Display lawsuit is itself an excessive amount of dithering

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 2:51 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

I had reeeeeealllly hoped we’d be done with lawsuits about Apple’s displays, but apparently, it was not to be. As MacNN reports, law firm Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP has filed a class action suit against Apple for misleading customers about the display on the 20” iMac.

“Apple is duping its customers into thinking they’re buying ‘new and improved’ when in fact they’re getting stuck with ‘new and inferior,’” said Brian Kabateck, Managing Partner of Kabateck Brown Kellner. “Beneath Apple’s ‘good guy’ image is a corporation that takes advantage of its customers. Our goal is to help those customers who were deceived and make sure Apple tells the truth in the future.”

Once again, it appears to all go back to Apple’s description of the 20” iMac as supporting “millions” of colors, which the lawsuit contends that it is incapable of doing. The suggestion says that 20” and 24” iMacs use totally different technology for their displays, with the 24” using a 8-bit, in-plane switching (IPS) screen and the 20” having a cheaper 6-bit twisted nematic film (TN) LCD screen. The real problem, it appears, stems from the fact that the previous generation of 20” iMac used an IPS screen, meaning that Apple’s taken a step backwards to cut prices and lessen corresponding performance—without, the lawsuit suggests, informing its customers.

My folks have a 20” G5 iMac, which I’ve always thought had a very nice display, but I haven’t spent a lot of time with the new Aluminum models. Readers, your thoughts? Lined up a 20” iMac against a 24” and found it wanting? Or is it all just hot air? Let us know.

Hey, there are browsers other than Safari?

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 2:05 PM PT by Dan Pourhadi

Category | Software

Yes. Several. And some of them have more…even better features, like session management, add-ons, social networking features, and more — making the art of web browsing just as complicated as every other computer task.

Joe Kissell at The Mothership examined ten browsers — Camino, DevonAgent, Firefox, Flock, iCab, OmniWeb, Opera, Safari, SeaMonkey, and Shiira — and compared, contrasted, sniffed, and licked everything that makes them The Browser You Want to Use.

Each one has a set of features that more-or-less sets it apart from the rest: DevonAgent, for example, is focused on scouring the web for research, while Flock is for social network and blogging mavens.

Check Kissell’s article for the full browser four-one-one, especially if you’re bored with the simple bare-bones browsers whose most notable features are their address bars. I’m lookin’ at you, Camino.

WWDC student scholarship deadline approaching

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 1:14 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » News

If you’re a student interested in attending WWDC—minus the approximately $1600 it normally costs, it’s time to get yourself in gear. The application for the WWDC student scholarship is posted at the Apple developer site and the deadline is the fast-approaching April 10th.

As the name implies, the WWDC scholarship offers a free ticket to WWDC along with complete access to all tech sessions and special events. Oftentimes, there’s a special event just for student developers and a career fair where you can meet hiring managers from Mac development companies. All this adds up to a hell of an opportunity for students with Apple-related career aspirations.

This year’s WWDC will be held at the Moscone West in San Francisco, June 9-13.

AirPort Express reviewed, just for you

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 12:16 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

Apple launched the 802.11n version of the AirPort Express with little fanfare a couple of weeks back. You might think that the only real news here was that new little letter “n,” but you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.

Over at the mothership, our good friend and colleague Dan Frakes put the new little brick through its paces, pointing out a couple of the Express’s other new features, such as support for a protocol called ProxySTA that lets you turn it into a wireless-to-Ethernet bridge.

Is the new AirPort Express for you? According to the other Dan, potentially, if you’re looking to take advantage of its media-streaming capabilities or you just want a second base station to extend your current network. Check the full review at the link above for all the nitty-gritty details.

DisplayLink beta release brings video fourplay to the Mac

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 11:19 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

If you’ve been envying your PC comrades for their ability to run up to four displays over a USB connection with the use of DisplayLink technology, we urge you not to fret. The company has released a beta version of their drivers for OS X.

With a compatible piece of DisplayLink hardware, any Intel Mac from the mini and the MacBook Air to the Mac Pro can use their USB 2.0 ports to support multiple displays, regardless of their graphics capability. But this is beta software, so it comes with its fair share of caveats, notably a couple of biggies: neither 2D or 3D acceleration is supported, meaning that some software (such as those that require OpenGL acceleration) won’t run correctly. There’s more in DisplayLink’s release notes.

Should none of that deter you on your quest for quad-display glory, then you can hit the link above to download the free beta.

[via Engadget]

Outspring Mail springs into action

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 9:20 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

I’ve gone through my fair share of email clients on the Mac, but it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a new challenger in this realm, given that a large portion of the user base seems to be on either Mail.app or Entourage. Email is, for many of us, the most important function on our computers.

Outspring Inc., makers of QuickMail, have unveiled a new product called Outspring Mail, which they’re billing as “For those who take their email seriously.” On top of supporting the standard litany of protocols like POP, SMTP, IMAP, and SSL, Outspring boasts that it uses “advanced database analysis and Bayesian logic” to observe how you use your email, with the end goal of making it easier for you. For example, if Outspring notices that you tend to get a lot of messages that are similar, to which you reply in the same way, it will offer to use one of those replies for subsequent similar messages. Likewise, with filing, it’ll learn where you put certain messages and offer simplified filing options for similar messages. There’s also a Defer feature that lets you read an email and then delay it for a certain amount of time, so it will reappear in your inbox at a later date (think of it as “snoozing” an email). On top of that, Outspring claims to have a 98% accurate spam filter, and it takes advantage of the same Data Detectors as Mail.app.

Sounds pretty cool, I have to admit. At the moment, I maintain two clients: Mail.app for my personal email, and Thunderbird for my work email. I actually loathe Thunderbird, so I plan on giving Outspring a try and see if it’s really as good as it claims. Granted, it’s a pretty hefty $95, so it’ll have to be awfully good to merit dropping that kind of cash.

Apple is the brandiest of them all

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 8:27 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Business

The awards, they just keep piling up for our favorite company. Last week, Apple came in number six on BusinessWeek’s “star performers” list. Now, they’ve captured top spots in almost every category on the 2008 Brandjunkie Survey.

BrandChannel.com surveyed almost 2,000 of their readers (74% of whom are in the marketing field) to determine the answers to such long-standing scientific brainteasers as “Which brand would you like to have dinner with?”; “If you were any brand, which would you be?”; and “If you love that brand so much, why don’t you marry it?”

Apple snagged top honors in six of the ten categories, including “What brand is most likely to revolutionize the branding industry in the next five years?”; “What brand can you not live without?”; and, my personal favorite, “What brand, if sent back 100 years, would have the biggest impact on the course of history?” Hmm. That’s a great idea for a sci-fi story…

It wasn’t all roses for Cupertino, though. They also grabbed the second place spot in “Which brand do you want to argue with?”, following Microsoft, with respondents commenting “I think they exploit their customers’ good will to extremes. How Apple gets away with it, that’s beyond me!” and “Why must you introduce a ‘new’ product every 3 months!!”

It’s hard to argue that Apple doesn’t have one of the most recognizable and positive brands in the world. Then again, as we know, that also makes them an extremely visible target when something goes wrong.

And, oh, if you’re curious, the brand I’d most like to have dinner with? The Pep Boys. I mean, come on, they look like fun, right?

Apple TV 2.0.1 update on your TV and in your living room

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 7:10 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple TV

As if I needed yet another reason to finally splurge and get an Apple TV, an update for the box has been released. You know me, I’m a software update fiend. I get an odd thrill seeing version numbers increase. You need to invoke the update by using the software update command in the general section of Apple TV’s settings.

Is there anything new? Or will we be forced to rely on a curt, almost antagonistic, description from Apple? No friends, there is something new. Genres have been added to the My Movies section to help those of you with large collections of movies.

Oh, and as usual, it brings the snappy.

Dell responds to the MacBook Air

Posted on Mar. 31, ’08, 5:46 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Advertising

You knew Dell had to respond. Somehow, this just seems right to me.

Vancouver store should open late this summer

Posted on Mar. 30, ’08, 12:57 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen

Category | Apple » Stores

If you live in Vancouver, BC, your patience should be rewarded by the end of this summer. According to an article in the Vancouver Sun, the city’s major paper, that’s when Pacific Centre Mall’s Apple store will open its doors.

This tidbit comes from a mall staffer, while “Apple did not respond to a Vancouver Sun call” (what a surprise!). There’s been construction going on for quite a while now (as a few of you have pointed out before) and even Ron Johnson, Apple’s retail VP, basically confirmed the location last year.

You might remember similar news coming out of Edmonton two months ago, with that store supposed to open in July. Combined with the street-side store currently being built in downtown Montréal and an outlet possibly opening in Calgary this fall, it seems us Canadians are finally getting some Apple store love. Happy? I am.

[Photo by midbach on Flickr]

Apple in Africa; a different flavor of advertising

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 5:20 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » Advertising

Ever wonder how the iPod is marketed in countries outside of the US, Europe, and Asia, like say…South Africa? 9to5mac has posted a few iPod ads from South Africa, and I must say that they are very much different than any iPod ad I’ve seen in the States, or Europe for that matter.

The ads are hosted on Ads of the World, but for some reason I can’t get to them from that site anymore. It may have to do with Apple asking people to remove the ads from their web pages. For now, they’re still up at 9to5mac, so check them out!

BW: Apple and Steve are star performers

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 2:20 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Business

Apple and Steve Jobs have found themselves on yet another list of top something-or-others. This time it’s BusinessWeek’s round-up of 50 “star performers” in the ten sectors of the S&P 500. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Apple made the cut, coming in at #6. Here’s what the BW had to say:

The Cupertino (Calif.) company has become the poster child for market fears of a slowdown in consumer spending. Chief Executive Steve Jobs has signaled that, despite any recession, Apple won’t be trimming its R&D budget. With $18 billion in cash on hand, many expect the product- obsessed Jobs to go on the offensive. He has already announced a corporate version of the iPhone.

Tech rivals Microsoft and Google came in at #41 and #34 respectively, which, if nothing else, reflects my ability to pick out small blue-tinted thumbnails of Steve Ballmer and Eric Schmidt—a skill I’m not entirely sure how to leverage, to be honest. Oh, and Avon, which is headed by Apple board member Andrea Jung, made #18 too. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

His Life as a PC

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 11:04 AM PT by Brian Chen

Category | Apple » Humor

In last week’s re-aired episode of This American Life, John Hodgman shares his hilarious story about how he landed his job playing the PC in the popular “I’m a Mac; I’m a PC” Apple commercials. Titled “Nice Work if You Can Get it,” the episode is available for free download as a podcast for a limited time. Check it out if you need some entertainment to get you through a slow Friday.

On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness will cost more than a penny

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 10:06 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Games

I really can’t remember how many years I’ve been reading Penny Arcade—I think I started back in 1999 or something. In that time, I’ve seen them grow from a mere comic strip to one of the most important wholly Internet-based properties. I was at the Penny Arcade Expo in 2006 when Jerry and Mike (aka Tycho and Gabe) first announced that they were developing a game based on the strip, and I rejoiced when it was revealed that it would be made available for the Mac as well as the PC.

Now, Hothead Games, the developers of On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, have released further information on the title, including the price and the system requirements. The game itself will cost $20 on Mac, PC, Linux, and Xbox Live Arcade. If you’re looking to run it on your Mac, here’s what you’ll need:

Mac OS X v10.4 or v10.5

G4/1.0GHz or better (including Intel)

ATI Radeon 9500, Nvidia GeForce FX 5200, or GMA 950 or better 3D graphics with at least 64MB VRAM

512MB RAM

350MB of hard disk space

available Internet connection for download and one-time authentication

The game, which is rated M for Mature, is the first episode in what is intended to be a series of adventures and it’s hopefully due out sometime this year.

[via Macworld]

Firmware Restoration CD brings your Mac Pro back from the dead

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 9:11 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Troubleshooting

So you went ahead and tried to apply yesterday’s Mac Pro Firmware Update and something went horribly awry. Your power went out while you were in the middle, or your dog chewed through the power cable (No Fluffy! Bad Fluffy! No biscuit!). Either way, there you are, with a giant brick of a Mac Pro.

In the words of Douglas Adams: don’t panic. Everything’s going to be all right (well, I’m not sure about Fluffy—I’m a blogger, not a veterinarian). But in terms of your Mac Pro brick, it’s all cool. Apple’s posted Firmware Restoration CD 1.5, which allows you to restore the firmware of the early 2008 Mac Pro (other Intel Mac users will need to get Firmware Restoration CD 1.4 and Firmware Restoration CD 1.3).

As a heads up, you’ll need a second computer in order to create the disc—and your MacBook Air isn’t going to cut it, I’m afraid. And remember: you can always go to an Apple Store or Authorized Reseller or your buddy Mitch’s house if you don’t have a second Mac. The above knowledge base doc will walk you through the process of restoring your firmware.

If you’ve successfully updated your firmware, however, you should know that this software is entirely useless to you. And, no, it won’t bring Fluffy back, no matter how much you try. I’m sorry.

[via The Mac Observer]

Update-a-palooza: Tiger on Intel Macs, Mac Pros, and Aperture, oh my!

Posted on Mar. 28, ’08, 8:23 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

As if springing a trap on unsuspecting prey, Apple waited until late last night to release a torrent of updates. Where were we? Peacefully asleep in our beds, dreaming of sugarplums (I actually still have no idea what sugarplums are, but rest assured they haunt my dreams).

First up, we’ve got the AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 for Tiger. Rowr, indeed. As you might guess, this patch “improves the reliability of AirPort connections.” If you’re running Tiger on an Intel Mac (and don’t think we don’t know who you are), then you’d best be downloading this already.

Mac Pro owners, you’re not off the hook either: for you, we have a special deal—the Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.3, specifically intended for those who’ve purchased Mac Pros in the early days of 2008. The update, which “fixes several issues to improve the stability” of the model, revs the BootROM to version MP31.006C.B05.

Finally, to those of you who are happily photo-editing away on Aperture 2.0, we’ve got a treat for you as well: Aperture 2.1. Here, at least, Apple has deigned to share with us some details of what the updates covers:

Aperture 2.1 updates various features of the application and addresses issues related to performance and overall stability. It also includes fixes that impact a number of other areas, including import, Quick Preview, All Projects view, image adjustments, books, printing, and export. The update is recommended for all customers using Aperture 2.

That’s quite a trio of different fixes, but if you somehow manage to require all three (i.e., you’re running Aperture 2.0 on Tiger on an early 2008 Mac Pro), we congratulate you for the update trifecta.

Leopard totally pwns Vista in the corporate world

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 4:30 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » News

ComputerWorld reports that ChangeWave Research has posted a study on satisfaction levels for corporate users of Leopard and Windows Vista. Not surprisingly, Leopard users are altogether much more satisfied than Vista users—in fact, Leopard users are 5 times more likely to say they’re ‘very satisfied’ than Vista users. Ooooh.

In a February survey of 2,200 U.S. corporate computer users, 53% of those using Leopard reported they were very satisfied with their operating system, compared to only 40% of Windows XP and *gasp* 8% of Vista users. We knew Vista was bad, but not that bad!

The moral of the story: if you’re looking for a job, shoot for the one that uses Leopard in the workplace. It just might better your existence.

When Apple Store employees go rotten (and to jail)

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 3:59 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » Huh?

A couple of brilliant New Hampshire Apple Store employees thought it would be a good idea to whisk away some $150,000 worth of iPhones from their Apple store in an attempt to score some extra dough (presumably to purchase 83 MacBook Airs).

What would you do with $150,000 in stolen iPhones? I’d probably go to a shady foreign government, maybe in Latin America? These guys went to…some dude…who bought them all.

As what often happens when people make such audacious moves against their own employers, these two iPhone thieves are both in custody and facing felony grand theft charges. Geniuses, my foot.

As to what happened to the high roller who purchased all the phones, we’re not quite sure yet, but he’ll surely have some explaining to do.

[Via Ars Technica and Engadget]

Apple to take Nike + iPod system to the next level?

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 3:14 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » Speculation

We’ve seen the cool Nike + iPod running ads, and while the system has plenty of appeal, I’ve never felt compelled to replace my gym membership with a pair of fancy shoes and an iPod nano. However, according to recent patent filings by Apple, it seems like theNike + iPod kit is about to get a whole lot beefier.

The batch of six patents reveals plans for Apple to turn the Nike + iPod duo into a formidable “lifestyle companion.” Vague, yes, but also promising when you consider the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer and other capabilities that could help you shape up. The patents don’t stop at workouts either, as there are indications of an included diet coach that could help get you eating right. When you think of the possibilities of turning your iPhone into a fitness companion—imagine using the built-in camera to scan bar codes at a grocery store for health information—it seems like a promising idea indeed. Keep in mind that we’re only talking about patents here so there’s really no idea when or even if this will ever actually be released.

[Via Engadget]

Security researcher hacks Mac at CanSecWest

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 2:26 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Security

As we mentioned last month, the CanSecWest security conference is running a hacking competition on Vista, OS X, and Linux. News just in from day two of the PWN 2 OWN contest suggests that OS X has fallen at the hands of Dr. Charlie Miller, a security researcher from Independent Security Evaluator (and former NSA employee), who’s perhaps best known for demonstrating a Safari security vulnerability on the iPhone last July.

While there were no winners on day one of the contest, which limited attacks to external forays over the network, day two added to the list the potential for visiting sites or reading emails from the computer. Miller was the first to give it a shot; when the contest directors visited his site, he was reputedly able to use his exploit to take control of the computer. Rules prohibited any additional software from being installed.

The exploit means that Miller will take home $10,000 as well as the MacBook Air that he successfully hacked—had a participant managed to win on the first day, they would have gotten $20,000 from sponsor TippingPoint. Miller was also required to sign an NDA which prevents him from giving out details on the exploit until Apple is informed.

This is scary stuff, to be sure. Last year at the same event, researcher Dino Dai Zovi managed to take advantage of a loophole in QuickTime to win the prize; his method also involved visiting a malicious URL. Despite that, we anticipate a prompt fix from Apple once they’re alerted; they patched Dai Zovi’s two weeks later. So don’t break out the duct tape and emergency rations just yet.

[Glenn F. via Twitter; Image via New York Times]

Cook and Oppenheimer are in the money

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 1:24 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Money

Executive stock transactions are not usually our cup of tea around these parts, but as it’s been a slow week in Macland, we thought maybe you’d be interested. Or not. We could talk about something else, really. Anything you want. Say, did you see Lost last week? Yeah, I mean, holy crap, right? And the part where…? I know! Crazy. What will they think of next?

Oh, right. Stock transactions. Well, according to the folks over at MarketWatch, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook sold off 300,000 shares of his Apple stock this week, netting him a pretty slick $41 million. Man. I wish I had 300,000 shares of Apple stock. Or $41 million. Whichever.

Timmy C. wasn’t the only one doing a little of the old trading this week; Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer also sold off some of his stock to the tune of $19 million. Both transactions were part of pre-arranged trading plans, or so say the SEC filings. I’ll take MarketWatch’s word for it.

So, Lost, yeah? Do you think we’ll ever find out what happened to the…

PC World puts Apple IIc under the knife

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 9:28 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

If you’re a fan of lurid, revealing shots of vintage hardware, then look no further than our cousins over at PC World, who’ve gone ahead and stripped a classic Apple IIc down to its constituent parts. Given the machine’s 7.5lb. weight and compact size, they dub it the “MacBook Air of 1984,” though, as they point out, it does feature three times the ports that the MBA does.

It’s amazing to think that a mere twenty-three years ago, this was one of the slickest personal computers on the market. Look at the size of the motherboard—now remember how big the MacBook Air’s is? Still, both are rather elegant in their simplicity for the times they were made.

I have to admit, as much as I like my MacBook’s keyboard, I think it would be sweet if Apple put one of those IIc clicky keyboards in the MBA. I can dream, right?

Photoshop Express is Adobe’s massively multiplayer photo-sharing site

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 8:42 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Photography

When we first started hearing whispers of an online version of Photoshop, our imaginations went a bit, well, crazy. But now that Adobe has drawn back the velvet curtain on the Photoshop Express Public Beta, we find ourselves potentially intrigued by the services on offer.

The idea is one-part Photoshop, one-part Flickr, all wrapped together in a Flash tortilla. Adobe will give you 2GB of free storage space to upload your photos (or suck them down from another site like Facebook, Photobucket, or Picasa). Once you’ve put up your pics, you can edit them with the suite of non-destructive built-in tools, and share them with other users either via Photoshop Express or by sending them back to the afore-mentioned sites.

I’ve only been mucking about with it briefly, and while it seems pretty slick, the Flash overhead is a little slow at times. I also made the mistake of uploading a bunch of full-resolution pictures—whoops. Also, there’re no printing options as of yet; the focus at the moment is on online photo-sharing, though Adobe suggested that they’d be working with third parties to bring printing services in the future.

Photoshop Express will remain free even after it’s out of beta, but Adobe plans on adding premium features in the next few months, including more storage space and more photo-editing features and effects.

I don’t know if this will be a major challenge to the likes of Flickr and Facebook for photo-sharing, but if you’re not thrilled with your current photo-sharing arrangement, it might be worth checking out.

[via Macworld]

Safari reaches 100/100 Acid3 status, beaten by Opera

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 7:10 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

Acid3 is a series of tests for web browsers that I’ve mentioned several times before. The Safari team has been working relentlessly at achieving a perfect 100/100 score for the suite of tests. Last night, Safari reached it. It’s the perfect browser. No more work is needed. Not really, but it’s clear that Safari’s team is ready to take on any challenges the web standards community wants to throw at it.

While Safari has reached that mystical ratio, Opera got there first. Don’t expect to go to that browser’s website and download a copy of the compatible version because it’s not available. Could I get all conspiracy theory and wonder if it’s really true with no way to independently verify?

Sure. The truth is though that Safari is the first publicly released browser to achieve the goal. You can download it now. Opera, they say the next week or so. Go Safari.

Mail.appetizer making Leopard Mail.app tasty

Posted on Mar. 27, ’08, 5:30 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I’m one of those people that wants to know what email is coming in as it comes in. At the same time, I may not want to deal with it immediately, but it depends on what it is. Mail.appetizer has always been my favorite way to satisfy both of these needs. I was sad when Leopard arrived and an updated version was unavailable.

I switched, albeit temporarily to Growl’s Mail.app plugin. That made Mail.app utterly unstable and unusable. I was thrilled when I had an email from Mail.appetizer’s author in my inbox (though it was countless minutes before I knew I received it) informing me he had a new Leopard compatible version, 1.3 beta 1.

Do yourself a favor and download a copy. If you like it, be sure to donate.

Security Update 2008-002 v1.1 comin’ atcha

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 3:30 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Security

Apple has released Security Update 2008-002 v1.1 for Leopard client and Leopard server. Here’s what Apple has to say about this stunning new release:

Security Update 2008-002 is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update.

Not really sure what kind of security improvements this entails, but one can never be too secure, right? Right. You can download the update by opening Software Update from the Apple menu, or by downloading the client or server installer package from the Apple Downloads website.

Buy a plane ticket, get a free iPod

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 3:00 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | iPod

Eos Airlines, a transatlantic airline, has a pretty sweet deal going on at the moment: book a flight between New York and London, and you get a free iPod.

If you spend less that $4,000, you get an iPod nano, or 15,000 Eos bonus points (which can get you other goodies). If your tickets run you more than $4,000, you can get an iPod classic, or 30,000 points. The purchases must be made between March 26 and April 11, and they need to be round-trip and completed by September 8, 2008.

Funny thing is, the website doesn’t say what kind of iPod nano or classic you’ll get, so they will probably be the lower end models. Still a cool deal, though.

[Via iPodNN]

John C. Dvorak: Forget about laptops and iPhones; it’s all about the desktops, baby

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 2:25 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » People

John C. Dvorak is a contributing editor of PC Magazine, and after reading his latest opinion piece for said magazine, it’s probably safe to assume that he is also clumsy, forgetful, and has poor vision. Why else would he favor the glories of the lumbering, unmovable desktop over the portability of laptops and iPhones for reasons such as “you can leave your iPhone in a taxi”, “small laptop screens make you go blind” and “if you spill your coffee on your laptop keyboard or iPhone you’re screwed”?

“Everyone thinks that the iPhone is going to be the next major computing platform. Some even hope that it will replace the laptop as the primary PC platform. And what if it does? What are folks going to do when they spill coffee on their iPhones? They’ve already done a lot worse—they drop them into toilets over and over. PodShow’s Adam Curry lamented having this happen to him, as did Leo Laporte on a TWiT podcast.”

After reading the first 3/4 of his piece, I seriously thought it was satire. It wasn’t until I reached the last page, where he earnestly outlines and compares the benefits of desktops and laptops, that I realized he (probably) isn’t joking.

John, I know you’re of an older generation, and these smaller, portable-but-powerful newfangled gadgets might be intimidating, and yes, maybe a little easier to drop in a toilet, but ya know what? People like to be able to take their gadgets with them! People don’t like being stuck in one place every time they want to use their computer, and if they can have a device that offers the power of a desktop, but weighs 5 pounds and fits in a backpack, they’ll take it. I’ve relied on my MacBook as my primary computer for the last year and a half, and do I miss having a desktop even the slightest bit? No sir.

You see, John, this newer generation values portability more than you might think. You say these laptops are delicate and unreliable? I lug my MacBook around in my backpack on a daily basis, and it’s never given me a problem. Sure if I spill a cup of coffee on it, it will probably be ruined, but there’s an easy solution to that: keep coffee and other liquids out of spilling distance from your laptop!. Problem solved. And while we’re talking about accidents, how about this sage advice: don’t dangle your iPhone over a toilet, for the love of God!

I know his article is titled “The iPhone is No Desktop”, and this is true at the moment, but don’t spend half your article trashing laptops to get to the obvious point that the iPhone will not replace a full on computer (at least not yet).

I’m not trying to knock desktop users either, but unless you’re a serious gamer, or you need copious amounts of raw power and a graphics card for your profession, I don’t see why a laptop isn’t a perfectly viable desktop replacement. What do you think?

SoundAsleep 1.0 prevents rude awakenings by your Mac

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 1:20 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Software

I like to leave my Mac on at night, usually so I can keep Transmission on and continue to download completely legal, legitimate, non-illegal music and movies throughout the night.

Sometimes, I crash with my computer on and forget to mute it, which leaves me and my delicate sleep cycle vulnerable to whatever random error noise, new mail alert, etc., OS X could randomly decide to conjure up. The result: a groggy, angry me, slamming my MacBook shut at 3:30 in the morning and then struggling to get back to sleep with the tinny, haunting sound of a new Mail message fresh in my mind. Usually I have nightmares at this point.

Enter SoundAsleep, a handy little freeware app that sits in your menu bar and lets you set a schedule for when you’d like your Mac to automatically mute and unmute. No fancy bells and whistles (literally), this app is sweet and to the point. Check it out for a better night’s sleep.

[Via tuaw]

Millions served: color lawsuit settled

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 10:04 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Legal

You know, it’s so often that we bring you news of new lawsuits against Apple, that we’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to tell you about the end of a lawsuit. Now, we tell you this: it feels good.

Last May, a pair of San Diego photographers sued Apple for allegedly misrepresenting the specifications of their MacBook and MacBook Pro displays. The contention was that the displays were not capable of displaying millions of colors, as Apple said they were; they could only achieve that setting through excessive use of dithering, which meant that the displays were not suitable for professionals who needed extremely accurate color reproduction. That case has now been settled.

The case generated a lot of discussion and argument about precisely who was at fault, whether the lawsuit was frivolous, what precisely “millions of colors” really entailed, and what was to be done about fixing it, if possible. In the end, however, it appeared that the case was going nowhere; the plaintiffs reputedly had trouble finding other parties who were felt wronged because of the inaccuracy of that claim, and so they dropped the matter.

And so, it appears that our long national color nightmare is finally over. I, for one, will sleep soundly tonight, knowing that even if my MacBook can’t display millions of colors, I at least can’t tell the bloody difference.

Frankly, as happy as I was to hear about this development, I was even happier to hear that an unrelated suit, alleging that rainbows also exhibit from excessive dithering, was similarly dropped. Thank heavens.

[via Daring Fireball]

Remote start screen-sharing (for those cold winter mornings)

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 9:08 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Tips

So there you are, on the road—what, you don’t travel? Okay, bear with me—there you are, on the road, and you need to take a look at something on your desktop Mac back at home. You fire up Leopard’s built-in screen-sharing, only to find that while you oh-so-cleverly remembered to leave your desktop Mac on, you neglected to turn on screen sharing.

Tipster alblue over at Mac OS X Hints has this easy solution for you, if you were also clever enough to leave remote login enabled: you can start screen-sharing from the command line simply by creating a file in the correct directory. Just navigate to /Library/Preferences and enter the following command:

echo -n enabled > com.apple.ScreenSharing.launchd

Voilà. That’s it. Want to turn it off again? Just enter the following command in the same directory:

rm com.apple.ScreenSharing.launchd

Couldn’t be easier. Well, it could probably be a little easier, but it’s pretty darn easy.

Apple’s writers’ strike response: better late than never

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 8:10 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

While we knew that Apple would be crediting the iTunes accounts of those affected by the recent writers’ strike, our colleagues over at Macworld have posted a copy of the email that’s being sent to iTunes Season Pass subscribers.

Among the salient details is the confirmation that Apple is tailoring the refunds to each individual show, depending on how many episodes were not broadcast. So, for example, Macworld’s letter deals with the show Prison Break, of which only 13 of the 22 intended episodes were produced. The letter cites a refund in the amount of $16.36 on the $39.99 cost of the Season Pass, which works out to about 41%—the same percent of episodes that weren’t made.

In addition, Apple’s throwing in two free video credits that can be used to purchase any two TV shows/music videos/short films (not feature-length movies, though). Admittedly, it took Apple a while to respond to queries about how Season Pass holders would be refunded, but we’re glad they came through in the end.

Strangely enough, I note that the 13 episode current Season Pass of Prison Break is still available at the iTunes Store for the full $39.99 price. I’m gonna go ahead and recommend not picking that one up.

Carbon Copy Cloner clones up version 3.1

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 7:10 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

I still like the power simplicity of cloned, bootable backups. There’s something reassuring about having a backup that if you have a meltdown, you just choose from the option key boot loader. You’re back up and running in minutes rather than having to restore from a Time Machine disk. Of late, I’ve used Super Duper, but before that, I always used Carbon Copy Cloner.

CCC is free (donations are very appreciated) and powerful. It recently saw a second digit update. This little update includes rsync 3.0.0, improves Leopard compatibility, and includes several other bug fixes. If you’re thinking about implementing a cloned backup as part of your backup strategy (you are backup, yes?), then give CCC a good strong look.

Yahoo learns the power of voice

Posted on Mar. 26, ’08, 5:42 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Mac users have generally gotten the short end of the stick when it came to IM clients. While they gained features like voice calling and video conferencing on Windows, Mac versions have mostly gotten little more than text support. The last time AOL itself actually included voice chat on the Mac version of AIM was OS 9. Yahoo has had a renewed interest in the Mac version of their IM client, first rewriting in Cocoa recently.

It’s now gained voice support (in a new beta version). Not only can you call other Yahoo Messenger users, but also call regular phone numbers and receive phone calls (assuming you purchase “out” time and an “in” number). US number calling is a cent per minute and an incoming phone number is $2.95.

Not bad at all. Unfortunately, no one I really know uses Yahoo and I already purchased phone services from Skype. Still, I applaud Yahoo for supporting us.

Got a lot of peripherals? Dock your MacBook with a BookEndz docking station

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 6:00 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Hardware » Accessories

If you’re like me and use your MacBook as your primary computer, complete with a constant arse-load of peripherals attached to it, then it makes sense to use a dock. A dock provides you with one place to keep your desktop peripherals plugged in, so you don’t need to do the plug-unplug shuffle with 5 different peripherals each time you want to mozy your MacBook down to the coffee shop. It also relieves your desk of the clutter that comes with keeping 4 or 5 peripherals separately attached to your laptop.

And so, BookEndz inc., has stepped up and released a docking station for the 13” MacBook, which, according to the MacNN review, is not half bad. It’s custom-fitted for the MacBook, and offers five USB ports, a full size VGA and DVI port, and a special gap that allows room for the MagSafe adaptor. The downside: there is only one FireWire port, so you won’t gain anything on that end.

It will run you $159, so if you have the cash, and a desire to declutter and simplify the peripheral aspects of your life, check this bad boy out.

Karl Rove joins the conservative Apple fan club

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 4:45 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » People

It looks like Apple is catching on more and more with the conservative right. Helping to further undo Mac’s image of a company aimed at snobby liberal types, good ole’ conservative, ex-George W senior advisor Karl Rove has publicly professed his love of the Apple iPhone and admitted to owning a MacBook Air.

He revealed this previously unknown hipness in an interview with NewsBusters.

NB: All right, I’ve got just one more quick question for you. Last time I saw you, you’d just gotten an iPhone. How’s that working out for you?

ROVE: I love it. My life has changed. I have a shred of coolness. I’ve got my 3,500 people in my addressbook on the phone, I can sync my calendar. I keep track of my modest little stock investments. I can check the weather of my house in Washington, my house in Florida, my boy at school, my hunt-lease in south Texas. I can surf the web, I’m just-I get part of my email there.

I guess we can call this phenomenon Rush-ization, and like it or not, if this trend continues, we may be seeing clips of Bush and Cheney texting each other on their iPhones while video chatting their war advisors on their Macbooks *shudders*.

And before you go commenting about the political undertones of this post, realize that it took a herculean amount of self restraint to keep the jabs this soft, so cut this liberal Mac-using snob a little slack, will ya?

[Via cult of mac]

Plugin Manager 1.7.3: for all your plugin managing needs

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 2:29 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software » Updates

It’s Tuesday, and what would Tuesday be without some software updates from Apple? Earlier today we had the much-anticipated iPod Reset Utility (everybody, now: Oooh. Ahhh.), and now, prepare to be dazzled and amazed by the exotic charms of Plugin Manager 1.7.3.

If you thought you liked Plugin Manager 1.7.2, you will love Plugin Manager 1.7.3. Or your money back. Guaranteed. Here’s the skinny from our friends in Cupertino:

This update improves reliability for Apple’s professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Aperture, Logic Studio and related SDKs.

Plug-ins are not hacks
Thank you, Mr. Crankypants
The point is taken

Apple Store, Grand Arcade opens on Thursday in Cambridge, UK

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 12:00 PM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | Apple » Stores

Here’s some good news for our readers in the United Kingdom. If you live anywhere near Cambridge, you should know that it’s the grand opening of Apple’s fifteenth retail store in the country, in the Grand Arcade Shopping Centre, on March 27th, just a couple of days from today.

The event kicks off at 10:00 am and will run its course within the span of an entire week, during which visitors will be able to take part in several free training workshops on various topics. The first thousand visitors are eligible to win a T-shirt each and one lucky winner gets to walk away with a black MacBook and an iPod nano (silver).

If you’re anywhere near the place on the coming Thursday and have some enlightening observations to make, feel free to chime in with your comments. We’re also open to pictures of you donning the prized T-shirt, if you happen to stumble in before a thousand other people do.

[Via The Mac Observer]

iPod Reset Utility nurses iPod shuffles back to health

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 11:05 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | Troubleshooting

If your iPod shuffle has stopped working and iTunes is unable to restore it back to full health, you’ll be glad to know that Apple has released iPod Reset Utility 1.0.3 today to get you back on track.

The utility bypasses iTunes (misbehaving little brat that it is) and directly restores your first or second generation iPod shuffle. As you must know, restoration entails complete deletion of all the data on your device and reinstallation of the iPod software. If you didn’t know that, step aside with your hands up and drop the shuffle to the ground, immediately.

Note that this utility requires administrator privileges to work its magic. If even this sucker can’t fix your iPod, the poor thing needs professional help. So go seek out a Genius Bar in your nearest Apple Store.

The utility can be downloaded for both Mac and Windows and from Apple’s support website.

Welcome to Macintosh set to premiere at Wisconsin Film Festival

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 10:14 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | Video

If you’re going to attend the Wisconsin Film Festival, you’ll be glad to know that a special treat awaits you on the last day of the event. On April 6 (at 01:45 PM in the Chazen Museum of Art), you’ll be witness to the premiere of Welcome to Macintosh, a documentary on the life of the computer and company that started it all.

We’ve mentioned it before. Twice, in fact. The movie is chock full of various accounts from several Mac fanboys enthusiasts who come from different walks of life and have interesting anecdotes to share. There are the likes of Guy Kawasaki, the original Apple evangelist, Leander Kahney, author of The Cult of Mac, and Andy Hertzfeld, who’d actually worked on the very first Macintosh.

As you can see, it promises to be a veritable love-fest for self-confessed “hardcore mac addicts” like us. Make sure you check it out if you’re going to be there and come back to scoff at me for not being fortunate enough to join in on the fun.

Introducing the iHole: thinking inside the box

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 9:34 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Photography

I know what you’re thinking. When my colleague Peter Cohen sent me an IM directing me to something called the “iHole,” you can imagine that I too was somewhat trepidatious about clicking on the link (I’ve learned the hard way of Peter’s habit of sending me links to disturbing YouTube videos, a tactic I’ve dubbed “Cohen-rolling”).

But such fears proved to be unfounded. The iHole, created by blogger Scot Hampton, is a pinhole camera built out of an iPhone box. Using nothing but the box, a small piece of foam, tinfoil, tape, a screw, and an Allen wrench, Scot made a perfectly functional camera. Sure, it may not have the megapixels of even your iPhone’s built-in camera, but this, my friends, is art.

Using the box provided one additional feature Scot hadn’t considered: because of the way the top and bottom and box fit together, it creates an impromptu set of bellows. Pretty nifty. If nothing else, it should give you an appreciation of just how futuristic the iPhone is: so advanced that you can even turn its box into an entirely separate piece of technology.

My only disappointment is that I was not able to work “Shut your iHole” into the title of this post. I suppose you can’t have everything, though.

Sony mulls DRM drop

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 8:42 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Music

Well now, Sony, isn’t this a surprise. Word on the webstreets says that you’re considering a DRM-free music store of your own.

“The simplest option would be a flat rate under which a monthly payment would provide access to our entire music catalogue for all digital players, including Apple’s iPod,” said Sony BMG chief executive Rolf Schmidt-Holtz.

Then again, this is Sony, we’re talking about. So perhaps they have something brilliantly asinine up their sleeves. Like distributing all of the music on wax cylinder or something.

This wouldn’t be the first time Sony’s tried selling digital music. The ill-fated Connect store was launched in 2005 and shuttered last year. Back in January, we heard whispers that Sony was considering dropping DRM, so maybe this is just Sony’s way of saying “Hey, we’re still here. Don’t forget about us! Hello? Hello?”

Vote for Adium

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 7:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

When it comes to pure text chattery, Adium is tops in my book. iChat is great for voice and video conferencing. Adium just has far more features for text chatting (though I’ll admit the little speech bubbles on iChat tabs are just too fun). You can skin it, tap into more services, customize notifications to your heart’s content (native Growl support? oh yeah).

If you feel anything like I do, do them a favor. Do a little web browsing over at Webware’s award voting page where Adium is in the running for the communication category. I’m sure the Adium guys will appreciate it.

Dear John, thanks for the report

Posted on Mar. 25, ’08, 5:31 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » People

John Mayer has discovered the bug reporter in Mac OS X. Apparently he’s been doing some rather mean things to his iTunes, because we all know iTunes never crashes unless you do something wrong. As you can see in a screenshot of his report, he all but tells Apple what he had for breakfast.

I’ll admit, it’s probably different from the normal “what is this? Apple why is Safari crashing on MySpace?” John’s idea of how bug reports are handled are a bit different.

I’ll let you know if I get a response from anyone at Apple. I wonder if somebody on the other side is really going to read it … I can hear it now, the squeak of a chair pushing away from a desk as a man grinds his cigarette into an ashtray, stands up waving a printout over his head and screams “WE GOT AN iTUNES CRASH OVER HEEAH!!!” Because in my mind everything looks like a ’60s era spy movie.

I find Mayer’s imagination hilarious over heeah.

[via Gizmodo]

Put your Mac skills to work—spy work, that is

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 8:30 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » Huh?

Live in the UK? Wanna be the next James Bond? Most importantly, are you super hot with your Mac imaging skills? The British Secret Intelligence Service is hiring for a Mac-seasoned “artworker”, and as we all know, the term “artworker” is really code for stealth-ninja-assassin-double-agent-MacGyver, but you never heard that from me (seriously, I never said this).

So the actual job might not be that exciting, but you will have a chance to “rapidly develop your knowledge of pre-press and printing techniques in a fascinating work environment” between strangling rival spies with piano wire and leaping from helicopters onto speeding motorcycles while defusing small nuclear bombs with your teeth, of course.

Ok, BSing aside, being the dude in charge of counterfeiting money for real British secret agents is only a small step away from actually being one, so brush up on your QuarkXPress and Adobe CS skills, because a life of excitement (graphic design) and danger (umm, printing?) could be right around the corner.

This post will self-destruct in 15 seconds.

[Via 9to5mac]

TSA finally clears MacBook Air for take off

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 5:15 PM PT by David Dahlquist

Category | Apple » News

You may recall the incident covered a few weeks ago about a man who missed his flight because airport Transportation Security Administration (TSA) couldn’t wrap their heads around the concept of a laptop with no disk drive or disk-based hard drive.

Well, the TSA finally got their hands on a MacBook Air for testing, and ran it through the X-ray—and alas, the X-ray scans looked quite different than a typical laptop. Fortunately for MacBook Air travelers, the TSA is distributing the x-ray images to its workforce, so the days of checkpoint hold ups will hopefully be behind us.

[Via tuaw]

OS X hits the lucky seven

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 11:54 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Seven long years. Hard to believe that it’s been that long since OS X first graced our Macs, but we’ve come a long way. Five major versions of OS X have come and gone in that time, and we’ve seen it develop from a fledgling operating system to one of the most robust and attractive platforms in the world. All that at just the tender age of seven: OS X is totally the Mozart of the operating system world.

I found myself thinking back to March 24th 2001; while you might think I was all queued up to grab a copy of OS X fresh off the assembly line, I was living in Scotland at the time, and there was nary an Apple Store in existence in the US, never mind abroad. I ended up having to wait many a month until I was able to load up my first version of OS X (though I had been partaking of the public beta the year before).

How about you, dear readers? What’s your memory of OS X’s release? Or is that too far back in the mists of time for you to recall?

Sony gives the “no bloatware” plan a Fresh Start

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 11:00 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | Apple » Rivals

Remember how Sony wanted to charge you $50 for removing all the pre-installed crapware on your brand new VAIO notebook? It turns out that no one really liked that idea and while Sony did manage to get a lot of attention from the press on the announcement of this decision, it wasn’t exactly of the healthy sort.

Unbelievable, right?

So they are not going to do that anymore. No, man—they don’t mind admitting it when they make a mistake and always care for their customers. Except when they don’t.

Though Sony has struck the $50 fee off their “how to annoy potential customers” list, they’ve retained the requirement of having you “upgrade” to the Business version of Windows Vista (which is supposed to be full of dreamy locales and candy-laden trees) and that will still cost you an extra $100.

Here’s a message to Sony: Though that’s not exactly one step forward, two steps back, we still don’t see where you’re headed with this one—either you load ‘em with junk or you don’t, no strings attached. I guess that’s too simple a concept for you to wrap your head around.

First Chinese Apple Store gets the shift to a new location

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 10:14 AM PT by Aayush Arya

Category | Apple » Stores

We reported last month that Apple was planning to open its first retail store in China on the Qianmen Street near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. That plan appears to have been changed and the first Chinese Apple Store will now open in the Village at SanLiTun in the same city, several blocks away from the original location.

As ifoAppleStore reports, the location will cover an area of 10,700 square feet and will be part of a 19-building site that will host a boutique hotel, a huge multiplex, and thirty restaurants and bars.

The whole area is currently undergoing a massive revamp in preparation for the Beijing Olympics scheduled for August 2008. Due to this change of location, Apple might not be able to open the store before the games, but we’re sure that’s what they’re aiming for.

Whatever the case, residents of Beijing sure do have something to rejoice about. Not only that, coupled with the news of Apple reputedly reaching an agreement with SingTel to bring the iPhone to Singapore and Reliance opening sixty iStores all over India, this should spell good tidings for Apple fans in the whole of Asia. Looks like someone has been paying attention.

Photoshop now in its Elements

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 9:26 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

Been waiting for a new version of Photoshop that doesn’t require you to spend several hundred dollars of your hard-earned money. Wait no further: Adobe is now shipping a Mac version of Photoshop Elements 6, its entry-level version of Photoshop.

Despite the fact that Photoshop remains the de facto choice for photo editing on the Mac, it’s been facing a lot of competition from the indie market of late, with apps like Acorn and Pixelmator. But I do find myself wondering: would I rather spend $60 on Pixelmator or pay the extra $20 for the established brand? I like Pixelmator and Acorn, but I do still find myself on occasion trying to do things that seemed to be way easier in Photoshop (perhaps merely because it’s what I’m used to).

Elements 6 brings a number of improvements, including Photomerge functionality that lets you composite several shots of the same scene into one, and a new Guided edit mode. And, glory of glories, you can now create stamps with your art out there. I’m sure that won’t be abused in the slightest.

You’ll need 10.4.8 or higher (Leopard included) to run Elements 6; if you own a previous version, you can take advantage of an included $20 rebate.

[via Macworld]

Free gift card with refurb nano (if you follow the rules)

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 8:33 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

If you’re in the market for a shiny new iPod nano—and as the owner of a beautiful red model that I dropped on the sidewalk this past weekend, I’m hoping not to be—you will be fascinated and delighted to know that Apple is offering a limited time deal where you can snag yourself a $15 gift card to the iTunes Store when you pick up a refurbished nano.

But where’s the adventure in that? No, Apple’s going to challenge you by making the process a little tricksy. In order to reap the benefits of the mighty gift card, you must follow their instructions to the letter. You first have to add the nano, then add the gift card (you can get one gift card per nano that you buy; however, you have to buy different colors/capacities separately).

Why the difficulty? I’m guessing Apple is sick and tired of this “Hey, we’re the easy, friendly company.” Those days are over; it’s all back to byzantine rules and difficult-to-figure-out promotions. Hope you’re ready for a little challenge.

[via Infinite Loop]

Safari closes in on Acid 3, IE8 may not really satisfy Acid 2

Posted on Mar. 24, ’08, 7:10 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

Not to long ago when we pointed out the Acid3 test, Safari was scoring a mere 39/100. The current version of Safari, 3.1, actually scores 75/100. Very nice. The Safari team isn’t done there either. If you’re an uber geek like me, you read the Safari blog. The team has been keeping the rest of the world updated on their progress there.

Safari now earns a nice 95/100 (an A+). The speed with which the Safari team burns through these tests, making the appropriate fixes is astonishing to me, especially considering the competition.

And because we’re uber biased, I will use this as opportunity to pan a Microsoft product and point out that IE8, despite hugely improved standards support, still doesn’t pass Acid2 100%. Apparently one of their security measures in the new browser causes a failure on one of the tests.

Farhad Manjoo i