Notebook Reviews – Apple rumor roundup: iPhone discounts, early Leopard release, NAND-based laptops

, Desktops, LaptopsNo, we haven’t been spending our spare time playing with the Apple Rumor Generator — this latest batch of Apple rumors comes to us fresh off the Internets, from some sources of varying reliableness. First up comes a tantalizing bit of information from blogger Derek Punsalan, who recently traded in his Sprint BlackBerry 8703e for a Cingular BlackBerry Pearl only to later notice that “iPhone for DEREK PUNSALAN” was printed on his receipt, followed by the line “2 YR Agreement SAVINGS $150.00.” Evidence of a discount for those opting for long-term service agreements? Possibly, but more likely than not a simple glitch. Our next rumor comes to us from Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, who speculates that Mac OS X Leopard could be launching sooner than expected, with the OS rolling out at the end of this month. What’s more, he says Adobe’s also set to jump the gun, releasing its Creative Suite 3 to coincide with the OS’s release. Exactly what inspired this bit of prognostication is unclear, but he assures us that this “powerful one-two punch makes a great deal of sense.” Lastly, we have yet another report of a forthcoming flash-based Apple sub-notebook (NAND flash memory, specifically), which is supposedly on track to be released in the second half of this year. The report from American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu further speculates that we’ll also “inevitably” see NAND-based iPods and, of course, a widescreen video iPod, although it apparently “won’t likely” ship until after the iPhone’s launch in June.

Read: 5THIRTYONE, iPhone with Cingular receipt (Rumor likelihood: 20%)
Read: Business Week, Leopard ahead of schedule (Rumor likelihood: 10%)
Read: AppleInsider: NAND-based sub-notebook, iPods (Rumor likelihood: 40%)

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

If the customer’s always right, then let’s hope that Dell’s ready to deliver. Since February 16 when it launched Ideastorm, a customer-based crowdsourcing site, over 100,000 comments have addressed the possibility of offering leading Linux versions preinstalled in addition to, or in place of Windows. Dell spokesman David Lord confirms that the Linux buzz is being “taken into consideration” and tells us we should “certainly stay tuned.” Despite the vague update, Dell no longer has the luxury of turning a blind eye to high customer demand since it’s getting exactly what it asked for in the first place. Believe it or not, Dell is no stranger to Linux, according to Lord who explains that it sells custom-designed, high-end Linux desktops for use in oil and gas exploration. There’s no doubt that systems pre-loaded with Linux instead of Windows would cost less, but it’s hard to say how much since it isn’t clear what Dell tacks on for Windows. In addition, some customers are pushing to swap MS Office with OpenOffice, which is another way to reduce system prices. So it looks like Dell’s got a real (Idea)storm a-brewin’ and an interesting opportunity to make some big changes — but stalling seems to be the plan du jour for now.

Read – Dell Ideastorm site
Read – Reuters

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