Reverend Wally
Nov 16, 01:17 PM
i just don't see this happening. Intel has better performance, especially in notebooks (correct me if i'm wrong)
OK...Not a correction and I see it that no one is either right or wrong. I am using a custom built AMD powered laptop that literally, if it had tires, could burn a set slap off the rims by squeeling out....and it is like greased lightning, and was the cat's meow until the Core 2 Duos were released.
I would put this little jewel up beside anything out there, and it isn't even an Apple.
BUT
Soon that is what I will be using... Macbook Pro...ie the Rolls Royce of the computer world.
;)
OK...Not a correction and I see it that no one is either right or wrong. I am using a custom built AMD powered laptop that literally, if it had tires, could burn a set slap off the rims by squeeling out....and it is like greased lightning, and was the cat's meow until the Core 2 Duos were released.
I would put this little jewel up beside anything out there, and it isn't even an Apple.
BUT
Soon that is what I will be using... Macbook Pro...ie the Rolls Royce of the computer world.
;)
DeSnousa
May 16, 07:30 AM
Thought I would post here instead of starting a new thread. How do I get bonus points, all I am reading is -advmethods and setting up a passkey. Would it be worth it on a i7 720qm at 1.66ghz? Would it complete a wu in 4 days?
This passkey sounds like a big deal should I be using it on all me machines?
With the console client for windows, is there a way I can close the window with out it stopping folding, kind of pointless having the window constantly open. Surely it can fold in the background?
Thanks guys :)
This passkey sounds like a big deal should I be using it on all me machines?
With the console client for windows, is there a way I can close the window with out it stopping folding, kind of pointless having the window constantly open. Surely it can fold in the background?
Thanks guys :)
JohnnyQuest
Mar 17, 01:43 PM
... and we all know that there's nothing ethically questionable about stealing from morons, right?
Preach.
Preach.
tvguru
Sep 12, 08:30 AM
if there are new product announcements as everyone believes to be the case, the store will have to be updated as well as the iTunes store.
does anyone remember how long the apple store's down prior to new products being listed?
If I remember correctly about an hour before showtime. Hey cool I made a pun.
does anyone remember how long the apple store's down prior to new products being listed?
If I remember correctly about an hour before showtime. Hey cool I made a pun.

SchneiderMan
Apr 9, 01:21 AM
How did you get beats for $80?
Probably knockoffs. Or as many here would say, the owner just wanted to get rid of them because no one wanted to purchase them :p
Got my MacBook Air 13" an ultra-violet RadTech Sleevz sleeve.
http://www.gadgetmac.com/storage/product-images/Screen%20shot%202011-04-07%20at%2010.56.42%20PM.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1302299615195
Probably knockoffs. Or as many here would say, the owner just wanted to get rid of them because no one wanted to purchase them :p
Got my MacBook Air 13" an ultra-violet RadTech Sleevz sleeve.
http://www.gadgetmac.com/storage/product-images/Screen%20shot%202011-04-07%20at%2010.56.42%20PM.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1302299615195
prady16
Sep 12, 08:28 AM
damn..
since they haven't take down apple store for update, does that mean no new product? just new service? i'm waiting for a MB/MBP update
If not today, we could see an MB/MBP update sometime after Sep 16th when the free ipod nano promo expires. That's my best guess, but even i am hoping desperately for the update to happen today!
since they haven't take down apple store for update, does that mean no new product? just new service? i'm waiting for a MB/MBP update
If not today, we could see an MB/MBP update sometime after Sep 16th when the free ipod nano promo expires. That's my best guess, but even i am hoping desperately for the update to happen today!
iDisk
Apr 8, 12:50 PM
Best Buy knows who D:apple:ddy is... They know who's keeping that company afloat and relevant in todays chaotic economy.
They wouldn't do anything to jeopardize a business relationship they NEED.
Again they know who D:apple:ddy is.
They wouldn't do anything to jeopardize a business relationship they NEED.
Again they know who D:apple:ddy is.
MattyMac
Oct 10, 06:53 PM
Wanna grab people before they've ordered their Wiis and PS2s.
Don't you mean PS3's?
I just pre-orded mine today for the:D launch date
Don't you mean PS3's?
I just pre-orded mine today for the:D launch date

davelanger
Apr 8, 05:03 PM
I wonder what the special promotion is.
They want to get rid of all their ipad 2 stock because the ipad 3 will be out for xmas.
They want to get rid of all their ipad 2 stock because the ipad 3 will be out for xmas.

bearbo
Jan 12, 02:19 AM
but because it is such a big leap in technology.
who are you kidding? what part of iphone is not previously existed in technology? yay it has a nice UI, like all other apple products, but the hardware?
as revolutionary as the iPhone
remind me, again, what's revolutionary about iPhone?
who are you kidding? what part of iphone is not previously existed in technology? yay it has a nice UI, like all other apple products, but the hardware?
as revolutionary as the iPhone
remind me, again, what's revolutionary about iPhone?
bousozoku
Oct 29, 12:06 AM
It's truly sad that Apple have to keep fighting pirates.
This week, I was reading how they've developed some lightweight encryption that has to be done on the GUI to make certain that Aqua is running on an Apple-branded machine. Obviously, there is a performance penalty, even though with the new machines, you might not notice it.
So much for Palladium being the end-all of security and that Apple would never do such a thing.
It seems pretty useless not to tie Mac OS X to a certain motherboard. Apple can tie it fairly loosely but still keep it working only with certain hardware. Of course, this opens up the market for ersatz Apple ROMs.
This week, I was reading how they've developed some lightweight encryption that has to be done on the GUI to make certain that Aqua is running on an Apple-branded machine. Obviously, there is a performance penalty, even though with the new machines, you might not notice it.
So much for Palladium being the end-all of security and that Apple would never do such a thing.
It seems pretty useless not to tie Mac OS X to a certain motherboard. Apple can tie it fairly loosely but still keep it working only with certain hardware. Of course, this opens up the market for ersatz Apple ROMs.
Torrijos
Jul 21, 11:05 AM
The antenna issue is real. It is more pronounced on the iPhone 4 than other smartphones because it is directly exposed to touch.
That said, Apple is defending the notion that this problem does in fact affect nearly all phones to some degree. They show evidence and catalog it very clearly. What's wrong with that?
What upsets me more is the backlash from those companies denying the issue altogether - denying an issue that these videos and others clearly show. Shouldn't this denial be more worrisome?
Exactly, plus, like Anandtech showed (the only technical site that tried to gather technical information on the problem), the iPhone do suffer of a higher attenuation of signal when touched, but at the same seems to have better reception at lower signal levels this is why the amount of drop calls is less than 1% over the level of the 3GS.
So if your in an average-low signal area, and touch the "mean" spot tightly you will still be able to maintain communications, the fact that some people seem to believe that you could be in a full signal area and drop a call simply because you touched your phone is at best lack of knowledge, at worst (like in a lot if not the majority of tech websites) cash trolling (Leprechaun-ing?!).
A nice follow up from Anandtech (or any other site) would be to calculate/show real-life implications, like the distance from the antenna that the problems cost you.
That said, Apple is defending the notion that this problem does in fact affect nearly all phones to some degree. They show evidence and catalog it very clearly. What's wrong with that?
What upsets me more is the backlash from those companies denying the issue altogether - denying an issue that these videos and others clearly show. Shouldn't this denial be more worrisome?
Exactly, plus, like Anandtech showed (the only technical site that tried to gather technical information on the problem), the iPhone do suffer of a higher attenuation of signal when touched, but at the same seems to have better reception at lower signal levels this is why the amount of drop calls is less than 1% over the level of the 3GS.
So if your in an average-low signal area, and touch the "mean" spot tightly you will still be able to maintain communications, the fact that some people seem to believe that you could be in a full signal area and drop a call simply because you touched your phone is at best lack of knowledge, at worst (like in a lot if not the majority of tech websites) cash trolling (Leprechaun-ing?!).
A nice follow up from Anandtech (or any other site) would be to calculate/show real-life implications, like the distance from the antenna that the problems cost you.
quagmire
Aug 3, 07:39 PM
It is going to sell for that much above MSRP, according to some dealers.
So expect to fork out 50-60k for a Volt the first 6-18 months.
GM needs to smack those dealers in the head. This is part of the reason why I am for manufactures opening corporate dealerships.
So expect to fork out 50-60k for a Volt the first 6-18 months.
GM needs to smack those dealers in the head. This is part of the reason why I am for manufactures opening corporate dealerships.
Dr.Gargoyle
Aug 1, 01:46 PM
Denmark, Norway and Sweden are just about the happiest countries in the world.
If that is the case, you guys must be *********g miserable.
If that is the case, you guys must be *********g miserable.
spencers
Apr 8, 02:10 PM
^^ Yup, in the E30! That's why I bought it after all: a cheap(er) easy to fix car that is predictable and balanced at its limit, even though that is relatively low compared to more modern suspension.
Oh darn, no preregister for you? If that didn't happen here, we'd have much too full of a day and less than 14 runs that we usually get. What are you going to bring to your event? Your 325Ci again? I LOVE the E46s....
Just curious though, can you go unstaggered wheel setup with the same size stock rears in the front? That's the only thing I don't care for on the E46.
Yes, my 325Ci. The car came with a square setup. 17x8" :) Guess I'm lucky!
14 runs is a lot!
Oh darn, no preregister for you? If that didn't happen here, we'd have much too full of a day and less than 14 runs that we usually get. What are you going to bring to your event? Your 325Ci again? I LOVE the E46s....
Just curious though, can you go unstaggered wheel setup with the same size stock rears in the front? That's the only thing I don't care for on the E46.
Yes, my 325Ci. The car came with a square setup. 17x8" :) Guess I'm lucky!
14 runs is a lot!
Stella
Mar 16, 11:32 AM
Because when he focuses on one device, Apple 'win'.
And when he can't justify that.. he then lashes out on the consumer for buying the product . For example - Kinetic being the fastest selling tech product ever - I think he called consumers something like "MMO loses"...
LOL!
What difference does it make if one Android device outsells the iPhone? Many of the features are in the OS, not the hardware.
Yes.. exactly.
Additionally, one size doesn't fit all... the combination of the hardware and the software.
Want an Android physical keyboard qwerty layout - there's an Android phone for that!
And when he can't justify that.. he then lashes out on the consumer for buying the product . For example - Kinetic being the fastest selling tech product ever - I think he called consumers something like "MMO loses"...
LOL!
What difference does it make if one Android device outsells the iPhone? Many of the features are in the OS, not the hardware.
Yes.. exactly.
Additionally, one size doesn't fit all... the combination of the hardware and the software.
Want an Android physical keyboard qwerty layout - there's an Android phone for that!
DHUK
Jan 9, 05:10 AM
Cheaper tracks on iTunes, at least in the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7178651.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7178651.stm
rdowns
Apr 21, 12:05 PM
Could have been worse guys, they could have put in a Facebook "Like" button. :D
kdarling
Oct 22, 07:06 AM
For all of you touting one carrier over another check these maps out.
Thanks. However, that site doesn't seem to update its information. Some of it dates back at least five years.
For example, I looked around my area, and most of the well known dead zones marked on the map were resolved a few years ago with new towers.
Thanks. However, that site doesn't seem to update its information. Some of it dates back at least five years.
For example, I looked around my area, and most of the well known dead zones marked on the map were resolved a few years ago with new towers.
lazyrighteye
Oct 6, 04:03 PM
I have used every major U.S. carrier except Sprint. I have used every iteration of iPhone since the original's launch date - which also represented my 1st experience with AT&T.
Until the 1st iPhone 3G, I had no issues with AT&T and their Edge network - namely because it's speed (or lack there of) was all we iPhone users knew at the time. Often calling AT&T my favorite service provider to date. And at the time, that was true. But once the 1st iPhone 3G hit, it started to become apparent that AT&T's network was not up to task. And as the popularity of the device grew, so too did my frustration with AT&T's network.
Living in Denver, CO, my (and several other users I know) 3G experience has been so poor, my dropped call frequency so high, that I had (yes, past tense - I'm getting there) disabled 3G most of the time. Of the two places I spend 80% of my life - work & home - neither offered a scenario that allowed me to use my iPhone for sending/receiving phone calls (let alone data). Zero bars of 3G and maybe a nub of Edge. At best. And that's having a giant AT&T logo'd tower in line-of-sight of my house and STILL can't send/receive phone calls form home. And mine and my wife's iPhones our only phones, this has been a really big problem for us. and what's been almost more frustrating than dropping all of my calls has been that all along I have upheld my end of the bargain. Every month, in full & on time, I pay our 2-iPhone Family Plan. But AT&T has not upheld their end of the bargain. A major aspect of the device, 3G, is virtually unusable to users in Denver (and other major markets). Dozens of fairly cordial calls (yes, I've been told by an AT&T rep that I'm "always polite" and that "yes, we do denote callers' behavior") to AT&T yielded the same, "we're sorry" replies. One even crediting my account for a full month of service. Nice, but that doesn't make my phone work any better. Another call to AT&T, that dropped, saw the rep called back to leave me a 4-minute message about how sorry she was about my horrible experience. Saying, on record, that their network "sucked," that they receive "a lot of calls about this from their iPhone customers." Even offering me the option to walk from my contract sans penalty. And that's when it hit me... wow - if one of AT&T's contingency plans is to bad mouth their own network and then allow iPhone customers to break their contracts, then this was a much larger issue than I realized.
And all of that set up was meant to paint a picture. One that many of you are all too familiar with. Same story, different city. So, with as much AT&T bashing as I have done over the past couple of years, I think it only fair/I'm happy to report that it appears AT&T has fixed their 3G issue in Denver. Monday morning, I woke to 5 glorious bars of 3G at home. I even shut down my iPhone & rebooted to make sure it was really there. Sure enough, glory! And from work I was able to make several phone calls with no issue. Confused by a functional AT&T network, I called AT&T and asked why everything was working. With a chuckle, the rep sad it appeared the network was upgraded in my area (seemed a canned line, but hey - I'll take it.). So here I am - day 2 of full 3G service at home, at work, all over town. Sounds silly, but it's really nice when your network... works. Considering my only gripe with my iPhone experience has been the service provider (yeah, a big gripe), it now appears the Denver's coverage is finally working as advertised. While the rep wasn't able to uncover exactly what "your network was updated" meant, I wonder if it's the new spectrum upgrade we've been hearing/reading about? Any other Denver (or other troubled markets) users notice the improved, read: functinoal, AT&T network? Pretty nice, eh?
So when I saw the Verizon "Coverage Maps" commercial Monday eve, it was oddly refrehing to find I wasn't yelling "YEAH! STUPID AT&T!" while waving my fist at the tv and instead able to turn off said tv and call my recently widowed mother who lives 2,000 miles from Denver - something I hadn't been able to do, from home, in 2 years. Ahh the simple pleasures...
Here's hope others' coverage improves as well.
Until the 1st iPhone 3G, I had no issues with AT&T and their Edge network - namely because it's speed (or lack there of) was all we iPhone users knew at the time. Often calling AT&T my favorite service provider to date. And at the time, that was true. But once the 1st iPhone 3G hit, it started to become apparent that AT&T's network was not up to task. And as the popularity of the device grew, so too did my frustration with AT&T's network.
Living in Denver, CO, my (and several other users I know) 3G experience has been so poor, my dropped call frequency so high, that I had (yes, past tense - I'm getting there) disabled 3G most of the time. Of the two places I spend 80% of my life - work & home - neither offered a scenario that allowed me to use my iPhone for sending/receiving phone calls (let alone data). Zero bars of 3G and maybe a nub of Edge. At best. And that's having a giant AT&T logo'd tower in line-of-sight of my house and STILL can't send/receive phone calls form home. And mine and my wife's iPhones our only phones, this has been a really big problem for us. and what's been almost more frustrating than dropping all of my calls has been that all along I have upheld my end of the bargain. Every month, in full & on time, I pay our 2-iPhone Family Plan. But AT&T has not upheld their end of the bargain. A major aspect of the device, 3G, is virtually unusable to users in Denver (and other major markets). Dozens of fairly cordial calls (yes, I've been told by an AT&T rep that I'm "always polite" and that "yes, we do denote callers' behavior") to AT&T yielded the same, "we're sorry" replies. One even crediting my account for a full month of service. Nice, but that doesn't make my phone work any better. Another call to AT&T, that dropped, saw the rep called back to leave me a 4-minute message about how sorry she was about my horrible experience. Saying, on record, that their network "sucked," that they receive "a lot of calls about this from their iPhone customers." Even offering me the option to walk from my contract sans penalty. And that's when it hit me... wow - if one of AT&T's contingency plans is to bad mouth their own network and then allow iPhone customers to break their contracts, then this was a much larger issue than I realized.
And all of that set up was meant to paint a picture. One that many of you are all too familiar with. Same story, different city. So, with as much AT&T bashing as I have done over the past couple of years, I think it only fair/I'm happy to report that it appears AT&T has fixed their 3G issue in Denver. Monday morning, I woke to 5 glorious bars of 3G at home. I even shut down my iPhone & rebooted to make sure it was really there. Sure enough, glory! And from work I was able to make several phone calls with no issue. Confused by a functional AT&T network, I called AT&T and asked why everything was working. With a chuckle, the rep sad it appeared the network was upgraded in my area (seemed a canned line, but hey - I'll take it.). So here I am - day 2 of full 3G service at home, at work, all over town. Sounds silly, but it's really nice when your network... works. Considering my only gripe with my iPhone experience has been the service provider (yeah, a big gripe), it now appears the Denver's coverage is finally working as advertised. While the rep wasn't able to uncover exactly what "your network was updated" meant, I wonder if it's the new spectrum upgrade we've been hearing/reading about? Any other Denver (or other troubled markets) users notice the improved, read: functinoal, AT&T network? Pretty nice, eh?
So when I saw the Verizon "Coverage Maps" commercial Monday eve, it was oddly refrehing to find I wasn't yelling "YEAH! STUPID AT&T!" while waving my fist at the tv and instead able to turn off said tv and call my recently widowed mother who lives 2,000 miles from Denver - something I hadn't been able to do, from home, in 2 years. Ahh the simple pleasures...
Here's hope others' coverage improves as well.
Calidude
Apr 16, 04:46 PM
Conflict? The only conflict I see is your ilk trying to ignore the facts of life. Some people are gay. Deal with it, it's not hurting anyone.
People being gay and then teaching children gay history are 2 different things. I'm afraid that one is an affront that should not be tolerated by any good parent. I'd advise those parents to just pull their kids out of the public school system, which they should have never put their kid into in the first place.
People being gay and then teaching children gay history are 2 different things. I'm afraid that one is an affront that should not be tolerated by any good parent. I'd advise those parents to just pull their kids out of the public school system, which they should have never put their kid into in the first place.
arn
Nov 23, 04:19 PM
$11, oh wow! :eek:
Every penny counts though, right? ;)
As stated above, the sale is more for street traffic. The savings aren't that substantial. buying from amazon or another place that doesn't charge sales tax probably offsets any additional savings. But there is the added benefit that you get the product right away.
arn
Every penny counts though, right? ;)
As stated above, the sale is more for street traffic. The savings aren't that substantial. buying from amazon or another place that doesn't charge sales tax probably offsets any additional savings. But there is the added benefit that you get the product right away.
arn
Music_Producer
Jan 12, 02:27 AM
Arrogant? Are you blind? He looked proud, almost as though the iPhone was his child or something. He was proud that they came up with a beautiful phone, with amazing features. Photo management on a phone.. have you ever tried photo features on all the phones that are out in the market? Sheesh.. and at the end he thanked everybody who worked on the phone, and all the families. Does that strike you as someone who is arrogant or someone who is truly appreciative of what all the employees do?
I can't quite understand what it is with everyone out here. Throwing a fit because no mac product was released? Um, they just launched a new product line.. get it? A new product.. a phone which runs OS X, looks fantastic and has the best features and user interface I have ever seen. Yeah, sure, it could have more features.. but I'm sure they put the best possible in it while keeping it at a reasonable price. This macworld was all about the new consumer electronics line of products. This doesn't mean they will slow down any mac-computer developments.. on the contrary. More revenue from ipod, iphone, etc. will allow them to make better computers. It just strikes me that everyone here is a whining baby with no clue about how a company can carry out business. "I'm gonna kill myself because they made a phone.. i want my 16 core mac pro right now or else i'll kill somebody!"
People here complain when Apple doesn't come out with a phone.. and they complain more when they do come out with it. And they actually psycho-analyze Steve Jobs, who the hell cares if you thought he was arrogant? If I were him, I would probably be an evil dictator. Knowing that I own a highly innovative company that has taken the world by storm with a line of fantastic products... please, I find Trump, Tyra Banks (my wife watches her show all the time) etc. much much more arrogant. If you really want to see arrogance.. you should see those 'My sweet 16' shows. :rolleyes:
I can't quite understand what it is with everyone out here. Throwing a fit because no mac product was released? Um, they just launched a new product line.. get it? A new product.. a phone which runs OS X, looks fantastic and has the best features and user interface I have ever seen. Yeah, sure, it could have more features.. but I'm sure they put the best possible in it while keeping it at a reasonable price. This macworld was all about the new consumer electronics line of products. This doesn't mean they will slow down any mac-computer developments.. on the contrary. More revenue from ipod, iphone, etc. will allow them to make better computers. It just strikes me that everyone here is a whining baby with no clue about how a company can carry out business. "I'm gonna kill myself because they made a phone.. i want my 16 core mac pro right now or else i'll kill somebody!"
People here complain when Apple doesn't come out with a phone.. and they complain more when they do come out with it. And they actually psycho-analyze Steve Jobs, who the hell cares if you thought he was arrogant? If I were him, I would probably be an evil dictator. Knowing that I own a highly innovative company that has taken the world by storm with a line of fantastic products... please, I find Trump, Tyra Banks (my wife watches her show all the time) etc. much much more arrogant. If you really want to see arrogance.. you should see those 'My sweet 16' shows. :rolleyes:
Edge100
Oct 20, 02:22 PM
Oh, I dunno, perhaps acquire some more companies? You know, like TiVo - with its valuable IP - for an easy $400 million. Or pump it into R&D. Or a stake in Nintendo or Sony. Or acquire the EMI Music Group (for $1 billion) as a buffer against the other RIAA members pressuring for an increase in the iTunes Store pricing. Or finally pay off Apple Records once and for all. Those are several things Apple could do* with that $10 billion that could be more useful than artificially boosting the stock by paying out an expensive dividend to grumpy shareholders.
Heck, maybe they could go all-solar on the Apple campus like what Google is doing.
*My personal favorite idea would be for Apple to acquire Atari dirt-cheap. This would give Apple a large library of classic titles that could be ported to the iPod, not to mention giving Apple a brand that could be used to pump out OS X "compatible" computers geared towards gamers in order to boost gaming on OS X overall and a means at gunning after Dell-owned Alienware and Dell's own XPS line.
I whole-heartedly agree with this.
Apple should be buying up companies, but only those that can give it some actual edge in competitive markets.
I'll give you three examples:
1) Adobe, for obvious reasons. This probably wont happen, but just imagine if it did!
2) EMI Music Group. This would be HUGE, but I'm not sure Apple has the cash. It might not even be legal, given the Apple (Computer) vs. Apple (Corps...the Beatles) stuff. What's even more odd is that EMI OWNS the master recordings of the Beatles.
3) Digidesign. This is the most likely, and probably the best bet for Apple. In case people don't know, Digidesign makes ProTools software and hardware. ProTools is the Photoshop of the audio production world; EVERYONE uses it. Apple already owns Emagic, which made Logic. The purchase of Digidesign would be a massive coup for Apple, and make it the undisputed champ of the pro audio world. And if you think this is a relatively small market, you're wrong. Nearly every movie is recorded/mixed in ProTools (with some people using either Nuendo or Digital Performer). I would LOVE to see Apple buy Digidesign, kill ProTools on Windows, and make a truly top-notch audio solution.
Forget about paying dividends; people are making enough money on Apple stock. Apple needs to think about how to turn its $10 billion in cash into $50 billion in cash. And the way to do that is to grow. Buy up companies!!!
Heck, maybe they could go all-solar on the Apple campus like what Google is doing.
*My personal favorite idea would be for Apple to acquire Atari dirt-cheap. This would give Apple a large library of classic titles that could be ported to the iPod, not to mention giving Apple a brand that could be used to pump out OS X "compatible" computers geared towards gamers in order to boost gaming on OS X overall and a means at gunning after Dell-owned Alienware and Dell's own XPS line.
I whole-heartedly agree with this.
Apple should be buying up companies, but only those that can give it some actual edge in competitive markets.
I'll give you three examples:
1) Adobe, for obvious reasons. This probably wont happen, but just imagine if it did!
2) EMI Music Group. This would be HUGE, but I'm not sure Apple has the cash. It might not even be legal, given the Apple (Computer) vs. Apple (Corps...the Beatles) stuff. What's even more odd is that EMI OWNS the master recordings of the Beatles.
3) Digidesign. This is the most likely, and probably the best bet for Apple. In case people don't know, Digidesign makes ProTools software and hardware. ProTools is the Photoshop of the audio production world; EVERYONE uses it. Apple already owns Emagic, which made Logic. The purchase of Digidesign would be a massive coup for Apple, and make it the undisputed champ of the pro audio world. And if you think this is a relatively small market, you're wrong. Nearly every movie is recorded/mixed in ProTools (with some people using either Nuendo or Digital Performer). I would LOVE to see Apple buy Digidesign, kill ProTools on Windows, and make a truly top-notch audio solution.
Forget about paying dividends; people are making enough money on Apple stock. Apple needs to think about how to turn its $10 billion in cash into $50 billion in cash. And the way to do that is to grow. Buy up companies!!!