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Wave goodbye to the iPhone 3G

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Filed under: iPhone

According to Boy Genius Report, the iPhone 3G is very likely to be discontinued. Apple has reportedly stopped supplying AT&T stores with the 8 GB iPhone 3G. Additionally, the Australian online Apple Store lists the iPhone 3G as "currently unavailable," and UK carrier O2 has altered its ordering options in a way that makes it impossible to purchase the low-end iPhone.

It's not at all shocking that the iPhone 3G is most likely about to be discontinued. The two-year-old hardware is relatively anemic even compared to its successor, the 3GS. Because of its lower RAM and CPU speed, the iPhone 3G won't enjoy all the benefits of iPhone OS 4.0, particularly multitasking. Once the iPhone 3G is discontinued, one of two things will probably happen -- see them both after the link below.

[Via MacRumors]

TUAW Wave goodbye to the iPhone 3G originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Italy’s Justice Minister pulls out iPhone during talkshow to check law

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:30:00 +0000

Filed under: Apple

The count of heads of state who flaunt their iDevices continues to grow. This week, Italy's Justice Minister, Angelino Alfano, used an iPhone to reference an Italian law.

While speaking on a prime-time television show, Minister Alfano used his iPhone, clad in a patriotic case, to access the app Codici and Leggi (19,99 €) and quote verbatim an Italian law on wiretapping.

We've seen other political leaders using Apple gizmos recently. For instance, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and South Korea's minister of culture, tourism and sports, Yu In-chon, have all been seen with iPads (though Yu In-chon did not activate his, as they had not been cleared for wireless communication by the South Korean government at the time).

Here in the US, First Lady Michelle Obama recently used a borrowed iPhone to send her first tweet (with some difficulty). Over the years, we've seen Pope Benedict XVI and Britian's Queen Elizabeth II receive iPods. Next we'll be hearing that the Icelandic authorities tried to soothe the volcanic eruptions there by sacrificing an iPad.

TUAW Italy's Justice Minister pulls out iPhone during talkshow to check law originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 05 May 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eye-Fi announces Apple-exclusive Geo X2

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Hardware

On Tuesday, Eye-Fi announced a new Apple-exclusive product as well as expansion of its hotspot service plan.

Their new device, the Eye-Fi Geo X2, will only be sold at Apple Stores starting in May. It brings faster uploads of photos and video (via a new 802.11n transmitter) directly to iPhoto and MobileMe (Picasa, Facebook, and 20+ others). Its capacity is 4GB.

One cool new feature is what they're calling Endless Memory, which allows users to have Eye-Fi automatically make space available on the card after photos and videos have been safely uploaded. Neat! It also does automatic geotagging so your shots will show up in iPhoto's "Places" feature with no problem.

Eye-Fi also announced the expansion of its hotspot service plan through a partnership with Devicescape, allowing X2 users to upload photos internationally and on thousands more networks.

If the US$49.99 Connect X2 doesn't float your boat and the $99.99 Explore X2 is a bit too pricey, consider the $69.99 Geo X2. A few TUAW bloggers have used Eye-Fi cards with rave reviews. Look for one next month.

TUAW Eye-Fi announces Apple-exclusive Geo X2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why the 13″ MacBook Pro still uses Core 2 Duo CPUs

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Macbook Pro

Since the MacBook Pro refresh last week, many have wondered why the 13" MacBook Pro wasn't updated with Intel's latest i5 processors. My dad, for example, had been waiting on a MacBook Pro update since January, but since the 13" stuck with Core 2 Duo processors, it took a bit of explaining on my part to convince him the 13" MacBook Pro had been updated at all.

Lots of theories have been thrown around as to why the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros got i5 and i7 processors while the 13" models stayed Core 2 Duo. Predictably, these theories range from somewhat plausible to tinfoil hat territory. Someone asked Steve Jobs why the 13" MacBook Pro still used the older processors, and the recently chatty Steve replied, "We chose killer graphics plus 10 hour battery life over a very small CPU speed increase. Users will see far more performance boost from the speedy graphics."

TUAW Why the 13" MacBook Pro still uses Core 2 Duo CPUs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gizmodo: Next iPhone captured, photographed, weighed

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Filed under: iPhone

How about that. Here's your Monday morning follow-up to Engadget's iPhone 4G reveal on Saturday: Gizmodo has what appears to be the actual next-generation, lost and found iPhone.

As was reported previously, the phone was supposedly found in a bar in Redwood City, CA. After a full inspection inside and out (they took it apart), Giz is 99.9% ready to say that it's real. [Mike Rose also says he's sorry for doubting.]

Some highlights include a front-facing camera, a flash around the rear-facing camera and that squared-off case. Instead of the rounded back that's a part of current iPhones and iPod touches, this unit is flat on the front and back.

There are two volume buttons, a MicroSIM card for carrier access (not MicroSD for storage -- a common mixup), and is 3 grams heavier than the 3GS at 140 grams. It measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches. The screen is supposedly much higher resolution than the current gen of phones.

Check out the post for more. It looks like Engadget was right all along and the cat is out of the bag. One thing's for sure: heads are going to roll at Apple if this 'lost phone' really was dropped by accident.

TUAW Gizmodo: Next iPhone captured, photographed, weighed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple making RAM affordable? Really?

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Hardware

When people ask if they should add RAM to their computers to improve performance, fellow blogger Erica Sadun says she typically replies, "YES! Just don't buy it from Apple!" Apple's RAM upgrades have typically run about double what I actually ended up paying for them elsewhere. However, as noted by astute observers over at MacRumors, Apple has covertly changed their pricing on build-to-order RAM configurations for 27-inch iMacs, bringing the price of an 8GB upgrade down to only about $25US more than competitors like Other World Computing.

Here are the old specs, courtesy of MacRumors:

And the new specs:

A price drop of $200 for the 8GB upgrade is surprising, but certainly welcome. I've always thought that Apple was running a scam targeted at the technically inept, charging them an extra 100% for not knowing better. Is this part of a trend toward more affordable, Apple-approved upgrades?

TUAW Apple making RAM affordable? Really? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Kahuna: The new 17″ MacBook Pro

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Macbook Pro

Those who need a mobile studio and have very strong backs may be inclined to consider the Big Papi of Apple laptops, the 17" MacBook Pro. Today's update adds even more brawn to Apple's beast. Here are the details.

There is one main configuration, featuring the 2.53GHz Intel Core i5; the 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 CPU is a build-to-order option. As with the other models, the 17" starts off with 4GB of RAM (upgradable to 8GB), and comes standard with a 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, with the following upgrade options:

500GB Serial ATA Drive (7200 rpm)
128GB Solid State Drive
256GB Solid State Drive
512GB Solid State Drive

That huge, high-resolution display is available with either a glossy or anti-glare finish (for an additional US$50). But this machine's real appeal is in its performance.

The customer who buys a 17" MacBook Pro typically needs to run processor- and graphics-intensive apps in the field, so performance is very important in this machine. The addition of the i5 and i7 chips help to realize that need. For example, the Turbo Boost feature will dynamically boost the speed of both cores while using the processor-intensive apps that these machines typically run.

Additionally, the new NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics processor cooks with 48 processing cores and (up to) 512MB of dedicated video memory. Yet, it's even more energy efficient than previous GPUs.

It looks like a worthy upgrade if you ask us. The 17" MacBook Pro starts at $2,299 for the 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 and goes up from there. If you get one of these monstrosities, have fun. It looks like a fantastic machine.

TUAW Big Kahuna: The new 17" MacBook Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Little buddy: 13″ MacBook Pro details

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Macbook Pro

Never intimidated by its larger siblings, the 13" MacBook Pro is the closest many users will get to the fabled 12" G4 Powerbook. Today's update gives it more to brag about, like extended battery life and improved performance.

This machine comes with either a 2.4GHz or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. As with the other models, the 13" starts off with 4GB of RAM (upgradable to 8GB). The factory hard drive in this machine is smaller than in its siblings at either 250GB (2.4GHz) or 320GB (2.66GHz). Both are serial ATA drives at 5400 rpm (there's no 7200 rpm option for the 13" model) with the following upgrade path:

500GB Serial ATA Drive
128GB solid-state drive
256GB solid-state drive
512GB solid-state drive

Both feature a NVIDIA GeForce 320M for graphics and Apple's bold claim of up to 10 hours of battery life. They're using a technology called adaptive charging with these machines. Basically, a chip monitors the state of each battery cell and shares that information with the computer, which adjusts the current flowing into the batteries to suit its condition and requirements. Neat.

The 13" MacBook pro is available now and (as of this writing) ships within 1-3 business days. You can pick one up for US$1,199 (2.4GHz) or $1,499 (2.66GHz).

TUAW Little buddy: 13" MacBook Pro details originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Overview: The new 15″ MacBook Pro

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Filed under: Macbook Pro

Earlier today, Apple released new MacBook Pros. The 15", middle-of-the-line model hits the sweet spot for many MBP customers, and this latest iteration is just as desirable as its predecessors.

This model comes in two main configurations, distinguished by either an Intel Core i5 (2.4GHz or 2.53GHz) or Core i7 (2.66GHz) processor. Apple claims that they boost performance by 50% over the previous generation MacBook Pros (I can only imagine what my experience would be switching from a 2GHz Intel Core Duo).

All configurations start off with 4GB of RAM (upgradable to 8GB). As for the hard drive, the base 2.53GHz i5 and 2.66GHz i7 feature a 500GB Serial ATA Drive (5400 rpm) with several upgrade options, including:

500GB Serial ATA Drive (7200 rpm)
128GB Solid State Drive
256GB Solid State Drive
512GB Solid State Drive

That 512GB solid state drive will run you a whopping US$1,250! The base 2.4GHz i5 has a 320GB serial ATA drive and follows the same upgrade path with the addition of the 500GB Serial ATA Drive (5400 rpm).

As for graphics, the 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz i5 machines feature the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB, while the 2.66GHz i7 model boosts it up to 512MB.

From there, the usual options and accessories are available, like glossy vs. non-glossy display options (with the higher-resolution panel) and pre-installed software like iWork, Final Cut Express, Aperture and more.

So what do they run? The 2.4GHz, 2.53GHz and 2.66GHz models start at $1,799, $1,999 and $2,199 respectively. They're shipping within 24 hours.

TUAW Overview: The new 15" MacBook Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the scenes, Optimus (not) at work on new MBPs?

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Filed under: Macbook Pro

Update: While Engadget originally reported that Optimus was behind the MBP power-saving switch feature, AppleInsider is citing NVIDIA representatives that the feature isn't based on their tech -- they say it's home-grown by Apple. Thanks to our commenters for pointing this out.

Great power is lurking inside the new MacBook Pros, just waiting to be unleashed. Along with support for up to 8GB of RAM and the heftier i5 and i7 processors, the new machines also include on-the-fly GPU switching ~~courtesy of NVIDIA's GeForce GT 330M and 'Optimus,' as the company calls its dynamic handoff feature.~~ which NVIDIA says is Apple-original. The power-saving trick has already appeared on several Windows laptops.

As was pointed out by Gizmodo back in October of 2008, the original dual-GPU MacBook Pro models (with the 9400M/9600M GT card combo) were capable of dynamic switching on the fly. The bad news was that Mac OS X hadn't "switched on" the feature, even though it did work in Boot Camp.

The good news is that now we see Apple supporting the feature in software for the newer gear -- but will it ever work its way back to the old reliables? Imagine vintage MBPs switching between the GPUs as needed, without having to log in and out. Better yet, the GPU could switch depending on state (plugged in or unplugged?) or even per application... the power management boost would be delightful.

Now that we see ~~NVIDIA's~~ GPU management technology helping save power on new MBPs, we have to wonder: will older machines be able to take advantage of the on-demand switching with a firmware upgrade? Only The Shadow knows.

TUAW Behind the scenes, Optimus (not) at work on new MBPs? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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