Sat, Feb 4, 2012
Apple today updated iBooks [App Store] to version 2.0.1, bringing a fix for an issue that resulted in some iBooks Textbooks not opening in the application.
One of the most important things to stay on top of is a regular system backup. If you’re new to Mac usage—or just never bothered to backup before—you’ll want to get familiar with a built-in Mac program called Time Machine.
Apple has updated its iBooks Author app in order to clarify the language of its End User License Agreement. The changes to the EULA clarify that Apple does indeed intend the packaged product to be sold on the iBookstore only, but also make it clear that it does not lay claim to the content that you use to create the book, nor does it try to limit what you can do with that content elsewhere.
Details are still murky surrounding Security Update 2012-001’s effect on an installation of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but many people are reporting problems with PowerPC-based applications that rely on Snow Leopard’s Rosetta environment.
Apple released a new version of Security Update 2012-001 labeled v1.1 for 10.6.8 that “removes the ImageIO security fixes” to “address a compatibility issue.” We still recommend waiting before installing this fix unless you installed the 1.0 version.
Fri, Feb 3, 2012
Attempts to invigorate books with video and other digital bells and whistles keep bumping up against this fundamental problem: You can’t really pay much attention to anything else while you’re reading, so in order to play with any of these new features, you have to stop reading. If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, then the attentional tug of all these peripheral doodads is vaguely annoying, and if you’re not engaged by the story, they aren’t enough on their own to win you over.
The latest crop of enhanced e-books struggle mightily to overcome this dilemma. The vast majority of such books are kids’ titles, for the simple reason that literature for young children has always included images. The pictures give kids something to look at as the books are being read aloud to them, and this helps cement the relationship between printed and spoken language. Every children’s e-book offers a read-aloud feature in which a recorded voice recites the text. Most offer the ability to tap individual words to hear them spoken aloud. Parents understandably believe that these apps will help their kids learn to read — and that they make tempting, but still educational, alternatives to television.
Apple is unintentionally censoring rap music and other explicit tracks downloaded using its iTunes Match service — by replacing them with the clean versions of the same songs.
Because of the stringent requirements for obtaining the encryption keys, it is highly unlikely that a thief would uncover your files. Instead, it is far more likely that a thief would format the drive and get rid of the system to the quickest and highest bidder. Nevertheless, if you are still concerned, then there are a couple of things you can do to prevent such access to your system and protect your data.
In a statement (PDF) issued this morning, password recovery company Passware has claimed that it can fully decrypt a FileVault-encrypted Mac disk within an hour. Using a live-memory analysis approach via the system's FireWire connection, Passware says its utilities can sample system memory and extract the encryption key for FileVault disks. The process apparently takes no more than 40 minutes, regardless of the length or complexity of the password used.
Shortly after the first Intel-based Macs arrived on the market, Apple released a tool called Boot Camp, which lets Mac owners install and boot their machines natively into Microsoft Windows alongside an existing OS X installation without running two operating systems concurrently--perfect for running performance-intensive applications that don't work in a virtual machine (such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion). Here’s how to set up Boot Camp.
Apple CEO Tim Cook held a town hall meeting last week to celebrate Apple's record quarter, and in addition to giving employees deep discounts on Apple products, we're now hearing that he spent quite a bit of time focusing on Apple's charitable contributions.
Avid, maker of high-end digital video and audio production tools, is bringing its “pro-sumer” video editing software to the iPad.
Full projects and video files can be transferred to and from the Avid Studio app via iCloud and iTunes. Finished movie files can also be shared directly from the Avid app to Facebook and YouTube.
Some folks who installed 10.7.3 via Software Update—using the traditional update approach—discovered upon rebooting that every app they launched would crash, and the ensuing error dialog box sported bizarre overlays: gradient boxes reading “CUI CUI,” along with bright red question marks.
The good news is, there's a fix. The bad news is, it isn't simple to perform. The combo updater—the version that could also update older versions of Lion—seems to resolve the issue for afflicted users. The problem, however, is that getting the installer to run can be a bit of an issue, if your Web browser crashes each time you try to download it.
“This was an extremely rare situation that occurred when a retail employee did not follow the correct service procedure and used their personal SIM to help a customer who did not have a working SIM,” Apple representative Natalie Harrison told The Loop. “This resulted in a temporary situation that has since been resolved by the employee.”
I wish Apple (or someone) will come up with a list of things to do and not to do regarding your SIM card. Looks like a minefield of iMessage hurt out there.
Thu, Feb 2, 2012
After a back and forth Twitter discussion yesterday with David Barnard about how Japanese tax withholding works in the the App Store I figured I’d write a quick post to clarify how it works. I am neither an accountant nor a lawyer, so it is a good idea to contact one of those before making any major decisions on this topic. This is also written entirely from a US perspective. I have no idea how things work around the world.
When Dale Fuller was trying to resuscitate Apple’s PowerBook division in the late 1990s, he didn’t see eye-to-eye with Steve Jobs. Fuller saw all those PC makers selling Windows laptops to big businesses, and as he struggled to inject new life into Apple’s moribund PowerBook division, he wanted to do the same. But Jobs said no.
Fifteen years after he left Apple, Dale Fuller still thinks Macs are good for business. His new company, MokaFive, carries the tagline: “Finally, Apple for the Enterprise.” But the world has changed, and his efforts to push Apple machines onto businesses are no longer at odds with the Jobsian vision — or least, not entirely.
The app is pretty simple; like other mini-players, it shows the current playing track and album art on your desktop. You can play, pause, and skip by clicking on the mini-player, but it also has a number of customizable shortcuts that affect all three players. You also have a few different sizes and looks to choose from, so it blends in nicely with your desktop and the way you listen to music.
When performing tasks like surfing the Web, browsing through images, or even reading text on screen there may be instances where you need to examine or demonstrate a detail that is relatively small or otherwise difficult to see.
The 10.7.3 update would seem to be a much bigger deal for those using Lion Server, to judge from the release notes for Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.3 Update.
This new version of Lion includes “general operating system fixes” and support for more languages; 10.7.3 also addresses compatibility issues with Windows file sharing and directory services.
Instead of telling you how every last feature now works in version 6.0, let me walk you through things I know everyone will like, elements many will hate, and some particular callouts for network administrators who are already turning amber in distress.
So how practical is it to use recipes on cookery apps? Can a phone or iPad cope with the splatters of the kitchen? And how do you scroll to the next stage of a recipe when your hands are covered in flour or lemon juice or potato peelings?
According to one of the comments, there are apps that uses the light sensor to detect you waving your hands to advance a page. No touching of iPhone or iPad is needed.
In addition to releasing Mac OS X 10.7.3 on Wednesday, Apple also pushed out two other software updates: a security update for Snow Leopard and an update to Apple Remote Desktop.
If you want to add a freeze frame from content in your iMovie library, move the cursor to the point in the clip where you’d like the frame and Control (right) click. From the contextual menu choose Add Still Frame to Project.
It’s now a show as much about doing as having—and one that’s available to everyone, not just those whose companies can foot the bill for a pricey conference package. As such, it has the potential to attract not only those interested in accessorizing and enhancing their Apple gear, but also people who want to dive into areas where Apple technology excels—the arts, media, communication, and productivity.
I've gotten to the point where I dread using the home button on my iPhone because it Makes Me Think. And I get it wrong a significant percentage of the time. This isn't the way it's supposed to be.
That’s the first reason we’re thrilled about the widget-microformat approach iBooks is taking — we can build to the spirit of the functionality, rather than just mimic the functionality. We can parse the intention of a microformat — it’s impossible to parse the intention of a chunk of JavaScript. We’re not forced to build an iBooks clone, which work would hold no attraction for us.
Yes, sometimes I do wish Javascript (in web pages) was never invented.