Hello everyone! I wanted to take the time and thank all of you for your support while I was blogging on MacTechToday. I had a lot of fun and I learned a lot about blogging throughout my time. But as some people might have noted, time has been something I don't have much of, so I did not have the ability to update this site as much. Therefore I decided that I would have to put an end to MacTechToday, and concentrate on blogging that doesn't require updates almost everyday! But I loved blogging for this site, and again I would like to thank all of you for your support, I wouldn't have made it this far, if it wasn't for you guys!

Meanwhile I am working on another blog: Mac Mini Tech and I am updating that blog on a week to week or month to month basis and I hope you guys subscribe to that blog! :-) It is still Apple related!

But before I leave just yet, I wanted to commend all of you of the progress this blog had made. It may not sound like much to some people, but it means a lot to me.

Throughout the blog's history: 1 year and 6 months- there has been 10,569 page views. Nearly 100 comments, and visits from over 20 countries and visits from many devices! 55 followers, and as much as almost 100 Feedburner subscribers at one point!

It was fun while it lasted folks! I thank you all again.

Quite surprised that the iPad 2 did indeed make it on March 25th to the international countries, quite frankly I thought we were going to expect a delay especially after the devastating earthquake in Japan, and the fact some of the manufactured equipment comes from there. The not so surprising part is that they are sold out virtually everywhere. A UK Telegraph paper wrote that the iPad 2 was not to be found in stock at any location.. Apple might believe that sales of the iPad 2 will sky rocket faster than the 1st iPad. Your best bet would be to order one online, and hope to recieve it soon, because most likely stock from online might come from another country with iPad's in stock.

The iPad 2 did reach here in Canada, but unfortunately sold out faster than I could have imagined... so I might have to wait till I pick one up, but for those that already have one, how do you find it?

*On a side note, I apologize for the delay in posts, extremely busy these days. And I was sick over this week. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

This might be the final update for all Mac OSX Snow Leopard users. I thought 10.6.6 would be the final one, but this new update brings along some security fixes.

Including:

• Improve the reliability of Back to my Mac
• Fixes an issue regarding sending files to SMB servers
• Fixes some Mac App Store issues

The hype about the iPad 2, is immense. Yet again, Apple failed to have enough iPad's in stock for the huge amount of people that wanted to buy one! If you bought one online, then you are out of luck, as the iPad's won't be coming in stock for another 4-5 weeks! Apple executives were in shock at the number of sales. Which bring's up another question, could this hype cause a delay in the international countries that were supposed to receive iPad's on March 25? We saw last year that there was quite a bit delay in the release, till about April for international members..

The iPad 2 did manage to make many Apple store's sell out on March 11th. But some questions remain as to how many iPad 3g models were remaining. From the way I see it, all the Wifi model's might have been sold out. And by the time Apple gets out the iPad's people ordered online, there could be quite a bit delay.

Let's hope the manufacturer's get more iPad's in stock soon. But more than that I hope they don't rush the process, as that can cause many defects, issues.

It's not a surprise, today was going to be a busy day, for Apple! The iPad 2 release yet again proved to be another success. Huge lineups were formed outside Apple stores before the 5pm launch. Some arriving as early as 6am! SXSW Apple store in Texas had huge crowds, but it was said the Apple store in New York, had nearly 700 people waiting in line! Many people take this opportunity to pick up some cash as well by standing far ahead in line at early hours, hoping that some people might want to take their spot.

At the end of the day, Apple stores were all sold out of iPad 2's and in fact some others got models they weren't planning to buy. But since those were the only ones available they decided to go for it. The huge lineup's could be due to the fact Apple hadn't offer any form of pre-ordering online. Unlike Verizon which did offer online pre-orders with the iPhone 4, making lineups pretty short.

All in all, a day Apple won't forget and I am sure, this day will be unforgettable for others as well. By this I mean the major disaster in Japan! Hopefully everyone makes a recovery in Japan soon enough, my prayers go out to them.

Until the next post, good luck to everyone! And we hope everything starts getting better in Japan!

Apple just recently updated their XCode page on the Apple site. Now it is officially free to download for all iOS and Mac developers part of the membership. If you don't have a membership, that's also fine. Apple also released XCode on the Mac App Store for $4.99, it is currently live and users without a membership can download it and get a chance to put their coding skills to the test.

The update features a new, much better looking UI, and provides coding, debugging, all in one window! So that way you can multi-task. The complier this time not only finds your mistakes in codes, but rather also fixes it! I think for $4.99 this is a sure fire great application for all that want to develop for iOS or the Macintosh platform.

For those that want to purchase XCode from the Mac App Store here is the link

For all those iTunes users, here is some great news, well it still remains a rumor. But sources are claiming that we might see iTunes offer unlimited downloads. For those that have no clue what this means, imagine you download a song on iTunes with your Macintosh, but you want to get this song on your iPod or iPad then you will have to purchase once more for each device. This could be costly and a pain. So Apple want's you to save some money and are planning to offer Unlimited downloads so that once you do download something it can be used on all your devices.

Now you might be wondering, why didn't Apple think about doing this beforehand? Well the reason behind this has to be with the music industry in how they believe music should be shared, once that is sorted out with the companies, all iTunes users can be in for a real treat!

On another note iTunes 10.2 was also released so if you haven't updated yet, I believe that it would be good to do so now.  

The release of the iPad 2, brings an end to the very successful 1st generation iPad. But it seems like Apple did have quite a bit in stock, and it's why they are offering iPad's on clearance, through the Apple site. But I am sure you can also pick one up in stores. The clearance iPad pricing is marked down $100 from the original price, so iPad's start as low as $399!

If there are any seniors, children, who don't really care about not having a dual core processor or the camera's. The 1st generation iPad, still offers a ton of features! And at a price of $399, you can't go wrong. At the moment the iPad 1st generation model will still continue to receive updates, so you are set. It's still a solid piece of technology that won't go outdated too quickly.

I am seeing many people actually taking this opportunity to pick the old iPad up for a great price! And for those that bought the iPad 1st generation, 14 days prior to the announcement of the new model, Apple is giving you a $100 refund. Just bring in your iPad and receipt into the store.

Great chance to get an awesome device for an amazing price!

Surprise, surprise! That's right Steve Jobs did make it to the Apple event today in San Francisco, and to be honest he looked just fine, still very skinny though. But the keynote was great with him that's for sure, and that's not to say there was a whole crowd applauding him.

Now let's get on with the real stuff: The iPad 2. Apple today made yet another breakthrough in technology and yet again this time the iPad 2 will prove tough to other competitors. Why you ask? Well lets take a look at the features.

The new iPad features:

• New Apple A5 Processor chip (Dual Core)
• 33% Thinner design
• Dual cameras for video conferencing
• 9X faster graphics
• Built in Gyroscope
• 10 hour battery life, over 1 month standby! 
• Available in Black and White
• Same prices as previous iPad's. 
• 3G offered on both AT&T and Verizon

So looking at all these features there seems to be no compromise in power, as Apple claims the new graphics power will come in very handy for the over 60,000 applications on the App store. What Apple also introduced today was the Garageband App! For $4.99 on the app store, so the iPad is becoming more of a workhorse and a gamers machine at the same time!

The introduction of the two colours is also quite nice, provides people with a bit of choice and the design being even thinner looks just stunning. The two cameras will yet again function very well with both the iPod Touch and iPhone, so making calls can also be much fun on the bigger screen.

Now the big boy in the specs is the new A5 chip! If you thought the A4 was fast, then get ready to look at the A5 chip as it will perform even better, faster and will be required for more intensive games, applications found on the app store in the future. But the good thing is that the current A5 chip will still be as power conserving as the A4 chip.

All in all yet another great keynote, and it was great to see Steve Jobs. The iPad is not available for order, so you will have to pick one up from the Apple store, so this means that the iPad 2 will be available in the US on March 11th and a few other countries such as UK, Canada, France, Germany on March 25th.

For more information, don't forget to check out the official Apple iPad page. Apple iPad 2nd Generation

Here is also a video of Steve Jobs unveiling the iPad 2. All credits for this video go to Cnet.



Also remember to check out our new poll, and leave your response!

This might be a bit of a last minute news, and in truth the iPad 2 event, was confirmed to be on March 2nd. In other words tomorrow! Rumors are flooding in everywhere as to what we might be able to see on the upcoming iPad. Many say a sleeker design, retina display, SD Card slot, and possibly bigger storage? If all these things do come up tomorrow, then I will be very surprised if the starting price still remains at $499! I am really excited for tomorrow, as I am sure many others will be.

Looking at beyond the iPad, recently it was said MobileMe, is taken off from the Apple site, possibly because there might be a cloud version that will be free. This is not confirmed yet, but it seems highly likely at this point, and if that isn't enough, many aren't sure as to whether Steve Jobs, will make the podium tomorrow, he might just make an appearance, but is he healthy enough to go through the whole keynote? This is not yet known. I am hoping he does make an appearance though, keynotes are not the same without him.

iOS 5.0 is also rumored to be announced tomorrow, hopefully it will add a substantle more amount of features to the 4.0 currently offered, maybe even making use of all five fingers for gestures! The iPad remains a game changer in the tablet market, and tomorrow could decide the fate of all other tablets on the market. So iPad owners, will you be looking to get an iPad 2? I sure am looking to getting a tablet soon in the house, and the iPad 2 might just be it.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

Another video tutorial, I made for those people that use mono microphones or need to get sound to reach out from both channels. iMovie has a great built in Voiceover feature and it only records in stereo, but it's possible to export the audio in mono, that way you can hear from both channels, so the voiceover feature still comes in handy.

Here is a video showing how to perform this task:

I made a video outlining the new port and for those of you who are new to this port, this video should help you understand that the Thunderbolt port, isn't called Thunderbolt for nothing. That's right it features blazing fast transfer speeds of upto 10gbps, and it can do even more!

Here is the video:

That's right, even though some weren't expecting it to be this soon, Apple decided it was time to update the Macbook Pro line up. The good thing is the processors now all contain Core i5's and Core i7's. Apple have managed to do away with the aging Core 2 Duo's. What really surprised me is that the baseline Macbook Pro 13" features a Core i5 dual-core processor, I was expecting Apple to get a Core i3 on those, but this is a nice bonus! They have also managed to keep the price same, at $1199. The base line MBP features a 2.3ghz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB Ram DDR3 1333mhz, 320gb Hard Drive at 5400rpm, and the new Thunderbolt port, for connecting peripherals and sending data at 10gpbs. There is also a second model with a bigger hard drive at 500gb and 2.7ghz Intel Core i7 processor, again a dual core for $1499. The 13" models now feature an Intel HD 3000 graphics card, as it seems Nvidia could not solve the lawsuit against Intel.

Looking at the 15.4" MBP's. They start at $1799 with a 2.0ghz Quad Core i7 processor! With 4GB Ram and 500gb Hard Drive. It also features AMD Radeon HD6490m discrete graphics chip with 256mb memory, but you can also switch between the Intel integrated graphics to save power. There is also another option at $2199 and it has a 2.2ghz Intel Core i7, quad core processor, with a whopping 750gb Hard drive, and an amazing AMD Radeon HD6750m with 1GB GDDR5 memory.

Apple also provided a 17" Macbook Pro, which features a 2.2ghz Intel Core i7 processor also a Quad core and features the same specs as the $2199 15" Macbook Pro, the 17" Macbook Pro is at $2499.

Overall the update was more spec wise as opposed to design, so maybe thats why there was no real keynote. The design remains the same but the new specs make them more tempting to buy! Leave your comments stating whether you will be buying the new MBP's and for those who bought the old model recently, well tough luck.

This is probably incredible news for most people! The first thing I want to say is if anyone is planning to buy a Macbook Pro, I suggest you hold up!! That being said, Macrumors recently published a photo which included the leaked specs of the upcoming Macbook Pro that is most likely going to come out tomorrow! The specs read: 4GB DDR3 Ram, 320gb Hard Drive, New Thunderbolt I/O port, for faster speeds and supports mini display devices, it also now features Intel's HD3000 graphics, which is supposodely said to be comparable to the Nvidia 320m, and here's the big part! A Core i5 processor running at 2.3 ghz! That's right folks if this does turn out to be the base line Macbook Pro, then we could be in for a treat!

This is already exciting me too much, as it must be for you too. Going along with the specs there was no images shown and nothing about the exterior was mentioned, so we still aren't sure what this device will look like, it also features Firewire 800 port, and two USB ports.

I can tell one thing for sure these specs are indeed tempting! I just wonder what the price might be. Also the rumor about the Light Peak technology looks like it wasn't meant to be, although I am curious to find out what the "Thunderbolt I/O" port will be like.

Here was a picture courtesy of Macrumors: 

Sources: Macrumors

This video was asked to be made by users, and we all know the fact all microphone's don't have the capability to record audio in stereo, this video will coordinate how to export audio in mono, that way audio doesn't come through only one channel.

This was leaked from "All Things Digital" and it presumably says that Apple might be holding an event on March 2, 2011, to address what might be the next iPad. Firstly it was about time Apple made an announcement since it's been over a year since the last one has been out, now below the competition. I wonder what this new one will have in stock for us.

Some rumors indicate, a new thinner design, camera, retina display and maybe even bringing a possible new port (also known as Light Peak). No invitations were given out right now, so this still remains a rumor, but possibly a strong one that will most likely be true.

If a keynote does take place March 2, I also wonder who might be the one to hit the podium? Will it be Steve Jobs or someone else? National Enquirer just the other week cited out shocking news that Jobs could be nearing his end, but it was just recently that he had an interview with Obama and Zuckerburg. So that statement feels false, it still does contribute to the fact that he has not been with Apple for a while, though he had been seen across campus.

Not sure a keynote will be the same without Jobs, so we hope for the best. On the other hand the Light Peak technology rumor seems highly unlikely as that was leaked a couple of days ago, also some say we might be seeing a dual core processor built in, for faster multitasking.

Everyone is pretty much hooked to the technology news now, not only because of the upcoming iPad, but also because of supposedly new Macbook Pro's coming this Thursday!

All this and much more to come soon.

This might sound really sudden for some of you, and it did for me as well. No real announcement, yet spectators and sites believe that we might be seeing a Macbook Pro releasing on February 24th 2011! That's this Thursday, and many people believe that the new Macbook Pro's will have a drastically new design perhaps also use a new type of material. It's been nearly 3 years since they have stuck with Aluminum, first being the Macbook in 2008.

This new Macbook Pro maybe made out of a newer type of material, otherwise known as Liquid Metal. This type of material is much sturdier than aluminum and actually looks a bit more darker too, sort of looks like a black Macbook in some way. The newer material is said to cost a bit more when making the new Macbook Pro's. So something tells me a price hike of possible $100 is on the way.

I made a video looking at all the mockups people made regarding the Macbook Pro and I had one word to say: "Gorgeous" they look infact very stunning and the new model might even be thinner! That said if you don't mind the price going up, this will surely be a great seller for Apple, if rumors turn out to be true.

I personally wouldn't mind dishing out a little more cash for that look, which is stunning. Here is the video I made looking at the possible Macbook Pro.

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During the month of January, Steve Jobs had taken a leave from Apple due to illness. But some news coming in recently shocked me. It was said Jobs was actually doing well health wise and that he was seen frequently across the Apple campus. But "The Inquirer" a newspaper company cited out on the front page that Steve Jobs will only live for another six weeks!

According to the article it shows that Steve Jobs has indeed suffered from various cancer effects in the past but this time the pancreatic cancer looks serious, though many people believe this news is a myth, I will be one to say that this doesn't sound right either.

According to other sources, Steve Jobs still has meetings with Google CEO and various other people coming up, and if he was in such a state then there would be no meeting in the first place. This is proving to be false at the moment, at least that's what many people believe and hope.

Looking back at Steve Jobs, he was one of the key founders of Apple, even though he left Apple for a period of time he came back bringing the whole business to a new level, and to be honest Apple wouldn't have been where it's at today, if it wasn't for Steve Jobs. The day he even left the office, Apple stocks had fallen and it just shows, that his presence really affects Apple as a whole.

We hope that this news is indeed false, and hopefully he will have a speedy recovery.

For more information: Steve Jobs Illness

We have seen and heard of many rumors throughout the start of this year. But remember when you always wanted an iPhone but it just happened to be a bit too expensive? For example it's around $199 on a contract. But what if we happened to see an iPhone that was $200 without a contract?!

If your really excited right now, I don't blame you, because rumors are now starting to appear according to Macrumors and Mashable, that we have a good chance of seeing a smaller, more affordable iPhone. There weren't any mentions as to what the size of it will be or what specs. But the price is sure appealing.

This should be Apple's entry into the lower end phone market, so they can target Android phone sales. The number of Android phones on the market is huge, and also since it's the #1 mobile operating system, there's no doubt Apple would want to challenge them.

That's right folks, after all the pre-orders were gone, Verizon managed to get the iPhone to hit store shelves. The price of the Verizon iPhone is in fact $5 cheaper as opposed to the AT&T version. This is because Apple claims it cost them 9% less to make this newer model. And this also boils down the cost of CDMA chips and that came out at $171 as opposed to $187 for AT&T GSM chips. The CDMA technology in fact is much cheaper to produce and is good for iPhone users, that are planning to order one today. You know what they say "Every penny counts." Today might be a somewhat of a different day for Verizon as millions of new people might switch to their network, since the iPhone is now part of their carrier, but could it also put a strain on their network? Many Blackberry users on the Verizon carrier, are planning to switch towards the iPhone 4, some say around 60% of all Blackberry users. So in fact now Apple is getting even more sales, one of the main reasons the Blackberry was selling so well, was because of the fact it was on a great network from the start, and now that Apple has made a move it can affect other companies.

Stay tuned as I will try to cover any more news that comes up regarding the Verizon iPhone.

This is not probably a rumor, and most likely 90% true, in fact the iPad was rumored to launch this month, but now, we might not be so sure, Apple is remaining very silent about this fact, and just like always, keep the suspense going. The iPad has made Apple millions of dollars, in all their quarters, and it remains that way, but now people are suggesting that the new iPad could be releasing the exact same day, the last iPad was launched for the public and that was April 3, 2010, which means the release could be on April 3, 2011. It sounds very likely, because I suspected the iPad to launch in January, but something tells me Apple wants to wait till the issue with Nvidia and the Macbook Pro line chips is out of the way before they release this iPad. I wouldn't be surprised if they happen to release all this in one keynote. Looks very likely at the moment, it seems to me Apple is taking their time in refreshing their products, in fact if you take a look at Macrumors buyer's guide, Macbook's and Macbook Pro's are well above their average refresh date, which could mean that this delay is caused by Intel and also the fact that Apple can continue to stick with the current design as long as possible, because it has been selling well for them.

In fact someone from the Reuters part of the group noticed an iPad 2 during the launch of "The Daily" a magazine specifically targeted for the iPad. Just another sign that it's coming very soon indeed!

But nonetheless a Macbook Pro and an iPad should be coming within April, if not before. Stay tuned for more updates.

Just before we saw a TV ad showing both iPhone 4's on two different networks, in one same ad. No one could believe, neither could I, but now each carrier has released their own iPhone 4 ad, to show how superior Verizon is over AT&T and vice versa.

AT&T's commercial:

Verizon's Commercial:

No surprise here, especially since the iPhone 4 is on America's most reliable network, The amount of pre-orders was immense, and now Verizon simply wants others that haven't gotten one to experience it in stores, February 10th. The number of iPhone's on Verizon's network, could mean that a huge amount of new users could be moving in, and this might strain the network, which puts a question mark on people's faces... Could the fate of Verizon also turn out to be like AT&T's with the amount of iPhone users. Everyone most likely knew that the iPhone 4 would be sold out on Verizon's network, but there are also some drawbacks, such as no Sim card, you are only restricted to CDMA chips, which isn't compatible everywhere, and Verizon's network doesn't offer call and data at the same time, meaning you can't be in a call and surf the web or do other things on your iPhone, which might restrict them on the strain of their network, since AT&T offers some of these features.

For all you wanting to switch think about it before switching, and you might have to wait to see how Verizon progresses with the iPhone in their lineup.

At some point I started to believe the refresh was coming closer, but recent news, cited that Intel made an error in the manufacturing of their soon to come next generation "Sandy Bridge" processor chips. At first I thought this mainly only affected PC desktops, that was until it was claimed that Mobile chips have also been affected in which case, the Macbook Pro's which were likely to be revealed sometime possibly in February might have to wait till about April. It does seem like quite a while from now, but now I think we have a pretty good date as to when we will see the next generation Macbook Pro's. I can already imagine some people might not be happy with this.

But the good part was they found out the issue before those chips were integrated into the Macbook Pro's or else that would have been an even bigger issue. The problem is said to be with the Serial ATA ports on the chips, in which some could lose quality over time. Intel at the moment holds key as to when we might be seeing a  Macbook Pro refresh, so everyone I suggest you hold off, and if possible till April. It will be hard, but in the end it should be worth it.

Apple seems to be getting even stricter nowadays when it comes to apps on their App Store. That being, recently it was said Apple had changed their rules on the App store, and an example being; that Apple had rejected the Sony E-Reader App. Apparently the reason was, that Sony had made this app so users can purchase e-books through Sony's site.

Apple however did not approve of this because they believe nothing should be sold outside the app store, and whatever people buy within an app should follow Apple's guidelines of purchase. Which means 70% of the profit goes to the developer and the other 30% goes to Apple. In this situation whenever someone downloaded a Sony E-Reader app, Apple received 30% of revenue, but all those e-books being sold within the app went towards Sony.

It just goes to show that this is another good money making scheme from Apple, but then we also know the fact Amazon, also has an app on the store, and from there you can purchase books through Amazon. That still remains on the App store, will it also be pulled down shortly?

Apple goes on it's merry way and now are in full control of the App store, no doubt Sony will be disappointed, but that's Apple for you.

This might also hurt Apple, because the Android Marketplace, doesn't have such strict guidelines, maybe Sony will move over to Android? Who knows.

I have posted about this before and it's the sad death of the Xserve one of Apple's premium rack servers, aimed towards businesses. The Xserve was first introduced in 2002, and after 8 years, Apple decided it was time for it to go. I wasn't surprised for once, but one thing that also didn't surprise me was enterprise users, didn't really care much even though it was going, and as Steve Jobs had mentioned they weren't selling many.

Sale figures are not known that well for the Xserve, but I can imagine they weren't pretty. So that pretty much sums it up, today is the last day for the Xserve, and you can pick one up if you would like, it's not like Apple is offering any discount. So I doubt if any of you would buy one, but it just goes to show, that Apple needs to work on their server lineup, they have done well with the Mac mini server, and now the Mac Pro server, but after the introduction of the Mac mini server, they realized that a small server is what people actually wanted, as it also saves money from buying a rack, in fact I am not sure if there was a rack built for the Mac mini server. Any how, the Mac mini server was indeed a way better value.

So we bid farewell to the Xserve, and maybe Apple might be able to come out with something new in the future? Though I highly doubt it at the moment.

Also remember that even though the Xserve is being discontinued, Apple is still offering support for owners that have one already and bought warranty etc.

But for all you last minute shoppers, who might want an Xserve here is the link.

*As a side note I just noticed that they ship in April! So for those that order, keep in mind there will be quite a long wait time. 

I spoke about how we might see an iPad refresh in February, on the refurbished Apple site, I noticed that the base line 2.4ghz Macbook Pro which was $1019 is now $999! Which means the white one maybe even cheaper! This is a great price with 4GB Ram, 250gb Hard drive and could make for a great college/ university student computer.

But also this leaves many wondering, is there a refresh coming around the corner? There hasn't been as much news about a refresh on the Macbook Pro line as there was about the iPad, but it remains a possibility, Macrumors had also cited that shipping times on Amazon are longer for Macbook Pro's which could mean production is slowing down or stock is about to run out.

Apple had reportedly bought many new patents, and so the next Macbook Pro, might not be one made out of Aluminum, as they have stuck with this design for around 3 years now.

Also now I was wondering, the fate of the white Macbook still remains in question, it's not the best selling model that's for sure, and now that the baseline Macbook Pro is even cheaper, it seems like the best choice out of the two.

Remember the cracks that used to appear on previous white Macbook's? Well they still seem to appear on the white Macbook's these days, which is another reason why it's good to stay away from them.

Rumors, rumors and more rumors, are wondering through the world of Apple, but only time will tell.

The iPad had marked it's first birthday just this past Thursday, and so that being its been over 365 days since it has been updated. Looking at Macrumors, I noticed most iOS devices, were under 365 days of average refresh. Also I noticed the iPad refurbished models, have hit the Canadian online Apple store. Which can only mean that the iPad 2 is getting closer and closer.

Some sources from China cited, that we might be seeing a 5 to 8mp camera, on the next iPad, possibly Bluetooth, as well as a Retina display. Now for me as a person, I see these things being possible for the upcoming iPad, not only that Apple plans to make it even thinner than it already is!

I thought the update would be in January 2011, and I was wrong, so now most sources suggest February to be the month when Apple will release the new iPad, some say around mid- February. I see it happening, anything after that and it might be too late, as competition might arise.

So at this point I say you should wait if you want to get an iPad, and something else tells me that with all these features people claim we might see, there might be a $100 price bump. (I hope it doesn't happen) But looking at Apple anything is possible.

With 2011 being the year of the tablet, it's no doubt Apple are picking their game up, I was reading a few minutes ago that Pixelmator, has reached $1 million in a span of only 20 days! This is an editing application tool which was released on the Mac app store recently.

Looking at that I can tell that many people are in the mood of purchasing apps, the main device that will lead towards $15 billion worth of downloads? I say it's the iPad, sales of the iPad have brought iPod's to their feet, with constant declining sales, the iPad is outplaying former counterparts. Android has just over 150,000 apps on the Marketplace, but I can tell right this moment, that Google is trying to catch up to Apple in terms of sales, it will take a lot of work but it is possible.

The Mac app store is also playing a huge role in reaching this target, "Do I see this target being reached?" Absolutely the tablet hype is huge, and if there ever happens to be an iPad 2 coming soon, things can only get better.

Researches say that with the introduction of the iPad, people have started buying more and more apps. I guess they find playing apps on a bigger device is more worthy than on a small device. In 2010 total app sales were accounted for just over $5 billion.

Just a few posts ago we spoke about the fact how Apple were close to nearing 10 billion downloads on the app store! Well they managed to hit the 10 billion mark, quicker than I imagined! Yep that's right Apple hit the 10 billion mark just over this weekend, and now there are more even counting!

Now what you must all be wondering is which lucky person might have won that $10,000 iTunes gift card? Well wonder no more, Apple announced that Louie Sulcer of Georgia downloaded at exactly #10 billion and that song being: "Guess things happen that way" By Johnny Cash

Well congratulations to Louie, and for everyone that participated better luck, next time! I can see the next 10 billion coming even faster!

Apple have had the best quarter yet so far! And they have to be commended for all their hard work, as you have been watching, analyzing, the numbers have just continued to go up. This quarter Apple has posted a revenue of $26.74 billion, and the net profit being $6 billion. This is compared to last year where the quarter had raised Apple $15 billion in profit and $3.3 billion in net profit! So net profit has nearly doubled.

A total of 4.13 million Macintoshes were sold, 16.24 million iPhones, 19.45 million iPods, which again seems to be the only department in which they are declining... This time being by seven percent, and the new introduction of the iPad, which will soon be a year old, has sold just over 7 million units.

Peter Oppenheimer was a happy man, and was looking at the fact Apple had generated $9.8 billion, in cash flow for operations. Apple should be expecting revenue to hike even more as the quarters come along, they are expecting around $22 billion for the next quarter.

All in all another job well done by Apple and as they continue their quest for dominance over computers and technology in society today.

This news isn't really Apple related, but I ended up getting a new condenser microphone, which I shall use for future podcasts, voiceovers and Skype calls etc. It is the Samson G-Track which I picked up from a local seller for $100. This included all the accessories including the Mic, and also a shockmount, which is quite nice. All in all it's a great product so far, I will have a test/ review of it up soon! For now enjoy the unboxing video! In the future I will also have a Garageband tutorial using this microphone.

If you havent seen the iTunes page at Apple's site yet, then you might be having a slow day.. It was just recently that I took a look there and saw a rapid amount of number flaps going up and up, as I type this the numbers keep getting higher and even faster! That's right folks, it's been nearly 3 years since Apple had introduced the App store, and to reach 10 billion downloads, is huge! As you remember Apple had held a contest like this before, and this time they are offering a $10,000 iTunes gift card, to that lucky one person who downloads an app at exactly number 1 billion.

It could be anyone, last time the winner for the last contest was a lucky 13 year old.. So I say get cracking and start downloading like there's no tomorrow! It's not to say Apple is the only one with an App store, even Android users have one as well... though Android being introduced recently isn't making the progress as fast as Apple.

The gift card looks extremely tempting, that's all I can say! But the huge jump in the amount of downloads is mainly due to the increasing amount of new iOS devices being introduced, a main one being the Apple iPad, and soon the Mac app store, will play a huge role as well!

It was just on the first day that the amount of downloads on the Mac app store, reached 1 million! So expect the next 10 billion downloads to come even faster!

Lastly, I wish you all good luck and hopefully one of you can be the lucky one billionth downloader!

I'm pretty sure at least 90% of the people were anticipating this announcement, and Apple have indeed teamed up with Verizon to release a CDMA chip only iPhone, which means no 4G just yet... So all you 93 million subscribers to Verizon, it's about time you pick up an iPhone. Probably one of the greatest phones on Verizon's lineup and I am sure this will attract many buyers. But what remains in question is whether this will affect the sales of the AT&T's iPhone 4? It will be $199 for 16gb, $299 for 32gb, keep in mind these are the same prices as AT&T's. During the keynote they said that the only difference in this iPhone is the radio everything else is pretty much the same, no change in design and no new features. But if your getting such a good phone at a great network for the same price, I think the Verizon iPhone is the best bang for your buck and should provide good competition for AT&T.

The device was just announced today and it should hit Verizon Wireless stores around February 3, 2011. No ideas as to how many they will have but the buzz on Twitter could mean we could be seeing them sold out on Day 1. The voice and Data plan might probably be the same $70 just like all other Verizon smart phones, details on pricing weren't announced on the keynote. So stay tuned!

With the whole CES hype, who would have thought we would expect even more exciting news? With the release of the Mac app store, Apple has their own game going on amidst the CES hype. Now Verizon have gave out invitations which said that they will hold a special media event and this is from Verizon Wireless! There were many rumors that we would be seeing a Verizon iPhone, and it seems those rumors might come true on January 11th!

In previous posts we had talked about how Apple might have started production of the Verizon iPhone, as there were rumors that Apple had ordered CDMA chips, which run through Verizon wireless. You guys will have to stay tuned till January 11th!

Verizon are probably really excited about this, a network with such a great connection, in my opinion deserves a great phone!

For all you Mac OSX Snow Leopard users, 10.6.6 was released today! And this update didn't just contain your usual bug fixes but rather a brand new Mac App store! "Yes, I am not joking" the Mac app store brings everything that people wanted from the iPod, iPhone's and iPads to your Macintosh!

Once you update your machine should reboot and in your dock right beside finder the Mac app store logo should appear! Sign in there and now you can download apps from the comfort of your computer!

So far after updating it is seamless to use and I found that there are at the moment, not many apps and only a few which are free... One free productivity app which I liked though was "Alfred" this app is used to replace Quicksilver and is very nice indeed.

I also noticed iMovie, iPhoto, and iWork on the app store! So could that mean the Mac app store, version of iWork will replace the one sold on disks? I think so.

I liked the interface which looks identical of that to the iPad's app store and basically now you can have all the fun which you had on your iOS device! This update by Apple will definitely bring in more buyers to the Macintosh lineup, and I suppose this update will probably be the last one for Snow Leopard and then the next one for the most part should be 10.7

I hope you guys also update and check out the Mac app store and leave your thoughts in the comments!

I remember the first time I made this blog, I had a passion to write about something and it happened to be technology. If you look at many people that make a blog these days, they tend to write here and there, some even leave it along and forget about it. But I just felt that writing constantly was a great sign because first of all I had readers that actually liked reading my content and also because it helped me greatly learning some HTML skills!

If you had stuck around this blog for a full year, you would have noticed how many changes this blog had gone through, first with a plaid black design, to a richer green design, back to a simple black design, now towards the Mystique theme. Overall I can't thank you guys enough for your support, it's you guys that made me want to motor and write on about the tech world! I hope you enjoyed my site as much as I liked working on it, and hopefully I can continue on for a long time!

I thank you guys for all your support especially after passing this 200 post milestone! So continue to spread the word, tweet out the news and get the site noticed to others, it will be of great help guys!

Thanks again guys!