The VAR Guy

The now-ubiquitous Apple 30-pin dock connector is almost as old as the iPod itself, and that may mean it’s time for change. Introduced way back with the third-generation iPod line, the dock connector has been the cornerstone of Apple’s accessories as well as third-party products for the iPhone and iPod lines. But rumor has it Apple wants it dead and soon. Why? It’s all about the size. Read on for the deets …

The North Carolina data center Apple built a few years back wasn’t enough, so the company built an identical one next to it, cookie-cutter style. Now apparently that’s not enough either, which is why Apple is once again building another data center, this one in Prineville, Ore. So what does Apple need all this data space for? Here’s what I’m thinking …

Quite frankly, sometimes I think there’s nothing on the Internet I can’t get my hands on. My latest exploits have landed me a copy of the OS X Mountain Lion developer preview, which means I’ll be spending the next couple of weeks trying out all the new features, living exclusively in the OS X Mountain Lion world. Here’s a quick hands-on preview based on what I’ve seen so far …

If you thought the Lion was the king of the OS X jungle, you’d be dead wrong. Turns out, Apple has a few more big cats to unleash. This time, it’s Mountain Lion, the next version of Mac OS X, which promises to bring an integration of everything you love about iOS back to the Mac …

The last time I dismissed The Wall Street Journal, I was wrong about the iPhone 4 being offered through Verizon. This time around, I’m still hesitant to believe the rumors, but according to “sources familiar with the situation,” Apple is currently looking at building an 8-inch iPad. But do we need one? And rather than question the rumor’s validity, should we be asking, What can an 8-inch iPad bring that a 9.7-inch iPad doesn’t?

Apple, which has never had qualms about new products eating old ones, has sounded the final death knell for the prolific white MacBook. The white MacBook carried on the legacy of iconic iBook line, but now, no longer. So now what happens next? Turns out, Apple is going all-aluminum, all the time. Education VARs might want to check this out …

The buzz around Apple is constantly palpable, but not every blip in the Apple newsfeed needs a full blog’s attention. Enter, the Apple News Roundup. Here are the details on the iPad 3′s nearly confirmed specs and release date, plus the FBI’s 1991 investigation into Steve Jobs. Intrigued? You should be.

The latest beat on the Apple rumor street is that the iPad 3 may look almost identical to the iPad 2. That is, save for the gorgeous retina screen and upgraded internals. Pictures of an iPad 3 shell have been leaked, suggesting a few moves by Apple that could be more interesting than an upgraded CPU. Here are the details …

Apple’s Software Update application is one of the nicest things about OS X. You’re kindly alerted to a new update and can install at your leisure. But Apple slipped up Feb. 1, 2012, with the latest OS X Lion 10.7.3 update. Some users are reporting unsavory effects, the worst of which is heavy application crashing. But never fear, we’ve got the details on how to avoid any hiccups during your OS X update…

Ever since former Apple employee Ron Johnson set off on a new journey to revitalize J.C. Penney in November 2011, Apple has been searching for a new retail vice president. But the search is over: On Jan. 30, 2012, Apple appointed John Browett to head up Apple’s retail division, and it’s likely a very smart move. Here’s why Browett could be perfect for the position …

In 2011, Apple offset its iPhone launch cycle by pushing it into the fall rather than its traditional summer cycle, which coincides with Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Initial rumors suggested Apple would continue to host its launch events for the iPhone later in the year, but now rumors suggest Apple is going back to a summer launch. So what’s going on?

Apple’s Q1 2012 financial results, released today, were insanely great. Apple posted record profits, record revenues and rapid growth. For a company that does a relatively small number of things, this is kind of a big deal. Here are the numbers.

There is a list of competitors to Apple’s Siri that have evolved since Siri’s unveiling, but Evi particularly caught my eye, thanks to its near-Siri-like quality. Evi also caught the eye of the rest of Internet, which pretty much drove its servers into the ground. Oops. But what can we learn about how voice recognition assistants work? Here’s the scoop …

If you don’t know by now, RIM finally ‘shook up’ its leadership by appointing Thorsten Heins as the new CEO of RIM. Former co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie will remain at the company but in new positions. But RIM needs more than this new appointment to win in 2012. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy — like many media pundits — has openly questioned Microsoft CEO Steve Baller’s leadership over the past year or two. But while watching CNBC today, The VAR Guy heard a rather interesting thesis that suggests Ballmer has built Microsoft to stand the test of time — while Apple and Google could each suffer from one fatal flaw.

As predicted, Apple took the wraps off its new textbook initiative Jan. 19, 2012, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Apple’s textbook move is big, bold and serious, judging by the partners Apple has signed on, and it has the potential to change the paradigm of the textbook industry and maybe even the educational vertical. Here’s why you should care …

Reports are coming in that Apple’s Jan. 19, 2012, media event, once originally thought to focus more on textbooks and education, actually will focus more on the publishing than educational aspect of textbooks. Here’s the scoop …

Apple almost always has an event in January. Sometimes the event focuses on something revolutionary, such as the iPad, and other times it’s about something less exciting. In this case, it’s the latter, as Apple looks to revamp the textbook industry. But that doesn’t mean there’s no channel perspective. Here’s why …

Apple, which no longer participates in any trade shows including MacWorld, had a tiny presence at CES 2012. One intrepid reporter spotted Apple’s iOS product marketing head Greg Joswiak moseying around the showroom floor. Read on for all the juicy Apple details …

Tim Cook was hardly a household name when when Steve Jobs still held his position as CEO at Apple, but with Cook heading the January 2010 launch of the Verizon iPhone, and the recent launch of the iPhone 4S, his presence as a leader at Apple quickly became clear. And while much has been discussed about what the post-Jobs Apple will look like, a better question would be to ask what a Tim Cook-led Apple will look like. As 2012 is Cook’s first full year without Jobs looking over his shoulder, here’s our take on what can we expect …

The AppleTV’s channel implications probably aren’t immediately obvious, but since hacked AppleTVs can run iOS apps full-screen, there are indeed opportunities for the taking. Here’s what I’m thinking …

Over the holiday vacation I had the unpleasant experience of someone hacking into my Apple iTunes account to make a fraudulent purchase. The result? A weeklong experience with iTunes e-mail support, which for all intents and purposes, is ineffective. Here’s my story.

Welcome to 2012. The first IT trend of the New Year:  Many high-tech companies enter 2012 with new or recently named CEOs (examples include AMD, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard and IBM). Plus, a lengthy list of prominent CEOs (representing Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle and Research in Motion) are under pressure to boost sales, profits and channel partner success. Here’s what channel partners should expect.