Apple

Amid the crowds talking up specs and speed on the MacWorld show floor, there were those also concerned with fashion and flair.

At almost every vendor booth, particularly those showcasing iPod accessories, you could find something pink or girlie, be it a fuzzy iPod case, handmade flowery laptop sleeves or embellishments for computer screens. But we also found some stylin' new products that cross the gender lines.

One of our favorite finds, in terms of sheer retro funkiness, is Lifepod's collection of the modern day ghetto blaster. These bags and coolers have speakers on the outside and hook up … Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Sun Microsystems Chief Executive Scott McNealy consistently credits Apple Computer for good marketing--to the point where he listed what he believes will be his own company's glorious iPod moments. But McNealy said Wednesday believes the iPod itself will be replaced in coming years by music stored in the network.

"Your iPod is like your home answering machine. It's a temporary thing," McNealy said at a panel discussion featuring reminiscences by Sun's four cofounders at the Computer History Museum here. "It's going to be hard to sell a lot of iPods … Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Apple Computer's processor preferences are in the limelight as the computer maker on Tuesday began selling models using Intel processors instead of the PowerPC chips from IBM and Freescale Semiconductor that have been the computers' preferred brains since the mid-1990s. But another processor choice came to light Wednesday when Sun Microsystems cofounder Bill Joy revealed that Sun's Sparc chips were in the running during the last Apple switch, when it was moving off Motorola's 680x0 family.

"We got very close to having Apple use Sparc. That almost happened," Joy said at a … Read more

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Pro laptop this week, he took a few minutes to highlight a nifty little feature called the MagSafe Connector.

As Jobs explained, MagSafe is a "new power adaptor...that's magnetically held in and when the cord gets yanked it just pulls right off. It works beautifully."

And he's right--that's why it's been a standard feature in many kitchen appliances for several years.

According to this CNN article from 2001, the breakaway cord is a standard that was developed by Underwriters Laboratories and is used on countertop deep fryers, … Read more

Apple Computer has applied for a trademark on the term "Mobile Me," according to a recent filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

No word on how Apple might use the term, though it does now have a speedier laptop in its lineup. The company filed four separate applications last week, covering a wide range of potential uses.

The filing was earlier reported by enthusiast site Macsimum News.

Apple's television ads for its new Macs boast that for years, Intel's chips have been "trapped inside PCs--dull little boxes, dutifully performing dull little tasks."

Now, the voiceover proclaims, the Intel processor will finally be set free.

Of course, that's not exactly the way Intel would put it.

"Never would we characterize our customers that way," Intel Vice President Deborah Conrad said in an interview.

Conrad said that Intel cooperated with Apple for some particulars of the TV spot, but added, "We didn't know what the end result was going to … Read more

Last year's rise in Mac sales made plenty of money for Apple, but the renaissance also was profitable for Microsoft.

At Macworld Expo on Tuesday, Microsoft's top Mac exec declared that 2005 was the "best year ever" for the unit. Macintosh Business Unit general manager Roz Ho then announced that Microsoft was formalizing its commitment to the Mac with a new five-year agreement to keep making Office for the Mac.

An earlier agreement expired in 2002, though Microsoft has said that it would keep up its Mac business as long as it made financial sense. However, … Read more

In a bit of unintended humor, Wall Street closed Apple's stock Tuesday, the day the company unveiled its first Intel processor-based computers at Macworld, at $80.86.

That may mean nothing to the average person, but techies will no doubt catch the accidental reference to Intel's 8086, the 1978 processor that spawned the x86 architecture that PC users are so familiar with.

Now, it's pretty unlikely that Wall Street was able to manipulate Apple's share price, given the thousands upon thousands of people who no doubt bought and sold the stock Tuesday. But it's little … Read more

A German court, at the request of Apple Computer, has temporarily barred a Stuttgart technology company from marketing its brand "Spod" for a cell phone podcasting service, according to the German company's executives.

Liquid Air Lab has been offering a service since late last year that provides broadband-capable mobile phone users with access to radio shows, music downloads, ring tones, and other services.

The company had registered the brand names "spod" and "spodradio" for its services. In a press release, executives said that Apple asked a court to block Liquid Air from marketing … Read more