Archive for the ‘Apple’ Category

Thanks… A Billion: Apple Apps Store Approaching One Billion Downloads

April 10, 2009

Apple Apps Store has placed a 1 Billion Downloads counter on their site to kick off their countdown for the one billionth download from the Apple Apps Store.

One Billion Apps

One Billion Apps

Form the Apple site:

As of today, nearly one billion apps have been downloaded around the globe. So we just want to say thanks — a billion. Download an app and you’ll automatically get the chance to win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro. Just go to the iTunes Store, browse the App Store, and download your best app yet.

The top 5 paid and free Apple Apps by units downloaded according to Apple are as follows:

Top 5 Free Apps:

Top 5 Free Apple Apps

Top 5 Free Apple Apps

Top 5 Paid Apps:

Top 5 Paid Apple Apps

Top 5 Paid Apple Apps

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Argh! MacBook Pro Hard Disk Drive Failure

February 10, 2009

A post about a hard drive failure on this blog is off topic but then again without the portability and performance of Mac laptops, I would not have been able to write or publish my thoughts here as consistently as I have been able to.

If the next several posts tend to ramble or run far afield from search marketing, its because I am having to work on one of my older and slower laptops.

I have already had to replace a warped battery on my June 2007 MacBook Pro.

Now it looks like I am going to get to replace the hard disk drive too.

I bought my MacBook Pro before the Mac Time Machine back up product was invented.

I wish I had a real Time Machine now so I could go back before my drive failed and back up the last several months of data which I failed to do.

However, if I had a Time Machine – Mac or otherwise – I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to write this specific blog post!

Yeah.

Over the course of several months during 2008, I reorganized all of all my back up media chronologically and alphabetically so I could layer new data on top going forward without having to think about where to put or file it.

As a result, I have all of my files organized and backed up in a manner so I can find and access work I have produced on any one of my six Apple computers since I first bought my first Apple IIci in 1989.

Of course and I am sure is often the case sans Time Machine, I haven’t been backing up my new data since Christmas due to time constraints.

Of course, all of the projects I have been working on recently are the most important.

The local Apple store has my MacBook Pro now.

I am supposed to get my machine back within three to five days.

If I were to take a crack at predicting the future, I would guess the first application I will be buying for my newly repaired MacBook Pro will be a copy of Mac Time Machine.

This whole ordeal has wore me out and messed with my rhythm.

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iPhone App Store: 500 Million Downloads

January 17, 2009

The iPhone App Store and its more than 15,000 apps has announced 500 Million iPhone App downloads to date.

Apple App Store 500 Million Downloads

Apple App Store 500 Million Downloads

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Google Mobile Apps Download for iPhone Available

November 16, 2008

Google Mobile Apps is a free application available from the iPhone Apps store.

Google Mobile Apps provide Google search results to iPhone owners via their spoken search queries.

With the iPhone and Google Mobile Apps, iPhone users can get both Google localized and general search results while on the go with fewer keystrokes.

Although the iPhone Apps store is showing Google Mobile Apps available for download, I wasn’t yet able to get the voice search feature of Google Mobile Apps working yet.

Hopefully the Google Mobile application will automatically update when their voice search service goes live.

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Posted in Apple, Google, Google Mobile Apps, iPhone, Voice Search, Voice Web Search | 2 Comments »

Gmail Video Conferencing Coming to Chat

November 11, 2008

Video conferencing from within gmail chat is being rolled out globally over the next several days according to the Official Google blog.

Here is video on YouTube describing how the gmail video chat service from Google works.

It has yet to appear here in my gmail account.

I use Apple’s iChat video conferencing application on my MacBook Pro to video conference with my family while away from home.

It will be interesting to learn how Google’s video chat compares with iChat.

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Apple Concierge Down

September 30, 2008

So much for trying to book an in store appointment online through Apple’s website.

Apple Concierge Down

Apple Concierge Down

I have been trying to schedule a time to take my MacBook Pro in to get its battery replaced for twenty minutes.

This is my second Mac laptop to need a replacement battery.

Apparently, when Apple bench tests their Mac laptops they don’t run them everyday all day for several months.

If they did, they too would learn their laptop batteries begin to warp and eventually “outgrow” their slot under the laptop rendering the laptop a desktop because it then requires an AC power connection to function.

I guess I should take a picture of it and post it here which I will have to do later because…

Apple’s technical support guy just hung up on me after he confirmed “Apple’s online concierge” wasn’t working on his end either.

I wasn’t willing to dial the local store directly because every time I have called the local Apple Store I have gotten an endless voice messaging tree which never resulted in a human connection.

To their credit, Apple’s technical representative offered me a special telephone number to reach my local Apple Store and a person who could help me schedule an appointment.

However, when I asked why Apple didn’t just publish the telephone number that reached store personnel on their website instead of my having to call to get the special telephone number – he hung up.

Update: 12:59 PM same day:

Apple’s Concierge site came back up after my call to tech support.

I booked an appointment online to get tech help from the local Genius Bar at 12:00.

I arrived at the store and checked in.

My name was called. I then met with the tech help and explained my battery problem.

The Apple tech helper said they had a few problems with some MacBook Pro batteries. He then said a replacement battery would be provided at no cost.

He installed the battery, I signed a work order and then packed up my Mac.

I was in and out of the Apple store in about fifteen minutes.

I don’t know what PC owners have to go through to get their machines repaired but I am sure its not half as quick or painless as getting an Apple computer repaired.

I’m still glad I am not a PC owner.

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Apple Rings Seven Digits to Reach iPhone

July 1, 2007

Jay Westerdahl at DomainTools.com confirms Apple has acquired iPhone.com from Michael Kovatch.

Although Michael didn’t confirm his domain name sales price, Jay thinks the iPhone.com sold for in excess of one million dollars.

Kovatch registered the domain way back in 1995 and had plans to build a company around it. He has instead decided to build a larger bank balance.

Like Mark Cuban said, you only need to get it right once in business.

Michael Kovatch got it right with iPhone.com.

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Posted in Apple, DomainTools.com, iPhone, iPhone.com, Mark Cuban | 1 Comment »