• apple,  ios,  itunes,  mac os x,  mobileme

    30-second Initial Reaction to Apple’s WWDC Announcements

    June 6, 2011 /

    I was stuck in a staff meeting during the live steam of Apple’s WWDC keynote today, so I’ve gone through great lengths to avoid media coverage and my Apple loving family, friends, and co-workers so I can go in cold when I watch the video steam of today’s event.

    After spending about 30 seconds on Apple’s website, here is my initial reaction to today’s news.

    • iOS 5.0 and iCloud will go live this fall.
    • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will go on sale in July for $30; appears to be electronic download only.
    • There is no iTunes or other Mac OS X software updates available today.
    • From the Apple.com website, it wasn’t clear if there was any changes to MobileMe starting today.
    Like I said, this is a 30 second impression from quickly skimming the Apple website and taking a look at what updates appeared in the Mac OS X Software Update control panel and what is being featured in the Mac App Store.

    You can watch today’s keynote address now as a steaming video from the Apple website.

    I’ll have more impressions and comments as soon as I can sit down and watch today’s WWDC keynote address.
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  • apple,  mac os x

    Briefly Noted: Apple Releases Defense for MacDefender Malware

    May 31, 2011 /

    Apple has released Security Update 2011-003 today with the express purpose of protecting Macs from the MacDefender malware.  If the update is installed on a Mac that is already infected, the update will remove the malware program.

    Malware removal
    Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7
    Impact: Remove the MacDefender malware if detected
    Description: The installation process for this update will search for and remove known variants of the MacDefender malware. If a known variant was detected and removed, the user will be notified via an alert after the update is installed. Additional information is available in this Knowledge Base article:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

    Security Update 2011-003 is available now from the Software Update control panel or from the Apple Support Downloads page.

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  • apple,  ios,  mac os x,  mobileme

    Steve Jobs to Deliver WWDC 2011 Keynote Address

    May 31, 2011 /

    Apple today confirmed that CEO Steve Jobs will be on hand, along with other top executives, for the 2011 World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC).

    Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

    I’m really looking forward to what Apple has in store for us with regard to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and iCloud.  Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is close to a golden master (GM) release with several pre-release beta builds having already gone out to developers already.  Many are speculating that Lion will go on sale in the next few weeks.  Rumors have also been circulating for a while now that the iCloud service, a potential repackaging of MobileMe, will offer more free services as well as a new option to stream your purchases from Apple’s servers.

    iOS 5.0, the next major release of Apple’s mobile operating system, which is based on the same core as Mac OS X, will likely become available in the next 90 days after it is formally introduced at next week’s developer event.

    [Via Apple.com…]

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  • app store,  games,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  mac os x,  popcap,  touch

    Plants vs. Zombies HD on Sale

    May 29, 2011 /

    PopCap’s popular game Plants vs. Zombies HD for iPad and iPad 2 is on sale right now for $1.99 (iTunes link).  PvZ, as it is often referred to, is normally $6.99.

    If you haven’t played before, the premise is that you control a variety of plants and mushrooms to stop the zombie horde that is invading your yard from the cemetery across the street.  Oh, and your neighbor, Crazy Dave shows up every now and again to sell you more seeds and other important upgrades.  The best part of the game, for me anyway, are all of the wonderful plants and things in your zombie busting arsenal.  It’s hard to look cute and slightly irritated all at the same time.

    Sounds weird, I know.  Until you play it.  My kids and I started off playing the web version, and I decided that we like the game enough to buy the Mac OS X version.  For a while there, I was super addicted to the game because I wanted to make it all the way to the end of the game and not get stuck on a tough level.

    PopCap also has a version of PvZ for the iPhone/iPod touch for $2.99 (iTunes link).  You can also purchase the Mac OS X version from the Mac App Store for $9.99 (App Store link) or, if you’re on a Windows PC, you can purchase the game directly from the PopCap website.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98v7Jq6IFrE]

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  • apple,  ios,  itunes,  mac os x,  mobileme,  rumors

    The Daily: Apple Shines On

    April 18, 2011 /

    In yesterday’s issue of The Daily, writer Dan Gallagher, profiled Apple, Inc in terms of their up-coming earnings report for last quarter.  To open the article, titled “Apple shines on,” Mr. Gallagher writes:

    “While investors widely expect Apple to report its usual barn-burner results this week, some creeping questions have weighed down the computer company’s high-flying stock recently.”

    The article continues on about the natural disasters in Japan and how they are preventing Apple from otherwise cranking out enough iPad 2 tablets to meet the demand for the popular item both here in the United States and abroad.

    That’s all fine and good, but I take issue Mr. Gallagher’s third sentence which reads:

    “In addition, a growing number of indicators have pointed to a potential delay of the company’s next iPhone to later in the year, instead of it’s customary launch period of midsummer.”

    Again, I don’t have a problem with Mr. Gallagher reporting what was widely discussed over the last two weeks when Apple announced that their annual developer get together, the World Wide Developer’s Conference, would be held on June 6.  On the March 28 notice that was sent out by Apple, which simply said, “Join us for a preview of iOS and Mac OS X.”  In short, that was Apple’s way of letting the legion of fans, geeks, investors, and yes, even journalists, that iPhone 5 would not be making a debut at this year’s event.

    If Apple, a company known for it’s legendary product secrecy, hasn’t yet announced the iPhone 5, which we all know is coming because “5” comes after “4,” how can it be considered delayed or even late?  The white iPhone 4?  That was delayed and is late.  The iPhone 5?  I have to disagree.

    Hit the read more link to keep reading…

    If the rumors are true, will Apple be breaking from previous product launch cycles this year?  Sure they are.  There are some things that need to be considered, in addition to the problems in Japan.

    First of all, the black iPhone 4 just became available on Verizon not even three months ago.  Do you really think that Apple and Verizon would ship iPhone 5 in less that six months of the iPhone 4 going live?  I don’t think so.

    Secondly, we still have the white iPhone 4 to deal with.  Yes, some people really have put off buying an iPhone 4 just so they can have a white iPhone 4.  With the white iPhone 4 coming something during the next few weeks, do you really think that Apple would ramp up a massive stock pile of a phone that they were about to replace?  I don’t think so.

    Thirdly, there has been a lot of talk on the Internet over the past few weeks about Apple’s plans for the next iPhone.  Some of them talk about more memory, larger screens, and faster processors.  These are all very likely true and will be in the next release of the iPhone.  There is also talk about incorporating the new Long Term Evolution, or LTE, cellular radio in the next iPhone – making it a “4G” phone.  (Marketing hype aside, “4G” networks are faster then today’s 3G networks, but probably not fast as carriers want to you think.)  Apple is also rumored to be working on a new way to use your iPhone as a short range wireless payment device using a technology called Near Field Communication, or NFC.  If true, once you have activated the feature, you could wave your iPhone over a receiver an make a payment similar to they way you can with some credit and debit cards today.

    However, there is one other think to consider which could be the cause of the “delay;” and that is: software.

    Despite the pile of cash that Apple is sitting on, the company keeps it’s competitive edge by remaining relatively small.  That means that Apple shifts employees around certain development efforts as they need to, and there are two, if not three, major software rewrites in the works.

    The first is the next release of the software that runs all of the Macintosh desktop, tower, and notebooks, known as Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.  Apple is working with software developers on pre-release versions of the software to help them iron out the bugs and to allow developers time to update their applications to work with the new Apple software.  Next up, Apple is also working on the fifth version of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software known as iOS.  iOS 5 will be a major overhaul of the mobile device software, which, by the way, at it’s core, uses the exact same software as Mac OS X, to ensure that Apple’s handheld software remains feature rich and competitive with phones and tablets running the Google Android OS.  If that wasn’t enough, I’m sure Apple is also hard at work on a major revamp of their MobileMe software, which will use the new data center Apple has built in North Carolina and support new features in Mac OS X, iOS, and iTunes.

    So with all of that, it’s more important for Apple to focus on the strategic scheduling of each of these major projects and being successful with their roll outs.  It’s not about holding to an annual schedule that we can all expect to happen each and every year.  Apple is about their software and hardware coming together to create a unique customer experience that no other tech company can match.  It’s about delighting the customer.

    So, no, the iPhone 5 is not delayed.  The announcement and release of the iPhone 5 this year has been scheduled behind other critical Apple engineering efforts.

    Ok?  Everyone take a deep breath and exhale.  It’s going to be fine.

    You can read Mr. Gallagher’s full article on The Daily website.

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  • apple,  ios,  iphone,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple WWDC To Be Held June 6 – 10

    March 29, 2011 /

     Today Apple announced that their annual developer’s conference, World Wide Developer Conference, will be held June 6 – 10 in San Francisco this year.

    Tickets to the iOS and Mac OS X developer conference sold out in less than 12 hours.

    For fans, however, today’s announcement might disappoint.  Apple is clearly sending us a signal to set our expectations as we head into the summer event: this year’s WWDC will not feature any new hardware announcements.  The tag line for this year’s event is, “Join us for a preview of iOS and Mac OS X.”

    No new Macs.  No new iPhones.  Nada.

    This year’s event will feature Mac OS X and iOS.  Some rumors circulating around the Internet say that Apple may expand on their future plans for iOS 5 and the revamp for MobileMe which could include new streaming options for iTunes and a digital document “locker” for Mac OS X and your iTunes purchases.

    Those of us who were expecting to buy a new iPhone 5 this June or July, should reset their expectations for new iPhone hardware between late September and the end of the year.

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  • apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple Posts Mac OS X 10.6.7 Update

    March 22, 2011 /

    Today, Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6.7, the latest service pack update for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

    In addition to numerous minor bug fixes, Mac OS X 10.6.7 also improves the reliability of the Back to My Mac feature (requires a MobileMe account, $99/year and rumored to be going free later this year), corrects an issues with transferring files to Windows PCs and Servers using the SMB protocol, and lastly, corrects some Mac App Store  bugs.

    Mac OS X 10.6.7 is available now by running the Software Update control panel in the Settings application.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Steve Jobs to Take Medical Leave from Apple

    January 17, 2011 /

    A short while ago, Apple posted a “media advisory” on their public relations website indicating that CEO Stephen P. Jobs has asked for, and has been granted, a second medical leave from the company he helped start.

    “Apple CEO Steve Jobs today sent the following email to all Apple employees:

    Team,

    At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

    I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

    I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

    Steve”

    Apple will be in good hands with COO Tim Cook at the helm while Jobs is away from Apple headquarters, and we can also know from the email that Jobs will still very much be involved with making strategic decisions.  The good news is that, aside from wild stock price fluctuation in the coming days, many of 2011’s new products are already mapped out and “in the pipeline” and will likely not be impacted by Jobs not sitting in his corner office while on leave.

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  • games,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  lifestyle,  mac os x,  touch

    Decked Builder for Mac OS X, iOS

    January 8, 2011 /

    Decked Builder, from developer TJ Soft, is a Magic: The Gathering deck building application for Mac OS X, iPhone and iPod touch, and coming soon to the iPad.

    Magic: The Gathering (M:TG), is a collectible trading card game from Wizards of the Coast.  I’ve tried other M:TG “helper apps” for the iPhone before, but I never really like them.  Decked Builder is the first that I’ve fallen in love with.  This app looks good and works well.  I’ve tested the Lite version of Decked Builder on my Mac.

    The desktop version of Decked Builder has three windows: Search, View Card, and Deck.  You use the Search window to find a card you are looking for.  Decked Builder has a complete offline database of the over 17,000 cards that have been printed during Magic’s 15+ years.  Search engine is fast and the database is compact.  To keep the footprint on your computer, iPhone, or iPod touch down, card images are downloaded in the background in standard resolution.  If you want, you can turn on hi-res card scans.

     

    Decked Builder also gives players all the tools they would need to quickly find the card(s) they are looking for.  You can sort find results by rarity, card type, mana cost, mana color, or core and expansion set.  The Lite versions only provide you access to the most recent Magic expansion sets, meaning that you will have to buy the full version of Decked Builder ($3.99 iPhone/iPod touch, $14.99 Mac OS X) to get access to the full database of all the Magic cards ever printed.  (We’re not kidding.  TJ Soft has built a database of all of the Magic cards to date.)

    [Editor’s Note: TJ Soft has reduced the price of Decked Builder for Mac OS X to a very reasonable $5.99.  Decked Builder for Mac OS X is available now in the Mac App Store with the new price.]

    The Deck window is where players will spend a lot of time.  You use this window to view the 60 cards that you have added to your deck and 15 cards in your sideboard.  The Stats view quickly shows you a break down of the type of cards in your deck, their mana type, and a summary how many cards of a particular mana cost you have in your deck.  You can also sort the cards in your deck by name, type, and cost to play.

    Speaking about costs, the View Card window has a nice feature that tells you the high, mean, and low price of the card.  If you want to buy the card for your collection, the Store button links you over to the TCGPlayer.com website page for the card.  I can also see players using this feature on their iPhone or iPod touch while at a game store and playing the game.  They will easily be able to see if it is cheaper to buy the card at the store, right then and there, or order it online.

    Over all, collectors and players of Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering will really like using Decked Builder.  It stands out head and shoulders above the other M:TG helper apps on the market today.  The app is well designed and looks great.

    Decked Builder is available now for both Mac OS X and the iPhone/iPod touch. TJ Soft is working on a version of Decked Builder for the iPad and an update to the iPhone/iPod touch edition that supports Retina Display on those models.  A Lite version exists of both so you can try before you buy.  You can purchase and download either version from the Mac App Store or the iOS App Store today.

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  • apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.6 Update, Mac App Store

    January 8, 2011 /

    As promised, Apple on Thursday, launched the new Mac App Store, the first step in bringing iOS features “Back to the Mac.”

    Access to the new Mac App Store is provided by way of a new Mac OS X application that is bundled in with the 10.6.6 update for Mac’s running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.  The Mac App Store will be a built-in feature of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, due out sometime during the summer of 2011.

    The Mac App Store bring many of the iOS App Store features to the Macintosh platform.  Linked to your Apple ID account, Mac users can purchase apps for their Mac using the Apple Store One Click feature and the app is automatically downloaded and installed on your Mac.  Updates to Mac applications are also handled like updates to iPhone and iPad applications – you are notified of an update and you are able to download and install it for free.  (Major version upgrades are suppose to be paid upgrades.)

    One of the nice features of the Mac App Store is that you can download purchased content on other Macs that you may own.  This feature has been available on iOS devices for a while now, and is finally available for Mac Apps.

    Another thing that I like about the Mac App Store is that you can purchase Apple’s iLife and iWork applications separately for the first time.  You now have the freedom  to purchase only the apps that you want.  For example, I can now upgrade iPhoto, GarageBand, and Keynote individually without having to spend $80 each for iLife ’11 and iWork ’09.  (The last time I upgraded, I purchased the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Box Set that includes Mac OS X 10.6, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 for $130.)

    To get started with the Mac App Store, use the Software Update application, in System Preferences, to install the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update.  After installing the update, the Mac App Store icon will appear in the Dock to the left of the Finder icon, and looks similar to the new iTunes 10 icon.

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