2009 was a great year for Apple. Apple experienced record growth in revenue and profit regardless of the most serious downturn in the economy in a generation. While not recession-proof, Apple has shown that it doesn’t hurt to have the hottest products on the planet even when the planet’s financial system is being stressed.

*January* – The last year of Apple’s presence at Macworld Expo in January. The show had an aura of finality to it and even though there is a Macworld again this year in February, there will be no Apple presence at the show. This year iLife ’09 was released with great new features that made it a compelling upgrade, especially for iPhoto. iWork ’09 was also released as well as a new 17-inch MacBook Pro.

*February* – Apple updated the entire range of Mac desktops with new iMacs, new Mac Pros and new Mac minis. Apple also updated the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme with simultaneous Dual-Band WiFi.

*March* – Apple introduces the tiny 4GB iPod shuffle! Later in the month Apple introduced iPhone 3.0 software.

*April* – Apple introduces new Xserves with Intel Nehalem processors. They also announced the end of DRM for iTunes and introduced variable pricing for songs. Apple announced their financial results for the quarter with an astounding $1.21 billion in profit.

*June* – Apple introduces new MacBook Pros including the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. They also released the iPhone 3GS updated phone.

*July* – New versions of Final Cut Studio and Logic are released and Apple’s financial report indicates another $1.3 Billion in profit on spectacular Mac and iPhone sales. Steve Jobs is out sick and Tim Cook announced that “The Mac has now outgrown the market a staggering 18 of the last 19 quarters.”

*August* – Another update to the Time Capsules pushing the storage to a large 2TB! Snow Leopard is released at just $29 for the upgrade and the Mac Box set with Snow Leopard, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 is released, too.

*September* – iPods! The iPod touch goes down in price and up in features and capacity, the iPod nano adds a video camera, the iPod shuffle adds colors and more choices in capacity and the iPod classic is moved from 120GB to 160GB without a price increase. To coincide, iTunes 9 is released.

*October* – Apple crushes the street again posting their most profitable quarter, ever, with a profit of $1.67 Billion. Apple sold more Macs and iPhones than any quarter. To complete the product offerings for 2009 Apple also released a slew of new products and updates.

iMacs were updated and the beautiful 27-inch wide screen iMac was introduced along with a new unibody white MacBook. Apple brought out the new Magic Mouse and even a new Apple remote. They updated the Mac mini again and introduced a server version of the Mac mini bundled with Snow Leopard server for only $999. Time Capsules were updated again, too.

*November and December* – not a time for product announcements but a time for sales and all signs point to another amazing holiday quarter for Apple with their common stock hovering around $200/share.

We have a lot of fun, inexpensive gifts that are great last-minute finds and stocking stuffers for the person who has everything.

We have Small Dog branded t-shirts in a Euro-style design, Small Dog pint glasses, Retro (see a bonus review below) and Small Dog-themed mousepads, Pure Vermont maple syrup nips, Small Dog Euro Nalgene bottles, Aroma Home lemon-scented screen wipes and more.

“See all of our swag here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Gifts_and_Swag|Small_Dog_Swag They’ll make someone verrrry happy!

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*Reflect Mouse Pad Review*

Hands down, the “Retro Mouse Pad”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74965 ($4.99) is the best mouse pad I’ve ever used. It’s very thin, so it doesn’t impede my hand’s movement. The reflective surface really does make the mouse cursor move more smoothly, too.

The bottom has the coolest, most ingenious surface. It always sticks really strongly, even if it’s dirty. There is a small crackling noise when you start using it because the pad seems to be made of thin, almost foil-like material, but that goes away once you use it for a couple minutes.

I love the retro design, too!

-Moses “moses@smalldog.com”:mailto:moses@smalldog.com

The year is almost over, but there’s still time to save on your tax return while upgrading your business’s technology. For 2009, IRS is allowing small and medium businesses to deduct the full purchase price of equipment (up to $250,000) from their tax return, as long as it’s purchased and installed by 12/31/09.*

The higher deduction limit and provision for making a same-year tax deduction on technology is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These rules are currently set to expire in 2010.

Take advantage of these new tax rules while boosting productivity with up-to-date technology. Buy your business a new Apple computer solution now and lock in substantial savings on your 2009 return!

Small Dog Electronics offers the complete line of powerful new Apple computers, including MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and Xserves. We also offer the full range of business and productivity software for Mac, including Microsoft Office, all Adobe titles, Quickbooks Pro, iWork, and much more. Need Windows? Our expert, Apple-certified technicians can quickly set you up with Windows on a Mac. It’s like having two computers in one.

We’ve run our business exclusively on Macs since 1994. In that time, we’ve also helped thousands of companies successfully switch to Mac, as well as upgrade and maintain their existing Mac inventory. Based on our experience, we can offer honest, direct advice for businesses using Macs or considering the switch to Mac.

Contact us now for a custom quote, to make a purchase, or simply to learn more. We’ll help make sure your purchase is processed in time to qualify for tax savings.

Small Dog Electronics’ Business Services:

* Easy and flexible business leasing solutions: “Learn more by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/finance

* Consulting: over the phone, remotely via chat, or on the spot, our Apple certified consultants can set you up, saving you time and money. “Learn more by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/consulting

* Managed services. Maintenance Contracts and Data Backup Plans to make consulting services for your business convenient and affordable. “Learn more by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/consulting

*Don’t forget, consult with your tax professional regarding eligibility. See Section 179 of the 2009 IRS Tax Code for details on equipment deduction: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=213666,00.html

Christmas shipping deadlines are fast approaching. At Smalldog.com, you can save $20 when you upgrade your shipping to 2-day or next day air on any order over $200. This offer is good until 12/23. Simply add your selected items to your cart, select either 2-day or next day air and use coupon code merrychristmas09.

Here are this year’s shipping deadlines:

• Next Day Air: Last day to ship: 12/21; Receive Date: 12/24

• Two Day Air: Last day to ship: 12/18; Receive date: 12/24

• 3-Day Select: Last day to ship: 12/17; Receive date: 12/24

• Ground: (OH, WV, VA, MD, DE, NJ, PA, NY, Northern Maine) Last day to ship: 12/18; Receive Date: 12/24

• Ground 1 day (VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, Southern Maine) Last day to ship: 12/21, Receive Date: 12/24

Kibbles & Bytes will be back with our last issue of the year on New Year’s eve. I’ll review my 2009 predictions and…