Editor's Note: Some comments to this post suggest that TUAW is "giving advice to pedophiles" by reminding readers that sensitive information could be read or copied by service technicians when you bring your Mac in for repair. While one assumes (present example to the contrary) that people who keep illegal content, such as child pornography or evidence of other crimes, on their computers would already be alert to the possibility of discovery, in this case we are addressing the innocent Mac users who would prefer to keep their personal, legal information private rather than inadvertently sharing it with the Geniuses.

Another commenter objected to our publishing of the accused man's name; this information was revealed in the source article in the Stamford Advocate and we repeated it. The post has been edited to clarify the source of the name.

A Fairfield, Connecticut man took his Apple G5 desktop to the Genius Bar at the Stamford Town Center store complaining about some issues with his image file thumbnails. It seemed some thumbnails were overwriting thumbnails on other images and they didn't match up.

As reported in the Stamford Advocate, according to court documents, the Genius started examining the files, and allegedly found pictures of naked juvenile girls in suggestive poses.

The tech called a policeman who was stationed at the mall, and the customer Raymond Miller was promptly arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. If convicted, Miller faces a minimum of 5 years in jail.

Police also searched Miller's home, but found nothing illegal.

Remember, when you bring your Mac into a store for service the technicians will likely see whatever is on your machine in the course of repairing it.

The tech could have ignored the alleged porn, but that could likely make him an accessory under some state laws. Apple warns people to always have a good backup of their data when they bring something in for repair. It's also a good idea to remove anything you don't want anyone else to see -- financial data or home inventories, for example.

This incident is reminiscent of 2 cases in Florida where the Best Buy Geek Squad techs found illegal porn on computers brought in for repair. The employees reported the porn, and both men were arrested.

Then in an ironic turnabout, a three-month investigation by the Consumerist blog caught Geek Squad employees taking porn off a computer and sharing it with others. It was also alleged that some employees routinely stole music, pictures and other data from computers that were in for repair by copying the data off to personal thumb drives.

Via The Stamford Advocate and thanks to Doug for the tip.

The NPD Group has released amazing numbers this week: Apple is generating one quarter of all US music sales. Equally impressive, but less surprising, is that Apple is also responsible for 69% of all online music sales.

Wal-Mart is #2 for US music sales at 14% (that's a combination of both their online and CD sales) and Best Buy is third. Speaking of CDs, the aging format is still the overall top seller in the US and Wal-Mart is the top CD distributor. However, NPD expects that Apple's sales will equal that of CDs by 2010.

I know it's impossible to say what I'm about to without sounding like a grumpy old man, but here it comes anyway. For me, the tremendous thing isn't that Apple has commandeered the market so handily, it is the rate at which the distribution model has evolved. I'm only 38 years old, but as a kid I had a box of records. By the time I was in junior high school I was buying cassettes and in college I bought CDs.

Today, I can't remember the exact last time I bought music in a format I could physically hold in my hands. I'm glad the big wigs in the music industry are starting to get it. Now if only the TV execs would follow suit.

The following is a re-enactment of the mysterious and sudden failure of Megan Lavey's MacBook.

It was the evening of Tuesday, July 14, 2009. Megan Lavey heads out to the movies to watch the eagerly anticipated Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince. But the excitement of the night was short lived.

Upon her arrival home, Megan found her MacBook in an unconscious state. She tried several attempts to revive it: plugging it and unplugging it, removing and reinserting the battery, as well as performing an SMC reset. However, these attempts proved futile.

In a last ditch effort, Megan made an emergency visit to her local Apple store to meet with a genius. They had both good news and bad news. The good news was that they identified the problem with her MacBook (the logic board) and could save it, but -- and here comes the bad news -- could cost up $750 to repair. What's worse, Megan didn't have AppleCare coverage. In a state of shock and sadness, Megan leaned on the shoulders of her fellow TUAWers, each of whom offered words of encouragement her:

Chris Rawson: "My wife's mid-2007 MacBook is having the exact same issue right now. Luckily, it's covered by AppleCare, and going to the local repair place ASAP."

Erica Sadun: "":( :( :(""

Sang Tang: "Hey, this would make an interesting post. I'm going to write something on this."

There are many Megans in the world, and each is faced with the difficult task of deciding whether or not a repair is worth its cost. It's also times like these that one regrets not purchasing AppleCare, for often times repair costs outweigh the cost of AppleCare. And this raises the question. Should you purchase AppleCare? Several months back, TUAW's Robert Palmer penned a piece on why he believes AppleCare is worth it. This post expands upon that and provides examples of when AppleCare is and isn't justified.

Remember the pre-Macworld buzz about a $99 iPhone 3G? Well, how about a $99.99 iPhone 3G?

Several sharp-eyed TUAW readers have let us know about a deal that Best Buy is offering for Reward Zone members. If you're a Reward Zone Premier Silver member, you can buy an 8GB iPhone 3G for US$99.99 through February 28th. The 16GB model is available for US$199.99. If you're a regular Reward Zone member, you pay just US$50 more for your iPhone 3G -- US$149.99 for 8GB, US$249.99 for 16GB.

Best Buy notes that you must be an existing Reward Zone member as of February 21, 2009, to take advantage of the special pricing, so you can't sign up for the program today and expect to get the discount. A two-year activation is required as well. If you're eligible and interested in getting a new iPhone 3G for a penny less than US$100, click the "Source" link below for details.

AppleInsider, MediaBistro and more are all pointing to some sweet Best Buy discounts on Apple products for Black Friday weekend that include laptop and desktop computers. Sale prices are good online and in-store.

Best Buy apparently stocked up on inventory to support the event. Apple employees will also be staffing Best Buy locations to push sales. The four-day sale extends from Sunday until Wednesday. (Thanks, Michel.)

Also of note: Apple retail stores will match other authorized retailers' advertised prices. According to ifoAppleStore, if you supply proof of the competitor's pricing (like Best Buy's circular), Apple retail employees have the authority to approve a discount matching that price.

If that weren't enough, as Cory mentioned earlier, Apple will also be having its own online Black Friday promotion.

After the jump, discounts ahoy!

Maybe this is a coincidence, coming as it does on the eve of a big Apple announcement... it could be meaningless, just regularly scheduled inventory maintenance, the BB version of the yellow sticky note. Sure, that's probably it -- nothing to see here. Yeah. No reason at all to think that Best Buy's website downtime could have anything, really, to do with the anticipated introduction of new Apple laptops tomorrow... right?

As if our conspiracy generators weren't already in full gear: suppose it is related. Could Best Buy be getting an exclusive deal on the $900 laptop outside of Apple's own stores? [Note that many sites are now reporting the "$899 MacBook" may in fact be a Cinema Display.]

Thanks to Horza for the tip

You've seen the Geek Squad with their fancy Volkswagens, spiffy ties and shiny, orange buttons. You've also seen the Apple Geniuses walking around with their crisp T-shirts, swell ID badges and all that knowledge.

They're both cool (for professional nerds), but who's happier? According to Glassdoor Blog, it's the Geniuses. They make more money on average and spoke better of their work environments in recent satisfaction surveys. Plus, who wouldn't choose to wear jeans and a T-shirt to work over a shirt and tie?

Actually, I kind of like the Geek Squad uniforms. They're a cross between Men In Black and Waldo from the Hot For Teacher video. But ... nerdier.

MacNN is reporting that US big box store Best Buy will begin selling iPhones on September 7th. The move could help reduce the long lines that are still developing at Apple and AT&T stores. You may remember a rumor about this last month.

Best Buy has been slowly developing a retail relationship with Apple. A few years ago, certain locations were given Mac minis to sell. That program has matured to the "mini stores" in place today. AppleInsider suggests that a major overhaul of the mobile phone departments at all Best Buy locations was the step that finally convinced Apple to hand over the iPhone.

So, will Best Buy move many iPhones? I still encounter much anti-Apple sentiment from hardcore Windows lovers, and big electronics stores can be an epicenter for that type of thing. However, it seems to be reserved to Apple's computers.

My hope is that the staff is well trained, as I'm sure we all remember the unpleasant experience of shopping for Macs at Circuit City several years ago.

AppleInsider is reporting that they have confirmed the Apple part numbers that were supposedly "leaked" out of Best Buy are in fact the real deal, and could be new MacBook Pros; other rumor sites are chiming in as well.

This comes after some of Apple's retail chain partners have received part numbers and prices that match Apple's usual style; as of late, these numbers have been added to Apple's own inventory management system. One of the inventory systems reports stock on hand by Friday, February 29; our most recent information points us to an availability date of March 2 or earlier for these new machines.

The numbers in question are:

• MB402LL/A ($1999.00)
• MB403LL/A ($2499.00)
• MB404LL/A ($2799.00)

AppleInsider is also speculating that the new MacBook Pros may include the new Intel Penryn processor that clocks at 2.1Ghz for the base model and goes up to 2.6Ghz for the higher-end models. Along with the new processor, they are also speculating that the MacBook Pro might receive the MacBook Air's multi-touch trackpad goodness. If these rumors are true, then why is Apple going up on the price of their Pro notebooks? For the base model, that's a $200 price increase. Whoops, looked at the wrong laptop pricing. These prices, as our loyal commenters have noted, are exactly in line with the existing MacBook Pros. Whew.

[via AppleInsider]

Thanks Mr. X


Update: Engadget just posted what appears to be a printout of the Best Buy database showing the Apple part numbers.

Several readers have written to let us know that Apple's Time Capsule is listed in the current Best Buy flyer. It is scheduled for a February release, so this could mean that we'll see it in stores this week.

If any TUAW readers visit a Best Buy this week, let us know if you find a Time Capsule on the shelves, and if you buy one!

Thanks, to everyone who sent this in!

Canada's Best Buy* website has posted a page (littered with typographical and grammatical errors) that interested Canadian shoppers can use to sign up for email notification of iPhone availability. So, it looks like the iPhone will be available at Best Buy in Canada, once it launches.

Now someone get a copy editor on that ad, mmkay?

*Best Buy is a big box electronics store in the US and Canada.

Thanks, Grant!

A few weeks ago, we wrote about Apple's plan to expand their presence in Best Buy stores (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) in 2007. Now, some of these store-with-a-store "boutiques" are beginning to appear, and they look great. The Macs are prominently displayed on their own minimalist set up, all running and ready to go. PB | Central says of the setup:

"The makeover is so major that when you first come across it, you might think you took a wrong turn somewhere. Once you step foot into the new Apple section, you might think you were magically transported to a regular Apple Store..."

If you come across one of these, let us know. They look great.

[Via MacDailyNews]

First it was Best Buy, now AppleInsider is reporting that US retailer Target will become the next third party chain to sell the Apple TV. You can expect to see units in stores by the end of the month (you can currently get one online at Target's website), and a few locations will even feature full-blown demo setups.

It has been reported that Apple TV sales have been a bit slow at Best Buy, so who knows what will happen at Target. Let us know if you see any, especially a demo model.

Last week, we pointed out Apple's intention to extend its presence in Best Buy (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) to 200 locations in 2007. We noted some of the less-than-Mac-like experiences we've had at the hands of Best Buy employees, and some of you shared similar experiences. Today, there's good news.

MacNN is reporting that Apple may establish "boutiques" in these locations, sort of stores within the store. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said, "We believe Apple's store within a store at Best Buy will be much different compared to the current pilot store roll-out, which was a table with Apple products on it..." on Monday. Sounds good, and we're eager to see the setup.

About a year ago, there was a single Mac mini set up in my local Best Buy. It quietly disappeared, and I wondered if Apple was giving up on Best Buy. Today, I got my answer: No.

According to an article at MacNN, the Apple/Best Buy retail venture will grow to 200 stores in 2007, up from the current count of 50. That's great and all, but let's hope that the staff at these extra 150 stores aren't as blatantly anti-Mac as the employees I've encountered. I've actually seen staff steer interested shoppers away from the mini and towards some hulking PC. I only hope they bought virus protection software as well.