Greg In The Desert

Apple announced their worst kept secret, their Apple tablet computer called the iPad. It’s exactly what what it was rumored to be, a oversized iPod Touch. The iPad will run all the apps the iPhone and iPod touch will run but it’s missing a camera and GPS. Apple says they got 10 hours of use out of it, it will come with WiFi but a 3G cellular data option is available (and unlocked).

I think every rumor, including the prototype pictures at engadget and interview with McGraw-Hill’s CEO and President (Update: McGraw-Hill might have been punished for making the comments about the iPad before it was released), were all sanctioned by Apple. It was just enough to keep the hype and Steve Job’s reality distortion field in place but not enough to actually reveal the device.

I can’t imagine I will purchase an iPad as soon as it comes out (which is not for another 60 to 90 days) I do hope that parts of it make it into Apple’s laptops before my next laptop purchase. I also was hoping for an iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010 announcement.

This guy is developing a GPS device that connects directly to the docking port of a iPhone or iPod Touch. It’s interesting to see his first giant prototype compared to the current version he has working now.

He will need a 1000 preorders to make the first production order and I suspect a jailbroken phone.

Intego is warning Mac users of a Trojan Horse on Mac OS X. Named OSX.RSPlug.A, it masquerades as a quicktime plugin that needs to be downloaded when watching porn. It then changes the DNS address on the users computer which points to more porn. MacOSXHints as a quick tutorial on removing the Trojan Horse.

Intego has warned about other malware on the Mac, only to be accused of overblowing the situation. The other warnings were more about theoretical attacks, this appears to be real. It’s only showing up on porn sites now, but it could be a prototype for use in wider distribution later.

This may just be the beginning of more attacks on the Mac OS as it becomes more popular.

News that Intel wants to rip off the Mac mini.

A new Wintel prototype that openly apes Apple Computer’s popular Mac mini is due out this week, sources told Wired News, giving Intel a showcase to prove its chips are a match for anyone when it comes to tiny PC designs.

Working prototypes of the Mac mini look-alike running Microsoft Windows and based on Intel’s Pentium M CPU have already been built by Taiwan PC maker AOpen at Intel’s request, according to two sources in Taiwan’s PC manufacturing industry who have seen them.