Apple: 250k iPhones sold to unlockers...

Apple estimates that 250,000 iPhones were sold to people who had the intention of unlocking the mobile handsets so that they could be used with wireless providers other than AT&T, with which the iPhone is locked into a multi-year exclusive contract. The estimate came from Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cook during Apple' fourth quarter earnings conference call, where the firm also revealed that it had sold about 1.4 million iPhones to date. On October 17th, hackers posted a working iPhone unlock for Apple's latest revision -- iPhone Update 1.1.1.

Mac sales help best ever September quarter...

Apple on Monday reported its best September quarter in history, beating many analyst estimates as well as Wall Street consensus to send company shares soaring more than 2.3 percent after the market closed. Apple earned revenue of $6.22 billion with the help of more than 2.16 million Mac sales -- which broke the company's record for the most Mac sales in a September quarter by 400,000 units. Overall, Apple generated more than $24 billion in revenue and $3.5 billion in net income during the fiscal year 2007. Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer cited "record results" in his introductory comments, adding that this was the "highest September quarter revenue and earnings in Apple's history."

Apps: Hazel, Meal Planning

• Hazel 2.1 ($22) watches whatever folders you tell it to, automatically organizing your files according to the rules you create. The latest release has Leopard compatibility. It also features expanded file type filtering and new actions for creating aliases and revealing files. In addition, Hazel 2.1 provides numerous fixes and performance improvements.  [Download - 1.6MB]


• Meal Planning 3.2 (free) helps you adjust ingredient portions and make a shopping list for menu items and events. Version 3.2 is compatible with information prepared for older versions. You can now add a recipe note for each menu item and use a calendar window to make notes about when you plan to have menu items.  You can also organize Meal Items using Categories (i.e., Appetizers, Entrees, Deserts, etc.) and drag the meal items into the appropriate Categories.  Meal Planning prepares lists of ingredients for each event and prepares a consolidated shopping list. [Download - 2.7MB]


• Pomoto 1.0.1 ($3/month) way to publish your iPhoto library to the web. This release includes some new features, but these features were so missed in the last version that we might as well call this a bug-fix release. Here's a brief look at the most important changes: support for iPhoto Smart Albums, support for iPhoto 7 Events, handles iPhoto libraries that contain aliases, more robust photo loading. [Download - 2.2MB]


• iWisdom 1.5.1 ($10) desktop program that will help you manage and maintain a list of quotations and insightful ideas. In this release, a problem with use of inline HTML was corrected, Markdown was added as an export format, and unique numeric IDs are now assigned to each wisdom item and used to generate relatively brief URLs. [Download - 3.3MB]


• iToner 1.0.4 ($15) iToner lets you easily transfer your own MP3 or AAC audio files to your iPhone, and enjoy them as custom ringtones.  This update of the tool offers improved support for iPhone OS 1.1.1, along with other bug fixes and improvements. [Download - 4.7MB]

SubEthaEdit 3.0 offers new format, more...

TheCodingMonkeys today released SubEthaEdit 3.0, an update to its text editing and text collaboration software. Highlighted in this release is a new file format -- made especially for multiple users working on the same document -- that preserves all author-inserted metadata, offering pick-up-and-go functionality for work that is in progress. The new format uses industry-standard SSL encryption for all users connected to a file. A new Statistics window shows project-specific data, showing details such as what user has contributed or deleted the most from a document. The Bonjour and Internet windows have been consolidated into a common Connections window, simplifying the interface. New users can purchase SubEthaEdit for 30€ (~$40), with a promotional 2-user pack available for 40€ (~$55).

Lithium 4.9 tool suite adds Xsan Monitoring...

LithiumCorp today released an update to its server monitoring software, Lithium 4.9 and also announced that it is releasing a large part of the source code as open-source, in order to stimulate third-party development and customization. Lithium is a utility used for network maintenance, offering administrators a graphically rich and versatile view of their infrastructure, panning a variety of standards and connection protocols. LithiumCorp said it has given the application a complete facelift, and the developer promises a more complete user experience. Pricing for new customers starts at $400 for the 25-user package.

Difusi debuts cases for the new iPod nano...

Difusi today has unveiled its new case line-up for the video-capable iPod nano, which are priced between $20 and $40. The product line includes four new cases, called the Prop, Flip, Sleeve, and the re-designed nanoValet. Difusi touted the quality of its latest offerings, advertising high-quality leather, stainless steel, and shatterproof plastics. The cases are billed as having a scratch-free design, providing "top to bottom coverage" for the new Nano.

Q4 by the numbers: 34 percent Mac increase...

Posting revenue of $6.22 billion and net quarterly profit of $904 million, Apple surpassed analyst estimates to deliver a blockbuster fiscal fourth quarter that included tremendous growth in Mac and iPhone sales, and and a steady high volume of iPod shipments. In the quarter, Apple shipped 2.164 million Macs, including 817,000 desktops and 1.347 million portables. This compares with 1.610 million Macs in the year-ago quarter (624,000 desktops and 986,000 portables), or 24 percent growth. Europe showed stunning growth, with Apple shipping 499,000 Macs in the region compared with 342,000 in the year-ago quarter; an increase of 46 percent in units.

Apple: 2m Macs, 10.2m iPods, 1.1m iPhones...

In yet another successful quarter, Apple on Monday said it shipped a record number of Macs -- about 2.1 million, which was well ahead of both Gartner and IDC estimates. The company said that the record quarter beat its previous record by over 400,000 units or by about 25 percent. Helped by its new iMac, the company shipped 817,000 desktops, a 31 percent year-over-year increase and also shipped 1.35 million portables, more than 37 percent more than the year-ago quarter. Unit ales in Europe skyrocketed by 46 percent over the year-ago quarter, while the US grew by 24 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The company also saw its retail division sell 46 percent more Macs.

Apple reports $904m profit, ships 2m Macs...

Apple on Monday posted revenue of $6.22 billion and net quarterly profit of $904 million, or $1.01 per diluted share for its fiscal 2007 fourth quarter ending September 29, 2007. These results compare to revenue of $4.84 billion and net quarterly profit of $542 million, or $.62 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 33.6 percent, up from 29.2 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter's revenue. Apple shipped 2,164,000 Macs, representing 34 percent growth over the year-ago quarter and exceeding the previous quarterly record for Mac shipments by 400,000. The Company sold 10,200,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 17 percent growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone sales were 1,119,000, bringing cumulative fiscal 2007 sales to 1,389,000.

US government dodging Intel investigation?...

The Federal Trade Commission is deliberately avoiding a probe of US chip giant Intel, one Democrat politician charges. In August, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York teamed with Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (also D-NY) to ask for the FTC investigation, on the basis that Intel is said to be offering rebates to computer builders who refuse to buy rival AMD products. The FTC replied in September by saying it could not disclose any investigations, and on Monday a Schumer spokesman accused the FTC of "slow-walking" concerns, according to the Associated Press.

YummySoup! 1.6 improves Web import...

HungrySeacow Software today released YummySoup! 1.6, an update to the recipe organization and sharing softaware that brings an intuitive new way to import recipes from any website. The update supports automatic Web imports for AllRecipes.com; Deliaonline.com; Epicurious.com; FoodAndWine.com; FoodNetwork.com; LightAndTasty.com; MarthaStewart.com; RachaelRayMag.com; VegetarianTimes.com; and Yum-O.org. HungrySeacow says the list will continue to grow with future releases. YummySoup! 1.6 is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Apple pulls Boot Camp download ahead of Leopard...

After warning users that its beta Boot Camp software for running Windows on an Intel-based Mac will expire at the end of October, Apple has pulled the Boot Camp beta download from its Web site. The company says that the license to use Boot Camp Beta 1.2 or earlier expires on September 30, 2007 and that the Boot Camp Assistant Beta will no longer open after expiration. Some versions of the beta software have already expired and the latest version will expire when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard ships in October.

Apple No. 2 behind Dell in student PC survey...

SurveyU.com recently surveyed one thousand students about which computer they relied on for their schoolwork. According to the survey, Dell is the most popular, with Apple coming in second, but the results show that Apple is poised to take first place. With 23 percent of the vote, Apple is ten points behind Dell, but maintains a seven point lead on the next runner-up, Hewlett-Packard, even when taking into account the PC manufacturer's daughter companies -- Compaq and VooDoo. Apple has a large lead, however, in the other polled statistics, with 44 percent of students saying their next machine would be an Apple, and more than 80 percent of Apple users bought their computers through the company's student program. Dell took second place in those particular categories, with only 21 percent saying that they would subsequently by a Dell and 30 percent saying their purchased their computer through the student discount program. respectively.

Leopard pre-orders double Tiger's...

VARs are reporting that pre-orders for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard -- available from the Apple Store, Amazon (with Parallels Bundle), and MacMall (for delivery on Oct 26th) -- are double what they were for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger according to a report from CRN. The reasons: dissatisfaction with Microsoft Vista, the fact that this is the longest period of time between major releases of Mac OS X, and Leopard's new features. Patrick Brown, CEO of Brown Computer Solutions, said "We've probably doubled the backorders of Leopard, compared to what we did with Tiger. With the Intel Macs, Apple has significantly increased the installed base. We do expect a very successful launch."

ATI Radeon HD 3800 series due in November...

AMD is planning to revamp its ATI-branded graphics card line with new mid-range models next month, claims a leak from the Chinese division of enthuisiast site Tom's Hardware. To be called the Radeon HD 3800 series, the graphics chipsets will reportedly improve performance chiefly through a die shrink: all models will be built on a 55-nanometer process versus the 65 nanometers of today's Radeon HD 2400 and 2600 cards, allowing cards built on the technology to run faster without generating extra heat. Unlike past releases, these mainstream cards will still have a full 320 "stream" processors to handle pixel and vertex units. The memory pathway will also be 256-bit, or twice as wide as the outgoing Radeon HD 2600, according to the report.

Microsoft finally throws in EU towel...

Microsoft today announced that it will not appeal an antitrust decision made by the European Union in 2004, bringing an end to three years of struggling by the Redmond-based company to evade hefty fines. European Union competition commissioner Neelie Kroes today said Microsoft's decision will have "profound effects" on the software industry, according to Reuters, and stated that the repercussions will start now and continue for "years to come." The software giant paid around $700,000 in 2004, followed by a whopping $400 million last year for failing to comply with the European Commission's demands. "It is a victory for the consumer," Kroes said.

Mossberg: Free the iPhone...

Lashing out at the wireless carrier cadre, Walt Mossberg says that the United States federal government has been duped into allowing AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and others to lock consumers into terms unprecedented by any other industry. Mossberg makes an analogy to the desktop computer market: you don't need the permission of your ISP to replace a Dell PC with a Sony PC, for instance. You don't need to pay a fee to switch your Web browser or switch to a new music download service. But these overbearing rules due apply to the wireless industry, a state of affairs Mossberg says "limits consumer choice, stifles innovation, crushes entrepreneurship, and has made the U.S. the laughingstock of the mobile-technology world, just as the cellphone is morphing into a powerful hand-held computer."

GimmeSomeTune adds more art, lyrics sites...

Eternal Storms has released v4.0 of GimmeSomeTune, its general iTunes utility. The program mainly downloads album art and lyrics for songs, but also adds things such as special hotkeys and appearance customization. The new version allows art downloads directly from Amazon and the iTunes Store, as well as lyrics from two more websites, lyricwiki.org and lyricsdownload.com. Support has been implemented for Mac OS X Leopard and the Last.fm social networking site, plus users can now control various functions through their remote control. Versions of GimmeSomeTune are available for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or 10.4 and higher; the software is free, but donations are encouraged.

Hitachi brings out green Deskstar drives...

Hitachi on Monday morning turned its attention to the environment and released the Deskstar P7K500, a new range of desktop hard drives focused on conserving power. The design is made for environmentally conscious hobbyists and computer designers and uses smarter power management to tangibly improve the active and idling power consumption. Active power use drops to as little as 6.4 watts for a single-platter drive and 8.2 watts for a two-platter model; when a drive is inactive, power use drops to as little as 3.6 watts, Hitachi says. The drop amounts to as much as a 59 percent reduction versus a typical desktop drive and can result in either more available power for other components in a system or else lower overall power use.

Hikona adds high res to PDF exports...

Kona Software has released Hikona, a relative of the company's existing KonaPDF tool. Like KonaPDF, Hikona generates PDF files from QuarkXPress documents, running them through Acrobat Distiller; Hikona outputs these files at higher resolution however, making them ready for press printing. Files are further linked to all their Quark Print settings, including resolution, bleed and registration marks, though Distiller must be adjusted to determine quality.

AT&T may bid in 700MHz FCC auction...

AT&T is strongly considering an investment in the soon to be opened 700MHz frequency band when it becomes available through an FCC auction in January, company chief Randall Stephenson has admitted at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. While the company has opposed the rules of the auction, which demand that any winning bidder allow any supporting device and program to run on a future network, Stephenson noted that the extremely long range of the 700MHz band could outweigh any perceived challenges to its existing business model, which relies on locking customers into specific devices and restricting third-party software that sometimes competes with AT&T's paid services.

Chemical industry defends iPhone contents...

A group representing the chemical industry has announced its support for Apple in defense of new criticisms from Greenpeace, accusing the company of continuing to use toxic chemicals in the construction of the iPhone, reports say. The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) claims foremost that none of the chemicals used are banned under any environmental laws, although Greenpeace points out that phthalates are restricted from use in child products in Europe. BSEF further argues that the brominates in the iPhone are essential, as they protect against fire in an era of self-combusting batteries.

SanDisk challenges Apple with TakeTV, Fanfare...

After a premature leak through online stores, SanDisk today formally launched the Sansa TakeTV. Though it assumes the same brand as the company's portable jukebox devices, the TakeTV is designed as a substitute for the Apple TV and other media hubs for users who simply want to bring video from their computer to a TV without special network setup. The core player connects directly through USB and allows any Linux, Mac, or Windows user to load videos simply by copying them through the file system; a portable, modular video cradle and remote allow users to navigate footage directly from a TV without the burden of a full media hub, SanDisk says.

Jobs: Decade of Mac OS upgrades likely...

Apple will likely continue its current upgrade strategy for the Mac OS, says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Speaking with the New York Times, Jobs notes that the Friday release of Mac OS X Leopard will form the basis for another cycle of continuous operating system upgrades, possibly lasting as long as a decade. "I’m quite pleased with the pace of new operating systems every 12 to 18 months for the foreseeable future," Jobs comments. "We’ve put out major releases on the average of one a year, and it’s given us the ability to polish and polish and improve and improve."

AT&T offers competing Napster Mobile service...

AT&T on Monday announced that it would launch Napster Mobile, the company's first copy-protected digital music service. The extension brings access to the same catalog as the PC-oriented store and, while costing twice as much per track at $2 each, allows users to download the same song twice; a song already loaded on the PC can be downloaded through EDGE or HSPA to the phone rather than having to copy from one device to the other, AT&T says. A Five-Track Pack for $7.50 per month will offer the same features at a relative discount.