Cameron Moll:

Will it replace a mouse? I don’t know the answer to that. And if you own a Magic Mouse, answering that question is even more difficult, as it can do much of what the trackpad can do — multi-finger gestures, timeline scrubbing, and so on. Additionally, the trackpad and finger input combine for less-precise input than a mouse.

What could be really interesting is having the two devices interact with each other. For example, trackpad to the left of the keyboard, mouse to the right, and up to 10 fingers for interacting with your desktop. Or even just doing simple gestures such as pinching and zooming, but with the left and right hands performing those gestures, rather than two fingers.

Both a comical and insightful review. I won’t be able to confirm or deny his claims for myself, but Cameron has made some interesting observations nonetheless.

Coloribus:

The packaging uses the universal symbol for music: the note. By specially arranging the earphones inside a special box they appear to look like two eighth notes. So the earphones show at first sight for whom they are made: for passionate music lovers.

They were ultimately successful.

Michiel Cornelissen, Shapeways:

No more wire-tangle, headphones dangling by your knees, or ripping buds from your ears when you take off your jacket. Available in black, white, magenta, blue and green.

A neat accessory, if you happen own a 3rd Gen iPod Shuffle.

Apple, Job Description:

Are you looking to help create something totally new? Something that has never been done before and will truly amaze everyone? Are you excited by the prospect that what you helped create would be used every day by millions of Apple customers? Then come and work on with the Mac OS X software engineering team to help build a new and revolutionary feature for Mac OS X.

We are looking for a senior software engineer to help us create a revolutionary new feature in the very foundations of Mac OS X. We have something truly revolutionary and really exciting in progress and it is going to require your most creative and focused efforts ever.

Cloud Computing?

Jonas Wisser, Safari Extensions:

A more complete list of available Safari Extensions than Apple’s gallery.

If you are looking for a collection of Safari Extensions, this is the link to bookmark.

Jason Snell, Macworld:

Peter’s contribution to the September 2010 issue’s cover is even more remarkable, however: our image of the new iPhone 4 was photographed and post-processed entirely on another iPhone 4. Peter has been tinkering with the idea of shooting a Macworld cover with an iPhone for some time, and with the addition of a high-quality five-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4, the right time had finally arrived.

A phone as a camera. Take a minute and think about that; the future is exciting.

Just Mobile:

UpStand™ - standing up for the infinite possibilities of iPad.

Except – of course – the possibility of holding the iPad in portrait orientation.

Eric Slivka, Mac Rumors:

The good news is that the SSD bay available in the new iMacs holds a standard 2.5″ form factor drive, which means you can install a high-performance OWC Mercury Extreme SSD for the speed advantage over Apple’s SSDs.

The bad news is that, unless your Mid 2010 iMac originally came with an Apple SSD, there’s no graceful way to install an OWC one. The appropriate mounting bracket and connector cables are nowhere to be found on the non-SSD models.

Too bad – I was actually considering this as an option.

Edible Apple:

[…] Motorola recently published an ad with the tagline “No Jacket Required” – an obvious jab at the iPhone 4 and the free bumpers is supplying to owners.

Brilliant.

Seth Weintraub, Fortune Tech:

AT&T (T) and Apple (AAPL) will tell you until they are blue in the face that the iPhone uses more data than any other device in the history of mobile communications.  That’s why there has been all the fuss about an over-saturated network causing dropped calls..

A study released today by Validas seems to refute those claims, however. According to their findings, the average data consumption for non-Blackberry Verizon (VZ) smartphones was 421MB per month, compared to the 338MB per month consumed by AT&T iPhone users.

Apparently the more data your smartphone uses, the better it is. Who knew?

David Worthington, Technologizer:

I’ve gone through at least four charge cycle for my Magic Mouse; the keyboard batteries only had to be recharged once. Had I not taken it upon myself to be more environmentally responsible, they would be at least as many batteries sent to wherever Manhattan’s trash goes. My question is: Why didn’t Apple use rechargeable batteries in the first place?

David never really answers the question, but it in an interesting question nonetheless. I have a pet theory that is directly related to a previous statement made by John Gruber:

[...] the way you get to be a billion dollar company is by having a nose for opportunities. $100 million is $100 million.

In the past, Apple has avoided making *unnecessary* accessories. Today, they are taking the opportunity to expand their horizons and make a few extra dollars. Why? Because they can.

Joshua Topolsky, Engadget:

The new handheld — slated to be released on August 27th — is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, has a 20 percent faster refresh rate on its E Ink (yep, still E Ink) screen, and will now come in two colors (graphite, like its big brother the DX, and the original white). In addition to the color changes, there will be two radio configurations available: a $139 WiFi only version, and a $189 3G version (utilizing AT&T’s network, just like the last model).

I have never owned an ebook reader, aside from the iPad, and I think the new Kindle may be my first.

Derek Powazek on Designing for iPad:

The iPad is an intimate experience for a user. The direct touch input removes a layer of abstraction, and that’s a really big deal. In this way, it was like going back to design for print – when you push it with your finger, it moves! – but it’s utterly unlike print in every other way imaginable. Point is, the direct interface really does mean reevaluating every assumption when it comes to interactive design.

Some insightful thoughts on both the design experience and expectations. The more I read, the more I believe we still haven’t discovered the *right* way to control multi-touch apps and devices – I don’t even think we are close. There have been some excellent examples – a, b, c – of what the future might bring; companies have been very open about their role in this space. I hate saying this, but only time will tell…

MattsMacintosh’s, Apple Design History.
Impressive footage of Apple’s design evolution – in timeline fashion.

Now available through extensions.apple.com - make sure to update Safari to 5.0.1 if you intend on installing anything.

Joe White, App Advice:

It’s fantastic to see how far the speed of the iPhone has advanced. Personally, my recent move from iPhone 3G to 4 has left me flabbergasted with the change – I’m very impressed with Apple’s super-quick new handset, to say the least.

Agreed.

Peter Vidani, Not Quite:

if something goes wrong, the app doesn’t automatically stop and restart when the user presses home. This might seem obvious, but if there are edge cases where you mess up your navigation controller hierachy beyond repair that matters. This happens. The user needs to know how to kill your app in that case, and most don’t. Be extra careful with that.

Peter Vidani on the importance and difficulty of multitasking properly in iOS 4. There is no longer a system in place where – when you leave an app and return, you will by greeted with a splash-screen. iOS has taken the ‘high road’ and upon your return, you might just be in Titusville, Florida – trust me, long story – or deep down in the menu system. Probably the second, but you never know…

Jason Snell, Macworld:

The trackpad surface itself doesn’t depress, though–instead, when you press on the trackpad, the force from the surface it’s sitting on will depress the two round feet at the trackpad’s base.

Jason has some great photos of Apple’s new Magic Trackpad. It is gallery style, and includes remarks on actual usage and features.

I have a 2008 MacBook, which renders the update completely useless to me, but let me know how it works out for you.

Marco Arment, Marco.org:

Today’s overdue Mac Pro update is a welcome change, but for a computer that’s so expensive, why not just get an iMac?

Marco’s argument has a few key points. What it all comes down to is Marco believes the true value in the Mac Pro is the longevity of the computer itself. When something goes wrong with your iMac, it is ultimately time to get a new computer. The factor Marco has not taken into account is the company, and the direction of the industry. I have no doubt that the technological advances happening in the next 3-5 years will render Tuesday’s offerings what they already are – a thing of the past.