MacRumors

Intel yesterday introduced at its Intel Developer Forum its new line of quad-core Core i7 processors, previously code-named "Clarksfield", for mobile computers. The two processors, manufactured using quad-core dies based on Intel's 45 nm Nehalem microarchitecture, take advantage of Intel's Turbo Boost technology to run at baseline frequencies of 1.6 GHz and 1.73 GHz with the ability ramp to 2.8 GHz and 3.06 GHz respectively when conditions warrant. An "Extreme Edition" processor running at 2.0 GHz and capable of ramping to 3.20 GHz was also released.

Intel Corporation introduced its revolutionary Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor and Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor Extreme Edition today, bringing Intel's award-winning and super-fast Nehalem microarchitecture to the mobile market.

These processors in addition to the new Intel PM55 Express Chipset, provide the best laptop experience for intense gaming, digital media, photos, music, business applications and other multi-threaded software that hungers for faster processing speed. The chips also boost overall performance when using several of these applications simultaneously.

Apple may be more likely, however, to wait until the release of the 32 nm die shrink of the Nehalem microarchitecture, scheduled to appear as the dual-core "Arrandale" processors early next year, to revamp its MacBook Pro line. Arrandale, which was also briefly previewed at the Intel Developer Forum, should offer considerably lower power consumption than Clarksfield processors and better fit into Apple's design constraints for its notebook computers.

TomTom's much-anticipated iPhone GPS car kit has appeared on a number of European Apple online stores, including the UK store. Scheduled to ship in 2-3 weeks, the kit is priced at 99.95 (US$164.10) in the UK and 99.95 Euro (US$147.90) in other European countries, which includes the TomTom iPhone application.

Did you notice?

You get both the TomTom navigation app for your iPhone 3GS or 3G and the docking kit to hold your iPhone securely in place on your dashboard or windscreen.

Details on the car kit, including the user guide, were posted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's site late last month. The kit, which had been expected to be launched this summer, was pushed back to an October release earlier this month.

TomTom's car kit contains an external GPS receiver and other hardware features and has been claimed to be compatible with the iPod touch and other GPS iPhone applications from other vendors, but Apple's product description makes no mention of compatibility with those offerings.

Update: The car kit has been removed from Apple's online stores, and Macworld UK reports that TomTom has issued a statement noting that the price does not include the software.

TomTom has sent out a short press release after our story which confirms the car kit does not include the TomTom for iPhone application.

"TomTom announces today that the TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of 99.99.

The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS."

Earlier this year, word surfaced that Microsoft was in the process of developing its own smartphone, codenamed "Pink", for launch in 2010. The phone, which was claimed to be manufactured by a third-party company, has been seen as a possible iPhone rival running on Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.

Gizmodo today published images of not one, but two phones developed under the "Pink" project, known as "Turtle" and "Pure", and notes that Microsoft's manufacturing partner is to be Sharp.

These phones are going to be made by Sharp, who'll get to share branding with Microsoft. Sharp produced the Sidekick hardware for Danger, who was bought by Microsoft two years ago. Pink will be primarily aimed at the same market as the Sidekick, and the branding and identity for it is highly developed, pointing toward a later stage in the development cycle.

Gizmodo also points to a pair of reports from this past weekend claiming that the "Pink" phones will include Zune music and video services and an "App Store" similar to that employed by the Sidekick, placing the phones in direct competition with the iPhone's hardware-software feature set.

AT&T today announced on its Facebook page that a carrier settings update for MMS on the iPhone will be available in the "late morning" Pacific Time on Friday, the previously-announced launch date for the service.

MMS Update: We know you've been eager for this service so we wanted to offer a quick update on the launch plans for MMS on Friday, Sept. 25. Late morning, Pacific Time, on Friday, the new carrier settings update enabling MMS should be live and ready to download through iTunes. We'll provide the steps and all of the details you need right here at that time.

A rumor from earlier today had claimed that AT&T would begin rolling out MMS for the iPhone around 10:00 AM Eastern Time on Friday and that the company was rushing to complete infrastructure improvements to support the expected crush of data upon initial activation from users testing out the service.

DSLReports claims to have received word from a source noting that AT&T is extremely nervous about the impending launch of MMS for the iPhone scheduled for this Friday. Early testing of the service has apparently already placed a strain on the company's MMS servers, resulting in a test outage yesterday and a last-minute rush to beef up capacity beyond the measures already taken.

AT&T and its MMS partners are already seeing "record traffic during peak hours of the night" with just the users selected for testing.

That early testing has been a little rocky, with AT&T seeing a fairly significant test outage yesterday that has them rushing to beef up their MMSC messaging servers. Estimates among those working on the project are that traffic on AT&T's wireless network will be about 40% higher all day on Friday as iPhone users fire pictures and video at one another.

The source also revealed AT&T's plans for rolling out the service on Friday, with deployments scheduled in groups to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern time and new groups being activated on an hourly basis after that in order to slowly ramp demand and gauge service performance.

"Starting at 10AM Eastern (on the 25), AT&T will send out a mass text to a group of iPhone users telling them that MMS now works on their phone," says one source familiar with AT&T's MMS plans. "They will keep doing groups of phones on the hour throughout the day" assuming all goes well, says the source.

Dow Jones Newswires reports that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has given final approval to a change in accounting regulations that will allow Apple to recognize more of its iPhone and Apple TV revenue at the time of sale.

The change okayed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board helps companies that sell goods and services in bundles - like smart phones and other high-tech devices combining hardware and software, or home appliances that come with installation and service contracts.

Under current accounting rules, companies must often defer large portions of their revenue from such sales - recognizing them gradually over time, instead of immediately when the sale is made. The rule change would give companies more flexibility in crediting more of that revenue to their results upfront.

Apple has employed subscription-based accounting for its iPhone and Apple TV segments, which allows the company to provide free software updates over the two-year period considered to be the lifespan of the devices for such purposes. Apple does not use subscription-based accounting for its iPod line, a move which has required the company to charge users nominal fees for operating system updates on the iPod touch.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is expected to be one of the major beneficiaries of the change, since it would dramatically change how the company reports revenues from its iPhone. Currently, Apple recognizes iPhone revenue over a two-year period, and said recently that overall revenues and earnings in its latest quarter would have been much higher if it didn't have to defer revenues for the iPhone and its Apple TV product. An Apple spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

While the change does not affect Apple's cash flow, it will allow the company to more accurately reflect its revenue in its quarterly financial statements. Preliminary approval of the accounting rule change had been given by a task force of the FASB early last week.

Adobe today announced the release of Photoshop Elements 8 for both Mac and Windows, bringing significant updates to the company's top-selling consumer photo editing software.

Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac now includes all of the intelligent photo-editing options as the Windows version. In addition to Photomerge Exposure, Recompose and Quick Fix previews, Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac features Scene Cleaner for brushing away unwanted elements, such as tourists or cars, from a series of photos to create the perfect scene. The Smart Brush helps users apply incredible effects to a specific area of a photo with a single stroke and Touch-Up brushes make common editing tasks quick, such as whitening teeth or making bright blue skies. When creations are ready to be shared with family and friends, users can display their photos on the Web with gallery templates or personal Web pages, by e-mail and on CD or DVD.

While the Windows version is available today, the Mac version of Photoshop Elements 8 will begin shipping next month. Pricing is set at $99.99, although Adobe is offering a $20 mail-in rebate for certain purchases made through October 31, 2010 Full rebate details are available in the terms and conditions.

The Mac version is available for pre-order from Adobe.

In a note to clients issued today, research analyst Mike Abramsky reported on the results of several recent RBC IQ/ChangeWave survey questions demonstrating surging Mac and iPhone sales momentum, as well as significant interest in a potential Apple tablet computer.

In a survey of customers who had purchased a computer within the past 90 days, 25% of respondents reported purchasing a Mac laptop, nearly matching previous highs set late last year and up from 18% in July. Abramsky notes that the sales spike has likely been driven by a combination of price cuts to Apple's notebook lines and back-to-school shopping. Apple's launch of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, generally-improving consumer electronics sales, increased brand awareness and iPhone-related spillover are also cited as factors in Apple's recent Mac rebound.

On the iPhone front, 30% of surveyed smartphone customers are now iPhone owners, up from 25% in June. Based on its research, RBC projects Apple to reach a 2% share of the total global mobile phone market this year with 22.8 million iPhones sold. RBC estimates that Apple's mobile phone market share will rise to over 4% on sales of 54.7 million iPhones in 2012.

An RBC IQ/ChangeWave survey question about a hypothetical Apple tablet priced in the $500-$700 range also revealed significant interest, with 21% of buyers noting that they would be interested in purchasing such a device. That data compares to only 9% of buyers who had expressed interest in purchasing the iPhone in April 2007 ahead of its launch.

Gizmodo reveals some details about a top secret Microsoft project working to introduce a new booklet device with dual 7-inch multi-touch screens.

The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They're connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre.

The concept video provided shows the device in use. It incorporates a stylus with handwriting recognition, swipe gestures, and multi-touch actions including pinch zoom.

All the visuals of the devices appear to be concept mockups rather than showing an actual device in action. While Gizmodo describes the device as "late prototype", Engadget claims it isn't near production. Meanwhile, Apple has been rumored to be entering the tablet market as early as 2010.

Digital Daily reports that the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has responded to Apple and Palm regarding the two companies' ongoing spat over Palm's attempts to allow its Pre smartphone to sync media directly via iTunes. Despite Palm's apparent misuse of Apple USB Vendor ID codes, Palm reported Apple to the USB-IF for improper use of its own Vendor ID to shut out the Pre.

Palm had argued that Apple, by issuing an update to iTunes that used the USB Vendor ID number to prevent the software from automatically transferring content to any non-Apple USB device, had violated "the letter and spirit of the USB-IF Membership Agreement" which is "intended to facilitate interoperability between USB devices, not to regulate the content that flows between them."

Today's response from the USB-IF not only dismissed Palm's complaint against Apple, but also turned the tables on Palm by requesting an explanation of the company's apparent violation of USB policies in using Apple's USB Vendor ID. From the USB-IF's letter:

I attach for your information the USB-IF's adopted and published policy regarding Vendor Identification Numbers (VIDs). Under the Policy, Palm may only use the single Vendor ID issued to Palm for Palm's usage. Usage of any other company's Vendor ID is specifically precluded. Palm's expressed intent to use Apple's VID appears to violate the attached policy.

Please clarify Palm's intent and respond to this potential violation within seven days.

With several moves having been made by each side in the cat-and-mouse game over Palm Pre media syncing with iTunes, Apple currently holds the upper hand, having disabled Pre syncing yet again with the release of iTunes 9 earlier this month.