Apple

Mac addicts were briefly enthused this morning when Engadget posted a link to a YouTube video that supposedly showed Mac OSX "Leopard Mobile" running on a "new iPod" with a touch screen and stylus. Unfortunately, it's just a clever fake: the video appears to be a screen capture of Mac OSX Tiger playing on a standard video iPod, and Engadget's announcement was thinly veiled sarcasm.

Nevertheless, the initial response from fans might be a good indicator to Apple of what the company's loyal base hopes to see on future generations of iPods.

Apple Computer will have to play better with digital-music others in France.

That's the upshot of legislation that French lawmakers gave final approval to Friday. It could force Apple to make its iPod music player and iTunes Music Store compatible with those from rivals. It would make the same demands of companies such as Microsoft and Sony.

An earlier version of the legislation drew fierce criticism from Apple as "state-sponsored piracy" because it would have required companies to share details of their digital rights management technologies. The law as passed reflects a more recent compromise that offers … Read more

Here's something for the Belgian surrealist art enthusiast in your life. A Magritte-inspired Dan Kurtz of San Francisco has etched an homage to the iconic "The Son of Man" onto the cover of his 15-inch PowerBook.

This new specimen of laptop creativity was done via a Squid Labs epilog laser and the open-source program Inkscape to craft the duo-tone rendering, according to Kurtz' post on Skid Labs' Instructables community Web site. The site offers step-by-step instructions on laser etching Macintosh PowerBooks.

But Kurtz' choice of masterpiece for his Apple Computer laptop has a second visual irony. The … Read more

We have long read about defective laptops and mobile phones that can explode, but we had never witnessed a product actually blowing up (fortunately). Thanks to this article in The Inquirer, however, we now know what an exploding laptop looks like in photos, if not in real life.

Apple Computer will offer feature films on the iTunes Music Store by the end of the year, according to a report in entertainment publication Variety.

In a story published on Sunday, Variety said that Apple is in talks with "major movie studios" and is pushing them to sell movies at a flat rate: $9.99. The studios have balked at such a plan. They want to charge a premium for highly sought-after films, Variety reported.

The magazine quoted an unnamed studio executive saying: "We can't be put in a position where we lose the ability to … Read more

Given the subject matter of Reuter's story Friday about Microsoft's alleged development an iPod and iTunes rivals, it's no surprise that it got bloggers typing away. Some welcomed the competition to the Apple-dominated marketplace. Others quipped about the rumor's long shelf life.

Others, still, said I told you so, noting that evidence can be found in Windows Media Player 11's music and video capabilities, and in Microsoft's recent partnering with MTV.

The story, which cites unnamed sources, says Microsoft has held licensing discussions with the music industry and is already demonstrating the "entertainment … Read more

Some people are so addicted to their iPods that they're willing to take them everywhere. That must explain the thinking behind the iCarta, the combination stereo dock and bath tissue holder.

Speculation about an Apple-Nintendo deal has been around for years, rekindled recently by fresh speculation since word leaked that Apple may be recruiting game engineers.

At first, we thought the idea might prove popular among supporters of the two companies, which could theoretically link arms and take on the empires of Microsoft and Sony. But many bloggers on both sides of equation--who could very well represent two of the most loyal constituencies on the planet--don't appear to think much of the idea.

A key reason cited among both Apple and Nintendo fans seems rooted in culture and independence. Each … Read more

To add a little insult to its injuries, Apple Computer was recently fined $100,000 for an administrative oversight that lasted for four years.

The San Jose Business Journal reports that Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler imposed the fine against Apple after the company failed to register as a service contract provider in the state of Washington.

The state law, which took effect in 1999, requires all companies selling service contracts to register with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

The Business Journal reports that Apple notified the commissioner's office after discovering the discrepancy.

A report shows that Apple … Read more