Apple Computer News - SVDaily.com

The Transplant Institute of Methodist University Hospital, a hospital in Memphis, TN, has confirmed that it performed a liver transplant on Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a news release on its website:

James D. Eason, M.D., program director at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute and chief of transplantation confirmed, with the patient's permission, that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in partnership with the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies.

He received a liver transplant because he was the patient with the highest MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) of his blood type and, therefore, the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available. Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis.

The Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute performed 120 liver transplants in 2008 making it one of the ten largest liver transplant centers in the United States.

The hospital's one year patient and graft survival rates are among the best in the nation and were a dominant reason in Mr. Jobs’s choice of transplant centers according to the statement. The hospital says it will "respect and protect every patient's private health information and cannot reveal any further information on the specifics of Mr. Jobs's case."

The hospital did not say when the operation occurred but was reportedly done in April.

Apple announced that it has sold over one million iPhone 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO in a statement. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

Jobs was quoted for the first time in a company statement since January. It was reported by The Wall Street Journal that Jobs underwent a liver transplant in Memphis, TN in April and is recovering. He is expected to return part-time to the company this month.

The iPhone 3GS went on sale in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on Friday. More countries will begin selling the 3GS throughout the summer and will eventually be available in 80 different nations.

Apple began selling its new iPhone 3GS today at its own retail stores nationwide at 7 a.m. and also at AT&T, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. The company avoided the long lines from previous iPhone debuts with the early morning sale time instead of 6 p.m. at its debut two years ago. It also offered pre-ordering for customers so no waiting was needed.

AT&T is the exclusive provider of iPhone service with the following prices:

* $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for all new AT&T customers and existing AT&T customers who have fulfilled their previous agreement. AT&T has extended this pricing to iPhone 3G customers who will be eligible for a full upgrade in July, August, or September 2009.
* $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB) for existing AT&T customers who have not yet fulfilled their existing agreement but would like an early upgrade to iPhone 3G S. This early upgrade option is exclusively available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Prices above require a two-year service commitment and approved voice and data plan. Options are available to purchase these phones without a two-year contract commitment.

In a keynote address at the Worldwide Developers' Conference in San Francisco, Apple marketing chief Philip Schiller introduced the new iPhone 3G S, the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. Video of the keynote can be seen here. Apple founder Steve Jobs did not appear at the keynote as rumored nor was he mentioned during the presentation.

The S stands for speed according to Apple and is up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the latest advanced version of Apple's mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, Multimedia Messaging Service capabilities, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more.

The iPhone 3G S offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299 with contract.

Apple is also cutting prices for its current iPhone. The iPhone 3G is now just $99 for the 8GB model as it faces competition from the new Palm Pre and other Blackberry phones.

U.S. customers can get the new iPhone on June 19 in both Apple and AT&T's retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 3G S requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers.

iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers. iPod touch customers will be able to purchase a software update for $9.95.

Apple updated Monday its aluminum MacBook Pro line to include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models featuring a built-in battery for up to 40 percent longer battery life. Each MacBook Pro includes an LED-backlit display with greater color intensity, the glass Multi-Touch trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a FireWire 800 port and NVIDIA graphics.

The 13-inch model is priced at $1,199, the 15-inch model starts at $1,699 and the 17-inch version is $2.499. The laptops are still pricey but some have seen price drops of $300 from the previous generation. Every Mac notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.

Apple has also unveiled a new version of its lightweight MacBook Air with a lower price of $1,499.

"Across the line, all of our new MacBook Pro models now include Apple’s innovative built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life, while staying just as thin and light as before," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Starting at just $1,199, the aluminum unibody MacBook Pro is more affordable than ever and sets a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design."

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models include Apple's innovative built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge without adding thickness, weight or cost. Using Adaptive Charging and advanced chemistry first introduced with the 17-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year, the built-in battery delivers up to 1,000 recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity -- nearly three times the lifespan of conventional batteries.

Apple is offering a free iPod Touch to college students, parents and faculty who buy a new Mac desktop or laptop computer as part of its Back to School campaign.

The iPod Touch has a retail price of $229 and buyers will get a rebate off the purchase price with another purchase of a MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air or Mac Pro computers. In addition, qualified buyers can get discounts on the computers ranging from $50 to $200.

Those eligible to purchase as Education Individuals include faculty, staff, students, and parents as follows:
K12 - Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible. In addition, school board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members
are eligible. PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers are eligible.
Higher Education - Faculty and staff of higher education institutions; and students attending, or accepted into a higher education institution are eligible to purchase.
Higher Education Parents - Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private higher education institution in the United States, are eligible to purchase.

Up to five (5) rebates per receipt may be claimed based on the number of Apple Computers and iPod models purchased. A maximum of five (5) rebates per household may be claimed.

Apple will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. A team of Apple executives, led by Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the keynote. There is no word whether Apple founder Steve Jobs will make an appearance. Jobs has been out for more than six months due to illness.

WWDC will offer in-depth sessions on both iPhone OS 3.0, the new mobile operating system for the iPhone, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, an updated version of the Mac operating system. The conference will likely see the introduction of new products including an updated version of the iPhone.

"Last June, we gave developers an early look at the powerful new technologies that form the underpinnings of Mac OS X Snow Leopard," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. "At WWDC, we will be giving our developers a final Developer Preview release so they can see the incredible progress we've made on Snow Leopard and work with us as we move toward its final release."

* more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of technology-specific topics for developing, deploying and integrating iPhone OS 3.0 and Mac OS X technologies;
* over 1,000 Apple engineers presenting the latest in Apple technologies and providing one-to-one direction in hands-on labs; and
* the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iPhone and Mac developers from around the world.

Apple announced last week that over one billion applications have been downloaded from the App Store, which features over 35,000 applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The one billionth app, Bump created by Bump Technologies, was downloaded by Connor Mulcahey, age 13, of Weston, CT. As the grand prize winner of Apple’s one billion app countdown contest, Connor will receive a $10,000 iTunes gift card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule and a MacBook Pro.

The App store offers a mix of free and paid applications including games and software starting as low as 99 cents.

"The revolutionary App Store has been a phenomenal hit with iPhone and iPod touch users around the world, and we’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve the astonishing milestone of one billion apps downloaded," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "In nine months, the App Store has completely revolutionized the mobile industry and this is only the beginning."

Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended March 28, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion. These results compare to revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.4 percent, up from 32.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

"We are extremely pleased to report the best non-holiday quarter revenue and earnings in our history," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. "Apple’s financial condition remains very robust, with almost $29 billion in cash and marketable securities on our balance sheet. Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2009, we expect revenue in the range of about $7.7 billion to $7.9 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $.95 to $1.00."

Apple sold 2.22 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, a three percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The company sold 11.01 million iPods during the quarter, representing three percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone units sold were 3.79 million representing 123 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter.

Even while staying at home with an undisclosed illness, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is still playing a vital role in overseeing the company and new products according to the Wall Street Journal.

Jobs regularly reviews products and product plans, and was particularly involved in the user interface of the new iPhone operating system that Apple unveiled last month reports WSJ. He is also providing input to new projects the company is working on including a rumored net book.

Jobs is 54 years old and has been on a leave of absence at Apple since January but is supposed to return in June.

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook is filling in for Jobs and running Apple's operations.

CBS is offering an application for the iPhone that lets college basketball fans watch all games live in the NCAA tournament for $4.99.

We tried this out today and the video is surprisingly smooth and easy to use. The $4.99 fee includes all games through April 6. Statistics and matchups are also featured. Technology for video streaming is provided by MobiTV.

iPhone users must have a broadband wi-fi connection in order to view games. Edge and 3G users will get live audio broadcasts instead.

All games are available for free online at CBS Sports website but Windows is generally required along with Microsoft's Silverlight plugin.

Apple previewed the new version of software for the iPhone coming this summer. The iPhone OS 3.0 software is available now as a beta software release to registered developers.

The software was shown to media at the Apple campus by Scott Forstall, Senior V.P. of iPhone software development.

The iPhone 3.0 beta release includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) including In-App Purchases; Peer-to-Peer connections; an app interface for accessories; access to the iPod music library; a new Maps API and Push Notifications. Apple also announced over 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer including cut, copy and paste; MMS; landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release will also include a new Voice Memo app and expanded search capability for all key iPhone apps, as well as Spotlight search across the iPhone or iPod touch.

"The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike. It will keep us years ahead of the competition," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK include over 1,000 new APIs and are available today for all iPhone Developer Program members to use for development and testing of their apps for iPhone and iPod touch. Included in these APIs is the ability to leverage the incredible purchase model of the App Store within apps. In-App Purchases will allow developers to offer subscription content and provide the ability to sell new content and features in a simple and secure process. Developers can also more easily create peer-to-peer games for iPhone and iPod touch by using Bluetooth.

More than 25,000 apps are now available for the iPhone and iPod touch with a userbase of over 30 million according to the company.

Apple has introduced a new version of its miniature iPod shuffle, the world’s smallest music player at nearly half of the size of the previous model, and the first music player that talks to you. The new VoiceOver feature enables iPod shuffle to speak your song titles, artists and playlist names. The third generation iPod shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA battery, holds up to 1,000 songs and puts all of the controls to play and adjust volume on the earphone cord instead of on the iPod. Those who use a different brand of headphones won't be able to control music on the shuffle.

"Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names," said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. "The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists."

The iPod shuffle can speak 14 languages including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and features a sleek and ultra-wearable design with a built-in stainless steel clip. The new shuffle sells for $79.

Amazon.com has introduced "Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch," a new application available for free from Apple's App Store that lets customers enjoy over 240,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, on the iPhone and iPod touch using Apple's Multi-Touch user interface. Amazon's new Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes a customer's bookmark across their original Kindle, Kindle 2, iPhone and iPod touch, so customers always have their reading with them and never lose their place. Kindle customers can read a few pages on their iPhone or iPod touch and pick up right where they left off on their Kindle or Kindle 2.

"We are excited to bring the new Kindle application to Apple's App Store and think customers are going to love how easy and fun it is to read their Kindle books on the iPhone and iPod touch," said Ian Freed, vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch is a great way for customers to catch up on their current book wherever they are, like in line at the grocery store or between meetings."

The Kindle app lets customers bring their Kindle books with them wherever they go and takes full advantage of Apple's Multi-Touch user interface. With the new Kindle app, customers can:

* Shop for hundreds of thousands of books on their Kindle or online at http://www.amazon.com/kindlestore, and wirelessly transfer the books to their iPhone or iPod touch
* Access their entire library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers
* Adjust the text size of books
* Add bookmarks and view notes and highlights

Apple announced updates to its iMac and Mac mini desktop lines, including a 24-inch iMac and a Mac mini with powerful new integrated graphics. For the same $1,499 price as the previous generation 20-inch iMac, the new 24-inch iMac delivers a 30 percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage.

The Mac Mini was rumored to be shut down by Apple, but the little computer lives on with a new version. Delivering up to five times better graphics performance, the updated Mac mini now features the same groundbreaking NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics introduced with the aluminum unibody MacBook family. The company says the Mac mini is the world’s most energy efficient desktop, drawing less than 13 watts of power when idle. All iMac and Mac mini systems come with Mac OS X Leopard, and iLife ’09, Apple’s suite of consumer applications for managing and organizing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music.

"Our flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory and twice the storage is now available for just $1,499," said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. "The Mac mini is not only our most affordable Mac, it’s also the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer."

The full-featured iMac line starts with the 20-inch iMac for only $1,199 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. The 24-inch iMac features a 1920-by-1200 pixel widescreen display that offers 30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model, and starts at just $1,499. The 24-inch iMac includes up to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and a variety of graphics technology from NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics for ultimate performance.

Every iMac features a glossy display with a built-in iSight video camera, mic and speakers in a thin aluminum and glass design. The new iMac also includes a Mini DisplayPort connector for a pure digital signal to Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display with adapters available for DisplayPort, VGA, DVI and Dual-Link DVI displays. iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; a total of six USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 800 port.

Starting at $599, the Mac mini is a tiny desktop measuring only 6.5 by 6.5 by 2-inches. Available in two models, Mac mini features a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and a SuperDrive. The Mac mini features NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for up to five times better graphics performance than before and now with dual display support can drive two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI connections. Using less than 13 watts of power at idle, up to 10 times less power than a typical desktop PC, Apple claims the new Mac mini is the most energy efficient desktop in the world.

Apple has introduced a beta of Safari 4, the latest edition of its web browser for both Mac and Windows PCs. The Nitro engine in Safari 4 runs JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3. New features that make browsing more intuitive and quicker include Top Sites, for a stunning visual preview of frequently visited pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; Cover Flow, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks; and Tabs on Top, to make tabbed browsing easier and more intuitive.

“Apple created Safari to bring innovation, speed and open standards back into web browsers, and today it takes another big step forward,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Safari 4 is the fastest and most efficient browser for Mac and Windows, with great integration of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards that enables the next generation of interactive web applications.”

Safari 4 is built on the world’s most advanced browser technologies including the new Nitro JavaScript engine that executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari quickly loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3.

Here's something we never thought we'd see or ever imagined happening. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., will appear on the next edition of Dancing with the Stars on ABC.

The 58-year-old Woz no longer works for Apple and recently joined the flash memory startup Fusion-io of Utah as its Chief Scientist. However, he won't be doing much work with his gig on Dancing With the Stars which could last up to 15 weeks depending how long he lasts.

Apple announced that Mark Papermaster will be coming to Apple as senior vice president of Devices Hardware Engineering, reporting to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, on April 24. Papermaster, who comes to Apple from IBM, will lead Apple’s iPod and iPhone hardware engineering teams. The litigation between IBM and Mark Papermaster has been resolved. IBM sued Apple last November and got a court order preventing Papermaster from joining Apple for fear of losing trade secrets.

IBM and Mr. Papermaster have now agreed on a resolution of the lawsuit under which Mr. Papermaster won't begin employment with Apple until April 24, 2009, six months after leaving IBM, and will remain subject thereafter to all of his contractual and other legal duties to IBM, including the obligation not to use or disclose IBM’s confidential information.

After he begins working for Apple, Mr. Papermaster will be required to certify, in July 2009 and again in October 2009, that he has complied with his legal obligations not to use or disclose IBM’s confidential or proprietary information. The preliminary injunction will be replaced by a court order under which the Court will have continuing jurisdiction over this matter, including compliance enforcement powers, until October 24, 2009, one year after Mr. Papermaster’s departure from IBM.

Papermaster has 25 years of product and technology experience, and was previously a vice president at IBM. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont in 1988. Papermaster is active with the University of Texas where he is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Council.

Apple this week announced record revenues for its fiscal 2009 first quarter ended December 27, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $10.17 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion. These results compare to revenue of $9.6 billion in the year-ago quarter. This is the first time Apple surpassed $10 billion mark in one quarter.

International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, equal to the year-ago quarter.

Apple sold 2,524,000 Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing nine percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold a record 22,727,000 iPods during the quarter, representing three percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone units sold were 4,363,000, representing 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter.

"Even in these economically challenging times, we are incredibly pleased to report our best quarterly revenue and earnings in Apple history -- surpassing $10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time ever," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO in a prepared statement.

Apple's retail stores generated $1.74 billion in sales during the holiday quarter.

Confirming fears that his health problems are more serious than previously disclosed, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced he will step aside as CEO of the company until at least June. Jobs missed the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco last week and released a statement then saying he had a hormone imbalance.

Tim Cook (pictured), Apple's Chief Operating Officer, will take over reins of the company.

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller gave the keynote address at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco -- filling in for ailing CEO Steve Jobs -- and announced new pricing plans with iTunes.

Beginning Tuesday, all four major music labels -- Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent labels, are now offering their music in iTunes Plus, Apple's DRM-free format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes customers can also choose to download their favorite songs from the world's largest music catalog directly onto their iPhone 3G over their 3G network just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price as downloading to their computer.

And beginning in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, with most albums still priced at $9.99.

With the removal of digital rights management (DRM), customers can listen to their music on non-Apple devices and other music players.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer our iTunes customers DRM-free iTunes Plus songs in high quality audio and our iPhone 3G customers the ability to download music from iTunes anytime, anywhere over their 3G network at the same price as downloading to your computer or via Wi-Fi," said Steve Jobs in a company statement. "And in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points -- 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 -- with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29."

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro has a high resolution LED-backlit display and the same large glass Multi-Touch trackpad introduced with the new MacBook family in October. In addition, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes state of the art NVIDIA graphics and the latest generation Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processors. As part of the industry's greenest notebook family, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is made of highly recyclable materials, meets stringent energy efficiency standards and is made without many of the harmful toxins found in other computers.

Weighing in at 6.6 pounds, the 17-inch model is not cheap either, priced at $2,799

Apple CEO Steve Jobs tried to quell rumors about his health on the opening day of Macworld in San Francisco with the following statement:

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Apple's Board of Directors released the following statement about Steve Jobs and his health concerns:

It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world.

As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple’s CEO, you will know it.

Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.

Walmart will begin selling Apple's iPhone 3G beginning Sunday, Dec. 28 but not at $99 as first rumored.

The world's leading retailer will offer the black 8 GB iPhone 3G model at 2,500 stores nationwide with the every day price of $197 and the 16 GB black or white model for $297, with a new two-year service agreement from AT&T or qualified upgrade. The iPhone is on sale at Apple stores and AT&T stores at $199 for the 8GB version and $299 for the 16GB model, so the Walmart price chops only $2 off.

Walmart's price match policy also allows stores to match the price of any local competitor's advertised store price on the same item within the same promotional period.

"We are delighted to bring customers this ground-breaking mobile technology," said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Entertainment, Walmart. “Our electronics associates have been preparing for many weeks for the arrival of iPhone 3G. We are excited to now help new customers learn more about the features and services that make the iPhone unique.”

Apple announced stunning news today. The company said that next month's Macworld Expo will be the final one where it participates.

Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing and not Steve Jobs, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.

MacWorld's January expo was a launching pad for many Apple products over the years and had become a big media event.

But Apple now says it is reaching more people in more ways than ever before and trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world,

Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.

Apple is preparing to sell its best-selling iPhone at the world's largest retailer by the end of the year.

According to published reports, Apple could sell a 4GB version of the iPhone for just $99 in WalMart stores just before Christmas or shortly thereafter.

The iPhone is currently available in Apple retail stores, AT&T stores and Best Buy starting at $199 for an 8GB version. A 16GB model sells for $299. This does not include service plans provided by AT&T which cost another $70 per month.

According to market research firm The NPD Group, Apple’s iPhone 3G surpassed the Motorola RAZR as the leading handset purchased by adult consumers in the U.S. in the third quarter (Q3) of 2008. RAZR had been ranked by NPD as the top-selling consumer handset for the past 12 quarters.

Even with stronger consumer sales of iPhone, and the mobile phone market’s normal seasonal uplift after Q2, domestic handset purchases by adult consumers declined 15 percent year over year in Q3 to 32 million units. Consumer handset sales revenue fell 10 percent to $2.9 billion, even as the average selling price (ASP) rose 6 percent to $88.

"The displacement of the RAZR by the iPhone 3G represents a watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD. "Four of the five best-selling handsets in the third quarter were optimized for messaging and other advanced Internet features."

The top handset models in rank order, based on unit sales in Q3, were as follows:

1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. Motorola RAZR V3 (all models)
3. RIM Blackberry Curve (all models)
4. LG Rumor
5. LG enV2

Apple's bid to hire IBM exec Mark Papermaster has been foiled by the courts. A U.S. District Court Judge granted IBM a preliminary injunction blocking Papermaster from leaving IBM to become Apple's senior vice president of the iPod division.

IBM says Papermaster would take important trade secrets from the company if he works at Apple. He has been with IBM for the past 25 years.

"We are pleased that Judge Karas agreed to our request for a preliminary injunction. Mr. Papermaster's employment by Apple is a violation of his agreement with IBM against working for a competitor should he leave IBM," the company said in a statement.

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