New MacBook Pro's and iMac's on the way - Report

According to a report, new MacBook Pro's and iMac's are on the way early 2011.

It is being reported that Apple is in the process of updating the iMac and MacBook Pro lines with a view to launching redesigned models in the first half of 2011. Digitimes is suggesting that the new MacBook Pro models will have a form factor that is similar to the current new MacBook Air whereas new versions of the iMac will be launched with a new screen size and reduced prices.

The current model MacBook Pro was last revised in April of this year whereas the iMac has not been updated since October 2009.  It is suggested that the MacBook Pro will launch with four new models, perhaps in a range of 11-17 inch screen sizes or 2-3 screen sizes but with a greater range of specifications.

The most likely change in both models will be the addition of SSD storage, reflecting Apple’s new trend set by the MacBook Air.  The performance enhancements seen when using SSD are phenomenal and consumers will eager to get their hands on models with this type of storage.  However, given the current cost of SSD storage, it is likely that the iMac will continue to offer dual SSD/HD storage but at a reduced price.

Several rumors have floated around over the past few months indicating that Apple is considering touch sensitive screens and pivoting displays in their desktop computers but it’s not clear if the company would go down that road so soon.  

Regarding the MacBook Pro, it is likely that we will see a design with much more similarity to the MacBook Air but with a slightly thicker base, silver edge around the screen and improved battery.  We may see an Intel Core i5 added into the base models and Apple may even drop the white polycarbonate MacBook from their line-up, instead replacing it with an aluminium unibody base model MacBook Pro.

Apple Launching Mac App Store

Apple will be launching its anticipated Mac App Store on January 6.

The store will be available in 90 countries at launch, and like its mobile counterpart, it will feature access to both paid and free apps across several categories, including education, productivity, and games, among others, Apple announced today. Users will be able to download the Mac App Store through Software Update.

The Mac App Store experience will be familiar to those who currently have iOS-based devices such as the iPhone. The marketplace's users will be able to get information about apps prior to downloading them, as well as see customer ratings and reviews. Updates to apps users have installed will be available through the Mac App Store, Apple said.

"The App Store revolutionized mobile apps," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun."

Developers who choose to offer paid apps will be able to keep 70 percent of the revenue generated from their programs, while Apple will take the remaining 30 percent. In addition, those who offer free apps will not be charged by Apple to offer their programs in the Mac App Store.

Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment on how many apps would be available in its marketplace at launch.

The Mac App Store's January 6 launch date is perhaps a bit ahead of schedule. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the Mac App Store in October, he indicated that it would be available to Mac OS X users within 90 days, prompting some to believe the store would launch at the end of January.

The Mac App Store will only be available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard users at launch. It will also come with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, which is expected to be released next summer.

Smaller iPad rumors surface again.

Rumors of a smaller iPad has risen again.

Just a few days after reports of iPad 2 rumors flooded the blogosphere, Reuters is stoking the fires with a story that says Apple is "preparing new iPads," as in plural. And one of those models, according to the usual anonymous supply chain sources, is "about half the size of the current tablet computer, and will include front- and back-mounted cameras" for Apple's FaceTime video-conferencing app.

Two for 2011?

Aside from the cameras, one source claimed the new iPad "would be slimmer, lighter, and have a better-resolution display than the first iPad."

Duh. None of that's new info--or particularly revealing (of course, the new iPad is going to be slimmer and have a better screen, right?). But it's interesting that we continue to hear chatter about Apple having a smaller iPad up its sleeve. Back in October, Steve Jobs famously scoffed at the notion of a 7-inch iPad, insisting the screen would be "too small to express the software." Since then, Barnes & Noble has released the $250 7-inch Nook Color and several other Android-powered 7-inch tablets have hit the market or will soon.

As part of its story, Reuters reporters quoted Steven Tseng, an analyst at RBS in Taipei, who said, "It makes sense for these suppliers to begin delivering their goods in February. I think Steve Jobs will announce the new product in January, and we should see the new product hitting shops in about April."

Yes, the iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, but when Jobs announced it there wasn't another iPad on the market to clear out of the channel. So, we're not sure why Jobs would unveil a new iPad--or perhaps iPads--a good two months before they were to go on sale. A few weeks maybe, but two months, probably not.

In any case, that's the latest iPad intel out of Asia. Just something to consider while you're standing in line at your local Apple Store buying an iPad this holiday season.

Google CR-48

Google's chrome OS powered laptop

Design and Features 

The new chrome powered laptop is here but you would be forgiven for thinking its the old black macbook. The prototype has a bitter sweet effect, but still has a way to come before it is ready for release. 

The CR-48 has a rubber like texture this along with a VGA port, a side grill for the fan and only one USB port doesn't bode well for the overall design of the product. 

The track pad while looking very similar to those found of the Apple macbook range its not! Tech-crunch described the the trackpad as "maybe the worst excuse for a piece of technology that anyone has created in the past five years"With problems with double clicking, two finger scrolling and simply clicking. 

On the whole it is not the best looking laptop with a dated and almost cheap look to it. 

Tech Specs 

The CR-48 is running an intel Atom with a speed of about 1.66GHz and 2gb of RAM. Despite reasonable specs it is still very slow. Compared with the MacBookAir which has similar specs the CR-48 has serious speed problems. Google really needs to work with their OEM partners to get this lag sorted out before these Chrome notebooks start shipping.

Chrome OS

The real genius is in the operating system. Chrome OS is in fact, just a little bit more than chrome. Its so simple and thats whats good about it. The reality is that 95% of what people do on the computer these days is done through the web browser. Another 3-4% can probably be done through the web browser. The final 1-2% can be left to a desktop computer. Thats the thing, the CR-48 is not going to replace anyones desktop anytime soon so why try to do it? Chrome OS could (and I stress could) be a very reliable and effective on the go computing solution. But its not quite there yet. 

Everything else

Connectivity is good with Google teaming up with Verizon to set up 3g coverage.

Price, while google has not released an official price if they want it to compete with similar Windows devices then something under US$500 should fit. 

Final thoughts

In conclusion the CR-48 has the potential to be great... But its not there yet, the speed, trackpad and design are just a few of the features that Google needs to fix before they fully release the CR-48. 

Pictures 

iOS 4.3 arriving Thursday

Rumor has it that the next update, iOS 4.3 is coming this Thursday.

Magazines and newspapers are migrating to iOS devices (most notably the iPad) at a steady clip, but there's one problem: publishers don't have a way to sell subscriptions--not yet, anyway.

That may change with the arrival of iOS 4.3, which is rumored to be arriving (or at least announced) as early as this Thursday, December 9.

As CNET's Joe Aimonetti reported last month, this build was already in the works when Apple rolled out iOS 4.2. And despite the latter's brief delay, it appears iOS 4.3 may still arrive on schedule (at least if you believe the rumor mill's version of Apple's schedule).

Unlike 4.2, which introduced a host of new features (like AirPlay and AirPrint), 4.3 will include just one major addition: subscription billing, which would allow content providers to charge weekly, monthly, or annually for subscriptions.

Currently, iOS supports only single app payments, meaning you have to make a new in-app purchase every time you want the latest issue of, say, "Wired."

iPad 2 said to ship from February 2011

According to a report the next generation iPad is said to begin shipping from February 2011.

The next version of iPad is reportedly expected to ship as soon as the end of February 2011.

Component makers in Taiwan say Foxconn--a key maker of iPhones and iPads--has been notified that it should be ready to ship 400,000 to 600,000 units of the next version of iPad in the next 100 days, according to a DigiTimes report today. The Taiwan-based Foxconn reportedly declined to comment.

DigiTimes reported that Apple had originally expected to begin mass production of the unofficially dubbed iPad 2 in January, but Apple postponed that schedule because the device's firmware is still undergoing testing.

Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The iPad 2 has been widely expected to come out in the first quarter of 2011 and feature a front-facing camera. Some analysts also expected Qualcomm will provide chips that allow the iPad to run on both CDMA and GSM networks, a so-called "world" iPad. The current 3G version is GSM only.

iTunes Announcement

The Beatles. Now on iTunes

At long last, the works of the Beatles are available in iTunes.

Apple has a pending announcement regarding iTunes 7am PST

iTunes is about to change. We will be there first.

iOS 4.2 due this coming Friday

The next installment to Apple's ever so popular mobile operating system is coming this Friday.

While Apple has yet to officially announce a release date for iOS 4.2 (if it even does such a thing), an insider at AT&T told MacStories that Apple is planning to release the major update on Friday November 12th at 10 AM PST in the US.

Taking time zones into account that means that we may not see the update in New Zealand until early Saturday morning.

The update promises to be a big deal for iPad owners, still waiting for folders and multitasking. Apple says the new features will also make the iPad more appealing to large organisations.

“iPad owners will get to enjoy its 100+ new features and innovations — including multitasking, folders, printing, and more," says Apple's website.

While you wait for iOS 4.2 to be release, you should probably download the latest version of iTunes (10.0.1) if you haven’t already. It weighs in at just over 70MB.

Skyfire launches flash browser for iPhone

Skyfire launches flash browser for iPhone

On wednesday Skyfire began selling what it called as the first mobile browser that could deliver flash video to an iPhone/ iPod touch. 

Hours later it was pulled because huge demand overwhelmed their servers. Senior Director, Robert Oberhofer, at Skyfire said until they could increase their server capacity they would not be making any more sales.

Skyfire 2.0 is a fully-fledged web browser that functioned very similar to safari. Before it was pulled it was selling for $2.99 USD on the Apple (AAPL) app store. 

What does this tell us? 

Well the first and obvious conclusion is that people still want flash...really bad. 

In the 5 hours that it was available it became the top grossing app and third highest, paid app, overall. These are some alarming statistics and will sure to be sending a message to Apple. That despite their attempts to replace flash with HTML5, flash is still very popular.

How does it work? 

Tech guru Rob Walch explains the complex process the Skyfire browser goes through to play flash...

"A user has to navigate to a website where Flash video is detected. It is then downloaded to Skyfire's servers where it is converted to HTML5," he explained. "Then it gives the user a button to play the video. Everyone thinks they are running Flash on the browser, but they are not."  

Ironically the Skyfire mobile browser is not the perfect way to display flash, it does not work for game animation or ads, which limits its usefulness.  

So will this prompt Apple to end the feud with Adobe?

The general consensus in the Tech world is no. These two companies are very much at war and neither looks to be backing down anytime soon. 

We want to know what you think.

Will you be downloading this App when it becomes available again?

 How much do you use flash? 

Leave your comments bellow.