2007 | Issue Archive | Search TidBITS | TidBITS Home Page
Happy New Year! Although we took our yearly holiday hiatus, that didn't stop us from keeping up with the Mac world. In this issue, Rich Mogull questions Intuit's commitment (or even interest) in the Mac platform following a series of QuickBooks bugs that permanently deleted some users' data. Adam weighs in on the settlement between Apple and Think Secret, speculating on why Think Secret chose to shut down. He also passes along advice on adjusting dates in iPhoto calendars, captures a rare Googlewackblatt, and shares the TidBITS-related events at the upcoming Macworld Expo in San Francisco. In other news, we note the releases of Security Update 2007-009 1.1, the "MacBook, MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1," and a set of MacTech benchmarks that compare the performance of Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. Lastly, Glenn travels back in time to receive groceries via the Web, not with the failed Webvan but with a Seattle startup called Amazon.com.
We're on the ground at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, waiting for things to kick off Tuesday (so be sure to check our Web site for breaking news from the show!). But before the keynote and ensuing craziness of the show, we have plenty of news to pass along. Apple surprised us last week by announcing new eight-core Mac Pros and Xserves, adding more intrigue to what might be announced tomorrow. Adam looks at the recent news of Amazon MP3 gaining more DRM-free music and wonders if a change at the iTunes Store is in the cards. If you're coming to San Francisco or travelling in general, be sure to read our coverage of new rules for flying with computer and camera batteries, as well as Glenn Fleishman's advice for protecting your wireless connections while at the show. We also note the releases of a beta of Parallels Server, NetNewsWire 3.1 (now free!), Interarchy 9, and Airfoil 3, with a peek at Rogue Amoeba's Live Disc utility for distributing current software versions on CD. Lastly, Macworld Expo isn't the only big tech event this month: our intrepid correspondent Jeff Porten reports on the latest gizmos, gadgets, and gewgaws from last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Apple promised "something in the air" for last week's Macworld Expo and delivered the MacBook Air, a super-thin (and fairly aerodynamic if you want to test its moniker) laptop that relies heavily on wireless networking. We're back from the show and cover the MacBook Air as well as the new Time Capsule wireless backup device (including why some Mac users are upset about it), iTunes movie rentals, the Apple TV 2.0 update, and changes to the iPhone and iPod touch software. If you weren't in San Francisco, Glenn put together a podcast interviewing industry notables and friends of TidBITS, Tonya noticed an increase in women attendees, and Adam looks at how this year's expo marks a change in how vendors are operating within the Mac market. We also cover the important QuickTime 7.4 security update (and how it still needs more work), and the releases of iMovie 7.1.1 and Front Row 2.1.2. And in non-Expo news, Joe Kissell offers an AppleScript solution to pasting unformatted text in Word 2008.
Another Macworld Expo is in the books, and although the MacBook Air, Apple TV, and Time Capsule grabbed most of the attention early on, plenty of other noteworthy products and companies were featured. Our annual Macworld Expo Superlatives article points you to those things our editors found most intriguing. Also from Macworld, Karen Anderson reports on the variety of laptop cases on display, proving that your snazzy new MacBook Air doesn't need to be strapped into a boring synthetic leather attache. In other Apple news, the company reported its best-ever quarterly financial results ($1.58 billion in profit sounds good to us), which of course tossed the stock price into the rubbish bin; Apple also announced a pink iPod nano - clearly a plea by Greg Joswiak to garner some Valentine's Day affection. Also in this issue, AT&T offers an iPhone plan for corporations, we point to a few podcasts from Macworld Expo, and Ted Landau explains everything you want to know about the latest iPhone 1.1.3 update.
The big news this week is Microsoft's $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo, so Adam looks at what's involved and comes away unconvinced that it's a good idea. Back in the Macintosh world, Apple released updates to iWork and iWeb, but draws ire for remaining almost entirely mum on what changed. Glenn laments the loss of the Crazy Apple Rumors Site, Joe explains how to work around the disconcerting way that video chats make eye contact nearly impossible, Adam weighs in on the Direct Marketing Association's move against the Catalog Choice service, and Mark relates his woes in dealing with warranty repairs. This issue brings a number of practical tips, such as how to avoid mysterious crashes on launch in Word 2008, ways of working around an infinite Setup Assistant loop at startup, and what to do when your Mac starts typing in the wrong language. We also welcome a new sponsor - CS Odessa, makers of ConceptDraw - and open a DealBITS drawing to give away copies of Sound Studio 3. Lastly, check out our latest Leopard ebooks on backing up, maintaining your Mac, and more!
News related to the iPhone once again grabbed our attention this week. For starters, Apple released new iPhone and iPod touch models with more RAM (and higher prices to match). On the other hand, iPhone users in the UK can now get more minutes and text messages for less money, thanks to changes by O2. Meanwhile, Glenn Fleishman discusses AT&T's recent announcement about their continuing rollout of a 3G cellular network in the United States that will affect users of future iPhone models. Back in the Mac world, Guy Kawasaki's latest venture, Alltop, provides a one-stop listing of recent headlines from all the major Mac news sites (including TidBITS, natch). Adam explains how he persuaded iPhoto to format text to his liking when creating his holiday cards, and speculates as to why the iTunes Store is still without DRM-free tracks from three of the four major labels, while Rich Mogull shares his impressions of Macworld Expo as a first-time attendee. Adam also reviews a book called "Bit Literacy" and finds it lacking. We also note two software updates from Apple: QuickTime 7.4.1, which fixes a serious security flaw, and iPhoto 7.1.2, which improves security and makes several other minor improvements. Lastly, please welcome our newest junior staffer, Eliana Wren Carlson!
Three themes permeate this issue: Mac OS X 10.5.2, iTunes movie rentals, and AT&T's increasing role in the lives of Apple users. The release of Mac OS X 10.5.2 Leopard generates an overview from Glenn, after which Matt revisits his "Six Things I Hate about Leopard" article to see what has improved and what remains broken. Glenn then rants about how the new iTunes movie rental model doesn't meet the needs of an overworked and under-served class of people: tired parents of young children. Mark Boszko joins us with a look into how to extend the rental time beyond 24 hours, slightly ameliorating Glenn's annoyance. But Glenn's much happier about the new deal AT&T has to provide Wi-Fi service in Starbucks stores, and with the new AT&T ExpressCard for 3G cellular data connections. And speaking of new parents of young children, Jeff manages to sneak off to the Mac long enough to write about what's new in Apple's Aperture 2.
Two industries underwent major changes last week: Cellular carriers began offering unlimited minutes for $100 per month; and, after a long and expensive campaign, Blu-ray beat HD DVD as the optical disc format of choice for high-definition video. Glenn Fleishman looks at both events and how they relate to Apple. Also in this issue, Glenn writes about a new hardware vulnerability that may expose encrypted data with the help of compressed air, Jeff Carlson discovers that DRM won't let him view rented movies on his Apple TV, and Joe Kissell discusses how to achieve better video presentations with iChat Theater. We also note the releases of SuperDuper 2.5, Airfoil 3.1, Xsan 2 (along with the discontinuation of the Xserve RAID), a keyboard update for the MacBook and MacBook Pro, a 2 GB iPod shuffle (plus a price reduction for the 1 GB model), and Brian Tanaka's new "Take Control of Permissions in Leopard" ebook.
After its January introduction at Macworld Expo, Apple's Time Capsule - a combination AirPort base station and networked Time Machine backup disk - is finally shipping. Glenn Fleishman takes a look at the device and wonders why the company doesn't extend the backup functionality to hard drives connected to existing AirPort Extreme base stations. In other hardware news, Apple added the multi-touch trackpad introduced on the MacBook Air to new MacBook Pro models, but not new MacBooks. And do you ever wonder if those end-of-year software deals are worth it for developers? Adam looks at some results from the MacSanta 2007 promotion. We round out this issue with a look at the maintenance utility CheckUp 1.0, the wonders of iChat screen sharing, a few minimally described updates from Apple, and the latest news in the cellular carriers' rush to flat-rate pricing.
Last week's announcement of the iPhone software development kit may be one of the most significant events of the year - Adam and Glenn look at what Apple said and how software developers responded. The iPhone SDK is just the latest in a string of successes for Apple that catapulted the company to the top of Fortune Magazine's list of Most Admired Companies. One area that Apple has ignored, however, is the nascent ebook reader market, despite having the best platform in the iPod touch and the best online retail experience in the iTunes Store. In an open letter to Steve Jobs, Adam lays out the case for why Apple should enter this market. In the world of updates, we look at Aperture 2.0.1, which adds support for AppleScript, and "Take Control of Customizing Leopard" 1.1, which adds coverage of changes in the Mac OS X 10.5.2 update. Last, but by no means least, Rich Mogull takes a break from computer security to wire his house for audio using Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil and, well, no wires.