Engadget.com recently published an article discussing the recent “jailbreak” that has set the iPod Touch free. Now, the iPod Touch, through the power of Wi-Fi, can run mail programs, Google Maps, and much more.

From the beginning of Apple’s creation of the iPhone, and now the iPod Touch, hackers have been looking for a way around the company’s stronghold on their products. Users have demanded instant messaging capabilities, a full-function mail application, and various other ways to take advantage of the Wi-Fi enabled devices. Unfortunately, Apple has yet to respond and create their own programs of this nature. In the meantime, hackers have officially accomplished their goal of opening the device to 3rd party apps.

The hacking of any of the Apple products means only one thing for the company, more money. Once these devices are hacked, there’s always an increase in sales. Potential customers like the idea of “hacking” the products, as well as using considerably more features then the regular user. Heck, having a more advanced mail system is just one more reason to consider an iPod Touch a little more worthy of our attention.

Keep an eye out for Apple over the next few days, they’re set to report earnings on October 22nd.Estimates: 0.99 | 0.84 | 0.72

Apple (AAPL), in what has been well-rumored for quite sometime, has officially launched the Apple.com Webapps Directory. While these apps are often very interesting and offer a wide variety of choices, they’re still Safari based.

The Webapps Directory is an enormous leap over having no method of downloading any free Safari-based webapps. The Webapps Directory can be found at: http://www.apple.com/webapps/

Apple (AAPL) has literally sold tens of millions of iPods since they first debuted. Some people have purchased more than two and some have purchased different versions (nano, shuffle, etc.). With all the excitement surrounding the iPhone, there seems to be a euphoria that’s blocking the future outlook. Will previous customers eventually buy new iPhones, like they did iPods?

iPods have been a craze, year after year, it’s been on the top of lists and consistently selling far more than other MP3 Players (i.e. Zune). Currently, the iPod product lineup varies in price from $79 to the all-new iPod Touch’s top-of-the-line price of $399. There isn’t any plan attached to these Apple products, and no necessary additional costs.

Most iPhone purchases cost $599 (for 8GB model), alongside about a $60 a month voice and data plan from AT&T (T). Put the costs together and it is a phone/iPod that will cost over $2000 in total charges in the first two years. This price isn’t necessarily an unusual number for phones that need intensive data packages.

The question comes into play when you factor this exceptional amount of money alongside the possibility of Apple updating the product with 3G and more flash memory in the future. What will users do when the possibility of getting a new iPhone becomes a reality? Will they simply buy the new model and sell the old one, or will they hold out, and keep the phone for two to three years?

If this happens, the market could see a saturation of iPhones and the supply will outweigh the demand. Then, new model iPhone sales could quickly dry up. We’re hoping for the iPhone to continue to sell like the iPod did, but there could be trouble in the next couple of years.

Disclosure: Long Apple Inc. (AAPL)

It’s unclear how long Apple’s (AAPL) rally will continue, but for now, let’s look back on one of the most incredible stocks in recent history.

Let’s not forget how Apple was merely a $20 stock back in 2004 and 2005. A pebble in the electronic market, little more than a tick on Microsoft’s (MSFT) back. Those times have quickly changed, and Apple is capturing one of the largest profit margins in the industry.

Investors were quite curious about the “iPod” in 2001, as a set back Steve Jobs introduced the revolutionary device to a crowd of no more than seemingly 100-150 people. The stock hit the ground running from there. As the evolution of newer devices and more cross-platform technology was introduced by Apple, investors saw the opportunity to jump aboard (me being one of them).

Shortly after a nice run, Apple had a 2-for-1 split on February 28, 2005. Many took their profits and let the stock take its course, but nobody could’ve expected Apple’s near future. By that time, Apple has introduced the iPod mini, soon afterwards, the first iPod shuffle was created. The stock didn’t stop.

Each time a new product was announced, the company quickly popped in stock, and investors were questioning every move. Consumers were eating up Apple products, not Creative or SanDisk products. How could this be? It was a simple result of pure brand power. The company had captured the attention of the World through the consistently sleek designs that were now an expectation of the company’s end results.

The most influential move had yet to come. The stock had actually been suffering for quite some time. Slipping from an all-time high of close to $90 per share in January 2006. Then, in January 2007 Apple came back into the spotlight. The MacWorld event at Moscone West was due to start, and months of rumors had been floating around. In the end, many of the rumors were hardly far from the truth.

The iPhone was introduced and the stock immediately jumped over $100 per share. Took the Americas by storm, and propelled Apple into the mobile phone market. While rumors speculated over various concerns, Apple prepared for the launch date and delivered, with thousands of phones selling the first day.

Now, Apple consumers and investors have plenty to look forward to this upcoming holiday season. From the iPhone to the all-new iPod touch, those stockings will be full of products dawning the little Apple logo. With rave reviews already being placed into young kids’ brains, parents will be looking for any way to get their hands on these one-of-a-kind products. Looks like it’s going to be another nice holiday for AAPL.

Below is the original event in which Steve Jobs announced the iPod:

Disclosure: Long Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Component research company, iSuppli, just released information related to the iPod Nano’s current profit margin. The numbers below don’t account for various other costs in the production process, only the part by part costs.

iSuppli estimates the bill of materials (BOM) at $58.85 for the 4 GB nano and $82.85 for the 8 GB version. Apple sells the 4 GB model at $149 and the 8 GB model at $199.

Source: Teardown Reveals Nano Component Changes, Cost Reductions

Consumers hoping for the Wi-Fi Music Store to be everything and more are out of luck. Turns out that the wireless method of purchasing iTunes music on-the-go is leaving out about 75 percent of the popular iTunes program. While this may be quite obvious to many, the mere fact that users can’t purchase or download literally “whatever they want” might be disconcerting.

At almost every Apple (AAPL) event, Jobs and various guests talk up the numerous features that encompass the Apple brand. Let it be clear that I would be considered myself an Apple fanboy, but please Jobs, you may have made a large misstep right here.

It’s unclear whether or not it was a creation problem or simply a program created with the sole-purpose of making more money. In many ways, the iTunes store is one of the first things that users click open on their computers. Some are navigating to the iTunes music store to simply purchase music, but a heck of a lot of other users are going somewhere else.

There are 6 main categories under the Library of the iTunes program. Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Radio, and the all-new Ringtones sections. Here’s where Apple either slacked or didn’t do their job. Movies, TV Shows, and Podcasts have become exponentially popular over the past few years, but did Apple simply ignore there potential as a part of a wireless (Wi-Fi) iTunes Store?

In the last Apple event Jobs touted the incredible wealth of information and content that is available throughout the iTunes Podcast section. Best of all, the content is free to download and/or subscribe to, but unfortunately, it won’t be available to the iPod Touch or iPhone users. Simply put, you can put more money into Apple’s pockets by buying songs on the go, and when you wont to get the free stuff, like Podcasts or occasional free TV Shows, Apple neglected to develop a viable method for downloading those items.

What makes the entire situation so much worse is the fact that a smart user can’t simply hack the iPhone or iPod Touch to enable the ability to download their favorite Podcasts through iTunes. Users are at the absolute mercy of Apple, which most of the time serves them just fine, but unfortunately, they’re being left out on over 75 percent of the iTunes store and the general program’s capabilities. While this may seem like a simple rant and rave, it appears as though Apple ingeniously created a method of making more money, without thinking about the need for users to feel at home with the user interface and have fully-functional programs.

Disclosure: Long Apple Inc. (AAPL)

After a set of amazing updates and releases over the past few days, Apple (AAPL) is poised to capture this holiday season by storm. Of most utmost importance is the updated release of the iPod Nano. Known for its small form factor and functional user interface, the Nano has just become the “it” device. Holding everything from Music, Podcasts, and Video, the new Nano is a huge leap from its predecessor. As the advertising campaign says, “[It’s] a little video for everyone.”

The shorter, stockier iPod Nano now measures in at around 2.75″ x 2.06″ x 0.26″. The music player offers two choices, a 4GB model which will hold about 1,000 songs and an 8GB model that will hold about 2,000 songs (in 128-Kbps AAC format). The device will have a continuous audio playback time of about 24 hours. The Nano now plays up to 5 hours of video playback on a single charge, with the capacity to hold 8 hours of video.

It’s hard to believe some of the sweeping changes between the previous generation iPod Nano and the one offered today. For instance, a simple update to the screen brightness has made the screen 65 percent brighter. Resolution has also been increased to 320 x 240, which will allow for more pleasant and vivid movie watching. By making the device slightly shorter and wider, the screen has been widened and now sits at a 2-inch diagonal.

Various websites have already received their Nanos and have pictures of the unboxing process. Check out one of the more popular gallerias at AppleInsider.com.

Reviews have also begun to surface, and the optimism doesn’t appear to be fading. PCMag.com has just completed a full-scale review:

In fact, a beautiful screen and just-as-thin body make the device seem like a large evolutionary step. The new user interface also combines the nicer touches of the iPhone’s U.I. (such as Cover Flow) with new elements (a split screen which shows album covers for highlighted songs and a new Now Playing screen).

The new main menu has a split screen, dividing the space equally between the familiar iPod menu lists on the left and a moving image of an album cover on the right.

The battery life for the nano is rated at 24 hours for audio and five hours for video playback. Our audio rundown test yielded a battery life of 24 hours and 6 minutes; our video test is still underway.

One of the only possible areas for concern would be the actual dimensions of the click-wheel, which seems to have continued to shrink. This could potentially be cause for concern for those users with larger fingers. We’d recommend actually getting your hands on one in an Apple Store if that is of any concern. Otherwise, the device is priced exceptionally well, starting at $149 (4GB model), and comes in a variety of colors (white, black, (red), lime green, and sky blue).

Disclosure: Long Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Oh so often in Microsoft’s (MSFT) not so intellectual business moves, they go ahead and enter a market and business that isn’t natural for a software company. Microsoft’s Live Search is a perfect example of a company’s desperate attempt to enter a new market. Spending tremendous amounts of capital for a third-rate search experience. In another attempt at grabbing extra revenue from other markets, Microsoft’s failure of a music player, the Zune, is losing traction, fast.

Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) has been making record profits, as their products continue to skyrocket towards greater sales and margins. The introduction of the iPod in 2001 is without a doubt when Apple began its tremendous turnaround. Now, with 5 products that all have a variety of “iPod” functionality and market share that encompasses about 75 to 80 percent of music player sales, it’s clear that Apple is creating THE music player.

Despite these terrible statistics for an entering company, Microsoft decided to go forth with their own music player. With a choice of three colors, Brown, Black, and White, the Zune player certainly hasn’t failed because of choices (not that the color variable was even in question). Originally, the Zune introduced at a competitive price of $249 to Apple’s iPod, which was priced at $299. Both were 30 GB large and both were capable of playing video, but any real similarities or postives for the Zune end there.

The Apple iPod product line-up has continuously been evolving. Various additions to the original iPod product have also been introduced. What has Microsoft been doing in the mean time? Price-cutting, price-cutting, and a little bit more price-cutting. Oh, I almost forgot, they added a whole two new colors! The player has quickly dropped 20 percent of its original price tag. Originally selling for $249, the player now sells for $199 (little known to much of the current media, as the price drop was made on September 5th, or the day of Apple’s special event), and can even be found on interestingly sketchy sites for about $149.

The Zune was doomed from the start. The music player isn’t cross-compatible with Macintosh computer platforms, and only works with Microsoft’s own attempt at a music store/player. That means that any music you’ve downloaded from the iTunes store can’t get transferred to the Zune.

Scariest of all, are the deep cuts into the price point, without any real noticeable upgrades and improvements. The Zune was to compete directly with the regular iPod, which is now known as the iPod Classic. The funny thing is that the Zune is now $199, and still 30 GB. Meanwhile, the iPod Classic has a base price point of $249, and comes with an 80 GB hard drive. Sorry Microsoft, but your price cuts aren’t upgrades, find some other product/business to steal market share from.

Disclosure: Long Apple Inc. (AAPL)