Steve Jobs has passed away...

Steve Jobs
1955-2011

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

(taken from Apple's website in remembrance of Steve Jobs)

It was the best of times and the worst..

In remembrance of one of the greatest men of our time..

From Mirko to Steve.....

Thank you Steve for giving us so many amazing things in our lives.

I can say that our lives will never be the same and we have definitely become better because of it. You have given us the opportunity to grow world wide as an Apple family.

Our bond transcends all race, sex and boundaries world wide.

Namaste,

Happy 10th Birthday Mac OS X

image found on MacRumors.com

Today (March 24, 2011) marks the tenth birthday of Mac OS X. It made its first debut on March 24, 2001 as the memorable Mac OS X 10.0. Mac OS X was a major change for the famous Mac OS. It integrated NeXT company technology (OPENSTEP OS) and FreeBSD UNIX. In the beginning it did have some issues as quoted below, but what company's great products doesn't have some little bumps along the road to greatness.

"Mac OS X shows tremendous promise, which is a nice way of saying that the 10.0 release is not quite ready for prime time. This is most certainly an early adopter's OS release. Interface responsiveness and effective stability are the two biggest fundamental problems, but missing features and compatibility issues rank just as high if you actually intend to use OS X as a full Mac OS 9 replacement: the 10.0 release cannot view DVD movies; printer drivers are still scarce; CD burning is not yet supported, even by Apple's own iTunes CD authoring application; and a lot of hardware (like my G3/400's serial port adapter to which my printer is attached) seem destined to be orphaned forever."

Mac OS X Public Versions:
10.0 - Codename: Cheetah, released March 24, 2001
10.1 - Codename: Puma, released September 25, 2001
10.2 - Codename: Jaguar, released August 24, 2002
10.3 - Codename: Panther, released October 24, 2003
10.4 - Codename: Tiger, released April 29, 2005
10.5 - Codename: Leopard, released October 26, 2007
10.6 - Codename: Snow Leopard, released August 28, 2009
10.7 - Codename: Lion, expected released Summer 2011

The next install of Mac OS X is known as Lion (10.7) and is expected to come roaring through sometime this summer with the theme of "Back to the Mac", an effort to come full circle with some of the great features we know and love in the iOS platforms.

So Happy 10th Birthday Mac OS X, you've come a long way and it shows. We all love you and wish you a bright and happy future..

Apple unveils new line of Macbook Pros Today

image found on Apple.com Macbook pro info website

Apple in its traditional sense of blowing our minds with new items really set a new bar today. As we all celebrate Steve Jobs birthday today. Apple came out with a whole new line of Macbook Pro laptops for us to choose from. The whole line of MacBook Pros (13, 15 and 17 inch) has been revamped with more power and speed for us to really blow our minds when we use them.

The 13 inch Macbook Pro now comes with a core i5 or i7 processor, which is great news for many people who were disappointed with the previous 2010 release with just options up to a 2.6 dual core processor. This in itself is great news but what is really blowing peoples minds today is the new Thunderbolt connection. When you look on the side profile of the laptop. You will noticed the typical connection ports.

But, not the Mini Diplay port option. That port now has a little Thunder bolt icon next to it. The Thunderbolt high speed connector is the Intel previously named light peak technology. This port can be used for video but also data too. Its designed to be daisy chained together. Plus, its going to offer up to 10 Gbps data transfer rate. This speed alone will drastically reduce backup times.

On top of this the company Lacie today has unveiled its first thunderbolt drive. They are the first company offering this on the market. Its rumored that the drive will offer two 250 GB SSD drives inside to help give the performance speed desired. No date has been given for when these will be available for the public.

Happy 56th Birthday Steve Jobs

On Thursday February 24th, Steve Jobs the co-founder and Chief Executive of Apple will turn 56. I think the whole Apple world will be celebrating with him and his family. I am happy to see Steve turn 56 and I am proud to say "God Bless you and your family Steve". You have given us so many amazing new wonderful things throughout the years and I wish you the best and most amazing year of your life. I believe you are a strong and amazing man that will over come any obstacles in your way.

I can say that my life has never been the same since I tried my first mac many many years ago and I feel blessed that I have been able to use Apple products in my life. Thank you Steve for all you have done and given us.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Steve, Happy Birthday to you

Apple sends out media invites for iPad 2 event

image found on AppleInsider.com

Well folks the wait is over for the new iPad 2. Apple has sent out media invites for a special invitation only show unveiling the new iPad 2 on March 2.

It will be interesting to see what never features will be available on one of the most popular tablets of our time. I have been hearing all sorts of things from a better display to more storage capacity to now 3 different versions coming in the flavors of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi + CDMA and Wi-Fi+GSM.

Christmas comes early from Apple to stores

image found on Appleinsider website

According to a report from Apple Insider today it looks like some stores will be getting a sealed package from Apple this week. They also have strict warnings that they are not to breach the sealed pallets.

Could this be the new shipments of MacBook Pro's.....

Verizon iPhone 4 upgrade update

Well folks i got my Verizon iPhone 4 this week and this weekend i got it setup and running. After playing with it now for a while doing all sorts of things on it including using several different kind of apps all i can say is "i love my Verizon iPhone."

Even though it was a bit of a pain with my upgrade. I can honestly say i am a happy Verizon customer now. I am now joining the ranks of the other people who have been rejoicing and happy with the new Verizon iPhone.

I am looking forward to seeing what the new iPhone 5 will be coming out with and when a Verizon CDMA version will be available. I wouldn't be to surprised if it comes out with the AT&T GSM since a recent tear down online unveiled that the new Verizon iPhone had both circuit systems built on board, both GSM and CDMA. Also, i wouldn't be surprised if a world model is available soon with a software switch over for network version too.

Think Different - Japanese version

Even though its in Japanese, it still has a way of touching me when i watch and listen to it.

Pres. Obama has dinner with the tech giants

Photo found on CNN.com website

This morning the White House released a photo of President Obama having dinner last night with Steve Jobs (Apple), Eric Schmidt (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) plus the heads of such tech companies as Twitter, Oracle, Stanford University, Yahoo and Netflix. The dinner was at the home of John and Ann Doerr in San Francisco Bay. It was held to discuss future issues in the tech world including the options for job creations too.

It was nice to see Steve Jobs sitting next to President Obama wearing his black mock turtleneck shirt.

Think Different 2008 Edition

Mind Mapping comes to iPad with iMindMap Mobile HD

When it comes to taking notes or putting together thoughts and ideas no technique comes close to MindMapping. This amazing way of starting with a central idea then branching out from there is one of the best ways of taking notes. The key to using this type of technique is to use only 3 - 4 words per branch. Giving yourself key words and ideas to branch out your thoughts.

This form of note taking has been found to stick in peoples minds for longer periods of times and also when students have come back to notes years later, the ideas and thoughts seem to come back even faster then the conventional way of taking notes.

The Mind Mapping software has been available for years for your computer. But, now it is out for the Apple iPad. This gives you the power to take your thoughts and ideas with you where ever you go. Plus, you can sync back to your desktop to edit your thoughts there too.
Check out the link on ThinkBuzan to see how awesome this app really is to use. At the bottom of the page they have a video showing how easy and fun it is to use too. Watch the whole video because at the end they show one even more incredible feature available.

This feature is to connect it to your external projector and give presentations right from your iPad on to the screen. As you give it. You start with the central idea and you can build your branches out during the presentation. Giving you a great way to walk your audience through the material.

Chicago - New Apple Store Opens up in Lincoln Park Tomorrow at 10:30am

This weekend Apple will be opening up a new store in Chicago's Lincoln Park Neighborhood at 10:30am. The store is located at the corner of North Ave & Halsted in Chicago.

Come one, come all to the grand new Apple store. Below is a video showing the outside buildings features and location.. enjoy and see you there.

Steve Jobs Stopped by Japanese Security at Kansai International Airport in July

Updated: 9/14/2010
Kowa Bunga Dude, Turns out the Ninja throwing star story is all fiction. It seems the Japanese tabloids got us with their fabled story about Steve Jobs....

“Steve did visit Japan this summer for a vacation in Kyoto, but the incidents described at the airport are pure fiction," the statement reads. "Steve had a great time and hopes to visit Japan again soon.”

Apple debunks bogus story of Steve Jobs throwing star trouble, AppleInsider

***************************************************
Reports are coming out now that the great Ninja Man Steve Jobs got stopped at Kansai International airport in Japan in July while returning home from a family vacation. The reason why, he had a ninja throwing star in his carry on bag. But, the funny thing was that he was boarding his own private jet.

"Jobs said it wouldn't make sense for a person to try to hijack his own plane, according to the report," the translation reads. "He then told officials he would never visit Japan again, the magazine reported. Apple declined to comment."

A spokesman for the airport did confirm some of the information but not the name of the person it happened too.

Japanese security forbids Steve Jobs from boarding own jet with throwing stars, AppleInsider

Amazon Lets the hat out of the bag for iLife 11

Earlier today i was reading an article on AppleInsider about the new iLife '11 Family pack being seen on Amazon.com. So i went and checked it out, sure enough there was a box and it was for iLife 11 just as they reported. But, later on today as i sat down to write this entry i went to check back at the listing and it was removed from Amazon. If you check out the link you will notice that there was a listing for iLife 11 even though it is no longer there.

(http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iLife11-FP-iLife-Family/dp/B003XKXN0S?tag=reality&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001AMPP0W&adid=0Z67NHH7X5WWSM57MSQM&)

The weird thing was, it was shown originally posted in July with shipment dates happening 2 weeks to 4 weeks with an option to buy on the page. I think someone realized they made a mistake and shouldn't have posted the listing...I wouldn't be surprised if someone from Apple was reading the various Apple related pages and came across this article / listing then made a call.

Now when you go and search on Amazon for iLife the only thing that is popping up are the current versions iLife '09 regular and family edition.. So when will iLife 11 be coming out?

Apple Special Event Sept 1, 2010

Photo was found on http://www.macrumors.com/

Tonight i had a bit of free time so i sat down to watch the stream from the Apple Special Event that was held on Sept 1, 2010 with Steve Jobs. It was fantastic. Steve you always know how to blow our minds and this event was Awesome... Thank You.

Photo was found on http://www.macrumors.com/

Steve unveiled a few new amazing things including the new iTunes 10 with a host of great new music social features to make sure you are always connected with your friends and music. Which was available later on that day (Sept 1st) for download for both Mac and PC.

Photo was found on http://www.appleinsider.com/

Another thing that was unveiled was a new line up of iPods, including an updated slimmer iPod touch with front and rear mounted camera's.

Photo was found on http://www.appleinsider.com/

This gave users now the option to do face time just like the iPhone along with the same amazing display (Retina Display) offered on the Apple iPhone 4. The rear mounted camera can record in 720 HD and you can also edit video content right on the device.


We also saw a new smaller version of Apple TV, where content is no longer stored on a hard drive but streamed directly to your unit, either by Wi-Fi or Ethernet wire.

Along with a taste of iOS 4.2 and its new features which look fantastic. Plus, an option to print from the iPad too wirelessly, and the ability to stream audio, video and photos using a new feature called Air Play.

It was a great show with some nice music to close out the presentation.

If you haven't had a chance to view it yet, I recommend you take the time and watch the show to see all the new goodies Apple has to offer, you won't be disappointed. I have always believed and felt that Steve Jobs is an amazing presenter and Apple has always given us the best that technology has to offer... enjoy and don't forget to put your order in for your new Apple item.

Strange things at Apple.....

This weekend as i was reading through the various spots on the net, I came across something interesting i wanted to bring to your attention. It seems that Steve Wozniak recently reached out to Gizmodo (the people that brought you the lost 4G iPhone, broken down in pieces) to speak out about a few things at Apple.

Photo found on MacRumors.com

It turns out that the early morning of the iPad launch, an apple engineer shows Woz an Apple iPad unit for two minutes. Because he did this, he was fired.

Now a few months later, we have an Apple engineer who goes out celebrating his birthday with a prototype next gen 4G iPhone, which he looses in a bar. Then someone picks it up, plays with it. Even comments on how the camera was crashing and mentions two sets of bar codes on the back of the unit. Then the iPhone ends up at Gizmodo, where it is broken down and demonstrated in detail. But, the unit seems to have its OS and content remotely erased (some think via mobile me) and they can't get the phone to come up working when at Gizmodo.

When the news comes out no one knows what to believe, is it real or a fake. But, its then definitely confirmed with a letting from a V.P. Gen. Council at Apple on its immediate return. The item gets returned to Apple. Everything is now fine and dandy.

The engineer doesn't loose his job and it seems that he is still with the company. A police task force is now set upon investigating Gizmodo for various possible crimes on having the unit in its possession.

Does this just sound a bit too strange or what. I mean if you remember back when the Apple iPad was a mysterious new device. The word after it was debuted to the public was that people who had the unit, pre-launch had to demonstrate to Apple these overly protective security measures were in place from blackening the windows of the room to keeping the unit in a specially sealed box, locked away, so no one would see the unit.

Then you hear about an engineer showing Woz (father of Apple Computer) the unit on the day but before the debut. Which if you are like most, you too consider Woz an Apple employee for life. Then that guy gets fired.

Now an engineer looses something major and its all ok. I have to say it almost seems like a planned loss to generate either hype or interest to see what people will say or not about the device. This is just my opinion. But, it just doesn't make sense when you look at what a few months ago was something not nearly as Major as what just happened and that engineer got fired.

I will leave my thoughts for you to decide. I love my Apple Computer and whole host of other devices i own and use. But, it sure sounds a bit strange for Apple to be so calm about an employee loosing such a device which is a major prototype release. I am not just buying it.

Apple ads new line of MacBook Pro's

The day has finally come Tuesday April 13, 2010, Apple has debuted the long awaited upgrade of its MacBook Pro Line. All three sizes of Laptops have been upgraded.

The 13 inch models stayed with the Core 2 Duo processors offering options from 2.26Ghz to 2.66Ghz. This model also has a new NVidia GeForce 320M integrated Graphics Processor designed just for Apple with claims of up to 80% new graphics power with a savings of up to 40% in power usage. Also, in this small size comes a battery with a life up too 10 hours of power use.

The 15 inch and 17 inch models are equipped with the new Core i series processors, offering a core i5 or i7 model options. These units also offer the NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics power with a 256 or 512 MB of memory option, automatic graphic switching option installed to switch between to offer better power and efficiency when being used.

All the new MacBook Pro's offer:
A hard disc option up to a 500 GB, 7200 rpm Sata drive or a 512 GB Solid State drive with a heafty price to boot.

There is also an enhanced multi-touch trackpad that supports inertial scrolling. Imagine being able to flick as you scroll or even use different kinds of gestures to move.

Battery Replacement info:
With these models having the sealed battery design the cost to replace the battery is running:
13 inch and 15 battery replacement - $129
17 inch battery replacement - $179

This has certainly been a nice new surprise from Apple today. But, I have to admit I was hoping to see some integration of USB 3.0 into these models because Apple has always been the one to push the limits on new innovative designs and port options. The good thing is the 17" model does have a Express Card/34 slot. So if you wanted to try USB 3.0 now you could get a card to fit in that slot and give it a try.

I would love to see some performance marks on the 17" loaded up with a Core i7 2.66 Ghz Processor and the Solid State drive installed compared to various models running a 5,200 & 7,200 SATA drive.

Microcenter - New Apple Entries Appear

image courtesy of MacRumors website:

With rumors last week of the new line of Apple laptops appearing this upcoming week, a new suprise welcomes even more rumors. Today, Microcenter adds 4 new Apple Mac related sku's to their inventory system with an assorted range of prices:

Sku: 653402, Apple, Apple System Good - USA, Mfg. Part# MC371LL/A, Price $1,799.99

Sku: 653444, Apple, Mac system #1 Best - USA, Mfg. Part# MC373LL/A, Price $2,199.99

Sku: 653451, Apple, Mac system # 2 Best - USA, Mfg. Part# MC024LL/A, Price $2,299.99

Sku: 653485, Apple, Mac system Better - USA, Mfg. Part# MC372LL/A, Price $1,999.99

It looks like 4 different systems are in the mix. These could be assorted 15" and 17" ($2,299.99). But, lets not forget the 13" too. There is currently a 13" model and nothing has been mentioned about it being discontinued. I wonder which flavor of core i processors will be available: i3, i5 or i7. Currently, the rumor of Tuesday April 13th still stands for the announcement of the new laptop series upgrade.

Also, don't forget there is also supposted to be an upgrade for the MacBooks too.

Apple's iPhone Software 4.0 preview

Earlier today if you were like a lot of us, you were glued to the tweets from those who were lucky enough to attend Apple's preview of the New iPhone Software 4.0. It was nothing short of spectacular. The long anticipated rumors were true, Multi-tasking on the iPhone for 3rd party apps is finally here.

There has been a long time misconception that the iPhone did not multi-task. Well actually it does but only with Apple software. For the longest time before it did not allow multi-taking with third party apps. But, in the new preview of Apple iPhone OS 4.0 we got a great show of multi-taking iPhone style. It was a great sight too see. So it means that "users will finally be able to switch back and forth between applications like Pandora and Skype without having to shut down the app entirely to enter a new one. "


There were so many great new things shown to us today, I don't know where to begin.

Folders:
You know one of the great things about the iPhone is the appz and you know one of the bad things about the iPhone is too many appz. Well Apple has a solution for that. Now you can choose your icon as if you were going to move it then drop it onto another icon. It will automatically create a folder with both items inside. This is awesome, especially for people with a ton of appz. It lets you create a few folders to hold all those goodies. Plus, you can add as many folders as you like.

Email & Exchange Accounts:
No more in and one of one email into another. Now you can have multiple email accounts in one box. Plus, now there is great news for people in the business world who use Exchange Server. The new 4.0 offers support for multiple Exchange accounts, with a quick ability to switch between them.

iBooks:
Currently only available on the new Apple iPad. But that is about to change because now it will be available on the iPhone & iPod Touch. It looks like the same kind of layout with a nice wood bookcase just in a smaller format.

Enterprise:
There will be some new options for network admins, with abilities to push new iPhone apps wireless without having users have to hook up to a computer. Plus, enhanced data protection with an ability to access multiple Microsoft Exchange Accounts on one iPhone device. Also, it comes with new support Microsoft Exchange 2010 and SSL VPM's from Juniper and Cisco.

iAds:
Apple heads into the mobile advertising market by creating ad's that make a person want to click on them. Apple is looking at huge money opportunities for this new market. Steve Jobs even commented that Apple wants to help Developers cash in on some of the mobile advertising revenue.

GameCenter:
Later on this year Apple is looking at creating a one stop shop for Social Networking, Dating and Games. There wasn't much of a demo of this new spot. But, it was mentioned that people don't want to go all over the place but have one place to have it all. So Apple I'm game to see this GameCenter live and see how people take too it. With all the people who own iPhones/iPod Touches and no iPads, there could be an interesting new following coming up.

There were a whole other host of great new features offered. Head over to Apple and catch the quicktimes of today's event and be amazed all over again.

There were alot of expectations about a new iPhone and even some talk about possibly a Verzion iPhone too. But, today there was nothing mentioned about that. It was stickly iPhone OS 4.0.

New cost estimates on iPad components

iSuppli initially (before its release) estimated that the Apple iPad components cost for a 16GB Wi-Fi unit would be at around $219. Now it has bumped it up to an estimation cost of $260.00. Currently, Apple sells the iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi unit for $499.

It seems that the biggest factor in the slight price bump up is the cost for the iPad's touchscreen, which is estimated now to go for $95.00.

I don't personally see a problem with Apples component cost vs the retail price. There is a lot of research and development, plus marketing and other costs that go into product development. Apple is trying to make some money and also recoup their expenses. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I remember that even before the January 27, 2010 debut of the iPad, many people were actually estimating that the low end of the cost for this device was going to be $1,000.00 and were pleased when they heard $499.00.

I think Apple could have changed $1,000 and people still would have bought it. The price that Apple currently sells the iPad for is very reasonable, especially when you look into what you are getting for the price. The Apple iPad is the beginning of a new world of portable computing. There are more and more competitors coming on to the market. But, they pale in comparison to what they have to offer and cost.

All one has to do is look at the apps and other things that are now coming out for the iPad they are pretty impressive and very reasonable cost wise too. If you were to talk a walk into any Best Buy store or go to many vendors websites, you would be hard pressed to find some of the awesome apps for 9.99 or even lower price range. The developers that are now coming on board for the iPad are creating some new, amazing and very creative apps that will give us some new amazing tools to mold with our creative minds and ideas.