Apple Beat: The Enduring, Elusive, MacBook Air

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

When the first MacBook Air was released in 2008, it was an expensive and somewhat impractical subportable notebook that pushed the boundaries of thinness and portability above all else. It wasn’t very powerful, battery life was so-so and the lack of I/O limited its appeal.

It did introduce unibody construction to the mainstream, later on SSD (Solid State Drives) and changed the way Apple built its hardware from that point onwards.

Six years on, the MacBook Air has evolved into a versatile, powerful all-day computer and possibly the most popular Apple portable ever made. During yesterday’s Microsoft Surface Pro 3 reveal in New York, the Redmond Giant’s executives poked barbs at the MacBook Air as a representative of “The Laptop,” their own product, the third generation Surface tablet, being touted as more than just a hybrid device but a replacement for laptops.

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The Apple Beat: Does Dr. Dre's party video confirm that Apple is buying Beats?

Let Me Ride: Has Dr. Dre become the richest name in Hip-Hop because of an acquisition of Beats by Apple?

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The past 24-hours have been all about the rumor that Apple is buying Beats for a whopping US $3.2 billion. Speculation has gone through the roof and reactions to the supposed deal range from incredulity to sheer confusion. A video posted early this morning by Tyrese Gibson showing Dr. Dre, the man behind Beats, partying it up and announcing, "the first billionaire in hip-hop, right here from the motherf_____g West Coast!"

So unless Dre's won some otherworldly lottery, this exuberant display seems to lend credence to the rumour that Beats has indeed been acquired by someone for billions. A $3.2 billion acquisition by Apple would be the largest in the company's history, the largest by far. Some are saying there's no way Apple would pay so much for a company that makes headphones and who isn't really into technology.

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Strong iPhone sales yield record March Quarter revenue for Apple

Apple held its quarterly earnings call for the second quarter of the fiscal year and reported quarterly revenue of $45.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $10.2 billion, or $11.62 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $43.6 billion and net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.3 percent compared to 37.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

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Apple's new 'Powerful' iPhone 5s advert shows how far we've gone with apps and accessories and functionality

The technology is the starting point and the iPhone is a powerful device with a good foundation but it is what you do with that technology that makes it a game changing experience. The latest Apple advert for the iPhone 5s is clever in that it shows what can be created with the iPhone, it is awesome because it uses the song 'Gigantic' by seminal alternative rock pioneers The Pixies.