Can a domain name shed light on a forthcoming Apple product? Ehhh, probably not. Meanwhile, Acer thinks it has the 411 on what consumers really want and Apple files suit against knockoff retail stores closer to home. The remainders for Friday, August 5, 2011 have a license to thrill.
Why Did Apple Register ApplePico.com? (MacRumors)
Surfing WHOIS records to find new domain registrations—it’s the tea-leaf reading of the 21st century. MacRumors uncovered a listing for applepico.com, which was apparently registered by Apple back in 2005, not long after the company unveiled the iPod nano. ( Pico, of course, is the metric system prefix right below nano.) Personally, I’d like to see the company skip right to unveiling an iPod zepto—that’s the metric system prefix named after the fourth Marx brother.
Ultrabooks and tablet PCs are short-term fads, says Acer founder (DigiTimes)
Thin notebooks like the MacBook Air and tablets like the iPad? Fads! So says Acer founder Stan Shih. In no time at all, consumers will once again be clamoring for 12-pound notebooks with 19-inch displays. That’s exactly why Acer’s making a….7-inch tablet.
Uh.
Apple wins restraining order against N.Y. stores for trademark infringement (Computerworld)
Knockoff Apple Stores aren’t just for China, as it turns out. Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction against two stores that it claims violate its trademarks: Apple Story and Fun Zone, both located in Flushing, New York. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto also issued a temporary restraining order and scheduled a hearing to examine the matter. In an unorthodox move, the hearing will consist of employees of the knockoff store and genuine Apple Store employees competing to sell Judge Matsumoto an AppleCare plan for his iPhone.
Product News:
Rdio 1.2.0 – Version 1.2.0 of the music-streaming client for iOS adds a native iPad interface, bug fixes, and the ability to sign up for the service’s unlimited plan via in-app purchase. Free.
Airfoil 4.5.5 – Rogue Amoeba has updated its audio-streaming utility for the Mac to version 4.5.5, fixing several Lion-related bugs and incompatibilities, including one that could cause severe crashes and one that prevented audio being pulled from QuickTime Player correctly. $25.
PCalc 2.4.1 for iOS – The latest update to TLA Systems’s calculator app for iOS adds a much-requested feature: support for external keyboards and, via them, keyboard shortcuts. $10 for paid version, or free lite version.