Category: General Tech

BuisnessWeek on the new iPod Shuffle:

All told, the cost of the shuffle’s components, the headphones, and the packaging it ships in comes to $21.77, according to iSuppli’s estimates. That’s about 28% of the device’s retail price. The smaller the component cost as a percentage of price, the higher the potential profit. This suggests the per-unit profit margin on the shuffle is higher than on other iPod models. The component cost for the first iPod touch released in 2007, for instance, amounted to about $147, or about 49% of its $299 retail price. The component cost of the third-generation iPod nano, also released in 2007, amounted to about 40% of its retail price.

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Several years ago, Apple’s retail stores transitioned away from “classic” registers (iMacs hooked to cash drawers) to hand-held, credit/debit-only systems called “EasyPay.” The system runs on Windows Mobile on Symbol-built devices. When it was first released it was buggy as hell, but over the last two years, it has become more stable as Apple has pushed the technology harder and harder, but the platform leaves a lot to be desired, especially in older and busier stores.

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iFixit has done it again. This time, they took apart the new Dell Adamo, and holy cow, I want to open one.

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At work, we came into possession of a dead 800Mhz eMac G4, so we did what all good technicians would do - we took it apart and then rebuilt it with only the structural components.

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Yesterday, Apple sent an email to all MobileMe customers:

On July 7, 2009, the .Mac HomePage web application will be discontinued. As of this date, you will no longer be able to create new pages or edit existing pages using HomePage. Any pages you’ve already published will remain live at their current web address for as long as you like. If you need to make changes to your existing pages, please do so before July 7.

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This morning, Apple launched their “1 Billion App Countdown” campaign:

As of today, nearly one billion apps have been downloaded around the globe. So we just want to say thanks — a billion. Download an app and you’ll automatically get the chance to win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro. Just go to the iTunes Store, browse the App Store, and download your best app yet.

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CNET has posted a link to a video from a Houston TV station that is of their “consumer reporter” complaining that sweat can kill iPhones. Here’s the segment transcribed, via CNET:

“I never would’ve bought a phone if I knew it would ruin the first time I got it out at the gym,” Stacie Keneker said.

“They sell all these accessories that you are supposed to be able to use at the gym to make it convenient,” Lee Pittman complained.

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Gizmodo:

Yeah, I’ve used Windows machines for essentially my entire life, but switching turned out to be not that big a deal. Why? Because an OS isn’t that important.

What’s kept me from switching all these years isn’t because I loved Windows or hated Macs. No, it was more a combination of laziness and self-identification. That’s to say I didn’t want to switch because I didn’t want to deal with learning the ins and outs of a new OS, and also I identified myself as a “Windows guy” and didn’t want to become a “Mac guy.” Both reasons are essentially bullshit.

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Macworld:

… here’s the bottom line: Strictly on the basis of specs and features, your money will go further with a Windows laptop than with an Apple laptop, whether you have $1000 or $2000 to spend.

But does that mean MacBooks aren’t a good value? That’s where subjectivity comes into play. In my opinion, MacBooks, with the exception of the white $999 model, are indeed good values. I’ve owned both Macs and Windows PCs since the early 90s, and my Macs have tended to last longer and give me far fewer problems. And Macs are simply a joy to use, thanks to the Mac OS’s many ingenious features and Apple’s design savvy. I’ve rarely felt that way about a Windows computer.

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Apple’s rack-mounted, often-forgotten server offering - the Xserve - got updated today with some serious new hardware. Here’s Macworld on what is probably the most interesting option*:

For the first time, Apple has included a solid state drive in the Xserve. The 128GB SSD boot drive option is faster than regular hard disks and it doesn’t take up one of the three available drive bays. The drive bays support 7200 rpm SATA and 15,000 rpm SAS drives and can be configured with up to 3TB of internal storage.

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Edible Apple:

Apple is pretty adept at getting its products onto some of TV’s most popular shows, but no show can top Futurama when it comes to a sprinkling of both well-known and obscure Apple references. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the fact that series co-founder David X. Cohen is a huge Apple fan whose favorite piece of technology is the Apple II - Cohen even named the character “Dr. Zoidberg” after a computer game he originally created for the Apple II in assembly language.

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Since the introduction of the 2.0 version of the iPhone software, Apple, users and developers have enjoyed the App Store - the mechanism that allows customers to purchase third-party applications for their devices anytime, anywhere. It has generated millions of dollars for developers and for Apple, who gets 30% of each purchase.

Naturally, other mobile phone companies have wanted a piece of the pie, and now almost every major player - RIM, Windows Mobile, Android and Palm - have a mobile application store in one stage or another of deployment. Gizmodo takes a look:

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