“Apple has just sent out email invitations for a media event next Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Art in San Francisco. And since September is the traditional month for iPod announcements, and because the invitation is headlined “Let’s Rock,” it seems a safe bet that new iPods are in the offing. A revamping of the entire line, including a new iPod Touch, seems likely.

Apple, however, scheduled the event with typical lack of consideration for those of us who are expected to attend. We’re already torn between two conferences, DEMOFall and TechCrunch 50. The TechCrunch folks have it easier since the conference is in another part of San Francisco, while DEMO is several hundred miles south in San Diego.”

Refreshed MacBooks: “More likely.” No major shape/size changes, but faster laptops at lower prices.

Apple Tablet: “More likely.” Shope wouldn’t be shocked if Apple released a tablet soon to take advantage of its exclusive, multi-touch technology on a product with a bigger screen.

iPhone nano: “Less likely.” It makes sense that Apple would extend the iPhone family the way it’s done with its computers, iPods, etc. And a cheaper, slimmed-down iPhone could reach a broader audience than today’s. Just not so soon after it launched the iPhone 3G, which has strong demand.

Super-cheap laptop: “Less likely.” Eventually, Apple will need to come out with a laptop under $800 to tap into new markets. But Shope’s conversations with Apple “suggest that the company may not be ready for such a drastic change in product strategy in the near-term.”

Super-cheap desktop: “Less likely.” An all-in-one, not the Mac mini, which would expose Apple to the “sweet spot of the desktop market fairly quickly.” Just not convinced Apple is ready to play in the “discount PC market” yet.

Mac TV: “Even less likely,” a “long shot.” Apple could skip the set-top box by building its Apple TV software into a flat-panel TV. While Shope (and we) would probably be buyers, he thinks “this seems a bit outside of Apple’s normal sphere of business for now.”

According to alleyinsider

“Jobs likes to make his own rules, whether the topic is computers, stock options, or even pancreatic cancer. The same traits that make him a great CEO drive him to put his company, and his investors, at risk.

In October 2003, as the computer world buzzed about what cool new gadget he would introduce next, Apple CEO Steve Jobs – then presiding over the most dramatic corporate turnaround in the history of Silicon Valley – found himself confronting a life-and-death decision.

During a routine abdominal scan, doctors had discovered a tumor growing in his pancreas. While a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often tantamount to a swiftly executed death sentence, a biopsy revealed that Jobs had a rare – and treatable – form of the disease. If the tumor were surgically removed, Jobs’ prognosis would be promising: The vast majority of those who underwent the operation survived at least ten years.

Yet to the horror of the tiny circle of intimates in whom he’d confided, Jobs was…”

Continue

“Hot spot: The Apple store
The draw: Most guys are natural gadget lovers, and with sales of iPods and MacBooks skyrocketing, more men than ever are stopping by Apple boutiques. The vibe at the stores is conducive to man meeting too: You can check your email among cuties, take a free workshop on anything from Photoshop to podcasting (a great opportunity to strike up a conversation), or just survey the, ahem, good-looking merchandise.
Find it near you: There are 142 Apple stores in 31 states. Check out apple.com/retail…”

Read the Full article

[via]

From Wired:

An Apple insider told Wired today that the company’s new ultraportable, expected to be seen in public for the first time tomorrow, has an extremely thin profile and is shaped like a teardrop when closed — thicker at the top behind the screen, tapering at the bottom behind the keyboard.

“It’s unbelievably thin,” said the source.

The device is made of aluminum and glass, and uses the same design language as recent Apple consumer products: black on silver.

Sadly, we don’t have details on pricing, specs or availability. Expect reality to disagree with our photoshops.

Is this cable-free design the face of things to come? Our own Charlie Sorrel pointed out earlier today that the rumor mill hints of a new MacBook utterly devoid of cables. However, he wouldn’t speculate on its physical dimensions. But now we’ve got the, uh, skinny on what this new ultra slim, ultra portable actually looks like thanks to one source who says they saw this device in the wild.

Steve Jobs is widely expected to reveal a new MacBook at Macworld on Tuesday morning, and with the rumored name being “MacBook Air.”

Most people are expecting a conventional sub-notebook — a super-thin, lightweight laptop that ships without an optical CD/DVD drive. The MacBook Air may also dispense with a wired Ethernet port, according to rumor. It will be a purely wireless device, relying solely on Wi-Fi or other wireless technology for its connectivity — hence the “Air” moniker.

But the Air seems more like a ultra portable with a physical keyboard and multi-touch screen, according to our source (who we promised not to name but confirmed works at an Apple third-party vendor).

We’ll see tomorrow.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Yeah, POLLUTION. Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Anyway.

The rumors state that the new, ultra-thin, ultra-light MacBook would sport the name, “Air.”

For more check out live coverage of MWSF.

[via]

Apple Gazette
Apple Matters
Appletell
Arstechnica.com
Daily Tech Talk
Engadget
Loop Rumors
MacRumors
Mac Scoop
MacSpark
MacTeens
PomCast
SteveNote Live
StuffUneasy Silence
World of Apple

[via]

The Trojan specifically targets users that have modded their iPhone so they can install third-party applications.

Makes me wonder who JUST WHO is behind this trojan. Hint: WHO doesn’t want the iPhone open to third-party applications????????

This is just wishful thinking but wouldn’t it be totally awesome if Apple reduced the amount of plastic on their MacBooks and replaced it with materials that are more sustainable? And pretty to boot. Wouldn’t you just LOVE Apple even more if they were more ecofriendly? I would. For example, these PC (*cough* *hack* *gag*) laptops have bamboo exteriors. Apple could surely make a version perhaps with lighter color bamboo. It would be totally sleek and wonderful. I would get one immediately!