Full gallery of Apple’s gorgeous flagship Amsterdam Hirsch building retail store - by aby benedict

We already knew that Apple would officially open the doors to a new flagship retail location on the ground floor and mezzanine of the Hirsch building at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. The doors officially open to the public on Saturday, but One More Thing photographer Rogier Visser has shared some great photos of the new store from this morning’s press event.

Apple confirmed to One More Thing that the store will hold 300 employees who can serve customers in 14 languages, and it features the world’s longest Genius Bar at 20 meters long with 34 stools. You will even find a Briefing Room and EasyPay self-checkout for accessories through the Apple Store app. The store will open to the public Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Check out the gorgeous glass staircase and the rest of the store in the full gallery below (a few images courtesy of iCreate Magazine and anp-photo):

Obama: ‘I watch NBA League Pass on my iPad’ - by aby benedict

The first Bulls fan seems like he’s got a good grasp on NBA. But will he pony up the $120 for MLB.com?

B82 Poll: What kind of new Apple accessory is it? - by aby benedict

In our report earlier this week we found a new Apple accessory part called B82:

We’re also hearing of a mystery accessory that will launch alongside the new iPads and Apple TV. We’re not sure what it is, but it’s called “B82″ internally. The product is likely some accessory, probably ranging from either a cable, cover, or new audio remote. The new Apple TV will include Bluetooth 4.0 capability, so perhaps Apple will ship an improved remote to that takes advantage of that next-generation Bluetooth protocol.

So what do you think B82 is?

What is B82?

A new Bluetooth 4.0 audio remote with noise canceling MicAn updated 30-pin to HDMI adapterA new wireless charging dockScreen cleanerThunderbolt iPad adapterGaming Bluetooth 4.0 JoystickWe'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below

Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview hits 1 million downloads - by aby benedict

It took less than 24 hours for the tally of Windows 8 consumer preview downloads to hit the 7-figure mark. A message on the official Windows 8 Twitter account confirmed, “one day later…one million downloads of the consumer preview,” which referred to the public download that went live on Microsoft’s website yesterday.

So if it wasn’t already clear, there is a lot of excitement building around Microsoft’s new operating system. The reason for that enthusiasm is that Windows 8 is a completely rebuilt platform; it looks nothing like Windows 7 and has been redesigned to fit in with today’s tablet-toting, smartphone-loving consumer. The Metro UI is a completely different look for Windows, and people are intrigued by it.

Obviously that one million number reflects downloads, not unique users. So if even a small percentage of people downloaded the preview for multiple computers, the actual number of people who are running the Windows 8 preview will be significantly less. Regardless, though, that’s a pretty impressive milestone to hit in one day.

Next iPad May Be Called “iPad HD” As Opposed To “iPad 3″ - by aby benedict

Before a product is announced, the actual name of it is always a speculative, educated guessing game. The last couple have months have been dominated by talk of the "ipad 3", but, with retina display all-but a certainty, some sources now suggest the Cupertino’s third tablet installment will be called iPad HD.

It would, of course, make little sense being called the iPad HD since although the resolution of the first two iPads haven’t exactly left us gazing in awe, their 1024 × 768 screens do constitute high-definition viewing. Then again, the supposed Retina display would take things to the next level, offering a visually crisper, smoother visual experience worthy of the "HD" moniker.

As ever at this critical pre-launch stage, the case and accessory/peripheral makers tend to sprout with new ideas as to what is in store, and Griffin – one of the most popular makers of iAccessories – has done exactly that. A supposed parts list of Griffin’s was leaked on twitter by Michael Fonfara (@mycintosh) which, as you can see from the screen snap below, shows multiple entries for iPad HD accessories.

Fonfara also notes that Belkin has confirmed the name of the much-anticipated gadget, set to be unveiled at a press conference in San Francisco on March 7th. As well as the better late than neverintro of the uber-sharp Retina, we’re expecting a quad-core A6 processor, improved cameras for possible FaceTime HD adaption, as well as Apple’s first delve into the world of LTE connectivity, all packed into a very slightly relaxed form factor to accommodate the new hardware.
To add a little more clout to an otherwise fairly unreliable iPad HD claim, a developer has highlighted to Gizmodo of usage data from an application called Tapatalk, which runs on iOS, Android and Blackberry. The data – which cannot be spoofed (although the data could have been manipulated to show these results), seems to corroborate the claims:

There will be a mixture of excitement and relief once Tim Cook and friends finally take turns to announce each and every detail of the new device on the 7th, whether it be called iPad HD, iPad 3, or iPad The Third. Finally, the anxious tech world will be able to put to bed the rumors, and concentrate on the finished product, which will likely release a fortnight thereafter.

Munster on Apple’s mythical HDTV set: “It will be the biggest thing in consumer electronics since the smartphone - by aby benedict

Pictured above: An Apple television concept render by Guilherme Schasiepen

Piper Jaffray’s resident Apple analyst Gene Munster stands out as arguably the most outspoken proponent of an Apple-branded HD TV television set, the mythical iTV. With all eyes now on Apple’s iPad 3 unveiling next Wednesday, the pundits are also keeping their fingers crossed for a much-needed Apple TV refresh with 1080p video output and a faster processor, among other things – especially now that Apple TVs are increasingly disappearing from shelves.

Piggy-backing on the forthcoming product unveiling hype, Munster shed more light on what he thinks a full-blown television set adorned by the shiny Apple logo should be like, in yesterday’s interview with Bloomberg Radio’s Tom Keene and Ken Pruitt. Munster’s betting Apple will introduce the rumored product some time this year and is expecting a Fall availability. You will want to buy it because:

It’s going to live up to some of the building hype. It will be the biggest thing in consumer electronics since the smartphone.

From the design standpoint, the iTV “will look different” than your regular telly. “Imagine just a sheet of glass – no edges or bevels”. The analyst re-iterated his previous observations, including strong focus on content consumption (presumably delivered through iTunes/iCloud) and Siri voice control. More notes right below.

The analyst is also expecting the iTV will let you both channel surf the traditional way – using a remote control – and navigate by using your voice (“show me sci-fi movies rated 8/10 and released last year”). He speculated this dual-mode navigation is“the code that Steve Jobs said he had cracked in his biography”. Last April, Munster asserted Apple would have to introduce a new video-focused service alongside the iTV, presumably serving scheduled/live TV plus movies and TV shows. The service is said to stem from an alleged array of super data centers that Apple is supposedly keen on building the world over.

Munster is well-known for touching on the subject of an Apple televison in his notes to clients. A month ago he claimed Apple was tapping a “major TV component supplier” and inquiring about“various capabilities of their television display components”, echoing an October 2011 report by the New York Times. The key – as always – will be premium content.“Without a revamped TV content solution, we do not think Apple enters the TV market”, Munster opined, sharing a sentiment published in the Wall Street Journal.

Apple’s market value reaches $500 billion - by aby benedict

Apple’s market value peaked today, reaching $500 billion, a place not many have gone nor managed to stay for long. The company is already the most valuable in the world and the gap between it and second place Exxon continues to widen as investors jump on the bandwagon of Apple’s recent holiday success and enticed by the possibility of Apple instituting a dividend. Today’s milestone makes Apple only the sixth US corporation to have reached the $500 billion mark.

Individual Apple shares had just surpassed the $500 mark two weeks ago and they continue to rise, reaching $542.41 per share late this morning with the company’s market capitalization near $506 billion. This stock jump comes just a day after Apple sent out invitations for its iPad 3 event scheduled to take place next Wednesday, March 7.

Apple was going neck and neck with Exxon for much of last year, but had blown past the oil company last month by nearly $100 billion. Exxon is now worth about $407 billion and had reached the $500 billion mark for two brief periods in 2007. Microsoft had hit the $500 billion mark briefly in 1999 and again in early 2000, but is now worth $267 billion. Cisco, Intel, and GE had also hit the $500 billion mark in early 2000 with Cisco and Intel now worth a little over $100 billion each, while GE is worth about $200 billion.