Pulling a stunt worthy of Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible,”  thieves cut a hole in the roof of a Best Buy then dropped down 16-feet to snatch up 20 Apple laptops. Then they climbed back up, escaping with $26,000 of merchandise without ever touching the floor. Touching ground would have set off the store’s burglar alarm.

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“Mission Impossible” Thieves Steal 20 Apple Computers

Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for December 8, 2009: Macintosh SpectorSoft Corporation launches eBlaster mac 2010 , the latest update to its best-selling remote monitoring software for the Mac platform. With this major upgrade, SpectorSoft expands the capability of parents or business owners to monitor their children or employees from a remote location. This new Version adds tools to record Web Mail such as Google Gmail, Yahoo Mail and others, plus new Web Site and Chat Blocking and Advanced Keyword Alerts to warn of potential danger. Vinotekasoft has announced Vinoteka 1.5.3 , an update to their ultimate wine cellar management solution for Mac OS X. In a unique and gorgeous interface showing bottles, cellars and tasting notes, Vinoteka brings the best wine cellar management experience to Mac users. Customizable and user-friendly, straight-to-the point and nevertheless very professional, Vinoteka is the ultimate companion every wine lover needs. Version 1.5.3. sports many new feature improvements and a recommended update. Burn37.com Inc. has announced GuestReel for Mac OS X. GuestReel allows you to easily setup a video guestbook at your wedding or other special event without the need for a lot of time, experience, or money.

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Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup – December 8, 2009

There’s more evidence that Apple is missing the boat on a substantial market opportunity due to its stubborn stonewall of the small, inexpensive netbook phenomenon. Steve Jobs may have expressed his dismissal of the device category last fall, and acting Apple CEO Tim Cook took the same line by contending that the netbook experience suffers due to “cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, [and] very small screens,” but millions of consumers worldwide disagree — with their wallets. There are elements of truth in Cook’s critique, but it’s nowhere near as cut-and-dried as he implies. Some netbooks are hopelessly mediocre, but the category also includes very nice machines with “chiclet”-type keyboards (inspired by the MacBook), respectably sized 11″ and 12″ displays, decent hardware quality, and better I/O connectivity than some Apple notebooks. Linux builds (especially Ubuntu) are getting better all the time, to say nothing of the forthcoming netbook version of Windows 7. In a commentary last April, Computerworld’s Scot Finnie questioned whether any computer maker, even 900-pound gorilla Apple, can afford to ignore the netbook trend. Confirmation seems to be growing that it can’t. Earlier this week, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Retrevo, a consumer electronics search engine/portal , released a new “Gadgetology” study indicating that 34 percent of students buying laptops are planning to purchase small, lightweight netbooks. Another 49 percent will buy full-sized PC notebooks, but the majority of student laptop shoppers will not consider buying a Mac. With the rumored Apple iTablet looking more and more like it won’t materialize until the first quarter of 2010, at the earliest , Apple has already missed out on the 2009 back-to-school buying surge, and probably the holiday sales season, too, at least as far as the low-cost market is concerned. Of course, it continues to do very well in the premium, $1,000-and-up laptop category, having just recorded the best non-holiday quarter in its history, selling 2.6 million Macs — most of them laptops. “While Apple has done well historically in the education market, 2009 marks the dawn of the netbook,” commented Retrevo CEO Vipin Jain.

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Lack of Netbook, Price Hurting Apple in This Year’s Back-to-School Market

Are you as tired as we are of seeing Microsoft commercials that talk about how expensive Apple laptops are? Well, Apple is apparently just as annoyed, as their legal department recently called Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner, who claimed that it was the "greatest single phone call" he’s ever had. read more

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Apple Demands Change in Microsoft Ads

Computerworld’s Seth Weintraub thinks optical drives are going the way of the Dodo bird. He predicts the MacBook Air and white MacBook will get Secure Digital (SD) slots with their next updates (will the WhiteBook get another update?), and that SD may replace built-in DVD drives entirely on the next generation of MacBooks. Why Otherwise Explain SD Bootability? Why otherwise, Weintraub reasons, would Apple bother going to the trouble of explaining how to configure a bootable SD card, which it recently did in a Knowledge Base article . He deduces that the SD card is now a key element in Apple’s MacBook strategy, destined to replace optical drives on most Apple laptops going forward, which would logically mean system install/software restore data along with application software eventually being shipped on SD rather than optical media. Those who really need DVD access would still be able to buy external USB Superdrives, like the one available for the optical drive-less MacBook Air. This concept makes good sense to me, a nascent SD card fan. I mean, as Weintraub challenges, which would you rather have on your laptop — an easily rewritable, silent, 32GB SD card the size of a postage stamp that can hold about the same amount of data as eight DVDs, or a big, heavy, noisy, vibrating, power-sucking spinning disk with media that scratches easily, and which gobbles up about one-quarter of your computer’s internal volume? “Optical is Over” “It is a no-brainer,” declaims Weintraub, “optical is over.” I think he may be onto something here. Indeed, I’ve always thought CD and DVD ROM optical storage were second- or third-rate technology. They’re agonizingly slow. I absolutely revile having to boot from a DVD or CD and go to great pains to avoid it

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Are Optical Drives Going the Way of the Floppy?

I’m a huge fan of Moshi’s Apple-centric line of products and accessories. In fact, my entire collection of Apple products has now been complimented by Moshi . For example, I use the iLynx USB/Firewire hub and Celesta keyboard with my iMac; my iPhone is protected by the iGlaze 3G; and recently, my Macbook Pro experienced a thorough makeover. Over the years I have owned a variety of Apple laptops, and each one inevitably ends up with scratches on the screen, discoloration on the wrist area, disgusting keys, and other forms of wear and tear. I decided to not endure this experience with my new aluminum MacBook Pro. My goal is to maintain a pristine look for as long as possible, and I intend to achieve this goal by combining Moshi’s products into the ultimate protection solution. Clearguard MB: $25 The Clearguard MB is a thin cover for your MacBook or MacBook Pro keyboard. Installation is simple: lay it across the keyboard. After a few minutes of typing, it’s barely noticeable. It’s virtually transparent so your backlit keys are still visible in dark rooms. I have been using it for a couple of months, and you can clearly see how my keyboard still looks like I just slid the computer out of the box.

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The Ultimate MacBook Pro Protection Suite by Moshi

Section: Mac + Computers , Laptops , MacBook , MacBook Pro Walt Mossberg has his official review of the new MacBook Pro batteries written and published, and his results and insight are very interesting. He makes some very good points regarding how well the built-in batteries in these machines will work for various users. He also describes the growing trend of laptop manufacturers to have built-in batteries, as research has shown that less than 5% of laptop owners purchase an extra battery anyway. Yet, the most fascinating thing is what he found to be true of Apple’s batteries. He wrote: I’ve been testing these two new Apple laptops, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, using my own harsh battery test, which I apply to all laptops I review. The results were excellent. These two new Apple laptops scored among the highest battery lives between charges of any laptop I have ever tested with a battery that fits entirely inside the machine’s dimensions, without sticking out of the back or bottom and adding weight. If you ask me, that sounds like a pretty great performance for a battery. However, he wasn’t able to put Apple’s claim that the battery will charge 1,000 times before losing capacity to the test because that would simply take way too long.

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Walt Mossberg on MacBook Pro’s sealed in batteries

Section: Apple , Apple News , Retail & Apple Store , Conferences , WWDC , Originals Here we are, the morning of the WWDC Keynote, and the Apple Store has been taken offline for a bit. What do you suppose will be in there when it comes back up? The iPhone Video ? Snow Leopard ? The fabled Apple Netbook ? It won’t be long before we find out, and you can learn all about it right here at Appletell as it happens. Appletell is running a live blog of the WWDC Keynote , during which we’ll be accepting entries into our Just Mobile giveaway . By simply commenting in our live blog to tell us which product you’d like to win—the Xtand for iPhone, Xtand for 2G iPod touch or Cooling Bar for Apple laptops, you’ll be entered into the random selection. Entries are only being accepted up until the end of the 2009 WWDC Keynote, so get that taken care of. Products [ Just Mobile ] Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell . | Comment on this Article »

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The online Apple Store is down…of course

Section: Apple News , Conferences , WWDC , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPod Accessories , iPhone , iPhone Accessories , iPhone , Mac + Computers , Laptops , MacBook Air , MacBook , MacBook Pro , Peripherals , Features , Giveaways WWDC is upon us. That’s great news for all Macintosh, iPhone and iPod owners, but it can come with a tinge of sadness. After all, we can’t all upgrade to the new hardware that Apple is sure to announce. To cushion the blow, the fine folks at Just Mobile have offered us three products to give away to Appletell readers to help you feel a bit better about your current technology: the Xtand for iPod touch, the Xtand for iPhone, and the Cooling Bar for Apple laptops. Just Mobile Xtand for iPhone Just Mobile Xtand for 2G iPod touch Just Mobile Cooling Bar for Apple laptops For your chance to win one of these products, join us Monday for our WWDC Keynote live blog . You first need to register with Appletell , if you haven’t already, and make sure you understand the Dabble LLC giveaway rules . Then, simply comment in the live blog to let us know which device you want. Feel free to comment as much as you like, of course, but you can only pick one device, and you’ll only be entered once. We will then randomly select one winner for each device from all entrants. Entries are being accepted from now up through the end of the Apple Keynote on Monday afternoon. Be sure to check back with Appletell throughout the weekend for more news as we push towards WWDC 2009 Keynote address , and visit Just Mobile to learn more about these prizes and their other great iPhone and Macintosh related products.

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Appletell giveaway: Xtands and Cooling Bar from Just Mobile

Section: Apple News , Conferences , WWDC , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPod Accessories , iPhone , iPhone Accessories , iPhone , Mac + Computers , Laptops , MacBook Air , MacBook , MacBook Pro , Peripherals , Features , Giveaways WWDC is upon us. That’s great news for all Macintosh, iPhone and iPod owners, but it can come with a tinge of sadness. After all, we can’t all upgrade to the new hardware that Apple is sure to announce. To cushion the blow, the fine folks at Just Mobile have offered us three products to give away to Appletell readers to help you feel a bit better about your current technology: the Xtand for iPod touch, the Xtand for iPhone, and the Cooling Bar for Apple laptops. Just Mobile Xtand for iPhone Just Mobile Xtand for 2G iPod touch Just Mobile Cooling Bar for Apple laptops For your chance to win one of these products, join us Monday for our WWDC Keynote live blog . You first need to register with Appletell , if you haven’t already, and make sure you understand the Dabble LLC giveaway rules . Then, simply comment in the live blog to let us know which device you want. Feel free to comment as much as you like, of course, but you can only pick one device, and you’ll only be entered once. We will then randomly select one winner for each device from all entrants. Entries are being accepted from now up through the end of the Apple Keynote on Monday afternoon. Be sure to check back with Appletell throughout the weekend for more news as we push towards WWDC 2009 Keynote address , and visit Just Mobile to learn more about these prizes and their other great iPhone and Macintosh related products. Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell

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Appletell giveaway: Xtands and Cooling Bar from Just Mobile