TUAW is hearing from various sources that new MacBooks are right around the corner, and that they might even have some extra Nvidia power in them. A source tells us that Nvidia is showing off new MacBooks to their employees, and word is going around that the new versions will be released as soon as October 14th.

Of course these are all rumors, so don't be surprised if 10/14 comes around and there are no changes in Apple's lineup. But the rumors have been adding up -- we've heard for a while that MacBooks were due for a refresh, and we're not the only ones hearing about Nvidia units being included as well. Not to mention that Apple has apparently finally realized that gaming is worth embracing, and the next logical step for a gaming upgrade would be the MBP line.

Don't put money on it, but if you're planning to buy a MacBook and can wait another few weeks, you might want to wait and see. I'm getting close to being in the market for a new laptop, and as a gamer, I'd love to see a MacBook with a little more graphical oomph to it.

Now that you have downed the Egg Nog and feasted on the holiday food, it's time for the worst part of Christmas ... importing and organizing all those photos. Thanks to Automator and iPhoto, this task can be extremely easy. In this how-to, I will show you how to import your photos, carefully tuck them away in a new photo album, and e-mail them to friends and family. This tutorial assumes that you are using Mac OS X Leopard, and iPhoto 08; however it may work with Tiger and iPhoto 06.

Boy, it seems like everyone was waiting for me to write up my gift guide before releasing some interesting Mac games this year. First Horde of Orcs comes out, then Sonic of all things appears on the iPod, and now here's two more fun gaming experiences appearing on the Mac.

First, our sister gaming blog Joystiq reports that PopCap's crack casual game Peggle has appeared for OS X, and just like most of PopCap's games, it's so addictive it should probably be regulated by pharmacologists. It's a universal binary, too, and right now it's only $10 (50% off from a sale on PopCap's site). Be prepared to disappear from your relatives for long stretches of time over the holidays, though-- anyone who can only play one round of this at a time is either not human or just in serious trouble with their spouse.

And MacNN reports that Bomberman has now appeared on iTunes as well. Hudson Software has produced an official port that features an "intuitive control scheme" (that I'd be interested to see), an exclusive boss stage for the iPod, and the option to play the game's music or your own during gameplay. Wild. That game is $5 and available as a download from iTunes.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Mac gamers-- turns out there may be more underneath the tree than we hoped earlier in the year.

The holidays. A time for joy, a time for gathering, a time for product smackdowns. So which is the better buy? A Mac mini or a festive honey baked ham? Let TUAW do the comparison work for you.

Mac mini/Ham Smackdown
Feature	Mac Mini	Honey Baked Ham	Winner
Availability	Apple and a few select vendors	Widely available	Ham.
Cost	From $600, although the $800 model is far superior	$50 or so	With over an order of magnitude difference in price, the ham is the clear winner.
Environmental impact	Contains lots of chemicals but can run on relatively green energy sources, meeting Energy Star requirements.	Completely organic but may produce lots of emissions after a large meal with all the trimmings.	Tie.
Social impact	Lots of fun for your entire family.	Forbidden for consumption by many major religious denominations.	Mac mini.
Geometry	6.5" x 6.5" x 2". A rectangular block.	Spiral cut, conforming to an aesthetically pleasing geometry of curves.	Ham.
TV Compatibility	Works well with both standard def and high def television sets, packaged with Apple Remote.	Can be eaten in front of both standard def and high def television sets, with any standard remote.	Tie.
Documentation	Packaged with full printed and electronic documentation.	No documentation needed. Unless you are Homer Simpson.	Tie.
Leopard Compatibility	Yes.	Yes. But it may give the Leopard indigestion.	Mac mini, by a hair.

While MacBooks and iPods have already been unwrapped the world over during this holiday season, retailers are also taking the wraps off some of their own presents in the form of sales numbers. In a press release containing interesting holiday sales trivia and a hot sellers list for all of their many departments, Amazon announced the 13-inch MacBook (in both white and black) and 15.4-inch Sony VAIO notebook as the top sellers in the PC aisle. Interesting - maybe some of that 'non-PC PC' marketing paid off after all.

iPods, of course, topped the consumer electronics department, along with Canon Powershot Digital Elph Cameras and Garmin GPSes, but that isn't nearly as interesting news (anymore) as Macs topping out a PC sales list at such a neutral retailer. Rock on Apple.

[via digg]

Ah, the holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means! More time for friends and family, and less time for obsessively covering Apple news. We'll still be posting here on TUAW, but just not a frequently as our bloggers celebrate the holidays in bloggerly spirit.

Everyone here at TUAW wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in, to let us know that Apple had uploaded a new "Get a Mac" video to their site. In the "Goodwill" video, the Mac and PC decide to put aside their differences in the spirit of the holiday season. But of course, the best intentions can easily go awry. And yes, in the end they hug. Happy Holidays TUAW readers.

Some stockings are luckier than others, Apple tells us. They've released a new Busby Berkeley-style Radio City Music Hall-inspired Holiday advertisement that showcases their line of Christmas-worthy gifts. Don't know about you, but I rather like it. Dancing iPods. Dancing laptops. Dancing LCD displays. No more "Silent Nights" once you get an iPod, indeed.

On Friday our friends at sister blog Download Squad began a new series titled 12 Days of holiday downloads, rounding up holiday and Christmas-themed downloads for both Mac OS X and Windows. Day 2 was posted today, and so far it looks like a neat series for those of you who like to get their Mac (and Windows PC) into the holiday spirit. Day 1 covered Snö, an app we've mentioned before, can create a snowfall on your desktop (though, as of this writing, Snö's site seems to be unavailable). Day 2 for Mac (today) covers X-MasTree, which we posted about a few days ago.

Frivolous, cycle-wasting apps? Sure. Fun, holiday spirit nonetheless? You bet. Stay tuned to Download Squad for the rest of their 12 Days of holday downloads series for more ways to get your Mac in the holiday spirit.

Apple just went nuts releasing a slew of iPod 101 support documents, most likely just in time for all the iPod-toting user who are about to unwillingly embark on a new side career this holiday season: supporting their family members and friends who just got their own little white (or black, or pink...) music player. Instead of forcing you to trudge through Apple's Support docs, using their less-than-stellar search, I thought I'd link everything I found for your bookmarking pleasure. Don't forget the last doc about backing up one's library, as well as the backup overview our own Scott McNulty wrote about this rocking new feature when iTunes 7 launched:

• iPod 101: Beef Up My Battery
• iPod 101: View Videos
• iPod 101: Set Up a Slideshow
• iPod 101: Eyeball my Artwork
• iPod 101: Put Pictures on my iPod
• iPod 101: Give the Gift
• iPod 101: Browse and Buy Videos
• iPod 101: Tour the Store
• iPod 101: Set Up an iTunes Store Account
• iPod 101: Lay of the Land
• iPod 101: What's On the Menu?
• iPod 101: Installing and Updating Software
• iPod 101: Which Files Work With iPod and iTunes

and of course, the ever-pertinent:

• iPod 101: Backing Up Your Library

Rumors of a wireless, syncing iPod have existed almost as long as the iPod itself, but next week Silex Technology is poised to introduce the next best thing: the wiDock. This wireless iPod dock will fulfill the much-requested feature of wirelessly syncing media with a Mac or Windows PC, all while remaining connected with audio and video output to your entertainment center and charging the iPod's battery for the ultimate in do-it-all connectivity. The wiDock uses 802.11b/g to work its wireless magic, and to top things off, it plays well with the Apple Remote.

We don't have a word on price yet, but the wiDock should be arriving in retail stores soon in time for the holidays.

The iPod Garage has produced a free, downloadable eBook that quite thoroughly covers what you're going to want to know about the iPod nano. The Holiday Nanobook features articles, commentary and reviews of third party accessories, plus the winners of their photo contest. If you're giving an iPod nano this year, why not print this out and wrap them up together (It's 159 pages, so use the printer at work)?

The Holiday Nanobook is free and available here.