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5 tech predictions for 2008

As we slowly bid adieu to 2007, I'm looking forward to 2008 and what will welcome us in the new year. And while none of us actually know what to expect, the future looks bright for this industry.

Think about it: who would have thought that Facebook would become such a powerhouse, the iPhone would take the world by storm and Dell would have dropped so significantly in just one year?

But in the fast-paced world of technology, we've learned that just about anything can happen and the leaders of today may not necessarily be the leaders of tomorrow. After all, is there any guarantee that Microsoft will still hold on to its dominating position or the iPod will still be the top dog in the PMP business? Not a chance.

But as I look forward to 2008, I truly believe there are some things we can accurately predict for next year. Whether it's the diminished popularity of the Wii or Google's meteoric rise in the cell phone business, the future looks bright and we should get ready to enjoy the ride.… Read more

Reports: Apple, Fox planning movie rental service

Apple is reportedly planning to get into the movie rental business and license its digital rights management technology, and it could announce a deal within the next few weeks.

Both the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that Twentieth Century Fox Film has signed a deal with Apple to let iTunes users download new movies and keep them for an unspecified (but likely short) period of time.

Both reports say Apple CEO Steve Jobs will make this news part of his Macworld keynote on January 14.

The reports also says that as part of the deal, Fox … Read more

Why iTunes is in jeopardy

For quite a long time, iTunes has sat atop the music downloading business with nary a competitor to knock it off its pedestal. Because of this, the company has been able to capitalize on the success of its iPod and basically corner the music market.

And while most of us were perfectly fine with that, the music business wasn't. With Warner finding fault in everything Apple does and Universal practically wishing iTunes would explode so it wouldn't need to worry about it anymore, we've run into a situation where the desire for music is there, but record labels are unwilling to provide us with what we want.

And just when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, Amazon stepped in and dropped a bombshell on this industry that we still don't know the full effect of. With the flip of a switch, Amazon offers up 2.9 million DRM-free MP3s and as of today, features songs from four out of the big 5 record labels (Sony has yet to join).

Even better, Amazon's service is slightly cheaper than Apple's, as most songs come in at the $0.89 price point. And in the end, it's not just that Apple loses out or Amazon wins, the real result of Amazon's rise is that iTunes is being pushed into a tenuous situation.

And I'm loving every minute of it.… Read more

Fox teams up with Apple for online movie rentals

According to the Financial Times, Apple and Fox have reached an agreement to serve up Fox's movies for rental on iTunes. If true, this would mark the first rental deal that Apple has been able to reach with a movie studio. In the past, they have distributed Disney movies online, but only for purchase at a higher price. Rumor has it that Apple has settled on the $2.99 price point for rentals, as opposed to the $9.99 or $14.99 price to own.

The Financial Times further speculates that Apple will make this announcement at Macworld on … Read more

Apple stock hits the $200 mark

For those of you who pay attention to share price milestones in all multiples of $100, the Associated Press is reporting that Apple stock hit the $200 mark for the first time Wednesday.

The story says the bump coincides with rising investor confidence at the end of what has been a strong year for the company with the debut of the iPhone.

Read the full story via Yahoo, among other places: "Apple trades at $200 for first time"

Finally -- MacBook tops Amazon's bestselling computer list

Say what you will, but as I've said numerous times on these pages, the MacBook is easily one of the best notebooks in the world. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it's probably one of the best I've ever used.

And while I still have numerous issues with Windows and my utter distrust for a company that can't even release an operating system that's final knows no bounds, I truly believe the average consumer should go out and find themselves a Mac.

Luckily for us, it seems like most people tend to agree. As of this writing, theresults of Amazon's bestseller list shows Apple's 13.3-inch MacBook leads the pack of any and all PCs and computer hardware.

Sure, the results may not mean much to some and saying it has sold the best may not necessarily indicate that Windows PCs are on the slide and Macs are slowly making a trek to the top, but can you remember a time in recent history when a Windows machine wasn't sitting atop a list of bestselling computers?Regardless of how you feel about it, Macs are coming on strong and 2008 could be the year of the Mac.… Read more

MacBook tops Amazon's best-selling computer list this Xmas

The MacBook has been Amazon's bestselling computer this Xmas and is locked in a battle with some HP Pavilions offered at whopping discounts.

The ultra-hip Linux-based Asus EEE I wrote about earlier this month holds a number of spots in the top 25 list. It's nice to see that consumers have wizened to the fact that Macs are better computers than anything running Windows.

Report: Apple working on auto-volume control for iPods

Apple is developing a volume control device for its iPods that would automatically calculate how long a person has been listening and at what volume, before gradually reducing the sound level, all in an effort to protect users' hearing, according to the London-based Daily Mail.

Citing a new patent application, the report--to which Apple declined to comment--says the "device will also calculate the amount of 'quiet time' between when the iPod is turned off and when it is restarted, allowing the volume to be increased again to a safe level."

In February 2006, a Louisiana man filed a class action suit against Apple, … Read more

US Army finds security in the Mac

The US Army is starting to buy Macs in order to improve its resistance to security threats. It makes sense that having the army completely standardized on Windows is a bad idea, just as being completely standardized on Macs would be a bad idea. Perhaps enterprises should take note?

Wallington, a division chief in the Army's office of enterprise information systems, says the military is quietly working to integrate Macintosh computers into its systems to make them harder to hack. That's because fewer attacks have been designed to infiltrate Mac computers, and adding more Macs to the military'… Read more