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In the wake of Dell's recall of 4.1 million Lithium Ion batteries and multiple embarrassing incidents of both Dell and Apple laptops catching fire, AppleInsider is reporting that Apple, Dell, and Lenovo will be holding a summit next month to develop lithium ion (Li-Ion) standards. All 3 companies are members of the IPC OEM Critical Components Committee which create standards for various...

Despite being uncharacteristic of the secretive Steve Jobs we have grown to know, AppleInsider reports that the Apple CEO has been boasting about Apple's upcoming phone offering to his inner circle. Apparently, Steve's own excitement over the product has lead him to produce a few "zealous ramblings" dating back as early as this past spring. AppleInsider also offers a little more information...

Reghardware claims cites a Chinese language report that Apple is readying both of its laptop models for Core 2 Duo "Merom" CPU's, due next month. There had been some Page 2 rumors that Apple would update the MacBook pro to include Merom at WWDC which failed to materialize, but this is the first report that has indicated that Apple would also move its more consumer-oriented laptop model to Core 2 ...

Missed by many yesterday due to the fervor of the WWDC Keynote address was an announcement by Apple's Open Source Project Manager, Ernest Prabhakar, concerning Apple and its Open Source initiative. Mac OS Forge With the recent announcement of the demise of OpenDarwin.org, Apple has stepped up to the plate and has created Mac OS Forge, a community site hosted by Apple to "support WebKit and...

Parallels spokesman Ben Roudolph has revealed that Parallels is working to support 3D acceleration in an upcoming release of the company's flagship Mac product, Parallels Desktop for Mac. What's more, Parallels Desktop for Mac will see "fast 3D graphics support," presumably to help cater to gamers who want to run Windows games without having to reboot their machine using Boot Camp and a separate...

Microsoft has announced that it has halted development on a universal version of VirtualPC for Mac. In a statement on Monday, Microsoft said it "has made the decision not to move forward with a Universal version of Virtual PC at this time." -- via News.com VirtualPC has long-been the king of the hill for Virtualization on Macintosh. With the Intel transition, however, came competitive pressure...

Also during Apple's WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs previewed Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). Among the features demonstrated were: - 64 bit application support extended throughought the User Interface layer of the OS, allowing "full" 64-bit application development and deployment. - Time Machine, automatic backup and restoring of files corrupted or accidentally deleted or overwritten by the user. - Spaces,...

Although not mentioned during the keynote, Apple has reduced the prices on its Cinema Displays. The 20" Cinema Display now sells for $699 (down from $799), the 23" Cinema Display now sells for $999 (down from $1299), and the 30" Cinema Display now sells for $1999 (down from $2499), representing cuts of $100, $300, and $500 respectively. The new displays can be found at Apple's online Apple...

Apple today updated its Xserve server line to include Intel processors and other advanced features such as lights-out management and redundant power supplies that business customers require. The base configuration now stands as follows: - Dual-Dual 2 GHz Xeon 5100 Processors, configurable up to dual-dual 3 GHz. - 1 GB DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, configurable up to 32 GB. - 24x Combo Drive,...

During Apple's Annual Worldwide Developer Conference Keynote given by Steve Jobs and a host of other Apple top executives and product managers, Phil Schiller introduced the PowerMac's Intel replacement: the Mac Pro. Advertised as having "millions" of ways to configure the machine, the base configuration includes the following: - Dual-Dual Core 2.66 GHz Xeon 5100 Processor, upgradeable to...

MacShrine is reporting on a new survey by Apple regarding its iTunes music store. Feedback is requested about the following features: - A rewards program for those who buy more from iTunes - The ability to replace lost songs via a maintenance agreement - More movies/TV shows to U.K. store - The ability to view a friend's wish list, with permission - The ability to view what a friend is...

Apple today added Ford, GM, and Mazda to its list of auto manufacturers offering iPod integration into some or all of its models. Quotes from the press-release: With the addition of these models, more than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles will offer iPod integration. "Were delighted that Ford, General Motors and Mazda will support iPod connectivity in nearly all of their new models,"...

A picture taken apparently during the setup of WWDC has begun circulating around the mac web. Much of what the banner depicts is nothing new, however some have pointed out that Apple is once again touting 64-bit application development, and the desktop model depicted looks very similar to today's PowerMac G5. Core Duo (Yonah), currently used in today's iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini ...

Engadget posts pictures of what claims to be picturing the long-rumored iPhone (titled iChat Mobile). Engadget could not verify the picture's authenticity, and the depicted phone looks like it is perhaps a photoshopped mish-mash of an Apple Remote and iSight with a keypad and display. Engadget claims that an Apple cell phone could see a launch at WWDC. Given the most recent rumors and the...

MacRumors has obtained unconfirmed information that could shed light on what the community can expect next Monday during Steve Job's keynote. Xserve According to our source, Apple will be set to unveil Xeon-based Xserves. It is unknown what speed they will come in, or whether they will pack dual processors, but speculation would indicate that Apple forgo Intel's top-of-the-line 3.0 Ghz Xeon...

ThinkSecret posts that the next version of iWeb will feature a host of new functionality to make the pages it creates more dynamic. Described features include Smart Photo Album publishing and a webcam module to allow users to publish images from their iSight to the web. Additional features described include an advanced feature to be able to cut and paste HTML code (for embedding content from...

Apple has announced a worldwide Battery Exchange Program for its 15" MacBook Pro. According to Apple, the affected batteries do not pose a safety risk, but rather "do not meet [Apple's] high standards for battery performance... You may continue to use your current battery until a replacement arrives." Arstechnica speculates that the cause of the exchange may be due to random system shutdowns...

Contrary to recent reports, Engadget says that Apple's rumored "iPhone" may appear as early as August. A reader is reporting to us that a coworker's tech-unsavvy friend, who is regularly hired by Apple to do marketing photo shoots, was recently brought on to take some shots of "the sleekest, sexiest damn phone he's ever seen." It has been well-established that Apple has been working on an...

This morning saw the addition of yet another network to the iTunes music store. WB content including Friends, Babylon 5, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Aquaman, and The Best of MADtv can now be purchased for the standard $1.99 per...

Intel is shipping Core 2 Duo Mobile chips (Merom) to manufacturers, according to recent Intel financial report. A recent AppleInsider story had indicated that Intel may have plans to move up Merom's formal launch to next Monday, July 23rd, to coincide with the Core 2 Duo Desktop variant ("Conroe") launch. Despite the move, availablility at the time was still not expected until August. Merom...