MacRumors

Apple has filed a patent application published on October 4th, which reveals that as far back as March 2006, they have been investigating the possibility of pressure sensitive touch screens.

Apple describes that historically, purely pressure-sensitive screens offer little advantage as an input device. The resultant "stiction" created between the finger and the touch surface makes it difficult to operate smoothly.

Instead, resistive (Newton, Palm) touch displays and more recently capacitive (iPhone) displays have dominated the market. Neither of these touch screen technologies, however, measure the degree of pressure the user applies to the screen. By incorporating this pressure information in a hybrid capacitive + pressure display, Apple believes useful information could be gleaned to provide a better user experience.

This is not the first time that Apple has described the use of "pressure" information to aid in gathering information from the user. A patent application published in March 2006 also describes the use of pressure and length of time pressed as variables that might change action. An example provided is when the user is given the option of a "Delete" button, the user would have to press harder for the delete button to be acknowledged.

Apple has seeded version 1.1 of ZFS (Zettabyte File System) for Mac OS X to Developers this week. The preview updates a previous build released on June 26, 2007.

In the release notes, Apple confirms that the original release of Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) will only offer Read-Only ZFS. As a result, no ZFS pools or filesystems can be modified or created under 10.5.0. This developer's preview enables full read/write capability, including the creation/destruction of ZFS pools and filesystems.

ZFS is described as "a fundamentally new approach to data management. We've blown away 20 years of obsolete assumptions, eliminated complexity at the source, and created a storage system that's actually a pleasure to use."

The initial version of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is rumored to be released on October 26th, 2007. It's unclear when Leopard will incorporate full Read/Write ZFS support, but it seems clear that Apple is working on adding this functionality.

Apple has acknowledged an iMac freezing issue that was published by AppleInsider earlier this week.

AppleInsider had noted two growing Apple discussion boards filling with complaints regarding the issue (one, two). Indeed, MacRumors' own forums have dealt with the issue.

It has been suggested that the ATI graphics drivers are to blame, as the issue became more pronounced after iMac Software Update 1.1. Both software updates for the new iMac have been geared towards the graphics drivers.

In a statement to Macworld, Apple confirms it is aware of the issue and assures a fix is coming.

We are tracking down the root cause of this bug, and will issue a software update which corrects it as soon as we can most likely later this month, the company spokesperson said. We apologize for the inconvenience.

9to5mac suggests that Apple has already lined up specific development partners for 3rd party applications on the iPhone. EA is reportedly porting their existing iPod games over to the iPhone, with "other big developers" also on board.

9to5mac expects Apple to adopt an application model from T-Mobile's Sidekick, in which developers submit applications for review and approval.

If Tmobile/Danger feel the application is stable, won't interfere with other applications and would be of interest to their customers, they make it available for download and install through an integrated payment system. The cost of application is added to the customer's monthly bill. The Danger team actively works with the developers to insure compatibility and stability in applications through SidekickOS updates.

The site also suggests that Apple will continue to thwart efforts for user-installation of 3rd party apps to reduce piracy concerns.

Appleinsider believes that Apple is preparing for announcements late in October, specifically between the 22nd and 27th of the month.

They specifically point to October 26th as the likely ship date for Mac OS X Leopard, but don't rule out the possibility of additional announcements near that date.

ThinkSecret also believes that Leopard will launch on or around October 26th.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is available for pre-order at Amazon

Apple's iPhone "SDK" will remain web-based for the foreseeable future, according to an Arstechnica source. However, the source elaborated to say that Apple is actively working to expand the capabilities given in the web-based SDK.

Improvements are said to be forthcoming to Safari to allow off-line storage capabilities which would gain the ability to run 3rd party web-based code without accessing the internet. Other possible improvements include deeper access to iPhone functions via JavaScript and home screen icon placement.

"The entire purpose of all this work is to make the iPhone 'SDK' (WebKit) more usable," our source told us.

The targeted release date of such improvements is January 2008, most likely Macworld San Francisco.

Poll: Before iPhone 1.1.1, did you install 3rd party applications on your iPhone?

DigiTimes cites OEM sources stating that Apple is considering using Intel's Moorestown mobile Internet device platform processor in a future iPhone.

Intel had demoed an iPhone-like device based off the platform, due in 2009, at the latest Intel Developer Forum (Engadget). Like the Samsung ARM processor currently used, Moorestown is a system-on-chip design, and will combine processing abilities such as the CPU, graphics, video and memory controller onto a single chip. Moorestown can also support standardized communications capabilities such as Wi-Fi, 3G and WiMAX.

Raw Data: Intel Press Release of Moorestown

Microsoft announced three new models of its Zune music player on Tuesday. The new models mirror Apple's iPod Nano and iPod lines by introducing a flash-based 4GB/8GB at $149 and $199 along with a larger 80GB hard-drive based model at $249. The previous 30GB Zune will continue to be sold at $199.99, and receive a software update bringing it up to par with the new Zune features.

All Zunes feature Wi-Fi connectivity for sharing songs as well as automatic wireless syncing to PCs. Over the air purchasing, however, is not presently available on the new Zunes. Other features include a touch-sensitive navigation button allowing users to slide their finger up/down/left/right to navigate around the screen.

In addition, Microsoft also announced that they would be selling more than 1 million songs in DRM-free MP3 format. They've also introduced podcasts and music videos selections. Wired's hands on with the units also describe a new social networking site called Zune Social which compiles a list songs you play on your PC or Zune so friends can see what you are listening to.

Microsoft has reportedly sold 1.2 million Zunes since its launch in November 2006. The new Zunes are expected to ship in November 2007, but provide no Mac OS X support.

Other Notes:

- Wireless sharing ("squirting") now only limited to 3 plays (previously limited to 3 plays or 3 days, whichever came first)
- You can now share a song that's been shared to you.
- Supports h.264 and MPEG4 video
- FM Tuner
- Syncs with Windows Media Center (Can copy TV shows from the PVR)
- Flash version: 1.8" Screen (Zune) vs 2.0" Screen (Nano)
- HD version: 3.2" Screen (Zune) vs 2.5" Screen (iPod Classic)
- No more Brown color option

Many have noticed a support document posted by Apple reminding users the licensing terms of Boot Camp -- Apple's boot into Windows solution for Intel-based Macs.

Apple states that the Boot Camp Beta program will end when Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is released in October, 2007. Boot Camp 1.2 has already expired as of September 30th, while Boot Camp Beta 1.3 and 1.4's license expires the moment Leopard is released. This seems to suggest that the software would remain functional, but that the licensing terms only extend until Leopard's release.

When Apple first released Boot Camp, it was billed as a feature of their upcoming Leopard operating system, but released as a public beta at that time. Apple has since released regular updates to Boot Camp, with the most recent release in August 2007.

Appleinsider gives us a close up look at Leopard's Preview application.

Beyond the basic PDF and image file viewing, Preview 4.0 adds new tools to annotate PDFs with ovals, rectangle, text notes and hyperlinks. (Oval and text annotation are available in the current version of Preview) Apple also added underline, strikeout, or highlight a text selection in the Acrobat compatible format. These additional tools, however, are not available in the default Preview toolbar. Users must customize the toolbar to have access to the new tools.

Image editing tools are also provided, including image correction, size adjustment, instant alpha, and extract shape, giving Preview an interesting subset of editing tools.

Preview 4.0 will ship with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard which is expected to be released later this month.