Standard & Poor cuts Apple target by $15 to $68
Apr 04 - 12:00 pm EST Analysts for Standard & Poor on Tuesday reduced their 12-month target price on Apple Computer shares to $68 from $83 to reflect a revised valuation analyses. "Specifically, our new target price is a blend of our discounted cash flow (DCF) and price-to-sales (P/S) metrics, and reflects a lower multiple on our fiscal year 2007 revenue estimate," said analyst Megan Graham-Hackett. She attributes the price cut to what her firm sees "as slowing sales related to maturing of the iPod and MP3 player market, and margin pressure as iPod becomes larger percent of Apple's sales mix." The analyst said she believes a P/S multiple of 2.5X is more reasonable than the current 3.3X. Standard & Poor made no changes to its fiscal 2006 and 2007 estimates, maintaining a "Hold" rating on Apple shares. [ print | email | 0 Comments ]

A Bluetooth picture frame under development at Apple?
Mar 28 - 11:00 am EST Revisiting the famed wireless iPod patent application, a tipster points out that the filing may also hint at a new Apple consumer electronics product: a wireless picture frame. In exhibit 13 of the document, Apple displays an illustration of what appears to be an early design for the iPod Hi-Fi, an iPod docked next to a picture frame and a wireless Bluetooth iPod.

Bluetooth Apple Picture Frame?


Apple's brief description of the exhibit -- the only such reference to a frame -- says the image "is a diagram of a photo frame with a built-in docking station, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention." Meanwhile a description of the iPod HiFi-like device accordingly explains that the device is "a boom box with a built-in docking station, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention."

At least one source has previously made reference to a wireless Apple picture frame under development, calling the project "lunchbox." [ print | email | 0 Comments ]

Apple posts Security Update 2006-002 v1.1
Mar 16 - 7:00 pm EST Apple on Thursday released yet another Security Update, labeled Security Update 2006-002 v1.1, for both Mac OS X PPC (13.9MB) and Mac OS X Intel (15.4MB). The update presumably aims to fix issues that remained uncertified following the release of Security Update 2006-002 (1.0). [ print | email | 13 Comments ]

Apple Security Update 2006-002 patches Mail, Safari
Mar 13 - 6:00 pm EST Apple this afternoon released Security Update 2006-002, which is recommended for all users and improves the reliability and security of the following components: apache_mod_php, CoreTypes, LaunchServices, Mail, Safari, rsync. Specifically, the update attempts to repair issues where remote web sites can cause JavaScript to bypass the same-origin policy, double-clicking an attachment in Mail may result in arbitrary or malicious code execution, and where viewing a malicious web site may result in arbitrary or malicious code execution. [ print | email | 20 Comments ]

Tip: How to make your 2.0GHz MBP order ship this week
Feb 14 - 12:00 pm EST First on AppleInsider -- While it very well could be a glitch in Apple's online store ordering system, tipsters note that custom-configuring a new 2.0GHz MacBook Pro with a 100GB Serial ATA drive @ 7200 rpm (add $100) shaves about three weeks off the estimated wait time. New orders for the MacBook Pro with the drive upgrade are now estimated by Apple to ship in 1-3 business days as opposed to 3-4 weeks for the standard configuration. Due to the way Apple assembles its production lines, there is a slim possibility these estimates are accurate. In a similar situation, observant customers learned over the holiday shopping season that ordering iPods with an engraving allowed them to bypass weeks of backorders for the same models that did not ship with an engraving (standard configurations). Update:Apple has since corrected this glitch.

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Amazon offers $150 rebate on MacBook Pro, iMac Core Duo
Jan 20 - 11:00 am EST Several tipsters have noted that online retailer Amazon.com is offering hundreds in savings on Apple's new software and hardware product offerings, including a $150 rebate on the new 1.67GHz MacBook Pro, 1.83GHz MacBook Pro and the 20-inch 2GHz iMac Core Duo. The retailer is also offering a $125 rebate on the 17-inch 1.83GHz iMac Core Duo, which it says is immediately available. On the software end, Amazon is promoting an instant 10 percent savings on both iLife '06 and iWork '06 (each $70.99) and 20% off .Mac 4.0 ($79.99). [ print | email ]

Apple mulled mouse design with rotary dial
Jan 14 - 2:00 pm EST In the course of AppleInsider's proprietary investigation into the iPod Hi-Fi and iPod Boombox trademarks, it came upon a patent filed overseas for a unique mouse design that sports a rotary dial.

The application was filed in September of 2002 and likely represents one of the company's initial design attempts at a multi-functional mouse. Apple, which refused to ship a multi-button mouse for over two decades, eventually did finalize a multi-functional, multi-button mouse that it introduced last year as Mighty Mouse.

Apple mouse with rotary dial


The design of the mouse with rotary dial is credited to Brian Huppi of San Carlos, Calif. In providing a description of the device for the filing, Huppi said, "The rotary dial is configured to provide a control function (or functions) for performing an action (or actions) on a display screen. [...] The control function may be widely varied. For example, the control function may be used to control various applications associated with the computer system to which the mouse is connected."

The description goes on to read, "The rotary dial generally includes a circular face, which is engageable to a user during manipulation thereof. [...] As such, the rotary dial can be continuously rotated by a simple swirling motion of the finger, i.e., the disc can be rotated through 360 degrees of rotation without stopping. [ print | email | 17 Comments ]

New Apple software shipping in mini packaging
Jan 13 - 5:10 pm EST While Apple is ballooning into a massive computer and entertainment conglomerate, its products keep getting smaller and smaller. Just as Apple shrunk the iPod with the nano -- and subsequently its packaging -- the company's latest consumer software offerings are also arriving in ultra-thin, super-small retail packaging.

iLife '06 retail packaging


Tipsters note that iLife '06, iWork '06 and .Mac 4.0 retail boxes are no bigger than the iPod nano box, and slightly thinner. The iLife '06 retail box packs only a single dual-layer DVD and associated documentation. Amazon.com is currently offering 10% off both iLife '06 and iWork '06 (each $70.99) and 20% off .Mac 4.0 ($79.99). [ print | email | 30 Comments ]

Apple releases iPod Updater 2006-01-10
Jan 10 - 5:00 pm EST Apple today posted iPod Updater 2006-01-10, which includes iPod Software 1.1 for the new iPod, new iPod Software 1.1 for iPod nano, new iPod Software 1.2.1 for iPod with color display, new iPod Software 1.4.1 for iPod mini, and new iPod Software 3.1.1 for iPod with Click Wheel. The updater contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-11-17 for all other iPod models. Changes to the iPod software include support for the iPod Radio Remote for iPod with video and iPod nano and bug fixes for iPod with video, iPod nano, iPod with color display, iPod mini, and iPod with Click Wheel. [ print | email ]

Apple released Bluetooth Firmware Update
Jan 03 - 7:00 pm EST Apple on Tuesday released a 1.5 MB "Bluetooth Firmware Update for Mac OS X 10.4.3." According to a brief set of release notes, the update improves Bluetooth performance and reliability issues. The Bluetooth Firmware Updater supports D-Link USB Adapters and Apple internal Bluetooth modules on the following CPUs: iMac G4 (Gooseneck), 12" Titanium, PowerBook, 15" Titanium PowerBook, iMac G5 and Mac Mini. [ print | email | 3 Comments ]

Apple offers Mac mini power adapter accessory
Dec 06 - 11:00 am EST Apple this week informed its channel partners of a new Mac mini accessory that will make it more convenient for users who like to use the miniature computer in more than one location.

"We are very pleased to announce the Mac mini Power Adapter," Apple said in a brief bulletin. "The Mac mini Power Adapter is perfect when you want to take your Mac mini around the house or to the office."

"Connect one power adapter in the home office and another in the living room," the company added. "Or leave one at home and take the other with you when you show off your Mac mini at your next family get-together."

The $50 package includes a power adapter and cord that exactly matches the original adapter included with the Mac mini. In the US, the accessory has been assigned Apple part number MA256LL/A. In Europe the same product is reportedly referenced by MA256B/A.

Apple introduced the sub-$500 Mac mini in January but has since upgraded the computer's specifications only once, and unofficially at that. Customers who purchase a high-end Mac mini system will find either a 1.42GHz or 1.5GHz G4 system. Apple promises "at least a 1.42GHz" processor. [ print | email ]

Apple updates iPod shuffle software
Dec 01 - 10:00 am EST Apple on Wednesday evening released iPod Updater 2005-11-17 (37MB), which includes new iPod Software 1.1.3 for the iPod shuffle. Apple said the updater contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-10-12 for all other iPod models.? [ print | email | 0 Comments ]

Apple releases Broadband Tuner 1.0
Nov 29 - 1:00 pm EST Apple today released Broadband Tuner 1.0, a new system utility designed to take full advantage of very high speed Internet connections that have a high latency (5 Mbps or greater). According to the documentation, the installer "tweaks some system parameters. There is an optional uninstaller that can be used to restore the settings that were in effect at the time just before the system parameters were changed....The installer increases the default values for the size of the TCP send and receive buffers. With larger buffers more data can be in transit at once. A startup configuration file is also updated so that these changes will persist across restarts." [ print | email | 24 Comments ]

Apple releases Front Row 1.0.1
Nov 18 - 12:00 pm EST Apple on Friday released a 4MB Front Row 1.0.1 Update, which delivers "overall improved reliability and compatibility for browsing music, photos, and videos on your iMac." [ print | email | 16 Comments ]

A hardware announcement from Apple next week?
Nov 10 - 5:00 pm EST So far there isn't much to go on, but rumblings indicate that Apple is gearing up to make some form of final hardware-related announcement as early as next Monday. With seemingly all of its holiday-focused consumer products already on the market, sources speculate that the announcement could range anywhere from the externally-rumored pink Madonna iPod (her new album is due on Tuesday) to dual-core versions of Apple's Xserve enterprise servers. In somewhat related news, Apple this week dropped the price on its Xserve Apple Drive Module 74GB Serial ATA 10K RPM and also added Bell Micro as a distributor of its Xserve and Xserve RAID products in the US. Bell Micro joins two existing US-based Apple distributors: Tech Data and Ingram Micro. [ print | email | 36 Comments ]