"Apple's first official store in the southern hemisphere is coming to Sydney, with a giant banner announcing the store uncovered on George Street today. Apple said that the store, located on the corner of George Street between King and Market Streets, cost over AU$23 million to build, and there have been rumours the store is modelled on Apple's flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue."

Why does Sydney always get the cool things first? Grrr... You'd think someone as cool as Apple would know Melbourne's the cooler than Sydney :)

"Today Apple demoed the iPhone 2.0 software beta, an important milestone in the iPhone's evolution because it will allow third-party apps to run on the device without any hacks. Version 2.0 will be available in June, and apps will be distributed by Apple via a new App Store...The other big news is Apple's decision to tap Microsoft to bring push email to the iPhone."

Nothing really unexpected. So when are we going to see something comparable, or are we not going to until it's too late?

"Apple's been hit with antitrust lawsuits over the dominance of the iPod / iTunes system before, but there's a new case brewing down California way that argues not that Apple has illegally tied the iPod to iTunes, but that Apple has abused its dominant market position by not supporting WMA. That's right, we've come full circle -- Apple is now being accused of locking Microsoft out of the market. The case, brought by San Diego attorney Stacie Somers..."

Can't we all just get along? :)

"My Macbook Pro has had multiple battery problems this year... I was annoyed by the problems, but the level of support definitely helped turn a negative situation into one that at least makes me feel like Apple’s got my back. It’s really reassuring to know I can go somewhere and get instant help if/when the shit hits the fan."

That's something you don't see everyday. But I'm kind of disappointed Apple opened up their distribution to any store that wants them. There's so much value that Apple could've gotten from consumers if they did it B&O style, as opposed to selling iPods at the local KMart. They would never be where they are if they didn't though...now where's the Melbourne Apple Store?

"Apple's unique tactic for its first foray into the cellular handset market has been to sign an exclusivity deal with one operator in each country where the iPhone has been released... Last week Vodafone went to the German courts to argue that Apple's deal with T-Mobile was anti-competitive. On Wednesday the court agreed to a preliminary injunction forcing T-Mobile to sell iPhones that are not locked to its network, meaning that SIM cards from rival operators will be useable in the devices."

About time Apple raised the ire of anti-competition watchdogs. Now, how can I get my hands on these officially unlocked iPhones?

"It's not a huge surprise, but Apple's gone ahead and posted a note confirming that Leopard will not support Classic, even on PowerPC machines... But this does mark the end of the road for the venerable and oft maligned OS, which ushered in the mainstream GUI era with the 128K Mac in 1984 and remained the default boot on all new Macs until OS X 10.1.2 was released 18 years later in 2002..."

RIP indeed - I still remember using this back in primary school, when it was a massive privilege to play some game on it :)

"After much speculation, Apple has confirmed that the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, Leopard, will hit stores on Friday 26 October, at 6 pm. The company has stated that Leopard, which was delayed this spring due to the high-profile iPhone, includes more than 300 new features in comparison to its predecessor, Tiger."

Not sure what the 300 new features are (half are probably for new rounded corners in menus and apps), but the ones that are public aren't that revolutionary. The new Finder is much needed, and the new Stacks looks good though. Price is AU$158, or AU$145 for academic.

"Apple today confirmed that its first official store in the southern hemisphere will open in Sydney... the council has granted permission to construction firm Kell & Rigby for a full road closure of George Street between King and Market Streets, for various evenings in January and February. It's thought the road closure will be necessary for the construction of Apple's store... The Sydney store will be styled on Apple's famous Fifth Avenue outlet in New York, and will cost over AU$23 million to build."

Sydney again! Arrgh!

"Ten years ago, Microsoft was the company everyone loved to hate...Don’t look now, but the role of the industry’s biggest bully is increasingly played by Apple, not Microsoft. Here’s a look at how Apple has shoved Microsoft aside as the company with the worst reputation as a monopolist, copycat and a bully."

It's quite scary where Apple is going, and it will be difficult to change as it is an integral part of their business model (significantly, how the iPod has effectively revitalised the Mac.)