September 2007 Archives

Officials at Apple, Inc., have a habit of being very close-lipped about potential future products or product updates. At the same time, Apple’s products—like the very popular iPod line of music players—are extremely cutting-edge and user-friendly, making them very sought-after. These two factors, tight control over press and popular products, are excellent ingredients for a robust rumor mill.

 

That rumor mill is in full swing again after a post yesterday morning on the AppleInsider blog regarding Apple’s plans to have a go at reinventing the personal digital assistant (PDA).

At its Developer Forum Wednesday, Intel officials outlined the company’s plans to combine WiMAX with Centrino Duo processors to develop what it claims will be a new category of mobile, broadband-connected computing devices. The initiative, which is slated to bear fruit next year, includes the use of High-k metal gate silicon technology to deliver better battery life.

 

CBR reporter Rhonda Ascierto pointed out in a Thursday report that Intel’s main focus remains on notebook computers, but the company is branching out into handheld, Internet-enabled devices and, even more of a reach, the WiMAX networks needed to support such products.

 

“Intel's WiMax ambitions may still be premature, at least in the US where cellular coverage is almost ubiquitous and WiFi is fast becoming available throughout major metropolitan areas,” Ascierto said in the report.

If you happened to visit Apple’s Web site today, you may have noticed the “Open letter to iPhone owners from Steve Jobs,” posted Apple-style inside an image of the phone’s screen itself.

 

If you happened to be among the folks who stood in line to snap up one of the first iPhones in June, the letter probably came as a bit of a victory. You see, this week Apple revamped its line of iPods and iPhones, and lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399. That means earlier adopters essentially paid $200 extra solely for the benefit of having an iPhones for a few weeks longer than everyone else.

Less than six months after announcing the Foleo, “the first computer designed to be a companion to a smartphone,” Palm has discontinued the product, CEO Ed Colligan said in a Sept. 4 blog entry.

 

The Foleo was essentially a mini laptop designed to sync with a smartphone. It was one company’s attempt to fulfill the demands of users for portable computing and telephony.

Well, it’s September and you know what that means—time for Apple to announce a whole new lineup of iPods! Today’s announcement about a new product lineup was a bit more exciting than usual because it included a new iPhone-like product as well.

 

The new “best iPods ever” lineup features the iPod shuffle (1GB, in five “remixed” colors, for $79); the iPod Nano now reshaped in a shorter and squatter form factor to accommodate a color screen for playing video (4GB model $149, 8GB model $199); the iPod Classic, which plays video and music and boasts 160GB of storage (price tag $249); the iPod Touch, which is essentially a iPhone without the phone, featuring the cool multi-touch interface found on iPhone, plus a 3.5 inch display and WiFi Web browsing (8GB model $299, 16GB model $399); and of course iPhone which will soon be even more of a value proposition, Apple claims, when the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store launches. Also coming soon: custom ringtones.

 

I must say, I do appreciate that the Nano is now video-enabled without losing its solid-state, Flash storage. I’ve had a Nano for almost a year now, and love its big storage in a small and relatively indestructible nature thanks to solid state media.