NZMac.com News

New, improved, NZMac.com!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:14:33 +0100

Welcome to version 6 of NZMac.com! Despite the obvious new look to the site, this version is more about what's "under the hood" than about the redesign. Those changes though have taken quite some time to prepare, which delayed the redesign until now. NZMac.com now runs on version 1.5 of the Joomla Content Management System and will continue to evolve over the coming months with great new features.

Using a Mac analogy, this change has been a bit like moving to Mac OS X for the first time. And like that transition, the site is now a combination of components running natively and those running under a legacy layer (Joomla's version of "classic" mode). The delay was in deciding when an appropriate time to make that change would be, and developing the NZiPhone.com site using the new version of Joomla provided me with the the insight into what was involved (See?! It's all been one big master plan!)

Some components have been replaced with newer more powerful versions of similar components, whilst some have been updated to those capable of running in "classic" mode or running natively. The most notable of the components running in what Joomla describes as "legacy mode" is the forum section (and probably will for some time). The Quick Tips section is an example of a new component for the new look as the previous component in use hadn't been updated for some time. The new section includes the ability for others to easily place comments into existing quick tips.

The fact that some components were and were not being updated (or had quietly died an open source death) meant it was also an opportune time to further examine which sections of the site were being used. The newsletter system was in heavy use, but the fact was it was simply being used by me on an occasional basis to repeat content that was on the site already. That has now been replaced completely by the News Bulletin system, that does a far better job of automatically sending out new news than I could ever hope for.

There are some big changes planned as more components appear for the Joomla 1.5 CMS and there are some minor tweaks still to be made also. But, as I've always said...I consider NZMac.com to be a work in progress.

Thanks again to everyone for their support, and for the positive feedback from those that I gave a 'sneak peek' to of the site when it was under development.

Welcome to NZMac.com, again.

Regards,

Philip Roy

PS..before anyone rushes to correct me that front page title says "Welcome, again"....I am aware that Apple has used "Hello, again" in the past as opposed to "Welcome, again". Apple's just being very litigious at the moment, so I didn't want the layers on to me...ha! ;-)

Apple event signals new notebooks

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:09:51 +0100

Surprising few in the fact that new notebooks are on the way (but surprising many by mentioning them in the invite), Apple have announced an October 14 event related to new or revised MacBooks. Speculation has surrounded recent activity within Apple, with the strongest debate and speculation concerning the "brick"...an apparent codename for an item under development by Apple.

Either way, if it is just revisions of the MacBook range or a new form factor and product, next week will be of interest to all Mac fans worldwide.

Speculation on what might be in store for us can be found at....

iPhone does well at Brit Tech Awards

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:13:02 +0100

Apple did well at the recent British Technology Awards, scooping 5 awards in total. 4 of these were for the iPhone, with the associated client software for it and all things media and music related (iTunes) winning Best Music Technology. The 4 awards that the iPhone won were Best Mobile Technology, Gadget of the Year, Most Stylish Technology (hmm...an interesting category!?) and Technological Innovation of the Year.

10.5.5 Update released

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:27:04 +0100

Apple today released the Mac OS X 10.5.5 Update, which is recommended for all versions of Mac OS X Leopard. It includes general operating system improvements that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. A more detailed list of the fixes that the update contains can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2405

Apple introduces new iPod touch

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:51:25 +0100

UPDATE Apple today introduced the second generation iPod touch featuring an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPod touch, now available for just $389 RRP (including GST) for the 8GB model, is perfect for playing music, movies and games, with millions of songs, thousands of Hollywood movies and hundreds of games available on the iTunes Store.

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"iPod touch is the funnest iPod we've ever created," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Users can listen to millions of songs, watch thousands of Hollywood movies and now, thanks to the App Store, download and play hundreds of great games on their iPod touch."

The new iPod touch is smaller and lighter than the original, with a sleek new design that features a contoured metal enclosure with integrated volume control buttons and a brilliant 3.5-inch widescreen glass display. With its rounded edges, flush display and curved, more compact design, the new iPod touch is more comfortable to hold and more portable than ever.

iPod touch users can choose from hundreds of exciting game titles such as "Spore Origins" and "Scrabble" from Electronic Arts, and "Real Football 2009" from Gameloft available on iTunes or directly through the App Store application on the iPod touch. The revolutionary App Store works over Wi-Fi, enabling users to browse, purchase and wirelessly download applications directly onto their iPod touch and start using them instantly. The App Store features an incredible array of applications in a wide variety of categories, including games, travel, entertainment, social networking, sports and much more.

iPod touch works seamlessly with iTunes so you can import, manage, and then easily auto-sync your favorite content. With up to 36 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod touch is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favorite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go. The 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video; the 16GB model holds up to 3,500 songs, 20,000 photos or 20 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video.*

The new iPod touch works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on the go. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.

The new iPod touch also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with the new iPod touch to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

The iPod is the world's most popular family of digital music players with over 160 million sold. Apple's incredible new lineup includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid new colours starting at just $75 RRP (including GST); the iPod classic in one slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same great price120GB of storage for just $399 RRP (including GST); the fourth generation iPod nano featuring a gorgeous curved metal and curved glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colours starting at $249 RRP (including GST); and the second generation iPod touch now starting at just $389 RRP (including GST). iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 5,000 products made specifically for the iPod including speaker systems, fitness accessories, fashionable cases and iPod connectivity available in the majority of new car models sold in New Zealand.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of $389 RRP (including GST) for the 8GB model, $498 RRP (including GST) for the 16GB and $659 RRP (including GST) for the 32 GB model through the {jumi [plugins/content/jumisnippets/apple_store.php]} and Apple Authorised Resellers. iPod touch requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 8. Existing iPod touch users can update to the latest 2.1 software for just $12.99 to add the new Genius feature. iPod touch owners who already have the 2.0 software get the 2.1 software update for free. Simply download the latest version of iTunes onto your Mac or PC, and purchase the 2.1 software update via iTunes.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes; and video capacity is based on H.264 1.5-Mbps video at 640-by-480 resolution.

[Update 1 - NZ Pricing added]

Apple introduces new iPod nano

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:46:46 +0100

UPDATE Apple today introduced the new fourth generation iPod nano, the thinnest iPod ever featuring a sleek new design with a curved aluminum and glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors. The new iPod nano incorporates Apple's breakthrough Genius technology which automatically creates playlists from songs in your music library that go great together, with just one click. The new iPod nano also features a refined user interface, a high resolution portrait display and a built-in accelerometer which automatically switches to Cover Flow when rotated and automatically goes into Shuffle mode when lightly shaken. The new iPod nano gives users up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback and is available worldwide immediately in an 8GB model $249 RRP (including GST) and a 16GB model for just $329 RRP (including GST). Both models come in silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED and black.

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"The iPod nano is the world's most popular music player and we've made it even better for this holiday season," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think users are going to love the amazing new design, the automatic Genius playlist creation, as well as automatically going into Cover Flow with just a turn of the wrist."

The new iPod nano—the thinnest iPod ever—features an elegant new design that beautifully blends a brilliant two-inch display with a gorgeous curved aluminum and glass enclosure. The new contoured design fits even more comfortably in your hand.

iPod nano works seamlessly with iTunes so you can import, manage and then easily auto-sync your favorite content. You can buy music, video and games for your iPod nano from the iTunes Store with more than 8.5 million songs available for preview and one-click purchase. With up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod nano is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favorite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go. The 16GB model holds up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos and 16 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos and eight hours of video.*

The new iPod nano works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on-the-go with their iPod nano. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.

The iPod is the world's most popular family of digital music players with over 160 million sold. Apple's incredible new lineup includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid new colors starting at just $49; the iPod classic in one slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same great price - 120GB of storage for just $249; the fourth generation iPod nano featuring a gorgeous curved aluminum and curved glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors starting at $149; and the second generation iPod touch now starting at just $229. iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 5,000 products made specifically for the iPod including speaker systems, fitness accessories, fashionable cases and iPod connectivity available in over 90 percent of new car models sold in the US.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPod nano is available immediately for a suggested price of $249 RRP (including GST) for the 8GB model and $329 RRP (including GST) for the 16GB model through the {jumi [plugins/content/jumisnippets/apple_store.php]} and Apple Authorised Resellers. Both capacities come in silver, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED and black. iPod nano requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8

Apple announces iTunes 8

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:39:18 +0100

Apple today announced iTunes 8, the next major release of Apple's ubiquitous music and video player for Macs and PCs which is seamlessly integrated with the most popular online content store in the world (www.itunes.com). iTunes 8 includes the new breakthrough Genius feature, which lets you automatically create playlists from songs in your music library that go great together—with just one click. Genius helps music fans rediscover favorite songs in their existing music library and suggests related music on the iTunes Store they might want to add to their music collection. iTunes 8 features new ways of viewing your music and video libraries, and adds television programs in stunning high definition for sale on the iTunes Store.

Using Apple's breakthrough Genius feature is easy—select any song, click the Genius button, and iTunes instantly creates a playlist of songs that go great together from your own library. You can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later. You can even create Genius Playlists on-the-go with the new iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone. The Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don't already have, based on the songs you select.

When you turn on iTunes 8's new Genius feature, information about your music library is anonymously sent to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to your personal music library, are sent back to your computer to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on your iPods, even when they are not connected to the Internet.

iTunes 8's new visual browsing interface displays your music and video libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.

The iTunes Store has become the world's most popular online TV store and features an incredible selection of over 30,000 episodes from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA. With iTunes 8, television fans can now watch their favorite programs from ABC, NBC and Showtime in stunning HD for just $2.99 per episode, perfect for viewing on their Mac or PC, or on their widescreen TV with Apple TV.

The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 8 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (www.itunes.com). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Video availability varies by country.

App Store downloads top 100 Million worldwide

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:37:29 +0100

Apple today announced that iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded more than 100 million applications from its groundbreaking new App Store since its launch on July 11, 2008. More than 3,000 applications are currently available on the App Store, with over 90 percent priced at less than $10 and more than 600 offered for free. Applications can take advantage of iPhone's large display, innovative Multi-Touch user interface, fast hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology to create mobile applications unlike any seen before.

"iPhone's unique capabilities, easy SDK and the ability to reach an audience of millions via the App Store made this an easy development choice for us," said John Pollard, Jott CEO. "To date, we've had hundreds of thousands of downloads of Jott for iPhone, which has been a major win for our company."

"Because I already had a full-time job I used the iPhone SDK to create Trisim in my spare time and in my wildest dreams I never expected this kind of result," said Steve Demeter, founder of Demiforce. "Selling over 27,000 downloads in the first three weeks means I now have a significant new income stream and some exciting career choices that I didn't have a couple of months ago."

"As an 18 year old iPhone Developer Program member I won an Apple WWDC student scholarship and used the opportunity to complete my app over the summer," said Bryan Henry, developer of Equivalence. "It was a lot of fun to pull it together and certainly the most lucrative summer job I've ever had as I made over $8,000 in my first month of App Store sales."

"Our new account registrations on the App Store are 300 percent better than all our other registration avenues combined," said Chris MacAskill, SmugMug's co-founder. "We've been able to do things with our iPhone app that we just couldn't have dreamed of doing on any other mobile platform, so these are revolutionary times for us and for iPhone and iPod touch users."

The App Store on iPhone works over cellular networks and Wi-Fi, so users can wirelessly download applications directly onto their iPhone or iPod touch and start using them immediately. Applications are free or charged to the user's iTunes account and the App Store notifies the user when updates are available for their apps. The App Store is also available on iTunes (www.itunes.com) for Mac or PC, which syncs applications to the iPhone or iPod touch using a USB cable.

Site offline October 9 - 12

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:37:12 +0100

I'm posting this as a news item so that people on the news bulletin service will be informed. The site is to be taken offline from 6pm October 9 until (probably) late on October 12. This is to move the site to Joomla (the open source content management system that runs this site) version 1,5 and to move the site to a new design. It's going to be a fairly complex process and will see some aspects of the site hidden for a while upon the return of the site....but it's also going to be a big clean out when I do this.

Basically this is also the equivalent of moving a Mac from OS 9 to the first version of OS X, with some parts of the site to still run under "classic" at first. But like that move, momentum is gathering and many Joomla components are coming out are now coming out v1.5 native. Once the site is fully 'native' (which will be some time away I suspect) I will also be able to take advantage of some performance optimisation tools for Joomla 1.5 also.

More MobileMe apologies and extensions

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:35:46 +0100

Apple today emailed users of the MobileMe service, once again apologising for problems that have troubled it from its launch and offering a further 60 day extension on top of the one month extension already given. "We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make." the email read. "To recognize our users' patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60 day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received." More details can be found online here.