Over the past year (since launch) Appletell has seen numerous small Apple announcements including MacBook and MacBook Pro updates as wellas the re-launch of the iMac in addition to the majors; MacBook Air, Leopard, Time Capsule, Apple TV 2, and the iPhone. We have also re-launched the design of the site as well as finally cracking the logo.

About five weeks ago Mike informed us that he has had a blast working on the site but it was time to pass the role over to someone new. While we were extremely disappointed, we impressed with where Mike has grown the site since launch. Thankfully, Mike will be popping his head in from time to time as a contributor to Appletell and Gadgetell. This set off a chain of events in the search for a new editor, leading to today. We are pleased to introduce Kirk Hiner to the Dabbledoo team, as the v2 Appletell editor. Read on for more about Kirk and please join Doug and I as we welcome him to the team.

Kirk Hiner has been covering Apple and Macintosh related products on the web since 1996, most recently as senior editor at Applelinks.com. There, he managed a staff of five to ten writers while also contributing reviews, news coverage, how-tos, interviews and feature columns.

An avid Mac user since 1988 when he first worked on a Macintosh SE, Kirk has followed Apple from the IIGS to his current Intel iMac, in the process surviving Gil Amelio, Microsoft Word v6.0, and the clone years. His all-time favorite Apple product is the current Intel iMac, and he firmly believes all Apple laptops should look exactly like the eMate.

Kirk is a graduate of Ohio Northern University, where he received a B.S. in English with teacher certification. He published his first novel, “Mowin’ the Heavenly Lawn,” through iUniverse. His first play, “Spoon Millionaires,” recently premiered at Lima Playfair, where it was the first play in the festival’s history to run the entire duration of the event.

Kirk lives in Ohio, with his wife and their children. He spends his free time reading and writing fiction, gaming on the Nintendo Wii and DS, playing bass in his band The Adam Routine, and teaching his children about the joys of football, hockey and Queen.