Apple Roundup: Steve Jobs, iPod, And Updates (Oh My!)
Apple Launches Next Gen iPod Nano, iPod Touch
Apple launched new iPod products -- iPod Touch and iPod Nano. While the 2009 iPod Nano might look similar to its predecessor, it features a larger screen along with camera, VoiceOver technology, video-recording capabilities, a built-in Nike pedometer and an FM radio. The new Nano, which is offered in a new array of rainbow colors, comes in both 8-GB and 16-GB versions.
Meanwhile, Apple also released its iPod capstone the iPod Touch, complete with wireless hardware, FM transmission and Bluetooth capabilities. However, Apple CEO Steve Jobs had some 'splainin to do as to why the newfangled iPod Touch went to market sans camera feature. Jobs told The New York Times that Apple users preferred that the iPod Touch be more of a "game machine" rather than a smartphone like the iPhone, while maintaining that Apple wanted to keep the Touch below the $200 price point.
Apple Patches iPhone, iPod and Adobe Flash Player Flaw, Among Other Things
Just two weeks after the release of Snow Leopard, Apple issued an update Thursday for its brand-new operating that addressed slew of security and stability issues, including a critical Adobe Flash Player plug-in vulnerability that left Mac OS X users susceptible to malicious attacks.
The Snow Leopard update, which upgraded the Mac OS X operating system to version 10.6.1, is the first since its launch Aug. 28. While Apple's Snow Leopard touted enhanced security features, the new Mac operating system initially came equipped with an older version of the Adobe Flash plug-in prone to security issues. Apple's security update upgraded the Adobe Flash Player plug-in to version 10.0.32.18, Adobe's most current release.
Prior to its Snow Leopard update, Apple issued a monster patch Wednesday, plugging more than 47 security holes in the Mac OS X, iPhone and QuickTime media player, many of which allowed remote attackers to launch malicious code taking over users' Macs.
Altogether, the patches repair critical vulnerabilities of the Mac OS X operating system and third-party components that included Alias Manager, CarbonCore, ImageIO, CUPS, PHP, Wiki Server, ImageIO, MySQL, ClamAV, ColorSync, and CoreGraphics and Adobe Flash Player plug-in. The updates were available for both the Tiger and Leopard versions of the Mac OS.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs Returns
Perhaps one of the most notable turn of events was that Apple CEO Steve Jobs made his first public appearance since his liver transplant, making a high-profile comeback during Apple's music event Wednesday. Jobs received a liver transplant about five months ago.
In 2004, Jobs announced that he had pancreatic cancer, and inside sources said that the Apple cafeteria went "healthy." Earlier this year, Jobs said that he had a "hormone imbalance" and took a medical leave.
Among other things, Jobs lauded the success of iTunes as the No. 1 music retailer. However, rather than products, the focus of the event was on Jobs' health, his challenges and his imminent return to power at Apple, according to reports.