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>> Postings for May 2009

Wearing your Mac heart on your sleeve…well, t-shirt

Fri, 29 May 2009

By day, Roger Denyer is a graphic designer with over 15 years of corporate design experience, living and working in Brighton. By night, he designs t-shirts, some of which reflect his long love affair with all things Mac. Selling his work via RedBubble, an online art community and shop for all things creative, Macworld caught up with Roger to discover why elderly Macs and half sized 'F' keys still appeal.

Q. Why do you think Macs, old Macs especially, rather than PCs have remained iconic and cool?

Nick Spence | Read more...


SomaFM and the sound of music

Thu, 28 May 2009

One of the few pluses of working nights in an office, away from senior staff and relative normality, was the ability to "chill out" a little. While some took it to extremes, falling asleep or arriving for work straight from the pub or Club des Hashischins, others, including myself, took solace in listening to music.

Overnights XFM, Virgin and BBC Radio 1 were regularly on rotation and the odd CD got an airing, but we also turned to the Internet for musical inspiration. Using Radio-Locator, an excellent and comprehensive radio station search engine, we discovered those stations from distant places streaming online.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Lessons to learn from MacBook pricing

Thu, 28 May 2009

Apple has once again thrown up the price of the MacBook in the UK. This time by a fairly substantial £30 to £749. This follow a price increase earlier in the year from £704 to £719. Actually this follows an even earlier price increase (then decrease) from £699.

Of course, it's the exchange rate, which in England has been falling steadily for the last year. The global economy continues to freefall, and the UK exchange rate has been badly hit.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Jacqui Smith’s husband's iPhone and the politics of envy

Wed, 27 May 2009

Bank Holiday Monday's momentary peace and quiet was broken by the apparently alarming news that the taxpayer had helped fund the cost of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s husband's iPhone.

Jacqui Smith submitted a receipt from a Redditch shop for the iPhone, which cost £268 with an 18-month contract, claiming back £242.10, citing that 90 per cent of the calls made were work related. The Home Secretary had bought the phone for her husband Richard Timney, who manages her Redditch constituency office.

Nick Spence | Read more...


How to turn your iPhone into a Game Boy Original

Tue, 26 May 2009

They say nostalgia isn't what it used to be and while we may sometimes appear to be drowning in a sea of retro tat, one recent addition to the nostalgia business did catch my somewhat jaded eye.

'Monochrome', the work of US company Infectious and graphic designer and illustrator Michael Sison - Mikey Ion to his friends and admirers – is a skin which promises to turn your iPhone into a 20-year-old Nintendo Game Boy Original.

Nick Spence | Read more...


New Yorker cover drawn entirely on an iPhone

Tue, 26 May 2009

Last autumn, we told you that The New Yorker artist Bob Staake does his cover illustration using Adobe Photoshop 3.0 - yes, a version from 1995.

Now comes the tale of another New Yorker cover artist, taking an entirely different technological approach.

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


CrystalMaker and the science of Macs

Mon, 25 May 2009

CrystalMaker, award-winning software for building, displaying and manipulating all kinds of crystal and molecular structures has recently been updated with a range of new features including "out-of-the-screen" 3D colour graphics without requiring an expensive LCD shutter headset or special graphics card or display.

Primarily used by scientists, chemists and educators to visualise the structure of crystals and molecules, Macworld caught up with Dr. David C. Palmer, founder and managing director of CrystalMaker Software to discover more about CrystalMaker and why science isn’t solely a PC world.

Nick Spence | Read more...


It’s Nice That celebrates the best in design, illustration and creative talent

Sun, 24 May 2009

For anyone interested in art, design, illustration, photography and all things creative one of the great liberating features of the Internet is to discover both new and established talent for yourself.

Rather than rely on a small, sometimes elitist design press where the work on show is already filtered through someone else’s critical vision, the online world has freed many to form their own opinions, mostly free of hype and fashion.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Creative Profiles - D&AD Student Award Nominees – James Northcote

Sat, 23 May 2009

In his final year at Middlesex University, animator/illustrator James Northcote has been nominated for a prestigious D&AD Student Award from more than 3,000 entries for an outstanding Science Museum project. In his own words James creates: "stop motion and mixed media animations of slightly odd worlds and scenarios with a three dimensional feel."

The Awards, now in their 31st year, have helped kick-start creative careers in design and advertising, showcasing the best in student work from the UK, Europe, US and Asia. The winners will be announced at the Student Awards Ceremony at Kings Place, London on 2 July.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Creative Profiles - Alan Clarke - Graphic Designer

Fri, 22 May 2009

About to graduate from University College Falmouth (UCF), graphic design student Alan Clarke has already created a stir amongst design blogs with a deceptively simple website and clear classic style. "I have come to believe in clear, considered, communication solutions, simplicity and great ideas," says Alan in a brief introduction to his online portfolio. Macworld caught up with Alan to chat about future plans and why life in Cornwall is a great base for clear thinking and creativity.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Creative Profiles - D&AD Student Award Nominees – Maddy Sargent

Thu, 21 May 2009

In her final year at Middlesex University, illustrator Maddy Sargent has been nominated for a prestigious D&AD Student Award from more than 3,000 entries. Maddy works in mixed media to create arresting 2D and 3D artwork and is nominated for a striking interactive window display for world famous toy store Hamleys.

The Awards, now in their 31st year, have helped kick-start creative careers in design and advertising, showcasing the best in student work from the UK, Europe, US and Asia. The winners will be announced at the Student Awards Ceremony at Kings Place, London on 2 July.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Easter eggs can bypass App Store approval

Thu, 21 May 2009

Over at Wired, Macworld alum Brian Chen has an interesting piece on how the iPhone app store might be affected by apps in the future.

The story concerns the iPhone app Lyrics, which was rejected from the App Store because the songs for which it displayed lyrics might contain profanity. Developer Jelle Prins subsequently added a "profanity filter," and the app was approved upon resubmission.

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


Angered by Apple delay, hacker posts Mac Java attack

Thu, 21 May 2009

In an effort to draw attention to an long-standing security problem in Apple's Mac OS X operating system, a security researcher has posted attack code that exploits the flaw.

The software, which could be used by hackers to run an unauthorised system on a Mac, was posted Tuesday by Landon Fuller, a security researcher in San Francisco. It exploits a bug in the Java software that ships with Mac OS X.

Robert McMillan | Read more...


Stanford iPhone class hit 1 million downloads

Thu, 21 May 2009

You've been able to download classes from many universities via iTunes U for years. Heck, my alma mater, UC Berkeley, offered up a bunch of courses in 2006.

But, the fastest course from any university to hit the 1 million download mark, according to a recent piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, is Stanford University's iPhone Application Programming CS193P class — and the class just started in April.

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


Creative Resources – Heather Gatley – Choosing The Right Course

Wed, 20 May 2009

Heather Gatley graduated with a First in Illustration from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in Summer 2006. After her work was spotted at the annual D&AD New Blood Exhibition, Heather joined illustration agency Artworks through the Startworks programme and has been with the agency ever since.

Billed as the creative talent show, New Blood is the annual show for D&AD University Network members, which this year runs from Monday 29 June until Wednesday 1 July at the Olympia National Hall, London.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Macs help fuel Exeter City after-school learning scheme

Tue, 19 May 2009

Newly promoted Exeter City football club have been praised for a local community scheme that offers play and learning with the help of Apple MacBooks.

The after-school scheme at the Grecian Centre at Exeter City Football Club has attracted nearly 200 students in a little over a year, being one of 162 such schemes across the UK.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Welcome to Apple's Pad

Tue, 19 May 2009

Weeks away from Apple’s mid-summer party known as the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) and speculation is rampant regarding new product releases. One particular piece of gossip has scurried around more than others, and I think it deserves closer inspection – it’s a device that’s increasingly being known as the Apple Media Pad.

According to rumour and speculation – which Apple famously doesn’t comment on – the Media Pad is an oversized iPod touch. And what would Apple gain from creating an über iPod touch?

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Creative Profiles - Phil Kiel - Graphic Designer

Mon, 18 May 2009

Currently finishing the final year of his Graphic Arts Degree at Liverpool School of Art & Design, Phil Kiel has already attracted interest with an appealing Web site and some exceptional design work. By submitting his work to various blogs, creative resources and design communities, he has also helped to raise his profile at a time when thousands of young creatives seek work across the UK. With a degree show just days away, Macworld caught up with a busy Phil to discover his hopes and ambitions.

"On Friday (22 May) our degree show exhibition will open which will be the culmination of four years work, deadlines and critique sessions,so to say that I feel slightly excited, nervous and relieved is an understatement. I don't think anyone on the course really knows what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks, not even on the opening night."

Nick Spence | Read more...


Team presentations a sign of things to come for Apple

Mon, 18 May 2009

Earlier last week, Apple announced that a team of executives, led by senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, would present the keynote address to attendees of next month’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). This proclamation out of Cupertino may give some indication of Apple’s public face for the future.

Ever since his triumphant return to Apple in 1998, Steve Jobs has been synonymous with Apple. Business reporters have, for years, used Apple and Steve Jobs interchangeably to describe what’s happening at the company.

Peter Cohen | Read more...


The cycle of spin

Mon, 18 May 2009

Now that Apple’s big, glitzy Vegas act has been moved from San Francisco in January to San Francisco in June, we here in the Mac community have had to deal with five months’ worth of deferred excitement. I’ve put together a rough inventory of things that we all seem to be excited about:

iPhone 3.0 OS Adding piles of refinements to a platform that many of us already find more indispensable than any of our extended family or even the least-favoured of our children, tighter integration between iPhone apps and hardware accessories is a daydreamy concept just by itself.

Andy Ihnatko | Read more...


Creative Resources – Fig Taylor - Perfecting Your Portfolio

Sun, 17 May 2009

The annual student degree shows are almost upon us and while a time of celebration, with a nod to the future and potential success, it's also a time to take stock. Education offers the raw tools and foundation to build a career but the real learning starts when you leave college.

Understanding what clients want, being able to deliver a brief on time and within budget, requires new skills and experience, which typically you only pick up over time.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Adobe promotes CS4 with new artist-focused Web site

Sat, 16 May 2009

Adobe has launched a new Web site, Adobe Artists, not only to promote their own Creative Suite 4 but also the work of the artists, designers, illustrators, animators and talented folk who use their range of creative resources so effectively.

So far it’s a select few - Nando Costa, Geneviève Gauckler, Eric Natzke, Johnny Kelly and Cisma aka Denis Kamioka – but hopefully this will be expanded and updated in the coming months. Despite the obligatory links to shop for Adobe products, it's a good start.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Next-gen iPhone specs 'leaked' on Chinese Apple forum

Thu, 14 May 2009

As evidenced by the non-sensical Twitter rumour last week, it's easy to get caught up in the Apple rumour mill, but this one is too juicy to pass up.

A forum poster on a Chinese Apple website recently published what appear to be the specs for Apple's upcoming iPhone model. If accurate, the next iPhone model should be a lot snappier and will include the following:

Yoni Heisler | Read more...


Microsoft Zune ad takes a shot at iTunes

Wed, 13 May 2009

Oh, Microsoft. You’re really letting that envy get the best of you, huh? Not content to reserve its vitriol for Apple’s Mac line, the latest ad from Redmond takes a shot at the iPod and iTunes Store. That’s right, folks, it’s the rare wild Zune ad; don’t make any sudden moves = you might startle it. You can catch the full ad below.

“Certified Financial Planner” Wes Moss = perhaps better known for his stint on season two of Donald Trump’s reality series, The Apprentice - points out that it costs $30,000 - $30,000! (around £20,000) to fill the "latest" model of iPod (the 120GB iPod classic). Instead, you should just give your hard-earned money to Microsoft for a monthly Zune Pass.

Dan Moren | Read more...


iPhone 3G can't take the heat

Tue, 12 May 2009

As someone who’s spent the past few weeks in the sultry heat of New Delhi, I can attest to the fact that the iPhone is not very fond of direct sunlight. Just the other day, I was using Google Maps on my first-generation iPhone to track my position and get directions to a Chevy service center when a call came in. The moment the phone made contact with my ear, I reflexively jerked it away - that’s how hot it had become.

Perhaps after receiving several complaints from iPhone users living in areas with sweltering climates, Apple decided to make the iPhone 3G a little proactive in this department. To prevent the iPhone from being used constantly in high temperature areas, which might lead to it not working at all, Apple has put in place measures that kick in when the phone starts becoming too hot for its own good.

Aayush Arya | Read more...


Portsmouth police to fight theft with iPod registry

Tue, 12 May 2009

Now here’s an idea that might be worth trying out in other cities: Police in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, are putting together an iPod/MP3 player registry to deter thefts at the local school. Apparently iPod theft has been an ongoing and increasing problem at Portsmouth High School, and the police have had enough, darnit!

The registration will cover any MP3 player owned by students at Portsmouth High School - although I really doubt Zune theft is an issue - and it will work much like bicycle registration: students fill out a form with a description and serial number of the iPod.

David Dahlquist | Read more...


Missouri journalism students required to buy iPhone or iPod touch?

Mon, 11 May 2009

Starting this fall, journalism students at the University of Missouri, Columbia will need to add an iPhone or an iPod touch to their shopping carts.

Before you protest that it may seem ridiculous, lavish, or favouring Apple to force students to pick up one of these expensive pieces of hardware, Brian Brooks, associate dean of the journalism school, told the Columbia Missourian that the requirement "will not be enforced, however, and there will not be a penalty for students who chose not to buy an iPod touch or iPhone."

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


Goodbye, at least for now

Mon, 11 May 2009

I have been writing Apple news on these Web pages for the better part of 15 years and enjoyed every minute of it. Sadly, I am writing my last story as an employee of Macworld. It is time to say goodbye.

It’s been a long journey. I came to Macworld (US) from MacCentral in 1999 when the company was sold to Mac Publishing. In fact, my 10 year anniversary working for Macworld is in three weeks, on 1 June.

Jim Dalrymple | Read more...


Apple revises 'wet iPhone' policy

Fri, 08 May 2009

I didn't realise this, but apparently people inadvertently getting their iPhones wet has been a bit of a problem. I'm not talking aobut the usual story of dropping them into a toilet or whatever, but rather people taking their phones the gym or the bathroom and getting all kinds of moisture into the device.

Previously, Apple wasn't too understanding about such a predicament. You'd have to shell out for a new phone and a new contract - a double whammy.

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


iPhone doormat for the true Apple geek

Thu, 07 May 2009

You have the Apple T-Shirt, bumper sticker, coffee mug, and your license plate spells "MACDADDY", but nevertheless, something is missing.

You still can't shake that nagging urge to prove your fondness for all things Apple. And then it hits you - what you need is a welcome mat! And not just one with a plain old Apple logo, either.

David Dahlquist | Read more...


Apple job posting hints at 3G-capable MacBook

Wed, 06 May 2009

For the last few years, 3G has been one of the most common buzzwords in the technology industry. The iPhone 3G has it right there in the name. Some PC laptops have the functionality built in. Mac notebooks, meanwhile, have had to rely on third-party add-ons.

But still rumours have persisted about whether 3G will ever be available as a built-in function of Apple's laptop line?

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


Apple Snags Xbox Exec - More Games for iPhone?

Tue, 05 May 2009

Rumour has it that Apple has hired Richard Teversham, Microsoft's now-former European senior director of business, insights, and strategy for the Xbox.

It's not entirely clear what Teversham will be doing for the iPhone maker, as his new position has been called only an "education-related role" in Apple's European Office, according to MCV. Apple has also not confirmed that Teversham has come on board; Microsoft, however, told MCV that Teversham "has taken a new opportunity outside of Microsoft." The Redmond-based software maker also said Teversham was "an integral part of the success of Xbox in Europe and in the UK"

Ian Paul | Read more...


'X-Men' mutant gives Word two claws down

Tue, 05 May 2009

Look out, Microsoft - you’ve gone and made Sabertooth mad.

Actor Liev Schreiber, who plays the hirsuite villain in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie was a guest on Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, the weekly news quiz program on (US) National Public Radio.

Philip Michaels | Read more...


New "I'm a PC" shopper should get a refurbed Mac

Tue, 05 May 2009

The PC vs. Mac marketing battle continues. The latest salvo is from Microsoft, with a new "You find it, you keep it" ad featuring a filmmaker who wants a laptop powerful enough for video editing.

"Sheila" has a $2,000 budget. She wants a fast processor, a big screen, and she plans to edit lots of video on it. The MacBook Pro at that price point only has 2 GB of RAM, so she ends up choosing an HP HDX 16t.

Paul Boutin | Read more...


Why BlackBerry's Lead Over the iPhone Won't Last

Tue, 05 May 2009

Research In Motion's BlackBerry Curve has moved past Apple's iPhone to become the top-selling consumer smart phone in the US in the first quarter of 2009, according to market researcher The NPD Group.

The iPhone 3G fell to second place, as Apple's consumer smart phone market share dropped 10 per cent. Two more BlackBerry phones, the Storm and Pearl, held the third and fourth spots, respectively. And the Android-based T-Mobile G1 made an impressive fifth-place showing. Palm, which is expected to roll out its ballyhooed Pre phone later this month, also suffered a 10-per cent drop in market share.

Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


Report: Apple building a Kindle competitor

Mon, 04 May 2009

Apple is said to be "readying a device that may make it easier to read digital books and periodicals," according to a Wall Street Journal report that cites anonymous sources for the story.

The article's takeaway: If digital publication is the answer to publisher's current financial problems, the Kindle is the wrong answer. The $359 device is hated by many newspaper and magazine publishers for three reasons: The Kindle's display is too small. There's no function parallel to flipping through a magazine or newspaper. And the Kindle doesn't support advertising.

Paul Boutin | Read more...


Terminator: Salvation set to redefine iPhone gaming

Sat, 02 May 2009

A video of the upcoming Termintaor: Salvation game for iPhone shows just how far the iPhone is coming along as a games machine. The graphics are remarkable; almost at the same level as current Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles; and the game seems to run smoothly. It could easily be running on a PSP.

There's little indication of how the controls work, which seems to be the iPhone's achilles heel for traditional shooting games, like this. But there's plenty of varied game modes and and explosions all over the place.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Beth Dow and the power of self publishing

Fri, 01 May 2009

Currently in its second year, Blurb, a creative publishing and marketing platform, is taking entries from its customers for its Photography.Book.Now competition.

Submissions are being accepted until 16 July, with a grand prize of $25,000 (around £17,500) at stake. In 2008 more than 2,000 photography books were submitted for consideration. Beth Dow, a professional photographer from Minneapolis, MN, was awarded the grand prize for her project, 'In the Garden,' a dream-like evocative book-length portfolio of large platinum-palladium prints that examine tensions of mass, light, and perspective in highly cultivated landscapes. For someone who had doubts about the possibilities of self publishing, vanity publishing to some, Beth found the process a positive experience. Macworld caught up with her to discuss her work and what advice she’d give to others hoping to enjoy similar success.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Angry MacBook Air owner takes kitchen knife to laptop

Fri, 01 May 2009

Some of us take out second mortgages to make ends meet. Some of us toil away at menial jobs to weather the economic crisis. Others stab their $1,800 MacBook Air with a kitchen knife because it has a broken hinge. Who are we to say what's right and wrong?

According to the resourceful genius in this video, he, as well as six of his friends who also own MacBook Airs, have all experienced issues with a broken hinge that attaches the monitor to the body. This defect also apparently gives one a bloodthirsty urge to repeatedly stab their MacBook Air in the display with a kitchen knife. On camera.

David Dahlquist | Read more...