When I started working on this guide to the top 10 Apple stories of 2008, I thought that this was a relatively quiet year for Apple. After all, this wasn’t a year for blockbuster product introductions like the iPod or iPhone. It was, I thought, a year of incremental changes.
By the time I was done with my research, I’d changed my mind. This was a huge year for Apple. While there was no single triumphant product introduction, the company moved forward briskly on all fronts. It accelerated the iPhone’s revolution of the smartphone industry by upgrading hardware and software and introducing the App Store. It reversed its previously poor record on environmentalism. It continued to be financially successful in an economy where blue-chip companies are failing. And it bolstered its notebook and desktop computer line, struggled with false rumors about Steve Jobs’s health, fought a company looking to make Mac clones, and struggled with its MobileMe service. Called Sonata, the lithium-ion IBM X61 Tablet Battery can withstand up to three years of recharging before losing its maximum capacity, according to Boston Power. Most batteries used today have a lifespan of about half that much. In addition, the battery recharges in only 30 minutes, which is much faster than traditional laptop batteries, and is less likely to overheat. But you don’t have to be a Scrooge just because tough times require you to be a tightwad. Spread good cheer by taking advantage of the fact that consumer electronics firms are slashing prices to the bone. Although you’ll find deepest discounts for higher-ticket items such as MP3 players, laptops, and flat-screen televisions, you’ll find bargains all over the spectrum. To help you stay within budget during what is likely to be a cash-strapped holiday season, we’ve put together a list of 35 high-tech gadgets under $100 to bring joy into any household. Clearly, this wasn’t one of Apple’s bigger announcements of the decade; Apple didn’t introduce any breathtaking new products, like it did with the iPhone in 2007, or the iPod in 2001, that won instant converts to the Apple brand. No, this one was for the folks who are already fans. The S121 gets up to eight hours of IBM T60 Battery life with its 512-GB SSD and Asustek’s Super Hybrid Engine, a technology created through redesigning hardware, software, and BIOS to boost performance and power efficiency. Asustek claims the technology extends battery life 35% to 53%. The speed was noticeably improved. I’ve tested a number of OQO devices over the years and always found them on the slow side. Not the model 2+. By upping the RAM to 2 GB and using the Intel Atom processor, OQO has really boosted the performance of the model 2+.In addition, the Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC, unveiled Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is about the size of a business envelope and as thin as a cell phone. As a result, the device is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag, while still delivering full PC functionality. The emergence of new leadership is a significant change for Apple. But it’s a positive one. It would be necessary even if Jobs was as healthy as an ox. Companies, no matter how big or small they are, and no matter how healthy or sick their leaders are, need a plan of succession, what to do in case something happens to the leadership. Investors, employees, and partners should know what the plan is, so they can have confidence on the company’s long-term future. In theory, you should already be aware that SSDs are not the next best thing to sliced bread. (Peanut butter is, except if you’re allergic.) However, they do provide interesting — and worthwhile — transitional points for our current crop of netbooks and notebooks. Let’s dive in and examine the genre, and bust a couple of myths while we’re at it. The new Latitude XT 2 can run up to 11 hours and 28 minutes without a recharge with the use of two six-cell batteries, according to Dell. The second Dell Latitude E5500 Battery is sold as an option. There’s also the novelty factor. We in computing just love new and different things. That may explain why new editions of netbooks seem to show up faster than baby bunnies at a rabbit farm. The chipmaker in January entered the mini-laptop market with the introduction of the i.MX515 processor, which the company claims is less expensive and delivers longer battery life than Intel’s Atom processor, which dominates the fast-growing netbook market today.