Opening Music

Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles

Mandaandthemarbles.com

www.mandaandthemarbles.com

Apples "gesture" touch-screen patent

The patent filed Feb 2nd, 2006 is titled, "Gestures for touch sensitive input devices "

Apple Gestures patent

Basically looks like a computer with a touch screen interface, but describe "gesture" movements for controlling screen elements.

For example moving your finger around a virtual iPod scroll wheel or using two fingers on the screen to virtually pick up an object and move it.

Apple's roller-coaster stock pricing

Apples stock price fell 6% on Monday to $67.30

The stock is down 22 percent from the highs it reached last month

No specific event seemed to cause the downturn.

March projections may be below expectations

Some feel Apple won't be able to continue is aggressive release of hit products

Rumors that Intel iMacs are not doing as well as expected.

I think sales of the MacBook Pro may help a little and i think Apples share price last month may have been a little artificially high anyway.

Apple Special Event on Feb 22nd. Airport Express Video?

Image floating around as a Digg story

www.digg.com

Could be fake. Guy seems to be a notorious Photoshopper.

Apple counts down to 1 Billion songs

Apple is having a contest for the 1 Billionth song sold on the iTunes music store (Worldwide)

iTunes 1 Billion

Grand Prize

20-inch iMac, 10 60GB iPods (5 white/5 black) and U.S. $10,000 iTunes Music Card

Every 100,000 songs, a 4GB black iPod nano and U.S. $100 iTunes Music Card

Apple adds new Nano, cuts Shuffle Pricing

Added a iGB iPod Nano for $149 USD

Dropped prices on the 512MB and 1GB to $69 and $99 USD respectively

Aggressive pricing should help iPods keep the lead as the dominant MP3 players on the market.

Was Intel switch a bad move? IBM reveals next gen chips

The new Power6 chips (due mid 2007) may run at 4 and 5 GHz

Using a new process to alter how silicon behaves by placing a layer of insulator underneath a layer of silicon less than 500 atoms thick

Chips will use existing 65 nanometer manufacturing technology and should also consume less power.

Odds and Ends

Showtime content added to iTunes. "Sleeper Cell", "Weeds" and "Fat Actress"

To date Apple has sold 12 million videos via iTunes.

The Apple Store Irvine Spectrum will open on Saturday, February 11th in Irvine, CA

MacCast One Minute Tip #11: Finder Toolbar

Play MacCast One Minute tip

www.oneminutetip.com

The European Apple pricing debate continues

Many feel that David Cohen of the MyMac.com was wrong about the higher Apple prices in the UK.

The UK price contains sales tax (VAT in the UK, GST in Australia), charged at a rate of 17.5 per cent. There are also different import taxes.

Now if you factor the 17.5% tax out of the equation the UK prices on Intel iMacs and MacBooks are only about 7%-10% higher than in the US. It is plausible that some or all of this increase is due to import taxes, a higher cost of doing business overseas, etc.

Thanks to all the listeners who pointed this stuff out.

A couple of warnings and a tip about iWeb files

Play comment from Neil

Play comment from Will

Your iWeb site and files are stored in ~/Library/ Application Support /iWeb/Domain.sites

This can pose a problem if you don't backup your home folder

Can use knowing the location to your advantage

be a way to move your site between Macs

100dB vs 104dB can be a big deal

According to listener Victor difference in sound intensity between 1 jet plane taking off, and 2 jet planes taking off is a mere 3dB. A gas powered lawnmower is approx. 105dB.

A good rule of thumb: The value doubles for every 3dB.

8 hours of exposure to 85-dB noise on a daily basis can begin to damage a person's ears over time.

Earbud style earphones can boost the signal by as much as 6 to 9 decibels. So using over the ear style headphones can be safer.

I question that we need more warning labels. Use common sense, talk to your kids about the danger of listening to their iPod too loud. Next your want "Eating this is hazardous to your health" labels on McDonalds food.

More Project Management recommendations

Listener Paul says iTaskX

www.itaskx.com

Listener Laszlo sys he likes Fast Track Schedule from AEC Software

www.aecsoftware.com

MacCast Widget now Available

Very big thanks to Joe "the Dead Herring" Sayer for doing the development and creating the widget.

MacCast Widget

Also thanks to Matt Hoult and Jason Sanders for their assistance and contributions.