Nintendo Wii sets record as fastest-selling console in the US

The Wii has already set more than its share of sales records, but it looks like Nintendo has now claimed another big one, with the latest NPD figures indicating that the Wii has become the fastest-selling console ever in the United States. That milestone was apparently marked when the Wii sailed past 20 million consoles sold after just 31 months on the market, although that number is of course just a small part of the more than 50 million consoles shipped worldwide which, incidentally, has already made the Wii the fastest-selling console in the world.

Apple patent filing shows off activity monitor for skiers, bikers

Fans of more extreme sports will probably be stoked to hear that Apple just might be developing a device with them in mind.Apple Insider's discovered a recent patent filing that could possibly signal the development of a monitoring device (much likeNike+) which can detect, track, and display a visual and quantitative measure, for instance, of a skier's speed and air time. The device looks like it would contain one or more loft sensors (in one photo it is shown installed in a snowboard) and a microprocessor subsystem to determine loft time. There are of course, no guarantees that a product like this will ever see the light of day, but we sure hope so: runner favoritism must end. One more page of the filing after the break.

Why MacBook Is About to Mean Something Else Entirely

Historically, Apple loves cleanly delineated product lines, so the "MacBook Pro" re-shuffling seems strange even if the socialist element is a fun side effect. Unless they're clearing out the MacBook for something else entirely.

Think about it: Right now a single, lonely model bears the name MacBook. A model that's been around forever, too. On the other hand, there are three sizes of MacBook Pros in six, count 'em, six flavors. Lopsided much? The poor thing gets no promotion, either. It was quietly updated to be as fast as the aluminium MacBook last week, warranting just a one-line mention during the WWDC Philnote. And where's the splash pic for Apple's most affordable Mac on the Mac page?

So, why is Apple basically wasting one of their most powerful brands, their "most popular Mac"?

Because they're about to call something else MacBook.

It's the only logical explanation for the muddled, complicated and totally un-Apple product line. Why all of their core notebooks are now called MacBook Pros. Why MacBook denotes a single notebook, one that perpetually seems like it's on its way out—because it very likely is on its way out.

There are two possibilities that stand out for MacBook: A new, even cheaper notebook, following the hard price cuts across the iMac and MacBook Pro lines. Or at the very least, a completely redesigned MacBook family that looks way different than what Apple is currently calling MacBook Pro, and maybe even the current MacBook. That's the more conservative take.

The other possibility is mostly in fap-fap fantasyland, but we can't rule it out: What if Apple calls that tablet thing MacBook? (Indicating it's at least somewhat different than most people have been imagining.) What better way to use one of their most iconic brands than to signify a complete shift in mainstream computers? Calling the tablet a MacBook would be incredibly ballsy, but an incredibly powerful signal, too.

Either way, we're pretty sure Apple isn't just going to let the MacBook wither and die—something new has to be coming that's gonna be called MacBook, and we'd wager relatively soon, too.

Or maybe Apple's just becoming a little bit more like every other PC maker and doesn't know what the hell they're doing with their brands anymore. But I somehow doubt that.

100 Posts Anniversary!

THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG I HAVE MADE THAT HAS FINALLY REACHED A 100 POSTS! HURRAY!

First Pic of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash in Iron Man

Curious as to what Mickey Rourke is going to look like as Whiplash in next summer's Iron Man 2? Be curious no longer.

Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) sports a power pack on his chest that looks similar to the one used by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). "The technologies are definitely related, and that's part of the core theme of the film," says director Jon Favreau.

The character's alter ego, Ivan Vanko, is a Russian who, Favreau says, "has constructed his own version of a suit." Among the creative alterations: a pair of whips, powered by the suit's glowing chest piece, expected to keep Iron Man cracking. Whiplash "is going to light them up," says Rourke.

This first image of the character shows the villain making an appearance at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.