You know by now that once Apple announces a new piece of hardware, it's only a matter of time before someone gets their hands on one only to rip it up and tear every little piece out to see what's in there. And that's exactly what iFixit did with the brand new iMac -- most of us would kill to get one and keep it, and they got one and killed it (Update: Apparently they didn't kill it -- they ended up putting it all back together again). But at least we can learn from their destruction: the LCD panel is the same horizontal resolution as the 30" Cinema display, and the screen itself weighs 11 lbs. The hard drive sits right in the center of the machine, right behind the screen. And there's probably more heat dissipation methods in there than you'd expect: six temp sensors, three fans, two heat sinks, and even a partridge in a pear tree. We're not sure how that last one helps.

Overall, it's a beauty. And the last twist is probably the most interesting -- other than showing off your Mac-itude and lighting the area behind your screen, the Apple logo is apparently wrapped with an Airport antenna. Because the whole thing is encased in aluminum, that's the only place to get a signal, and so that's where they stuck it. Now when people complain that you're just being trendy by showing off the Apple logo, you can tell them you're actually just trying to help out the Wi-Fi reception.

[via Engadget]

One movie. One iPhone. One app. One blogger. That was the scenario last night when I put RunPee for iPhone to the test. Available from Rock Software (iTunes Link) for $0.99, RunPee lets you know which points in a given movie that are safe to miss.

When word of this app first hit TUAW, it inspired a lively discussion about the appropriateness of missing any part of a movie. Our own Christina Warren argued passionately that to do so would take you out of the movie, even if you never got up and left. Other, smaller-bladdered bloggers, welcomed the idea saying that if you had to go, it was better to go at a time where less was happening on-screen.

Since I knew I was going to be seeing Star Trek, I volunteered to put the software to the test. RunPee provides a timed list for most of the newest releases, Star Trek among them. I took my iPhone and headed off to the Cinema.

So how did things go? Well, to be frank, not as well as I'd hoped. First of all, the RunPee software provides a list of times and cues, so you know when to head loo-wards. For example, at nearly an hour into the movie, one character says to another to take the con. Notice that I do not mention which characters are involved.

RunPee is not that discreet. In fact, its relatively short list of times and actions can be seen as a series of movie spoilers. There's no timed/reveal of each successive break so I was inadvertently spoiled from the start by several big plot developments, which are all shown on-screen at once.

In use it's also really hard to track the suggested break times. The app comes with a built-in timer but no other cues. You cannot stick the iPhone in your pocket and wait for alarmed vibrations, pulling it out to see if you're at the proper place or not. This feature is not in the software. Instead, you have to keep unlocking the screen and checking the time. It feels like work and it's really annoying to the people around you who keep getting flashed by the lit iPhone screen.

To use this application, you need Internet access. There's no way to download the data and then read it later offline. If your theater has poor cell reception, you're out of luck.

In short, RunPee does not yet bring anything to the table that a spoiler website couldn't. Yes, you get access to pre-timed lists that you could possibly use to service bladder interruptus but between the difficulty of use, the annoyance to other patrons, and the outright spoiling of movie points, RunPee didn't do what I had hoped. So points to Christina, who argued exactly that.

In e-mail, the developer has promised to add vibration support and is working on improving the product in other ways. For now, if you don't mind spoilers and you want to avoid the whole crazy astronaut woman syndrome, RunPee may supply the information you want. And the movie? Thumbs up. One of the better Star Trek offerings.

Name: Run Pee Mobile (iTunes link)
Developer: Rock Software
Platform: iPhone or iPod touch
Price: 0.99

LG has won a five-year contract to provide LCDs for Apple, Inc. According to Softpedia, Apple wanted LG's LCD and next-generation OLED displays for not only notebooks and Cinema Displays, but for iPhones and iPods as well.

LG will receive a deposit of US$500 million to begin work under the contract.

OLED displays use organic material to emit light. According to the same article, OLED displays outperform LCD displays in terms of refresh rate, color, and energy efficiency.

LG already provides over 70 percent of Apple's notebook and Cinema Display LCDs, according to Reuters. Before that, Apple had partnered with Samsung about 10 years ago to help the company boost its TFT LCD production.

[Via Macworld.]

While some of us are waiting to purchase the new 24" LED Cinema Display, Apple has quietly pulled the old 23" Cinema Display from the online store. Apple is still selling the 20" and 30" Cinemas, but they have put the words "Ships: Discontinued" on the 23" model.

I'm sure these are very sad words for the folks who don't like glossy screens; however, this could also mean local retailers (and Apple Stores) might have 23" models on sale very soon (did someone say black Friday sales?).

If you still want a 23" model, you can check Apple's online refurb store where they are currently being sold for $749 (US).


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Last night, some eagle-eyed readers noticed that Apple has changed the shipping status for the LED Cinema Displays. Previously, the status said "Coming Soon," but as of last night it says "Ships in 7-10 Business Days." However, the option to buy is still not available on the Apple Store page.

I talked with an Apple Store representative and they told me that there is still no set release date, but when you are able to purchase the displays, there will be an initial 7-10 day wait for shipping. These new Cinema Displays are the first Apple has shipped with LED backlighting and glossy LCD screens. The displays are marketed towards new MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro buyers who want a desktop experience, but notebook portability. In fact, these laptop users are the only ones able to take advantage of the new DisplayPort-enabled Cinema Displays -- older DVI-equipped machines can't drive them until a DVI-DisplayPort adapter comes along.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

In a move that surprised everybody and nobody simultaneously, Apple has released a brand-new 24-inch LED Cinema Display to spruce up the languishing product line.

In addition to a new form factor that brings their look in line with newer iMacs (and now the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models announced today), the displays have an iSight camera, speakers, and a MagSafe power connector to charge your laptop. They have a native resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels.

Also, the displays are more environmentally friendly, moving away from the mercury-vapor backlights to newer LED backlights now available throughout Apple's line of laptops. The surface of the display is glass, with a glossy finish.

The display includes three USB ports, but no FireWire ports featured on older Cinema Displays.

The new 24-inch display will be available in November for $899.

Update: "Old" Cinema Displays still appear to be on Apple's website, so it looks like other screen sizes in the older form factor will continue to be available. For how long, we don't know.

[Via Engadget.]

MacRumors speculates on the possibility of Apple releasing updated Cinema displays at next year's Macworld Expo. According to the post, the new displays could incorporate the LED backlight technology that Apple has started building into their 15" MacBook Pros.

MacRumors notes that LED backlit displays going into the 30" range tend to be more expensive than Apple's current 30" Cinema display. However, if this is true, it would be a nice change from Apple's 2004 design of the current Cinema displays. There is no word yet on if the new displays would include the iSight camera.

Are we going to see new Cinema displays by the end of the month? If so, they might look like this-- it's a nice-looking mockup posted by Ben over on the redrant forums. It is interesting that Cinema displays are almost starting to match up to the Beatles as the one thing we hope to get from Apple but never do. For years now, people have been hoping for an update to these things-- an installed iSight (that one's actually been "a lock" for years) and even a touchscreen display. But Apple hasn't budged-- the last time they updated the Cinemas, it was to drop the prices two years ago.

Yup, it's been since then that a Cinema update has seemed to be just around the corner. You can only think of so many ways to update monitors, but it seems that Apple hasn't, so far, liked any of the ideas enough to put them on sale.

Thanks, Jacob!

Brent Simmons, creator of the beloved NetNewsWire RSS app, is a talkative guy. We've chatted with him quite a few times about various Mac issues, and late last week he gave another interview to Shawn Blanc over at his website.

The interview is mostly about NetNewsWire-- the inspiration for its various features, and the development process Simmons goes through (he writes way more code than he ever uses, and calls himself an "anti-packrat"). There's also a picture of Simmons' workspace (above)-- he works on a Cinema display hooked up to a 17" iMac, with a 17" PowerBook around for PPC testing. He also has a HappyLite Sunshine Simulator right there-- I would think shining a light in my face every morning would wear me out, but he says it helps his Seattle existence, and if it gave us NNW (3.1 is on the way, we're told), I won't argue.

Always a good guy, that Simmons, except that he's a little indecisive-- he told us his favorite feature was the Attention Report, and now he says it's the spacebar. Make up your mind!

TUAW reader Steve pointed us to this article about "In Search of Silicon Valley". It's a film about a trio (Steve O'Hear, Fleeta Siegel and Selwyn George) who travels from London to Silicon Valley, tracks down Apple pioneers Woz, Hertzfeld, Raskin, and Kawasaki as well as other net luminaries like Tim O'Reilly and Dan Kottke, and talks with them. The film takes place over the period of a month and the discussions range all over the place. You can read reviews at TechCrunch and Kirkville.

After a limited DVD distribution, they've decided to release the film via Streamburst, a site that allows consumers to buy video without DRM. The download will set you back a very reasonable #3.99 (about $8 in US currency), though I'm not sure if the online version will include the DVD extras (about 30 more minutes of interviews on top of the 55 minute film). You can view the trailer at their storefront. Other Streamburst films include "Long Way Round", a TV series with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman that I've been meaning to watch for forever, and Race to Dakar about the 2006 Dakar Rally.

A number of observant TUAW readers have also noticed that Apple has (quietly) slashes Cinema display prices with the introduction of the Mac Pro. There were rumors of Cinema updates before WWDC, but it seems that Apple simply wanted to give our pocketbooks a break with the $500 increase in the Mac Pro's price. Cinema display prices now look a little something like this:

• 20-inch: $699
• 23-inch: $999
• 30-inch: $1999 (what a drop!)
  

Unfortunately, I can't even get into the EDU store so I'm not sure how much better prices are for students yet. Ultimately, these prices should look a bit more appealing amidst criticism of what some say are slightly overpriced LCDs.

You know the "cinema experience" that movie executives keep harping on about? Y'know, the "experience" that cinemas use to justify stupidly high snack and ticket prices? Well, a company has created a program that lets you relive this authentic experience from the comfort of your Mac.

Peanut Gallery, billed as a "shared media experience" by its creators, allows you to recreate this experience from within a virtual 70's style movie theater. You can even chat over the movie along with seven other viewers via the web or Bonjour and animate little silhouette avatars that sit in rows of seats. Getting up and leaving after you realize you've spent your hard earned money on another piece of Hollywood crap has never been so easy; you don't even have to leave your chair to leave your chair! Don't worry if you're a little late for the showing, because there's also an option for a pre-show reel which, for extra realism, you'll be able to fill with annoying commercials and trailers for films you're completely uninterested in.

Still, I'm a little angry that there's no implementation of a few other cinema features we all know and love including "mobile phone goes off at the tense bit" or the "crying baby". They didn't even place an obligatory anti-piracy PSA at the beginning! The pre-screening frisk down by a burly police officer is also missing. Another thing: Peanut Gallery doesn't disable my iSight or jam my cellphone for the duration of the film. Talk about unrealistic. How am I supposed to feel like I'm actually at the movies with essential parts of the cinema experience missing?!

I give the program a B+ for effort, but I think a little more of a police state/Big Brother-style attitude is needed.

[Via Daring Fireball]