If you didn’t already know, we’ve set up a new twitter account for Deals, it’s @MacStoriesDeals. We’ll tweet the daily deals there as well as exclusive weekend deals too. Help spread the word! Here are today’s deals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot!
#MacStoriesDeals - Monday
Meet The Plasticine iPad
iOS devices are beautiful examples of industrial design and we know they can also resist the most terrible accidents thanks to their great build quality, but none of them is as cute as the plasticine iPad 2 we found on Youtube. Perfectly “compatible” with multitouch and coming with a handful of third-party apps installed, this alleged prototype from Cupertino (not really, but we like the idea) does 3D projections without glasses as well, with real-time manipulation. Of course it also does games, maps, Twitter and web browsing.
Seriously though, the work that went into this stop-animation video must have been huge, and you should check it out below.
Read more
Never-used 20th Anniversary Macintosh Available on eBay
In the spring of 1997 Apple released a $7,499 computer produced in 12,000 limited copies and designed by Jonathan Ive. This computer, the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, was in fact the first “big project” for Ive at Apple, but its sales didn’t go very well. Widely regarded by true Apple aficionados as a unique piece of Apple history that can also run Mac OS 9 (initially developed with System 7 in mind), this Macintosh model was built by Ive to “have a very small footprint” on the desktop and be easy to “move around”. Many see it as the father of the popular iMac line that was introduced a year later, and to good reason: the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh provided a better way to manage and install cables, had a standalone keyboard and, overall, was the first example of “all-in-one” design.
A never-used Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh has surfaced on eBay, and it’s currently bidding at $1,025.00. The box was opened for inspection, but the computer was never used and the packaging parts are still sealed. From the description of the item:
The TAM comes in one large box, with four smaller boxes inside consisting of the accessory box, keyboard, system and subwoofer. The accessory box was opened only to inspect the condition of the batteries out of concern that the corrosion of them over time could have damaged other components. The batteries did in fact expand but did not leak, causing no damage to any of the other accessories. The accessories themselves are all new, otherwise untouched, including the thick users manual which is still shrink-wrapped, and a special TAM pen and pencil set which come in a special Apple embossed leather case. The system and subwoofer boxes remain sealed, and therefore are to be in perfect condition, but because testing was not performed this system is being sold in as-is condition. Servicing of TAM’s is no longer available directly from Apple, but may be available thru an independent authorized service center.
The “TAM” was only released in the US, Japan, France, Germany, and UK – this is a great chance to get your hands on it if you’ve got money to spend (the auction will likely go up very soon) and you want to add a piece of Apple’s Macintosh history to your collection. Check out a video of Jony Ive talking about the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh below, courtesy of Electronista.
Read more
Fresh Feed Elegantly Puts RSS In The Menubar
There are many ways to consume RSS feeds on the Mac platform: when it comes to syndicating content from your favorite websites, apps like NetNewsWire and the Reeder beta come to mind, although many people simply prefer to keep an eye on Google Reader (the most used service nowadays to subscribe and follow feeds) in their desktop browser.
Over the years several alternatives have surfaced that enable users to read RSS feeds in different ways on the desktop. Fresh Feed, a free utility in the Mac App Store, does what many other apps have tried, but in a very elegant way: it puts RSS items in the menubar, and allows you to open them as new tabs in the browser. Where Fresh Feed really shines, in my opinion, is the user interface: it looks like a bigger iPhone app placed in the menubar, yet it doesn’t feel “weird” as several other Mac apps that try to resemble their iOS counterparts. Its “cells” for new RSS entries look sweet and polished. They’re chronologically ordered, but you can scroll with your trackpad to load as many articles as you can. A click on the “more” button loads the item in your desktop browser, automatically leaving Fresh Feed. To add new RSS feeds, you have to open the Preferences and paste a website’s feed URL.
There’s no option to set refresh times or auto-import feeds from Google Reader, unfortunately. If you just want to use Fresh Feed to stay up to date with the articles from a specific website, however, and not your entire Google Reader list, this might just be the app you need.
Looking forward to future updates with more features, Fresh Feed is a free download in the Mac App Store.
Fruit Ninja Recreated In Motion Tracking Simulator
What’s better than slicing fruit on your virtual touchscreen? How about slicing fruit with a virtual lightsaber? Four students at the FH Wedel University of Applied Sciences in Germany took it upon themselves to implement Fruit Ninja with a Wiimote, 5.1 sound, and something called CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment). Haptic feedback can be felt through the floor (what the students call a “butt-kick”), and a total of four displays surround students as they stand within an enclosure and wave a Wiimote. Bombs explode, beam swords are raised, and it could be the next Dance Dance Revolution if you’re for a good cardio workout. It’s certainly more practical than real life Fruit Ninja. Check out the vid after the break.
[thegadgetsite via Crunchgear]
WWDC To Be Software Focused, No iPhone 5 Launch?
There is speculation today from Loop Insight that this year’s WWDC, to be held from June 6 , will not include any new hardware announcements – namely the iPhone. Apple said in its press release earlier today that WWDC ’11 will focus on unveiling “the future of iOS and Mac OS.”
Based on information from his sources and the focus of the press release, Jim Dalrymple believes that this means more than just a strong focus on iOS and OS X, but a complete focus on the software driving Apple’s hardware forward. The iPhone 5 has, until now, largely been expected to launch as previous iPhones have, during the WWDC launch. Dalrymple contemplates that instead of a new iPhone taking stage it would be Lion, which is set to launch around WWDC and the ever-important iOS.
Apple Australia Lets You Reserve An iPad 2 For Pickup
If you’re on the hunt for an iPad 2 and live in Australia you might just have a good chance of snapping one up from an Apple Store by reserving one online. That’s right, Apple Australia is letting customers reserve iPad 2’s for pick-up at an Apple Store and the next day no less!
There is however a (large) caveat in that you can only reserve an iPad 2 if that particular store has them in stock – and after going live only 3 hours ago I’ve looked through most of the Australian Apple Stores and none have stock of any of the 12 models. Apple Stores do however receive stock fairly frequently, at least a few times a week so keep checking if you’ve missed out in this first batch of reservable iPad 2’s.
If you live close enough to an Australian Apple retail store and want to reserve an iPad 2 for pickup, jump over to the Apple retail site. At this stage it seems that Apple isn’t offering to do reserve iPad 2’s in any other country but one would suspect they may transition this system internationally and hopefully soon as it sure beats going to an Apple store everyday to ask if they have the model you want in stock.
[Via MacTalk]
Kickstarter Project - The Cosmonaut: A Wide-Grip Stylus for Touch Screens
Last year before everyone was using Kickstarter, a new iPhone accessory showed up on the site and was a phenomenal success. It was “The Glif” - a tripod mount / stand. We’ve covered it’s rise to popularity here on MacStories. The creators of The Glif, Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt, are back with a new project, named The Cosmonaut.
The Cosmonaut is a minimal, wide-grip capacitive stylus for touch screen devices (not just the iPad). They modeled this new product after a dry-erase marker since it makes more sense on an iPad than a small stylus that people use on smartphones.
Video after the break. Read more
Apple Design Awards 2011 To Feature Both iOS and Mac Apps
Together with the official announcement of WWDC 2011, Apple also put a teaser page up for the Apple Design Awards, which recognize “apps that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design.” Unlike last year, this year’s ADAs will feature both iOS and Mac apps: in 2010, Mac software was surprisingly excluded and iOS was the focus. Steve Jobs said that it was “just the normal cycle of things”. Among the winners of the 2010 edition: Flight Control HD, Star Walk and Doodle Jump.
At the WWDC 2011 Apple will award outstanding apps for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apps that are “currently on the App Store and demonstrate excellence in the following areas:”
- Design: Well designed apps are delightful, elegant, intuitive, engaging, exciting, compelling, and reliable.
- Innovation: Innovative apps are revolutionary, inspirational, unique, and do things in completely new and exciting ways.
- Technical excellence: Technically advanced apps have excellent performance and make extensive use of the latest Apple technologies to deliver innovative, platform differentiating, and advanced features.
To be eligible for the Apple Design Awards 2011, apps must be available in the App Store by May 23. More details and frequently asked questions here.