Mid-July Apple line up refresh a no-go?

Remember back in mid-June when folks were reporting possible Mac Pro and Mac Mini refreshes for mid-July or August? And let's not forget about this gem from late June: MacBook Air to be refreshed in mid-July from the Washington Post; well I hate to break it to you but a source has advised us to not hold our collective breath.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, our source came forward and clearly put those rumors to bed, stating that rumored refresh was "a false alarm." In fact a lot of the buzz about new SKU's lend credence to what was actually going on this week: Apple's point-of-sale handhelds received a major upgrade last night.

Sure it doesn't sound nowhere near as sexy a refreshed Mac Pro or MacBook Air, but according to our source this update will probably make your next trip to the Apple Store a bit more pleasant. "It's a firmware update. Split credit cards, accept checks, receipt lookups etc," says our

source and since we're about halfway done with the day (7/14) I'm leaning towards this being the only change we can expect for now.

That said, on the retail side, Apple seems to be interested in keeping buyers moving on their sales floors versus having them stand in line to take care of most transactions. Keeping the faithful's gazes fixed on shiny new gear and making it easier than ever to accept various payments is probably a win-win for both consumer and retailer.

Sadly we weren't able to pin our source down with a date on when to expect new gear.

iPad 2 Lines Form at SoHo Apple Store

Wait what!? Didn't we do this about 3 weeks ago?

Apparently, demand for the latest magical iDevice is so high that up to today, March 29th, there are still lines forming in front of the SoHo Apple Store. AppleInsider posted the video below of at least a couple hundred folks braving the cold in hopes of dropping between $500-$800 for the latest iPad.

Seriously, this amazes me every time I see something like this. Sure if I had disposable income at the moment I'd pick one up but it's too damned cold in New York City to wait on line. Maybe someone should have let them know you can order it online.

via AppleInsider

Apple Store Cyber Monday

So you won't find any deals on that iPad you've been eying since March (and with 2 months before an almost sure annual refresh, we don't recommend it), but you can find great deals on many peripherals.

For example, I'm partial to this find: An M-Audio, 49-key MIDI keyboard. It's designed to work with Garage Band but it does also work with most DAWs out on the market including Reason, Sonar (for you Windows people), and Logic. For $69.95 it's a steal.

So check them out and get to those stocking stuffers as there are deals to be found.

Apple Store On-line

via Gizmodo

Restoring a Sense of Child-like Wonder in China

Not only are you the proud owner of the 1st iPad sold in China and got hoisted like the hero consumer you are; you even made a shirt for the occasion: I BUY IPAD NO. 1

Good on you sir, good on you.

via Gawker

Smash-And-Grab San Diego

In the early morning hours, two hooded men smashed the front windows of the University Town Center mall's Apple Store and made off with several iPhones. This is yet another smash-and-grab burglary to hit an Apple Store in less than a month.

To the thieves and would-be thieves out there: Hey fucktards, would you take a brick to St. Patrick's Cathedral? Would you think it okay to smash a section of the Prayer Wall in Israel? How 'bout try to steal the meteor fragment from Mecca. No you wouldn't so please let's put an end to these smash-and-grabs. The pristine glass facade that adorns each Apple Store is a testament to restored sense of child-like wonder that awaits on the inside; just be sure to buy that sense of child-like wonder and don't do anything that would be illegal.

10news.com via EBone (twitter)

No No Apple is not Giving away free stuff

Well apparently someone mistook Samsung's generosity as Apple's and decided it would be a good idea to smash-and-grab $22K worth of merchandise from an Apple Store in Suburban Square, PA. The burglary occurred at 5:18AM, the thieves ran off with " 11 laptops and three iPods plus iPhones, including the iPhone 4"

These smash and grab burglaries have gotten the attention of multiple police departments; although there doesn't seem to be any link between the robberies, law enforcement officials have begun sharing information in hopes to create a multi-State dragnet of sorts.

via Cult of Mac

iPad Pre-Orders

Just a reminder: iPad preorders starting at 8:30 this morning.

Ladies and gents. Start your credit cards!

Update: At 8:00AM EST the Apple Store is down in the US. I've got that buying itch!

Update 2: Officially taking pre-orders now! Direct link here.