Hoax hurts: So the news Wednesday that Apple was delaying the iPhone until October and Leopard until January was false. To recap, Engadget had originally posted the story after being forwarded an internal Apple email that turned out to be a spoof. We reported on that development yesterday, but today's news is that between the time of the Engadget post and its redaction, after another Apple email explained the situation, the stock price dipped 3 percent, which knocked $4 billion off of Apple's market cap. The stock price has since rebounded, but many investors aren't happy. Blog safe, people ... although others argue that blogs help companies like Apple far more than they hurt them.
In Mac news: Need a new MacBook? Amazon is offering discounts on both the previous generation models and the new models released this week. Between instant discounts and mail-in rebates, you could save $100 or more, even $200 on some models. Here's the Apple notebook page on Amazon. Once you have your new machine (and this goes for all Macs, really, old and new), protect it with these 10 Mac security tips from Open Door Networks. And we're looking forward to the day when our Macs can help protect themselves: Apple has patented an "acceleration-based theft-detetion system" for portable electronics such as notebooks.
And finally: While getting the Beatles into the iTunes Store would undoubtedly please music fans, it probably wouldn't mean much for Apple's bottom line. Here's an interesting theory that one of Leopard's secret features could be the end of windows as we know them. And speedy, sleuthy, smarty-pants gadget lovers should check out the Urban Dare scavenger hunt, recently run in New York but coming later this year to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Tempe, Arizona. Read more about it on the Urban Dare blog.
Anonymous
May 18, 2007 at 2:50am
MS did invest a pile of cash, buying non-voting shares only. All of which have since been sold.
Anonymous
May 20, 2007 at 7:01pm
Folks - the $150mm "investment" by Microsoft was a tiny amount of money that was heavy on symbolism - it made things clear for a very jittery Mac public that Microsoft would continue to develop for the Mac.
The money MS invested was never remotely significant (Apple is a large company with huge amounts of cash reserves).
Anonymous
May 17, 2007 at 11:24am
Makes you wonder if the company makes software as well as a operating system for PC;s and likes to proudly boast that they have their bloated OS installed on over 90% of the PC's in the world, and makes their own MP3 player as well as their own Music store that isn't even close to reaching the sales level that Apples iTune/iPod has and has been having problem selling that over bloated knock off of OS X isn't responsible for making the fake email, just to see if they can make Apple slip in the Market and to tarnish the shinny Apple logo.
Paul T
May 17, 2007 at 4:41pm
Do you realize that Microsoft owns a huge part of Apple? Why would they want to make themselves lose money?
All this rivalry between Microsoft and Apple is a ruse, it's more like a friendly competition. Neither will go under, because then one would have a monopoly, and that would be illegal.
Apple is driving a Porsche, and is a few miles ahead, but Microsoft is driving a pimped out Hummer H2, still getting shitty gas mileage. But it's "pimped out".
