Doug returns!
Filed under: Apple TV, Doug's Rumor Corner, Rampant Speculation, Rumors
[Disclaimer: Doug has never been right about anything.]
Hey everyone, look! Doug has returned, and he has a new rumor for us! This time it’s about the Apple TV. Looks like the Apple TV might not be getting a redesign so much as losing the hardware aspect entirely. (At least according to Doug).
Hey Doc,
Here’s something I heard through the grapevine. Apple is investigating the possibility of releasing the Apple TV OS as a separate box purchase. In other words, take an old iMac or Mini thats just laying around, install the Apple TV OS on it, and boom, you have an Apple TV.
Sell it for $79 and it probably has more profit margin than the Apple TV itself. And then those users are buying iTunes content.
Also prepare for the Apple TV to be opened up to a special gaming section of the App Store, where multiplayers can use their iPhones and ipod Touches as controllers.
That’s all I got.
Have a Happy New Year!
Like all of Doug’s scoops, this is another “Apple is investigating the possibility” of something, so when it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t mean Doug was wrong, it just means Apple changed their mind – yet on some levels, it doesn’t sound all that ridiculous either. However, I just don’t see Apple releasing what would in effect be a new, “Home Media Center” version of OS X and expecting people to install it on random hardware configurations. While many of us likely could do so, I think the average consumer would still like to buy a neat little box that does what it is supposed to. The iPhones as controllers is a cool idea though…
Doug’s Rumor Corner: iPhone 2.0 “Safe Directory”
Filed under: Doug's Rumor Corner, Rampant Speculation, Rumors, iPhone
Faithful Macenstein reader Doug is back once again with his trademark “inside info”, this time with some dirt on the iPhone’s (alleged) upcoming “Safe Directory”.
(It should be pointed out that after 7 or so “inside scoops”, we have yet to be contacted by Apple legal about any of Doug’s inside information. Still, they are always fun to read).
iPhone 2.0 “Safe Directory”
A feature that may or may not see the light of day in the iPhone 2.0 software is “Safe Directory”.
Opening up the iPhone’s drive for the saving of files, like the Finder on desktop OS X, was discarded because of the need to make the iPhone’s OS as stable and reliable as possible. But this feature was one of the first to be enabled as a hack solution, and continues to be much in demand.
“Safe Directory” would be an Apple solution. It creates a partition that is protected in similar fashion to File Vault. Get an email with a Word file attached? Of course you can view it, but now you can also choose to save it. By default it goes only in your Safe Directory, you are not presented with the option to move to another directory or to rename the file. Need to download a PDF from Safari? Save it in your Safe Directory. Want to save a photo without having to go thru all that iPhoto syncing? Save it in your Safe Directory.
But here’s where it gets cool. As soon as your iPhone gets within range, a message on your Mac will pop-up, saying “an iPhone that syncs with this Mac would like to transfer files to your Mac. Allow or Do Not Allow? Click Allow and the files are wirelessly copied to your Mac. The first time you do this, a folder in your user folder will be created called From iPhone Safe Directory - it will also appear automatically in your Finder and iTunes sidebars.
Don’t know if its Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, both may be supported.
New tablet rumors and slow news day conspire to cause us to revisit Doug’s Mac nano rumor
Filed under: Doug's Rumor Corner, Hardware, Rampant Speculation, Rumors
A slow news day has turned into a slow news weekend, and with a slew of new “iTablet” rumors surfacing, it is no surprise that Macenstein’s resident rumor-monger Doug has returned to dredge up his Mac nano and docking station rumor. And if you thought the MacBook Air’s pricing/performance ratio was questionble, wait until you get a load of the “iMac Duo”!
Mac Nano Update
Many may remember my original Mac Nano report - a tablet running a touch version of OS X, but more advanced than what is on the iPhone. This could sit in a dock which essentially turned it into a desktop Mac, connected to a display and keyboard mouse.
Around the same time, another report surfaced showing a tablet Mac that apparently docked by sliding into a slot in the display itself, much like an over-sized optical disc.
Apple often develops concepts so fully they can no longer be called just prototypes - they are practically ready for production. But if the don’t pass the Steve test, they are scrapped.
It would appear the 2nd form factor has been approved, and will be unveiled at an unknown point.
Name: iMac Nano, iMac Duo, iMac Pro
Form: 11″ or 12″ LCD tablet. Approx. 1/3″ thick. Intel Atom processor. SSD. Wi-Fi. Bluetooth. 1 USB 2.0 port. 1 FireWire 400 port. Headphone jack. Battery can be swapped like a laptop. Runs OS X “Touch Plus” - like the iPhone, but more like the desktop OS X, enhanced with some pulldown menus and dialog boxes and a Finder. Other specs unknown.
It’s display mate is either a 17″ or 20″ LCD that resembles strongly the current iMac. The “chin” - the expanse of aluminum across the front - is not as tall, and the aluminum finish is darker and more matte overall. On the left side is the optical drive slot; on the right side is the slot the tablet docks into. Then you have access to a second internal standard hard drive and Gigabit Ethernet and more ports. It reboots into desktop OS X when docked (or perhaps wakes from sleep) but uses the same user account. Charges when docked, or via a USB adapter like the iPhone.
Tablet does not use a stylus. A keyboard/mouse can be used if desired. Will not be a phone. Will be, in essence, a giant iPod.
Expect a premium of $800-$1,200 over the current iMac, depending on configuration.
Rumor: Apple TV’s wireless, multi-touch keyboard
Filed under: Doug's Rumor Corner, Hardware, Opinion, Rampant Speculation, Rumors
Who doesn’t like reading rumors on the weekend? I know for me, it’s right up their with reading the Family Circus each Sunday morning. Faithful Macenstein reader Doug writes us with news of an upcoming Apple TV update and the first Apple TV-specific accessory, a multi-touch Apple keyboard:
“a new keyboard. bluetooth. aluminum with design and keys just like existing wireless. but to the right a touch-sensitive area. it is aluminum and backlit. a thin groove defines the edge of its area. it is programmable. it can illuminate a numerical pad. a click wheel. a standard trackpad. a keyboard. whatever. create your own.
some intrepid investigators have noticed the apple tv has a unused bluetooth capability. not for much longer. you will be able to pair this keyboard with the apple tv. why? an apple tv software update will include full .mac compatibility. check and write email, surf, organize photos, create and order a photo book or upload them to a .mac gallery, and ichat, even video ichat. plug in a USB webcam, or even a digital camcorder or just a digital still cam as long as it has video capture and USB.
apple tv gets a standard hardware upgrade. slighter better processor and video card, but storage can go up to 340GB. the bigger the drive the more stuff you can buy from itunes.
you better recognize!!
Doug seems to love being recognized, and has sent in quite a few rumor tips for upcoming Apple inventions, none thus far 100% accurate (yet none 100% INaccurate either) but his theorems are usually plausible and fun to discuss.
Back in October of 2007 a patent filed by Apple inventor Wayne Carl Westerman for a multi-touch keyboard was uncovered, yet hinted at a completely multi-touch keyboard, as opposed to Doug’s proposed keyboard/multi-touch trackpad rumor. Of course, patent filing drawings are rarely indicative of the final product, and could simply have been created to illustrate the underlying technology in Doug’s keyboard. Currently there are ways to get your current Apple keyboard and mouse to work with the Apple TV, yet nothing officially sanctioned by Apple has surfaced. As the Apple TV continues to add features (such as YoutTube integration) the need for an improved input scheme is becoming more apparent.
Doug’s multi-touch keyboard certainly seems like something we could see one day, but I am not sure just how many multi-touch trackpads Apple would have to order between keyboards and laptops to bring a multi-touch keyboard’s price down to a consumer-friendly level. Perhaps Doug has merely picked up on my loathing of .Mac’s insinuation of itself into all things Apple and knew the idea of tying it into the Apple TV would get me to bite. Also, we’re not entirely sure what he means by “some intrepid investigators have noticed the apple tv has a unused bluetooth capability“. There is no built-in hardware support for Bluetooth in the Apple TV (as far as we know) but you can access Bluetooth devices via a USB dongle, so perhaps he is merely referring to the Apple TV’s software supporting Bluetooth connections.
What are your thoughts?
2 new conflicting iPhone reports support “multiple iPhone models” rumor
Filed under: Doug's Rumor Corner, Rampant Speculation, Rumors, iPhone
Image via information architects
Remember when crazy faithful Macenstein reader Doug wrote us telling us to expect Apple to release at least two and possibly even three models of iPhone this spring? (see Even more rumors: The new iPhones’ specs) Well, two conflicting reports from two fairly major and reputable sites suggest their may be something to Doug’s claims after all.
First came reports from Engadget that the new 3G iPhone would come with GPS and be a bit larger/thicker than the current model, something Doug mentioned in his claims, and something that most of our readers blasted him for. While it is nice to think that Apple would continue its trend of slimming its portables with each new revision, logic would suggest that the current iPhone’s innards are packed pretty tightly, and adding a GPS module might very well necessitate a slight change in form factor. So when we read Engadget’s claim, reportedly from a trusted source who had actually held one of the new iPhones, we re-read Doug’s report and said, “hmmmm…”
Today, however, Electronista is claiming that “The next generation of Apple’s phone should include a significantly smaller phone that may replace the existing model… with a 2.8-inch screen replacing the 3.5-inch model used today” .
Hmm… One says bigger, one says smaller… So, who do we believe? Or are they BOTH right? Doug’s claims would seem to support the idea that both sites may have correct information, and may in fact be speaking of two different models of iPhone.
Despite the clamoring for “true” iPhone GPS on the internet, I can completely see Apple offering a model of iPhone sans GPS to those who do not view GPS as a must-have feature. Personally, I pretty much know where I am about 99% of the time, so GPS isn’t personally that exciting a prospect if it means increased size/weight and lower battery life. Add to that Apple’s seeming move into the enterprise market (a market used to carrying around laptop-sized PDA/Smartphones) with the iPhone 2.0 software, and even a slightly bigger iPhone would seem like a miracle to business users who might want a larger screen.
Obviously, we’re rooting for Doug, as that means we may have a bonafide rumor source, so perhaps we’re reading too much into these reports (as if you could ever over-analyze an iPhone rumor!). That being said, we’re waiting until we see an iPhone shuffle before we send him a cookie.
What are your thoughts? Will Apple create multiple iPhones tailored for different users, just as they have for the iPod and MacBook lines?
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