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Posts tagged with "apple"

You Too Can Have A Macintosh Portable Prototype on eBay

Long before iBooks and MacBooks, there was the Macintosh Portable. Released in 1989, the press loved it but consumer sales weren’t that great. The device was Apple’s first attempt to produce a portable, battery-based Macintosh computer that featured an LCD screen and a rechargeable battery. The machine also had a physical keyboard and a trackball to use as a mouse.

Looking back, the Macintosh Portable looks like the perfect piece of old Apple hardware to buy and keep jealously in your room. Now you can, as a prototype has been posted for sale on eBay. The unit is described as “absolutely mint, flawless, clean prototype Macintosh Portable” which was meant for sale – a label on the bottom of the computer confirms that “it is intended for demonstration purposes only”. The only caveat is that this prototype isn’t actually working as there seems to be a problem with the internal battery. It looks perfect on the outside, but it won’t turn on.

Bids start at $1,750.00. More photos are available on eBay, and if you plan on purchasing the item – be quick. After all, it’s an Apple prototype.

iTunes 12 Days of Christmas: Day 2

Thanks to the iTunes 12 Days of Christmas promotion, every day from December 26th to January 6th users will be able to download a “fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps, books, TV episodes and a film” completely for free on iTunes.

The free app for iPhone and iPad that lets you receive push notifications for daily offers is available here.

Today, you can download a free Christmas Special episode of Father Ted. iPhone game “The Mystery of the Crystal Portal” is given away in other European stores.

Stay tuned for promotions coming every day until January 6.

2011 Isn’t 1995 For Apple→

2011 Isn’t 1995 For Apple

But I look at who is making money. Back in 1995 developers were mostly making money from DOS. Remember, this caused WordPerfect and Borland to make bad bets. They bet on DOS for too long, while Bill Gates went and built some of the first and best Macintosh apps. The lesson, though, doesn’t pass from 1995 to 2011. Today where are most of the developers making their money? iOS (according to Sephora, Starbucks, OpenTable, eBay, and many other developers). So, Android has to convince developers to switch, or do both platforms at same time. That’s quite different.

I guess the social cycle theory doesn’t really apply to technology. Maybe because the factors that influence tech progress change at a faster rate than human ones.

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Mossberg Declares iPad “Best Product of 2010”

WSJ tech journalist Walt Mossberg thinks Apple’s iPad is the best product of 2010. The iPad is “amazing” and thanks to the new iOS 4.2 and huge selection of apps available, it “continues to stay ahead of the competition”. Competition that saw devices like the Dell Streak released in 2010, which Mossberg calls a “tweener” that’s “too big to be a phone yet too small to be a tablet”. The Samsung Galaxy S and iPhone 4 both ranked third in Mossberg’s chart of best products.

As for the second place:

High-speed 4G networks in the United States took the second spot. As the world goes more mobile, the availability of faster networks is critical. Today, 3G networks are bursting at the seams, and the promise of these networks will be something to watch closely in 2011.

We might argue on the relevance of 4G networks in 2010, as they seem more “promising” than actually available right now. There’s no doubt, though, that better and faster mobile networks will expand in 2011. We look forward to seeing what Mossberg’s “best & worst” chart will look like in 2011.

iTunes 12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

As announced two weeks ago, today Apple launched the “iTunes 12 Days of Christmas” promotion across European iTunes and App Stores. Every day from December 26th to January 6th, users will be able to download a “fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps, books, TV episodes and a film” completely for free on iTunes.

The free app for iPhone and iPad that lets you receive push notifications for daily offers is available here.

While a first free download showed up on December 17, the promotion officially starts today with “Day 1”. Today, you can download “Promise This - Christmas Bundle” by Cheryl Cole entirely for free. At least in the UK Store, as it appears a Vasco Rossi is given away in the Italian iTunes Store. The Cheryl Cole bundle includes a song and a video to download from the iTunes app.

Stay tuned for promotions coming every day until January 6.

Apple: Everything That Happened in 2010 [Video]

We know 2010 has been a terrific year for Apple. New MacBooks, New iMacs / Mac Minis and Mac Pros, the iPhone 4, the iPad. Not to mention the new & improved Apple TV, iOS 4, Retina Display on the iPod touch, the fiscal results….overall, it’s been a good year. One of those that will end up on Wikipedia someday.

The video below puts all of this in perspective by placing all the events that marked Apple’s 2010 in chronological order.

“We think it’s great.”

[via Seth Weintraub]

Financial Times: Steve Jobs ‘Person of the Year’→

Financial Times: Steve Jobs ‘Person of the Year’

When Steven Paul Jobs first hit the headlines, he was younger even than Mark Zuckerberg is now. Long before it was cool to be a nerd, his formative role in popularising the personal computer, and Apple’s initial public offering on Wall Street – which came when Mr Jobs was still only 25 – made him the tech industry’s first rock star.

Now, three decades on, he has secured his place in the foremost ranks of the West Coast tech titans who have done so much to shape the world around the turn of the millennium.

And here’s why: “The worst thing that could possibly happen as we get big and a get a little more influence in the world is if we change our core values and start letting it slide. I can’t do that. I’d rather quit.”

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iPhones and iPads Take Over The Italian Parliament

In spite of the major conflicts and debates going on right now in the Italian Parliament, it seems like every member agrees on one thing: getting an Apple device for Christmas. As noted by iSpazio, members and senators from PD, PDL (Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi’s party) and FLI are all getting iPads from Santa.

It is unknown whether the devices will be gifted as a “bonus” for personal use or will be deployed for work purposes in the Parliament. We read about the iPad being used by congressmen at the U.S. House of Representatives before, and at the White House, too. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Italian Parliament coming up with its own apps to check on daily appointements, logs and activities.

As iSpazio also notes, members of FLI will be able to choose from iPads and iPhones. Not bad!  Why not giving away some Macs as well at this point? I think members would enjoy an awesome app like Screens.

“Designed by Apple in California”→

“Designed by Apple in California”

Designed by Apple in California is usually presented dramatically and in isolation. Often you see it after opening a flap or unfolding a panel. It stands alone as a single line of type on a solid field. There is never anything that distracts from it. The early cube-shaped iPod packages were the best at this. You’d remove the sleeve, unfold two panels, and there it was. The next fold revealed the device. That I still remember this sequence says a lot about how powerful the experience was.

I remember unboxing my first iPod to find that line. I’m pretty sure Apple thinks it’s magical.

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