Do you agree with academics who say Apple is the new religion? Cast your vote in "Today's Poll..." below in the left column or go straight to the results here.
Thursday Highlights: From the halls of academia comes this: "The religious-like behavior and language surrounding Apple devotion/fandom is an example of 'implicit religion'"; Macworld's Kirk McElhearn says Apple will have a tough time convincing users to upgrade their iPods as the device has hit a plateau; and another iPad lawsuit ... but this one claims iPad doesn't work "just like a book" as indicated by Apple in ads; World of Apple has the latest in the Psystar psaga :-); Apple ships more mobile phones than Motorola two quarters in a row; US President, Barack Obama, may be a BlackBerry fan, but is all MacBook Pro when it comes to presentations; NBC Chicago reports that the freshman class at Chicago State may be getting iPads; porn industry set to bypass Apple's App Store restrictions via FaceTime; over in the UK, iPhones upgraded to iOS 4 are having roaming problems on O2's network; Apple's latest patent applications are down in our Hardware/Software section, of interest today are a couple on the iTravel App, and it seems Apple may be making a foray into the Virtual Fashion Closet, and here's a cool one: music sync arrangement where the device controls mood, speed of music while you exercise; Walt Mossberg completes a 6-week real-world test of a couple iPhone 4 models, finds iPhone 4 better than 3GS mostly, but carrier restriction still an issue; Gizmodo believes the new Magic Trackpad is "beginning of the end" for OS X.
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"Apple shares lose 'iPhone premium': Stock back to levels before blockbuster device was unveiled" MarketWatch 4:34 PM
"The next big Mac thing: Christmas comes but once a year and, if the sellers of seasonal rubbish and goodies keep on as they have been going, the annual challenge to one's wallet will soon start around June, if not earlier." Stuff: New Zealand 4:45 PM
"MacBook buyers bite Apple over copy protection cock-up" Reg Hardware 8:11 AM
"iTunes customers angry over copy protection moves at Apple" CNET News.com 8:07 AM
"MacBook Owners Up In Arms About New Copyright Software" paidContent.org 8:28 AM
"Apple's Folly: Apple's iPhone and iPod touch have been touted by analysts and developers as the next big portable gaming device, but the all-touch devices may be more talk than walk." Red Herring 2:54 PM
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"Mark/Space releases Mac version of Fliq. The Mac version of the popular social networking iPhone app Fliq makes it possible for Mac users to send, receive and share photos, notes and contacts like never before." Mark/Space 8:21 PM
"Freeway 5.3 Converts Flash to QuickTime for iPhone" The Mac Observer 11:54 AM
"OmniGraffle 5.1 improves Visio compatibility" Macworld 10:53 AM
"The Omni Group announces OmniFocus 1.5" MacTech Magazine 10:05 AM
"Macware releases new expansion packs" MacTech Magazine 10:05 AM
"DiscLabel 5.4 adds new, free templates with holiday, business" MacTech Magazine 10:05 AM
"Vectorworks 2009 SP1 now released from Nemetschek NA" Architosh 9:29 AM
"3Dconnexion's 3D mice support new SketchUp 7" Architosh 9:29 AM
"Mac version of CADspan for SketchUp 7 announced" Architosh 9:29 AM
"Tidbits: Mathematica 7 and VM Fusion 2.0.1" Architosh 9:29 AM
"Office 2008 for Mac: Holiday Discount & Festive Templates Spread Cheer This Season" Applelinks 8:48 AM
"Penumbra: Requiem released for Mac and Linux" prMac 12:07 PM
"The Big Mean Folder Machine 1.6 adds droplet automation" prMac 7:46 AM
"Nokia's new Mac suite, early alpha exposed" Distorted-Loop 7:45 AM
"PremiumSoft Releases the Navicat Oracle Database Administration Tool" Navicat 7:36 AM
"Virtual Bundles: Virtual bundles of purchasable products are created by a person external to an electronic commerce site. In a preferred embodiment, the virtual bundles are associated with custom store accessible only by members of a group associated with the external administrator." United States Patent and Trademark Office 10:35 AM
"jkOnTheRun review- Blackberry Storm, yes it can cut and paste" jkOnTheRun 11:47 AM
"RIM's First Touchscreen Device Almost Eclipses the iPhone" Wired 11:35 AM
"BlackBerry Storm 9500 review: Quad-band touchscreen smartphone aims to take on the iPhone, and - to a certain extent - suceeds. Discover what Macworld UK thinks of the BlackBerry Storm 9500" Macworld UK 10:56 AM
"Apple To Boost Movie Piracy, iTunes Competition With Anti-Piracy Feature" Silicon Alley Insider 10:34 AM
"So far, iPhone apps 'scratch surface' of the possible..." Distorted-Loop 9:45 AM
"We Need iPhone Tethering and We Need It Now" Inside iPhone 8:48 AM
"Why Does Anyone Think the Recession is Bad for Apple?" Cult of Mac 8:47 AM
"Quad-core iMacs coming in two months? How about a quad-core Mac mini?" Macsimum News 8:24 AM
"Donovan's View: iTunes Bargain Bin Update for US, UK stores" Macsimum News 8:23 AM
Non-Apple
"Has Newsweek thrown the gag around Dan Lyons?" The Inquisitr 9:03 PM
"Comments: Messy and flawed, but valuable" Chuqui 3.0 7:02 PM
"12 myths about how the Internet works: A list of assumptions we make when we hit the send button or download a video" Network World 2:06 PM
"Cloud Computing and Data Security: Know the Risks" Information Today 1:59 PM
"How I Slashed My Bills with Tech (Part 1): Time for some technological belt-tightening. How I cut $40 from my monthly phone bills within a few hours." PC Magazine 1:51 PM
"Bargain Hunt: Unlocked Cell Phones/Breaking free from service contracts doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if you cash in on one of these great unlocked handset deals." PC Magazine 1:51 PM
"Debating the Vices and Virtues of Google" New York Times 2:32 PM
"Google - the world's first firewalled monopoly" The Register 1:10 PM
"Asus Eee PC S101 luxury netbook" Reg Hardware 1:09 PM
"Broadband explosion predicted to continue: Saturation in some areas countered by developing nations" vnunet.com 12:59 PM
"More Gamble Than Gift: This Holiday Season's High-Tech Duds" Washington Post 11:12 AM
"The BlackBerry Storm: Your Top 20 Questions, Answered" PC Magazine 1:50 PM
"RIM's BlackBerry Storm: Awkward and Disappointing" PC World 1:48 PM
"Speck Introduces 'Satin'...First Soft-Touch Hard Shell for New MacBooks" Speck 8:42 AM
"BYU versus Utah Rivalry comes to the iPhone with iRivalz" prMac 10:05 AM
"CS Odessa Celebrates its 15th Anniversary" prMac 7:46 AM
"GhostReader and other applications up to 50% off until 30 November" prMac 7:46 AM
"MyAppleSpace announces 'The New Blog'" prMac 7:44 AM
"Gene Steinberg meets Adobe's Frederick Johnson, Special Correspondent David Biedny, security researcher Rich Mogull and Ross Howe, from mStation and Mophie, this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE" The Tech Night Owl LIVE 7:36 AM
"Dell Achieves 9-Percent Increase in Fiscal Third-Quarter EPS, Driven by Improved Competitiveness, Execution" Business Wire 4:39 PM
"Dell Posts Earnings Thanks to Discipline: The company might have earned a lot less had it not keep expenses under control." ["The company reported a fiscal third-quarter profit of $727 million, or 37 cents a share, on revenue of $15.16 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research, had forecast the firm to earn 32 cents a share on $16.3 billion in sales."] InternetNews.com 4:36 PM
"Dell misses on sales, tops on profit: The computer maker struggles as the global economic slowdown pinches tech spending, and slashes expenses to beat their earnings forecast." CNNMoney 4:39 PM
"Dell's Profit, Sales Decline on Weak Demand: Dell's Profit, Sales Decline on Weak Demand" WSJ.com 4:38 PM
"Dell reports earnings of $727 million" MarketWatch 4:38 PM
"What to expect from Dell's quarterly progress report" CNET News.com 10:49 AM
"Ahead of the Bell: Dell seen posting profit drop" Associated Press 10:21 AM
"Why Dell has its head in the clouds" CNET News.com 10:48 AM
"Hewlett Packard Acquires LeftHand Networks; Compellent Last of the Independents" Seeking Alpha 10:19 AM
"Microsoft hiring slowdown set to continue until 2010" CNET News.com 11:14 AM
"Ballmer Kills Hopes for Bid, Pummeling Yahoo Shares" WSJ.com 10:02 AM
"Yahoo Bid Is Over, Microsoft Says" Bloomberg News 4:23 PM
"Future battle will play out for the heart of robots: Microsoft making big push to compete with open source" MarketWatch 10:31 AM
"It's official: No IE 8 until 2009" ZDNet 11:22 AM
"Microsoft Dissed Chipset Before 'Vista Capable' Changes" Computerworld 1:46 PM
"Employees sue for unpaid Windows Vista overtime: What price systems integration?" The Register 1:12 PM
"Microsoft lets Zune music subscribers keep tunes: Microsoft lets ZunePass 'all-you-can-eat' music subscribers keep 10 songs each month" Associated Press 10:32 AM
"Microsoft modifies Zune subscription model" Reuters 10:32 AM
"IBM Eyes Computers That Mimic The Brain" InformationWeek 11:04 AM
"Sun updates NetBeans with PHP support" ZDNet UK 11:15 AM
"Cisco Systems' Next Move: Managed Services" Seeking Alpha 10:19 AM
"Court says Oracle must pay Arizonans by California standards" Phoenix Business Journal 10:34 AM
"Google, Others Call for New Broadband, Energy Policies" IDG News Service 1:46 PM
"Early Glance: Computer companies" ["Apple Inc fell $1.89 or 2.2 percent, to $84.40."] Associated Press 10:22 AM
Industry News
"Tech Stocks: Technology stocks slide in early trading" MarketWatch 10:18 AM
"Stocks hit by automotive, financial woes: Oil slides below $50 a barrel amid economic concerns" MarketWatch 10:10 AM
"Stocks keep sliding: The Dow is at a 5-1/2 year low as a spike in jobless claims adds to fears of a prolonged recession." CNNMoney 9:58 AM
"Dow keeps dropping: Wall Street slides further as spike in jobless claims keeps recession fears front and center." CNNMoney 9:58 AM
"Stocks, Bonds Tumble to New Crisis Lows: Dow Plumbs 51?2-Year Nadir as Financial Sector Suffers From Drop in Credit Markets; Citi Shares Plunge Nearly One-Fourth" WSJ.com 10:03 AM
"Global stocks fall sharply: World markets follow Wall Street lower as economic fears batter sentiment. Japan's benchmark Nikkei slides nearly 7%." CNNMoney 9:57 AM
"Asia Markets: Nikkei sinks below 8,000; Kospi, Hang Seng dive/Markets across Asian posted sharp losses Thursday, as stocks were swept away after Wall Street's sell-off and amid concern about rising deflation risks." MarketWatch 10:09 AM
"Europe Markets: Europe stocks face fresh round of selling/Index hovering around five-and-a-half year lows" MarketWatch 10:04 AM
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling and
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CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
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