“” by Steven Fernandez
This post is entirely about MacBooks on sofas. Or couches. Or settees. Or whatever it is you call them in your house. In our house, they are sofas. Anyway. Here are some more pictures of MacBooks on sofas. If you have your own pictures of MacBooks on sofas to contribute, please do let us know in the comments.
Steven’s picture is by far the best, the most MacBook-plus-sofary picture we’ve seen. But there are more…
Amazon MP3, the DRM-free digital music store, is far from a rival to Apple’s iTunes, claims a Tuesday report. The MP3 arm of online retail giant Amazon.com has only 5 percent to 10 percent of the market, compared to more than 70 percent for iTunes, according to All Things Digital.
The report’s estimate cited an unnamed label executive.
The one year-old MP3 store “has failed miserably” as a rival to iTunes, Peter Kafka wrote. Amazon earned $39 million on $82 million in sales – the bulk going to Universal Music Group, the report suggested.
The faltering economy has caught up with Mac desktop sales. Sales of Apple desktop computers fell 38 percent in November, according to retail research firm NPD.
The figure compares to a 15 percent drop in U.S. sales of Windows desktop PCs and a 20 percent domestic cut for overall desktop sales during the past month.
Mac U.S. sales were flat in November, falling 1 percent as PC sales grew 2 percent, according to NPD. The numbers appear to reflect a consumer spending tightening and Apple’s reluctance to shift from premium prices.
Apple will unveil two netbooks at the upcoming Macworld Expo in response to the gloomy economy, an analyst predicted Tuesday. The devices would likely follow the path of iPhones’ dependence on the App Store and iTunes.
Ezra Gottheil, analyst with Technology Business Research Inc., believe Apple will introduce two low-priced computers at the January tradeshow, according to Computerworld Tuesday. The crumbling economy and growing consumer interest in netbooks is cited as spurring expected decision.
“It looks like netbooks are real, and getting a certain amount of traction,” the analyst told the publication. The netbook category grew 160 percent during the third quarter, DisplayResearch announced last week. Apple was described as the “lone exception” to computer makers entering the segment.
iBend marketing materials call it “the thinnest stand for the iPhone and iPod Touch.”
$5 gets you what appears to be two pieces of plastic or maybe laminated card stock (the website doesn’t say) cut in such a way they could be mistaken for “Snidely Whiplash”-style fake mustaches, but that, when “bent” just so, will hold your device in place on any flat surface so you can look at it (and the video or slideshow you’re watching on it) without having to hold it in your hand. The iBend is thin enough to fit in your wallet, pocket or purse.
iBend is patent-pending and manufactured in California.
What will they think of next?
Via Edible Apple
Apple released the 10.5.6 update to Leopard on Monday with a feature that makes it impossible to jailbreak and/or unlock an iPhone or iPod Touch using PwnageTool or QuickPwn, according to a report at iPhoneAlley.
Blogger Erica Sadun explains in more detail that engineers at Apple propagated to all 10.5.6 loaded Mac systems USB kexts (kernel extensions) that prevent a Mac from recognizing an iPhone or iPod in Device Firmware Update mode, a high level communication protocol used for firmware restores among other things.
The battle between Cupertino and a dedicated band of Apple users who believe the company’s mobile platform should be opened for general use and development outside the limitations of the AppStore has been going on since the original iPhone was unlocked weeks after its initial release in June 2007. Subsequent updates to the mobile firmware have ben decoded within days of their release.
Many, though not all users who jailbreak/unlock their iPhones do so to enable them to operate on cellular telephone networks other than AT&T, the exclusive authorized service provider in the US. Others see the advantage of an unlocked phone that can run software developed for it that has not otherwise been approved by Apple for sale and distribution in the iTunes AppStore.
Sadun confirmed with sources inside Apple that the current roadblock to unlocking efforts was deliberate and both she and iPhoneAlley suggested those wanting to operate jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches ought to wait to install the 10.5.6 update on their Macs until developers working to maintain the open mobile platform have devised a workaround.
One possible avenue around the DFU mode restriction has been suggested by Phone developer Steven Troughton-Smith, who told Sadun the problem relates to devices plugged directly to Macs. He relates that DFU mode can be used with a unit connected via a hub and can be pwned as normal, even with the 10.5.6 update.
Chimp 65 Productions announced Monday the premiere of its documentary film “MacHEADS The Movie” at the 2009 Macworld Conference & Expo. The attendees-only special screening is scheduled for Wednesday, January 7, in room 131 of the North Hall of San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
MacHEADS is an in-depth examination of the cultural phenomenon of Apple fandom, using events from Steve Jobs’s historic Keynote addresses, the iPhone’s first release in NYC, and other historic moments in recent Apple history to explore the loyalty of Apple followers and their obsession. The film also combines visual evidence from archives of early Macworld Expos.
“Two years after shooting the first reel at Macworld 2007, we’ve come full circle with this special premiere at the leading event of the Mac community,” says producer Ron Shely. “Macworld Expo & Conference 2009 is truly the natural place for telling the story of Apple and its followers. We are thrilled to screen the movie at the Moscone Center a place of tradition and innovation.”
Director Kobi Shely added, “We wanted to answer the core questions: ‘How was a community formed around a brand, and how did this phenomenon contribute to Apple’s success? During the film-making process, it became obvious that there is a community and there is Apple. Although they correlate, in many ways they are separated.”
The film features several key Mac personalities in the company-community ecosystem, including one-time Apple Chief Evangelist Guy Kawasaki; Apple’s first official employee Daniel Kottke; and a special guest appearance by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Authors including Adam Engst, who created the first Apple newsletter, Tidbits and Chicago Sun-Times tech columnist Andy Ihnatko are also featured in the film.
Rogue Amoeba Software added to its lineup of innovative audio software titles Monday with the release of Radioshift Touch, software that lets users listen to internet radio anywhere on their iPhone or iPod Touch.
Powered by RadioTime, an internet radio catalog with thousands of stations from around the world in its database, Radioshift allows users to browse by genre, search by keyword and view listings for thousands of specific radio programs as well.
The app leverages iPhone firmware’s GPS capabilities to serve up local stations based on the user’s location and uses a feature called “SmartStream” to point to the most bandwidth-friendly stations, depending on the connection. Users can access Internet radio via, WiFi, EDGE or 3G.
Radioshift Touch is available at the iTunes AppStore for $9.99.
Given the host of free and low cost music programs available on the AppStore, including the ever-popular Pandora, and ClearChannel’s iHeartRadio, it will be interesting to track the success of Radioshift, with its relatively expensive price tag. Paul Kafasis, lead developer at Rogue Amoeba, has a sterling reputation for developing useful, high quality audio software for the Mac, so we invite Cult readers who try Radioshift to let us know what you think.
In a nod to reality, Apple Monday began listing worldwide carriers offering ‘unlocked’ iPhones. Just a year ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs described the struggle between hackers and Cupertino as a “cat-and-mouse game.”
Now the Apple Website includes “Carrier offers authorized unlocking” on a support page.
Nearly 40 of the 105 countries listed offer unlocked iPhones. However, some handsets are unlocked through just one carrier.
Singer Katy Perry made her fame with pop try-bianism, but her heart is in a long-distance love with a boy. Perry is a Mac user who credits iChat with keeping up the relationship:
“Her current love is Travis McCoy, singer for the indie hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes, whom she met two years ago when they were recording in the same studio complex in New York, although he remained on the East Coast while she went back to L.A.
This summer they were together for 10 weeks during traveling music festival the Warped Tour,but “I [last] saw him three, four weeks ago,” says Katy wistfully. “It’s definitely difficult. I was really lonely for a couple of weeks, but that’s the name of the game. To me, iChat is the most beautiful technology invented, ever!”
Wonder if she iChatted a girl, just to try it, would the experience be as beautiful?
Photo: Perry’s website
Via Page Six
The iPhone nano is back. The vaporware – part handset, part iPod – has re-emerged more than a year after first speculation. The newest iteration comes from China.
The latest rumor is that iDealsChina is producing a case for the unnamed product that supposedly will be unveiled at Macworld in January.
The Chinese company, which MacRumors says has “a very mixed track record” when it comes to leaking news of actual products, notes the case’s dimensions “have the same height as the just release Nano but wider and thicker and with the same iPhone 3G contours.”
First: Try My Nose!! No, really! Try it!
“Just select a nose you like, hold it next to you current nose and surprise your friends!”
Or – now here’s a radical thought – just stick with the nose you were born with! Maybe it suits you just fine! Maybe – oh never mind. Next!
Analyst David Bailey told investors Monday shipments of iPhones, iPods and Macs are lower than expected as the company copes with a tighter economy.
As a result, Bailey also cut his target price for Apple shares to $115 from $125.
Bailey said the apparent lack of any new product category for the upcoming January MacWorld 2009 removes “a potential catalyst” for shares, causing “Apple to try to generate demand in a tough environment.”
Despite the short-term challenges, the analyst told clients he believes Apple will remain ahead of competitors.
Bailey’s downgrade follows last week’s target price cut by Morgan Stanley’s Kathryn Huberty. Huberty cut her target price to $95 from $100, citing the weak economy. Along with trimming Apple stock, the analyst also lowered projections for iPhone sales during calendar 2009 to 14 million units, down from 19 million handsets.
Fans don’t listen to our albums, said Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, because
iTunes favors the single and the shuffle mentality.
In a Q&A with the Chicago Tribune, Corgan said the tepid reception of last year’s comeback album “Zeitgeist,” makes it the last effort the band will produce in album format.
Chicago Trib: So “Zeitgeist” was the last album?
Corgan: “We’re done with that. There is no point. People don’t even listen to it all. They put it on their iPod, they drag over the two singles and skip over the rest,” said Corgan.
“The listening patterns have changed, so why are we killing ourselves to do albums, to create balance and do the arty track to set up the single? It’s done.”
With “Zeitgeist,” the Smashing Pumpkins did try to adapt to new musical habits, releasing a pre-sale version with bonus tracks and covers especially on iTunes — to the outrage of some fans who felt obliged to buy more than one copy of the album to get the title track.
Much like Metallica’s rage against the iPod, this probably won’t win the Smashing Pumpkins any new fans.
Via Mac World UK
Found this pretty cool Mac tree ornament, courtesy of Flickr user Chris Dejabet, who is also responsible for the stocking below, featuring the groovy Mac applique, and it got me thinking that – given the almost unbearable cuteness of Apple products, as well as the legendary inventiveness and creativity of the Legions of the Cult – I haven’t seen a whole lot of Apple-oriented Christmas decorations.
I did poke around a little bit and found some pages at The Apple Collection featuring very handy pdf files you can download to make your very own paper Apple ornaments like Chris’ above.
I’ve included a couple of screen grabs indicating some of the choices available, and if you’re interested in folding more than just wrapping paper this holiday season, click here and here.
Microsoft finally got around to testing Apple’s AppStore waters this weekend with the release of Seadragon, a free project of Micrsoft’s LiveLabs that lets you see giga-pixel images on your iPhone using a nifty zooming algorithm to get super-close on a map or photo, with just a few pinches or taps of your finger.
The app comes pre-loaded with images and lets you view yours or others’ Photosynth images, or content from any RSS feed.
The embed above shows of the experience in a fashion similar to the one you’ll find on the iPhone or iPod Touch, according to a report at TechCrunch.
Via 148Apps
Seems like the big news over the past few days at the AppStore tends mostly to the questionably mature, if not downright asinine.
First, the re-emergence of Pull My Finger, an ingenious application that produces the sound of flatulence, generated over 200 stories in the Apple web-osphere yesterday. After initially rejecting the app as something with no discernible utility, Apple has reportedly sorted out how to handle this particular genre of application, according to Pull My Finger’s developer.
Then there there was the implication of either uncertainty or perhaps some discrimination with respect to apps intended for “mature audiences,” with developers of apps rated 17+ finding they cannot – as of this writing – issue promotional codes that other app developers were recently given to enable easier review and testing. Apple has described the restriction as a “minor glitch” that should be resolved shortly, according to a report at iLounge.
Finally, also on Saturday, the application Poo Price made its debut. Poo Price counts time while you’re doing your business on the toilet at work and tells you how much money you made during that time “working” based on your salary. What price good humor, eh?
The interesting thing about Poo Price, though, is that it may be an example of an app that works in the background, in violation of the SDK’s prohibition on such functionality, according to a piece at Venture Beat.
Amid recent concern that Apple may have given Google preferential treatment in approving the search giant’s voice search application for sale in the AppStore, and discussion over SDK restrictions that appear to be keeping Flash off the iPhone in any meaningful way, concern over how Poo Price keeps its timer going even when the user switches out of it while, say, checking email in the restroom, may not be the most pressing thing on many people’s agenda.
As MG Siegler writes for Venture Beat, Poo Price “is probably just another crude app in the new, racy App Store.”
Eelke Dekker has found a way to transform ordinary everyday clothing into functional, wearable notebook computer sleeves. Wrap a hoodie around your MacBook and hey presto!
Coming soon: trousers for G4 Cubes, dresses for G4 iMacs, and socks for iPods. Oh, that’s already been done hasn’t it?
Eelke explains his thinking in Dutch on his blog post, so I’ve used Google Translate to turn it into English. Apologies, therefore, for the rough-and-ready nature of the translation:
“After the blog post on jerseys that are transformed into the MacBook Sleeve, a friend came along with an old sweater. While he was in the kitchen to toil on a delicious Italian pasta, I stickte jersey quickly to a precise appropriate, unique laptop sleeve.”
(Photo used under Creative Commons license, thanks to eelke dekker.)
Palm, the Treo maker that has seen its profits crater and U.S. marketshare dwindle, is promising to stage a comeback at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. The company plans to unveil a new operating system and handset, according to BusinessWeek.
Although details are sparse, Palm will “finally unveil an oft-delayed new operating system, as well as the first in a new family of smartphones,” unnamed sources told the magazine.
The tip may refer to Palm’s Linux-based software Nova, which the company had said it would introduce in 2008, then pushed back to sometime next year.
Netbooks outsold iPhones in the third quarter of this year, according to two recent reports. Netbooks, inexpensive laptops with a smaller footprint, sold 5.6 million units versus 4.7 million of Apple’s touchscreen handsets.
The netbook category grew 160 percent in the third quarter compared to 2007, according to DisplaySearch. Experts predict 14 million netbooks will ship by the end of 2008, boosting notebook PCs along the way.
“With the lone exception of Apple, all of the top 10 PC brands have entered the mini-note PC market, John Jacobs, DisplaySearch Director of Notebook Market Research said earlier this week.
This, lovely readers, is the Girl Who Balanced A MacBook Air On Her Head. Her name is Holden and she’s in San Francisco.
Next week, we shall show you The Man Who Wore An iPhone As A Tie (he lives in Edinburgh), and the Parisian Who Used A Pair Of Old G3 Blue-And-Whites As Boots.
(Photo used under Creative Commons license, thanks holden_helena.)
More Apple-inspired handiwork from the same Japanese fan who ripened Apple logos on to the fruit.
Though not the first Apple nail decals (iPress on or glitter glam version, anyone?) these simple white Apple logo and iPod decals win for elegance, hands down.
Hmmm. Wonder if Apple logos that Mac enthusiasts can suntan on skin might be next? Sure, the execution would be more complicated (how long would you have to wear the sticker to brand your flesh?) but the surprise effect a sure winner.
Image courtesy Nobon
The developers at Mokugift, the kind-hearted people behind the iPhone/iPod Touch app A Real Tree, may not be the greatest app developers, but they are good at math.
For every one of the 99¢ apps purchased on Apple’s iTunes AppStore, one of Mokugift’s 12 internationally recognized tree planting partners will plant, yes, a real tree in places fighting deforestation such as Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, India, Philippines, and Haiti. These countries are in tropical regions where tree planting is the most beneficial in the fight against global warming.
To be sure, the app is not going to wow the average game-addled, accelerometer-addicted iPhone user. When the app is launched an animated tree grows out of the ground into full bloom. Ta-daa! Tap once and watch a little bird circle around and land. But Mokugift’s Hans Chung understands that Apple has sold more than 13 million iPhones. “If every iPhone owner planted one tree,” he says, “the environmental impact would be equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road.”
Chung’s A Real Tree project works with organizations that provide materials and education to local communities to plant trees in an ecologically-beneficial manner. Local communities learn how to plant trees while avoiding toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The trees they plant produce nutritious fruits and crops that they can live off and make a living on.
It seems like an effort worth contributing 99¢ to, doesn’t it? “People spent $8,000 dollars on that frivolous “I Am Rich” app, Chung said, “That inspired us. We knew we needed to develop something meaningful.” If that’s not enough to turn you over, Chung promised more small ‘Easter egg’ surprises will be added to the tree and the little bird with future updates.
Via iPhoneSavior
In the wake of developer Craig Hockenberry’s “Dear Steve” letter complaining about feeling forced to drift in a sea of 99¢ “ringtone apps,” and the inevitable charges of petulant whining that some accused him of in response, developers at Appcubby have published detailed financial records showing, down to the dollar, what goes into keeping food on the table for an iPhone app developer.
Among the things Hockenberry mentioned in his developers’ wish list to Steve were: ways to accurately track who exactly is downloading apps (and which ads/links they clicked on to get to the store), and the ability to offer free demo version of apps that expire after a given time, prompting people to buy the full app. Appcubby’s records would appear to support the view that Hockenberry was not just crying in his beer, and their post supports his call for free demos and more ad-tracking capabilities as two things that would greatly help the situation.
Via Gizmodo
The iPhone and BlackBerry have helped erode the market for inexpensive flip phones as Apple and RIM reshape the handset market, a new report said Thursday.
Touchscreen phones now amount to 10 percent of handsets, nearly triple the 3.6 percent of phones in use each month during 2007, according to ComScore m:metrics.
Phone designs including a fixed QWERTY keyboard, such as the BlackBerry Curve, now comprise 22.6 percent of the market, up sharply from 9.5 percent a year ago, the report said.
