News

From Mercury News
Apple has agreed to pay refunds of $25 to $79 to as many as 2.3 million customers to resolve claims that some of its power adapters were prone to spark.

Customers who bought certain replacement adapters for PowerBook and iBook computers are eligible for the settlement, according to documents filed Jan. 25 in federal court in San Jose. District Court Judge James Ware granted preliminary approval of the agreement March 24. The class action, or group, lawsuit, filed in 2006, alleged Apple misrepresented problems with the power adapters.

In 2001, Apple recalled about 570,000 power adapters sold worldwide with Macintosh PowerBook G3 personal PCs after reports of overheating. Apple will give cash payments to customers who bought an adapter made by Apple or another company to replace a failed one, according to court documents.

Click here to read more "Apple to refund Customers to resolve Adapter Lawsuits"

From Macworld
Independent music download service eMusic has announced its launch in Canada.

eMusic doesn’t encrypt its music files with any sort of digital rights management (DRM) technology — they’re all available in MP3 format, and work equally well on the Mac and the iPod.

The company has differentiated itself from catalogs on the iTunes Store and Amazon.com’s MP3 store by focusing specifically on independent music, which eMusic says appeals more to an older audience. To that end, they also incorporate editorial content, columns, genre-specific newsletters, and the ability to view playlists and “neighbors” and “fans” to get ideas of new music to listen to.

eMusic has been selling tracks online since 1998; the company claims to be second to the iTunes Store in terms of number of downloads sold. eMusic reports having sold more than 200 million music downloads since November, 2003.

Canadian service to eMusic is priced at CDN$11.99 per month for the Basic rate (30 downloads), $17.99 for the Plus package (50 downloads) and $23.99 for Premium ($23.99). Audio books are priced at CDN$11.99 for one or $22.99 for two.

Click here to read more "eMusic comes to Canada"

From Macworld
Jumsoft announced the release of Keynote Jam, a collection of pre-rendered images for use in Apple Keynote presentations. The software is available for download from the Web site now.

System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4.3 or later and Apple Keynote 4.0 or later.

The software is being offered free of charge, and Jumsoft licenses users to utilize the images on Web sites, in printed materials, PDF documents or any other purpose except for resale.

Click here to read more "Free Keynote Jam Package Released"

From Macworld UK
Apple has moved to dismiss rumours that it plans to abandon its video products. These rumours first emerged when the company confirmed it had no plans to exhibit at NAB. But the rumours are false, said Richard Townhill, Apple’s director of marketing for professional video applications.

"I can categorically state, on the record, that is not the case," he told TVB Europe, adding that the company recently sold its millionth Final Cut Pro license.

The report continues to explain that Apple took 49 per cent of the US professional editing marketing (Avid took just 22 per cent) last year.

Click here to read more "Apple committed to Final Cut"

From Mercury News
Apple, which hopes to do for show business what it has done for digital music, is now selling new movie releases from major studios and independent film companies on the same day as their DVD releases, the company announced Thursday.

New releases available for purchase this week through Apple's online iTunes store include "American Gangster" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Other catalog titles offered include "Juno," "Cloverfield," "I Am Legend" and "There Will Be Blood."

"What this shows is that digital media is gaining momentum on traditional media," observed Phil Leigh, president of research firm Inside Digital Media. "Ultimately, our televisions will be hooked to the Internet. We are going to pull up the iTunes page and get what we want on demand. Some of it will be free, some of it we will pay for."
New releases will sell for $14.99, while most catalog offerings are priced at $9.99. The movies can be viewed on video iPods, iPhones and computers, as well as a widescreen TV connected to an Apple TV. People who purchase a movie through iTunes can play it as many times as they like, just like a DVD.

Titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

Click here to read more "Apple to Sell Movies on Release Date"

From the New York Times
There was good news for Apple and Comcast, but bad news for Blockbuster woven into Time Warner’s conference call with investors today. Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner’s chief executive, said that the company’s Warner Brothers studio will now release movies for video-on-demand systems on the same day they are released as DVDs.

Until now, people who wanted to watch movies on cable pay-per-view systems or rental download systems like Apple TV had to wait a few weeks after the same movie was released as a DVD. (And the DVD comes out, of course, four or five months after a film hits the theaters.) Warner Brothers has been experimenting with the new approach for the last few months. It has found that DVD rentals only fell by 3 percent to 5 percent and sales of DVDs actually increased, perhaps because of the increased promotion and fewer used rental discs available for sale.

Mr. Bewkes boasted to investors that the shift from DVDs to digital distribution, on the “day and date” of DVD release, will be better for Warner Brothers because it will eliminate some of the costs of manufacturing and distributing discs.

Click here to read more "Warner Brothers to Rent Movies Online Sooner"

From MacObserver
Apple posted a Leopard only Java for Mac OS X Update 1. The update adds Java SE 1.6.0_05 to the system.

"This Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 1 adds Java SE 6 version 1.6.0_05 to your Mac. This update does not replace the existing installation of J2SE 5.0 or change the default version of Java," according to Apple. The reference page for the update notes that the release is only for Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later and is for 64-bit Macs. It cannot run on PowerPC-based Macs or 32-bit Intel Macs.

The update can be found in System Preferences -> Software Update or on the Apple Downloads page. It is 57 MB.

Click here to read more "Apple Posts Java Update 1 for Leopard"

From Macworld

BBC announced that BBC America programming is available for purchase and download through the iTunes Store in the United States.

BBC America’s programming on iTunes begins with Torchwood, a spinoff of the BBC’s popular Doctor Who series; the comedy sketch series Little Britain; and the medieval action series Robin Hood.

Each series is available either per episode for $1.99 each, or per season. The U.S. iTunes Store’s coverage begins with Robin Hood Series (Season) 2; Little Britain Series 3 and Torchwood Series 2.

Click here to read more "BBC America Content comes to U.S. iTunes Store"

From ZDNET

Rogers Communications said Tuesday that it has a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada. In a terse announcement, Rogers, the largest wireless provider in Canada, made the announcement and said little else. Here’s the full-text:

Ted Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Communications Inc. today issued the following statement:

We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.

(Shawn's Comment: Thanks Rogers! The full text of the announcement, as posted above, shows just how much concern you have for your Canadian customers....none...)

Click here to read more "iPhone coming to Canada"

From iLounge

Apple has launched a special promo section on the iTunes Store celebrating the fifth anniversary of the store’s launch.

”iTunes Turns Five” features a look back at bestselling and staff-recommended media from each of the store’s five years of operation. Launched on April 28, 2003, the iTunes Music Store initially offered “more than 200,000 songs and a handful of exclusive tracks.” Over the years it has grown to offer more than 10 million songs, as well as movies, TV shows, iPod games, podcasts, audiobooks, and music videos, a diversification reflected when the store dropped the word “Music” from its name. As such, each year spotlighted in the promotion represents the content available that year; for instance, 2003’s promo page features only music, while 2005’s page spotlights music as well as TV programming (launched on October 12 of that year), podcasts, and audiobooks.

The iTunes Store is now the largest music retailer in the U.S., and has sold more than 4 billion songs.

Click here to read more "Apple celebrates 5th anniversary of iTunes Store"

From Macworld UK

Adobe has discontinued its website creation suite GoLive in favour of Dreamweaver, announcing it has ceased development and sales of the product, starting today. The end of support for the venerable product follows Adobe's acquisition of Macromedia in late 2005, when it bought alternate website creation suite Dreamweaver into its fold.

“GoLive helped creative professionals to support what was then a new market trend,” said GoLive product manager Devin Fernandez. “That is, design moving to the web. Even after GoLive 9 came out people were drawn to Dreamweaver,” Fernandez told Macworld, “especially around features and support for technology like AJAX and CSS Starter Points. Dreamweaver also supports dynamic content, while GoLive doesn’t.”

Adobe will continue to support GoLive users with online tutorials and migration assistance created by usage experts, and is offering existing GoLive users a chance to upgrade to Dreamweaver for c.$199.

Click here to read more "Adobe Discontinues GoLive"

From Macworld

Apple updated its iMac consumer desktop computer, adding the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor and more powerful graphics.

The new iMacs feature faster processors across the product and they also feature a 1066 MHz front-side bus and up to 4GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory. The 24-inch iMac also has an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory, delivering what Apple says is up to two times standard performance for graphic intensive applications.

The new iMacs also feature AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; built-in iSight video camera; a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port.

The new iMacs come in three basic models and are available immediately.

Click here to read more "Apple updates iMac with Faster Processor, Graphics"

From the Wall Street Journal
Apple’s acquisition of chip design firm P.A. Semi this week started tongues wagging about whether there was discord in Apple’s three-year old relationship with Intel. Not so, says Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

In an interview after Apple reported earnings Wednesday, Jobs told the Business Technology Blog that the company’s relationship with Intel, the provider of microprocessors for its entire line of Macintosh computers, is still strong. “We have a great partnership with Intel,” Jobs said. “We expect that to continue forever.”

Jobs said Apple acquired P.A. Semi mainly for its chip designers and suggested it will rely on P.A. Semi’s expertise primarily for portable electronics devices like the iPod and iPhone for which Intel doesn’t currently supply chips (though they would like to). Jobs says Apple has long been involved in custom designing chips for iPhones and iPods and P.A. Semi will help enhance its capacity to do so.

Click here to read more "Jobs Still Hearts Intel"

From Yahoo!

Apple on Wednesday posted a 36 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by strong sales of its Macintosh computers and iPod media players.

The company, known for conservative financial forecasts, also gave a profit outlook for its current quarter that was below Wall Street estimates, saying it expected earnings of $1.00 per share on revenue of $7.2 billion. Net profit for its fiscal second quarter was $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per share, compared with $770 million, or 87 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue was $7.51 billion, up 43 percent from $5.26 billion a year earlier.

The company said it sold 2.29 million Mac computers, 10.6 million iPods and 1.7 million iPhones in the quarter.

Click here to read more "Apple Profit rises on Strong Mac, iPod Sales"

From MacObserver
Apple released MacBook Pro Firmware Update 1.5.1 and Firmware Restoration CD 1.7.

The MacBook Pro Update states the updater "fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers," but don't offer any additional details. MacBook Pro Firmware Update 1.5.1 is free and available via the Software Update application, or as a downloadable installer at the Apple Support Web site.

The firmware restoration CD disk image can restore a Mac's firmware after an interrupted or unsuccessful firmware update. The disk image is free and available for download at the Apple Support Web site.

Click here to read more "Apple Releases 2 Firmware Updates"

From Mercury News
Apple and Wal-Mart Stores won dismissal of a lawsuit by a member of the punk band the Ramones who claimed a 24-year-old recording contract prevented retail sales of digital downloads of six songs he wrote.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in New York rejected former drummer Richard Reinhardt's claim that a 1984 accord with Ramones Productions limited sales to phonographic records and other tangible technology. Apple, Wal-Mart and software company RealNetworks said the copyright suit, filed in September, should be dismissed because music downloads were covered in the contract by a reference to technology "now or hereafter known." The judge agreed.

The ruling clears the way for Apple to continue selling downloads through iTunes of "Smash You," "Human Kind," "I'm Not Jesus" and three other Ramones tunes written by Reinhardt.

Click here to read more "Apple wins Dismissal of Ramones Suit over Downloads"

From Forbes

Apple has agreed to buy a boutique microprocessor design company called PA Semi. The company, which is known for its design of sophisticated, low-power chips, could spell a new future for Apple's flagship iPhone, and possibly iPod products as well.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not comment on our purposes and plans," said Apple spokesman Steve Dowling. He declined to comment on the value of the deal, which a person familiar with the deal suggested was done for $278 million in cash. Apple is due to announce its quarterly earnings Wednesday.

The decision to center the iPhone design around a chip that Apple could own marks a significant strategic choice by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, and is aimed at ensuring Apple can continue to differentiate its flagship phone as a raft of competitors flood the market.

Click here to read more "v"

From Macworld

Ronin is the 99 cent “Movie Rental of the Week” at the iTunes Store. The 1998 film is action thriller starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno and directed by John Frankenheimer.

It’s the tale of a freelancing former US intelligence agent who tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by both the Irish and the Russians. You can buy Ronin for $9.99.

Click here to read more "‘Ronin’ is iTunes Movie Rental of the Week"

From CNET
Recession fears, rampant iPhone unlocking, and a pessimistic outlook dinged Apple at the beginning of this year, but surging Mac shipments appeared to have the company in good shape as it closed out the quarter.

Apple is set to announce its financial results for its second fiscal quarter on Wednesday after the close of the stock market. The company has not appeared overly bullish on this particular quarter, issuing guidance well below its usual conservative outlook in January and admitting at its shareholder meeting in March that the industry is going through "concerning times" right now amid a consumer credit crunch.

Nonetheless, Wall Street is expecting Apple to report earnings per share of $1.07 on revenue of $6.9 billion, while Apple's own guidance calls for earnings per share of 94 cents and revenue of $6.8 billion. Apple is notorious for underpromising and over-delivering when it comes to its own guidance, which probably accounts for the discrepancy. But with the overall tech industry reporting healthy numbers over the past few weeks, and Apple's Mac shipments appearing to be strong, the company should be in decent shape.

Click here to read more "Apple's Mac Strength could keep Tech Industry on a Roll"

From China Tech News
Apple's first store-in-store in mainland China has been unveiled at the Best Buy store in Shanghai's Xuhui area.

By opening this store-in-store for Apple, Best Buy is intending to consolidate its position in the middle and high-end market of China and adopt a different operation pattern from Chinese domestic electronic appliance retailers. Best Buy recently shuttered its procurement office in Beijing and is facing fierce market competition from stalwart rivals Gome, Suning, and Yongle.

Zeng Yaozu, marketing director of Best Buy, said that Best Buy Xuhui Store is the retail dealer that sold the most Apple products in China in 2007, and that's why Apple has decided to upgrade the cooperation with Best Buy and open this store-in-store.

The new store is known to be the only Apple Store-in-Store in mainland China.

Click here to read more "Apple Unveils its First Store-in-Store in Mainland China"

From TUAW

If you've been looking to get the perfect Mother's Day gift, Apple says to look no further than iPhoto or Aperture. It's that special time of year when we celebrate our mothers (of course, if you ask Mom every day is Mother's Day), and Apple is cutting us a break! You can now get 20% off of iPhoto books when you use the promo code LoveMom at checkout.

This promo code is valid for iPhoto or Aperture users in the US and Canada and is good until May 11, 2008.

Click here to read more "Apple offers Photo Book Discounts for Mother's Day"

From Macworld UK
Apple has introduced a revised version of its previously-released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5.1 is described as a maintenance update to correct possible problems with the 1.5 update. “This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers,” said Apple.

Click here to read more "Apple updates MacBook Pro Software"

From MarketWatch
Lehman Brothers started coverage of Apple with an overweight rating and a $195 price target. The broker cited sales momentum and share gains in Macs, potential for open-ended growth with new iPhones and more new products. "Despite the economic environment, we do not believe that Apple's momentum has waned in Macs; in fact, Macs may have reached a tipping point with share on its way toward doubling over the next three to five years," the broker said.

Click here to read more "Lehman starts Apple at Overweight with $195 Target"

From Macworld UK
Apple will reveal its second quarter financial results this Wednesday, with a pair of analysts firms raising their estimates on the company's performance with the expectation of strong Mac sales.

Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey last week raised his target price on Apple from $175 to $185. The analyst predicts Q2 unit sales of 2.1 million Macs and 1.4 million iPhones. With heightened expectation of new iPhone models set to ship this June, the analyst also expects Apple will sell 11 million iPhones in FY 2008.

Caris & Co. analyst Shebly Seyrafi also believes strong Mac sales and improved profit margins should drive Apple to exceed its previous guidance for the quarter, offering an Above Average rating and $170 price target on the stock. He expects Apple's Q2 revenue to reach $7.04 billion, up from $6.93 billion in the year ago quarter.

Apple stock currently stands at $161.33 per share, up twenty-nine cents on pre-market trading.

Click here to read more "Mac Sales propel Apple Q2 to Exceed Expectations"

From CNET

Amazon.com's MP3 service is growing but not at the expense of Apple's iTunes, according to a report issued Tuesday by market researcher NPD Group. About 10 percent of the people who shopped at AmazonMP3 in February were previous Apple shoppers, NPD said.

Apple's iTunes remains the No.1 digital music store. AmazonMP3, which launched in September, slipped past Wal-Mart to take over the No. 2 spot in February when comparing the individual music tracks downloaded by consumers in the U.S., according to NPD.

The big question now is whether Amazon can continue to grow without snatching away customers from Apple.

Amazon has at least one major advantage over Apple: Apple's DRM-free tracks are available only from EMI Music, while Amazon offers unprotected MP3s from all four of the major record labels. Also, Amazon sells digital music at a higher bit rate and its songs are often cheaper.

But Amazon has a long way to go, says NPD. MP3 sales at iTunes are more than 10 times larger than at Amazon, the research firm said.

Click here to read more "Amazon's MP3s not affecting iTunes"

From Macsimum News

Starbucks and Tunes has announced “Pick of the Week,” a new program offering coffeehouse customers a chance to discover complimentary new music and music videos each week.

Pick of the Week featured artists include a line-up with Carly Simon, Duffy, Counting Crows, Adele, Sia, Hilary McRae and many more. Each Tuesday, more than 7,000 Starbucks company-operated locations in the US will stock a new Pick of the Week download card redeemable on the iTunes Store for a complimentary song or music video hand-picked by the Starbucks Entertainment team and iTunes. The first Pick of the Week, available starting today at participating Starbucks locations, is Counting Crows’ new song, “Washington Square.”

Click here to read more "Starbucks, iTunes Brew Up the ‘Pick of the Week’"

From Macworld

A Miami-based vendor that has ported Apple's Leopard operating system to generic PC hardware says Apple's restrictive licensing terms run counter to antitrust laws -- and it's vowing to fight.

Psystar's OpenMac clone is priced at about $399 -- less than one-fifth of what a similar, Apple-branded system sells for. It also represents a direct violation of Apple's end-user license agreement, which forbids third-party installations of Leopard. But Psystar said Monday that the company believes Apple's terms violate U.S. monopoly laws. "What if Microsoft said you could only install Windows on Dell computers?" said a Psystar employee.

The employee, who would only identify himself as Robert, said Apple grossly overcharges for the hardware on which its operating systems, including Leopard, come preinstalled. "They're charging an 80% markup on hardware," Robert said in a brief phone interview.

Click here to read more "Mac Clone Maker Psystar vows to Challenge Apple EULA"

From Macworld
It is with incredible sadness that I write this note today. MacCentral and MacMinute founder Stan Flack passed away quietly on Monday in his Prince Edward Island, Canada home at the age of 42. According to his sister, Stan died of complications to a pre-existing condition.

Stan has been in the Mac industry since 1994 when MacCentral first went online as a weekly publication. Things were a lot different back then—the Internet as we know it was in its infancy—but Stan saw a way to make a successful business.

(Shawn's Comment: Stan was a friend to a lot of us in the Mac Community and we are saddened by his loss. Our condolences go out to his family)

Click here to read more "Stan Flack, MacCentral and MacMinute Founder, Passes Away"

From Wired

The Big Apple has a new logo, and Apple says: Drop dead.

At issue is the emblem for New York City's GreeNYC campaign, which has started to appear around the city on bus shelters, hybrid gasoline-electric taxicabs and even Whole Foods shopping bags.

The GreeNYC logo shows a stylized apple with a stalk and a leaf. It bears a resemblance to Apple's famous logo -- a resemblance Apple says infringes on its trademark.

The city has applied for a trademark on the logo, but Apple has filed a formal opposition (.pdf) obtained by Wired.com.
The Cupertino, California, company calls for the trademark to be denied, claiming the city's logo will confuse people and "seriously injure the reputation which [Apple] has established for its goods and services."

New York says: Getdafugoutaheya.

Click here to read more "Apple to New York City: Bite Me"

From MacMinute
Adobe Systems announced Adobe TV, a free online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products, including the company’s Creative Suite 3 family of world-class creative tools.

With multiple channels, original series programming, and content from Adobe, leading training organizations and the world's leading subject matter experts, Adobe TV delivers a virtual library of entertaining and instructional videos. Designers, photographers, video professionals, and developers will find product deep-dives, innovative tips, techniques from luminaries, and behind-the-scenes tours of the hottest creative shops and Adobe product teams.

Click here to read more "New Adobe TV Programming comes Online"