9to5Mac claims that they have more information about the "Brick" codename and that "this will be huge." They've also enclosed the following teaser image which appears to depict a laser.

More info is promised this weekend.
9to5Mac claims that they have more information about the "Brick" codename and that "this will be huge." They've also enclosed the following teaser image which appears to depict a laser.

Apple has released an update to iTunes to version 8.0.1. The update is available in Mac OS X's Software Update and provides the following features:
iTunes 8.0.1 improves stability and performance and provides a number of important bug fixes, including:
Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
Improves checking for updates from the App Store
Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.
Apple released iTunes 8.0 on September 9th. iTunes 8 introduced Genius playback, High Definition TV shows, and a new iTunes visualizer.

A new tool called iPhone Backgrounder is now available for jailbroken phones which allows you to run official App Store apps in the background. The timely release comes just as Apple's missed the September deadline for background push notifications.
Backgrounder is a Mobile Substrate-based extension to Apple's SpringBoard application launcher that allows applications to run in the background (applications are normally terminated upon suspension).
To enable backgrounding for the app you are currently running, you simply press and hold the home button until a message pops up telling you that "Backgrounding Enabled".
Users can also set up an XML file that will enable backgrounding on specific applications by default. Detailed instructions are provided. Users must have a jailbroken iPhone to take advantage of this application.
Apple has restricted the use of background applications due to concerns about memory and battery life, so your experience could vary.
Macworld correctly notes that Apple has missed their deadline for a September release of background Push notifications for the iPhone.
At WWDC, Apple described a new method for applications to receive notifications even when not currently running. This functionality is required since iPhone applications are not allowed to run in the background. A common reason for this need would be to notify the user of a new message or alert from an application such as instant messaging. Apple's own Mail and SMS applications already benefit from this functionality.
Steve Jobs is said to have emailed a customer who inquired about the status of this new feature. Jobs reportedly said "We're running a bit late. We want to get it 100% right the first time."
While many readers await definitive news of a MacBook update, the void of legitimate rumors have triggered ongoing speculation about the anticipated release.
For lack of any new details, a lot of speculation has focused on the "Brick" codename that was first revealed by 9to5Mac. It seems any story about a possible Apple product tries to tie it to the mysterious codename. The problem with most of these predictions is that they ignore that the origin of the name relates exclusively to the new MacBook. There seems little chance that "brick" represents a new class of product.
The July rumor that Apple may adopt alternative chipsets has recently gotten a bit of traction with speculation that Apple could adopt the NVidia chipset which is scheduled for release on October 15th.
Readers may recall that October 14th is the rumored date of the Apple notebook refresh. There have been some incorrect reports that Apple had planned some sort of announcement on September 30th, but that simply turned out to be a routine conference call with their resellers.
And no lead up to a release would be complete without likely fake spy shots which claim to depict the new MacBook Pro.
Netflix posted an announcement about new content available for streaming, including new movies and television shows:
Today we announced an agreement with Starz Play that adds around 1,000 choices that you can watch instantly today, and will add another 1,500 by the end of the year. Movies include No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Superbad, and more.
...
Recently we also added a lot of new CBS, Disney and NBC TV episodes including of CSI, NCIS, Numbers, Jericho, Hannah Montana and Heroes.
Netflix is best known for its mail-order DVD rental service but also includes unlimited video streaming with their fixed monthly plans starting at $9/month. Netflix also recently launched a $100 set top box that allows customers to stream video straight to their television.
The blog post also confirms that Mac support for streaming video will arrive by the end of the year:
And, for all of you Mac users (of which I am one) weve been busy working getting a solution that will allow you to watch instantly on your Mac. So hang in there - well have something for you by the end of the year.
Netflix had previously revealed planned Mac support in January 2008 during Q4 financial results.
Earlier this week, a report posted to a French newspaper claimed that an odor being emitted from some Mac Pros could actually be toxic fumes.
A scientist quoted in the article says the odor contains several toxins, including benzene. Prolonged exposure to benzene raises the risk for diseases, including cancer.
An Apple spokesperson spoke to Macworld and stated that they have not found any evidence to prove this claim, but states they will continue to investigate it.
A strange startup odor has been noted by some Mac Pro owners on Apple's discussion forums.

Boxee is a free personal media center that offers an alternative and flexible media browser for several platforms. Boxee originated from the XBox Media Center project but has added social networking features and multiple platform support, now including the Apple TV. CNet took an early look at the software back in June and thought it was going to be the "next big thing" in media center software.
So what does Boxee do? If you've ever used Joost, it's somewhat similar. You can plug in feeds of Web videos and browse through them, complete with video thumbnails and meta data. What makes it different is that it taps into your local media like videos, photos, and music you have saved on your hard drive. Both layers of media (online and offline) are wrapped up together with a social network of other Boxee users, so if you like something you're watching you can recommend it to friends.
While the social networking features are nice, Apple TV owners will also enjoy the ability to browse media on their compuetrs, across a network, or on the Internet and playback a wide variety of video/audio formats including hard-drive saved DVD video with menu support. iTunes protected content, of course, is not available under Boxee, but those can still be played with the original Apple TV menu options which are preserved.
A demo video shows off the interface for Boxee. Boxee remains in alpha testing, so users should proceed with caution. At present Boxee is invite-only but users can easily apply and we've been assured that they will try to issue invites "as quickly as possible". Users can also invite other users and we ask that readers focus invite requests in this thread rather than cluttering up the article discussion thread.
Apple has announced that they have dropped the iPhone Non-Disclosure Agreement for released iPhone software.
We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.
We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others dont steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.
However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhones success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.
Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.
Apple is expected to release a new version of the NDA next week which will still cover unreleased software and features. This move should open up discussion between developers as well as publication of books on the iPhone SDK. Both activities have been limited due to the continuation of the non-disclosure agreement.
Developers can discuss iPhone programming in our dedicated forum.

BlockBreaker Deluxe 2 ($4.99) - as compared to the "official" Atari Super Breakout, this unofficial version brings more action, power-ups and fun.
RagingThunder ($7.99) - formerly a jailbreak-only game, this 3D racer successfully brings arcade racing to the iPhone.
Real Football (Soccer) 2009 ($9.99) - an impressive level of depth and gameplay, recommended for all football (soccer) fans.
Vector Blaster ($2.99) - fans of Atari's old Tempest game will love this iPhone rendition.
Papijump Plus ($0.99) - for some reason we can't get enough of this silly little game. The "plus" version offers different levels with new obstacles. If you haven't tried the free version, you should.
According to Fortune, the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington D.C. is expected to rule on Thursday about a request by the National Music Publishers' Association to increase royalty rates for downloads from online music stores such as iTunes. The request asks for an increase in rates from 9 cents to 15 cents a track. It should be noted that this group represents the copyright holders of songs and is distinct from the record companies themselves.
Understandably, Apple is opposed to the rate increase and, in a statement submitted to the board, even suggested that Apple might close iTunes altogether:
"If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the ... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss - which is no alternative at all," Cue wrote. "Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."
Apple claims that the market would not accept an increase in the per-track price and that overall sales would decrease. The Fortune article writer doubts that Apple would take such drastic measures as closing the iTunes Store as Apple has used it to leverage hardware sales of iPods and now iPhones.
A recent survey of the "coolest" brands in the UK found that the iPhone placed at the #2 spot while Apple placed at the #3 spot. The list was topped by Aston Martin.
The annual CoolBrands poll reflects the opinions of industry experts and more than 2,500 members of the public. Members of the expert judging panel include Mother strategy director Dylan Williams, fashion designer Ben de Lisi and television presenters June Sarpong and Lauren Laverne. The panel is chaired by Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis.
The 2007 list (PDF) had the iPod in the #2 spot. The iPod is nowhere to be found on this year's list. Meanwhile, Apple has jumped up from #7 in 2007 to #3 this year.

- Users can customize their AIM for Mac experience with AIM Expressions - Change your AIM sounds, wallpaper, emoticon set or Buddy Icon.
- File Transfer, Tabbed IM conversations, friendly names, AIM Groups, AIM Blast groups are supported.
- With a single click, you can view your mail in AOL or AIM webmail.
AOL had previously released a version of AIM for the Mac but that version was last updated in 2004. AIM for Mac Beta 1 is available as a free download.
Flash Magazine reports on comments made by Adobe's Sr. Director of Engineering Paul Betlem during a Town Hall meeting at the Flash on the Beach Conference.
Betlem provides some followup for comments made by Adobe's Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen in March. Narayen claimed that Adobe would develop an iPhone Flash player themselves and release it through the App Store. There was some debate about the feasibility of this given the restrictions of the iPhone SDK.
Betlem now confirms that an Adobe Flash player for iPhone depends entirely on Apple's approval, but claims that a player could be made available "in a very short time" if they are given the go ahead.
"My team is working on Flash on the iPhone, but it's a closed platform." He noted that Apple makes all the decisions, so in other words, the ball is in Apple's yard at this time.
Apple's Steve Jobs has claimed that the full version of Flash would not run well on the iPhone.
The big news amongst Mac gamers this past week was the release of Call of Duty 4 for the Mac. The sequel to the popular first-person shooter has been available on PCs and gaming consoles since November of 2007, but the Mac version has only just been released.
Featuring a tense storyline, filled with plot twists, the title thrusts players into battle like never before. With amazing special effects, including rim-lighting, depth of field, texture streaming and character self-shadowing, players are enlisted into one of the most photo-realistic gaming experiences imaginable.
Some early physical copies of the game have been found to be faulty, causing activation problems, but this appears to have been resolved. The game can be found at Amazon or your local retailer. Aspyr is also offering the game as a direct digital download from GameAgent.
The game requires an Intel Core 2 Duo Mac running at 2.0GHz. The game is not compatible with integrated video chipsets or PowerPC Macs. Apple recently highlighted the game on their website.

Facebook has updated their native iPhone app to version 2.0 today. The long awaited update brings a number of new features to the popular social networking application. New features include:
- Notifications
-The full News Feed
- News Feed story comments
- People search
- Friend requests
- Photo tagging
- Photo captioning
- Photo posts to your friends' Walls
- The full Mini-Feed, now combined with The Wall
- Your entire inbox, plus the sent folder and updates tab
- Inbox search
- Message attachments
Facebook also promises the app will be "much faster and more stable." Facebook is a free application that is available in the App Store: Facebook App.
[via TUAW]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs wowed the crowd during the companys World Wide Developer Conference back in June with demos of various iPhone games that were in development for eventual App Store release. One of the more impressive titles was Digital Legends Kroll.
Kroll appeared in the App Store today as a $7.99 download. Kroll is described as a 3D-rendered side-scrolling fighter divided into three chapters, each of which includes three levels plus a boss battle. The game is controlled by touching six icons arrayed about the edges of the iPhones screen. Said controls consist of left / right movement, left / right quick attacks, and left / right delivery of slower, more powerful attacks.
Gameplay video:
App store link: Kroll
While we typically don't follow the ebb and flow of Apple's stock (AAPL) price on MacRumors, today the value of the company dove over 15% when two analysts cut their ratings on Apple.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, RBC Capital Market and Morgan Stanley both downgraded Apple's value from bullish "outperform" or "overweight" to more neutral "sector perform" or "equal weight". Both cited concerns that Apple may not be able to maintain its traditionally high margins in the face of decreased consumer electronics spending and heightened competition.
Indeed, Apple had hinted at possible margin erosion in their last quarterly conference call. Tomorrow is the last day of the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008.
Update: AAPL closed today at $105.55 per share, down 17.69%.