ByMike Moffit

Dear Friends,

This week it’s Edward Shepard, writing for Don who is back in the US, but currently away in Nevada celebrating his 42nd wedding anniversary. The remarkable thing about Don and Grace’s marriage isn’t its duration, but its health. I mean, they’ve been together for the equivalent of a geologic epoch, but you’d think they’re still dating. I’m glad to report that they’re having a nice time in the desert. Don will be back and writing next week.

This was a huge week in Apple news. On Monday, Apple released its fourth quarter results, which came in above all expectations and truly rocked Wall Street. On Tuesday, Apple released newly redesigned (and amazing) iMacs, new Mac minis, a new white MacBook, new Multi-Touch Magic Mouse, updated the AirPort Extreme Base Station, updated the Time Capsule line, and introduced a sleek new aluminum remote.

Next week will be big for Small Dog Electronics. On Monday, Kali and I will be at the Vermont 3.0 Innovation Jam. This event showcases some of the most innovative tech and creative-oriented companies in Vermont. It is also something of a job/career fair for tech-oriented industries. Click here to learn more.

On Friday we celebrate Halloween with our annual Small Dog costume party. You’ll be able to vote for your favorite Halloween costume at Blog.smalldog.com.

On Friday, we’ll also be picking contest winners of our fun, random Facebook, Twitter and newsletter drawing.

And this Saturday, 10/24, we’re participating in the International Day of Climate action, by helping at a 350 Vermont event at Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s headquarters in Waterbury, Vermont. This town-hall style event is sponsored by NRG, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and the National Wildlife Federation. Senator Bernie Sanders will be speaking. Learn more about the 350 effort to tackle climate change.

If you’re in the area, come Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to participate from 9:00 – 11:00! Click here to learn more.

Similar Posts

  • AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule Updates

    Apple quietly updated both the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule Wi-Fi Base Station/wireless hard drive Tuesday. Both feature improvements in antenna design that provide up to 50 percent better Wi-Fi performance and 25 percent better range than with the previous-generation models.

    Also, both devices are now certified to the 802.11n specification. Previously, they were certified to the draft-n spec.

    Base prices are unchanged for “AirPort Extreme”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|AirPort and “Time Capsule”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|Time_Capsule, but we have all Time Capsules currently on sale.

    We also still have some closeout Time Capsules on sale with our best prices ever! “Click here to see these.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|Time_Capsule

  • Mac mini Updates: Faster + All New Server Edition, Still Cute

    Apple announced that the Mac mini has been upgraded with faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors across the board, and now also offers more standard storage and double the standard memory.

    Starting at $599, the entry level Mac mini features a faster 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, a 160GB hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a SuperDrive.

    The $799 Mac mini features a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory and a larger 320GB hard drive, with an option to upgrade to a 2.66GHz processor with a 500GB drive.

    For the first time ever, Apple is offering a server version of the Mac mini. This will be very welcome by the thousands of people and institutions that currently use the Mac mini in this capacity. The server version of the Mac mini is loaded with the full, unlimited version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server.

    This specially configured Mac mini also features two 500GB hard drives for a total of 1TB of internal server storage. All this in a tiny 6.5-inch square by 2-inch tall enclosure — the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer.

    The server version of the Mac mini retails for $999.99. Snow Leopard server by itself would cost $499 from Apple (or $449.99 from Small Dog Electronics.)

    Click here to see the Mac mini, with free shipping and bundled AppleCare!

  • Most Profitable Quarter Ever for Apple

    After the market closed on Monday, Apple announced fourth-quarter profits that were simply stunning. Net quarterly profits were up more than 46 percent to $1.67 billion, on revenue of $9.87 billion. Apple sold 3.05 million Macs (the most ever in a quarter) along with 7.4 million iPhones (up 7% from the year-ago quarter) and 10.2 million iPods. iPod sales were actually __down__ 8 percent over the past year, but this was expected as people move from buying iPods to buying iPhones.

    Numerous analysts and commentators joked that someone forgot to tell Apple about the recession.

    “We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010.”

    It’s interesting to note that Apple would have had even greater sales ($12.25 billion revenue and $2.85 billion of net income) if subscription-based accounting for the iPhone and Apple TV was eliminated. Subscription-based accounting is used to parcel out income from iPhone and Apple TV sales over a 24-month period from the date of sale.

    One chokehold on growth is that demand for the iPhone 3GS currently exceeds supply. “Apple can’t build enough phones to meet demand,” said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

    Analysts are quite bullish on AAPL stock, recommending investors buy in anticipation of a potentially strong holiday quarter. Gene Munster has maintained his overweight rating for AAPL stock and raised his price target to $277.

  • Bigger, Better, Faster iMacs!

    On Tuesday, Apple introduced new versions of its very popular all-in-one iMac desktop computer. The new models boast incredible 21.5-inch and 27-inch LED-backlit displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio, ideal for watching – and creating – high definition movies, editing photos, or making any kind of digital media. The improved larger displays make it easier to multitask and handle everyday computer tasks.

    These are the fastest iMacs ever, up to twice as fast as the previous models. The new iMacs feature faster Intel processors across the board, starting with a 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo in the entry-level 21.5-inch model and moving all the way up to Intel Core i5 or i7 quad-core processors in the top of the line 27-inch iMacs.

    Note that the 3.06 processor used in the new entry-level iMac was featured as the top-of-the-line processor in the just-discontinued 24-inch iMac, which was selling for $2199.99 earlier this week. That’s quite an upgrade!

    The quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor in the 27-inch iMac puts four processing cores on one chip, so data doesn’t have to travel far to get from core to core. This boosts application performance up to 2x over the previous-generation iMac. These quad-core processors connect memory directly to the processor, improving memory bandwidth up to 2.5x. This is unprecedented in an all-in-one computer.

    The new iMacs feature more standard RAM (4GB, expandable to 16GB), and larger standard hard drives (500GB to 1TB).

    These new iMacs also feature a built-in SD card slot for the first time ever, along with four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, headphone/optical digital audio port, audio line in, built-in microphone, iSight camera, and Mini DisplayPort output.

    The new iMacs have a new seamless, precision-forged aluminum enclosure, redesigned speakers, edge-to-edge glass on the monitor, and a new tapered stand.

    The new iMac is the first Mac to come standard with the Apple Wireless Keyboard and the new wireless Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse is described below, but in brief it uses Multi-Touch technology to let you click, scroll, or swipe anywhere on its perfectly smooth, seamless top shell.

    Going back to the display, the 21.5-inch iMac features a high resolution 1920-by-1080 pixel display (native HD) while the 27-inch iMac features a 2560-by-1440 pixel display offering 60 percent more pixels than the previous 24-inch model. Both 21.5 and 27-inch displays use IPS technology to deliver consistent color across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle.

    The 21.5-inch iMac offers great graphics performance with the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor or the ATI Radeon HD 4670. The 27-inch iMac comes with dedicated high-performance ATI Radeon HD 4670 or, for top-of-the-line performance, the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics processor.

    The 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1199.99. “Click here to see the 21.5-inch iMac. We offer it with free shipping and bundled with AppleCare.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|iMac|21.5in

    The 27-inch model starts at $1699.99. The top-of-the-line Intel Quad-Core i5 costs $1999.99, with an option to custom-order Quad-Core Intel Core i7 for $200 more. “Click here to see the 27-inch iMac. Again, we offer it with free shipping and bundled with AppleCare.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|iMac|21.5in

    The 3.06GHz-equipped iMacs will be shipping very quickly, while the i5 and i7-equipped iMacs won’t be shipping until November.

  • Of all the new products, I’m most exited about the 27-inch iMac. It looks like a perfect Final Cut Express/Studio production machine. The top of the line model, with an i7 quad-core processor and 2TB internal drive, will devour all sorts of HD footage. As soon as we get them in this November, I’ll be putting one through its paces and reviewing here in Kibbles & Bytes.

    Want in-depth speed test for all the new gear? Check out “Barefeats.com”:http://www.barefeats.com.

    Until next week!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Kali & Ed_

  • Shiny New Aluminum Apple Remote

    Apple’s new aluminum remote is now perfectly synched with their aluminum iMac line. Still $19.99 (or included with new iMacs), the remote features the same four directional buttons along with the menu and play/pause buttons.

    Apple has shifted the placement of these buttons slightly, but other than that, it’s the same simple sleek remote you know and love with a shiny new finish. It would make a great gift for the holidays for your favorite media-lover…!

    “View the Apple Remote here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74719