Is Apple the new Microsoft?

UPDATE: Rebuttal here.

As most of you should know by now, Steve Jobs announced the price reduction of the iPhone down to $399 earlier this week, and the elimination of the 4GB model.

Well, if you’re a cheapy-cheap, and want the tech but don’t need the storage, the Apple Store (at least the online variety) is offering the 4GB iPhone for $299.

Apple’s announcement yesterday that it would slash the price of iPhones from $599 to $399 less than ten weeks after the gadget’s much-hyped debut stirred angry cries of protest from early adopters who shelled out the extra $200 to buy the “Jesus phone” when it first hit store shelves in July. Many of them felt used, disrespected and ripped off. That’s not a surprise. This is:

[W]e have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.

Kudos to Apple for doing right by its most loyal customers. It’s certainly true, as Steve Jobs says, that “there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever” (having bought my current PowerBook just before the MacBook Pro’s debut, I know all about that), but this was a rather extreme case of that phenomenon, and a case in which there were an awful lot of “someones,” many of them fanatical Apple fans… precisely the people the company doesn’t want to piss off too badly. I think this offer of $100 — even though it’s only half the price difference, and even though it’s store credit, not a cash rebate — will go a long way toward softening the blow. If the comments on Macworld are any indication, it looks like most people are pretty happy.

I think its safe to say that this guy’s computer problems trump the ones Brendan was having.

Or at least according to Steve Jobs.

Seems like a large revamping of the iPod line from Jobs today, with the Nano getting a serious overhaul that makes it look completely different, but handle video and also uses cover flow.  The traditional iPod has a new name "iPod Classic" and seems like top capacity has been bumped to 160 GB.

Of course, the one that everyone’s been jonesing for is the iPod Touch, which looks exactly like the iPhone, but without the phone portion.  It’ll sell in 8GB and 16GB models for $299 and $399.

Seems like the iPhone has an improvement, as the 4GB model is a thing of the past, and the price on the 8GB model (now the only model available) has been SLASHED from $599 to $399.  Of course, no word as far as I can tell on a 3G model.

Also, a new Wi-Fi iTunes store as well.

Researchers at USC have developed a method for displaying 3-D holograms using a high speed rotating mirror that is simply incredible.  Take a look for yourself in the video below:

Hat tip: Engadget

Well, I’m the lone Mac in my office, and everything else hanging around is a Dell product with Windows XP SP2.

Today, my secretary was working when her Dell spontaneously shut off.  Not shut down, not blue screen of death, no "Windows needs to shut down,"  just a stone cold, power off.

Hmm.  That’s weird, so restart, which it does back to the main Windows screen, same thing in just a few seconds. 

Any of you PC types have any idea what could be going on here?  I’m thinking it’s likely a hardware failure of some sort, possibly a power supply.  But, then again, I know just enough to be dangerous around children and animals.

BTW, I told the attorney I work with that he should replace it with a Mac and he looked at me like I was crazy.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  Die and forget it all.

Ladies and gentlemen, Trekstor’s latest MP3 player, the i.Beat.Blaxx.

Where’s Al Sharpton when you need him?

(Hat tip: dcl via DaringFireball via Fake Steve Jobs Blog.)

Nope, not a software unlocker, but a hardcore, hardware unlocking that requires soldering.

Kinda glad that I actually have my mobile service wtih AT&T anyway, so this isn’t really a big deal for me.

UPDATE by David K.

Two software solutions are being announced today as well, and atleast one claims it works even if you do a restore of your iPhone’s software.

I just got a call from Curtis at Apple. He read my manifesto about my PowerBook’s numerous problems, and has been researching the issues I reported. He agrees that, since I can boot up a different machine with the same OS, software and files without suffering the same problems, it must be a hardware, not software, issue — specifically, either the hard drive or main logic board (which are two of the few components that haven’t already been replaced). So Apple is going to send me a box to ship my computer back to the repair center, whereupon they’ll replace those components, “whether or not they pass testing,” and send it back to me. And if that still doesn’t fix the issues, then they’ll consider replacing the whole machine.

In addition to proposing this highly amenable course of action, Curtis apologized for all the trouble I’ve had. “It just seems like it’s been one thing after another,” he said. Indeed it has — and it’s so nice to hear an Apple employee say that! I think I’m beginning to understand why Bill Clinton’s “I feel your pain” line, while corny, worked so well. :) It really makes you feel better when somebody at least acknowledges your hardship. Oh, and he also gave me his personal office number, which is great, because it means I won’t have to navigate the labyrinthine Apple phone system if I have a problem in the course of this repair. I can just call Curtis.

Suffice it to say, I am a much more satisfied Apple customer right now than I have been for the last several months.

Anyway, once I receive the box, I’ll have up to 30 days to send the computer in — so, since this computer remains functional (albeit with lots of frustrating issues), I’m probably going to wait until Hurricane Dean is done and my website is moved off the dedicated server before sending it in. Indeed, I’ll probably wait until just after Labor Day, when my job has started and I won’t have much free time for computer use anyway. I need my computer too much for the next two weeks to part with it, even for a few days. So yeah, Mother Nature, if you could arrange to have a handful of hurricane-free days in early September, I’d appreciate it. :)

In a press event today Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the latest revision to the all in one iMac computer. The new machine looks similar to the previous versions, with the internals all mounted behind the LCD. Gone is the 17″ version, only 20″ and 24″ versions remain, but the prices haven’t changed (base prices are $1199 and $1499 for the 20″ models and $1799 for the 24″).

Apple also updated iLife and iWork, finally adding a spreadsheet app to the later, called Numbers that is compatible with Excel.

Nice.

Previous months’ selections here.

(Hat tip: David K.)

The last time I updated my PowerBook saga, I said I hadn’t “decided yet whether I’m going to follow [Apple Genius Mike’s] prognosis — which is to reinstall the OS again…or contact AppleCare and try to press my case through them. The problem is, Apple doesn’t offer e-mail support, only phone support, and it’s very difficult to explain my list of problems (and the relevant history) by phone. I wish I knew where could send my letter, plus all the accompanying documentation (screenshots, videos, etc.), with confidence that it would get to somebody who could help.” In response to which, a commenter helpfully wrote: “You can send a letter to Apple, and this would probably be the best solution. Send it to AppleCare Executive Relations, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014. This will get your letter to the ‘God Mode’ customer service people. These people are immediately under Steve Jobs, they WILL get the letter, and WILL be helpful.”

Well, the bar exam put everything on hold, but now that I have some free time again, I’ve decided to follow that advice. So I’ve updated and expanded my manifesto to Apple — it’s now fully nine pages long — and I plan to send it off tomorrow, along with a CD containing various files (video clips, screen grabs, etc.) demonstrating the problems described in my 2-page letter and the accompanying 7-page list of problems. You can read the whole thing for yourself, if you dare, here. I’ve uploaded and embedded some (though not all) of the referenced video and audio clips; for instance, here’s the video showing an instance of the PowerBook’s “erratic sleep behavior” on June 23, just three days after I got it back from repair:

Again, the whole manifesto, with additional video clips, is here, if anyone’s interested.

P.S. On my previous “manifesto” post, Burkeman asked: “Now I’m concerned about buying an Apple for my college-bound daughter. I’ve always had issues with my ipods. Would you still recommend Apple?” My response was: “Burkeman, can I get back to you after this situation is resolved? At the moment, I would say yes, I still recommend Apple, because when their computers work, they work better than other computers; they don’t break any more often than anyone else’s computers; and when they do break, Apple is generally quite good at making its customers happy. It’s that third point, though, that hangs in the balance depending on how this is all resolved.” So, yes: much hangs in the balance. What will happen at the “Infinite Loop”?

But that those of you who do may find interesting.

One of Brendan’s chief complaints about the iPhone seems to be that he couldn’t connect it to his lapper and use it as a modem.

If I’m reading this right, that seems to have been fixed by some enterprising computer person.

I’m really just posting this for those of you who actually know how to do that kind of thing. I don’t know how/if/why it works.

Enjoy.

Since it will be quite awhile before Brendan’s annual basketball pools roll around again you might all enjoying entering WIRED’s Greatest Gadget of All Time contest. You pick from a wide selection of gadgets ranging from an 18th century sextant to the just released Apple iPhone in a bracket style competition. The winner of the competition will walk away with an iPhone of their own. Good luck everyone!