Developer builds- who can trust 'em? You may have seen this coming, but the newest most recent build of Snow Leopard, version 10.6.2, restores support for Intel's Atom CPU. Yes, that means your hackintosh is safe if you've made the 64-bit upgrade.

As to reasons for the flip-flop, there's still no word from Apple. That likely means it was a bug, or an unintended consequence of some other change to the system. As such, I'd like to officially recant all those things I said about Apple going after the hacking community in light of a tablet release. It just ain't happening, folks. Carry on.

Nothing's official just yet, but the latest Snow Leopard developer build, version 10.6.2, does away with Atom CPU support. It's not a big deal to the average Mac user, but for anyone who has put the hours of dedication and frustration into making a Hackintosh, it's a huge deal. It would effectively kill Snow Leopard for the little lappies, at least until someone can find a workaround.

For the few among us running OS X on a Dell Mini or other such devices, you're going to be stuck on 10.6.1 if you made the upgrade work. It has to make you wonder, though, if Apple isn't targeting the tiny community ahead of the tablet release to encourage a few more purchases. Then again, the community is so small and the anticipation of an Apple tablet so great that it's hard to imagine that to be the case.

Mac addicts are almost proud to spend hundreds of extra dollars when it comes to buying a computer, but an Apple tablet might not just be for Mac nerds. The general expectation is that Apple's tablet will be like the iPhone or an iPod, bridging the gap between the diehards and the average consumer. With the average consumer, though, price becomes more important, and as a recent study by Retrevo suggests, $600 might be the break point.

According to Retrevo, 68% of Mac users would be willing to spend over that $600 point on Apple's tablet. In fact, 41% are willing to break $800 for the device. That hangs in line with what we know about Mac users' spending habits. PC folks, on the other hand, aren't so easy to persuade. Granted, there are still armies of them willing to pay premium dollar for the Apple brand, but not nearly as many by percentage.

From the survey results, it looks like 36% of PC users would consider spending over $600. Strangely enough, only 16% would spend in the $600-$800 range, while 20% were willing to break the $800 mark. Still, that leaves a huge base of people dreaming sub-$600, a price that I just can't imagine we'll see.

Now that Windows 7 has officially launched we'll get to see if PC manufacturers were a little overzealous in their anticipation of the new OS. Comments from AMD toward the end of last week suggested there might be a little too much PC stock because of the new Windows OS.

AMD has lowered its expectations for Q4 sales because of the high buildup for Windows 7. But a new OS doesn't necessarily mean buying a new computer. For a lot of people, Windows 7 is just a fix for Vista - a remedy to that compelling desire to put fist through laptop when using Microsoft's previous generation of operating systems.

If anyone's to blame for misguided expectations, I'd say it's Microsoft. Ballmer came out way too late in the game to say "hey, it might not be as big as we thought." Prior to that it sounded like Windows 7 might save the planet.

Just two days before the Windows 7 launch, Apple made sweeping changes to its Mac lineup, adding a few new toys for holiday buyers along the way. Most notable among the update was the iMac overhaul and entry-level Macbook redesign. The Mac Mini also caught some upgrades, and Apple introduced the Magic Mouse, a touchpad and mouse blended into on sexy little device.

iMac
The first thing you'll notice about the new iMac is size. It's up to 21.5" and 27", both in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The computer also went from aluminum/polycarbonate to the unibody styling of the Macbook Pro line, adding an edge-to-edge glass display that looks really amazing. Apple also added the ability to use the 27" iMac as a secondary display via an integrated Display Port.

As for internals, there are some nice upgrades but one big missing feature: Blu-ray support. Granted, the Display Port on the 27" model gives you the option to watch your HD movies on a brilliant screen, but integrating Blu-ray would have been really nice. The iMac can now be purchased with Core i5/i7 chips, the newest chips from Intel.

Macbook
The entry-level Macbook has been long overdue for a redesign and finally got one. Apple took it the Unibody route, though still in white polycarbonate. The touchpad now matches the Macbook Pro line and fully supports gestures, and the bottom has a non-slip finish added. Other than that things have remained essentially the same.

Magic Mouse
I've been looking for a mouse for my Macbook Pro for some time, but I never found anything I liked enough to give up on gestures. Apple's Magic Mouse answers that problem by integrating a capacitive touchpad into the surface of the mouse. It's a really fantastic design in my mind, giving you the control of a gliding mouse with the convenience of gestures for navigating webpages, zooming, and the like. The new mouse will run you $69.

The Rest
The rest of the updates were less interesting. You can now purchase a server version of the Mac Mini, which sort of killed the rumors that Apple would position it as an HTPC. Seems like there's still some confusion about where that product will land in Apple's lineup. There's also a redesigned remote that now matches the iMac/Macbook Pro design aesthetic (instead of that glowing white plastic) for $16. Apple also announced upgrades for the Airport Extreme Base Station and the Time Capsule that are shipping now. There have been antenna redesigns and a couple software tweaks that supposedly reduce backup time and increase network range and reception.

All in all, Apple made some welcome changes to the Mac line, strengthening the all-in-one iMac and giving the Macbook a sorely need redesign. The Magic Mouse probably won't be the runaway peripheral of the season, but it's definitely cool and I really want one.

There's a good read up on Wired's Gadget Lab about Apple's recent removal of in-app purchase restrictions for free iPhone apps. The article suggests that the move, when implemented with the Apple tablet, could be the defib the publishing industry needs.

There are already a couple apps out there using this model, though they weren't free to begin with. The McSweeney's app, for instance, allowed you to purchase six months of content on installation. From there it was a subscription service for more of the premium goods. Wired thinks newspapers and magazines could use this model to differentiate premium quality content from the everyday stuff like blogs and user content.

The key to the publishing transformation, though, is the Apple tablet. For my part, I really don't like to read content exclusively on my iPhone. I love the flexibility to do so as I please, but having content limited to just that little screen is exactly the reason I've avoided the McSweeney's app. It's just too small to use for all of my daily reading. A tablet would change that, offering the real estate necessary to make daily reading an enjoyable experience.

For more on Apple's plan to pluck a struggling industry from the brink, check out the original post at Wired.

I hate to call netbooks a section of the PC market. They're just laptops. Small laptops. That's all. The world's great surprise at the success of the netbook makes as little sense to me as defining these little laptops as their own section of the market does. We're in a recession and the machines are cheap. It's also not a secret that computers usually deliver more than most consumers ever need. Smaller, less-powerful laptops are a welcome deviation from that course. So why is Michael Dell bashing the tiny PCs?

Speaking at a dinner party in Silicon Valley last night, Dell said user excitement with netbooks lasts all of 36 hours. Dell says users long for their larger screens, their bigger keyboards, shortly after the netbook thrill passes. "We see a fair amount of customers not really being that satisfied with the smaller screen and the lower performance, unless it's like a secondary machine or it's (a) very first machine and the expectations are low," said Dell. "But as a replacement machine for an experienced user, it's not what we'd recommend. It's not a good experience, and we don't see users very happy with those."

It's a strange sentiment from the CEO of a company that has a full line of netbooks for sale. Apparently this was Dell's way of saying his company can give a customer options, that it can meet any need. As Don Reisinger at CNet pointed out, netbook sales have gone up 264% in Q2 over last year, while notebook sales dropped 14%. Mr. Dell would likely do well to consider those numbers when making sweeping statements about the future of the computer market.

I think I'm starting to understand AT&T's strategy for the next few years. As complaints continue to pile up, the company will just add more and more bandwidth-hungry devices until it inevitably crushes the network, at which point customers will be so fed up they will pay for anything, including tiered data plans. That's a long introductory sentence for a netbook, I know. Now, the netbook.

Nokia confirmed its 3G capable netbook, the Booklet, to be released on subsidy with AT&T. The little lappy will run $299 with a two-year contract at data rates of $60/month. You will also be able to get the computer for $599 unsubsidized. The system runs Windows 7, which supposedly seamlessly handles 3G to wi-fi crossover, has a 120GB hard drive, and sports an A-GPS card for location services. Nokia has also crammed a 16-cell battery into the thin frame for an estimated 12-hour battery life. I'll believe that when I see it, but for now it's nearly double most other netbooks.

Through the holidays you'll only be able to buy the Booklet at Best Buy stores. Execs from Best Buy, Microsoft, and Nokia were all in Manhattan for the announcement today and seemed optimistic about sales potential. If you're looking for an ultra mobile device and don't already have a laptop, will you really want one of these on a service contract? How bout when it's sitting next to a 32GB iPhone?

Now don't panic. There's a lot of context to be had here. I am, of course, going to start with the incendiary remarks, though. Steve Ballmer said last week that the Windows 7 launch may not be so different from Vista.

“The test feedback has been good, but the test feedback on Vista was good,” said Ballmer. “I am optimistic, but the proof will be in the pudding.” To be honest, I think the whole world is optimistic. Windows 7 is isn't making the big leap like Vista did from XP. While plenty of things have been improved, not everything is completely different. The driver situation is pretty much under control (Nvidia has had drivers ready for months), which was one of Vista's biggest setbacks. All things considered, I'm betting on a smooth launch.

Source: Bloomberg

Dell let employees at its Winston-Salem plant know to expect cuts in March of this year. What the company didn't say was that the whole plant was in danger. Today Dell announced it would be closing the plant, eliminating more than 900 jobs from the NC market.

As a new resident of NC I can vouch for the state as a reflection of how truly awful the job market is all over the country. But Dell was struggling long before the economy went down the shitter, so this isn't a huge surprise. The Winston-Salem plant was responsible for desktop production, a slice of the market that's quickly headed the way of the dodo.

Source: CNet

AppleInsider dug up some AdSense ads from Google.nl this weekend that suggest the iMac/Macbook/Mac Mini refresh may be coming sooner rather than later. The ads are in Dutch, but the translations could be indications of the rumored upgrades. This is all assuming the ads are from Apple, of course. It seems odd to go to such lengths for a spoof, but I've seen dumber things.

I'll leave the screenshots over at AI, but the text is as follows:

Apple's Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today.

The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only € 1099. Apple Store

Apple's New Mac Mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499. Order immediately.

The ads also link back to the localized Apple Store, making things a bit more elaborate than is believable for a hoax. The most convincing ad is the iMac, since "ultra-thin" hasn't really been part of the ad copy for that machine. The rest could arguably be the same device, just with new ads.

AI also got news that several Apple stores have received new signage in the past few days that is not to be opened until further notice. Trés Mysterieux!

Jeremy Horwitz, editor-in-chief at iLounge.com, says he has the latest scoop on the Apple tablet from a reliable source. How reliable? This guy predicted the Chinese iPhone! The Nano Camera! The iPhone 3GS! Oh yeah, so did a couple thousand other people, but hey, it's better than someone who predicted none of those things...I guess.

So what's the newest of the new news? Almost nothing. The source says basically everything we already know. It's a big version of the iPod Touch/iPhone. It's not competing with netbooks (Apple making a $300 tablet...right). It can be used as an e-reader. About the only new information is that there will be two models, one with 3G and one without, and it will likely be announced on or before January 19, 2010.

Wait, none of that is new either. Speculation about the device has long included 3G capability, and discussing the lame factor in predicting a 14-week announcement window seems cruel (though really, that's weak).

To end the roundup of half-assed guessing-at-shit-that's-almost-certain, Horwitz reminds you to keep an open mind. You wouldn't want to make the mistake iLounge commenters made when they asked, “what’s the point of putting a camera on the Nano?” would you? You're right, I would too. That camera sucks.

The Acer AspireRevo has long been available as a cheap desktop designed for basic use like browsing and word processing. There's a new model available, though, one that uses Nvidia's new Ion LE card, giving the AspireRevo 1080p playback capability for a mere $200.

As for the rest of the computer, it's the basic specs the world has come to love in cheap computing. There's a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, a gig of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. You should know, Flash has not yet been optimized for playback on the Ion LE, meaning HD playback from Hulu will be choppy. I think it's safe to say Nvidia's new technology isn't going anywhere soon, so when HD playback is fully supported, the Aspire Revo will be one of the best deals out there.

You can get the machine now at Newegg.

Mum's not always the best word when it comes to gadgets. Sometimes it can be better for companies to leak information little by little to generate a little excitement and anticipation for a product. That's never really been Apple's SOP, but they will occasionally announce products way ahead of schedule. With the rumored Apple tablet, though, the company's been quiet, and Microsoft just might be positioned to take advantage of the silence.

Today Gizmodo leaked the first news of a Microsoft tablet called "Courier." It's a dual-touchscreen device that uses a blend of gestures and a stylus for control. The whole thing is built like a notebook, you know, the paper kind, with a camera on the backend. Gizmodo even has a video to make the thing look much cooler than it actually is.

I'm pretty skeptical about the whole situation. First, the Giz article was written under the byline "The Paperboy," which, if you read Gizmodo, you'll recognize is not a regular contributor. There's also the fact that no one else seemed to get the exclusive news + video (also granted, it was shown at the Gizmodo Gallery), and frankly, the video looks too good to be true. Granted, the whole thing is shot around the alluring concept of being a young design professional. The controls are clean, if a little complicated at times, and show plenty of eye-candy, but that's how almost every device video comes off. As one Giz commenter reminded me, even the HP TouchSmart looked great over video. It turned out to be a terribly limited platform with somewhat clunky controls.

Gizmodo promises more in-depth coverage on the device as the week goes on. I'll wait to pass more judgment until I see a hands-on. For now, I think Microsoft is doing something really smart here. Nothing like imprinting the way a tablet "should work" into consumers minds to generate buzz. Apple's device will have to be truly fantastic to get attention after this.

I really need to get a job at a research firm. From what these people produce, I'd say their typical day isn't entirely unlike that of a psychic. You make some vague generalizations, write nonspecific predictions about products that have months of rumor behind them, and then make some bank.

The latest comes from Wedge Partners, which seems to think the iMac and Macbook are due for a redesign "in the next several weeks." The firm says the iMac will head toward a "thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges," while the Macbook redesign "is likely to be limited."

Well isn't this brilliant. So Apple won't be completely abandoning their design progression for the past decade? They're refreshing the white Macbook like rumors have been suggesting for months? What shocking news.

Source: Tech Trader Daily