All About Apple, iPod, iPhone, iPad & MacBook

iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:57:00 +0000

The iPhone (play /ˈaɪfoʊn/ eye-fohn) is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007. The 5th generation iPhone, the iPhone 4S, was announced on October 4, 2011, and released on October 14, 2011.

An iPhone can function as a video camera (video recording was not a standard feature until the iPhone 3GS was released), a camera phone, a portable media player, and an Internet client with email and web browsing capabilities, can send texts and receive visual voicemail, and has both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. The user interface is built around the device's multi-touch screen, including a virtual keyboard rather than a physical one. Third-party as well as Apple application software is available from the App Store, which launched in mid-2008 and now has over 500,000 "apps" approved by Apple. These apps have diverse functions, including games, reference, GPS navigation, social networking, security and advertising for television shows, films, and celebrities.

There are five generations of iPhone models, each accompanied by one of the five major releases of iOS (formerly iPhone OS). The original iPhone was a GSM phone that established design precedents like screen size and button placement that have persisted through all models. The iPhone 3G added 3G cellular network capabilities and A-GPS location. The iPhone 3GS added a compass, faster processor, and higher resolution camera, including video recording at 480p. The iPhone 4 has a rear facing camera (720p video) and a front facing camera (at a lower resolution) for FaceTime video calling and for use in other apps like Skype. The iPhone 4 featured a higher-resolution 960x640 display; it was released on June 24, 2010. In the U.S., AT&T was the only authorized carrier until February 10, 2011, when a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 launched for Verizon. On October 4, 2011, Apple announced the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S added a higher resolution camera (8 megapixel) with 1080p video recording, face detection, and video stabilization, a faster, dual core processor, multi-standard wireless support (allowing a single handset to operate on networks based on both GSM/UMTS and CDMA technologies), GLONASS support and a natural language voice control system called Siri. It will be available in 16 GB and 32 GB, as well as a new 64 GB capacity. In the United States, it was announced that two new carriers, C Spire and Sprint, would begin carrying the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in October and November 2011, respectively.

References :
wikipedia

Timeline of Apple Products 2010s

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:22:00 +0000

2010s

Year	Launched	Model	Family	Discontinued
2010	February 9	Aperture 3	Software	current
	April 3	Apple iPad (Wi-Fi)	iPad	March 11, 2011
	April 13	MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2010)	MacBook Pro	February 24, 2011
		MacBook Pro 15" (Early 2010)	MacBook Pro	February 24, 2011
		MacBook Pro 17" (Early 2010)	MacBook Pro	February 24, 2011
	April 30	Apple iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G)	iPad	March 11, 2011
	May 18	MacBook (Mid 2010)	MacBook	July 20, 2011
	June 15	Mac Mini (unibody)	Mac Mini	July 20, 2011
	June 24	iPhone 3GS (8 GB)	iPhone	current
	June 24	iPhone 4 (16 & 32 GB)	iPhone	October 4, 2011
	September 1	iPod Touch (4th gen.)	iPod Touch	current
		iPod nano (6th gen.)	iPod nano	current
		iPod Shuffle (4th gen.)	iPod Shuffle	current
		Apple TV	Apple TV	current
	October 20	MacBook Air	MacBook Air	July 20, 2011

2011	February 24	MacBook Pro 13", 15", 17" (Early 2011)	MacBook Pro	October 24, 2011
	March 11	iPad 2	iPad	current
	April 28	iPhone 4 CDMA (16GB & 32GB)	iPhone	October 4, 2011
	May 3	iMac 21.5", 27" (Mid 2011)	iMac	current
	July 20	MacBook Air (Mid 2011)	MacBook Air	current
		Mac Mini (Mid 2011)	Mac Mini	current
		Thunderbolt Display(27")	Displays	current
		Mac OS X Lion	Software	current
	October 12	iOS 5	Software	current
		iCloud	Software	current
		Cards	Software	current
		Find My Friends	Software	current
		Airport Utility	Software	current
	October 14	iPhone 4 (8GB)	iPhone	current
		iPhone 4S (16GB, 32GB, & 64GB)	iPhone	current
		iPhone Micro USB Adapter	iPhone	current
	October 24	MacBook Pro 13", 15", 17" (Late 2011)	MacBook Pro	current

Timeline of Apple Products 2000s

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:19:00 +0000

2000s

Year

Launched

Model

Family

Discontinued

2000

February 16

PowerBook ("Pismo")

PowerBook G3

January 9, 2001

July 19

Power Macintosh G4 Cube

Power Macintosh

July 3, 2001

July 19

Cinema Display (22")

Displays

January 28, 2003

September 13

iBook (FireWire)

iBook

May 1, 2001

2001

January

PowerBook G4 Titanium

PowerBook G4

September 16, 2003

May 1

iBook (white)

iBook

October 2003

July 18

Power Macintosh G4 Quicksilver

Power Macintosh

August 13, 2002

September 8

Server G4 Quicksilver

Macintosh Server

May 14, 2002

October 23

iPod

iPod Classic

July 17, 2002

2002

January 7

iMac G4 15"

iMac

August 31, 2004

iBook (14")

iBook

October 22, 2003

April 29

eMac

eMac

July 5, 2006

May 14

Xserve

Xserve

February 10, 2003

July 17

iMac G4 17"

iMac

August 31, 2004

August 13

Power Macintosh G4 MDD

Power Macintosh

June 9, 2004

August 27

Macintosh Server G4 MDD

Macintosh Server

January 28, 2003

2003

January 7

PowerBook G4 Aluminum (12")

PowerBook G4

May 16, 2006

PowerBook G4 Aluminum (17")

PowerBook G4

April 24, 2006

February 10

Xserve slot loading

Xserve

January 6, 2004

Xserve Cluster Node

Xserve

January 6, 2004

June 23

Power Macintosh G5

Power Macintosh

June 9, 2004

September 16

PowerBook G4 Aluminum (15")

PowerBook G4

February 14, 2006

October 22

iBook G4 (12" / 14")

iBook

May 16, 2006

November 18

iMac G4 20"

iMac

August 31, 2004

2004

January 6

Xserve G5

Xserve

August 7, 2006

Xserve Cluster Node G5

Xserve

August 7, 2006

June 9

Power Macintosh G5 FX

Power Macintosh

October 19, 2005

June 28

Cinema Display (20")

Displays

February 2009

Cinema Display (23")

Displays

November 2008

Cinema Display (30")

Displays

July 27, 2010

August 31

iMac G5 17"

iMac

January 10, 2006

iMac G5 20"

iMac

March 20, 2006

2005

January 11

Mac Mini

Mac Mini

February 28, 2006

October 19

Power Macintosh G5 dual core

Power Macintosh

August 7, 2006

2006

January 10

iMac (Early 2006)

iMac

September 6, 2006

iPod Radio Remote

iPod Accessories

June 25, 2009

February 14

MacBook Pro (15")

MacBook Pro

February 26, 2008

February 28

Mac Mini Core Solo

Mac Mini

September 6, 2006

February 28

Mac Mini Core Duo

Mac Mini

August 7, 2007

April 11

Apple Remote Desktop 3

Software

current

April 24

MacBook Pro (17")

MacBook Pro

February 26, 2008

May 16

MacBook

MacBook

February 26, 2008

July 13

Nike+iPod

iPod Accessories

current

June 20

Shake 4

Software

July 30, 2009

August 7

Mac Pro

Mac Pro

January 8, 2008

August 7

Xserve (Intel)

Xserve

January 8, 2008

September 6

iMac (Mid 2006)

iMac

August 7, 2007

2007

March 21

Apple TV

Apple TV

September 1, 2010

June 29

iPhone

iPhone

July 11, 2008

August 7

iMac (Mid 2007)

iMac

April 28, 2008

Apple Mighty Mouse (revised)

Apple Mouse

October 20, 2009

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Apple Keyboard

current

Apple Wireless Keyboard (Aluminum)

Apple Keyboard

current

Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

Mac Mini

March 3, 2009

September 5

iPod nano (3rd gen.)

iPod nano

September 6, 2008

iPod Classic

iPod Classic

September 9, 2008

iPod Touch

iPod Touch

September 9, 2008

September 12

Logic Studio

Software

July 23, 2009

October 27

Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)

Software

August 28, 2009

Mac OS X Server (10.5)

Software

August 28, 2009

November 15

Final Cut Express 4

Software

July 23, 2009

2008

January 8

Xserve Harpertown

Xserve

April 7, 2009

Mac Pro Harpertown

Mac Pro

March 3, 2009

January 15

MacBook Air

MacBook Air

October 14, 2008

MacBook Air External Superdrive

Drives

current

February 12

Aperture 2

Software

February 9, 2010

February 26

MacBook Penryn

MacBook

October 14, 2008

MacBook Pro Penryn 15"

MacBook Pro

October 14, 2008

MacBook Pro Penryn 17"

MacBook Pro

January 6, 2009

February 19

Xsan 2

Software

current

February 27

iPod Touch (32GB)

iPod Touch

September 9, 2008

February 29

Time Capsule

Drives

March 3, 2009

March 17

AirPort Express (802.11n)

AirPort

current

April 17

Final Cut Studio 2

Software

July 23, 2009

April 28

iMac (early 2008)

iMac

March 3, 2009

May 29

Logic Express 8

Software

July 23, 2009

July 9

MobileMe

Software

June 30, 2012

July 11

iPhone 3G (8GB)

iPhone

June 24, 2010

iPhone 3G (16GB)

iPhone

June 19, 2009

September 9

iPod nano (4th gen.)

iPod nano

September 9, 2009

iPod Classic (120GB)

iPod Classic

September 9, 2009

iPod Touch (2nd gen. 8GB)

iPod Touch

current

iPod Touch (2nd gen. 16/32GB)

iPod Touch

September 9, 2009

In-Ear Headphones

iPod Accessories

current

September 18

Final Cut Server

Software

July 23, 2009

October 14

MacBook Air Penryn

MacBook Air

June 8, 2009

MacBook White

MacBook

January 29, 2009

MacBook Aluminum

MacBook

June 8, 2009

MacBook Pro (Unibody) 15"

MacBook Pro

June 8, 2009

LED Cinema Display

Displays

current

Bento 2.0

Software

September 29, 2009

2009

January 6

MacBook Pro (Unibody) 17"

MacBook Pro

June 8, 2009

iWork '09

Software

current

FileMaker Pro 10

Software

March 9, 2010

January 27

iLife '09

Software

October 20, 2010

January 29

MacBook White (early 2009)

MacBook

May 27, 2009

March 3

Mac Mini (early 2009)

Mac Mini

current

iMac (early 2009)

iMac

October 20, 2009

Mac Pro (early 2009)

Mac Pro

current

Time Capsule (Dual Band)

Drives

current

AirPort Extreme (Dual Band)

AirPort

current

Apple Keyboard (short)

Apple Keyboard

October 20, 2009

March 11

iPod Shuffle (3rd gen. 4GB)

iPod Shuffle

current

April 7

Xserve Nehalem

Xserve

current

May 27

MacBook White (mid 2009)

MacBook

October 20, 2009

June 8

MacBook Pro 13" (Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro

April 13, 2010

MacBook Pro 15" (Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro

April 13, 2010

MacBook Pro 17" (Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro

April 13, 2010

MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

MacBook Air

current

June 19

iPhone 3GS (16 & 32 GB)

iPhone

June 24, 2010

July 23

Final Cut Studio 3

Software

current

Final Cut Server 1.5

Software

current

Logic Studio 2

Software

current

Logic Express 9

Software

current

July 30

Time Capsule (2 TB)

Drives

current

August 28

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)

Software

current

Mac OS X Server (10.6)

Software

current

September 9

iPod nano (5th gen.)

iPod nano

September 1, 2010

iPod Classic (160GB)

iPod Classic

current

iPod Touch (3rd gen.)

iPod Touch

September 1, 2010

iPod Shuffle (3rd gen. 2GB)

iPod Shuffle

current

October 20

iMac (quad-core)

iMac

current

MacBook (polycarbonate unibody)

MacBook

May 18, 2010

Apple Magic Mouse

Apple Mouse

current

Timeline of Apple Products1990s

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:15:00 +0000

1990s

Year	Launched	Model	Family	Discontinued
1990	March 19	Macintosh IIfx	Mac II	April 15, 1992
	October 15	Macintosh LC	LC	March 23, 1992
		Macintosh Classic	Compact	September 14, 1992
		Macintosh IIsi	Mac II	March 15, 1993

1991	February 11	Macintosh Portable (backlit screen)	Portable	October 21, 1991
	March 1	Apple IIe Card(requiresMacintosh LC)	Apple II	May 1, 1995
	October 21	Macintosh Classic II	Compact	September 13, 1993
		Quadra 700	Quadra	March 15, 1993
		Quadra 900	Quadra	May 18, 1992
		PowerBook 100	PowerBook	August 3, 1992
		PowerBook 140	PowerBook	August 3, 1992
		PowerBook 170	PowerBook	October 19, 1992

1992	March 23	Macintosh LC II	LC	March 15, 1993
	May 18	Quadra 950	Quadra	October 14, 1995
	August 3	PowerBook 145	PowerBook	July 7, 1993
	October 19	Macintosh IIvi	Mac II	February 10, 1993
		Macintosh IIvx	Mac II	October 10, 1993
		PowerBook 160	PowerBook	August 16, 1993
		PowerBook 180	PowerBook	May 16, 1994
		PowerBook Duo 210	PowerBook Duo	October 21, 1993
		PowerBook Duo 230	PowerBook Duo	July 27, 1994

1993	February 10	Macintosh LC III / III+	LC	February 14, 1994
		Macintosh Color Classic	Compact	May 16, 1994
		Centris 610	Centris	October 21, 1993
		Centris 650	Centris	October 21, 1993
		Quadra 800	Quadra	March 14, 1994
		PowerBook 165c	PowerBook	December 13, 1993
	March 22	Workgroup Server 80	Workgroup Server	October 17, 1995
		Workgroup Server 95	Workgroup Server	April 3, 1995
		PowerCD	PowerCD	January 1, 1995
		Apple Design Powered Speakers	PowerCD	January 1, 1995
	June 7	PowerBook 145b	PowerBook	July 18, 1994
	June 7	PowerBook 180c	PowerBook	March 14, 1994
	June 28	Macintosh LC 520	LC	February 2, 1994
	July 26	Workgroup Server 60	Workgroup Server	October 17, 1995
	July 29	Centris / Quadra 660AV	Centris / Quadra	September 12, 1994
	July 29	Quadra 840AV	Quadra	July 18, 1994
	August 16	Newton Message Pad	Newton	March 1, 1994
	August 16	PowerBook 165	PowerBook	July 18, 1994
	October 10	Macintosh Color Classic II	Compact	November 1, 1995
	October 21	Macintosh TV	LC	February 1, 1995
		Quadra 605	Quadra	October 17, 1994
		Quadra 610	Quadra	July 18, 1994
		Quadra 650	Quadra	September 12, 1994
		PowerBook Duo 250	PowerBook Duo	May 16, 1994
		PowerBook Duo 270c	PowerBook Duo	May 16, 1994

1994	February 2	Macintosh LC 550	LC	March 23, 1995
		Macintosh LC 575	LC	April 3, 1995
		Apple QuickTake 100	QuickTake	January 1, 1995
	March 14	Power Macintosh 6100	Power Macintosh	May 18, 1996
		Power Macintosh 7100	Power Macintosh	January 6, 1996
		Power Macintosh 8100	Power Macintosh	August 14, 1996
	April 26	Workgroup Server 6150	Workgroup Server	October 1, 1995
		Workgroup Server 8150	Workgroup Server	February 26, 1996
		Workgroup Server 9150	Workgroup Server	February 26, 1996
	May 16	PowerBook 520/c	PowerBook 500	September 16, 1995
		PowerBook 540/c	PowerBook 500	August 16, 1995
		PowerBook 550	PowerBook 500	April 1, 1996
		PowerBook Duo 280	PowerBook Duo	November 14, 1994
		PowerBook Duo 280c	PowerBook Duo	January 1, 1996
	July 18	Quadra 630	Quadra	April 17, 1995
	July 18	PowerBook 150	PowerBook	October 14, 1995
	December 1	Pippin	Pippin	December 1, 1997

1995	January 28	Power Macintosh 6200 / 6300	Power Macintosh	October 17, 1996
	April 3	Macintosh LC 580	LC	October 1, 1995
	April 3	Power Macintosh/Performa 5200	Performa	October 1, 1996
	June 19	Power Macintosh 9500	Power Macintosh	February 17, 1997
	August 7	Power Macintosh 7200	Power Macintosh	April 1, 1996
		Power Macintosh 7500	Power Macintosh	February 17, 1997
		Power Macintosh 8500	Power Macintosh	February 17, 1997
	August 28	PowerBook 190	PowerBook	September 1, 1996
		Power Macintosh/Performa 5300	Performa	March 1, 1997
		PowerBook 5300	PowerBook	September 1, 1996
		PowerBook Duo 2300c	PowerBook Duo	February 1, 1997

1996	February 15	Apple Network Server 500	Network Server	April 1, 1997
	February 15	Apple Network Server 700/150	Network Server	April 1, 1997
	February 26	Workgroup Server 7250	Workgroup Server	April 21, 1997
	February 26	Workgroup Server 8550	Workgroup Server	April 21, 1997
	March 10	Performa 5260 / 5300	Performa	April 1, 1997
	April 1	Performa 5400	Performa	February 17, 1997
	April 1	Power Macintosh 7600	Power Macintosh	October 1, 1997
	October 16	Apple Network Server 700/200	Network Server	April 1, 1997
	October 17	Performa 6360	Performa	October 1, 1997
	October 23	Performa 6400	Performa	May 1, 1997
	November 15	Power Macintosh 4400	Power Macintosh	October 11, 1997
	November 20	PowerBook 1400	PowerBook	May 6, 1998

1997	February 17	Power Macintosh 5500	Power Macintosh	March 31, 1998
		Power Macintosh 6500	Power Macintosh	March 14, 1998
		Power Macintosh 7300	Power Macintosh	November 10, 1997
		Power Macintosh 8600	Power Macintosh	February 17, 1998
		Power Macintosh 9600	Power Macintosh	March 17, 1998
		PowerBook 3400	PowerBook	March 14, 1998
	March 7	eMate 300	Newton	February 27, 1998
	March 20	Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh	Power Macintosh	March 14, 1998
	April 21	Workgroup Server 7350	Workgroup Server	March 2, 1998
	April 21	Workgroup Server 9650	Workgroup Server	March 2, 1998
	May 8	PowerBook 2400c	PowerBook	March 14, 1998
	November 10	Power Macintosh G3 desktop	Power Macintosh	January 5, 1999
		Power Macintosh G3 minitower	Power Macintosh	January 5, 1999
		PowerBook G3	PowerBook G3	March 14, 1998

1998	January 31	Power Macintosh G3 AIO	Power Macintosh	October 17, 1998
	March 2	Macintosh Server G3	Macintosh Server	January 1, 1999
	May 6	PowerBook G3 series	PowerBook G3	May 10, 1999
	August 15	iMac G3	iMac	May 10, 1999

1999	January 5	Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White)	Power Macintosh	October 13, 1999
	January 5	Macintosh Server G3 (Blue & White)	Macintosh Server	August 31, 1999
	May 10	PowerBook G3 ("Lombard")	PowerBook G3	February 16, 2000
	July 21	iBook	iBook	September 13, 2000
	August 31	Macintosh Server G4	Macintosh Server	July 19, 2000
	September 1	Cinema Display (22")	Displays	July 19, 2000
	October 5	iMac (slot loading)	iMac	January 7, 2002
	October 13	Power Macintosh G4 Graphite	Power Macintosh	July 18, 2001

Timeline of Apple Products1980s

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:11:00 +0000

1980s

Year	Launched	Model	Family	Discontinued
1980	September 1	Apple III	Apple III	December 1, 1981
		Modem IIB (Novation CAT)	Modems
		Printer IIA(Centronics 779)	Printers
		Monitor III	Displays
		Monitor II (various third party)	Displays
		Disk III	Drives	May 1, 1984

1981	September 1	Apple ProFile	Drives
1981	December 1	Apple III Revised	Apple III	December 1, 1983

1982	October 1	Apple Dot Matrix Printer	Printers	December 1, 1983
1982	October 1	Apple Letter Quality Printer	Printers	December 1, 1983

1983	January 1	Apple IIe	Apple II	March 1, 1985
	January 1	Apple Lisa	68000	January 1, 1984
	December 1	Apple III Plus	Apple III	April 1, 1984
	December 1	Apple ImageWriter	Printers	December 1, 1985
1984	January 1	Apple Lisa 2	68000	January 1, 1985
	January 24	Macintosh (128K)	Compact	September 10, 1984
		Macintosh External Disk Drive (400K)	Drives	January 1, 1986
		Apple Modem 300	Modems
		Apple Modem 1200	Modems
		MacWrite 1.0	Software
		MacPaint 1.0	Software
	April 1	Apple IIc	Apple II	September 1, 1986
		Apple Scribe Printer	Printers	December 1, 1985
		Apple Mouse IIc	Apple Mouse	December 1, 1985
		Disk IIc	Drives
	May 1	Apple DuoDisk 5.25	Drives
	June	Apple Color Plotter	Printers
	June	Apple ImageWriter Wide Carriage	Printers
	September 10	Macintosh 512K	Compact	April 14, 1986
	September 10	Macintosh 128K (revised)	Compact	October 1, 1985
	December	AppleColor 100	Displays

1985	January 1	Macintosh XL	68000	April 1, 1985
		Apple LaserWriter	Printers	December 1, 1985
		Apple LocalTalk Connector	Networking
	March 1	Apple IIe Enhanced	Apple II	January 1, 1987
	April 1	Apple Personal Modem	Modems
	April 1	Apple ImageWriter II	Printers	1996
	June	Apple UniDisk 5.25	Drives	September 1, 1986
	September 1	Macintosh Hard Disk 20	Drives
		Apple UniDisk 3.5	Drives	January 1, 1987
		Apple ColorMonitor IIe	Displays
		Apple ColorMonitor IIc	Displays

1986	January 16	Macintosh Plus	Compact	October 15, 1990
		Macintosh 800K External Drive	Drives
		Apple LaserWriter Plus	Printers
	April 14	Macintosh 512Ke	Compact	October 1, 1987
	September 1	Apple IIGS	Apple II	December 1, 1992
		Apple IIc Memory Expansion	Apple II	September 1, 1988
		Apple Hard Disk 20SC	Drives
		Apple 3.5" Drive	Drives
		Apple 5.25" Drive	Drives
		AppleColor RGB Monitor	Displays
		Apple Monochrome Monitor	Displays
		AppleColor Composite Monitor	Displays

1987	January 1	Macintosh Plus (Platinum)	Compact	October 15, 1990
		Apple IIe Platinum	Apple II	November 1, 1993
		AppleShare Server 1.0	Software
	March 2	Macintosh SE	Compact	August 1, 1989
		Macintosh II	Mac II	January 15, 1990
		AppleColor Hi-Resolution RGB Monitor	Displays	December 1992
	August	ImageWriter LQ	Printers	December 1990
		AppleFax Modem	Modems
		Apple PC 5.25" Drive	Drives
		Apple Tape Backup 40SC	Drives

1988	January 1	Apple LaserWriter Family	Printers
	March	AppleCD SC	Drives
	August	Apple Scanner	Scanner
	September 1	Apple IIc Plus	Apple II	September 1, 1990
	September 19	Macintosh IIx	Mac II	October 15, 1990

1989	January 19	Macintosh SE/30	Compact	October 21, 1991
	March 7	Macintosh IIcx	Mac II	March 11, 1991
		Apple Two Page Monochrome Monitor	Displays
		Apple Macintosh Portrait Display	Displays
		Apple Hi-Resolution Monochrome Display	Displays
	July	Apple Modem 2400	Modems	December 1992
	August 1	Macintosh SE FDHD	Compact	October 15, 1990
	August 1	Apple FDHD SuperDrive	Drives
	September 20	Macintosh IIci	Mac II	February 20, 1993
	September 20	Macintosh Portable	Portable	February 11, 1991
	October 1	Apple IIGS (1 MB, ROM 3)	Apple II	December 1, 1992

Timeline of Apple Products1970s

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:03:00 +0000

1970s

Year	Launched	Model	Family	Discontinued
1976	July 1	Apple I	Apple I	September 1, 1977

1977

April 1

Apple II

June 1, 1979

1978

June 1

Disk II

Drives

May 1, 1984

1979	June 1	Apple II Plus	Apple II	December 1, 1982
		Apple II EuroPlus	Apple II	December 1, 1982
		Apple II J-Plus	Apple II	December 1, 1982
		Bell & Howell	Apple II	December 1, 1982
		Bell & Howell Disk II	Drives	December 1, 1982
		Apple SilenType	Printers	October 1, 1982
		Apple Writer 1.0	Software	January 1, 1992

iPod Criticism

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:50:00 +0000

Battery problems

The advertised battery life on most models is different from the real-world achievable life. For example, the fifth generation 30 GB iPod is advertised as having up to 14 hours of music playback. An MP3.com report stated that this was virtually unachievable under real-life usage conditions, with a writer for MP3.com getting on average less than 8 hours from an iPod. In 2003, class action lawsuits were brought against Apple complaining that the battery charges lasted for shorter lengths of time than stated and that the battery degraded over time. The lawsuits were settled by offering individuals either US$50 store credit or a free battery replacement.

iPod batteries are not designed to be removed or replaced by the user, although some users have been able to open the case themselves, usually following instructions from third-party vendors of iPod replacement batteries. Compounding the problem, Apple initially would not replace worn-out batteries. The official policy was that the customer should buy a refurbished replacement iPod, at a cost almost equivalent to a brand new one. All lithium-ion batteries lose capacity during their lifetime even when not in use (guidelines are available for prolonging life-span) and this situation led to a market for third-party battery replacement kits.

Apple announced a battery replacement program on November 14, 2003, a week before a high publicity stunt and website by the Neistat Brothers. The initial cost was US$99, and it was lowered to US$59 in 2005. One week later, Apple offered an extended iPod warranty for US$59. For the iPod Nano, soldering tools are needed because the battery is soldered onto the main board. Fifth generation iPods have their battery attached to the backplate with adhesive.

The first generation iPod nano may overheat and pose a health and safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. This is due to a flawed battery used by Apple from a single battery manufacturer.

Reliability and durability

iPods have been criticized for alleged short life-span and fragile hard drives. A 2005 survey conducted on the MacInTouch website found that the iPod line had an average failure rate of 13.7% (although they note that comments from respondents indicate that "the true iPod failure rate may be lower than it appears"). It concluded that some models were more durable than others. In particular, failure rates for iPods employing hard drives was usually above 20% while those with flash memory had a failure rate below 10%, indicating poor hard drive durability. In late 2005, many users complained that the surface of the first generation iPod Nano can become scratched easily, rendering the screen unusable. A class action lawsuit was also filed. Apple initially considered the issue a minor defect, but later began shipping these iPods with protective sleeves.

Allegations of worker exploitation

On June 11, 2006, the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday reported that iPods are mainly manufactured by workers who earn no more than US$50 per month and work 15-hour shifts. Apple investigated the case with independent auditors and found that, while some of the plant's labour practices met Apple's Code of Conduct, others did not: employees worked over 60 hours a week for 35% of the time, and worked more than six consecutive days for 25% of the time.

Foxconn, Apple's manufacturer, initially denied the abuses, but when an auditing team from Apple found that workers had been working longer hours than were allowed under Chinese law, they promised to prevent workers working more hours than the code allowed. Apple hired a workplace standards auditing company, Verité, and joined the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct Implementation Group to oversee the measures. On December 31, 2006, workers at the Foxconn factory in Longhua, Shenzhen formed a union affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Chinese government-approved union umbrella organization.

In 2010, a number of workers committed suicide at a Foxconn operations in China. Apple, HP, and others stated that they were investigating the situation. Foxconn guards have been videotaped beating employees. Another employee killed himself in 2009 when an Apple prototype went missing, and claimed in messages to friends, that he had been beaten and interrogated.

As of 2006, the iPod was produced by about 14,000 workers in the U.S. and 27,000 overseas. Further, the salaries attributed to this product were overwhelmingly distributed to highly skilled U.S. professionals, as opposed to lower skilled U.S. retail employees or overseas manufacturing labor. One interpretation of this result is that U.S. innovation can create more jobs overseas than domestically.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Industry impact

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:36:00 +0000

iPods have won several awards ranging from engineering excellence, to most innovative audio product, to fourth best computer product of 2006. iPods often receive favorable reviews; scoring on looks, clean design, and ease of use. PC World says that iPod line has "altered the landscape for portable audio players". Several industries are modifying their products to work better with both the iPod line and the AAC audio format. Examples include CD copy-protection schemes, and mobile phones, such as phones from Sony Ericsson and Nokia, which play AAC files rather than WMA.

Besides earning a reputation as a respected entertainment device, the iPod has also been accepted as a business device. Government departments, major institutions and international organisations have turned to the iPod line as a delivery mechanism for business communication and training, such as the Royal and Western Infirmaries in Glasgow, Scotland, where iPods are used to train new staff.

iPods have also gained popularity for use in education. Apple offers more information on educational uses for iPods on their website, including a collection of lesson plans. There has also been academic research done in this area in nursing education and more general K-16 education. Duke University provided iPods to all incoming freshmen in the fall of 2004, and the iPod program continues today with modifications. Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Yes, children, there really was a time when we roamed the earth without thousands of our favorite jams tucked comfortably into our hip pockets. Weird."

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Sales

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:03:00 +0000

Since October 2004, the iPod line has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. During the year from January 2004 to January 2005, the high rate of sales caused its U.S. market share to increase from 31% to 65% and in July 2005, this market share was measured at 74%. In January 2007 the iPod market share reached 72.7% according to Bloomberg Online.

On January 8, 2004, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced that they would sell HP-branded iPods under a license agreement from Apple. Several new retail channels were used—including Wal-Mart—and these iPods eventually made up 5% of all iPod sales. In July 2005, HP stopped selling iPods due to unfavorable terms and conditions imposed by Apple.

In January 2007, Apple reported record quarterly revenue of US$7.1 billion, of which 48% was made from iPod sales.

On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Apple had sold its one-hundred millionth iPod, making it the biggest selling digital music player of all time. In April 2007, Apple reported second quarter revenue of US$5.2 billion, of which 32% was made from iPod sales. Apple and several industry analysts suggest that iPod users are likely to purchase other Apple products such as Mac computers.

On October 22, 2007, Apple reported quarterly revenue of US$6.22 billion, of which 30.69% came from Apple notebook sales, 19.22% from desktop sales and 26% from iPod sales. Apple's 2007 year revenue increased to US$24.01 billion with US$3.5 billion in profits. Apple ended the fiscal year 2007 with US$15.4 billion in cash and no debt.

On January 22, 2008, Apple reported the best quarter revenue and earnings in Apple's history so far. Apple posted record revenue of US$9.6 billion and record net quarterly profit of US$1.58 billion. 42% of Apple's revenue for the First fiscal quarter of 2008 came from iPod sales, followed by 21% from notebook sales and 16% from desktop sales.

On October 21, 2008, Apple reported that only 14.21% of total revenue for fiscal quarter 4 of year 2008 came from iPods. At the September 9, 2009 keynote presentation at the Apple Event, Phil Schiller announced total cumulative sales of iPods exceeded 220 million.

As of October 2011, Apple reported that total number of iPods sold worldwide was 300 million.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

Patent disputes

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:50:00 +0000

In 2005, Apple faced two lawsuits claiming patent infringement by the iPod line and its associated technologies:[53] Advanced Audio Devices claimed the iPod line breached its patent on a "music jukebox", while a Hong Kong-based IP portfolio company called Pat-rights filed a suit claiming that Apple's FairPlay technology breached a patent issued to inventor Ho Keung Tse. The latter case also includes the online music stores of Sony, RealNetworks, Napster, and Musicmatch as defendants.

Apple's application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent on "rotational user inputs", as used on the iPod interface, received a third "non-final rejection" (NFR) in August 2005. Also in August 2005, Creative Technology, one of Apple's main rivals in the MP3 player market, announced that it held a patent on part of the music selection interface used by the iPod line, which Creative dubbed the "Zen Patent", granted on August 9, 2005. On May 15, 2006, Creative filed another suit against Apple with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Creative also asked the United States International Trade Commission to investigate whether Apple was breaching U.S. trade laws by importing iPods into the United States.

On August 24, 2006, Apple and Creative announced a broad settlement to end their legal disputes. Apple will pay Creative US$100 million for a paid-up license, to use Creative's awarded patent in all Apple products. As part of the agreement, Apple will recoup part of its payment, if Creative is successful in licensing the patent. Creative then announced its intention to produce iPod accessories by joining the Made for iPod program.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Audio performance

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +0000

The third-generation iPod had a weak bass response, as shown in audio tests. The combination of the undersized DC-blocking capacitors and the typical low-impedance of most consumer headphones form a high-pass filter, which attenuates the low-frequency bass output. Similar capacitors were used in the fourth-generation iPods. The problem is reduced when using high-impedance headphones and is completely masked when driving high-impedance (line level) loads, such as an external headphone amplifier. The first-generation iPod Shuffle uses a dual-transistor output stage, rather than a single capacitor-coupled output, and does not exhibit reduced bass response for any load.

For all iPods released in 2006 and earlier, some equalizer (EQ) sound settings could "distort the [bass] sound far too easily, even on undemanding songs". This would happen for EQ settings like R&B, Rock, Acoustic, and Bass Booster, because the equalizer amplified the digital audio level beyond the software's limit, causing distortion (clipping) on bass instruments.
From the fifth-generation iPod on, Apple introduced a user-configurable volume limit in response to concerns about hearing loss. Users report that in the sixth-generation iPod, the maximum volume output level is limited to 100 dB in EU markets. Apple previously had to remove iPods from shelves in France for exceeding this legal limit.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Accessories

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Many accessories have been made for the iPod line. A large number are made by third party companies, although many, such as the late iPod Hi-Fi, are made by Apple. Some accessories add extra features that other music players have, such as sound recorders, FM radio tuners, wired remote controls, and audio/visual cables for TV connections. Other accessories offer unique features like the Nike+iPod pedometer and the iPod Camera Connector. Other notable accessories include external speakers, wireless remote controls, protective case, screen films, and wireless earphones. Among the first accessory manufacturers were Griffin Technology, Belkin, JBL, Bose, Monster Cable, and SendStation.

BMW released the first iPod automobile interface, allowing drivers of newer BMW vehicles to control an iPod using either the built-in steering wheel controls or the radio head-unit buttons. Apple announced in 2005 that similar systems would be available for other vehicle brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Acura, Audi, Honda, Renault, Infiniti and Volkswagen. Scion offers standard iPod connectivity on all their cars.

Some independent stereo manufacturers including JVC, Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, Sony, and Harman Kardon also have iPod-specific integration solutions. Alternative connection methods include adaptor kits (that use the cassette deck or the CD changer port), audio input jacks, and FM transmitters such as the iTrip—although personal FM transmitters are illegal in some countries. Many car manufacturers have added audio input jacks as standard.

Beginning in mid-2007, four major airlines, United, Continental, Delta, and Emirates, reached agreements to install iPod seat connections. The free service will allow passengers to power and charge an iPod, and view video and music libraries on individual seat-back displays. Originally KLM and Air France were reported to be part of the deal with Apple, but they later released statements explaining that they were only contemplating the possibility of incorporating such systems.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Connectivity

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Originally, a FireWire connection to the host computer was used to update songs or recharge the battery. The battery could also be charged with a power adapter that was included with the first four generations. The third generation began including a 30-pin dock connector, allowing for FireWire or USB connectivity. This provided better compatibility with non-Apple machines, as most of them did not have FireWire ports at the time. Eventually Apple began shipping iPods with USB cables instead of FireWire, although the latter was available separately. As of the first-generation iPod Nano and the fifth-generation iPod Classic, Apple discontinued using FireWire for data transfer (while still allowing for use of FireWire to charge the device) in an attempt to reduce cost and form factor. As of the second-generation iPod Touch and the fourth-generation iPod Nano, FireWire charging ability has been removed. The second-, third-, and fifth-generation iPod Shuffle uses a single 3.5 mm jack which acts as both a headphone jack and a data port for the dock.

The dock connector also allowed the iPod to connect to accessories, which often supplement the iPod's music, video, and photo playback. Apple sells a few accessories, such as the now-discontinued iPod Hi-Fi, but most are manufactured by third parties such as Belkin and Griffin. Some peripherals use their own interface, while others use the iPod's own screen. Because the dock connector is a proprietary interface, the implementation of the interface requires paying royalties to Apple.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod File storage and transfer

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:19:00 +0000

All iPods except for the iPod Touch can function in "disk mode" as mass storage devices to store data files but this may not be the default behavior, and in the case of the iPod Touch, requires special software.[citation needed] If an iPod is formatted on a Mac OS X computer, it uses the HFS+ file system format, which allows it to serve as a boot disk for a Mac computer. If it is formatted on Windows, the FAT32 format is used. With the release of the Windows-compatible iPod, the default file system used on the iPod line switched from HFS+ to FAT32, although it can be reformatted to either file system (excluding the iPod Shuffle which is strictly FAT32). Generally, if a new iPod (excluding the iPod Shuffle) is initially plugged into a computer running Windows, it will be formatted with FAT32, and if initially plugged into a Mac running Mac OS X it will be formatted with HFS+.

Unlike many other MP3 players, simply copying audio or video files to the drive with a typical file management application will not allow an iPod to properly access them. The user must use software that has been specifically designed to transfer media files to iPods, so that the files are playable and viewable. Usually iTunes is used to transfer media to an iPod, though several alternative third-party applications are available on a number of different platforms.
iTunes 7 and above can transfer purchased media of the iTunes Store from an iPod to a computer, provided that computer containing the DRM protected media is authorized to play it.

Media files are stored on an iPod in a hidden folder, along with a proprietary database file. The hidden content can be accessed on the host operating system by enabling hidden files to be shown. The media files can then be recovered manually by copying the files or folders off the iPod. Many third-party applications also allow easy copying of media files off of an iPod.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Games

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Video games are playable on various versions of iPods. The original iPod had the game Brick (originally invented by Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak) included as an easter egg hidden feature; later firmware versions added it as a menu option. Later revisions of the iPod added three more games: Parachute, Solitaire, and Music Quiz.

In September 2006, the iTunes Store began to offer additional games for purchase with the launch of iTunes 7, compatible with the fifth generation iPod with iPod software 1.2 or later. Those games were: Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac-Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and Zuma. Additional games have since been added. These games work on the 6th and 5th generation iPod classic and the 5th and 4th generation iPod nano.

With third parties like Namco, Square Enix, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Hudson Soft all making games for the iPod, Apple's MP3 player has taken steps towards entering the video game handheld console market. Even video game magazines like GamePro and EGM have reviewed and rated most of their games as of late.

The games are in the form of .ipg files, which are actually .zip archives in disguise[citation needed]. When unzipped, they reveal executable files along with common audio and image files, leading to the possibility of third party games. Apple has not publicly released a software development kit (SDK) for iPod-specific development. Apps produced with the iPhone SDK are compatible only with the iOS on the iPod Touch and iPhone, which cannot run clickwheel-based games.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iTunes Store

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:44:00 +0000

The iTunes Store (introduced April 29, 2003) is an online media store run by Apple and accessed through iTunes. The store became the market leader soon after its launch and Apple announced the sale of videos through the store on October 12, 2005. Full-length movies became available on September 12, 2006.

At the time the store was introduced, purchased audio files used the AAC format with added encryption, based on the FairPlay DRM system. Up to five authorized computers and an unlimited number of iPods could play the files. Burning the files with iTunes as an audio CD, then re-importing would create music files without the DRM. The DRM could also be removed using third-party software. However, in a deal with Apple, EMI began selling DRM-free, higher-quality songs on the iTunes Stores, in a category called "iTunes Plus." While individual songs were made available at a cost of US$1.29, 30¢ more than the cost of a regular DRM song, entire albums were available for the same price, US$9.99, as DRM encoded albums. On 17 October 2007, Apple lowered the cost of individual iTunes Plus songs to US$0.99 per song, the same as DRM encoded tracks. On January 6, 2009, Apple announced that DRM has been removed from 80% of the music catalog, and that it would be removed from all music by April 2009.

iPods cannot play music files from competing music stores that use rival-DRM technologies like Microsoft's protected WMA or RealNetworks' Helix DRM. Example stores include Napster and MSN Music. RealNetworks claims that Apple is creating problems for itself by using FairPlay to lock users into using the iTunes Store. Steve Jobs has stated that Apple makes little profit from song sales, although Apple uses the store to promote iPod sales. However, iPods can also play music files from online stores that do not use DRM, such as eMusic or Amie Street.
Universal Music Group decided not to renew their contract with the iTunes Music Store on July 3, 2007. Universal will now supply iTunes in an 'at will' capacity.

Apple debuted the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store on September 5, 2007, in its Media Event entitled "The Beat Goes On..." This service allows users to access the Music Store from either an iPhone or an iPod Touch and download songs directly to the device that can be synced to the user's iTunes Library over a WiFi connection, or, in the case of a iPhone, the telephone network.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod User interface

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:32:00 +0000

iPods with color displays use anti-aliased graphics and text, with sliding animations. All iPods (except the 3rd-generation iPod shuffle, the 6th generation iPod Nano, and iPod Touch) have five buttons and the later generations have the buttons integrated into the click wheel – an innovation that gives an uncluttered, minimalist interface. The buttons perform basic functions such as menu, play, pause, next track, and previous track. Other operations, such as scrolling through menu items and controlling the volume, are performed by using the click wheel in a rotational manner. The 3rd-generation iPod Shuffle does not have any controls on the actual player; instead it has a small control on the earphone cable, with volume-up and -down buttons and a single button for play and pause, next track, etc. The iPod Touch has no click-wheel; instead it uses a 3.5" touch screen along with a home button, sleep/wake button and (on the second and third generations of the iPod touch) volume-up and -down buttons. The user interface for the iPod Touch is identical to that of the iPhone. Differences include a lack of a phone application. Both devices use iOS.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Software

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:23:00 +0000

The iPod line can play several audio file formats including MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless. The iPod Photo introduced the ability to display JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG image file formats. Fifth and sixth generation iPod Classics, as well as third generation iPod Nanos, can additionally play MPEG-4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) and QuickTime video formats, with restrictions on video dimensions, encoding techniques and data-rates. Originally, iPod software only worked with Mac OS; iPod software for Microsoft Windows was launched with the second generation model. Unlike most other media players, Apple does not support Microsoft's WMA audio format—but a converter for WMA files without Digital Rights Management (DRM) is provided with the Windows version of iTunes. MIDI files also cannot be played, but can be converted to audio files using the "Advanced" menu in iTunes. Alternative open-source audio formats, such as Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, are not supported without installing custom firmware onto an iPod (e.g., Rockbox).

During installation, an iPod is associated with one host computer. Each time an iPod connects to its host computer, iTunes can synchronize entire music libraries or music playlists either automatically or manually. Song ratings can be set on an iPod and synchronized later to the iTunes library, and vice versa. A user can access, play, and add music on a second computer if an iPod is set to manual and not automatic sync, but anything added or edited will be reversed upon connecting and syncing with the main computer and its library. If a user wishes to automatically sync music with another computer, an iPod's library will be entirely wiped and replaced with the other computer's library.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod Trademark

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:17:00 +0000

The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship. Chieco saw an analogy to the relationship between the spaceship and the smaller independent pods in the relationship between a personal computer and the music player. Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an "iPod" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. The first iPod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000, but had apparently been discontinued by 2001. The trademark was registered by the USPTO in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.
The earliest recorded use in commerce of an "ipod" trademark was in 1991 by Chrysalis Corp. of Sturgis, Michigan, styled "iPOD".

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod History and design

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:07:00 +0000

The iPod line came from Apple's "digital hub" category, when the company began creating software for the growing market of personal digital devices. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players "big and clunky or small and useless" with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful," so Apple decided to develop its own. As ordered by CEO Steve Jobs, Apple's hardware engineering chief Jon Rubinstein assembled a team of engineers to design the iPod line, including hardware engineers Tony Fadell and Michael Dhuey, and design engineer Jonathan Ive. The product was developed in less than one year and unveiled on October 23, 2001. Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket."

Apple did not develop the iPod software entirely in-house, instead using PortalPlayer's reference platform based on two ARM cores. The platform had rudimentary software running on a commercial microkernel embedded operating system. PortalPlayer had previously been working on an IBM-branded MP3 player with Bluetooth headphones. Apple contracted another company, Pixo, to help design and implement the user interface under the direct supervision of Steve Jobs. As development progressed, Apple continued to refine the software's look and feel. Starting with the iPod Mini, the Chicago font was replaced with Espy Sans. Later iPods switched fonts again to Podium Sans—a font similar to Apple's corporate font, Myriad. iPods with color displays then adopted some Mac OS X themes like Aqua progress bars, and brushed metal meant to evoke a combination lock. In 2007, Apple modified the iPod interface again with the introduction of the sixth-generation iPod Classic and third-generation iPod Nano by changing the font to Helvetica and, in most cases, splitting the screen in half by displaying the menus on the left and album artwork, photos, or videos on the right (whichever was appropriate for the selected item).

In September 2007, during a lawsuit with patent holding company Burst.com, Apple drew attention to a patent for a similar device that was developed in 1979. Kane Kramer applied for a UK patent for his design of a "plastic music box" in 1981, which he called the IXI. He was unable to secure funding to renew the US$ 120,000 worldwide patent, so it lapsed and Kramer never profited from his idea.

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

iPod

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:59:00 +0000

iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle. iPod Classic models store media on an internal hard drive, while all other models use flash memory to enable their smaller size (the discontinued Mini used a Microdrive miniature hard drive). As with many other digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices. Storage capacity varies by model, ranging from 2 GB for the iPod Shuffle to 160 GB for the iPod Classic. The iPod line was announced by Apple on October 23, 2001, and released on November 10, 2001. All of the models have been redesigned multiple times since their introduction. The most recent iPod redesigns were introduced on September 1, 2010.
Apple's iTunes software can be used to transfer music to the devices from computers using certain versions of Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems. For users who choose not to use iTunes or whose computers cannot run iTunes, several open source alternatives are available for the iPod. iTunes and its alternatives may also transfer photos, videos, games, contact information, e-mail settings, Web bookmarks, and calendars to iPod models supporting those features.
Discontinued models of the line include the iPod Mini and the iPod Photo, the former being replaced by the iPod Nano, and the latter reintegrated into the main iPod line (now the iPod Classic).
In iOS versions prior to iOS 5, the iPod branding is also used for the media player applications included with the iPhone and iPad; the iPhone version is essentially a combination of the Music and Videos apps on the iPod Touch. As of iOS 5, separate apps named 'Music' and 'Video' are to be standardized across all iOS-powered products.[4] While the iPhone and iPad have essentially the same media-player capabilities as the iPod line, they are generally treated as separate products. In the last few years, iPhone and iPad sales have overtaken those of the iPod.

Timeline of the iPod family :

iPod Classic
iPod Mini
iPod Photo
iPod Shuffle
iPod Nano
iPod Touch

Related articles :

References :
wikipedia

MacBook Unibody Polycarbonate Model

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:48:00 +0000

On October 20, 2009, Apple released a MacBook that introduced a new polycarbonate (plastic) unibody design, faster DDR3 memory, a multi-touch trackpad, an LED-backlit display, and a built-in seven hour battery. The polycarbonate unibody MacBook, like its aluminum predecessor, lacks FireWire and, like the 13-inch MacBook Pro, has a combined audio in/out port. On May 18, 2010, the MacBook was refreshed with an updated processor, a faster graphics card, improved battery life, and the ability to pass audio through the Mini Displayport connector. On July 20, 2011, the MacBook was discontinued.

Design
Like the MacBook Pro, the MacBook follows the same tapered design first seen in the MacBook Air; however, it is rounder on the edges than previous laptops in the MacBook line. This model has an all-white fingerprint-resistant glossy palm rest, unlike the grayish surface of its predecessor, and uses a multi-touch glass trackpad like the one found on the MacBook Pro. The video-out port is Mini Displayport. The bottom of the MacBook features a rubberized non-slip finish. The built-in battery of the late 2009 revision, a feature introduced earlier in the year with the MacBook Pro, is claimed by Apple to last seven hours compared with five hours in the older models. However, in tests conducted by Macworld, the battery was found to last only about four hours while playing video at full brightness with AirPort turned off. However, Apple's battery life was calculated with the brightness at the middle setting and while browsing websites and editing word documents, not with video and at full brightness. Gizmodo also reached about the same conclusion in their tests, but with AirPort turned on. The battery included in the mid 2010 model holds an additional five watt-hours over the previous model's and is claimed to last up to ten hours.

Reception
Despite being hailed by Slashgear as "one of the best entry-level notebooks Apple have produced," the unibody MacBook has received criticism for its lack of a FireWire port and SD card slot. Nilay Patel of Engadget added that the USB ports were easily dented and the bottom of the laptop became worn and discolored after a few days. He also drew particular attention to the fact that the price was not lowered, stating that the small price difference between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro makes it a "wasted pricing opportunity." However, most critics agree that the unibody MacBook's display is significantly better than its predecessor's. AppleInsider states that the new display "delivers significantly better color and viewing angle performance" than the previous MacBook, but still "not as vivid and wide-angle viewable as the MacBook Pro screens."

Criticisms and defects
There had been a variety of reports of the newer AC adapter with an L shaped connector not working with older MagSafe-powered MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Apple released a firmware update in October 2010 that it claims resolves this issue. However the installer for the firmware update will not run on certain older MacBooks, which means that the firmware can not be updated. This in turn means that it is not possible to use the new MagSafe power adapter with these MacBooks. Currently it is not possible to buy new replacement MagSafe AC adapters (either from Apple or third-party suppliers) that work with these MacBooks, forcing owners to look for used original adapters with a T shaped connector.

Related articles :

MacBook Family :

References :
wikipedia

MacBook Aluminum Unibody Model

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:35:00 +0000

On October 14, 2008, Apple announced a MacBook featuring a new Nvidia chipset at a Cupertino, California press conference entitled "The Spotlight Turns To Notebooks".
The chipset brought a 1066 MHz system bus, use of DDR3 system memory, and integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics up to five times faster than the original MacBooks' Intel chipset. Other changes include a display which uses LED backlights (which replace the fluorescent tube backlights used in the previous model which contain mercury) and arsenic-free glass, a new Mini DisplayPort (replacing the polycarbonate MacBook's mini-DVI port), a multi-touch glass trackpad which also acts as the mouse button, and the removal of the FireWire 400 port (thus it doesn't support Target Disk Mode, used for data transfers or operating system repairs without booting the system). An updated line of the unibody MacBooks were rebranded as the 13-inch MacBook Pro on June 8, 2009 at Apple's WWDC 2009 and FireWire was restored in the form of a FireWire 800 port.

Design
The design had stylistic traits of the MacBook Air which were also implemented into the design of the MacBook Pro. This model is thinner than the original polycarbonate MacBooks, and it made use of a unibody aluminum case with tapered edges. The keyboard of the higher-end model included a backlight.

Reception
Although Gizmodo concluded it to be "our favorite MacBook to date," they did claim that, at the time, its display was inferior to that found on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, alleging a smaller viewing angle, washed-out colors, and dimmer backlighting. Similarly, AppleInsider and Engadget concluded that it "may well be Apple's best MacBook to date" and "these are terrific choices—not only from an industrial design standpoint, but in specs as well" respectively, while also drawing attention to a lower quality display as compared with the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Charlie Sorrel of Wired News reached an identical conclusion about the MacBook display, citing its poor contrast and lack of vertical angle in comparison with the MacBook Pro and even the older white MacBook. Peter Cohen wrote an article discussing the loss of the FireWire port for Macworld, saying "The absence of FireWire ports is certainly an inconvenience for some users. But it shouldn’t be considered a deal-breaker for most of us, anyway."

Related articles :

MacBook Family :

References :
wikipedia

MacBook Original Polycarbonate Model

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:19:00 +0000

The original MacBook, available in black or white cases, was released on May 16 2006, and used the Intel Core Duo processor and 945GM chipset, with Intel's GMA 950 integrated graphics on a 667 MHz front side bus. Later revisions of the MacBook moved to the Core 2 Duo processor and the GM965 chipset, with Intel's GMA X3100 integrated graphics on an 800 MHz system bus. Sale of the black polycarbonate MacBook ceased in October 2008 after the introduction of the aluminium MacBook.

While thinner than the iBook G4 that it replaced, the MacBook is wider than the 12-inch model due to its widescreen display. In addition, the MacBook was one of the first (the first being the MacBook Pro) to adopt Apple's MagSafe power connector and it replaced the iBook's mini-VGA display port with a mini-DVI display port. The iBook's discrete graphics chip was initially replaced by an integrated Intel GMA solution, though the latest revisions of the MacBook were upgraded with the more powerful Nvidia GeForce 320M.

While the MacBook Pro largely followed the industrial design standard set by the PowerBook G4, the MacBook was Apple's first notebook to use features now standard in its notebooks: the glossy display, the sunken keyboard design, and the non-mechanical magnetic latch. With the late 2007 revision, the keyboard received several changes to closely mirror the one that shipped with the iMac, by adding the same keyboard short-cut to control multimedia, and removing the embedded numeric keypad and the Apple logo from the command keys.
Also offered in a more expensive black model until the introduction of the later unibody aluminium MacBook, the polycarbonate MacBook was the only Macintosh notebook to be offered in more than one color since the iBook G3 (Clamshell).

Ports
The ports are all on the left edge; on early models, from front to back, they are: Kensington Security Slot, audio in/out, two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, mini-DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe power connector.
The front edge features a pill-shaped power light and a round black infrared receiver, for Apple Remote; the right edge features only the disc slot.

User serviceability
The polycarbonate Intel MacBook is easier for users to fix or upgrade than its predecessor. Where the iBook required substantial disassembly to access most internal components, including removal of the keyboard and RAM, users need only to remove the polycarbonate MacBook's outer shell to access almost any interior component. Replacing the hard drive and memory requires merely the removal of the battery, and Apple provides do-it-yourself manuals for these tasks.

Quality problems
Some early polycarbonate MacBook models suffered from random shutdowns; Apple released a firmware update to resolve these random shutdowns.
There were also cases reported of discolored or chipping palmrests. There were many instances of the edges of the palm rest and screen bezel splitting and thin strips peeling off. In such cases, Apple asked affected owners to contact AppleCare.
There were problems with batteries on some models from 2007 not being read by the MacBook. This is caused by a logicboard fault and not a fault with the battery.
In February 2010, Apple announced a warranty extension and recall for MacBooks bought between 2006–2007 for hard drive issues. This is caused by heat and other problems.

Related articles :

MacBook Family :

References :
wikipedia

MacBook

noreply@blogger.com (henryhaseo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:08:00 +0000

The MacBook was a brand of Macintosh notebook computers built by Apple Inc. First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks as a part of the Apple–Intel transition. Positioned as the low end of the MacBook family, the Apple MacBook was aimed at the consumer and education markets. It was the best-selling Macintosh in history, and according to the sales-research organization NPD Group in October 2008, the mid-range model of the MacBook was the single best-selling laptop of any brand in U.S. retail stores for the preceding five months.
There have been three separate designs of the MacBook: the original model used a combination of polycarbonate and fiberglass casing that was modeled after the iBook G4. The second type, introduced in October 2008 alongside the 15-inch MacBook Pro, used a similar unibody aluminum casing to the 15-inch Pro, and was updated and rebranded as the 13-inch MacBook Pro at the 2009 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2009. A third design, introduced in October 2009, used a unibody polycarbonate shell as aluminium is now reserved for the higher-end MacBook Pro. On July 20, 2011, the MacBook was quietly discontinued for consumer purchase in favor of the new MacBook Air. However, Apple continues to sell the MacBook to educational institutions.

Timeline of the MacBook family :

MacBook Core Duo
MacBook Core 2 Duo
MacBook Core 2 Duo Alumunium Unibody
MacBook Core 2 Duo Polycarbonate Unibody

Related articles :

MacBook Family :

References :
wikipedia

2001	January	PowerBook G4 Titanium	PowerBook G4	September 16, 2003
	May 1	iBook (white)	iBook	October 2003
	July 18	Power Macintosh G4 Quicksilver	Power Macintosh	August 13, 2002
	September 8	Server G4 Quicksilver	Macintosh Server	May 14, 2002
	October 23	iPod	iPod Classic	July 17, 2002

2002	January 7	iMac G4 15"	iMac	August 31, 2004
	January 7	iBook (14")	iBook	October 22, 2003
	April 29	eMac	eMac	July 5, 2006
	May 14	Xserve	Xserve	February 10, 2003
	July 17	iMac G4 17"	iMac	August 31, 2004
	August 13	Power Macintosh G4 MDD	Power Macintosh	June 9, 2004
	August 27	Macintosh Server G4 MDD	Macintosh Server	January 28, 2003

2003	January 7	PowerBook G4 Aluminum (12")	PowerBook G4	May 16, 2006
	January 7	PowerBook G4 Aluminum (17")	PowerBook G4	April 24, 2006
	February 10	Xserve slot loading	Xserve	January 6, 2004
	February 10	Xserve Cluster Node	Xserve	January 6, 2004
	June 23	Power Macintosh G5	Power Macintosh	June 9, 2004
	September 16	PowerBook G4 Aluminum (15")	PowerBook G4	February 14, 2006
	October 22	iBook G4 (12" / 14")	iBook	May 16, 2006
	November 18	iMac G4 20"	iMac	August 31, 2004

2004	January 6	Xserve G5	Xserve	August 7, 2006
	January 6	Xserve Cluster Node G5	Xserve	August 7, 2006
	June 9	Power Macintosh G5 FX	Power Macintosh	October 19, 2005
	June 28	Cinema Display (20")	Displays	February 2009
		Cinema Display (23")	Displays	November 2008
		Cinema Display (30")	Displays	July 27, 2010
	August 31	iMac G5 17"	iMac	January 10, 2006
	August 31	iMac G5 20"	iMac	March 20, 2006

2005	January 11	Mac Mini	Mac Mini	February 28, 2006
2005	October 19	Power Macintosh G5 dual core	Power Macintosh	August 7, 2006

2006	January 10	iMac (Early 2006)	iMac	September 6, 2006
	January 10	iPod Radio Remote	iPod Accessories	June 25, 2009
	February 14	MacBook Pro (15")	MacBook Pro	February 26, 2008
	February 28	Mac Mini Core Solo	Mac Mini	September 6, 2006
	February 28	Mac Mini Core Duo	Mac Mini	August 7, 2007
	April 11	Apple Remote Desktop 3	Software	current
	April 24	MacBook Pro (17")	MacBook Pro	February 26, 2008
	May 16	MacBook	MacBook	February 26, 2008
	July 13	Nike+iPod	iPod Accessories	current
	June 20	Shake 4	Software	July 30, 2009
	August 7	Mac Pro	Mac Pro	January 8, 2008
	August 7	Xserve (Intel)	Xserve	January 8, 2008
	September 6	iMac (Mid 2006)	iMac	August 7, 2007

2007	March 21	Apple TV	Apple TV	September 1, 2010
	June 29	iPhone	iPhone	July 11, 2008
	August 7	iMac (Mid 2007)	iMac	April 28, 2008
		Apple Mighty Mouse (revised)	Apple Mouse	October 20, 2009
		Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad	Apple Keyboard	current
		Apple Wireless Keyboard (Aluminum)	Apple Keyboard	current
		Mac Mini Core 2 Duo	Mac Mini	March 3, 2009
	September 5	iPod nano (3rd gen.)	iPod nano	September 6, 2008
		iPod Classic	iPod Classic	September 9, 2008
		iPod Touch	iPod Touch	September 9, 2008
	September 12	Logic Studio	Software	July 23, 2009
	October 27	Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)	Software	August 28, 2009
	October 27	Mac OS X Server (10.5)	Software	August 28, 2009
	November 15	Final Cut Express 4	Software	July 23, 2009

2008	January 8	Xserve Harpertown	Xserve	April 7, 2009
	January 8	Mac Pro Harpertown	Mac Pro	March 3, 2009
	January 15	MacBook Air	MacBook Air	October 14, 2008
	January 15	MacBook Air External Superdrive	Drives	current
	February 12	Aperture 2	Software	February 9, 2010
	February 26	MacBook Penryn	MacBook	October 14, 2008
		MacBook Pro Penryn 15"	MacBook Pro	October 14, 2008
		MacBook Pro Penryn 17"	MacBook Pro	January 6, 2009
	February 19	Xsan 2	Software	current
	February 27	iPod Touch (32GB)	iPod Touch	September 9, 2008
	February 29	Time Capsule	Drives	March 3, 2009
	March 17	AirPort Express (802.11n)	AirPort	current
	April 17	Final Cut Studio 2	Software	July 23, 2009
	April 28	iMac (early 2008)	iMac	March 3, 2009
	May 29	Logic Express 8	Software	July 23, 2009
	July 9	MobileMe	Software	June 30, 2012
	July 11	iPhone 3G (8GB)	iPhone	June 24, 2010
	July 11	iPhone 3G (16GB)	iPhone	June 19, 2009
	September 9	iPod nano (4th gen.)	iPod nano	September 9, 2009
		iPod Classic (120GB)	iPod Classic	September 9, 2009
		iPod Touch (2nd gen. 8GB)	iPod Touch	current
		iPod Touch (2nd gen. 16/32GB)	iPod Touch	September 9, 2009
		In-Ear Headphones	iPod Accessories	current
	September 18	Final Cut Server	Software	July 23, 2009
	October 14	MacBook Air Penryn	MacBook Air	June 8, 2009
		MacBook White	MacBook	January 29, 2009
		MacBook Aluminum	MacBook	June 8, 2009
		MacBook Pro (Unibody) 15"	MacBook Pro	June 8, 2009
		LED Cinema Display	Displays	current
		Bento 2.0	Software	September 29, 2009

2009	January 6	MacBook Pro (Unibody) 17"	MacBook Pro	June 8, 2009
		iWork '09	Software	current
		FileMaker Pro 10	Software	March 9, 2010
	January 27	iLife '09	Software	October 20, 2010
	January 29	MacBook White (early 2009)	MacBook	May 27, 2009
	March 3	Mac Mini (early 2009)	Mac Mini	current
		iMac (early 2009)	iMac	October 20, 2009
		Mac Pro (early 2009)	Mac Pro	current
		Time Capsule (Dual Band)	Drives	current
		AirPort Extreme (Dual Band)	AirPort	current
		Apple Keyboard (short)	Apple Keyboard	October 20, 2009
	March 11	iPod Shuffle (3rd gen. 4GB)	iPod Shuffle	current
	April 7	Xserve Nehalem	Xserve	current
	May 27	MacBook White (mid 2009)	MacBook	October 20, 2009
	June 8	MacBook Pro 13" (Mid 2009)	MacBook Pro	April 13, 2010
		MacBook Pro 15" (Mid 2009)	MacBook Pro	April 13, 2010
		MacBook Pro 17" (Mid 2009)	MacBook Pro	April 13, 2010
		MacBook Air (Mid 2009)	MacBook Air	current
	June 19	iPhone 3GS (16 & 32 GB)	iPhone	June 24, 2010
	July 23	Final Cut Studio 3	Software	current
		Final Cut Server 1.5	Software	current
		Logic Studio 2	Software	current
		Logic Express 9	Software	current
	July 30	Time Capsule (2 TB)	Drives	current
	August 28	Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)	Software	current
	August 28	Mac OS X Server (10.6)	Software	current
	September 9	iPod nano (5th gen.)	iPod nano	September 1, 2010
		iPod Classic (160GB)	iPod Classic	current
		iPod Touch (3rd gen.)	iPod Touch	September 1, 2010
		iPod Shuffle (3rd gen. 2GB)	iPod Shuffle	current
	October 20	iMac (quad-core)	iMac	current
		MacBook (polycarbonate unibody)	MacBook	May 18, 2010
		Apple Magic Mouse	Apple Mouse	current