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While all other companies have thrown sales goals out the window and are focussing solely on survival, Apple announced they have made their goal of selling 10 million iPhones in 2008. The goal was first announced at MacWorld in January of 2007.

Apple was pretty much on track to make their goal at the beginning of 2008 but with the release of the 3G iPhone, sales were somewhat accelerated. Over 6 million 3G iPhones alone have been sold which more than reached their goal when accounting for all previous sales. Apple made their goal with 2 1/2 months to spare…. proving that if you create a cool enough product people find the money.

With Apple’s recent release of the new iMacs it is only safe to assume the release of new MacBooks and MacBook Pros will soon follow. Some sources go so far as to say the new models have been seen floating around Cupertino.

The new MacBooks are said to be 13″ with the MacBook Pros at 15″ and 17″. They have a Aluminum-look to the casing much like the current Macbook Pros. This new look will bridge the long standing gap in appearance between the MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The current MacBooks only come in white and black while the MacBook Pros are an aluminum color. The new MacBooks and MacBook Pros are also rumored to be even more environmentally friendly than before with Apple taking it’s Green Initiative very seriously.

We’re interested to see what type of new features and speeds will be offered. They are rumored to be released before Christmas…. hint… hint.

The iPhone App titled PhoneSaber was a popular one while it lasted. The free App was going to make our list of favorites however Lucasfilm caught wind of the of the copywrite infringement and pulled it from iTunes since it was not created with George Lucas’ permission nor would he receive the benefits. Your little nerd hearts can pitter patter once more as Apple announced an official version will be released to the App Store soon.

The app will have a new name and a whole new look. The new version, Lightsaber Unleashed, will have a strong link to the new multi-platform title Star Wars ®: The Force Unleashed™, which is out soon. Lightsaber Unleashed will feature exciting characters from this new game as well as vastly improved graphics, sound effects and optional dueling music (which was a popular request).

The new Lightsaber Unleashed version will be a noted upgrade from the blurry graphics of the original PhoneSaber. Though we have a feeling those who still have PhoneSaber on their iPhones will not be deleting it anytime soon as a small part of Star Wars memorabilia. Download the free App to battle away and may the force be with you.

Apple announced the release of the new iPod today. Apple will no longer be producing the long skinny Nano, they are replacing it with one that is slightly larger and reminiscent of the first generation iPods. The new iPod takes just a quick shake to change the song, has a more rounded body structure, and changes from vertical to horizontal screens with just a tilt.

One of the new features I personally am interested in trying is the “musical Genius” it will take a song of your choice and build a playlist of other songs that flow together from your iTunes library. For example, if you are having a bad day and listening to a slow, deliberate song, it will pull all other songs from your library that are similar and make a play list for you. It will be interesting to see which songs are grouped together in even the most diverse music libraries. With 9 new colors the self expression begins at $149.

The best news though is the design of the new earbuds. The new headphones are equipped with a woofer and tweeter for excellent sound quality. The new softer looking buds come in 3 sizes so they actually fit in your ears instead of falling out every 5 minutes on a run. The catch…. for the headphones along $79.

With the release of iPhone Apps some of us are wondering how we survived without them? But of course Free is always the best price, so here are the Smartacus picks for 10 of the best FREE Apps.

1) Tap Tap Revenge- Along the lines of Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, this game has players tapping to the rhythm on the touch screen. This madly addictive game can be hard to get used to at first but keep practicing and challenge your friends. One of the great things about this game is the 2 player option.

2) Remote- Remote is an App created by Apple. With just an easy configuration you can set-up your iPhone to be a remote control for your computer’s iTunes. It’s a great tool for parties, play whatever songs you want without ever leaving the couch, or the conversation.

3) iPint- The fun part of this App is not really the game, sure it’s entertaining to guide a pint of beer down the bar narrowly missing the bowl of pretzels, but the rewarding part is after you win. A fresh iPhone virtual beer is poured into your iPhone. By tilting the iphone to the side your beer is poured out until it is all gone. You can finally enjoy a beer anywhere virtually.

4) Magic 8 Ball- For all the truly important questions in life, ask the Magic 8 Ball App. It’s just like grade school and just as reliable, “Magic 8 Ball, does Richard like me?” “My sources say “No.”"

5) Sol Free- It was a huge disappointment for a lot of people that the iPhone did not come with games like Solitaire, but the App store comes to the rescue. There are several different free versions of Solitaire but our favorite is Sol Free. It offers 5 different versions of Solitaire, saves your games until you clear them, has unlimited “undo”, and times games for just the amount of time you actually spend in the game.

6) Twitterific- For all you Twitter.com junkies out there this is the App for you. Update your status and check in on your friends to your hearts content. And who knows, it might even help you get out of prison in a foreign country!

7) Evernote- This integrated App will help you keep track of everything you need from your iPhone. You can make notes, save pictures, capture ideas and save them instantly to the web, your iPhone, and your Desktop. This is the perfect application for writers giving a medium for you write your perfect sentence down before it escapes your memory.

8.) Holy Bible- A complete copy of the Bible in every translation and several different languages is available free in the Apps store. Search for your favorite verse or read it through as a study tool, the light weight iPhone won’t have you missing the book. If religion is not really your thing there are many other free books available through the Apps store such as the complete works of Shakespeare.

9) More Cow Bell- Saturday Night Live cult classic sketch of Will Farrel playing the cow bell for Blue Oyster Cult, had Christopher Walken yelling for “More Cow Bell.” Now you can play the cow bell anytime you like thanks to this free App. In fact you can play “Don’t Fear the Reaper” from your iTunes, play along on the cow bell, and help cure Christopher Walken’s fever.

10) Restaurant Nutrition- This useful little App will have you thinking twice before ordering a milk shake from your favorite fast food place. It gives you the calorie content for about 25 different fast food places. If you decide it’s worth the calories to drive to McDonald’s it will even locate the closest one and give you directions on how to get there.

Hope you enjoy the Apps as much as we do and happy downloading!

Several websites started announcing the availability of their iPhone and iPod Touch Apps yesterday. Salesforce.com, and Myspace.com both made the big announcement while Facebook which already had an app received a facelift that is much more user friendly and intuitive.

Apps are being released through iTunes for the time being and are available for download however until the 2.0 update for the iPod Touch is released it won’t do you any good. Apple speculators are saying the update will be available this afternoon.

The new iPhone 3G is off to a running start this morning though we are hearing reports that iPhone activation is down right now. As AT&T scrambles to get it together new iPhone purchasers are instructed to activate the iPhone at home.

With the 3G iPhone releasing on Friday, Apple Stores will be opening at 8:00 AM bright and early to get it into your hot little hand. Apple is offering iPhone workshops at no charge to teach people how to play with their new gadgets properly. They are even offering to have an Apple Store employee set everything up on your new phone (all while wearing their new 3G iPhone t-shirts, of course).

All this assistance and early rising we believe to be an effort to promote the Apps Store that will be available shortly on all iPhones. The new Apps will bring not only more revenue but solidify the existence of the iPhone by basing other companies off of it’s technology.

So get your tents and sleeping bags ready to go Mall Camping on Thursday for the big release at 8:00 AM Friday, July 11.

In recent days we have seen several laptops with problems in their Auto-off, or Sleep-Mode. While Apple did release an update to the firmware to help with this several months ago Smartacus also has a tip for laptop users.

Macbook manuals instruct users to never unplug the charger from the wall before unplugging the charger from the computer. By unplugging the power cord from the wall first, users essentially confuse the On-Off modes on their computer which can cause computers to not turn-on after being on Sleep-Mode or to wake up at random. So keep in mind the power cord needs to be unplugged from the laptop first before unplugging it from the wall.

Apple released a firmware update for the Xserve today. The update says it will help “improve the stability of Xserve computers.” The update 1.1 can be downloaded using the Apple Menu and clicking on Software Update, or it can be downloaded from the installer package on Apple’s website.

Of course you can always just call Smartacus to have a Technician install the update and do some routine maintenance on your Xserve. Calling us in when there isn’t an emergency will help lessen your probability of having emergencies in the future.

Apple Stores will be having Apple Camp in July with registration open now. Kids ages 8-12 will have the opportunity to learn how to work in iPhoto, Keynote, Garage Band, and iMovie making their very own song, movie, presentation, and slideshow. Campers can register for 2 workshops that are 3 hours long July 14-17 and July 21-24 from 9am -12pm. Campers do not need to bring a laptop or camera with them but if they have something in particular they would like to work on they can bring it along. They receive a t-shirt and CD of what they created plus the promise of “more fun giveaways.”

Space is on a first come first serve basis and are geared for all skill levels and is recommended for ages 8-12 but does note that kids over 13 don’t need to have a parent accompany them. The best part is….. it’s FREE, so all you Mac Mommas out there sign those kiddies up! It leaves adults everywhere are saying, “I want to go to Apple Camp” who knew that all the cool kids would be going to computer camp?

NOTE: In checking online, it looks like a lot of the camps are full, Bridgeport and Washington Square have a few spots left on the waiting list and Pioneer seems to have more space open so register quickly!

http://www.apple.com/retail/camp/