As promised, Apple has released three new Get a Mac ads targeting Microsoft’s launch of Windows 7 as a good opportunity to abandon Microsoft.

Motorola tonight inadvertently spoiled its own plans for the Droid by briefly posting a product page (since pulled) for the phone. While most of the features of the phone are already known, they confirm that its Android 2.0 build will include a full HTML5-capable web browser — the first outside of Safari — and will get Flash 10.1 support in early 2010. The specs also confirm a slightly faster than usual 550MHz processor and that a 16GB microSDHC card will be pre-installed….

Filed under: Switchers, Video, Apple

Domestic TV watchers who tuned into the NBC Thursday comedy lineup or the Yankees-Angels playoff game on Fox were treated to three new Get a Mac ads in heavy rotation tonight, all focused on the launch of the latest Windows version. You can watch all three ads (Broken Promises, Teeter Tottering & PC News) over on Apple’s site.

While these ads are pretty funny (Broken Promises, in particular, features some excellent work by the wardrobe department), it’s not clear if the message of upgrade challenges from XP to Win7 is going to resonate. Apple’s marketing team may describe Windows 7 as ‘antiquated tech,’ but the big M clearly is expecting plenty of PC users to buy brand new machines to run Win7 rather than upgrading their old gear. Will they consider a Mac as part of the mix? We can certainly hope so — but by all indications, Windows 7 is no Vista, and it’s quite a bit harder to sell against an operating system that doesn’t actively shoot itself in the foot. Heck, it’s possible that there may even be a few Mac diehards in the opening day lines to buy Win7.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

TUAWThree new “Get a Mac” ads premiere, aimed at Win 7 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has released several new “Get a Mac” ads, each specifically targeting Windows 7. The first segment, “PC News,” shows PC character John Hodgman sitting behind a news anchor desk for live coverage of the Windows 7 launch. To his dismay, the field reporter interviews customers that express how excited they are to switch to a Mac….

DTP Tools has announced a public beta of the Blatner Tools suite, a set of 12 InDesign plug-ins designed for functions such as automatically applying paragraph styles or locating colors within placed graphics. The plug-ins feature over 100 new features and provide tools for controlling text, comparing paragraph styles, or applying keyboard shortcuts to layers, styles or color swatches. For keeping track of changes, it includes a lite version of the companyís History plug-in which displays a panel listing of all past actions….

Wrappers and WaterField Designs have announced new laptop sleeves, the custom-fitted SleeveCase and Natural Linen series, for Appleís unibody MacBooks. The SleeveCase, which is made by WaterField, is designed for 13.3-inch MacBooks and features a ballistic nylon outer shell, 6mm neoprene interior for increased shock resistance, and a small flap across the middle to keep the laptop in place. It is TSA compliant for traveling through airports, while a bottom loop is designed to help users pull the notebook out of the case….

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, Developer, iPhone, App Store

Tap Tap Revenge 3 is apparently going gangbusters over on the App Store — Tapulous has gotten in touch with us to let us know about two different free promotions they’re doing lately, as well as give you readers a chance to win their entire catalog for free.

First up, the free stuff for everybody. Today, October 22, they’re giving away the great song “Fireflies” by one of my favorite new music acts, Owl City. It just happens to also be the number one song in iTunes today as well, which is a pretty big deal for Tapulous — it’s the first time they’ve been able to pair up a TTR track release with a #1 on the download charts.

To get that free song, just sign in to the application and pick it up. Additionally, if you don’t have the app yet, buying the app before this Friday can get you a free premium two-pack — all you have to do for that is email your iTunes reciept (or a screenshot of it) to “freemusic AT tapulous DOT com” and put your TTR3 username (and only your username) in the email subject line.

And hey, if that’s not enough free stuff, keep reading — here at TUAW, we’re giving away licenses to TTR3’s entire premium catalog (the whole thing, from A Perfect Circle to Robbie Williams) to three lucky commenters.

Continue reading Free music and a chance to win more from Tap Tap Revenge 3

TUAWFree music and a chance to win more from Tap Tap Revenge 3 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has released a Pro Applications Update for Final Cut Studio, along with a new Server Diagnostics utility. The Final Cut Studio download is primarily a maintenance update, with improvements to overall stability and compatibility. The revision includes Final Cut Pro 7.0.1, Motion 4.0.1, Soundtrack Pro 3.0.1, Color 1.5.1 and Compressor 3.5.1….

In a memo to retail partners, Apple has announced that it will deliver support for Windows 7 in Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s Boot Camp utility by the end of the year via a software update, but exclude support for some Macs sold in 2006.