Intel Launching Light Peak on Thursday, MacBook Pros Launch Not A Coincidence?

CNET reports Intel will hold a press event on Thursday to officially “roll out” (presumably to manufacturers) its Light Peak technology:

Intel on Thursday plans to roll out Light Peak, a high-speed connection technology that Apple is also likely to adopt, according to an industry source familiar with the details of the event.

Intel released a statement to the media today saying that on Thursday in San Francisco it will “host a…press briefing to discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market.”

There will also be a media event held the same day at the Intel campus in Santa Clara, Calif., where the chipmaker will conduct technology and product demonstrations.

The rumored February 24th release date for the new MacBook Pros doesn’t sound like a simple coincidence at this point. Several bloggers noted that it’d be unusual for Apple to introduce new hardware on a Thursday, but the Intel media event backs up previous rumors that the new MBP line will feature the fast Light Peak technology. We’ll see.

Apple To Unveil “Joint Venture” Service at Retail Meeting This Weekend

Earlier today a report from AppleInsider suggested Apple might hold a “secret”, all-hands meeting with Apple Store employees this weekend, most specifically on Sunday right after the stores’ regular closing time. Speculation among blogs and publications were quick to indicate that the meeting could be about the new MacBook Pros (although we don’t know why, considering they’re rumored to come out on Thursday), the next iPad or an upcoming Apple event.

While it appears that both the iPad 2 and an Apple event are happening next week, BGR reports that the meeting will focus on a new retail service called “Joint Venture”. The service, aimed at small businesses and “prosumers”, sounds like a new kind of technical support provided by Apple’s Geniuses:

Joint Venture is an extension of Apple’s current Genius Bar services that is aimed at small businesses and prosumers. Subscribers of the new service will be able to speak with a store-based Apple technician — lovingly referred to as Geniuses — over the phone for one-on-one consultation and troubleshooting, or they can request an on-site visit.

The interesting part is that, currently, Apple Geniuses can’t provide phone and on-site support. Apple is expanding its support policy which, if you ask us, is just a great thing. Employees will be briefed about this new service on Sunday. On a side note, TUAW reported yesterday Apple is changing the way the Consultants Network handles requests.

Update: Stephen Hackett at ForkBombr (former Apple Genius) shares his thoughts on Apple’s plan to include on-site and phone support in the Genius Bar offerings:

On-site support and time for one-to-one care are two things that have set Apple-Authorized Service Providers and members of the Apple Consultants Network apart from Apple retail. Apple has been ramping up its in-store business sales teams over the last 18 months or so, and so far, that has paid off for third-party Apple shops in the form of numerous small business installs and support gigs.

If Apple store employees do venture out into the world, it could spell bad news for small Apple shops (like the one I used to manage). If given a choice, many may choose an “official” Apple support route over a third-party. That would cripple many small companies.

iPad 2: The Rumor Timeline

With the iPad 2 announcement reportedly scheduled for a media event next week in San Francisco, it’s time to take a step back and re-analyze rumors posted in past months about the next-generation device. If rumors are of any indication and sources to be trusted, this little trip down the memory lane should give us a quick recap of the details we think we know about the iPad 2.

So read along after the break, and let’s see what the Apple rumor mill offered so far about the new tablet. Read more

#MacStoriesDeals - Tuesday

So, an unofficial iPad 2 announcement for Wednesday, March 2. Do you believe? 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!

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iPad 2 Event on March 2?

All Things Digital reports Apple will unveil the iPad 2 next week, at a media event on March 2:

To those who intensely cares about this kind of stuff–which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem–Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad.

It’s not clear when Apple will begin sending out its famous invites for gathering, but I am guessing soon, in order to get the Apple faithful to the proper level of froth.

Invitations for the event haven’t been sent out to bloggers and journalists yet, and if the date is real this time, we suspect it may happen as early as tonight or tomorrow morning. Note that March 2nd is a Wednesday, a day that fits Apple’s typical patterns for media events. It is also unclear whether Apple will hold a smaller event for the announcement in Cupertino, or at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Steve Jobs won’t likely announce the product on stage, leaving the presentation to Tim Cook and Phil Schiller – like in 2009 for the iPhone 3GS media event (when Jobs was on a medical leave of absence). The Yerba Buena Center calendar indeed shows there are no available programs on March 2. Read more

Smartr Launches Web App to “Read Twitter” From Your Browser

I am a huge fan of the Smartr Twitter app. Smartr, in case you missed my review, is an elegant Twitter client that, instead of focusing just on your timeline and letting you tweet like other apps do, provides a neat way to strip away tweets that don’t have http:// links, and formats articles coming from Twitter in an uncluttered view. Sort of like Flipboard, but meant for Twitter on the iPhone.

The concept is simple: you log in with your Twitter account, and the app only displays messages that contain links to webpages. These status updates, however, don’t appear in the app’s timeline as the original tweets — rather, they’re formatted to be visualized with the article’s title, a thumbnail preview of the first image and a short excerpt. Just like in Flipboard, Twitter becomes a “news aggregator” of links shared by people you follow, with the app excluding unrelated material like Foursquare check-ins, pictures and tweets that don’t come with links. Smartr is a Twitter client that uses the platform to fetch content available on the web. Because of that, it also makes sure content is formatted for the iPhone’s screen with the possibility to display the original, unformatted webpage.

Smartr is launching a web version of their Twitter utility today, allowing users to log in with their account from the browser and read news aggregated from the service without using the mobile app. The web app doesn’t come with all the features seen in Smartr for iPhone, as it’s a simple, continually updating list of links found in your timeline. These links are given a visual preview with an image thumbnail and an excerpt, together with the original tweet and author displayed inline.

Speaking to The Next Web, Smartr developer Temo Chalasani says:

We built this web application because a lot of our mobile users were demanding a desktop Smartr client. The webapp is still in its infancy, but we hope to bring the Smartr experience to the web through this release.

Indeed the web app is very straightforward right now and doesn’t let you do much besides opening articles in new browser tabs, but I like the fact that there’s a real-time update at the top for news posted while you were reading. Check out the web app here, and go download Smartr from the App Store.

Jim Dalrymple: iPhone 5 and iPad 2 Not Delayed→

Jim Dalrymple: iPhone 5 and iPad 2 Not Delayed

The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple pours cold water on today’s rumors of a “delay” for the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 which, he notes, can’t be really “delayed” as they haven’t even been announced yet.

From what I’ve heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to. Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

It seems amazing that rumors of Apple missing product deadlines are running rampant when Apple hasn’t even announced the product yet. The only deadlines that have been set are by the media, not Apple.

Jim has a great track record and his sources are usually spot-on. Like we said this morning those rumors felt very inconsistent, and we believe Jim when he says Apple is on track to ship the next generation iPhone and iPad without “delays”.

Update: Reuters and Barron’s are now claiming the rumors are false, too. Both websites cite sources close to Apple and people familiar with the matter as sources denying a delay for the rumored iPhone 5 and iPad 2 releases.

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Wunderlist For iOS Gets A Hefty Update To 1.2.0

Wunderlist Features

Wunderlist Features

Wunderlist is an excellent, cross-platform alternative to apps like Things if you want to access your to-do lists anywhere, and today there’s a big update that brings even more functionality to the already flexible manager. Alongside visual improvements to the interface between a new icon, some sidebar adjustments, and three new backgrounds, the iOS version has been updated to support landscape mode, push notifications, and email tasking (manage your tasks from your inbox). Wunderlist also sports a new date picker and an “optimized” detail view for tasks. If you’re a Wunderlist user, check the App Store to download the latest free update.