iPod aficionados, listen up! Apple has just unveiled the latest reincarnation of one of their best-selling products, the iPod Nano. Currently being advertised under the tagline "Completely Remastered", Apple couldn't have been more accurate with their description as the new generation of iPod Nanos have received a complete overhaul.

The new iPod Nano, which has been informally dubbed as the iPod Nano Color, now has an even thinner body and now looks more like an iPod Mini because of its rounded edges. Also, the display of the new Nano is now 40% brighter than that of the model it replaces, and the battery has also been modified to allow up to 24 hours of continuous use. These Nanos are also available in Black, White, Green, Blue, and Pink and comes in capacities of 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB, with the 2GB model expected to retail for $149.

So as we wait for these little babies to make their way to our nearest electronics shop, here's the new ad for the product for you to enjoy in the meantime.

Buy: [New iPod Nano]

For the past few years, companies, such as Apple, have been able to create gadgets and items that were originally intended to be merely for entertainment, but were later on raised to the status of necessities. On top of that, these products spawned entire subcultures and lifestyles.

Now, the iPod has become a household name and has also almost become synonymous with the term "MP3 player". Because of its popularity, everyone wanted some piece of the action, and we're not just talking about the consumers here, but the manufacturers as well. Hence, the iPod knock-off was born.

Admittedly, these cheap iPod imitations (with the one featured in the photo being one of the most notorious) are more commonly found in third-world countries. People who do not want to be left behind but cannot afford the real thing opt for these cheaper alternatives under the reasoning that it has almost the same functions of the real thing anyway. In case it breaks, it will be easier to replace it.

However, poverty or peer pressure isn't always a factor, since ignorance sometimes also plays a part in it. For example, even until now, there are people in the U.S. who think that any and all MP3 players are called "iPods".

All in all, this may be signs of either the iPod's immense popularity, or it may be a call for manufacturers to step up consumer awareness, not just to keep these bootleg items and imitations at bay, but also to educate buyers and allow them to make informed decisions. After all, you only get what you pay for.

Customer loyalty and good timing pay off. Elizabeth Rodriguez comes into Apple Store Fifth Avenue last Saturday. Elizabeth becomes Apple Store's one millionth customer served since opening on May 19th this year. The rewards? Ms. Rodriguez walks out with a MacBook, an iPod, an iPod Hi-Fi and an Apple ProCare membership.

(Somewhere nearby, we'll bet Customer #999,999 must have gone "Oh snap, that should have been me!" So did all of us Apple fans at QJ).

One million customers in about four or five months... Apple's selling like McDonalds if this keeps up. And Ms. Rodriguez isn't the only lucky something-millionth customer of Apple's. Back in June, Amy Greer won herself 10 iPods, a 10,000-song iTMS gift card, 10 additional 50-song iTMS gift cards, and four Coldplay concert tickets and backstage passes just for dowloading the five hundred millionth song from iTunes. And that was just two weeks after the promo was announced.

We wonder what Apple Store's giving to their two millionth customer?

 

The glass-made Apple Store located on 5th Avenue in Manhattan has been aptly dubbed as "The Cube" because of its structure. The pet name might have stucked very well to the mind of Apple higher ups and brought back memories.

Why? Because there are talks and speculations that Apple Cube is being resurrected. Not that site in Manhattan, take note but the real Apple Cube Power Mac G4. Based from these purported patent images, the new design addressed several issues its predecessor faced. It will have two removable sides for the easy access and upgrade of components such as hard drive, memory and PC cards.

The overheating problem was also not forgotten, ergo, the innovative heat sink mechanism. Here, you can opt to insert a separate cooling fan but you can also work without it in some cases.

Apple Cube was originally released in July 2000 and sold only around 150, 000 units.

 

This is - for lack of a better word - nice.

The 512MB, 2x dual-link ATI X1900XT graphics card (fine, let's just call it the "graphics card") Apple offers with its Mac Pro desktops is now $100 cheaper than it used to be. The announcement was made via an email to Apple Store online customers. It mentioned that the Mac Pros they ordered are now cheaper, though it failed to mention the graphics card specifically.

However, checks with the Store found that, when purchased alone, the graphics card - originally priced at $499 - is now being sold for $399.

No explanation was given by Apple for the price drop. (Maybe the answer could be found with the manufacturer of the graphics card, ATI?).

Remember the Apple Mighty Mouse? If you don't, I'll refresh your memory. The Apple Mighty Mouse is what Mac boffins would like to call the next generation of  the Apple one-click mouse. The brand spanking new Mighty Mouse which we reported on yesterday features wireless Bluetooth connectivity up to 30 feet and laser tracking 20 times better than other laser tracking devices - slicker than your average optical mouse!

It also has a scroll ball with 360 degree turning capability - almost turning your mouse into a mini trackerball when in use. You may have noticed I said one-button mouse earlier. Well, the new Apple Might Mouse is a one-button mouse...with two press-able button functions. Touch-sensitive technology under the shell detects which part of the mouse you're clicking, so you can both left-click and right-click whilst not loosing the classic Mac one-click. If you prefer the one-click option, just change your preferences in your Mac OSX system preference pane!

The price? $69 with free shipping direct from the Mac store. Some people may think this is too expensive, but for what you get it sounds like a good deal to me! Can I get one for my Windows PC?

Via: [Apple Store - New Mighty Mouse]

ProCare is $99 membership program that offers exclusive services and offers at local Apple retail stores. ProCare members are entitled to such goodies as next-day turnaround on in-store repairs; no waiting at the Genius Bar with up to seven-day advanced reservations; free setup and transferring of files when you buy a new Mac; free one-hour workshops; special discounts on selected Apple and third-party products; and a price match guarantee in case you see a Mac cheaper somewhere else.

To hype its ProCare package, Apple Store employees made a promo video piggy backing on South Park's popularity. Yes, we think the video animation is slick. But, really guys, South Park isn't South Park without, at least, killing Kenny.

We earlier reported some developments in the planned Apple Store in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. In one of those reports, we mentioned that the design of the Boston Apple Store is in need of some tweaking, that the Apple Store's place in the Bay State would depend on the design. One of the major impediments for this is the design opposition of the Back Bay Architectural Commission, an organization which aims to preserve the integrity of the district's intact buildings.

The picture above is actually an artist's rendering of the proposes Boston Apple Store which was shown in one of the many Boston newspapers, the Boston Courant. If you ask me, the design, although very futuristic-looking with those glass walls, meshes well with the other buildings that have been in the area for God knows how long. Whether Apple will stick to this concept or they'll move on to another design, is something that only the future can tell.

Relive the experience of being Matthew Kane, member of the military unit Rhino Squad, as he goes head-to-head with an unrelenting cyborg alien race known as the Strogg, as the Mac trailer for Quake 4 is posted on Apple's website today.

This time, Matthew Kane wakes up strapped into a conveyor belt while he's being Stroggified - a horrific and gruesome procedure where your body is cut and fused with metal, wires, and circuitry. But as the transformation is to become a reality, he gets rescued by fellow Marines and returned to base. You discover that you can manipulate and interface with the Strogg world in ways that no one has ever done. This unexpected advantage will set off Kane's gruelling fight.

If you haven't yet tried the game, and the trailer got you interested, just click on this link for Pranav T.'s article to know more about Quake 4. And as for the trailer, just click on the read link below the article. Quake is still selling at the Apple Store for $49.95 and will be at your doorstep in 24 hours.

In the eyes of its adherents, Mac OS X is far superior to Windows. Whether or not this is the truth, OS X still does suffer from problems every now and then (well, nothing's perfect), especially if and when users have it do more intensive tasks like video editing.

James Stoup from Apple Matters has put together a beginners' guide to fixing OS X. He stresses that it's meant to be taken neither as a comprehensive list of solutions nor a substitute for Apple-certified help (well, it's a beginners' guide after all, and available for free to boot).

So without further ado, here are Stoup's list of steps to try in the event your Mac starts hiccuping, listed in the order in which users should attempt them.

Restart. This is the easiest and the most basic thing you can try, and can fix many types of problems.

Delete preferences. Stoup recommends that if one of your apps is acting up, delete its preference file, which is stored in Library/Preferences, by moving it to the trash. The next time the app is opened it'll automatically generate a new preferences file. (You'll need to reset all your preferences afterwards, of course.)

Run maintenance/Clean cache. You can also try to download Cocktail or Onyx - cleaning scripts run automatically by OS X which in turn run OS X's CRON scripts at a default time (you'll need to have your computer on at this time though, and not on sleep either). They're shareware - something to keep in mind.

Run Disk Utility. Pop your OS X's install disk in your drive and restart your computer while holding down the 'C' key. This will force your machine to boot from the disk and not the hard drive. When it boots up, look in the menu for the Disk Utility option and click on it; this opens up the Disk Utility interface. Just click on the repair disk option to activate it.

Reset RAM. This will force the hardware to clear and reset the PRAM and NVRAM. It's easily done; you just need to hold Command-Option-P-R when the Mac's booted up. It'll reset the clock, too, but hey.

(At this point Stoup warns his readers that every solution after this point will take a bit of time and/or money to implement.)

Run Disk Warrior. This is a program by Alsoft which is apparently very easy to use and does wonders for corrupted directory structures. Two caveats, though - using this app can result in data loss, so you should back everything up before you give it a try; plus it costs $79.95.

Run Tech Tool Pro. Micromat makes this program, which lets you defrag your hard drive, recover lost data and back up your system, among other things - good for serious data recovery work. It takes a little while to work, but it's great for serious data recovery work (at any rate, it'll let you get your data back before your computer dies completely). It's not at all cheap, though. It'll set you back $98.00.

Run to the Apple Store. If you don't know it yet, these stores have free diagnostic service - all you need to do is walk up to the Genius Bar and ask for help.

Reinstall OS X. Stoup says this is your option of last resort, and I think that really is about the size of it. Make sure you back up your data first, though! Completely erase your drive first and then install OS X - the archive and install feature, he says, will allow some of your system to be saved so it can be reviewed after your install. Important note: this feature shouldn't be used as a substitute for a good third-party backup.

If ever any of you give this a try please be sure and tell us all how everything goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll never need to do anything more drastic than, say, clean my Mac's cache - but at least now I know what to do just in case. Knowing, as the well-worn saying goes, really is half the battle.