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How OS X Lion Leads to the Next Computing Revolution
The much-anticipated MacBook Pro refresh came today, to a somewhat mixed reception, but I suspect the real story today is the product being overshadowed by that shiny new unibody hardware. Mac OS X Lion, version 10.7 of Apple’s venerable operating system, has been released to developers.

Like the MacBooks, Lion is, in many ways, an evolutionary step for the operating system. Cast your eyes down the list of new features on Apple’s dedicated Lion web pages and it’s easy — at first blush — to be dismissive. Sure, fullscreen apps might be nice (particularly on the smaller screen of the MacBook Air) and features like Versions and Auto Save are a nice addition, but let’s be honest; they’re not going to set the tech world on fire.

But then I had a new thought: Apple is always telling us, year after year, that more than half of all new Macs are sold to first-time Mac buyers. And for more and more of those consumers, the thing that brought them to the platform is iOS. Whether it’s the iPhone or an iPad flavor, iOS is something of a gateway drug to the world of Apple technology.

With so many iOS-fluent users buying Macs for the first time, it makes perfect sense that Apple wants Mac OS X to feel equally familiar and comfortable to first-time buyers. After all, you don’t get a second chance at a first impression.

Simple Things

Making the Mac feel like an extension of the iOS experience doesn’t necessarily require obvious and dramatic changes; simple things can make all the difference. Look at the way Apple is bringing gestures and animations to the Mac. We’ve seen all of this before, right there in iOS. Some Mac stalwarts might declare the animations ‘eye candy’ — while iOS users will consider them an absolutely essential part of the experience.

The same is true of Lion’s Auto Save feature; a system-wide automatic document save feature that absolves the user from ever having to remember to save anything (pending developer cooperation).

Isn’t this precisely the same experience users have in iOS? Even after 30 years, the traditional file system is still a challenge for many people to understand. One of the great successes of iOS is that it does away with the File System. And while Auto Save isn’t the same as an invisible File System, combined with the iOS-inspired app model we know is headed to at least Apple’s own software with Lion, it’s definitely a step in that direction.

iOS-style multitasking is also coming to the Mac with Lion. Consider the following juicy morsel from AppleInsider’s Neil Hughes, describing the new Resume feature in 10.7:

After a restart, Lion automatically relaunches applications that were open when the user chose Log Out or Shut Down. The system also automatically restores the state of applications [...] after a restart, including the size and location of a window, selections and contents.

Mac OS X may terminate an application behind the scenes when it goes unused or has no open windows. The application usually relaunches instantly when the user accesses it again.

Users can still choose to manually quit an application, but Apple has reportedly told developers that quitting is no longer necessary.

In fact, it seems that open apps no longer even display a glowing dot underneath them in the dock, a clear indication that Apple isn’t thinking about desktop apps in the way we traditionally have.

Now think about how your iPad or iPhone behaves; the best apps not only remember what you were doing the last time you used them, but are right there, in memory, waiting to be used even after a full system restart.

Trucks

Back in June 2010, at the D8 Conference, Steve Jobs said;

"When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks, because that's what you needed on the farm… PCs are going to be like trucks. They're still going to be around, they're still going to have a lot of value, but they're going to be used by one out of X people."

I look now at the flexibility of iOS, and how it’s shaping user expectations of how consumer electronics should work. I also look at how dramatically iOS is shaping the next iteration of the Mac operating system and I can’t help but think that, rather than drawing a clear line in the sand between desktop “trucks” and iOS “cars,” Apple is trying to make the line between the two far less distinct.

The trucks will get more streamlined, nimble and sporty (the Mac App Store and MacBook Air were the first steps in that direction — Lion takes us ever closer) while “simpler” iOS devices will inevitably grow and evolve until, beneath their slimline shells, they possess engines at least as powerful as any truck available today.

I know I’m taxing that analogy, but you get my point. Apple isn’t committed to ease-of-use at the expense of raw power; nor are they committed to ramping up power at the expense of awesome — and refreshingly simple — user experiences.

Do you want to know where Apple is taking us in the next five years? Then take a good hard look at Lion — the clues are there for all to see. Mac OS X 10.7 might appear to be evolutionary, but, like the new hardware it unveiled today, it’s setting the stage for the real revolution to come.

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What Thunderbolt Means for End Users
Apple and Intel took the wrappers off of Thunderbolt on Thursday, a new wired connection technology that combines data transfer and video output capabilities. Thunderbolt appears standard in Apple’s new MacBook Pro models, replacing the Mini DisplayPort on the notebooks both in terms of its physical location and as part of its functional role. But what can new MacBook Pro owners actually expect to do with this impressive new technology?

Intel held a press conference today to announce the new technology and to share details about how the product works and might be applied. The company didn’t reveal much more than Stacey already discussed in her post earlier today during its presentation, but in the Q&A afterwards, we got a better sense of what exactly users might expect to get out of the tech.

First of all, let me say that Intel acknowledged that early pricing for Thunderbolt technology will be in line with “other high-performance technologies,” meaning that it probably will be way more expensive than your standard USB gear. That, combined with the sparsity of other devices that use Thunderbolt will mean that for the foreseeable future, Thunderbolt usage among general computer users will be light.

The class of Mac owner that stands to gain the most from Thunderbolt in the short term is the media professional. Thunderbolt, like FireWire before it, allows users to transfer lots of media very fast between devices, with very low latency and extremely high data preservation. That means that what you put in on one end will come out exactly the same on the other, which is exactly what professional photo, video and graphic design professional need to best do their jobs.

Thunderbolt-equipped digital cameras are a good logical next step that Intel says are already in development, and the tech makes it remarkably easy to transfer large media files between workstations, servers and other devices. Because Thunderbolt can also use optical cables, which can be built much longer than copper-based ones, a hardwire networked studio or office is a definite possibility for the tech.

Professionals will also appreciate the fact that Thunderbolt supports daisy-chaining and display connections. That means you can plug a hard drive into the Thunderbolt port, and then plug a monitor into that drive if it also has a Thunderbolt port, with no loss of bandwidth. Thunderbolt also uses both channels interchangeably for whatever demands are put upon it, prioritizing as needs be. That means that it’ll give priority to display output in order to maintain a seamless image, while throttling data traffic on the same connection if need be. Intel showed off a MacBook Pro rendering in Final Cut Pro while also daisy-chained to a Promise drive array, a LaCie drive and a Cinema Display.

The fact that displays can be daisy-chained with storage should allay user fears that they’ll have to unplug storage devices just to use a second screen. Even if your external storage isn’t Thunderbolt-equipped, I don’t think it’ll be too long before we see hubs that allow USB connections and provide an additional Thunderbolt port for further daisy-chaining.

Intel made clear throughout its conference call that Thunderbolt wasn’t designed as a competitor to USB 3.o, but as a complimentary technology. While the company admitted that we’ll probably see amazing, unthought-of uses for the product, it seemed the company was also acknowledging Thunderbolt would have limited, niche appeal. The impact of Thunderbolt for general Mac users won’t be felt for a long time, until prices go down and other companies adopt the tech into its products. And even then, users are right to worry that like FireWire, Apple may eventually downscale or abandon its support of the platform if it fails to catch on.

Unless, that is, Apple decides to speed things up by including Thunderbolt in upcoming versions of its portable devices. Apple has remained fairly committed to its 30-pin Dock Connector to date, but Intel noted multiple times during the conference call that Thunderbolt is perfect for small devices owing to its relatively minor space requirement, and said as much in its press release. Looking at the size of the Mini DisplayPort on the side of a MacBook Pro, it’s possible that Apple could put a similarly sized port on the iPad or iPhone, though it might have to increase the width of the iPad’s edge slightly to accommodate it. Alternatively, the company could introduce a “mini” version of the standard.

A Thunderbolt connector makes a lot of sense for Apple’s iOS devices, since it would mean syncing even large libraries could happen in a few seconds instead of over many minutes. Thunderbolt also supports video and audio out, making it the ideal all-purpose A/V connector. A Thunderbolt connection would even provide Apple with an excuse for further delaying the introduction of wireless sync capabilities for iOS devices. It does require a small Intel controller chip to manage traffic, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude its use in Apple mobile products.

Apple also apparently has pretty much exclusive access to the technology for the next year, according to Intel, which could let it create even closer links between its Mac- and iOS-based device ecosystems.

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More Evidence That MobileMe Could Soon Be Free
Amidst the launch of new MacBook Pros, the developer preview release of OS X Lion, and the introduction of F aceTime to the Mac App Store, it’s easy to overlook what’s missing at Apple’s website today. That would be MobileMe, or at least the option to purchase Apple’s suite of online services. Apple has not only notified resellers that the company is discontinuing sales of the retail box, but it has also stopped offering MobileMe for sale digitally at the Apple Store online. Current users can still renew their services, and sign up for a free trial (with an option to pay for an upgrade) outside of the store, but indications suggest that MobileMe will soon be free.

Two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reported Apple was preparing a major redesign of MobileMe set to launch in the summer alongside a new iPhone. According to “people familiar with the matter,” Apple was “considering” making the service free, offering a “locker” for files, photos, music, and videos. Social features would also be a big part of the new MobileMe.

Cult of Mac followed up on that report with a list of new features coming to Apple’s cloud services suite, including personal video streaming and location services similar to Foursquare and Facebook Places, as well as the ability to find other MobileMe users nearby. All this information would appear on a brand new homepage, and be constantly updated from iOS devices. According to Cult of Mac’s source, “the concept is that you would have you own website that's dynamic, all based on what you are doing at that moment. Apple thinks of it as having a webserver in your pocket… everything will be dynamically updated to MobileMe."

If those rumors sound overly ambitious for MobileMe, the service is set to benefit from significant additional resources very soon. At the Apple shareholder’s meeting on Wednesday, COO Tim Cook announced that the billion-dollar data center in Maiden, NC would be opening in the immediate future, and it would be supporting both iTunes and MobileMe services. The opening of that data center may be advancing the timetable for the new MobileMe. Conveniently, Apple is widely expected to introduce a new iPad at an event next Wednesday. A high-profile event like that would also provide an excellent opportunity to reintroduce MobileMe to the public.

That means that current MobileMe users should think seriously about not renewing their memberships at this time. Keep in mind a MobileMe subscription can be reactivated up to 45 days after expiration. If, like me, you’ve recently renewed, don’t expect a refund. However, it’s almost a sure thing that Apple will offer a value-added rank of additional paid services that current MobileMe subscribers will be automatically switched to if it does end up making the basic service free. Let’s hope that whatever the new MobileMe “Premium” offers, it costs less than the current $99, as the days of picking up cheap activation codes on eBay have probably ended with the discontinuation of the physical box sales.

Nonetheless, as a long-time MobileMe user I’m excited about the prospect of a rejuvenated service with new features—domain hosting would be awesome—for me and a free version that will help grow the MobileMe platform and user base. What features are you hoping for in the new MobileMe, and would you switch from using comparable services from Google and others if it does become free?

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Why I'll Pass On This MacBook Pro Update
Today saw the release of refreshed MacBook Pro notebooks, and the new models aren’t without charm. Despite some decidedly impressive spec bumps, and the brand new Thunderbolt combo display/data port, this generation ends up leaving me cold, although it does plenty to whet my appetite for what’s coming next.

Few Brand New Bits With Limited Use

The MacBook Pro actually introduces very little that we haven’t seen before. The big two new additions are the new Core i5 and i7 processors that use Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors, and Thunderbolt, the DisplayPort-integrated fast data transfer connection tech that can manage dual channel transfers of up to 10Gbps per channel.

Apple says the new version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is “up to twice as fast” as the previous generation, and Thunderbolt is definitely a technology with plenty of promise. But speed bumps are going to come with every major update, and Thunderbolt, while it has promise, doesn’t connect to anything as of yet (besides maybe other Macs and DisplayPort monitors).

No Change Where I Need It Most

I use a mid-2009 13-inch MacBook Pro as my mobile workstation, and from the updates I’ve seen today, there’s nothing that Apple included that would affect the areas where improvement would have the most pay-off.

Occasionally, I admit I could use a little more processing muscle when it comes to having tons of applications open, including Photoshop, but generally speaking, I’m happy with the notebook’s speed and performance. What I’m not happy with about my machine are exactly the things that this update fails to address. Specifically, I’m talking about battery life, display options and improvements, and physical footprint.

The new Pros all offer seven hours of battery life. That probably adds up to a bit more real-world usage than previous models, despite shorter life claims, thanks to Apple’s more honest testing methods. But it doesn’t provide a significant boost to the life of previous built-in battery Mac notebooks, which is something that would definitely have me rushing out to the nearest Apple Store, since the ability to work untethered is still the prime motivating factor behind owning a laptop in my opinion.

Because notebooks are portable, you make tradeoffs with regards to the display. Screen real estate is limited, and things can get pretty cramped pretty quickly if you’re using a lot of apps at once. But Apple appeared to be making considerable strides in this area, since the MacBook Air it unveiled late last year offered a generous 1440×900 resolution display on the 13-inch model. Yet the new 13-inch MacBook Pro keeps the same 1280×800 resolution as previous generations, and doesn’t even come with a matte screen option, unlike its bigger siblings. Better resolution screens are destined for the platform, but they aren’t here yet.

The design of the Pro’s enclosure also remains the same. It’s a fine design, and one that I quite like, but it’s getting fairly long in the tooth and I think Apple could make major improvements by borrowing from the MacBook Air. We’ll likely see weight loss and a slightly slimmer machine with the next major revision of the platform, which at this point seems bound to be just over the horizon.

Transition Phase

In my opinion, these MacBook Pros represented a stopover on the way to something truly great. The next generation will likely boast all the improvements (speed bumps, Thunderbolt, etc) we’ve seen today, but be optimized for and ship with OS X Lion (and may include bigger trackpads to support its new multitouch features), and introduce more advancements in battery and screen technology. Plus, we’ll likely see an improved MacBook Air that inherits plenty from this generation of MacBook Pro, which might be a better option for lighter users. Finally, by the time the next update rolls around, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from the Thunderbolt-capable device ecosystem, and Apple will have worked out any kinks that may appear with that brand new tech.

The MacBook Pro is a great buy with awesome specs at a good price, but if you don’t have an urgent need and you’ve only recently upgraded, take my advice and hold out for better things yet to come.

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Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Developer Preview [Updated]

Update: Check out an official video of new OS X Lion features in action at the bottom of this post.

Mac OS X Lion, the next version of Apple’s Mac operating system, got a developer preview release today alongside the introduction of new MacBook Pros. The OS update was announced in October 2010 at Apple’s “Back to the Mac” event. Expectations of an release grew recently as sites reported seeing increased traffic from users with 10.7 on their machines, meaning Apple had ramped up internal testing.

Lion (version 10.7 of OS X) brings a number of features from the iPad to the Mac, among others. Apple breaks down some of the new features in its press release announcing the new developer preview:

Lion features Mission Control, an innovative new view of everything running on your Mac; Launchpad, a new home for all your Mac apps; full screen apps that use the entire Mac display; and new Multi-Touch™ gestures. Lion also includes the Mac App Store℠, the best place to discover, install and automatically update Mac apps.

Mission Control is like Exposé and Spaces on steroids, giving you tons of control over windows and workspace management. Launchpad basically brings iOS home screens to your Mac, allowing you to quickly organize apps. In addition to full-screen and multi-touch gestures, Lion also introduces support for Auto Save and Resume in Mac apps, which should essentially mirror the way apps can quit and jump back to exactly where they left off using iOS’ multitasking features. And Versions should also be great for productivity, as it allows you to compare your current document to past iterations side-by-side.

Another great new change detailed in Apple’s press release is a brand new version of Mail, which brings “an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010.” I never stray far from using Mail in OS X, but these changes sound like they’ll be huge improvements to a product that is admittedly showing its age.

The main new features in OS X Lion were all shown off when Apple first unveiled the new operating system, and you can see our more detailed look at each individual aspect of the new OS in Alex’s article about the 10.7 launch announcement. As users dig into the new developer preview, I’m sure we’ll see many more details emerge regarding Apple’s latest major OS update.

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Apple Introduces New MacBook Pros
As rumored, Apple today unveiled updates to its MacBook Pro line of computers. Early leaks revealed the specs of all the new models at least a day ahead of launch, and those leaks proved quite accurate. Here are the details of Apple’s new lineup of Pro notebooks.

Perhaps the highlight of the new MacBook Pro line (especially for professional users) is the introduction of the new Thunderbolt I/O standard. In the press release announcing the new machines, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller had this to say about the new tech:

Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.

Unlike what some early rumors predicted, the new MacBook Pros sport the same basic design as their predecessors, meaning aluminum and glass enclosures with a black bezel around the screen. All the new MacBooks also sport an Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated GPU, although the 15- and 17-inch models also offer discrete graphics, too. And all the revised Pro models also boast a new FaceTime HD Camera, which replaces the built-in iSight camera and offers full 720p quality video for FaceTime calls between the new Macs. SSD upgrades are also available for all options, in sizes ranging from 128 GB to 512 GB. Here are the specs for each individual model:

13-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($1199)
- 2.3GHz Dual-Core i5 Intel Processor
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
- 320GB 5400 RPM HD
- Glossy 1280×800 resolution display
- SuperDrive 8x
- Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
- SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo Jack
Configuration #2 ($1499)
- 2.7GHz Dual-Core i7 Intel Processor
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
- 500GB 5400 RPM HD
- Glossy 1280×800 resolution display
- SuperDrive 8x
- Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
- SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo Jack
15-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($1799)
- 2.0GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB of GDDR5 RAM
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
- 500GB 5400 RPM HD
- Glossy or antiglare 1440×900 resolution display
- SuperDrive 8x
- Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
- SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out
Configuration #2 ($2199)
- 2.2GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB of GDDR5 RAM
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
- 750GB 5400 RPM HD
- Glossy or antiglare 1440×900 resolution display
- SuperDrive 8x
- Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
- SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out
17-inch MacBook Pro

Configuration #1 ($2499)
- 2.2GHz Quad-Core i7 Intel Processor
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB of GDDR5 RAM
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
- 750GB 5400 RPM HD
- Glossy or antiglare 1900×1200 resolution display
- SuperDrive 8x
- Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort
- SDXC Card slot, 1x FireWire 800, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet and Digital Audio/Mini Stereo in/out
All the above configurations can be customized with up to 8 GB of RAM, and all include a built-in battery rated for 7-hours of wireless web use according to Apple’s battery testing standards, which it revised to be more representative of real-world use when it introduced the MacBook Air.

So, who’s buying one of these?

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FaceTime for Mac Comes to the App Store
Ahead of the MacBook Pro refresh likely on its way today, Apple has released FaceTime for Mac for sale in the App Store. The app had been in public beta since October 2010, but the new app drops the beta status and provides support for HD video calling for computers that have a built-in FaceTime HD camera.

That camera doesn’t yet exist, but it will definitely be among the updates to Apple MacBook Pro line unveiled later today. FaceTime for Mac supports 720p video calling on Macs that have the new camera, or VGA-quality calling on Mac-to-Mac calls using the previous built-in iSight camera. FaceTime for Mac also supports calls between Macs and the iPhone 4 or latest generation iPod touch.

Unlike the beta, FaceTime for Mac isn’t at the App Store. The release version will cost you $0.99, unless you’re purchasing a new MacBook Pro, in which case we’re hearing you’ll get the app for free. No word yet on whether other new shipping Macs will also include the app for free.

As of this writing, the FaceTime beta is still available for free from Apple’s website. I definitely recommend trying to grab this download while it’s live for existing Mac owners, since I can’t see any significant differences between it and the shipping version at this time, beyond possibly support for the new HD cameras. FaceTime is definitely impressive, but I’m not sure I’d pay $0.99 for it when I’ve still got iChat for general Mac-to-Mac video calling purposes. Check out the video below for a sample of FaceTime for Mac in action.

What do you think? Raw deal or fair asking price?

Watch this video for free on GigaOM

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