Cult of Mac

We start the day with a powerhouse: a 6-core 333GHz Mac Pro. The offer from Expercomm includes a bundle with 6GB of memory and a 3-year AppleCare plan – all for $3,899. At the other end is a bevy of iMacs, starting at $929 for a 22-inch 3.06GHz all-in-ine desktop machine. Finally, what better ally to have when hunting down zombies than a cute, cuddly and armed-to-the-teeth teddy bear? Our third featured deal is the latest batch of iPhone app freebies from the App Store, including “Battle Bears.”

Along the way, we’ll check out many other items, including a deal on iPods, sound systems, refurbished iPhones and software for your Mac. As usual, detail on those and much more can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Along with the Sun in the morning, you can count on a Verizon Wireless iPhone story appearing almost daily on the pages of Apple watchers. Not to disappoint, two Wall Street analysts have released a report suggesting Apple needs to join forces with the wireless carrier to fend off the growth of Android.

In five quarters (or roughly just over one year), Android’s growth could outnumber the installed base of iPhones, according to Bernstein Research analysts Toni Sacconaghi and Pierre Ferragu. Indeed, the analysts say the Android platform has gone from 60,000 phones sold each day seven months ago to 200,000 phones per day. That sort of growth makes the analysts believe Android could singly push smartphone sales. By 2011, Apple and Android will control 52 percent of smartphone sales, the two analyst contend.

Thanks Chris.

We’re not sure what’s stopped you from already buying yourself an iPad case if you planned on getting one at all, but perhaps Kensington’s PowerBack case can finally get you to whisk out the credit card: not only does it have one of those kickstands all the cool cases are flaunting these days for handsfree media watching, but it comes infused with a slim 4400mAh battery that will juice your iPad for an extra five hours. It’s available now for just $129.99.

Apps are so easy — maybe too easy? — to buy on an iPad even a three-year-old can do it.

Toddler Sienna Leigh in Sydney racked up about $50 in app purchases before her mom noticed the shopping spree.

“She uses it every day for a few hours, but I didn’t think anything of it.
“She was just playing with it until, later, when she had gone to bed and I was checking my email and I saw that I had paid for a whole bunch of apps that I didn’t remember buying.”

Mother Lisa Leigh had to go to a Mac forum to figure out how her kid did it — it seems she went to a recently-purchased app and continued shopping with the saved password.

Sienna bought $17 Docs to Go app and a flight control app among others before mom managed to stop the spending spree. “But the main thing is that I’ve completely turned off the Wi-Fi on her iPad so she has no chance of accessing the app store at all now.”

Leigh decided not to ask Apple for a refund, since by the time she figured it out her other children had already opened and played with them.

Apple said it wasn’t the first time parents had contacted them about iPad purchases made by their kids.

If you have a tech-savvy toddler, here’s how Apple Fiona Martin spokesperson suggests you keep the tyke from shopping: “The restrictions preferences are located under Settings > General > Restrictions > Allowed Content (In-App Purchases) OFF. When this is activated, in-app purchases is turned off.”

Via The Age

It turns out we didn’t need to wait for the Dev Team to jailbreak iOS 4.1 after all: if you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone 3G or 3GS running the iOS 4.1 beta, all you need to do is download the HDR Camera Enabler through Cydia from the ModMy repository to enable high dynamic range snaps on your last-gen iPhone.

Presumably, this same tweak will also work with the Dev Team’s official iOS 4.1 jailbreak, which has yet to be released. Unfortunately, for right now, it’s 4.1 beta only, though, making it available to only a very small subset of jailbreakers. If you want to give it a shot, though, Redmondpie has a series of good tutorials on how to jailbreak the iOS 4.1 beta on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G.

Yesterday at their annual Nokia World Conference, the beleaguered Finnish cell phone giant, introduced their latest answer to the iPhone, the Nokia E7, prominently boasting a high-quality new ClearBlack Display which they hope will impress users as much as the iPhone 4’s Retina Display. How does it measure up?

Quite well, actually. While the 4-inch, 640×360 ClearBlack Display doesn’t boast the iPhone 4’s pixel density, it does seem more vibrant in color and less cool in tone than the Retina, and a polarizing layer promises to give superior visibility outdoors. Since it is AMOLED, it would also consume significantly less power than the iPhone 4’s display, and theoretically faster response times and wider viewing angles as well. We’d still prefer the clarity of a Retina Display, but we’ve got to admit, we’re impressed.

Of course, Nokia’s ability to put together some decent hardware isn’t in doubt. Where they’ve been falling all over themselves in the last few years is in software, having yet to put together a credible challenger to Apple’s amazing success with iOS. Until they manage that, Nokia will continue to founder no matter how innovative the hardware of their phones.

Six weeks after inaugurating an iPad wine list, one top Atlanta restaurant is reporting an uptick in sales and interest with patrons ordering more — and often more expensive — wines.

Bones offers a 1,350 label wine list, loaded with descriptions and ratings, including those from wine writer Robert M. Parker Jr. The owners say wine purchases shot up overnight — about 11 percent higher per diner in the first two weeks compared with the previous three weeks, with no obvious alternative explanation. The New York Times reports that other restaurateurs who are experimenting with iPad wine lists, from Sydney to London to Central Park South, report similar results.

“I felt like they had given me the answer sheet to the test,” said Bradley D. Kendall, a Bone’s regular who recently used the iPad to select a 2005 Corté Riva cabernet franc for $102, about 25 percent beyond his usual range.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJSESZ3faH4

Letemsvetemapplem.eu managed to get their hands on the new fourth generation iPod Touch, and put Apple’s latest touchscreen PMP in a showdown against the iPhone 4 in a battery of tests.

In the video above, you can see the difference between the quality of the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 compared to the new iPod Touch. While the Touch is packing the same amount of pixels as the iPhone 4, it’s slightly less vibrant and has significantly worse viewing angles than the former’s IPS touchscreen.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkOq2qgaSHo&feature=player_embedded

It seems to me that the iPod Touch acquitted itself a lot better when it came to taking video, though. To my eye, the iPod Touch seems to produce the better footage in the side-by-side clip embedded above, despite a significantly wimpier camera module. That said, it seems pretty clear that the subtle discrepancy in quality we’re seeing here has everything to do with the iPhone 4 being held in the tester’s unsteady left hand while filming, which presumably kept things slightly out of focus throughout the test.

[via Mac Rumors]

With the App Store’s prohibition on third-party interpreters having recently been reversed, the iOS future is again rosy for Epic Games, one of the biggest names in next-gen engine licensing whose Unreal Engine powers some of the most visually impressive games on PCs and consoles, including the Gears of Wars series, Bioshock, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Borderlands, among others.

Following the impressive release of their proof-of-concept demo app, Epic Citadel, Epic vice president Mark Rein has announced that the software development kit for its Unreal 3 Engine will soon add iOS support to the many other features available to its licensees.

This is great news for gamers: Epic Citadel was a stunning demonstration of the graphical power of iOS which was downloaded over a million times in one week… and it wasn’t even, strictly speaking, a game. Native iOS support in the Unreal Engine makes it all the more likely that developers will bring your favorite franchises to your iPhone in the future.

Now let’s hope Epic themselves follow Epic Citadel up with that Unreal Tournament iPhone port they were playing with back in December.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2I-jCY4N9I&feature=player_embedded

The Parallels Desktop
has been updated to version six today, bringing over eighty new features to the Windows virtualization program, including enhanced performance and vastly improved 3D graphics rendering speeds…. but maybe it’s neatest trick is finally letting you run Windows 7 on your iOS device.

Well, kind of. Parallels isn’t actually virtualizing Windows on your iPhone or iPad. Rather, the Parallels Mobile App is basically a VNC, allowing you to seamlessly connect and control your Parallels Windows install from any network-connected iOS device. Fair warning, though: things get a bit cramped trying to drive Windows from your iPhone.

Parallels Mobile is a free download from the App Store, while Parallels Desktop 6 costs $80, or $50 if you already own version 5.

Amid its expanding retail presence ahead of the all-important holiday shopping period, Apple has signed another deal to build nearly 1 million additional iPad touchscreens. The Taiwan-based Cando plant should start shipping the 9.7-inch touch sensors in early September or October.

In August, analysts announced previous shipping delays had shrunk to 24 hours as Apple increased the number of suppliers building parts for the tablet device. After its main touchscreen supplier LG in July admitted problems keeping up with demand, Apple signed a $240 million deal with Samsung, gaining 3 million additional iPad sensors.

Having problems with your Mac or iPod? Apple has just rolled out a new Express Lane for its existing online customer support system that aims to make getting to the root of your troubleshooting woes faster than before.

Express Lane basically streamlines online tech support from Apple. You can easily search through the database to find tech support solutions to existing Apple products, lookup cases that you’ve submitted previously, or register your Apple products by their serial numbers to track their warranty status and be directed to the proper support channels when things do go wrong.

Now that supply problems which bediviled Apple’s iPad launch are history, the touch-screen tablet will appear on the shelves of all 1,093 U.S. Best Buy stores on September 26. The announcement is just the latest push by Apple to get its new product in front of U.S. consumers. Tuesday, an unconfirmed report suggested the iPad would appear in Target stores October 3.

Best Buy shoppers received just a taste of the iPad when the device appeared at 673 Best Buy locations with Apple Shops. This latest announcement includes all stores owned by the electronics retail giant, which will sell the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G iPad versions. In a Tuesday announcement, a Best Buy executive noted today’s shoppers aren’t satisfied with looking at a picture or reading a review of personal electronics.

Well that didn’t take long.  Steve Jobs quipped that the new iPod nano would make a good wristwatch, and last week brought news of the first iPod nano watch band.  Now several contenders are offering products for sale.

And the iWatch was born.  And it was Good.

Provided you’re willing to look like a geek with a headphone cord dangling from your wrist when you listen to music.

Raskin for Mac is an intuitive Finder replacement for Mac OS, and is the single best reason to go out and buy Apple’s new Magic Trackpad: it totally transforms the desktop experience.

Raskin for Mac uses a visual interface to present all your files on a single page, allowing you to view, arrange and open documents, applications, files and images without opening the Finder. It’s like a giant zoomable photo contact sheet, and makes navigating files and applications very easy and fast. It is inspired by the work of Jef Raskin — the legendary computer interface designer and father of the Mac computing experience.

Are you ever wondering about what your dog is doing when you’re not at home? Or do you travel a lot and just need to keep an eye on things at home? You’re in luck you can use an iOS app called iCam along with its companion application, iCamSource, to resolve both of these issues.

What is it?

iCam uses your Macs built-in iSight camera and mic as a security camera. This is accomplished by downloading the free iCamSource application and installing it on your Mac. Once it is installed iCam can stream video from up to four source cameras to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. The app secures access to the video stream using a user name and password and the stream can be viewed over Wi-Fi, Edge, and 3G. The app performs best over a Wi-Fi connection, but it wasn’t unpleasant to use over a cellular connection.

For this week’s iPhone 4 case review, we have chosen Marware’s Glide: a stylish leather sleeve that offers maximum protection whilst carrying your phone, but the pleasure of your device unprotected while you’re using it.

What Is It?: The Glide is a genuine leather sleeve that’s designed to offer maximum coverage and protection to your iPhone 4 while you’re carrying it, and protection from dust and scratches while it’s in your pocket or bag. A dual-purpose pull-tab allows you to pull your device from the sleeve quickly and easy, while its velcro fastener will keep it from slipping out while it’s in there. There’s also a handy credit card holder on the back! It’s available in either black or brown and for as little as $10.88 on Amazon!

Apple has moved quickly to debunk this morning’s story that Steve Jobs tried to smuggle ninja stars aboard a private plane.

“Steve did visit Japan this summer for a vacation in Kyoto, but the incidents described at the airport are pure fiction,” Apple told All Things Digital. “Steve had a great time and hopes to visit Japan again soon.”

Today, we spotlight a variety of Mac-related bargains. First up is a deal on a 22-inch iMac powered by a 3.06GHz Core i3 processor for $1,049. Next is a new batch of free iPhone Apps from the App Store, including “Mr. Giggle,” a Tetris-like puzzle game. We wrap up today’s trio of deals with a USB turntable from Numark. The TTi connects directly to your Mac’s USB port, includes a dock for your iPod and comes with EZ Audio Converter software.

Along the way, we’ll check out more apps for your iPhone. Details on these and many more items can be found on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Apple could sell 3.8 million Macs for the September quarter, a 23 percent increase over the same period in 2009. That would put the Cupertino, Calif. based company slightly ahead of Wall Street expectation of 3.7 million Macs for the three-month span, one analyst said.

If correct, the number from the NPD Group also suggest Apple could break its previous record set in the June quarter, when the company sold 3.47 million Macs.

Those clever people at London creative agency BERG have produced yet another amazing thing – a film called Making Future Magic, in collaboration with another agency, Dentsu.

What’s amazing is the innovative technique they used to animate the frames in the film. They programmed an iPad to display slices through each image they wanted to project, then dragged the iPad through the air as it displayed each slice.

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced in September the iPod touch was “the number one portable game player in the world,” many took the comment as the executive’s usual bluster. Then Apple created its Game Center for iOS users. Now comes a survey seeming to support Apple’s words and actions: More than half of all U.S. mobile gamers battle it out on iOS devices, one survey reports.

Additionally, U.S.-based iOS gamers nearly outnumber domestic Nintendo DS and DSi players, according to a recent International Gamers survey. Apple’s platform claims 40.1 million U.S. gamers, compared to 41 million American Nintendo DS and DSi players. In fact 14 million U.S. gamers own both an iPod touch and a Nintendo DS. One good bit of news for Nintendo: the DS is still far ahead of the iOS platform in Europe.

Canon has just updated their excellent PowerShot G-Series of pro-level point and shoots, and while the new G12 doesn’t offer too much that is new over its predecessor, it’s still an easy camera to recommend to the amateur photographer looking for a bridge camera to an eventual SLR.

The G12 is now Canon’s top-of-the-line point and shoot, boasting a 10MP CCD (a wise choice given that sensor’s size: anything more than 10MP is just inviting graininess), lots of manual dials for exposure and ISO control, a swiveling 2.8-inch LCD display, image stabilization and a bright f2.8-4.5 lens capable of 5x zoom.

In these respects, the G12 is identical to the G11, but new to the feature set is the ability to record high-definition 720p video, as well as stitch together three different exposures for HDR photos, just like the iPhone 4 under iOS 4.1 can do.

Like the G11 before it, expect the G12 to cost $499 when it launches in October. If you’re a casual photographer looking to get more serious about the hobby, I can heartily recommend the G12: two generations ago, the PowerShot G10 was the camera that first awakened my own interest in more seriously pursuing photography, and I’ve loved this entire product line ever since.

We are not hearing a death rattle from cell giant Nokia, but the company certainly is making noise as Apple increasingly invades once-safe territory. A prime example of the iPhone making a more competitive landscape is Europe, where the Apple handset is helping chip-away at Nokia’s market.

According to a July survey by measurement firm comScore, Nokia’s Symbian share of smartphones in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy stands at 51.2 percent, down 14.4 percent since a year ago. However, Apple’s iOS platform grew 5.3 percent and Google’s Android smartphone platform rose 5.6 percent over the same period.