apple

Just a day after we reported the expectation that Apple was about to reveal a new line of cheaper but still very sleek laptops, the Cupertino-based company has disappointed many with little more than updates to its already semi-popular line of Mac ... notebook computers. In recent days, excitement has ramped up over what was expected to be a cheaper but still very unique brand of Apple laptop computers. Even the competition got caught up in the fervor; Microsoft exec Brad Cook went on the record to announce that even if Apple sliced prices (which even he expected Apple to do), the cost of adding ... (view more)

Ever heard of the Apple Tax? Neither have we, though one Microsoft executive is adamant that to buy an Apple Macintosh computer is to sacrifice hard-earned dollars when customizing your shiny new machine. In a recent interview, vice president of ... Windows Consumer Product Marketing Brad Brooks discussed the additional costs Apple buyers face when trying to pencil in Windows Vista or XP compatibility. Brooks argues that those costs associated with customizing the operating system, applications, and even laptop or desktop colors can make Mac machines much higher than their anticipated cost. "It's ... (view more)

A Vancouver, British Columbia school is facing an uphill battle after tech titan Apple recently told them it was considering legal action over the institution's use of a very familiar logo. The Victoria School of Business and Technology -- a ... computer school -- uses a logo that strongly resembles Apple's own. However, there are critical differences: although Apple's apple features the famous bite-mark and can be typically found in solid red or a transparent shade, the British Columbia school's logo is slightly smaller, can be identified by its green and blue colors, and includes the letters " ... (view more)

iPhone developers are rejoicing after Apple recently lifted its Non-Disclosure Agreement for iPhone software. In a statement on the company's website, Apple said, "We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone ... software. We put the NDA in place because the iPhone operating system (OS) includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect... However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone's success, so we are dropping it for released software." (Source: apple.com ... (view more)

Apple shares briefly dropped in value by more than 5% in the wake of a false rumour claiming the company's chief had suffered a heart attack. The bogus report has sparked debate about the dangers of so-called 'citizen journalism'. The report claimed ... Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack and been taken to hospital. It gained some credibility by appearing on CNN's website, though it appeared in the iReport section dedicated to 'citizen journalism'. Anyone who wants can post a report and CNN disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy of stories posted there. Apple only took 12 minutes to ... (view more)

Apple has threatened that if royalty rates for digital downloads increase, as is likely to happen this week, it might shut down the iTunes store. But analysts say the firm is highly unlikely to follow through on the threat. Apple first made the ... stern warning at least 18 months ago in a written submission to the Copyright Royalty Board but has only just emerged. iTunes vice president Eddy Cue wrote that if the store " were forced to absorb any increase in the mechanical royalty rates, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss -- ... (view more)

Norway's leading consumer advocate wants to bring down Apple's "walled garden" between the iPod music player and the iTunes online retail store. Bjorn Erik Thon, Norway's consumer ombudsman, says he is going to ask the country's Market Council -- a ... court that has legal authority to make companies change their business practices -- to force Apple to allow competition within the iTunes-iPod ecosphere. (Source: guardian.co.uk ) Currently, Apple's iPod is the only portable device that can sync with iTunes and the iTunes store. Since its launch in 2003, The iTunes Store, Apple's online retail arm ... (view more)

For those of you who hated the Seinfeld Microsoft adverts -- and your responses tell us there are quite a few of you -- there's good news. The tales of Jerry and Bill are done for now, replaced by a relatively direct response to Apple's ... long-standing campaign, "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC." According to Microsoft, this was the plan all along: a spokesman says the two Gates and Seinfeld ads were simply a teaser and the firm hasn't cut the series short. That makes the ads -- short on either plot or message -- even more baffling, as well as making Seinfeld's $10 million payoff seem even more ... (view more)

A consortium of Hollywood studios, retailers, service providers and other tech companies are banding together to liberalize digital media while still retaining property rights. Called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), the group's ... basic premise is to give users the ability to store digital content remotely and access it anywhere across multiple platforms including home-based and portable players. DECE members are hoping their plan will replace the "ease and comfort" that users now experience with DVDs. (Source: reuters.com ) Of course, in a digital world the rules are a ... (view more)

Apple has raised more controversy among iPhone users after refusing to 'stock' a podcast utility in the iTunes Apps store. Apple says the feature simply duplicates iTunes itself, but critics say the firm is embarrassed that an outside programmer has ... produced a better service. Alex Sokirynsky developed 'Podcaster' as a feature to help people download and listen to podcasts on their iPhones. He submitted it for distribution through the iTunes store in mid-August but Apple has now rejected the product. According to Sokirynsky, Apple told him "Since Podcaster assists in the distribution of ... (view more)