All Blogs > Macworld Team

Macworld Team

>> Postings for August 2007

Does Mac OS X suck?

Thu, 30 Aug 2007

Paul Venezia bamboozled me into buying a MacBook Pro back in January, and I've been on it semi-daily ever since. And yeah, overall, I've been pretty happy. Of course, the only reason I was willing to buy one at all was because Parallels made it so easy to run Windows....

But while my initial usage ratio was 85 per cent Parallels, 15 per cent OS X, over the last six months, that's changed dramatically to 45 per cent Parallels, 55 per cent OS X. Yup, the Orchard does slowly assimilate you.

Oliver Rist, InfoWorld (US) | Read more...


Beatles and iTunes: 'The beat goes on'

Wed, 29 Aug 2007

It's very possible that the entire Mac world will know this at the end of the day, but any hardcore Beatles fan will be able to explain the connection between the band and Apple's 5 September invitation, 'the beat goes on'.

My auntie rang me excitedly this afternoon. She's a Liverpudlian and has been a Beatles fan all of her life. A relatively recent Mac convert, she likes to read the Mac news here, and she noticed the tag-line on Apple's invitation to the 5 September event.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Not in Command

Tue, 28 Aug 2007

It's a travesty! Apple has removed the Apple symbol from the Apple key on the new anodized aluminum Apple keyboard!

Yes, that's right! There is no Apple branding on top of the new Apple keyboard - what a missed opportunity!

Karen Haslam | Read more...


Leopard's friendly welcome

Tue, 28 Aug 2007

Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' is scheduled for imminent release in a few weeks time, but while you wait you can take a look at the new and improved Leopard "Welcome to Mac" message on teh interweb.

The Apple underground is at it once again, with CrunchGear publishing a short collection of Mac OS X welcome messages that show the iterative improvements between each version of the OS.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Satellite phones and solar iPod chargers

Tue, 28 Aug 2007

ULAAN BATAAR, MONGOLIA: You don't really learn about technology until you're removed from it to the point where you're at both extremes of the technological spectrum. Say, using plentiful Mongolian sunshine to charge your iPod.

During the course of a two-week scuba diving expedition to the landlocked Asian country's Lake Khosvgol, we learned about both ends of that spectrum. For the members of our team who work in Mongolia, satellite telephones and generators are part and parcel of their work. In all, we moved over a ton of equipment from places such as Hong Kong and Beijing to the lake shore and back, along with personal equipment from our participants' home countries, including Austria, the United States, and the UK.

Steven Schwankert | Read more...


AMD marketing chief to move to Apple?

Fri, 24 Aug 2007

AMD announced the departure of its chief marketing executive Henri Richards this week - and rumours are emerging that claim he may be moving over to Intel customer, Apple.

Henri Richard is executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at AMD, a company he joined in 2002. In that post he has oversight of AMD’s international sales force, corporate marketing and field marketing initiatives.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Mac OS X for iPods claimed

Thu, 23 Aug 2007

Apple seems set to abandon its previous iPod user interface with one that's powered by Mac OS X, reports claim.

According to AppleInsider, the company plans to equip new iterations of its iPod and iPod nano with a version of its computer operating system, a move matched by the inclusion of OS X in the Apple TV and iPhone.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


AirPort (sometimes) grounded

Wed, 22 Aug 2007

I've been experiencing odd network problems with my MacBook since upgrading to OS X 10.4.10 - sometimes the Mac won't see my wireless network, other times it drops off it, inexplicably.

I know it's not my Base Station, because other users here don't suffer the problem - the old 12-inch PowerBooks and other Macs we host here are all as stable as ever.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Skype: You got some 'splainin to do

Wed, 22 Aug 2007

When Skype went AWOL for 48 hours last week, it came back smelling of cheap perfume and rotgut gin. Some 220 million users waited in their doorways wearing curlers and holding rolling pins, demanding to know where Skype had been. Naturally, Skype had a good excuse at the ready.

They blamed Microsoft.

Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld | Read more...


.Mac hides on the web

Mon, 20 Aug 2007

I'm getting really annoyed with Apple for naming .Mac .Mac...

Just put .Mac into Google and you'll see why. It ignors the dot - . - and just pulls up everything about the Mac.

Read more...


What Apple's iWork moves mean for Office

Mon, 20 Aug 2007

In the second half of 2007, Mac users were supposed to have an Intel-native productivity suite offering, among other things, a presentation program, word processor, and spreadsheet tool. And they do - only this productivity suite doesn't come from Microsoft. Instead, it's Apple's iWork '08.

Last week's addition of the spreadsheet application Numbers to iWork finally created a full-featured successor to the now officially-abandoned AppleWorks, which had gone untouched since 2004. But does it also mean stiffer competition for Microsoft's Office suite, now that iWork offers three of the four apps included in Office? (And the fourth, Entourage, is matched by tools included elsewhere in Mac OS X.)
If iWork '08's release signals a renewal of hostilities that have been largely dormant since the late '90s, you'd have a hard time convincing representatives from either Apple or Microsoft. Perhaps that's because as intriguing as an iWork-versus-Office storyline may be in some quarters, the realities of the marketplace seem to nip any would-be feud in the bud.

Philip Michaels, Macworld.com | Read more...


Well matched: Facebook on the iPhone

Thu, 16 Aug 2007

Developers around the world have been building new sites and retrofitting existing ones for use on the iPhone, and the social networking site Facebook has joined in the fun.

To see what Facebook on the iPhone looks like, check out this slide show posted to Flickr by Citizen Agency's Chris Messina.

Mark Sullivan, PC World (US) | Read more...


Courtesy calls and double-speak

Wed, 15 Aug 2007

Modern life truly is rubbish. It's so bad it has even spawned its very own brand of double-speak. The fightback starts here. The battle ground? The "courtesy call".

What an expression! If ever a pair of words have been utterly twisted beyond meaning, that phrase is it.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Keys to the world

Wed, 15 Aug 2007

When I saw the new iMac, I couldn't take my eyes off the new keyboard. Like some village simpleton, I was transfixed by a component that was far from the centre of attention. Despite the iMac's aluminium bells and whistles, I just wanted to have a go on the shiny buttons.

And now I am. We just got the iMac in to play with. Naturally, we took amusing Photo Booth pictures first. But now I've pinched the keyboard to type with. As my dear colleague James has already pointed out, it's quite a lot thinner than most calculators.

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Is my Mac out of date?

Wed, 15 Aug 2007

iPhoto '08 is really struggling on my 12-inch PowerBook... I keep having to force quit it...

Don't even get me started on the fact that iMovie '08 won't even install because it's G5 or Intel-only... (Not that that is such a loss if the reviews are anything to go by).

Read more...


Perian 1.0 sorts out QuickTime

Wed, 15 Aug 2007

Avid video fans using QuickTime will be well aware of its shortcomings. Although Quicktime Pro is an incredibly versatile program for converting video, there are a number of formats it doesn’t work with.

Problems with files not playing, or playing video without sound (or even vice versa) plague the video aficionado using QuickTime. So much so that the general advice up till now has been to install and use VLC, a freeware alternative to QuickTime that seems to be capable of playing everything and the kitchen sink.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Major labels are killing music

Fri, 10 Aug 2007

Universal Music's experiment in dumping DRM is to be welcomed, but can the company really afford to annoy music fans by making buying music online more complicated?

The news today is that Universal Music is preparing to sell thousands of tracks without digital rights management (DRM) wraps through online music stores.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Only in America: Thumbs off for iPhone!

Fri, 10 Aug 2007

Only in America: It seems some bloke in the 'States has gone and had his thumbs surgically altered so he can use his iPhone properly. Have you ever heard of anything more ludicrous?

In a triumph of materialism over evolution, the North Denver News is reporting that 28-year old Thomas Martel has had his thumbs reduced in size so he can use his iPhone accurately.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


iMovie's missing tricks - updated

Thu, 09 Aug 2007

iLife '08's iMovie may have been completely rebuilt, but we're beginning to hear reports of features that existed in the previous version that are unavailable in the current iteration.

We do note that when you install the new version of iMovie, you will be asked if you want to keep the old version installed on your system - and it seems prudent for iLife '08 owners (who are beginning to receive software ordered Tuesday night this morning) to keep that old version installed.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


iMac: special delivery

Thu, 09 Aug 2007

I've just taken delivery of my new iMac. Clearly a design classic, its integrated, all-in-one design and slot-loading optical drive ooze elegance. I like the easy to look at screen and those rounded curves are still as sexy as ever.

I have replaced the mouse, I didn't really get on with the one supplied with the machine. I'm also impressed by the built-in applications, particularly its handy (but limited) productivity suite, AppleWorks.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Never bet against Apple

Wed, 08 Aug 2007

Well that’s me a fiver down. I bet our ad sales guy that the Aluminium iMac rumour was a fake.

Regular readers will remember that I thought the Aluminium (or Titanium) iMac was unlikely.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


I want my LED iMac

Wed, 08 Aug 2007

Didn’t Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently promise that Apple was going to phase out LCD screens on its Macs in favour of more environmentally friendly LED screens, like those introduced recently on the MacBook Pro?

Just months ago Apple CEO Steve Jobs published a letter outlining his plans for the company’s green future – after being hassled by Greenpeace.

Read more...


Place your bets

Tue, 07 Aug 2007

It’s Apple Tuesday and we’re all waiting with baited breath for Steve Jobs’ announcement. For those of you that don’t know, Steve Jobs will be making an announcement at 6pm from Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.

So what’s it going to be?

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


For Apple, what a difference a decade makes

Tue, 07 Aug 2007

Apple could wow the technology world again today, most likely releasing a long-awaited redesign of its popular iMac line along with a slew of other technology innovations. Analysts and the press now stalk Apple's every move and sift through every word from Apple PR with a fine-toothed comb, looking for information on the company's plans. Apple's stock price keeps hitting new highs on what seems like a weekly basis, and its retail stores are filled to capacity.

In other words, things are going well for Steve Jobs and company.

Seth Weintraub, Computerworld (US online) | Read more...


Incompatibility could kill Adobe

Mon, 06 Aug 2007

Today we came up against a long-running fundamental flaw in InDesign: backwards incompatibility. Adobe needs to be careful it doesn’t end up like Quark.

Quick history lesson: Quark released QuarkXPress 5, which was incompatible with OS 9. Many companies were initially reluctant to move over the OS X for one reason or another (usually server related, also cost related). So everyone stuck with Quark 4. When Quark 6 came out it was backwardly-incompatible with Quark 4.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


A (paper) clip round the ear

Mon, 06 Aug 2007

As most Mac users know, the humble paperclip is an incredibly useful tool. You can use it to poke the reset button on some Macs, or link several together into chains if you want to fill a few dead hours at the office. Sadly, the incredibly versatile tool has suffered from an image problem. Apple's jazzed-up the paperclip with a little iPhone magic.

It appears that Apple has re-packaged the paper clip as an official iPhone tool used to open the sim card drawer on the iPhone.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


gPhone for free

Fri, 03 Aug 2007

In the UK at least, we're used to free phones. But there's no such thing as a free lunch as most phone users can attest to. I recently returned from holiday to find an £80 phone bill sitting on the doorstep. Mobile phone companies have admitted to making up the money from discounted phones by stinging us when we're abroad. The EU will be capping mobile phone companies charges from September, but you can guarantee 02, Orange and Vodaphone will find some other way to extract cash from their unwitting customers.

It's into this sort of market that Apple and Google are entering. Each with radically different approaches. Apple is doing what it does best: creating great hardware and letting the mobile phone companies do what they do - handle networks. Google, on the other hand, appears to be doing something very different. It's trying to take its ad-based model into the mobile arena.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Going through the motions

Thu, 02 Aug 2007

We run group tests all the time at Macworld, but we haven't done one quite like Jason Kottke's most recent 'product' comparison.

"Much of the past four weeks," he writes, "has been spent determining which has the most sensitive built-in accelerometer: an iPhone, a Nintendo Wiimote, or our newborn son."

Andy Penfold | Read more...


AC/DC bypasses iTunes: Should Apple care?

Thu, 02 Aug 2007

Is iTunes headed down the "Highway to Hell" as Aussie rock band AC/DC puts it? Recently recording artists and music services are giving iTunes some push back and a run for its money.

The band AC/DC says it's bypassing Apple's iTunes and has brokered an exclusive deal with Verizon to sell its music through Verizon's online music store.

Tom Spring, PC World (US) | Read more...


Patently pointless?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007

When I heard Apple had filed an anti-theft patent for electronic devices, I was intrigued. How would it work?

Perhaps the iPhone's multi-touch screen could be synced to just one person's fingerprints (or the fingerprints of five people, if it uses the same model as the iTunes Music Store).

Andy Penfold | Read more...


Google Maps just got better

Wed, 01 Aug 2007

Just a quick note on the development of Google Maps. I noticed today that Google Maps has a new feature when you search for directions. You can now drag the direction line around and add new points, plus you can take them away with a right-click of the button.

Google Maps Google Maps is one of the oldest of Google's AJAX applications (those with two-way interaction that mimic desktop applications) and as such shows the most finesse. It's actually starting to look and feel just like a genuine desktop applciation and not a web page anymore.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Titanium iMac inbound?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007

We’ve had the 7 August marked on our diary for a while, ever since we first heard rumours that Apple was going to do something on that day.

Well it turns out that Apple is indeed holding a special event on 7 August. So the obvious question is, whatever could it be?

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


BBC iPlayer is infuriating

Wed, 01 Aug 2007

Yesterday I installed the BBC’s iPlayer service on my Mac (via Parallels Desktop because it’s a Windows XP-only product). The BBC iPlayer installation was a bit of a nightmare due to obscure system requirements and it requires not one, but two different passwords.

By the time I’d got it all set up it I noticed the downloads were crawling so decided to call it a day.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...