Apple has already landed a key deal for the new MacBook Air in schools. As a result of $5 million in stimulus funding, public schools in Owensboro, Kentucky will be getting about 2,200 of the ultraportables for students between grades five and 12 as well as teachers and staff. The deal is the first for both the MacBook Air and for Lion, Apple said.
A lawsuit has been filed against Apple in U.S. District Court in the southern district of New York state charging infringement over the trademark for "iBooks," which publisher John T. Colby says was purchased by him from another publisher in 2006 and 2007, Bloomberg is reporting. The previous publisher, Byron Preiss, had put out more than 1,000 hardcover and paperback books under the "ibooks" name starting in late 1999.
PowerbookMedic has launched a new line of DualDrive options, said to double the internal storage capacities of Mac notebooks. A DualDrive is user-installed in place of a Mac's optical drive, allowing a second hard drive to be connected. As a tradeoff, owners lose internal CD/DVD functions.
The list of eligible claimants in the settlement of a lawsuit against Apple has expanded, according to an administrative firm. Rosenthal & Co. has issued notices in the wake of Gordon v. Apple, which alleged that power adapters shipped with iBooks and PowerBooks could fray and spark, or simply fail to work. Although Apple has denied any fault in the matter, it is said to have agreed to a settlement in order to avoid expenses.
Newertech today announced new additions to its line of computer accessories, and lower prices on some of its established products. New items include NuPower iBook batteries; a 4400mAh battery for PowerBooks, said to boost capacity by 37 percent over its OEM counterpart; and a 4400mAh version for the 14-inch iBook G3, which boosts lifespan by 18 percent.
MacCase on Friday re-introduced the Classic Case, a brand new reincarnation of the company’s original product, offering users a retro look that fits the clamshell iBook, 12” iBooks and 13” MacBooks. Resembling the clamshell iBook, the case comes in graphite, blueberry, orange, lime, and indigo finishes, with a clear cutout for the portable’s logo. MacCase is selling the Classic Case for $50, with all five colors available from the company directly and through select retailers.
Accessory and peripheral maker FastMac has announced a new external battery charger for Mac notebooks, the U-Charge. The unit is a 45W adapter that bridges from an AC outlet directly to a battery's terminals, eliminating the need to have the notebook itself present. As a result the U-Charge also consumes less energy than some adapters, having no need to power the computer at the same time. Indicator LEDs mimic those of Apple's, and safeguards are installed against overcharging, overheating and power surges.
