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Snow Leopard sues Apple over big cat image rights

Mon, 31 Aug 2009

The snow leopard at the centre of Apple Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard campaign is to sue Apple over use of his image on the software's packaging and a range of Apple promotional items.

According to Mac enthusiast site Wemakethisstuffup.com, the snow leopard, or Clarence to his friends, has employed New York law firm Grabbit & Run to fight his corner.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Adobe says sorry in open letter to customers

Sun, 30 Aug 2009

In big business, as Elton John once sang sorry seems to be the hardest word, so credit then to software giant Adobe for making a public apology over poor customer service. The full apology, from Lambert Walsh , Adobe Vice President, Technical Services follows.

Open Letter to Adobe Customers

Nick Spence | Read more...


Apple needs a John Nack on Adobe

Fri, 28 Aug 2009

Adobe, the makers of a range of industry defining creative software, including Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver, has been taking a lot of flak this week. Compatibility concerns over older Adobe software and Apple's brand spanking new operating system - Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - the subject of heated debate.

Adobe admitted on Tuesday it had not tested Creative Suite 3 (CS3) with Snow Leopard, although Creative Suite 4 (CS4) worked fine with one or two noted issues that would be addressed. Adobe later backtracked after customers began naturally kicking up a stink.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Trend Micro warns of malicious fake Snow Leopard sites

Thu, 27 Aug 2009

Trend Micro, a company that sells software that checks for viruses, spyware and malware, has warned Apple users to be aware of fake Web sites offering Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for download.

"Earlier today, Advanced Threat Researcher Feike Hacquebord discovered several fake sites that supposedly give Mac users free copies of the newest version of the Mac OS, Snow Leopard," Bernadette Irinco, Technical Communications writes on the Trend Micro blog.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Apple iTunes App Store five star rating open to abuse

Wed, 26 Aug 2009

As a recent iPod touch convert, after several years with a manly iPod classic bulging in my pocket, the Apple iTunes App Store is now a regular haunt.

When browsing applications, tens of thousands of them, user ratings can help sway the decision whether to purchase and download, even those offered free. Some ratings prove insightful and considered, others nonsensical or unintentionally amusing.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Upgrade to Windows 7 at your peril

Wed, 26 Aug 2009

Last month I wrote about how Microsoft, despite being attacked on all fronts by both Apple and Google, is on a bit of a roll: announcing major new products (Windows 7, Office 2010) to some acclaim, fighting Google on both search and web apps, and frightening Apple with the success of its latest TV ad campaign. Macworld isn’t accustomed to bigging up Microsoft – except in regards to its excellent Office 2008 suite – so it comes as quite a relief that the boys from Redmond have scored a blunder on a scale that registers high on the Mac user’s laughter scale.

After a real shocker of a launch for its current operating system Windows Vista, from which it never recovered, Microsoft has fast-tracked its successor. Windows 7 is really just a major update on Vista (Windows Vista 2.0) and might have been released as such if Vista’s name wasn’t so damned that no amount of love and attention could get people to go within a Bluetooth’s range of it.

Simon Jary | Read more...


Creative Profiles - iPhone Developers - Bottle Rocket

Tue, 25 Aug 2009

Just lately, NPR News for iPhone and iPod touch has been close at hand, especially late at night or in bed. An excellent way to catch up with news and discover a wealth of information, it seamlessly blends words and audio into one user-friendly application. Listen live or to archived snippets, it makes light work of often heavy news.

The work of iPhone applications and mobile solutions developer Bottle Rocket, it's both priceless and free from the Apple iTunes App Store. NPR News, which broadcasts news, current affairs and all things cultural across the US via around 800 public radio stations, is one of several excellent applications from the company. Macworld caught up with Bottle Rocket's Calvin Carter to find out more about the iPhone developer.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Levels Apple would never stoop to in order to sell you a laptop.

Tue, 25 Aug 2009

MSI, makers of the MSI Wind netbook stooped to levels of desperation today that Apple isn’t able to contemplate, let alone implement. In what we can only describe as a desperate bid to populate the world with more cheap netbooks it has produced a viral marketing video that shows the laptops being throw – and caught – in a man’s rear-end.

I wonder what would happen if you took a MacBook Air to Steve Jobs and suggested such a marketing approach? His foot would probably connect with your arse as it sailed gracefully of the front door and into the unemployment line.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Mac OS 9 and The Rock n Roll Public Library

Mon, 24 Aug 2009

One man's junk is another man's treasured archive and it was a pleasure to pay a visit to West London, under the Westway dual carriageway, at the weekend, to rake through the collection of one Mick Jones.

Musician, producer and all round good egg Mick Jones, best known as a member of The Clash, B.A.D, and most recently Carbon Silicon, opened up the self-styled Rock n Roll Public Library to showcase his nearly 10,000 strong collection of well, stuff.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Steve Jobs: All You Need Is Love

Fri, 21 Aug 2009

Picture the scene, Wednesday, 9 September 2009, we are nearing the end of an Apple special event confirmed only days earlier after weeks of rumour. Apple are back playing to their strengths, music. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, has just about convinced us all why we need new shiny iPods.

With all the sales patter of a Walthamstow market trader, Big Phil has introduced the 64GB iPod touch, complete with 3 megapixels camera capable of video recording, a new styled iPod nano and smaller light iPod classic for the music purists.

Nick Spence | Read more...


The end of free lyrics?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009

Something interesting happened to albums in the mid-60s. (No, not double-album covers and their utilitarian use.) With artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Leonard Cohen singing about something other than teen angst, words began to matter. So much so that record labels started including printed lyrics with LPs. That trend continued with cassettes and CDs where the packaging of each often included elaborate fold-out booklets to accommodate the artist’s words.

Yet with today’s digital downloads, lyrics are the exception. A very few high-profile albums sold by the iTunes Store include digital booklets that offer lyrics, liner notes, and photos. Given that, where do those who care about lyrics find them?

Christopher Breen | Read more...


Creative Profiles - iPhone Developers - Parasol

Thu, 20 Aug 2009

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, Records 1.0 is the first iPhone application from Finnish developers Parasol. It brings the power of Discogs, the huge online user-built database of just about everything you need to know about a particular record, to the small screen without needing to squint to read those recording details. A work of love for the four man team based in Turku, Finland, Macworld caught up with Johan Halin, developer of Records and Ab Parasol Oy member, to discover more about the application and the developer's future plans.

Because it's something I really wanted myself. I shop for used records a lot at flea markets and other places that don't have any means of listening to the records before buying them. So I've always used Discogs as a resource for finding out a bit more about a record. The thing is, the stores I frequent don't have 3G or even EDGE so Discogs is quite slow and a bit tricky to navigate in Safari, which gave me the idea for Records.

Nick Spence | Read more...


What's "64-bit" on Snow Leopard?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009

There’s a little bit of confusion out there on the Web about what parts of Snow Leopard are running in 64-bit mode and what parts are running in 32-bit mode.

A report by Thom Holwerda of OS News says that under Snow Leopard, most Macs will boot using a 32-bit kernel and drivers, not a 64-bit kernel and drivers. And Holwerda points out that many Mac models don’t have 64-bit EFI, either.

Jason Snell | Read more...


Inkstrumental: Burgerman brings creative flare to iPhone, iPod touch

Wed, 19 Aug 2009

UK based artist and all round good guy Jon Burgerman has announced plans for his very own iPhone application.

Famed for his art, doodling, drawing, scrawling, illustration, animation, character design and much much more, Burgerman hopes to release Inkstrumental in a few months time.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Discogs? - There's an iPhone app for that

Tue, 18 Aug 2009

If you've ever wanted to find out a little more about a particular CD or piece of vinyl, even the most obscure of releases, then Discogs is a great place to start.

Discogs is an exhaustive user-built database containing information on artists, recordings, track listings, covers, labels and just about everything you want to know about a particular record.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Apple logo designer dishes on history

Tue, 18 Aug 2009

Even people who aren’t Apple fans recognize the company’s distinctive, iconic logo; it ranks up there with the Nike swoosh or NBC peacock (in the US at least).

But most probably aren’t familiar with the story behind the design. First created in 1977, the Apple logo was the handiwork of Rob Janoff, an art director at advertising and public relations firm Regis McKenna.

Dan Moren | Read more...


Apple logo designer dishes on history

Tue, 18 Aug 2009

Even people who aren’t Apple fans recognize the company’s distinctive, iconic logo; it ranks up there with the Nike swoosh or NBC peacock (in the US at least).

But most probably aren’t familiar with the story behind the design. First created in 1977, the Apple logo was the handiwork of Rob Janoff, an art director at advertising and public relations firm Regis McKenna.

Dan Moren | Read more...


Steve Jobs' code of silence is best for Apple (if not Bryan Appleyard)

Mon, 17 Aug 2009

I'm a fan of the Sunday Times zeitgeist observer Bryan Appleyard but but yesterday's article on Steve Jobs was not one of his best pieces and saw him inadvertently building a solid case for the Apple CEO maintaining a distant, mistrustful relationship with the media.

Lacking access to the man himself, Appleyard goes all around the block to find an angle for his profile piece, even drawing on the battered old Rosebud symbol from Citizen Kane and depicting Jobs as an ego-crazed control freak. Pop pyschology is summoned to suggest Jobs is a "productive narcissist" who is variously driven by his being adopted, lack of formal education and so on. There is even a risible "insight" into Jobs' relationships with women:

Martin Veitch | Read more...


Creative Profiles - iPhone Developers - Matmi

Mon, 17 Aug 2009

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, Monster Pinball is a great start from the new media design team Matmi. The company’s first foray into the world of iPhones and iPods is a fun, addictive, beautifully rendered melding of two of life's great distractions - monsters and pinball.

In their own words, Matmi combines graphic designers, animators, 3D artists, special effect artists, directors, musicians, programmers, copywriters, dreamers, viral marketeers, game makers and a digital visionaries. The company has a suitably impressive list of both blue chip and cool and contemporary clients including Universal Music, Polydor, EMI, Sony BMG, Comic Relief, Scouting for Girls and Lily Allen.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Creative Profiles - iPhone Developers - Matmi

Mon, 17 Aug 2009

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, Monster Pinball is a great start from the new media design team Matmi. The company’s first foray into the world of iPhones and iPods is a fun, addictive, beautifully rendered melding of two of life's great distractions - monsters and pinball.

In their own words, Matmi combines graphic designers, animators, 3D artists, special effect artists, directors, musicians, programmers, copywriters, dreamers, viral marketeers, game makers and a digital visionaries. The company has a suitably impressive list of both blue chip and cool and contemporary clients including Universal Music, Polydor, EMI, Sony BMG, Comic Relief, Scouting for Girls and Lily Allen.

Nick Spence | Read more...


101 uses for an old Mac - a photo frame

Sun, 16 Aug 2009

Last month’s small 'news' item on '101 uses for an old Apple Power Mac G3,' a rather snazzy wall clock created from the side panel of a retired Apple Power Mac G3, created a flood, well steady flow, of emails to Macworld.

The handy work of Etsy user pixelthis, the clock seemed to hit a spot, possibly tinged with nostalgia, with some.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Football stats and iPhone apps - a pairing fit for the Premiership

Sat, 15 Aug 2009

After what seems like an eternity, well a few weeks break in the sun then pre-season, the English Premiership is back in full swing, as the new season kicks off in style with Hull City's visit to Chelsea.

Manchester United are targeting a fourth successive Premier League crown and a record 19th league title, while new boys Birmingham, Burnley and Wolves will be hoping to simply stay up.

Nick Spence | Read more...


Creative Profiles - iPhone Developers - Rob Shoesmith

Fri, 14 Aug 2009

Either by hard work, good luck, great marketing or likely a combination of all three, Rob Shoesmith has caught the public imagination in recent months. The iPhone developer has appeared on TV, radio, online and in print thanks in part to his day job. Shoesmith, 27, of Whitley is a binman by day and budding developer by night.

With help from MEDL Mobile, a company that builds iPhone applications and encourages development with an App Incubator scheme, he has seen his first application not only launch with a fanfare on the Apple iTunes App Store but become something of a overnight hit.

Nick Spence | Read more...


What Google's Schmidt got out of Apple gig

Tue, 11 Aug 2009

It’s been a whole week since Google CEO Eric Schmidt stepped aside from his position on Apple’s board of directors, but all that means is that there’s been plenty of time for people to dig up interesting information on the two companies.

For one thing, we learned precisely what Schmidt got out of his role as a director, at least in a tangible sense: namely, a heck of a lot of Apple equipment. Despite serving on Apple’s board for almost three years, the Google CEO took no pay or stock options from Apple, according to SEC filings unearthed by BusinessWeek.

Dan Moren | Read more...


Microsoft: back with a Bing

Mon, 10 Aug 2009

A week can be a long time in the world of technology. After looking for some time like it’s on the precipice of disaster, attacked on all sides – and failing miserably well enough on its own, thank you very much – Microsoft is staging something of a comeback. You could even say it’s on a bit of a roll at the moment.

Here at Macworld we’ve had plenty of fun and fear from Microsoft over the years. Our guy, Apple, has always been the underdog – and that’s the coolest side of any battle to the death; just ask Goliath.

Simon Jary | Read more...


Is iPhone 3GS 8GB coming soon?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009

The latest hot Apple rumour suggests an iPhone 3GS 8GB may be on the way.

The The Boy Genius Report has screen grabs that purportedly show one or more documents from Canadian wireless provider Rogers. In what appears to be an internal memo, Rogers says it’s “transitioning” to an as-of-yet unannounced 8GB iPhone 3GS handset.

Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


What if Steve Jobs Opened a Bank?

Wed, 05 Aug 2009

Given the current state of the industry is a new business model needed for banks, especially in how they interact with consumers? Is there in fact a good business model that marries the best of the internet, mobile, and social networking perhaps even outside banking? Can you say iPhone?

Within financial services, there are many technologies and access methods brought to bear to win the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers. Current hot topics include Web 2.0 technologies, the opportunities (and threats) of social networking, and mobile banking.

David Potterton | Read more...


Inevitable: Apple Should Accept Google Voice

Tue, 04 Aug 2009

It's time for Apple and AT&T to fully consider what is at stake and do the right thing. Give the FCC a win if that's what it takes, but let your customers have Google Voice if they want it - as they obviously do.

The era of total control that Apple and AT&T have enjoyed with the iPhone is over. AT&T has admitted it won't have exclusivity on the iPhone forever and Apple is under increasing federal scrutiny. It's only a matter of time before the Apple anti-trust inquiry begins.

David Coursey | Read more...


Google's Schmidt Says "Goodbye" To Apple's Board

Mon, 03 Aug 2009

In a move that surprises absolutely no one, Google CEO Eric Schmidt has quit Apple's board of directors, marking the end to another synergy that wasn't. When Schmidt joined Apple's board in 2006, the companies seemed poised to work closely together, now they compete in both the operating system and wireless handset markets.

"Eric has been an excellent board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric's effectiveness as an Apple board member will be significantly diminished."

David Coursey | Read more...


A bit of MobileMe time

Mon, 03 Aug 2009

I’m sure you have that favourite band, TV show, or movie that you absolutely adore and desperately pray to every God listening that you never have to defend in public.

I don’t. The awesomeness of the stuff I love is self-evident and even those who are dumb enough to mock, say, the pre-Batman film work of Mr Adam West are at least sensible enough to know that to speak up would only reveal their own idiotic ignorance.

Andy Ihnatko | Read more...


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