Apple announced yesterday that it was disabling installation and withdrawing support and updating for the Windows-enabling feature in Tiger called Boot Camp effective December 31, 2007.

Boot Camp allows Mac users to install and double-boot to Windows from their Intel Macs. But before you Tiger users panic, don’t worry, your Windows partitions will be fine and usable past the 31st, just don’t count on Apple updating it or supporting your use any more past the deadline, and you won’t also be able to install it again anytime in 2008 or beyond.

At least in Tiger, anyway. This is because in Mac OS 10.4, Boot Camp was just in beta, and the beta period is expiring at the end of the year. Of course, in 10.5, or Leopard, Boot Camp is a full-fledged, fully enabled feature that is part of the OS, so if you want to continue your travails with Microsoft Windows on a Mac, now would be a great time to upgrade. Apple says

With the introduction of Leopard, the Boot Camp Beta program has ended. The Boot Camp Beta software will expire on December 31, and Apple won’t offer further updates of Boot Camp Beta for Mac OS X Tiger.”

Just a heads-up.

Here’s one of those no-brainer, dead-simple applications that should’ve been in the box - a way to measure lengths using the iPhone. The nice thing about this little feature is that it actually isn’t an app, but merely a calibrated graphic of a ruler that is to accurate and to scale.

Available from a website called, interestingly enough, an error occurred while processing this directive.com, it’s pretty simple to use, and needs no wireless connection whatsover.

Just download the graphic and put it into your photo album, and when the need arises access the photo and measure away. I checked with a physical tape measure and it seems the ruler is apparently spot on and lost nothing in the translation.

A couple of unavoidable and obvious limitations, though. We can only measure three-inch or 7.5 cm objects, and those in a vertical orientation - if you turn the iPhone on its side, the picture adjusts orientation automatically because of the iPhone sensor and renders the scale useless. But hey, it’s free; we can’t really complain.

We’re not quite sure if the iPod Touch’s screen has precisely the same dimensions and resolution as the iPhone in practice so we don’t know if the ruler would be accurate on the iPod, but it shouldn’t be all that different. We’re sure someone will chime in on this soon. (Bernie?)

Nice. Would that we had things like these more often, huh?

Full text of Steve Jobs‘ No. 1 entry by Fortune Magazine’s Brent Schlender:

Steve Jobs
Chairman and CEO, Apple

During the first two decades of his remarkable 30-year career, the Apple Inc. founder twice altered the direction of the computer industry. In 1977 the Apple II kicked off the PC era, and the graphical user interface launched by Macintosh in 1984 has been aped by every other computer since. Along the way Jobs conceived of “desktop publishing,” gave the world the laser printer, and pioneered personal computer networks. As a side gig he bankrolled Pixar, which fostered the development of the technology and a brand-new business model for creating computer-animated feature films.

Since returning to Apple in 1997, he has changed the dynamics of consumer electronics with the iPod, and persuaded the music industry, the television networks, and Hollywood to distribute their wares with the iTunes Music Store. With his hugely successful Apple Stores, he gave the big-box boys a lesson in high-margin, high-touch retailing. And this year, at the height of his creative and promotional powers, Jobs orchestrated Apple’s entry into the cellular telephone business with the iPhone.

That’s five industries that Jobs has upended - computers, Hollywood, music, retailing, and wireless phones. At this moment, no one has more influence over a broader swath of business than Jobs.”

Jobs is followed by Rupert Murdoch at #2. Other IT-related people in the list are Google founders Larry Page, Eric Schmidt and Sergei Brin (#4 ) and Microsoft’s Bill Gates (#7 ).

Fortune’s full listing here.

Charlie Sheen and Jenny McCarthy in last week’s episode of Two & A Half Men.

Some guys unearthed an interesting six-year-old article from BusinessWeek Online by Cliff Edwards, entitled “Commentary: Sorry, Steve: Here’s Why Apple Stores Won’t Work”, which goes to show that Michael Dell apparently is not alone.

In the article, Edwards says that Steve Jobs is putting his foot in it by setting up Apple Stores. The article says

…Jobs thinks he can do a better job than experienced retailers at moving the beluga. Problem is, the numbers don’t add up. Given the decision to set up shop in high-rent districts in Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, and Jobs’s hometown of Palo Alto, Calif., the leases for Apple’s stores could cost $1.2 million a year each, says David A. Goldstein, president of researcher Channel Marketing Corp. Since PC retailing gross margins are normally 10% or less, Apple would have to sell $12 million a year per store to pay for the space. Gateway does about $8 million annually at each of its Country Stores. Then there’s the cost of construction, hiring experienced staff. “I give them two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake,” says Goldstein.”

Edwards adds,

What’s more, Apple’s retail thrust could be one step forward, two steps back in terms of getting Macs in front of customers. Since most Mac fans already know where to buy, much of the sales from Apple’s stores could come out of the hides of existing Mac dealers. That would bring its already damaged relations with partners to new lows.

The article ends

Indeed, rather than taking on the retailers who ought to be its partners, Apple would do better improving how it works with them. A good step would be to end the “think secret” approach that shrouds every new-product announcement. Covert operations worked beautifully when Jobs first arrived on the scene; his charismatic stage presence and Apple’s eye-popping designs created priceless buzz. Now, retailers complain that the secrecy prevents them from doing advance advertising to hype sales and clear out inventory. “They are the most secretive company I’ve ever done business with,” says one top retailer. “They should let the news leak out, to convince the world how exciting their stuff is. That’s how everyone else does it.” Maybe it’s time Steve Jobs stopped thinking quite so differently.”

Edwards tries hard to pull a Michael Dell, but not quite. Dell still holds the record firm, but Edwards’ piece is still an interesting read. For the the full, smug article, click here.