Not the new iPod Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The Showtime Special Event
Live Coverage, 12th Sept 2006
To me the sneaked photo of new Apple iPod currently doing the rounds is an obvious fake. The Front Row interface on the touchscreen iPod is off centre, there are issues with the image metadata and the 24-inch iMac seems to actually overhang the physical space on the banner. Lets not even go into the fact that Apple normally cover banners announcing new products before a show...


Not the new iPod
While we might see a new iPod tomorrow, this isn't it. Move along folks, nothing to see here...

Update: Both TUAW and TechCrunch has a showtime rumour round-up. Yea haw!

Update: Thanks to those that pointed this out, but yes I did notice that the Front Row interface has the icon for DVD. But that's the least that's wrong with the image, after all it they could have rolled an IR or Bluetooth interface into the next generation iPod and it could be acting as a remote control for your iMac after all...

Update: Although one thing I did initially miss (and who can blame me?) was that the ceiling in this picture is the Moscone Centre, not the Buena Gardens-Theater where the special event is actually being held...

Tags: Apple Special Event Rumours iPod

Lack of supply Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The rumour is that supply issues at Intel are going to mean that Apple might not have a laptop featuring Intel's Core 2 Duo chip until 2007. Isn't this one of the reasons they dumped the PowerPC? That they were having supply issues..?

Tags: Apple Intel Rumours

Northbound wireless Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I'm currently travelling northbound, on the 13.10 out of Kings Cross, along the route of the Flying Scotsman. This post is coming to you via GNER's wireless internet service...

Tags: Wireless WiFi Train GNER

We're waiting for the show... Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The Showtime Special Event
Live Coverage, 12th Sept 2006
I have to agree with Giles, the release of the new 24-inch iMac and the updated Mac mini is a clear signal from Apple that the special event on the 12th is something much more interesting than a new Mac. Or at least Apple think so...

Personally I would have been happy (excited even) with the appearance of the new iMac, especially after the lack of surprises coming out of WWDC. So, now there are no distractions, everyone will be concentration a much reduced range of possible products. I think we're all convinced it's going to be movie related, and the launch of a iTunes movie store is pretty much a given. The only question is what hardware is going to be around to back it up? After a long series of iPod fakes are we looking at the "real" video iPod, or maybe my guess about 42-inch cinema display, or maybe even the much desired and long rumoured video enabled version of the Airport Express.

Of course, the show could be the product itself, maybe we're just totally misinterpreting the announcement. Maybe we're looking at the long awaited iPhone, we've been talking about it for more than two years now, perhaps recent rumours have finally put some flesh on the endless speculation?

So come on Steve, it's almost showtime and your audience is waiting...

Update: Last minute rumours, as the iTunes Store goes down...

Tags: Apple Mac Special Event Rumours

Ubiquitous chopping and weighing Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Remember the smart clothes pegs, intelligent spoons, thinking carpets and the ubiquitous umbrella? Now we have, at least as a design concept, a smart chopping board (via Gizmodo)...

CREDIT: Jess Griffin and Jim Termeer

The Cutting Scale

Tags: Cooking Cutting Scale Ubiquitous Computing Disruptive Technology Embedded Sensors

The Mac mini, updated Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

At the same time Apple quietly updated their iMac line today, they also very quietly updated the Mac mini. Although they've kept the price point the same, what now get a lot more for your money. The mini now has faster Intel Core Duo processors for both models, and the Core Solo-based Mac mini has been dropped. Both models now come with built-in Bluetooth and Airport Extreme...

Tags: Apple Mac Mac mini

New 24-inch iMac Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Ahead of the now confirmed special event next week, Apple has made a surprising move of updating their iMac line-up.

CREDIT: Apple

The iMac family...
As well as upgrading all of the machines to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor they have released a new 24-inch iMac, as well as lowering the price of the entry level model. I don't think anyone was expecting this move by Apple...

Update: The Mac mini has also been updated...

Update It looks like the 17-inch base model no longer comes with an Apple Remote as standard. Which seems like the wrong decision for Apple, it's okay for people like me who have a few lying around, but not so good for switchers. Without the remote, Front Row isn't much use, and isn't that one of the main selling features for an iMac going into the home? ...and surely that's where they're targeting the base model?

Tags: Apple Mac iMac

Flickr and Geo-tagging Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

This has been in my edit queue for a week now, so you probably already know, but for those of you who missed this one, Flickr has finally rolled out native geo-tagging support presumably (mostly?) implemented by Dan Catt who went to work for Flickr back in January.


Geotagged images on my Flickr map...
Apparently tweleve million photos were geo-tagged in the first few hours of the new service going live, which doesn't surprise me, as I managed to tag my two hundred odd pictures in under an hour.

Although it helped that my sets were mostly geographically constrained, I can see other people being willing to put in similar levels of work, and I reckon I could have done the "next" two hundred pictures in a lot less time. However unlike some people I don't post stream of consciousness to Flickr, so I don't have another two hundred to tag.

That said the main slow down was the abysmal level of street detail that Yahoo maps has in the UK and, oddly enough, Japan. I had to pull up a number of places in Google maps, and then copy and paste the Latitude and Longitude into the Flickr interfaces. Which isn't exactly optimal...

Thomas Hawks who works for Zooomr, one of Flickr's main competitors, has written a review of new the geotagging support. He's broadly supportive, although he too mentions to poor European support, although he seems more concerned about export issues. Which, working for a competitor, you can sympathise with...

One thing I am concerened about is that Flickr doesn't seem to add the normal geotagged tag, geo:lat and geo:long tags that we're used to seeing. This would be useful for exporting the metadata and for mashups with other services that don't necessarily support the internal Flickr Maps stuff. Surely this would be a trivial olive branch to hold out to mashup builders?

Update: Can someone please tell me why the user who posted the Technology Review article on the new Flickr geo-tagging features to Digg seemed to think that the article was about privacy concerns? There is barely a mention of it, and that is mostly to say that there isn't any...

Tags: Web2.0 Flickr Geotagging

It's Showtime Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The Showtime Special Event
Live Coverage, 12th Sept 2006
Confirming the rumours that have been flying over the last few days, Apple has announced a special event for the 12th of September to be held in the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The announcement reads "It's Showtime" and displays a white Apple logo floating amongst four crisscrossing spotlights.

It's showtime...
Now it hasn't always been true, but on some occasions the invite is a (un)subtle hint at the product(s) to be announced at the event. Perhaps the rumours of an iTunes movie store, or more wildly a video-enabled version of Apple's existing AirPort Express wireless base station, might have some truth in them?

Update: Gizmodo has made a list of the rumours they've come across about the special event;

... "Merom" Core 2 Duo chips inside of Macbooks, giant 23-inch iMacs, colored iPod Nanos with beefier storage and a hard launch for the iTunes movie store. We've even heard good old iPhone, widescreen video iPod, and video-compatible Airport Express rumors.

It looks like they've picked up on everything I've heard about so far, but we're still a week away, lots of time yet for the rumour mill to build up some speed...

Update: A surprise update of the iMac line including the release of a new 24-inch iMac more than a week ahead of the special event on the 12th...

Update: Just spotted an interesting comment on Slashdot;

In February or so, LG Electronics unveiled their 42" LCD part. Apple uses their 20" and 23" units, and I have been waiting for them to present a 42" Cinema. - Ed Halley.

You know, I think he's on to something. Perhaps "It's Showtime" isn't hinting about the rumoured iTunes movie store, at least not on it's own. Perhaps we're looking at a 42-inch cinema display here?

Update: Last minute rumours, as the iTunes and Apple Store go down...

Tags: Apple Special Event

The rumours must roll Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

With apologies to Heinlein, the Apple rumour mill is starting to roll again with the prediction of a special event in San Francisco (via Engadget).

On the heels of the news that larger orders for the Mac mini are not being accepted, we've heard rumours about an updated Mac mini, possibly even with CableCard support. I'm still holding out for a good replacement for the 12" Powerbook, perhaps an instant on tablet, or even a palmtop? But as iLounge puts it,

Analysts and Apple watchers have long predicted that new iPods, full-length iTunes movie downloads, and possibly even an iPhone would be introduced this fall.

There are probably half a dozen people on the planet that really knows what's coming, and Steve Jobs no doubt has them holed up in a bunker somewhere in Cupertino guarded by ex-SAS guys, just to keep them away from the press. But we shouldn't let that get in the way, so let the rumours roll...

Update: The latest rumour, and not one I've heard before which actually makes it more rather than less believable, is about the release of a new 23-inch iMac to go with the current 17 and 20-inch models. I've got both of the current iMacs, guess I'd have to complete the set if they brought out a 23-inch version. Shame...

Update: Looks like, for once, the rumours were correct.

Update: A surprise update of the iMac and Mac mini lines, including the release of a new 24-inch iMac more than a week ahead of the special event on the 12th...

Tags: Apple Special Event Rumours