What is the true value of an iPod, in global terms? I know it's a Friday (and what a Friday!) but come now-we must exercise our brains a little, lest they atrophy before 6 p.m. local time. A good way to start is by examining reports of the iPod's global economic value.
Researchers at the University of California recently conducted a a study examining the 451 parts that make up an iPod and where they're manufactured. Using a $299 30-GB iPod video as their reference model, the researchers determined that:
The most expensive component in it was the hard drive, which was manufactured by Toshiba and costs about $73. The next most costly components were the display module (about $20), the video/multimedia processor chip ($8) and the controller chip ($5). They estimated that the final assembly, done in China, cost only about $4 a unit.
However, since many of the companies involved in an iPod's assembly are either owned by companies in other countries, or outsource their own labor, it becomes difficult to truly track an iPod's money trail. Final estimates by the researchers suggest that of a $299 iPod's retail cost, $163 went towards American companies and workers: $75 for distribution and retail, $80 to Apple, and $8 to assorted component makers. Unaccounted-for parts and labor was about $110, but the study authors plan to track those costs down as well.
[NOTE: Initial reports suggested that the car bomb was located near the Apple Store Regent Street location in London. Later reports showed that this was not the case. My apologies for the error-Kate Marshall, 10:03 PM EST, 6/29/07]
A car bomb was discovered in London early Friday morning June 29, according to the International Herald Tribune.
Investigating reports of a suspicious vehicle parked near Central London, police discovered a car bomb containing several gas cylinders, nails, and gasoline. It was parked near the Tiger Tiger nightclub.
The bomb was a "big device" and posed a substantial threat to the area, according to police. Officers disabled the bomb with a controlled explosion.
The Sharper Image has managed to combine two of my favorite things: iPod accessories and Transformers. Yes, though dreams of my Transformer-themed Mac didn't pan out as expected, others have taken up the mantle to bring us the best in giant robot merchandising.
The Beatmix Bumblebee Speaker (a steal at just $40!) seems to take inspiration from the Robosapien, since as music plays, it "dances and flaps its wings with eyes lit bright." Erm, that, to me—much as I love giant robots—is just a little bit creepy. Transformers don't dance, okay? The speaker is powered by 4 AA batteries, and can jack into your iPod or any MP3 player with a headphone jack. And what robot speaker would be complete without the ability to "sample tunes back to you with distinctive Transformers sound effects, right from the movie." It's those kinds of touches that make you want to gouge your own eyes out.
If that's not enough Transformer/Apple crossover coverage for you, then don't miss this segment from The Colbert Report.
[Hat tip: Peter Cohen]
Today may be iPhone launch day, but for one Mac icon, this week has a different meaning altogether: Wednesday saw the opening of Live Free or Die Hard, starring Mac commercial portrayer Justin "Mac Guy" Long. The Washington Post has a two page profile on Long, who, though he plays a hacker in the movie, knows apparently very little about computers beyond how to download music off the Internet (we're going to assume that means iTunes). Apparently he wouldn't even take the free iPhone Steve offered him, because he was afraid he wouldn't know how to use it. Dude, have you seen the commercials? Oh. Wait.
[His lack of technological prowess] evidently didn't bother Apple chief executive Jobs, who specifically cast Long for the Mac-PC commercials. "Apparently I reminded him of himself," Long explains. "Like a younger version of himself."You know, that's interesting. He does kind of look a little bit like Steve back in the day (see above).
Long is, of course, playing second fiddle to Die Hard star Bruce Willis, who we know is a Mac user in his own right.
"And the funny thing is, Bruce knows far more about computers than I do and was always on the computer, working the webcam," Long says. "I'm really, really bad with gadgets and any kind of computer thing."Even more ironically, it turns out Long is actually a New York City cop with a propensity for ending up in dangerous situations of incredible odds, and has managed to defeat a band of international terrorists while not wearing any shoes. Huh.
Yes, iTunes 7.3 is mainly about the iPhone. Its new features included the ability to activate your iPhone, and sync your movies, music, contacts, etc. with Apple's shiny new handset.
But.
That's not all. The iTunes update also sneaks in a new feature for Apple's other consumer appliance, the Apple TV. Here's the dope:
Also, you can now wirelessly share and enjoy your favorite digital photos from any computer in your home with Apple TV.Well, nifty peachy keen. Previously, as you may remember, photos could only be synced to your AppleTV via iTunes; this seems to suggest that you can now stream them from any computer, which is sure to make Apple TV owners a happy bunch (not that they're intrinsically sad or anything).
Got an Apple TV? Let us know how the update works!
Apple is busy with putting the final touches on the iPhone and supporting materials along with continuing Leopard development. They’re so busy, they don’t even have the time to hint at what’s in MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0. Here we go again.
This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for all 2.2/2.4GHz MacBook Pro models.
This very well might take the cake when it comes to Apple update description terseness. It’s completely devoid of information, other than indicating machine it’s for. We need to start a pool for when Apple finally releases a software update whose entire description is “Update.” I’m thinking three months. If you’re like me, it’s time to download and upgrade regardless(because I compulsively need the best latest).
The guys over at Ecamm (also located in Massachusetts with Dan and I) have discovered some interesting new aspects of the new MacBook Pros. First, System Profiler reports the manufacturer as Apple Inc. instead of Micron as all earlier Macs have.
The second, and far more interesting aspect, is that the camera is capable of outputting 1.3 megapixels pictures. That’s a big jump from the original VGA specs of the iSight (1280x1024 vs 680x480). It also supports some other calls for adjusting the picture and uses a different compression format. 10.4.10 includes a new UVC driver (which allows for the use of many USB webcams, as Apple still hasn’t released a replacement for the now discontinued standalone iSight).
I’m surprised Apple didn’t include this as a selling point.
Amidst the denial that Apple would ever release an OS update with a double digit secondary number, it turns out there is actually a problem with doing so. In order to prevent software from running on platforms that lack the proper APIs, OS version checks are performed. However, one method of checking, the “MAC_OS_X_VERSION_ACTUAL” string, only has space for four digits. That results in getting back that the OS version is 10.4.1.
While there isn’t a lot of software that requires a specific version of Tiger, there are a few products, like UNO. Rosyna, of Unsanity, points out though that using that string is the wrong way to check the OS version.
There’s no problem with the 10.4.10 string aside from developers that try to parse it as a string intentionally. This is wrong.
The correct way for a developer to get the version number of the Mac OS is to use Gestalt(), it always has been. If you use gestaltSystemVersion on 10.4.10, you’ll get back 0x1049, which is no big deal (and is likely what ARD is doing). The correct way to get system versions over 10.4.9 and all system versions before 10.4.10 is to use gestaltSystemVersionMajor, gestaltSystemVersionBugFixMinor, and gestaltSystemVersionBugFix together.
So, we can expect apps using this other method to get updated to use a better means. That is as long as they’re being developed.
We're trying to keep the iPhone lovin' to a minimum here at MacUser, but let's face it—there's not much else people are talking about right now. To that ends, we present to you a roundup of the latest info on Apple's latest thingy from our new blog sibling, iPhone Central.
Apple this morning announced the skinny on tomorrow's iPhone launch. The upshot? 2 phones per person at Apple Stores, with all retail locations opening at 6PM and staying open until midnight. Starting on Saturday there will be free tutorials available, and stores will open at 9AM for the rest of the summer. But don't worry, you'll be able to check your availability the night before on Apple's site.
Still questions you need answered? Our big brothers at Macworld have published their own extensive FAQ; David Pogue has his own list of questions and answers.
Apple appears to be prepping an web RSS reader for the iPhone, though they've now changed the initial screenshot.
Verizon, meanwhile, is trying to entice iPhone customers with their own lackluster offers.
Finally, the team at Iconfactory has converted their desktop picture collection for use on the iPhone, giving you a plethora of options when you get yours.
There's more, of course, so head over to iPhone Central or Macworld.com for the latest on all things iPhone.
