Stan's List

It is not only the iPhone that will be surging. iPod is predicted to increase sales by 15%. iPod classic numbers are expected to result in fewer iPhone Touches sold. MacBook and MacBook Pro may increase by as much as 35 percent. Desktops and Mac Pros are in for a 20 percent increase. It is expected that chip makers will now respect what is obviously healthy productions levels, InformationWeek reports.

A MacInTouch reader commented that Steve looked “thin”. MarketWatch remarks that this concern can take luster off the product announcements as the audience is distracted by look of their icon.

One more thing.

Server Admin Tools 10.5.3 contain remote administration tools, documentation, and utilities that you can install on a computer other than your server. This version is required to administer Mac OS X Server version 10.5.3 from a remote Mac client.

eWeek, quoting NPD data, reports that Apple achieved a 66% share of the retail market for computers that sell for $1,000 or more. in the first quarter. Of the sub $1,000 computers Apple maintained s meager 14 percent market share. eWeek More …

We are reminded of what Michael Dell said more than 10 years ago. He was asked what he would do to fix Apple. Michael Dell said before a crowd of several thousand IT executives:

What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.

This was October 6, 1997, and this blatant statement would be quoted again and again when Apple’s market cap passed, doubled, tripled and now quadrupled that of Dell. More …

The Mac web has been abuzz over what Apple must have in mind for the PPC CPU company. ZDNet suggests that, in response to the military’s request for a non-Intel laptop, the PA Semi’s dual-core, 64-bit, low-power PWRficient processor will be seen in future. This is a design based on IBM’s Power 3 CPU’s, cousins to the G5 processors.

Forbes’ initial report, for example claimed the P.A. Semi deal “could spell a new future for Apple’s flagship iPhone.” Ars Technica concluded that Apple’s move “disses Intel’s Atom”-a reference to the new low-power processor line from Apple’s chipmaker of choice.

Is it just to obtain patent rights, and the engineers who created those patent rights, as some have suggested? Apples secrecy is not strange to us. It will be a wait and see.

Apple announced a record fiscal second quarter results. Revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $5.26 billion and net quarterly profit of $770 million, or $.87 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. This generated $4 billion in cash for the first half of fiscal 2008, yielding cash balance of $19.4 billion. Gross margin was 32.9 percent, down from 35.1 percent in the year-ago quarter causing a dip in the stock. The revenue was generated by 2,289,000 Macs sold during the quarter, representing 51 percent unit growth and 54 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. 10,644,000 iPods were sold, represented only one percent growth and eight percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. iPhone sales were 1,703,000.

Echoing a growing confidence in Apple’s future, Seeking Alpha details how Apple will continue its success. Mac sales have been stellar and there no end in sight, growing four times the market average. With the 3G iPhone predicted to be 6 to 8 weeks away, Apple will stay ahead of competition and is predicted to sell 45 million 3G iPhones in 2009. While iPods sales may slow, 150 million iTunes users motivate Apple to add new media, possibly including video games. More …

Using as much of the original 16-bit Apple IIgs as possible, Ben Heckendorn demonstrates his talents by fitting in the innards of the IIgs with a few addition niceties

As many of you know I grew up during the 80’s and spent a lot of time with the fun 8-bit computers of those days. One of my favorites was the Apple IIgs, and when someone requested I build a portable version of it I jumped at the chance.

Some features:

• Large 15″ color screen
• Uses an original Apple IIgs motherboard ww RAM expansion.
• Custom acrylic keyboard based on the original keyboard PCB
• CompactFlash adapter inside unit functions as an OEM hard drive.
• Glowing backlit “][” logo (Blue for on w/ a bit of yellow during disk access)
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Side port access for floppy drive, joystick and mouse

Bloomberg reports on comments made by Steve Jobs at a shareholder meeting at Apple’s headquarters.

“We’ve got great talent, and I think the board would have really great choices,” said Jobs, when asked about potential successors.