Cult of Mac

Maybe James Bond will finally get an iPhone, now that it has driven his iconic Aston Martin out of the top spot of cool brands for the UK market.

The iPhone was neck and neck with the high-end car maker, coming in second last year. After being in the top spot for four years in a row, the Aston is surrounded by Apple electronics.

The top four spots in the annual Cool Brands list are iPhone, then Aston Martin, Apple and the iPod. (Nintendo rounds out the top five. Other car makers like Ferrari and Mini placed 15 and 17 respectively.)

It’s an interesting victory of relatively affordable personal electronics over luxury — in the top 20, Apple also triumphed over Dom Perignon, Rolex and Vivienne Westwood.

Aston Martin, however, hasn’t quite lost its cachet, if the rumors are true that iPod designer Jonathan Ives drives this sleek little number (check out the Bond-related plates) we spotted parked outside Apple’s Rock n’ Roll event.

Via Telegraph

The number of apps downloaded from the App Store has passed a cool 2 billion, Apple said on Monday.

That’s means the App Store is growing like a weed. In late April, Apple announced the App Store hit one billion downloads, and 1.5 billion three months later in July — on the store’s first birthday.

The latest 500,000,000 mark took just two-and-a-half months to hit. That means about 6 million apps are being downloaded EVERY DAY. That’s a pretty mind-boggling number.

In addition, the number of apps is now 85,000 from 125,000 developers, Apple’s press release said.

Apple’s full press release after the jump:

We’re on the home stretch, feeling the last rays of Summer and preparing for the inevitable ‘frost on the pumpkin’ (for non-U.S. readers a quick trip to Wikipedia might be in order) marking October. Meanwhile, we dwell indoors, warmed by the heat generated by our Macs and thoughts of even more gadget deals. This week kicks off with a dual dock from Gigaware to juice up both your iPod and iPhone, a faux leather case from Kroo if the PETA folks come knocking at your door and a pair of “digital performance” glasses which we take as just cool-looking computer specs.

Details on these and other bargains can be found after the jump at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page.

Orange is to start selling iPhones in the UK “later this year”, ending O2’s exclusive reseller deal with Apple.

Orange already sells iPhones in several other countries.
Conor Maples broke the news to Twitter users first thing this morning. Mobile Entertainment predicted that the exclusive deal would end about about this time back in August.

Orange is saying nothing yet about prices and contract tariffs, nor has the company pinpointed a launch date. It has put up a web page where people can register their interest.

O2 has had the exclusive deal since 2007 and generally done a decent job of it, although it has been criticized for poor data network reliability and high prices for tethering and roaming. A little bit of competition is probably going to be a good thing.

A few weeks back I provided a quick preview of Cadence, an app for iPhone that promised to allow a totally new way to browse your music collection — by tempo. It’s out in the App Store now for $2.99 (link will launch iTunes), and having spent time with it today, I can confirm that it does exactly what it promises to. Unfortunately, setup is both wonky and time-consuming, which was disappointing.

To find out whether Cadence is for you, click through.

With Apple’s recent ridiculous app store refusals, now is the perfect time to free your phone. Jailbreaking your device might seem too difficult to take on, but by following the steps below you can easily add a video camera to your 3G, or tether your Macbook to your 3GS. This How-To will guide you through jailbreaking your specific device using either Pwnage Tool or Redsn0w. Also included are simple instructions to unlock your device, letting you use it with different carriers.

Note: 3GS, 2nd gen and 3rd-gen iPod Touch owners who have recently updated to firmware 3.1 cannot jailbreak their phones unless they revert back to 3.0.1.

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Here’s some pictures of the rare Apple I that will be up for auction on eBay early next week. Hit the jump for more.

As reported earlier, the historic machine will be up for auction shortly, likely next week. The owner, Monroe Postman, hasn’t announced the date of the auction.

Postman picked up the Apple I at an estate sale around 1980. He doesn’t remember the details, including how much he paid.

Hit the jump for some amazing overhead pictures by Jason Hawkes, a UK aerial photographer.

Can Microsoft ever do anything right? The company has some produced some pretty good advertising for Windows 7, but for some inexplicable reason, the ads will not be shown on TV. Microsoft’s best advertising in years is restricted to a dusty corner of YouTube, where no one will see them.

After making everyone squirm with Jerry Seinfield and Bill Gates, and then reducing Windows 7 to rainbows and unicorns, the software giant has produced five new ads that are right out of Apple’s playbook.

At the giant Tokyo Game Show, everyone’s freaking out about Apple, the New York Times reports.

Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are more worried about Apple and it’s new iPhone/iPod platform than the worst recession in decades, the Times says.

Apple’s recent foray into video games — with the iPhone, the iPod Touch and its ever-expanding online App Store — is causing as much hand-wringing among old industry players as the global economic slump, which threatens to take the steam out of year-end shopping for the second consecutive year.

The industry sees a big shift to casual gaming on cellphones and other handhelds, rather than expensive, overpowered consoles. Consumers are buying $0.99c games, rather than dropping $50 on big, blockbuster titles with multimillion dollar budgets and massive development teams. Of the 758 games debuted at the show, 168 are for cellphone platforms, the most ever.

Some game developers say Apple’s App Store is the biggest recent breakthrough in gaming, and the industry is better off trying to find new business models rather than new consoles.

“We are going to move away from a market where it’s the hardware that fights against each other,” one developer said during a presentation. “We are going to be moving to an era when different software stores fight against each other.”

It’s always a little dicey doing a “Best of” Apple t-shirts post because the really, truly best Apple t-shirts have always been the limited edition, short-run t-shirts that Apple prints up for employees and other associates, the ones Guy Kawasaki wrote about in his 1990 book, “The Macintosh Way.” In it he draws a flow chart depicting Apple’s process for making great products and the first step is: Order t-shirt.

In fact, there’s a whole book on the subject, by Gordon Thygeson – “Apple T-Shirts: A Yearbook of History at Apple Computer” – with 1000s of pictures of such shirts from over the years.

However, for those of us not lucky enough to get our bods into one of these rare and memorable pieces of Apple attire, there are a number of outlets in the US and the UK (and probably elsewhere as well) where you can pick up some cool threads and show the world where your allegiances lie.

Hit the jump for a gallery of 10 we think are worth checking out.

Here’s a rumor we can get behind — the next-gen iMac will get quad-core processors and a SD-Card slot, according the French website Mac4Ever.

New iMacs are just around the corner, according to reports, and may be released in a matter of weeks. While some recent rumors suggest the machine may get a Blu-Ray drive, a SD Card reader seems much likelier, especially as card readers are now included in the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros.

The iMac is also rumored to get new processors, but reports are all over the place. Mac4Ever says the iMac will get quad-core chips, and possibly Xeon processors, while MacRumors says the iMac will stay with dual-core chips.

Mac4Ever also predicts a mouse with a surface that is 100% touch-enabled, allowing for advanced configuration options. There’s alos an aluminum remote in Apple’s pipeline, which sounds nice and classy.

Meanwhile, AppleInsider is saying the entry-level MacBook may also get a revamp shortly. The MacBook may split into a couple of sub-$1,000 models, AI says, thanks to the crummy economy, and may also be available in weeks.

Via MacRumors.

AT&T’s long-awaited MMS update for the iPhone is finally ready. Just plug your iPhone into iTunes and hit the “Check for Update” button.

You should get the dialog message above, saying: “An update to your carrier settings for your iPhone is available. Would you like to download it now?”

Hit “Download and Update” and wait a few seconds. The update is done is a jiffy. Then go to your iPhone and launch the Messages app. There should be a little camera icon to the left of the text input box at the bottom. Hit it, and you’ll be able to send pictures or video with your text messages. Try it: it’s a lot of fun.

PS: Some users are reporting they have to manually reboot their iPhone after installing the carrier update.

The critically-acclaimed Bioshock game is coming to the Mac on October 7, Feral Interactive has announced.

The game was released for Windows and the Xbox 360 in August 2007, more than two years ago. Isn’t it great that game developers are so dedicated to the Mac platform?

In addition, the Mac version requires a dedicated video card: it doesn’t support Intel’s integrated GMA video cards, used in some MacBooks and iMacs, and all Mac Minis, except the newest models.

Oh well, the game is reportedly a beauty — scary and deep. Wired.com’s Clive Thompson said it was a better horror movie than anything Hollywood has produced recently.

Bioshock will cost $49.95 and can be preordered on Feral’s online store. Or buy a copy of the Windows version and run under Boot Camp for $20. Pick up a copy of Bioshock 2 for $46.49 at the same time.

If you’ve developed migraines attempting to navigate Apple’s oh-too-cute one-button iPod Shuffle interface while fuming over the controls on the iPod’s proprietary headphones, we might have your answer: the Tapstick.

The $30 Tapstick is a double-whammy. Not only does the device return your buttons for play, pause, skip, navigate and the VoiceOver feature, the accessory from Scosche plugs into any headset.

Although minimalism is hot – witness the iPhone’s sleek design – carried to its natural conclusion brings us form over function with the Shuffle a prime example. While reviving a few buttons may seem like a small move in the right direction, it should save many Shuffles from being relegated to the spare change drawers and unused gadget box.

[Via Product and Gadget Lab]

TomTom’s Car Kit will be priced at $119.95 when it is introduced next month and will be compatible with all iPhone models, the company said in a brief statement on Friday.

Earlier this week, it looked like the Car Kit might also include the iPhone app. But TomTom’s statement now makes it clear that the Car Kit will be sold separately from TomTom’s $100 app, bringing the total price to $220 — the same as a dedicated GPS unit.

TomTom’s GPS system is getting pretty good reviews — Gizmodo gives it a B+ — although the mount kit might raise that grade if it amplifies the app’s voice instructions as promised.

TomTom’s statement reads in full:

TomTom announces today that the TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of EUR 99.99 or USD 119.95.

The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS.

All further details on the car kit will be made available soon.

It’s Friday and it’s time for our weekly digest of tiny iPhone reviews, courtesy of iPhoneTiny.com, with some extra commentary exclusive to Cult of Mac.

Under review this week: Arkanoid, FlipTime 2.0, Shockwave, Squareball and Monster Pinball.

If Apple was in the paper business and Cupertino was in charge of designing the ubiquitous notepad, the result might have been similar to an Australian’s play on the fascination with everything ‘pod’. The ‘Notepod,’ which the cheeky makers – Inventive Labs – describes as “in a form reminiscent of a popular smart phone,” costs $17.95.

The circumspect description isn’t without reason. Apple is notoriously lawsuit-happy. Although, the 100-page Notepod can’t run apps or sync with iTunes, besides the gridded pages and the cardboard covers it does bear a striking physical resemblance to the iPhone.

Despite (or because of) a potential lawsuit, the people behind the Notepod have a ready market of iPhone owners looking for just the perfect low-tech companion product.

[Via Product and Gadget Lab]

Laura Brunow Miner took this nice series of snaps with her iPhone capturing the view from one bench in San Francisco’s Dolores Park.

Interesting to see how different the bench looks on foggy days, bright days, and with couples, old people and tattooed hipsters sitting on it.

Check out the gallery on her site, there are 27 park bench pics so far, it’s a good reminder of what you can do with a point-and-shoot cam in everyday settings.

If you’ve done a similar project with your iPhone, write in or let us know in the comments, we’d love to see ’em.
Via CBS 5

Want to hear some news even more shocking than Microsoft’s supposed me-too tablet? This tidbit should surely knock you back on your heels – there’s another case out for the iPhone. That’s right, it’s Friday and we have the weekend gadget roundup, including more deals on Time Capsules and Apple TVs.

For details on these and other Apple bargains (like a 17″ laptop sleeve), check out CoM’s Daily Deals page.

For a company with a hippie-influenced CEO famous for a six month sojourn in India in the early 1970s and widely reported to have had major personal revelations after dropping acid, Apple hasn’t had much of an environmental image over the years. Despite Al Gore’s presence on the company board, Apple didn’t perform free computer recycling until April 2006, far later than Dell and HP.

Apple’s reluctant environmental attitude has been changing, however. Steve Jobs personally made it clear in May 2007 that he intended to change all of that in a letter to the public that temporarily appeased Greenpeace. And now, the company is the first in the industry to provide full disclosure of its carbon footprint.

Anyone can look behind the curtain at Apple.com/environment. It’s pretty amazing. The first thing that jumps out at you is that Apple claims that it is responsible for pumping 10.2 million tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere every year. That exceeds HP’s 8.4 million tons and dwarfs Dell’s 471,000. That would be horrifying, were it not for the fact that both HP and Dell specifically exclude the carbon impact of people using their products (and some manufacturing impact), which Apple says is 53 percent of its total.

The other major contributor, not surprisingly, is manufacturing, 38 percent of the footprint. I was personally surprised to see that transportation was only 5 percent of Apple’s total, given how many online sales it has for hardware and the fact that all of its product are manufactured in Asia. I imagine this figure would be significantly higher if Apple hadn’t so dramatically reduced the size of its packaging (and products) over the last several years.

All in all, I love this move. It’s about time Apple threw down the gauntlet and tried to lead its industry to places its competitors are uncomfortable going.

Via BusinessWeek

A redesigned iMac with a slimmer chassis, a lower price tag and possibly Blu-Ray is coming in the next few weeks, says AppleInsider.

Citing two sources, the new iMac is already rolling off production lines in Taiwan, says the website. It could be launched as early as next week, though early- to mid-October is likelier.

The new machine will likely be cheaper and sport a thinner industrial design, along the lines of Apple’s latest LED backlit Cinema Displays. It may also have Blu-Ray, AppleInsider suggests, though not very strongly.

“People familiar with Apple’s thinking have suggested in recent months one of these moves could see the company finally embrace Blu-ray — a technology once derided by Chief Executive Steve Jobs as a “bag of hurt” from a licensing perspective.”

CoM is betting against Blu-Ray. The format isn’t yet ready for prime time on computers. Until software and other media ships on Blu-Ray, it’s a format that makes sense only for movies on home theater systems.

If Apple does add Blu-Ray, it’s likely to be at a premium, AppleInsider says, suggesting Blu-Ray may be available as an option, which sounds reasonable. Customers wanting a Blu-Ray drive can pay extra for it.

Tech columnist Mike Elgan comes out swinging against the Microsoft tablet concept, codenamed Courier. It’s pure fantasy, says Elgan, and will NEVER be built.

“… you’ll never own a Microsoft Courier device,” he writes in his latest column. “It’s not real now. It’s not going to be real in the future. And even Microsoft does eventually make it real, it will fail in the market and you won’t buy one.”

As Elgan points out, the “leaked” photos and video of the device are pure CGI; Hollywood-style special effects that look great as mockup photos and demo videos, but may not be possible to build.

“Everything is awesome when it doesn’t have to actually be manufactured, sourced or developed at an affordable cost,” he writes. “It’s special effects wizardry, not software or hardware design.”

In edition, Elgan notes that a pen-based tablet is doomed to failure. He calls Microsoft’s repeated attempts to force pen-based devices on the market “crazy,” citing Windows for Pens in the 1990s, pen-based Tablet PC and Ultra Mobile PC, and Windows Mobile devices with pens. “I don’t think pens have any role in mass-market devices of the future — certainly nothing that could compete with an iPhone-like Apple Tablet,” he says. We agree – pens are a throwback. The future of multitouch tablets and PCs are finger-controlled.

Read the whole thing here.

Wacom today introduced a version of its Bamboo tablets with the familiar gesture and multi-touch features of the iPhone. Along with the traditional touch-sensitive pen, the tablets recognize nine gestures, including select and drag, double-click and navigate.

There are two version of the Bamboo: a Pen option is $70, while the Pen & Touch tablet is $100. The tablets have a 5.8 x 3.6-inch touch-sensitive area.

The Bamboo is bundled with Adobe’s Elements, which costs $80 by itself.

[Via Wacom and Gadget Lab]

In a strange city and need to find the nearest Hooters? A new iPhone app, Bionic Eye, has got you covered.

Designed for the iPhone 3GS, Bionic Eye is an augment reality app that overlays information about nearby points of interest over the iPhone’s camera. Hold the camera up to the building in front of you, and thanks the iPhone’s GPS and compass, the screen is overlaid with little virtual signs that say what’s inside. It also includes virtual signposts showing the way to the nearest subway station or Starbucks coffee shop.

A demo of the app surfaced in July, when the app was called “Nearest Subway” and pointed to nearby subway stations.

It’s now available in the App Store for $0.99. Versions are available for the U.S., U.K., France and Tokyo. And as well as public transit, the app points to a range of POIs, including fast food restaurants, WiFi hotspots, chain hotels and Apple stores.

The app covers all US cities and doesn’t need an active WiFi or 3G internet connection. More than 100,000 POIs are contained in the app’s 2.9MByte database. However, information about subways in the U.S. is restricted to New York, Washington, and Chicago (and you buy the info from within the application).

Bionic Eye — U.S.
Bionic Eye — U.K.
Bionic Eye — France
Bionic Eye — Tokyo

Hit the jump for a video of the app in action.