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- WWDC 2009: Rumor Round-Up Ahead of the Big Show
As this week comes to an end, tech watchers turn their loving gaze away from E3, and refocus their attention on the Moscone Center in San Francisco, which will host Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference beginning Monday, June 8.
Just like every year before it, we’ve seen many rumors circulate regarding what Apple will be unveiling at the media circus that is the conference’s kick-off keynote address. But as we all know from experience, a rumor does not a product announcement make. Here’s a look at what’s being said about what we’ll see at WWDC, organized by likelihood.
Bet the Farm
Because of the obsessive attention it tends to draw from devotees, Apple sometimes has a hard time surprising folks. As with most events, WWDC ‘09 has some safe bets that have run the rumor mill gauntlet and been accepted as fact by some major industry players.
- New iPhone Hardware — I know it, you know it, and Walt Mossberg certainly knows it. It’s not a matter of if or when, it’s just a matter of what. A healthy list of potential iPhone features abounds, and they vary in their individual likelihood. As such, I’ll be listing them separately. The keynote Monday will see the announce for a new iPhone, but don’t expect to get your grubby mitts on one until July.
- Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard — You won’t be able to buy it at or during WWDC, but we will see a version that’s as good as gold. Maybe not quite Gold Master, but a feature-complete, pre-release demo version that will finally end all our digging like animals through leaked developer preview screenshots posted on Russian tech forums.
- iPhone Camera, Storage Space — These two things will be improved with an iPhone refresh. Guaranteed. Anything else is less sure to occur.
- App Store Parental Controls — The settings pane already exists in the iPhone 3.0 beta preview software, but the corresponding ratings system in the App Store has yet to go live. Expect it to kick in following the official release of the firmware, which Apple has already guaranteed for June, and probably for WWDC.
Good Odds
These are likely to happen, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call them certainties. The MacBook one I’m preparing for financially, so I feel fairly sure it’ll go down.
- MacBook Incremental Upgrades — The unibody aluminum MacBook was released way back in October 2008, and hasn’t been touched since. Which means it’s just about time for a spec bump. Expect to see the notebook’s internals get their semi-annual update at WWDC, and then expect me to buy one.
- Steve Jobs Appearance — He may not be delivering the keynote, but the most respected, feared, and revered CEO in recent memory doesn’t just plan for a June return to work and then sit out WWDC. Many suspect he may be part of the “team of Apple executives” that is backing up Phil Schiller for the keynote presentation.
- iPhone Magnetometer, FM Transmitter/Receiver — These are two new pieces of iPhone internal hardware that have gotten a lot of press, and seem to be fairly safe bets for inclusion in the new iteration. I also think they’re fairly safe bets because they’re not without precedent, as both have been included in other devices that compete with the iPhone (the G1 and the upcoming Zune HD, for instance).
It Could Happen
Some things remain firmly in the realm of possibility, despite there being little actual evidence to support them, and it not necessarily looking likely that they’ll make an appearance. Still, without the long shots, what would we have to look forward to?
- Large-format Touch Tablet Device — We all want one, and Apple knows it, and it wouldn’t have to abandon its high-minded ideals regarding netbooks to deliver one. Just give us a really big iPod touch. That’s all we’re asking for. We know you have one lying around, anyway. Put it into production. Please.
- $99 4GB iPhone — There’s at least some evidence to suggest this could really happen, and it comes from my native land. I’m not so sure about the front-facing video camera (iChat video) that is also listed on the same slide that Fido has for this model, but maybe that was just a typo. Apple does know you sell more things by making them cheaper, but they seem not to really mind that rule most of the time.
- iPhone Capable of Background Processing — Push notification is guaranteed, but many users aren’t satisfied with that, especially when the Palm Pre supports true multi-tasking. iPhone users don’t like being behind in any significant way, so it’s possible Apple’s next iPhone could pack enough processing power to support true multi-tasking.
Not a Chance
These are things you will not see, no matter how hard you close your eyes and wish for them to be true.
- Mac Netbook — Apple hates them, and in practice, our own David Klein also hates them. I don’t really like or use mine that much. A Mac version might be different, but I’m willing to bet it would still start being a dust-collector very quickly.
- iPhone Nano — This perpetually recurring fanboi’s dream will never be real. Deal with it.
- Verizon Partnership — Choice is a great thing, but iPhone users will have to go without for at least another year, as it doesn’t look like any Verizon partnership will be forthcoming in 2009. So much for selling twice the units.
Feel free to agree, disagree, and add your own predictions below.
Переслать - TAB Welcomes: Mark Crump
Boy, there have been a lot of these introductions going around, eh? You'd think there was a hiring surge or something. My name is Mark, and I'm the latest in the continuing series.
I got my freelance start writing about Massively Multiplayer Time Sinks for PC Gamer Magazine. Admittedly the only crossover between writing for them and TheAppleBlog is, "suck it up, Princess; people are going to edit your work." I also wrote the MMOS X column over at Massively.com. After the proverbial break to “spend more time with my family” (even though my wife would claim differently) I answered the Call to Duty when Josh sounded the bugles.
I've had a lengthy history with the Macintosh. I bought one of the first units (I splurged on the 512k unit). I was a volunteer for the Boston Computer Society in their Resource Center. That was a great way to get my hands on a lot of great gear I could never afford. From there, I entered the printing industry working for service bureaus and commercial print shops. Dear Lord, it just hit me I used Photoshop and PageMaker versions 1. After a break from the Macintosh, I came back when I got my hands on a Pismo. Since then, my production computer has been a Mac. My current Mac kit is fairly modest. I'm using a 1st Gen Whitebook (with an upgraded 500g drive), and a 1st Gen iPhone.
I have a sarcastic and irreverent writing style and I'm looking forward to subjecting, err, sharing it with y'all.
Переслать - Theories On a Mac App Store
Given the runaway success of the App Store (if you haven't heard, just pick up any newspaper, provided you can find one still being printed), I've begun to give some thought to the feasibility of a Mac App Store. Does it make sense? Could Apple pull it off? What would it mean for developers and for users?
The introduction of the iTunes Music Store (now simply called the iTunes Store) brought about an entirely new paradigm for providing digital content. There was new ground for Apple to break, and to test the waters, it began with music, before eventually adding support for audiobooks, podcasts, television shows, movies, and movie rentals.
Initially aimed at giving users more choice by allowing them to pay for the specific content they desired (a song vs. the entire CD, or a TV episode instead of an entire season), many more benefits to this new model quickly became apparent — for example, user reviews to highlight the best content, trends to see what others are buying, environmental benefits by reducing physical distribution, and simplicity for producers to get their content quickly before the public. Now with the App Store, developers are once again doing the same thing for the iPhone and iPod touch.
But would this same concept work for big-name applications like Creative Suite 4 or Microsoft Office? In short, yes.
While Apple's profit margin for app developers might be a little high for companies like Adobe or Microsoft, it hasn't stopped such companies from exploring their own methods of digital distribution. Creative Suite 4 is available from Adobe's web site as a trial (which a user can then buy the license and upgrade) or as a full version that can be downloaded once purchased from its online store. Microsoft offers the same solution for Office 2008 on its web site as well.
Objections & Rebuttals
The biggest argument against digital distribution of any kind (software, movies, music) is the lack of physical media. In some cases, I support this, but the App Store has shown us that not dealing with physical media is a lot more convenient. (Just how easy is it to try a new app on your iPhone and delete it if you don't want it?)
Another common objection you hear is that with physical media, you always have a nice backup copy in case you need it. (One could argue the flip side that by only having physical media, you really have no backup copy if your original disc becomes scratched or damaged.) Apple has once again snuck a hidden gem in the App Store with its ability to re-download content at any time after your initial purchase. Bearing this in mind, now how simple is it to install an application onto multiple Macs, assuming you have the appropriate license? Simply login to iTunes and re-download the application again.
Others like to cite bandwidth as a reason against this distribution method. Granted, broadband is not common in all parts of the world, but this is certainly not an "all or none" argument — simply a direction we're progressing towards. Furthermore, the size of the average application is usually far smaller than a music album, HD TV show, or feature film.
Yet another aspect to consider is that Apple has already provided one online destination for applications and that is its Downloads section of Apple.com. Unfortunately, this option has many setbacks, including lack of powerful searching options, lack of user reviews, and inability to track purchases to name a few. Almost two years ago, however, Apple also utilized this approach to showcase its collection of web apps for the iPhone, before giving way to a full-fledged App Store inside of iTunes. The web apps are still browsable via Apple’s web site, but with the introduction of native apps, web apps just don’t get the love they once did. With its seamless integration with your iTunes account for billing, reviews, and user recommendations, iTunes would be a more ideal solution for delivering applications and updates instead of a web site.
Additional Benefits
There are many additional benefits for developers and consumers in a potential Mac App Store. With the introduction of a Mac App Store, smaller developers will have the potential to reach greater audiences. One of the best things about using a Mac are all of those neat little applications you always see popping up on the net. With a Mac App Store, now these developers can share the same space as big-name guys like Adobe and Microsoft, without needing an advertising budget as big as theirs.
Looking at how intelligently iTunes can view my past purchases and offer "deals" to complete albums or upgrade to iTunes Plus, and even how the App Store delivers app updates to consumers, Apple could finally allow developers to take advantage of its Software Update app built into OS X. (There are already some popular third-party apps that do this, and one thing Apple loves to do best is to take what's "popular" and make it its own).
Though Apple has faced a lot of criticism for its policies of approving and rejecting apps from the App Store, such a system would also likely be in place for a Mac specific version. However, as this would not be the only method of distributing applications for the Mac, Apple's approval policies shouldn't be seen as a detriment to this idea, especially as Apple continues to refine and improve its approval process.
Essentially, the technology is already in place. Apple has a distribution method (App Store & iTunes), and most developers are already offering downloads via their own sites. If, and when, Apple introduces a Mac App Store, developers will be able to reach entirely new audiences and easier distribution than they currently enjoy.
Переслать - Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s sponsor of TheAppleBlog:
- HD Meetings – From Fuze Meeting: 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 - 10 Signs That You're a Mac Geek
Evolution of the Apple logo
If you’ve ever been called an Apple Fanboy, you’ve no doubt tried to defend yourself by claiming you simply like things that work, blah, blah, blah. So here are 10 ways to test your Mac geekiness to see if you really are a Fanboy.
- You know that Apple was founded by the two Steves, and a third partner named Ronald Wayne, who was responsible for the creation of the original Apple logo.
- You not only have an Apple sticker on your car window, but you’ve placed one in the corner of every window in your house, effectively notifying would-be thieves that you have something worthy of breaking in for.
- The only three fonts you use in your documents are Motter Tektura, Garamond and Myriad.
- You download updates to Apple software that you don’t even own.
- You’ve taken the day off from work during every Macworld Expo to listen to the keynote speech.
- You have milk crates for furniture, yet you manage to scrape up enough money to pay AT&T’s obscenely high fees for the privilege of owning an iPhone.
- You take a screenshot of your desktop and upload it to Flickr…every day!
- You have three fart, two flashlight, and three Twitter apps on your iPhone.
- You have no less than seven black turtleneck shirts.
- You have signed, framed and hung on the wall “unboxing” photos of every Apple product you’ve ever purchased…including AppleCare.
Переслать - WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Coverage On TheAppleBlog
Starting at 8AM PST, TheAppleBlog will be providing live coverage of the WWDC 2009 keynote!
Our live coverage service will allow you to make comments, view photos, in addition to the constant stream of new info! Be sure to drop your email address in the form at live.theappleblog.com to be reminded of when our coverage will go live!
We will also be providing up-to-the-minute coverage via our Twitter account.
Переслать - My Multilayered Backup Strategy
I've spent most of my career working in IT Operations, a good part of which I’ve spent thinking, "Really, what's the worst that could happen?" A year or so ago, I asked myself, "What's the worst that could happen if my MacBook died?" It was a pretty sobering question.
I work full time. I also freelance, go to school, and write fiction part time. The best case would be the failure was during a rare moment of idleness, and I could suffer the loss of a computer without breaking a sweat. But what's the fun in that? Data disasters don't strike in moments like this; instead, like a formulaic movie plot, they happen when you're not only on deadline, but one you're really late on. Planning for a system failure I pray never happens has led to what's admittedly an overly cautious backup strategy. Most people think they're being very cautious if they've got a secondary backup method; I've got a tertiary backup.
My primary backup is Time Machine, and it has served me well through the usual accidental data deletions. While the interface drives me a little batty, Time Machine is an excellent backup method. Hourly, I'll hear my drives spin up and can smile knowing the drivel I'm writing is safely backed up. Every now and then I'll get the dreaded Time Machine backup error, but either forcing the backup or just waiting for the next cycle works fine.
Time Machine, though, only works when I'm attached to my USB devices at home. I use my laptop at work and at school, so if I need to do a restore when I'm not at home, Time Machine is useless. Not only that, if my house burns down, I'm out of luck. As a secondary backup, I use Mozy. Now, the first backup is extremely long; depending on how many gigs you're backing up, you could be looking at a week's worth of time uploading data. Once that's done, subsequent backups are very speedy. It only backs up changed files, so you're not uploading hundreds of gigs of files every day. It's easy to configure your backup sets — you can either tell it to grab your Documents, Pictures, Music folders, etc., or you can go deeper and tell it to backup (or exclude) specific folders. Mozy also runs in the background when your Mac is in an idle period.
My secondary computer is a PC. Each of these backup schemes work as long as my Mac is intact or I have another Mac to restore to. Time Machine obviously is Mac-only, but while Mozy works on Macs and PCs, the file that's restored is a .dmg file. While I could find a way to break into the .dmg file, part of my worst-case plan is, "OK, my Mac is dead and the only way I can make this deadline is to keep working on my PC, STAT!" There are three folders (School, Freelance, Writing) that I have deemed Crucial National Assets. Without immediate access to those folders during a State of Emergency, I am completely and totally hosed.
To solve that worse-case scenario, I use Dropbox. Dropbox simply uploads what I want to a web page, where I can grab files from any other computer, Mac or PC. The one drawback is it likes its files to reside in a Dropbox folder on my Mac, but I got around that by creating symbolic links to those three folders I really care about. Dropbox grabs their contents and uploads them.
An important part of any backup routine is testing data validity. Periodically, I'll do test restores from Time Machine and Mozy, and verify from my PC that I can access the data on Dropbox. While you're likely to only need them in case of emergency, it's important to know if you have to break the glass and use the tools they've been doing their jobs all along.
What is your backup strategy?
Переслать - Dear Palm and Sprint: Is There Anything Else You Could Do Wrong?
Palm’s been working hard to mastermind the Pre launch this Saturday, but I think they're getting it all wrong. Now Sprint has joined in. It's reached the point where they look like a couple of companies seriously in need of some business acumen.
Early reviews of the Pre are promising, yet I wonder if the bumbling, stumbling, Three Stooges approach Palm and its partners have used from the Pre's introduction to its launch aren't enough to ruin it anyway. Looking back, it’s hard to think of anything Palm did right with the launch after its introduction demo at CES in January.
Here’s a brief recap of everything that seems to have gone wrong.
- You had Palm investor Roger McNamee shooting his mouth off so badly that Palm actually had to issue a retraction of his statements. Way to control the message, guys.
- You had rumors about there being a constrained supply of Pres. This was followed by an outright admission. It doesn't bother me if Palm feels the need for supply manipulation, but I disagree with it.
- There was a big deal about Best Buy selling the Pre with an instant $100 rebate instead of the mail-in rebate at Sprint stores. But then we found out they're hardly letting Best Buy have any phones.
- The rebate itself is only good for five weeks (until 7/11), at which time the Pre will be $300. With the constrained supplies it makes you wonder how many people will actually save $100.
- Meanwhile, you've got developers who can't get the SDK, and…
- Verizon blabbing that they'll have the Pre in six months, potentially killing early sales.
And now, as the straw that broke this camel's back, you have the sideshow from Palm and Sprint about how it's actually good if there's no lines or crowds for the Pre.
A Palm spokeswoman, Lynn Fox, said that people who equate success with packed stores may be disappointed, because the company will take time to generate buzz with the new phone. "We're not like Apple," she said.
Yes, equating a packed store with success is a mistake. They're probably just their to return your merchandise or ask about a competitor. Well, Lynn, I can vouch for the fact that Palm is definitely not like Apple. They like their stores packed. Silly Apple.
And Mark Elliott, a spokesman for Sprint, said the company not only didn't expect long lines for the Pre at its 1,100 stores — it didn't want them.
BWAHAHAHA! Well of course they didn’t want lines. In fact, Sprint plans to shoo people away if even the merest hint of a line forms. Shoo! Go away, people! Nothing to see here.
"We're actually trying to manage the exact opposite," Mr. Elliott said.
Well, your strategy so far is right on track for that. I do have one question though: Are you insane?
"What we're trying to do is not have people backed up waiting so customers feel rushed," Mr. Elliott said. "We want each customer to get the experience."
Which experience is that? The one of being lonely in the store because you don’t want any crowds, or the one of deciding to buy a Pre only to be turned away because of the constrained supply?
Success "is not about having a line out the door," he said. "It's about being able to treat each customer and make sure they're happy with their decision."
A certain company I know of believes that success is both. They can have packed stores and lines and an incredibly happy and satisfied customer base all at the same time. That sounds a lot more like success than what you’re trying to manage.
"Not like Apple," indeed.
Переслать - TAB Welcomes: David Koff
TheMacDweeb - discussing the number of times he's enjoyed using PC's.
Since it’s not common for a comedian to join the ranks of a tech blog, I’m very excited to introduce myself as the newest blogger here at TheAppleBlog. Hopefully, you can count on me to make you laugh a wee bit while reading.
And since it’s certainly not common for a comedian to also be a Mac expert, I’m also excited to introduce myself as the SysAdmin of a 250-Mac network at a sweet (but undisclosed) location in the heart of Los Angeles. Hopefully, you can count on me to teach you a thing or two about your Macs.
I’ve been studying, practicing, ripping apart, fixing, tinkering, and mastering Apple computers since my folks bought me an Apple II+ back in the early Mesozoic era of computing. (Yes, there were dinosaurs roaming the planet when I first learned BASIC.) But what started at age eleven as a hobby has become an obsession now that I manage hundreds of Macs. And don’t even get me started about my iPod or iPhone collection. In fact, I’ll probably write about that in another post…
I’ve also been studying, practicing, ripping apart, fixing, tinkering, and mastering comedy since my folks took me to an Andy Kaufman concert. I’ve performed stand-up comedy at The Laugh Factory & The Improv; I’ve acted on TV shows such as “The West Wing” and “Sesame Street”; and I produce and direct a comedy troupe in Los Angeles called “Fake Radio.” For nine years, we’ve re-created actual radio shows from the 1940’s and 1950’s with incredible guest stars.
For any of my Mac-tastic work, you can follow me here as well as on Twitter or over at The Mac Dweeb blog. I look forward to reading your comments on my articles…and sharing the occasional knock-knock joke.
Переслать - Patent Watch: iPod Nano May Get Multitouch Scroll Wheel
A patent application published today for a “mutli-dimensional scroll wheel” suggests Apple may be evolving the venerable iPod click wheel, rather than replacing it with a pure multitouch interface, like the iPhone.
Originally filed on September 5, 2008, the patent application describes a “plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements” ordered around “the mechanical push button.” Such a device would allow for “gestures that traverse the center of the scroll wheel,” as well as multitouch input. Rather than swiping across the display surface, one would swipe across the scroll wheel for, as an example, Coverflow.
Zooming in and out on a photograph might be accomplished by “one finger touching an inner region of the scroll and another finger rotating in the outer region.” The familiar pinch-and-zoom method is also described, though, and it’s likely that any gesture done on the display of an iPhone or an iPod touch could be replicated on the hybrid scroll wheel surface.
A new control scheme isn’t the only possibility for the next iPod nano, either. Last month, iLounge reported rumors of the iPod nano getting a slightly larger display and a camera. While rumors and patent applications are not much to base expectations on, new iPods are traditionally introduced in early September. If you need/want an iPod nano now, the current promotion is a good deal, but even the possibility of multitouch and a camera seems worth the wait.
Переслать - TAB Welcomes: Dave Greenbaum
TAB Welcomes: Dave Greenbaum
As a new writer here, let me give you the File → Get Info on me.
For my day job, I own a computer repair business here in Lawrence, Kansas. Drawing on my support background, I focus on practical technology from the user perspective; If I can’t find it useful, I’m not that interested in it. My passion is helping people with technology. I’ve worked in corporate IT and academic computing before settling on residential and small office computer support. I’m also heavily involved in our User Group.
My experience with Apple goes back to Apple IIe days; the first Mac I used was a MacPlus, and owned was a IIvx. Ever since then I’ve been a Mac fan. I even met my spouse through the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group and we’ve been married 10 years this June.
At home I use a Mac Pro for my main workstation. I’m proud to say I have every current form factor of Mac just in case a customer needs a part or I need to test something. I carry with me an iPhone and black Macbook, and in the office we have a Mac mini. Dare I even discuss my home-built PC or my upcoming netbook? Yes, because we still live in a PC world and sometimes the Mac is not the best at everything. I have my foot in both worlds.
I’ll bring to TheAppleBlog consumer advocacy and critical analysis. My writing will focus on industry trends that will matter most for an Apple users’ daily life. Some of my past articles have been reprinted by the User Group community around the globe, and I’ve written technology columns for daily newspapers in this region.
In my “spare” time, I enjoy cooking, gourmet food and drink, as well as occasional travel. While working hard, you might find me listening to the Pet Shop Boys or Nine Inch Nails. Since I truly love what I do for a living, I find that I don’t need too much free time.
I love hearing your comments and feedback: good, bad or otherwise. Let’s keep the conversation going!
Переслать - App Review: Stuck Genie — There's a Genie in Your iPhone
App Quick Stats
A genie, a load of balls, and an ancient labyrinth come together to create a frustrating, but fun, puzzler.
One of the big boys in the movie biz, Warner Bros., has been solidly churning out iPhone apps for the past few months. Most of these apps have been global franchises, though, including Terminator Salvation, Watchmen and — the double whammy of brand-names — LEGO Batman.
Without a movie, cartoon series, or line of toys, Stuck Genie is an entirely original game. Containing 73 puzzles, the game challenges you to complete each one and earn the highest score.
You Look Like You’re Stuck
It’s immediately clear that the game is worthy of the Warner Bros. name. It’s bright and colorful, instantly pleasing to the eye and, although it’s not an established brand, the game has an artwork style that is very much its own.
The attention to detail, especially important from such a big publisher, pervades almost every aspect of the game. Even the name-entry screen is fun, finding you spinning an alphabet wheel, and dragging letters around to spell your name.
Musically, the game features a chill-out soundtrack pinched straight from the beaches of Ibiza. It’s absolutely out of character for a puzzle game — especially one featuring a mischievous cartoon genie.
And yet it works: When the puzzles get tougher, the mellow background music makes it feel more like you’re chillaxing, as opposed to seriously flexing your cognitive problem-solving muscles.
Control Your Inner Genie
Before jumping into the first level proper, there’s a tutorial section. The tutorial explains the basics: By tapping and dragging, you control an orange ball moving through a labyrinth.
Your aim, in each level, is to collect the other balls dotted around the maze. The mazes are incredibly simple, and collecting the balls is achieved simply by colliding with them.
The real challenge is that the balls stick to your orange ball as you collect them; your shape grows and changes with each added ball. Maneuvering through the maze becomes tougher as you collect each ball, and forward planning is key to solving each puzzle.
Misadventures in the Maze
My sojourn through the freaky genie’s labyrinth hit a major roadblock, though. Closing the app to take a break, due to a tough level, I returned hours later to be sent back to the start of level one.
Apparently, Stuck Genie features no auto-save functionality. This means that to save, you have to exit the game by first pausing it and then clicking exit (which instigates a save). Simply tapping the iPhone’s Home button will exit, but it won’t save.
Furthermore, after working my way back to the tough level I’d been stuck on, I discovered that there’s no rest or rewind button. This is an all but essential feature for this genre of puzzle game.
To reset the level, you have to open the menu and select rewind; it doesn’t ruin the game, but it’s an oversight nonetheless. Far more preferable would be, say, tapping the genie to use a magical time-reversing crystal, or even just a plain old rewind/reset button.
Summing Up
There’s something about the cartoony yet ornate artwork, which, when melded with the Café del Mar-esque chill-out soundtrack make for a very mellow but challenging puzzler.
This mellow vibe is immensely important in Stuck Genie’s case, because some of the puzzles had me literally roaring with frustration — the good kind of frustration, though, when you know you’re being beat by a devious puzzle and you’ve just got to solve it.
Despite being so much fun from the off, the difficulty curve was unexpectedly steep. Nevertheless, fans of challenging puzzlers should download Stuck Genie and get stuck in immediately.
Переслать - AppleJack: An Easy Way to Fix Your Mac
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a simple man. I like a good cup of coffee in the morning, mellow get-togethers with close friends, and technology that simplifies my life…not makes it more complicated. So what’s there to do when your Mac starts to act a bit funky? By “funky,” I don’t mean “Tom Cruise” funky — the last stage before total meltdown — but rather “Michael Richards” funky. That stage when the computer starts doing odd, unexpected things and people start noticing.
Back in the days of OS 9, if your Mac acted strangely, there was a trick that was so simple that anyone could do it and help to maintain their Macs themselves. All you needed to do was to rebuild your desktop files — and everyone knew how to do that. The upshot? Even if rebuilding the desktop files didn’t fix the problem, it couldn't damage your Mac. It could only help.
And man, wouldn't you love to know that there was something like that for OS X? Well there is and — shock of all shocks — it's totally free! The application is called AppleJack and it's incredibly simple to use.
Let's break it down to five easy steps:
- Head over to SourceForge and download the app. Benefits> Like I said, it’s free!
- Install the software. If you want to also check your RAM, do a customized install and also install the "MemTest" application. Benefits? You'll get two programs for the price of one.
- Restart your Mac, hold down the "Command" and the "S" keys to boot into "Single User Mode" (Note: You must use a wired, USB keyboard for this. Wireless keyboards will not work). Single User Mode is a fancy term that tells your Mac to "turn off the graphics and boot strictly into text-only mode." Benefits? Seeing your Mac boot into single user mode is seriously cool. In fact, since you've probably never seen your Mac boot up into plain 'ole text before, you'll feel like you're a computer whiz seeing something rare and forbidden.
- When your computer is done booting into Single User Mode, the scrolling text will stop. It should look something like this. Type
applejack auto restartand then hit enter. Now go grab a cup of coffee. Benefits? Harvard thinks coffee is healthy. And so do I, even though I went to UPenn, a far cooler school. - Watch your screen for about five minutes as AppleJack runs through five different tasks — running disk utility to repair your internal hard drive, fixing your permissions, cleaning up a series of cache files, validating core preferences and removing all “swap” files. When it's finished, your computer will restart auto-magically. Benefits? You've just enjoyed an awesome cup of coffee while looking very cool.
While this application won’t fix a hardware malfunction, it’s perfect for software problems. Plus, it's simple, easy and free. Give it a shot and relive your old "rebuild the desktop files" glory days, why doncha?
Переслать - Next iPhone Rumored to Have Nike+, Radio Tagging Built In
Ever since the release of the 2G iPod touch, I’ve been tempted to pick it up just for one feature alone: Nike+ integration. As a runner, I’d love some way to track my progress, and the iPhone apps that work with the device’s GPS would be great, except I don’t want to strap my iPhone to my sweaty arm, for obvious reasons.
If AppleInsider is correct, Nike+ integration might be on its way to the iPhone, too. If the new model also comes with improved moisture resistance, then the ability to take advantage of the sporting giant’s fitness tracking system will add much to the device’s appeal, at least for me. I’d love to be able to drop everything and go for a midday run without worrying about being unreachable for work or other emergencies.
Nike+ has been a frequently requested feature for inclusion in the iPhone since the release of the most recent iPod touch model, though it does present some unique hurdles on the platform. For it to be really useful, the system would have to have the ability to continue running despite the interruption of incoming calls. Background tasks, as most of us are keenly aware, are not allowed on the current or upcoming iPhone software.
Except, that is, when it comes to Apple’s own built-in software. Both Mail and iPod apps, for instance, still manage to gather and send data in the background even when not the primary app in focus on the platform. Apple could, in theory, make yet another exception for Nike+, since the app would likely be built into upcoming devices as it is with the iPod touch, rather than be something you could just download via the App Store. That’s because it requires specialized hardware to communicate with the transmitter you use in your shoe as part of the Nike+ system.
The source of the Nike+ rumor is the newest version of Apple’s iTunes software, which came out earlier this week amid other updates. Alongside this discovery came hints of a new ability to tag songs listeners hear on the radio for later purchase through iTunes. The tech isn’t necessarily iPhone-specific, but in light of recent rumors of a built-in FM radio transmitter being a part of the new iPhone’s makeover, chances seem to favor iPhone applications for the new features.
So many new transmitters, such a small device. I’m all for more and better features, but pretty soon I’m gonna start getting nervous about holding this thing next to the ol’ thought-melon for any length of time. Maybe Apple will take this opportunity to re-introduce its Bluetooth headset to allay such fears?
Переслать - OS X, iPhone OS, Safari Market Share Continue Rebounding in May
Net Applications measures market share based upon Internet usage from some 160 million visitors to a network of hosted sites each month. According to the web metrics firm, OS X, iPhone OS and Safari are continuing to incrementally increase in market share after sharp declines earlier this year.
For May, OS X market share was 9.81 percent, up from 9.73 percent the previous month. While Net Applications counts the iPhone and iPod touch as distinct operating systems, the two combined are 0.75 percent, up from 0.70 percent. Safari’s market share, including the Windows version, is now 8.43 percent, up from 8.21 percent. If these changes seem inconsequential, the trends over time prove significant.
Since the beginning of the Intel Age, Mac market share has more than doubled, and is now approaching 10 percent. While there is concern over the effect of the recession on Apple sales, it’s more likely we are seeing a seasonal flattening. If the past is predictive of the future, by the end of the year the Mac will see double-digit market share for the first time since the early 90s. Unfortunately, Safari may lag behind.
While there are effectively two operating systems, there are now four web browsers competing for market share (sorry, Opera). At 8.43 percent in May, Safari has finally surpassed its previous high of 8.29 percent in January. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Chrome for Mac is imminent, and that it will likely take from Safari market share, as it’s doing with Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer now represents less than two-thirds of web browser market share. Five years ago it was over 90 percent. Unlike operating systems, web browsing is not a zero-sum game, which may be true for the iPhone OS in the future, but not today.
If you don’t think 0.75 percent of operating system market share means much, consider the competition: Android, 0.08; Symbian, 0.07; Windows Mobile, 0.05; RIM, 0.03; and Palm, 0.02 percent. All of them combined equal one-third of the iPhone OS market share. It remains to be seen whether the Palm Pre will live up to its hype, but there can be little doubt the next iteration of the iPhone OS will help Apple pass Linux on the desktop at 0.99 percent.
Переслать - Game On: The Sims 3 for Mac
I was not terribly impressed with The Sims 3 for iPhone, but as I said in my review, it did whet my appetite for the Mac desktop version of the game. So much so that I went out yesterday afternoon to pick it up. Best Buy was all out of the collector’s edition, but I wasn’t committed to the idea of carrying around a Plumbob USB drive anyway, so I picked up the regular copy for $49.95 and got to playing god.
And play it I did. I played for nine straight hours yesterday, and another few today, eating in a hurried frenzy only when my Sim was sleeping. All for you…a truly selfless act. Here’s what I found as a result of my living-by-proxy marathon.
Graphics
The Sims 3 definitely looks better than its predecessors. Objects and sims are more detailed, textures are smoother, and animations are better looking. The real difference with regards to graphics, however, doesn’t have to do with any landmark improvements in the basics (there aren’t any astounding changes), but rather with the way the world as a whole is set up.
Nice, interactive vistas
The Sims experience has always been primarily compartmentalized, with your house being one location, and social settings and the houses of others being entirely different, closed-off modules. In The Sims 3, the walls between modules are largely taken down. If you zoom out, and pan, you can see and interact with your neighbors’ houses, parks, and community buildings, and even the ocean.
Clicking on objects that you can see results in actions being made available, without ever having to exit out to a town map. The town map is still available, though, in case you want more simple navigation across greater distances.
Visually, the open world makes The Sims 3 look and feel much more like the life simulator it’s meant to be, and it’s one of the biggest reasons to upgrade from The Sims 2, in my opinion.
My test machine was an iMac with 4GBs of RAM running an ATI Radeon 2600HD graphics card. The game should run fine any any computer using the new NVIDIA cards, too.
Sound
Simish is back in full force, and it sounds just as silly as ever. They seem to say “zune” a lot more frequently than most other words, so either that’s the sim version of “the” or Microsoft’s done some very keen product placement.
Sweatin' to the oldies
Music is well done again in The Sims 3, with a decent variety of tracks available for your stereo systems, and some genuinely pleasant sounds coming from your sim’s guitar if you build up their Music ability.
Other ambient sounds are all fine, although it does seem at times like the game is far too quiet considering everything that’s going on. I suppose finding a nice balance between too noisy and too quietly for a life simulator like this would be quite the challenge, and it’s the type of game that you like to have something else on while playing anyway.
Gameplay
Let’s take a look at a few different aspects of gameplay within the new Sims.
Work
As in real life, I generally prefer to keep my options open and succeed as a Sims freelancer by selling paintings, working as a writer, and, new in Sims 3, selling the fish that I catch. The last one is not one that I actually do in real life, in case you were wondering. No good fishing spots in Toronto, is the problem.
For the sake of this review, I decided to pursue a career in rock stardom to see what sticking to the more conventional professional pursuits available in the game was like.
As in previous games, in order to earn promotions in your chosen field, you have to build up your skills and keep your mood elevated. Depending on what you do, you also might have to strive to get along well with your co-workers, and in The Sims 3, you actually know which fellow sim is your boss, and you can butter them up.
I found career building not quite as challenging as in previous versions, which is good because other aspects of the game are now much more rich and deserving of attention. Also, I tend to forget that your sims now have a limited lifespan (since Sims 2), so the pacing is actually entirely appropriate. Currently, I’m a pop star, but I’m approaching retirement age, so I’m not sure I’ll reach the top of my career ladder.
This is where I rock sold out crowds
Work is much more interesting than in past games because you can influence your performance by changing how you are working. A context menu attached to the task in the upper right-hand corner of the screen lets you choose between a variety of different ways of working, including working hard and slacking off, which affect your mood and job performance. This is a huge improvement over the hours of doing nothing in previous versions.
Play
There’s so much for your sims to do in their spare time in this game that it hardly feels like they have any. As mentioned above, you can go fishing, and check out various other activities in town. You can also grow your own food by gardening, and paint as in prior installments.
Frankly, I didn’t find time to do much in town, though the options are numerous. In-town activities also include random events like sales, concerts (both performing and attending), and chess competitions. I actually ended up trying to find mood modifying cheats so that I could enjoy them all, but no such luck.
Life in General
Overall, the experience is just far more rich and detailed than in previous versions. They’ve taken out some things that were annoying, and added some that are much more fun, so it doesn’t feel too cluttered. That said, I think trying to further detail day-to-day affairs would really hamper my enjoyment of the franchise. As it is, it feels like too much to do, too little time, which is exactly the opposite of the iPhone version.
Me playing a computer game in the computer game I'm playing
Verdict
If you like the previous Sims games, you definitely won’t be disappointed with Sims 3. Some things have been taken out, but better things have been added, resulting in a much more enjoyable experience overall. This is a must-have for Mac gamers.
Переслать - TAB Welcomes: Charles Jade
Before the Internet and blogging, they used to call it logorrhea, and for most of my adult life people have been begging me to shut up. Now readers of TheAppleBlog will get that opportunity, too.
You may recognize me from Ars Technica, where I intermittently wrote about technology in general and Apple specifically. Rumors are a favorite topic of mine — the blurrier the photo, the better. I like the numbers game too, market share, units sold, trends, pretty graphs included. With the astounding success of the App Store, I’m running more mobile applications, and I will be reviewing some of these with an emphasis on the experience. For me, the wonder of Apple has always been the experience. No other purveyor of personal technology has obsessed so successfully about human-machine interaction.
In 2001, my own Apple conversion came when the wil-o’-wisp lighting of the white iBook and “lickable” Aqua interface of OS X proved too powerful to resist. Since then, the Jade household has owned some ten Macs. A Mac mini currently sits by the television, a MacBook Air on my wife’s lap, and my own personal life support system consists of a unibody MacBook and an iPhone 3G. The MacBook is the 2GHz model, upgraded to 4GB of RAM, and flying like a jetpack naked with an 80GB Intel X-25M SSD inside.
I’m really looking forward to writing for TheAppleBlog from the vantage point of my leather armchair overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Perpetually desperate for attention, I also look forward to continuing the conversation with you about all things Apple in article comments and the forums. If interested, you can follow my discrete monologue, as well as reading my occasional ephemeral thought.
Переслать - Create a 3D Wall With Your Photos
iPhoto is perfectly capable of displaying your photos as a slideshow or one at a time. But you're limited to a flat display that doesn't exactly "wow" anyone. With one simple download, you can view your iPhoto collection on a visually stunning 3D wall, right in your web browser.
Cooliris is a browser plugin available for Safari and Firefox that allows you to view photos and videos in a beautiful full-screen, 3D-wall format. You can scroll across the panoramic wall with your mouse, clicking on photos to enlarge them. At its core, the plugin allows you to view images on web sites such as Flickr, Facebook, and Google Images, as well as search through news outlets and movie trailer sites.
But one of the great features of Cooliris — that few people even notice — is the ability to quickly view photos located in folders on your hard drive or inside your iPhoto library.
Viewing images with Cooliris
First you'll have to install the Cooliris plugin for either Safari or Firefox and restart your browser. Once installed, you simply activate it with the button in your browser toolbar. You will enter Cooliris in Full-Screen mode, and start out in Discover mode — which will show off a images from a variety of sources. Navigate to the upper left corner and click the My Computer tab from the source column. The tab will expand to allow you to select folders on your hard drive, as well as choose your iPhoto library, and any albums you currently have available.
Choose your iPhoto library, or the album you want to view, and the magic begins. All the images appear on a wall against a dark background. You can use the futuristic scroll bar at the bottom of the screen, or a mouse with side-scrolling capability (such as Apple's Mighty Mouse) to navigate. Scrolling left or right speeds you along the wall of images until you get to an image you want to view. If the image sizes aren't to your liking, you can scroll up or down to enlarge the images on the wall. Once you've found an image, you simply click to enlarge it. Your image enlarges and a frame includes more information about it, such as the file name, camera settings and more. As an added bonus, you can click a button to reveal the iPhoto image in the Finder, saving you a trip into iPhoto to drag it out manually.To enjoy a slideshow of your photos, click the Full Screen button in the lower left corner of the Cooliris interface. This will zoom your image to fill your screen, as well as provide a horizontal frame-by-frame preview of your images.
Cooliris is absolutely free, requires OS X 10.4.11 or later, and is available for Safari 3 and Safari 4 Beta, as well as Firefox versions 2, 3 and the 3.5 Beta. To install the browser plugin, simply visit the Cooliris home page, and the proper version of the plugin download link will appear at the top of the page.
Переслать - With 2M Downloads, Where Is Right on Track
Where, a location-based mobile application from Boston-based uLocate, is quickly becoming a must-have on newer mobile platforms such as the iPhone and Android. It's been download 2 million times and garnered a million registered users, numbers that are likely to head further north once Palm launches its Pre — Where is a showcase application on Palm's new WebOS. Read the rest of this post on GigaOM →
Переслать - Dealing With Stubborn Applications: Installation and Spring Cleaning
Occasionally, every Mac user (from amateur to power user) has issues either installing stubborn applications or removing them. Fortunately, there are utilities for such instances, which every Mac user should keep handy.
Installation Woes
If you're new to Macs, or just haven't really noticed before, Mac OS X uses package files (with a file extension .pkg) for installing some applications. These files are optimized for OS X and are easier to manage than their equivalents in the Windows world (which would be a .exe file and many, many other little files littered around it). Double-clicking one of these packages will usually start the install, however occasionally you might run into one that doesn't install correctly. Is there a solution? Enter Pacifist.
Pacifist, a $20 shareware application, is basically a power installer. Drop a package file onto Pacifist and you can quickly see the components of that installation, and selectively choose what you wish to install. Instead of reinstalling all OS X, you could quickly just reinstall Safari or Address Book, for instance.
Going a step further, Pacifist can also be used to verify current installations against the original package files, helping you to find specific files that are missing or may have incorrect permissions.
A word of warning, however: As Pacifist is a very powerful application, it can lead to incomplete installations and unexpected application behavior if used incorrectly.
Spring Cleaning
While some enjoy installing every third-party application they can find, others strive for a minimalist Zen quality that involves cutting the clutter by removing any unused ones.
In the Windows world, applications install data everywhere. The same is true for some Mac applications as well (though they tend to be installed in consistent and predictable places). To remove applications completely, I like to use another shareware application called AppZapper.
AppZapper, which retails for $12.95, bills itself as "the uninstaller Apple forgot" and that is a perfect description of what it does. Echoing the simple drag-and-drop nature of OS X, you simply drag an application icon into the AppZapper window. It scours your entire hard drive and finds all associated files (cache files, package receipts, log files, etc.) and in one click, instantly deletes all traces of the application.
Another unique feature of this application is the "genie lamp" icon which will scan your hard drive and show you all of the applications you have installed. At a glance, you can quickly see both what you have and how long it’s been since each application was last used. Cleaning out clutter couldn’t be any simpler!
Again, such a powerful application comes with a word of warning: be careful when deleting applications. But AppZapper does feature a "safety," which will allow you to protect specific applications (including all system applications), and unlike red shirts in Star Trek, once an application has been zapped, you can still recover it (until you empty your trash).
A Secret Tip That Mama Never Told You
Even after you've "deleted" your application and it sits happily in the trash can, sometimes that stubborn can will just not empty itself. You try and you try but constantly get error messages telling you something is still in use. To fix this, make sure that any potentially associated applications are not running when you empty the trash. If the trash still refuses to empty, hold down the option key while clicking empty trash. If, after both of these steps, you still are having no luck, try logging out and logging back in to your user account. If all else fails, a restart should fix the problem.
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