MacTalk Reviews 2009 in the World of Apple

<p style="text-align: left;">It's the start of a new year, so it's a good time to look back on the year that past in the world of Apple. It was eventful, with a new OS and Steve getting a liver transplant. It was also extremely successful for Apple, with record profits, the App Store on fire and a buttload of new products.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">MacTalk also had an awesome year, it's probably been the most fun I've had running the site since it launched in 2004. Thank you readers for making it the best year ever!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Enough back slapping - here's MacTalk's overview of 2009.</p>

<strong>January</strong>
The year started off quietly, with t<a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/12/16macworld.html">he last Apple appearance at the Macworld expo</a>. A subdued event, with Phil Schiller only giving us <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/57198-whos-buying-ilife-09-a.html">iWork '09 and iLife '09</a>. Steve Jobs then <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/14advisory.html">goes on "sick leave"</a> - and he wont return until much later in the year.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4347" title="3179138084_6530fdc98c" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/3179138084_6530fdc98c.jpg" alt="3179138084_6530fdc98c" width="500" height="311" />

<strong>February</strong>
Not a lot happened in Feb except an <a href="http://www.cultofmac.com/wtf-lawsuit-of-the-year-ifart-v-pull-my-finger/8340">epic court case between iPhone fart apps.</a> A period of time we will tell our grandkids about indeed.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4348" title="fart-20081222" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fart-20081222.jpg" alt="fart-20081222" width="600" height="418" />

<strong>March</strong>
March saw the first <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/11/59870-safari-4-beta-out.html">beta of Safari 4</a>. <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/59036-woz-dancing-stars-us.html">Woz decided to be on Dancing With the Stars</a> and <a href="http://www.rockstargames.com/thelostanddamned/">GTA4: The Lost and Damned</a> came out. Nothing to do with Apple, but it was a big event for me okay? <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/39/60280-cityrail-hates-you-your-iphone.html">CityRail slapped an iPhone developer</a> for trying to make public transport timetables accessible and the <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/10/60257-imac-mac-mini-mac-pro-update-discussion.html">Mac Mini got a long awaited upgrade</a>. But the big news was the preview <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/03/18/iphone-os-30-details-developer-beta-released-2/">Apple gave us of iPhone OS 3.0</a> (aka, the Scott Forstall Show). Oh, and I <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/03/25/holy-crap-what-happened-to-mactalk/">accidentally trashed the forum layout</a> - but let's try and forget that happened...

<img class="aligncenter" title="forstall" src="http://heyinternet.com/imgdump/iphone30softwareb191.jpg-20090318-070240.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="293" />

<strong>April</strong>
In April, <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/39/61713-skype-coming-iphone-official.html">Skype for the iPhone</a> was released and it was very popular. Apple announces that <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/63183-1-billion-apps-reached.html">1 billion apps have been downloaded</a> from the App Store. <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/23/63023-icetv-vs-channel-9-final-battle-ends-tomorrow.html">IceTV won their High Court case</a> against the evil Nine network. Apple releases <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/04/22results.html">sales stats for fiscal Q2 '09 </a>- they make a record profit for a 2nd quarter.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4349" title="Apple - iTunes - Thanks a Billion" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Apple-iTunes-Thanks-a-Billion.jpg" alt="Apple - iTunes - Thanks a Billion" width="560" height="156" />

<strong>May</strong>
The <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/05/09/robina-store-opens-geek-endorphins-rise/">Robina Apple Store</a> opened up on the 9th of May, the <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/05/24/doncaster-apple-store-grand-opening-wrap-up/">Apple Store in Doncaster</a> opened on the 23rd. <a href="http://firemint.com/blog/?p=123">Firemint releases a detailed report</a> showing their impressive success on the app store.
<p style="text-align: center; "><img class="aligncenter" title="robina" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/apple_robina-0215.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="272" /></p>

<strong>June</strong>
<a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/05/31/a-week-without-apple-introduction/">I ditched all my Apple gear for a week.</a> <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/06/09/wwdc-09-keynote-wrap-up-unexpected-laptop-upgrades-iphone-3gs/">WWDC '09 happened</a>, <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/06/09/iphone-os-30-iphone-3g-s-what-you-need-to-know/">iPhone OS 3.0 reached our iPhones and the iPhone 3GS was released</a>. Steve Jobs tells everyone he had a <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/67439-confirmed-el-jobso-liver-transplant.html">liver transplant</a>. I cried when I realised how close his holiness was to death.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4350" title="hero-intro-20090608" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/hero-intro-20090608.jpg" alt="hero-intro-20090608" width="500" height="247" />

<strong>July</strong>
<a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/07/15/nandos-vs-oporto-ultimate-chicken-deathmatch/">Nandos and Oporto</a> go head to head. <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html">Apple's Q3 results</a> were impressive considering the rest of the industry is in decline. <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/31/69776-foxconn-engineer-commits-suicide-after-losing-iphone-4g-prototype.html">A Foxconn employee was chased to death</a> (literally) over allegedly leaking Apple product info. <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/07/24/apple-releases-new-versions-of-final-cut-studio-logic-studio/">Final Cut &amp; Logic</a> got nice updates.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4351" title="overview_hero_1_20090721" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/overview_hero_1_20090721.jpg" alt="overview_hero_1_20090721" width="500" height="225" />

<strong>August</strong>
<a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/28/70447-time-capsule-upgraded-1tb-2tb-prices-stay-same.html">2TB Time Capsule released.</a> <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/70680-eric-schmidt-resigns-board.html">Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, leaves the board of Apple</a> due to conflicting interests. <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/08/19/review-tomtom-for-iphone/">TomTom's long awaited GPS navigation app</a> hits the app store and ushers in a landslide of turn by turn GPS apps. The biggest event by far was S<a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/11/71946-my-snow-leopard-not-shipping-thread-merged.html">now Leopard being released, and then then total fail by TNT</a> delivering them around Australia.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4352" title="snowleopard_3dbox_hero_15mbp_screen" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/snowleopard_3dbox_hero_15mbp_screen.jpg" alt="snowleopard_3dbox_hero_15mbp_screen" width="492" height="282" />

<strong>September</strong>
<a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/09/10/new-ipods-new-itunes-the-return-of-steve-sept-9-music-event-summary/">The annual music event occurred with El Jobso unleashing new iPods.</a> The nano gets a camera and the shuffle went micro sized and lost all its buttons. iTunes 9 came out. The <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/6665720">pizza burger</a> was unleashed in September too. That was tasty.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4353" title="overview_hero1_20090909" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/overview_hero1_20090909.jpg" alt="overview_hero1_20090909" width="500" height="258" />

<strong>October</strong>
<a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/74288-apple-behind-new-light-peak-technology.html">Light Peak</a> initiative announced and demo given - blows minds. Amazon <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/23/74830-amazon-kindle-shipping-aus-october-19-a.html">releases the Kindle in Australia</a>. <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/39/74973-tweetie-2-a.html">Tweetie 2</a> released. <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/10/21/new-imacs-new-macbooks-new-mac-mini-new-magic-mouse-price-drops/">Apple spew updates to the Mac</a>. New plastic MacBooks. The 13" MacBook Pro. New iMacs. Price reductions and a Magic Mouse. <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/11/75795-anything-can-mac-psystar-efi-rebel.html">Psystar release Rebel EFI.</a>

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4354" title="UZQRO2ARtsvgaDkP.large" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/UZQRO2ARtsvgaDkP.large.jpg" alt="UZQRO2ARtsvgaDkP.large" width="600" height="450" />

<strong>November</strong>
The beautiful <a href="http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2009/11/15/huge-store-swallows-up-small-nyc-crowd/">Broadway store in New York</a> opens, as does <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/11/14/chermside-store-opens/">Chermside</a> in Brisbane. 27" iMacs start shipping (<a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/10/76797-imac-i7-27-shipping-date-confirmation.html">finally</a>), <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/10/76162-27-imac-screen-display-issues-rampant.html">but have many problems.</a> Psystar get the <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/19/78632-apple-3-psystar-0-psystar-closes-good.html">smack laid down on them</a>. Hard.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4355" title="psystar2" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/psystar2.png" alt="psystar2" width="494" height="334" />

<strong>December</strong>
<a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/12/05/telstra-iphones-get-free-internet-tethering/">Telstra allow iPhone tethering.</a> Mandatory <a href="http://forums.mactalk.com.au/23/78459-green-light-internet-filter.html">Internet filtering debate</a> heats up again. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8434132.stm">Nokia and Apple go on the warpath.</a> Big W had a <a href="http://www.mactalk.com.au/2009/12/12/50-off-20-itunes-gift-cards-at-big-w-this-weekend-only/">big ol'sale</a> on iTunes credit.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4357" title="header12" src="http://www.mactalk.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/header12.png" alt="header12" width="537" height="125" />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Did I miss anything important from 2009?
What do you think we'll see in 2010?
Post in the comments and let me know!</h3>