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>> Postings for June 2007

More on iPhone - David Pogue

Fri, 29 Jun 2007

New York Times' technology columnist David Pogue has put together a short video capturing some of his impressions of his first two weeks with the Apple iPhone.

The moderately amusing video is now available for view through YouTube. Pogue describes the device as "Apple's miracle machine".

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Ring-a-ring-a-iPhone rumours

Thu, 28 Jun 2007

I still remember those "pinch an inch" Slimcea ads, featuring an unfortunately dressed 70's woman alighting from the planet Earth powered only by a hot air balloon while joyously clutching a loaf of Slimcea to her chest. Unlike the loaf, iPhone seems to be living up to the hot air balloon of pre-release hype, and lets you pinch much more than an inch. (3.5 inches, in fact).

So there's this explosion of iPhone related tittle-tattle doing the rounds, and I thought I'd quickly assemble some of these little gems in a carbohydrate-free blog entry. You want news? You got it.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Famous Mac fan, entry one

Fri, 22 Jun 2007

I was intrigued to read in the Independent this week that showbiz stalwart and all-round lady-charmer Donny Osmond is a massive Mac fan.

Not only that, he says that if he hadn't been been a childhood megastar and more recently an entertainment veteran, he'd have liked to have been an engineer at Apple. I'm sure he would've been One Bad Apple employee. Arf! I mean 'bad' as in 'good', obviously.

Andy Penfold | Read more...


DRM-free tracks selling like hotcakes

Thu, 21 Jun 2007

Back before we were subsumed with news of the handset that shall bring peace and harmony to the world, there were other issues at stake—important issues. Just under a month ago, for example, Apple launched iTunes Plus, which made available DRM-free tracks from record label EMI. Steve Jobs had promised earlier this year that half of the music in the iTunes Store would be DRM-free by the end of the year. How’s that going for him?

The first sales figures from EMI show a promising spike since the introduction of DRM-free music. “The initial results of DRM-free music are good,” said Lauren Berkowitz, an EMI Senior VP. Sales of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon are reputedly up 272% since the introduction of DRM-free tracks, while other EMI artists like Norah Jones, Coldplay, and Smashing Pumpkins had seen increases as well. Meanwhile, CD sales for many of those same albums have declined over the same period.

Dan Moren | Read more...


iPhone moan

Wed, 20 Jun 2007

I was intrigued to read a dissenting voice among the iPhone hysteria - it seems it's not a dead cert to be an unquestionable hit after all.

Analysts at IDC have grabbed a handful of spanners and thrown them into the workings of the Apple hype machine, by pointing out a few things that could hinder the iPhone's effortless rise to the top of the mobile telephony tree.

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Congratulations, Neven Morgan, iPhone app developer

Wed, 20 Jun 2007

Somewhere inside the deluge of iPhone-related news and views breaking online, one significant achievement doesn't appear to have had a chance to shine - the first web-based iPhone app, which appeared before Steve Jobs' WWDC announcement of web app support for the device.

I want to raise a digital glass to far-sighted developer, Neven Morgan. That developer was ruminating on ways he could build applications for the iPhone, and figured out that one way people like him could achieve this was to build Web 2.0 applications.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


iPhone headset details

Tue, 19 Jun 2007

The sieve known as the FCC has released the documentation associated with the Bluetooth headset for the iPhone. It even, shockingly, comes with a letter requesting confidentiality.

The details in the documentation about the product itself are a bit scant. We’ve got a picture. With a couple labels (“FCC ID: BCGA1221” and “Other Label Text”). That is all. We’ll have to wait just a bit longer to find out more (just like most iPhone details).

Derik DeLong | Read more...


UK punters give big thumbs-up to iPhone

Tue, 19 Jun 2007

Seven million Brits want an iPhone, according to research from M:Metrics.

There are about 61 million people in the UK, so that means nearly one in nine people in the UK want an iPhone.

Read more...


Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained

Tue, 19 Jun 2007

Stuck for a little more reading? Then we recommend taking a look at New York magazine's extensive eight-page feature on Apple CEO Steve Jobs - is he planning his exit, the report asks. Will Apple and Google merge, it ponders.

The report offers a spirited take on the tech industry mogul. It's honest - pulling no punches in its glimpse at the way Jobs works and his mercurial nature.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Apple picks a fight it can't win

Mon, 18 Jun 2007

Apple rarely competes directly - with anyone.

Instead of slugging it out with other hardware and software companies on a level playing field, Apple historically creates its own playing field from scratch, then dominates it utterly.

Mike Elgan, Computerworld (US online) | Read more...


Playing games

Fri, 15 Jun 2007

Ask ten PC fans why they don’t want a Mac and I predict that more than one of them will say, “Because they don’t run games”.

With last week’s announcement at WWDC that games maker Electronic Arts is about to increase its support for the Mac, it looks like this is set to change.

Read more...


Unreleased Leopard is Amazon US sales smash

Fri, 15 Jun 2007

Apple's unreleased Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' OS is available now for pre-order on Amazon - and has immediately shot to the top of the US sales charts.

It's a spectacle. It's rare to see a product that won't be released for four months become the biggest-selling software on the giant retail website.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Crash and burn

Thu, 14 Jun 2007

Macs don’t crash or get viruses, much, says the British Advertising Standards Commission.

The commission had been contacted by 14 of the British viewing public about two of Apple Get a Mac ads. The wingers were complaining about the ad in which PC suffers from a virus and the ad where PC keeps crashing. Their complaint: Apple is using the ads to mislead UK residents into thinking that Macs never crash and that they don’t get viruses.

Read more...


WWDC: The Bill Gates effect

Thu, 14 Jun 2007

Apple CEO Steve Job's keynote speech this week seems to have left some in the Mac community a little less satisfied, and Joy of Tech may have figured out the reason in their latest Mac-focused cartoon. Take a look at it here.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


AT&T to spy on internet traffic

Thu, 14 Jun 2007

AT&T is getting together with Hollywood studios and recording companies to develop technology to snoop on internet traffic in search of pirated material, according to a story posted Wednesday by the LA Times.

At a time when Apple, EMI and other companies are making the no-brainer, money-making decision to sell music without cumbersome and annoying digital-rights management, AT&T has decided to go the "Privacy? What privacy?" route.

Erik Larkin, PC World (US) | Read more...


Holey Safari

Wed, 13 Jun 2007

Apple’s getting a bit of stick for the fact that the beta version of Safari for Windows is a bit buggy.

On the one side Apple is being criticised for not working harder to ensure that the beta version of the software was bug free. At the end of the day the company is offering the software to anyone who wants it, not just hardened beta testers, so really it should have ensured that the holes were plugged.

Read more...


A developer's-eye view of Leopard

Wed, 13 Jun 2007

Steve Jobs had a lot of fun at Microsoft's expense over Redmond's difficulties shipping the operating systems that have become Vista and Windows Server 2008. So with Vista shipping by default on new PCs and Windows Server 2008 in a publicly downloadable beta, Apple should be catching hell from the press for making Leopard the last to arrive.

There's nothing like a fresh, closed beta of Leopard to put Mac developers in a forgiving mood. Now I've done my objective journalist's duty with an ineffectual finger-wag at Apple, I'll confess that, personally, having the beta release of Leopard set aside for paid members of Apple Developer Connection (ADC) suits me fine. I'm an ADC Premiere member. I'll be one of the 4,000 or so who'll get my Leopard DVD at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), but far more important is the week of hands-on education that comes with it.

Tom Yager, InfoWorld (US) | Read more...


Leopard attacks desktop clutter

Tue, 12 Jun 2007

The new features in Leopard previewed by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at WWDC yesterday sound like a great way of getting organised, but will it change the way I work?

These new ways of storing files always sound like a great idea when Apple mentions them the first time, but in reality I never end up changing the way I work - because it’s what works for me.

Read more...


Reality Distortion: WWDC, medium is the message

Tue, 12 Jun 2007

While mulling over yesterday's host of announcements from WWDC 2007, it struck me how much more coy today's Apple is about its achievements. All the information is there, but these days the company seems to be asking us to work harder to understand what the implications are.

As a case in point, take the company's seeming focus on Web 2.0. This isn't just about developing Web 2.0 applications for the iPhone, but is also reflected in its release of Safari for Windows, and indeed across the new media-focused Leopard interfaces - QuickLook, Finder, Desktop, Time Machine and Back To My Mac.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Safari for Windows

Tue, 12 Jun 2007

There's a lot of speculation as to why Apple has suddenly decided now is the right time to develop a version of Safari for Windows.

Apple is claiming that it wants to increase the user base for Safari. We can see how this makes sense. Apple may give away the browser but - like Firefox - it gets a financial kickback from Google every time you tap something into the search bar - so there's money to be made.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


WWDC is for the developers, so don't expect cool consumer gadgets

Mon, 11 Jun 2007

Now that we are getting over the lack of excitement at Steve Jobs keynote, I’m starting to wonder why we always think that Apple might just announce an exciting product at its Worldwide Developers Conference…

Let’s look at what the company announced the last few years:

Read more...


WWDC: Today's keynote news now?

Mon, 11 Jun 2007

Running the news desk means you sometimes come across information you know readers may want to read, but the story is such a rumour you just can't report it as news. That's when blogs are so handy - so here's what's claimed to be a blow-by-blow list of what Apple CEO Steve Jobs will reveal later today...

The list - and it's a long list, much longer than that we have reported here - covers a slew of topics, read on:

Jonny Evans | Read more...


So many iPods

Fri, 08 Jun 2007

Is there any one left in the UK who doesn't own an iPod? Even my tech-phobic friend Nicola has one now!

I used to pass the time commuting to the office by spotting people with iPods, now it's more of a challenge to spot people without one.

Read more...


Beyond iPhone: Top gadget trends of 2007

Fri, 08 Jun 2007

If iPhone is even half as good as its television ads, it will be an obvious choice for product of the year. But other trends and products have emerged in the gadget world in 2007 that could have a bigger impact on your life.

Some of the new trends and products will lead to newer, better services, and some provide new ways of interacting with information. And one trend that has long been with us in the technology world - better products for less money - has reached gale force for some types of electronic toys.

David Haskin, Computerworld (US online) | Read more...


Love it or hate it, we're iPhone stereotypes

Thu, 07 Jun 2007

I think I know why Mark loves the iPhone and I hate it. As much as I loathe admitting it, we’re fitting right into stereotypes.

According to research by Solutions Research Group, the first group of people to adopt the iPhone will be predominantly university educated males with an average age of 31-years.

Read more...


Why you're sending yourself spam

Thu, 07 Jun 2007

A reader Martin wrote in after receiving spam that seemed to be from him, to him. He wanted to know how this could happen. It's a common question, so I thought I'd share the answer.

The sad fact is that your email address is valuable to spammers and virus writers, because it's trivially easy for them to fake, or 'spoof,' an email that looks like it comes from you. And people are more likely to open an email that looks as if it comes from someone in the same company, for instance.

Erik Larkin, PC World (US) | Read more...


10 million and waiting

Wed, 06 Jun 2007

A lot of people seem to be hung up on 'how many' iPhones Apple will sell.

Steve Jobs is responsible for this, by stating that Apple was aiming to sell 10 million phones by the end of 2008, and get 1 per cent of the market.

Read more...


Out of fashion

Wed, 06 Jun 2007

Why do 53.2 per cent* of Macworld readers think the iMac is the Mac most in need of a redesign? I bought one a year ago! Am I out of fashion already?!

I got a iPod 5G this year as well, but no doubt come autumn (or possibly even sooner) this will be 'last season' too. And (fool!) I just upgraded my phone. Last week. What was I thinking? Obviously the iPhone is going to make me look, like, totally Primark long before my 18-month contract runs out.

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Infiltrating Apple

Wed, 06 Jun 2007

If I had super powers it would make reporting Apple news so much easier.

This revelation came to me yesterday evening when I was discussing which super power I would like to have with some of my colleagues (we share many of these kinds of discussions in our local drinking establishments of an evening).

Read more...


Staying out for the summer

Wed, 06 Jun 2007

Sometimes I despair. Apple's iPhone seems set to ship in the UK in winter at some point - but I need an internet-connected mobile device far sooner than that. I, like many, am facing a conundrum - do I upgrade my existing mobile today so I have internet access from across the UK's festival campsites, or do I muddle through until later this year?

In a sense, this problem is likely to be impacting a slew of UK mobile phone users. People across the country have already heard of the device, and it seems to have attracted many potential purchasers, despite it's price. The question is, can we wait?

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Brits are internet obsessed because of the weather, apparently

Tue, 05 Jun 2007

An analyst is blaming the weather in the UK for the fact that we spend more time online every month than anywhere else in the world.

I admit it’s not great outside right now, but I’m sure there are many more reasons why we’re spending so much time online.

Read more...


iTunes offers Bill Gates and Steve Jobs chat

Tue, 05 Jun 2007

Like the A-Team's Hannibal Smith, I love it when a plan comes together - and I'm pleased to reveal that last week's meeting between Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is available now for free through the iTunes Store.

Following last week's meeting between the two men at the 'D: All Things Digital' event, hosted by The Wall Street Journal, I appealed that the historic chat be made available as widely as possible.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Scrap iScrapbook

Mon, 04 Jun 2007

I just read a review of iScrapbook (it'll be in the next issue of Macworld). I've had to cut the review down a bit, so I thought I'd tell you about the bits I cut out - namely, the reviewer pointing out that iScrapbook rather defeats the point of scrapbooking.

"In recent years, scrapbooking has caught on in the States as a choice pastime for discerning craft fans," writes Karl Hodge. "We’re sure that some of the appeal of the process is collecting materials together and physically pasting them into a book. It’s about collecting newspaper clippings, childhood drawings, pressed flowers and photos. That’s why we approach iScrapbook with some reservation. Might it not take some of the fun out of this hobby?"

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Switching on to the Apple TV

Fri, 01 Jun 2007

It's 10 days till my birthday: 10 June is when I celebrate another year of being me. Microsoft's already sorted its present out - on the 10th it will cancel the Halo 3 public beta, thereby giving me my life back. Thanks Bill. My girlfriend also sends her thanks and has promised to stop describing herself as 'a gaming widow' on her Facebook entry.

That leaves you Steve, so what's Apple going to give to me in June?

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Mac for your iPod

Fri, 01 Jun 2007

I don't want to put a dampener on your weekend, especially as the sun has finally come out, but it's festival season. You'd be wise to pack your mac. As in waterproof coat - I'm not suggesting you lug your Mac Pro into the boot of you camper van alongside your tent, a 48-pack of Stella and a 12-pack of Immodium.

I don't want to curse your festival experience, and it's not just sour grapes because Karen got Glasto tickets and I didn't (dammit), I'm just saying: if you're in a field, listening to loud live music, drunk, wearing your finest trampy-boho outfit, it usually buckets down.

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Looking into the WWDC crystal ball

Fri, 01 Jun 2007

With less than two weeks to go until WWDC we’ve been playing guessing games here in the office, wondering whether we’ll just be hearing about new features in Leopard, or if Apple might just have something really exciting up its sleeve.

I’m hoping that we’re going to see some new Macs. Specifically a new MacBook Pro. And even more specifically, one that I can replace my trusty, but ageing 12-inch PowerBook with.

Read more...


The iTunes Plus shake down

Fri, 01 Jun 2007

Have you ever played the trust game where you put your arms across your chest and fall back toward someone behind you in hope they catch you? If you have, then you'll know that putting a pile of cushions on the floor first ruins the game just as much as looking behind you as you fall. iTunes Plus is a bit like this - a trust game where one of the participants lost their nerve.

Why?

Jonny Evans | Read more...