While there was some speculation that Apple might include its Apple TV in the music-related rollout event from last week which brought us a video camera-equipped iPod nano, it was a no-show. But then this week, Apple quietly discontinued the small capacity 40 GB model and reduced the price of the 160 GB model by $100 to $229 (the price of the old 40 GBer). No additional tweaks to the hardware or functionality added to the software for the device–just a price drop on Apple’s lil’ hobby.

The Apple TV hasn’t been a barnburner for the company, but then again we don’t really know since Apple has never released sales figures for the device (a tactic, as Wired’s Gadget Lab notes, Steve Jobs has previously called a sign of weakness when referring to other companies who won’t divulge sales numbers of their premier products). However, it’s been estimated that several million people own Apple TVs–including me (purchased in conjunction with a book project I worked on)–and it’s getting to a point where we Apple TV owners would really like to know whether there’s a future for this device.

Yes, it does its advertised job as being a conduit to video purchased from the iTunes store (which is the only TV that my family watches since we cut the cable), and it’s a handy way to stream music from one part of my home to another where we have our entertainment center. But it would be far more useful if it had some of the access to additional streaming content such as Hulu or Netflix instead of just YouTube (which certainly entertains my toddler with a variety of LOL cat videos, but the resolution is crappy on the HDTV). At some point this Fall, I’m going to get around to doing some hacking with either the set of software pieces from ATV Flash and/or Boxee. I’ll let you know how it goes.

• Rumor revue: the iTablet makes a comeback this week, with a Taiwanese newspaper saying a 9.6-inch tablet will be released in February priced between $800 and $1,000 (via The Apple Blog). And possibly coming to AT&T?
• Now Google says that Apple did indeed reject the Google Voice app for the iPhone. Au contraire, says Apple.
• TUAW reports that HP this week released the latest version of its MediaSmart servers (the 1 TB EX490 and 1.5 TB EX495–both of which include three empty hard drive bays for further terabytes of expansion), and that they’ve gotten even more Mac-friendly. The MediaSmart server can now be controlled by a Mac (previously you had to do it from a Windows machine) and it now offers full recovery of a Mac via Time Machine. For more, check out this review of the new Mac-centric features at MediaSmarthome.com.
• The gang over at TidBITS finds even more hidden “refinements” in the recently released Snow Leopard OS X 10.6, including added functionality in iChat, screen sharing, and option-clicking tricks (I even make a cameo appearance). Speaking of Snow Leopard, it looks like Apple’s decision to release it at under $30 is paying off quite well, as 9to5Mac reports that it’s outsold both Leopard and Tiger in just two weeks.
• If you’re worried about possible radiation side effects from using your iPhone, check out the Pong iPhone 3G/3GS case, which combines a silicone exterior with an interior that is “scientifically proven” to reduce radiation (via Gearlog).
• NewTeeVee has a side-by-side comparison of video shot by the new iPod nano and video from a standard definition Flip camcorder, determining that the Flip offers the better picture quality.
• AppleInsider reports that some lucky iPhone users have been getting treated to an early rollout of the MMS picture messaging service, which is scheduled to go live on September 25. If you’re not sure what MMS is (or tethering, the other long-promised feature from AT&T), check out this handy break-down from iLounge.
• CNet’s iPhone Atlas blog features some bug workarounds and tips galore for the new in-iTunes app management function for iPhones and iPod touches.
• iLounge gives the new Madden NFL 10 iPhone app from Electronic Arts a B+, but I’m waiting for some real football gaming action with EA’s FIFA 10 soccer game, which will be released in late October. Check out a preview over at Pocket Gamer.
• I was having some trouble finding the new pre-made ringtones that Apple announced last week, but Ars Technica reminded me that they’re only available from the iPhone’s iTunes app (not the desktop)… which is a little frustrating. However, you can still make custom ringtones from some of your previously purchased iTunes songs via the desktop application. And there’s third-party software such as Ambrosia’s iToner to help you out.
• Lifehacker lists its top 5 features it wishes the new iTunes 9 included.
• And finally… the recent Apple music event in the form of adjectives only:

–Agen G.N. Schmitz

Today, Apple announced their new video format, iFrame. According to the Apple site:

The iFrame Video format is designed by Apple to speed up importing and editing by keeping the content in its native recorded format while editing. Based on industry standard technologies such as H.264 and AAC audio, iFrame produces small file sizes and simplifies the process of working with Video recorded with your camera.

It looks like the big win here is the smaller file sizes so that you can upload footage to a computer quicker and that same footage will not take up nearly as much space. Because it is based on H.264, AAC, (therefore MP4 and QuickTime) iFrame files will work on both Mac and PC applications.

So far, only two camcorders shoot directly in iFrame. Both are from Sanyo: the VPC-HD2000A and the VPC-FH1A.



    



Along with the ability to shoot in iFrame, both Sanyo camcorders feature impressive optics, image stabilization, and other enhanced features to give you more control for the footage you shoot. This should allow you to enhance the footage quickly and easily in post-production.

This new video standard from Apple applies primarily to users of iMovie ’09 video software. As this standard grows and more camcorders adopt the new format, expect additional applications to embrace iFrame and take advantage of people shooting more video in a smaller more manageable file size.



–Brandon M. Baker 



Last night Flip Video launched the 2nd generation of their MinoHD shoot-and-share camcorder. This second iteration delivers what many customers have been hoping for. The new Flip MinoHD has twice the recording time (8 GB) of the previous version. You can now record up to two hours of HD footage. Like with previous Mino’s you can directly connect to your computer via the built-in USB; with this new MinoHD you can also directly connect to your HDTV via the new MinoHD’s mini-HDMI connector. Along with output enhancements, the camcorder’s display is now larger (2-inch) than previous versions.



 



 



Hardware is not the only improvement with this new Flip camcorder. The pre-loaded FlipShare software has also been improved. With FlipShare’s Magic Movie feature, users can select a series of video clips, and the feature will edit the clips into a movie for uploading to the FlipShare Website (also viewable on your iPhone or iPod Touch with the FlipShare App), YouTube, and Facebook! Yes, Facebook. Within the next 2-3 weeks, FlipShare software will be able to upload directly to Facebook so you can shoot and share with all of your friends and fans. FlipShare will be the only shoot-and-share camcorder software with Facebook integration this holiday season.



–Brandon M. Baker

Despite positive reviews for Windows 7, the upgrade process for the
millions of people still using the older Windows XP won’t be simple.
Unlike the shift from the newer Windows Vista, the move from Windows XP to Windows 7
requires a clean installation — which means backing up data before
installing Windows 7, then restoring data and reinstalling applications
after the new OS is on the machine.





As we noted earlier this week,
the Mac blogs have been having lots of fun poking fun at the process.
And now Apple itself is looking to capitalize on the situation.





“Any user that reads all those steps is probably going to freak
out,” Apple executive Phil Schiller tells BusinessWeek’s Peter Burrows
in a story getting lots of attention in the tech world today. “If you have to go through all that, why not just buy a Mac?”





Apple is looking to build on the Mac’s existing momentum. Numbers released yesterday by the IDC research firm showed Mac shipments rising to 9.4 percent of the U.S. market in the third quarter, from 8.6 percent a year earlier.





According to the BusinessWeek story, Apple is expected to highlight
the complexity of the XP-to-7 upgrade process in upcoming
advertisements. Burrows reports that the company also “will likely make
the case that Macs are less susceptible to viruses and are best suited
to its popular iPods and iPhones.”

After a couple of weeks traveling with the family and then having to face up to a load of work that always seems to await you after vacation (which starts to make you question why you should go on holiday to begin with), I’m back on the Apple news hunt. It doesn’t look like the landscape has changed much since I’ve been away–we’re still no closer to an iTablet or tethering capabilities from AT&T, and there’s still no refreshed Mac desktop hardware for the coming festive season.

But wait… is that the infamous “We’ll be back soon” yellow Post-it I spy over at the online Apple store this afternoon? Yes, it was, but now the store’s back and nothing’s obviously been changed. That said, we could be seeing new versions of Apple’s iMac and Mac mini soon (perhaps as soon as next week, but then again I’ve been hearing that for the past couple of weeks). AppleInsider has some intel that the new models will sport top-of-the-line Intel Core i7 quad-core processors. Electronista has a bit more detail on what this could mean as far as under-the-hood and marketing matters:

Although in most cases much faster than existing Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad systems, their low clock speeds in full quad-core use would likely push Apple to advertise their maximum clock speeds under Turbo Boost instead. The 1.73GHz chip runs at up to 3.06GHz when one or more cores aren’t needed and may see Apple advertise the higher speed instead.

Unfortunately, it also sounds like the inclusion of Blu-ray drives was pulled at the last minute. Well, let’s get on to more of the week that was in Apple-y goodness (and disappointments):

• One of the things I did before our multi-stop, two week trip to visit family was load up my iPhone with apps to entertain our 2.5-year-old toddler (favorites from the trip included Pre-K Safari, Truckformer and Matches), and I’m always on the lookout for new titles. This week, iLounge takes a look at two interactive storybooks for youngin’s–Itsy Bitsy Spider and Little Red Hen–and gives both positive marks for rather different takes at this app category.
• Rumor revue: HardMac reports that the next version of the Mac Pro may include a hexacore Xeon processor (i.e., that’s six cores of power) for shipment in 2010. 9to5Mac reports that a radio app is being developed in-house by Apple, which would take advantage of the FM radio that’s already built into iPhones and iPod touches (but hasn’t been turned on yet by Apple). The app would include the same live pause feature of the latest crop of iPod nanos as well as the ability to purchase songs heard on the radio (from a compatible station that supports tagging) directly from the Mobile iTunes Store.
• Gizmodo highlights two iPhone concept interfaces from Ocean Observations–one for Cover Flow multitasking and one for Expose-style management of all your app screens.
• The Tweetie 2 iPhone app has been released, and Insanely Great Mac has a video review of the new features, which includes a draft mode that enables you to tweet what’s on your mind and upload at the next opportunity you have a connection (Pocket-lint also has a just-text review). The downside–owners of the original Tweetie (such as myself) will need to pay for the upgrade–that hasn’t necessarily been standard practice in the iPhone app world, but it’s SOP in the regular software world, so we should start getting used to that.

  >
  Why is this lunkhead smiling?

• I’m not much of a gamer, but I couldn’t resist the release of the FIFA 10 soccer game iPhone app from Electronic Arts. Soccer games are my one video gaming weakness (and the only reason I bought an original XBox years ago), and I’d previously tried last year’s version of Real Soccer from Gameloft (which has now been updated to an ‘01 version, with a free version for you to try), but it was never that captivating. FIFA 10, on the other hand, has been downright addictive. And the best part of it is the realism–from the hard slog of a season with a team that can get beat even by the bottom relegation zoners to the cleverness you need to run through defenders or snatch the ball away from attackers when defending. (Frankly, as a Chelsea supporter, the biggest downside of the game is seeing Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney mug every time I start the game… but I’m adapting.) iLounge takes a look at both FIFA 10 and Real Soccer 2010, and FIFA comes out on top.
• MakeUseOf has a review up of the recently released Dropbox iPhone app, and they’re frustrated at its inability to edit and upload files. If you’re not familiar with Dropbox, it’s a cloud-based file synchronization service that works in the background to upload files from the Dropbox folder that gets placed on your desktop and then synchronize that file with any other PCs running Dropbox that are associated with your account (or with collaborators sharing portions of folders). I recently worked on a project helping a colleague with a book update, and the fast, automated synchronization of source and finished materials made our remote collaboration seamless. And while the Dropbox iPhone app hadn’t been released in time, I would have been fine with just the viewing capabilities. For more on Dropbox app, check out this overview from Glenn Fleishman over at TidBITS.
• If you’ve got a a Canon PIXMA MP990, MP640, or MP560 printer, there’s now an iPhone app that enables you to print directly from your iPhone.
• Rob Griffiths over at Macworld takes a look at Apple’s new policy of allowing in-app purchases for free apps–which should eliminate the “free lite” versions of apps and now allow you to upgrade to a full version of an app after trying it out.
• And finally… I love this hand-crafted iPhone/iPod touch dock (via Cult of Mac). And you can make your own with plans at creator Murtaza Lakdawala’s web site.

–Agen G.N. Schmitz