After reading inarticulate rumors of Apple’s iPhone 5 for more than one year, John Morrison’s has to be the first worth paying attention to. John has written the most captivating, and conceivable piece on the subject. If I were to side with any speculative post detailing the next iPhone, I would have no other choice, but to side with John’s.

Shawn Blanc shares his thoughts on the rumored Kindle Tablet. Shawn is not alone, as Ben Brooks also voiced his opinion on the aforementioned  tablet. Though Amazon has not announced any plans to compete directly against the iPad, this “small technicality” has not suppressed rumors (or speculation) from spreading like wildfire.

Remember: potential consumers are voicing their opinions – dictating what they want – not what Amazon intends to provide.

I must thank Jason Sims for sharing this video of Wacom’s new “digital sketch pen”, the Inkling. TechCrunch has posted the details from Wacom’s website. The device will be available mid-September for $199.99. If the pen is made of quality materials – and more importantly, “feels good in hand” – I can imagine many designers purchasing the Inkling this holiday season.

This past Friday, Dan Provost wrote his thoughts on the rumored Kindle Tablet. Though I would love to own the device Dan describes, I have a strong feeling Marco Arment’s thoughts are more in-line with Amazon’s. That said, there are easier ways to  ”re-imagine” the Kindle. For starters, offering this model for $99, and not charging for wireless delivery is one. I’d by it.

David Sleight shares the view from his home in Brooklyn, through two stunning photographs. David’s experience is quite the opposite of what others are experiencing (via Duncan Davidson) along the east coast. Though the two photos are absolutely gorgeous, I must admit, I am quite fond of the second. David also recorded a time-lapse titled, “Irene Passes”.

MacRumors shares the latest news of Apple’s “iTunes Match Beta”, which requires a developer account for access. Those who meet the requirements can sign-up for $24.99/year, with three additional months free during the beta period. Jordan Golson notes, “iTunes Match will give users the same benefits for their downloaded and ripped music as those purchased from the iTunes Music Store, up to 25,000 songs…”

Update: MacRumors has received new information, describing iTunes Match as being able to both download, and stream previously ‘matched’ (and uploaded) music.

I may not be happy to see Steve go, but the company we love so very much, will not change. Apple has secured a talented group of dedicated people, with hopes and dreams of an awesome future, working for their favorite company. As John Carey so eloquently puts it, “the timing feels right.”

Tap to zoom: Double-tap the trackpad with two fingers to magnify part of a web page. Tap again to return to the original size.

Hands down, this is my favorite – Safari-specific – feature.

We live in Miami. We understand what Hurricanes can do. Backup your Mac! We will take off 99% for 3 months. Just please protect your data!

Use Promo Code: irene99

Even though it is a (brilliant) promotion, I love it when companies do good by their users.

The iPad is causing such disruption in the PC business that HP, a company fundamental to the creation of the personal computer itself, is getting out of the PC business. Wow. Just wow.

I do not agree with the whole article (most likely, the wording), but I do appreciate Patrick’s opinions on everything that transpired this past week. These companies need to stop playing “follow the leader” and start playing “leap-frog”. This entire situation is disappointing at best.

Thanks to Google’s acquisition of Motorola and HP’s decision to get out of the PC and mobile industries, a lot has changed this week…

Undoubtedly the easiest to understand collection of links, regarding everything that happened last week.

What’s truly striking about the conversation is that they earnestly believe they’re getting the equivalent of an iPad by buying the TouchPad. They don’t come right out and say it, but it’s made very plain by their praise for the TouchPad that they’re convinced this is an iPad-esque device at a ridiculously low price.

This is going to be an interesting series.

Seriously, letting something auto-tweet to your followers? Didn’t we all agree that that’s an abuse, likely to get you unfollowed? Oh, but wait – since it mentions my Twitter username, I’ll see it even if I don’t follow you, in the Mentions tab, every day.

I am all for the unique and “consistent” user experience Twitter is thriving for, but something tells me  their “trust and safety efforts” are not as effective as they had hoped.

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

I stand by what I said yesterday,

Call it what you want – sad, true, harsh – I’d go with all three. The TouchPad has no momentum, no push with consumers; I would not be surprised to know that HP’s key customers (the non-geeks) did not know the tablet existed.

The reason Apple is succeeding, where others are failing, is fairly simple – they have a successful ecosystem. Name one other company that offers the plethora of multimedia options all of Apple’s products have at their disposal. Microsoft comes close, but not close enough. Killing-off a product line, before it has a chance to flourish (without even the minutia of promotion), is just dispiriting.

Shawn Blanc:

But I think it’s silly to say that this move is solely in response to iMessage. AT&T has nearly 100 million wireless subscribers. And the total install base of American smartphone users are still outnumbered by non-smartphone users 2 to 1. Put another way: there are a lot of AT&T customers who don’t use an iPhone.

I will admit that my initial reaction was directly related to Apple’s announcement of iMessage. After reading Shawn’s piece, I would agree – my reaction was indeed, silly. The new plans haven’t changed, as much as one has been removed; that’s right, no more $10/month for 1,000 messages.

First there was a $50 discount. Then there were spot discounts of $100 at outlets like Costco. Then the $100 discount became permanent. Adding insult to apparent injury, a deal on Woot for $120 off an entry-level 16 gigabyte TouchPad netted all of 612 takers.

I think most would agree that HP is not pushing the TouchPad with any gusto. These advertisements with Russel Brand provided us (the customers) with enough excitement to finish watching the commercial. They did not, however, give *anyone* the energy to actually purchase the device. Call it what you want – sad, true, harsh – I’d go with all three. The TouchPad has no momentum, no push with consumers; I would not be surprised to know that HP’s key customers (the non-geeks) did not know the tablet existed. Did I mention this little number?

Best Buy has taken delivery of 270,000 TouchPads and has so far managed to sell only 25,000, or less than 10 percent of the units in its inventory.

True story.

This is easily one of the most beautifully designed Apple Stores yet. Looking at the renderings, I find it admirable that all modern-day Macs fit-in, and accentuate Grand Central’s historical charm.

No Gawker charges, 2 misdemeanors filed against ‘finders’.

Easily the most intriguing iPad stand to date. The product shots are absolutely incredible – I think I’m in love.

John Gruber:

I’d say where by “anti-competitive” he means “competitive”. But I must say, I didn’t see this coming, and it’s a very clever solution to the mobile patent corner Google had painted itself into.

In fact what I value most in a cell phone is the ability to make clear phone calls, send reliable text messages, and occasionally contribute to Twitter while on the go. The Lotus lets me do all three.

The fact that Thomas Brand is able to write this article, says a lot about our society. “A Month Without A Smartphone”, should not give the impression of being as audacious as the title suggests – but it does. I cannot help but wonder whether my reaction is pathetic, or simply natural evolution. I’d say it was a combination of the two.

With the “Amazon Student” app, college students can perform instant price checks on textbooks and other items, keep lists of items they want to buy, and post used textbooks, games, movies, or gadgets for trade-in.

Let’s just say the “Amazon Student” app has replaced a frequently used app of mine, “Price Check by Amazon”.

I love being able to swipe between a fullscreen app and my main workspace. I can keep my email or my music off to the side, to slide in when gestured or clicked and to be easily dismissed with another quick swipe. Swiping back and forth between fullscreen apps and different desktop spaces is elegant and effortless.

It’s true – though many don’t seem to like Lion’s new “Spaces” design – I am absolutely taken with fullscreen apps, the gestures, and the whole concept of Spaces. Fullscreen writing apps only came into fruition quite recently. These apps were not only designed for the fullscreen experience (UI), they were designed to help keep you focused on writing. With Lion, this metaphor has transferred to all of our window-based tasks.

That kind of seamless integration is how you push through change, not with standalone apps. Facebook Messenger may succeed, but it’s not going to hurt iMessage.

Can iMessage be counted as the “winner” if it’s users don’t even know they are using it? Yep.

You would be amazed at what better service you get when you put care into your outward appearance, even if you stop short of wearing a suit.

This is more important today, than it has ever been.

Apple will be updating their iconic Cube structure at their midtown Manhattan retail location, replacing the current cube of 90 panes with just 15 massive, and I mean massive, pieces of glass (rendering at bottom). The slabs will be roughly 10 feet wide by a whopping 32 feet high, and held together using some sort of secret, proprietary connector that will reportedly be embedded within the glass itself, rather than being comprised of mere external clips.