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June 11, 2007

software

WWDC ‘07: Honorable not-mentions

Posted Jun. 11, ’07, 3:36 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Software

sharescreen.jpgAs much as Steve talked about Leopard this morning, remember that Apple claims there are over 300 new features in Leopard, so there were plenty of little details that were not given their time in the spotlight (har har). Combing through the Leopard pages on Apple’s brand new website yielded a bunch of features that we haven’t necessarily seen before, or that differ somewhat from what we already knew.

Take screen sharing, for example. At last year’s WWDC, we heard about the ability to display your screen to remote users via iChat. That seems to have become what we saw today in iChat Theater: a way to display documents and slideshows remotely, using Quick Look.

However, Apple’s site promises some screen-sharing and remote desktop power built directly into the Finder. When you go to browse another computer via the Finder, you’ll see a button that says Share Screen (pictured).

Here’s what Apple has to say about it:

Closer connections.

With shared computers automatically displayed in the sidebar, it’s far easier to find or access files on any computer in your house, whether Mac or PC. All it takes is a click. But here’s where things get really interesting. By clicking on a connected Mac, you can see and control that computer (if authorized, of course) as if you were sitting in front of it. You can even search all the computers in the house to find what you’re looking for.
Remote Desktop/VNC? Sounds like it to me. Hopefully it will make troubleshooting for mom and dad that much easier.

Screen sharing’s not the only thing that failed to make the keynote cut. iChat also includes the ability to record chats built-in. Previously, Garage Band had some integrated functionality for doing this, but having it right there would certainly make it a heck of a lot more useful for podcasters.

And Time Machine has a handful of new functionality as well: we know now that you can use one disk to backup multiple computers, hooked up, for example, via AirPort Extreme’s USB port. In addition, you can encrypt your backup, select files you don’t want backed up, and set backup limits to prevent maxing out your drive.

Spaces was mostly old news, but I did notice one little point during the keynote. One of Steve’s open spaces was running a game, and the audio from that game was only audible when in that space. A minor point, but an interesting one nonetheless: if you have iTunes running in a non-active space, will your music continue to play? And if a tree falls in a non-active space, will it make a noise?

Meanwhile, iCal’s been redesigned to look more like iTunes, iPhoto, and the new Finder, sporting a blue toolbar with your calendars, and the new streamlined Leopard interface. You can also edit events inline, a nice touch for those who hate dealing with iCal’s pesky drawer, and there’s a new AutoPick feature that can help you find when everybody’s free for a meeting (though it’s unclear whether or not that requires an iCal or WebDAV server).

Also, if you’ve been feeling a bit paranoid, like somebody’s been following you around all the time, don’t worry—it’s just Leopard’s widgets. Those with a .Mac account can set up Dashboard to share widgets back and forth with all your Macs.

While Boot Camp didn’t bring virtualization, as many had hoped for, but Apple’s making the most of their fully compatible, native way to run Windows. They’ve packaged the drivers on Leopard’s disc, meaning you don’t have to burn a CD of Windows Drivers (at least until new versions are available), and they’ve also set up a new “Restart in Windows” feature that will sleep your Mac.

Photo Booth gets some nice boosts in Leopard, with—like iChat—the ability to display backdrops without the use of a bluescreen. It can also record video, take a quick succession of pictures, and work with USB cameras. Photos from Photo Booth will show up in iPhoto, with a Photo Booth keyword, and developers can even create their own effects plug-ins.

The much disparaged Front Row now takes its cues from the Apple TV, with a whole new interface that looks, erm, pretty much identical to its little multimedia sibling. And, of course, you can always use your computer to play DVDs too.

Even the old DVD Player appears to be getting a facelift with some newer, younger features. A time slider lets you skip back and forth smoothly, a panel lets you zoom in or out on the picture, and Apple claims somewhat vaguely you can “Create video snippets from any DVD and set key points you can revisit later.”

Last, but far from least are some improvements to the accessibility technologies in OS X. We heard last year from the new synthesized voice, Alex, but Leopard promises to offer a lot of new stuff for those who use these functions, including support for Braille devices, closed captioning in QuickTime, and hot spots that will notify you by voice when they change.

There’re bound to be plenty of more little improvements to Leopard, so when the full version finally appears this October, you can bet we’ll be sifting through to find the other diamonds in the rough. For now though, while Leopard looks like an evolutionary release, it seems to me that they’re laying a lot of groundwork for future versions of OS X.


8 Comments

Neil said:

I want to know if Time Machine will work with a hard drive hooked up thru the new airport extreme. That would be great for laptop users who don't have to have cables running all the time. Any word on whether this will work?

June 11, 2007 4:18 PM
Dave-O said:

Yes, Neil. Steve mentioned that specifically.

June 11, 2007 5:43 PM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

@Neil: I'll point you to above, where I wrote: "And Time Machine has a handful of new functionality as well: we know now that you can use one disk to backup multiple computers, hooked up, for example, via AirPort Extreme’s USB port."

So, the answer is yes. ;)

June 11, 2007 5:45 PM
Jack said:

I can't reconcile something. I was under the impression, and quite excited, that last year we were told we would have something like remote desktop via iChat. Reading above...I don't know, I'm confused now. The remote desktop function mentioned above through finder seems to be on a Local network...

June 11, 2007 6:15 PM
Neil said:

sorry guys. Didn't see that until i just watched the keynote.

my bad.

June 11, 2007 7:23 PM
Jack said:

Having watched the keynote and analyzed the hell out of this stuff, I think to promised taking control of somones computer via iChat has been nixed. We do have iChat theater as you say Dan, and I think that is cool, but last year we had iChat theater and screen sharing via iChat. I think helping our moms just became more difficult. Unless you live with your mom. I'm talking about if you don't, and you have no time to visit.

June 12, 2007 4:49 AM
jackfrost Author Profile Page said:

@Jack: I do remember that as well. No idea where that went. I guess it's still possible it's there, but it's not on Apple's website.

June 12, 2007 4:50 AM
Stuart said:

Any idea what happened to resolution independence? I don't remember seeing any mention of it in the keynote, and none of the screenshots I've seen look like they're running at anything but the usual. It's probably not the sexiest feature in Leopard but you'd think it would have gotten a mention.

June 12, 2007 5:03 AM

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