Although not much was promised, some very exciting releases were introduced. Here is a quick summary to see what’s new:

1. Mac OSX Lion
A typical Apple release behavior, this newest release does not really revamp the OS, rather it enhances what it already has. Lion seems to focus mainly on emulating iOS in navigation, multi touch gestures, organization, and UI style. It sports over 250 new features; some of the more prominent ones include fullscreen apps, a multi-tasking feature called Mission Control,and  another organization feature called Launch Pad. But most surprisingly, instead of being priced at $125 dollars, it will only cost $25. And yet, this is not so surprising seeing as it is more of a heavy update rather than a new OS. Either way, it looks like a solid release.

2. iOS 5
The biggest relief here is notifications, they finally added the, very Android like, drop down notification bar and no longer will you be interrupted midgame for a text message. Instead the status bar at the top merely flips to show the notification and allows for continuous concentration on the angry birds game at hand. Apple also introduced News Stand (iBook for magazines and newspapers) as well as a tabbed Safari (as well as offline support). Another new feature called Reminders acts as a nice, calendar integrated to-do list. Photos allow crop and rotate as well as using the volume button for the shutter release. iPhone can now be PC-Free, meaning they work straight out of the box. With software updates via wireless connection and a updated GameCenter as well as wireless data syncing, this update is quite a luxurious one!

3. iCloud
By far the most momentous release of the day, iCloud was introduced by Steve Jobs himself who focused on the “it just works” mantra (potentially ad-nauseum). This new feature is truly awesome and houses a lot of potential for growth. Most all data will be  synced online, completely wireless, encrypted, and extremely fast! The only caveat, a $24 dollar/year price tag. And while this is better than Amazon’s option, we here at iTHs really don’t like paying for our features

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Kickback will be available sometime in February and was created, not surprisingly, by Hackulous, the same community that cracked Apple’s DRM system in iOS.

Kickback will actually allow you to get any software available on the Mac App Store for free but it’s release is being postponed for these reasons:

We don’t want to release kickback as soon as the [Mac App] Store gets released. I have a few reasons for that.

Most of the applications that go on the Mac App Store [in the first instance] will be decent, they’ll be pretty good. Apple isn’t going to put crap on the App Store as soon as it gets released. It’ll probably take months for the App Store to actually have a bunch of crappy applications and when we feel that it has a lot of crap in it, we’ll probably release Kickback.

So we’re not going to release Kickback until well after the store’s been established, well after developers have gotten their applications up. We don’t want to devalue applications and frustrate developers.

Apparently, other supporters and advocates of Kickback say that it is attempting to promote Apple’s use of demo’s and trial periods (something not currently available) . .  . hahaha

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These mods are based on a framework termed “MobileSubstrate” which enables the easy install and implementation of these mods. Mobile substrate allows for things such as Winterboard, SBSettings, and Commcenter. Saurik brings us CydiaSubstrate which enables these mods on both iOS as well as on OSX.

One handy feature that a desktop version of Cydia brings us is a much more connected Jailbreak process. The new Cydia will bypass updates and help jailbreak users stay safe from all sorts of Apple hazards. The entire tethering and syncing process will be revolutionized and bring ease and probably much more popularity to jailbreaking, yay expansion!

AppleBlog states:

The MacBook Air was last updated in June of last year, and the biggest change wasn’t specs, but price. The low-end MBA saw its CPU increased from 1.6 to 1.86GHz, but it’s price decrease from $1,799 to $1,499. The high-end model with a 128GB SSD went from 1.86 to 2.13GHz, but saw a price drop of $700 to $1,799. Another price drop seems unlikely, as that would overlap with the 13? MacBook Pro. Far more likely, Apple will maintain the price of the MacBook Air and update specifications, starting with the CPU.

and

Besides that, a glass trackpad sans button would update the MacBook Air to match the MacBook Pros. Also, a Mini DisplayPort with audio out like the MacBook Pros seems a likely upgrade.

Tomorrow will tell.

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9 to 5 Mac and Mac Rumors both quoted the following tip for the next MBP and MacPro Release:

The MacBook Pro will be released on the same day as Mac Pro. We are scheduled for a Friday morning release but with the amount of updates may be pushed to Tuesday. ipad is number 1 and everything else is as time permits. Look for i5 in base macbook pro with i7 in higher end 15 and 17 inch.

Although this may be another false alarm, I’m hopping for the best!

And could multi-tasking be coming to the iPhone in its next update (4.0)? Although we certainly hope so, there are of course no guarantees with this type of tip either. Here is a quote from a much-trusted John Gruber:

People with a proven track record in predicting Apple’s technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a “full-on solution” to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life — two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.

From a user-facing perspective, Apple plans to deliver a multi-tasking manager that leverages interface technology already bundled with its Mac OS X operating system, according to those same people. It was requested that specifics be withheld at this time, as the iPhone Software 4.0 remains under development and reportedly has a quite ‘way to go’ before it’s ready for prime time.

more to come.

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• Since Apple’s negotiations with AT&T have been going smoothly for the iPad, why not include some 3G on the new MBP as well?
• Intel has almost promised the i5 to be used in Apple’s next models (although unlikely, the i7 would be absolutely awesome)
• Possible LED back-light.
• More space and cheaper Solid State Capacity (although probably still too expensive for most people).
• The new graphic card switching function I mentioned in a previous post. This would also make the battery more efficient.
• Possible nVidia Optimus Graphic card setup.
• Possible late March Release!

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MacBook Air – Only 11 days since the last update so “maybe”. I have not read much about any anticipated changes so my guess is as good as yours.

MacPro - it has been 336 days since the last update. With an average of 236 days between updates we can expect a release very soon. The biggest change is a suspected update to Intel 6-core Xeon Gulftown processors.

Because all these laptops are due for an update I can definitely see Apple revamping the whole lineup (excluding the new macbook of course). We’ll hopefully see very very soon.

iPhone - Long time here as well; its been almost 100 hundred days over the average. Expect a new iPhone to enter the market as well. Apple has patented some very interesting ideas lately that relate to the users swiping their finger over the camera to control music playback and such. . . interesting. Expect something cool!

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- The tablet’s multi-touch gestures are “out of control.”
- It’s powered by an incredibly fast ARM CPU
- It runs on the iPhone kernel.
- The internal model number is K48AP.
- There hasn’t been an updated iPhone OS build because there’s too much tablet-related code/references in the OS and Apple obviously didn’t want that to leak. Oops.
- The tablet is basically an “iPhone on steroids.”

John Gruber states:

And, for what it’s worth, I’m hearing there is no camera, webcam or otherwise, on The Tablet.

New Macbook Pro
Although Apple is supposed to only release the much-anticipated Apple Tablet at the end of this month, it is also speculated that a new Macbook Pro will make its appearance. This new MBP will most likely have the new Intel Core i5 processor, an update that will vastly speed up the whole system. Unfortunately, the already great battery life is not expected to improve.

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Geoshot has done a wonderful job of making this hack easy and simple to use.

Here it is!

Instructions and tips:

• Clean firmware 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11.07 are recommended.
• Blacksn0w is also available on Cydia, add blackra1n.com as repo (requires firmware >= 3.1 and baseband 05.11.07)
• Windows Tutorial
• Mac Tutorial

Known Issues and fixes:

• There is currently an issue with “push” and “youtube” but the dev-team will release a fix shortly.
• Some WiFi issues have also come up. Merely reset your “Network Settings” to fix this.

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iTunes 9 – Will support Blu-Ray, Twitter/FB, App organization

iMac – Probable due for Blu-Ray update

Google Voice – Planned to be remade in the form of a web-app

8gb iPhone 3Gs – Contrary to my previous statement, I have now heard that it may just be a rumor. But, it is still up in the air.

Snow Leopard OS 10.6 - A sure September release

Macbook Pro - According to many studies and apple trends, Apple’s next release should include a new and improved graphics card. This is, according to LaptopCheck, the only place the Macbook Pro falls short of its otherwise sterling standards. As for the expected release date, I hope it will also arrive in September. . . with the full realization that this would be highly idealistic.

Macbook Pro 15 in. - Is now available with a matte screen just like the 17 in. It will cost you $50 extra but is well worth the green considering the glare on the shiny model.

Also, for anyone interested in a iPod Touch 32gb, that has never been touched, please contact me
(Price is negotiable, use the below email address to receive $25 off!)

roosterhelp at gmail dot com.

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