Jun 11, 2008 Jun 13, 2008 Thursday June 12, 2008
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MeMobile, You Kaput
As widely predicted, Steve Jobs this week introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference the iPhone 3G that was first reported in this column late last year. The $199 price was a welcome surprise but shouldn't have been given Apple's confident predictions that it would sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year. That's four million more by Christmas in up to 70 countries, so the numbers make sense. Apple, which holds its sales estimates pretty close to the vest, had to do something like this in order to remain the darling of Wall Street. But you know what was the REAL big news in Jobs' keynote? Not his apparent poor health, which I have to admit concerns plenty of people, and for good reason. No, the big news was MobileMe, Apple's Microsoft Killer. Huh? Watch the recorded video of the speech (it is among this week's links) at around 1:10 when Phil Schiller takes the stage. He demonstrates a lot of stuff, mainly push e-mail and calendaring, but also a suite of web applications for remotely accessing user data and metadata held in MobileMe, the successor to Apple's .Mac service. He doesn't show a word processor, doesn't show a database or a spreadsheet, and doesn't show a presentation program. In short, he doesn't show the guts of any networked office-type application. He shows applications that are actually far more sophisticated than any of those. Given the code Apple already has for its iWork applications, how much more effort would it take to webify those apps, too? Not much, I'd say. A year from now I guarantee you that MobileMe will offer a complete suite of web-based Office applications. Now let's get back to that Microsoft-killing part. Microsoft's success is based on two products and only two products -- Windows and Office. Microsoft is obsessed with the idea that Google will undermine one or both of those monopolies through Google Apps. This is all Steve Ballmer thinks about and is what made him so eager to spend $40+ billion for Yahoo. But what if the real threat isn't Google at all, but Apple? In every business there is some version of the 80-20 rule that says 80 percent of the business comes from 20 percent of the customers. Smart businesses do whatever they can to play to that powerful 20 percent. If you are a new CEO who needs to turn around a business 10 minutes after walking through the door, there are two things you can do: 1) cut costs, and 2) focus on your top 20 percent customers. That's it -- you are now a turnaround expert and I grant you an honorary MBA. There's another kind of company, however, that applies the 80-20 rule in a different manner and Apple is one of those companies. They aim everything they do at that top 20 percent and ignore the rest. Sometimes you hit a home run and get 75 percent market share, like Apple did with the iPod and iTunes, but I can guarantee you the business plan was aimed at taking 20 percent, tops, and making a good living with that. There are other companies that take a similar market approach to Apple, but few of them are in the computer business. BMW and Porsche are good examples. What if Porsche were in the software business. What sort of word processor would Porsche build in 2008? It would be distributed, network-based, have central file storage and an elegant user interface. That's the key to what Steve Jobs does all day: he sits around and asks questions like, "If Porsche made a media player, what would it be like?" That's it -- you are now qualified to replace Steve Jobs at Apple on days when he's away making trouble for Disney. There are two delightful aspects of applying the 80-20 rule in this manner. For one, the 20 percent market -- if that's all that you are aiming for -- tends not to be price-sensitive. That market is willing to pay something for elegance or convenience, but better still for elegance AND convenience. That's how Apple could charge $99 per year for .Mac and for the successor to .Mac, MobileMe. There is at least $60 in profit for Apple hiding inside that $99 price. The second delightful aspect of Apple's application of the 80-20 rule is that Microsoft can't do the same thing. Microsoft can't compete. Bill Gates made the decision decades ago to go for market share -- for the 80 percent part of the 80-20 rule or -- better still -- for all 100 percent. And it looked for a while like he might get his way, until Apple was reborn. If Microsoft gets only 20 percent of any market it enters, they consider that effort a failure and it would be, because Microsoft's business is scaled and its cost structure is optimized for really, really big numbers of mindless and fairly undemanding customers, most of whom wouldn't pay $99 per year. That takes care of Microsoft, but here's the real beauty of this Apple strategy: it takes care of Google, too. Though Google has a very different approach than Microsoft does to almost every product and market segment, in this one aspect they are identical. Google, too, aims for maximal market share, which means they can't expect customers to pay and their cost structure has to be maintained such that they make a profit without being paid. Which leaves a lucrative niche all to Apple. Now let's jump back to the automobile analogy and look at Porsche, which is presently buying Volkswagen. This is probably a stupid move on Porsche's part, but makes the point that smaller, highly profitable companies can develop the kind of financial power needed to take over vastly larger, if more poorly run kinda-sorta competitors like Volkswagen. Nearly everyone who tries it is going to LOVE MobileMe, which Apple -- calling it "Microsoft Exchange for the rest of us" -- will madly market to small and medium-sized businesses, of which there are six million in the U.S. alone. Those outfits will buy iPhones, MobileMe accounts, and eventually Macs and MacBooks for their workers. IPhone enterprise customers will do the same. Organizations that find Google Apps too hard to use (have you actually tried to build a wiki using Google Sites? I have and it is HARD - far worse than using JotSpot, from which Sites supposedly evolved) or aren't big enough for Exchange will buy MobileMe instead and never look back. And that's just in the U.S. What about those other 69 countries that will have iPhone service by the end of the year and the 62 that will allow Apple's App Store? This will become a juggernaut driven not by the iPhone, not by the Mac, not by Apple's media distribution business, but equally by ALL THREE businesses. There are ways it could be made even better. For example, the smartest thing Apple could do with its cash hoard right now would probably be to buy SalesForce.com and fold that into MobileMe, instantly taking the high ground among the road warrior set. Steve Jobs is brilliant and patient. He has a plan and is executing on it to perfection. Bill Gates couldn't pick a better time to retire and let someone else take the fall.
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Fireball dares promote MacHeist after fierce criticism. Bundle sweetened!
In an attempt to save the sadly flopping MacHeist Retail Bundle promotion, the heisters have reinvented it by added few awesome new items to the list. If you were watching the MacRumorsLive coverage of the WWDC keynote on Monday, you may have noticed the MacHeist banner. I did. And when I clicked it I found that Vector Designer (normally USD$69.95), TextExpander (normally USD$29.95) and Sound... [read more at MacMerc.com]
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Qik to offer streaming for iPhone users
Filed under: Software, iPhoneQik is making sure that Flixwagon doesn't beat them at their own game. Video streaming from mobile devices has quickly become very popular, and Mashable has a video that Qik sent them in which they demo their soon-to-be-in-alpha release of Qik for the iPhone. Currently, Qik streams from devices like the Nokia N95. An iPhone app would certainly boost their user base and service as a whole.[via Mashable]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Take Control of Back to My Mac / Screen Sharing in Leopard
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Leopard, .Mac, MobileMeGlenn Fleishman of Macworld, Wi-Fi Networking News and TidBITS fame has written two new Leopard ebooks, both published today by Take Control Books. The new titles, Take Control of Back to My Mac and Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard, are part of the popular Take Control ebook series. Take Control of Back to My Mac provides many tips on how to get .Mac's MobileMe's problematic remote access service up and working for you, while Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard discusses the many tools available for sharing your Mac screen with others. The books are $10 each, but if you purchase both ebooks and enter CPN006780611BUN as a coupon code, you'll get an immediate $5 discount. There's no excuse to suffer in silence with Back to My Mac anymore!In the interest of disclosure, I've written two titles for Take Control Books, neither of which are discussed in this post.[Via TidBITS]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The cheaper iPhone 3G will cost users more; AT&T raises monthly fee
The iPhone 3G has finally arrived; people are giddy with the vastly reduced price. What a sweet deal. Imagine getting one of the most talked about iPhones starting at the low price of $199 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB, and $299 for the iPhone 3G 16GB, Not bad, not bad at all! The iPhone 3G price is a huge difference from the first generation iPhone. The first iPhone came out the starting price was $499. We've heard the reduced price rumors for the iPhone 3G for a while. It's a great feeling to know that the price reduction is true. I'm still wishing we had seen more memory, an updated camera, along with wireless synching of music. I guess I'll have to look forward to those features in the next generation iPhone. Shortly after the news about iPhone 3G price drop people started hearing unpleasant news about a change coming to AT&T's new monthly pricing plan. AT&T has struck a new deal with Apple. AT&T will be raising the monthly minimum service plan from $60 to $70 per month. iPhone 3G users will be paying an extra $240 over the lifetime of the two-year contract. Why will iPhone 3G users be paying a higher monthly fee? According to analyst’s AT&T will actually be paying Apple a few hundred bucks more per phone than they are actually charging for it, in order to make up the loss AT&T will be forced to tack on the additional fees. “Less than 20 percent of our customers have integrated devices,” Ralph de la Vega, the head of AT&T's mobile business, said during the conference call. “And, at the $199 price point, we could have mass adoption and put the iPhone in the hands of people who have never surfed the web on a phone.” With AT&T subsidizing the iPhone 3G it puts it on par with other smartphones, such as RIM's BlackBerry and Samsung's BlackJack. At the WWDC '08 keynote address, Steve Jobs mentioned that 56% of people didn't purchase the iPhone because of its price. Apple quickly learned, what many of the mainstream cellular carriers have already known, that many Americans would prefer not to part with their money up front. Will people be less likely to buy the iPhone 3G even if they will pay more over time? I doubt it. I'm not an iPhone user but that is only because the rural parts of South Carolina I travel to when I'm in South Carolina have very spotty AT&T coverage, since I rely heavily on my cellular phone for my business the iPhone is not an option. However, if it were open to my web carrier, Verizon, I would be happily sipping the Kool-Aid. Will the increase in AT&T's monthly fees stop you from purchasing the iPhone?
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Will he or won't he iPhone 3G?
The Macalope is certain that you're sitting at home asking yourself, "I wonder if the Macalope's going to buy an iPhone 3G?" Don't be embarrassed. It's OK. It's not unusual to wonder what a mythical creature who's part man, part antelope and part Mac would want in a phone. Well, OK, maybe it is. But the horny one much prefers this kind of question to when you've called him late at night and asked what he's wearing. Which is pretty stupid, really. What's he wearing? Come on. Fur. He's wearing fur. And nothing else. That much you can learn by picking up any good D&D bestiary. But to answer the other question, no. He's not going to trot out and buy one on July 11th. Sure, sure, the Macalope's said that about many an Apple product and then eventually succumbed to its siren's song (which is why the sirens are totally off his Christmas card list), but if you already have an iPhone, the first year of an iPhone 3G is going to set you back an additional $319 (the Macalope prefers to look at just the first year rather than the full two years of the contract since it's likely that another iPhone will be released a year from this one). Now, depending on your usage, that's pretty reasonable for faster data, GPS, better battery life and, let's face it, bragging rights to your superior powers of conspicuous consumption. But the Macalope's usually not far from his trusty MacBook or a WiFi connection, so the speed gain isn't worth the additional cost to him. Reasonable adults can make their own decisions. Description of Monday's announcements have ranged from a "Microsoft-esque" yawn-fest (tip o' the antlers to Danny Gorog via email) to Steve Jobs is your boyfriend now. Thurrott's piece is so tedious, inaccurate and bitter it's frankly too embarrassing to go through. The second piece goes a bit far even for the brown and furry one's tastes. While the Macalope thinks the iPhone 3G is a great evolutionary step for the product line and should -- with the added countries -- ensure Apple blows past the 10 million units mark and give it a nice share of that delicious market pie, even he doesn't think the iPhone 3G is enough to unseat Blackberry. Again, it's good, but is it $319 better than an original iPhone with the 2.0 software? Your mileage may vary.
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Will he or won't he iPhone 3G?
The Macalope is certain that you're sitting at home asking yourself, "I wonder if the Macalope's going to buy an iPhone 3G?" Don't be embarrassed. It's OK. It's not unusual to wonder what a mythical creature who's part man, part antelope and part Mac would want in a phone. Well, OK, maybe it is. But the horny one much prefers this kind of question to when you've called him late at night and asked what he's wearing. Which is pretty stupid, really. What's he wearing? Come on. Fur. He's wearing fur. And nothing else. That much you can learn by picking up any good D&D bestiary. But to answer the other question, no. He's not going to trot out and buy one on July 11th. Sure, sure, the Macalope's said that about many an Apple product and then eventually succumbed to its siren's song (which is why the sirens are totally off his Christmas card list), but if you already have an iPhone, the first year of an iPhone 3G is going to set you back an additional $319 (the Macalope prefers to look at just the first year rather than the full two years of the contract since it's likely that another iPhone will be released a year from this one). Now, depending on your usage, that's pretty reasonable for faster data, GPS, better battery life and, let's face it, bragging rights to your superior powers of conspicuous consumption. But the Macalope's usually not far from his trusty MacBook or a WiFi connection, so the speed gain isn't worth the additional cost to him. Reasonable adults can make their own decisions. Description of Monday's announcements have ranged from a "Microsoft-esque" yawn-fest (tip o' the antlers to Danny Gorog via email) to Steve Jobs is your boyfriend now. Thurrott's piece is so tedious, inaccurate and bitter it's frankly too embarrassing to go through. The second piece goes a bit far even for the brown and furry one's tastes. While the Macalope thinks the iPhone 3G is a great evolutionary step for the product line and should -- with the added countries -- ensure Apple blows past the 10 million units mark and give it a nice share of that delicious market pie, even he doesn't think the iPhone 3G is enough to unseat Blackberry. Again, it's good, but is it $319 better than an original iPhone with the 2.0 software? Your mileage may vary.
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Parallels adds tools for Linux, 3D for Windows
Filed under: OS, Software, LeopardThe latest build of Parallels (version 5608) adds some new tools for Linux users. Some of the additions to Parallels Desktop 5608 includes: support for the latest Linux distros, and support for 3D graphics in Windows (running under 10.5.3). If you are running version 3 of Parallels Desktop, then you are eligible to upgrade for free to Desktop 5608. Just click "Check for Updates" in the Help menu of Parallels. [via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone 3G Trivia
Glenn Fleishman’s hands-on report regarding the iPhone 3G. ★
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The Enkoder for Mac OS X Is Back, Too
More email obfuscating goodness. ★
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Apple imposing size and price caps for AppStore?
Filed under: iPod Family, WWDC, Developer, iPhoneMacNN is reporting that Apple may be imposing file size and price caps for iPhone/iPod touch applications. According to the post, Apple would be limiting file size of applications to 2GB. Of course, most of the applications will be significantly less than 2GBs. The post goes on to say that applications that are not free will have pricing tiers between $.99 and $999.99. The higher end of that spectrum will undoubtedly be Enterprise-style applications. MacNN also posted pictures what the AppStore inside of iTunes will look like in addition to images of the upload and pricing tier tools that developers have access to.How much are you willing to pay for applications on the iPhone/iPod touch? Be sure to take our poll and sound off in the comments!View PollRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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2008 Apple Design Awards
It is that time of year again. Time to drool over the best designed apps for Macs and iPhones. Absent from this year's list, Delicious Library 2, which won Best Leopard App last year. Let us know if you use any of these apps. My favorite thing about these awards is that you get introduced to some amazing apps that you may have never heard of before. Best Leopard Application Winner: ScreenFlow - Again, a sweet screencasting app! Best Leopard Application Runner Up: TimeLine 3D - Timeline making software. Great for schools and presentations. Best iPhone Game: Enigmo - Puzzle Game Best iPhone Entertainment App: AOL Radio - Self-explanatory Best iPhone Social Networking: Twitterrific - Twitter Client Best iPhone Productivity App: OmniFocus - GTD app Best iPhone Health App: MIM - Imaging software for doctors. Best iPhone Web App Runner Up: Associated Press Best iPhone Web App Winner: Remember the Milk - GTD mobile App Best Student Winner: Squirrel - Manage your finances (from a student?) Best Student Runner Up: Flow - FTP Client Graphics and Media Winner: ScreenFlow - A very slick-looking screencasting application Graphics and Media Runner Up: Fotomagico - Pro photo presentation software Leopard User Experience Winner: Macnification - Ease of use in working with scientific images Leopard User Experience Runner Up: CheckOut - Point of sale application Leopard Game Winner: Guitar Hero 3 - Um, if you don't know about this already, you need to get out more. Leopard Game Runner Up: Command and Conquer 3 - Real-time strategy game Add your thoughts on who should have won (or at least runners up) in the comments.
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Found Footage: Flixwagon iPhone Vidcasting
Filed under: Video, Podcasting, Found Footage, iPhone One thing I'm sure a lot of iPhone fans were upset about this week was the lack of an announcement of video broadcasting capability in the 3G iPhone. I mean, OMG, how else are we supposed to make obsessive fan videos of Britney Spears?!Don't worry, the brilliant folks at Flixwagon are demonstrating live vidcasts from a jailbroken iPhone and are apparently working towards a true iPhone app that will work "as long as your battery lasts." TV networks? Who needs 'em! We'll make our own entertainment.Thanks to Chris Albrecht at NewTeeVee.com for the tip!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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AT&T iPhone "rebate" clarification
Filed under: Retail, Rumors, Wireless, iPhoneYesterday, Twitter was abuzz with incorrect rumors that current iPhone owners would have to trade-in their 2G phones in order to upgrade to the iPhone 3G. I spoke with AT&T's mobility media contact yesterday and confirmed that the rumors were bogus, but after the original source posted a clarification and retraction, we didn't think it was necessary to post, fearing it might just confuse readers further.However, today we received a tip from a reader linking to a FinancialWire story that mentions an exchange/rebate option for AT&T customers, but does not properly explain the procedure and the eligibility. Because I spoke with AT&T yesterday, I would like to set the record straight.As Mark Siegel from AT&T explained to me yesterday, "AT&T wants to be as fair as possible to customers who very recently purchased an iPhone." Thus, if you purchased an iPhone from an AT&T store AFTER May 27, 2008, you have the option of returning the phone to an AT&T store between July 11, 2008 and August 1, 2008 for the new iPhone 3G. Those customers will also be refunded the difference between the price paid for the 2G iPhone and the iPhone 3G.I commend AT&T on taking such a proactive and consumer-friendly approach.Just to reiterate: if you bought a 2G iPhone BEFORE May 27, 2008 and you want to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G, you can do so at the subsidized price ($199 or $299), as long as you sign and new two-year contract and add-on the 3G data plan (this plan will replace any data plan you currently have for the iPhone). You do NOT need to trade-in your old phone.Thanks Mark!Permalink | Email this | Comments
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An Introduction to Apple Certification
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Enterprise, AppleI spent three days in a class last week learning about Leopard. It probably sounds a little strange that a guy who works day in and day out on "nothin' but Macs" would be taking a class to learn more about the Mac operating system, but I did it for a reason - I am an Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) and I need to keep my certification current. Within a few weeks, I'll be taking a certification exam to prove that my brain absorbed some of the course content and my years of Mac experience really have turned me into a Mac guru.Not many people know about the certifications available to Apple professionals. Certification has a number of benefits to independent consultants and wage slaves alike, including recognition of professional competency, credibility with clients and employers, and the ability to publicize your certifications on Apple's website. For those of us who are Apple Consultant Network members, we can have clients referred to us by the Apple Stores.Over the next few weeks, I'll post several articles about the different types of certifications available to you, how to become certified, and why you might want to consider getting certified. Read more after the break.Continue reading An Introduction to Apple CertificationRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Jayhawks and Apple Team Up for iTunes Giveaway
Filed under: iPod Family, iTS, iTunesThe performing arts center of the University of Kansas, the Lied Center, today announced a partnership with Apple to distribute 50,000 special Lied Center iTunes cards to people in the Midwest US. Each of the special cards provides free downloads of 20 songs by artists who will be performing at the Lied Center during the 2008-09 season.The exclusive card, available at the Lied Center Ticket Office, provides a way for the Lied Center to attract new patrons and give existing ones a way to capture a foretaste of the upcoming season. The free music downloads available with the card include artists such as Phillip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and the Turtle Island String Quartet.You can view the special Lied Center playlist in iTunes by clicking here.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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LogicielMac: Snow Leopard Seed Drops PowerPC Support
French Mac site LogicielMac reproduces the system requirements from the Snow Leopard seed developers got at WWDC this week. (Via MacRumors.) ★
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Opera 9.5 now available
Filed under: Software, InternetWith a passionate seven-tenths of a percent of the worldwide market, Opera software has released version 9.5 of its eponymous web browser. Opera 9.5 introduces synchronization of bookmarks with Opera Link, a new developer tool called Opera Dragonfly, improved Fraud Protection, and a significantly altered set of keyboard shortcuts. The browser scores an 83 (out of a possible 100) on the Acid3 Test. Opera 9.5 is a free download, and is 15.6 MB.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Hockenberry Is the Man
Newly-minted ADA winner Craig Hockenberry: There’s no denying the physical beauty of the award or the cool prizes that accompany it. But in this “day after� the thing that I’m finding most rewarding is the outpouring of support and congratulations. The six weeks of eating, sleeping, and breathing [REDACTED] preceded by months of digging through class-dump and respondsToSelector output was far from easy: but it’s all worth it. ★
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Apple Design Awards
The iPhone winners were impressive. Both of the iPhone web app winners really look like native apps; Pangea’s Enigmo game looks addicting as hell; AOL Radio is impressive (be interesting to see what that one does to your battery, though); OmniFocus looks better and more useful than their Mac version; and, of course, Twitterrific got the biggest crowd reaction of all. I may or may not have gotten to send a tweet from Twitterrific on an iPhone 3G last night, but if I did, it was pretty damn slick. ★
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Ask TUAW: Dual band Airport, Time Machine, customizing Desktop colors, IceCad, Flip camcorders and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAWThis time around in Ask TUAW we'll be looking at questions about running a dual band wifi network, Time Machine, migrating from Outlook to Entourage, single color desktops, mini graphics tablets, upgrading to an Intel Mac, Flip camcorder video and more.As always your suggestions are most welcome, and questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of OS X, as certain answers will vary between different Macs and Tiger vs. Leopard, etc. (we'll assume you're running Leopard if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!Continue reading Ask TUAW: Dual band Airport, Time Machine, customizing Desktop colors, IceCad, Flip camcorders and moreRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iTunes: Free Thursday
Filed under: iTS, Features, Deals Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync. Free item listings follow after the jump.Continue reading iTunes: Free ThursdayRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" confirmed to be Intel-only
Filed under: OS, WWDC, DeveloperWe speculated before the WWDC Keynote that Mac OS X 10.6 might be Intel-only. Now it looks like (to many Mac user's chagrin) that rumor might actually be true. MacNN got a copy of the system requirements for Snow Leopard. One of the main changes: "An Intel processor" required. Some of the other system requirements include: Intel processor An internal, external, or shared DVD drive At least 512 MB of RAM (more is recommended for development) A built-in display or display connected to an Apple-supplied video card supported by your computer At least 9GB of disk space available, or 12GB of disk space if you install the developer tools Keep in mind that these system requirements refer to the Developer Preview handed out at WWDC. Snow Leopard isn't schedule to ship for a year, and things can change. That being said, it might be time for you PowerPC Mac owners to start saving for a new Mac. [via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple's Pro Video tools are killing Avid
In a subscribers-only article posted yesterday entitled “Fade to Gray at Avid Technology“, Barron's makes it clear how thoroughly Apple's pro-video tools have undercut Avid's market position: Avid's grip on the video-editing and post-production technology field has been loosened dramatically by Apple (AAPL), which swooped in with low-priced offerings that have increasingly gained adoption among independent film makers and editors. — Fade to Gray at Avid Technology, Barron's, June 11, 2008. The article quotes Avid users who switched to Apple's products, presumably because of the lower price and market momentum: Describing himself as an early adopter of Avid, Jon Alpert has since switched to using Apple's Final Cut Pro. Systems that would cost $80,000 to put together from Avid can be had for a few thousand dollars with Apple's Macs and its ever-expanding array of products. “It is really, increasingly, financial suicide to consider using Avid,” when the same work can be done with Apple gear, he says. Alpert's color-correction expert, who “swore he'd never switch to Apple,” this year made the transition to Apple's program, dubbed “Color,” with relative ease and is now “quite happy.” Most interesting comment: “film and TV's next generation is growing up on Apple's cheaper platform”.
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WWDC '08: VMWare Fusion
Filed under: Software, WWDCPat Lee from VMWare sat down with me to share the latest news on the VMWare Fusion 2.0 beta. Among the big new features: the ability to run 10.5 Server as a virtual machine. Check out the interview after the jump, and check out the VMWare blog for some 10-screen virtualization fun. There's a feature demo available on YouTube, and if -- after you've taken all of that in -- you're dying to get in on the beta, head to the public beta release page for more information.Continue reading WWDC '08: VMWare FusionRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple Design Awards 2008
Filed under: WWDC, DeveloperApple held their 2008 Apple Design Awards at WWDC last night. We love developers. What makes the Mac platform so awesome is the cool applications that these creative developers make. It is with great pleasure that we tell you who won the Apple Design Awards for 2008. Best Student Runner Up: Flow Best Student Winner: Squirrel Graphics and Media Runner Up: Fotomagico Graphics and Media Winner: ScreenFlow Leopard User Experience Runner Up: CheckOut Leopard User Experience Winner: Macnification Leopard Game Runner Up: Command and Conquer 3Leopard Game Winner: Guitar Hero 3 Best Leopard Application Runner Up: TimeLine 3D Best Leopard Application Winner: ScreenFlow Best iPhone Web App Runner Up: Associated Press Best iPhone Web App Winner: Remember the Milk Best iPhone Game: Enigmo Best iPhone Entertainment App: AOL Radio Best iPhone Social Networking: Twitterrific Best iPhone Productivity App: OmniFocus Best iPhone Health App: MIM [via wisequark on Twitter]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Be careful what you ask for
The Samsung Instinct, coming from Sprint on June 20, is modeled after the more obvious aspects of the iPhone's design. Like the iPhone, the Instinct is black with a rounded metal trim and offers a touchscreen instead of a keyboard. Both include a Home button bottom-center, a row of icons, a grid of icons, a status bar, and a microphone centered at the top. The likeness largly ends there. It's fascinating to see how Samsung studied the iPhone, yet missed so much of what makes it lovely. Let's compare the two, noting some of those details the iPhone gets right that the Instinct doesn't. There are no logos on the the iPhone's face. The Instinct includes Samsung's wordmark above the screen and Sprint's wordmark and logo below. Both wordmarks are larger than any other text on the device. Their inclusion affects aesthetics, obviously, but usability too: when you look at the status bar your eye will keep moving up to the Samsung wordmark. On the iPhone, the status bar is the top of the visual area, above which lies enough blackness to stop the eye; on the Instinct, the Samsung logo lies at the top of the visual area. You couldn't pick a better spot if you wanted to emphasize the Samsung name, but this little inclusion makes it just a little more Samsung's device, and a little less yours. The iPhone's Home button is the sole target below the screen. It's a horizontally centered circular depression you can feel when you touch it. This is good, since the thumb you use to hit that button is large and relatively clumsy. The Instinct places a Back button to the Home button's left, and a Phone button to its right. This compromises the usefulness of this area, since you can no longer just click below the screen to go Home—you have to aim, too. Aim a little left or right and you'll be confused and probably annoyed. These two buttons compromise your ability to use the Home button with motor memory alone and force you to use it cognitively as well. That's bound to slow you down, and bound to cause mistakes. The iPhone's Home button is black and contains a white rounded rectangle that echoes the shapes of the iPhone's icons and the iPhone itself. The white rounded rectangle is small and abstract and doesn't attract the eye, just a hint of white in an otherwise completely black area large enough to rest your thumb on while using the device. The Instinct's Home button is a flat icon of a house whose odd proportions make it look a little like a thatched hut. Though there's a bit of room to rest your thumb in the generous Spring wordmark area above these buttons, that area is compromised by being squeezed by screen and buttons. Move your thumb a little and you'll trigger something you didn't intend to. The three buttons on the Samsung are unfortunate when taken as a set. Their white icons are bright and large enough to attract the eye. They are visually asymmetric. The iPhone's status bar elements are carefully grouped and nicely balanced: signal strength for carrier and wi-fi on the left, state icons like battery and Bluetooth on the right, and the time in the middle. The Instinct's status bar elements look jumbled together, and there's no element in the center. The iPhone is elegant in part because the Home button, status bar time display, and microphone draw a subtle and horizontally symmetric line. There is no such symmetry on the Instinct. The iPhone renders text beautifully. The labels beneath the bottom four buttons for Phone, Mail, Safari, and iPod are a brighter white than the labels beneath the icons in the grid above. The crispness with which these labels are rendered permits a smaller font size without sacrificing legibility. The Instinct's text is by comparison harsh and difficult to read. The font is displayed with an exaggerated y-height, while the kerning is painfully tight. A glance at the time displays in the status bar is enough to see this difference. The iPhone's display has visual integrity; the Instinct's does not. The iPhone's icons use color boldly to convey purpose and function. Their rounded rectangles echo the device's shape as a whole. Their images fill these rectangles, simplifying the negative space of the blackness behind them. The Instinct's icons use color timidly and without apparent guiding purpose. Their irregular images create complicated negative spaces intensified by glowing borders and dropshadows. Where the iPhone's icons appear serene, the Instinct's icons appear disheveled. The iPhone's icons float in a grid of soothing blackness, obvious but implied. The Instinct's icons lie fixed in a grid emphasized with border lines, gradients, and shadows. The result is considerable visual noise in precisely the area where the user would benefit from clarity. There are more details than these that the iPhone gets right and the Instinct doesn't, but that's enough. Some details like text rendering would be hard for Samsung to fix but most would be easier, making it particularly puzzling how anyone would copy the iPhone so obviously while missing what makes it shine. What makes the iPhone shine must not be so obvious after all. Or, if obvious, not so easy to copy. And that's just the static visual elements of the device and the Home screen.
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Mac OS Ken: 06.12.2008
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