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- QuickBooks Online Now Available to Mac Users
We had a sneak peek of the new QuickBooks Online back in January at Macworld Expo, and now the Mac community can start using the service. Intuit announced today that the new release of QuickBooks Online is finally compatible with the Safari browser and, thus, is available to Mac users.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online, which runs entirely through a web browser, is not a replacement for the full feature set of QuickBooks Pro for Windows, or even QuickBooks for Mac. Instead, QuickBooks Online is a separate product that is positioned as an alternative for those people who require maximum portability and remote access to their accounting information or for multiple users who work in physically separate locations. The main feature missing from QuickBooks Online is inventory management. Otherwise, QuickBooks Online Plus (a $34.95 per month subscription) is very close in comparison to QuickBooks Pro.
If you can get by with fewer features, there is a $9.95 per month option, as well as a free option.
In addition to the Safari browser support, QuickBooks Online has a web interface that has been optimized for the iPhone. Today’s announcement also reveals that the iPhone web app has been updated to allow for more editing on the mobile device than was previously possible. You can now edit customer, vendor and employee information as well as create and send invoices.
These changes to the app will make it accessible to Mac users, but will make it far more useful for those with iPhones, too. I would still like to see timecards in the iPhone app, as this seems like the natural place to do job timesheets for many service companies.
Safari 4? Firefox?
The current release only supports Safari 3.1. Firefox for Mac and the Safari 4 beta will not work. I did try setting the user agent to Safari 3.2.1 using the Develop menu in the Safari 4 beta, and everything seems to work, but Intuit will not support this configuration. Make sure you uninstall the Safari 4 beta, or just live with any potential quirks when setting the user-agent to a different value.
At Last! Multi-user QuickBooks Accounting on the Mac
The most significant reason to take a look at QuickBooks Online is that it finally gives Mac users true multi-user accounting from Intuit. Sure, you could use virtualization to run QuickBooks Pro for Windows or connect to a Terminal Server with Microsoft RDC, but this is a true Mac experience, even if it is online software.
For many, this will be a real boon to be able to share accounting data within a company that uses virtual office space to connect staff in different locations. The small business entrepreneur will be able to check up on things with their iPhone, or their Mac laptop at home.
Take a hard look at the feature list and see if it meets your needs. The problem for Mac users is that this is the only choice from Intuit for multi-user accounting, so we will probably approach it with a different set of needs than a Windows user who is considering it as an entry-level alternative to QuickBooks Pro. Still, $34.95 a month for multi-user accounting without the hassle of virtualization, Windows, etc., is a fair trade for many Mac users.
The Future of Mac Software?
I think it makes great sense for QuickBooks to provide multi-user accounting to the Mac platform through the online version. It has been frustrating to live without multi-user support in QuickBooks for Mac, but I imagine any problems will get fixed faster in QuickBooks Online than waiting for updates to the Mac version. If the Online product continues to grow, then I see how Intuit could eventually drop QuickBooks for Mac entirely. The differences between the Mac and Windows versions have always been frustrating, and by going online only, it would create a scenario where both Mac and Windows users are working with the same data without having to go through a conversion process. Mac users would finally be using the same version of QuickBooks as their Windows counterparts, something we were all hoping would happen on the desktop side first. But if it takes going online to do it, I think most will appreciate the benefits of leaving that Mac-Windows gap in QuickBooks in the past.
Переслать - How-To: Port Forwarding On an Airport Extreme & Time Capsule
When I moved into my new apartment I brought with me a 1TB Time Capsule that I was previously using as a network storage device because my old roommate already had a Linksys router. None of my new roommates had routers, so I decided to use the Time Capsule as both our router and network storage device. Pre-Time Capsule, I have always used Linksys routers — and throughout the years became very comfortable with their web configuration tool. In my Internet travels, I have found it a little tricky to find proper documentation for a lot of the more technical questions I have with Apple products.Recently, I figured out how to do port forwarding on the Time Capsule, so let’s take a look at what it is, why you’d want to do it, and how to set it up.
What is port forwarding?
The act of forwarding a network port from one network node to another. This technique can allow an external user to reach a port on a private IP address (inside a LAN) from the outside via a NAT-enabled router.
Why would I want to port forward?
Port forwarding greatly increases torrent speeds. It can also be used to access files on your computer or NAS at home over the Internet (i.e., mount a file server over the Internet).
Setting Up Port Forwarding On Your Airport Extreme or Time Capsule
- Open Airport Utility: Applications → Utilities → Airport Utility
- Find your device in the left-hand column and select the “Manual Setup” button
- Click the “Advanced” gear at the top of the window
- Click the “IPv6 Firewall” tab
- Click the “+” to add a new rule
- In the window that pops up:
- Description: Enter whatever you want
- IPv6 Address: Enter the IP address of the computer you are forwarding the ports to (To figure this out: System Preferences → Network. Inside that window write down the number next to “IP Address”)
- TCP Port(s): Enter in the port number you want to forward
- UDP Port(s): Enter in the port number you want to forward (Same port as the TCP Port)
Common Ports to Forward:
- BitTorrent: 6881-6999 (Pick any number in this range and forward it)
- AFP: 548 (Forward this if you want to be able to access an internal drive over the Internet)
Check That Your Ports are Forwarded Properly
I’m sure there is another way to do this, but we’re going to use the BitTorrent client Transmission to check if our port forwarding was successful.
- Download & Install Tranmssion (Don’t worry, it’s free — it’s also my BitTorrent client of choice)
- Click Transmission → Preferenceas
- Go to the “Network” tab
- In the “Network: Peer Listening Port” box enter in the port you forwarded earlier
- If everything worked, you should have a green light with the words “Port is open” (I am on a Wi-Fi hotspot so my port is currently closed)
Переслать - Bento for iPhone: Mobile Database Creation and Syncing
Today, FileMaker announced the release of Bento for the iPhone and iPod touch, a companion to their popular personal database software. Priced at $4.99, the mobile application can synchronize directly with Bento 2 running on your Mac to keep information up-to-date.
If you’re unfamiliar with Bento, our review is a good place to start. Essentially the application helps you to stay organized through creating a personal database. It offers a great deal of flexibility and is suitable for anything from managing a list of recipes to tracking home inventory.
Bento is renowned for three characteristics: simplicity, elegance, and ease of use. All of these are present in the Mac software with virtually no learning curve required in order to start organizing your information. The same experience has been ported across to the mobile application with great effect.
Creating a New Library
Bento for iPhone is separated into four main sections, which remain consistently present at the bottom of the screen: Home, Search, New Library and Sync. Upon opening the app for the first time, you’ll be asked to create a new library.
Adding a New Library
Two options are available for creating a new library. You can either select from one of the 25 pre-designed templates, or design your own set of fields from scratch.
Flicking through the default templates is done through a cover flow-style animation, though it seems to behave in a slightly different manner. While the functionality is fine, flicking through the various options is slightly sluggish and template icons take a short while to load.
The pre-designed templates available cover a wide range of options — everything from expenses and time billing, to an exercise or charity donation log. Each template has a wonderfully designed icon, and there’s a good chance you can find a library that meets your requirement.
If you’re in need of a custom solution, selecting ‘Blank’ will allow you to design a new library from scratch, right on your iPhone or iPod touch. A simple interface guides you through adding and editing fields, some of which are able to interact with iPhone features (taking a picture, for example).
Home Screen
Two views are available for the home screen allowing you to either flick through libraries in cover-flow mode or view a detailed list of libraries and collections. When browsing in cover flow, tapping the “i” icon will flip the current icon around and display further information about the records/collections within.
This provides a clear and simple way to quickly browse or edit the desired library. I appreciate the inclusion of a list view, as performance is notably quicker than loading the high-res icons for cover flow.
Browsing & Searching Libraries
After opening a library, a list of the collections (groups) and individual records contained is displayed. Various sorting and display options are available to adjust how the list appears. You can either add a new record, or drill down further to edit each item:
Viewing an Item
Searching is powerful, and is performed across all available libraries. Results update in real time as you type, and are broken down by library:
Searching Your Library
It will be interesting to see whether Bento information could be tied into the Spotlight search planned for iPhone 3.0 — this could offer a very useful addition to iPhone-wide search.
Syncing with Bento for Mac
Synchronizing your information with Bento for Mac is a simple process provided both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. After instructing both the iPhone and Mac version to search for other devices, connecting involves authorization through a four-digit security code:
Syncing with Bento for Mac
After connecting, the iPhone should display as a ‘Device’ in the left pane of Bento. You can then select which libraries you would like to sync (in a very similar fashion to managing your device via iTunes).
Connecting to Bento for the Mac
Performance & Limitations
There are a few areas of Bento for iPhone that don’t synchronize with the desktop version. These include any media over 10MB, iCal events and tasks, file list fields, automatic counter fields, and smart collections. In addition, it isn’t possible to modify calculation fields from the mobile app. I would also like to see a table view which displays records side-by-side, making use of the iPhone’s landscape display. That said, these limitations are certainly acceptable, and don’t stop the iPhone application being incredibly useful.
Unfortunately, the stability and performance of the app was, for me, a major sticking point. Bento was prone to crashing every few minutes and there was a noticeable delay when opening the app and browsing in cover-flow mode. I’m fairly confident that these issues will be rectified through an update shortly.
Performance aside, Bento for iPhone represents a powerful and worthy mobile companion. I’m pleased to see that FileMaker has offered an application fully capable of creating a database, not confined to act as a viewer for existing desktop libraries. At the price of $4.99, Bento for iPhone represents one of the most powerful and affordable database tools available. As soon as stability is perfected, I’m confident I shall be a regular user.
More information can be found at the FileMaker site, or via the App Store.
Переслать - Consumer Reports Gives Apple Notebooks Top Marks
If the FTC wants to investigate suspiciously chummy partnerships, they should look at the June installment of Consumer Reports. It reads like a love letter to Apple, and the primary reason for the schoolgirl crush appears to be the oh-so-sexy notebooks coming out of Cupertino. Which notebooks? Just about all of them, actually. Every portable computer category saw a MacBook taking top honors. A clean sweep is a pretty nice way to start off the summer.In the 13-inch category, Apple took all of the top three spots, with the Unibody aluminum model in first, the MacBook Air in second, and the white plastic MacBook capping the trifecta in third. The 15-inch MacBook Pro won the top spot in the 14- to 16-inch notebook class, and the 17-inch MacBook Pro beat out all comers in the 17- to 18-inch category. As mentioned, they had no competition on the podium in the 13-inch category, while Toshiba, Asus, Dell and Lenovo all offered second- and third-place machines for the other two categories.
Apple wasn’t quite so lucky in desktop categories. The Mac mini and the iMac both took second place in their respective categories, which still isn’t bad. Apple Support won out in all categories, notebook and desktop alike, and I think most who’ve dealt with their customer service department will agree that they generally don’t disappoint.
As to Consumer Reports’ scoring criteria, they rank the machines based on performance, ergonomics, features, display quality and other factors related to computing ability. Personally, I think it’s odd that given their criteria, the desktops didn’t perform as well as their notebook counterparts, but maybe they just felt bad about giving all the awards to one company and wanted to spread the love around a little.
Переслать - New Apple Ads: PC, Easy As 1 Through 23
This morning I noticed a new set of takeover ads on CNN.com. Creating custom Get a Mac ads just for the web has become more common over the past few months, with CNN.com and NYTimes.com getting the most play.
It’s always interesting to see how Apple makes use of the layouts of these sites to really make their ads pop. In the case of this particular run of ads on CNN.com, Apple actually created two “dummy” ads for mortgages and flights. Clicking through either of these takes you to Apple’s Why Mac page.
Here are screenshots, as well as a video of the ads in action.
Переслать - Rumor Has It: Apple to Open the Door for More "Mature" Apps With iPhone 3.0
Taking note of every rejection from the App Store would be a full-time job, so we generally just report on ones that seem particularly ridiculous, or that involve a high-profile app or developer. Another recent rejection which may otherwise have gone unnoticed has proven interesting for another reason. That’s because while rejecting it, Apple gave the dev in question reason to believe that the content that was deemed offensive in his app might be allowable once iPhone OS 3.0 went live for the general public.
Makayama’s Newspaper(s), an app that provides consolidated access to a variety of major international newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and, formerly, The Sun, was the app in question. It was The Sun, a popular UK daily, that caused the app to be initially rejected to begin with. As regular readers of that paper are likely aware, topless models are regularly included in one of its sections. Topless models are still a big no-no for the App Store, despite recent relaxation that has seen the rapid proliferation of bikini-clad models in a number of apps.
Even though Apple blocked the inclusion of The Sun in this iteration of Newspaper(s), they were careful to leave the door ajar for later on. According to iLounge, Apple told Makayama in their rejection letter that resubmitting the offending content once iPhone 3.0 is released, with its improved parental control features, would be appropriate. The new parental control options should, in theory, allow parents to control what kind of apps and content children have access to on the device, much like the blocking filters available on most cable/satellite boxes.
With the inclusion of such features, Apple should have no problem passing the onus of content filtering on to parents, which would let them focus on other issues when it comes to the App Store approval process. They might have to implement some kind of ratings system, like the ESRB does for video games, but once appropriate guidelines are established, they can be mostly hands-off.
Does this mean the floodgates are open for “Adult-only” type apps? There seems to be a market for them, considering the success of even pretty terrible apps like iGirl. I don’t think it would fit Apple’s corporate image to allow a proliferation of X-rated content, though, so they probably won’t allow things to get out of hand. On the other hand, hopefully, they can avoid things like the recent NIN: Access snafu or the rejection of a Tweetie update that seem to have a very negative effect on the public’s perception of the Apple brand.
Переслать - FTC May Force End to Google-Apple Love Affair
No one can deny they’ve been chummy. Google and Apple skip about Silicon Valley, hand-in-hand, developing new tech together that is perfectly suited for the Apple hardware it makes its way onto, despite having competing smartphone OS platforms.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has decided to step in on the little dance going on between the two major players, citing suspicion of activity that violates anti-trust regulations. Even though Google and Apple are not technically one company, their cozy relationship could represent a monopoly that is unfair for their competition.
Specifically, the FTC takes issue with the close relationship between the boards of the two companies. Both boards share two directors, which, according to U.S. legislation, is a big no-no. Despite it being a technical violation, however, it often happens that directors do sit on multiple boards, and the FTC rarely steps in, in most cases. So what’s the difference? Basically, the severity of the offense seems to be measured in success. Since Google and Apple’s team-ups pose a threat to the ability of other companies to compete, their director-sharing raises red flags at the FTC.
What’s next for the two companies if the FTC’s investigation finds that there has been wrong-doing? Well, first of all, both Eric Schmidt and Arthur Levinson will have to resign from one or both boards, and fines could follow. Right now they both deny having done anything that could be considered an antitrust violation, with Schmidt claiming that he leaves the room any time Apple’s board is going to discuss cell phone strategy — one area where the two companies are definitely in competition with one another.
Переслать - App Review: World Cup Ping Pong
App Quick Stats
All of the thrills, adrenaline and drama of ping pong arrives on the iPhone, courtesy of Skyworks.
I’ve tried many sports — rugby, basketball, hockey, even lacrosse — and discovered that physical exertion is not my bag. I much prefer my Macbook Pro and a bowl of edamame for company any day. As a sport, ping pong is special though: it’s high-speed, it’s intense, it’s got a silly name, and it requires very little movement on my part.
Skyworks Ping Pong aims to capture the energy of the real thing, but requires even less physical exertion. The game features a single-player International tournament mode, polished graphics, online scoring and even single-device multiplayer.
Eye of the Tiger
World Cup Ping Pong has been given a dynamic, sporty design with each game playing out on a 3D table. For such a simple game, it’s incredibly polished. Yet, this polish is more akin to a a high-class video poker game than an iPhone app and, as such, the game feels somewhat lacking in character.
This feeling of emptiness, like there’s something missing, could also be attributed in part to the sound, or lack of. The menu and option screens are eerily silent, save for a few chirps on pressing buttons. In-game, there are two cheap ‘n generic dance tunes to choose from — worse still, they get repetitive quickly.
Aside from the gameplay, the classic ping pong sound is one of the most important components of a great ping pong game: that percussive smack of the ball being slapped across the table with a paddle. World Cup Ping Pong gets it exactly right, and, paired with the rhythm of the ball bouncing back and forth, makes for satisfying matches.
Bat & Ball
There are several different game modes to choose from. Players looking for a traditional competition experience will want to jump straight in to Tournament Mode. There’s a choice of teams, including the USA, Russia, Finland and Germany, and a choice of paddles, too.
Arcade Mode provides a more immediate entry point for jumping in to World Cup Ping Pong. With half the table propped up, Forrest Gump-style, you bash away at various targets, attempting to rack up a high score.
Totally unexpected was the Head to Head gameplay mode — with a birds-eye view of the table, you and a friend can both play simultaneously on one iPhone. It was an absolute treat, utterly at odds with Practice Mode. This final game-type had very little use: no lesson, no guidance, just a dry run of Tournament Mode.
Bat In Hand
Once you’ve selected either a Tournament or Arcade Mode, it’s time to choose your paddle. There are three to choose from, not only differing in color but also impacting your technique, in terms of energy and spin. Once you’ve made your choice and have a tight grip of your paddle, it’s time to start a match.
There are absolutely no buttons to learn and, as such, the controls are incredibly simple. Dragging your finger around the screen controls your paddle; serving is as simple as quickly swiping up. The major issue with this control method is that your finger may occasionally obscure the on-screen action.
Once you’ve grasped the basics, the game begins to have a little more depth. Mastering spinning the ball means matches become much more fun. However, the opponents occasionally feel a little too tough, and rallies become repetitive chores, devoid of the drama and pace of real ping pong.
At the end of a game, you’re invited to submit your score online to the global score board. Unfortunately, you’ll have to register and log-in first. Forced registration to access in-game features are loathsome — frequently a thinly veiled excuse to harvest e-mail addresses and rarely genuinely needed. In the case of World Cup Ping Pong, it’s not clear just why I have to register simply to submit my high-score online.
Summing Up
While World Cup Ping Pong isn’t necessarily awful, it just didn’t blow me away, either. The game is missing character and depth, the graphics and music lack charm, and the gameplay, while effective, just didn’t leave me wanting more.
This game certainly isn’t an outstanding pick from the App Store’s Game section; it’s just a fun little time-waster. Fans of the sport won’t find any depth relating to the real thing, but those looking for a quick-to-learn time-waster will certainly glean a little pleasure from this game.
Переслать - OS Upgrading: More Customer Education Needed
Apple arguably could do a better job of educating their non–tech oriented customers about the advisability and desirability of periodic software — especially OS version — upgrades.
That epiphany dawned on me during a telephone conversation last weekend with a friend I don’t see or talk to very often. This individual bought a G5 iMac several years ago, partly on my recommendation, and it has served him well, but he said he recently discovered his favorite tax software wouldn’t work on his own Mac anymore, and was perplexed that it still seem to run fine on his niece’s newer Mac.
When Did You Last Upgrade Your OS?
“When did you last upgrade your operating system?” I asked. The concept seemed new to him. My friend is a college professor, but a complete tech naif, and as far as he knew, he’d never upgraded his Mac’s OS.
“What version of OS X are you using?” I queried. He had no idea, so I explained to him how to check out “About This Mac” from the Apple Menu. It turned out that the iMac was still running OS 10.3.9, probably updated to the ultimate version of Panther via Software Update in the background, but no further. I expressed surprise that the tax application was the first software support issue he had encountered. He then mentioned that there had been issues with browsers as well.
“You need to install Mac OS 10.5,” I ventured.
Can I Do That?
“Oh, can I do that?” he asked. I explained that Leopard should work very well on his G5, but that he would need to purchase an installation disk. Again, the entire concept seemed quite foreign and exotic to my friend, and I suspect he’s not alone in that among Mac users.
I hazily recall reading somewhere that an astonishingly large percentage of Mac users never upgrade their operating systems from whatever version comes installed on them between purchasing new CPUs, which at least, in some instances, would be analogous to trading your car in because the tires were worn out.
Macs Just Chug Along
I suppose this issue is more common with Macs because PC users are obliged by the Windows malware siege to pay attention to patching and upgrading their operating systems. Macs just typically keep chugging along obliviously.
I appreciate that Apple likes to keep things as simple as possible for general, non-enthusiast users, and that low-hassle is one of the Mac’s most attractive selling points, but it would still be desirable to gently inform purchasers that in order to keep getting the best performance and software compatibility from their Mac, they need to upgrade the operating system once in awhile.
Unfair Assessment
There is still an unfortunate tendency to identify issues like my friend being unable to run the latest edition of his tax software on his middle-aged Mac as “Mac problems,” his logic being that he can run the Windows version on his IT department-maintained PC at work. That’s, of course, an unfair assessment, but it’s of a sort that is likely quite frequent and not helpful in retention of return customers. A bit more customer education is in order at the sales end.
Переслать - Apple Takes It On the Chin: BlackBerry Curve Surpasses iPhone in Popularity
Lower prices and wider availability are likely responsible, but whatever the reason, Apple probably isn’t super pleased with the news today that Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Curve has surpassed the iPhone as the No. 1 most popular smartphone in the U.S.
Apple’s handset slips to No. 2, followed, a bit surprisingly considering the reviews I’ve read, by the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm. All of this is according to the NPD group’s smartphone sales numbers for the first quarter of 2009.
BlackBerry dominated the list overall, with the Pearl following the Storm as the fourth most popular handset. All of which makes it sound like RIM is winning the race handily, and they are, but when you consider the fact that the iPhone is only available from AT&T, while BlackBerry’s handhelds are generally available from all major carriers, the numbers start to appear less in their favor. Consider also that June will almost certainly see the release of brand-new hardware from Apple, while BlackBerry’s devices have already seen some major updates since the iPhone 3G’s release last year. All of which tells me that the Curve shouldn’t get too comfortable at the top.
Sitting in fifth place is T-Mobile’s G1, the first (and still only) smartphone running Google’s Android operating system, which has yet to really realize the early potential that it seemed to hold. The G1 is also HTC’s only appearance in the Top 5, which doesn’t bode well for the South Korean manufacturer, especially considering the Palm Pre’s imminent introduction to the field.
While Apple will probably recapture the top spot come June, they can’t take other spots with their current single-offering business model. Rumors are surfacing that a new, cheaper version of the iPhone could be in the works, and if true, this would almost certainly nab them another. If, as some suggest, their exclusivity deal with AT&T comes to an end, expect them to grab even more ground from RIM.
Переслать - Apple's Budget Macs: Real Possibility or Wishful Thinking?
Apple computers are expensive. Whether or not you think that price is justified, you can’t deny that even machines on the lower end of the scale will cost you a decent amount of coin.
The Mac Mini is the cheapest machine in the bunch, and you don’t get any crucial peripheral gear like a monitor, keyboard or mouse without paying extra. Putting aside for a second our dear devotion to the Cupertino brand, if you know absolutely nothing about computers, and you’re presented with two all-in-ones side by side, and the price tag on the Dell is a lot cheaper, you’re probably going to get the Dell. You’d be wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that that means a sale for Dell, and nothing for Apple.
Why It Sounds Reasonable
Given that chilling scenario, recent rumors that Apple is prepping some lower-cost hardware to bring to market makes sense. They showed recently that they were relatively resilient, even in tough economic times, by posting record gains yet again for the second quarter of 2009, but Mac sales actually slowed during the same period, meaning that Apple is likely looking for a way to improve those sagging numbers.
AppleInsider cites “people familiar with the matter” as the source of the pleasant prospect of cheaper machines coming out of Cupertino. Their source maintains that the cheaper hardware to be introduced is designed as a stop-gap solution to counter the runaway success of netbooks until Apple is ready to release its own Newton-esque tablet-style device, which is taking longer to develop than anticipated. Apple’s new, lower-cost menu is said to include cheaper versions of both the 13-inch MacBook and a new entry-level iMac, possibly priced in line with its education-only predecessor.
Why It Doesn’t Make Sense
Sounds like a good idea, and there’s no doubt consumers would appreciate it, but does it make sense from Apple’s perspective? I think not, for a couple of reasons. First, they would be coming pretty close to interfering with their own clear price level demarcations. Apple is very good at pricing their products in such a way that each fits into its own clearly demarcated space, but that you also see the obvious value of going up to the next level. To start introducing products that clear the next level up by only a hundred dollars (and ones that probably offer significantly downgraded specs) would throw this delicate balance out of whack.
Second, as I’ve just mentioned, the new machines would probably have to offer big concessions in terms of hardware (they’d never sacrifice build quality) in order to provide profit margins acceptable to Apple. Crippled specs would just have people complaining that they could get a Dell with 10 times better internals for the same price, which would put us exactly where we are now: Apple fans saying the product is better overall, even if on paper it doesn’t look it, and PC faithful clamoring about the Apple Tax.
So no, I don’t think Apple will introduce new, cheaper machines to bolster Mac sales. They have to do something, though, if the dip repeats itself for a second quarter in a row. No doubt their solution will be much more interesting than just a price/quality cut, which is exactly the kind of uninspired move a PC manufacturer would make.
Another Option
If Apple really wanted to cause people to sit up and take notice, and sell computers to customers like me who already own multiple Mac desktops and laptops and to people looking for their first Mac, they’d give us a reason to look at a Mac Pro. Or not the Mac Pro exactly, but something like it. Give us a tower with accessible internals, with minimal specs but lots of potential for self-installed upgrades down the road. Then sell us those upgrade parts through the Apple Store with official Apple branding. It’s almost a cheap razor/expensive blades sales model, but I admit it involves a lot of risk, since you might get undercut by third-party providers on the upgrade components. Still, it would be unexpected coming from Apple, and that is sort of their thing.
Переслать - App Store Roundtable: User Review System
For our next installment of the App Store Roundtable, we asked developers what they liked and/or disliked about the iTunes review system. It should be noted that the review system for the App Store has seen a few updates since these comments were made, but concerns voiced by these developers are still valid.
For me there’s a few things I’ve seen in my small amount of time in the store. One being the inability to respond to negative ratings. I’ve got some that say “Doesn’t work” or “its garbage” but nobody sent a support request. Developers need a way to respond and put these “reviews” where they belong.
– Brandon Steili, developer of gCalWall
An area which needs looking at is the review system on iTunes — it would be great to have more control over this, to stop people posting 1 star reviews + a bad word. Objective reviews are great, but not silly stuff. Also — there needs to be a feedback loop for the publishers/developers to respond to individual reviews (where an update has been posted which fixes a particular issue.)
– Chris Byatte, director of Chillingo
It’s great that Apple gives people a way to provide a star rating for applications, but users should be able to do this for any application at any time; not just for the ones they’re deleting. Why? Well, this approach clearly skews the ratings low. (Users delete the applications they dislike and not the ones they like.) Apple needs to provide a way for users rate an application they like without deleting it or writing a review for it.
– Adam Talcott of Atomic Powered, developer of Napkin Genius
There’s a lack of standardization among reviews and ratings. A 5 Star Farting app isn’t actually better than a 4 star RPG that offers hours of combat, items, quests and amazing 3D graphics. Not enough people look into what a game offers. It needs to be accepted that not all games are equal, so maybe it’s time to rethink how you the consumer are rating a game.
– Bruce Morrison, producer at Freeverse
Join us next time?
If you are an iPhone developer with experience of the App Store and would like to participate by sharing some opinions in future App Store Roundtables, please get in touch via our contact form.
Переслать - Weekly App Store Picks: May 2, 2009
Who’s that knockin’ at your door? Why it’s none other than the freshest pickings from the App Store, joined by a smattering of Apple news.
Before we get stuck in to this week’s iPhone picks and recommendations from the App Store, let’s shift our focus for a moment and have a quick recap on what went down this week.
There’s so much to get through here, so let’s kick off by rewinding back to Monday where Apple launched a new iPhone OS 3.0 beta, sliding in a selection of new features including settings for push notification and audio scrubbing in the iPod app. Plus, David Appleyard took a look at iStat for iPhone. The $1.99 app is a useful tool for remotely monitoring your system performance and resources.
The very next day, Amazon swallowed up iPhone developer Lexcycle. A significant purchase indeed because Lexcycle is the brains behind Stanza, a wonderful — and absolutely free — eBook reader for the iPhone. Also on Tuesday, our own Clayton Lai continued his Jailbreak series, looking at how to jazz up the sedate iPhone lock screen.
Rumors abound as Verizon CEO Lowell McAdams has apparently, “talked to people at Apple.” Speculation has turned to the possibility of two new Apple products: an “iPhone Lite,” and apparently a “media pad.” The latter of which would essentially be an oversized iPod Touch.
The latest addition to TheAppleBlog’s journalistic lineup, Gavin Bowman, launched the App Store Roundtable article series. His first post brings several developers together to look at the growth of the App Store and the initial gold rush. And finally, Apple stealthily launched Live Chat support for MobileMe. (It’s still not going to convince me to move over from DropBox, though.)
And in other news, UK-based artist Jon Burgerman has teamed up with UsTwo, the app developers behind Steppin and MouthOff. The team are currently cooking up an iPhone music toy, titled Inkstrumentals, featuring a crowd of Burgerman’s odd and awesome characters.
Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at Pixel Contact, Wolfenstein 3D Lite, MusicNeon and Lilt Line.
Pixel Contact (99 cents)
Since purchasing my iPhone, I’ve been disturbingly fastidious when it comes to keeping my Address Book tidy. It’s particularly important to me that I have an image for every single one of my contacts. The problem is that when swapping contact details, it can be somewhat awkward to ask someone I’ve just met if I can take their photo. Can give the wrong impression, you see? This app allays an awkwardness by providing an array of pixellated people that you can assign to your Address Book contacts. It’s super cute and incredibly useful, too.
Wolfenstein 3D Classic Lite (FREE)
The original PC-based Wolfenstein was, I’m proud to say, my first FPS. The seemingly massive environments, the strange new control scheme, stealing weapons from dead enemies — it was a fresh and exciting challenge, something I’d never experienced before and, crucial for me as a young lad, it felt like games had started to grow up. Doom would, of course, take all of this even further for me, but until then, Wolfenstein reigned supreme. The iPhone version hit the App Store a couple of months back for only $1.99; those looking to try before they buy, download this free version and try out three levels.
MusicNeon (FREE)
Burgerman’s forthcoming Inkstruments toy for iPhone got me on the hunt for music games in the App Store. After searching for something fun but also free, I tracked down MusicNeon. Coming from the collective mind of Shanghi Gokei, an app development outfit from Japan, MusicNeon is a nonsensical sound toy meets Bejewelled-esque puzzle game. As the clock counts down, it’s your job to link the glowing neon tubes up from left to right, ensuring you trigger the seemingly useless bonuses along the way. The gorgeous glowing visual style, paired with the jaunty music selection (including a few Christmas classic, for no apparent reason) make this a tongue-in-cheek but nevertheless fun game.
Lilt Line ($2.99)
However, fans of music games looking for some serious action should perhaps skip the weird Japanese oddity that is MusicNeon and skip straight to Lilt Line. The game combines a deliciously messy Dubstep soundtrack — courtesy of London-based crew 16bit — with retro high-speed shoot-em-up action (except without the shooting). As a white line glides through empty neon caverns, you play by tilting the iPhone left and right and tapping the screen to the shuffling groove. Developer Different Touch describes the game as, “hack’n’slash dubstep vehicle synthesis simulation action.” Whatever it’s meant to be, it’s one of the most original games to hit the App Store so far and is highly recommended.That’s all the picks we’ve got time for this week. Meet me right here, same time, same place, next week for more of the week’s news alongside fresh picks from the App Store.
In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?
Переслать - Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s sponsor of TheAppleBlog:
- WunderRadio: Wunder Radio provides access to thousands of streaming Internet radio stations and on your iPhone or Windows Mobile Phone.
- Mozy: Back up your photos, music, and files with Mozy for as low as $4.34 per month.
Переслать - Sequel Pro 0.95 Released
Back in Feburary I took a look at the open-source database tool Sequel Pro and compared it against the commercial tool, Querious. Querious had the winning edge at the time, despite being for MySQL 5 only and costing money. It was only Sequel Pro’s support for MySQL 3 and 4 that provided any feature advantage. However, Sequel Pro 0.95 was released yesterday, and this release continues the steady pace at which Sequel Pro is catching up to the features and polished nature of Querious.
The version of Sequel Pro I previously looked at was 0.93, and in the two versions since then the whole feel of the application has lifted from a ‘rough open-source app’ to that of a ‘polished professional tool.’ They have added and enhanced functionality that was previously lacking, and tweaked the UI here and there to give a smoother user experience — which makes the important difference between an app that is functional, and an app that is enjoyable to use.
The general look and feel of the application is polished in the details and has more of the Mac sleekness that we have come to expect from great OS X software. The buttons on the main interface have all been tweaked, both in terms of style and the icons used to depict the action. The preferences dialog has also been redesigned and offers many new customizations and time saving options. There are lots of other little UI tweaks that help the application look like it belongs in OS X.
There is also finally a much improved query editor, with line numbers, full syntax highlighting and expanded code completion (press escape to bring this up). You can also right-click on keywords (such as WHERE or INSERT) and look up the MySQL documentation for that keyword in your browser with just one click. Editing query favorites is also easier with an improved favorites editor.
The output console log can now be hot-filtered with a live search term, making finding what you want easier than ever, too.
Just as importantly, there are many more tweaks and changes behind the scenes that results in a better user experience, including performance improvements and lots of bug fixes. With the speedy rate of development going on, the Sequel Pro team have their sights set on a 1.0 release with improved printing, user privileges management functionality and an enhanced Import/Export interface. This is exciting to watch — when open-source software gets solid momentum behind it, awesome things can happen. You can download Sequel Pro 0.95 from here, while the full release notes documenting all changes can be found here.
Переслать - Is Keeping Older Mac Notebooks in Service False Economy?
Many enterprise IT departments are exercising false economy by extending the service life of notebook computers from the traditionally recommended 3-5 years in an effort to keep a lid on replacement cost, according to a new research report (PDF) released by Northborough, Mass.-based market research firm J.Gold Associates.
The report estimates that squeezing out an additional two years of use would typically cost an average of $1,050 per machine, based on analysis of actual costs associated with business notebook failures, including variations in failure rates over the life cycle as well as costs of repairs both in and out of warranty. The report also calculates that hanging onto outdated hardware typically costs an organization $9600 in diminished end user productivity.
“Failure Tax”
Additional findings of the study include:
- The cost to repair a failed notebook while under warranty is $1,070
- The cost to repair a failed notebook not under warranty is $1,525
- The per-machine "Failure Tax" for each notebook deployed in the organization is $138 in the first year and increases dramatically throughout the life of the machine, but will change based on variations in machine failure rates from different manufacturers and/or models.
Now, presumably J.Gold Associates’ main research focus was WinPC laptops, which begs the question: Would their conclusions similarly apply in the Apple notebook space?
Macs Probably Don’t Fit The Profile
The actual cost and advisability of keeping laptops, WinPC or Mac, in service past the three-year mark would vary widely with different models, individual users’ performance needs, and how well a particular unit was maintained and cared for. Apple laptops, which have historically had longer useful service lives than PC portables, but cost more up front, probably don’t fit the profile especially well. For example, the only current Mac notebook selling for less than the J.Gold Associates study’s $1,050 average repair cost under warranty figure is the entry-level 2.0 GHz white MacBook.
That said, a three-year system replacement interval has long been informally accepted by consensus as a sort of sweet spot benchmark that makes a sensible compromise between economy and keeping reasonably up-to-date. It’s also been my own provisional target for primary workhorse computer replacement over 17 years of Mac usership, usually unrealized and rarely exceeded.
Repair Often Not Economically Prudent
Moreover, my own empirical, deductive, and non-scientific take on repairing broken or damaged computers, especially once the warranty has expired, is that more often than not if it involves serious money, it’s probably not as economically prudent as just replacing the computer. My conviction on this point becoming firmer as laptop prices, including Apple’s, have dropped substantially over the past decade.
Whether you’re a business or an individual user, it makes little sense to spend $500 or $600 or more, not to mention the inconvenience of downtime, to repair a 2- or 3-year-old laptop when you can buy a brand new MacBook for $999 with the latest processors, state-of-the-art graphics, usually more standard RAM and hard drive capacity, the latest OS software, a fresh warranty, and so forth. That axiom would apply even more emphatically in the Windows PC laptop space, where the cost of buying new tends to be even more modest, especially at the lower end of the range. I hope my new aluminum MacBook lasts well past the arbitrary three-year threshold, but I’ll be surprised if I’m not seriously on the hunt for a system upgrade by then, if I indeed haven’t already taken the plunge.
But There Are Exceptions
That said, I’m actually typing this article on a 9-year-old Pismo PowerBook, which, albeit somewhat hotrodded with processor, optical drive, hard drive, RAM and other upgrades, is still providing excellent, dependable service running OS X Tiger for light to medium-duty computing tasks. My wife is still using a similar machine for her “daily driver” computer, so at least with Mac laptops, useful service life can demonstrably extend long beyond three years.
As with most things in life as well as computers, “it depends” on a vast spectrum of variables and rigid theoretical templates rarely apply perfectly to particular sets of circumstances, which need to be assessed on an individual basis. But three years is still the paradigmatic system replacement interval.
Переслать - Another New Apple Hire, This Time It's All Fun and Games
The news only just broke that Apple had hired at least two top chip executives, but it looks like that wasn’t the only skill set they were after. Another recent hire is raising eyebrows, because it seems to indicate that Apple is taking very seriously a group it appears to have largely ignored in the past. That group is gamers, who will hopefully be more of a focus for Apple now that former Xbox strategy guru Richard Teversham has joined the team.
Teversham has worked at Microsoft since 2005, and as such is the perfect person to consult if you want to learn how to successfully market your product as a gaming platform. The Xbox 360 continues to be one of the most popular game consoles, largely outpacing its Sony competitor, the PlayStation 3.
The job he’s apparently signed up for with Apple is in an education-related capacity at their European office. Maybe Apple’s planning on adding more educational gaming to their line-up? Hopefully the unusual department switch is just Apple learning from their non-compete trials and tribulations with Mark Papermaster, and involves them landing Teversham somewhere safe before they move him into a gaming-related capacity.
As I mentioned before, this is only the latest in a string of hires, which seems to indicate that Apple is either in a growth phase or is shaking things up in a big way. In either case, executive-level hires generally indicates a change in the way a company does business, so expect to see some very buzz-worthy developments coming out of Cupertino in the near future.
Переслать - Rumor Has It: iMovie App Included In Apple's New iPhone
As is normal in the days, weeks, and months leading up to an event like the WWDC, the rumor mill has started working some serious overtime. Which is both a blessing and a curse to those of us in the business of blogging about Apple, and also to those of us who just keenly follow the company’s actions. There’s so much speculation being thrown around, it’s hard to tell what to believe. A new rumor about the upcoming iPhone strikes me as likely, though, and maybe you’ll agree.The rumor, from a source talking to BusinessWeek, suggests that not only will the new iPhone hardware boast video recording capabilities, but that it will actually be a veritable mobile video editing platform, too, complete with built-in software. The software in question will reportedly be a native iPhone iMovie app, which will offer users a number of editing features, and possibly the ability to share your creations via MMS.
This makes sense for a company that pioneered the first truly, fully Internet-capable phone. If you want to capitalize on and build that reputation, your next logical step is to move into video creation, editing, and sharing, as it becomes more popular online via sites like YouTube, Vimeo and Ustream.tv. They’ve already shown that they’re aware of, and interested in investing in, the trend with iMovie ‘09, which has built-in video-sharing services.
And if you consider how many additional developers and types of applications video recording and editing capabilities would bring to the App Store, then saying no to video just doesn’t make sense from a business perspective. Plus, talk about a reason to buy a new device. Even if I have to sell my soul (i.e. sign up for yet another three-year contract), I’m upgrading if the next iPhone does have video editing support.
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