Apr 18

-The popular Square credit card reader system is now available through the Apple online store. The card reader costs $9.95 and ships in either black or white and includes a $10 redemption code. To set up Square, just grab their free application from the iOS App Store and create a free account. Square takes a flat rate of 2.75% per transaction with any approved card (when swiped) and the system works with iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4, and the 4th-generation iPod touch.

-Apple took their support discussions website down this morning and now it is back up. It’s not back up as support discussions, though. Apple has finally replaced their aging support discussions board website with Apple Support Communities. Products and services from Apple are now arranged by “community". Within each community is a set of responses akin to those in Apple’s old discussion forums. Instead, now, there is a quick answer feature that lets you quickly reply to any post. Additionally, you will recieve any email when your topic is replied to (if you wish).

-A newly Apple laptop on board projector patent was released.It suggests that the projector would be laser-based, and be both cheaper and more power efficient than conventional light projectors, while also overcoming the so-called "speckle" problem sometimes seen with laser projectors. What's perhaps most interesting, however, is that the patent application also suggests the projector could be integrated into other devices -- in fact, one of the claims specifically mentions a laptop with an integrated projector, as artfully illustrated in the below photo.