SaudiMac

Apple released software updates for the iPod Classic (120GB model) and the 4th generation iPod Nano. The iPod Classic update 2.0.1 adds support for Apple’s upcoming In-Ear Headphones and Earphones with Remote and Mic, and fixes a bug with saving Genius playlists, along with other minor bug fixes. It is available using the update feature in iTunes and doesn’t work with the first generation iPod Classic (80GB/160GB).

The 4th generation iPod Nano update 1.0.3 and it adds support for Apple’s new In-Ear Headphones and Earphones with Remote and Mic, a setting to turn off Cover Flow when rotating, and a Cover Flow menu item in the Music menu. Other changes include fixes for instability issues with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, problems with album art and photos distorting after playing a slideshow and waking from sleep, respectively, and other general bug fixes.

The new aluminum MacBooks are now available in Kuwait. At a store called “Al-Ghanim Electronics”. They are priced over KD 700 (9,717 SR) which is even more expensive than the MacBook Pro sold in Riyadh at Itechia!

From 3baid’s blog: Anything Goes.

Itechia announced that they are selling a MacBook white for 3999 Saudi Riyals. A decent introductory price for anyone interested in buying a Mac.

The MacBook white comes with a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120GB and it is the last MacBook with a FireWire 400 and a Mini DVI port!

Tech Restore, a Notebook repair shop posted a video showing how they take apart the MacBook then rebuild it.

Via 9 to 5 Mac.

I got an SMS from Itechia today announcing the availability of the new Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro in their showroom in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Itechia also announced the opening of their newest branch in Riyadh which is located in Hayat Mall in Mursalat.

Apple had an excellent fourth quarter. They reported a $1.14 billion profit and reached the goal of selling 10 million iPhones.
“Apple shipped 2,611,000 Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing 21 percent unit growth and 17 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 11,052,000 iPods during the quarter, representing eight percent unit growth and three percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone units sold were 6,892,000 compared to 1,119,000 in the year-ago-quarter.”
“Apple just reported one of the best quarters in its history, with a spectacular performance by the iPhone—we sold more phones than RIM,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We don’t yet know how this economic downturn will affect Apple. But we’re armed with the strongest product line in our history, the most talented employees and the best customers in our industry. And $25 billion of cash safely in the bank with zero debt.”
Read more: Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results.
I am interested in more information about Apple’s sales in the Middle East.

Apple posted two new Get a Mac ads.

“In Bean Counter, PC is sitting at a desk, counting money out into two stacks. The largest stack is for advertising and the smaller stack is for bug fixes for Vista. When Mac questions him, he says that he’s having to take drastic action because of the frustration of Vista users. In the end, PC gives up budgeting and puts all of his money into advertising. This commercial is no doubt in response to Microsoft’s recent advertising strategies. In V Word , PC makes every attempt to “beep out” the word “Vista” in the ad.”

The ads are after the break.
Read more »

You can now watch a video of Apple’s Special Event for the month of October 2008 where Steve Jobs introduced the new line of MacBooks.

You can either watch a regular stream or high definition stream. The video is also available as a downloadable podcast (iTunes link).

I recently discovered (thanks to Zsafwan and Mazen) that GPS devices are banned from use in Egypt!

Telecoms Law 10/2003 outlaws the import of GPS-equipped mobile phones, and retailers found selling them could lead to the confiscation of their entire stock. The same applies to any kind of commercial use of GPS technology, which includes cars equipped with GPS devices.

This is interesting because Apple have 2 deals for an iPhone 3G release in Egypt with Vodafone and Mobinil (Orange).

Mobile phones like the Nokia N95, N82 as well as iPhones and some 3G phones are banned in Egypt, leaving the market deprived of the latest technology and features that are fast becoming standard in the new generation of mobile phones.

Egypt is still left out of the iTunes App Store. And no news about an actual release date in Egypt.
I will take this chance to remind everyone that Saudi Arabia have 3 mobile phone carriers: STC, Mobily and Zain and all of them have a decent 3.5G network. And there is a huge interest in the iPhone 3G in Saudi Arabia, a huge potential for Apple to gain a share of the Saudi market.

Apple released a new model of the MacBook that includes some features from the MacBook Pro such as “the full metal body, backlit keyboards, glass trackpads and LED screen backlight”.

The MacBooks are available for $1299 and $1599. The older design (white MacBook) is now available for $999. The new MacBooks include the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB shared SDRAM.
The $1299 model includes a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo with 3MB L2 cache, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 160GB HDD. And The $1599 model includes a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo with 3MB L2 cache, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD. The MacBooks are missing a FireWire port, though.
Via Electronista