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Apple has scored another victory in its ongoing legal battle against Mac-clone maker, Psystar. In a summary judgment delivered this past Friday, November 13, Judge William Alsup ruled that the Miami-based startup "violated Apple's exclusive reproduction right, distribution right, and right to create derivative works" by bundling OS X with its unauthorized Mac clones.

Furthermore, Alsup ruled that Psystar violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by circumventing Apple's software protections that block its software from being installed on third-party hardware. He also rejected the company's contention of fair use and "first sale" doctrine, rejected claims that Apple had misused its copyright and tossed out claims that Apple's license was unduly restrictive.

The summary judgment pretty much obliterates Psystar's entire line of defense and sets the mood for the upcoming January 2010 trial, with apparently a few more claims still to be challenged in court, including breach of contract, trademark infringement and trademark dilution. A second hearing to determine what sort of relief Apple can ask for is scheduled for December 14.

Apple pushed out an update for Safari today, making version 4.0.4 available to the public across multiple platforms. The update is primarily focused on security, Apple addressing at least six flaws related to Safari, WebKit or related libraries. There were other improvements as well, including a performance boost for JavaScript execution. Updates for third-party plug-in support were included as well.

Most of the security flaws fixed were relatively benign in nature, fixing things like browser crashes -- but at least two separate bugs, both present in the Windows version, could result in code execution and system compromise. The mentioned flaws even affect Windows 7.

Overall, the release isn't very exciting, but because much of the changes are related to security, it's definitely worth getting if you use Safari. Apple pushed out the new version for all the platforms they support, including all newer versions of OS X, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. There is still no native way to run Safari on Linux, sadly.

Nokia continues to hold an overwhelmingly dominant position in the handset arena. In the third quarter of this fiscal year, they pulled in $1.1 billion in profit, which is helping them to maintain a 55% total share in the cellphone market and 37.9% in the smartphone market. While Nokia's number one spot may be safe for the time being, they certainly aren't piling up money as efficiently as Apple.

With a meager 1% total market share, Apple's profits managed to soar above Nokia's, estimated at about $1.6 billion for the same quarter. All of that money is sourced from the iPhone, which has positioned Apple as the most profitable mobile manufacturer in the world right now, Nokia coming in second. Part of Apple's profit is cited as coming from high volume sales and high wholesale prices, along with "tight cost control". Given the figures, it's easy to see that Apple is making a good chunk of change with every iPhone sold.

Though Apple's total market share remains low, they have a strong position in the niche of the smartphone market, where they ended up third in terms of growth -- RIM was first. With Nokia, Apple and RIM having strong success in the smartphone market, competitors like Motorola, Palm, Google, and the Open Handset Alliance are under a lot of pressure.

Apple released the second security update to Mac OS X Snow Leopard today, bringing the operating system up to version 10.6.2. As you might expect, the release contains a number of feature enhancements and dozens of bug fixes, including one for that infamous glitch that was destroying people's personal accounts after they purportedly or not logged in as a guest on their computers. Unfortunately for "Hackintosh" users, it has also been confirmed to drop support for Intel's Atom processors.

Among the general issues addressed in the update are a problem that could cause a system to logout unexpectedly, Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts, reliability of VPN connections, VoiceOver performance, video playback and performance issues with the latest iMac models. There are also fixes and improvements for handling fonts, graphics when using DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapters, Mail, MobileMe, AFP networking, printing, and better plug-in reliability in Safari.

You can read the complete Mac OS X 10.6.2 changelog here and grab the necessary update for your system on Apple's support downloads site or using their Software Update utility. The size of the download may vary from 157MB to a whopping 479MB depending on the current state of your system.

Though worms for the iPhone have been identified in the past, they've all been more or less proof of concept with no real threats yet for iPhone owners. That's now changed, after the first known iPhone worm in the wild was discovered. Sophos dissected the worm and has posted ample information about it, including the note that it only affects certain types of jailbroken iPhones.

Essentially, the jailbreak leaves a security hole by not changing the default password when the SSH server is installed. Users who don't correct this can find themselves at the mercy of this worm, which thankfully is relatively benign currently. It does nothing more than slap a new picture up on the background image of the phone -- though, a more malicious worm could be crafted.

Given the cause of this particular security flaw, don't expect any help from Apple or any fix from them either. If you've installed an SSH server on your phone, now's a good time to change the default password if you haven't already.

Apple would no doubt be quick to point out that an unmodded iPhone isn't vulnerable to this particular worm, and likely other sorts of attacks as well. To truly stand on that ground, however, you have to look at the motive behind jailbreaking to begin with. If Apple incorporated functionality that people wanted in the first place, there'd be less motive to jailbreak.

The supposed discoverer of the exploit has been helping people rid themselves of the worm. For those hit by it, this may be just a lesson in better security practices. For everyone else, however, it shows that nothing -- not even your phone -- can be completely safe from malicious attacks.

Update: The latest developer build (10C535) seems to have Atom support, so hackintosh users may be safe after all -- though, things could change by the final build.

According to OS X Daily, Snow Leopard version 10.6.2 will end support for Intel's Atom processor. This is an unfortunate blow to Hackintosh users who run OS X on netbooks, which are largely Atom-based. Those users will have to stick with an older copy of the Mac operating system, such as 10.6.1 (the latest Snow Leopard version) or 10.5.8 (the current Leopard release), as it is assumed that 10.5.9 will also bring the same Atom incompatibilities.

The move would highlight Apple's ongoing attempt to prevent users from running Mac OS X on unpermitted hardware. Mac clone maker Psystar has seen the brunt of Cupertino's struggle, having been engaged in lengthy court battles over the selling of unauthorized systems with Mac OS X. In October, Psystar began selling a $50 software hack that allows users to install Snow Leopard on some Intel-based PCs.

OS X Daily further speculates that 10.6.2 may be an effort to cripple Atom-based Hackintosh systems in anticipation of the long-rumored Apple Tablet. No matter Cupertino's motive, here's a heads up: if you're running OS X on an Atom, it's probably best to avoid 10.6.2 until a workaround is available.

The iPhone may be a record breaker around the world, but there is at least one region where Apple isn't having stunning successes. One of Apple's newest endeavors, the launch of the iPhone in China through China Unicom, has met with relative failure. Since the official launch of the iPhone in China last week, Unicom has managed to snag only a meager 5,000 sales. For a company with over 140 million customers, that's not even a drop in the bucket.

Concerns over the cost of the iPhone and lack of certain functionality (such as Wi-Fi) were cited as potential reasons. China's largest phone company, China Mobile, relies heavily on people who pre-pay for their phones -- a situation that doesn't mesh well with the iPhone, which requires a constant Internet connection. Inclusion of Wi-Fi down the road might help Unicom out.

Current sales may be low, but prospects and hopes are still high. Both Apple and Unicom expect the current situation to change. Some analysts feel that over the course of the next year, China will account for a massive 15 to 20% of all iPhone shipments, totaling around seven million devices. They'd better hope their first week is a fluke, or I don't see that happening.

According to unnamed sources cited by AllThingsD, Apple is trying to secure backing for a monthly TV subscription service -- not unlike your average cable or satellite provider. The supposed service would cost $30 per month, and would be delivered via iTunes. This would make the service accessible to various devices and platforms, rather than binding it to a specific piece of hardware, like Apple TV.

Apple's service would not only rival standard cable networks, but could stifle several video sites' attempts to implement a pay model for premium content -- namely YouTube and Hulu. Apple is said to be in talks with various networks, and if the company is successful, it wants to launch the service by early next year. Industry executives say that if anyone bites first, it will be Disney, as CEO Bob Iger has expressed interest in experimenting with Apple and iTunes in the past.

Would you drop your cable subscription in favor of an Apple-owned, iTunes-distributed TV service?

Settlements and other bargains aren't on the agenda for Cupertino, who have decided to fight Nokia's aggressive move on them in the courts. Apple has released a report to the SEC, in which they made it a point to mention they will be defending themselves "vigorously" in court against Nokia's lawsuits.

The move isn't surprising at all. Nokia bit off quite a bit, and could be seeking a substantial amount of cash from Apple. Nokia is primarily running on the assumption that the patents which other companies license from them apply to the iPhone, though it doesn't take much speculation to assume Nokia's lawsuit is a direct result of slipping sales. Clearly they see Apple as an up and coming threat, and want to at least capitalize on their growth.

Apple also noted this isn't their "official" response -- only that they don't intend to roll over. It remains to be seen how Apple will defend themselves. Given the current state of the smartphone market, this could be an important and interesting case to watch.

While Apple is working on official Mac support for Windows 7, Psystar is busy engineering the exact opposite. The Mac-clone manufacturing Psystar has announced the release of "Rebel EFI", which will facilitate installing the latest version of Mac OS X onto PC hardware. People who use the Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 and other Intel based systems will have the option open to them.

Psystar is charging for the privilege of running OS X on a PC, though they are introducing Rebel EFI at a discounted rate of $50. Many OS X fans are surely dedicated enough to pay a premium for it, and since Apple provides no avenue for this, Psystar is filling a niche. They'll also be supporting their endeavors, committing themselves to testing user-submitted hardware for compatibility.

Psystar's actions of course run afoul of Apple, who has continually tried to put Psystar out of business. Psystar is a tough company, having survived bankruptcy and numerous legal campaigns from Apple. Will their continued antagonizing of Apple be met with more lawsuits and legal threats, or will Cupertino eventually concede that users want what they want, regardless of how Apple feels?

A lot of PC users are excited for this week's release of Windows 7, but some Mac users may be as well. Given the popularity of Boot Camp for Windows XP (and Vista), it's only natural that people would want to run Windows 7 on Apple hardware, and to date there has been no official mechanism for doing such.

Microsoft's new operating system launched today, so any vendors that have been waiting for the official release to start adapting now have all the motive required -- including Apple, which has announced plans to offer Boot Camp support for Windows 7 later this year.

This comes as good news to anyone who has been running it "unofficially" on a Mac, as well as those who were concerned about Apple's stance on supporting the new OS. There are some specific models Apple won't be supporting, which includes a handful of older iMacs and older MacBook Pros. Any newer machine should have no trouble though, so long as they are based on an Intel platform.

Steve Jobs wasn't kidding when he said Apple had a strong lineup prepared for the holiday season and beyond. The company has just about refreshed its entire product line, introducing the world's first multitouch mouse, as well as new iMacs, a low-end MacBook, and a new Mac mini.

The "Apple Magic Mouse" is void of the usual buttons and instead has a multitouch surface that is reliant on touch, taps, and swipes -- as interesting as this may be, I can't see it being useful beyond basic use. The Magic Mouse connects via Bluetooth and can be purchased for $69 alone, but it ships with the new iMacs launched today.

Apple's iMac refresh includes the introduction of new 21.5" and 27" models, which effectively replace the old 20" and 24" units. The 21.5" iteration features a 1,920x1,080 LED-backlit display with 178-degree viewing angles, a 3.06GHz or 3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated or ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics, 500GB to 2TB of storage, an iSight camera, all of the typical connectivity and starts at $1,199. Meanwhile, the larger model bumps the screen resolution to 2,560x1,440, a 2.66GHz or 2.8GHz Intel Core i5, dedicated ATI Radeon HD 4670 or 4850 graphics, and starts at $1,699.

Read the rest after the jump.

Apple has announced its fiscal fourth quarter results, showing $9.87 billion in revenue and a net profit of $1.67 billion ($1.26 per diluted share). This compares to the company's $7.9 billion revenue and $1.14 billion net profit in the year-ago quarter. For the entire year, Apple's revenue grew by 12% and net income by 18% -- quite impressive considering the recession and all.

In fact, Cupertino says its 2009 fiscal fourth quarter was its most profitable ever with record Mac and iPhone sales. Apple shipped 3.05 million Mac computers and 7.4 million iPhone handsets during the quarter, a year-over-year increase of 17% and 7%, respectively. Meanwhile the company moved 10.2 million iPods, an 8% decline on year.

Naturally, company execs are thrilled, and CEO Steve Jobs noted that Apple has a strong lineup prepared for the holiday season as well as 2010. Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer is predicting another solid period ahead, anticipating revenue of $11.3 to $11.6 billion for the 2010 fiscal first quarter.

Apple has made the next move in their continued struggle against modders and other iPhone enthusiasts, by increasing the iPhone 3GS's resistance to jailbreaking. It's well known that each iteration of iPhone OS (and often the various updates in between) incorporate new measures to stop jailbreaking, and the most recent update is no exception. New iPhones are making their way into the wild with an updated version of iBoot, the bootloader for a variety of Apple devices. Because this software is invoked before the iPhone OS is actually loaded, it is a common target for jailbreaking -- and the recent update prevents many of those attempts.

It seems the latest versions of common iPhone jailbreaking tools are unable to get around the most recent update for iBoot, making it impossible (currently) to install software that Apple hasn't authorized. The article mentions that patching jailbreak "holes" could simply be an unfortunate side effect of improving security on the iPhone, which is possible -- though it's not like Apple has ever shown any love to people who want to jailbreak or otherwise mod the iPhone.

Even if Apple is not directly targeting jailbreaks with this update of iBoot, they have in the past. Jailbreaking is in high demand for iPhone enthusiasts, so as more of the newly updated phones are circulated, you can be sure that fresh jailbreaking methods will be developed.

Apple is reportedly on the verge of releasing an FM radio application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Citing anonymous sources, rumor site 9to5mac.com claims the app will be allowed to operate in the background and should offer similar functionality to that of the new iPod nano models, which includes the ability to pause live FM transmissions and fast-forward when you resume playing.

Apparently the launch would have come sooner but Apple is still working on integrating the new feature with its mobile iTunes Store, so that users are just a few taps away from purchasing any song they are listening to on the radio -- provided the station supports song tagging.

iPhones and iPod touch devices have been able to receive FM radio signals for some time now, but as 9to5.com points out this wouldn't be the first time Apple awoke sleeping hardware functionality from its devices several months after their introduction. The company waited 9 months before enabling Bluetooth functionality in its second generation iPod touch and is still holding back on things like 802.11n wireless and the ability to broadcast FM signals, even though its hardware currently support it.

Update (10/13/2009): In a short statement yesterday, Apple finally acknowledged the data-loss issue plaguing Snow Leopard, claiming the problem occurs only in "extremely rare cases" and that they are already working on a fix.

It appears that Microsoft isn't the only one facing serious backlash from its users over the loss of data. According to ITWire, complaints on the Apple Support forums have been cropping up the last few days due to a major bug in OS X Snow Leopard that can reportedly lead to all user settings being reset and most data wiped out from the hard drive.

The flaw is triggered when a user signs into the guest account, be it intentionally or unintentionally, and then attempts to sign back into their regular account only to find that all of their files have been erased. Unfortunately, the only way to get them back is from a backup on a separate drive.

The number of users impacted by this bug is uncertain as is the exact cause behind it. Speculation is that something makes Snow Leopard treat the regular account like a Guest account, from which by default all data is deleted upon logout. Furthermore, it seems the problem occurs only when the Guest account was already enabled in Leopard before being upgraded to Snow Leopard.

Apple has yet to address the issue, but until the company delivers an update it's probably a good idea to disable the Guest account altogether.

Apple might be getting ready to rival Google in the online mapping space, according to Seth Weintraub at Computerworld. The Cupertino-based company has recently purchased PlaceBase, creators of a mapping API called Pushpin, and hired their CEO and founder Jaron Waldman to work on the so-called “Geo Team.”

The acquisition has naturally sparked speculation that Apple may be looking distance itself from the search giant by creating a mapping service to replace Google Maps on the Mac and iPhone. While this certainly is a possibility, knowing how the company likes to control the technology behind their devices, it may also go a long way explaining why Apple rejected Google’s Latitude for its App Store.

Placebase is a mapping service similar to Google Maps, and the Pushpin API resembles Latitude, only that it offers more ways to customize maps with deep array public and commercial data sets, including boundaries, social and demographic, financial, cell phone coverage, traffic information and weather information. It is certainly possible that realizing the importance of geo-location services, Apple is simply cooking something it doesn't want competition for.

This may be just the latest in a series of disputes between the two companies. As Weintraub notes, Apple has also been fighting with Google lately over the Google Voice app, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently quit Apple’s board to avoid conflicts of interest.

The App Store continues to deliver, for both Apple and their customers. Wishing to share their success, Apple announced today that the App Store has been responsible for a truly massive two billion downloads, spread amongst 85,000 different applications available. The store is growing in popularity at an exponential rate, with around 25% of those downloads happening in just the past four months.

The monumental amount of apps downloaded goes beyond just demonstrating the success of the store. It also goes to show how eager and willing people are to extend the functionality of their phone. With an estimated 50 million iPhone and iPod Touch owners around the world, that gives an average of about 40 downloads per device. Repeat downloads, free apps and many other things definitely skew that figure, but even halved, that demand is significant.

Where will it go from here? With such an insatiable demand, they pretty much have free reign. It makes me wonder what Google's strategy is for luring people away to join the Android camp.

Apple may be ready to introduce a new line of iMac computers with updated specs before the end of year. According to people "familiar with the matter" cited by AppleInsider, the revamped all-in-one desktops will feature a thinner industrial design with new enclosures and possibly even a Blu-ray drive option. The company has previously dismissed this technology calling its licensing process "a bag of hurt."

The updated models were finalized earlier this month and will reportedly remain dual-core -- current models feature Intel Core 2 Duo processors ranging from 2.66GHz to 3.06GHz. More affordable starting prices are also rumored make their way onto the scene and, based on previous updates from Apple, it's reasonable to expect increased hard drive capacities and perhaps newer graphics cards too. Whatever they have in store, an announcement is expected "anytime between next week and mid-October."

If you've spent any length of time studying smartphones, be it reading reviews, making comparisons, or browsing forums, you've likely heard one of the iPhone's most common criticisms: It doesn't feel like a work-worthy handset.

When pitted against the rival BlackBerry and even Windows Mobile, many people say the iPhone is not fit for someone who primarily uses a PDA for work-related activities -- and they may be more right than they know. It seems that Apple themselves have come out to state that the iPhone was not designed for business use.

While the statement may not come as a surprise to an iPhone (or any PDA) owner, Apple seems to be asserting something beyond just a friendly disclaimer. Their strong words suggest they don't even want business users as customers. This seems contrary to the App store, which has an entire catalog of software aimed at business users.

Despite that, buried within the terms and conditions of Apple's site (at least the UK flavor) is a statement saying the iPhone is only intended for personal, non-commercial use. Further, there's at least one report of someone being advised that the iPhone should be sold only to end-users for personal use.

That's not saying the iPhone can't be used in a work environment -- clearly it's an extremely flexible tool with plenty of business users -- but this isn't the first time Apple has made such a claim. What stance, exactly, is Apple taking? Are there legal issues Apple is afraid of, or is there something more?

Neowin suggests it is a taxing issue, specific to the EU. What do you think?

Google has announced today that they have included push notifications for Gmail on the iPhone and iPod Touch. By making use of Google Sync, iPhone owners using iPhone OS 3.0 and newer will be able to automatically synchronize messages to their phone without intervention, within seconds of being sent an email.

Google is offering the ability to sync contacts and Google Calender entries instantly as well. All of this functionality has been present in Google's iPhone software for some time -- just not with Push. Setting it up easy: If you already use Google Sync, it's just a matter of toggling the setting. Google noted that the always-on nature of Push email would result in heavier power drain -- something to consider if you treasure your battery life.

Although Apple is still against the idea of making the iPhone a multitasking device (for a variety of reasons), they have allowed outside applications to including Push functionality. As software development on the iPhone matures, more programs support some form of Push, which makes an Internet-connected phone all the more interesting to tote around. Hopefully development like this continues to improve on several fronts.

Although it is notably less feature-focused than previous iterations, Snow Leopard's low price has it flying off the shelves. Market research firm NPD is reporting that the latest version of OS X is selling twice as fast as Leopard and nearly four times faster than Tiger. Analyst Stephen Baker called the upgrade's affordable price a "win-win for Apple computer owners."

Apple is selling both the single-user and five-user pack of Snow Leopard for $100-plus less than its predecessor according to Baker, showing that aggressive pricing goes a long way in a weathered economy. Baker noted that it will be interesting to see how Microsoft's (more expensive) upcoming Windows 7 fares in comparison -- something we're all looking forward to, I'm sure.

Earlier this year, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated that Apple would ship some five million copies of Snow Leopard during its launch quarter. While that figure seemed a little on the optimistic side at the time, it's far more plausible now. Leopard sold over two million copies on its first weekend at market, so if Snow Leopard is selling twice as quickly, five million units shipped seems likely.

If recent changes in its lineup are of any indication Apple could be preparing to revamp the floundering Apple TV device. Shortly after its music-themed event last week, the company has dropped the price of the 160GB model to $229 -- a healthy $100 discount -- while at the same time killing the lower capacity 40GB version which previously occupied that price point.


According to a report from AppleInsider, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster first noted a shipping wait time for the lower-end model and predicted the phase out. He also said a major interface upgrade should be coming at some point in the future, most likely based on an iTunes subscription service, but negotiations with content providers might still take some time.

Apple hasn't quite found success with its set-top box the way it has with the iPhone and iPod, but lower prices along with a subscription model à la Netflix might be a step in the right direction. In addition to this, Munster predicts that a new Apple TV would also potentially include DVR capabilities, and that ultimately Apple could offer a full-fledged television set with built-in media syncing capabilities in the next two to five years.

Less than two weeks after launching Snow Leopard, Apple has quietly released a 71.47MB update that will address a number of issues in the latest version of its operating system. Among them are unexpected DVD playback outages, problems with the auto setup features of Mail and certain SMTP servers, and unresponsiveness in Motion 4.

It also includes the latest 10.0.32.18 version of Adobe's Flash Player plug-in, which might have been accidentally downgraded with the move to OS X 10.6. But the list doesn't stop there. Other fixes address compatibility problems with Sierra Wireless 3G modems, issues with the Dock becoming unresponsive, a problem with the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-T bringing up the special characters menu and a few more.

The company also released a slew of updates for its older operating systems, along with an iMac Graphics Firmware Update (1.0.2.) that targets the ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro and ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics cards and an update for Max OS X server. As usual, these are all available through the Software Update tool or Apple's Support Downloads website.

Apple unveiled iPhone OS 3.1 at today's "It's Only Rock and Roll" event in San Francisco. In addition to some new features, the software update contains all of the functions introduced previously in 3.0. Version 3.1 is available now, so if you've been looking forward to its release, be sure to upgrade and share your thoughts in the comments.

Among the more noteworthy additions brought with 3.1 is "Genius" app recommendations, which feeds you apps based on software that you've already downloaded. Other features include the ability to download ringtones wirelessly, organize apps in iTunes, redeem iTunes Gift Cards and view account credits in the App Store, save video from Mail and MMS into the Camera Roll, remotely lock an iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe, paste phone numbers into the keypad, and several more.

If you are still waiting for MMS support, AT&T is expected to launch the feature a little over two weeks from now on September 25.

As expected, Apple unveiled new iPod models across the board today which bring added functionality and lower prices. A recovered Steve Jobs took the stage for the first time in almost a year to announce that over 225 million iPods have been sold since its introduction in 2001, with the iPod touch representing 20 million of that number and contributing to an overwhelming 74% market share.


Starting at the high end, Apple touted an update to the iPod touch line that will see it packing the same processing platform as the recently introduced iPhone 3GS -- meaning they now support improved graphics with Open GL ES 2.0. This is true for both the 32 and new 64GB models, priced at $299 and $399 respectively, while the last-gen 8GB iPod touch will remain available for just $199. There doesn't appear to be a built-in camera, however, contrary to all the rumors.

Moving on the iPod classic was updated with a 160GB HDD but kept its $249 price tag. On the other end of the spectrum, the shuffles are now at $59 for 2GB, $79 for 4GB and come in black, silver, pink, green and blue. There's also a polished aluminum 4GB version for $99.


Last but not least, Apple's iPod nano got a revamp and is now available in capacities up to 16GB. Its design remains mostly unchanged from the previous model, if not for the larger 2.2-inch display, but gains a built-in camera and mic for recording 640 by 480 pixels, 30 FPS video -- apparently it does not take still photos. After years of dismissing the feature, Apple has also added an FM radio tuner to the nano, as well as pedometer and voice over functionality. The 8GB iPod nano is priced at $149 while the 16GB model goes for $179.

Apple is expected to unveil its new line of iPods at music-related event tomorrow. Although, as usual, no official details are available as to what their exact plans are, several leaks and speculation in general point to built-in digital cameras on nano and touch models -- and possibly a microphone paired with VoIP capabilities on the latter.

But a new report from blog Apple Insider casts doubt on whether or not the revamped touch-based player will see the light of day this Wednesday. Citing "a person with a strong track record in predicting Apple's upcoming product launches," the site claims Apple has run into technical difficulties with the 3.2-megapixel modules it plans to use and that it may not be ready for a September launch. A separate report from Hardmac echoes this notion and says production problems affected the first dozen of thousands units produced.

Though the faulty units have reportedly been kept aside, there's no information on whether the problem was solved or not. That's not to say an announcement isn't due at tomorrow's event but, if reports are accurate, availability could be delayed and initial volumes reduced.

Even without the immediate availability (if at all) of a camera-equipped iPod touch, Apple supporters and music lovers might still have reason to be excited about tomorrow's event; some believe the company will announce a new version of iTunes with social networking features and add The Beatles' discography to its catalog.

As expected, Apple has officially confirmed that it will host a music-themed event next Wednesday, September 9, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An invitation sent out to media outfits and blogs today suggests the gathering will be iPod-related (just like in previous years) and references a classic Rolling Stones lyric with the typical iPod ad silhouette stating "It's only rock and roll, but we like it."

The Cupertino-based company has hosted a new product introduction of its iPods every September for the past few years, and this year doesn't look to be any different. Apple is expected to introduce new versions of its iPod nano and iPod touch featuring cameras and (at least on the latter) a microphone; transforming the touch-enabled media player into a nifty VoIP phone wherever a Wi-Fi connection is available.

Besides new iPod models Apple may also discuss a new interactive album format, known as Cocktail, and could possibly introduce a new version of iTunes with social networking features. Some expect an Apple tablet to be announced as well, which perhaps isn't too far-fetched considering the slew of rumors and 'evidence' on the company's own software, but this seems rather unlikely for now - most are betting on a release early 2010.

Last but not least, the September 9 date has also fueled rumors that The Beatles' discography could finally make its appearance on iTunes. That Wednesday is the same day the band's remastered digital albums and Rock Band video game will be released. Whatever Apple has in store, we'll be filling you in with the details next week.

The iPod has greatly assisted Apple in maintaining their MP3 player market dominance. As it stands, "MP3 player" is nearly synonymous with iPod - much to Microsoft's chagrin. That doesn't mean Apple has been resting on their laurels, even if it seems that way to resellers. Numerous resellers are apparently concerned over a drop in stock volume, reporting low quantities of iPods available for resale.

That's just the tip of the iceberg though, with Cupertino announcing even more harrowing news. The company has discontinued all existing iPod SKUs, demonstrating that it is preparing to cease manufacture (and hence sales) of every existing iPod model. Is the iPod becoming stale? Perhaps, depending on your point of view - but it is still a blisteringly successful device.

Why would Apple put a stop to all their existing SKUs? Rumor has it that Apple is planning to refresh iPods across the board. This move seems to coincide with the widespread anticipation of a rumored September event. Though it's obvious they are planning something big for the iPod, Apple is tight-lipped as usual.

In the meantime, the halt may indicate a temporary shortage of iPods as existing supplies run dry. We'll post more as we hear official news from Apple.

If you've used any high-end smartphone in recent years, you have probably come across some of the more common location-based services available. Typically found in weather and mapping programs, it's a handy extension of a phones ability to determine where you are geographically. Apple sees great potential in expanding this, and is already busy filing patents that would make the iPhone's entire home screen location based.

The concept is simple, but undoubtedly complex to implement. The basic idea is that your phone will identify your position and automatically show you applications most relevant to that location. Theoretically, any location-aware program could make use of this. It doesn't take much extrapolation to see how this sort of functionality would move well beyond fluff.

People are increasingly reliant on smartphones of all types for work, and often tote them around all day. Imagine a phone that reconfigures itself while you travel to work in order to present you with the applications you're most likely going to need - switching itself back automatically when you head home. The more you rely on your phone, the cooler this sort of idea becomes.

Personally, I could see the concept taken even farther with phones that configure ringtones, volume levels, automatic voicemail transfers and a million other options based upon where you are physically located. On a road trip? Your phone could automatically bring your GPS and road mapping applications to the front. At a library? It could automatically silence itself. In school? It could bring up notes and a web browser.

This is all just personal speculation - but clearly, something Apple may be hinting at for future functionality.