• app store,  apple,  lion,  mac os x,  mac os x server,  macbook pro,  mountain lion,  Uncategorized

    Apple Launches Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

    July 28, 2012 /

    On Wednesday, Apple lunched their next major version of Mac OS X, Mountain Lion.

    With over 200 new features being added to Mac OS X, Mountain Lion brings even more features of iOS to the Macintosh further unifying the experience across multiple Apple product lines.  The major new features of Mountain Lion include:

    • iCloud support
    • Reminders (OS X version of the iOS app)
    • Notes (OS X version of the iOS app)
    • iMessage (replacing OS X iChat)
    • Notification Center (as seen in iOS)
    • Power Nap (requires a Mac notebook with build in flash storage; ie: MacBook Air)
    • Dictation (voice recognition, but not Siri)
    • Sharing button (as seen in iOS)
    • Twitter integration
    • AirPlay (requires a mid-2011 or newer Mac)
    • Game Center
    • Gatekeeper
    • Safari 6
    Mac OS X Mountain Lion is available now for $19.99 on the Mac App Store for users of Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and 10.7 Lion.  If you just purchased a new Mac, perhaps a new MacBook Air or the new super sexy 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, you can upgrade to Mountain Lion for free using the Apple Up to Date program.
    Business users, ‘techies’, and just about anyone else who is interested, can also purchase and install OS X Server, an add on application module for Mac OS X Mountain Lion that adds server features such as Wiki Server, File Sharing over and above the sharing features in Mountain Lion, network Time Machine backup Support, email and calendar servers, iMessage server, web server, and network OS X software installs and updates.  Previously priced at $49.99, OS X Server for Mountain Lion is available now for $19.99 for the Mac App Store.
    Mountain Lion is a great addition to any Macintosh that is capable of running it.  I would, however, suggest that anyone running a mid-2007 or 2008 edition Macintosh upgrade their Mac to the maximum amount of RAM memory possible before installing Mountain Lion.  Yes, the software will run, but if you only have 2GB of RAM, you may not get the experience you want.  (Read: lots of spinning beach balls.)  I’m running Mountain Lion on an 8GB mid-2009 17-inch MacBook Pro and things seem to be running well so far.
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  • app store,  apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Targeted Full Screen Mode in Mountain Lion

    July 21, 2012 /

    According to AppleInsider, Mac OS X Mountain Lion will feature a new full screen mode that should make it a much less annoying feature for Mac users who have multiple monitors.

    In Mountain Lion, you will be able to select which of your two or more monitors you want to be active when you enter full screen mode.

    “Apple’s solution in Mountain Lion is an incremental band-aid, but does expand the usefulness of Full Screen mode to users who connect to external displays. New in Mountain Lion is the ability to target which screen you want to go Full Screen in. In the screen shots above, Safari was taken full screen on an externally connected HDTV.
    This allows notebook users, for example, to connect to a big external display and use it for Full Screen work. Unfortunately, all the other screens are still blanked, but there isn’t a simple fix to addressing this in a sensible way. “

    In Lion, when you entered full screen mode, the primary display was the one that was used in full screen mode, blanking out any external monitors.  This feature is really annoying for, say, MacBook users who used an external monitor in addition to the MacBook’s display.  While not a complete solution, it will be a little bit better in Mountain Lion.
    Mac OS X Mountain Lion is expected to go on sale next week exclusively in the Mac App Store.  Mountain Lion will cost $19.99 for all Mac users with compatible hardware.
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  • apple,  ilife,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    iPhoto ’11 Updated to Version 9.3.1

    July 14, 2012 /

    Apple has released a maintenance update to iPhoto ’11 for Mac OS X.

    • Addresses a problem during the migration of albums from MobileMe Gallery that may cause photos to be moved from their original events to a new event called “From MobileMe”
    • Fixes an issue that in rare cases could cause 
    iPhoto ’11 is $14.99 from the Mac App Store.  The update is free to all customers who purchased iPhoto ’11 from the Mac App Store.
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  • apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple Releases Golden Master OS X Mountain Lion to Developers

    July 10, 2012 /

    Earlier today, Apple released what is intended to be the final version of the next major OS X upgrade to developers.

    The “golden master” release of Mac OS X Mountain Lion, now more hiply referred to simply as “OS X Mountain Lion”, was released to developers for their final review.  The release has no know issues and is largely expected to be the version that will ship to customers later this month when he software goes on sale in the Mac App Store for $19.99.

    A list of major features can be found on the Apple website.  As with Lion before it, the “iOS-ification” of Mac OS X continues as Apple further blends the familiar interfaced used on the iPhone and iPad into their desktop and notebook Macintosh system software.

    When Mountain Lion goes on sale, it will support the following Macintosh models.

    • iMac mid-2007 and newer
    • MacBook late 2008 Aluminum or early 2009 and newer
    • MacBook Pro mid and late-2007 and newer
    • Xserve 2009
    • MacBook Air late 2008 and newer
    • Mac mini early 2009 and newer
    • Mac Pro early 2008 and newer

    Be advised that not all models of hardware will be able to take advantage of all of the new features such as AirPlay.  AirPlay will only work on mid-2011 models of Macs and the second and third generation Apple TV boxes. Bummer.

    For the full list of hardware and feature specific feature requirements, visit the Mountain Lion technical specifications page for more details.

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  • apple,  ios,  mac os x

    AppleSeed: Apple’s Customer Software Testing Program

    May 20, 2012 /

    Earlier today, I learned of “AppleSeed,” Apple’s customer software testing program from 9To5Mac.com.

    AppleSeed is an invitation only program where customers are selected by Apple to participate in voluntary testing of new software.  So, no, you can’t register or submit your name into a pool of applicants.  (I’ve checked the FAQs just to be sure.)

    “Apple Software Customer Seeding is a program where customers are invited to test pre-release software products in order to provide Apple Software Engineering with real-world quality and usability feedback.”

    Once you have been accepted into the software testing program, you are “strongly [urged] to test the software and [we] require your feedback. A variety of reporting tools are offered providing engineering with functional data. Failure to actively participate may disqualify you from future seeding programs.”  In other words, Apple expects you to work hard for your exclusive access to software that is still under development.

    Back in the heady days of Palm, in all of it’s variations, I was a vocal advocate in both public and private forms to urge Palm to setup such a program as a means to help squash software bugs in the Palm OS, and later, webOS software.  I’m glad to see that Apple has setup a program like AppleSeed, even if I’m not contributing to it.

    To learn more about AppleSeed, check out the Apple website.

    [Via 9To5Mac.com…]

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  • apple,  ibooks author,  ios,  ipad,  iphoto,  mac os x

    iPhoto ’11, iBooks Author Get Updates

    March 10, 2012 /
    As part of this week’s massive Apple product rollout, a pair of Mac OS X applications also received updates: iPhoto ’11 and iBooks Author.

    iPhoto only received one update, but I think it will be a very popular one, the ability to delete a photo from the Photo Stream.  iDevices running iOS 5.1 also have this ability.

    iBooks Author received updates in two areas.  The first is support for iPad 3’s (ok, Apple calls the new iPad, “the new iPad”) new Retina display.  The other area is performance and stability updates.

    All in all, it’s been a nice week for the Apple fan club.

    Both apps are available from the Mac App Store.  iPhoto ’11 9.2.2 is a free update to customers who previously purchased the software.  If you need to buy iPhoto ’11, it can be purchased for $14.99.  iBooks Author is free.

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  • apple,  itunes,  itunes match,  mac os x,  windows

    iTunes 10.6 Released for Mac OS X and Windows PCs

    March 8, 2012 /

    Today, along side the massive iOS software updates, Apple released iTunes 10.6 for Mac OS X and Windows PCs.

    iTunes 10.6 adds support for devices running iOS 5.1, and high definition 1080p videos purchased from the iTunes Store.  Apple also included enhancements to the iTunes Match features of iCloud that was launched last year.

    You can download iTunes 10.6 either by using the Apple Software Update application on your computer or download the installer from the iTunes website.

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  • apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple Unveils OS X Mountain Lion

    February 17, 2012 /

    In a move that surprised many, Apple today announced the next major release of Mac OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion.

    With Mountain Lion, Apple continues to blur the lines between OS X and iOS, so much so, the advertising tag line is, “Inspired by iPad. Re-imaged for Mac.”

    With more than 100 new features to look forward to, Mountain Lion is going to be a must upgrade for Mac users with modern hardware (2009 and later).  The tentpole applications for Mountain Lion include deep iCloud integration, Messages (replacing iChat), Reminders and Notes (taking over for features in the Mail application), Notification Center, Share Sheets, deep Twitter integration, Game Center, AirPlay Mirroring (requires a second generation Apple TV), and Gatekeeper.

    Additionally, the Software Update control panel will be making the jump from a stand alone application to a feature inside the Mac App Store application – just like the software update feature in iOS.

    You can read more about the major features of OS X 10.8 on Apple’s Mountain Lion website.

    With today’s announcement, Apple has made Messages available as a free download to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users.  You can download Messages for OS X from the Apple website.

    While Apple was publicly talking about Mountain Lion today, they weren’t talking release schedules or pricing.  Apple was only saying, “OS X Mountain Lion arrives this summer.”  Mountain Lion, like Lion before it, will be available only as a purchase from the Mac App Store.  Registered developers can download a beta version of OS X Mountain Lion starting today with a $99/year paid subscription.

    I remember when Apple first started talking about how Lion was going to bring many of the iOS features to OS X and was not really looking forward to ‘dumbing down’ my Mac.  But Lion has been a nice upgrade and I’m perfectly comfortable with it, so much so, I’m looking forward to getting Mountain Lion installed sooner rather than later.

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  • apple,  lion,  mac,  mac os x

    Apple Releases Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 Update

    February 11, 2012 /

    Earlier this week, Apple released the third update to their Lion operating system for the Macintosh.

    Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 is a maintenance release for all Macs running the Lion operating system and Apple recommends installing the update if you are running a prior release of Lion.

    You can download the OS update using the Software Update control panel on your Mac, or you can download the update from the Apple website.  Mac OS X 10.7 Lion can be purchased from the Mac App Store for $29.99 (requires Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later to purchase and upgrade).

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  • apple,  itunes,  mac os x,  windows

    iTunes 10.5.2 Update Released

    December 13, 2011 /

    Earlier today, Apple released the iTunes 10.5.2 update for Mac OS X and Windows PCs.  The 16MB or update addresses iTunes Music match and audio distortion on certain CDs.

    “iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.”

    iTunes 10.5.2 is available now via the Software Update control panel or via direct download from the Apple website.

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