Mapple
Perhaps I’m a bit late in the game here posting about The Simpson’s mockery of our favorite brand, Apple. It’s all in good fun, anyway, so without further ado, here’s Mypods and Broomsticks but there’s more out there so search and giggle.
Archive for the ‘funny’
iPhone developers beat Apple’s NDA with $1 bills
From the latimes:
“By creating games and other programs for the iPhone, software developers hoped to find millions of new customers. But they didn’t expect to feel muzzled.
The software development kit that Apple Inc. distributed to programmers bound them to not discuss the process of creating programs for the iPhone. Companies typically waive such legal restrictions once the product in question launches, but Apple didn’t. And it won’t say why.
As a result, iPhone developers — and businesses that cater to them — say they are prohibited from asking technical questions or sharing tips anywhere in public. On Apple’s official support website, moderators remind visitors that they are bound by the nondisclosure agreement and should mind what they say or ask.
Conference organizers are trying to figure out how to plan sessions for iPhone software developers when they’re not allowed to talk about iPhone software. Book publishers are sitting on how-to manuals, afraid that if they ship them Apple will sue.
And software developers are forced to make applications for the iPhone in an information vacuum, without the help of a developer community that is used to openly sharing tricks of the trade. Quality may suffer.
The Cupertino, Calif., company is famous for tightly controlling its products and image. But even professionals who for years have made products and services to complement Apple’s are startled by the information clampdown.
Many had hoped to make big money off the much-hyped iPhone franchise, and many developers are. Apple recently said that customers have downloaded more than 60 million games, productivity tools and other widgets through its iPhone App Store, which lets programmers sell software or give it away.
But many Apple enthusiasts are left in the cold.
“We can’t talk about our problems,” said Jeffrey Long, a developer for Banterability who is working on a satellite radio program for the iPhone. “At the same time, we can’t talk about the problems we’ve fixed.”
Apple did not return calls seeking comment.
When it launched the iPhone last year, Apple decided it would be a closed platform — developers could create programs that ran on the device’s Web browser but not programs that could be downloaded to the device itself, as they can for computers.
After a backlash, Apple opened the iPhone to programmers in March and began selling their programs through its App Store in July. Apple says it sells about $1 million in iPhone programs each day.
But to get the software needed to create iPhone programs, developers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They expected Apple to lift the restrictions on July 11, when the new version of the multifunction gadget, the iPhone 3G, hit stores.
Many developers say they are erring on the side of caution. They interpret the agreement to mean they can talk about the programs that they make, but they can’t discuss the Apple developer tools used to make them, even with friends.
They also believe they’re barred from…….” Read the rest
[via]
In Poland: Actors Were Paid to Line Up for iPhone Launch
From reuters:
“When Apple Inc rolled out its iPhone in the United States, some fans paid big money to be among the first to get their hands on the device. In Poland, people are getting paid to line up.
“We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,” a spokesman said.
As part of a marketing campaign ahead of the iPhone’s Friday launch in Poland, the country’s largest mobile operator Orange is paying dozens of actors to stand in queues.
Apple sold about one million of the new iPhone models in the United States around the July launch weekend, but buyers in Poland may be reluctant to pay hefty monthly charges.
There were no queues at T-Mobile’s Era stores, which will also due to launch the iPhone on Friday.”
Puzzle Quest for Mac
Game developers have been busy bees lately. Here’s another new mac game just released yesterday called “Puzzle Quest” - hope you like it.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - brings you puzzle-game action backed with an epic and classic story of good vs. evil. Your quest is to build your empire as you capture cities, to build castles and to add companions that will aid you in battle. Match skull tiles to inflict damage on other players or use your matches to earn money, experience and manna for spells. You can use your new found wealth to buy helms, weapons, armor, and more.
or Buy it now
Razor Sharp MacBook Air
It slices! It dices! It slashes your arm in a single bound! Look! On your desk! It’s Macbook Air!
New Hidden Objects Mac Game: The Scruffs
Gamers who love hidden objects games (seek and find games) will love The Scruffs for Mac. It’s an extremely well done game with beautiful graphics but it’s also injected with fun, witty banter that will make you laugh. Interspersed between your object finding missions, you’ll find fun mini-games.
Here’s the story: The Scruffs are depending on you to save their family home from being sold. Grandpa Scruff has a solution: a scavenger hunt to recover his valuable artifacts. But in a surprising twist, Grandpa Scruff reveals that he’s been hiding something else - a shocking family secret. Help the Scruffs uncover the secret that will change their lives forever by finding lost items and putting together the clues they need. Buy it now or click below to download it.
A Bunch of Mac v PC Ads from England
Wonder what the Mac versus PC ads were like across the giant pond? (If you ARE across the pond, that is.) Well, wonder no more.
Steve Jobs Introduces the “i”
OMG You need one of these:
The Apple Logo Can Make You ‘Think Different’
From Science Daily:
“Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively, according to recent research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the University of Waterloo, Canada.
In work to be published in the April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, Professors Gavan Fitzsimons and Tanya Chartrand of Duke, and Gráinne Fitzsimons of Waterloo, found that even the briefest exposure to well-known brands can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits.
“Each of us is exposed to thousands of brand images every day, most of which are not related to paid advertising,” said Gavan Fitzsimons. “We assume that incidental brand exposures do not affect us, but our work demonstrates that even fleeting glimpses of logos can affect us quite dramatically.”
To assess the effects of brands on behavior, the researchers selected two competing brands, both well respected by consumers, with distinct and well-defined brand personalities. “Apple has worked for many years to develop a brand character associated with nonconformity, innovation and creativity,” said Chartrand, “and IBM is viewed by consumers as traditional, smart and responsible.”
The team conducted an experiment in which 341 university students completed what they believed was a visual acuity task, during which either the Apple or IBM logo was flashed so quickly that they were unaware they had been exposed to the brand logo. The participants then completed a task designed to evaluate how creative they were, listing all of the uses for a brick that they could imagine beyond building a wall.
People who were exposed to the Apple logo generated significantly more…”
Charlie Rose is a Machead
Charlie Rose (PBS TV journalist) loves his MacBook Air so much so, that when he took a fall, he decided to land on his face, to protect his Mac. Gotta love the guy.
[via]
New Mac Event: Mac Day L.A.
4th Saturday of every odd month, except where holidays conflict.
Premier Event: Saturday, March 22, 2008.
Mac Day L.A.
CBS Studio Center — “Radford Studios”
4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City CA 91604
Website: Macdayla (for details and required RSVP)
Want Your House to Look Like an Apple Store?
I like my house the way it is but some people would kill to have a home that resembled their favorite store, the Apple Store. How can you do that? Here’s a handy DIY here: Build your own Apple store
[via adlab]
MacHeads: The Movie
From Applegazette:
Having just watched the trailer for this film, all I can say is - WOW. You have to see this!
MacHeads is a new documentary film that chronicles the lives and experiences of several members of the “Cult of Mac”, including the 2007 Macworld announcement of the iPhone during Steve Job’s Keynote.
From the trailer the film has a very “Trekkies” vibe to it. That documentary is a favorite of mine for chronicling the lives of Star Trek fans who are obsessed with the sci-fi series. MacHeads appears as though its going to follow the same type of fans -but with a Mac focus.
You can view the trailer by clicking here.
There is no word yet on the official release date of the film. I’m hoping to have more information on the project soon.
Steve Jobs MWSF 2008 Keynote in 60 Seconds!
Just in case you missed it, here’s the keynote from MWSF 2008 in 60 seconds - with Steve Jobs. If only all keynotes were this short. Also, I wished they could have left out R. Newman. 
Steve Note Expo - The Game!
SteveNote Expo - the game
Imagine being Steve Jobs.
Imagine getting ready for this years MacWorld Expo keynote presentation.
Imagine having to collect all the insanely great stuff you are going to present at Macworld Expo without revealing it to industrial spies and journalists.
Try the game that lets you experience what it feels like to be Steve Jobs just before your Keynote presentation.
Instructions:
- Collect all of the 10 items you need for your presentation (the blue dots)
- Avoid industrial spies and journalists (arrow keys)
- Use your “Reality distortion field” to momentarily stun spies and journalists (spacebar)
Just released: New “Get a Mac” Ad called REFEREE
More fun ads from Apple:
Watch the video
Mac Fans More Likely To Pay For Music Than PC Users
Well, yaaa. (article here)
PC users have gotten used to all the so-called freebies for all those years of pirating music that they simply continue to do so. And freakin’ expect things to be free for them. The nerve.
Mac users, on the other hand, CAN pirate music but tend not to. Perhaps because they have a conscience.
Of course, I think that’s going to change with all the Switchers to Mac. Cuz. What were those those switchers before they became Mac users? PC USERS! Switchers, you’re gonna give Mac users a bad name. Cut it out, will you?
MacBook’s Non-Functioning Screws!
From Macenstein:
Urban legends are usually thought of as pretty cool, quite often involving escaped maniacs and hook-hands stuck to the side of car doors, but even we geeks have urban legends. I learned one such tale today, told to me by a Mac Genius on a trip to the Apple Store, and if you think you are brave enough, pull up a round bean bag chair, and I will tell it to you now.
About 5 hours after I opened my new MacBook (purchased 2 weeks ago online) I noticed that the lower left side of the unit (the side with the ports) seemed to be loose. When I pressed on it, the two securing screws moved in slightly, and a slight clicking sound could be heard. It just felt kind of “squishy”. I showed it to Helper Monkey at the lab the next day, and he confirmed that it appeared as though those two securing screws had been stripped. They were not catching into whatever mounts they were designed to, so the whole area from about the security lock hole to the lower corner appeared somewhat loose, whereas the right side (with its two matching screws) appeared rock solid. We’ve only had the pleasure of using Apples Pro laptops up to this point, the MacBook being the first consumer model either of use had seen up close. We checked out his old PowerBook and a new MacBook Pro, and both of those sported tight screws on both the left and right. So, we decided I must have gotten a lemon or some sort.
Off to the Genius Bar.
While waiting for my appointment, I decided to check out the floor model MacBooks and see if I actually had a problem or if this squishiness was a design issue. I’m not sure if I was relieved or saddened to find that every last one of the 15 or so MacBooks at the store had the same “squishy” left side as my MacBook. When the Genius called my name, I sheepishly went to the counter and said “Well, I don’t think you can help me as this seems to be a design flaw of these new McBooks”. I showed him my problem, and he verified, yes, that’s the way all the new MacBooks are made. The two screws closest to the trackpad on the left are purely cosmetic, they do not “catch” into anything.
“Cosmetic?”, I said. “Who thinks extra screws look good?”
A second Mac Genius (who seemed to outrank mine) overheard our conversation, and grinning, walked up to me and said “There’s a good story behind that”.
“Oh?”
I've been a Mac enthusiast forever. This blog is a supplement to my main website