The only Apple news worth reading…

Apple’s media event will be streamed live today and a source is telling Cult of Mac that it’s being done to test the company’s new server farm’s ability to stream content to a future version of iTunes.

From Cult of Mac:

Apple is live streaming Wednesday’s iPod event as a test of its massive new data center, we’ve been informed by a source.

Apple’s first live video broadcast in years is a test of the server farm’s ability to stream a future version of iTunes for iOS devices, our tipster says.

“The goal is to monitor traffic load and quality,” says our tipster, who asked to remain anonymous to preserve their connections at Apple.

Apple is using its HTTP Live Streaming technology, which requires a Mac, iPhone or iPad. The live broadcast begins at 10:00 a.m. PST at www.apple.com.

HTTP Live Streaming is open standards-based streaming technology. As well as streaming live video, it supports video on demand with encryption and authentication, Apple says. It is built intoQuickTime X and iOS. Apple is currently submitting HTTP Live Streaming as a proposed Internet standard. Read more

There is no official word yet, but a report suggest that Apple has acquired the web mapping firm Poly9, a company which developed programing interfaces for Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo and others.

Apple and Poly9 will not comment, but the report suggests some Poly9 employees have already settled in at Apple’s Cupertino, California offices.

There have been rumors of Apple creating its own mapping service since they acquired the mapping company Placebase last year.

Source

Steve Jobs will appear at the eighth D: All Things Digital in an interview Tuesday night.  Jobs has been onstage many times at D, including in a famous joint session with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Kara Swisher will be conducting the interview and has made the following statement about what should be talked about.

There is much to talk to Jobs about, obviously, including the new iPad, the mobile market and the iPhone, its tense relationship with Google and the next innovations from the Silicon Valley computer icon.

Source

Apple’s popular “Get a Mac” ad campaign, starring John Hodgman and Justin Long, is officially over.  The ads ran from 2006-2009 and featured Hodgman as a PC and Long as a Mac.  Each ad would humorously point out the flaws of Windows and the many benefits of getting a Mac.

Apple’s gallery of “Get a Mac” ads has been removed from the site, with the URL redirecting to the “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page.

The new page says “Why get a new PC and just upgrade your computer, when you can get a Mac and upgrade your entire computer experience?”  The page highlights the following reasons on “Why You’ll Love a Mac”:

• It’s designed to be a better computer.
• It comes with software you’ll love to use.
• It comes with the world’s most advanced OS.
• It comes with award-winning support.
• It runs Office and works with your existing PC files.
• It’s compatible with your stuff.
• It doesn’t get PC viruses.
• It’s loaded with the latest technology.
• It runs Windows and Windows applications.

Check out Apple’s new “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page at www.apple.com/why-mac

Apple has purchased Sire, the company that developed a free voice-activated personal assistant app for the iPhone.  Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but this will give Apple a bigger stake in voice-activated technology.