Antennagate
Mac Quick Tips Podcast
Link
Adobe Flash Vulnerability
Crash goes Flash, again, or was
that an attack?
The release candidate for the next version appears not
to be vulnerable.
So, either sit with the current version with its
security implication, or upgrade to some Adobe
preview
software which you can
download here.
Can’t imagine why Apple don’t want Flash on
the iPhone/iPad.
Update:
Adobe has fixed the hole. Download.
Claim Chowder: “BP’s Brands”
Should we also boycott the roads themselves? Do people still boycott Exxon? How about Shell in Nigeria and their plans to drill off Alaska? I’m sure with a bit of research all oil companies have done something you’d not approve of. Of course it wasn’t so long ago BP were being heralded when they discovered oil near the US reducing the countries reliance on imported oil. People tend to forget quickly and if the nearest place to buy petrol is BP, is there much logic driving further and use more petrol?
If you really want to make a difference, how about not driving at all?
Bus driver birthday surprise
Link, via Neatorama.
Flash bang wallop
I concur:
One of
many
Eyjafjallajökull
It does have its upsides: Pollution levels must be down, those living under flight paths have some peace most of us take for granted. Eurostar is doing booming business, which can’t be bad after they had a terrible 2009 and the UK holiday market must surely be up!
It’s sad then to realise it won’t last long. Even if the volcano were to spue out more ash than it is now, you just know eventually the airline industry will find some scientist who’ll disagree with the current science,“It’s all okay, It’s really not that dangerous!”. Then it’ll be back to service as usual with fingers crossed nobody crashes. Hey, if the sky was on fire they’d say, “It’s not that hot!”.
The funny thing is, people who are desperate to go on their holidays wouldn’t care less if it were dangerous because they're all so grumpy now they'd fly through hell if it meant getting to some beach. Because that really is life or death stuff.
Update:
Like 9/11, volcano plane ban may hold climate clue, via Reuters.
Airspace Rebooted, via Vimeo
Planes or Volcano?, via Information is Beautiful
iPhone 4.0
“Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs give a sneak peek into the future of the iPhone OS. See the video-on-demand event right here, exclusively in QuickTime and MPEG-4.”
Hiatus
See you soon.
iPhone 3GS
It’s faster, comes with an updated camera, 3MP with video, voice control, a digital compass, remote wipe.
The hardware remains looking the same so that old case of yours will still fit.
Details
There was also a lot of iPhone software demoed.
Find My Phone allows you to find where you put your phone down even if it’s in mute.
TomTom are releasing an app taking advantage of the built in compass and GPS turning the iPhone into a proper turn by turn satnav.
iPhone OS 3.0
I’d think of version 3 as the first proper version with features you’d have thought would’ve been included at the start, but also adds a few things to move it forward.
Cut/Copy/Paste is finally here as is landscape in all the main apps. You can now finally search using Spotlight.
Peer to Peer gaming so you’ll be able to play along with friends with iPhones.
MMS which shall make some happy (never cared about it myself).
Finally your notes are now synced, it’s been so annoying that wasn’t there at the start.
You can now shake to shuffle like other iPods.
It also adds tethering, making it easy to connect your computer to the net when you’re not near any wifi.
Details
Mac OS X 10.6
Snow Leopard is more an improvement of what underpins the OS, making it faster and actually giving you back space on your HD with a few UI improvements.
Details
Safari 4
I am a little hesitant to re-install it. I removed it after finding problems when reopening pages from the last session, but that was a beta version.
Download
MacBook Updates
Updates include:
New 15” MacBook Pro with the controversial built in battery but now has a built in SD card slot which is no doubt a lot more useful than the PC card slot was.
So does the new 13” which now also brings back FireWire! Which puts me out of date. It happens.
The MacBook Air and MacBook (White) both got a speed bump. The 17” also got an update but kept its card slot.
You can look at the full specs here
Five on your Mac
You can also watch with the ITV Player, but the site design is a disaster.
Still it’s nice to finally be getting some Mac recognition.
4oD on a Mac!
Quality isn’t too bad on new programmes, older programmes like Father Ted are a bit more iffy, but it’s nice no longer to have to open Windows.
Link
iPod Shuffle
Apple updated the iPod Shuffle, making it smaller, removing all the controls to the headphones.
It’s not going to win any design awards (well, it will of course), but it’s smaller, lighter and still has a little clip on it. It’ll all be in the headphones eventually.
I’d have to try the voice controls to see how well they work. I know at the moment it’s a pain to dig the iPhone out of my pocket to check what’s playing, so it might be a great feature (and perfect for anyone visually impaired). All the tapping does remind me of the MacTini.
At the moment you’re stuck with Apple’s headphones, but no doubt better ones will come and nobody is forcing anyone to run out and buy a new shuffle until they do.
Comes in Black or Silver - 4GB £59
Safari 4
I’ve only had a quick play around but so far I like the tabs at the top giving a little more screen space and top sites, but it may take some getting used to. I think they need an easier way of adding sites to it unless I’m missing something?
I’m unsure how useful Cover Flow is going to be in Safari, but maybe it has finally found a use? I can’t say I use Cover Flow in anything else, it’s always been something you wow at then never use.
Windows users should be please that it’s now more a native app.
MacWorld US has a good review and Ars.
You can download Safari 4 here.
Mad Men
MacBook
I had some early niggles which may’ve tainted my initial excitement, blame the problems I had with my previous Black MacBook which made me paranoid. Talking of which; it has the same static noise issue. After some research it seems the problem is the sound-card sleeping, the static blip is the sound it makes when waking. C’est la vie.
There was an initial problem with the trackpad not always responding when pressed, fixed in the Trackpad Firmware Update. Two other updates fixed some problems I’d not had: MacBook EFI Firmware Update and MacBook SMC Firmware Update.
The lack of Firewire hasn’t been a problem. The one drive I had which used Firewire also could be connected via USB. It’s a pity there’s no way to use Target Disk Mode, even if used infrequently it was a useful feature.
It’s a beautiful computer, feeling lighter and more solid than the Black MacBook, due to the new unibody design, with none of the problems with greasy finger marks. It’s fast, easily capable of virtualizing Windows when I need to (blame 4oD, which is still Windows only). I’m using the cheap as free VirtualBox.
The new glass multi-touch trackpad features are great, even if I don’t use them all. Swiping back and forth in a browser, or four fingers for Exposé just feels natural. I’ve even got used to just tapping instead of pressing the trackpad (which itself is one big clunky button). It makes for a much quieter computer experience. It’s also nice to know it being glass it hopefully won’t end up all shiny like most trackpads.
Overall, I’m enjoying it more now than when I first unboxed it.
One other thing, it also has a very satisfying thhhud when you close the lid, it feels engineered like car doors.
Christmas Ads
Two new animated for
Christmas Holiday ads from Apple. I
can do Anything and Tree Trimming.
Link
I'm a PC
Daring Fireball covers it well: “...they’re not countering Apple’s message, but instead they’re reinforcing it.”
I just think it strange how a company that has the biggest market share is acting like it’s the small guy.
Read the full article here.
Apple Event 14th October
Here’s hoping it’ll be something I can buy.
Let's Rock
Apple updated its iPod line at today’s Let’s Rock event.
First, iTunes 8 which features a new Grid view, visualizer and Genius, a smart way of creating playlists.
You can now download HDTV programmes and watch them on your computer, not just the Apple TV. NBC also made a surprise return to the iTunes store.
The iPod Nano has returned to the long form factor of old, with a larger better screen, the Genius feature, voice-annotation, and a fun feature, you shake the Nano to shuffle songs. It comes in nine colours, nano-chromatic as Apple say. The Shuffle is also now available in the same colours.
The iPod Touch gained a slimmer form, improved software with 2.1, built in Nike+iPod for those who like to run about.
They’ve also improved the headphones.
The 2.1 software is also to make it to the iPhone soon.
You can watch the whole show here.
No Macs though, which is what I’m waiting for. Here’s hoping for something in October.
Cuil
Another nail in Facebook's coffin?
Link
WWDC 2008
8GB model will cost £99 on the £30 & £35 tariff, and free on the £45 & £75 tariff. 16GB model, £159 on the £30 & £35, £59 on the £45 tariff and free on the £75 tariff. They will also be releasing a Pay-as-you-go version, pricing not yet available. Update: Previous owners will also be able to upgrade for free to the new model. Visit O2 for full details.
It’s also now available in white and black, the buttons are metal and the headphone socket is no longer recessed, making it easier to work with other headphones. Oh, and back is plactic now, which should help with reception I’ve read.
Not upgrading the camera seems a strange oversight. It still has the same 2 megapixel camera of the previous model, and no ability to record video, why? Many were also expecting a front facing camera, but that’s just an expectation, a good one mind. The problem is we still tend to go by the numbers and see 7mp as better than 2, just like the old days of the Mhz myth, we have the Megapixel myth:
“The megapixel myth was started by camera makers and swallowed hook, line and sinker by camera measurebators. Camera makers use the number of megapixels a camera has to hoodwink you into thinking it has something to do with camera quality.”
Really, unless you’re heavily cropping an image or planning on printing over A5, 2mp is probably fine. I’m not an Apple appologist, as it does seem rather dumb to have missed even adding 1 extra megapixel. Sure it’ll happen in the next revision, they probably were concentrating on 3G & GPS first. If you’re a serious photographer, you’re going to have a proper camera anyway.
David Pogue came to the same conclusions.
The only other missing feature it seems, is MMS (Multimedia Message Service), unless you’re waiting for that haptic feedback? They have improved Enterprise integration (which is interesting for those corporate chappies). My brother is planning on getting one, so I’ll see what he uses most, I’d suspect I’d be surfing mostly.
You can watch the new iPhone advert here.
Update: Apple have released a guided tour of the iPhone here.
Apple also launched MobileMe, a replacement for .Mac (itself a replacement of the free iTools, damn them!). MobileMe will push services like calendars, mail and contacts to the iPhone. As well as a suite of web based applications. It’s still going to cost you 20GB storage $49 - 40GB storage $99 annually. You can no doubt get these services for free elsewhere, perhaps less elegantly, but you pays your money... You can now watch a tour of the service here.
There was also some information on the next version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The OS appears to be laying foundations for the future, rather than adding flashy new features. Expected 2009.
Sadly, and I didn’t really expect it, there were no new Macs, specifically a new MacBook or MacBook Pro which is what I’m waiting for.
The keynote is available to watch here (but it’s a pretty dull one).
Sex and the City
Link
Apparently she's still on Tiger.
Cambridge Apple Store - Grand Opening
I played it smart, I thought and went in via the new John Lewis end of the mall, which seemed to have less people waiting than the Lion Yard entrance (it turned out most had waited outside the main Grand Arcade entrance). There were balloons suspended from the ceiling ready for the opening, but to my disappointment they didn’t drop at 10:00.
At 10:05 I could hear a loud count down shouted at the
other end and they were let through (even then the
balloons didn’t drop). Some made a run for the
Apple Store (others walked past), leaving the people at
my end in some confusion, still being held back, until
a few made a break for it. This lead to the normal
human need to follow the crowd and stampede. Many
rushed down to the Apple Store, but were made to form
another queue against the wall opposite the store
before being let in. I still managed to be in a line
with about the first 15 people, had I been further back
I’d would’ve gone home.
Hey you, get to the back
of the queue.
There was some confusing as we were let in - other
shoppers were either trying to squeeze past the store,
or when trying to walk in were being ushered away down
the line, not realising it was anything special. There
was the usual noisy clapping, shouting and hooting as
we entered, this was mainly from the Apple staff - not
the people coming in. We were also extensively filmed
& photographed by Apple’s staff, for no doubt
more promotional videos, (like I saw during my Apple
interview/seminar). I kept my hood up.
Once inside, I picked up my T-shirt from a guy I had
been to the seminar with. I called him Vicas for some
unknown reason. I couldn’t remember his name, it
might’ve been close? I apologise if he ever reads
this. I shook his hand, congratulating him. The (not
so) funny thing; I’m sure he admitted not knowing
that much about Macs at the seminar, but he does have a
friendly face. I also spied another guy who had talked
way too much during the seminar and is now one of their
greeters! I guess Mac knowledge isn’t high on
Apple’s wish list to work in a store (I think
I’ve a right to be have my nose put out slightly
- how could they not want MisterMac! heh).
Many shops remain
empty
The shop seemed pretty generic, not very big but nicely
laid out as you’d expect. After a look about and
quick play with an iPhone (forgetting to look at the
MacBook Air). I remembered to enter the
competition, once I found
it.
I also took some photos, which you can see
here.
After leaving, I found the queue stretched right down
to the old Lion yard. I’m actually unsure if some
of the people in the queue knew what they were queuing
for. I have a feeling some just thought it was still
for the grand opening of the mall, or maybe I’m
wrong and a lot of those old Grans really are Mac
users? You never know!
Whilst walking out via John Lewis - one of the staff asked
me "what is in those
boxes?". I explained it was a
T-shirt and he seemed slightly disappointed. They
are one of the other major stockists of Apple
products, so I cheered them up saying the Apple
Store still don’t give that free extra
two years guarantee, unlike themselves.
They thanked me heh.
Chic Apple Store, right
next door to the classy
Clinton Cards. That’s gotta make you grin.
I kinda felt sorry for the
other shops, most had more staff than customers in
comparison, the guy at the Sony store looked quite
miffed as I left with my Apple T-Shirt box.
Update: Just noticed my
story has been linked by MacDailyNews - just to add;
the Sony store isn’t in the Grand
Arcade, it’s around the corner in
Lion Yard , I just past it on the
way out - I think the guy was more bemused. My old
Sony Trinitron CRT TV has been going strong for 18
years, so not a comment on their products, but their
stores do need modernisation.
Saturday I think will be the real test as to what shops
people are actually interested in. Top Man, that’s where I
plan on going. Now I would’ve queued if
they
were handing
out free T-Shirts, well they might do sizes other
than large, or perhaps I should eat more pies!
Update: On Sunday the Apple
Store was pretty full when I went
past.
There’s still many empty shops in the Arcade,
some of the new shops have just moved in from other
parts of the town centre, leaving closed stores
elsewhere. Hopefully we’ll get some real new
stores soon, and not just expensive brand stores (not
everyone in Cambridge is rich).
Update: I saw on the
local news that they did let the
balloons down later, with dancing girls! They
don’t mention the Apple Store, odd considering
it had the most interest. Still, I can’t
believe I missed that, instead I was inside a Mac
shop. Here’s hoping I win
something.
T-Shirt; only comes in
large.
Phorm
Phorm will allow the 3 big ISPs to track everywhere you go on the internet and sell that information to an advertiser, oh and with some guff that they're making the net a better place.
See:
BadPhorm
BBC Reports: 1 & 2
Update: You can now also sign the petition here.
iPlayer downloads for Mac 2008
That nonsense over developing for every platform, ohh really there's only 3.
I wish they'd stop announcing and start delivering.
Get a Mac ads get gone?
The ads may not have been to everyone's tastes, usually rather anal people, but I found some quite funny.
That doesn't explain why they've vanished? No doubt it's something sensible to do with them not brining enough switchers and it's time for something new. As I mentioned below, perhaps an advert more on the lines of the iPhone would be better? Show off that OS and iLife etc.
Mitchell & Webb were a fun choice, although odd considering some of their sketches took the piss out of advertising, perhaps an unknown pair may've been better?
Update: The Japanese Get a Mac page has also been
pulled.
More from Macworld 2008
Time Capsule: Essentially, it's an AirPort Extreme with either a 500GB - £199 or 1TB - £329 hard drive inside. This works with Time Machine to automatically keep your Mac backed up wirelessly. This is the perfect solution for notebook users who don't always remember to plug backup drive in.
Apple TV 2.0: As Steve Jobs announced on stage, this is their second attempt at Apple TV, and it now does seem much more like a useable product, at least in the US. You can now download content directly to the device, rather than just streaming from your computer. This ties into Apple's movie rental deal (sadly, not in the UK yet). You can now rent as well as buy films (again, no films in the UK yet), download music and TV* direct from iTunes and play them on your computer, iPod as well as your Apple TV. So you can sit back and rent HD quality films from your sofa to play on that HD TV of yours, without having to get a HD player or sign up to some service from Virgin or Sky. First generation Apple TV users will get all this with a free software update.
* Apple recently added more TV shows for the UK, mostly US (maybe I do want to catch up on the complete series of V?) but there is now Wallace & Gromit hmm. Sadly, without content from the BBC/Channel 4 etc. it doesn't seem that inviting. Having the movie rental's will, when they arrive. I do like the idea of Apple TV changing how we watch TV, but often with this sort of thing, the technology is ahead of the various countries regulations.
The iPhone software was updated to 1.1.3. This added a pseudo GPS function called locate me in Google Maps, which uses triangulation to find where you are. You can also send text messages to multiple recipients, display lyrics and rearrange your home screen etc.
Many of these features have been added to the iPod Touch in a 1.1.2 update, plus finally Mail! (for £12.99 - there are legal reasons for the fee).
To really get a feel for all these updates, watch the keynote speech. Available as a stream & podcast.
MacBook Air - Macworld 2008
The big news from this
years Macworld Expo was the
MacBook Air, a super lightweight
super thin notebook. It weighs just 1.36 Kg or just
3 pounds, for comparison the previous smallest
notebook, the PowerBook 12" weighed 2.1 Kg.
If you travel a lot, or
as my girlfriend says, find MacBooks too heavy for her
lady like arms, then this is the machine for you. It
may not be a super-sub-notebook, but I find it's the
weight more than the size of a notebook that puts my
back out and this way you still have that 13.3 inch
widescreen.
It has a couple of unique features, other than the
weight & how thin it is. The trackpad now
supports gesturing, like you'd find on the iPhone,
pinching to zoom, three finger side swipe to go back
and forth on a web page. It also has an option for a
solid state hard drive, 64 GB or a standard drive at
80 GB.
The Air comes as a 1.6 Ghz £1,199 or an optional 1.8
Ghz £2,028 with 2GB of memory, built in 802.11n wifi.
Behind a cool flap hides the Audio Out, USB 2.0 and
Micro-DVI for external monitor support and of course, a
built in camera. Full specs can be found
here.
What's missing is the optical drive. This reminds me of
when Apple removed the old floppy drive when
introducing the iMac, people got all hot and bothered
about it, but now who uses floppy drives? Apple will
sell you a USB optical drive (or buy a 3rd party
device), but what's clever is, they've introduced some
clever software, Remote Disc, which allows you to
use an optical drive of another PC or Mac, just as
if it were attached to your machine wirelessly. The
whole point of this machine is to go wireless.
Some have complained about the built-in-battery,
probably the same ones who complained about the iPod, I
don't see it as much of an issue when Apple won't
charge to replace it, plus it's bound to have some
third-party battery replacements for those who don't
mind using a screwdriver, just like the iPod. You just
need to think about what you want, and if the Air ticks
all your boxes, it's for you, if not there's always the
MacBook and Pro.
Apple have put together a handy video tour to explain a
lot of the features here.
Update: Reviews of the MacBook Air
The Ars Technica
Review
MacWorld US
MacWorld US - Fitting files
on
MacWorld US - Migrating
Lower iTunes Prices
Apple have said this is what they wanted to do at the start, but were prevented by the major labels.
The new prices should be available in 6 months.
Reports from the BBC & MacWorld UK
BBC iPlayer on the Mac
You still won't be able to download anything on the Mac yet, but streaming is working at least. Downloads are meant to be coming to the Mac (and Linux) sometime in 2008. I still don't like that they're using any form of DRM, we pay the license fee, we should be able to keep whatever we download for as long as we like. I'm not the only one to think that. The service is said to have had low take up so far.
Quality is pretty so-so and I've not found a great deal I want to watch, but there is the Sky at Night! I also wish it would stay full screen on one screen whilst I do other things on another (that's for those of us with a Mac & two monitors or a laptop Mac connected to another screen). It's still nice to have though!
The service comes out of beta on Christmas Day.
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 also recently announced they'll be creating a combined on-demand service, we wait to see what computer support it will have, as at the moment 4oD is not Mac compatible.
Hello iPhone
I tried out the iPhone in the Carphonewarehouse in Cambridge today (and then saw it in the O2 shop opposite). I found it remarkably easy to use, surprisingly so, the keyboard works well and was very accurate, camera shots looked fine (I'd not believe the MP myth) and Safari was great, I even managed a smidge of self publicity.
I came out with my very own iPhone, it's very slim...
Trojan Hype
He says: "At the moment the fake codec is being spread via porn sites, but it will quickly spread to more mainstream sites", which shows a complete misunderstanding. Trojans are not viruses. Trojans can’t spread on their own and they can’t self-replicate (viruses can do both).
He's not the only one of course, and for a nice take on the whole thing, take a read of Daring Fireball on the same subject: "To get hit by it, you must (a) be the sort of moron who downloads “video codecs” from porno sites; (b) mount the disk image and launch the installer;"
It's not going to turn up on YouTube (since when did you download a code for YouTube? ummm never?), so don't worry about it, the people getting hot under the collar about this are just after headlines. Your Mac is as secure as ever it was.
Updated MacBooks
Apple have updated their MacBook line with intel's
Santa Rosa chip set, so if you have been waiting, now's
the time to buy.
Clock speeds haven't changed that much, frontside bus
has increased to 800mhz.
13" White 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive,
GMA X3100 Graphics chip set, Combo drive £699
13" White 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive,
GMA X3100 Graphics chip set, Superdrive £829
13" Black 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive,
GMA X3100 Graphics chip set, Superdrive £949
The MacBook Pro now has a 2.6Ghz option £160 and
5400rpm, 250GB hard drive £100 (7200rpm 200GB
£130).
Leopard, THE review.
BBC iPlayer
Really it was no different than the BBC saying, unless you own a Sony TV, you can't watch our content.
Talking of things Microsoft, John Pugh MP has pointed out that the Government has pretty much sold its soul to Microsoft. There's a surprise.
Update: Not that I've got it in for the BBC, but this interview with Mary Taylor, President of UK Open Source Consortium, by Sean Daly makes you want to shove their license fee where...well you know.
Cambridge Apple Store
It's set to open in the newly built Grand Arcade once it opens March 2008, John Lewis flag ship store will be opening there this November which is a pity as at the moment John Lewis is very nearby.
Mac OS X 10.5 arrives 26th October
Single user is £85 and Family Pack (5 license) £129 from Apple's store.
However; Amazom.co.uk prices £79.98 for single license and £119.98 for the Family Pack.
You can see all 300+ New Features here. It's best to check the minimum requirements before buying, as it might be the time to sell your old Mac, and buy a new(er) one.
The iPhone has arrived (almost).
It will cost you £269 plus a monthly tariff of either £35, £45 or £55 but all plans offer free unlimited traffic (with a fair usage caveat) as well as access to The Cloud WiFi hot spots.
You'll be able to buy the iPhone from Apple, O2 and Car Phone Warehouse. No news on whether the Starbucks deal is coming to the UK anytime soon.
I'd still say wait for the next version, but if you wants it, you can now get it.
iPods
New Shuffle colours, a squarer larger screened nano, higher capacity iPod Classic (as it's now known) and to top it off, the iPod Touch, which is like a cut down iPhone without the phone, so it's an i then, ahem. It has wifi and Safari. You can now also download music from Apples new iTunes WiFi store straight to the iPod Touch or iPhone.
Check them out.
iLife 08 going cheap
See Apple's site for more details.
Apple Special Event - August 2007
BBC iPlayer Petition
Go fill it in
Buying a Phone
Yahoo Messenger Poll
Yahoo are asking Yahoo!
Messenger users whether they'd prefer to wait for the
messenger to be updated to work with older versions of
OS X, or release updates sooner but will only work with
newer versions of the OS.
I
went with the later, it's not like the older OS won't
still be able to run the older version of the
messenger.
Take the poll here.
Just one more iPhone
iPhone iPhone iPhone
It does look impressive for a first generation product, iPhone II should be interesting.
iPhone Ad
s Alec Sutherland has made his own take on an iPhone Advert, it's unofficial of course, but clearly professional.
Get a Mac Ads cleared by ASA.
Smug link
WWDC 2007 - Keynote Video
Watch
WWDC 2007 - Mac OS X 10.5: Leopard
Apple announced the near
final version of Mac OS X 10.5, otherwise known as
Leopard, they also let
developers have a copy at the conference. Steve Jobs showed off
10 features out of the 300 new features in the
up-coming version, due to ship in October.
First, the entire OS is now 64-bit! Great, you’re
thinking? It should mean faster applications in the
long run, now you’re more impressed. There
will only be one version of the OS, 32-bit
applications were shown to work without any
problems.
This window is just like the other ones, this
window is just the same
The whole OS has a more unified look, rather than the
mix of brushed metal and Aqua etc. I did notice the
scroll bars still looked like the old Aqua ones,
perhaps this may change? You can of course get a more
unified look at the moment using Uno. The translucent top
menu is bound to have its lovers and haters, I
suppose it depends on if you can change it or not.
The main feature you’ll notice at first is the
new more 3D Dock, I’m not sure if it’s any
bigger or not, or even if I like it. They seemed to
make quite a deal that the dock reflects,
I’m not
exactly how this is a feature or just more visual
noise. I suspect they’ll be 3rd party ways of
changing it back to the the old dock if it’s not
an option. I was hoping for a new launcher, along the
lines of Over Flow.
The dock does have a much welcomed feature; Stacks:
When you download from Safari, instead of defaulting to
the desktop, it’ll save to a stack, which should
mean we all have a lot more tidy desktops.
Clicking on a Stack will reveal its contents either in
a grid, or they’ll be fanned out above. To get an
idea, you can watch a demo here. I don’t know if
they’re only for the dock, it seems to me
being able to have them on the desktop itself would
be useful.
Leopard showing off its stacks
Stacks aren’t really a new feature, Apple has had
a patent on the idea for many years and was once known
as Piles (Such a shame they didn't stick with that
name).
The Finder has also been updated
with a much improved sidebar, somewhat like iTunes
and now you can view files in Cover Flow, just like
iTunes. I’m not sure how much I’d use
this feature, as I don’t tend to in iTunes
(other than to show off).
Thinking about it; it may turn out to be more useful in
the Finder than in iTunes. The Finder is made up of
many different document types of documents, which
should be instantly more apparent with the large
preview of Cover Flow, this may give a quicker visual
clue as to the file you’re looking for, rather
than in iTunes where it's really just one type of file
(cover art).
Spotlight can now search other machines on the network,
and it’s now more easy to share content over the
network and internet via .Mac. There was no other
mention of .Mac, really as I’ve no intention of
paying for .Mac I may never see the internet sharing
feature. .Mac really ought to be free to my mind.
Quick Look is really a great new
feature that allows you to preview your documents
without having to open any application right from
the Finder.
A Quick Look
Steve also showed off the power
of
Core Animation and what 3rd party
developers could do with it.
We also saw the new built in backup solution
Time Machine again, you will be able
to back-up to a local drive, or a network volume
including one attached to an AirPort Extreme. This
has to be one of the best features (even if
you’ve seen it before). It amazes me how many
people still don’t back-up. Some may think
this dull, but if you’re one of those people
who has lost something critical, you’ll love
this.
It’s a Time Machine
Spaces was also shown again;
I’m still unsure if or how much I would use it
(I may turn around and love it), unlike
Dashboard, which I actually
have turned off for being just too slow
on a 12" PowerBook.
Dashboard did gain a new widget, and WebClip which
allows you to use any part of a website as a Widget. I
wonder how the websites feel about this? After-all,
you’re avoiding seeing any advertising.
Owners of Virtualization software must’ve
breathed a sigh of relief, as although
BootCamp will become standard in
the system, it’s not going to allow you to run
Windows software at the same time. Still a need
for Parallels or VMWare Fusion etc.. for some people
then.
iChat has gained some fun
theatre features, changing the background behind you
and PhotoBooth type effects. Pity with firewalls,
bandwidth etc. I’ve never really managed to
get video to work with iChat and yet Yahoo!
Messenger/Skype will just work. The Theatre function
looks to be the most useful, giving you the ability
to show documents, photos to people you’re
talking to.
The fun side of iChat. Help me Obi-Wan,
you’re my last hope.
I don’t know if the OS is resolution independent
for those of you with super high resolution screens and
there was no mention of the system using Sun
Microsystems ZFS files system, there is a
report saying they won’t.
There was a little on the iPhone allowing developers to
create compatible Web 2 type applications via
Safari, but no standalone applications. I’d
imagine developers would be non-plussed by this
announcement.
No hardware of course, this really is a software event.
There will be those who will be underwhelmed, and few
more features we’d not seen in his 10
would’ve been nice, but; it’s still not
ready yet, who knows what else may come in the final
version in October?
People always expect a lot from Apple, they always want
that... one more thing... which I guess keeps people
coming back.
WWDC 2007 - Gaming on the Mac
From the PC version of Harry Pottery & the
Order of the Phoenix
Gaming on the Mac, one of the few places Windows users
still say why they wouldn't use a Mac was given a boost
during the keynote.
Both EA Games and ID (pronounced id not i.d.
it seems) announced they are developing and will
have simultaneous launches of games for PC and Mac
in the future.
Games include: Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix, Madden NFL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Need
for Speed Carbon, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars
and Battlefield 2142 from EA.
ID showed for the first time their new game texture
engine. The company is known for the DOOM and Quake
series.
Steve Jobs must've overcome his dislike of violent
gaming, I'm sure I read that he doesn't like
them.
Apple's New Website
Updated MacBook Pro
The 15" model now comes with an LED (Mercury Free) backlit display & the 17" has an optional higher resolution display. Upgraded NVIDIA GeForce 86000 GT Video Cards and faster optical drives.
iPhone coming 29th June
Apple has confirmed through their latest
TV ads,that June 29 is the US
launch date.
They're a good set of ads, concentrating on the
iPhone ease of use, I've never
understood why Apple don't make similar adverts for
the Mac.
Still no word on when it'll be out in the UK, or who
the carrier will be (rumoured to be
T-Mobile). There's still no page
at http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone.
Google Map Street View
Check it out
p.s. Only a few US cities so far & considering they've not even done a High Res sat. map of Basingstoke yet, don't expect your local town to be done soon.
Steve & Bill at all things digital
Link
10 Reasons why it doesn't pay to be the computer guy
Link
A Greener Apple
The Gracious BBC
Mr Highfield said Apple's "proprietary and closed framework for digital rights management gives us headaches," but, "it is one of our top priorities to re-engineer our proposed BBC iPlayer service to work on Macs".
Headache? Microsoft is just as much a closed OS as Apple's. What he means is Microsoft doesn't fully support the Mac with it's DRM, which is no bad thing. Just at a time where DRM is finally being seen as the crap thing that it is, the BBC want to lumber us with it.
So, good news'ish, let's see how long it takes them.
Go sit on the naughty step!
The new ads include: Out of the Box, Accident, Network. Plus three original UK only ads; Naughty Step, Magic and Court.
Nice to see we're getting out own ads and not just US remakes.
The Best of Open Source
BBC iPlayer
Provisional Conclusions from the trust:
Platform-agnostic approach: As proposed, the TV catch-up service on the internet relies on Microsoft technology for the digital rights management (DRM) framework. The Trust will require the BBC Executive to adopt a platform-agnostic approach within a reasonable timeframe. "This requires the BBC to develop an alternative DRM framework to enable users of other technology, for example, Apple and Linux, to access the on-demand services."
To keep the pressure on, you can also sign a petition for the primeminister here.
Free online seminars
From things like Enhancing Video Podcasts with Final Cut Studio, New to the Mac Compatibility with Windows and Making Music on the Mac with GarageBand, plus many more. Subjects include: Audio, Business, Design, Photo, Science and Video. There is also some self-paced learning and Technical Training.
Steve Jobs - Thoughts on Music
You may not be aware, but it's not Apple who want DRM (their FairPlay system), it's the 'big four' music companies who will only let their music be sold online with some form of DRM. Apple would like to see them move to a DRM free system. Also, at the moment, if Apple's FairPlay DRM is cracked, they must fix it in a couple of weeks, otherwise the Music companies will remove their music from the iTunes Store.
I recommend giving it a read.
BBC to offer online TV downloads
The BBC Trust have set up a consultation on the subject, if you could take the time to complete the questionnaire it could help to ensure that once launched, we aren't discriminated against. After-all, we all pay a license fee regardless of which computer OS we run.
The main question to look out for is:
Question 5
How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?
It shouldn't take too long to complete, but will take a little more thought than just saying yes/no.
My thoughts are that they'd better not charge for any of the content, it's already paid for by the license fee. I also disagree with any form of DRM or 'time limit' to watch programmes. It really would've been easier if they just gave it away on iTS for free (well, or other download services if you like).
A new years message from Apple.
Apple was founded in 1976, and the
Apple II was introduced in 1977. Of
course, people have already decided that there's
some hidden meaning behind the new years
greetings.
I'm sure some will become clear at the MacWorld Expo on the 8th January.
Front Row on a Mac Pro
Makes for a nice rhyme! I know none of us have a Mac
Pro, but you never know when someone may pop out and
get one, and when you do you'll be wondering why you
can't run
Front Row,
all because you don't have a remote?
Well, now you can. Just follow the hint over at
macosxhints.com.
Of course, most of us can't run it full stop without a
lot more hacking. I did manage to get it running on my
PowerBook 12" and my older 15" TiBook, using my phone,
via
Salling Clicker
as a remote, but it only ever seemed a novelty, having
a laptop kinda negates placing your computer far away
just to use FrontRow with a remote.
Aperture Give-Away!
It's available here.
You could also try out the competition, Adobe's Lightroom Beta
Get a Mac
They are funny, but, would they really sell a Mac to a PC user? Oddy the PC guy is more endearing anyway, maybe that's just my British sense, wanting the underdog to win (though in reality, the Mac is the underdog).
One More Thing
It's code-name is iTV, which they've said will change. I should hope so, calling it iTV would be very confusing in the UK. "What's on ITV? Coronation Street, no Mum, I mean iiiiiTV"
This box will sit under your TV and you'll be able to stream music, film, photos etc to it from your computer wirelessly.
It will be controlled with an updated version of FrontRow and the Apple remote.
This isn't a recording device, it's purely for streaming media from a computer. So if you want to record TV to your Mac, you'd still need something like eyeTV (yes, another itv to confuse you) from Elgato.
WWDC 2006
Incase you missed it, here's my round up of Apple's
Keynote at the
World Wide Developer
Conference
yesterday, Monday 8th August.
First off; Apple have finished the transition to intel
chips with the release of the
Mac Pro,
replacing the PowerMac G5.
No new design, on the outside, all looks generally the
same as the PowerMac G5, with the addition of two USB
ports, 1 FireWire 400 and a FireWire 800 port all on
the front. Plus there are now two optical drive trays.
On the rear there are 3 USB ports, 1 FireWire 400 and 1
FireWire 800. Optical and analogue in/out and two
Gigabit ethernet ports.
But it's inside where all the new stuff is happening.
Gone is the G5 chip, replaced with two Dual core intel
64 bit Xeon "Woodcrest" processors (so many funny
names). Which makes them Quad processor machines and
said to be up to twice as fast as the PowerMac G5.
There are three processor speeds available: 2Ghz,
2.66Ghz and finally a 3Ghz model.
With the extra space given up by the huge G5, you can
fill the machine up with 4 hard drives pushing the
storage to 2 terabytes. You can also install up to 16
Gigabytes of memory!
Finishing off with 3 full length PCI express slots and
a double-wide, 16-lane PCI express graphics slot.
You can
configure
the machine in many, many ways: An example
configuration of the 2.66Ghz model, 1GB memory, NVIDIA
GeForce 7300GT Video, 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive, 16x
double-layer SuperDrive is £1,699.00 (1,445.96
excluding VAT)
Along with the Mac Pro, Apple also released the
intel Xeon based
Xserve,
servers.
That was it for hardware, those hoping for all manner
of iPhones, metal iPod Nanos etc may be disappointed,
but the World Wide Developer Conference really isn't a
consumer event, so it wasn't any great surprise. People
shouldn't listen to rumour.
Next -
Mac OS X 10.5
Leopard:
It will offer many new features, some Steve Jobs said
they couldn't yet talk about, so we shall have to wait
and wonder? Of course, it'll be 64 Bit.
Time Machine:
(The best feature) A new backup/restore feature, but
unlike any you've used. You have to see it in action
to understand, but it seems to be just a matter of
plugging in a large enough Hard Drive and Time
Machine takes care of the rest. This should give us
all no excuse not to do our backups with the ability
to just step back days in a very user friendly
manner and bring back data, finally.
Mail:
Brings a new notes feature, I know I'm forever
writing text documents with things to do and memory
joggers, now you can save those all in Mail, which
seems a great place to keep them. You can also
select text and automatically set that as a To Do,
this feature extends out of Mail. There will also be
templates allowing you to send more media rich and
just better looking emails out, which should save on
going to
iCards.
iChat:
Adds Photo Booth effects to your video iChats, as well
as photo or video backgrounds. These are more just for
fun features. It also has some features you'd normally
find in
Apple Remote
Desktop.
Allowing two users to use a single desktop, which
should make explaining things a lot easier. You also
have the ability to show Photos and Keynote
presentations.
One feature many will be happy to see who don't already
install
Chax,
is a fully Tabbed interface, no more multiple
windows all over the place.
Spaces:
This is another you may want to just go look at.
Spaces adds virtual desktops to your Mac, it's like
having multiple monitors where you can keep certain
activities together. Say you could have one Space
where you're working on your email and browsing,
another you're looking through iPhoto and editing in
PhotoShop. This should reduce window clutter.
Dashboard:
Finally Dashboard ads a Widget that might get me
using Dashboard. I'm not a huge fan of Dashboard,
but, Webclip is a widget which allows you to take a
clip of any part of any website and have it right in
Dashboard. For example you could make a webclip of a
eBay auction you are watching so you can see when
people are bidding and click and bid yourself.
Webclip widgets are live. My only thought on this
is, you could webclip anything you fancy, say a
favourite cartoon which is great as you no longer
have to visit or see any of the adverts placed on
that site. Not so great for the website you're
clipping though. Expect to see some sites finding a
way to stop you clipping them.
They also add Dashcode, a way for you to create your
very own Widgets for Dashboard.
Spotlight:
Will be able to search other machines on your
network, and adds an application launching feature
which sounds a little like
Quicksilver.
I'm all for rolling things into Mac OS X, saves me
having to install and pay for extra 3rd party
software.
iCal:
Now adds what I think is an industry standard
CalDav,
which should make sharing your calendars easier.
Accessibility:
They have finally improved the voice in Mac OS X
which hasn't changed from the Mac OS 9 days, you
probably heard Fred on Radiohead's OK Computer
album. The new voice is called Alex and really
sounds a lot better, and for those who really need
to hear things on their computer, it sounds good at
higher speeds.
Core Animation:
Which isn't really so much a feature for you and me,
but more part of Mac OS 10.5 which should make for a
richer experience when using your Mac. I have a
sneaking suspicion that it will be used in iTunes in
the future, if you've seen
CoverFlow,
you'll know what I mean.
One last thing, they'll also be bundling in Front Row
and Photo Booth into Leopard, so those machines who
haven't been able to have these features (without
hacks) will be able to. Plus improved parental
controls.
They'll also include
Boot Camp,
the software which allows you to run MS Windows, but
there was no mention of an new Boot Camp features
(e.g. Running windows using Spaces). Apple have
been
endorsing
Parallels
an alternative way of running Windows applications on
your Mac without a need for a reboot.
That's
it really, there was no
One Last Thing
and no mention of a new improved Finder. Sadly though,
it won't be 'till next Spring 'till we get our hands on
10.5, so plenty of time for some other features to
appear.
You can watch Steve Jobs and friends giving the Keynote
address yourself
here.
It's fun just for the I'm a
PC guy's introduction
and Bertrand Serlet's comments on the remarkable
way
Window's Vista is starting to look rather
like Mac OS X,
we've never seen them do that before...
Total Recall
More information can be found at Apple's site here.
A good review; from the Beeb?
"Apple's entry-level line of consumer laptops should give PC giants like Dell and HP sleepless nights.
The new MacBooks are powerful, fast and sleek machines, at a price to rival similar offerings from the world of Windows.
In addition, they sport Intel chips, so they can run Microsoft's operating system as well as Apple's OS X."
read on.
His negatives are: heat, lack of PC card slot and no modem. "Laptop" really is a misnomer for, well, laptops. I'd not keep them on your lap for too long. As for a card slot, have you ever used one? Surely you'd be buying a Mac Book Pro if you were likely to? Modem, seriously? A modem? You've Ethernet, Bluetooth and WiFi and well, you want a modem? You'll be wanting a floppy disc drive next.
I'd still not run out and get one quite yet; tends to be best to avoid first generation products.
More Gat a Mac
That PC guy makes you want to say "bless".
Just kickin' it
Google Video
http://video.google.com/playerdownload_mac.html
Add it to your collection of video players.
Take the fifth!
To get the idea, just
have to watch this video, and the full story at
IFO.
I think had I been the first one in I'd have been
punching the air more!
Good news everyone!
Apple Records Corp (what a great site) aka, The Beatles; have lost their court case with Apple Computer. I let out a 'yessss' when I read it, not that I'm one to gloat.
I'm no doubt in the minority, or just the wrong age group. The Beatles to me was always that music my Mum liked (I'm not sure she actually liked them that much either, she says they were ok, but wasn't fanatical). I don't mind them, I just never was in awe of them.
It just seemed like common sense has won through, nobody was ever really going to confuse The Beatles record label and the computer company. This case seemed more about money (like most things).
The Beatles recently announced they might join the 21st century and allow their music to be sold online, but it's doubtful it'll be with iTMS.
Update: Apple Records are appealing
Flippin' Eck!
You can now download for free Flip4Mac, which adds components (codecs) to Quicktime that allow you to play windows media in the QuickTime player, and web browsers.
Update: I've removed Flip4Mac, after discovering it causes the Finder to quit when getting info. on AVI files. I'll let you know if they fix it.
Other news from MacWorld
Goggle Earth is now out for Mac.
"Want to know more about a specific location? Dive right in -- Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips."
Can
you see Paul's car?
It's a great app!
If you liked the idea of sharing photos more easily,
like Photocasting recently announced as part of iPhoto,
why not try FilmLoop?
"FilmLoop
is free software that lets you broadcast, find, and
share photos. It's an instant way to share your photos
with your entire social network, and have everyone get
involved."
It's available for PC & Mac, I'll try setting up
some loops so you can take a look.
Update: Here's a loop I
made earlier.
One last thing, I think a certain someone might be
interested in Montage.
A new screenwriting application available in March.
You can read a short review here.
Happy New Year!
Now, you're expecting a bit on how do backup your Mac aren't you? Well, I'm afraid, it'll have to wait. It's all Mac News this week!
It's MacWorld 2006 in San Francisco, and yesterday was the Keynote speech. Time to find out which rumours were true, and which were just a lot of hot air.
Steve Jobs announced some evolutionary, rather than revolutionary products.
First some updates. iLife has now been updated to iLife '06. iTunes, iMovie etc.
Most notable were iPhoto, which now allows editing in a new full screen mode, and support for 250,000 photos. A new feature PhotoCasting, allows sharing of albums over the web, which you can subscribe to from within iPhoto or any RSS reader. Sadly publishing is hampered by having to be a .Mac subscriber. I suspect they'll be some workarounds for this from third parties. You can also now order calendars and cards as well as books.
Garageband now allows for simple creation of Podcasts. This was demonstrated by Steve, with his 'Super Secret Apple Rumours' podcast, which made me laugh, he has a wry sense of humour. It can also record your voice conversations from iChat, if you want to use interviews in your Podcast. It links with iWeb.
iWeb is a new addition to iLife. It allows for quick and easy creation of web sites (blogs, photo albums etc), similar to Rapidweaver, which I use to create this site. I'll be interested in trying iWeb out. I believe it's also though will only upload to .Mac
iDVD now has widescreen support, easier drag and drop menu creation. iMovie gets improved themes. iLife sells for £55 and £69 for a family pack.
iWork '06 is also now shipping with the ability to do some simple spreadsheet calculations and charts within both Pages the word processor, and Keynote, the PowerPoint competitor. There was also mail merge support within pages, using the Address Book, and new Keynote transitions.
There was no sign of the widely expected spreadsheet addition to iWork, know as "Numbers". This is probably due to a Microsoft spokeswoman appearing on stage with Steve Jobs to announce their further commitment to make MS Office for the Mac for at least another five years. Apple no doubt to appease MS dropped their spreadsheet in favour of Excel, for now. Costs £55 and £69 for family pack.
There were some other minor updates. QuickTime was updated to 7.0.4 and Mac OS X to 10.4.4. The Mac OS fixes multiple bugs and adds some new widgets to Dashboard. Available from Software Update.
Update: Apple intially removed links to QuickTime 7.0.4. No reason were given and an uninstaller issued. Since then Apple has re-released the update.
I had some problems starting up after the 10.4.4 update, it sat at the Apple logo with the spinning wheel, I had to force it to quit and start again in single-user mode and run a few repairs. Let me know if you have any problems, but I'd advice a backup before hand (You're asking me how to do that now aren't you?) Just remember, repair your permissions!
The iPod and nano gained a wired remote control with a twist, it has a built in FM tuner. You do the tuning using the iPod. Costs £35
Next, the one people were waiting for. Which Mac gets the Intel chips first? ......... It's the...... Well, before I tell you.
The CEO of Intel
Paul
Otellini came on stage in a 'bunny suit'. Now,
that doesn't mean he was dressed like a bunny girl I'm
afraid. A bunny suit is a 'clean room' suit.
Intel used people dressed in various coloured 'bunny'
suits in their ads for Pentium chips.
Apple famously burnt one in an advert showing the
speed of the PowerPC processor over the Pentium.
Thus the appearance of the Intel CEO in
the bunny suit was a little in joke, if a cringey
one.
So, the first to get the new chip is, the......
iMac. Surprised? I was.
Yes, though the iMac was only recently updated with
an iSight camera built in, and remote control. It's
the first to have the new Intel Core Duo (previously known as
Yonah). It's at least twice as fast as the old iMac
(that'll please Paul) has faster RAM and a mini-DVI
to connect an external monitor. It costs the
same, 17" £929, and 20" £1229.
Now, I know some people
might be funny about Intel chips in Macs, after-all
they've been the enemy right? You've nothing to worry
about, having an Intel chip in your Mac doesn't make it
a PC, it doesn't make it vulnerable to PC viruses,
that's a software issue. It runs all the old Mac
software using Rosetta, so you don't need to run out
and buy replacements and new software will be Intel
native. All you need to care about is that the new
Macs run faster, who makes the chip inside isn't
that important.
They've created a new advert for the intel in mac, it looks
remarkably like the Such Great Heights video by The Postal
Service. In this writers opinion, it's cute.
Spot the difference?
Portables. Yes, there's a new Intel based laptop Mac,
and it has a new name.
Say goodbye to PowerBook and hello to MacBook Pro. I'm sure
we'll get used to the new name, and I expect the
iBook to become the MacBook when they're
updated. The reason for the name change,
Steve said, is they've done with Power, being they
no longer use PowerPC chips. It makes sense,
although the first PowerBooks also didn't use a PowerPC
chip, so the Power in PowerBook was never an
indication of the chip used inside.
Enough of the history.
The MacBook Pro is a 1" thin, 15.4"
aluminium clad laptop. Has a built in iSight camera
and comes with a remote like the iMac for FrontRow. It's four times faster than
the old PowerBooks. It also has a thoughtful
feature. The power connector is called Magsafe. The
power cord no longer fully plugs into the Mac, it
magnetically attaches, so if snagged it just pulls
off, rather than dragging your Mac to its doom on
the ground. I've often caught the cable on my
leg, so this is a welcome feature.
It also has a larger trackpad, brighter screen and
improved graphics. The 1.67Ghz model costs £1429, the
1.83Ghz £1779 and available in February.
The design hasn't changed that much, and I'd expect the
17" PowerBook to gain the MacBook Pro treatment in
time. As for the 12", there's been rumours of its
demise, who can say? It would seem a bit daft not
to have a smaller lighter laptop. Perhaps this will be
passed onto updated iBooks/MacBooks when they arrive.
Steve said all Macs would transition to Intel by the
end of the year.
Click here to watch the keynote for
yourself.
What wasn't there?
There was no new Intel based Mac Mini. Many were
expecting it with built in TV recording capability,
tying into FrontRow. Of course there' s nothing to stop
you adding these features using products from Miglia or Elgato running EyeTV, for example.
No widescreen 13.3" iBook. There was no talk of Mac OS
X 10.5-Leopard, and the iPod shuffle wasn't axed.
I will get around to those back-up tips!