MacNewsBlog

Apple Light on the Announcements Made at MacWorld San Francisco

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:22:34 -1000

In what seemed to be proof that Apple doesn't need a MacWorld to announce products, yesterday's keynote made by Phil Schiller didn't contain the type of groundbreaking products Apple customers are used to. In his keynote, Phil mentioned that 3.4 million people visit the apple store worldwide per week...In other words, he translated that to 100 MacWorlds each and every week. I think in this respect, Phil was distancing Apple and MacWorld of the future. In any case, Apple did have some news for us with the release of a robust set of new software and a new Mac Book Pro (unibody enclosure) 17". If you missed it, the 2009 versions of iLife and iWork were announced with many many new exciting features. Also in a somewhat surprising move, Apple has made changes to it's iTunes store and is now allowing some of it's content to be DRM-free AND variable priced. This has been a long time coming with Amazon doing it already but the I'm not sure the rumor sites had this pegged.

The Quiet Before the Storm

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:45:22 -1000

All's quiet on the Apple front as the world awaits Apple's next version of its MacBook and MacBook Pro if rumors are right. Endgaget yesterday posted spy photos of what is reported to be the next MacBook Pro. Sources who have seen it say that it only comes with a glossy screen and a black bezel. The jury is still out as to if the unit has a metal or plastic casing. Well, stay tuned and if you'd like to watch the live coverage, here's the link to the Engadget live coverage. Oh yes, and here's the gratuitous spy shot:

OS X 10.5.5 Update Released - Fixes Over 30 issues

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:39:36 -1000

Yesterday, Apple released the 10.5.5 update to their Leopard Operating System via the software update panel. The update is recommend by Apple for all users who are running 10.5, 10.5.2, 10.5.2, 10.5.3 and 10.5.4. In a somewhat unusual warning, Apple says you should back up your computer before installing the update. We here know that backing up your computer before an update should be standard practice, but often times that step gets overlooked in the rush to apply a patch. From Apple's Website, the 136 MB download includes the following improvements: General Includes recent Apple security updates. Addresses stability issues with video playback, processor core idling, and remote disc sharing for MacBook Air. Addresses an issue in which some Macs could unexpectedly power on at the same time each day. Resolves a stability issue in TextEdit that could be found when accessing the color palette. Improves Spotlight indexing performance. Fixes an issue in which contacts might not sync properly with PalmOS-based devices. Improves iPhone sync reliability with iCal and Address Book. Includes improvements to Active Directory (see this article for more information). Improves Speech Dictionary. Fixes Kerberos authentication issues for Mac OS X 10.5 clients that connect to certain Samba servers, such as Mac OS X Server version 10.4. Includes extensive graphics enhancements. Address Book Addresses stability issues that may occur when creating a Smart Group. Resolves a printing issue with address cards containing information that spans more than one page. Disk Utility and Directory Utility Improves reliability when rebuilding a software mirror RAID volume in Disk Utility. Improves reliability of server status displayed in Directory Utility. iCal Updates iCal to more accurately handle repeating events. Improves performance when choosing meeting attendees. Resolves an issue in which the "Refresh All" option may be dimmed ("grayed out") in the contextual menu for certain calendars. Fixes issues with read-only calendars. Addresses an issue that prevents an invitee from moving an event to a different calendar. Resolves an issue with syncing published calendars. Mail Addresses performance issues related to displaying IMAP messages. Resolves an issue with SMTP settings for AIM, Compuserve, Hanmail, Yahoo!, and Time Warner Road Runner email accounts. Addresses stability issues that may occur when dragging a file to the Mail icon in the Dock. Addresses an issue with the "Organized by Thread" view in which the date does not appear when the thread is collapsed. Resolves an issue in which RSS feeds could temporarily disappear from the sidebar. Improves Mail robustness when sending messages. Improves reliability when saving drafts that have attachments. MobileMe Improves overall sync reliability. Improves Back to My Mac reliability. Time Machine Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule. Addresses performance issues that may affect initial and in-progress backups. Fixes an issue in which an incorrect alert message could appear stating that a backup volume does not have enough free space. Time Machine can now back up iPhone backups that are on your Mac, as well as other items in (~/Library/Application Support).

Apple Patches 17 OS X Security Flaws

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:36:59 -1000

Late last night, Apple released a patch that fixed at least 17 different security holes in it's Leopard operating system. One of the most anticipated fixes is the DNS vulnerability fix that similarly affected vendors fixed in their products nearly 3 weeks ago. Security Update 2008-005 patches a serious flaw that allowed hackers to redirect surfers to counterfeit web sites. Updates are available for Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.4. Be safe and patch today

MobileMe Still Experiencing Growing Pains

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:03:36 -1000

After a rocky weekend rollout, it seems that unfortunately, Apple's newly rolled out web-based internet services application, called MobileMe is still experiencing problems. When MobileMe first was introduced, I was really excited and intrigued by what Apple was trying to accomplish. The concept behind MobileMe is a great one, syncing calender, contact and email data over the internet to ALL your devices (your desktop, iphone, laptop, etc.). In any case, while I think I will be purchasing the service in the future, I'm glad that I haven't jumped right in as they say because it seems that approximately 1% of MobileMe users are having email problems. We'll see what the next few weeks hold for MobileMe users, but I wish Apple all the best because I want this new service of theirs to succeed. Good Luck Apple!

MobileMe to Launch Tomorrow

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:17:10 -1000

Apple has set the date to launch its new service called MobileMe for tomorrow. MobileMe is a replacement for Apple's aging .Mac subscription service. In a nutshell, MobileMe accomplishes what Microsoft's LiveMesh was supposed to deliver (ie. the ability to access your data anywhere and sync the information amongst all your devices) For me, this is an interesting concept and I'm guessing that a lot of people will be joining up for this new service...especially as a lot of people will be getting iPhone 3Gs and it is compatible with Windows machines (after all, it is web-based) In any case, for a more detailed explanation, visit Apple's MobileMe webpage at: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/

Next iteration of OS X "Snow Leopard" to Leave Behind PPC Support

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:33:00 -1000

Confirmed by a screenshot taken from an early "Snow Leopard" build, it appears that the next iteration of OS X will be dropping PPC support. The system requirements clearly state that an Intel-Mac is required for the OS. Not only will Snow Leopard bring faster performance javascript and system wide, it also said to minimize the amount of hard drive space needed for installation. One way of course to do this is by shedding universal binaries and only targeting development for intel-based machines... Snow Leopard is scheduled for release sometime in mid-2009, so the PPC has a bit of life left in it.

Snow Leopard Previewed at WWDC 2008

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:51:21 -1000

Along with the iPhone, Apple also previewed an early build of the next release of OS X, code named "Snow Leopard." Basically along with some additional features, Snow Leopard will boast a smaller footprint and faster javascript performance...Due in mid-2009, Snow Leopard will also be able to access multiple cores, up to 16TB of Ram and of course, Exchange 2007 compatible... More information can be found on Apple's Snow Leopard Preview Site: http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/

10.6 to be shown at WWDC? Intel Only?

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:34:06 -1000

The latest rumor regarding Monday's opening keynote at the WWDC is that Mac OS 10.6 will be featured in some shape or form during the conference. Not too much detail is known at this point other than it is most likely to be an Intel-only release. We think that although this makes the end of an era, it is a much needed one. One other thing to keep an eye on next week, Yeeha!

10.5.3 Released, Fixes 40 Security Holes

Thu, 29 May 2008 05:27:57 -1000

Yesterday Apple released 10.5.3 update via its automatic update servers. The over 100 MB download also fixes some UI issues in spaces however all users are being recommended to download the patch. Also, a side note, the latest iPhone SDK beta relies upon having the latest update to Mac OS X Leopard.

Game Developing Software EMotion FX Ported to the Mac

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:35:29 -1000

As interest in Apple and its computers grows, games on the Mac are thriving. Once a chicken or the egg scenario, developers are beginning to realize that a lot of people want to play games on their mac. Such was the reason behind bringing EMotion FX to the Mac. Software such as EMotion FX is considered "middleware" and is often used to develop games such as Warhammer Online and Sony Entertainment's Vanguard. "The Mac platform is getting more and more market share as well as the Mac gaming sector is getting stronger. We are pleased to support PowerPC and Intel based Macs and are looking forward to work closely together with more Mac developers," said John van der Burg, development director of MysticGD.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference Sold Out

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:09:16 -1000

For the first time ever since its inception, Apple's WWDC has sold out. The June 9 - 13th conference, which is set to take place in San Francisco's Moscone West conference center will be the venue for many sessions on both Macintosh and iPhone software development. Bill Evans from Apple said, "Response to this year's WWDC has been off the charts and we are delighted with the show of enthusiasm and support from the developer community for the new iPhone SDK." He later added, "The conference is now sold out. For those unable to attend WWDC, session videos will be available to purchase on iTunes shortly after the conference." Last buy definitely not lease, also, much anticipated is the keynote which is given traditionally by Apple's CEO Mr. Steve Jobs.

Mac OS X 10.5.3 9D29 to Allow Backups While on Battery Power

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:48:41 -1000

Developers being seeded Apple's latest releases have noticed that Mac OS X 10.5.3 9D29 includes a new option to allow backups to time machine hard drives/capsules while on battery power. Previously this was not allowed probably because Apple didn't want machines to run out of steam while they were backing up. Most of the other fixes are to bugs and stability issues...Look forward to this release in the near future.

Apple Update Brings Java SE 6 Support to Leopard

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:43:09 -1000

Yesterday, in an unannounced software update, Apple added Java 6 support to Leopard via virtual machine. The update which adds support for the Java 6 Standard Edition (SE) comes with Java SE 6 version 1.6.0_05. Of interesting note, the update will leave Java 5 alone, and won't actually change the default version of Java to Java 6, but Leopard owners should be able to run Java 6 apps. The only downside to this update is that Java SE 6 can only be installed on 64-bit Intel Macs, so Core Duo or PowerPC processor machines are out of luck. One last thing, you'll also need to be running the latest version of Leopard, 10.5.2, in order to install the new(ish) Java hotness. The update is 57MB in size, and is available via the software update feature.

iMac Receives a Minor Speed Bump

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:46:11 -1000

Apple today refreshed its iMac line of computers bumping speeds up to 3.06GHz. From the press release: "Apple today updated its all-in-one iMac line with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. With prices starting at just $1,199, iMac includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. The 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options, extending iMac's lead as the ultimate all-in-one desktop computer for both consumers and professionals."