Office 2008 is now in Beta!

Microsoft launched a private Beta of Office 2008 for Mac! Office 2008 for Mac is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2007. It's going to be the first Universal version of Office (runs natively on Intel Macs). It'll also add XML compatibility that is required for interopability with the Windows version of the latest Office 2007.

iPhone to be released June 11?

Cnet News reports that the iPhone is going to be released June 11, the first day of Apple Developers' Conference. This came from a Cingular customer service manager. This date might be surprising since Apple said there would be no third-party applications for the iPhone.

Boot Camp 1.2!

Apple released a new version of Boot Camp. This version 1.2 now supports Windows Vista. This definitely proves that Leopard is not delayed until October because of Vista support in Boot Camp like previously reported by DigiTimes.

Booting Apple TV from an external USB hard drive!

An interesting video from awkwardtv.org that shows how to boot Apple TV from an external USB hard drive. This proves that the built-in USB port is not only for maintenance like Apple said:

Leopard still set for Spring!

AppleInsider posted an interesting article about the release of Leopard in Spring. The analyst Shaw Wu stays with a Spring timeframe for Leopard and even says that 10.5 is going to be in Release Candidate(instead of Beta) soon.

Leopard delayed?

Digitimes claims that Leopard is on track for being delayed until October. The only feature holding up Leopard is reportedly BootCamp. Apple would want to add Vista compatibility before shipping 10.5. Apple has historically kept to it's release date pretty well and the delays have rarely been this long. It would be surprising also for Apple to hold up the release of the potentially 10.5 dependant iLife 07, iWork 07 and Final Cut Pro 6 just for the compatibility of a competitive OS. Many current BootCamp users are also pointing out that the installation of Vista through BootCamp is very easy except for the drivers that are not included in the BootCamp file. Most drivers are available however and it probably wouldn't take that long to update the driver part of Boot Camp. Apple is meanwhile still claiming a Spring release on their website.

Unboxing Apple TV!

Gizmodo posted some great unboxing pictures of the Apple TV! The article also points out that the Apple TV doesn't include an HDMI cable to hook it up to your tv.

Unboxing pictures

Installation pictures

Apple TV ship!

Customers have reported that their Apple TV order just shipped and is on track for a March 23rd delivery date.

Apple TV finally shipping?

According to CNN Money, Apple will finally ship the first Apple TV Wednesday March 20. This reports might only be based on the March 20th date Apple is telling their customers at the moment.

New phones supported in 10.4.9 version of iSync!

MacUser reported that Apple added many new supported phones in iSync released Tuesday in 10.4.9. The new supported phones are:

Motorola K1
Motorola K1m
Motorola L2
Motorola V3m
Nokia 6102
Nokia 6103
Nokia 6131
Nokia E61
Nokia E62
Nokia N71
Nokia N72
Nokia N73
Nokia N80
Nokia N91
Nokia N93
Samsung D600
Samsung D900
Sony Ericsson K610i
Sony Ericsson K790i
Sony Ericsson K800i
Sony Ericsson Z525a

Apple also released another update to iTunes today: 7.1.1. The update is only for bug fixes.

Mac OS X 10.4.9 Released!

Apple has just released Mac OS X 10.4.9. According to the long time Apple took before this release, it is very likely that it is the last update before 10.5 Leopard. With this being released, Leopard is definitely around the corner. Also released alongside is an update to iPhoto (6.0.6). The iPhoto update is only for bug fixes.

Laptops with Flash memory!

Reuters reported some predictions by the analyst Shaw Wu. Wu is saying that Apple is working on incorporating Flash memory in their portable line to increase battery life and reduce boot time. Wu confirms that Apple is ready to launch this technology and is waiting for a drop in Flash prices.

TV shows and movies coming to 5 new countries!

iLounge posted an interesting news about the iTunes 7.1 released today. The new version of iTunes now has a country selection for the parental control of Movies and TV Shows. The list includes Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. The choice for movies and tv shows is available for all countries except the United Kingdom which only has movie ratings. This could possibly lead to the addition of tv shows and movies in these countries in the near future!

iTunes 7.1 adds Apple TV, QuickTime 7.1.5!

Apple just released an update to iTunes bringing it to version 7.1. The update adds the much anticipated Apple TV compatibility as well as a new full screen coverflow. Also released alongside iTunes was QuickTime 7.1.5.

Creative Suite 3 to be released March 27

Macworld UK has confirmed that Adobe will indeed be launching CS3 at a special event planned for March 27. This is going to be the first Universal Binary release of the professional suite CS by Adobe.

DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2 and Backup 3.1.1

Apple posted today updates for DVD Studio Pro and Backup. Backup is only for .Mac suscribers. Both updates are available through Software Update.

Apple will hold a special event at NAB (confirmed)!

Yahoo News just posted a report stating that Apple will be holding a special event at NAB (National Association of Broadcasters). This could possibly mean the introduction of Final Cut Pro 6 or a new version of SoundTrack Pro. Both Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro were introduced at NAB 2005. An updated Mac Pro is also a possibility as last year NAB saw hardware update such as the MacBook Pro 17". The special event is scheduled for April 15th!