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- Handbrake Gets 64-bit Snow Leopard Love
Mac OS X is a wonder. When it comes to personal information management, entertainment and the Internet, it's got all the basics covered. Beyond that, there are a handful of "essential" apps most Mac owners install on a new machine within minutes of booting it up for the first time. Handbrake is undoubtedly one of those essentials. And it just got a serious new upgrade.
Handbrake is a very handy (pun intended) DVD-ripping utility that converts DVDs to self-contained video files that can be played back on a computer or mobile device. (Contrary to the outright lies of major motion picture studios, there's nothing wrong with having digital backups of movies you already own). In addition, DVDs can be converted into a number of formats, resolutions and aspect ratios. For many years, it has served as the single easiest way to get my movies off-of DVD discs and onto my iPods, iPhones and even my PSP.
The latest release, Handbrake 0.9.4, includes support for Snow Leopard, and is also available in 64-bit editions for both Leopard and Snow Leopard. It also adds the ability to include multiple subtitle tracks to exported video and a new "live preview" for viewing the likely outcome of an export before committing to a lengthy rip.
According to the release notes on the Handbrake website, the latest version includes new features like "macroblock tree rate control" and "weighted P-Frame prediction." I've absolutely no idea what any of that means, and although they do provide links to explanatory articles, it made my head swim. I'll just assume it's all very swish and futuristic and good for my rips.
The introduction of a 64-bit version is good news for those of us using true 64-bit multi-core processors, though the performance increase is a fairly modest 10 percent. The software also supports non-DVD encoding, which is great news for those of us who do a lot of video editing. (I prefer to use Final Cut but often have to import raw data into iMovie only to export it out to a format Final Cut will accept. Handbrake won't cut out this extra conversion step, but it performs far faster than the monolith that is iMovie and provides more flexibility in export formats.)
It's not all about video, either. Handbrake offers great audio encoding options, including the newly-added ability to encode AAC using OS X's Core Audio (which means far higher quality than was possible previously).
Of course, there are a lot of other software titles that offer similar functionality (Aimersoft’s popular DVD Ripper, for instance) but Handbrake is free. Although this means it has no official support, it does enjoy an active and enthusiastic user community so if you get stuck you won't have far to go to find answers and help.
If you are using a 64 bit machine and want to get the full 64-bit goodness from Handbrake, you’ll need the 64-bit version of VLC Player, the latest nightly builds of which can be found here. (Please note that VLC Player 64-bit is beta software and as such offers no end-user support.) Handbrake 0.9.4 is available from the Handbrake website now.
Переслать - SizzlingKeys: An Easier Way to Control iTunes
Ever since I began my quest for the ultimate minimalist Mac experience, I have failed to find an elegant and stable way to control iTunes without using the built-in controller. I thought the solution was in Bowtie, but, unfortunately, that app only provides elegance. After some time it becomes unresponsive. An update will supposedly be released soon, but my patience ran out.
Thankfully, I discovered SizzlingKeys, a simple, free way to use hotkeys to control iTunes. Although it isn’t as customizable as Bowtie.app, it still gets the job done without stealing any scarce real estate or eating up the processor. When you use a command, a tiny floating window appears to show you the currently playing song along with its album art.
As you can see in the screenshot below, I chose to use the Command and Option keys to initiate each basic control. If iTunes isn’t running when you use a command, SizzlingKeys can open it automatically.
The screenshot below is from the floating window options. Each time you control iTunes using SizzlingKeys, a lightweight window appears for a few seconds to show what song is playing before fading away.
Here you can see what my floating window looks like against a dark desktop background. You also get a tiny icon indicating what command was triggered. In this example, I paused the music.
There is a $5 pro version with additional features, but they are not necessary for casually listening to music.
Переслать - iPhone App Rejections Get Highlighted on New Site
The App Store is known for a few things, including the sheer volume of apps available, the tremendous success it’s brought some independent developers, and, most notoriously, for the constant stream of rejections that it issues with remarkable frequency. Now one scorned developer has taken it upon himself to make sure a record of the worst among those rejections is kept.
AppRejections.com is a simple blog that tracks App Store rejections, mostly via user submissions. It also points out the blatant hypocrisy of some of Apple’s rejection policies, highlighting what look an awful lot like different standards for higher profiles devs and studios (read: cash cows).
For example, the most recent article at the time of this writing is about how Star Wars Trench Run was accepted despite containing a huge image of an iPhone, something which has been a pretty boilerplate reason for rejection of apps put out by much smaller studios and independent devs before now. In fact, Apple put out a blanket ban on the use of the exact bitmap which features prominently in Trench Run’s control layout help screen.
It’s early days yet for the blog, with only 14 posts thus far, and it isn’t much to look at, but the idea behind the site is a fantastic one. Accountability is severely lacking in the App Store approval process, and till now, efforts to track and analyze rejections have been scattered at best. Despite the stock template look of AppRejections.com, site creator Adam Martin, himself an iPhone developer from the U.K., is doing a great job of tracking down and soliciting stories of Apple running afoul.
Martin also tracks what apps get let back into the App Store, and why, and also what the implications are for users who managed to grab apps that eventually got pulled before that actually happened. It’s a truly comprehensive approach to the problem of Apple’s pell-mell review policy. If you’re a dev who has a story to share, head on over to the site and let Adam know what exactly happened. The more points of data he can collect, the more complete a picture he can paint of App Store injustice.
If Martin can keep it up and create a really thorough record of Apple’s various hypocrisies regarding App Store management, it’s possible we’ll see some kind of change eventually, owing to a shift in public opinion, or increased rancor from the developer community. Do I think that’s the most likely outcome? No, but one can hope.
Переслать - Apple Commands Almost Half of All U.S. Desktop Revenue
Nearly half of the money spent in America in the last year on desktop computers went to Macs. According to NPD, and reported this week by BetaNews, Apple's October desktop PC market share was 47.71 percent, a huge increase on the previous year's figure of 33.44 percent.
BetaNews' Joe Wilcox writes:
It’s a stunning number, given just how many Windows PC companies combined command so much more market share, while competing for the same revenue share.
The numbers are impressive, but a little perspective goes a long way. The economy has seen sales of new computers decline, particularly in the run-up to the launch of Windows 7. Customers in search of a new computer held-back on purchases while they waited for the new OS (and the newer Windows 7-sporting machines from manufacturers) became available. And let's not forget the state of the economy. This recession has had a significant impact on PC sales.
Stephen Baker, NPD's vice president of industry analysis, told Wilcox:
You’re comparing the [iMac] launch month this year to the month last year when people stopped going into stores to buy things,” Baker said. “To some extent it’s a little bit apples and oranges.”
Still, it makes for great headlines, and I'm sure Apple won't fail to wedge appropriate charts (sans actual numbers) into Steve's next keynote presentation.
It's worth noting that the numbers go the other way when comparing Laptops. Apple's share of the laptop market was 34 percent in October this year, down on last year's 38 percent. That said, laptops (Apple and otherwise) have come a long way in terms of power and price, (in 2008 it overtook desktops for the first time in global shipments) and dominating over a third of that market in North America is no small feat. It's even more impressive than that — NPD also says that the average selling price (ASP) of Mac laptops in October this year was $1,410, more than twice the $519 ASP of Windows laptops.
Of course, there's still the fiddly question of sustainability; now Apple has achieved these heady figures, can it keep them? The most probable answer is, no, not really. These figures are the result of unique conditions in the market (after all, global recessions and major Windows OS releases tend not to coincide, never mind on an annual basis) and it seems practical to conclude that Apple's desktop market share is bound to decline in the next year, barring, of course, any surprising changes in that market. (Y'know, like Windows 7 inexplicably failing, or half the world's PC manufacturers going out of business overnight… in other words, the sort of major surprises that are really, really unlikely.)
One thing you can be certain of; this time next year, as the economy strengthens and OEMs lower the prices of their no-longer-new Windows 7 machines, Apple's share of desktop retail revenue will likely drop back to more 'normal' levels. And can you guess what the headlines will be when that happens?
Переслать - Apple's In-Store Black Friday Deals
So it's finally Black Friday and retailers across America are slashing their prices and welcoming hordes of hysterical shoppers. The question, of course, is how generous is Apple being this year? Is it – as it teased earlier in the week – a "happy" Friday for the Apple-buying public?
The answer is (not unsurprisingly) No. Not if you buy from Apple it isn’t.
While Apple observes the Black Friday custom, it never really embraces it. It's been said before, Apple unashamedly sets higher-than-average prices on its products (particularly when MacBooks are compared to run-of-the-mill Windows computers) and just isn't interested in doing bargain-basement deals. I guess that's why they have sixty bajillion in the bank.
Anyway, here's a quick rundown of some of the more noteworthy price-cuts among the meager discounts Apple has on offer just for today.
Apple TV
This'll rock your world (not); save $21 on an Apple TV, now only $208. I bet that has you reaching for your credit card…iPods
The iPod Nano starts at $138 today, a saving of $11.
The iPod Touch enjoys a $41 discount, cost today: $178.iMacs
The 21.5 and 27 inch iMacs start at $1098, a saving of $101.MacBook Pros
13, 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pros also get a $101 discount and so also start at $1098. No savings on the MacBook or MacBook Air, sadly.All manner of Apple accessories and software get moderate discounts. If you're interested in picking up the latest edition of iWork, Apple's productivity software suite, a single user license will cost only $49 today, a saving of $30. (Actually, this isn't a bad discount, given how sophisticated iWork is.)
The new Magic Mouse gets a measly $5 shaved off the asking price (today's cost to you – $64 – is still way too much for this mouse).
The 1TB Time Capsule, Airport Extreme Base Station, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple In-Ear Headphones all get a little of the Black Friday treatment. Not to mention a whole lot of stuff nobody cares about. And there’s no discount on a MobileMe subscription, which is what I was hoping to see happen.
Altogether now… "Meh."
The same percentage discounts have been rolled-out to Apple's international stores, but ultimately equate to the same small-time savings. None of this is new — Apple just doesn't "do" discounts. It's not in its DNA.
Where the Real Action Is
If you want a genuine discount that makes a real difference to your bank balance, you need to leave Apple's stores behind and go to its authorized resellers. That's where the real action is this Black Friday. AppleInsider has a great roundup (including side by side comparisons) of the top Apple-approved resellers and their best one-day-discounts.
If you're out shopping for an Apple bargain today and stumble across a fantastic deal, why not share the news in the comments below? But only after you've helped yourself, naturally. No one expects retail-altruism on a day like this…
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