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iOS App Beta Testing Takes With TestFlight
Beta testing iPhone apps has been described by some developers I know as the least fun part of the whole process. That’s something TestFlight aims to help improve upon. The service provides free, over-the-air app beta distribution, and it’s now available to all.

I’ve helped a few developers test out beta apps in the past, and the whole experience felt surprisingly low tech. Basically, you send a developer your unique device identifier (UDID), and then they send back an application .ipa file and a provisioning file for you to install on your device once they’ve added your iPhone to their list of testers. Apple requires that only registered devices can run pre-release apps, as a way of preventing people from simply distributing apps directly to customers without going through the App Store.

TestFlight acts as a go-between, facilitating the process for both beta testers and developers alike. It removes the need for developers to send out their files manually to each beta participant, and makes it much easier for beta testers, too. Instead of having to manually install apps using iTunes, TestFlight allows you to install beta apps right from the site’s dashboard in mobile Safari, once you sign up for a free account. You still have to send your UDID to the developer, but once it’s in the system, other devs can contact you and add you to their beta pools as well. To be a tester, you have to have at least iOS 4.0 installed on your device, since that’s when Apple introduced its wireless app installation protocols.

TestFlight is free for developers, too, and the easy-to-use interface ensures that users will face far fewer barriers to entry in terms of testing. The service also allows devs to separate testers into different groups, and assign different versions of each beta to those groups. That means you can show your investors only stable builds, while providing each and every bleeding edge version to your QA team. TestFlight also offers recruitment tools, which allow you to publicize your beta and find testers via tweeted and emailed registration links, and can push out notifications to tester devices when new builds are available.

It may not be the only over-the-air beta testing solution for iOS apps, but it is one of the slickest and most comprehensive, and the fact that it’s free definitely doesn’t hurt.

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A Guide to Mac Diagnostic and Repair Utilities
Back in the very old days almost every Mac user owned a copy of Norton Utilities, a name synonymous with fixing any Mac problem. “Have you run Norton on it?” was the first step in any repair routine. Today, no single program dominates the market. There are several different maintenance applications to choose from, and the one you end up using will depend on both the specific problem you’re encountering and your level of comfort and experience with Mac troubleshooting.

Apple Utilities: Your First Step

Regardless of what problem you’re having, your first step should be to try one of Apple’s own utilities. Apple provides several free Mac utilities in the OS. Apple Hardware Test (AHT) is included with every new Mac. The AHT boot CD bypasses your operating system and tests basic hardware such as your hard drive, memory, processing, and video. The tests are very basic and a passing grade doesn’t always mean all is well. Apple sees AHT as a quick test to rule out obvious problems. If your Mac is just acting weird, AHT is a quick and easy place to start your troubleshooting journey.

Another Apple utility is Apple’s Disk Utility which can be found inside the Utilities folder (which is in your Mac’s Applications folder). The app is also on your OS X installation disc. Disk Utility’s is primarily for screening drives for serious problems like disk file structure errors (things are out of place), SMART failures (early warning signs of a problem), or permissions issues. For some repairs, you’ll need to boot from your installation disc. Apple’s provides extensive instructions on how to use Disk Utility on its support website.

General Disk Maintenance and Basic Repair

For basic hard drive checks and repair, the closest equivalent today to the power and simplicity of the original Norton Disk Doctor is Alsoft’s Disk Warrior ($99.95). Disk Warrior primarily does one thing and does it very well: it repairs disk directories.

All the cryptic and confusing errors Apple’s Disk Utility has problems with, Disk Warrior fixes with flying colors. Your disk’s directory is similar to a table of contents crossed with an index, and when it gets confused (usually due to program crashes or improper machine shutdowns), Disk Warrior rebuilds (instead of repairs) the directory, allowing the computer to operate normally.

Disk Warrior can’t repair the drive it’s installed on, so you’ll have to run it off of the installation DVD or another volume if you want to repair your boot drive.

Disk Warrior should be a part of any basic troubleshooting routine and I always run it before any system updates. It’s my most trusted and relied upon Mac Utility.

Data Recovery

At the first sign of disk failure, you need to consider whether or not you’ll be sending the drive off for forensic-style data recovery from a company like DriveSavers. If you think you’ll be using professionals, then stop all recovery efforts and call them right away. Although these services often cost thousands of dollars, sometimes it could be covered by insurance.

If you want to go the do-it-yourself route, my first choice is Stellar Phoenix 4.1 ($79). The program is extremely powerful and deals best with volumes that won’t mount on your Mac. It pushes right through read errors and recovers data that other programs can’t find. Some recovery applications may give up if they encounter excessive read errors, which are common on dying hard drives, but Stellar Phoenix will keep trying until it recovers whatever data it can. Unfortunately, the interface is confusing and unintuitive like. In spite of the bad UI, however, the program itself is very reliable.

Hard Drive Optimization

Drive Genius 3($99) by Prosoft Engineering, has a comprehensive suite of hard drive utilities attractively packaged with a easy-to-use interface that lets you tweak every possible byte of performance from your storage device.

Drive Genius includes not only those functions covered by Disk Utility such as secure erasure, initialization and partitioning, but also adds a slew of maintenance and optimization routines. For those using a smaller hard drive, their proprietary DriveSlim algorithms removes unnecessary files to add space.

Although not necessary for the average user, Drive Genius also includes a defragmentation option, along with advanced functions for sector editing, benchmarking, cloning and an early warning system for potential problems called “Drive Pulse.” Drive Genius is used by Apple’s own Genius staff for yearly checkups. I recommend Drive Genius for more experienced users and geeks who want to really explore their hard drive.

Hardware Problems

TechTool Pro 5 ($99) by Micromat goes way beyond the AHT, doing more extensive testing of your memory, hard drive, audio and video. Apple includes a limited version of TechTool called TechTool Deluxe with the purchase of AppleCare that provides a limited subset of the full version’s hardware tests.

A unique part of TechTool is the “eDrive” feature, which creates a bootable partition on your current hard drive in order to run its utilities in case of emergency. More technical users probably would be more comfortable using an external hard drive, but rest of us will find this eDrive very useful for basic maintenance and testing. eDrive and most of TechTool’s other hard drive tools aren’t included with TechTool Deluxe, representing the major difference between it and the full Pro product.

Which should you buy?

Overall, every Mac user would benefit from owning a copy of DiskWarrior for periodic maintenance. If you aren’t fastidious about backing up (or work with others who aren’t), Stellar Phoenix can really save your data and I suggest it as your primary recovery tool, but you might be able to wait until something actually goes wrong. For the more technically inclined, I’d recommend TechTool Pro over Drive Genius because it includes both optimization and hardware testing. If all you want to do is occasionally optimize your hard drive and save space, owning just Drive Genius is a great choice.

While one program doesn’t do it all like in the days of good ol’ Norton, this list of programs will provide you the key to solving some of your own computer problems.

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Report Raises Questions About Apple's Role in Worker Safety
Chinese Environmental groups this week released a report (PDF) criticizing Apple for poor health and safety standards and a lack of environmental responsibility at the factories of some of its suppliers throughout the country. But just how culpable really is the Mac maker?

Dubbed “The Other Side of Apple,” the report is the product of a consortium of 36 environmental groups including China’s Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPEA) and lists what it claims are environmental and worker-safety violations committed by component suppliers working for multinational corporations including Apple, Toshiba and HP. The report claims that Apple’s suppliers are the worst offenders, responsible for the poisoning of “dozens” of factory workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.

The timing of the report — published in the same week that Apple announced record-breaking quarterly earnings — seems intentional, given the following excerpt from the report;

While Apple’s been busy updating their sales records, its employees have been enduring poisonous chemicals, with their rights and dignity being seriously trespassed on and the surrounding areas and environment being polluted by dirty water and emissions.

The IPEA’s spokesman Ma Jun spoke with Reuters yesterday, expressing frustration with Apple’s lack of transparency and the company’s silence in the face of the report’s findings;

Apple only care about the price and quality of their products and not the environmental and social responsibility issues. In some ways they drive the suppliers to cut corners to win their contracts. Apple’s lack of responsiveness eventually made us quite shocked. It’s the whole complacency that it doesn’t have to be accountable to the NGOs, to the communities, even to the poisoned workers.

Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu responded with a brief statement, saying, “Apple is committed to ensuring the highest standards of social responsibility throughout our supply base. Our supplier responsibility reports document the progress of our extensive auditing programme since 2006.”

So on the one hand we have an assembly of NGO’s accusing Apple of a lack of corporate oversight and social responsibility, and on the other we have Apple — as tight-lipped as ever. As is usually the case, the real story lies somewhere in between.

Standards Strictly Enforced

The consortium’s report is in Chinese, so I can’t examine the data for myself. We can only take on face value the claim that ‘dozens’ of workers have been poisoned while manufacturing components destined for Apple products. But should Apple be held accountable for its supplier’s health, safety and environmental protection policies?

Apple does already have a strict Code of Conduct (PDF) to which its suppliers must adhere. Apple enforces the Code with regular audits, described in detail in their 2010 Supplier Responsibility Report (PDF). It’s pretty dry reading, but here’s a succint excerpt;

We drive compliance with the Code through a rigorous monitoring program, including factory audits, corrective action plans, and verification measures. Apple audits all final assembly manufacturers every year, regardless of their location and past audit performance.

OK fair enough — Apple keeps a close eye on ‘final assembly’ manufacturers. That seems reasonable, given that it’s at these factories where components are brought together at one end and finished Apple products come rolling off a conveyor belt at the other. Since the final product is a MacBook or an iPad, any right minded person would conclude that Apple should take responsibility for matters of environmental protection and worker safety at these places.

But does this mean Apple pays no attention to early stage component suppliers? Not at all. The following also comes from the 2010 Supplier Responsibility Report (it’s more execu-speak, but bear with me);

We select component and nonproduction suppliers for audits based on risk factors, such as the prevailing conditions in the country where a supplier facility is located and the supplier's past audit performance — enabling us to focus our efforts where we can have the greatest impact.

We continue to extend our compliance-monitoring program by auditing more and more suppliers across our supply base.

Apple takes its responsibilities seriously, and makes an effort to publicly report the findings of its audits. What’s more, Apple doesn’t claim to have a perfect record, but its reports show a sustained, annual increase in the breadth and depth of its supplier audits, and a steady improvement in audit results. Take a look for yourself and decide whether this is the behaviour of a company guilty of a serious lack of corporate oversight in China today.

Monsters?

It’s easy to criticise multinational corporations for a perceived lack of social and environmental responsibility; much-publicized controversies surrounding major brands like Nestlé and Nike have planted the seeds of mistrust in the minds of consumers. We often assume most multinationals are planet-killing, child-labor-employing soulless monsters, at least to some degree.

And sometimes that’s a fair assumption, but not always. Let’s exercise a measure of rational thinking before we start condemning Apple for neglecting its duty of care to the environment and workforce. In fact, in recent years, Apple’s efforts in these areas have set new standards in the consumer electronics industry, and it still does much more than is required by law and regulation.

And what of this report? Apple simply presents itself as a choice target and one that has the most power to effect change. By focusing on Apple and not just the companies it does business with, the report’s authors are able to draw the collective attention of the Western media — which is always hunting for anything Apple-flavoured.

And as is often the case, timing is everything for this story; China is undergoing a wave of reforms set to improve working conditions and worker’s rights; but political support for those reforms has traditionally been weak or ineffectual. The collective might of politically and economically influential multinationals like Apple and HP — pushed into action by bad PR — seems too good an opportunity to miss.

What do you make of this? Are these violations of worker safety a problem for Apple to solve? Or is this little more than canny political wrangling from a consortium of NGO’s? Corporate evil-doing, or sound public opinion manipulation? Sound-off in the comments below.

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Mac Maintenance: An OS X Reinstall Checklist
It was the stuff of nightmares: What I expected to be a routine repartition of my hard drive for Boot Camp became a 12-hour slog of a reinstall. My pain can be your gain, though. It’s a good idea to reinstall OS X every once and a while to keep your system running smoothly, so here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin. While most are pretty obvious, the list might prevent one or two head-smacking moments of regret.

Time Is Not On Your Side

Assuming your reinstall isn’t an emergency from a hard drive failure, make sure you have plenty of time to devote to this task. As I often joke with a friend, do not anger or tempt the Data Gods. When’s a great time to do the reinstall? On a day you have the house to yourself, and nothing else to do. When’s a horrid time to decide to do this? When you’re on deadline, late on a project, or rushed. Because when there’s little time for anything to go wrong, everything will go wrong. Depending on how much data you have, a backup, reinstall, and data restore can take you about eight hours to complete. Don’t try it if you only have four, or decide you can “deal with stuff later.” It’s never that simple.

Your Backup Is Not Good Enough

Time Machine is a fantastic feature. It’s perfect for those “oops, I deleted that file” moments, but when you’re reformatting your drive, do not place your faith in Time Machine alone. I’ve run into a few problems restoring from it (it once told me there was “one minute remaining” for around 12 hours). External hard drives are cheap. Buy a 1TB drive and manually backup your data. What data should you be sure to backup?

Your User Folder: Music, Downloads, Documents, Pictures, etc. Don’t forget to de-authorize your iTunes account (otherwise your prior install will count towards your maximum of five machines you can authorize). Make sure you’ve got your mobile apps backed up (they’re in the iTunes folder, so if you grab that folder, you should be ok). You don’t want to lose any apps you’ve downloaded that have since been removed from the App Store (like VLC, for instance).

Applications: You don’t need to grab the whole folder, but make sure you copy your favorite apps to save time, and in case you can’t find the original install media. Grabbing Application bundles and folders will also save you the time-consuming process of re-patching software after a reinstall.

Application Support and Preferences Folders: In your ~\Library folder are two important folders to backup: Application Support and Preferences. While you can troll through them and grab what you think you need, I recommend just backing up both directories in their entirety. In these folders are any preferences or extra files an App needs. For instance, your custom templates for Pages are in \Application Support\iWork\Pages. OmniGraffle’s Stencils are also in its own Application Support folder. Preferences you may not need to grab anything from, but it’s good to make sure you’ve got a copy if an app writes data to it.

Fonts: If you use a lot of custom fonts, like I do, you might also take for granted they’re always there and overlook them. Make sure you back up that folder, too.

Preflight Checklist

Ok, now you’re sure you’ve got all your data backed up, so what else do you need before nuking your OS and starting from scratch?

Install Media and Serial Numbers: I keep all my serial numbers in the cloud on Google Docs and Evernote. Make sure you have the install media (be they discs or .dmg files) for apps like Microsoft Office, and that you have all your serial numbers in a safe place in the cloud or in hard copy.

Your Wireless Password: Remembering this can be like trying to find your birth certificate when you really need it. You’re sure it’s here, someplace, right? Make sure you can remember it, or reset it now (and write it down) while you’re still on the network.

Your Assorted Online Accounts: My bank account username is always a gotcha for me. Go through sites you access a lot and make sure you’ve got the usernames and passwords handy, since your browser cookies won’t be around to help your deficient memory post-reinstall.

Your Backups: Sure, I’ve gone into it at great length, but now’s the time to triple check you’ve backed everything up.

Good luck! Hopefully, this advice will save you a little frustration whenever you happen to reinstall OS X. Anything I’m missing? Let us know in the comments.

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Tips for Mac Cord Cutters Using Notebooks
Not long ago, I wrote about cutting the cord using Apple devices. In the section on using a Mac, I focused on general advice applicable to all machines, but those who’ve tried to make their Apple notebook the center of their entertainment setup know that MacBooks bring unique challenges. Here are a few tips to help overcome those hurdles.

1. Install InsomniaX

Insomnia X is a freeware app that lets you prevent your Mac notebook from going to sleep when you close the lid. Apple lets you do this without installing any special software with a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, but that method doesn’t work if you’re using your iOS device to control your Mac, or a universal remote. InsomniaX will let you use your MacBook in clamshell mode with your existing remote, making it feel much more like a true home theatre PC (HTPC).

Keeping the lid closed will not only save energy and prolong the life of your notebook display, but could even improve your Mac’s performance, since it only has to power one screen instead of two.

2. Use a Stand

Stands like the Twelve South BookArc can hold your MacBook securely in an upright position next to or behind the TV, keeping it cool and out of the way. If you’re using your notebook as a dedicated HTPC, you might want to get a little more ambitious and come up with a DIY solution for affixing your MacBook to the VESA mount on the back of your TV, keeping it completely out of view.

3. Simplify Your Life With Combo Cables

If you want to keep cable clutter to a minimum, you can get combo cables that provide both audio and visual through Mini DisplayPort and USB to a single female HDMI connector. If you’re lucky enough to have a more recent MacBook Pro (purchased since the April 2010 update), the Mini DisplayPort should output audio as well as video to HDMI adapters.

Any other tips for notebook-toting cord cutters? Share them in the comments, and check out the video below for setting up Boxee with a Mac notebook.

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The Case for and Against a Buttonless iPhone and iPad
The iOS 4.3 beta, despite being covered by Apple’s NDA, is leaking signs of new hardware and software features like a sieve. The latest find is support for multi-touch gestures on the iPhone. Apple is beta-testing these gestures publicly for the iPad in 4.3, but new evidence suggests private testing is going on for the iPhone, too. Might the presence of these features suggest a buttonless future for iOS devices?

According to Engadget, iPhone user Antoni Nygaard managed to activate the hidden multi-touch gesture features on his device using the iOS 4.3 pre-release software (as well as options to change the function of the iPhone’s mute button to a rotation lock, another iPad import). BGR also has screenshots of the gestures in action and the relevant Settings screen from a separate source. Nygaard’s demonstration of the feature in action can be seen in the video below.

Apple dampened anticipation surrounding the new gestures for iPad when it noted, alongside the release of the second beta of iOS 4.3, that these would not be included in the pubic release of the update, and were intended for testing purposes only. The gestures are even less likely to make it into a public 4.3 release on the iPhone, since they aren’t an acknowledged feature of the beta.

So why is the feature there? There are those who argue that it’s because Apple is going to get rid of the home button (that adorable one with the white rounded rectangle) in future hardware iterations of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s true that the gestures replace navigation duties normally handled by the home button, making it possible to fully use the devices without ever touching such a button. But just because it can be done, does that mean it should?

The Case For

Gestures. The presence of the gestures themselves are probably the most convincing evidence in favor of a home buttonless future for iOS devices. Why else would Apple be testing not only app switching through swipes, but also the ability to bring up the multitasking tray and to return to the home screen, both of which taken together currently make up the bulk of the home button’s duties? Feature redundancy for its own sake isn’t one of Apple’s prevailing design principles. Ever look for the physical volume knob on a Mac?

Apple Hates Buttons. The latest iPod shuffle is a rare exception, but speaking generally, Apple has a tendency to do away with physical buttons if it can get away with it. The new nano is a prime example of the culmination of Apple’s design aesthetic: a touchscreen device with a thin bezel and no buttons on its face. Its simple swipe-back navigation works fine for the nano, but is obviously too limiting for an iPhone or iPod touch. Hence the introduction of more complex multi-touch gestures on devices that allow for them, like those mentioned above.

Smaller Devices With Bigger Screens. As Kevin pointed out, Apple may start thinking about equipping the iPhone with a larger display, and soon. Four-inch and larger screens have become de rigueur on many Android devices, and while the Retina Display still gives Apple a major advantage, a bigger Retina Display would provide a bigger advantage for video and gaming enjoyment. If Apple removes the home button, it can increase screen size without adding much or any bulk to the iPhone itself.

The Case Against

Usability. As you can see from the video above, things get pretty cramped when you’re trying to use four-finger gestures on the iPhone, assuming Apple doesn’t increase the overall size of the iPhone. Even putting that aside, gestures on both the iPad and the iPhone are far from intuitive (as Jon Gruber notes), unlike a big, obvious hardware button sitting all by its lonesome on the face of the device. It’s hard to imagine Apple implementing a control scheme that requires an introductory walk-through as the default mode of getting around its mobile OS, which is the benchmark of simplicity in most other regards.

Accessibility. The home button has a very key function that probably isn’t used by most, but is important nonetheless. It can be configured to enable various accessibility options, including toggling VoiceOver, white on black, zoom modes, and having your device prompt you for a command. These are things that can’t or shouldn’t be rerouted to gestures, and that might prove confusing and awkward (read: less accessible) if attached to volume or sleep buttons.

Keeping Button Roles Clearly Defined. Apple would also have to reassign things like taking screenshots (currently done by pressing the home and sleep buttons simultaneously) and performing a hard reset (holding the home and sleep buttons simultaneously). Redirecting these functions to some combination of volume and sleep buttons would be a confusing change.

The iPod Shuffle. As mentioned, Apple went back on its buttonless iPod shuffle design after users and reviewers complained. The shuffle is a safe playground for testing new features like a buttonless interface, since consumers aren’t investing much in it and in Apple’s larger revenue picture, it represents only a very small part. It’s hard to imagine Apple taking the same chance with either the iPhone or iPad, which are revenue stars for the company and much more likely to leave a lasting bad taste in the mouth of consumers.

Home Is Where the UX Is

While Apple testing gesture controls at this juncture might indicate that the company is considering taking away the home button in future iOS devices, I think rumors of a buttonless iPhone 5 or iPad 2 are extremely premature. There’s too much at stake, and not enough potential return to justify a change like that. The home button is, in fact, at the core of why iOS devices are so easy to just pick up and use. Apple’s not going to go messing with its biggest competitive advantage and make adoption harder.

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