Macgasm

Apple updated their Apple Store app this week, which besides letting you shop the online Apple Store right from your iPhone or iPad, also brings new in-store functionality.

If you are in an Apple Store for an appointment, you can use the Apple Store app to let them know that you’ve arrived, using the new check-in feature. You can also use it to request help. Note that iOS 4 is required to utilize this feature.

Other new features of the Apple Store app:

• ordering engraving and gift wrapping on select online purchases
• reserving items for pickup at your local Apple Retail Store
• adding Apple Retail Store reservations directly to iCal

It certainly is handy to check in from your iPhone, especially in a busy store. However, my experience in checking in for appointments has always been pretty good, with very little wait time, if any. And sometimes it’s nice to talk to a person to let them know you’re here.

The Apple Store app is available in the US App Store but not in Canada at this time.

Article Via The Next Web

Now that Apple’s officially killed off the optical drive, it’s becoming increasingly useless to keep the drives in use in your Macs. The space could be put to better use as a secondary drive, in my opinion.

OWC has been on top of that for a while now, having a Data Doubler optical bay drive mounting kit for the entire MacBook lineup, and as of yesterday, they now have a kit available for Mac Minis and iMac models.

The kits are ideal for adding a Solid State Drive to your system along side a traditional Sata drive. It’s kind of funny that this was released today, since I just yanked my optical drive out of my MacBook Pro, and found myself considering the Data Doubler for my laptop.

If you have used one of these with any success, let us know in the comments. I’d love to hear how well they work before making a decision.

Article Via OWC PR

Apple’s updated their terms and conditions to include the words “Content Rental” where movies was previously. Their notice specifies that they have “clarified that content rented on certain devices may not be moved to other devices.” That doesn’t really say too much about what’s changed or what it means for people renting “content” in the iTunes store, so we thought we’d dig into the Terms and Conditions and try to figure it out a little bit.

Here it is, broken down:

1. Content rentals are viewable on only one device at a time.
2. You must be connected to the Service when moving rentals, and you may do so only between your computer and other compatible devices.
3. Content rented using your Apple TV, iPad, iPhone 4, or iPod touch (4th generation) may not be moved.

The third point is the most disturbing, and it’s pretty clear. You cannot rent any content on your Apple TV, iPad, iPhone 4, or iPod touch and use it on anything other than the device you rented it on.

What’s not mentioned at all is whether or not you’ll be able to stream the content via AirPlay in the future. According to the rental conditions, you’re just not allowed to move the files manually to another player.

So there you have it, no movie rental or television rental can be moved from one iDevice to another.  It seems like Apple’s only updated the US version of the conditions so far, but it’s likely only a matter of time before other countries see theirs updated as well.

Article Via MacObserver

Apple has a rich history of great advertisements.

The company’s first ad for the Mac — titled 1984 — has won several awards and was one of the first mega-production SuperBowl ads. Other great ad campaigns included “Who is Newton,” Switcher and, of course, Think Different. The 1985 ad Lemmings was a rare mis-step for the company. More recent ad campaigns include the dancing iPod people and of course the “Get a Mac” series.

The company also has a rich history of print ads, billboards, and more.

According to a new report over at TechCrunch, the company spent more in 2010 on advertising than before. MG Siegler:

For 2010, the company’s advertising costs were $691 million. That’s up from $501 million last year. And it’s the first huge jump for Apple in recent years. In 2008, for example, they spent $486 million. And in 2007, they spent $467 million. In other words, in previous years, the ramp up in ad spending has been about $15 to $20 million. This past year? A $190 million jump.

$691 million is a giant amount of money, but represents around 1% of the company’s total revenue, which for 2010 came in around $65 billion. According to TechCrunch,  Microsoft spent over twice this amount on advertising last year. Needless to say, it seems that Apple is getting a lot more bang for their buck. While the “Windows 7 Was My Idea” and “Laptop Hunter” series of ads were clever, they aren’t particularly memorable. And that’s what counts when talking about advertising.

Article Via AppleInsider

You’ve probably sat on the couch and thumbed your laptop or iPad on more than one occasion. The moment you notice it, you can’t not notice it. The scratches that plague our tech is enough to drive some of us pretty crazy. Apple feels your pain, and they’re experimenting with placing a thin layer of nitride on top of their devices to give it that extra strength and scratch resistance, all while maintaining the beauty of the device.

Where was this two years ago when I decided to lug my MacBook Pro across Europe with me? Apple Insider says that the nitride “is non-magnetic and less likely to inhibit wireless technology like a cell phone signal, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.” It makes a lot of sense that Apple would be spending their time trying to make their devices a little more rugged. The more people buy these things, the more they want to carry them around naked, without a cover or case for the device.

I hate keeping my iPad in a case, and if I could be assured that it won’t get dinged up, I would leave the case behind.

What about you? Would you trust this process to protect your device, or would you still feel the need to keep it in some bubble wrap while you travel?

Article Via AppleInsider

Well, you no longer have to worry about a customs agent taking your MacBook out back and shooting it. The TSA has finally released their stance on the New MacBook Air.

According to the US Transportation Security Administration, the 11.6 inch MacBook Air can be left in your bag, but that 13 inch will have to be taken out, and run through their screening tests. So if you travel a lot, you might want to consider that 11.6 inch version over the 13 inch model.

It seems pretty arbitrary to us, but then again, we’re not the ones protecting borders. According to The Mac Observer, “Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple.” It doesn’t really make sense to me. I’m not exactly sure how two inches can make a difference here.

Article Via TUAW

Photo Credit: Christy Clark

AppleInsider reported Monday night that U.S. Apple Stores are implementing a brand-new iOS app called ‘Concierge’,’ which sends push notifications to employees when customers check in for Genius Bar appointments.

Customers must, of course, check in using an iOS device. The Apple Store app will send a message to a customer’s iOS device once they enter the store, prompting their check in. Once checked in, the customer receives a picture of the employee who will help them, as well as their position in line.

On the employee end, an ‘iQueue’ can be monitored, which lists all waiting customers and their check in times.

Additionally, store management will have access to a function of the Concierge app called ‘Scout’ (not pictured), for the purpose of setting up specific check in locations. The ‘Scout’ function is purportedly a one-time deal, as Apple collects the data for their location-based services.

The idea behind the Concierge app, as with anything Apple implements in their retail stores, is to make the customer experience easier. But will it?

During my tenure as a Specialist in Apple retail, my store was using a web app and (with the advent of EasyPay Touch) an iOS app to help us keep track of customers’ appointments. There was always an employee stationed at the door for the dual purpose of greeting and physically checking in customers for their various appointments. The system worked about 80% of the time.

But if you’ve ever worked retail, you know that weekends are excruciating. Malls are awash with teenagers goofing off, families trying to get errands done, and masses of slow-moving window shoppers. All of these people like to congregate in the Apple Store. Teenagers can’t resist the siren song of endless PhotoBooth sessions, it takes ages for a family to decide on what Mac they want, and endless people spend hours playing with devices  they have no intention to buy.

Factor that in with a store attempting to keep to its Genius Bar schedule, and it spells disaster and doom. Especially for that poor person stationed at the door.

Customers being able to check themselves in is a blessing for situations like these. One of the most painful memories I have of the Apple Store was watching a colleague struggle with checking in arriving customers, directing others to the Genius Bar, and having to placate a growing circle of still others impatiently waiting their turn. Now, with the Concierge app, customers will become more self-service. Fewer people will have to be checked in by a human. In essence, the flow of customers in the store should have fewer clogs.

Obviously, those with iOS devices will have the upper hand, unless retail stores set up their display devices to allow check ins. (Previously, all Macs on display were equipped with customer-facing check in software).

Have you been to the Apple Store recently and checked in via this app? Let us know your experience in the comments!

Article Via AppleInsider

Photo Credit: MacStories

Header Photo Credit: Mark Jardine

At this point it’s almost a foregone conclusion: Apple’s planning on releasing a CDMA iPhone. The phone might be dual band (allowing it to work on both GSM and CDMA based networks), and it might even include a SIM card created by Apple that lets users avoid all the hassle of setting up their phone with a carrier.

Sure, all of these things are rumors at this point, but there’s power in numbers, and if we can take anything away from these assertions, it’s that there’re a lot of people who say a CDMA phone is going to be released any time now. With the traditional iPhone announcement only three months away now, it’s pretty likely that we’ll hear about them in January. Digitimes is reporting that Pegatron Technology is the manufacturer who is responsible for putting together the CDMA iPhone version, and that they’re planning on releasing 10 million devices in the next year. 9 to 5 Mac is reporting that Pegratron is also hiring 10,000 employees to make the Apple mobile devices.

It looks like Apple’s going all in now.

But there’s more to this story than the claims by 9 to 5 Mac. Foxconn is also saying that they’re going to be creating the CDMA iPhone. With all of these companies saying they’re gearing up to ship a ton of CDMA iPhones, is there really any doubt left that the iPhone will be available on the Verizon network in the new year?

We’d be very surprised if this doesn’t actually become a reality.

Article Via 9 to 5 Mac