And yet another evil alliance is threatening to loom out of the darkness... Well, no, not really.

In any case, with MacWorld getting ever so close, many have been hanging on to the expectation that Steve Jobs will be announcing a team-up with Google. The possibility of this new alliance has been brought up by analyst Steve Arnold who points out that it isn't that impossible, considering that Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has a place on Apple's board.

However, whether this announcement will come or not is really anyone's guess at the moment, especially since Jobs is still expected to dodge several other issues and rumors. Among these issues would be the recent stock options backdating fiasco which he and several officials got caught up in, as well as questions regarding the appearance (or existence) of the iPhone.

Oh, and last but not least, there's that OTHER pressing question: If Google and Apple joined up, what would they be called?

Goopple?

In its more than 20 years of existence, MacWorld Expo has always been held during the first weeks of January. Next year isn't any different to the previous conferences. One highlight of such activities are the keynote speeches, especially that of Steve Jobs. Probably the most celebrated of all Apple officials, Jobs words are sometimes as good as their company's stand on particular matters.

Again, next year shouldn't be any different as Steve Jobs would be present at the expo. The big question now is, what is he going to talk about? The last thing we heard from the guy was something about looking back and beyond the iPod...Or was it the CNBC interview? We can't remember anymore.

Anyway, some people are not willing to wait until January to find out. They would rather confer now and speculate on these matters. Nope, they are not spreading rumors. They. Are. Just. Talking. Since we don't want you guys waiting or getting left behind, here's their take on the matter:

• Steve will definitely talk about: OS X Leopard, iLife 07, and iTV
• Steve will probably talk about: MacPro revisions, revised cinema displays, MacMini revision, iPhone and full screen iPod
• Steve will possibly but not likely talk about: Apple Tablet and MacBook Sub Notebook

What do you think? Do you share the same opinions? Please feel free and share your own MacWorld opinions with us. Remember: we are just talking.

Inquisitor series of search helpers for Safari">David Watanabe, you rule. Seriously. You've been developing the Inquisitor to the point that many tech savvy Safari users probably think it's already part of their system. Lucky for Safari folk, there's a new version out now.

The new version, Inquisitor 3.0, is currently on beta 1 stage. Now, if you don't know what it is, Inquisitor helps you search for whatever it is you're looking for on Safari. It'll predict what you're typing and suggest particular sites depending on what you're looking for. It has an auto-complete function for the words you might be searching, so you can skip some thought processes if you feel like it. Best of all is the ability to customize it by adding search engines to Safari.

Now, if you're wondering what's so great about it besides that, you also have to realize it's stylish, and looks good on a Mac interface. Of course, it probably won't work on a Firefox browser with a Mac interface, but that's beside the point. It's got the same functionality as previous versions of Inquisitor, but this time, it's free.

You can't go wrong with free, can you? If you're interested, don't hesitate to say hi to the developer. Let us know if you like the add-on as well, alright?

We'll be celebrating the iPod's 5th birthday in a week. With that in mind, Newsweek's Steven Levy interviewed Apple CEO Steve Jobs about Apple's much-beloved MP3 player, about how it all began, about Job's outlook on Microsoft's Zune player (reputed to be the next iPod killer), and about Job's outlook towards the near future.

First up. Jobs, when asked about the iPod's success as a player, and how it had succeeded where players before it failed. The secret? "Look at the design of a lot of consumer productsÂ?they're really complicated surfaces. " Jobs said about the designs that had been there before. He further explained that the iPod's forte had always been its simple elegance - it was a very well thought-out system that didn't burden its user with complicated music libraries; that was what iTunes was for.

The other more pressing note, Newsweek inquired what was Job's opinion on the Zune, Microsoft's contender against the iPod. Was he worried? "In a word, no," Jobs said about the Zune, as he explained how the internet vids of Zune users being able track other Zune owners, and its ability to share music had not impressed him. His suggestions for sharing tunes? Share the earphones. Simple, practical, foolproof.

Lastly, he was quizzed regarding his outlook for the iPod as a music player. With features like web books and podcasts now part of the iPod's functions, would the iPod still be a music player? "I think that music faded in importance for a while, and the iPod has helped to bring music back into people's lives in a really meaningful way," he said, implying the iPod's core would always be its music-carrying ability, even as it expanded into uncharted waters.

And with this, we kick off (NOT the iPOD!) the week prior to its birthday.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been interviewed on CNBC following the September 12 media event in San Francisco concerning the company's latest announcements. Jobs told CNBC that Apple is very happy with its iPod sales and has good expectations for the forthcoming quarters. As far as overall sales are concerned, the Apple CEO said Â?WeÂ?ve never sold this many of anything before, and so weÂ?re learning as we go, but so far weÂ?re pretty happy.Â?

Jobs also commented on the stock-options irregularities on AppleÂ?s finances, and he admitted that Apple did discover some discrepancies but is not facing an SEC probe. Apple are conducting an internal investigation into the finance books, but Jobs added that the internal investigation will be completed within Â? a not terribly distant futureÂ?. Watch the video to see the interview!

So you thought our Apple coverage was over? Far from it. We got pics from Engadget with their blow-by-blow coverage of Apple's big Showtime conference. And for now, we'll focus on something everyone's been at the edge of their seat for. And so, hold on to your precious Pods and Macs. 'Cuz Steve Jobs gives us:

 

You can probably just skip reading all the text in this article; maybe go on to the pictures and let them do the talking. Are you sure about that? Steve Job's keynote address states that the iTV (still a codeword) will be announced on the first quarter of 2007. As of now, we're just being given a sneak peek. Their point is that they've got all these media content up in their iTunes store. And their next gen of iPods can probably play much anything already. So. Where does the iTV come in?

Click the Full Article link below to find out...

It seems to be a jam-packed month for Apple this September. But everything seems to focus on the "special event" on the 12th, when Steve Jobs himself would beam a conference via satellite throughout the world. And just a few hours ago, we reported on Apple releasing new iPods and an iMac on the said media event.

But what everyone's been speculating about is Apple's big secret. And everyone seems to be looking at the big screen for answers. The rumor, that was not a rumor, about iTunes having a download stream of movies, seems to be one of the major things that Jobs will talk about. And it has been speculated about that Jobs would not establish a movie downloading service unless there would be a wide, touch-screen to coincide with it, and when asked about this, Jobs would merely chuckle as if he were planning it all along.

It also seems as if Apple has been secretly developing a video streaming device that would interact with the iTunes JukeBox software. This device is still hidden behind the deepest secret vaults of Apple, and some insiders can only even just speculate. They say it would most likely be a video-enabled counterpart of their existing AirPort Express wireless stations, which lets people stream their music to their home stereo systems.

Well, whatever this secret video streaming device is, people are anticipating that its impact would be of the same magnitude (or greater than that) of the introduction of the iPod back in 2001. We here at QJ are equally excited/intrigued. And all anyone can do right now is wait. As for you guys, we're sure to bring you coverage once the news comes out!

Another Apple Expo is confirmed to be Jobs-less. Nope, it isn't a typo. Jobs-less as in no Steve Jobs.

This time, the charismatic Chief Executive passes on to give a keynote address at the largest annual Apple trade show in Europe. This was confirmed by organizer Reed Expositions spokesperson, Clementine Tisserand.

"There will be no keynote at this year's show" she said, adding that the decision was not made by Reed. The expo is slated to run from September 12 -16 at Porte De Versailles in Paris, France.

It is worth mentioning also that such non-appearance is not the first of its kind. Because of one reason or another, Jobs has failed to attend their company's expos since the year 2003.

It will be remembered that the new iPods and new fall Mac computer line were introduced using special media events last year of September and October.

WWDC is a conference for Apple developers that gives the company a chance to show them some love while disseminating important information about the next-gen hardware on Apple's launch horizon. There is no live stream coming from the event floor, so minute to minute coverage (complete with pictures) is all there is until Apple makes the footage available after the event.

Mannymix03, a member of our forums, has been kind enough to make up to the minute posts about the event to keep us all informed about the latest happenings at WWDC 2006. So far, so much information has come out of the event that it would be impossible to detail it all here. I will do my best to give you a brief rundown of the important finds that have been discovered thus far.
 
In his usual style, Steve Jobs kicks off the conference with his enthusiastic rundown of what Apple has in store for us in the near future. He began with his usual optimism by quoting record sales figures and mentioning the unprecedented level of penetration that the company is experiencing in the OS market.

After stroking the developers egos by detailing how much of their work Apple sold the previous year, Jobs goes on to discuss the move to utilize Intel chips and the upcoming move into the next generation of Intel chips known as Core 2 Duo. While all the information about new chips and the smart architecture of the new Mac Pro kept folks interested, the news that kept many on the edge of their seats was about Apple's upcoming OS.

After giving Microsoft some of the spotlight by highlighting the ways the Redmond-based giant has appropriated technology from Apple in the past, the details about the OS (Leopard) were released. Along with 64 bit compatibility at the UNIX layer, meaning you can run both 32 and 64 bit applications smoothly and without the aid of emulation, there was mention of a built in backup feature for the OS called Time machine that backs up "everything" in real time. This new feature is not as cut and dry as it seems however. Apparently, with Time machine you get a robust backup system that is capable of full system restores as well as an ala carte system that allows you to bring back just the files that you need.

When integrated with the Finder disk searcher, we are one step closer to having all of our information stored in a searchable database that is backed up in real time. So now you can search for, and find, a file even if you have already erased it! Wonderful! Even I couldn't lose data if I had a set up like this! One of the things that I found a bit surprising was the fact that every copy of the new OS will ship with Time Machine, Bootcamp, Photobooth and Front Row and Spaces. Each one of these modules provides functionality, like a virtual desktop (Spaces), photo editing and sharing (Photobooth), music, video and other media (Front Row), that is not included with other operating systems like Vista.

Spotlight, Core Animation and Universal Access are additional applications in the works at Apple. Spotlight allows you to search the drives of all of the Macs in your home from any one of them. Core Animation is a powerful program that allows you to deconstruct media into its various parts (video, music,ect) and manipulate it into a new creation. Universal Access is designed to allow all people, whether blind, or otherwise disabled, to use their new Mac with ease. With all the new software being developed and hardware changes galore happening at Apple, you'd think that they would be the ones with all the delays and shoddy releases instead of Microsoft!

Mail, Dashboard and iCal have also been updated and changed! Stationary, Notes and To Do's to mail have been integrated into the new email system that will come with the new OS. Dashboard has over 2500 widgets and with Dashcode users can easily create their own customized widgets. With Web Clip and Dashcode you can turn any part of a website into a widget that will update every day keeping you in the know with your favorites on the web. Then there's iChat and iPhoto, which are integrated and will offer multiple logins, invisibility, animated buddy icons, video recording and tabbed chats.

This is near information overload here so I suggest that you digest this as quickly as you can then can come back and get some more! The conference is more than three days long so you can be certain that Jobs and Co. will continue to hit us with surprises well into this week!

Finally, for those with short attention spans, here is a brief list of the key innovations that were revealed this morning:

• 64-bit
• Core animation
• Universal access
• Enhanced parental controls (who cares about that?)
• iCal
• The complete package
• mail
• Spotlight
• Dashboard
• Web Clip and Dashcode
• Announcing Xcode 3 at the afternoon session
• Spaces
• Time Machine
  

Keep an eye out for updates to follow. For those who got their appetites whet and are looking for ways to satisfy their "Apple" craving, check out the video of the conference's Keynote Address delivered by Apple top honcho, Steve Jobs.

After all, they both went through the same "humble beginnings."

Here's an evangelist who's so hell-bent (pardon the pun) on getting Apple computer founder Steve Jobs to "need" Jesus, and eventually accept him. How fixated is this man? Well, he even distributed this evangelical tract to help Jobs realize he should be humble enough to accept Jesus.

The image you see is the tract that has been circulating all over New York's subway system, which is relatively close to Steve Jobs' home in California. The author of this one is Rich Robinson from Jews for Jesus. And yeah, he's really going all-out to convert the iPod guy to a believer.

Let's see how far Robinson gets.