Apple

The price of iPods apparently wasn't music to the ears of a do-it-yourself-discount shopper in Boulder, Colo., recently. Police say they arrested 19-year-old Jonathan Baldino earlier this week when he used homemade barcodes to lower the price of a $150 iPod to $4.99, according to a report in the Denver Post.

Baldino told police he downloaded a program called Barcode Magic--made by Ichiku Software--to create phony barcodes to place over the legitimate barcodes. The software maker's Web site says the program allows users to "generate bar codes for home, hobby and retail with our easy … Read more

The unparalleled loyalty of Macintosh users is well documented, so why not have a theme song dedicated to it? Read the lyrics and hear a rendition of "I Love My Mac, The Song" here.

By now, eBay classified listings are old news to any Web junkie, so we have come to appreciate those in which sellers get creative with their postings. This sale of an "ancient" Apple Lisa tickled our funny bones while warming our hearts at the knowledge that someone out there also appreciates that old and haggard electronics aren't necessarily worthless.

Carbon dating places this specimen circa 1984, and the presence of a small image of an apple tipped historians off to the idea that the device may have been used as a planting calendar. Also from the posting: &… Read more

Those waiting to collect from Apple Computer's iPod battery settlement will have to wait a little bit longer.

In June, Apple said that it had reached a deal with Girard Gibbs & De Bartolomeo, the law firm that had brought the class action claim. Under the terms of the pact, those who bought iPods before May 31, 2004, would be eligible to receive a battery replacement, $25 in cash, or $50 in Apple store credit, depending on the specifics of their situation.

The agreement received approval from the court in August. However, on Oct. 26, as the deadline for … Read more

If you like the concept of Apple's Lanyard Headphones for the iPod Nano, but own an iPod Shuffle, you might be interested in Griffin Technology's new TuneBuds.

TuneBuds--a combination earbud and lanyard--snaps onto the Shuffle's USB connector. That's different than a similar product on the market, made by Pacific Rim Technologies, in which the earbuds connect to your shuffle via the headphone port. iLounge has reviewed both lanyard earbud products, and likes TuneBuds better.

TuneBuds cost $19.99 and are available on the Griffin site or at major iPod accessory retailers.

To avoid copyright complications, we've been waiting for NBC to post this clip from last week's "Saturday Night Live." But until then, we can't ignore the buzz that's been generated around SNL's spoof of Steve Jobs, which has been widely circulated among sites such as MacSlash.

Business Week's Peter Burrows is predicting two emerging truth's about the iPod this holiday season. One, "it's going to be a gigantic hit," and two, "there are going to be shortages." In a Nov. 22 analysis, he writes that retailers are getting fewer iPods than they requested, and expect "demand to outstrip supply through the end of the year."

Some iPod watchers, however, aren't so convinced: "There's no shortage...just something new for people to say about the iPod, especially considering the current hot story is the supposed … Read more

The things you can find on Google never cease to amaze, and I'm not talking about this.

No, I'm talking about doing a search for the words "msn explorer mac" and seeing msn.com as the second item, with this text: "If you are using Internet Explorer for Mac, we recommend that you use another browser to have an optimal experience on MSN."

Clicking on the link from a PC (or a Mac running Safari) leads to MSN, which still looks as if it were designed by Don Ho's tailor. But if you … Read more

The anticipation is already building for January's MacWorld Expo, when Apple watchers are predicting the introduction of both a new, even smaller iPod Shuffle and an Intel-ready iBook.

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu has heard the new Shuffle will be smaller than a stick of gum and could come in multiple colors, including black. The price points would be $99 and $129 with storage capacities similar to current models.

"We believe this could help offset seasonal weakness in the March quarter similar to last year when iPod Shuffle was introduced," he wrote in a report dated … Read more