MacRumors

With the introduction of the Apple MacBook, one of the new features offered to end users is the ability for users to replace the internal hard drive. Typically, Apple laptop hard drive replacement has required the involvement authorized technician in the past.

Both the MacBook's RAM and Hard Drive are accessible through a panel under the battery and the process has been detailed in this Video from MacWorld.

MacWorld also provides the first benchmarks of the new MacBook, comparing it to the G4 iBooks it replaces as well as the current MacBook Pro and iMac.

Following a meeting with top Apple executives, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff sent a note to clients regarding a range of issues, both current and future.

Of note, Neff mentions that Apple is likely to refresh their iPod line ahead of the holiday shopping season similar to what it has done in years past. Should the rumored "true" video iPod appear with these updates, it would be offered as a complementary product to the iPods and not as a replacement. Neff also briefly mentions that he feels Apple is indeed working on an iPod phone, however he is uncertain as to the timing of its release.

Incremental iPod updates have been rumored to arrive, with a larger video iPod release having been pushed back to the end of 2006 or later due to technical difficulties. Analysts have also predicted that an Apple-branded phone would arrive by early next year at the latest.

Neff also mentions that Apple is testing ways to drive mac sales, including developing the capability to run more Operating Systems.

While Apple launched Boot Camp to accommodate the use of Windows, it views the tight integration of hardware and software (Mac OS) as key to creating superior user experience, although it is looking at different ways to better address users needs for multiple OSs.

While this probably means that Apple is simply investigating adding support for additional OSs into Boot Camp, it could hint that Apple is creating a virtualization solution of its own.

Apple released Final Cut Express HD 3.5 this morning as a Universal Binary, making the program join with Final Cut Pro as running native on Intel processors. The new software is available as either a $299 standalone product, or a $99 upgrade.

Capture and edit DV or HDV video, add dynamic titles and graphics using LiveType 2, then score your movie using Soundtrack 1.5. New features include full keyframe control over effects and motion parameters, dynamic real-time effects, and new versions of LiveType and Soundtrack. Upgrade requires a previous version of Final Cut Express (version 1, 2, or 3) for installation

IFOAppleStore reports on the unveiling of the large Cube marking the new 5th Avenue Apple Store.

The grand opening of the 5th Avenue Apple Store is scheduled for May 19th at 6pm (countdown). The 20,000 square feet of underground retail space is marked with a stylish metal and glass cube above ground.

The black plastic wrapping has come off The Cube at the store, and it revealed a surprise--a huge white, floating Apple logo inside. The face of the logo is milky white and about 12-inches thick. It appears to float about half-way back in the 32-foot cube, and about one-third down from the top, suspended from the top of the cube by a substantial stainless steel pole. The sides of the logo are stainless steel.

IFOAppleStore also posted a movie and a set of photos documenting the unveiling.

Apple will be hosting an event/walkthrough on Thursday, May 18th at 10am EST to select members of the press.

The WSJ reports that Steve Jobs was involved in many of the details of the massive retail store:

Mr. Jobs admitted that at one point he ordered workers to replace the metal bolts holding together the glass panels that make up the cube over the company's Fifth Avenue store. "We spent a lot of time designing the store, and it deserves to be built perfectly," Mr. Jobs said.

The store is expected to be open 24 hours a day.

Update: More Details - Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. this store will be open from today forever.

The glass cube was designed to let in light and ambiance throughout the day. When Im under here said Johnson canopied by the cube I feel like Im in a public space.

No theatre. MacBook giveaway per hour for the first 24 hours.

Photos from media event: 1, 2, 3. Apple's Press release

Update 2: More photos

Update 3: Steve Jobs's presence at the store unveiling has been confirmed. Photos here.

According to an opinion piece by Tom Yager at Infoworld, Apple has closed the source of the Intel version of the Mac OS X kernel (called XNU) due to piracy concerns. While the rest of the underlying operating system of OS X (called Darwin) is still open-source, closing the kernel means less capability for pirates to hack OS X to run on non-Apple hardware, but also limits developers and power-users' ability to tweak their systems.

Apple's Open-Darwin mailing list has an ongoing discussion in which some users point out that Apple has actually not released the XNU source for Intel since 10.4.3 or perhaps earlier. Therefore, it appears as though the facts of the article are not new, but rather are just now gaining press attention.

Apple has not officially commented on the future of XNU's source availability, and it appears most conclusions as to why the source has not been released is based on speculation rather than inside knowledge.

As people have had time to absorb the information about the new Apple MacBook released yesterday, there are some photo gallerys as well as some observations about the newest Apple laptop.

Todd Benjamin, Apple's director of portables worldwide product marketing provided some comments on the new laptop. He explains "The performance improvement in these systems over the preceeding [G4] systems is dramatic".

He describes the new "glossy" screens:

"We say glossy because when you look at the screens you'll see a glossy appearance. It means colours are much richer, they look great"

However, not everyone seems happy with the glossy screens as there have been some complaints.

Macworld provides a "first look" at the new MacBook. Of interest, they provide a size comparison photo comparing the 12" PowerBook to the new 13.3" MacBook.

The MacBook internals have been designed to give users relatively easy access to the MacBook's memory slots as well as a user replaceable hard drive.

Flipping a MacBook upside down and removing its rectangular lithium-polymer battery reveals two RAM slots, placed side-by-side on one wall of the battery cavity.
....
Below the two RAM slots (at the base of the battery cavity) is where you'll find the MacBook's hard disk drive. Without disassembling the notebook, users will be able to quickly removing some protective aluminum shielding and lift the drive out of the computer.

Multiple photo galleries have already appeared featuring the new laptop: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Meanwhile, Kodawarisan has already posted disassembly photos of the new MacBook.

In addition to the MacBook introduction today, Apple has quietly bumped the specs of its MacBook Pro line, leaving pricepoints unchanged.

The lineup currently stands as:
15.4" 2.0Ghz Core Duo, $1,999
15.4" 2.16Ghz Core Duo, $2,499
17" 2.16Ghz Core Duo, $2,799

Customers are also now able to custom-build their MacBook Pro with a glossy screen at no additional charge.

The highly anticipated MacBook (Apple Store) has been released by Apple. The iBook replacement comes in black or white configurations, depending on price-point.

1.83 Ghz Core Duo White, $1,099
-Ships 1-5 Business Days
-60 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
-Combo Drive

2.0 Ghz Core Duo White, $1,299
-Ships 1-5 Business Days
-60 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
-SuperDrive

2.0 Ghz Core Duo Black, $1,499
-Ships 3-7 Business Days
-80 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
-SuperDrive

All Models:
-13 widescreen, 1280x800 display
-Front Row and Apple Remote
-Integrated iSight
-MagSafe
-Integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics with 64 MB shared graphics memory
-mini-DVI with extended display support
-512MB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
-1 Firewire 400, 2 USB 2.0 ports
-Gigabit Ethernet
-Airport Extreme + Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) Standard

Other Notes: The iBook G4 and 12" Powerbook G4 have been dropped from the Apple Store.

All prices in US Dollars

Creative has formally filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, claiming Apple is in breach of their "Zen Patent." The patent, granted in August 2005, covers how files on digital music players are organized.

Creative also filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission and is seeking an investigation into whether Apple violated the Tarrif Act by importing and selling iPods (iPods are manufactured overseas before being sold in the U.S. and elsewhere). If Creative is granted a cease-and-desist order against Apple, Apple would be forced to stop importing, selling, and marketing the iPod in the U.S.

Now available via Software Update for current users of iLife '06:

iDVD Update - 6.0.2
This update to iDVD addresses issues with burning some 16:9 projects and improves overall stability.

iWeb Update - 1.1
This update to iWeb adds comment and search support for blogs and podcasts published to .Mac. It also addresses a variety of usability and performance issues for all users, including image management fixes to improve site load performance.

iPhoto Update - 6.0.3
This update to iPhoto addresses issues with Photocasting of Smart Albums, sharing iPhoto libraries, and creating calendars and books. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

iMovie HD Update - 6.0.2
This update to iMovie HD 6 addresses issues with PAL audio and displaying iLife Sound Effects automatically in its iLife Media Browser. It also improves overall stability and address a number of other minor issues.

According to an analysis by independent research and consulting firm Generator (report summarized by Macsimum), Apple's music business could reach US $15 billion by 2010. Such an increase in revenue would represent a doubling of the size of Apple's income based only on their music revenue (iTMS/iPod).

"Most people now understand that Apple's music business is the main source of growth but what's not widely appreciated is just how big the music business could become in the future. It's a big worry for some people in the industry," says Andrew Sheehy, vice president of research at Generator.

Apple has continued to maintain its dominance in both digital music player sales and online music stores despite various competitive efforts by other industry players. Most recently, Microsoft and MTV have announced a public beta beginning this Wednesday of their co-sponsored Urge music store which will be integrated into Windows Media Player 11.

According to Macworld.co.uk, Quark is gathering the press for an official launch event for QuarkXPress 7 at the Congress Centre in London on June 2. As the site notes, this is the strongest evidence yet that Quark is readying to ship version 7 of their over-due flagship desktop publishing application.

Quark has seen greatly increased competitive pressure from Adobe's InDesign in recent years. A recent Macworld.co.uk poll shows that consumers are split in general between the competing platforms.

Readers report that CNBC has mentioned a report by Nikkei Net Interactive that Apple and Softbank are developing an iPod/Cell Phone:

Softbank Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. plan to jointly develop cellular phone handsets that have built-in iPod digital music players and can download songs directly from Apple's iTunes Music Store, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Friday

The entire article is restricted to subscribers only, so further details not presently available. There have been a number of ongoing rumors that Apple has been working on a cellphone. In addition published patent applications have revealed that Apple has indeed been working on technology to allow users to purchase iTunes songs over cell phones.

The exact timeframe for the Apple-branded phone has been vague. Initial speculative reports claimed that an Apple Phone is expected in the next 12 months.

Cell phones with iTunes-playing capability are not entirely new. Motorola introduced the first iTunes-capable cell phone in September 2005 with a followup model (SLVR) in January. These models though were met with some criticism, especially due to the 100-song cap imposed on song storage.
Update: Appleinsider offers some more details of the report. The report indicates that it will be a 3G cell phone combining features of the iPod and Cell phone and is expected to be released in Japan "sometime this year at the earliest" and in the U.S. at a later date.
Update 2: Quotes/Details from the article:

Softbank President Masayoshi Son and Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs met and reached a basic agreement on this partnership in cell phone handset operations.

It appears, Apple will sell this phone under the "Apple" brand:

Apple, which will be selling cell phone handsets under its own brand for the first time, is expected to outsource production. The company is believed to have chosen Softbank as its partner because Softbank plans to offer high-speed Internet access for cell phones, with a focus on improving convenience for consumers.

Update 3: Softbank has released a statement claiming that media reports are "speculation."

Appleinsider is reporting that Apple will be holding a "special briefing" in Manhattan, NY for analysts and members of the media.

The event is reportedly scheduled for Thursday, May 18th at 10am Eastern.

In the invites to the event, Apple welcomed analysts and members of the media to preview the new flagship retail location ahead of its Friday evening grand opening, but did not hint at any product introductions.

May 19th is the launch day for the new 5th Avenue (New York) flagship Apple store. There has been some speculation that this event will mark the release of the new MacBook and iPod, but no confirmation on that is yet available. It is also felt possible that the MacBook could be quietly released this Tuesday prior to the event.
Rumors of the upcoming Intel MacBook peaked last week, but readers were left disappointed when the release was reportedly delayed.