Apple Has Another Upcoming Rock and Roll Event at 10AM This Morning

by Jody Mitoma on September 9, 2009 at 3:48 am

We do not know anything about the Apple Event that is scheduled to go down later this morning, September 9th, at 10 a.m., but I know as much as you do that it is something we Apple fanatics are pumped to see.

I’m sure that a ton of you that have heard the rumor about an upcoming Apple Tablet are pretty pumped to hear if this rumor turns out to be true or not, too. I know I am. An iPod the size of my computer screen would be just awesome… Okay, maybe not the full size of my monittomoror, but a good 12 - 15 inch screen would suffice. (My monitor is 22 inches, and I would despise carrying around a 22 inch tablet.)

Although there is no full-proof information to roll on, there are always rumors that have been rolling around Silicon Valley that make us bunch of hopefuls happy. Of course, it’s never a good thing to hear a rumor three or four months prior to an Apple event, only to find out that the superior rumor turns out to fall on false pretenses. Never a good thing.

With that said, here are the rumors that we’ve got to roll on until later on this morning.

An Apple Tablet / iPad - This has been rumored for about a year now, if not more. It is said that Apple may be in the works on a touch-screen 10 inch tablet, which in other words is basically an iPod Touch, brought up to scale, literally. It would be best used to play games from the App Store, watching movies on the go, and surfing the Internet. Guesses on the price tag for this rumored-to-be-upcoming product are ranging between $500 and $700. To poor a little gasoline on the fire, it has been confirmed by several overseas parts manufacturers in places like Taiwan.

3rd Gen iPod Touch with Camera - I’ve been hearing a lot about this one, and have actually seen some fuzzy pictures of what seemed to be realistic enough to be true, but heck, you never know these days as to what is true and what isn’t. It is apparent that Apple has put in a large order for camera modules. These cameras are rumored to be making their way into the latest version of the iPod touch and oddly enough, the latest iPod nano as well. Making this rumor sound even more true than any other, manufacturers of iPod cases have confirmed this by leaking some of their camera-friendly iPod cases. Keep in mind however, that it is being said there are some bad parts that may cause a delay in the release of these products, which may in turn bring Apple to the thought of not mentioning these upcoming products at this morning’s event.

iTunes 9 - A ninth version of Apple’s popular iTunes software is said to be hitting Internet waves later today, or at least being announced anyway. It is being said that there will be Blu-ray support, and intergration with a number of popular services including Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm. We’ll just have to wait and see if these inclusions have turned out to be true, but I do suspect that iTunes 9 will be mentioned at the event later this morning.

Ringtone Downloads via iTunes - This would be smart on Apple’s part, seeing as there are an incredible load of people using iPhones in today’s day and age. Millions upon millions of potention ringtone downloaders and downloadees. Although it is quite simple to create your own ringtone on the iPhone itself, it is still a great possibility that Apple has attempted to make it easier for those whom are not in the know-how, or don’t want to even try making their own ringtones. I expect ringtones will be available on the cheap, if they are even incorporated into the latest version of iTunes at all.

Adios iPod Classic - It would be common sense for Apple to remove the iPod Classic line from store shelves now that we’ve got the iPhone and iPod Touch available to us for a fair price. Although the iPod Touch still doesn’t hold nearly as much as the iPod Classic is capable of, I’m sure this number will rise soon enough, jumping to 64GB’s and 128GB’s within the next year or so. It would be best if the iPod Classic was brought to its grave, with a great price drop on all items still left on store shelves to this day.

An iPod Nano with a Touchscreen - Apple is enjoying their use of touchscreen hardware. It is being rumored that it may be announced later this morning that an iPod Nano with a touchscreen may become available to the mass public. Although I doubt this is a true rumor, you really never know.

Cocktail - This is the first I hear of this format, but apparently there are rumors going around that Apple may be working on a new music format, Cocktail, which it developed to combat against CMX, a new format being introduced by Sony, Warner, Universal, and EMI. Both formats will incorporate artwork, linear notes, lyrics, and videos. One thing that makes downloading music via iTunes better than downloading illegally via BitTorrent, is the fact that you are almost always guaranteed the correct song titles and album covers, where as when downloading via BitTorrent, or otherwise, your chances of downloading a song with this correct information is highly unlikely.

iPhone OS 3.1 - It is more than likely that Apple will introduce this new operating system for download to your iPhone, or at least mention something of it to say the least. iPhone OS 3.1 is currently in beta, which features new video APIs, speed improvements, and MMS enabled by default. Phenomenal news for a lot of you.

The Return of Steve - It is more than likely that Mr. Jobs will be showing his face at this morning’s event. Steve hasn’t appeared on stage at any prior Apple events since this time last year. It is known however, that Steve Jobs has been spotted at the Apple Cupertino headquarters more than once since his announcement of a temporary leave.

It won’t be long now before we find out which of these hopeful rumors are indeed true, and which one’s we’ll have to either wait another year for, or just lose hope for entirely.

via Gear Log

New iPhone App ‘Outbreaks Near Me’ Locates H1N1 (Swine Flu), Infectious Diseases

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:26 pm

App uses HealthMap technology; allows individuals to track, report local outbreak information.

[Reuters] BOSTON, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), on the ground in real time. The application, “Outbreaks Near Me,” builds upon the mission and proven capability of HealthMap, an online resource that collects, filters, maps and disseminates information about emerging infectious diseases, and provides a new, contextualized view of a user’s specific location - pinpointing outbreaks that have been reported in the vicinity of the user and offering the opportunity to search for additional outbreak information by location or disease.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090901/DC68935)

Additional functionality of Outbreaks Near Me is the ability to set alerts that will notify a user on their device or by e-mail when new outbreaks are reported in their proximity, or if a user enters a new area of activity.

“We hope individuals will find the new app to be a useful source of outbreak information - locally, nationally, and globally,” says HealthMap co-founder John Brownstein, PhD, assistant professor in the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP). “As people are equipped with more knowledge and awareness of infectious disease, the hope is that they will become more involved and proactive about public health.”

The new application also features an option for users to submit an outbreak report. This will enable individuals in cities and countries around the world to interact with the HealthMap team and participate in the public health surveillance process. Users may take photos - of situations and scenarios of, and/or leading to, disease - with their iPhone and submit them to the HealthMap system for review and eventual posting as an alert on the worldwide map.

“This is grassroots, participatory epidemiology,” says HealthMap co-founder Clark Freifeld, a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab and research software developer at CHIP. “In releasing this app we aim to empower citizens in the cause of public health, not only by providing ready access to real-time information, but also by encouraging them to contribute their own knowledge, expertise, and observations. In enabling participation in surveillance, we also expect to increase global coverage and identify outbreaks earlier.”

HealthMap was founded in 2006 and mines the Internet - searching disparate data sources such as news reports, curated personal accounts, official alerts, blogs and chat rooms - to track and map infectious disease outbreaks. While the data have been shown to provide early information on new outbreaks, users are encouraged to interpret the data appropriately as it is drawn from both official and unofficial sources.

The HealthMap Web site (www.healthmap.org) averages 10,000 unique visits a day, including regular users from the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. During the peak of H1N1 swine flu this spring, visits to the site rose substantially, with as many as 150,000 visitors coming to the Web site to search for information.

Outbreaks Near Me was developed with support from Google.org and is available at no cost for download in the iTunes App Store. For more information on Outbreaks Near Me, visit: http://healthmap.org/iphone.php.

Children’s Hospital Boston is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 500 scientists, including eight members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 12 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children’s Hospital Boston today is a 396-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Children’s also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about the hospital and its research visit: www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom.

The Competition: Windows Mobile 6.5 Launches Oct. 6

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:22 pm

Image via The iPhone Blog

Microsoft has officially announced that the next ~~skin~~ point release for their handheld operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, will launch on Oct. 6 and include ~~App Store~~ Windows Marketplace for Mobile (catchy!) and ~~MobileMe~~ MyPhone services.

[The iPhone Blog] WMExperts asks the impertinent question:

Will Windows Mobile 6.5 be available for any phones on that date? Will we see new phones released with WinMo 6.5?

We shrug in sympathy. Typically it takes a while to go from release to manufacturers to release to consumers. What benefits the split platform strategy has in consumer choice, it lacks in speed to consumer market.

When it does arrive, WinMo 6.5 will support both physical and virtual keyboards, no-touch and touch screens (resistive only?!), GPS, accelerometer, high res cameras, and likely spinning, multihued beechball wheels of wait (our Macs sympathize).

That the same company can ship the Zune HD before Windows Mobile 6.5, however, still puzzles us. That they’re arguably shipping both years too late to be competitive… well, that just frustrates us no end.

Throw a couple billion at Windows Mobile 7, would you please, and get her out asap?

Napster Opts Out of Streaming Application for App Store

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:18 pm

The popular Napster streaming and download music service won’t be coming to Apple’s iPhone via the App Store per a mocoNews report. According to the story, a rep from Napster said the service, which would be offered at Best Buy stores, is not being sent out for Apple approval because of the high licensing fees involved which would force Napster to charge too much for its service.

[iPhone Alley] Some streaming apps offered by Apple are subject to $15 fees. Napster will instead offer browser-based streaming at m.napster.com on cell phones and it is working with music labels to lower this price point so it can offer the full mobile functionality on iPhones and other devices. The service is currently priced at $5 per month and like Napster’s cheapest regular subscription will include five DRM-free tracks users can keep.

Without a licensed iPhone app, users won’t be able to download the tracks straight to their handsets, but instead will need to sync them onto their phones through iTunes.

Customers who buy a non-Apple cellphone on contract at Best Buy will receive Napster free service for three months, which includes 15 songs they can download and keep.

Apple, China Mobile Still in Talks Over iPhone Distribution in China

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:16 pm

Wireless carrier China Mobile has confirmed that the company is still in talks with Apple about offering the iPhone in China even though rival China Unicom last week announced a distribution deal for the handset.

[iPhone Alley] According to Macworld, the talks between Apple and China Mobile, the world’s biggest carrier by subscribers, yet to reach a conclusion, as confirmed by a China Mobile spokeswoman on Tuesday. An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the company’s three-year distribution deal with China Unicom is not exclusive, but did not say if the company is in talks with other potential partners.

Rival China Unicom will offer the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, with the first handsets going on sale in the fourth quarter. China Mobile began iPhone negotiations with Apple two years ago, but China Unicom, which operates a 3G network compatible with the iPhone, became seen as the favorite for an iPhone deal in recent months.

One complication in China Mobile’s negotiations with Apple was the carrier’s plan for its own mobile application store served as a potential competitor with Apple’s App Store. Another was China Mobile’s use of a mobile standard for its 3G network that was domestically developed and is not compatible with current iPhone models..

The app store and 3G standard snags could remain in any talks. The China Mobile download store went online last month and supports handsets including “Ophones,” or devices that run a China Mobile operating system but have a layout very similar to an iPhone.

Rockstar Games to Release GTA: Chinatown Wars to iPhone This Fall

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

Software developer Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will arrive for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch handsets later this fall.

[iPhone Alley] According to Touch Arcade, the game, which is presently available for the Nintendo DS, follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father.

“Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple’s new gaming platforms.”

Specific release dates, system requirements and final pricing have yet to be announced, though the following gameplay footage of the Nintendo DS version can be seen below:

“We’re Getting F—ed By Apple,” Says iPhone Developer

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:08 pm

While it’s apparent that Apple is at least trying to make its iPhone App platform easier to stomach for developers, the company is still not pleasing everyone.

[BusinessInsider] Digg engineer-turned-iPhone developer Joe Stump is the latest to write an angry, public rant to Apple. But his, unlike some others, is peppered with entertaining swear words! (It’s called “Pass the lubricant as we’re getting f—ed by Apple too.”)

Stump’s company Blunder Move makes an iPhone app called Chess Wars, which lets people play chess with their Facebook friends.

The app was plagued with problems since the beginning, but Apple accepted an update, Stump writes. But there were still problems, so Stump issued another update. And now it’s been about six weeks, and Apple hasn’t done anything.

“Apple are equal opportunity ass f—-ers,” he says, among other expletives.

That line won’t win anyone over at Apple, but if Stump’s claims are accurate, he doesn’t deserve the treatment he’s getting.

Apple boasts that the majority of apps go through without a hitch. In its recent filing to the FCC, it said 95% of apps are approved within 14 days of submission, and 80% are approved as originally submitted.

But clearly something is wrong here.

We obviously aren’t getting Apple’s side of the story in Stump’s rant. (We’ve reached out to Apple for comment, but don’t expect a response.) But if there are really severe bugs in Chess Wars that are causing terrible reviews, Apple at least owes Stump a real response — and owes its iPhone customers an app update.

This case is an exception rather than the rule. But it makes Stump look terrible. And it makes Apple look worse. Stump recently left Digg to start his new company, and will eventually need investors. Who would want to invest in a company that has to deal with this kind of crap?

Hilarious iPhone MMS Spoof Ad on YouTube

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:05 pm

This is just pure awesome.

Mac Clone Maker Sues Apple Over Snow Leopard

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Psystar claims it’s just like Microsoft, Google in new antitrust lawsuit filed in Florida.

[ComputerWorld] Mac clone maker Psystar last week sued Apple for a second time, charging that it illegally ties the new Snow Leopard operating system to its hardware.

Psystar also asked a federal judge in Florida to rule that the small company has the right to purchase copies of Snow Leopard on the open market and use them to install Mac OS X 10.6 on the machines it sells.

“By tying its operating system to Apple-branded hardware, Apple restrains trade in personal computers that run Mac OS X, collects monopoly rents on its Macintoshes, and monopolizes the market for ‘premium computers,’” said Psystar’s lawsuit, filed last Wednesday. “Apple’s share of revenue in the market for premium computers — computers priced at over $1,000 — is currently 91%.”

Last month, retail market research company NPD Group estimated that Apple controls 91% of the $1,000-and-up market, a fact that got significant play in the media and on blogs.

The antitrust angle in the new lawsuit is a repeat of Psystar’s strategy of more than a year ago, when it accused Apple of violating the Sherman and Clayton Acts. A federal judge in California tossed out Psystar’s claims last November, however.

Psystar said that the situation with Snow Leopard is completely different.

“This case raises a wholly separate set of issues [from] those in Apple Inc. v. Psystar Corp…because that case is limited to Psystar computers running Mac OS X Leopard,” the company’s lawyer’s argued. “Both the technical mechanisms used by Apple to tie Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Macintoshes and the technology used by Psystar to get Mac OS X Snow Leopard to run on Psystar computers are new and different and not within the scope of the California litigation.”

Psystar asked the Florida court to award it treble damages and force Apple to stop tying Mac OS X to its Mac hardware in the operating system’s end user license agreement (EULA), as well as through technical tricks that check to see whether the computer starting Snow Leopard is a real Mac.

Last week’s filing spent most of 14 pages trying to convince the judge to fire a preemptive strike at Apple.

Continue reading here.

What Mac OS X Snow Leopard Means for the Future of the iPhone

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 11:43 am

On Friday, Apple shipped Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, their latest computer operating system (which is jailbreaker safe!), and for the first time focus wasn’t on fabulous new consumer-facing features, but on internal re-architecting, the (far too often quoted) refinements and enhancements.

[The iPhone Blog] Many of these advancements, as we’ve discussed before, were leveraged from work done for the iPhone version of OS X. QuickTime X, with its yellow trim bars and built-in sharing are an obvious example.

We’ve already seen Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard technology like Data Detectors cross-over to the iPhone, but with this newest, arguably greatest version of Mac OS X now on the market, what can we look forward too for the next generation(s) of iPhone OS X?

Better, faster, easier

The iPhone has already nailed the refined part, and no doubt Snow Leopard benefitted from the compression and other space-saving techniques. Likewise, the aforementioned Quicktime X (and we can’t help but notice — and crow a tad about — some iPhone inspired UI elements to go with it), as well as the touch input of Chinese characters came from the iPhone. What can we get in return?

The more nimble-finder, while we’d LOVE a way to access the iPhone file-system, doesn’t yet seem to be in Apple’s roadmap. Stacks, however — a way for a single dock icon to expand a fan or grid of enclosed apps — have already made an appearance in the Jailbreak community and given the continuing growth of apps yet confined space of the iPhone screen, it seems a logical bit of technology for Apple to move over.

Next generation technologies

It’s a bit early for 64-bit requiring RAM sizes on the iPhone (sigh), and iPhone security, with sandboxed apps and all, is fairly strong already. Likewise, Grand Central-style multi-core process packetization and dispatch may be a way off for our ARM internals (though who knows where Apple’s new PA Semi system-on-chips will take us, right?). Open CL, however, a technology that allows GPU’s to be used for general-computing, CPU-like tasks when they’re not painting pixels or flinging polygons, is something we’re definitely looking forward to. Not watching a moving or playing a game? Take that PowerVR chip and speed up everything else!

We’re not going to keep going on about QuickTime X, since we already have the H.264, hardware acceleration, trimming, the sharing, and the HTTP live streaming on the iPhone, along with voice recording courtesy of Voice Memo. However, the ability to record video not only off the iPhone 3GS camera, but screen recording as well would be appreciated, especially by those of us who cover iPhones and iPhone apps…

Accessibility

Yeah, we got this with the iPhone 3GS back in June as well, and while it isn’t the most widely covered of improvements, we applaud Apple for continuing to raise the bar, both for mobiles and for desktops.

Custom labels for poorly or unlabled screen elements would be a welcome update for the iPhone, however.

Exchange support

Okay, we got this first on the iPhone as well. We even have it better, as while the iPhone supports Exchange 2003, the Mac can only make do with Exchange 2007 or the the upcoming 2010. (We’re not sure why, but we feel like blaming MAPI for something and this’ll do).

And more…

We’d also like to see iPhone Spotlight beefed up to search inside apps that are developed to support the feature, and of course to remember recent searches. Also, syncing photos over from iPhoto, including the Faces and Places metadata, would be nifty to include in search criteria (so we see pictures of Steve Jobs if we search for him, for example.)

iChat, of course, would be nice to see as a Apple-branded IM app!

Conclusion

Unlike Google or Microsoft, Apple using the same core for their desktop and mobile OS, means more band for their development buck, and more features for users. Win. Win. Since we’re still installing and getting used to Snow Leopard, we may have missed some more examples what else we just might see in future iPhone OS. If you’ve come across any others drop us a comment and let us know!

AT&T Gets a Fuzzy Signal on Apple’s iPhone

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 11:40 am

Did AT&T get a sour apple when it snagged the iPhone?

[Wall Street Journal] Maybe. AT&T’s exclusive right to offer Apple’s smart phone over the past two years has attracted new customers, and at least initially enhanced the phone company’s image. But it is difficult to know whether those benefits are worth what have been some considerable costs, both short and long term.

For investors, and for federal regulators investigating such exclusivity deals, it is worth considering some factors. While AT&T has disclosed at least 10 million activations of iPhones since it became available in mid-2007, only about 40% of those were new …

To continue reading, you must subscribe to the Wall Street Journal.

Why Jailbreaking Your Own iPhone Can Be Bad News – For You

by Jody Mitoma on September 2, 2009 at 11:38 am

Jailbreakers, beware: Apple would like you just to leave your iPhones alone, thank you very much. Unless, of course, you feel like buying some new Apps. Recent word says that the jailbreaking – i.e., the modifying of iPhone software for the sake of upgrades – your iPhone might actually just cause you problems.

[iPhone Auctions] Yeah, you. In a recent U.S. copyright filing, Apple apparently claims that the jailbreaking of iPhone operating systems leads to problems in the AT&T network, probably helping to explain the general unreliability network users have experienced. If “general unreliability” sounds a little harmless, keep in mind that Apple is also making the case that jailbreaking could make it possible for users to crash cell phone towers.

Of course, you can see why AT&T wouldn’t like this. But there may be more to the story. Apple’s comments apparently also noted that the altering of the baseband processor (BBP) of the Apple is what would allow people to crash the towers. Maybe not so coincidentally, “unlocking” the iPhone in this manner would also allow consumers to use networks other than AT&T.

Maybe “unlocking,” and not jailbreaking, is simply bad for business.

Potential Problems with Jailbreaking

Though “jailbreaking” sounds like something you’d do with a prison and not with a phone, it’s a relatively common practice. According to Apple, this is the problem, saying jailbreaking can lead to crashes, freezes, disruption of applications like YouTube, problems with security, and even a shorter battery life.

Apple’s claims about the disruption of the AT&T network mean that the problems with jailbreaking wouldn’t be restricted to your iPhone alone. This has lead many frequent “jailbreakers” to wonder about the real impact of their modifications to Apple’s software.

The Great Jailbreaking Debate

As Dong Ngo of CNet notes, hearing that jailbreaking can give other people problems – not just the jailbreakers – isn’t exactly fun news.

But there is a debate within the iPhone community about the validity of jailbreaking. Some people believe that, like tricking out a car, modifying software that you purchased is something that comes with your rights as a consumer. Others believe that the problems aren’t worth the benefits.

It will be interesting to watch the progress of the iPhone and how Apple interacts with the users who like to modify its contents. There’s no doubt that consumers will always be looking for as much freedom as possible.

iTunes - Next Gaming Console?

by Jody Mitoma on September 1, 2009 at 3:23 am

The concept that most drove the iPhone (and by extension the iPod Touch) above and beyond all smartphones or multimedia players was the ability to purchase and use apps within the device. While cogitating on this as well as the hypothesized upgrades available in iTunes 9, a thought crossed my mind.

[What's on iPhone] Why isn’t it possible to play iPhone/iPod Touch games on iTunes itself? It is already possible to watch video and listen to music via iTunes (even using the iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote). Granted, the iPhone or iPod Touch supports multitouch while the Mac and Windows operating systems currently do not, but I’m sure Apple imagineers could figure out a way around that. Perhaps they could have the user simulate multitouch using the keyboard and mouse?

If Mac could do that, they could have a software-based gaming console on every Mac or PC to which it is downloaded and the delivery system to go with it. Imagine if the Wii was given away for free and charged only a fraction of the current price per game (because delivery charges would be practically nothing). Apple could sell apps without needing to sell the hardware that is currently needed for the apps to run. I think the average consumer would go for that. Would Steve Jobs? I don’t know.

Of course, at this stage they couldn’t call the program “iTunes” anymore. That name was invented when the iPod only played music and iTunes was its jukebox repository. iTunes has become much more since then. Apple would likely change it to some imaginative, esoteric name like iDea (”idea”, but with a capital “D”). What name would you call it?

Three New Apple Retail Stores Opened This Past Weekend

by Jody Mitoma on September 1, 2009 at 3:22 am

While all of the attention this weekend was around the launch of Snow Leopard, Apple opened up three new retail stores; two new stores in the US and one in Germany.

[TUAW] First, the company opened a new store in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday, which is now Apple’s second store in Germany, after the store in Munich opened last December.

Second, there’s a new store in Dedham, Massachusetts at the Legacy Place shopping center. This store will be the ninth store in the state of Massachusetts.

Finally, Apple also opened up a new store at the Stonebriar shopping complex in Frisco, Texas. This store makes it the sixth store in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

If you live in or are near one of these areas, be sure to check out your new Apple Store. As always, we would love to hear your stories of your first visit or see your photos!