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Apple CEO Steve Jobs On Track to Return Within A Few Weeks

Aviv — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:52:34 +0000

Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal (via MacRumors) confidently explain that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on track to return to the company at the end of June.

After taking a six month medical leave, reports are starting to surface claiming that Steve Jobs is on track to make a full return to Apple within a few weeks, and that his lengthy recovery has been going well.

While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO’s physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs’s recovery “is coming along” and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.

“He was one real sick guy,” added this person. “Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn’t digest protein. [But] he took corrective action.”

Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs’s return with a product launch or public event.

What’s interesting is that the report explains that top Apple management is getting direct reports from Jobs’ physicians. Even though Apple seems to be shrouded in secrecy regarding products, internal information regarding the well-being of the company’s CEO is a different story. The fact that executives are receiving updates from Jobs’ doctors (at all) is a sign that most of the reports have been positive. If the updates were negative and Jobs were not making such a healthy recovery, I highly doubt the same management team would have access to said information.

Throughout the past six months, the media has exploited stories about Jobs and his health, often times combining the CEO’s name with the word “cancer” in headlines, simply looking for shameful attention. Aside from contributing to an already extremely volatile stock (AAPL), Apple was thrust into the spotlight with what seemed like a terrible situation. However, at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting in February, the company stood firm on Jobs’ return. Being only a couple of months into the six month leave of absence, Apple was only getting started showing the industry that they could deliver great products without Jobs being so heavily involved. After dipping to 52 week lows reminiscent of times before the iPhone, the stock is currently trading in the 140’s.

If and when Jobs makes an epic messiah-like return to the company this month, you can expect the industry to pay close attention to any and all of Apple’s announcements. The next few weeks will surely be some of the most exciting in recent months for Apple enthusiasts. We wish Jobs the best as always and continue to hope the best for him during this lengthy recovery.

[image via flickr]

Leaked Photo of New Apple Portable Device? NOPE. Just An Icon.

Aviv — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:24:36 +0000

9to5mac has more on this.

Just an icon.

Leaked Photo of NEXT-Generation iPod Shuffle

Aviv — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:17:56 +0000

Even though Apple has recently released released a new iPod Shuffle, our sources were able to get their hands on a leaked photo of the NEXT generation iPod Shuffle. It’s even smaller, invisible and only works with these obscure Japanese headphones that nobody can find.

The new shuffle depicted in the leaked photo below, has wireless syncing built right in.

New Time Capsule, Airport Extremes Being Readied by Apple

Aviv — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:38:48 +0000

Speculation about Apple refreshing both its Time Capsule backup device, and the Airport Extreme wireless base station has been kicked into high gear. Citing rather sharp discounts at the Apple Store and resellers, both devices may get some attention sooner rather than later.

Notably, Amazon’s sharp discounts were what initially spurred 9to5mac to start pondering the notion that these devices might see some updates in the near future.

“We think they are going to see a bit of an upgrade this month. Sure, the 1.5TB/750GB point makes sense, especially with drives at up to 2TB starting to hit store shelves. But we’ve heard there might be some more to it than just that. Our sources informed us a few months ago that Apple was experimenting with caching Apple software updates on the Time Machine devices. That would not only save some bandwidth (your whole office/family would only need it to be downloaded once), it would also make the updating process much much quicker on each client machine because the download would be local.”

“Software Update caching has been available on Leopard and Tiger server for years but this kind of easy setup/low cost of entry would put the software update caching in many more hands. There is nothing to indicate that current Time Capsules wouldn’t be able to add this type of functionality with a firmware update,” Seth Weintraub reports for 9to5mac.

9to5’s thoughts may be more than just speculation. Apple has been trying to figure out ways to consistently and reliably deliver updates to Mac OS X without hangups and continuous issues. The updates can be quite hefty and we have heard some pretty unfortunate horror stories with OS X updates freezing in the middle. By integrating a Software Update caching mechanism, Apple could store the update on the user’s wireless network, which would be available anytime at the user’s convenience. Now if only they could do this with the most popular tv shows and movies on the Apple TV.

Some FCC documents containing Authorization letters, requests for confidentiality and test reports regarding both devices can be downloaded here (zip package).

Leaked Spyshot of Mac mini Packaging

Aviv — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:17:20 +0000

A leaked image depicting the back of some new Mac mini packaging has been making the rounds originally appearing over at OneMoreThing.nl and MacRumors.

The image consistently depicts previously circulating rumors, however the image only shows the rear-facing side of the packaging. While some believe the image to stille be a fake, the evidence is piling up.

Image via MacRumors

This also correlates with a previously leaked image and video of the rumored Mac mini. A rumored March 24th Apple press event has been pegged as well.

Possible Apple Desktop Event Slated for March 24

Dave — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:27:15 +0000

A slew of recent unconfirmed sources have revealed that Apple plans to hold a desktop event on March 24.

World of Apple claims to have been informed of the upcoming event and believe that it will be similar to Apple’s notebook event held last October. My Apple Guide appears to have obtained similar information from multiple unconfirmed sources that express the same date for such an event and state that Apple will be announcing “new Mac minis, iMacs with the new NVIDIA chipset, Mac Pros with Xeon processors along with a pleasant ’surprise’”.

While World of Apple’s source has been unable to confirm any specific details regarding the event, they too expect to see Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro refreshes. Speculation of upgrades to Apple’s desktop hardware have been circulating for quite some time. Digital Daily’s John Paczkowski had speculated about just such an event yet was under the impression that it would be held in February, which has now come and gone. MacBlogz had previously taken an in-depth look at what we can expect over the next couple of months and maintain that all three machines are due for a refresh.

Despite a host of rumors surrounding a Mac Mini refresh even prior to Macworld 2009, we still have seen nothing tangible. Last month, Tom’s Hardware released information pointing to a March upgrade around the time of Cebit as they believe that Apple may use Intel’s Atom processor, which is typically used in netbooks. Additionally, a rather questionable image and video of a Mac Mini sporting an impressive 5 USB ports has made recent headlines, yet the validity of it remains unclear.

Apple’s professional class desktops have not been updated in over a year, leading many to believe that a refresh is imminent. Last month we had caught word that Apple may be ditching the Mac Pro’s cheese grater front for a sleeker micro-perforated face allowing us to mockup up what this could potentially look like. Back in November there was word that Intel’s new Nehalem class (Xeon 5500, 3500) CPUs would launch in the first quarter of 2009, and a Mac Pro update may be in line with this roadmap.

Small bits of information had emerged about an iMac refresh prior to Macworld 2009, as a possible announcement was said to be made, yet of course nothing came to fruition. We have previously explained that, “Currently, Apple’s iMacs use a dual-core setup, which for an all-in-one machines makes sense. However, the iMac in general still lacks in terms of serious multi-tasking power and processing performance. A move to desktop class processors could make the machine appeal to a much broader range of users. Apple would need to restructure the way cooling works on the iMacs though. The Core 2 Duo chips that are used now produce low power and low heat, which the iMac’s casing depends on.” linking to such rumors, Intel had readied some new processors, the Q8200s (2.33GHz/4MB L2), Core 2 Quad Q9400s (2.66GHz/6MB L2) and Core 2 Quad Q9550s (2.83GHz/12MB L2) with prices at US$245, US$320 and US$369, respectively.

While it is certainly plausible that all three machines will be upgraded in the near future, the validity of a March 24 desktop event remains speculative as all sources of information remain unconfirmed.

Apple Stands Firm On CEO Steve Jobs’ Return In June

Aviv — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:56:32 +0000

Apple’s annual shareholder meeting was relatively quiet. Aside from the by-the-book motives of some parties who grilled Apple execs about Steve Jobs, no journalists or reporters were allowed to directly relay information to the press, and as usual Apple did not release a transcript.

Macworld notes that one of the first questions asked at Wednesday’s annual shareholder meeting was directly centered around Apple CEO Steve Jobs, his health and his return to Apple. Jobs is currently on a medical leave from Apple until June, and the last we heard was that the SEC was launching an official investigation into the situation.

Even though some sites are sensationalizing Wednesday’s shareholder meeting by saying that it was “dominated by politics”, it was not. This is standard affair and every year Apple’s board advises its shareholders to steer clear of these potentially fruitless affairs. Why these other websites would attempt to create a seemingly turbulent environment remains unknown. However, because of the unfortunate visibility shed, their reports may get echoed.

As we made available in Apple’s proxy report before the meeting, and outlined here, shareholders were voting on certain proposals that could potentially change or alter the way Apple handles some of its fiscal reports, and even shed light onto trade-secret partnerships. However, on rather known guidance from Apple’s board, shareholders voted against every single one of these proposals. As far as the business side of things during the meeting, they were standard affair.

“A shareholder asked whether Apple’s board of directors had kept investors in the dark about the status of Jobs’ health and inquired about a succession plan. Board member Arthur Levinson, who is also chairman and CEO of biotech firm Genentech, replied that the board disclaims information that it deems important and proper, and that it talks regularly about a succession plan.

Otherwise, the meeting served largely to have executives assure shareholders that the company was on the right track. Filling in for Jobs—and donning a Jobs-like pair of blue jeans and black (though collared, not turtleneck) shirt—chief operating officer Tim Cook cited strong Mac, iPod, and iPhone sales in the last year and hailed the App Store as “absolutely the envy of the industry.” He also reassured shareholders that he was “very confident of our product pipeline,” Jonathan Seff explains for Macworld.

Another question asking for clarification about Apple’s decision to pull out of Macworld was answered by Apple COO Tim Cook and chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer. When asked whether Apple would ever reconsider the move, Cook explained that they have “very fond memories” of the Macworld Expo, however reiterated the company’s stance on utilizing their retail chain of 250 stores to create “many, many Macworlds each week.”

Notably, the audience sang Steve Jobs “Happy Birthday” in lieu of his 54th birthday on Tuesday, and tim Cook promised that Jobs would get the message.

Thanx to 9to5mac for the image

iPhone Negotiations With China Unicom Have Reached Possible Agreement

Aviv — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:20:23 +0000

Recent information sheds light on negotiations between Apple and Chinese telecom provider China Unicom, and the possibility that both sides have reached an amicable agreement.

In early February we first reported about the ongoing talks between Apple and China Unicom. As we previously explained, even though feverish reports came in claiming that all talks had broken down about bringing the iPhone to China, these reports were a bit premature. Amidst all of the treacherous negotiations between China Mobile and Apple, China Unicom were the ones to step and take control of the prospective partnership.

Contrary to recent reports that talks between Apple and Chinese mobile provider China Mobile had broke down because of App Store negotiations, it’s now being reported that the iPhone will be arriving in China on May 19th with China Unicom.

Reports that negotiations between Apple and China Mobile had broke down were true, albeit a bit premature. As it turns out, previous negotiations surrounding China Mobile and the potential iPhone 3G agreement were “becoming a threat to Apple’s business.” The “business model differences” as well as the inability to agree on distribution benefits made it so that negotiations had reached a stalemate. This is when China Unicom stepped in to takeover negotiations with Apple around September of 2008. Due to a shakeup in management on the Chinese telecommunications side, Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing has been appointed as the head of the team leading negotiations with Apple. If everything goes smoothly, the iPhone is expected to launch in mainland China on May 19th, 2009. Apple is expected to get between a 20% and 30% “share” of iPhone sales. Whether China will subsidize the iPhone is still unconfirmed.

At the time of those initial China Unicom reports, we were a bit skeptical at first. However, we diligently spent nearly 4 hours tracking down and locating connections and colleagues in China who were able to confirm the information and relay what was being reported in local news. The general understanding was that talks between China Unicom and Apple were healthy, and the iPhone was something executives in China did not want to miss out on.

As Chinese news source gansudaily notes in a report about the subject, China Unicom will be restructuring its cellular network to support WDCMA, alongside a newly secured arrangement that will allow them to license certain 3G technologies. These cellular network technologies will be deployed into Chinese mobile markets making way for the iPhone, which is slated to arrive around May 19th. The iPhone 3G has simply plaid too big of a role in shaping the global market and Chinese telecom executives do not want to miss what is going on. They are deeply intrigued by the success of the App Store and have been paying extra close attention to the development of 3G networks outside of their markets.

Backing up these reports is some new information that has been made available today via ChinaTechNews.com. “Foreign media are quoting representatives from Ovum, a British consultancy, as saying that China Unicom and Apple will achieve cooperation soon and if everything goes smoothly, the 3G iPhone will enter the Chinese market in May 2009 at the earliest, but no more detail is given. Prior to this latest rumor, other rumors abounded both China Mobile and China Unicom intended to introduce Apple’s iPhone into China. China Mobile started early in the negotiations with Apple, but the two sides have not reached any agreement.”

Apple Tablet: Marc Andreessen and Charlie Rose Think It’s Inevitable (VIDEO)

Aviv — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:33:09 +0000

During an incredibly interesting interview between Charlie Rose and serial entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, both of them touch upon the subject of a “scaled up” iPhone. Charlie Rose thinks it’s an inevitable idea, while Andreessen explains that he “would be the first to buy one.”

Specifically around the forty minute mark, the interview shifts towards Amazon’s business model and how the kindle contributes to its growth. Both Rose and Andreessen feel that the kindle is a giant leap in technology and undoubtedly generates a tremendous amount of success for Amazon. However, like the continuous elephant in the room, when competition from Apple is brought up in the form of a “scaled up iPhone” or 7″ touch tablet, Andreessen and Rose seem mesmerized by the topic.

For those that are not aware, Andreessen is the co-founder of Netscape and has successfully sold two companies for over $1 billion each. Aside from currently being the co-founder of social networking site Ning.com, he is also beginning to dabble in venture capital. The interview touches upon many interesting subjects going on today, as well as opinions on Facebook, Twitter, Google and more.

Leaked Video: ‘Mac Mini 2009 Edition’

Aviv — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:38:40 +0000

Following up yesterday’s leaked 2009 Mac mini image, the original source has now provided what looks like a fairly convincing video of the rumored unit.

The image below was the first spyshot to circulate the web, which was originally posted to the Macrumors Forums. Interestingly, some raw investigation work done by a 9to5mac reader, who confidently determined that this was all a hoax.

Now the original source of the image has made this video available, and although the entire situation seems a bit strange, one can’t help but wonder why anybody would go through the trouble of making this video, only to show a fake Mac mini with five USB ports.