Mac Addicted

Worldwide statistics have shown a great decrease in terms of notebook sales everywhere across the globe. This data was gleaned based on the overall sales of portable computers during the first quarter of 2008. However, Apple fans must be glad to hear that this has not in the least affected their favourite Mac manufacturer. Apple, the gargantuan entities behind best sellers like the iMac and iBook has even managed to gain a 7 percent increase in total portable sales.

Although the iBook is no longer in production this year, it still helped Apple acquire its current position as the seventh biggest manufacturer of portable systems. Apple was previously in 8th placing and 2008 proved to be a fruitful year for them as they were raised one position compared to the yesteryear. 1.43 million Mac laptops include the famous iBook, MacBook and MacBook Air were grabbed off the shelves, marking a total of 61% raise in products being sold the years before.

For those not in the know, the iBook was released in the year 1999 and was created to offer budget conscious a taste of a portable Mac. Due to its lower price compared to the heftier PowerBook, the iBook was favored by the general public.

The new Opera 9.5 browser is released and Mac Mini owners who want another browser apart from the usual Safari browser will be free to download the new version now. The birth of Opera 9.5 marked several improvements over its predecessor, the Opera 9.27.

For one, Opera Link makes its inaugural appearance by featuring enhanced data synchronization. Bookmarks, Personal Bar, Speed Dial and Notes can be synchronized whereby users who have utilized the Speed Dial feature will find the latest entries incorporated during Opera Link. With the tagline “Web Everywhere”, this means that your bookmarks can be accessed no matter where you go. You can synchronize data between your Mac Mini and iPhone. And whenever you are on a foreign computer which does not offer the Opera browser, you can access the web-based Opera Link via the World Wide Web and summon your bookmarks without any hassle.

Another plus point belonging to Opera Link is that this nifty features safeguards your important data in the event of a serious hard drive crash. Even if the hardware is irreplaceable you need not fret as it can all be retrieved online. Or should you forget your laptop and left it in the train, Opera Link lets you log on and obtain it again.

In an amusing turn of events, Apple’s very own Mac Pro has made a cameo appearance in arguably one of the most anticipated game of all year which is Sony Playstation 3’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Konami took the liberty to gain Apple’s permission before placing images of the Mac Pro in-game as a tribute to Apple and their innovative offerings.

For the uninitiated, Solid Snake is the game’s leading character and is aided by his trusty assistant, Otacon. Otacon is sort of like a behind-the-scenes fellow and helps Snake with his bevy of electronic beauties. Several cutscenes show Otacon lounging at his desk with a Mac Pro on it. Players will also be tickled to see an Apple Cinema Display hovering in mid-air.

Hideo Kojima of Kojima Productions, head honcho behind the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot game has taken great pains to create in-games items in the likeness of those in real life, including weapons and vehicles. Naturally, his rendition of Apple’s Mac Pro and other Apple products are extremely accurate down to the last detail on the logo. Besides the Mac Pro, a fifth generation iPod was also introduced in the game as an equippable item. Song tracks can be found in it, but as Snake wander around the environment, he can also pick up songs and load them up his iPod.

Apple is about to feel the wrath of a contender in the form of Amazon.com’s latest digital music downloading service. This service is expected to rival Apple’s iTunes digital music entity but Apple fans need not panic just yet. Your favorite digital music provider will not be felled so easily by Amazon who has declared that they will be launching the new service only in Britain… so far. They have yet to proclaim plans about future expansion but once their endeavours take off, growth will be imminent.

Amazon top executives have been flying in to London to discuss and negotiate matters pertaining to the launch with head honchos of UK based record companies. Amazon MP3 is touted to go head on and snatch a piece of the digital music downloading pie from iTunes as well as other downloading entities like HMW. Amazon has long realized the potential as well as the profits that can be garnered through online music sale. Statistics show that more than 96 percent record singles were sold in digital formats online.

Amazon MP3 will make its appearance in the next few months as soon as it has finalized details with renowned recording artists Snow Patrol and Scissor Sisters.

iTunes has happily reported that they have managed to sell over five billion song tracks so far. This figure represents a little over 70% of the overall songs downloaded digitally across the globe. Customers purchased and downloaded these songs via their iTunes online store, making them the top music retail entity in the United States.

To date, their music database consists of more than eight million songs whereby iTunes customers are free to purchase as long as they do not violate the rights set by FairPlay, Apple’s digital rights managements. Their catalog also includes a million podcasts, 3,000 TV shows and episodes, 40,000 music clips as well as 2,500 full length movies. Out of all these movies, 350 are in High Definition. What’s more, this list is growing more extensive even as we speak. Customers can decide to pay either by PayPal or by their credit cards.

As an added fact, Apple has been quoted to say that they are actively selling 50,000 movie titles to consumers every 24 hours. Translated, that means 18 million movies were sold and watched by consumers annually. Apple added another feather to its cap and is now known as the number one online movie store on top of its song downloading achievements.

iMac users will now be able to download Mozilla’s newly improved Firefox 3.0. What’s more, this open source web browser is free to use and comes with a lightning fast speed of up to two or three times faster than the previous Firefox editions!

As usual, a link to the download can be accessed via Mozilla’s official site at www.mozilla.com. Mozilla has boasted that a whopping grand total of 15,000 enhancements have enriched the new Firefox version 3.0. Among improvements belted out by the Mozilla team include the new full page zoom feature whereby users are free to zoom in on any area of the desired website and view them in full enlarged glory. Great for those who are tired of squinting at tiny fonts and nondescript images.

Most notably, the good folks at Mozilla have also chosen to address security and privacy issues by reinforcing the Instant Web Site ID feature. Users who are doubtful about whether they should comply with instructions from dubious sites can now click on the website’ favicon. This will let them gain insight about the true identity of the site via a small pop-up box. This feature is perfect to weed out phishing sites and other internet scams.

MacBook Pro owners are getting increasingly concerned over some technical issues concerning their much loved Apple gadget. It is reported that not a few MacBook Pro owners have complained that their machines are now more prone to a condition whereby vertical blinking stripes can be seen on models like the current 15” MacBook Pro version.

Sources say that anxious consumers want an answer as to how this hardware problem could have surfaced. Users claim that the stripes happen whenever the screen changes its brightness. More often that not this occurs when the machine is recovering from Sleep Mode. It also happens are booting up their MacBook Pros. However, the recurring problem persists especially when users create images using the Photo Booth program. News of a temporary remedy have spread online and through word of mouth, users have been passing the tip around to get other affected owners to close and reopen the MacBook Pro cover. Another solution is to press ctrl-shift-eject buttons in order to refresh the LCD screen on their MacBook Pros.

This issue is the latest line of problems that have been plaguing Apple’s MacBook Pro line of laptops whereby the last known issue is of the aluminum casing being prone to rust as a result of sweat from palms.

iPod owners who are exhausted in their search for games with good replay value, rejoice! Electronic Arts, mastermind behind best selling games like The Sims have unleashed the Monopoly game for the classic iPods as well as third generation iPod Nanos and fifth generation iPods. The best thing is that it only costs consumers a mere $5 to download! The game, which was released early June 2008 was well received by iPod fans.

Players start off with $1500 in the coffers. Just like the old but gold Monopoly board game, players roll dices to determine how far they go around the board with 11 spaces of real estate on each side. Pass “Go” and you automatically receive a flat rate “salary” of $200. As you gain more funds, you can opt to buy the lot you land on but not if it already has an owner, in which case he or she will demand that you pay “rent”.

iPod owners can choose to pay and download either one of the versions provided by EA. Buy the US version and you’ll get Park Place and similarly if you bought the UK version you’ll see Park Lane on the board instead. Along with the ever familiar metallic player token, EA has taken the effort to attach suitable animations and sound effects. You can finally see your tiny battleship sail and your dog token bark!

Have you ever wondered how much Apple will profit in subsidiaries from each iPhone that is grabbed off their shelves? Wonder no more! AT&T is touted to pay Apple a staggering $325 for every new iPhone they manage to sell. This is exceedingly more than the average $200 typical carriers are willing to pay to other smart phone manufacturers. As it that is not enough, AT&T is also offering Apple a generous incentive in the form of $100 for every new AT&T subscriber who took the initiative to sign up in any Apple store.

Right after Apple announced the coming birth of the shockingly priced $199 8GB 3G iPhone, AT&T and Apple have also come forth to make public their profit sharing plans. Some AT&T customers who do not qualify for the upgrade price of both the 8GB and 16GB iPhone ($299) are rather riled that they will have to pay the unsubsidized value which will be higher than the subsidized one.

How does AT&T afford all this? Perhaps a little more light can be shed once more consumers know that they are being charged an additional $10 to utilize their iPhone data services. In time, this amount will make up for what AT&T is paying to Apple.

Students and teachers, rejoice! With Apple’s latest Back to School promotion, students and teachers will automatically qualify for a free 8GB iPod Touch once they purchase a MacBook. College students who spent money to buy a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac or a Mac Pro are also eligible to bring home the free 8GB iPod Touch valued at $299. If they don’t fancy an iPod Touch, they are also free to choose an 8GB iPod Nano, retailing at $199.

This marketing ploy is in line with the recent announcement of the soon to be released iPhone 3G. Apple aims to give more consumers a taste of the new Touch OS X platform as well as spread the news about their newest iTunes Store applications and games. Incidentally students are targeted because they are one of the main target audience for their www.toucharcade.com site.

However, many teachers, students and their parents are concerned about having to pay extra for the iPhone and iPod Touch’s 2.0 firmware. The clock is ticking and the firmware is expected to make its debut soon in the next week or two. Consumers are puzzled as to why Apple has not announced the issue regarding the additional fee involved to upgrade their gadgets. The firmware is touted to also support Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.