Apple's music business remains strong...

Apple's music business remained strong during its June quarter to help the company post record-breaking revenue, with music-related sales accounting for 40 percent of the Cupertino-based company's total revenue during the quarter. Apple's other music revenue surged 33 percent year-over-year fueled by strong iTunes Store sales, and research firm NPD announced that the iTunes Store has become the third largest overall music retailer in the U.S. above Amazon and Target. Amidst the introduction of iTunes-plus DRM-free music, Apple introduced its iPhone just 30 hours before the end of its third quarter, selling well over a quarter million phones within that time.

Record breaking Mac sales in 3rd quarter...

The Mac is still Apple's prime revenue generator, delivering 60 percent of the company's total intake in its fiscal third quarter -- the best quarter ever in terms of Mac unit sales and revenue. The company shipped 1.76 million Macs in the three-month period, an all-time quarterly record and a 33 percent jump relative to the year-ago quarter. The United States saw 32 percent year-over-year growth, representing just under 4 times IDC's latest published growth estimate for the US market -- 7.2 percent. Apple's worldwide growth rate was about 2.5 times IDC's estimated growth for the industry at large.

Apple's June quarter highest in history...

Apple today reported yet another a record quarter, earning $5.41 billion in revenue to mark the highest June quarter revenue in the company's history. Fueled by record breaking Mac sales and continued strong demand for iPods, Apple's revenue grew almost 25 percent over the prior June quarter to earn investors $0.92 cents per share over the past 90 days. Apple's financial chief Peter Oppenheimer pointed to a stronger than expected operating margin -- 19.2 percent -- due to unexpected revenue and favorable commodity pricing. Apple generated a net income of $818 million to rise 73 percent over the year-ago quarter, even after paying taxes at 32 percent. The Cupertino-based company increased its cash balance to more than $13.8 billion with cash flow operations of over $1.2 billion.

Tremendous retail momentum for Apple...

With Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer stating that Apple's retail operations experienced an "outstanding quarter," the company posted a 53% increase in year-over-year unit sales for the segment. In fact, Oppenheimer says it's the right time to begin measuring retail segment in the same manner as other Apple business segments. "We have determined that it is the right time to begin measuring our retail segment operating performance in a manner that is generally consistent with the way we measure Apple's other operating segments. Therefore, beginning with the June quarter, we are using cost of sales for Apple's products sold through our retail stores, that are similar to those used for Apple's other operating segments," Oppenheimer said. "We are also changing the way we measure AppleCare and .Mac sales through our retail stores. Historically, revenue and cost of sales were recognized by the retail segment at the time of sale for AppleCare and .Mac. We are now recognizing revenue in cost for these products over the lives of their respective agreements, consistent with the accounting treatment for our other segments." He added "We believe all these changes will allow greater comparability of results between our various operating segments

Tremendous retail momentum for Apple...

With Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer stating that Apple's retail operations experienced an "outstanding quarter," the company posted a 53% increase in year-over-year unit sales for the segment. In fact, Oppenheimer says it's the right time to begin measuring retail segment like other Apple segments. Sales through retail channels were $915 million representing 33 percent year over year growth. As a segment, retail stores generated $184 million compared with 182 million in the year-ago quarter. During the quarter, Apple remodeled 13 stores opened 18 new stores, ending with 185 retail outlets. The company also announced plans to open 12 stores in the September quarter, to end with 197. With an average of 180 stores open in quarter, Apple posted $5.1 million in average revenue per store.

Apple's third quarter: By the numbers...

Apple's blowout 2007 third quarter (revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million) saw the best Mac sales in company history, showed Japanese revenue growth -- if not unit increase -- for the first time in history, reiterated the importance of portables to Apple's core Mac business, and solidified the iPod as product line with continuing strength. Apple sold 634,000 desktops in the quarter, representing revenue of $956 million, compared with 529,000 desktops representing $705 million in the year-ago quarter. An amazing 1,130,000 portables were sold, representing $1.577 billion in revenue, compared with 798,000 units representing $1.161 billion in the year-ago quarter. That represents a 42 percent unit shipment increase year-over-year for portables, and a 20 percent year-over-year unit shipment increase for desktops.

Apple sells 270,000 iPhones in first 2 days...

Apple on Wednesday announced that it has sold 270,000 iPhones in the first two days of sales on opening weekend, nearly double the AT&T estimates of 146,000 activation, but well short of expectations. The company is reported to have sold many more of its higher-end phones: it sells a 4GB version for $499 and a 8GB model for $599. The company's financial statements show that revenue from the iPhones--during the first two days of sales--was only $5 million based on its decision to amortize iPhone sales and revenue over a 24-month period.

Denon reveals network docks for iPods, home theater...

Denon at its special event has revealed the AS-3 series of Network-Enabled clients. Two docks -- the Ethernet-only ASD-3N and 802.11g-based ASD-3W -- connect to any receiver, stereo, or TV set to stream audio and video from the user's local network; a remote control navigates tracks, and on TV setups provides a visual menu for browsing content. Dockable iPods can also attach through a special slot to share their media separately from other devices. The system recognizes metadata such as album artwork and doesn't rely on Denon AV equipment as the destination, the company says.

Apple: $818m in profit, record 1.76m Macs...

Apple posted revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million, or $.92 per diluted share, compared with revenue of $4.37 billion and net quarterly profit of $472 million ($.54 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter. The numbers were well ahead of street consensus estimates of $5.28 billion and $0.72. The company's gross margin was nearly 37 percent, up from 30.3 percent in the year-ago quarter, while international sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter's revenue. Apple said it shipped 1,764,000 Macs, representing 33 percent growth over the year-ago quarter and exceeding the previous company record for quarterly Mac shipments by over 150,000. Apple also sold 9,815,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 21 percent growth over the year-ago quarter.

Apple, Sony sued for alleged battery burns

Sony and Apple are still feeling lingering effects of defective lithium-ion batteries (manufactured by the former) that were part of a massive global recall initiated in September 2006 after some units burst into flames. A Japanese man has sued both Sony and Apple Japan for 2 million yen (about $16,700) after he allegedly suffered burns on his finger when his Apple portable's battery pack caught on fire. His wife, who claims she had to seek medical treatment as a result of stress from the incident, is also named as a plaintiff in the suit. The recall has thus far netted more than 10 million Sony-manufactured batteries, which caught fire due to a short circuit resultant from errant, small metal particles. In spite of Sony's efforts, Apple notebooks were still purportedly catching fire as late as March of this year. An Australian MacBook owner whose battery was smoking and hissing successfully extinguished a flame, after which the battery proved to be swollen and charred. His battery was not listed under the recall serial number range.

Apple distributing new Leopard build?...

Apple is believed to be distributing a new preview version of Mac OS X Leopard, the first such release since June. Anonymous sources suggest that build 9A499 is making the rounds of members in the Apple Developer Connection, and is nearly 7GB in size. It is not being treated entirely favorably however, as there have been multiple accounts of the OS being plagued with bugs. "I'm recommending to other developers that they stick with the earlier 9A466 build," one source is quoted as saying. "[9A499] is very buggy."

Apps: Immutation, Google Sitemap Automator

• Immutation 1.0.1 ($10) based around Core Image, this tool allows users to chain together Image Units such as Sepiah Tone or White Point Adjust to make compelling images. These chains can be saved for future use and applied to many images at once.  Since Immutation uses non-destructive editing, users are can experiment without damaging their originals. The new release's price has dropped to $10. [Download (demo) - 836KB]


• Google Sitemap Automator 1.7 ($30) software package which helps webmasters get their web site listed in Google, Yahoo and MSN search. The new release submits your sitemap.xml file automatically to Yahoo's search index in addition to Google's index. It also adds support for secure FTP transfers to easily upload sitemap.xml files to secure web sites and adds the ability to pause web site scanning. [Download - 8.5MB]


• Sticky Window 2.3.2 ($16) shrinks your windows into tabs when you drag a window towards the edge of your screen, providing you with a completely clutter-free workspace. The tab can be created by dragging a window to any edge of the screen (Sticky Windows also supports multiple screens). When the mouse reaches the margin of the screen a tab will appear. The new release features improved compatibility with Mac OS X server. [Download (demo) - 1MB]


• A Better Finder Rename 7.9 ($20) comprehensive file renaming solution for the Macintosh. The new release extends sorting capabilities with a second sorting order. This is especially useful when working with digital image files that were shot using the "rapid fire" continuous shooting mode of modern digital SLR cameras. In these situations, multiple shots may be taken with the same timestamp leading to ordering problems during renaming. [Download - 1.9MB]
 

• Xyle scope 1.2 ($20) CSS tool for understanding, debugging, and fine-tuning web sites. The new release fixes a bug that could result in HTML forms not working correctly and resolves a crash that occurred in some situations when a window was closed. In addition, sending URLs to Xyle scope (bookmarklet) works more reliably. French Localization has also been added. [Download - 1.8MB]

Intel chases 16 cores, AMD ups RAM capacity...

This quarter, Intel will debut a new multi-processor platform dubbed Caneland that will support 4 quad-core processors for a total of 16 cores, Kirk Skaugen, Intel vice president and General Manager of the Server Products Group announced in a posting to the Intel blog. The new platform will make use of the Tigerton processor, which will top out at 2.93GHz, and the Clarksboro chipset. Both the processor and chipset will go under the Intel 7300 monikier.

Briefly: iPhone news reader, Web Crossing...

In brief: NewsGator Technologies has released a free mobile reader for Apple's iPhone, Web Crossing has included new International capabilities in its private-label social network system, and eSellerate has released updates for several Software Development Kits (SDKs). NewsGator's new mobile reader for iPhone, called NewsGator Mobile for iPhone, is a free news reader that works in conjunction with any free NewsGator online account to deliver news feeds directly to users. The software is optimized for the iPhone's touch screen, and is designed to ease access to feeds on-the-go. A simple login automatically detects the iPhone and routes users to the iPhone reader, while directing other mobile devices to the standard NewsGator Mobile reader.

Using iPhones with GPS navigators...

An Italian website is offering suggestions for using the iPhone with car-based GPS units, specifically TomTom's x10 series. The iPhone has no internal navigation support; when connected to a device like the TomTom 910, the most that can be done is a live reading of directions. The best use of a TomTom may therefore be calling functions, since by pairing with an iPhone via Bluetooth, it can then sync with Address Book contacts. This allows the unit to quickly make calls through a readily-available list. To turn a GPS unit into a speakerphone, meanwhile, users can select the appropriate audio output on the iPhone.

The Sims Pet Stories coming to Mac this fall

Aspyr Media today announced that it will publish The Sims Pet Stories for Mac, bringing the second release of The Sims Stories to Mac users. "Play through unpredictable moments of pet ownership with your Sims! Train, play with, and care for your Sims cats and dogs, and do your best to keep them happy. Count on many unexpected twists and turns in this easy-to-play, laptop-friendly version of The Sims. Choose from two different stories in the directed Story mode, taking on a variety of challenges as you compete in a local pet show and learn that even pets have their own personalities. Unlock rewards as you achieve set goals for your Sims and their pets. In open-ended Freeplay mode, create your Sims and their pets, design their homes, and teach your pets tricks. You decide how their stories unfold." Licensed by Electronic Arts and under development by Aspyr Studios, The Sims Pet Stories for Mac is expected to hit store shelves in September of this year. The game will soon be available for pre-order for $30 (Mac system requirements were unavailable).

SeeqPod unveils iPhone music search widget

SeeqPod today released a new iPhone widget developed specifically to work with Apple's Safari Web browser on the cellular handset. The widget enables iPhone users to search for, discover, and play music from the internet. "Originally developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) SeeqPod’s technology, based on a biomimetic approach, works by mimicking the way the human brain processes information and creates associations, and can be applied to most any vertical industry such as Music, Music Video, Sports, Celebrities, Health or Finance." The current SeeqPod Music Search & Discovery beta launched in May, and the widget aims to leapfrog storage limitations by allowing users to access and share playlists on location within nearly any social network. Users can create playlists at SeeqPod.com that are viewable, playable, and ready for sharing using any of the SeeqPod widgets on the iPhone, other mobile devices, or a computer.

Analyst: iPhone sales on sharp decline...

Following Apple's recent stock slide on the news that fewer iPhones had been activated than expected, analyst Ittai Kidron of CIBC World Markets is claiming that that demand for iPhones appears to have quickly dropped within the last 10 days. "We have noticed decent inventories at stores, and thin demand at best," Kidron says. "In fact, most Apple store visitors were not looking at the device and only a very small subset bought it."

NASPerform offers 750GB of networked storage

Other World Computing (OWC) today unveiled its NASPerform 100Mbps Ethernet/USB 1.0 network attached storage device designed for home and business networks. The storage apparatus offers up to 750GB of space and connects to wired or wireless networks for easy file storage and sharing among multiple network users. NASPerform shares data with up to 20 other network users, serving as another hard drive that allows users to drag-and-drop files to and from the device. OWC's latest storage product boasts plug-and-play installation without the need to configure TCP/IP settings or a separate server, and assigns read/write privileges to each network user to prevent unwanted deletion or modification of data. NASPerform includes 16MB of cache, utilizes the Ximeta NDAS 2011 chipset, and features a front panel LED status light. The NASPerform is available in five pre-configured 7200RPM versions from 250GB to 750GB starting from $130. A 0GB "add your own drive" enclosure is also available for $60.

iPhone gets web server hack, nears unlocking...

Coders working to break the iPhone's restrictions have successfully run open-source programs from the device, according to reports from the developers' #iPhone IRC channel. Recent efforts have built and executed several programs that can be easily compiled to run on the cellphone's ARM processor, including a functional Apache web server for hosting sites. More narrowly-focused tools such as the Python programming language, the vim text editor, and other small utilities are also functional and have been compiled into binaries that can be launched by knowledgeable users.

Poser 7, Vue 6 Esprit ship as "Power Bundle"

E frontier and E-on software today released Power Bundle, a 3D animation solution featuring Poser 7 and Vue 6 Esprit bundled together at a discounted rate. "Poser is the most widely used way to design with the human form in 3D. Vue provides the easiest way to create and animate realistic 3D environments and landscapes. Vue 6 Esprit is focused on intuitive workflow, advanced rendering features and extended Poser integration. With Power Bundle artists can use both Poser 7 and Vue 6 Esprit to produce stunning art, fine illustration and breathtaking animation that includes figures, scenery and virtual 3D worlds." Poser 7 features unlimited undo and redo functionality, faster multi-threaded rendering, animation layers that enable quicker editing, custom morph creation using brush-like morphing tools, and over 1GB of high resolution 3D content. Vue 6 Esprit imports complete animated Poser scenes with full support for dynamic hair and cloth, providing access to the Poser Shader Tree from within Vue to render Poser materials exactly as they would appear in Poser itself. The Power Bundle is priced at $300, with Poser 7 requiring Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and Vue 6 Esprit requiring Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

iTunes Festival wraps up, saves screens...

The London-based iTunes Festival is heading into its final week, bringing with it new online content. Available for free is the official screensaver, containing photos and logos for all the acts of the event; album art was to be included, but licensing issues have reportedly prevented this. Meanwhile, United Kingdom residents can now buy live Festival EPs by Mika and Nine Black Alps, with more, unannounced ones coming later.

ArtRage 2.5 adds new tools, options

Ambient Design has released a major upgrade to ArtRage, its illustration program that simulates the effects of real-world materials. Paint smears and blends, while chalks and pencils smudge. Version 2.5 of the software introduces stencils and rulers, allowing users to mask out areas to creat proper curves and lines. The program also introduces the Smooth Blender and Precise Pencil, as well layer content transformations that allow one or more layers to be moved, scaled and rotated. Finally, print output can be specified in terms of inches, centimeters and millimeters, as well as the desired DPI resolution. The program costs $25 and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9.

Kerio MailServer updates for iPhone

Kerio has released an update to MailServer 6, its software aimed at corporate networks. The program handles a number of e-mail functions, from administration through to synchronizing contacts, calendars and messages within a group. It can also synchronize with mobile phones; the v6.4.1 upgrade now supports the Apple iPhone, enabling users to copy over any of the aforementioned data. Information is fed through Address Book and iCal on Mac OS X, or Microsoft Outlook on Windows. E-mail can be accessed via either EDGE or Wi-Fi. The Mac server costs $400 with a free one-year subscription, and requires Mac OS X 10.3 or higher.