New to the list of Apple’s recent product revisions is the now smaller $79.00 iPod Shuffle. They sport 4 GB storage in a 1.8″ x 0.7″ x 0.3″ housing weighing less than an ounce. It can play for about 10 hours from a full charge, and as always is compatible with Mac and PC through iTunes.

Apple quietly updated the iPod Shuffle today, closing the online store early in the morning and reopening it with the new iPod. The iPod Shuffle is much like the his older cousins, small, sleek, and uses a clip to hold on to whatever you want. The Shuffle comes only in two colors, silver and black aluminum, and the clip is made of shiny stainless steel.

The major feature Apple is pushing for this new iPod Shuffle is VoiceOver, which can tell you the song you are playing (without interrupting the song), recite playlists you have loaded onto it, and warn you when your battery is low. This is a great improvement over the old shuffle, where you were stuck with one playlist, and there was no way to find out what song you were listening to. However, the computerized voice may get on your nerves if you are sensitive to it.

Lastly, when you buy the shuffle, you are stuck with Apple’s earbuds. They have removed buttons from the actual device, and have placed them on the right side earphone cord. Although this is handy, if you don’t like Apple’s earbuds, there is nothing you can do about it until an adapter comes out, and that adapter will be a separate purchase. Not to mention the controls you will have to memorize a combination of controls just to use it, take a look:

Pros: VoiceOver, Smaller, Long Battery Life, Very Nice Look

Cons: Proprietary Headphones, unknown Adapter price-tag, VoiceOver voice can be irritating, only 2 bland colors (black and silver)

If you plan on buying an iPod, the Shuffle is the cheapest and does music like all the other iPods. You lose out on the screen and video that the 8GB $149.00 iPod Nano would give you, though if you only want the music in a small package, Apple has the answer in a fashionable package.

Last week, Apple released their new MacBook’s and MacBook Pro’s. Both notebooks feature a number of new innovations including aluminum cases, faster processors, better graphics cards and an all glass multi-touch pad that has no dedicated button. Along with the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air was given a small speed bump. The MacBook Air now has a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor upgradable to 1.86 GHz. It was also given a new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card.

The MacBook went through the most drastic change going from the plastic white or black case to a new aluminum case with a black, glass screen which resembles the screen from the iMac. The aluminum case comes from a single block of aluminum machined to perfection. Even the sleep indicator was taken in to account being carved by a CNC to thin the metal before a laser make small perforations to allow the LED Light to shine through.

While the MacBook and MacBook Pro look similar with the exception of screen size, slightly different port configuration and the tags on the bottom of the screen, their tech specs make them seem like there is no relation. The MacBook comes in one size, 13.3″, but has two options of processor power. With the new computer, you are given the option of a 2.0 or 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The 2.0 GHz comes with the option of upgrading to a 250GB HD, 320GB HD or a 128GB SSDfrom a 160GB HDD wheres as the 2.4 GHZ comes standard with a 250GB HD with the option to upgrade. Both options come with 2GB (Two 1GB SO-DIMMS) of SDRAM but can support up to 4GB. The new graphics support is a NVIDIA 9400M graphics processor 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM. As usual it still comes with an iSight, Bluetooth, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The MacBook Pro, as usual, is similar same, but faster. The redesigned Pro again only comes in one size, 15.4″ (17″ apparently will follow eventually) with two processor speeds. The options are a 2.4 GHz or 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo upgradable to 2.8GHz. The 2.4 GHz model comes standard with 2GB of SDRAM, 250GB HD, and a NVIDIA 9400M 256 MB or 9600M 256MB. The 2.53 GHz model comes with 4GB of SDRAM, 320GB HD, and a NVIDIA 9400M 512MB or 9600M 512MB. Both can hold up to 4GB of SDRAM and have an option of a 128GB SSD. And as before, they both still come with an iSight, Bluetooth, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The new models have been given a complete makeover both internally and externally. While the MacBook has been given the biggest makeover going from the plastic casing, both have been given a refined look. But in case you decide you don’t like the new laptops, Apple still offers the old 17″ MacBook Pro model and 13″ MacBook model.

Editors note: Commenting on this article does not make you eligible for theiLife birthday celebration raffle.

Apple just sent out an email officially announcing the opening of the Willowbrook Apple Store:

“Come to the new Apple Store, Willowbrook, and bring your curiosity. It’s the place to test-drive any Mac or iPod, experience iPhone, and catch free workshops to learn all the latest tips and tricks. When you get there, find our Concierge in the orange shirt. The Concierge is your guide to everything from checking in for an appointment to instant checkout. And if you’re one of the first 1000 visitors, you’ll get a free Apple T-Shirt.”

Stay with theiLife for continuing coverage of the opening of the new Apple Store.

The 3G iPhone is in high demand this summer. Lines outside Apple Stores of seven or more hours have become commonplace. Seeing entire states selling out of iPhones for days at a time isn’t uncommon. AT&T stores seem to get shipments least often, and generally flagship stores will have some models in stock, but accompanied with a long line outside. Even Apple is having trouble keeping phones on their shelves. Last week, Apple announced all stores were going to open at 8AM and have more employees helping in anticipation of iPhone 3G sales.

On apple.com/retail:

“Your favorite Apple Retail Store is making it easier and more convenient to purchase an iPhone 3G. All stores will now open at 8:00 a.m. every day but Sunday and, to accommodate demand, we’re adding staff to help you get up and running as quickly as possible.”

Like last year and with the MacBook Air, Apple has added a Store Availability Checker to their retail website which is updated at 9PM. Many sites have attempted to tap into this service, which isn’t available during the day, to provide updated iPhone availability. Apple has since changed the backend so these sites can no longer use the checker during the day. You can view the official one here (after 9PM).

Among the most effective ways to find stock at any given time is to call. Visit Apple.com/retail to find a few Apple Store phone numbers near you and start calling. This process might require some time, and you might have to call several over the course of one day and week.

Recently, Apple has also setup a “raincheck” program, where if you lineup for an iPhone, you can set aside a 3G iPhone and return later in the day to finish the activation process when convenient. Generally you have until 6PM to pickup your new device.

Finally, among the most important things to do before you go out to purchase your new iPhone is to become iReady (PDF).

To purchase and activate iPhone 3G, you need the following:

Credit card (In Your Name)
Social security number (In Your Name)
Valid, government-issued photo ID (In Your Name) [Must be 18 and older]
Your current wireless account number and password or PIN (if you’re new to AT&T)

And if these steps are too much for you, the simple answer is to wait. As the holiday season draws closer, and the device is on the market longer, production will ramp up and Apple may be able to handle the heavy demand better. If you have any additional tips or suggestions, feel free to drop us a comment below or contact us.

Interview by Fortune!

Store Line Check by Racked. We’re the site that’s liveblogging!

Matt R. and Geoff K., were quoted by the New York Sun.

Matt Dodd was featured in an interview with NBC 4.

NYPost.com video featured a number of iLife writers!

We are seen a number of times in this Fox 5 video!

Matt Dodd was featured in an article in Information Week.

Geoff K. was quoted in Bloomberg News.

We’ve on CNN Money.

We’ve been video posted on NPR.

The article on MacLife about waiting on the line is up here.

Matt Dodd and various other bloggers were featured on the 10 o’clock Channel 11 news here.

CBS used Matt Dodd’s new iPhone in this segment.

Apple has posted an image of theiLife crew activating their new phone in the store!

We were told we have appeared on multiple TV news channels such as CW11, CBS, NBC, and more as well as WCBS 880 Radio and Fox News Radio.

Other groups represented in the line as of now include a organic farming activist group, and another man holding a spot for a friend. The number of media outlets attending the event is more than a little disproportionate in comparison to the number of people on line. So far MacLife, NY 1, Reuters and a Japanese national station have covered the event, with varying levels in interest. The unknown Japanese seemed most interested in whether we had ever heard of the term “iPhoner”, while Reuters wanted to know why we were waiting in line for an iPhone rather than a Blackberry.

Things here have been fairly calm so far, except for the random pedestrians who stop and ask questions. The first group has however been approached by what appeared to be a combination of Apple security and NYPD reps who asked them to take some of their signs down. Naturally, that request was denied pending a written order.

We will be doing a liveblog of events below from the line:

7:55AM EST: We have taken the third group position in line on 5th Avenue.
1:31PM EST: Still holding the last position in the line; we have seen more media interviews than people on this entire line. We are going out to eat lunch soon!
2:33PM EST: After leaving the bathroom of the Apple Store, we ran into a pallet jack carting in a shipment of boxes labeled 3G iPhone. See gallery after the jump for picture.
4:14PM EST: Apple has just given us all black umbrellas with a white Apple logo on them! They have been going around the line insuring that we are all iReady. Greg Packard, the guy who was first online last year stopped by to say hello, and we are currently uploading the interview with him. More coming soon!
4:34PM EST: Just posted the Greg Packard Interview below.
5:45PM EST: Matt Dodd just had an interview with Leo Laporte from TWiT and the servers are seeing heavy traffic. Foot traffic on the street is heavily increasing as the day is ending here in New York City. More media coming soon!!
8:05PM EST: The sun is setting on a beautiful day here in New York. We are working on finding a spot to eat dinner!
10:05PM EST: Scaffolding is going up by the cube, it looks like it is getting a bath!
10:35PM EST: Workers are downstairs (in the Apple Store) grouting the cracks between the tiles.

Photo gallery and videos after the jump!

Late this evening, visitors to the Apple Online Store were met with the typical “We’ll Be Back Soon” message.

Additionally this evening, Apple has posted a message on the dotMac service section for current dotMac subscribers reading:

“MobileMe Launch
7/9/2008, 6pm-12am PT

MobileMe will be available as soon as possible during this maintenance window.”

It is unknown if these two events have anything in common, as the online Apple Store always goes down prior to new product announcements but does periodically go down for maintenance. Finally, Apple today has confirmed an 8AM launch time for the iPhone 3G in its own retail stores. On the apple.com/retail page, “iPhone 3G July 11th” graphics have been updated to “iPhone 3G July 11 at 8AM”. The 8AM launch time reflects the AT&T store official launch time which was revealed earlier last week. Stay tuned to theiLife for continuing coverage of MobileMe and the iPhone 3G launch later this week.

Today Apple announced the grand opening date of the Willowbrook Mall for June 7th at 10AM. Located in Houston, Texas; the Willowbrook Mall is host to over 160 stores and services in over 1.53 million square feet of retail space. The latest store joins two other existing Apple Stores in Houston, the Memorial City Store and the Galleria Store. The Willowbrook store is located near Dillards and JC Penney. For directions, store schedule and more information, check out the stores website.

What is interesting about the location of this new Apple Store is that there is another Willowbrook Mall, located in New Jersey, with an Apple Store scheduled to open in it this fall. While details are still light, you can read more about the Wayne, New Jersey Apple Store also in Willowbrook Mall here.

If you are located near this new Apple Store, or know someone who is, theiLife is looking for someone to take pictures or video of the store and even liveblog from the grand opening. Please contact us if you are interested.

AppleInsider reports that director David Fincher, listed as a featured director on Anonymous’s website is tied to the project. Fincher is best known as the director of Fight Club, but is also a popular producer of commercials, including the Gears of War trailer, “Mad World”, and has done work for HP and AT&T. The only other times that the Fifth Avenue Apple Store has been closed were for major product launches, and the only advertisements filmed at Apple store were filmed at this location, for, fittingly enough, the iPhone.

The majority of Apple’s marketing campaigns, including the well received Get a Mac campaign, have been produced by TBWA\Media Arts Labs. However, Apple has in the past used other firms, or allowed third parties to advertise joint product launches using their own ad firms. Anonymous Content fits the bill for this kind of campaign, having produced commercials for a wide variety of corporations, the most relevant being AT&T and Intel. It is rumored that Apple is filming a commercial for the upcoming 3G iPhone. The reasoning behind filming at the Fifth Avenue retail store is still unknown, as an Apple Store could easily be replicated in a studio. The lighting equipment outside indicates that emphasis may be on the 32 foot cube outside the store. More details to come soon!

This video is a brief overview of the new Apple Store. If you would like to read more about the store; you can check out the other coverage from theiLife:

Summary of Grand Opening
Photo Gallery of Opening
Liveblog from Opening

Music featured in the video is Song 2 by Blur.

The opening of the Boylston Street Apple Retail Store was the second event at an Apple Store that I have attended. The first was the release of Leopard in fall 2007 at the Burlingame, CA store.

I was not able to leave work in Worcester until close to 4:45 p.m., and I knew I would be cutting it close with the 6 p.m. opening in Boston. I parked at the Prudential Center and made it to the line at about 5:40 p.m. I had two friends already in line in two different places. My place in line was on Fairfield Street further away from the store than Newbury Street.

The street was sectioned off with barricades, and the line width was anywhere from 5-8 people stretching several blocks and then onto Boylston Street approaching the store. It was hard to estimate the number of people in line, but having heard in advance that there were only 1,000 t-shirts, I definitely did not think I would get one giving my place in line. I was snapping photos with my camera and iPhone, and sending updates. Just before 6 p.m., my e-mail and internet on my iPhone stopped working, and I was getting a “cannot activate EDGE” error. It continued for nearly 35 minutes (frustrating!) even with several restarts of the phone. It eventually came back. Meanwhile, it seemed like every third person had an iPhone. Other than my time at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, I don’t think I have been in a place with a higher iPhone concentration.

Shortly after I arrived and about 10–15 minutes prior to the store opening, the employees (what seemed like all of them) began running along the sidewalk adjacent to the line cheering, screaming, and high-fiving the people in line. There was a significant police presence for traffic and crowd control. The television news vans for the local CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliates were stationed on Fairfield and Boylston Streets. At several times, a helicopter was hovering overhead; whether it was for this event or just standard Boston traffic, I don’t know. Some pedestrians passing by on the sidewalk were asking people in line what they were doing there and what they were giving away for free.

Eventually the line began to move (slowly!) with the security staff allowing small groups of people to cross the streets at a time. I was receiving text message and phone call updates from my two friends already inside describing the store and asking where I was in line. They said it appeared that there were still plenty of t-shirts as I was getting closer to the store. They also said there were Red Sox people (they didn’t know who) inside. I made it to the front of the store at about 7:10 p.m. still with quite a significant line behind me.

Finally it was my group’s turn to enter. As we entered the store, the entry way was lined with Apple employees in blue and orange shirts cheering and clapping loudly! The staff handed out the t-shirts which were in small boxes (no size indicated–turns out most or all were XL) and high-fived the guests as they entered through the area which could be described as like running the gauntlet.

At that point I began taking photos and some short video. The ground level/first floor was very busy with employees and guests entering. The spiral glass staircase was very impressive! We spoke with one employee who said they had 2,500 t-shirts on hand which explains why I was still able to get one! The second floor is the iPod/iPhone area, and there was a huge wall of accessories and cases. The third floor is the demonstration area and Genius Bar, and the employee at the top of the staircase was greeting each person by saying “Welcome to the third floor.”

I did not spend much time actually exploring each floor because of the number of people and congestion; that will be for another day. I did sit down to use an iMac and write one of the updates that I sent and take some more photos. Overall, I did not spend too much time in the store exploring, but the store is definitely very impressive. It does remind me of the New York Fifth Avenue store, but significantly larger. Every time I have been in the Fifth Avenue store it has seemed very busy and packed, and this new store even on opening day with the large number of people did not give me that impression.

As I was leaving the employees were continuing to cheer and hand out t-shirts. Later, I had dinner at a nearby outside restaurant, and I continued to see people passing by holding the box containing the t-shirt. Several Apple employees assisted with taking down “no parking” signage and moving the barricades. I saw one person carrying a newly purchased MacBook and one person carrying a newly purchased iMac. Walking past the store on my way back to my car at nearly 10 p.m., the line was gone but the employees continued to cheer and high-five as guests entered the store.

Overall, very impressive all around! I’ll be back sometime soon to spend more time in the store and buy my 3G iPhone.

You can read the liveblog here; and more about the new Boylston Street store here.

Photo gallery after the jump!

4:57 PM Matt here, I am in New Jersey awaiting updates from our crew out in Boston.
5:04 PM If you want to find out more information about the new Boston Store, you can check out yesterday’s article here; or on ifoAppleStore.
6:00 PM The store is now officially open! Still no word from our on-site corespondents.
6:05 PM Adam is in line. He notes “[there are] more iPhones per capita in this line than anywhere I have seen other than 1 Infinite Loop” Picture added below.
6:13 PM Adam has sent another picture and notes that there are a number of news crew in attendance.
6:31 PM There are helicopters flying above the area. Another picture has been added, which Adam believes is the cause of the helicopters.
6:38 PM “Freinds inside say it is “sick” and like the “NY store but better”. T-Shirts come in small box and a few are left. I doubt I will get one.”
6:49 PM “I am approaching the corner, which is Boylston St. Cops everywhere. Cameras everywhere.”
6:56 PM “Getting close. Can see the store. One more wrap around.”
7:03 PM “DRM protesters handing out flyers and in front of store.”
7:08 PM “Very close. I hear they still have shirts.”
7:10 PM “I’m in. 7:10. Got shirt. Will send photo after. Staff cheers everytime someone walks in.”
7:34 PM “I am inside using an iMac now. I’m on the third floor. First floor is chaos with the entire entryway filled with employees continuously cheering as people enter. The third floor has demonstrations happening, an iChat one right next to me. They still have T-Shirts, one employee said they have 2,500 to give out. My friend told me there were Red Sox people here earlier, but I don’t know who they were and I have not seen them.”
7:43 PM Adam is just leaving the Apple Store. He has inclosed a picture of the T-Shirt below.

Photos after the jump.

Thanks goes out to our volunteer, Adam (and friends). Adam is an admissions counselor at WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) who found about theiLife through my college application. It turns out that I am going to attend WPI next year, and I sincerely thank Adam and his friends for helping theiLife cover the opening of the Boylston Street Apple Store.

The Apple Store Boylston Street “Green Monster” (Image courtesy of Apple)

On April 28th, the facade of the upcoming Boylston Street Apple Store appeared, modeled after the Green Monster and reading “Opening Day. Coming Soon. Apple Store Boylston St.” Last week, ifoAppleStore speculated that the store was set to open next Friday, May 16th. Earlier this week, Apple officially announced the grand opening to take place on Thursday May 15th.

This is the first flagship store launch since then opening of the West 14th Street Apple Store in New York City, back in December of 2007 (which you can read our coverage of here). The new store is said to have 3 floors (like the West 14th Street Store) and over 20,000 square feet of retail space and even a vegetation garden on the rooftop. The Bolyston Street store is confirmed to be Apple’s largest retail store in the United States. At the grand opening, which takes place at 6:00PM tomorrow, Apple will be giving away limited edition T-shirts and “other surprises”. The store will operate under extended hours (8AM-11PM Monday-Saturday; 9AM-7PM Sunday) but will not be open 24/7, like the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City. You can find directions and a calendar of events on Apple’s website, or read more about the store on ifoAppleStore.

The store is located is located at 815 Boylston Street between Gloucester and Fairfield; Boston, MA 02116.

A map of the surrounding area.

If you are planning on attending or would like to attend, theiLife is still in search of any one willing to report for our us. There are absolutely no requirements and any pictures, videos or text updates are highly appreciated! If you are interested, you will be given access to our FTP servers and a WordPress account to post updates, pictures or videos. Please contact us via AIM, email or by post a comment below.

Apple Retail Job Offering

According to ifoAppleStore and job postings by Apple, New Jersey will be receiving yet another retail store in the Willowbrook Mall.

Willowbrook Mall is a two story mall located in Wayne, New Jersey. The mall has over 1.5 million square feet of retail space and is located about 25 miles from New York City. The location in Willowbrook has not been revealed yet, however the store will be opening for the 2008 holiday season.