Intel has everything going its way when it comes to mobile computing, and the processors it sells that power notebooks and netbooks across every segment of the market. Intel uses the common classification of portable computers (consumer segment), using sizes and form-factors to differentiate mainstream notebooks, performance notebooks, ultra-thin notebooks, "larger" sub-notebooks (netbooks), and common entry-level netbooks. To cater to each of these, Intel made things easier by coming up with platforms (sets of processor and chipset combinations), a market approach both Intel and AMD have been using recently.

Starting with mainstream, and performance notebooks (traditionally above 14-inches in size, above US $1200 in price), Intel has the Calpella platform, that marks the entry of Nehalem architecture to the mobile scene. This is slated for 3Q 2009. Intel will simultaneously lower the prices of its current Montevina platform, to let inventories digest. Major hardware manufacturers are preparing their "launch-vehicles" for the Calpella platform, which will make it in time for Q3 2009.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced their DDR2 4GB and 8GB SODIMM mobile solutions to answer the need of extreme mobile computing.

"The performance gap between mobile and desktop computing has reduced significantly over the recent introduction of more powerful mobile platforms," commented Les Henry, Director of Engineering at Patriot, "By adding Patriot's DDR2 4GB module or 8GB in dual channel mode, mobile systems can eliminate that gap and perform like a true desktop replacement."

Super Talent made official today a new line of Mac DDR3 memory modules, which have been certified for Apple products in Apple's own compatibility labs. This new line of Mac DDR3 memory includes products for each of Apple's most popular desktop, notebook and workstation/server systems:

• W1066SA1GA - 1 GB SODIMM DDR3-1066 Mac DDR3 memory for iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro
• W1066SB2GA - 2 GB SODIMM DDR3-1066 Mac DDR3 memory for iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro
• W1066EB1GA - 1 GB DDR3-1066 ECC Mac DDR3 memory for Mac Pro
• W1066EB2GA - 2 GB DDR3-1066 ECC Mac DDR3 memory for Mac Pro

Shipping now, all Apple certified memories also come with a lifetime warranty. For more information, please click here.

NVIDIA is pushing forth a special variant of its high-end GeForce GTX 285 graphics accelerator. This one is specific for use in Apple Mac systems that support PCI-Express addon-cards. Its hardware specifications remain the same: 240 stream processors and 1 GB of 512-bit GDDR3 memory. Available in June, the accelerator will benefit the upcoming Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" that makes use of GPGPU. NVIDIA partner EVGA seems to be ready with one. Pictured below, the card resembles the reference design accelerator commonly available for PCs.

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended March 28, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion, or $1.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.4 percent, up from 32.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue.

NVIDIA today brings to Mac Pro users its award-winning NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800, the market's most advanced professional graphics card. With its sophisticated GPU architecture and industry leading features, the Quadro FX 4800 delivers a substantial boost in graphics performance and capabilities, allowing users to continue to push the boundaries of realism and performance in markets such as: architecture, content creation, science and medicine.
The new Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac is on display at the NVIDIA NAB 2009 booth: SL 7906, lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, April 20-23, 2009.

Thanks to the addition of the new Quad-core Intel Nehalem Xeon processors series 5500, the updated Xserve announced today delivers up to twice the performance of the previous system. For those not familiar with the term Xserve, this is the name of Apple's first 1U rackmount line of servers. It was first introduced in 2002, and thanks to this update now it is available with up to two 2.93 GHz Intel Xeon processors, up to 3 TB of hot-plug internal storage using various hard drive modules and up to 32 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory on 8 slots. Starting at $2,999, Xserve includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard and enough power to become your file or web server. For the full tech specs, please click here.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled OCZ Vertex Mac Edition Solid State Drives and mobile memory solutions qualified by OCZ for ultimate compatibility with the latest family of MacBooks. These new premium offerings are designed for Mac enthusiasts demanding the latest technology in storage and memory to increase productivity and performance on their Apple notebooks.

"OCZ is excited to announce two new products that are specifically designed for Mac consumers," commented Ryan Edwards, Director of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. "Both the Vertex Series Mac Edition solid state drives and the new Mac Edition SODIMMS are designed to be an easy upgrade for consumers that want to boost the performance of their MacBooks, and have been tested in Apple's Development Center (ADC) to ensure stability and compatibility."

I once posted a news story on how well computer manufacturers are treating the environment according to the Greenpeace organization. Well I'm going to give you a little update on that story today. Last time Nintendo was the worst among worst when talking "green" and this year it is strengthening its position even more. From zero to eleven in being "green" (zero means worst) Nintendo scores the whooping 0. HP, Microsoft, Lenovo and Dell are next to have poor scores when it comes to preserving the world we live in. According to Greenpeace only Apple is "truly kicking the habit", maybe that's because they have an apple as their logo. Philips learned a lesson from last Greenpeace research and the company jumps from 15th to 4th place this year, well done Philips. The two best "green" manufacturers as of March 31st 2009 are Samsung and Nokia.

Apple today announced that iTunes customers can purchase and rent box office favorites including "Quantum of Solace" and "Twilight" in stunning HD on the iTunes Store. Starting today, movie fans can purchase box office blockbusters for download in HD for $19.99 from iTunes, and films will be available as iTunes Movie Rentals in HD for $4.99 within 30 days after release. Customers can enjoy these films in HD on their Mac or PC and on their widescreen TV with Apple TV, as well as in standard definition on their iPhone or iPod with video. The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online TV and movie store, with over 250 million TV episodes purchased and over 33 million movies purchased and rented.

As makers of the Mac OS X, Apple reserves the right to make it exclusive to the hardware it manufactures. The operating system goes on to drive the company's Mac desktops, workstations and notebooks. Manufacturers of Mac-alternatives (we don't mean PC by that), computers that use Mac OS X had started to mushroom. Due to the retail availability of Mac OS X, hardware manufacturers could easily get a hold of the software, and perhaps even evade measures by Apple to secure the software's exclusivity to its hardware, by means of trusted platform modules. Apple has either shut down, or is in the process of shutting down, such manufacturers.

Psystar is one of the few such companies left. Despite an ongoing legal battle with Apple, the company is continuing to make Mac-alternatives, and is ready with its latest offering: Open(3). The desktop comes with a wide range of components to choose from, to customize it before purchase, Mac Pro style. On offer are several models of Intel processors: Core 2 Duo E7400, E8400, Core 2 Quad Q8200, and Q8400. Up to 4 GB of RAM can be chosen. Entry-level NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, up to 1 TB of storage, a 20X DVD Writer, with Blu ray drive as an option, make for the rest of the mix. Prices start at US $599, and can end up as high as $2000. Apple's move to go x86 surely made its legal team busier, not that there were no Mac-alternatives before that.

Apple today introduced the all-new iPod shuffle. The world's smallest music player, the 3rd-generation iPod shuffle is nearly half the size of the previous model. To control it, you use the new earphone cord. Best of all, it talks to you. Thanks to the new VoiceOver feature, iPod shuffle speaks your song titles, artists, and playlist names. The player comes only with 4 GB internal flash drive, no other capacities are available, but four gigabytes are enough to hold up to 1000 songs. Available today in silver or black, the Apple iPod shuffle 3rd gen costs just $79. Find more info here.

According to both DigiTimes and the Chinese Commercial Times, Taiwan-based Wintek will supply touch panels for a new Apple portable device, which brings forward again the question if Apple is really going to introduce a netbook any time soon? Although company chief Steve Jobs commented that Apple couldn't successfully build a suitable netbook for under the $1,000 price range, reports say exactly the opposite.

Taiwan-based Wintek will supply touch panels for Apple's new netbook, and shipments will start in the third quarter this year, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. Wintek revealed that it is currently working with Apple to develop some new products, but it said it does not know what applications the new products are for. Wintek added that no shipment schedule has been worked out yet, but shipments are likely to begin in the second half of the year. Quanta Computer will be the maker of Apple's new netbook, the Commerical Times report said.

, DigiTimes says. I personally can't see Apple selling a netbook somewhere near the $500 price tag, a price that's high but acceptable for a netbook now a days. Apple's badge has been a symbol for people with deep pockets for ages, all Apple PCs are overpriced we must admit and a single netbook (if true) will change nothing.

A new rainstorm may be coming on Apple's head if the following scenario becomes as real as the previous one. Numerous owners of brand new 17-inch MacBook Pro are complaining that their video cards or perhaps notebooks are failing. The new $2,799 MacBook, which was debuted in January at Macworld, features both GeForce 9600M and GeForce 9400M mobile graphics cards from NVIDIA, that switch during operation depending on the graphics load. Owners are now reporting that their laptops have started to show random green lines and artifacts on the display - a certain symptom for failing video card. Users also believe that the issue occurs only when the second card - the GeForce 9600M - turns on. Both NVIDIA and Apple had very serious problems over faulty GPUs last year. A second NVIDIA fiasco over faulty mobile graphics, won't be good at all for the company. Hopefully, this time an update from Apple will fix the issue. If not, prepare for more lawsuits on our news page. A discussion in the Apple forums was also posted, direct link here.

Hot on the heels, Apple today also refreshed its iMac line. The long-awaited update of the iMac includes a 20-inch model for only $1,199 and three 24-inch iMac variants with a mere start price of $1,499. That's the same price as previous generation 20-inch iMac with one difference, the new 24-inch iMac models deliver a 30 percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage. All configurations run a single Intel Core 2 Duo processor, support up to 8 GB of 1066 MHz SO-DIMM DDR3 memory, up to 1 TB of storage, and several options for graphics processors.

Apple today updated its Mac mini as well. Starting at $599, the new Mac mini is an innovative, tiny desktop that measures just 6.5 by 6.5 by 2 inches. Now it features a 2.0 GHz or 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M all-in-one platform with up to 256 MB shared for the video unit, up to 4 GB of DDR3 SO-DIMM memory (2x slots), and up to 320 GB of storage using 5400 rpm SATA hard drive. Drawing less than 13 watts of power in idle, the new Mac mini is also the world's most energy efficient desktop. You can find it in stores now.

Apple just introduced the new Mac Pro featuring Intel "Nehalem" Xeon processors. Thanks to the new 8-core Intel architecture running at speeds up to 2.93 GHz, the new Mac Pro delivers up to twice the performance of the previous generation Mac Pro. It also features the latest graphics from both NVIDIA and ATI - the system can be purchased with either GeForce GT 120 with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory or Radeon HD 4870 with 512 MB of GDDR5 memory. The new Mac Pro also supports up to 32 GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM and up to 4 TB of internal storage in four hard drive bays. Additionally the 45nm Mac Pro comes with revised interior that makes expansion even easier than before. Available next week, the new Mac Pro starts at $2,499. Visit Mac Pro web page, for more information.

There is a valid reason behind why Safari is growing in browser market-share, apart from the fact that iPhone carries it: it is arguably the fastest browser there is. The fourth beta version that surfaced earlier this week went a few notches ahead of Firefox (Minefield) 3.2a1 and Google Chrome in a review conducted by CNet, to take the top-sport for the fastest web-browser. Internet Explorer (IE) versions 7 and 8, Opera 9.6, Firefox 3, Chrome, Firefox(Minefield) 3.1 Alpha 1 and Safari 4 were put through JavaScript tests using the SunSpider suite. The PC was equipped with a Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.10 GHz. Safari 4 beta gave IE 7 a sound thrashing at the test, emerging 42 times faster. The performance difference between the two were so vast that the reviewers had to prepare a seperate graph without IE 7 so there could be more resolution in the charts showing the differences between the rest of the contendors. Then again, one must take into account the fact that Chrome and Firefox (Minefield) 3.2 weren't all that behind Safari 4 beta, only a few notches. The scores are denoted by render time in terms of milliseconds. Lesser the better. The scores stand at:

• Safari 4 (Total time: 910 ms)
• Mozilla Minefield 3.2a1 (1,136 ms)
• Google Chrome (1,177 ms)
• Firefox 3 (3,250 ms)
• Opera 9.6 (4,076 ms)
• Internet Explorer 8 (5,839 ms)
• Internet Explorer 7 (39,026 ms)

Apple on Thursday discontinued its 20-inch Cinema Display, reducing its external display offerings to just two options: the brand new 24-inch Apple LED Cinema model and the old 30-inch Apple Cinema HD display. The 20-inch has already been removed from Apple's online store. AppleInsider also suggests that the 30-inch Apple displays are next to go away.

With immediate effect, the following products are 'End of Life' (EOL); Apple 20" Cinema Display,

All backlog will be cancelled and there is no automatic order conversion.

Apple wrote in a worldwide bulletin to its sales and service channels.

Apple released today a highly recommended security update 2009-001 for all versions of MacOS X. This updated improves the security of Mac OS X and fixes various operating system flaws. The security update is available for MacOS X Leopard, Leopard Server, Tiger for Intel Macs, Tiger for PowerPC-based Macs, Tiger Server for PowerPC-based Macs and Server Universal. In addition Apple has released two Java security updates that improve the security and compatibility of Java on MacOS X. All updates can be located and installed via Software Update or directly from Apple Downloads here. More information about the updates can be found here.

A few days ago, we covered the release of an NVIDIA graphics update from Apple, which was intended to address issues when using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter on MacBook Air, MacBook and MacBook Pro and improve cursor movement and playback of HD videos running on systems with NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT or GeForce 9600M graphics. Within just two days of the update being posted, the page and downloads were removed from Apple's site, for initially unknown reasons. It seems that not long after the update was released, the Apple discussion forums started filling up with people having either the same, or in some cases, worse problems following the graphics update. According to CNET, "This issue only affects those with the MacBooks, MacBook Airs or MacBook Pros redesigned in October, and it seems to only be a problem when running the integrated graphics on those machines."

Apple on Monday released a software update that addresses issues when using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter on MacBook Air, MacBook and MacBook Pro. More concrete, this update improves cursor movement and playback of HD videos running on systems with NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT or GeForce 9600M graphics. Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later is required to apply the update.

DOWNLOAD: Apple NVIDIA Graphics Update 2009

LG Display has reached a long-term deal with Apple to supply flat panels to the iMac creator. The contract is for five years and as part of the agreement terms LG will receive payment of $500 million in advance from Apple sometime this month.

Although LG Display already had a relationship with Apple, the deal's duration and the size of the advance show that the two companies are involved in a long-term, strategic alliance,

company spokesman Son Young-jun says. Currently, LG Display supplies about 70% of the displays used in all Apple products. LG Display declined to provide further details, and say if this number will grow in the future.

Apple today unveiled iLife '09, which includes major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand and an updated version of iWeb. iPhoto '09 introduces Faces and Places, breakthrough ways to easily organize and manage photos based on who appears in them and where they were taken. In iMovie '09, you'll find powerful, yet easy-to-use new features that let you create a movie quickly or add refinements and special effects if you have more time. And GarageBand '09 now offers a fun new way to learn to play piano and guitar with Basic Lessons, which teach fundamentals, and Artist Lessons (sold separately), in which original artists teach you how to play the songs they made famous. At last, iWeb '09 lets you design a website to share your photos, movies, and music just by dragging and dropping. Add new dynamic widgets and publish and share with a single click. Find out more about iLife '09 here.

Not long after the start of Macworld 2009, Apple officially unveiled the new MacBook Pro, that was confirmed by AppleInsider on Monday. During the demonstration Apple uncovered that the 17-inch display of the unibody MacBook Pro will feature LED backlight, 1920x1200 fullHD resolution, 700:1 contrast ratio and will come with gloss or mate surface (the mate option will cost additional $50). The remaining specs pretty much match the specs of the older 15-inch MacBook Pro model. Apple also said that the addition of non-removable battery will lead to bigger battery installed and longer battery life, which is now claimed to be up to 8 hours.