Last week, Apple launched a special page [iTunes link] within iTunes celebrating the best of 2008 in all the various content categories. The Apps page [iTunes link] shows off the best selling (and presumably editor's picks) for paid and free apps in various categories. This is a great way for users to get a snapshot of the best and most popular and is surely a publicity boon for developers of those chosen apps.

But what happens when an app goes from being featured to disappearing off the list in a matter of hours? This is the exact situation Napkin Studio's "What's On?" [iTunes link] found itself in. "What's On?" is an app that displays TV listings, lets you track your favorite shows and share show info via e-mail. It's similar to the i.TV app [iTunes link], but the focus is solely television and I think the interface is a bit more readable.

When the iTunes 2008 list debuted, "What's On?" was listed as one of the Top Entertainment apps. If you look at the page now, "What's On?" is no longer listed.

Andrew from Napkin Studio explained the situation to us via e-mail:


Andrew provided us with screenshots of the iTunes 2008 Apps page before and after. I went ahead and took a screenshot of the page as of this morning, and found even more discrepancies. Take a look:

Of course, Apple is free to feature any applications it wants, but the discrepancies and changes in this case leave me scratching my head. For a small company like Napkin, which already started to publicize What's On as a featured app, the whole experience has been embarrassing as well.

Sure, everyone is looking inside the Apple TV and at it, but check out what it does on screen when it's twiddling its thumbs and waiting for you to command your library! Now I don't have mine just yet; it's still hanging out in a local FedEx distribution center, so I made a friend shoot this for me (thanks John!). I heard the Apple TV just powered down after a couple minutes of inactivity, but apparently it has a screensaver mode that you're seeing here. Pretty slick for a little box, eh?

For those who aren't into the Netscape player above, here's a link for the original.

Now: who's up to the challenge of getting a 3rd party screensaver on one of these?

Did your brand new iTV just go on the iFritz? Or possibly your iPhone took a cue from Mr. Jobs and prank called Japa-

Wait, they aren't out yet?

Well, maybe these two shiny new pre-release Apple Discussion forums, one for the Apple TV and another for the iPhone, will still come in handy for chatting about everything you need before you lay down your credit card(s). Topics are already flying in these forums, such as whether the iPhone's EDGE data speed is really all that bad, how much the data plan will cost in the first place and how to get your DVD movies into iTunes for transmission to the Apple TV. With all this chatter going on already, you should be well-prepared once these products actually land.

We may be living in a 7.0.2 world, but AppleTV seems destined for an iTunes 7.1 one. Eagle eyed TUAW reader Chris Hileman points us to evidence of iTunes 7.1's imminent release. Pop over to the AppleTV specs page and check out the system requirements. Along with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and Win XP SP2, you'll find iTunes 7.1. Since AppleTV will be released sometime next month, maybe we can look forward to an iTunes upgrade as well.

The Apple TV isn't under lock and key, as the iPhone is. It's about half the height of a Mac mini, with the same footprint, and quite unassuming. It sports a remote we're already familiar with. Here are some of the first pics of the Apple TV, taken during and immediately after the Keynote.



Update: For those that asked in the comments, those are Sony television sets, although I didn't note the exact model.

In the first of what will probably be several moments of Macworld/CES friction, there are reports from Engadget, among other sources, of the latest Sling Media product: the SlingCatcher, a remote receiver for Slingbox streams that will work as a set top box for TVs. With wireless networking and an internal hard drive for storing hypothetical purchased content, this begins to sound very much like a preannounced product we've heard about.

It was too much to wish that everyone else would stay out of Apple's way while the iTV finished baking; perhaps the shadow of SlingCatcher and similar devices on the horizon caused the atypical WWDC "It's Showtime" preview of unreleased hardware. If you knew that the simplicity of the iPod/iTunes combo was on the way for your video streaming, would it be worth waiting for? Or would you go Sling instead?

It's obvious that Erica is more than a little fired up for the iTV at Macworld 07, but we want to hear from the rest of you. Granted, there's the obligatory portion of anticipated products that might not even exist, but who cares! If you're hoping for an Apple phone, then by golly you have every right to. Or is iLife '07 at the top of your list? Quad-core iMacs and MacBook Pros, perhaps?

Whatever you're jonesing for the most, we want to hear from you. I'll tally your comments this weekend and post the results of what you dear readers have at the top of your post-holiday wishlists.

Steve promised us iTV at Showtime. Now AppleInsider suggests that the Apple wireless media hub might not be ready for January's Macworld, possibly shipping in February or later. iTV, by whatever name it will get rebranded, promises to offer a wireless living room link to your iTunes library. If, as our Victor Agreda predicted, Apple begins to offer high-def titles at the iTunes store, the draft 802.11n wireless connection speculated upon as the core of iTV by many rumor sites may be pushed to its technical limits.

It's the new year boys and girls, which means (amongst other things) that Macworld will soon be upon us. As such, it is only fitting that we dust off TUAW's crystal ball to envision what we think will be unveiled both on and off stage. Now we don't have any insider information - this is all simply logical deduction sprinkled with some wishful thinking, so don't bet the bank on any of this. That said, we present you TUAW's predictions for Macworld 07, in order of blogger's last name:

Victor Agreda Jr.

• Google integration (iTV + YouTube)
• API's for iTV (for El Gato, in particular). Maybe that's a wish; I really, truly doubt Apple and El Gato will play in the same sandbox
• HD content on iTunes ('07 is the true year of HD)
• A gold nano - for Steve, as he announces retiring in 2008
• Some sort of Spreadsheet addition to iWork 07
• .Mac will "somehow get better"

David Chartier

• I agree with everyone else: iLife and iWork 07 are a sure thing
• No Apple iPhone - mostly because, if true, it could possibly go down in history as one of the most hyped yet never announced fanaticware products of all time
  
• I've been hoping for a video update to the AirPort Express, but it seems like the iTV more or less kills that idea; I predict it ships at Macworld
• On Leopard: I again agree with everyone else on a ship date being announced

Laurie A. Duncan

• The Mac mini will get a Core 2 Duo upgrade - although not necessarily across the line. I wouldn't put it past them to keep the sub-$600 model a single Core Duo
• A major iTunes-related content announcement
• Hopefully a new stand-alone iSight camera because as much as I dig the convenience of having one built in to my iMac and MacBook, it's not terribly convenient for scanning my many shelves of books into Delicious Library, for instance (I still have my old FW iSight for such occassions, but a shiny new one would be nice)
• I am fairly certain we'll get to hear what the "iTV" will actually be called, along with a ship date and I'm pretty sure we'll hear a Leopard ship date
• I'm not seeing an iPhone(y) (aka iVox in the pretend world where I am in charge of such things) in my crystal ball, although I suspect there will be a number of jokes about it

Mat Lu

• Leopard released earlier than expected
• iTV finalized
• revised iPods
• no iPhone
• CS3 released earlier than expected

Dan Lurie

• Release date and complete feature set for Leopard
• iLife/Work '07
• iTV release date and complete feature set.
• iPhone (You have no idea how much I want this one to be right)

Scott McNulty

• iLife and iWork 07
• Refreshed Cinema Displays
• Leopard ship date announced

Michael Rose

• Likewise on Leopard release date
• Minimum of three additional studios for iTunes movie store
• "iTV" official announcement, integration with Elgato products for capture
• Major digital asset management product announcement for pro video space, stemming from Proximity acquisition
• One more thing: 8-core Mac Pro
• One MORE more thing: iPod Phone - multi-service chat presence included

Erica Sadun

• iLife and iWork 07
• iTV ships
• Leopard ship date
• iPhone announcement
• iDogCow - because every good prediction should have an absolutely wrong item in it. Viva Clarus. Moof!

There you have it - we'll just have to see next week which of our crystal balls is the clearest. What do y'all think? Are we off the mark, or did we miss anything you're betting the house on? Gambling habits aside, feel free to share your own predictions in the comments.

The latest in pre-Macworld rumors is another case of wishful thinking with no shred of credible evidence to back it up.

An anonymous tipster told PVRWire yesterday that "Apple will be licensing TiVo patented technology for iTV. Also, the name iTV has changed to Mac Media Capsule."

Wow! Really? Um... no.

Haven't we been here before? Oh wait, it was debunked then, too.

If Apple and TiVo ever do hook up, I'll be ecstatic since they are two of my favorite brands, but there's nothing to indicate that's happening anytime soon. It was a better bet two years ago when I hinted at it.

Yesterday Digg was all abuzz with the news that Apple's forthcoming iTV wasn't a new idea at all, in fact, Apple had tried the very same thing in 1994! PVRWire's Chris Tew gets to the bottom of this, and corrects the Digg crowd.

It would seem that Diggers found out about Apple's ill fated Apple Interactive Television Box, which was a set-top box that you plugged into your TV. It featured fast forward and rewind capabilities like today's DVR, but the content wasn't stored locally. The Interactive TV needed to connect up with a cable channel (this device was developed in partnership with British Telecom). There were plans for game shows, children's shows and the like for the interactive TV but the project was abandoned.

The iTV, on the other hand, is used to stream media from your Mac onto your TV. There is some talk that the unit will have a hard drive, but no one is sure if that will be for buffering or if the iTV will be able to store media.

After the jump check out a picture of the remote that was to come with the Apple Interactive Television Box, it isn't as simple as Apple's current remote.

The Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros are hitting the streets and MacRumors is reporting that the wireless card is identified as a D-Link RangeBooster N 650 which is described as "Up to 650% Faster & 5X Farther than 802.11g".

Since another "draft 802.11n" card was found in the Core 2 Duo iMacs , there is added speculation on the rumor sites that the upcoming iTV product will also support the unfinished 802.11n protocol, granting us faster speeds and greater range than the current 802.11g standard. Let's hope!

if you haven't gotten your paws on one yet, here are some unboxing pics to salivate over and some initial hands-on reports in the MacRumors forums.

Thanks, Trevor!

Upon installing and booting into Windows Vista on his new 20-inch Core 2 Duo iMac, a forum poster known as Peace at Mac Rumors noticed that Vista identified the wireless card in the iMac as a Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter. Check out the Wikipedia's entry on 802.11n for some details, but it is essentially the next generation in wireless standards, offering increased range (reportedly up to 1/4 mile) and a much faster data thoroughput, up to 50x greater than 802.11b and 10x faster than 802.11a/g.

If this is true, and Windows isn't simply mistaking the hardware it's reporting (like that's never happened before), this is quite an intriguing move for Apple, as the actual 802.11n protocol has quite a ways to go on its journey to becoming ratified as an industry standard. Further, this is dumping fuel on the rumor fire that Apple will be using 802.11n in the iTV to achieve HD streaming. After all, the upcoming device has all the fixins for handling HDTV, and Mac Rumors is also observant in pointing out that Mr. J said the device uses "802.11" on stage, without specifying which version.

That's about all we have for now. We'll keep our eyes out for iMac and Mac Pro dissections to see if anyone can find cold hard evidence.

[via digg]

Engadget HD linked a theory from Robert X. Cringely as to why Apple hasn't included Blu-ray drives in any of their Macs yet (it isn't even an option in the Mac Pro), despite being on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Mr. Cringely more or less links the lack of Blu-ray in Macs to movies and Apple's strategy with downloadable iTS content and the upcoming iTV. The thinking goes: if Apple can sell you a downloadable movie through the iTS and an iTV on which to watch it - why undercut that model with a Blu-ray drive built right into the machine?

I disagree. There's plenty of other uses and potential (heck, they can hold up to 50GB) in these warring next generation optical formats (Blu-ray and their mortal enemy, HD-DVD), and that's exactly the point: these formats are in the middle of an industry polarizing war, and I think Apple hasn't committed to including either in their machines because they don't want risk leaving their customers high and dry once the dust settles and (dear lord, finally) one format wins out. The iTS/movie downloads/iTV theory doesn't hold water in my book also because that would mean they should eliminate CD and DVD drives from their machines - after all, those drives can undercut their iTunes Store music and movie purchases, right? These discs can hold a lot more than simple movies.

This ridiculous Blu-ray/HD-DVD situation is Betamax vs. VHS all over again, and while Apple is known for pushing the envelope on which technologies they adopt, I believe they're simply waiting for an actual standard to emerge. The only question is when these camps are going to get over themselves and stop forcing consumers to stock up on Advil for every trip to the electronics store.

We may not know when Apple will be shipping the iTV, or what it will be called, or what all it can do, but that won't stop us from talking about it. I mean, we know even less about the iPhone and lots of Mac websites parrot on about that ad nauseum (TUAW being no exception).

Jason Snell and Dan Frakes, of Macworld, have written up a guide to thats the things that we know (and can infer) about the forthcoming iTV. Now, they say that the iTV doesn't seem to have a hard drive but a certain Disney employee disagrees. I suppose we'll know as soon as Apple posts some more info about this puppy.

The only thing I want to know is: when can I order one?