Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) (13 сообщений)

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  • CA lawmakers want to tax iTunes downloads

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    The California Assembly, apparently facing an $8 billion deficit, has introduced a bill that would apply sales taxes to "media downloads," namely the music sales going through iTunes (which, as we've reported, is challenging even retailer giant Walmart for music sales numbers). But it seems as though (since new taxes require a 2/3 majority in California) they're going about it in a pretty weird way.

    Basically, to duck the majority rule, they're instead trying to have "digital property" count like normal, taxable property. That way, all they're doing is changing a definition, not actually adding a new tax. Even then, they've got another hurdle to jump -- the California Assembly, of course, can only tax things bought in California, unless they charge a "use" tax, which is for people things buy elsewhere but only use in California. Which no one ever pays anyway. Yeah, it's weird.

    Eventually, they'll probably pull something off -- Apple already charges sales tax in quite a few states, so it's not surprising that California, Apple's home base, would try as well. It seems like politics is making the process a little bumpier than elsewhere, though.

    [Via Macdailynews]
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  • iPhone Developer Program Rejections: Take 2

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    "I'm busy washing my hair Saturday night. Why don't we get together some other time?"

    "I'm concentrating on my career -- but let's be friends."

    "Thank you for your letter. We have no openings at this time but we'll keep your resume on file in case a position opens up."

    Sometimes it doesn't have to come right out and say it to, well, say it. We all know a rejection letter when we see one. Planet-iPhone claims to have the insider scoop on those developer program rejections, but with all due respect and courtesy my bogus-detector is pinging softly.

    Their unnamed "executive" says that 10 developers were selected. (*ping*) That's awfully specific and if true might refer to developers who presented at launch. But 10? Apple never planned to launch and pick "ten" extremely selected developers. The application form just doesn't have enough information to pick that way. 10 random guys? No. He says they were "extremely selective." (So: *ping* *ping* *ping*).

    Purported Unnamed Executive also says the huge SDK response did not allow them to scale their registered developer perks to the applicant numbers and they're working on that now. No *ping*. This is reasonable and what has been called by many bloggers. If one of our tipsters is to be believed, the certificate program isn't even in place.

    So did Apple accept anyone last week? TUAW remains dubious. (And so, apparently, are others.) Apple would have done better sending out "we're swamped" as the message rather than "we have an exclusive limited beta -- and you're not part of it." Foot in mouth? Certainly. Secret acceptances? Probably not.

    Thanks Kevin Sullivan

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  • Next up for gaming: the MacBook

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    Peter Cohen's got a good commentary up at Macworld about Apple's should-be next target for gaming, the Macbook. Finally, as of the iPhone SDK announcement, we've seen some serious movement on the gaming front from Apple -- they brought EA in and commissioned their own programmers to punch out some game software to show off the iPhone SDK implementation (and as I've said before, including on the talkcast a few weeks ago, we're only seeing the beginning of what's possible with gaming on the iPhone). So maybe they're finally seeing the light on gaming.

    But as is, the Macbook isn't winning any awards as a gaming machine. As Cohen says, yes, the integrated graphics card puts the consumer Mac laptop hopelessly behind the times, but the problem isn't just upgrading the hardware -- the software itself needs to be optimized and redesigned. Apple has always been at the forefront of development, and Leopard especially, with Core Image functionality, looks great in the OS and in applications.

    But when even mainstream sports titles, the kind that are on all platforms from day one, can't even play on your hardware, it's time to go back to square one. As Cohen says, we're not asking for much -- but games are a core part of the personal computing experience, and Apple shouldn't sideline that demographic any more than the others they serve.
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  • RoadMovie: batch encode movies with subtitles

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    If you've been looking for a way to get subtitled movies onto your iPod, Apple TV, or web server, then RoadMovie may be for you. RoadMovie has subtitle support from SubRip (.srt), SubViewer 1 & 2 (.sub), and MicroDVD. It has built-in presets for Apple TV, Cellphone, iPhone, iPod, PSP and Web. You can also use Elgato's Turbo.264 hardware for encoding at higher speeds. Some of the main features in RoadMovie include:
    • Batch encode a list of movies
    • Use presets to encode or create your own
    • Batch upload to FTP, SFTP, .Mac, WebDav or Amazon S3
    • Add to iTunes after encode
    To get subtitle files, you will need an application like Submerge (from the same company). Doom9.net has a guide for getting subtitles in sync with your movies. With RoadMovie's beautiful looks and strong feature list, this could be the bridge for no subtitles in iTunes. RoadMovie is available from Bitfield's website and costs $19.95 (US); a demo is also available.

    View Poll

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  • Roxio releases Toast 9 with streaming

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    With their newly-updated Toast Titanium 9, it looks like Roxio is really embracing new ways of using media, moving beyond Toast's original disc-burning functionality. New features include AVCHD camcorder video conversion, support for creating Blu-ray and HD DVD discs (though why someone would want to make HD DVDs at this point is anybody's guess), automatic tagging of unknown audio tracks via their "audio fingerprint," internet audio stream recording, and more. Previous support for CD/DVD burning and TiVo video is naturally still included.

    Perhaps most interesting is the new Roxio Streamer, which allows video streaming from your Mac to "your Wi-Fi connected iPhone, iPod Touch or to any Internet connected Mac or PC." It seems like Roxio has recognized that disc-burning has a limited future and is steadily moving Toast towards streaming, etc.

    Toast 9 is $99.99, but previously registered users are eligible for a $20 mail-in rebate.

    Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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  • Retrospect client goes Universal in public beta

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    When picking code names for new software versions, generally you want to stay away from anything that implies mythological or "often mentioned, never seen" status -- users may get the wrong idea. That said, given the long wait that loyal Retrospect users have had for new developments on the Mac side from EMC Insignia (formerly Dantz), I'll forgive the unfortunate choice of "Unicorn" for the beta of the Retrospect client for Mac, and just get busy with the downloading (beta program signup required).

    The new client beta, which also requires a patched Retrospect application, is a Universal Binary supporting Tiger and Leopard. In the run up to the Macworld-announced Retrospect X revision of the backup app (anticipated to offer both performance enhancements and feature parity with the Windows versions of Retrospect), EMC will be rolling out additional betas of both the client and application over the next few months.

    Retrospect may have lost as many Mac installs as it's gained Windows adherents over the past few years, with frustration over the slow pace of innovation and compatibility on the Mac side leading users to seek alternative backup tools. Unfortunately, for cross-platform small to medium-business backup, Retro is still a leading option. With the forthcoming Retrospect X, at least the loyal Mac customers (and maybe a few new ones) may find a pot of data at the end of the rainbow.
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  • Forklift 1.5: fast, pretty and stable.

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    Forklift, the split-pane file manager with support for multiple network protocols, is officially at version 1.5 now. We covered the initial release a while back, and we're excited about the progress it's made. With an interface update (Leopard goodness) and some behind-the-scenes tweaks, it's turning into a sweet piece of work.

    Forklift has always been of interest to me, with its support for SFTP and Amazon S3, but my previous experiences with Forklift had shown it to display a tendency toward a little sluggishness and the occasional poorly-timed crash. This latest version has not only been stable for me, but has been snappy. And by that I mean speedy to the extreme, especially when dealing with (S)FTP servers and S3. Ten times faster on remote transfers, actually, according to their own benchmarks.

    Quick Look and FXP Copy (server-to-server file transfer) round out a great feature set. If you're looking for a Finder add-on/replacement (or a great FTP client), definitely download the trial. At $29.95, it's quite reasonably priced for what it can do. And for current users the upgrade is free and will fix quite a few shortcomings you may have noticed thus far. Version 1.5 is Leopard-only, but 1.2 is still available for our striped friends.

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  • America's Next Top Model to MacBook Air: Eat a sammich

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    Wow. Things are going off the rails at America's Next Top Model. First they dump Twiggy, and now this: Nigel Barker (aka "the cute photographer judge") thinks the MacBook Air is looking a bit on the anorexic side. In an interview with Joanna Stern of laptopmag.com (who knew they interviewed fashion photographers!), Barker claimed that "Skinny is no longer so important". Right. Remind me again why not a single "plus sized" (aka underweight versus seriously underweight) contestant has made it to the finals.

    According to Stern, Barker suggested the MBA "chunk up a bit" with a DVD drive and some USB ports.

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  • Things gets recurring tasks

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    The GTD app scene has been pretty quiet for a while now. Only OmniFocus seems to be regularly showing signs of development at a pace that offers some real hope for the new generation of task managers. But Things has updated to version 0.9, and offers a couple of new features that fill some major holes. Most notably, the addition of recurring tasks is an answer to a primary criticism of the software.

    A lot of people love the simplicity of the Things philosophy. I count myself among those people from a conceptual standpoint, but the "simplicity" approach only goes so far when I find myself in need of some heavy-duty organization. I still find the lack of integration with applications like Mail and the lack of scriptability to be major impediments to incorporating Things into my workflow. In my time testing Things, I was able to create some AppleScripts for adding Mail messages and importing from OmniFocus using some brute-force "System Events" tactics. It's certainly not ideal, though.

    I'm hoping the development pace of Things picks back up as it has the potential to be an ideal system, at least for users like myself. In the meantime, you can download the trial and/or get in on the pre-release discount of 20% off the $49 price. For more information on the 0.9 release, check out the release notes.

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  • TUAW go bragh

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    A big green Happy Saint Patrick's Day from TUAW. What says "American Irish experience" more than iPods in resplendent verdant hues? Or classic green gumdrop iMacs? Or colorwared MacBook Airs? We can't think of anything!

    Just remember to keep your electronics away from the jello shots and green beer. Alcohol immersions are not covered under AppleCare. And remember why TUAW celebrates in March: because God didn't make little green apples in the summertime.

    If you've got a favorite green Mac, iPod or peripheral, shout it out below.

    Update; Green beer, being secular, doesn't conform to liturgical necessities.

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  • 802.11n Airport Express is now on sale

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    Some people may not believe that a leak on the Swiss Apple Store is an indication of actual product coming down the mountain. "The Swiss don't make mistakes like that," they say. Well, fair enough, but we now have the real deal: the Airport Express with 802.11n is on sale in the US Apple Store.

    Our retail channel sources told us that the AE would be available by 3/23 or sooner, so looks like "sooner" wins. $99, supports up to 10 connected machines, AirTunes and printer sharing: works for me.

    Thanks Mr. X & everyone who sent this in
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  • Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Excel 2008

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    This is the second part of Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Office 2008. In this how-to, I will show you how to create an importer for Microsoft Excel 2008. This importer will allow you to type text in TextEdit.app (or other text editor) and import it into an Excel file.

    For this automation, you will need the following Automator actions (in the same order):
    • Create New Excel Workbook
    • Set Excel Workbook Properties
    • Get Specified Finder Items
    • Import Text Files to Excel Workbook
    • Save Excel Workbooks
    Continue reading to learn how to automate this process.

    Continue reading Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Excel 2008

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  • Craig Hockenberry on iPhone SDK and backgrounding

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    Craig Hockenberry is the man, the myth, and the legend behind the absolute best Twitter application on the Mac (he works for the Iconfactory). We would all love to see Twitterrific on the iPhone, but Craig offers up a "healthy dose of reality" regarding the iPhone SDK and backgrounding services (applications that run in the background even though the phone is running a different foreground app).

    In a recent blog post, Craig attempts to explain why Apple will not be giving developers access to backgrounding services on the iPhone. He points out that in a mockup design of "Mobile Twitterrific," based on the jailbreak/community toolchain, refreshing the XML data from Twitter every 5 minutes led to a dead iPhone battery in only 4 hours.

    "The heart of the problem [is] the radios. Both the EDGE and Wi-Fi transceivers have significant power requirements," he says. "Whenever that hardware is on, your battery life is going to suck."

    He also reiterated what Apple said about the "Core Location" feature that Apple provided in the SDK: use it only on an "as-needed" basis. Craig said that the issue of backgrounding services may get addressed later on, but right now Apple is preventing iPhone developers from "shooting themselves in the foot." He said that it will take months before the desktop developers have gotten the mindset of an iPhone developer, and that thinking like a desktop developer will lead to bad designs.
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