The written musings of a long-time Apple //e and Macintosh tech nerd. Opinions are my own.
Earlier today, Apple released the iTunes 10.1 update that paves the way for a release of iOS 4.2.
With the iTunes 10.1 release, Apple has included support for iOS 4.2 running on current generation iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices and the new AirPlay feature.
The update is currently available for Mac OS X and Windows PC users. To get the update, use the Apple Software Update control panel.
During today’s Back To Mac event, Apple released a beta version of their FaceTime client for Mac OS X.
FaceTime was initially released earlier this year with the iPhone 4 running iOS 4. My junior blogger, Meghan and I called my father, who has an iPhone 4, and I have to say that FaceTime is a super cool, easy to use video chat application.
To use FaceTime, you need to download the Mac OS X beta application from the Apple website. Once you install the app, you sign-in to Apple’s system using your Apple ID. Apple IDs are free, and if you are purchasing content from the iTunes Store, you already have an Apple ID. You also have the option of adding a different email account as your “phone number” to make calls from your Mac.
To make a call with FaceTime on your Mac, you start the app, and then click a name in the right window pane which contact the contacts you have in your Mac OS X Address Book application.
For more information on FaceTime for Mac OS X, check out the Apple FaceTime website.
It has been a busy day for Apple fanatics customers today.
New iPods, Apple TV
At today’s annual September media event, Apple took the wraps off a new iPod nano and iPod touch. The iPod shuffle got it’s click-wheel back. Apple TV received an extreme makeover, and we were told that iOS 4.1 will arrive next week (9/8/10) to fix the proximity sensor and Bluetooth issues on iPhone 4 and performance issues on the iPhone 3GS. Owners of current iPod touch models will also be getting the iOS 4.1 treatment next week. iPad owners, like me, will have to wait until November for the iOS 4.2 update to be released. Ugh!
The good news for those of us not eager to shell out a few hundred more dollars for the latest shinny Apple gizmo is that we can get our hands on iTunes 10 today.
Once you get past the hoopla over the redesigned logo, Apple dumped the CD to focus on the music note, you’ll see the new features that have been added to the popular jukebox software. Click the read link for the new iTunes 10 features and more photos of Apple’s latest gear.
What’s new in iTunes 10
•Introducing Ping. Use Ping to follow your favorite artists and friends or connect with the world’s most passionate music fans. Discover the music everyone is talking about, listening to, and downloading.
• Rent HD TV episodes for just 99¢ each. Watch them on your Mac or PC, on-the-go with iPhone or iPod touch, or in your living room with the all new Apple TV.
• Play your favorites on the all new iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, and Apple TV.
• Play music wirelessly with AirPlay on AirPlay-enabled speakers, home theater receivers, and iPod accessories.
• Explore many look-and-feel improvements throughout iTunes.
• Enjoy performance improvements which make iTunes faster and more responsive.
• Additional voice support with VoiceOver Kit for iPod.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.
[Editor’s Note: At the time we posted this article, iTunes 10 was only available as a download from the Apple website. It was not appearing in the Software Update control panel on our Mac OS X and Windows 7 boxes.]
Earlier this week, Apple updated iWork ’09 Pages and added support for creating documents comptible with iBooks on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
After updating Pages ’09 on your Mac to version 9.0.4, you will be able to export your Pages documents in the ePub format. Then, drag and drop the ePub document into iTunes’ Books section and sync your iDevice. Simple.
iWork ’09 owners, grab your update by clicking the Software Update icon in the System Preferences application.
September is almost upon us and that means it’s time for Apple to send out invitations to the media-only fall event.
According to the Tech Trader Daily blog, Eric Savitz writes:
“There’s zero information in the invitation on the nature of the event, and the only hint is the photo of the guitar with the Apple-logo shaped cut out that I’ve included with this post.”
My invitation seems to have gotten lost in the mail.
Apple’s fall events have been the showcase for the new iPod touch and music related products for the holiday season. This year is expected to be no different with rumors flying around of an iPod touch refresh that will feature iOS 4.1, dual cameras and support for FaceTime, and a the same high resolution Retina display that has been used on the iPhone 4.
There are also near daily rumors that Apple will release a new version of the Apple TV, possible called “iTV”, that runs iOS and replaces the hard drive with a smaller flash drive. Content would be streamed to the device rather than store it locally on a hard drive as the current Apple TV model does. The new Apple TV is also rumored to go on sale with pricing as low as $99 and TV show rentals for $0.99.
[Via Tech Trader Daily blog…]
The Facebook app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad was updated again to address login issues.
Make sure that you hit up the App Store icon on your iDevice to download the update or check for software updates in iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.
Along side the Facebook website upgrade, the iPhone and BlackBerry mobile Facebook applications have also been upgraded to versions 3.2 and 1.8.0.49, respectively.
Use the App Store and BlackBerry App World to install or upgrade your software now.
If you don’t want to use Facebook Places, or you want to keep your friends from checking you into Places, be sure to update your Facebook privacy settings.
UPDATE:
The iOS edition of Facebook has been updated again. This time to version 3.2.1. This latest updates includes “bug fixes” and limited the Places feature to iDevices here in the United States for the time being.
Remember that jailbreaking website I told you about yesterday? Seems like it might not be a great idea after all. Turns out the browser exploit that the jailbreakers are using opens the iDevice up to attack from “bad guys” too.
“Sean Sullivan, security advisor with F-Secure Corporation, revealed on Tuesday the technical details of the jailbreak process, which is done entirely in the Mobile Safari browser. The jailbreakme.com site includes 20 separate PDFs for different combinations of hardware and firmware.”
“While the jailbreakme.com URL itself is not intended for malicious purposes, the PDF exploit it uses could be utilized by hackers to more nefarious ends. Miller said that with this method, a hacker does not need physical access to an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad — they just simply need to have the user visit a vulnerable website.”
The bottom line here? Think twice before you jailbreak your brand new iPhone 4 or other iDevice boys and girls.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
Apple has released updates to iTunes 9.2.1 and iBooks 1.1.1 today.
iTunes 9.2.1
iTunes 9.2.1, available for Mac OS X and Windows PCs, is mostly a maintenance update that addresses bug fixes, performance issues, and will disable “older versions of some incompatible third-party [iTunes] plug-ins.”
I don’t use any plug-ins with iTunes, but if you do, you’ll want to double-check yours for iTunes 9.2.1 compatibility before applying this update.
iTunes 9.2.1 is available for download on Mac OS X and Windows PCs from the Apple Software Update control panel.
iBooks 1.1.1 for iPad, iOS 4 Devices
The iBooks update adds some nice features to Apple’s ebook reader. This update includes improved support for books and PDF files with images and adds support for books and documents with audio and video content, as well as additional performance tweaks and bug fixes.
You can download the iBooks update directly to your iPad or iOS 4 device by using App Store on the device or by downloading the update from iTunes and syncing it over to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
Today, Apple has released iOS 4, formerly known as iPhone OS 4.0, for iPhone and iPod touch owners.
The update, free for iPhone and apparently, also free for iPod touch owners, is available now. To download the update, connect your iPhone or iPod touch to your computer running iTunes 9, and the software installer will be downloaded to your computer.
No Legacy Support for You
Unlike previous iOS updates, the iPhone G2 and the first generation iPod touch will not be supported for this upgrade. Additionally, iPhone 3G owners will not be able to use the new multitasking features of iOS 4. If you want to get iOS 4 and you have one of these devices, you’re going to have to upgrade your hardware.
iPad Out in the Cold?
No! Apple’s iPad customers will be getting an upgrade to iOS 4, however, they are going to have to wait until the fall for their upgrade.
For more details, check out the iPhone or iPod touch pages on the Apple website.