Apple points to over 150 new features in Panther. Though many of these additions are aimed at the end user, a large number of changes in both client and server versions are targeted for enterprise customers, said Brian Croll, a senior director of product marketing for software at Apple. [Technology News from eWEEK and Ziff Davis]
Dive into Panther…
Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) is out. I took a few screenshots and wrote up a few thoughts. OK, I took 100 screenshots and wrote up 11 pages. [dive into mark]
Craig Barrett: Inside Intel’s future
Will Intel ever be able to crack Apple?
We keep trying, but frankly it gets less and less interesting each year. When they were 10 percent of the market it was a more interesting issue. But at 2 percent of the market…our sales can blip 2 percent quarter on quarter, so we can shrink or grow by a couple of Apples. There are lots of interesting aspects in there. Steve (Jobs) is trying to appeal more to the Intel base. You might ask why he doesn’t take his OS and try to compete in the other 98 percent of the market. But he doesn’t choose to do that.
The OS X kernel runs just fine on Intel. Just a matter of the app stack to stick on top of that. But you’ll have to talk to Steve about that. We just try to get design wins with these guys. [ZDNet]
Apple readying ‘iTunes Producer’ for record labels
Apple is in the process of launching new applications and marketing tools for its iTunes Music Store that aim to make it easier for record labels and artists to sell and promote music on the service… [MacMinute]
This is very cool news and even includes a co-marketing budget if you reference the ITMS in your Google ad. Very Intel like… and very smart.
If You’re Getting Tired Of Fighting Viruses, Consider a New Mac
Walt Mossberg…
For consumers and small businesses, the burden of using Microsoft Windows just keeps getting heavier. After growing easier to use for several years, Windows PCs have taken a giant step backward because they are so insecure.
Windows is riddled with security flaws, and new ones turn up regularly. It is increasingly susceptible to all kinds of viruses, malicious Trojan horse programs and spyware. As a result, Windows users have been forced to spend more of their time and money supporting their computers. [Wall Street Journal]
Longhorn delay has Windows users considering OS X
Microsoft Watch has posted a number of e-mails from readers who say they are considering switching to Mac OS X due to the delay of Longhorn, Microsoft’s next major version of Windows… [MacMinute]
ITMS Link Maker
New from Apple…
Welcome to iTunes Link Maker. Simpy enter a song name, album name, artist name, or any combination of the three to get started: [ITMS Link Maker]
You can also drag a link directly from the store if you are already there… For example Dave Brubeck’s Playlist
iTunes for Windows
I can’t imagine this will be the only windows review of iTunes like this…
WOW.
I haven’t done much with it, but it improves the sound quality (somehow) of the MP3s I already have and being able to browse and play new music so easily is just mind blowing. How does the preview play so quickly?!?!! My god, I just click and poof, it’s starts playing a 20 second clip instantly!
Sooooooo cool. I need to buy a Mac so that my entire computing experience is like this. 🙂
[Russell Beattie Notebook]
It’s why we love the Mac.
Hell hath Frozen…iTunes for Windows
Apple launched ITMS for Windows today… nice work! Let’s hope it kicks some serious ass!
I am updating my iTunes, iPod and Quicktime software at the moment through Software Update and will report back…
Seems that essentially the revised iTunes is basically the same but with some nice enhancements in the music store itself. First, Allowances and Gift Certificates which I think are a great addition and make it feel more like a real store – at least the GC’s do. Allowances are clearly set up for families to allow kids to purchase but within reason…
The addition of audio books is also very cool. I am not (or have not anyway) been a big audio book user, but with everything nicely inside iTunes and the ITMS, I can’t see why I would not check it out. I’ve got at least 40 minutes of travel time daily that I could use to “read.”
I can’t speak for how the Windows version works as I am just on a Mac here. The store itself seems to have been redesigned with some additions in content, including celebrity playlists.
One additional point of interest from the Press Release:
Apple® and America Online, Inc., the world’s leading interactive services company, today announced an alliance to provide instant, one-click registration to the iTunes® Music Store for AOL’s more than 25 million U.S. members starting later this quarter. America Online will integrate links to iTunes artists, albums and songs throughout its leading music site, AOL Music, which will give members the option to link directly to the specific iTunes Music Store page to preview and buy music as they browse and read music news and reviews.
wow – that is super cool. Go APPLE!
notes on the PowerBook…
While still getting used to things one significant detail is how much more responsive the system is…. I was just used to basic finder delays and lag in things like NetNewsWire that I did not even realize that is not how it was supposed to be!
The new system is virtually silent. I have yet to hear the fan or the drive and have only heard it go to sleep (with a gentle click). I love the screen, both the depth and the new angle that it rests when placed in full recline. The keyboard is softer, I think… but I like having some extra keys around like the second Apple even though I am mentally trained that is my former enter key which has now shifted one to the right.
The trackpad is a completely new material, or perhaps just new material. My old machine’s pad is actually shiny from my finger after these past years of use. It gets warm, but not hot even on your leg with shorts.
My plan is to reinstall things as I need them. I had way to much crap on my old machine, much of which I did not use regularly enough to consider keeping. Must keep this system clean and running fast…
Home on your iPod
Just caught this super cool (pending) feature of Panther…
Ever thought you could carry your home in the palm of your hands or in your pocket? You can. Panther’s Home on iPod feature lets you store your home directory — files, folders, apps — on your iPod (or any FireWire hard drive) and take it with you wherever you go.
When you find yourself near a Panther-equipped Mac, just plug in the iPod, log in, and you’re “home,” no matter where you happen to be. And when you return to your home computer, you can synchronize any changes you’ve made to your files by using File Sync, which automatically updates offline changes to your home directory. [Mac Rumors]
While it seems to not be in the latest build according to the article – which was pulled indicating a likely truth – we can certainly hope for it! Having a large iPod will have some amazing advantages when you are away from your computer!
Mac OS Upgrades
Some users complain about the high cost of a “dot release”. The moniker 10.x should really be read as Mac OS 10 version x. It isn’t a “dot release”, but a whole new version. Panther is really Mac OS X 3, akin to Photoshop 8 or Quicken 2003. [deeje.com]
Cosmic Connection??
My three year old 15-inch Titanium Powerbook suffered a significant blow tonight.
As I opened it to do some work, the hinge cracked open on the right side wiping out the screen. It’s shut down resting wondering if in fact this is the sign that it will be officially retired knowing that it’s replacement was officially announced today.
I can only hope that in fact this is just the kind of breakage that warrants replacement through my company’s IT. No idea what it costs to replace. And actually not happy that it broke. I had quite a bit I wanted to accomplish tonight instead of watching TV.
Finally!
Apple has finally decided to come through with a proper update to the 15″ powerbook!! It has everything you would expect – Firewire 800, 400 and USB 2.0, the illuminated keyboard, airport extreme, bluetooth and superdrive.
Now I just need to make my case to IT to try and get an upgrade of my 3 year old machine…
the iServe (redux)
Frank has really expaned his iServe idea (from November)… I’d love to see what he’s envisioned in my house. I agree with him on the value to small work-groups, and as a guy working in a company that has many small work-groups and owns a few XServe’s, I think we’d likely buy a few iServe’s in addition to our XServe’s.
After thinking about this idea for 30 seconds I realized it’s exactly what I would want to have at home! I have the iMac set up basically as a server now for some basic needs but have struggled with how to get things like an LDAP server running so my wife and I can share a sync-able contact file. I’ve already had to create machine level directories for us to share iTunes and iPhoto libraries across the user accounts. A true home server would be fantastic – but not at the price of the work xserve.
more on sync…
While less than 40 minutes, I now need at least 20 minutes to sync my Palm to my computer. We recently switched to Lotus Notes at work and in order to have my Calendar and other modules sync, I needed to install LipSync from Kissworks. This is a notes databases that can read and write with iCal and the built-in Address Book.
I was having an issue yesterday with iCal remembering and reinstalling old calendars each time I opened it, which were also then syncing each session. I think I finally figured it out, though it is far from what I was hoping for. By disabling sync with .Mac, I am able to just keep current with my system and Palm… and now Notes. With .Mac on, the old stuff returns no matter how many times I say reset all and use my computer as the refresh point. This is definitely a bug and something others have issues with as well if you search the Apple Support boards. One additional point – just a suggestion but it works for me… You need to run Backup in order to kill the old files after a sync as well. I’ve found that without this update, I get the old calendars back on a relaunch of iCal.
The reason things take so long is that you have to actually sync twice in order to sync to and from Notes to iCal/Address Book and then other time to sync between iCal/ Address Book and your Palm or iPod or Phone. Not ideal, but it is working and deletes and changes between the three are being noted throughout so I guess I can’t complain too much.
One additional benefit of turning off .Mac in iSync is the speed increase with sync in general. While iSync is still a bit slow for my taste, it does work…and as I mentioned is currently working well. I guess I’ll have to buy/expense the LipSync app now when my demo ends on September 30… unless of course a BlackBerry finds it’s way to me which would make syncing with my Palm completely redundant.
New exclusives for .Mac members
Apple is offering new exclusives for .Mac members, including a free copy of the StickyBrain 2 organizer [MacNN]
You’ll definitely also want to check out the beta for Backup 2.0 which finally lets you back up directly to an external FireWire drive.
Apple shooting for supercomputer heights
The company lands a big customer for its Power Mac G5: Virginia Tech, which will use 1,100 G5s as part of a cluster that’s designed to make the list of the world’s largest supercomputers. [CNET News.com]
Why Apple is So Tempting
Like a comet that passes Earth every few years, Apple Computer consistently comes out of the blue with products that alter the trajectory of the technology business and leave observers rubbing their eyes in amazement. [Wired]
101 Uses for Apple IChat
People are finding many versatile uses for Apple’s iChat AV software, like sharing video across town or finding dates. Thing is, they’re not using it much for video conferencing, the task for which it was built. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News]