By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

HAVING a hard time with your own PC? Tired of not being cool enough to switch to an Apple computer? Well, you don’t have to go any further to find sexy and cool Apple products located in one store. There’s now one in Alabang Town Center owned by Ben Loo.

INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Lawrence Casiraya got to talk to Ben Loo and here’s the video interview:

A fan of Apple products, Loo opened an Apple store, dubbed Switch, to encourage more local users to consider switching from using the PC to Apple. The store offers everything from the latest iPod, iPhone, MAC notebooks and other peripherals genuinely manufactured by Apple Inc.

Loo calls his target market “potential switchers.” The store in Alabang may be a long drive for most people. But he wants to concentrate first in small community and not jeopardize their business with the current competition.

Having been an Apple user for a long time, Loo admits that he is always awaiting for the next innovative Apple product.

At the present, he’s very excited and is looking forward to all “switchers” coming to see his store.

DUE to pressures from developers, Apple has finally decided to drop the non-disclosure agreements that software developers for the iPhone are required to sign, a report from Agence France-Presse said.

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON — Apple said Wednesday that it was dropping a controversial non-disclosure agreement that software developers who wanted to create applications for the iPhone mobile telephone had been forced to sign.

The non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, prevented software developers seeking to take part in the iPhone Developer Program from discussing their work, even with colleagues.

Apple’s move to drop the NDA came just days after Internet search giant Google jumped into the mobile telephone market with a handset powered by Google’s open-source Android software.

The ability of outside developers to freely write applications for the phone, the T-Mobile G1, which Google developed with telecom carrier T-Mobile, is seen as a major selling point by Google and its partners.

Also from the Apple website:

We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.

Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.

“Globe Telecom and Apple Bring iPhone 3G to Philippines

MANILA and SAN FRANCISCO—June 9, 2008—Globe Telecom and Apple® today announced that they will be bringing the highly anticipated iPhone™ 3G to the Philippines later this year. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

‘We are very excited to be working with Apple to bring Filipino consumers iPhone 3G later this year,’ said Gerardo C. Ablaza, Jr. president and CEO of Globe Telecom. ‘Our customers are our greatest passion and we’re constantly striving to offer them the most innovative products such as the revolutionary iPhone 3G.’

‘We are thrilled to bring iPhone 3G to millions of mobile customers in the Philippines,’ said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. ‘We can’t wait to get this revolutionary mobile device in the hands of even more people around the world.’

iPhone 3G will be available to Globe’s postpaid and prepaid subscribers in the Philippines later this year.

*Based on 3G and EDGE testing. Actual speeds vary by site conditions.

Globe Telecom is a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines with more than 21 million mobile subscribers. As a pioneer, Globe Telecom continues to be a part of the revolution that’s connecting millions of people across the Philippines and around the world. Beyond technology, Globe Telecom’s business is truly shaped by the bonds that tie Filipinos together. Communications is ultimately about relationships, and this drives the company to innovate and constantly find easy and relevant ways to enrich people’s lives.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.”

Sourced from Apple. Note the “postpaid and prepaid” part.

“iPhone3G. Twice as fast. Half the price.”

Was there any doubt?

3G, GPS, sleeker, better battery life, US$199/8gb, 16gb white version(!), MobileMe, enterprise support, 3rd party app support, 70 countries …more details here.

It’s 3AM. Gotta sleep. Commentary later.

The new version of Mac OS X, 10.6, will be known as Snow Leopard. Snow. Leopard.

Or at least that’s what Ars Technica seems convinced of. They also say it’ll be launched at Macworld 2009 in January, and will be Intel-only.

Previous speculation says that 10.6 seeds’ll be released to developers next week at the WWDC, in preparation for its release next year. As for changes, apparently it’ll be basically the same, except that it’ll be faster and more stable, rather than have anything really new or innovative. The report says this is because speed and stability are bigger concerns now that Apple’s firmly entrenched in smaller and more mobile gadgets that need these elements more than anything.

PowerPC users are expectedly crushed by this news. Our sympathies.

[UPDATE: Typo! As a bunch of readers immediately noted, I wrote the version wrong (10.5.6). Dunno what got into me - maybe because i was sneaking in this post as I was in a sales meeting. Heh. Serves me right! Fixed it already. Thanks, eagle-eyed MacADoodlers! You know who you are!]