TidBITS#773/01-Apr-05
=====================
Who'd have guessed? Apple held a press conference today to discuss
future product and marketing plans, including the Mac OS X 10.4
release date, several iPod marketing and sales partnerships, and
a look ahead at new Power Macs. Elsewhere, Geoff Duncan covers
a ban on Wi-Fi in Seattle coffeehouses, Glenn Fleishman peeks up
a Mac mini's skirt, and we relay the news of a laptop bag that
uses the Sudden Motion Sensor to protect laptops and the story
of a user who accidentally received a free copy of the Mac OS X
10.4 golden master.
Topics:
MailBITS/01-Apr-05
Mac OS X 10.4 Easter Egg Found and Lost
Cooling Factor and Cool Factor in One Package
Seattle Bans Free Wi-Fi After Coffeehouse Explosion
Apple Announces Product and Marketing Plans
Tiger Renamed; Ship Date Imminent
Mac mini Shrinks to micro, nano, and pico
Introducing the Power Mac GX Series
Apple's iFuzz Nanotechnology Cools Hot Chips
<http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-773.html>
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/2005/TidBITS#773_01-Apr-05.etx>
Copyright 2005 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license
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* READERS NOT A LOT LIKE YOU! Help keep TidBITS great via our <------ NEW!
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<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>
* Creative Technology, Inc.: HEY, LOOK AT US! We make lots of MP3 <-- NEW!
players too. Sure, they're not as good as the iPod, and girls
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* Napster: The name forever synonymous with stolen music! <---------- NEW!
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---------------------------------------------------------------
MailBITS/01-Apr-05
------------------
**Matias Adds Sudden Motion Sensor Tech to Laptop Bags** -- Laptop
bag designer Edgar Matias announced today that his company has
licensed Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor technology for use in a new
line of bags for PowerBook and iBook portable computers. First
announced in the 31-Jan-05 revision of Apple's PowerBook G4 line,
Sudden Motion Sensor technology automatically detects changes
in axis position and accelerated motion, then instantly parks
the heads of your hard drive to reduce the chance of data loss.
The new models in Matias's Laptop Armor/Inflatable line of bags
includes a similar sensor chip. When the sensor detects that the
wearer is toppling (backward, forward, or to either side) due to
the weight of the bag's contents, self-inflating balloons deploy
around the bag to add further protection to the laptop and the
person; balloons in the forward-facing backpack straps provide
protection in the event of a forward topple. A vital catalyst
to speed the inflation of the balloons is a secret ingredient
derived from domesticated foliage grown widely in British
Columbia, Canada. The company refused to elaborate further.
Once deployed, the bag must be returned Matias so that the bags
can be refolded and the internal air canisters replaced. For an
extra $50 up-front fee, Matias will perform this service up to
five times. People with exaggerated balance issues can also opt
to purchase a $35 self-refill kit that includes the replacement
canisters and detailed folding instructions. The Laptop Armor/
Inflatable bags, ranging in size to accommodate all Apple laptop
sizes, are available as of 01-Apr-05 for $200. [JLC]
<http://www.laptoparmor.com/>
Mac OS X 10.4 Easter Egg Found and Lost
---------------------------------------
by Matt Neuburg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
This story comes from Littleton, MA, where TidBITS reader Nancy
Kotary writes:
"Recently the weather here turned very cold (again!), and right
about the same time, I noticed my 15-inch PowerBook G4 was acting
up. I'd come home to find all sorts of weird windows open, or new
folders on the Desktop with names like "ag899uiogheo". I was about
to take it in for repairs when I accidentally discovered the
cause: I'd been leaving the computer open, and my cat had taken
to lying on the warm keyboard.
"I didn't have the heart to close the computer after that, and
besides, it was sort of fun to see what sort of random havoc the
cat would cause. Yesterday, though, I got surprise when I peered
over the cat's curled-up form at the PowerBook screen and saw
that Software Update was running and some huge download was in
progress. It took four or five hours to complete, and when it was
finished, it turned out to be the golden master installer image
for Mac OS 10.4! I was able to burn the disk and install that
same day - for free!"
Our conjecture is that there must be some secret combination of
keys which causes Software Update to "see" the Mac OS X 10.4
installer as an available download. Perhaps this was put in as
an Easter Egg (all this happened surprisingly close to Easter),
or maybe it was just a convenient way for the Apple folks to
obtain the latest build during development. There's no way to
learn what combination of keys and buttons the cat may have
pressed, so, like the Lost Chord, this feat of downloading a
free Mac OS X 10.4 installer will probably never be repeated.
Cooling Factor and Cool Factor in One Package
---------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Plasticsmith has done it again. The company that brought the
newly minted Mac mini its own "mini skirt," a plastic riser with
an optional glow, have added a new stand to their line-up: the
mini hover skirt.
<http://www.plasticsmith.com/miniskirt>
As fans of science fiction and unusual watercraft know, a hover
skirt is set of air jets ringing the bottom of a craft; the
downward-pointing jets provide air pressure to raise the craft
enough off the ground to avoid friction, allowing less-expensive
propulsion over both liquid and solid surfaces.
The mini hover skirt is a combination of goof and practical: the
unit which snaps onto the bottom includes a quiet but high-powered
air blower which cools the often toasty Mac mini while producing
a space-age sound effect.
For those who invested in the Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme
options for their Mac minis, the mini hover skirt can be equipped
with an optional battery to remove all wires. Unfortunately, the
battery option does raise the sound pitch from ocean waves to
vacuum cleaner.
But if you enable follow-along mode and install Salling Clicker,
you can have the Mac mini follow you around the room. For
instance, using a Bluetooth Jabra headset, you could use the Mac
mini in headless mode to read Web pages to you that it retrieves
over a Wi-Fi network and relays to you via Bluetooth.
<http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/>
<http://www.jabra.com/JabraCMS/NA/EN/MainMenu/Products/WirelessHeadsets/
JabraBT800/JabraBT800.htm>
The mini hover skirt's price is expected to float between $800 and
$1,000 depending on options. A tracking device for Mac minis that
manage to get away is an extra $50.
<http://www.plasticsmith.com/minihoverskirt>
Seattle Bans Free Wi-Fi After Coffeehouse Explosion
---------------------------------------------------
by Geoff Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Seattle's City Council has passed an emergency measure to ban free
Wi-Fi access within city limits, following testimony from experts
and fire officials regarding their investigation of last week's
explosion at the popular "Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit"
coffeehouse. The measure takes effect immediately; individuals
or businesses found to be operating unregulated Wi-Fi access
will be subject to misdemeanor charges, confiscation of Wi-Fi
equipment, and fines of up to $5,000. Seattle will also create
a Wi-Fi Testing Foundation (WTF) to assess and regulate Wi-Fi
access within city limits. The WTF will consider a proposal in
which users of Wi-Fi would be required by law to limit their
use in coffeehouses to email and text-only Web sites (or Web
browsing which images turned off).
Lead fire investigator Cindy Aerie noted that while the official
investigation was not yet complete, all evidence indicated the
explosion was caused by the owners' re-locating one of the
establishment's two high-capacity espresso machines to make room
for more seating. The machine's new location was at the center
of an invisible "Wi-Fi hotzone" within the building, where
transmission traffic from wireless Internet users and hardware
both inside the coffeehouse and from nearby homes and businesses
focussed and excited water molecules in the air and within the
coffee machine's boiler.
"Apparently there was no way the owners could have known the
danger of the situation," said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.
According to Aerie, "It was as if the owners placed the coffee
machine inside a low-power microwave oven for several hours."
Investigators believe that after hours of normal use combined
with exposure to the Wi-Fi radiation, the coffee machine's water
tank exploded from unexpected internal steam pressure.
Flying debris from the explosion injured five Internet users in
the coffee shop. The injured patrons were all believed to be
"bloggers," although Washington state privacy laws prohibit
publication of their names. All were taken to Seattle's Harborview
Medical Center for treatment; four have been released while one
remains hospitalized in satisfactory condition.
Fire officials expect to issue an official finding on Monday.
City councils in Tacoma, Everett, Renton, and the tech-heavy
communities of Kirkland, Bellevue, and Redmond east of Seattle
are expected to take up similar measures to ban free Wi-Fi
service this week.
"We must consider public safety," said Bellevue councilman Don
Davidson.
However, opponents argue the economic impact of banning free Wi-Fi
might be substantial in an area still struggling to emerge from
recent economic doldrums. "Banning free Wi-Fi may substantially
decrease productivity among contractors, off-site workers, and the
employees of many area enterprises," noted Ijay Kae, a supervisor
for NuttinButNet, an Kirkland technology firm. "We may find we
have to outsource jobs to areas which still offer unregulated
Wi-Fi. Perhaps even overseas."
The online community, however, seems to be taking the new
regulation in stride. According to a blogger going by the online
name Tribble: "It's not like we have time to read all the material
in blogs anyway. It's a win-win: now we have less to read and
more to complain about."
Apple Announces Product and Marketing Plans
-------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
In a rare break from form, Apple Computer today held a press
conference to announce its forthcoming product plans. Some
industry watchers attribute the move to prodding from partner
Motorola, which was forced to delay the expected announcement of
its iTunes phone due to a disagreement with Apple. Ron Garriques,
president of Motorola's mobile phone division, who had noted that
"Steve's perspective is that you launch a product on Sunday and
sell it on Monday," reportedly convinced the mercurial Jobs that
Apple would be better served by laying its plans on the table
this time.
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1776757,00.asp>
In another surprising occurrence, Apple also actually invited
us and other Web publications to cover the press conference,
providing a QuickTime-based webcast and taking questions via
conference call. As a result, we have complete coverage thanks
to the efforts of a number of staffers and friends.
**iPod double-shuffle** -- Although the bulk of the press
conference was devoted to discussing forthcoming Macintosh models,
as you'll see in the subsequent articles, Steve Jobs did take
a few minutes at the beginning to discuss new iPod marketing
efforts.
As with the iPod U2 Special Edition, the first marketing push
involves a repackaging of an iPod, this time in conjunction with
gum giant Wrigley. The diminutive iPod shuffle, which is eerily
reminiscent of a package of chewing gum on its own, will receive
a green jacket that makes it look like a package of Wrigley's
Doublemint gum. But it's not just a pretty package; the new iPod
will sport 2 GB of RAM, a configuration that warrants its name -
the iPod double-shuffle - and $200 price. As with Apple's recent
Pepsi promotion, specially marked sticks of gum will have codes
that redeemable for free iPod double-shuffles. Wrigley's will also
be outfitting all of its in-store displays with ads promoting the
iPod double-shuffle, and the company plans a series of television
ads touting iPod double-shuffle wearers as being able to "walk,
chew gum, and listen to twice as many tunes."
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/773/double.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07958>
Despite Steve Jobs's renowned reality distortion field, news of
this promotion prompted lots of snickering in backchannel iChat
sessions that many of us were using during the press conference.
Although we don't see Apple losing much on the deal, since it
can't cost much to change the case and pop in more RAM, it does
seem as though Apple is in real danger of diluting the iPod and
iTunes brand by hiring it out to every two-bit candy and soda
company that comes knocking. That's especially true when the
result is an iPod - like the U2 Special Edition - that moves
away from the iconic white-on-white look.
**Dell Dropping DJ for iPod** -- No one ever accused Michael Dell
of walking away from an opportunity to make money. Dell Computer,
which has a long history of selling products produced by other
companies, has reportedly discontinued its line of MP3 players in
favor of reselling Apple's iPod line. "Hey, we're not proud," said
Michael Dell in a brief on-stage appearance with Steve Jobs at
today's press conference. "We're in business to make money, and if
we can sell a boatload of iPods that work seamlessly with our PCs,
everyone wins." Dell also said that the company would be bundling
iTunes and QuickTime with every computer sold.
<http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/
dj?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs>
The Dell partnership makes a lot of sense for Apple, since Dell
sells vast numbers of PCs every day, and aggressively pushes other
products during the sales process. As with the HP partnership,
Apple simply gains access to another large retail channel, and
further advances the iPod's fortunes.
Tiger Renamed; Ship Date Imminent
---------------------------------
by Matt Neuburg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Following the quick coverage of the new iPod double-shuffle, Steve
Jobs moved into current news, announcing that at long last the new
version of its Mac OS X operating system is ready, and will be
coming soon to a retail outlet near you. (OK, so that's not really
news.) Mac OS X 10.4 will be available in stores and online
starting at midnight, 22-Apr-05.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/>
In a surprise move, Apple revealed that the official name for this
release would be "Mac OS X 10.4 Wombat." Even though Apple has
been referring to this version of Mac OS X for over a year as
Tiger, has distributed seeds to developers under the code name
Tiger, and has portrayed a "Tiger fur" motif in the logo and
in desktop screen shots, at the last minute, all of that was
scrapped, and the Wombat designation was substituted. (Apple's
Web sites referring to Mac OS X as Tiger have not yet been
altered, and apparently won't be until after the product is
in customers' hands.)
The purpose of this change, according to Steve Jobs in a post-
conference question session, was to "stick it to those know-it-all
rumor Web sites such as ThinkSecret." Jobs was particularly proud
of the fact that a wombat isn't even a big cat, unlike previous
Mac OS X code names such as Jaguar and Panther. "We knew those
rumor sites would never be able to guess this one, not in a
million years. It's not a cat! It's not even fierce!" said Jobs.
"It's one of those cute little marsupials from Australia." Asked
about how this change might be expected to impact developers
who have already prepared software that is "Tiger-ready" and
publishers who have already announced books with the name "Tiger"
in the title, Jobs said: "They'll get over it." He was also
dismissive of the question of how the sales of Mac OS X might
be impacted by a name that, in Australia at least, can be a way
of calling someone a bozo. After all, Jobs noted, wombats in
captivity are easily house-trained and come when called - which,
as he said, "will be true of Mac OS X 10.4 Wombat as well, thanks
to its Automator feature."
<http://www.thinksecret.com/>
<http://news.com.com/Apple+suit+foreshadows+coming+products/
2100-1047_3-5513582.html>
<http://serf.org/womFAQ.txt>
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/automator.html>
Mac mini Shrinks to micro, nano, and pico
-----------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Apple's huge success with the Mac mini's small form factor and
low price has caused the company to look more closely at making
computers in a variety of small sizes. That push was reflected in
a long segment of today's press conference, with Steve Jobs laying
out the reception the Mac mini has received with users and the
press. He then jumped into the product announcements, and oh, what
announcements! Just as the iPod broke from the pack of MP3 players
and took over that market, these diminutive new Macs - the micro,
nano, and pico - promise to change expectations of what computers
are and how we use them. Steve Jobs said that Apple anticipates
shipping all three models in the second half of 2005, in time
for the holiday shopping season.
**Mac micro** -- Leading off the new line is the $250 Mac micro,
which Apple says will be about the size of a thick paperback book
and will weigh less than 3 pounds (1.4 kg). The Mac micro will
come with a 450 MHz G4 processor, 256 MB of RAM, and either a
30 or 60 GB 1.8-inch hard disk (the same as is used in the iPod).
Standard ports include mini-DVI (supporting VGA and composite/S-
Video via an adapter), modem, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, and FireWire,
which will hopefully put to rest the rampant speculation about
Apple's commitment to the high-speed bus.
The company expects the Mac micro to be used by people who need
to carry their work with them, but who have access to keyboards,
mice, and large monitors wherever they are. Also missing is an
optical drive; Jobs said that Apple expects many Mac micro users
will have access to other Macs (such that they can install by
putting the Mac micro into FireWire Target Disk Mode) and in
questioning afterwards, noted that the lack of the optical
drive was also "a third-party opportunity."
**Mac nano** -- If the Mac micro is just too large for you, or
if you want something that includes a built-in screen, the Mac
nano may be the answer. Surprisingly, the $150 Mac nano uses the
incredibly cheap PowerPC G3 processor, which is still in wide
production, combined with a 30 GB hard disk. With just 256 MB of
memory, the Mac nano uses a "nano-kernel," a highly stripped-down
version of Mac OS X that might make some full-scale Mac users
jealous of its speed, which is also improved by losing the Aqua
interface. Aqua wouldn't make sense on the Mac nano anyway, since
it has been fitted out to look like an iPod photo, complete with
a 2-inch color screen (160 x 128 pixels). Input is via stylus on
the touch-sensitive screen, and the Mac nano relies on an iPod-
like click-wheel for navigation. Like an iPod, the Mac nano uses
FireWire to charge its battery (10 hours of battery life) and sync
with a full-fledged Mac. Other features include integral Bluetooth
and a composite/S-Video output along with audio out.
Clearly, the Mac nano is Apple's long-awaited PDA, and Jobs said
that developers could retrofit Cocoa-based Mac OS X applications
to run on the Mac nano merely by using Xcode to create a small-
screen interface. As an example, he showed a version of iPhoto
that offered all the power of the full program in miniature
(well, except for the Adjust panel, which works only on PowerPC
G4- and G5-based Macs).
With Apple getting into the PDA game at last, the primary question
that remains is if a future version will build in cell phone
capabilities.
**Mac pico** -- Finally we come to the $50 Mac pico, a 3 ounce
(85 gram) recording and display device that represents Apple's
foray into the world of ubiquitous computing. The entire point
of the Mac pico is that it's so small and cheap that you can have
a number of them scattered around your house and office. It will
sport a 2-inch color LCD display, 256 MB of static RAM, and accept
input via a finger or stylus on the touch-screen or a built-in
microphone. A mount on the back uses adhesion technology derived
from studies of gecko feet to stick to any surface without
suffering reduced stickiness over time.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2953852.stm>
<http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html>
<http://www.ubiq.com/parctab/>
The Mac pico runs off battery power, of course, and can charge
either from an induction-based plate to which you can stick
drained units, or via solar power generated from a group of solar
cells that service as the bezel around the LCD screen. Battery
life scales inversely with usage, but power-saving technology
enables the Mac pico to consume virtually no power when not
in use.
Apple anticipates the Mac pico being used to record data, either
via the touchscreen or through the microphone. Once entered, the
data can be transmitted to a more full-featured Mac via Bluetooth
or simply recalled and displayed on the internal screen; the Mac
pico uses a HyperCard-like metaphor and provides forward and back
buttons for navigation through the screens.
Introducing the Power Mac GX Series
-----------------------------------
by Apollo Fris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
If you thought Apple's Power Macintosh G5 models were growing a
little old in the tooth and wondering when Steve Jobs would make
good on his 3 GHz promise from the June 2003 Worldwide Developer
Conference, you have longer to wait, but it should be worth it.
Apple announced today that in the next year it will release a new
series of high-end desktops ranging from 3 GHz to 3.6 GHz using
a new PowerPC chip from IBM. However, Apple has decided to break
from the G3, G4, and G5 naming convention, evidently due to
potential trademark conflicts.
Although the "G6" designation would be the most obvious for the
next generation of Power Macs, G6 has already been extensively
advertised by Pontiac as "the first ever G6" for their new
performance sedan. It's also the name of a digital camera from
Canon. Can you imagine the confusion of connecting your G6 to
your G6 in a G6? Worse, G7 and G8 are taken as the names for the
"Group of 7" industrialized economic powers and the "Group of 8"
which includes the G7 and Russia. Moving up, G9 was unfortunately
taken as the name of a watch by Suunto.
<http://www.pontiac.com/fuelingzone/index.jsp?deepLink=g6>
<http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&;
fcategoryid=144&modelid=10463>
<http://www.suuntowatches.com/g9.htm>
So at today's press conference, Steve Jobs said Apple will skip
a few generations and go from G3, G4, G5 straight to "GX", which
is to be pronounced "G Ten" to match the marketing currently
poured into Mac OS X. The new Power Mac GX models will to ship
"around the same time as Mac OS X 10.X Platypus" and will sport
several fashionable faux-fur enclosures that match the names of
different versions of Mac OS X: Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther,
Wombat, and Tiger (because the design work was already done when
Apple decided to rename Mac OS X 10.4 to Wombat). The cutting-edge
design and varied exteriors recalls the days when Apple offered
several different colored cases for iMacs and Apple's current
color options for the iPod mini. But the fur isn't just for
aesthetics; more on its function later in this issue.
Jobs was reticent with other details surrounding the Power Mac GX
desktop machines, likely because they're so far off (our estimate
is the third quarter of 2006, given the likely release schedule
for the next version of Mac OS X). Along with the new processors
from IBM, the Power Mac GX will feature new wireless technologies
that reduce the cable clutter Jobs is so notorious for hating,
including wireless power transmission and a wireless display.
"We finally got rid of those last cables" said Jobs.
Apple's iFuzz Nanotechnology Cools Hot Chips
--------------------------------------------
by Apollo Fris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
While fur is typically associated with staying warm, the stylish
new material covering Apple's planned Power Mac GX will improve on
the cooling technology used in the current generation of the Power
Mac G5. The Power Mac GX machines are rumored to be whisper quiet,
and, while it's unclear if there is simply no need for a fan
or if the fur has sound-dampening properties beyond its cooling
properties, the quiet operation is expected to be well-received
by sound- and video-processing users. Evidently, Apple's high
level of R&D investment paid off with a bit of bio-inspired
nanotechnology (patent-pending, of course). The fur coating -
which Apple will undoubtedly label with a clever marketing name
(Apple engineers are rumored to call it "iFuzz" internally) -
actually pumps heat away from the processor and case interior
with hundreds of microfluidic tubules into each individual
"hair." The fluid cooling is similar to that used in the current
dual 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5 models, albeit orders of magnitude
more sophisticated.
The hairs themselves have thermoelectric properties, which means
that they directly convert the excess heat into electrical energy
which is sent back to the power supply, decreasing the power
consumption dramatically. Thermoelectric cooling (also known
as "Peltier cooling") has been used in the past by PC users who
overclock their CPUs, but as far as we know, this is the first
example from a mainstream computer manufacturer. (There's also
an amusing use of Peltier cooling to keep beer cold; see the
final link below.) Furthermore, thermoelectric materials are
typically quite brittle, but somehow Apple has managed to work
thermoelectric nanoparticles into an extremely flexible material.
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,107235,00.asp>
<http://www.overclockers.com/topiclist/index21.asp#PELTIERS>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric>
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,695635,00.html>
The advantages conferred by the use of iFuzz are astounding. Not
only does iFuzz improve cooling beyond existing liquid cooling
and fan-based technologies, but the fur confers power savings both
from decreasing or possibly eliminating fans, and from the power
generated by the thermoelectric properties of the hairs
themselves.
Not surprisingly, with both improved heat dissipation and
electrical power, Apple is rumored to have a working PowerBook G5
(finally!) using a fur enclosure as well (Jobs made no comment
about a possible PowerBook G5 at today's press conference). While
the PowerBook is rumored to run "definitely on the warm side" and
still requires a fan, the effect is "something like having a cat
sitting in your lap." One Apple engineer evidently hacked the fan
in the PowerBook G5 to sound like purring as a practical joke,
though he noted that the net result was "a little disconcerting."
To get an idea of what such a furry PowerBook might look like,
check out this project to add fur to an iBook.
<http://www.malaran.com/2.0/ibook/furbook12.html>
The iFuzz material is currently in testing by several government
organizations to ensure it will hold up in a wide range of
environments. In particular, given Apple's market share in
education and home markets, the fur must withstand attempts
to attempts to mangle, cut, flatten, or even eat the material.
The US Environmental Protection Agency is also concerned about
the nanotechnology used in the fur, particularly with increased
sensitivity about asbestos fibers. The agency has sponsored
research into the general topic of environmental and health
consequences of nanometer-sized particles and nanotubes.
<http://es.epa.gov/ncer/nano/factsheet/>
While such regulatory hurdles are to be expected with such an
innovative product, Apple has evidently performed countless tests
during development and expects few problems. A variety of other
companies have contacted Apple with interest in seeing iFuzz in
everything from refrigerators to automobiles - perhaps one day
that furry cover on your driver's seat will be welcome on a hot
summer's day!
[Dr. Apollo Fris is a computational and materials chemist at
Cornell University, who researches molecular electronics and
chemical nanotechnology. He regularly makes TidBITS publisher
Adam Engst's noontime runs faster than they would be otherwise.]
$$
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