The MacBook & MacBook Pro haven’t seen any major revisions since their release date of 2006. With redesigns long overdue, there is word that Apple will be releasing new MacBooks and MacBook Pros this September. I think we all figured that the new MacBook design would be very similar to the MacBook Air, but is that what the buyers really want? With the release of the new iMac about a year or so ago, many people said over and over again how they disliked the new look, but we adapted to it over time. Apple is known for trying to keep unreleased products under tight control, so that makes me doubt that these new pictures are real. Also, if you’re a college student, don’t forget about Apple’s student deal! Now, one of the only pros of getting a MacBook before the highly expected MacBook 2.0, is that you can still get that iPod of your desires.

“Are these really leaked pics of a redesigned MacBook, widely expected later this year? Probably not, as Apple has always done an excellent job of keeping its new designs under wraps. But the Interwebs are abuzz with this series of shots that generally fit in with the conventional wisdom–that the MacBook line is getting an aluminum makeover, to look more like the high-end MacBook Pro.”

[Via: Crave]

With the new iPhone 3G coming out later this week, take a look at what some other companies are doing to compete with the iPhone.

The iPhone is considered by many, to be the most revolutionary phone to ever be released. It is a totally new experience for may users, with it’s 3.5 inch touch screen; mobile web browsing with Safari (Apple’s web browser), using either WiFi or the AT&T mobile internet services; a full built in iPod for music listening and more. On top of all these amazing features, it also functions as a phone! The iPhone was the first “smartphone” that slickly combined many features in a manor that only Apple could pull off. However with every revolutionary product, competitors come out of the woodwork, most of them are clearly cheap knockoffs, and some of them are somewhat acceptable replicas, however, every once in a while someone comes out with a product that clearly out does the original. As of yet, however, no one seems to have come out with a real “iPhone Killer”. So far, the most notable iPhone doppelgänger is LG’s VX10000 a.k.a. “the Verizon Voyager”, which is available on the Verizon Wireless network. While the Voyager is an okay competitor, the iPhone still tops it for many reasons, not the least of which is that the Voyager runs on a poorly designed Verizon platform, which is somewhat lacking, while the iPhone runs on a derivative of Apple’s powerful OS X.

Clearly something is missing here, really one of the most significant things keeping all iPhone competitors down is the lack of a solid grounding in the OS and UI department. Apple has years of experience, as well as a solid OS to work with, while every other manufacturer has to start from the ground up and basically reinvent the wheel. But what if there was a company with a solid background in designing intuitive interfaces, that could design an OS as elegant as Apple’s OS X. Then perhaps the major phone manufacturers could concentrate on what they do best and build phones. Perhaps from this marriage of elegant software, with efficient hardware, would come a phone that could truly rival the iPhone. Well one of the most well known technology companies is working on just that, an elegant open source operating system. You know this company as one with a history of recognizing the potential in small projects with sufficient funding, as well as being the company that reinvented search. Google has stepped into the mobile phone ring, and for real this time, not just integrating services with other mobile operating systems, but with a whole new mobile operating system, called Android.

Google, the worlds biggest and most well known search company, has recently teamed up with Andy Rubin, the creator of the Sidekick, to create an operating system for many mobile platforms, called Project Android. While many people have been talking about a “Google Phone” for as long as they have been talking about an “Apple Phone”, Google is not expected to release any specific hardware to run Android. One might make the comparison to the so-called OS wars between Apple and Microsoft: on one hand you have Apple with their tightly controlled hardware, which depending on your viewpoint, is either a Pro or a Con; while on the other hand you have Microsoft which currently dominates the OS usage rates, (though not for long) because of it’s “open” Operating System, meaning it isn’t tied to any specific hardware, the only requirement is that the machine has to be capable of running it. Google has taken the more open road here as well, opting to not make the limiting factor the hardware, but the ingenuity of the person attempting to install it.

Android also has a SDK that has already been released for developers to play with. Using Java, developers can make applications from scratch that do anything from enable you to check your email, to playing the hottest new game. Along with its operating system, Android relies on Linux 2.6 to run its core services such a security, memory, and any other behind the scenes work a computers operating system would normally do.

So while many companies have tried to accomplish the task of making a phone that is sleeker, faster, and just better than the iPhone, Google has come at it from a different perspective. Instead of spending all their money on building a sleek phone, Google has spent their time on making an operating system and letting the companies and people install on the phones they like. And by allowing developers to make applications for Android before it has been released, they have allowed the people to make the operating system they would like instead of letting Google’s development team spend many tireless hours guessing how to make it perfect. So with Android’s expected release to be sometime later this year, many wonder if the iPhone will be able to stand supreme among its competitors. Or will phones running Android become the Phones to beat the iPhone? We will soon find out.

The site has been in a dormant state for the past couple of weeks. This is about to change. Behold July 11th!

Its been almost a month since WWDC 2008 and it is finally come time for Apple to deliver its goodies. All three major announcements from WWDC- Mobile Me, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone OS 2.0 firmware update are expected to be delivered this coming Friday. You can rest assured theiLife will have continuing coverage of all three events. We be in line at the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City later this week and will bring you the latest coverage (live, of course) of not only the iPhone 3G launch but MobileMe and the new iPhone OS firmware 2.0. Keep posted for more details coming soon!

For those of us who are counting down every last second until the 3G iPhone launch, we have got a new Dashboard widget for you! This widget is styled after the new iPhone 3G, and comes in two colors- Black and White. More details of the coverage from the iPhone 3G launch coming soon, but for now- get yours today!

Download iPhone 3G Countdown Widget (Black) [332KB]
Download iPhone 3G Countdown Widget (White) [332KB]

This is a second part in the Windows to Mac series from writer Dan Spiers. You can read the first part, entitled Windows to Mac: Prologue here.

Now that WWDC has taken off and with the announcement that the iPhone/iPod Touch software 2.0 won’t be released until early July, I no longer have any reason to hold out on buying my first Macintosh computer. Just yesterday I ordered a 15″ Macbook Pro (with the 2.6 gHz processor boost, as well as a 16GB iPod Touch and a bluetooth Mighty Mouse) and is slated to arrive at the end of this week, possibly early next week.

This is my farewell to Windows as a primary operating system. It has tortured served me for many years, but its age has shown. I’m tired of all the compatibility issues, constant breakdowns and blue screens. I want an OS that is stable and that is more user-friendly.

I’ve been waiting for four years to upgrade to a new computer, and this week isn’t ending fast enough… I’ve already started to have dreams about my new MBP.

To add to the growing rumors surrounding WWDC, today, iLounge.com released images of two touchscreen components that are similar to the current iPhone and iPod Touch components, but are slightly smaller in size by .3 and .7 inches. Also, one Wall Street analyst feeds the fire about an iTablet and sheds light on new iPhones at WWDC.

The photos, shown above depict touch components that appear to be destined for a future iPhone or iPod Touch. Taiwanese display manufacturer Host Optical claims they are working with Apple on the new displays and are responsible for the release of the information. The components are described as a “projected capacitance touch panel” with the emphasis that they are superior to the current touchscreen used in the iPhone and iPod touch. According to Host Optical, the new touch components do not get less sensitive over time, are more durable and can withstand water and very humid environments.

iLounge.com believes these new screens may not be destined for the new 3G iPhone, specifically the 2.8 inch display. iLounge believes that “there is zero chance that a 2.8” screen is going to be in Apple’s first 3G version of the iPhone”; but most likely for a smaller “iPhone nano” or fourth generation iPod Nano.

It should be noted that Apple never reveals who supplies components and suppliers rarely admit they are working for the Cupertino company. By releasing this information before product release, Host Optical is violating terms with Apple. Theoretically, anyone can claim that they are suppling components for Apple. Additionally, majority of rumors agree that the new 3G iPhone will have very similar dimensions to the first generation iPhone, with only added tapering around the edges.

Also today, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu published in a report to clients that 4 and 7 inch touchscreen devices are beyond prototype stages inside Apple. Wu believes that these devices are crosses between the Mac and iPod touch and may be a modern recreation of the Newton MessagePad from the 1990’s. Shaw predicts that the devices will most likely not see light at next weeks WWDC keynote.

Shaw Wu is confident that Steve Jobs will introduce two new iPhone models next week; one of them the hotly anticipated 3G iPhone, and another refined version of the current 2.5G model that would be significantly cheaper. He says his information is based from supply chain sources.

Finally Wu says that while WWDC typically highlights Macintosh related products, this year may be an exception. Because new portable Macs “most likely won’t be ready for volume production until the September quarter”, this years event will not highlight new Macs.

Steve Jobs keynote will kick off at 10AM PST (1PM EST) on June 9th. theiLife.com will be in attendance and livebloging from the keynote here. If you can’t be at a computer, you can still recieve urgent updates (expect about 10-20) to your cell phone via SMS by signing up here.

Since its founding, Apple has designed products aimed at changing the way we use technology. From early computer offerings like the Apple ][ to today’s iPhone, Apple has always changed the way we interact with technology. And Apple, since the introduction of the first AirPort base station in 1999, has continually pushed for a world with fewer wires and more elegant connectivity.

It started with the the Macintosh Portable in 1989. While the Macintosh Portable was a small step towards a portable, wireless device we have become accustomed with these days, it suffered from several fatal flaws- it was large, slow, awkwardly shaped and expensive. As a result, the Macintosh Portable didn’t sell as well as Apple would have liked. But Apple didn’t stop there. They followed the Macintosh Portable with the PowerBook, and it stuck. The PowerBook lived on Apple’s product line from October 1991 all the way to January 2006 when it was replaced by the MacBook Pro. Since then, Apple added the iBook and, recently, the MacBook Air.

Let’s step back a few years. On October 23, 2001, Apple Computer, Inc. released what some consider to be the most revolutionary product of the past decade: the iPod. The iPod took digital music and put it on the go. Suddenly, you could have thousands of songs at your fingertips without changing a single CD. Over the course of 5 years, Apple’s iPod reached the pockets of more than 30 million. To date, Apple has sold 150 million iPods.

Flash forward to January 2007, when Steve Jobs announces the iPhone. Apple redefines another mobile device. The iPhone went past cell phones’ old limits in a manner only Apple is capable of. The iPhone is reinventing the cell phone market like the iPod did for portable music.

With the imminent release of a new iPhone and iPhone firmware 2.0, Apple is moving us in a direction that will change the way we interact with technology once again. With the help of our favorite Cupertino company, we are being set free, and moving to a world without wires.

When Apple posted the new 10.5.3 update earlier this week, investigators on the MacRumors forum have located a curious iPhone icon added with the update.

If you are running OS 10.5 Leopard and update to 10.5.3, this new iPhone icon is sitting in your system. Once you have updated, navigate to the Finder, click on the “Go” menu, click on “Go To Folder” (or Command+Shift+G) and paste in the following (or simply follow the path):

/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/

Once you are in the Resources folder, you will see something that looks like this:

Locate the iPhone.icns file and double click it to open it. There should be 5 different iPhone icons, of varying sizes. You are looking for the file named ‘iPhone.icns-3′.

While this iPhone icon is clearly different from the current iPhone (and other iPhone icons in the folder); if you look at the model revealed on iPhoneclub.nl recently, the model and the icon bear a striking resemblance. Both iPhones exhibit the rumored bezel and body changes, which make the iPhone more curved in your hand, but appear to be square. The earpiece seems to be readjusted, which is part of the rumored sensor rearrangement and addition of forward facing camera. The two iPhones are shown side by side below. You can read the orginal iPhoneclub.nl post here.

While this icon may seem promising, it could just be a remnant or reject from the original iPhone icon. Apple is rumored to introduce a new iPhone model next month at its annual WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference); which starts on June 9th. Stick with theiLife for continuing coverage regarding the new iPhone, liveblogging from the Keynote and any other WWDC related announcements.

The closing of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store on Thursday may mark the beginning of a new advertising campaign for an as of yet unknown product. Equipment being brought into the store as well as other reports indicates that film production company Anonymous Content will be producing the advertisement.

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 is the third part in a series of WWDC rumor articles, exploring the various case leaks for the new iPhone model- speculated to launch at WWDC 2008. Click here to check out the first and second articles about the rumored iPhone.

Click on the images to see a larger version.

Yesterday, the Apple rumor mill was abuzz with a story from iDealsChina Insider, an otherwise unknown website who posted leaked pictures of Griffins new case mold for the upcoming iPhone. The pictures, shown above, shows a larger opening for the supposed addition of a front facing camera, which supports the rumored claims of videoconferencing on the upcoming iPhone. The leaked photos are said to be of Griffins upcoming silicon Flex GRIP case.

More after the jump! Read more…