at the Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference today Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that Apple will be bringing the Internet’s most popular originally-created content from YouTube to the living room with Apple TV. Beginning in mid-June, Apple TV will wirelessly stream videos directly from YouTube and play them on a user’s widescreen TV. Thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV at launch in mid-June, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalog is available this fall.

Apple today also announced that it is offering a new Apple TV build-to-order option with a 160GB hard drive. The new larger hard drive offers four times the storage for up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each. Apple TV is available through the Apple Store and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Apple TV with a 160GB hard drive will be available tomorrow for a suggested retail price of $399 (US). The YouTube feature for Apple TV will be available as a free software update in mid-June.

Apple today launched iTunes Plus—DRM-free music tracks featuring high quality 256 kbps AACs for $1.29 per song. iTunes Plus is launching with EMI’s digital catalog of recordings. iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog in the same versions as today—128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM—at the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside the higher quality iTunes Plus versions when available. In addition, iTunes customers can now upgrade their library of previously purchased EMI content to iTunes Plus tracks for 30 cents a song and $3.00 for most albums. Apple has released iTunes 7.2 which adds compatibility with iTunes Plus.

Apple also announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.

Apple today updated its MacBook consumer notebooks with faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors now 2.0 and 2.16 GHz, with a standard 1GB of memory and larger hard drives in every model.  The MacBooks feature the same 12.3" form factor along with the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 802.11n networking built-in iSight and the MagSafe power adapter.

The MacBooks are shipping today and available in three standard configurations:
White 2.0 GHz, 1GB SDRAM, 80GB Hard Drive and Combo-drive- $1,099
White 2.16 GHz, 1GB SDRAM, 120GB Hard Drive and 8x Double Layer Superdrive- $1,299
Black 2.16 GHz, 1GB SDRAM, 160GB Hard Drive and 8x Double Layer Superdrive- $1,499

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Apple have announced that MGM is now offering titles from its catalog of feature films for purchase on the iTunes Store. It appears that the offerings are mainly library titles such as “Dances With Wolves,” “Mad Max,” “The Great Train Robbery” and “Rocky,” although Apple claims that other titles will be added in the coming weeks.

According to Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, more than two million movies have been downloaded from the iTunes Store and the iTunes film catalog now has over 500 movies.

Apple today released the much-anticipated 8-core Mac Pro allowing buyers to specially configure an 8-core 3GHz. The base model Mac Pro features two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Xeon processors (4-core machine) along with 1GB of memory, a 250GB Hard Drive and 16x double-layer SuperDrive for $2,499. Users can specially configure the Mac Pro to include the two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Process (8-core) for an additional $1498. Bottom line, a 8-core Mac will start at $3,997 with other upgrade options available.

In addition to upgraded MacPros, Appe also quietly discounted their Apple Cinema Displays. the 20" Display now costs $599, the 23" is $899 and the 30" display is $1799. These prices represent a $100 price drop for the 20" and 23" models and a $200 drop on the 30" model.

Apple today announced that the iPod Shuffle is now available in five brilliant colors: blue, pink, green, orange and the original silver. The iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory, holds up to 240 songs and is available in all five colors immediately worldwide through the Apple Store for $79. The iPod shuffle includes an iPod shuffle dock and earbuds.


Apple additionally announced the availability of the 802.11n software update for compatible Macs. The update is available now as a download from the Apple Store for $1.99. The update will be included with any purchase of the new 802.11n Airport Extreme Base Station.

iTunes 7 with New Features and Movie Downloads
iTunes 7 delivers new features including new album and Cover Flow views of music, TV shows and movies, enabling users to quickly find titles in their library. In addition, the iTunes Store is now offering over 75 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, that customers can purchase and download to watch on their computers and iPods, and soon on their flat screen televisions with Apple’s upcoming iTV* player. Movies will become available on the iTunes Store the same day they are released on DVD, with new releases priced at $12.99 when pre-ordered and during their first week of availability, and $14.99 thereafter, and library titles available for just $9.99 every day. Videos purchased from the iTunes Store are downloaded in near-DVD quality at a resolution of 640x480, which is four times higher than before. Downloaded videos can be played on computers and iPods. iTunes 7 also includes new features to better organize and enjoy digital music and video, including expanded parental controls, an iTunes video playback window with on-screen controls, and the new Cover Flow view that lets you visually browse your entire video collection by cover artwork.

The iTunes Store now also offers downloads of popular video games for fifth generation iPods, including “Tetris,” “Mahjong” and “Mini Golf” from Electronic Arts Inc.; “Pac-Man” from Namco Networks America Inc.; “Cubis 2” from FreshGames, LLC; “Bejeweled” and “Zuma” from PopCap Games, Inc.; “Texas Hold’em” and “Vortex” developed by Apple, all available beginning today for $4.99 each.

Apple also announced exclusive content from the NFL network offering video downloads of highlights from individual NFL games the day after they are played. Football fans will be able to download highlights of each NFL regular season game for $1.99 per game or purchase a “Follow Your Team” Season Pass for $24.99 and have game clips from their favorite teams delivered automatically as they become available for viewing on a computer or iPod.

New iPod Nano
Pod® nano with a new aluminum body, an 24 hours of battery life and more than twice the music capacity for the same price as the previous generation. The new iPod nano is even smaller, thinner and lighter than before available in silver, pink, green, blue and black. The second generation iPod nano boasts a brighter, more vibrant display. New software features include Search and Quick Scroll, supports gapless playback and includes Apple’s patent pending Auto-Sync technology. Apple also announced new accessories designed for the second generation iPod nano, including lanyard headphones, an armband, a dock, and a new incredibly compact USB power adapter which at almost half the size of the previous USB power adapter is perfect for charging your iPod while traveling.

The new iPod nano models are now available worldwide through the Apple Store. The new 2GB iPod nano model in silver is available for $149 (US), the new 4GB models in silver, pink, green and blue are available for $199 (US), and the new 8GB model in black is available for $249 (US). All iPod nano models include redesigned earbud headphones providing superior comfort, fit and sound quality, and a USB 2.0 cable.

New iPod Shuffle
Nearly half the size of the original, the new iPod shuffle is just half a cubic inch in volume, weighs just half an ounce and features an all-new aluminum design and a built-in clip which makes it the most wearable iPod ever. The new iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory which holds up to 240 songs. Users connect the new iPod shuffle to their Mac or PC with the included dock, and iTunes’ AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library.

The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October through for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock.

Upgraded 5th Generation iPod
The new iPod features a 60 percent brighter and more vibrant 2.5-inch color display perfect for watching TV shows and now Hollywood movies. The new iPod features seamless integration with iTunes 7 and the iTunes Store which now includes over 75 Hollywood movies, 220 television shows and popular video games designed specifically for the fifth generation iPod. The new iPod is available in a 60GB model at the new low price of $249 and an 80GB model, which holds up to 20,000 songs or 100 hours of video, for $349.
The new iPod now features gapless playback, Search and Quick Scroll feature and Apple’s Auto-Sync technology automatically downloads digital music, podcasts, photos, audiobooks, movies, music videos and popular TV shows onto the iPod and keeps them up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged into a Mac or Windows computer. Popular video games designed specifically for the fifth generation iPod include: “Bejeweled,” “Cubis 2,” “Mahjong,” “Mini Golf,” “Pac-Man,” “Tetris,” “Texas Hold’em,” “Vortex” and “Zuma,” and are available for purchase on the iTunes Store.

The 30GB model features up to 14 hours of battery life for music playback and up to three and a half hours of video playback, and the 80GB model features up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback and five and a half hours of video playback. The new iPod features brightness control allowing users to easily change the brightness. The new 60GB iPod model in white or black is available for $249 (US), and the new 80GB model in white or black is available for $349 (US). All iPod models include redesigned earbud headphones providing superior comfort, fit and sound quality, and a USB 2.0 cable

Apple has posted a QuickTime stream of the event: http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/sep_2006/event/index.html

Apple today announced that its entire iMac® line now features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor in every model, delivering up to 50 percent faster performance than the previous iMac.*A new 24-inch iMac with a brilliant 24-inch widescreen display joins the 17- and 20-inch models, and iMac prices now start at just $999. Every new iMac includes a built-in iSight™ video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box; Apple’s breakthrough Front Row media experience; and iLife® ‘06. The new iMac lineup includes four models: a 1.83 GHz and a 2.0 GHz 17-inch, a 2.16 GHz 20-inch and the all-new 2.16 GHz 24-inch iMac.

Although there was no official press-release, the Mac Mini also saw a quiet update. The entire line now feature Intel Core Duo processors. The $799 model now includes a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor, and the $599 model now includes a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from a 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo processor.

Apple has invited select media (not us...go figure) to a special event to be held September 12th and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. The “It’s Showtime" event invitation gives no details on what will be announced, which is the norm for Apple during such affairs. Analysts have speculated that Apple will use a September event to launch numerous product and service offerings, ranging from new iPod nano and video models to a 23-inch iMac, new iPod-inspired phone and a movie download service.

Of course we'll have the details on our podcast...stay tuned

Apple has issued a recall for 1.8 million PowerBook G4 and iBook G4 Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries that used technology from Sony. Batteries with the Sony technology (used in Apple, Dell, and Sony laptops, among others) have recently been catching fire, with Dell recently recalling 4.1 million batteries. The batteries can pose a safety risk as some users have complained of minor burns and property damage from burning or bursting batteries. Apple says it has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property damage. No serious injuries were reported.

The recall effects a variety of machines manufactured from October 2003 and August 2006, affected models include:

12-inch iBook G4
Battery Model #A1061
Serial Number Range: ZZ338 - ZZ427, 3K429 - 3K611 and 6C519 - 6C552

12-inch PowerBook G4
Battery Model #A1079
Serial Number Range: ZZ411 - ZZ427 and 3K428 - 3K611

15-inch PowerBook G4
Battery Model #A1078 and A1148
Serial Number Range: 3K425 - 3K601, 6N530 - 6N551 and 6N601

Neither the MacBook or the MacBook Pro are affected as they contain different battery technology. However, MacBook Pro batteries, while not affected by this recall, are subject to a separate battery "exchange" program for similar overheating and swelling issues. Thankfully, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission the MacBook Pro batteries do not pose a safety risk.

For more information, visit Apple's website:
https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html

We'll be recording our "live" podcast tonight, but fore the time being, here are the latest updates from the floor of WWDC. Subscribe to our feed to receive the podcast the minute it is available for download.

Apple has also posted a Quicktime Stream of the Keynote: Quicktime stream

Apple Announces Mac Pro
http://www.apple.com/macpro/
Features include a quad Xeon, 64-bit desktop workstation featuring two new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of the Power Mac G5 Quad. THe Mac Pro also features 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered ECC memory expandable up to 16GB; NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 256MB of GDDR2 SDRAM; 250GB Serial ATA (3Gb/s) hard drive running at 7200 rpm; 16x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW); and ships with a Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.
The Mac Pro is shipping today with the standard prebuilt configuration, including two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors and priced at US$2,499. A wide variety of build-to-order options are also available.

New XServe
http://www.apple.com/xserve/
A quad Xeon, 64-bit server featuring Mac OS® X Server Tiger on two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz, resulting in performance that is over five times that of its predecessor. ncludes PCI Express, independent 1.33 GHz front side buses with 4MB of shared L2 cache, and fully-buffered DIMMs (FB-DIMMs), the new Xserve delivers up to four times the I/O bandwidth, up to three times the memory bandwidth and twice the storage bandwidth of the Xserve G5

The new Xserve is scheduled to be available in October 2006. The base configuration includes two 2.0 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors with 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, a single 80GB 3Gb/s SATA Apple Drive Module, dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board, internal graphics, three FireWire® 800 and two USB 2.0 ports, and an unlimited client license of Mac OS X Server version 10.4 Tiger for a suggested retail price of $2,999. Build to order options and accessories are available.

Mac OS 10.5 Leopard:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/
Apple® today previewed Mac OS® X version 10.5 Leopard, the sixth major version of Mac OS X, to its third party developers. Leopard, scheduled to ship in spring 2007, extends Apple’s leadership in software innovation with groundbreaking new features, including Time Machine, a revolutionary new way to automatically back up and restore everything on your Mac®, and Spaces, an entirely new way to instantly switch between groups of applications required for various tasks. Leopard also includes industry-first advancements in Mail and iChat, including Stationery, Notes and To Dos in Mail; and Photo Booth™-style effects, the ability to “place” yourself in any photo or video as the backdrop for your chat, and live presentations of iPhoto® slideshows, Keynote™ presentations and videos in iChat. Features include:

• full native 64-bit support that allows applications to take complete advantage of 64-bit processing while maintaining full performance and compatibility for existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers;

• enhancements to Boot Camp, Apple’s innovative technology that was previewed as a public beta in April 2006, making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs;

• Front Row™, now available with all new Macs to play back digital content, including video Podcasts using the simple Apple remote*;

• Photo Booth, Apple’s fun-to-use application that lets users take quick snapshots with an iSight™ video camera, add entertaining visual effects with the touch of a button, and share them via email;

• iCal 3 with group calendaring capabilities, event drop box, and standards-based CalDAV support;

• improved Spotlight™ searching that’s even faster, provides richer previews, and lets users search across network mounted folders on other machines;

• a new Movies Dashboard widget for movie times and Web Clip for clipping any part of a web page as a live widget;

• new parental controls including curfews, time limits and remote administration;

• Core Animation, a new graphics technology that makes it easy to create stunning visual effects and animations;

• major enhancements in Universal Access, including improvements in VoiceOver, Apple’s built-in screen reader;

• security enhancements including anti-phishing protection in Mail and Safari™, and an automatic firewall that limits network resources available to an application; and

• new development tools, including Xcode® 3 with full 64-bit support, DashCode™, an easy way to create new Dashboard widgets without writing a line of code, and Xray, for optimizing application performance.

• Virtual Desktops "Spaces" Create different spaces for different clusters of application

• New Features in Mail: Stationary, photo email (html email), Notes and To Do Lists- with a system-wide to-do tracker with iCal Support built in

• iChat now supports multiple logins, visibility, animated icons, video recording, tabbed chats, display sharing and collaboration and "iChat theater" which allows you to show slides that you can talk over. New "green screen" type features allows you to change your background.

• "Time Machine" backup software that automatically backs up and is able to restore all files.

Cinema Display Price Drops
Apple has also quietly updated the Cinema Display. The 20" Cinema Display now sells for $699 (down from $799), the 23" Cinema Display now sells for $999 (down from $1299), and the 30" Cinema Display now sells for $1999 (down from $2499), representing cuts of $100, $300, and $500 respectively. The specifications for the 20 and 23" displays have been bumped. The 20" display now has a brightness of 300 cd/m2 (up from 250 cd/m2), and the 23" display has a brightness of 400 cd/m2 (up from 270 cd/m2). Both models also now feature 700:1 contrast ratios (both up from 400:1). The 30" display remains at 400 cd/m2 and a 700:1 contrast ratio.

Today Apple released the 13.3" windscreen MacBook, the Intel-powered replacement to the entire iBook line and the 12" PowerBook. All MacBooks are built with an Intel Core-Duo processor, a built in iSight Camera, Front Row with Apple Remote, MagSafe Power Adapte. Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, 2 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 FireWire port and 512MB RAM. The MacBook comes in three basic configurations, a 1.83GHz White Core-Duo with a 60GB Hard Drive and a Combo Drive, a 2.0Ghz White Core-Duo with a SuperDrive and a 2.0GHz Black Core-Duo with a 80 GB Hard Drive and SuperDrive.

Of interest, the Black model costs $200 more than the mid-range white model with the only noticeable difference being a slightly larger hard drive. The mid-range model can be upgraded to an 80GB hard drive for only $50 more. The MacBook also lines up fairly well with the basic 15" MacBook Pro with nearly a $700 price difference. Aside from the screen real state and shinny exterior finish, the major difference under the hood is the MacBook uses an integrated graphics card similar to the Mac Mini. While this is not as good a graphics card as offered in the MacBook Pro, it will suffice for most consumer's needs and will even make professional users think twice when they look at the substantial cost savings.

Prices start at $1099 and are shipping this week.

In other news, Apple has re-configured the 15" MacBook Pro. The 1.8 GHz Core-Duo processor has been dropped form the lineup and Apple now offers only the 2.0 and 2.16 Core-Duo models. This change better places the 15" MacBook Pro in line with the 17" Model released late last month. Apple has also offered a "high gloss" screen on the MacBook Pros for no extra cost.

We'll have more details and commentary in our upcoming Podcast which should be released later this week.

As expected, Apple today released the 17" MacBook Pro at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention. The 17" MacBook Pro features the 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, comes standard with 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 120 BG Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm and an 8x Double-layer Superdrive. The MacBook Pro also sports one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800 and three USB 2.0 ports. The standard configuration ships in 7-10 business days for $2,799 ($2,599 for those eligible for the education discount.)

Purchasers can upgrade to 2GB RAM for an additional $300 ($270 education) or opt for a faster hard drive, 100 GB Serial ATA @7200 for no extra cost.

Of note, this is the first MacBook Pro to come with a 8x Dual Layer SuperDrive and FireWire 800, both features that were conspicuously absent on the 15" model. Apple has stated they had trouble finding 8x Dual Layer Drives that would fit in the MacBook Pro's 1" thin casing. However, according to Apple's website, both the 17" and the 15" MacBook are the same height. It's unclear whether Apple has found new, thinner drives or whether the extra width has allowed them to reconfigure components inside the unit.

The 17" MacBook Pro boasts an additional hour of run-time with a higher capacity battery, a 68-watt hour compared to the 15" 60-watt-hour. Apple claims the new 17" has 5.5 hours of battery life compared to the 15" advertised 4.5.