A video purporting to show off the new aluminum MacBook has surfaced in typical, blurry, spy-photo style. Check it out. Looks a lot like a MacBook Air to me.

Apple will hold a special, invitation-only event on October 14 at 10AM PST at their headquarters in Cupertino, CA.

Will there be new MacBooks and MacBook Pros that even remotely resemble the spy photos? We’ll have to wait and see.

Some interesting photos have surfaced on the ‘net that would somewhat confirm the “brick” method of making a laptop case from a block of aluminum (or other metal). The photos show the bottom half of a laptop case with openings for each key and for the trackpad.

[sources Engadget and Apple.pro]

The Apple “Brick” is claimed by 9to5 Mac to be a manufacturing process in which computer cases are carved out of “bricks” of aluminum by lasers and water jets in order to create cases with superior strength compare to those made of stamped sheets of aluminum.

The feasibility of such a process sounds a bit far fetched to me. Though the part about Apple creating their own manufacturing facility sounds a bit more reasonable.

Apple has dropped its NDA as it applies to released iPhone software. This is a relief to developers and authors who have otherwise been unable to talk about their software.

From Apple’s iPhone Developer Site:

We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.

We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released. (#)

Here’s a rundown of what Apple announced at today’s Let’s Rock event.

•iTunes 8 is released. It features a new “Genius” button and sidebar that can automatically create playlists and suggestions based on a selected song. iTunes will also communicate (anonymously) your listening habits back to Apple so that the Genius feature can get smarter.

•According to NPD, iPod has 73.4% of the portable music player market.

•iPod classic thick model has been dropped. The classic only comes in 120GB size now for $249.

•90% of new US cars feature iPod integration.

•New iPod nano is revealed. It’s just like the spy photos. It’s the thinnest nano yet. Features aluminum case with curved glass over the screen. Nano has a built-in accelerometer like the iPod touch and iPhone, so that it can be rotated for landscape or portrait viewing. The nano also features “shake to shuffle” which takes advantage of the accelerometer as well.

•The new iPod nano supports more applications — calendar, stopwatch, voice recording.

•The iPod nano is highly recyclable, and is free of arsenic, BFR, mercury, and PVC.

•The nano is available in all new colors — silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink.

•Pricing is $149 for the entry-level 8GB and $199 for the 16GB.

•New in-ear headphones available.

•iPod touch gets some new features — contoured stainless steel back, built-in speaker, external volume controls, “Genius” playlist creation, App Store, Nike+ receiver built-in.

•Phil Schiller demos some new games on the iPod touch — Spore, Real Soccer 2009, Need for Speed.

•iPod touch pricing — 8GB for $229, 16GB for $299, and 32GB for $399.

•iPod shuffle also got a similar color treatment as the nano. Colors available are silver, blue, green, red, pink.

•iPhone firmware 2.1 — fewer dropped calls, longer battery life, faster backup, no crashes with apps. New firmware will be available on Friday.

Shop the Apple Store for new iPods.

Watch the new iPod nano commercial

Watch the new iPod touch commercial

Apple is having a special event on September 9, 2008 where they are expected to reveal new iPod models. The iPod nano is expected to make a return to its tall and narrow form factor from previous generations.

We’ll have to wait and see. The event is scheduled for 10AM on September 9, 2008 in San Francisco.

Apple has filed a patent titled “Gestures for touch sensitive input devices”. That in itself isn’t all that interesting, but the accompanying drawings appear to be some sort of tablet device. Make of it what you want.

Following Apple’s copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Mac-clone maker Psystar, Psystar has said they intend to countersue Apple for monopolistic and anti-competitive practices.

It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

[source]

The New York Times is reporting that Best Buy will announce today that they will start selling Apple’s iPhone beginning September 7, 2008. Best Buy will be only the third outlet in the US to sell the iPhone (the first two being Apple’s Retail Stores and AT&T). Best Buy currently has 970 retail stores in the US.