Mac News Shorts

• iPhone - a rumor that the Japanese company 'SoftBank' was working with Apple to develop a supposed iPhone got around two days ago, but has been all but denied. It was originally reported by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, but SoftBank denied any such product announcment without totally ruling out the possibility (AppleInsider). You might recall that SoftBank is supposed to take over the Japan Vodaphone division. This would be a big feather in their cap. Breaking into Japan's keitai market is a major challenge to Apple or any other company, so don't hold your breath.

• Product Announcements? - Apple will hold a press event to mark the opening of their New York City store this Thursday. There are indications that the supposed new laptop and updated iPods could be announced at this event, or even earlier during the week in a less flashy manner (AppleInsider) . Let's hope something is announced, regardless of the venue.

• TUAW Censorship? - Apparently, comments I post to TUAW articles on their website are now being filtered out, based on my primary email address. I've tried several times adding comments, but failed. By changing my email address, I am able to publish. I guess I should expect it, given my harsh tone on their promotion of Yahoo services and lack of content in many articles (like reporting the iTunes store releases). I think TUAW does a better job of Mac news than MacNN, and they certainly have more articles. However, they stretch for content many times when they don't need to. Oh well, I'll get over it.