Firefox 2.0 will still be cool
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 10:56 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
Ben Goodger has decided to put away all these silly suggestions with his list of why Firefox 2.0 is still going to be called that. There are a couple items I think will be well worth it.
P1: Spell check for web text areas.
P2: Spell check option for text fields.
P3: Updated system integration for MacOS X, GNOME
The fact that the priority of these items enumerates is purely coincidental. I think the third speaks for itself. The first two however are why I’ve stuck with Safari for so long (as well as better plugin support and great bookmark syncing, but I digress). When I’m forced to use Windows, Firefox is a great companion, but leaves me in the cold with my sometimes lacking spelling skill.
Even more on the possibility of an Apple DVR
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 10:35 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Video
Every person has their own personal obsession and it’s fast turning out that mine is an Apple DVR. I love digital video recorders, particularly when attached to a computer which could process that video all day long. I think it would complete Apple’s Front Row; Dan thinks it’ll cannibalize iTMS sales.
Ken Fisher is somewhere in the middle in an article for Ars Technica. He acknowledges Dan’s concern, giving it a lot of weight. However, he also sees things my way in that an Apple DVR could theoretically augment the iTMS in some ways. Ultimately, pricing the hardware for the DVR capability as well as an Airport Video could offset the potential loss of iTMS revenue.
I think the upshot is that until everything is available on the iTMS in some kind of truly affordable pricing deal, the DVR is needed to get everyone moved over to iTunes to watch their TV as well as listen to music (especially since TiVo seems to be off in the weeds somewhere). Being able to rip CDs didn’t prevent the iTMS from becoming the success it is today. There’s no reason for Apple to fear the DVR.
This day in history: no iPods with video
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 10:10 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » News
Apple Matters reminds us that on today, April 30th, exactly two years ago in 2004, Steve Jobs himself said he saw no reason for the iPod to have video playing capability. Now, we all know this turned out to be a big fat lie, but let’s take a look at Steve’s quote regarding do-all devices:
You know, our next big step is we want it to make toast, I want to brown my bagels when I’m listening to my music. And we’re toying with refrigeration, too.
Ha. Ha. You’re so funny Steve. Why are you working for Apple? You should be doing standup comedy somewhere. In any case, just remember that no matter what Steve says, the complete opposite could very well turn out to be true, just as we learned on October 12th, 2005.
13 Google Calendar tips
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 9:52 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software
Douglas Bowman at Stopdesign.com has published 13 tips for Google Calendar. He also comments that he has seen Mac users hesitating to try the new calendar, and therefore has added a few Mac specific hints. I for one am a loyal iCal user, but after reading all these tips, I’m strongly considering Google Calendar. Here’s my two favorite tips:
- Having Google Calendar send reminders to my mobile phone via a text message.
- Instructions on how to subscribe to your Google calendar with iCal, and reverse instructions on how to upload your iCal files to Google calendar. Unfortunately there’s no syncing software for the two applications, yet.
[via Hawk Wings]
Could ZFS be coming to Macs to replace HFS+?
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 4:24 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
John Siracusa dropped a short note from the zfs-discuss mailing list onto FatBits.
Here’s some exciting news!
Chris Emura, the Filesystem Development Manager within Apple’s CoreOS organization is interested in porting ZFS to OS X. For more information, please e-mail him directly at cemura at apple.com.
Speaking for the zfs team (at Sun), this is great news and we fully support the effort.
It’s got John all worked as he’s quite a fan. There is some CPU loss associated with using the new filesystem, but with that comes a file system that can heal itself, dynamically add space as you add hard drives (instead of worrying about where you put your data), and even let you back up the state of your hard drive to retrieve a file you’ve slashed to pieces or deleted.
As computers gain cores and processing power, is it worth losing some in order to maintain piece of mind? I think anybody that’s lost all their data due to hard drive corruption would agree. Then again, is HFS+ terribly prone to problems?
iPods as teaching tool: making podcasts
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 2:28 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | iPod
School districts and teachers everywhere are finding ways to incorporate iPods into the classroom as teaching tools. They can be great mediums to carry foreign language audio files on, or just a device to carry class lectures on. But the most recent round of iPods-in-schools is discovering another potential use for iPods: podcasting.
At a middle school in Arlington, VA, students stay after school to create their very own podcasts, containing original poetry, essays, and stories, all mixed to music and other sounds. Another school in Arlington, this time an elementary school, uses podcasts to broadcast student reports about the monuments in Washington. One student controls the computer, while another served as the director, and a third recited her report into a microphone. This podcast was discovered by a elementary school in Scotland, and now the two schools “podcast each other.”
Yet another teacher uses podcasts to make recordings of vocabulary words, where they listen to the words over and over. They then create their own podcasts of the words, comparing their pronunciation to the teacher’s.
Podcasting in schools is becoming more and more popular, but still only a small percentage of teachers actually utilize iPods and podcasting in class. However, the potential which iPods possess for assisting learning is undeniable, and will find its way into more and more classrooms in the coming years.
Gone missing: “iPod” from URLs
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 1:54 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Legal
According to Jason O’Grady of The Apple Core, it seems that Apple’s legal team is at it again in their quest to remove the name “iPod” from any and all URLs or product names. Most recently, the iPod enthusiast site iPod Garage will be changing its name to iProng this coming week. According to founder of iPod Garage Bill Palmer, the change is voluntary. He claims he never really liked the name “iPod Garage” to begin with and that the name was limiting them to be seen as “Apple fanboys or cheerleaders.”
That reasoning sounds a little fishy to me. Let’s take a look at the past. Remember in July of 2005 when iPodLounge.com became iLounge.com? They changed their name because “the next stage of this phenomenon will be bigger than any one product Apple may produce.” Later on, in September 2005, Wired News reported that several online retailers received legal notices from Apple demanding they stop using the iPod moniker in their URLs and names.
Taking a quick look at Apple’s trademarks and copyright guidelines reveals that “You may not use an identical or virtually identical Apple trademark as a second level domain name.” Despite what any site may give as reasoning for an iPod-less name change, it certainly seems that Apple’s lawyers are out to protect their territory.
Do the iPod shuffle: trade in your old iPod for a new one
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 10:55 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iPod
Eyeing a new iPod, but don’t have the cash? Bank robbing’s a great way to get a quick cash influx, but it’s what we call high risk (look how Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ended up). And there’s that whole pesky legality issue. For those interested in avoiding unsightly jail time, there are other options. For example, if you currently own an iPod, you might be able to trade it towards a new one.
Apple offers 10% off a new iPod if you trade in an old one at the time of purchase. It’s a pretty good deal, and it applies across the board, no matter what shape your old iPod is in (I traded in my totally brain dead 1G iPod towards my 30GB 5G). However, if you’ve got a working iPod, you might give GioPod a shot.
GioPod sells the iPods it buys to other customers, hence the reason they only accept working models (dead batteries are no problem though); you can even opt for cash if you decide to forego a new iPod if other things take priority, like food. In addition, they’ll even pay for all shipping and handling of your old and new iPods, or reimburse you if you’d rather ship it yourself. Barring the possibility that it’s all an elaborate plot to corner the used iPod market, it sounds like a promising deal.
Update: To clarify, all the iPods that are sent out to people who have traded in their old iPods are brand new, factory-sealed. The used iPods GioPod receives are sold off via online marketplaces and auction sites.
[GioPod via i-Newswire.com]
Vertical advantage
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 10:06 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Business
One of the factors that Mac aficionados often tout as a benefit of their chosen platform is the vertical integration Apple has achieved by controlling the whole process, from soup to nuts. In some ways, it’s a double-edge sword, as it has also become a common target for anti-Apple forces who prize choice above all else, even to the point of those who use solutions that work worse to avoid the dreaded bandersnatch of “lock-in.”
One of the few other companies that exemplifies the vertical market in the technology field is Sun. In recent years, they’ve had trouble finding their niche, culminating recently in Sun CEO Scott McNealy (pictured at right with Steve Jobs) stepping down from his post.
In the context of that shift, software architect and engineer Brandon Werner has penned some thoughts on the nature of the vertical market. Primarily, he takes issue with the suggestions that products from “horizontal” market providers (i.e. Dell, Gateway, Creative) have a lower cost than from their vertical competitors (such as Apple).
Participating in Vertical Markets does tend to be more expensive up front, but the cost isn’t non-existent in the Horizontal model, it’s just more hidden. Perhaps to an America where most people live paycheck to paycheck, a cheap Creative player now may mean you can afford to pay the integration cost in the future the next time you get paid (another cable, another music service, customer support calls, syncing issues, rebuilding the library, upgrading to Vista for that “extra” media ability, ect.) but in the end, you’ll still end up paying just as much, especially if you value your time.I think Brandon’s spot on with his last point there: Americans do value their time, but I don’t believe they always consciously think about that factor. Then again, think about the number of late night infomercials that boast time-saving devices (they chop, they slice, they make julienne fries!).(emphasis added)
Then again, our preoccupation with money is probably even more prevalent.
More OS X security FUD
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 9:34 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Security
We’ve heard it about a hundred times now: OS X is becoming more and more virus ridden. Various media sources would have you believe the Mac is more worm-infested than your average scoop of topsoil. This time, the attack comes from the Associated Press (who are secure in the knowledge that nobody’s writing viruses for their IBM compatibles). While many of the claims in the article are true (the mention, for example of the exploits Tom Ferris found), others are time-worn patented mongers on fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Take this old chestnut:
The Mac’s vulnerability could also increase as Apple transitions to a product line that uses microprocessors made by Intel Corp., security experts said.Every time I hear this supposition, I’m left speechless by the sheer ignorance of the piece’s author. I can see how this might make logical sense to a layperson, but all it takes is talking to someone who knows anything at all about technology to know that this is hogwash. Hogwash, I say.With new Macs running the same processor that powers Windows-based machines, far more people will know how to exploit weaknesses in Apple machines than in the past, when they ran on the PowerPC chips made by IBM Corp. and Motorola Corp. spinoff Freescale Semiconductor Inc.
The bottom line, as always, is this: no, the Mac is not immune to security breaches. There has yet to be a widespread exploited vulnerability, but sooner or later, yes, there probably will be one. But your best protection still remains the same: use your common sense. Don’t open suspicious attachments, or click on iffy-looking links—this is the computer equivalent of not walking through a dangerous neighborhood late at night.
Parallels Workstation beta6 out
Posted on Apr. 30, ’06, 5:35 AM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Windows
The latest beta version of Parallels Workstation is out, featuring USB fixes, Shared Folder fixes, and some network improvements. It also introduces an image tool and an autoupdate feature. This, plus more improvements and bug fixes, makes the latest Parallels beta more stable, though it’s still susceptible to many problems and issues.
[via TUAW]
The Mitnick, the Woz, and the radio show
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 10:22 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Apple » People
Mac cult icon and Apple founder Steve Wozniak is going to be featured on Coast to Coast AM with guest host Kevin Mitnick. That’s right, the famous hacker Kevin Mitnick. The two have seemed to be hitting it off since they both appeared on TWiT.
The show will be broadcast tomorrow (Sunday April 30th) at 10pm - 3am on both the Internet and on the radio (they have various affiliates on their website). The website also has archives, so don’t worry if you don’t manage to catch it live.
[via Digg]
Apple hiring for Aperture
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 9:28 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Photography
We can’t very well verify the Aperture team was axed, they are definitely hiring. Blake Seely, formerly of PeopleSoft, is now going to work on the Aperture development team.
One of the reasons I left my previous job was to focus all my time and energy on Cocoa and Mac OS X. Well, a little over 6 months has passed, and I’m ready to solidify my Mac OS efforts a bit: Starting this Monday, I will be joining the Aperture team at Apple.
Whether this means they’re hiring a whole new team or simply doing normal staffing, it’s good to see developers so excited about joining Apple (as I certainly would be). He’s not sure how often he’ll be posting updates to his blog, but hopefully it’ll be semi-regular as it’s generally exciting to get some thoughts straight from the guys actually writing the software we know and love.
Improve your AirPort wireless reception
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 6:02 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware
There are plenty of reasons I can think of why one might want to extend their AirPort range. In hotels, airports, crowded offices, backyards, and schools sometimes you have to fight real hard to keep that weak signal. QuickerTek is aiding your fight against bad AirPort reception with their new Connect series high-powered antennas. These things connect to the back side of your laptop’s screen (be it an iBook, PowerBook, or MacBook Pro) and provide a stronger 2 dBi antenna, along with 200 mW of power. They are powered by either an external AC adaptor, a free USB port, or an optional built-in battery. The really nice thing about these little devices is their ease of use: simply attach the antenna and run a simple utility in OS X. The only not-so-nice thing is their price; starting at $200, this isn’t a device for the casual AirPort user.
Look for some new Mac ads soon
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 5:14 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » Advertising
Mac lovers everywhere, keep your eye out for new television ads this coming week from Apple. At the annual shareholders meeting last week in Cupertino, Steve Jobs revealed that an exciting television ad campaign would begin next week. No details could be milked from the man as to what the campaign entails, aside from that it will revolve around Macs. You can be sure that as soon as information becomes available MacUser and MacCentral will have you informed.
[via CNET News]
Round-up: new Apple patents
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 4:33 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Legal
Australian electronic news site Smarthouse News has published an article containing a roundup of Apple’s most recent patents. Some of them are very interesting (and promising). Here’s a quick roundup of the roundup:
- Wireless iPods and TVs. Methods of transferring different resolutions of images from portable media players to TVs, cameras, or printers.
- iChat whiteboard. Technology which allows all parties of a teleconference to manipulate a window which contains graphics and media.
- Integrated sensing display. Already was covered by Aaron last week.
- Virtual keyboard. A simple, standard patent for the method which virtual keys communicate via a real keyboard interface. Covered by Aaron below.
Of course, all the information above is speculative as to when and where the technology will appear. We can’t get out hopes up too high, because Apple always files patents which never make their way into a sellable device. Nonetheless it’s fun imagining what Apple might do with this technology.
Wait, who’s copying who?
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 2:08 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software
It’s always seemed that Microsoft has been the one copying ideas Apple, which include the Trash, Dock, and Exposé. Well, now it may be Apple copying Microsoft. Apple has recently filed a patent for an arch-shaped virtual keyboard interface very similar to that of Microsoft’s UMPC. The virtual keyboard will be able to learn over time which keys are used most frequently and adjust the sensitivity of them. Sounds pretty cool, except for the fact that Apple may in fact be copying ideas from Microsoft — expect a lot of flying pigs in the coming days.
[via MacRumors]
Tiger turns 1!
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 1:48 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Apple » News
It seems like Apple just can’t get over birthdays. Only yesterday iTMS turned three, and today OS X 10.4 Tiger turns one. Wow, it seems like just yesterday it did its first Spotlight search. Operating systems grow up so fast. Hey, maybe its time for Apple to have another, hint hint.
[via TUAW]
Steve eschews the mouse (Mickey, that is)
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 9:02 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Steve Jobs
In this week’s shareholder meeting (the same one in which Jobs effusively, if unconventionally, lauded the recently launched 17” MacBook Pro), the Apple CEO insisted that he would not be budging from his role at Apple to pursue a larger slice of media conglomerate Disney.
“I think Bob Iger is the best person to be running Disney,” Jobs said. “I’ll be on the Board, which will require less of my time than when I was running Pixar.”But where Jobs is concerned, the old bait-and-switch is always possible. If I recall correctly, Steve once said he saw no reason to produce an iPod that played videos, or a Mac without a monitor. It’s the first step of the patented Jobs Stratagem: lull ‘em into dropping their guard, then a quick left-right jab-hook combo, and you’re out on the street faster than you can say “Gil Amelio.”
Well, Bob, I hope you sleep well. Just be careful, or some morning you might wake up with an Apple optical mouse in your bed, its red eye balefully glowering its mouse-shaped mark of death on your forehead.
The X. (Cringely) Files
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 7:54 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Business
Robert X. Cringely may not have the curmudgeoniess of John Dvorak, he’s just as out of touch with reality (just look at his nom de plume; who has “X” as a middle initial anyway?). I don’t know what Cringely is consuming over at PBS, but it’s good enough that he’s eschewed any thought of following a logical thought process.
Cringely’s last few articles have speculated at Apple’s future vis-a-vis Boot Camp, and how the company’ll use it to fight the battle-to-end-all-battles against Microsoft. Finally. Cringely’s arguments are interesting, but mainly in the same way that watching socially inept people try to navigate a cocktail party is interesting. There’s lots of eye-rolling.
Let’s take a closer look.
Essential tabula rasa installs
Posted on Apr. 29, ’06, 7:17 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Software
A question for you, dear readers. This morning, I got an email from a friend about what I recommended installing on a brand new MacBook Pro, aside from the usual base programs. I took a gander through my own Applications folder, but the problem, in my estimation, is that there aren’t necessarily one-size-fits-all programs; it differs, depending on what you plan on doing with your computer. For myself, essential third-party apps include:
There are a handful of utilities as well (TinkerTool, Flip4Mac). Many of these are tools specific to the kind of tasks I need to accomplish, and some of them are duplicates in functionality (Camino and Firefox, VLC and MPlayer). Any suggestions out there for programs that should be a part of every base installation?
Grasping at straws
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 9:26 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Hardware » Intel Macs
It’s a 12 step program that involves editing the contents of kernel extensions (including outright deleting files). However, all those modifications don’t have much explanation. If it does that it says, then it will likely affect battery life, but again, it’s unknown how much. Also, from the responses, the results are spotty with many, many users reporting the whine is as present as ever.
To make matters worse, it’s looking more and more like Apple might never really resolve these issues, creating a whole community suffering from the same issue. I’m in one of those special societies. I haven’t read about any similar problems in the iMacs and Mac minis, but I’m still fearful that the Intel Power Macs might come with their own set of first generation problems.
Using a hammer on screws
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 8:35 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
MacSeniors give us a quick way to resize pictures in Tiger without using specially designed software to do so. Fire up Mail.app and let its built-in facilities take care of the job. I use this feature of Mail.app quite a bit but only in its intended context. Simply add pictures to a new outgoing email window and drop you photos in. Then choose from the Image Size menu. Right-click on the photos to open in Preview and tada, you’ve got the pictures.
For all other resizing, I use GraphicConverter, though I hear speculation that Photoshop can do this as well. Does anyone have an even better way to resize to resize pictures?
Intel admits AMD is better
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 8:17 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Hardware
Intel has finally admitted it’s fallen behind, and now seems determined to bounce back.
Naturally, we’re all pleased as punch by how the new Intel Macs are performing, but could the as yet unannounced Intel Power Mac replacement suffer in performance between of Apple’s deal with Intel? One must factor in the full array of products that Intel can offer Apple as well as the success of their Core series of processors, but when the new big boy CPUs for desktops arrive, will potential customers shy away from the new models because the AMD processors offer that much more power?
I don’t think so, but I’m a little uneasy relying on a company that seems to think it’s not doing so hot.
Colorful MacBook Pros
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 3:31 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Hardware » Intel Macs
ColorWare, the company that colorizes various laptops, desktops, and iPods is now selling colorized versions of the MacBook Pro. They offer only the 1.83 and 2GHz 15” versions, which cost $2,649 and $3,149, respectively. ColorWare also offers colorization of your existing MacBook Pro for $449. Both the pre-colored and colorization services for the MacBook Pro offer 24 different standard colors including dragon (a shade of green), ferrari (a bright red), and techno (a shade of blue). Of course, instead of coughing up the extra cash for colorization, you could just go to your local hardware store, pick up a can of spray paint, and do it yourself. Or not.
[via The Apple Blog]
A classic ad for a classic computer
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 1:28 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » Advertising
The nice people at Toast Radio have made a piece of history available to all of us. They have scanned and published online a 1984 Newsweek advertising insert featuring the original Apple Macintosh computer. This 16 page (with fold-out) document is really amazing—be sure to check out page four, where Apple explains how to use a mouse. I love how you can see Apple’s original philosophy surrounding their computers, which still drives the company today. And kudos to the first person who can find which page Bill Gates is on!
[via MetaFilter]
Sony Music sued for ripping off its artists
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 12:07 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Music
While the record companies try to hide behind the guise that they support their artists, “only one price point is not fair to our artists,” the reality is that they cheat their artists out of their money. A recent class action lawsuit filed yesterday against Sony Music claims damages to artists in the amount of millions of dollars, according to Macworld UK. The damages come as a result of Sony’s policy when selling their music via digital download services such as the iTMS:
Rather than paying artists approximately 30 cents of the 70 cents it receives for digital downloads (after deducting payments to music publishers), the suit alleges that Sony Music treats each download as a sale of a physical CD or cassette tape, only paying on 85 per cent of such “sales” (due to a fiction that there is breakage of product), deducting a further 20 per cent fee for container/packaging charges associated with the digital downloads (although there are none), and reducing its payments by a further 50 per cent “audiofile” deduction, yielding a payment to the Sony Music recording artists of approximately 4 1/2 cents per digital download.
Four and a half cents!??! That is absolutely ridiculous. Hopefully, this gives consumers and Steve some proof that record labels are after the cash. They aren’t in it for the artists, they’re in it for themselves.
[via MacNN]
Open-Box Items at Apple Stores
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 11:58 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Apple » Stores
Wanna save some dough at Apple Stores? Ask for open-box products.
I could fork over $129 for a new Apple battery at any of the Bay Area Apple Stores. But that’s a lot of dough to spend at once. Then I remembered the power of open-box merchandise—stuff that’s been returned to the store in perfect working order within the 14-day return period. It’s still covered under warranty, it just can’t be sold as new. More important, such merchandise is usually sold at a greatly reduced price.
Doug’s Upgrade to iTunes Multi-Pass
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 10:30 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Video
Yesterday, Dan Moren blogged about Doug’s AppleScripts for iTunes. After checking out his site for a few minutes, I came across this script, which, if it works as advertised, will automatically check for purchases on iTunes. (And it has a catchy, easy-to-remember name: “Check for Purchases.”) In other words, one of my complaints about the Multi-Pass — that it doesn’t automate subscription downloads — will have been fixed. Nice work, Doug!
Learn, find, & discover new apps
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 10:00 AM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Internet
In my on going effort to introduce you to more features of the Apple website (remember this one?), comes another tip, which you hopefully didn’t know! (I like informing people.) This time, it’s their Macintosh Products Guide. I find that most people when visiting the Apple web page skip straight to the good stuff (hardware and software) and consequently may miss other useful features of the site. The Products Guide page, which is easily URL-ed at guide.apple.com contains “A catalog of over 23,000 [hardware and software] products made for Mac.” You can search for that iPod accessory you’re looking for, browse the categories to find an app to suit your purpose, or just visit the page to find new and interesting products. Also conveniently located on the page is a list of Universal applications.
Happy birthday, iTunes+me
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 7:36 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
When I was younger, the most famous person I shared my birthday with was Saddam Hussein. Didn’t exactly make my birthday a high point, if you know what I mean.
That all changed three years ago today when Apple launched the iTunes Music Store. For a blast from the past, check out Macworld’s coverage of that momentous event.
Apple today introduced the iTunes Music Store, an online music store that Apple bills as “Downloads done right.” The service provides users with access to over 200,000 songs without any subscription fees.Sadly, I couldn’t locate Macworld’s coverage of my birthday. Ahem.
Anyway, that bouncing baby music download service is toddling around now, with over 2 million songs, plus more than 35,000 podcasts and dozens of TV shows. All in three years. Impressive. When I was three I think I knew maybe a couple dozen songs; though at least a few of them were Beatles songs, so I’ve still got that on you, iTunes.
In the grand scheme of things, I’m glad iTunes and I share a birthday; it sure is a lot more rewarding than that crazy dictator guy. As for you, dear readers, feel free to get sugared up with a slice of the dope R2-D2 cake my friend made for me. It’s tasty and technological.
Pictures of success
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 7:14 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Photography
How did humanity survive before Flickr? The vast catalogue of images from friends and strangers is one of the best examples of the promise of the social networking aspects of the web, and it’s more often than not an addictive browsing experience.
While you can go ahead and import your photos into Flickr using their own interface, if you use iPhoto to store your photos, I have news for you: there’s a better way, my friend. FlickrExport is a plug-in for iPhoto that not only lets you upload your pictures directly to Flickr from within iPhoto, but also lets you tag them, create photosets, write descriptions, and more.
I used FlickrExport to upload photos from my trip to Ireland and the UK last year; now that I have a Pro-level Flickr account, I plan on using it a lot more. The folks at ConnectedFlow updated FlickrExport to version 1.3.4 yesterday, adding more stable image uploads and a few bug fixes; it’s well worth a look if you use both iPhoto and Flickr regularly.
Come together
Posted on Apr. 28, ’06, 6:17 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Music
Chances are you’ve wanted to merge two music files together before. Whether it’s because they’re two tracks that somehow complete each other, or because you have a giant number of separate tracks for a single audio book, or maybe you’re just trying to create that perfect segue.
Problem is, iTunes only lets you join tracks together when you’re ripping from a CD (those shiny, round things that music used to come on, before the Internet), using the Advanced…Join Tracks menu command. What happens, though, when you’ve already accidentally imported all 21 tracks of “Fingertips” from They Might Be Giants Apollo 18 as separate tracks, and you really don’t want to go through that again?
Well, if you ripped the music into the AAC format, there’s help for you. Dan Frakes checks out the aptly named iTunesJoin collection of AppleScripts on the Mac Gems blog. While Dan found that the app does to do what it says on the tin, there are some limitations: it can only merge unprotected AAC files ripped at the same bitrate without a loss in quality. So, if you’re trying to put together some MP3 files, it is possible, but you’ll lose sound quality. Also, protected AAC files (the kind you get from the iTunes Music Store) can be merged, but the resulting file will be lower quality, and you won’t be able to play it on your iPod.
PSP solution for the Mac
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 10:20 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Video
Own a PSP? Frustrated with having to manually transfer your music, photos, and videos to the device? Maybe you’ve been looking at buying a PSP but were discouraged by the lack of Mac support? Well, actually, there’s an application which just might make your PSP dreams come true.
It’s (creatively) called iPSP and integrates with the appropriate iApps, iPhoto and iTunes. It’s shareware and a license costs $20, but also comes with a second app called Forty-Two DVDVX Plus. This app is a creative, easy-to-use utility for converting video files to formats compatible with cell phones, iPods, PSPs, and more. They’ve got a good little bundle for a nice price, which is making the PSP look more attractive. My major holdback on the PSP is that it can’t play my iTMS videos and music.
[via The Apple Blog]
Make your own iBoom Low-Fi
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 9:48 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Geekery
Bill Machrone of PC Mag has designed and built his very own iBoom Low-Fi, for one-seventh the price of the iPod Hi-Fi. Yes, that’s right, he built it for $50.
Now, this boom box impostor actually has several improvements over Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi, in addition to the low price. First of all, it encloses your iPod, protecting it, so you don’t have to worry about it sitting out there on top, exposed to the world. Secondly, because the iPod is hidden within a old, crappy looking boom box, it is much less likely to be stolen. Ultimately, you iPod is now more portable—take it where you please, when you please, with less worries. The process looks like a good day-long project. I just might make myself one of these babies!
[via MAKE Blog]
Apple Keyboard Update 1.0 here for the Intels
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 8:17 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Hardware » Intel Macs
The documentation is extremely light for this update, consisting of:
This update is recommended for the following computers:
*MacBook Pro *iMac (Early 2006) *Mac mini (Early 2006)
The Apple Keyboard Update 1.0 addresses reliability of keyboard and mouse functionality.
That sounds good, but how about a little more detail? I install every software update without fail, but sometimes I wonder what I’m getting out of the deal. Intel Mac users, get downloading. Tell me if it makes your keyboard “more snappy”.
[via xlr8yourmac]
Skype 1.4.0.39 - where did it go?
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 7:59 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
So, remember all that news of Skype 1.4.0.39? Fuggedaboutit.
Skype for Mac 1.4.0.39 was released yesterday, but was pulled off skype.com a few hours later. We made a mistake during the publishing processes which resulted in a non-working version being released. We’re sorry if this caused trouble for anyone - it won’t happen again.
Ooops. The next version will likely have an important new feature: it’ll work. In all seriousness though, I’m waiting for video capability so I can see how it stacks up against iChat. Once video for Mac Skype arrives, I imagine it’ll be better for cross platform chatting.
[Via Skype for Mac]
In document searching with LaunchBar
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 7:06 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
I missed it when this feature debuted with version 4.0, but you can search text documents with LaunchBar. First, select the text document you want to search (either by typing its name or browsing to it). Press space (note, this is essentially the same as web searching). You can then type in what you’re looking for. LaunchBar will apply the same searching it does to its catalog to the file.
It’ll find that string (text) in every line it can, listing the results so you can copy that text for pasting. Using this feature, you can make a poor man’s text clip utility. You can make a series of text clips collections with several text files. Hiding under that simple facade is a wealth of power.
[via the LaunchBar mailing list]
Steve Jobs on MacBook Pros: “Bitchin.”
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 3:02 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Money
I’m waiting for the day that Steve Jobs describes a new product without using superlatives. (Today: “The new products in the pipeline are the best I’ve ever seen in my life,” Jobs said.)
Yep, that was from today’s Apple shareholders’ meeting, where Steve Jobs also described the new MacBook Pros as “bitchin’” (no joke.)
However, Apple’s CEO didn’t let secrecy stop his enthusiasm for those secret products.
“The new products in the pipeline are the best I’ve ever seen in my life,” Jobs said.
Another shareholder requested that the company make “the ultimate media center,” a personal video recorder that could record television programs and share media on his computer.
“We hear you loud and clear,” Jobs responded.
Blogging Stocks includes Apple financial news
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 1:51 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Internet
Blogging Stocks, the latest part of the AOL-owned Weblogs, Inc blog empire, has been unveiled, featuring financial news and opinion in Apple. Blogging Stocks also features financial coverage of seven other companies including Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft. But why should you read Blogging Stocks for Apple financial news instead of a different source?
Sure, you can get stock charts (and good ones!) anywhere. You can get the press releases for your whole portfolio in your e-mail inbox or all in one pretty web page. You can read the same wire story in any one of a dozen or more stock-focused interfaces.
But nowhere can you get opinion and quality meta-analysis that goes deep into the stocks you care about - the ones you hold in your portfolio - like that you’ll see here. Nowhere can you get passion that runs as red, yellow, green, black and blue.
Well, let’s just see.
[via TUAW]
Podcasting Legal Guide
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 11:18 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Music » Podcasting
Creative Commons has just released a legal guide to podcasting, turning legalese into something resembling normal English.
Says CC’s founder and tech law guru Larry Lessig:
This Guide is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to figure out how best to follow the law. It is also an outstanding recommendation for the non-profit I run, Creative Commons, for as you will see as you work through the insanity that copyright law has become, Creative Commons is a simple alternative to this complex mess.
But my hope for this Guide (which in addition to copyright addresses publicity rights and trademark law) is that it will begin to make obvious what digital creators have been saying for some time - that it is time we update copyright law to the digital age. Something fantastic has changed: technology now invites the widest range of citizens to become speakers and creators. It is time that the law remove the unnecessary burdens that it imposes on this creativity.
[via DeepLinks]
GoogleFill: addresses via phone numbers
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 10:41 AM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software
Hawk Wings has discovered quite a nifty little plugin to accompany Address Book. It’s called GoogleFill, and it does precisely what it sounds like. For any given contact in Address Book, the plug-in will use the contact’s phone number to look up and then automatically insert their address from Google. This is quite a convenient feature, especially if you have all your cell phone’s contacts synced with your Mac. Then, after using GoogleFIll, you’ll have the addresses of these people as well as their phone number!
The real question is how well does Google work, and here’s my experience after using it for a little while. It works surprisingly well for business numbers, finding store and office addresses easily and accurately. Home numbers work well too, although success in finding an address is not as reliable as the businesses. My biggest complaint is about mobile/cell numbers, which make up probably about 80% of my Address Book phone numbers. Google couldn’t find any addresses for all the 10-15 mobile numbers I tried.
How-To: Make your MacBook Pro run cooler
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 9:11 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Tips
So this guy decided that his MacBook Pro was running so hot that he decided to figure out why.
When he opened it up, he determined that there was a bunch of thermal gel that wasn’t applied very cleanly. (TUAW documented this in February 2006.) By using something called Arctic Silver 5, he was able to run the MBP a lot cooler — but admittedly much louder now.
It is now a laptop despite Apple selling me a notebook. Gone are the sweaty, clammy palms, the typing on a heat pad feeling, the amazed stares of those who touched the bar between the function keys and the display hinge to feel the bite of a working MBP.
[via MacBidouille]
Aperture dev team broken up?
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 9:04 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Photography
Was Aperture not quite up to Steve Jobs’s expectations? ThinkSecret reports that the engineers for the professional level digital photography app have been either fired or reassigned to other projects.
Reaction to Aperture has been mixed since its release, with the app garnering solid marks from our Macworld brethren, but not-so-stellar reviews from other sources, like Ars Technica, whose review of v1.0 noted: “At this stage Aperture is a big, expensive misfire and considering the hefty price tag, I can’t think of a reason to recommend it.” By all accounts, 1.0 had some pretty egregious bugs, many of which were fixed by the subsequent 1.0.1 and 1.1 updates, but some of which continue to torment unsuspecting users. In addition, Apple is seeing competition from Adobe’s forthcoming Lightroom.
If this report is true, I wonder if it’ll mean good or bad news for Aperture users. Bringing in new blood could help the program find its way, or it could be the end of the program as we know it.
Do you have any Aperture experiences, good or bad, that you’d like to share?
The return of iPod booting
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 8:35 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | iPod
Over at Playlist, Chris “I’ll-do-anything-to-my-iPod-once” Breen discovers that the newest iPods, can, in fact be used as a bootable drive (with the help of Carbon Copy Cloner), just as their forebearers once were:
In this case I chose my Mac mini’s startup drive as the source for the clone and the iPod as the destination. Clicking the Preference button I made sure that the Make Bootable option was enabled. Though Carbon Copy Cloner isn’t available in a version native to an Intel Mac, it works perfectly well under Apple emulation PowerPC emulation software, Rosetta.
After about an hour, CCC had completed its work, copying the entire contents of the mini’s hard drive to the iPod. Opening the Startup Disk system preference I discovered that the iPod appeared as a bootable option. I selected it and clicked Restart.
Lo, the iPod booted the Mac—albeit very slowly at about 2 minutes.
Update from Chris, 10:55 am PT:
Any full-sized iPod that can be synced over FireWire can boot a Mac that supports FireWire booting (and this is just about any Mac after the Power Mac G4 [PCI Graphics]). If you have a PowerPC-based Mac, you can treat the full-sized FireWire iPod just like any other external hard drive. Connect it to your Mac, insert your Mac OS X Install disc, run the installer, and choose the iPod as the destination volume.
Script assistant
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 7:01 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Geekery
Ever need to accomplish something that a program hasn’t explicitly made possible, but you’re certain can be done? Then AppleScript might be for you. And you, and you, and you. The scriptable capabilities of OS X are one of its most often overlooked gems. Though the introduction of Automator in 10.4 brought scripting to the masses, it only scratches the surface of AppleScript’s terrifying powers.
Take iTunes, for example. By now, the music player has become part of the daily lives of many OS X users, whether you merely use it to sync your iPod, or if you subscribe to dozens of podcasts, or maintain an extensive music library. But there’s so much more it could be doing for you.
Doug Adams (who is probably tired of being confused with the late Douglas Adams) is the purveyor of Doug’s AppleScripts for iTunes site, which, as you might guess, holds hundreds of recipes on how to make grilled cheese sandwiches AppleScripts for iTunes.
Just the latest example: If you’re a news junky, you’ll probably appreciate the most recent scripts on Doug’s site, which integrate hourly news from the BBC or NPR into your iTunes listening. The scripts will download the latest podcast of news from either source as soon as they become available, play them after the current song ends, then continue to the next song with no interruption. Now you can be entertained and informed, without hardly doing a thing. Welcome to the American dream.
Apple loves Samsung; PortalPlayer devastated
Posted on Apr. 27, ’06, 5:58 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iPod
It seems like just yesterday that Apple was breaking up with PortalPlayer, but really it was a whole week ago. And Apple was so over it, anyway, already trolling the markets for new chip suppliers while PortalPlayer was crying into tissues, curled up in the fetal position on its bed.
And now Apple’s going around with Samsung? Maybe it’s just a rebound relationship, but I don’t know: Apple and Samsung have some serious history together. Remember that time Samsung sold Apple a bunch of flash memory for the iPod nano? Maybe Samsung’s had their eye on the central chip for the iPod this whole time. Devious, Samsung. What do your executives have to say for themselves?
“I knew PortalPlayer would take a dive,” said Jon Kang, senior vice president for the technical marketing group at Samsung Semiconductor Inc. “I knew that we would win this design.”Have you no mercy, Samsung? No compassion? No, I suppose not. Good luck, PortalPlayer, wherever you are.Kang referred to the company’s chip as the “PortalPlayer killer.”
[via Engadget]