Last day for the Apple XServe

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. 




Macbook Pro refresh around the corner?

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.

Apple iPad 2 - More rumors

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.

App sales might reach towards $15 billion in 2011

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.

Apple reaches 10 billion download mark!

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!


Update: This was for the iTunes download competition, the app store winner will be announced shortly.  Update #2 The winner of the App download competition was: Gail Davis! from the UK! Congratulations!

Apple Reports First Quarter Results

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.

Steve Jobs goes on Absence from Apple

This is not the first time Steve Jobs, had took a leave from Apple. First time being in 2004, Jobs had left Apple because of the fact he was treated for a rare yet dangerous tumor. Later in 2009 while he was in Switzerland, he was yet again taken off because he was being treated for cancer. Steve Jobs had also gone  through a liver transplant back few years ago.

Jobs leaving Apple leaves, Tim Cook in command. We will have to wait and see what happens while he is gone.. will it be the end for Apple? Maybe, maybe not.. Jobs didn't leave a date saying when he will be back, but he did end up leaving a small message for all the workers. January 2011 and Jobs leaving isn't the start Apple wanted.. hopefully it will be better soon enough. 

Here was the message which he had left:

Team,
At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.
I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.
Steve

Unboxing video of Samson G Track

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.

Apple's app store to smash the 10 billion download mark

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!


For more information and full details, please check: Apple iTunes 10 billion App Countdown

Verizon iPhone 4 Announced

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!

Verizon iPhone to finally appear on January 11th?

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!

Mac App Store released

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!

MacTechToday turns 1 year old!

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!