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iOS and OS X Come Ever Closer As Apple Announces “Mountain Lion”

2012-02-16T20:25:00.001+02:00

Just over 6 months after the current release of OS X was released, codenamed “Lion”, Apple is already teasing us about the next major update to its default operating system, Mountain Lion. The preview of OS X 10.8 was released today to registered developers with Apple, with summer touted as the general release date to the public.

The preview page for OS X Mountain Lion on Apple's website

It seems like this release of OS X is trying to bridge the gap between Apple’s Mac range of computers and their line of iOS devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. New features for Mountain Lion include a Notification Centre, Reminders, full native Twitter integration and iMessage (all of which came along in the last overhaul of iOS).
Let’s have a quick peek at what we can expect come summer.

Notification Center

OS X Mountain Lion will feature a notification centre similar to the one currently found on devices running iOS 5, however instead of swiping to bring it down, it will appear on the right-hand side of your screen. You will be able to choose exactly which notifications you want and the Notifications Centre will be available from any app, including full-screen ones (you simply have to swipe to the right to reveal them).

The brand new Notifications Centre in OS X Mountain Lion

Although OS X has a pretty decent notifications system already in the form of Growl, it seems like native notifications will help you keep up to date with what’s happening across all your programs, ensuring you don’t miss out on anything.

Messages

iMessage is a free and easy way of keeping in touch with all your friends who have got an iOS device – and now it’s heading over to OS X. Touted as “Apple’s BBM”, it uses either your phone number (if you’ve got an iPhone) or your e-mail address (if you’ve got an iPad or iPod touch) to allow you to send chat messages and pictures.

iMessage is now coming to Mac OS X

As with iMessage on iOS devices, the program syncs all your chats, so you can leave a conversation on your Mac and carry it on on your iPhone, meaning that you don’t miss out on anything.
If you can’t wait for Mountain Lion to be released, then you can download Messages Beta from Apple’s website, which will replace iChat already installed on your Mac. Messages also works with AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and Jabber accounts and also integrates FaceTime directly from the app.

Native Twitter Integration

Like iOS 5, Mountain Lion will feature native Twitter integration from apps such as Safari, and will allow you to tweet links, photos and comments directly from any supported app. You’ll also get instant push notifications if someone mentions you in a tweet or sends you a direct message, something which is missing from the default Twitter app for Mac.

Native Twitter integration in Mountain Lion

iCloud

The new release of OS X also integrates very tightly with iCloud, which was released along with iOS 5 last October. With native iCloud support, you can rest assured that your documents, photos, contacts and e-mails are synced across all your iOS devices. So, if you’re editing a document in Pages on your iPad on the way home from work then it will be ready and waiting for you on your Mac when you get back.

iCloud on Mountain Lion will ensure that all of your devices are in perfect sync at any time

Excited?

Although no concrete release date has been announced as of yet, we can expect Mountain Lion to be released sometime this summer (maybe to tie in with that MacBook overhaul and the iPhone 5 launch) as a paid update via the App Store. And with a whole new range of features expected in this release, along with the chatter of the iPad 3, iPhone 5 and iTV, it seems like 2012 is going to be Apple’s strongest year yet.
Please do let us know what you think about this announcement via the comments section below. Are you excited? Or do you think that Apple is just trying too hard to integrate iOS and OS X? Should they keep them two completely separate operating systems? Share your thoughts below!

(Via Mac.AppStorm.)

Fender Custom Shop Introduces 2012 Bass Models

2012-01-08T22:44:00.001+02:00

Fender’s Custom Shop has announced two new bass models for 2012, including the 2012 Closet Classic Precision Bass Pro and the 1961 Closet Classic Jazz Bass. Both models are built in the U.S. by Fender’s master builders.

According to Fender, the Closet Classic Precision Bass Pro combines “the best of the Precision and Jazz Bass models,” which can be partly attributed to its inclusion of a P/J pickup system.

The J-bass bridge pickup is situated in the ’70s rear position. Sporting an Olympic White finish with their Closet Classic Wear treatment, the bass is built with a body of hand selected alder and a quartersawn maple neck featuring a 1960 “U” back shape. The fretboard is bound rosewood with block inlays. Hardware includes vintage reverse machine heads and a Badass bridge.

Fender Closet Classic Precision Bass Pro Specs:

Body: Hand Selected Premium Alder
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck: Quartersawn Maple with a 1960 “U” Back Shape
Fretboard: Bound Rosewood (10” Radius) with Block Inlays
Frets: Medium Jumbo
Hardware: Vintage Reverse Machine Heads
Bridge: Badass
Pickups: P/J with Jazz Bass Pickup in the ’70s Rear Position
Wiring: Vintage Jazz Bass
Controls: Volume/Volume/Tone
Accessories: Case, Certificate
Color: Olympic White

Though the Jazz Bass was first introduced in 1960, the new Custom Shop Jazz pays tribute to its second year in existence.

Similar to the Closet Classic Precision Pro, the 1961 Closet Classic Jazz features an alder body and a quartersawn maple neck with the 1960 “U” back shape, but the fretboard is Dark Indian rosewood with a radius of 7.25”.

The vintage-styled Jazz Bass pickups are coupled with a pair of stacked concentric control knobs, wired volume/volume/tone/tone.

Fender 1961 Closet Classic Jazz Specs:

Body: Hand Selected Premium Alder
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck: Quartersawn Maple with a 1960 “U” Back Shape
Fretboard: Dark Indian Rosewood (7.25” Radius)
Frets: Vintage
Hardware: Vintage Reverse Machine Heads
Bridge: Vintage Jazz Bass
Pickups: Vintage ’60s Jazz Bass
Wiring: Vintage Jazz Bass with Stacked Pots
Controls: Volume/Volume/Tone/Tone
Accessories: Case, Certificate
Color: Black, Arctic White

The Fender Custom Shop 2012 Closet Classic Precision Bass Pro and the 1961 Closet Classic Jazz Bass are listed with MSRPs of $4,450 and $4,200, respectively. For more info, visit theFender Custom Shop website.

via notreble

Create stop-motion, time-lapse movies for free with Stop Motion Cafe for iPhone

2012-01-08T17:29:00.001+02:00

Stop Motion Cafe is a new FREE app that is described as a "simple, powerful STOP-MOTION and TIME-LAPSE application."

Stop Motion Cafe lets you capture sequences of images and create a movie, and features…

(Via The iPhoneography Blog.)

Applications Icon

2012-01-08T15:27:00.001+02:00

Applications icon |512x512|

(Via Newest OS Icons.)

Creepy Steve Jobs Doll Nixed by Apple Lawyers

2012-01-08T15:26:00.001+02:00

The many possibilities of In Icons' Steve Jobs action figure. Image: Jesus Diaz/Gizmodo

You just knew a boatload of bootleg Steve Jobs merch would start flooding in after his passing last year. Like street vendors outside of the World Series, online retailers started producing T-shirts, books and other various and sundry items. But after a Chinese manufacturer unveiled a miniature Steve Jobs prototype doll, Apple’s legal team pounced.

Apple’s lawyers sent a letter to the Chinese company stipulating that “any toy that resembles the technology company’s logo, person’s name, appearance or likeness of its products is a criminal offense,” according to a report from The Daily Telegraph.

In California, personality rights (California Civil Code Section 3344), which address the use of a person’s name, likeness, voice, or signature without their prior consent, last through the entirety of a person’s life, and for 70 years after their death.

The offending company in question, In Icons, quickly gained media attention earlier this week after debuting the 12-inch figurine on New Year’s Day. The doll comes clad in Jobs’ signature uniform and a few accessories: Two pairs of glasses, a black turtleneck and blue jeans, New Balance trainers and a pair of apples (one bitten, of course). Shamelessly, it even includes a “One More Thing” keynote backdrop.

Buzz about the incredibly detailed, borderline creepy $100 doll quickly spread, and caught the attention of Apple’s legal team.

This isn’t the first Jobsian Barbie to get slapped with a C&D. In November of 2010, Apple requested M.I.C. Gadgets cease marketing and selling an iPhone-wielding $80 Steve Jobs doll.

Let this be a lesson to future bootleggers: If you’re going to make any sort of unauthorized Apple paraphernalia, keep it on the down-low, or your venture may be incredibly short-lived.

via MacRumors

(Via Gadget Lab.)

iPhone 4S users consume nearly twice as much data as iPhone 4 - study

2012-01-08T15:24:00.001+02:00

A wireless industry study has found that iPhone 4S owners on average use roughly twice as much data as iPhone 4 owners and three times as much as iPhone 3G users.

Telecom network technology firm Arieso cited the Siri virtual assistant feature as contributing to the increase, according to Reuters. The study used Apple's three-year-old iPhone 3G model as a benchmark.

The firm discovered that data usage of the iPhone 4 was 1.6 times higher than the iPhone 3G, while iPad 2 tablets consumed 2.5 times more data. The iPhone 4S was the heaviest on usage with three times the amount used by the iPhone 3G.

"I use the iPhone 4 myself and when I first heard of the iPhone 4S features I was not compelled to rush out and get one. However, the data usage numbers I am seeing make me wonder what I am missing," Arieso's chief technology officer, Michael Flanagan, said of the study.

Flanagan also noted that tablet usage closely resembled that of high-end smartphones. "A tablet still looks like a big smartphone," he said.

According to Bloomberg, Arieso's research found that one percent of the high-use subscribers consumed half of the data volumes. “The hungry are getting hungrier,” Flanagan said.

An earlier inquiry into Siri's data usage discovered that the service consumes about 63KB per query. As such, using the feature 10 to 15 times a day would take up 18.5 to 27.7MB per month.

Siri is still in beta mode, with limited functionality outside of the U.S. Apple is, however planning a rapid international expansion for Siri this year. The company is actively hiring iOS software engineers to help develop the Application Programming Interface for Siri and port the feature to other languages.

AppleInsider tested the iPhone 4S on the AT&T, Sprint and Verizon networks shortly after its release. Extended tests showed that AT&T was generally faster than its rivals, while Verizon had broader coverage. Meanwhile, Sprint struggled with often unusable data service.

The rise in iPhone data consumption comes as Sprint is the only U.S. network to offer an unlimited data plan. CEO Dan Hesse was thought to have made comments this week undermining the carrier's unlimited offer, but it later turned out that he was referring to abusive data practices when roaming.

The iPhone has actually brought about broad changes in the wireless industry. AT&T, Apple's original carrier partner in the U.S., was initially surprised by the amount of data users consumed. The carrier was left scrambling to keep up with demand from Apple's customers, with one report from 2009 comparing the iPhone to a Hummer.

Apple waited until the second-generation iPhone to add 3G data services, allowing AT&T time to steadily improve its 3G network. The iPhone maker has also opted to wait for 4G LTE to become more mature. CEO Tim Cook said the first generation of LTE chipsets required "design compromises" that Apple was unwilling to make. Reports have suggested that Apple may release LTE iPad and iPhone models starting this year.

Verizon got a head start on AT&T when it rolled out its LTE network in December 2010. But, AT&T has been steadily making progress, announcing on Thursday that it had expanded its LTE network to 11 new cities for a total of 26 markets.

(Via AppleInsider.)

iOS 5.1 hides references to quad-core chips

2012-01-08T15:23:00.001+02:00

lA delve into the iOS 5.1 beta has supported beliefs that the A6 chip will have four cores. Its processor management software was seen by 9to5 as referencing "core.0" through "core.3," a giveaway that it has to control quad-core hardware. iOS 5.0 only stops at "core.1" and hints Apple is at least using iOS 5.1 as a testbed for quad-core devices, if not as the initially shipping version....

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

iPad survives fall from the edge of space thanks to its G-Form case

2012-01-08T15:22:00.001+02:00

An iPad has survived a massive 100,000 foot fall in the latest publicity stunt for case manufacturer G-Form. The iPad was solely clad in a G-Form 6oz Extreme Edge case and taken into space on a weather balloon.

The company released a stunning hi-def video Thursday where the nearly naked iPad is shown hanging above the Earth in the blackness of space. In the video, the iPad is lifted to over 100,000 feet by a weather balloon which bursts at altitude, then releasing the iPad to free-fall to Earth where it crash lands on a rocky hillside in the Nevada countryside. Perhaps even more remarkable than the dramatic hi-def footage itself is the fact that the iPad survives the adventure, remaining fully functional.

The video is really impressive on its own, without taking into account the magnitude of the fall or the fact that it is an iPad. It’s not something I would be willing to try with my iPad 2 but it is definitely a great way to show some faith in your cases!

Source: YouTube

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Price Drop: iPod Alternatives for iOS

2012-01-08T15:21:00.001+02:00

Yes, yes, we know the latest iOS splits up the iPod into Music and Video apps, but it'll always be the iPod to us! Of course, even though we have a default app for it, a few developers stepped up to create some iPod alternative apps for taming that wild beast of a music collection of yours. Here's a handful we found that are going for a cut rate. Grab 'em all and see which suits your fancy as today's apps are going for free.

iMusic -- The Perfect Music Player

We can't vouch for the claims of the name, but developer Akhil Tolani must feel pretty confident he's got your go-to iPod replacement. Save yourself a buck with this currently free app that lets you SMS, tweet, or notify your Facebook friends what you're listening to, in-app song lyrics, fade in/fade out, and custom playlists. You can even use your music as your alarm clock.

Audium

Mic Pringle made a beautiful and simple music player with Audium which is also swinging down one whole buck to free. Scrobble with last.fm is just one of the killer features in this stripped down app. The biggie is, of course, that Audium is entirely gresture driven. So you'll swipe to scroll through your music, double tap for playback or pause, and swipe to navigate through tracks. You'll wonder why you didn't think of it yourself.

Lasy Player

Another freebie, the strangely spelled Lasy Player from Agility Concepts boasts skins and quick access to your music library. Also you'll find that they've also pursued the route of simplicity by putting big old controls right up front. A song list below lets you flip through your tracks. The one screen route makes jumping into music faster than you can say, uhhh, is this free?

(Via Mac|Life - All Articles.)

Blue launching a range of high quality digital iPhone and iPad microphones

2012-01-08T15:20:00.001+02:00

Well respected microphone manufacturer Blue is launching a new range of microphones aimed squarely at users of the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Two new models will be on display at CES 2012 which starts next week.

Spark Digital: The world’s first studio-grade condenser microphone to offer both USB and iPad connectivity, featuring Focus Control, adjustable desk stand, built-in shockmount, and y-cables with an attached, extended female headphone jack for each platform.
Mikey Digital: The perfect tool for mobile recording with iOS devices features two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish 230-degree rotating design.

The idea of connecting a studio-grade microphone to your iPad will be highly appealing to podcasters or anyone involved in movie making or recording on their iOS devices. The Spark Digital will cost around $199 while the Mikey Digital will set you back $99. Both are slated for release soon.

Source: Blue

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Mac App Store reaches first anniversary with over 8,900 apps

2012-01-08T15:19:00.001+02:00

The Mac App Store is today celebrating its first anniversary. At first the storefront was only accessible through a Snow Leopard update; access has since been built into OS X Lion, which itself was originally made available as a Mac App Store download. In mid-December announced that it had surpassed 100 million downloads at the store, not including app updates or even Lion sales....

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

How to Manually Restore from Time Machine

2012-01-08T15:18:00.001+02:00

My iMac’s hard drive crashed. I just checked my external hard drive, and it says the last successful backup was about a month ago. How do I get the data off of my external drive without restoring the computer back that far? There’s still some important stuff there.

We’re sorry to hear about the loss of your iMac’s hard drive; drive failures are always incredibly inconvenient. Luckily, you have a Time Machine backup, and even if it isn’t very recent, something is still better than nothing.

The directory structure to your backup Home folder can be tricky, but it will contain all of your files.

Time Machine places a backup of your computer into a date- and time-stamped folder on the external drive. This is good because it means you won’t have to restore your Mac in order to get your data back. Simply plug in your drive and click on it in the Finder.

You will see a folder named “Backups.backupdb.” Click on it, and then click on the folder inside that has the same name as your old Mac. You will then see a group of folders with date and time stamps. However, we will be looking for an Alias folder called “Latest.” This folder will contain the latest backup of your old machine. Once in this folder, navigate to Macintosh HD > Users > Username. This folder will contain your home directory as it appeared during the last Time Machine backup. From here, you can drag and drop files and folders individually from the Time Machine backup drive to your current drive.

GOT A TECH QUESTION OR A HELPFUL TIP TO SHARE?

Email ask@maclife.com or write to Mac|Life,
4000 Shoreline Ct, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080

(Via Mac|Life - All Articles.)

Fullscreen app demonstrated on the Apple TV [Jailbreak]

2012-01-08T15:17:00.001+02:00

Following the hack that allows fullscreen apps to run on the Apple TV, developer Jack Perry, known as @Jackoplane on Twitter, decided to try porting his own apps to the bigger screen.

A quick preview of Frequencies for AppleTV… Waiting for @stroughtonsmith to test it on a real device.

The tweet was followed up by Steven Troughton-Smith showing the app running at full 720p on an actual Apple TV.

Some Beautiful AppleTV apps coming together right now; this one from @Jackoplane is nice.

The app, Frequencies, is a simple internet radio tuner, but demonstrates how the idea of fullscreen apps might work on the Apple TV. And it’s really quite exciting.

Source: @stroughtonsmith, @Jackoplane, Jackoplane Blog

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Rumor: Next iPad to come with HD FaceTime, Retina display, 8MP rear camera, iPad 2 drops to $399

2012-01-08T15:16:00.001+02:00

Jeremy Horwitz from iLounge has posted rumors about the iPad 3 and what his sources say we should expect.

Some of the changes included were upgraded front and rear cameras with HD FaceTime on the front and an 8MP sensor on the rear. His sources believe the rear camera may in fact be the same as the iPhone 4S.

Horwitz, who has had good information in the past, also dispels rumors of the next iPad hitting in January or February, and instead suggested it will follow the same March/April release cycle the iPad has been on since it debuted in 2010, and that the iPad 2 will stick around at an entry-level price of $399.

Source: iLounge via @horwitz

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Rumored March launch of high-res 'iPad 3' portrayed as 'completely accurate'

2012-01-08T15:15:00.001+02:00

Rumors of a March launch for Apple's third-generation iPad with a high-resolution Retina Display have been deemed "completely accurate," though a claim that Apple will launch an "iPad 4" this October was written off as "completely made-up nonsense."

John Gruber of Daring Fireball issued a response on Friday to a new report from DigiTimes that gained attention earlier in the day. That report from the Taiwan-based publication said that Apple will ship a third-generation iPad in March with a high-definition display.

"Wait a minute. What's going on here?" Gruber responded sarcastically. "A DigiTimes report about Apple and the iPad that's completely accurate? No completely made-up nonsense? Is something wrong with me?"

He then went on to quote the portion of the article that said an "iPad 4" with "killer applications" will arrive in October. To that he responded, "OK, phew, what a relief."

Though the post was tongue-in-cheek, Gruber seemingly does use it to confirm a March launch of the next iPad, consistent with the timeframe of the the iPad 2 launch in 2011. He has also said on previous occasions that he believes the next iPad will sport a high-resolution Retina Display. Gruber is well-connected and has a reliable track record on Apple predictions.

Separately, Gruber took a few guesses at what Apple might do in 2012 for Macworld. There he suggested that Apple's Retina Display branding would only apply to new high-end models.

"I think Apple will continue selling the existing iPad 2 alongside the new ones, or introduce a new lower-end model that still sports today's 1024-by 768-pixel screen, simply because I think the retina-display iPad will be a bit expensive," he said. "I think the new iPad models will use the same screen size as today's -- no 7-inch model."

As for the next iPhone, Gruber believes it will be a completely redesigned model that will arrive in late 2012, like the iPhone 4S. He doesn't expect that the new iPhone will have a larger display, but he does see Apple including an even better camera than is in the iPhone 4S.

(Via AppleInsider.)

Rumor: Apple to ship Retina display iPad 3 in March, iPad 4 in October

2012-01-08T15:14:00.001+02:00

Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes suggests that, according to industry sources out of Taiwan, Apple will release a Retina display iPad 3 in March, then turn around and ship a more significant iPad 4 in October.

The 9.7-inch iPad 4 is expected to come with much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications so as to compete with an array of Android-, Wintel- or WoA (Windows on ARM)-based tablet PCs to be released in the fourth quarter, said the sources.

They also reaffirm the rumor that Apple will keep the iPad 2 on sale at a lower $399 price.

This is an almost identical rumor to one that made the rounds last year, with numerous sources — including iMore — hearing that Apple was at least toying with the idea of releasing iPad 3 in October of 2011. Whether those rumors were ultimate inaccurate, or display constraints required Apple change plans and revert to a spring 2012 release is unknown.

Likewise, whether or not there’s any substance to these rumor rehashes, or an attempt to suppress iPad 3 sales with early chatter of an iPad 4 is impossible to say at this point. It does seem unlikely that Apple would release two iPads in the same retail year, given the enormous success of their current strategy.

Source: Digitimes

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Everything You Need to Know about Setting Up iCloud

2012-01-08T15:12:00.001+02:00

lWhat’s waiting for you in the cloud? Just about everything.

Apple’s first cloud service, iTools, was introduced in 2000 and was available for free. Then came MobileMe, which added powerful features like data syncing and online storage, so Apple bumped the price to $99 a year. But now Apple has reverted a bit, delivering MobileMe’s most useful services at no charge and rebranding it all as iCloud. And that’s not all—this new service links all of your devices with Apple’s North Carolina data centers to keep both your vital files and your iTunes Store purchases at your fingertips whenever you want them.

Getting Started

To use iCloud, you’ll need iOS 5 on an iPhone 3GS or later, a third-gen or later iPod touch, either model of the iPad, or a Mac running OS X Lion. You can sign up for the service with your Apple ID on your iOS device in Settings > iCloud, or on your Mac in System Preferences > iCloud. You can then turn on the features you want to sync, like your complementary Me.com email address, contacts and calendars, Safari bookmarks, and more. Once the services are active on all your devices, Apple’s servers should do the heavy lifting, pushing changed data on one device out to the rest automatically.

You can change your iCloud storage plan from any device.

All iCloud accounts get a free 5GB of storage to save and sync personal data and other documents. That may not sound like much, but given the tiny size of most of those files, it should be enough for most people’s needs. But if you find 5GB cramps your style, you can buy an additional 10GB, 20GB, or 50GB of storage for an annual subscription of $20, $40, or $100 right from your device’s iCloud settings.

iOS Backups

One iDevice backup, hold the USB cables.

One feature that might dent your allotted storage is iOS Backup. That’s right: with iCloud you now have the option of backing up your iOS devices over Wi-Fi to Apple’s servers instead of to your Mac over USB. But iCloud backups use as little disk space as possible, thanks to judicious data juggling on Apple’s part. Backups include data like photos and video in the Camera Roll, mail, contacts, and calendar account settings, Home screen organization, and more. To turn them on, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup. There you can also tap Manage Storage and choose your device to fine-tune what app data gets copied. Just remember that media not purchased from the iTunes Store—including music, movies, and podcasts—isn’t included in the process.

iCloud.com

Come on, how can you go back to Gmail after seeing that?

When you can’t get to your Mac or iOS device, iCloud.com has you covered. It’s your Me.com mail, contacts, and calendars just as they look in iOS 5. The site also offers the conspicuously misnamed Find My iPhone service, which brings Apple’s Mac and iOS device locator to any computer with internet access. It can even remotely lock or wipe your wayward devices to keep their data from prying eyes. You can also control how you share your iWork files with other Macs and iOS devices from iCloud.com, but we’ll cover that in more depth on the next page.

iTunes in the Cloud

Pick your purchases and whether they sync over your cellular network.

iTunes in the Cloud syncs purchases on one device across all your devices and lets you re-download purchases as often as you like. To set it up, go to Settings > Store, then turn on Automatic Downloads for the media you want. On your Mac, launch iTunes, then click iTunes > Preferences > Store. To re-download purchases on your Mac, log in to the iTunes Store, then click the Purchased link in the Quick Links sidebar. In iOS, tap iTunes > Purchased to get your music and TV shows. Apps and books can be found in App Store and the Purchased section of the iBooks store, respectively. Movies and audiobooks, alas, aren’t eligible yet.

What About MobileMe?

If you’re a MobileMe user considering iCloud, we have good news. You’ll still get to use many of the features you rely on, like data syncing and your MobileMe email, after signing up. You can even continue using MobileMe-specific features like your iDisk side-by-side with the new iCloud services.

But you will lose some features. You’ll no longer be able to sync OS X’s keychains, Dock items, System Preferences, and Dashboard widgets across your Macs. And if you’re the administrator of a family account, make any changes to subaccounts before moving to iCloud (you won’t be able to edit them later). Those subaccounts will keep working, however, and can be moved to iCloud individually after you switch.

If you’re still on the fence, you have time to decide…but the clock is ticking. On June 30, 2012 Apple will pull the plug on all MobileMe services for good, and features like iWeb publishing, iDisk, photo galleries, and your MobileMe iOS apps will no longer work (expect plenty of activity in Software Update as apps are updated). For more information about how you’ll be affected, visit Apple’s MobileMe transition page.

(Via Mac|Life - All Articles.)

Apple refurbs: 27-inch Thunderbolt display, only $849

2012-01-08T15:11:00.003+02:00

Today at Apple's online store Save $150 on the refurb. 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, now only $849. Refurbished iPod nanos start at $109 for the 8GB configuration, or $129 for the 16GB configuration....

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

Instagram now shares photos to your Facebook albums

2012-01-08T15:11:00.001+02:00

Instagram has made a change that shares your photos to your Facebook albums instead of just sticking a link on your wall. Now when you select Facebook as an option when uploading a photo to Instagram, the image will be uploaded full-sized into a Facebook album named “Instagram Photos”, along with your caption. As a result, your Instagram photos will appear nice and large on your timeline and it will be easy for your friends to browse past Instagram photos.

Previously, only the instagr.am link was shared to your wall and your friends needed to visit that link in order to view your photo. Additionally, you couldn’t tag people in the photos and ‘likes’ and comments were technically made to the shared link, not the photo.

I was very excited when I noticed this change as I have been wanting Instagram to work like this for a very long time. I believe my Instagram photos will now receive more comments and ‘likes’ and I’m glad I’ll be able to click through my friends’ Instagram albums, since I know I miss many of their shared photos.

This change is only for photos uploaded to Instagram from now on. If you want to add previous photos to your Facebook album, you’ll need to share it again from within the Instagram app.

Source: Instagram

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)

Akai Tries for MPC Renaissance with Controllers, New Software

2012-01-08T15:10:00.001+02:00

Looks like an MPC. Should sound like an MPC. But for the first time, something called “MPC” that relies on your computer. Good news or bad news? We’ll know soon enough.

The MPC name and MPC legend are as big as ever. But the current products? Not so much. Let’s face it: Akai could use a bit of a renaissance. Users these days put just as much stock in the MPC as a concept, and the MPC hardware still attracts users, but other products are stealing Akai’s thunder (Ableton Live, Native Instruments Maschine), and the human faces beloved by users aren’t at Akai (from the hacked JJOS firmware to Roger Linn off working on the Dave Smith-released Tempest). And while it doesn’t have the same mass appeal, hardware from other makers – the Tempest or the Machinedrum and Octatrack – have more street cred these days. That isn’t to say Akai isn’t doing well, but ironically, most of the Akai users I run into these days are using the APC with Ableton, or a treasured MPC from some years back.

This week, we get a glimpse of Akai’s strategy for changing that. The surprise: all three products are controllers for software, not the all-in-one, integrated hardware that made the MPC famous.

To many, it may be more the sad end of an era than the beginning of a new one. With plenty of software tools on the market, Akai was in the eyes of a loyal user base the go-to name for integrated hardware. But we’ll see if the MPC can win over those same folks with greater flexibility, as an apparent concession to the reduced development cost and expanded capabilities of relying on a computer for horsepower.

The MPC Renaissance is a larger controller with integrated audio and MIDI interface. It has a “Vintage Mode” said to emulate the sound “character” of the MPC3000, MPC60, and other units. And it comes with a fold-up LED screen and backlit pads. But the actual sound generation relies on the computer; it’s an interactive controller. We’ve, of course, seen this notion before, in Native Instruments’ Maschine. Whether that direct comparison is ultimately fair or not, the popularity of Maschine and the fact that it came first will make such comparisons inevitable. The major difference in Akai’s approach is that this is a big controller, complete with vintage-style palm rests and loads of I/O. It’s a Cadillac Escalade to NI’s Volkswagen Jetta. And with that extra space, you get more controls, like a stunning 4×4 array of encoders with LEDs, as popularized on Akai’s APC.

And the hardware looks far more elaborate than what we’ve tended to see, even from Akai. It’s the first controller that seems like it’d look at home next to an original MPC.

I like that the controller won’t be mistaken for anything but an MPC. The big question is, is Akai any good at making software? The first screenshot isn’t exactly pulse-quickening, though it does have plug-in support out of the gate. I wouldn’t judge on a preview, but I’ll say this: I think the software will make or break this product, and that’s what I’ll be asking about when I visit Akai at NAMM in Anaheim.

The other two products are teased now and coming soon:
MPC Studio is a “slimline” controller. (Well, almost anything would be more slimline than the massive, wide-load Renaissance, so we’ll see what that means.)

MPC Fly is a controller for iPad 2. If you can get over the name and the latest leap on the iPad bandwagon, consider this – there’s some seriously major consumer appeal here, and of the three, the Fly is the one where Akai is first to market. That makes a big difference. I can see why they kept it for last, even if it may be the least appealing to MPC loyalists.

A first glimpse of the big unknown here. Sure, the hardware looks cool – but what will Akai desktop software be like, especially as it goes toe to toe with established tools like Maschine, Ableton, and a host of software drum machines?

I’ll reserve judgment on any of this, as I have no idea who worked on these products at Akai, or what the quality will be. My concern is that the appeal of the MPC is really integrated hardware, and mixing the computer into the equation is something other products already do reasonably well – ironically, including Akai’s own APC coupled with Ableton. It seems a huge test for Akai going into this generation of music production.

Now, I’m willing to accept the possibility that this will be a flexible, functional approach. But first, I’ll just wait through what I imagine will be a hailstorm of angry MPC purists. After that settles down, we’ll finally see if Akai is, as they’re putting it, “changing the game” – or if they’re in the same league. What determines that may be just how much the game has changed already. (And from the Ableton side, it’ll be a big test of the partnership with Akai for integrating hardware and software.)

Video below, with some artists onboard already – AraabMUZIK, Sean C, and LV.

Product specs and full info will be available week after next, coinciding with the massive NAMM trade show in California. We’ll be there with Akai.

Early spec highlights – basically, think MPC-style sound samples and features, and lots of audio I/O, as the two things missing from most rivals:

MPC Note Repeat, MPC Swing and MPC transport controls
MPC software for Mac or PC with 64-track sequencing capability
Two XLR-1/4” combo inputs and dedicated turntable input
Four-channel USB 2.0 audio interface and two-port US B 2.0 hub built in
Up to eight pad banks
Two MIDI inputs and four MIDI outputs
Stereo 1/4” out, stereo assignable mix 1/4” out & S/PDIF I/O
MPC SOFTWARE
64-track sequencing capability
6GB+ sound library, including all of the sounds of the classic MPC3000
Instant mapping and real-time adjustment of VST plug-ins
Record each track as an MPC drum program, Keygroup program or VST plug-in
Runs standalone and as VST, AU or RTAS plug-in
Supports WAV, MP3, AIFF, REX and SND
Supports samples and sequences from any MPC ever made
Mac and PC-compatible

http://www.akaiprompc.com/
http://www.akaiprompc.com/mpcrenaissance.php

(Via Create Digital Music.)

The Ultimate Guide to Using iTunes Match

2012-01-08T15:09:00.001+02:00

Keep an iTunes music library in the cloud and upgrade existing tracks for $24.99 per year with iTunes Match.

There haven’t been any truly significant advances with iTunes music since Apple unshackled songs from the FairPlay digital rights management ball and chain in early 2009. That all changed with the recent introduction of iTunes Match, a new scan-and-match subscription service offering access to your entire music library from any Mac, PC, or iOS device which can also upgrade matched tracks to higher quality versions, regardless of where you acquired them.

What You’ll Need:

>> iTunes 10.5.1 or later
>> $24.99 subscription to iTunes Match

Difficulty: Medium

1. Signing Up

Subscribe to iTunes Match in a few clicks, then enjoy a year of having your music everywhere for only $24.99.

While iTunes Match is part of Apple’s iCloud service, it isn’t free. You’ll need to sign up for an annual subscription of $24.99 with the same Apple ID you use for iTunes purchases, which can only be done from iTunes 10.5.1 (or later) on a Mac or PC. From the Store menu, choose Turn On iTunes Match, then click the blue Subscribe for $24.99 Per Year button. Enter your Apple ID and password to confirm, click Add This Computer, and sit back while iTunes takes care of the dirty work for you.

2. Scan, Match and Upload

After you sign up, iTunes Match will commence with a three-step process to get your music library in the cloud.

iTunes will now perform a three-step process. First, iTunes gathers information about your music library, uploading the results to Apple’s servers. Second, your music is matched against more than 20 million tracks already in the iTunes Store. Finally, iTunes will upload tracks it couldn’t match, which is the lengthiest part of the process for most of us. You’ll want to set aside a few hours for iTunes to do its work just in case, but you can shut down and pick up again at any time, and continue to use iTunes while Match works in the background.

If you have more than 25,000 tracks, iTunes Match won’t work - at least, not unless you delete tracks to hit that magic number or disguise them as podcasts (which are ineligible) by choosing File > Get Info (or Command-I) and changing Media Kind to Podcast in the Options tab. The service also limits individual tracks to 200MB or less, and songs with DRM will be matched and uploaded only if your computer is authorized to play them in the first place.

3. iCloud Status

A handy chart on Apple’s support website shows the five types of iTunes Match icons that may appear.

iTunes Match really begins to strut its stuff with the new iCloud Status column. To turn it on, select the Music library (or any playlist) in the sidebar, choose View > View Options (or Command-J), and select iCloud Status in the middle column. Click OK and the iCloud Status column will now show at a glance whether a particular track is Purchased (bought from the iTunes Store and most likely already 256Kbps), Matched (available to download or upgrade), Uploaded (no upgraded version available), or Not Eligible (not a music track or its bit rate is below 96Kbps). Other status icons include Error (for corrupted tracks or upload problems) and Waiting (for tracks yet to be matched).

To quickly identify matched tracks, use the View Options dialog to turn on iCloud Status.

4. Smart Playlist to the Rescue

The easiest way to find and download matched tracks is to create a Smart Playlist such as the one shown here.

The first thing you’ll want to do is upgrade old tracks to higher-quality 256Kbps DRM-free AAC format from Apple’s servers. The easiest way to find and replace these matched tracks is with a Smart Playlist; to create one, choose File > New Smart Playlist and enter the settings shown here. The goal is to find all files with a Bit Rate less than 256Kbps whose Media Kind is Music. Add “Any of the following are true” by holding down the Option key while you click the + button after the second row, then add “iCloud Status is Matched” and optionally “iCloud Status is Purchased” in case you still have older 128Kbps tracks hanging around that were never upgraded via iTunes Plus. Click OK and you’ll be prompted to name the new Smart Playlist in the sidebar, and presented with a list of qualified tracks.

5. Purge a Track

To delete a matched track, use Option-Delete and move the old media to the Trash.

Now that we’ve narrowed down tracks eligible for an upgrade, it’s time to delete them. While purging your precious music might sound nerve-wracking, iTunes Match makes it a snap. The actual media gets deleted, but your artwork and metadata—including play counts and Last Played data—remains intact, even after downloading the new media. Select a track in your new Smart Playlist as a guinea pig, hold down the Option key, and press Delete. iTunes will ask for confirmation; click Delete Item and then Move to Trash, which removes the track from your iTunes folder but keeps it available should something go wrong.

The selected track remains in your iTunes Smart Playlist, but there’s now an icon in the iCloud Download column. Click it and the track will be downloaded from iCloud in 256Kbps DRM-free AAC format, regardless of its original format. After doing this, the track will vanish from your Smart Playlist (thanks to the “Live updating” feature), but it remains in your library as well as any previously assigned playlists.

6. Delete and Download En Masse

Easily download multiple tracks with the Control key and a shortcut menu.

Now let’s move on to deleting the rest of your matched tracks. This can be done a number of ways: a few at a time (useful for confirming successful matches as you go), an album or artist at a time, or even the entire Smart Playlist, all at once. Select multiple tracks and repeat the Option-Delete shortcut above. Worried you’ll sprain a finger clicking each individual track for download? Fear not! Select the tracks again, hold down the Control key, and choose Download from the shortcut menu. Now sit back and let iTunes pull the tracks down from iCloud, one after the other.

7. Add Other Devices

Turn on iTunes Match on your iOS 5 device, and all of your cloud-based music will be available for download.

The real beauty of iTunes Match comes when you add other devices—be they additional Mac or Windows computers, or any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (running iOS 5 or later). Sign in to the iTunes Store with the same Apple ID, turn on iTunes Match, and that device will now have access to your entire iTunes library. Download individual tracks and entire albums, artists, or playlists as needed, from anywhere there’s an internet connection.

From your Mac or PC, choose Store > Turn On iTunes Match, then click Add This Computer to get started. From any iOS 5 device, go to Settings > Music and toggle iTunes Match on; if you prefer to view only tracks that actually reside on the device, turn off Show All Music, which by default will display everything available on iCloud. If you have favorites you’ll want to always keep on the device, it’s faster to sync these tracks via iTunes prior to turning on iTunes Match.

8. Convert and Quit

Once matched and upgraded, tracks are yours to keep even if you discontinue iTunes Match—but they’re tagged with your Apple ID, so you might not want to pass them on to others.

If you have ancient tracks in your library encoded at a bit rate of 96Kbps or less, iTunes Match will ignore them—but there is a workaround. Select the songs and choose Create AAC Version from the Advanced menu, making sure your encoded quality (Preferences > Import Settings) is over the threshold. Once matched, simply delete them and download the upgraded versions, same as before. Upgraded tracks are not protected by digital rights management, so they’re yours to keep; quitting iTunes Match simply ends your ability to match further tracks or access them via iCloud.

(Via Mac|Life - All Articles.)

CloudOn offers Microsoft Office functionality for iPad, your parents will love it

2012-01-08T15:04:00.001+02:00

If you got your parents an iPad for Christmas, you were probably thanked with this: "Can it run Office?" CloudOn may be the answer, the cloud-based service letting you log in to create and edit Office documents on the aforesaid slate. Similar to a lot of remote services, CloudOn runs Office on its own end and allows you to pull in documents from Dropbox for editing and post them back when you're done. Strangely, CloudOn launched on the App Store as a freebie but was pulled due to heavy demand. The company has asked users to sign up to be notified when the app goes back in the App Store. In other news, Las Vegas oddsmakers are now taking bets as to which will occur first; the release of an iOS-native version of Microsoft Office or the Robot Apocalypse.

CloudOn offers Microsoft Office functionality for iPad, your parents will love it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

(Via Engadget.)

Apple to introduce two new iPad models early next year? iPad 2 to remain at an entry-level price?

2012-01-05T16:02:00.001+02:00

According to a report from DigiTimes, Apple will be unveiling two new models of the iPad at the iWorld conference (previously known as Macworld) in San Francisco, California on January 26, 2012.

The news comes from the company's supply chain partners, who also claim that Apple will be keeping the iPad 2 around at an entry-level price, similar to the current iPhone lineup (with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 still available at a lower cost of the iPhone 4S). The new lineup will be designed to show that Apple has products for entry-level, mid-range, and high-end consumer markets.

According to the report, the two new iPad models will both feature the same 9.7-inch display as the iPad 2, but with a higher resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels. "Dual-LED light bars" will also be making an appearance to strengthen the brightness of the display. Finally, DigiTimes briefly mentions that no smaller, 7.85-inch iPad will be introduced during the conference as previously rumored.

The news that Apple will be introducing new devices at iWorld comes as a bit of a surprise to many, especially considering that Apple hasn't directly participated in the conference since 2009 (when it was still called Macworld). Recent reports claimed that Apple was moving towards a late February or early March announcement date of the next-generation iPad.

(Via It's All Tech.)

Hackers Enable iOS / iPad Full Screen Apps on Jailbreak 'd Apple TV

2012-01-05T16:01:00.001+02:00

While we all wait to see if Apple’s HDTV will become a reality later this year, enterprising hackers have been hard at work over the holidays cooking up their latest magical feat: Running iOS apps full screen on the existing (jailbroken) second-generation Apple TV.

MacRumors is reporting on the progress of two iOS developers who have taken it upon themselves to hack a jailbroken second-generation Apple TV and bring full-screen, full resolution iOS apps to the television. “TheMudKip” created “a custom Springboard (Home Screen),” while Steven Troughton-Smith has used his experience running iPhone and iPad apps at full resolution.

“Many existing apps seem to run well on the Apple TV, which is known to be an iOS device using an A4 processor,” MacRumors reports. “When this generation of the Apple TV was released, we noted that Apple may have had plans to incorporate native applications all along. In fact, Jobs said that an Apple TV App Store could launch when the time is right.”

For now, the hack is more of a proof of concept than anything else, but as shown in the embedded YouTube video below, if Apple doesn’t want to provide full-screen iOS apps for the Apple TV, the hackers might just step in and fill the void.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Via Mac|Life - All Articles.)

Daily Tip: How to untethered jailbreak original iPad, iPhone 4, and older devices on iOS 5.0.1 with redsn0w 0.9.10b1

2012-01-05T15:58:00.001+02:00

Heard about the untethered jailbreak for the original iPad, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and older models running iOS 5.0.1 and curious how to use it on your own device?. This jailbreak won’t yet work with newer, Apple A5 chipset-powered devices, namely the iPhone 4S or iPad 2, but if you own anything earlier, you’re in luck.

Supported devices

iPhone 4 (GSM & CDMA)
iPod touch 4th generation
iPad (orignal model)
iPhone 3GS

What you need

A supported device – please note this will not work for iPhone 4S or iPad 2
A Mac or PC
redsn0w 0.9.10b1 – Mac, Windows

Untether via the Corona Cydia package

If you’re already tethered jailbroken on iOS 5.0.1, you can untether your jailbreak using the Corona package in Cydia.

Untether via redsn0w

If for some reason you’d prefer using redsn0w to untether, you may do so. Just run the version of redsn0w linked above over your existing jailbreak. When prompted what you want to do, just uncheck Install Cydia since you already have it installed. Let redsn0w do its thing and you should be untethered when it completes.

Jailbreak your device

If you’re not jailbroken at all, perform the following steps –

First Launch redsn0w
This version and other newer versions of redsn0w should automatically detect what version of iOS you are running. No need to manually browse to a firmware file this time. Just click Jailbreak and follow the prompts.
Next redsn0w will prompt you to only continue when your device is powered off. If it isn’t already, power your device off while it’s connected to the computer.
Next you will be guided through putting your device into DFU mode. Follow the steps and redsn0w will take care of the rest.
After redsn0w finishes doing it’s thing, you’re done!

Common issues and how to solve them

Stuck on Apple logo or in recovery mode

Some users seem to be experiencing this issue. Performing a clean restore in iTunes and then attempting to jailbreak after a clean install should alleviate this issue.

redsn0w fails

First attempt to select a custom IPSW under Extras in redsn0w and navigate to the iOS 5.0.1 IPSW to see if this fixes the issue. If it still fails, try a clean restore in iTunes and then attempt to jailbreak again.

If you’re running into other issues, make sure to check out our jailbreak and unlock forums for further help troubleshooting common and not so common jailbreak issues.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

(Via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.)