Dear Friends,

So many Small Dog employees were streaming the Apple product announcements on Wednesday that our connectivity suffered and slowed down the website. Exciting announcements from Apple! While the iPhone 5 got the most press and is the highest profile product announced, there were other very meaningful announcements, too — iPod nano and iPod touch. But perhaps the most important announcement was that iOS 6 will be released next Wednesday.

I really do not think that either the iPhone or the iPad would be nearly as successful as they have been without the complement of the most powerful mobile device operating system — iOS. As a developer, I have been running the pre-release version of iOS 6 on my iPhone and iPad for a few months, and believe me, you are going to love it! It brings new features and capabilities that will make your mobile life easier.

Some are simple, such as the ability to swipe your finger down in the Mail app to get new messages, while others bring whole new functionality to your iPhone or iPad. I have played with Maps and with its turn-by-turn directions and multiple views, I no longer need the Garmin app that was my mobile GPS before iOS 6. The enhancements to Siri are great, too. I love the sports functionality which allows me to delete a few apps that I have used to keep track of scores.

We will talk about the new products and features here in Kibbles and complete information will be on our website. We are taking orders for the iPhone at each or our stores but we do not yet know how quickly they will ship. On the other hand, my guess is that the shortages will be short-lived if all of the production reports can be believed. The new iPods will be shipping in October.

We have a great selection of Apple Factory-Refurbished MacBook Pro 17-inch models currently in stock. We have not had Apple refurbished products in stock for some time, but that used to be our main product offering. These MacBook Pros each carry the same 1-year Apple warranty as new Macs, and are eligible for the AppleCare Protection Plan as well. If you want a 17-inch MacBook Pro for under $1,500, now is your chance! To make it even a better deal, we are discounting AppleCare if you purchase it with your 17-inch MBP.