Apple’s meteoric rise since the 1997 return of Steve Jobs has many icons, from the iMac to the iPod, iPhone and MacBook Air. But none is quite so fitting a monument as the flagship Manhattan Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. After all, it’s a giant glass cube, as succinct a summary of the Steve Jobs approach to design as I can imagine. The monolith is an amazing image of the brand’s power.

What’s less known is that it might be the single-most lucrative store in all of New York. According to information uncovered by the New York Post, the owners of the building that houses the near-legendary Apple Store claim that the shop pulls in $440 million a year in sales. That location alone. By comparison, a nearby Zara flagship only does $25 million annually. Unreal.

I wonder how much the flagship Dell store does?

Via AppleInsider

Apple got top marks all three laptop categories in “Consumer Reports” special computer issue.

Five Apple laptops made the cut. In the 13-inch category, MacBooks took all three top spots:
The 13-inch aluminum MacBook ranked No. 1, the solid-state MacBook Air No. 2 and the white plastic 13-inch MacBook came in third, in a tie with the HP Pavillion dv3.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro came in first in the 14- to 16-inch category.

In the 17- to 18-inch category — the same category where Lauren of “Laptop Hunter” ads chooses an HP over a Mac — was taken by the 17-inch MacBook, which scored 80 out of a possible 100.  (The HP Lauren opted for ranks fourth.)

The results amount to “embarrassment of plaudits,” (Apple polishing?) for Fortune mag —  perhaps to avoid looking gushy, Consumer Reports put a PC on the cover in question…

TUAW has the scoop on a very curious entry in the stats for Adium: a single user machine identified as the “MacBook Mini”. Now, this could easily be spoofed — last I checked the “Lenovo reModelFaMacBookAir” was not a computer — but on the other hand, it might be the very first appearance of the long-rumored Mac netbook.

After all, the very first place the name MacBook Air appeared was in the very same Adium stats. Only Apple knows what Apple is working on. But for now — we can dream.

“Dept. of deja vu: MacBookMini found in Adium stats” TUAW

During bleak economic times, companies need to welcome the faintest rays of sunshine. That appears to be the word from one analyst forecasting lower sales for Apple’s upcoming March quarter.

“We believe this data will be perceived as a neutral or a slight positive given the uncertainty surrounding the Mar-09 quarter,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told clients Tuesday.

Sifting through numbers from NPD and internally, Munster expects -6 percent growth for Mac sales, compared to the second quarter of 2008.

British thriller/crime novelist Christopher Fowler (“Psychoville,” “Disturbia”) claims he doesn’t even know what a PC is, he’s so in love with his “awesomely cool MacBook Air.” Fowler’s been using his MacBook to upload clues in a treasure hunt in London for signed first-editions of his books.

More from his love letter to Apple:

How has the MacBook improved your life?
It’s super-light, fast, and I always have it with me so that I can blog via my local Wi-Fi coffee shops. Except it means I drink waaaay too much coffee.

What additional features would you add if you could?
A push-down track-pad, like on the Pro. Easier uploading of video footage from my mobile, cross-region DVD functionality, and someone to sort out the Blu-Ray mess. Nobody knows what plays where.

What piece of technology would you most like to own?
A good eReader that looks cool (so, not the Kindle, then).

Via The Guardian

There are a lot of envelope-style sleeves for your Mac: leather from Bally, a sturdy vinyl version and plenty of handmade fabric ones, too.

A nice variant on the theme: these from Spanish company iSobre have a spark of color on the inside. Hand-made leather, they’ll provide protection for the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. They come in basic manilla, plus black or white with pink, green, or blue insides.

So you can show your the world that, yes, your computer is thinner than the presentation your boss insisted on printing out for clients.

Available online at iSobre.

Apple has expanded the refurbished products offered at discounted prices from its online store. The Apple Store now includes newer iPods, as well as refurbished aluminum unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company now sells its latest 1GB iPod shuffle for $39. Available colors include silver, green, blue and pink.

The latest 8GB and 16GB iPod nano is being sold refurbished for $129 and $169, respectively.

Mac Wind – The Apple Netbook from Sascha Pallenberg on Vimeo.

Here’s an informative video by Sascha Pallenberg, conducting a brief interview with a chap who’s got OS X Leopard running on his MSI Wind netbook.

I’ve heard a lot about OS X on the Wind, but this is the first chance I’ve had to actually see it in action. And I confess, I’m impressed. OK, it’s taken this guy a little bit of hacking around to get the machine working smoothly like this (with all the extras like wifi, webcam, and volume controls working properly) – but the end result looks worth the hassle.

I probably shouldn’t be saying this on a Mac site, but reputation be damned: I’m quite interested to see Windows 7. Let me explain why. (Hang on while I put on my flame-proof jacket. There.)

THING THE FIRST: I want a netbook. I want a cheap, tiny, low-power little computer that does text editing and web browsing. Something I can chuck in my bag and forget about, but be sure it’ll be there as and when I need it. I don’t want to play games on it. I don’t want to mess with my photos on it. I don’t want to make phone calls on it. It doesn’t need a lot of disk space. But it does need a keyboard.

THING THE SECOND: I cannot afford to buy a MacBook Air. And anyway, it doesn’t offer the battery life I’m looking for.

THING THE THIRD: I don’t think Apple’s going to be producing a netbook like this any time soon.

THING THE FOURTH: But I wish they would.

THING THE FIFTH: Windows 7 is on the way, it’ll run on netbooks, and – this is the important bit – I think it’s the first version of Windows that I might have a chance of getting on with.

Why?

Because it, ahem, borrows rather a lot of ideas from Mac OS X.

Let’s see now: it removes unnecessary icons from the Desktop. It makes the Task Bar more Dock-like. It adds a system-wide search box to the Start Menu, from which you can launch apps, open files, access preferences (sorry, options), much in the manner of the Spotlight menu.

What’s more, reports tell us that Windows 7 is less bloated than Vista, runs on more humble spec machines, is somewhat more secure, and runs faster too.

So, in summary: this is the first version of Windows I’ve seen that I’ve seriously considered actually using. And until Apple finds that string of DNA that enables it to make cheap, low-power computers, it will remain an option I’ll consider.

Or maybe I should just get a Linux-based netbook (and optionally install OS X on it regardless) and save myself the bother.

(Picture used under CC license: thanks to adKinn.)

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.