Patently Apple, a website that specializes in tracking patent applications submitted by Apple, dug up recently indications of what an iMac/iPad hybrid might look like.  The patent describes how the computer would shift from being a regular Mac when the display is close to being vertical to being an iPad-like device when the display is moved into a slanted position. I don’t expect this to really be what an iMac/iPad hybrid device will look like or really function.  A much more likely scenario would be for the Mac to be able to display iPad and iPhone applications in their own floating windows...

Patently Apple has dug up a set of Apple patent request submissions that clearly show a notebook with a touch screen.  While this does not necessarily mean that such a computer is just around the corner, it is yet another indication that the multi-touch interface will eventually find its way into OS X and the Mac. I have written about this in the past and the continuing success of the iPad only gives me more conviction about this.  What we could be seeing in a future update to OS X is a set of small changes which would make the basic operating system interface a bit more touch-friendly so that you...

Another rumor that started circulating today is that an update to Apple’s iLife suite will be coming out in August.  This might be just an unsubstantiated rumor brought along by the fact that Apple did not release a new version of the application suit in the last year, but it is a mighty interesting rumor nonetheless. This rumor includes the notion that a new application will be included  in the suite, though no information is available on just what that application might be.  We’ll just have to wait and see if there is any substance to this...

Over the past couple of weeks evidence has been gathering that updates to the desktop Mac lines might be eminent.  First it was the Mac Pro that had some models listed as unavailable for in-store reservations.  Now, its the iMac that has started being listed as unavailable. The all-in-one iMac and the expandable Mac Pro have been due for an update for some time, as the smallish Mac mini was updated more than a month ago.  We can expect to see a general revision on the graphics cards across the board in the new models, but what other upgrades or changes we might see is still...

Despite all the iPhone 4 frenzy, this seems like a week full of Mac rumors.  A rumor has been circulating widely today that upcoming versions of both the iMac and the Mac Pro will have USB 3.0 ports as well as faster Firewire ports. With external disk size being now measured in the Terabytes, it seems like a good idea to add faster peripheral connectivity to the new desktop macs.  In fact it would not be a bad thing for the next generation of MacBooks either as pocket hard drives have also reached the 1 TB mark. Faster interface ports are so a great thing for everyone that does video editing as they...

There are reports going around that there is a new smaller MacBook Air in the works.  The rumor is that a MacBook Air with a screen of 11.6 inches is in the works.  This would be an even thinner and more portable than the previous versions and would be using an energy efficient version of Intel’s new Core line of processors. There are rumors going around about a new iPod Touch but those are the pretty obvious ones:  that it will use the same processor as the iPad and iPhone 4, that it will have a camera which be able to capture video as well as take pictures.     Personally, I expected the...

Analysts are presenting estimates (also known as guesses) that Apple’s sales of Macs may be up from 35 to 37%, compared to the same quarter of last year.  Apple has still to announce its official results for the quarter. There has been a lot talk about the iPad cannibalizing Mac sales, but I have never put much faith on that possibility, at least not at this time.  I feel it is much more probably that people will choose to use an iPad in place of a netbook than of a regular notebook or desktop computer. Of course the iPad is more than capable of drawing people away from their notebooks and...

I’ve been saying this for a while, and now I can see some others starting to say it too.  The future of OS X and iPhone OS is convergence.  Could the name change from iPhone OS to iOS be the first step towards this unified future?  Actually, I should say re-unified as iPhone OS is an offshoot of OS X. Do you remember when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone?  He said and I quote “it runs OS X”.   Today I ran into the first rumors about a touch enabled iMac.  I believe we are still a long way from reaching the point where Apple will announce this, as I believe that what is...

As we approach the start of Apple’s WWDC 2010 conference rumors and guesses about what is going to announced by Steve Jobs at the opening keynote session grows.  Apple’s recent success with the release of the iPad and the expectations around the release of a new model of iPhone might relegate such a basic product as the Mac mini to a minor release status, but there is a general expectation that an update to the product is coming. AppleInsider has reported that a growing number of stores are running low on inventory or totally sold out of Mac minis and this is a common sign that Apple is...