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August 31, 2008

'Don't Feel Like Dancin'

by Catherine Amos, Culpeper Star-Exponent

When the realization hit me that my musical companion was missing, my typically cheerful disposition darkened and a fog seeped into my brain. I felt incomplete, like a best friend had moved away.

August 29, 2008

Thoughts On The Steve Jobs Legacy

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

The story of Steve Jobs has been marked by many, many surprises along the long and winding road. And thankfully, it's not over yet.

TinyBooks 6.0 Accounting App Released

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Apple: Forget iCards, Try Mail

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Apple is encouraging you to make your own iCards if you love them that much.

The Mac At 25: Andy Hertzfeld Looks Back

by James Turner, O'Reilly News

Andy Hertzfeld is one of the original designers of the Macintosh and author of the book, Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made, which chronicles the efforts to create the Mac.

Apple Updates Final Cut Express, Releases ProRes QuickTime Decoder

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

According to the notes provided by Apple, Final Cut Express 4.0.1 addresses compatibility issues with AVCHD camcorders, improves stability when using third-party FxPlug plug-ins, and addresses a number of other minor issues.

Bare Bones Releases BBEdit 9.0

by Jim Dalrymple and Jason Snell, Macworld

Bare Bones Software on Thursday released BBEdit 9, a major update to the venerable text editor. This new version adds several significant features, including a rewritten project manager, improvements to its search and document-comparison features, and a new text-completion interface.

See Also: BBEdit 9.0 Adds Something For Everyone, by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS.

Permanently Delete Mail Messages

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

BeFit Helps Track Nutrition Patterns

by MacNN

A new application for tracking nutritional intake has been released for the Mac, BeFit.

August 28, 2008

Apple's iPod Touch Can Act As Remote For Music System

by Nick Wingfield, AllThingsD

For people who already own an iPod touch or iPhone, Remote is a good reason to buy an AirPort Express, and fill your home with music.

Students Will Help Save Apple

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

The tech company may look vulnerable to an economic downturn, but back-to-school shoppers should help it keep up a strong financial performance.

Bloomberg Runs Steve Jobs' Obituary

by Gawker

More interesting are the accompanying notes for Bloomberg reporters.

Back To School: An Apple For The Teacher

by Steve Sande, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

What can make life easier on the poor teacher? Great Mac software! Read on for information on a grab bag of Mac and web apps to help out your favorite educator.

The Battle Of Ideas

by Tom Gara, The National

As computing becomes a more fragmented, customised, web-based experience, with new markets emerging on a monthly basis, who would you place your bets on: a perfectionist firm that apologises for - and learns from - their errors, or an overreaching empire?

Record Labels Skip Apple's iTunes

by Ethan Smith and Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal

A growing number of record companies are trying to steer clear of Apple's behemoth music store, because they think that in some cases it's crimping overall music sales. Label executives, managers and artists chafe against the iTunes policy that prevents them from selling an album only as a single unit.

An iPod Touch For Each Student?

by Matt Dees, The News & Observer

A Chapel Hill middle school could become the first in the country to give an iPod to every teacher and student, an experiment that would challenge teachers and administrators to ensure the hand-held devices are used as learning tools, not toys.

Apple Imperfect

by John Markoff, New York Times

The flaw in the "Apple is not living up to some ideal of technology perfection" theme is that it neglects history.

Ambrosia Updates Apeiron X And Bubble Trouble

by MacNN

The games had a few minor bugs fixed and a couple of features polished.

Coda Updated With Fully Integrated Source Code

by MacNN

Panic this week update to Coda, its web development application. New features includes fully integrated source control with Subversion, find and replace across multiple local files, easer-than-ever text clips with groups, a user-customizable bookshelf and improved AppleScript.

Tinderbox 4.5 Receives Graphical Update

by MacNN

Eastgate has announced an update to its Mac OS X application for storing and organizing notes, plans, and ideas.

August 27, 2008

Password Protected iPhones Can Be Unlocked Without A Password

by Peter Sayer, IDG News Service

Private information stored in Apple's iPhone and protected by a lock code can be accessed by anyone with just a few button presses.

Mystery 'iPHone Girl' Generates Internet Intrigue

by The Canadian Press

Pictures of an Asian factory worker found on a new iPhone sold to a British customer have generated keen discussion on the internet about her identity - and her fate.

Apple's Corporate Food Court O' Plenty: Reviewed!

by Jon Philips, Mac|Life

Caffe Mac—legend or fact? Does this Shangri-la of no-compromise corporate consumables actually exist? And if Caffe Mac does exist, does its menu roundly trump the "food" we Mac|Life staffers must hunt and gather within the hostile-to-haute-cuisine hinterlands of our own corporate HQ?

The Cute "iPhone Girl" In Apple iPhone 3G!

by LiewCF.com

After The Core 2 Duo Chip, What's Next For Apple Laptops?

by Dan Turner, Computerworld

Hitting the sweet spot between too slow and fast enough is critical.

iTunes App Store: Mobile Revolution?

by Kathleen Richards, Application Development Trends

Could the App Store do for mobile software what iTunes did for music and video?

Why Does Apple Get A Break?

by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, Computerworld

In a way, these most proprietary of all platforms, Macs, iPhones and iPods, are also the most successful of all open-source platforms.

Call For Content Ratings On Apple's App Store

by Stephen Withers, iTWire

Apple already tag tracks in the iTunes Store that are unsuitable for children and it sells R rated movies, so why isn't there something similar for content such as books and comics in the App Store?

Or maybe Apple is preparing for a e-book store, so the 'problem' will be sovled come September?

'Think Different' Is What Makes Apple Stand Out

by Michael Lee Stallard, Wall Street Journal

Apple stands out in a world of bland corporate identities and product designs. Its visual identity, store design and product design are inspiring. They touch people on an emtional level when most products fail to inspire.

Apple Misled iPhone Users Over Web Access, Says Watchdog

by Martin Hickman, New Zealand Herald

The Apple iPhone fails to give users complete access to the internet, the British govenment's media watchdog rules today.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the combined phone, music player and computer is flawed because of the absense of two common websit eprogrammes, Flash and Java. As a result, the ASA said Apple's claim that the iPhone gave access to 'all parts of the internet' misled customers about its power as a web browser.

Business Suddenly Discovers The Mac

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

Somewhere along the way the efforts to win over consumers, particularly its emphasis on ease of use, began to sway opinions in the enterprise.

Mac Clone Maker Sues Apple, Plays Antitrust Card

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

The Mac clone maker sued by Apple last month fired back Tuesday with a countersuit charging Apple with restraint of trade, unfair competition and other violations of antitrust law.

Apple Bans Murderdrome iPhone App

by MacNN

Apple has banned the comic book iPhone app Murderdrome, its creators claim.

Whipping The Apple TV Into Shape

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

Sound Studio 3.5.7 Released

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Promising Prospect: FlexCal 1.0

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

Since installing FlexCal, I find myself rarely opening iCal to create events and tasks; I look forward to future versions for bug fixes and new features.

August 26, 2008

China Lifts iTunes Block But For Tibet Album

by Verne Kopytoff, San Francisco Chronicle

Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store is back up and running again in China after it was apparently blocked last week by local authorities. However, the web page for downloading a pro-Tibet album, which is suspected of prompting the crackdown, remains unavailable on the service.

Well, iTunes is not a web site, so I don't really understand what the author means when he wrote that the "web page" for downloading the pro-Tibet album is still blocked.

Steve Jobs Still Parking In Handicapped Spaces - The Pictures

by Leander Kahney, Cult Of Mac

Steve Jobs is still parking in handicapped spaces at Apple, according to a new snap posted to Flickr.

Adium 1.3 Is Better, Faster, Stronger, But Not Harder

by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen, MacUser

Version 1.3 of the multi-protocol chat client introduces an all-new Contact Inspector, adds contact search, better MSN support, and Facebook chat support for the first time.

OmniFocus For Mac And iPhone - A Perfect Task Management Solution

by Brandon Eley, The Apple Blog

A Tale Of Two Tetrises

by Jason Snell, Macworld

When it comes to software, sometimes simplicity rules, less is more, and a free clone fashioned by a college student can teach a few things to a $10 program generated by a company that generated four billion dollars in revenue in its most recent fiscal year.

MathMagic 5.8 Adds QuarkXPress 8 Support

by MacNN

The update allows the Pro edition of the software to create and edit equations within the QuarkXPress 8 graphics suite.

Survey Says Slow iPhone 3G Speeds May Be Due To Carriers

by Dan Moren, Macworld

TickerMenu 1.0 Offers Stock Tracking In Menu Bar

by MacNN

Users can choose which stocks to track by entering a stock's symbol, and the display is color-coded to instantly show a gain (green) or decline (red) in stock value.

August 25, 2008

Is Apple The Fashionable Whipping Boy?

by Stephen Withers, iTWire

Taking potshots at Apple - specially over security issues - seems to be the flavour of the month. But while such criticisms are sometimes deserved, are they often simply cheap shots?

My Switch To A Mac: 3 Things I Find Most Useful As A Grad Student

by Grad Hacker

Using Mac's built in Preview app is like driving a Ferrari after riding a bike. Adobe does a lot of good things, I'll admit, but making programs that takes an eternity to load is certainly not one of them.

iPhone Software Developers Stifled Under Apple's Gag Order

by Michelle Quinn, Los Angeles Times

Programmers remain bound to not discuss how they create applications, potentially restraining innovation.

Greatest Mac Moment #23: Quick Look

by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac

Quick Look. Two words that brilliantly sum up one of the most important and yet least celebrated additions to the Mac experience.

MobileMe

by MildMannered Industries

The problem set for ubiquitous syncing is just very very hard, and the consequences of failure, in terms of user dissatisfaction are too high.

August 24, 2008

iTouched - Do Not Disturb

by Mark LaFlamme, Sun Journal

If you get past her faults, she's quite alluring. How do I get room service?

Crowds Greet The Opening Of Fort Worth Apple Store

by Andrea Ahles, Star Telegram

Gap khakis at University Park Village have been replaced with iPhones and Macbooks.

August 23, 2008

Apple Makes iPhone Available In 22 More Countries Today

by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Apple Investigating As iTunes Appears To Be Blocked In China

by AFP

Apple Inc. Friday said it is investigating why access to iTunes appears to be blocked for users in China after a pro-Tibet album became a hit on the online music store.

Apple Releases MacBook Air Update

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

According to the notes provided by Apple, the update addresses issues with video playback and processor core idling.

Review: MacCourmet Deluxe

by Rick Mansfield, Cooking In Cast Iron

The program is so sophisticated, it might be reason enough to switch from Windows.

August 22, 2008

Apple's MobileMe Plays Into Hands Of Spammers

by John Leyden, The Register

The email harvesting issue arises because every MobileMe user gets a public iDisk file-sharing site. These sites have an address tied into a user's email username. A user can't hide or delete their public folder and there's no way to choose what the name will be.

Music Subscriptions Coming To iTunes Next Month? Nope

by Peter Kafka, Silicon Alley Insider

We've checked with a variety of music executives at major labels, and none of them have heard about it. Not happening.

Search For iTunes Music By Star Rating

by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

Macs, Aperture A Big Hit At The Beijing Olympics

by David Schloss, Macworld

In the digital photo editing area of the Kodak Photographer's Center, hundreds of photographers at a time assemble to file their images using high-end workstations and tech-support supplied by Apple.

People Keep Buying Apple Products Despite Recent Headaches

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

How can Apple commit so many wrongs and yet continue to enjoy record customer satisfaction numbers and booming sales growth?

Apple Slips Out One More Get A Mac Ad, New iPhone Spot

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

Mac goes on to explain that, when you buy a new Mac, a Genius will transfer your files for free from the PC.

MacJournal Adds Three-Pane View

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Mariner Software on Thursday announced that it is shipping MacJournal 3.1, a new version of its journal and blogging software for Mac OS X.

Timeline 2.1.3

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

If you ever have the need to make a visual timeline—for a presentation, as a teaching aid, or for use in a home movie—you'll want to check out Bee Documents' Timeline.

RapidWeaver Updated To 4.1

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Web site building application RapidWeaver 4.1 adds some useful new features like the ability to have images resized automatically when dragged into styled text areas.

Funtastic Photos Lets You Edit Photos Non-Destructively

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

August 21, 2008

Lessons To Learn From Apple's App Store

by Telecoms.com

The rest of the mobile industry could learn a valuable lesson from newcomer Apple, as the App Store takes the mobile content and apps market by storm.

Welcome, Freshmen. Have An iPod.

by Jonathan D. Glater, New York Times

Taking a step that professors may view as a bit counterproductive, some univeristies are doling out Apple iPhones and internet-capable iPods to students.

New York Neighborhood Group Complains About Bad 'Apple' Store

by AFP

A lower Manhattan residents' group has lodged a lengthy complaint against a neighbor over screaming parties, loitering crowds and late-night disturbances, said a letter published in U.S. media Wednesday. The offender is none other than the Apple Store on the corner of Greene and Prince streets in Soho, one of Manhattan's most posh boutique streets.

iPhone 3G Owner Sues Apple Over Dropped Calls, Slow Speeds

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

An Alabama woman filed a lawsuit yesterday against Apple Inc., claiming that the company's iPhone 3G drop calls, has trouble connecting to AT&T's network, and is slower than advertised.

Record Any Sounds

by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

How to capture streaming radio, internet phone calls, DVD audio, and more.

Apple's MobileMe Lacks Key Security Feature

by Nancy Gohring, Computerworld

The lack of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or any other form of encryption means that if a MobileMe user is connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi hotspot, someone else connected to the same hotspot could relatively easily see all the data that the MobileMe user sends.

Macs In The Enterprise: A Question Of Emphasis

by Paul Rubens, Server Watch

It should be cause for concern to enterprise customers that Apple has demonstrated that its computer business is not always its main focus, and that at times it lacks the resources it needs to devote to computers and "non-computers" at the same time.

Looking For A Fix For Apple's iPhone Fix

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

This is driving me crazy.

Speed Testing Data Leaves 2.0.2 Effect On iPhone Unclear

by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac

Television Broadcasts Limited: Highlights From Beijing

by Noah Kadner, Apple

Wine With Bento

by Charles Maurer, TidBITS

As it stands, Bento is not so simple that your grandmother will be able to start using it without help, but setting up and using a data-entry form in Bento is hardly more difficult than customizing and using Address Book and iCal.

VirtualKeyboard 3.5 Supports Spaces, Zoom

by MacNN

The software's main aim is to provide a point-and-click keyboard interface for users with disabilities. It can also be used as a teaching tol, however, and for kiosks.

August 20, 2008

iTunes Blocked In China After Protest Stunt

by Stephen Hutcheon, Sydney Morning Herald

Access to Apple's online iTunes Store has been blocked in China after it emerged that Lympic athletes have been downloading and possibly listening to a pro-Tibetan music album in a subtle act of protest against China's rule over the province.

Mac Conversion

by Brian Jarrett

I love this thing! I like so much about it it's tough to know where to begin.

Joe Nocera Of The New York Times On Steve Jobs, Talking Business And His Blog

by Kyle Austin, RaceTalkBlog

"I think [Steve Jobs] was trying to turn a potential adversary into a potential ally-by whispering in my ear, he would be co-opting me, and in so-doing, turn the argument I was going to make in my column in his favor."

Australians Switch On To Apple Macs

by John O'Brien, Courier Mail

Australians are switching to Macs at a faster rate than almost anywhere else in the world.

What Apple Can Learn From Microsoft

by Tim Beyers, Motley Fool

Following the leader is easy. Being the leader isn't. Apple is finally getting a taste of what Microsoft has had to live with for years. Welcome to the big time, Mr. Mac. Innovate aggressively, course-correct often, and place customers above all else, and you'll enjoy a nice, long — though probably not-so-relaxing — stay at the top.

Apple's Biggest Innovation For 2008? The iPhone App Store

by Seth Weintraub, Computerworld

Apple looks to have moved up the value chain in software distribution and revolutionized the software industry.

Is the App Store as revolutionary as when Bill Gates started charging real money for software? I don't think so, but I'll be interested in what lessons Apple has learnt and will apply to the Macintosh market.

iPhone Shortage Lingers At Apple, AT&T Stores

by Anastasia Ustinova, San Francisco Chronicle

More than a month after the rollout of the iPhone 3G, Apple and partner AT&T are still scrambling to keep the hot gadget on store shelves, but analysts predict the shortage might ease with the phone's premiere in Best Buy stores Sept. 7.

Jobs Personally Acknowledges iPhone Third-Party App Bug And Upcoming Fix

by Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

Jobs clearly isn't bound by the secrecy he's imposed upon his employees, and, frankly, it's refreshing.

Why Apple's "Push Notification Service" Is Not Enough To Replace Background Processing

by Thomas Fitzgerald

Apple should look into at some kind of limited background processing, or better still, have a built in notification service, running on the phone rathe rthan a server, that developers can tap into.

But, nevertheless, polling for data is expensive, and it may well be better for Apple to run a reliable service on a remote server that developers can rely on.

Hope You Didn't Plan To Actually Make Calls On iPhone 2.0.2

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

We were able to confirm that the update addresses a few 3G-related issues (but not some of the major 3G problems people are having quite yet), and overall, users are reporting apparent improvements to signal level and the ability to make calls. It's that last part—the ability to make calls—that is tanking for some other users, however, thanks to the iPhone 2.0.2 update.

Delicious Library 2 Review

by Macworld UK

If you're looking to clear out and sell the clutter from your shelves, this'll make a long and tedious job fly by in no time. It will also appeal to folks who just like to know where everything is.

Apple Blames Scorching iPods On Battery Problem

by Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service

Apple is blaming a problem with overheating iPods in Japan on faulty batteries, the company said in a statement Tuesday. This problem, which Apple said is extremely rare, causes "failure and deformation of the iPod nano."

AudialHub 1.07

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

The folks who brought us VisualHub, Techspansion, have applied their cosiderable talents to the field of audio. The result is AudialHub, a similarly-easy utility for converting audio files.

Review: KidsGoGoGo 12.6

by Roman Loyola, Macworld

I'd really like to say that there's a lot of potential in KidsGoGoGo, but this Mac-only program, at version 12.6, has been around for years. You'd think that over that time KidsGoGoGo would've evolved into a more sophisticated program. But it hasn't.

August 19, 2008

Apple Announces Magsafe Out Of Warranty Replacement Program

by Danny Gorog, APC

In a rare turnaround, Apple has acknowledged in a tech support article that some Magsafe adaptors may be faulty, and users 'may notice a separation of the white insulation on the magnetic end of the MagSafe adapter. Under continued use, the cable may discolor and the rubber molding may become deformed.'

Apple Is Flailing Badly At The Edges

by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch.com

My obvious enthusiam for Apple products is fairly evident to readers of this blog. But recently I've had a string of bad apples come my way, so to speak. It's time for Apple to stop screwing around and start paying attention to product quality.

Avid Media Composer 3.0

by James Morris, Australian PC World

Instead of resting on its laurels as the standard professional video-editing tool, Avid is now taking up potential challenges from Apple's Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. That's great news for independent videomarkers, as there are now more options to choose from.

MobileMe Final Post

by David G., Apple

This will be the last MobileMe Status posting. We've created a new place for regular posts about all parts of the service.

Apple Customer Satisfaction Scores Gain At Rivals' Expense

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

Apple blew away its PC industry peers in this year's American Customer Satisfaction Index, perhaps because it was the only company that didn't release a Windows Vista PC.

Comparing Apple's MobileMe Contrition With Google And Netflix

by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Apple isn't denying problems or pretending the entire situation will just blow over, and that's good. But at least to my ears, the blog and email communications from Google and Netflix sound significantly more contrite - these people really are sorry for having inconvenienced me.

First Look: MacGourmet Deluxe, Recipe Management

by MacNN

With so many ways to sort, organize, and search for recipes, MacGourmet Deluxe is invaluable for anyone who loves cooking and collecting recipes.

OS X: Why It "Looks" So Different

by Greg Ferro, My Etheralmind

I have personally found that I prefer the font and colours on the Mac. I have to use Windows machines at work occasionally, and they just don't look so appealing.

Apple Provides 60 Day Extension To All MobileMe Subscribers

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

Apple has sent out emails to MobileMe subscribers tonight revealing that they are extending all MobileMe subscriber accounts by 60 additional days.

Mac Spyware Hijacks Clipboard

by Jason Lee Miller, SecurityProNews

iTunes App Store Comments: A Broken System

by OneInfiniteBlog

Get Satisfaction. Turning Customer Service On Its Head.

by Apple

"We get things done faster, cheaper, and more entertainingly, too."

iPhone Sheds Light On Weakness Of Japanese Handset Makers

by Toshiyuki Oomori, Nikkei Tech-On!

The iPhone has shown that it is not impossible for manufacturers to take the initiatives, even in the mobile phone business.

Apple Offers iPhone 2.0.2 Update Via iTunes

by MacNN

As is usually the case with iPhone updates, Apple provided few details, saying simply that the update contains "bug fixes."

Analysis: How Jobs' Profile Impacts Apple

by Lisa Schmeiser, Macworld

Even asking the question "Can Apple survive without Steve Job?" is testament to the strength of the perception that Apple's fate rises and falls with Steve Jobs—and raises the question of whether Apple should begin debunking that idea.

Six Apple Executives You Need To Know About

by Macworld

A complete list of the people critical to Apple's success would fill page after page. We've focused on just a half-dozen executives—if you don't already know their names, you probably should learn them now.

Keep Your Word Builds Custom Dictionaries

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Keep Your Word lets you build a custom dictionary that lets you classify and group words how you want to.

August 18, 2008

iPhone: The Bet Steve Jobs Didn't Decline

by Counternotions

Often, the anything-but-Apple choir doesn't quite appreciate the immensity of the risks Apple took with the iPhone.

Review: ContentBarrier X4

by Roman Loyola, Macworld

ContentBarrier X4 offers several valuable tools that Parental COntrols lacks, such as hour-by-hour scheduling, an IM anti-predator filter, media stream blocking, and keyword filtering. If you have a hard time keeping up with your kids and maintaining Parental Controls, or if you have a small business where you want to cut down on non-work-related surfing, ContentBarrier X4 can be a big help.

MobileMe Webmail Security - There Is None

by Jens Alfke, Thought Palace

MobileMe's web apps are quite insecure — they won't protect you against DNS forgery or phishing attacks, and they leave your email traffic wide open for others to read.

Wow: Apple's MobileMe Going Third Party?!

by Stephen Withers, iTWire

Just as Apple sells third-party software for the iPhone and iPod touch trough the App Store, it could offer MobileMe add-ons that were created outside the company.

Get The Most Out Of iPhoto 08

by Brendon Chase, CNET.com.au

We'll move right on to some of the more advanced features of the program that will help you get more out of the program and make it a stablemate on your Mac dock.

Signal Gripes Mount Over New iPhone

by Kevin Allison, Financial Times

The ranks of unhappy iPhone users continued to swell at the weekend as Apple customers complained about problems maintaining a signal on the company's new 3G handset.

Push Mail Is The iPhone's Most Pressing Achilles Heel

by Paul Glazowski, Mashable

It has underperformed, plain and simple.

August 16, 2008

Goodbye, Eudroa; Hello, Apple Mail

by Jeff Carlson, Seattle Times

This shift is more than just substituting one piece of software for another.

Microsoft Gold

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

John McKirdy: Microsoft achieved a marketing coup today by sneaking the most recognisable symbol of their Windows operating system into the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics...

Tape Deck 1.1 For Mac Includes Bevy Of Import/Export Options

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

New Logic And Puzzle Games Come To Mac

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

August 15, 2008

Why Not Make The iPhone More Accessible?

by Peter Abrahams, IT-Director.com

How could the iPhone be made more accessible without a complete redesign?

iMac Performance Evolves Through The Years

by James Galbraith, Macworld

Just how much has it evolved? In honor of the iMac's 10th anniversary, we decided to use Macworld Lab's collection of older iMacs to find out.

Eight Ways The iMac Changed Computing

by Benj Edwards, Macworld

Initially marketed as an easy-to-use gateway to the internet, the iMac transcended that simple role and redefined the desktop PC market—not to mention consumer industrial design—forever.

Sega Eye Off iPhone

by Mike Bantick, iTWire

"Direct consumer devliery is where it's going, as Apple has prove," said Sega of America president Simon Jeffery. "We're in a really good position and see it as a viable platform."

A Nice Tidy End To The Options Backdating Scandal

by Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

What is clear that everyone directly involved in this scandal is probably having a celebratory drink tonight.

10 Years Of Cuddly, Friendly iMacs

by Benj Edwards, Wired

Apple released its first iMac on Aug. 15, 1998. The cute, translucent blue, all-in-one PC was easily the most influential personal computer of the 1990s, heralding a return to simplicity and ease of use and briefly sparking an industrial design fad around clear, colored plastic.

Review: Parallels Server For Mac Underwhelms

by Tom Yager, InfoWorld

Imagining A New iTunes

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

iTunes has moved to the point where it could present a formidable challenge to a non-technical user.

Former Apple Executive Settles Backdating Charges

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday that it had reached a settlement with Nancy Heinen, former general counsel of Apple.

WireTap Anywhere Lets You Redirect Mac Audio

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

WireTap Anywhere enables you to take the audio output from any Mac application or hardware input device and redirect it to your favorite audio recording application.

Swift 3D V5.0 Adds Universal Binary, Rendering Speed

by MacNN

Electric Rain has released a universal binary of Swift 3D 5.0 and also added performance gains to the 3D-rendering application.

August 14, 2008

Apple Faithful Snared In Phishing Scam Targeting Mac.com Users

by Dan Goodin, The Register

Data obtained by CardCops, a credit protection service owned by the Affinion Group, shows sensitive information belonging to several hundred people with Mac.com email addresses being traded in underground forums frequented by identity thieves.

Apple's Crap Store

by Sascha Segan, PC Magazine

If this is the state of software development today, we should all worry.

The Really Annoying iPhone App Update Behaviour

by Thomas Fitzgerald

When you go to update an application, rather than replacing the existing one, the iPhone deletes them and downloads the updated version, putting it at the first available free spot on a page.

From the OS X Finder to iPhone, spatial representation seems to be an lost art at Apple.

'It Has Certainly Changed The Game'

by Matt Hartley, Globe And Mail

Apple has scored a $30-million hit with its App store as iPhone users embrace personalization and developers reap the benefits. With such a head start, can the competition catch up?

Box Office Returns To The App Store

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Chandler 1.0 Is A Serious, But Rough, To-Do Manager

by Lifehacker

There's a lot of neat ideas in Chandler, implemented in rough ways, and if you're a serious to-do hound, it ust might find a place somewhere in your work flow.

Talking Points: The iPhone's Impact In Japan

by Kenji Hall, BusinessWeek

The fact that Softbank was willing to sell the iPhone suggests that Softbank wants to be an agent for change.

Apple Now Worth More Than Google

by Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek

At the close of the stock market on Wednedsay, Apple's value as a company surpassed Google's. Apple's market capitalization reached $158.84 billion; Google's settled at $157.23 billion.

No One Hurt During Last Night's Apple HQ Fire

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

First Look: Headline 1.0, RSS Feed Reader

by MacNN

When Apple's Reach Exceeds Its Grasp

by Jason Snell, Macworld

So the question is, what does Apple do now? There are a couple general paths it could choose to go down. It could aggressively step up its growth and recruitment efforts, so that it has enough people to implement all of its great ideas (a plan that risks diluting Apple's carefully selected pool of talent). It could stay the size it is now, more or less, and execute well on somewhat less ambitious plans.

I would like to see Apple forge more meaningful partnerships. MobileMe could well be a joint effort with Google or Yahoo, for example.

See Also: When Apple's Reach Exceeds Its Grasp, by John Gruber, Daring Fireball. I think Jason Snell overemphasizes the importance of Apple's "size".

August 13, 2008

Data Backup 3 Vs Time Machine 1

by Neale Monks, MyMac Magazine

Time Machine is a great application that does precisely what it promises with minimal fuss. Youf want to backup only certain files, or use a wider range of media, or need to configure your backups around a specific schedule, Data Backup is an infinitely more flexible alternative.

Fire At Apple Campus In Cupertino

by Pete Mortensen, Cult Of Mac

Multiple Bay Area news outlets report that an Apple research and development facility located at 20605 Valley Green Drive in Cupertino was set ablaze late Tuesday night, with NBC affiliate KTVU blaming a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.

'Slow' iPhone 3G Glitch Blamed On Secrecy

by Asher Moses, Sydney Morning Herald

A source at an Australian telco who did not wish to be named said Apple - paranoid about keeping the device under wraps - only provided the iPhone 3G to carriers the day before it went to market, leaving them with no time to test it thoroughly on their networks.

Best Buy To Sell iPhone In U.S.

by Mark H. Anbinder, TidBITS

MobileMe: iPhone Push Lacks Mail Status Changes

by MacNN

A forum post on Apple's discussion boards revealed that "read" message status changes, delete, reply-to, and move commands do not function with Push, with a technical document indicating that suers must manually check their mail in order to receive updates.

The iPhone Kill Switch Is Innovative

by Bove's Blips

Apple can claim the ethical high ground in protecting its platform, as its platform is not a monopoly. I would argue that the kill switch is an innovative approach to protecting a platform in this age of criminal conspiracies to steal your personal information.

Killing Apple's iPhone Kill-Switch

by iPhone Atlas

Requires jailbreaking.

T-Mobile Netherlands Puts Reception Issues On Apple

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

In a company blog posting Tuesday morning, T-Mobile Netherlands threw the iPhone 3G under the bus, blaming Apple for the problems its customers have been experiencing connecting to 3G networks in that country.

Why Your Student Should Take A Mac To College

by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle

NetNanny's Parental Controls Come To The Mac

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Being able to schedule when kids have access and even keep logs of what they're doing can be a major help if you're not able to sit right next to them at all times.

Why Apple Doesn't Do "Concept Products"

by Counternotions

Real artists ship, dabblers create concept products.

Launchpad Chicken: MobileMe And Sync Trouble

by Jean-Louis Gassee, Monday Note

Simple is hard. Easy is harder. Invisible is hardest.

Vetting The App Store Approval Process

by Rob Griffiths and Dan Frakes, Macworld

Here are five issues that have gotten attention in recent weeks, along with our proposed solutions.

Microsoft Updates Office 2004 And 2008

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Taking a page from Apple's most recent updates, Microsoft said "this update contians several improvements to enhance stability and performance."

Access Your Bonjour Services Anywhere With ShareTool

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Entourage Email Archive Supports Latest Version Of Office

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Entourage Email Archive is a utility designed to allow users to archive emails and attachments from Entourage.

August 12, 2008

It Took Me 30 Minutes To Purchase A MacBook

by Phil Shapiro, PC World

The store was just too franctic for me to be able to think clearly when I was making my order. The whole experience was un-Zen.

Simple Comic 1.6.1

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Is There Room For Culture In An iPhone World?

by Elliott Riebman, New York Times

To maintain culturally elite status today, one is better served studying the works of Steve Jobs than Soren Kierkegaard.

Laptops Distributed To Farmington Middle Schoolers

by G Jeff Golden, The Daily Times

MailSteward 8.05 Archives Email For Mac Business

by MacNN

Closed Platforms Could Ruin The Web

by Josh Catone, SitePoint Blogs

As the computing moves off of our computers we're increasingly moving toward an environment where a few platform providers are the ultimate gatekeepers brokering our experience.

I Hate That I Like Apple Products

by Savio Rodrigues, InfoWorld

I'm pulling for RIM to offer mobile application developers with an open development platform without restirctions on the applications that developers can build an dusers can freely choose to run.

TextExpander 2.4: Speedier Abbreviations On The Fly

by MacNN

Those who have a lot to do in a short time no doubt appreciate how text "shortcuts" for frequently used text strings and images can speed things up.

iPhone As Advertising Platform

by Richard Waters, Financial Times

It seems a safe bet that most of the money made by the iPhone appliction developers will come in the form of advertising. That is the overwhelming lesson from the PC-based internet.

MobileMe Mail And Gmail Go Down Simultaneously

by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

For a period of several hours on 11-Aug-08, both MobileMe Mail and Google's Gmail were both inaccessible for many users.

A Missed Marketing Opportunity: Free iPhone Apps

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

More than 80,000 people are downloading this game every day. And rather than look at your logo, dear corporations, they're looking at nothing.

Phishing Scam Targets MobileMe Users

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

An e-mail purporting to be from Apple laerting users to a billing problem is, in fact, a phishing scam that's targeting users of Apple's online service, Macworld has learned.

August 11, 2008

Apple's Jobs Confirms iPhone 'Kill Switch'

by Claudine Beaumont, Telegraph

"Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull."

Black Ink 1.1.2

by Jonathan Seff, Macworld

If you're a fan of crossword puzzles, like I am, then you should definitely consider adding Red Sweater Software's Black Ink to your software arsenal.

Doctor Campaigns For iPhone Drug Application

by Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle

iPhone Software Sales Take Off: Apple's Jobs

by Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal

In the month since Apple opened an online software clearinghouse called the App Store, users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, chief executive Steve Jobs said in an interview at Apple's headquarters. While most of those applications were free, Apple sold an average of $1 million a day in applications for a total of about $30 million in sales over the month, Mr. Jobs said.

See Also: iPhone App Downloads Are Up. What About Their Usage?, by Om Malik, GigaOM.

Apple's Great Customer Service: The $249 Difference

by Dilbert Is Funny For A Reason

One of the reasons Apple has legions of devotees is their extraordinary customer service. Their retail store employees are given wide latitude to do whatever it takes to delight the customers.

Many Fail To See The Humor In 'I Am Rich' For The iPhone

by Eric A. Taub, New York Times

Created by a German software developer, Armin Heinrich, it was written pretty much as a joke. "I found that some users complain about prices for iPhone applications above 99 cents," Mr Heinrich said. "I regard it as art. I did not expect many people to buy it and did not expect all the fuss about it."

Apple Store Chatswood: This Time It Is Just A Store

by Seamus Byrne, APC

Apple tried to recreate the fanfare that accompanied the opening of the Sydney CBD Apple Store, but in a suburban mall it all felt out of place.

See Also: Chatswood Apple Store: Massive "Door", Launch A Bore?, by Alex Zaharov-Reutt, iTWire.

August 10, 2008

MobileMe: Apple Promises, Then Forgets To Post An Update #4

by Palluxo!

iPhones-Macintosh Computers Become Apples Of Hackers' Eyes

by AFP

Security specialists said Saturday that hackers are taking increasing aim at iPhones and Macintosh computers as the hot-selling Apple devices gain popularity worldwide.

Macintosh computers have been gaining market share and catching the interest of hackers, according to Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) security vulnerability analyst Cameron Hotchkies at a notorious annual DefCon gathering of hackers in Las Vegas.

Apple Displaces Microsoft In Patch Reports

by Darren Pauli, Comptuerworld Australia

Apple has taken the place of Microsoft for disclosing more vulnerabilities than any other vendor, according to an IBM security report.

August 9, 2008

Control Everything On Your Mac With Your Keyboard Using Quicksilver

by Jesse Kirdahy-Scalia, Open Media Boston

OS X's Spotlight feature is a great search tool, and is fast enough to use as a keyboard-based application launcher, but that's about where its usefulness ends. Quicksilver picks up the slack by allowing users to control nearly every aspect of their computer without ever touching their mouse. Once you use it, you'll wonder what you did without it.

Apple Reviews NetShare; Permanent Ban Likely

by Brian X. Chen, Wired

Nullriver's short-lived iPhone application NetShare, which turns your iPhone into a wireless modem for your laptop, might not be returning to the App Store after all.

Can Nullriver sell the privelige, at a probably-rather-higher-price to U.S. iPhone customers, of being a "beta tester" for Netshare?

Sour Apple: How An Apple Ad Sets The Wrong Expectations

by Jason Fried, 37signals

Unslow is about selling speed. Speed that isn't for sale at any price. It sets the wrong expectations.

ScreenFlow 1.2 Improves Copy/Paste, Adds Fixes

by MacNN

Vara has released a v1.2 update to ScreenFlow, its screencast creation and editing program.

Another iPhone Application Slashed From App Store

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Moneydance 2008R2 Finance Software Released

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Moneydance features online banking support and online bill payment, investment management, budget tracking, transaction scheduling, check printing, graphics, reports and other capabilities.

August 8, 2008

Regarding iPhone Application Pricing

by Dan Benjamin, Hivelogic

I believe that there's a shared responsibility here. Apple shouldn't restrict application pricing or availability (for non-malicious apps). Users need to be careful about the purchase they make - and Apple makes provisions for this. At the same time, developers should be conscientious, considerate, and kind when creating and pricing an application.

Review: Photoshop Lightroom 2.0

by Rick LePage, Macworld

What's most impressive about the update is how smoothly it works with you to organize and edit your photos; by focusing on improving the little things, Adobe has made an already good program even more usable.

TypeCast

by Jason Snell, Macworld

It's A Core Location Blacklist

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

An informed soure at Apple confirmed to me that the "clbl" in the URL stands for "Core Location Blacklist", and that it does just that. It is not a blacklist for disabling apps completely, but rather specifically for preventing any listed apps from accessing Core Location - an API which, for obvious privacy reasons, is covered by very strict rules in the iPhone SDK guidelines.

Apple Prices Are Just Peachy

by Christopher Dawson, ZDNet.com

As Apple keeps cranking out high-quality, durable ,user-friendly, innovative products, I have to remember the words my old economics teacher used to ask: "How much should a company charge for a product?" We would all answer in unison, "As much as the market will bear."

How To Fix The DVD Drive

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

This is new to me: turn your MacBook sideway to fix the DVD drive.

Is The iPhone NDA About Patents?

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

"Maybe [Apple's] lawyers believe there are patentable inventions described in the iPhone SDK and they are telling Apple to keep everything under NDA until they know provisional patents can be filed within a reasonable amount of time."

Much Ado About The iPhone's 'Kill Switch'

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

Until Apple explains why it has included this function, or an application appears on the blacklist and is wiped from someone's phone, it's all just the usual leaping to conclusions on a sleepy Thursday in August.

Developers To Apple: Be More Transparent On App Store Standards

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Wondering what goes into the process of determiing what iPhone applications make the grade for Apple's App Store? You're not alone—the developers who write those programs sometimes find themselves wondering the same thing.

The iCal Challenge

by William Porter, Macworld

Eight calendars and organizers compete with Apple's scheduling app.

New iPod, Old Firmware

by Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

If you're planning on buying a touch, it may be a case of buyer beware—that "new" hardware may not be as new as you thought. And the price tag may be a few dollars more than what you thought you were going to pay.

There's no 2.0 software on iPod touch, even if you buy it today from Apple Store.

Driving iTunes Daffy

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

August 7, 2008

What It's Really Like Working Inside Apple On Its Intenret Projects: Really, Really Tough

by Charles Arthur, The Guardian

Eddy Cue's real speciality is to be able to take what Steve asks for, imlement it, hit the target dates, make it work, and keep the damn thing a secret until Steve announces it.

TubeTV 1.0

by Roman Loyola, Macworld

Softbank Adds Most Mobile Users In 4 Months, Helped By iPhone

by Pavel Alpeyev, Bloomberg

Softbank Corp., Japan's third-largest mobile-phone company, added the most users in four months in July after starting to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G in the country. The increase is its biggest since March when it introduced free calls between family members.

The $1000 iPhone App

by Jason Kottke, Kottke.org

Excluding I Am Rich would be excluding for taste... because some feel that it costs too much for what it does... Imagine if Apple chose which music they stocked in the iTunes store based on the company's taste.

The Opaque Side Of Apple

by Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

Don't-look-behind-the-curtains tactics don't work when customers just want to know that their purchase will work as advertised, or when would-be customers want reassurance that they're not buying into a failed experiement.

Mac Laptop Prices Steady As Windows Prices Fall

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

Speculation that Apple might be slashing Mac prices in the coming weeks could get a boost from new data released by The NPD Group.

Personal Shopping At The Apple Store: Mac Addict Goes Undercover

by Blake Schnitkey, The Windy Citizen

The beauty of a personal shopping appointment at the Apple Store was the simple pleasure of knowing that your questions, no matter how ridiculous, would be answered thoroughly.

MacBook Air Is Light, Yes, But It's No Lightweight

by Steve Casimiro, National Geographic Adventure

Of course the Air is sexy and of course the Air is imperfect—but it's far more versatile than most believe. The Air is designed to be a leading edge, attention-getting product. By that measure, it's a smashing success. The surprise is that the deeper, more fundamental qualities—computing, usability, comfort—also make it a smashing success.

Apple's Ability To Deactivate Malicious App Store Apps

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

Apple could presumably deauthorize applications already installed on every iPhone.

"I Am Rich" iPhone App - A Steal At $999.99!

by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com

Update: And it's gone.

What's In A Name?

by John Gruber, Macworld

Apple has been making it easier for its customers to understand its Mac offerings. The trade-off, though, is that Apple's product lineups are deliberately sparse.

More Ways To Protect Yourself From Phishing Scams

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

OpenDNS is an alternative "phone book," and it's one that comes with many features (most are optional) that you probably won't find in your ISP's DNS servers. One of those features is phishing protection, based on OpenDNS' PhishTank project.

OpenCL: What You Need To Know

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Graphics technology is at the center of Apple's Snow Leopard efforts.

More Countries Due To Get iPhone 3G In August

by Dan Moren, Macworld

We're now just starting to get wind of which of those countries will make the cut on August 22nd, a mere sixteen days from now.

PlayFirst Offers Cooking Dash Game

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

PlayFirst on Wednesday announced the release of Cooking Dash, a new spin-off of the eronomously popular Diner Dash series of causal games.

Review: PersonalBrain Pro 4.5

by Lee SHerman, Macworld

Mirroring the way a human thinks is a tough job for software, but PersonalBrain 4.5, a powerful brainstorming and knowledge management tool, falls just shy of artificial intelligence.

August 6, 2008

Apple, Palm Among The Targets In GSM Smartphone Lawsuit

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

A small patent licensing firm hopes to skim profits from Apple and other top smartphone makers by suing them for allegedly violating no less than ten patents relating to GSM phone technology and voice encoding.

PodWorks 2.9.3

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

iPhone App Store Proves The Smartphone Is The Computer

by Alexander Wolfe, InformationWeek

Macs Are PCs, Dammit!

by Lance Ulanoff, PC Magazine

I'm not saying that Macs are not wonderful products. We almost always love them when we test them here at PC Magazine Labs. Apple is, without a doubt, the most consistent company in computerdom. But Steve Jobs is not God, and his products are not grown on trees and picked by loving workers who let them ripen on cotton sheets by the window sill.

Former Apple Employee Sues For Violation Of Labor Code

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, the complaint focuses on the fact that employees were required to work more than 40 hours a week or eight hours in a workday. David Walsh's suit says that Apple then denies the employees proper compensation for that work.

Switching To The Mac: Problems And Solutions

by Shuman Ghosemajumder, Shumans.com

OS X uses a different mosue pointer "acceleration curve" than Windows. Windows uses a flatter curve, which makes the mouse respond more naturally, whereas OS X's curve accelerates quicker for speed but slower for smaller, precise movements.

Multiple Docks In Mac OS X

by Cybernet

You can create up to five different Docks that you can switch between right from the menubar. Or, what's even better is that you can assign Docks to certain Spaces.

Why Switch To The Mac? Five Top Reasons

by Samuel Dean, Web Worker Daily

An actual file system, much better video and graphics, cooler looking machines, true plug-and-play, more reliability.

MobileMe Problems Show Apple Needs An Infrastructure Lesson

by Om Malik, GigaOM

Apple's problem is that it doesn't seem to have recognized the fact that it's in the business of network-enabled hardware.

Steve Jobs On MobileMe: The Full E-Mail

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

"The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about internet services. And learn we will. The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year."

Can The iPhone Rule Gaming?

by Anita Hamilton, Time

It's already a groundbreaking phone and digital music player, and now Apple's iPhone is emerging as a popular gaming device as well.

See Also: iPhone Games: Ars Staff Favorites, by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica.

Apple should add a speaker to the next iteration of iPod Touch to take advantage of the new games coming soon on the platform — even though it will probably anony the heck out of me if the young punk sitting next to me on the bus starts playing games without headphones.

How Sound Is Consumer Reports' Safari Advice?

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Should Safari have anti-phishing features? Sure, it should. Should you stop using it today because it doesn't? Not at all—as long as you're willing to exercise "safe clicking" practices.

DiskWrangler File Launcher Improves Leopard Support

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

DiskWrangler helps you keep your hands on the keyboard instead of reaching for the mouse when it's time to launch applications, documents, mail and web URLs.

iTunes Maintains Stranglehold On US Music Sales

by MacNN

The NPD Group says that iTunes maintained an existing lead, despite competition from major, firmly established corporations.

And we are talking about all forms of music sales, online and offline. Wow. Who'd imagine this ten years ago, when Apple was shopping (or rather, begging) for a new OS.

August 5, 2008

Getting At Apple's Core Problems

by Bill Thompson, BBC News

Apple's unwillingness to divulge details of security flaws or even the specifics of how flaws are fixed leaves customers confused, ignorant and possibly exposed to attacks that could be avoided.

Review: CrossOver Mac Professional 7

by John Brandon, Macworld

Unfortunately, its performance did not match our expectations.

Review: Firefox 3.0

by Nathan Alderman, Macworld

For speed alone, Safari's still the king. However, users more concerned with a polished interface, handy features, unmatched extensibility, and sterling standards compliance will find Firefox 3 a worthy alternative.

Make Leopard Leap: Time-Saving Tips For OS X 10.5

by Ryan Faas, Computerworld

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is filled with new ways of getting things done. That's where these tips come in. They're all about learning to make better and more productive of use of what's already there.

Join Together 5.2

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

iTunes lets you ripd multiple tracks from an audio CD as a single track. But what do you use if you want to combine tracks that have already been ripped? Why, Join Together 5.2.1, of course.

Consumer Group Urges Mac Users To Ditch Safari

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Mac users should scrap Apple Inc.'s Safari and replace it with a browser that offers anti-phishing protection, such as Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Opera Software ASA's Opera, Consumer Reports said today as it unveiled its annual internet security survey.

Steve Jobs: MobileMe "Not Up To Apple Standards"

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

In an internal e-mail sent to Apple employees this evening, Steve Jobs admitted that MobileMe was launched too early and "not up to Apple's standards."

The entire MobileMe team will now report to Eddy Cue. Cue will now lead all Internet-related services at Apple—including iTunes, the App Store, and now MobileMe—and will report directly to Steve Jobs.

The Apple Mac Cost Misconception: Macs And Their Prices

by Tuan Nguyen, Tom's Hardware

Apple Releases iPhone, iPod 2.0.1 Software Updates

by AppleInsider

In a scant set of release notes, Apple said iPhone Software 2.0.1 and its iPod equivalent deliver "bug fixes."

Welcome To iPhone: Your Crappy Mac Of Tomorrow, Today!

by Michael Tsai

I think the bottom line is that, because of the way Apple has behaved, people don't trust it as much. This makes them less willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Review: Teleport For iPhone

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Teleport is a virtual network computing (VNC) client for the iPhone that allows you to see and control Macs and PCs on your network.

Mac Clone-Maker's Lawyer Hints At Antitrust Defense

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

"The case has been mischaracterized," said Colby Springer, one of the three lawyers from Carr & Ferrell who will represent Psystar. "There are a lot more complicated issues than just copyright or trademark. There are more complex issues [than those] in respect to the end-user licensing agreement. And antitrust issues come into play, too."

Virgin Mobile Becomes Fourth Australian iPhone Provider

by Dan Moren, Macworld

The land of Oz now allows its citizens to choose from four different providers, giving them the undisputed crown of "most iPhone providers in a given country."

The DNS Vulnerability: What You Should Know And Do

by Glenn Fleishman and Rich Mogull, Macworld

Although Apple released a fix for all Mac srunning OS X 10.4.11 and 105.4 (Server and desktop, Intel and PowerPC, Leopard and Tiger), the fix only repaired the most vulnerable part of DNS, the server software, even on systems that don't use it. Client DNS software, used by an operating system to request a DNS lookup from a full-scale DNS server, is still at risk, but at a lower level and under more limited circumstances.

August 4, 2008

Apple's Chatswood Store A Burden For Local IT Retailers?

by Lilia Guan, CRN Australia

Hardware vendor Apple has just announced that it plans to open a new Apple Store in Chatswood.

iPhone To Go On Sale In Russia In 2009

by Kommersant

Apple iPhone 3G will officially go on sale in Russia in 2009, Vedomosti reported. The Apple representative didn't comment on the news.

Transmission 1.22

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Not There Yet: The iPhone Has Some Growing To Do

by Eric Lal and Matt Hamblen, Computerworld

From a corporate iT standpoint, the 3G hardware and its companion iPhone 2.0 software remain less functional and mature than their BlackBerry and Windows Mobile counterparts.

Update: Apple Resurrects iPhone Tethering App, Then Kills It Yet Again

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Developer Nullriver Inc. had no idea why its software had been reposted to the App Store on Friday, or why it had been removed later in the day.

August 3, 2008

Apple Pulls Box Office From App Store?

by Rene Ritchie, The iPhone Blog

Apple Extends AT&T Exclusivity To 2010

by Mat Lu, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

This extension is part of the iPhone 3G deal that eliminated revenue sharing with Apple, but has AT&T paying about $300 per phne up front.

August 2, 2008

Why Apple's MobileMe Launch Stumbled

by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times

For a company that has been long focused on what its customers need, Apple needs to take a long, hard look at how hard it's pushing its employees — and how little polish seems to be left on the company's image right now.

Living With The MacBook Pro

by David Alison, DigitalAppleJuice.com

Apple's Patch Fails To Fix DNS Flaw, Researchers Claim

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Tests by Andrew Storm, director of security oeprations at nCircle Network Security Inc., confirmed that even after Apple's update was applied, systems running the client version of Mac OS X were still incrementing ports, not randomizing them, as should have been the case if the fix had addressed the flaw.

FileVault Is Flawed; And Apple's Not Talk'n

by George Hulme, InformationWeek

It's time for Apple to grow-up when it comes to security, especially if it wants to be an enterprise provider. The company needs to start talking more publicly about security, and maturing its security gme. Other software makers, such as Microsoft and Oracle have - years ago.

iPhone Calendar Syncing

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

MobileMe giveth, MobileMe taketh away.

Apple Backs Out Of Black Hat Security Conference

by MacNN

The organizers of next week's Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas say Apple has decided to pull out of hte event at the last minute.

Review: QuarkXPress 8

by Galen Gruman, Macworld

XPress 8 should have been a significant leap forward in both functionality and user interface, but Quark unfortunately decided to do just half the job, though it is certainly a half-job well done.

Dragoman File Converter Improves Music File Support

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Dragoman helps users convert files between different formats. It supports images, photos, PDF files, music and archive files using a simple drag and drop interface.

Dragster File Transfer Utility Improves Status Display

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Dragster is designed to complement conventional FTP software applications on the Mac by providing streamlined connnectivity using a Dock icon.

August 1, 2008

Hello, I Am A Mac

by Laura Sukowatey, Hodson Star-Observer

iPhone 3G Tethering App Pulled By Apple

by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com

I wonder if AT&T pressured Apple into removing the app.

See Also: Did Nullriver Slide The iPhone Tethering App Past The Goalie?, by MG Siegler. I wonder if the term "lawsuit" was used today?

Apple Security Update Patches Critical DNS Flaw

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Apple on Thursday released Security Update 2008-005, patching a critical DNS (Domain Name Server) flaw that other companies began fixing on July 8. The DNS fix is among 13 items updated in the security release.

The Wrong Kind Of 1%

by Giles Turnbull, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

MobileMe account holders trying to contact Apple's email outage chat support service have been promptly and brutually cut off if they're not on Apple list of the "1%" of users affected — and in one case, even if they are.

Woe Is MobileMe

by Lucy Carrigan, The Guardian

Dear Apple - I want to be me, not @me.com. But I wouldn't mind so much if it actually worked...

It's 2018: Who Owns The Cloud?

by ALlan Leinwand, GigaOM

What will become increasingly critical is providing cloud consumers with a spectacular user experience, something nobody does better than Apple.

Psystar Hires Attorneys Who've Faced Apple Before

by Katie Marsal, AppleInsider

A pair of attorneys representing Psystar in its legal bout with Apple are already famliar with the Mac maker, with whom they've clashed before and came out on top.

Apple's Unforgivable DNS Delay

by John C. Welch, Macworld

Apple has been the only vendor not to release a patch or clearly communicate the reasons for the delay to its customers.

There is no level on which Apple's conduct here is acceptable. It speaks of a security-vulnerability review process that is broken. It shows that either Apple is completely unaware of what is going on with the software it bases its OS on, or that the company knows, and just don't care.

Apple's Stock Up Almost 1400% Over 5 Years

by MacNN

Apple's stock has seen significant growth and is almost worth 14 times what it was worth five years ago.

Why Aren't Apple's Software Updates More Descriptive?

by Jonathan Seff, Macworld

Why, Apple, why can't you tell people what bugs you're fixing in your software updates?

Make Captivating Charts And Graphs

by Terri Stone, Macworld

Simple ways to create engaging graphics that tell a story.

By Heng-Cheong Leong

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