Get Ready for iPhone 6 - Sept 9th

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Okay my fine feathered friendly Facebook family... I get asked regularly "when is the next iPhone coming?" Well, I can't tell you the date of release; however, I can tell you the date of announcement. It will be September 9th at 10 am Pacific. The invite to the press merely states "We wish we could say more." Not an atypical press invite for Apple.

Wait there's more. The event is being held in the very same location that hosted the public announcement of Macintosh way back in 1984. Thirty short years ago for those needing a little help with the math.

But wait... there's still more!!! A strange three-story building is going up next to the auditorium. It's believed this building is for Apple's event. An impenetrable force field (security personnel and a fence) has been established to keep prying eyes from the press, Microsoft and Samsung out.

That old hamster in the rumor mill is getting a work out as questions abound. Will the much discussed iWatch see the light of day? Will Apple premier the next version of the AppleTV? What's the purpose of that humongous three story structure? Why choose this venue for the event? Will we see two iPhones? How much will they cost? Will cats and dogs finally sleep together? Does anyone care that Brad & Angelina got hitched? Will J.J. Abrams use lens flare in Star Wars 7: New Hope for a New Trilogy? 

Guess all will be revealed on September 9th, right? Maybe not, rumors continue to circulate about an October event. If a new iPad fits your finicky fancy, that's probably the event for you.

Apple Recruitment Video - Philosophy

This has been making it's way around the web. It may be pulled down by Apple since it's unlikely they wanted it in the wild. Nothing earth shattering or negative, just Apple likes to control the message. Basically the video tells you Apple's philosophy in the words of Apple employees. If I were to guess it's not a new video, but probably produced last year. It's very short, less than 5 minutes, but has the Apple polish you expect from their marketing team.

Posted with Blogsy

WWDC Keynote 2012 (HD Video)

On June 11th Apple gave their annual WWDC keynote address. While they released the video of the keynote on their website that same day, they didn't make an HD version immediately available. On the 15th they posted a high qualify HD version on YouTube of the entire event. If you haven't watched yet, then here's your opportunity. Be warned, as I said last week it's a long one, clocking in at nearly 2 hours. If you are expecting to see a new iPhone, this isn't the keynote for you. Check back in September or October.

Andy Ihnatko: WWDC 2012 Keynote Wrap-Up

Over on the Chicago Sun Times prolific tech columnist and podcaster Andy Ihnatko has written some 2000+ words to cover yesterday's WWDC 2012 Keynote. As always he does a great job of touching on all the important details as well as throwing in the occasional informed commentary. Over the coming weeks and months I would expect to see a fair amount of additional commentary on and reviews of all the products announced today. Typically I think he is spot on with his assessments of Apple and technology in general. This article is no different.

You will find his article over on the Chicago Sun Times website, or you can just click on the link below. I'm sure he will be writting simillar articles on the upcoming Google developers conference and Microsoft has one near year's end that will complete the picture of what the big three have planned for 2013.

Check out his article: IHNATKO: Apple Updates MacBooks, iPhone Software, more

WWDC 2012 Keynote Announcements

My friend over at the MoxieMoShow.com has a quick run down of all the major announcements from Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote address. The basics are this though: Snow Lion in July for $19.99, iOS 6 in Fall for Free, MacBook Air updates, MacBook Pro updates, NEW Retina MacBook Pro for $2199 and Siri comes to the iPad. If you want to see the Keynote then pop over to Apple's Event website for the Apple WWDC 2012 Keynote Address. Be warned, it's nearly 2 hours long; but enjoyable if you are an Apple aficionado. If not, the MoxieMo video below is perfect!

I'll post some of my thoughts later in the week.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad - Review

This is a pretty sweet Bluetooth keyboard for the new iPad and iPad 2. It fits on the iPad like a smart cover, but is actually a keyboard. It's had lots of great reviews, including this one from imore.com.  

http://www.youtube.com/v/kcVXhrjgm_I?fs

My Most Used iPhone Apps

I love using my iPhone. When my wife got me the original for Christmas back in 2007, it literally changed how i used a mobile phone. I had used smartphones for years as well as PDAs, but while impressed with the technology their ease of use was always problematic. Then Apple introduced apps and changed my life, especially my digital life. Apps opened a new world of mobile computing I had only dreamed of as a child and an adult.

Today I don't leave the house for so much as a gallon of milk without my iPhone and often my iPad. The apps on them have become stitched into the fabric of my life more so than any computer I've ever used. That simple fact is due primarily to apps. Below are those Apps I use most often on my iPhone. They are not in order and they aren't the most powerful apps I have either. They are simply the ten apps I'm most likely to use each day.

1. Safari
2. Mail
3. Wikipanion
4. PocketCasts
5. ProCamera
6. Messages
7. Path
8. FaceBook
9. Snapseed
10. Zite

If I listed an 11th it would be Audible.

Of course I use the phone, but I really don't think of it as an App.

My Online Tools - Websites Are Easy

If you are curious as to how I keep up my online presence, then check out this page on my site: My Blogging Tools. I quickly explain my methodology and then list out all of my hardware, websites and software that I use to update not only this site but all of my social networking accounts. It's really easy to create your own website. You can use tools like WordPress or SquareSpace that are totally web based; or you can use tools like Rapidweaver for the Mac that allow you to edit your website locally on your Mac and then upload to your personal domain. You don't even have to have a personal domain. You can use tools like WordPress.com or Blogger.com and have a totally free and very personal web presence that's easy to maintain.

You don't need powerful hardware. You can use your personal computer (Mac or PC). You can use your smartphone (Android or iOS). My preference is for Apple products, but you don't have to go down that road. Getting started is very easy and really quick. All you need is a little imagination and a bit of desire. In less than 30 minutes you too could have your very own website!

If you have any questions, please drop me a line. I would be happy to give you some pointers.