retina display
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Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS6 get Retina display support
Adobe has announced updates for Photoshop and Illustrator Creative Suite 6 that add much-awaited Retina display support to the popular graphics applications. Owners of the standalone versions and owners of the Creative Cloud versions are elligible for the Retina display updates. From an Adobe blog post announcing the Illustrator update: The Illustrator team is happy to announce support for HiDPI and Retina display support for Illustrator CS6 customers. This update is available to all Illustrator CS6 customers, both Creative Cloud members as well as owners of perpetual products. With this update, customers can see more detail in images, text, and in the Illustrator user interface when working on high-resolution displays, including the new Retina display available on MacBook Pro. The HiDPI feature in Illustrator is currently only available on Mac OS. It is expected to be available in the future on additional operating systems. Adobe also says that those wishing to see what further updates are coming to Adobe Creative Cloud can watch the Create Now Live event online that begins today, Tuesday, December 11, at 10 AM PT.
Create Retina-ready graphics for your website
If you're looking for something to do this weekend that doesn't involve fighting your way through massive crowds of holiday shoppers, you can work on bumping the graphics on your website up to Retina quality. Designer Chris Spooner took a look at his statistics and discovered that a good number of his site visits come from people with Apple products. With an increasing number of Apple's product line moving to Retina displays, it made sense for him to do a graphics upgrade to his various sites. In the process, he put together a tutorial for Line25 that shows you what to do and how to code your site to handle the new Retina-ready graphics. It's not merely taking your existing graphics and scaling them up, but it's making sure you do so correctly so you don't wind up with pixelated graphics that would look even worse on a Retina screen. Spooner does a good job in explaining why different methods of scaling work and their drawbacks. [via The Loop]
Blockbuster Video launches an iPad magazine
They must be pretty far down the idea list over at Blockbuster Video, because this one suddenly appeared out of left field. The video rental chain has released, of all things, an iPad-based digital magazine. Blockbuster Magazine, available through Newsstand, is a free publication featuring trailers, interviews and other content about new and upcoming movies -- specifically targeted at what Blockbuster has for rent. It does look like Blockbuster did a nice job on it, but does a digital magazine on your iPad really encourage you to go out and rent videos? We wonder. Blockbuster's been shrinking lately, as increased options for digitally downloaded movies and TV shows have made renting physical videos less interesting, especially for us well-connected Apple users. Considering all of that, maybe this is Blockbuster's attempt to grab us back. It seems doubtful, however, that a move like this will be the key turnaround that the rental chain has been looking for. Better keep going down that list, guys. [via App Advice]
iPad review (late 2012)
Welcome to the new new iPad, same as the old new iPad. Well, mostly, anyway. It was less than eight months ago that Apple grafted a Retina display onto its world-conquering tablet, giving every other slate on the market resolution envy, while enchanting gadget lovers with world-class performance and battery life. Now, it's obsolete. Put out to pasture just as it was hitting its stride and replaced by this, the fourth-generation iPad -- still just called "new iPad." Other than a Lightning connector on the bottom it's visually indistinguishable from its predecessor. Even its starting MSRP of $499 stays the same. But, on the inside where it counts, is the new, fire-breathing A6X processor. Could this be possibly worth buying a second new iPad in just one year, or could this perhaps be the one you've been waiting for? Hold on to your wallets and click on through to find out.
MacBook Pro with Retina display review (13-inch, late 2012)
Look down the aisles at any Apple launch event, across the laps of dozens of journalists liveblogging or in some other way documenting the goings-on, and it's inevitable that you'll see MacBooks. A lot of MacBooks. And, since many of those laps are irrevocably linked to owners who spend their days jetting around the globe to other companies' events, those laptops are quite often the travel-friendly MacBook Air. So, while we were excited to see a thinner, lighter 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display unveiled earlier this year, many of us were left asking one question: "Where's the 13-inch version?" Now, a little over four months later, here it is. Why the wait from one to the next? That's for Apple to know and us to speculate about (supply chain concerns? engineering issues?), but the important thing is that it's available now and it is, in many ways, an uncompromised, slightly smaller rendition of the 15-inch version that came before. It's thinner and it's lighter than the current 13-inch Pro but promises better internals and the same battery life as the 13-inch Air. Perfect portions of portability and performance? Let's find out.
Skype 6.0 lands with Microsoft and Facebook account integration, Retina support
You're probably saying to yourself, "didn't Skype just get a Windows 8-friendly refresh?" Why yes, yes it did. But Skype 6.0 here isn't limited to Windows RT slates, instead it's designed for more traditional Windows systems and even has a similarly numbered OS X counter part. There's a number of notable changes here, including the ability to sign in directly with your Facebook or Microsoft account. (If you've got a Live Messenger, Hotmail or Outlook.com account, then you've got a Microsoft account.) The most visible changes, however, will be the "flattened" Don't-call-it-Metro-friendly UI on Windows and the addition of Retina display support on OS X. There's a few other minor changes, including some additional localizations, which you can read about at the source. And heck, since you're already there, might as well download Skype too.
New product information now available on Apple.com
Apple has posted new information and new specs about all of the products announced today over on its website. The new iPad mini is probably the biggest news of the day; Apple has squeezed down the iPad into a smaller package, while still holding up the same resolution as the iPad 2 and the same great experience. The price seems a little high to us, but we'll have to see how the new device does when it ships in November. The brand new iMac is gorgeous, probably the most surprising release today. Apple's brought all of its mobile engineering knowledge to bear on a new desktop computer that seems like a bargain starting at $1299. The 13-inch MacBook Pro got a revamp, as well as a Retina display to match its 15-inch brother. The new laptop looks great, and be sure to check out Apple's material on the Fusion Drive option in these new computers. It's a wild combination of hard drive and flash memory that should make loading apps and data faster than ever. The Mac mini also got a very nice update, and don't forget to check out the new server version preloaded with Apple's server apps. And, finally, the iPad got revamped for a fourth generation, less than six months after the third generation was announced. This update was a little surprising (especially for third-generation iPad users), but it makes sense that Apple would want to make sure the full-sized iPad was updated to match its new little sibling. If you already have a third-generation iPad, this probably won't do much for you. But for anyone looking for a new iPad, the latest version looks to be more powerful than ever. All great stuff from Apple today, and be sure to check out the product pages for some neat Easter eggs with the images. These products will ship very soon, so in the meantime, the best we can do is pore over all of Apple's materials on the website, and poke around the couch to find enough money to afford them all.
iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459
Today, Apple finally announced its highly anticipated iPad mini. This 7.9-inch "little tablet that could" will be available from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint with shipping starting "a couple of weeks after" WiFi models go on sale on November 2nd. Available in black and white for $459 (16GB), $559 (32GB) and $659 (64GB), the company will begin accepting pre-orders on October 26th. So, if you plan on calling dibs on one of these little guys, we suggest that you plan accordingly.
Apple iMac (2012) hands-on!
Look out, world -- Apple just unleashed its latest iMac, and we agree that it might just be the biggest leap in the platform since we left Bondi Blue. It's hard to overstate just how phenomenal this machine looks in the flesh. It's also unbelievably thin -- we'd be impressed if it were simply a new Cinema Display, but the fact that a computer is in there really takes it over the top. At $1,299, you'll be hard-pressed to find a sexier all-in-one (assuming you don't need an inbuilt optical drive, of course). Have a look at the eye candy below; we'll be spending a fair amount of time with this guy in the weeks ahead.
Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro hands-on!
Apple just introduced its second Retina display MacBook: the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,699 and is shipping today. Just months after the 15-incher was gifted with a display that packs more pixels than your existing HDTV, the 13-inch sibling is receiving similar treatment. Unveiled today in San Jose alongside the iPad mini, the intensely dense 13-inch MBP is true to the rumors -- there's a 2,560 x 1,600 panel, a pair of Thunderbolt ports, a full-size HDMI socket and a MagSafe 2 power connector. Unfortunately, those yearning for a Retina-equipped MacBook Air won't find their dreams fulfilled just yet, but you can bet that holdouts will most certainly give this guy a look. For starters, it's wildly thin. No, not manilla envelope thin, but thin enough to slip into most briefcases and backpacks without the consumer even noticing. Outside of that, it's mostly a shrunken version of the 15-incher let loose over the summer. The unibody design is as tight as ever, with the fit and finish continuing to impress. In my estimation, this is Apple's most deliberate move yet to differentiate the 13-inch MacBook Pro from the 13-inch MacBook Air. On one hand, power users longing for a highly portable laptop can rejoice; on the other, this could be seen as reason for Apple to restrict the use of Retina displays to its Pro range for the foreseeable future. Compared to the 1,280 x 800 resolution of the non-Retina 13-inch MBP, the new display is particularly stunning. Text has never looked more crisp, and colors are stupendously vibrant. Of course, apps, websites and graphics that haven't been optimized for Retina still look like utter rubbish, and as more Apple machines transition to these panels, the outcry is going to get even louder. But, hopefully, it'll light a fire under developers to get with the program.
Apple announces a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display
As expected, Apple announced a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display this morning. "We're taking our best product and introducing something so much better," Phil Schiller said. It's 0.75 inches thin and weighs just over 3.5 pounds, almost a full pound lighter than the previous generation -- the lightest MacBook Pro ever. The 13-inch model has the exact same ports as the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Its screen resolution is 2,560 x 1,600, four times the number of pixels of its predecessor. Its pixel count is higher than any competing 13-inch or 15-inch laptop from other manufacturer, displaying almost 2 million more pixels than a typical HDTV. Like the 15-inch model, it has a 720p FaceTime HD camera and stereo microphones. You can get up to 768 GB of flash memory, Core i5 or i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and up to seven hours of battery life. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available starting at US$1699 -- $500 less than the base model 15-inch Retina model -- and it ships today.
Apple announces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display: 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, Thunderbolt and HDMI starting at $1,699
If the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was feeling lonely up there on its high-resolution pedestal, it needn't any longer. As expected, Apple just announced a 13-inch version to keep it company. The 2,560 x 1,600 resolution means that 13-inch screen offers a ppi of 232, marginally more than its larger brother's 226. As well as that lovely new display, there's a pair of Thunderbolt ports, and a full-size HDMI port to let you make good use of it with, as well as a pair of USB 3s. While this might not be the primary focus of the day, it will definitely be one of the more hotly anticipated reveals from the company's San Jose event this afternoon. The base model will run you $1,699 and comes with a 2.5GHz i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of flash memory. At the top end you can expect 768GB hard drive, atop a Core i7. And, like last time, to top it all off, all the new goodies come in a slimmer, desire-stoking design -- weighing a whole pound less than the 2011 13-incher and at just 0.75-inches thick, 20 percent thinner. Already full of want? Then don't hang around, as it ships today! In the meantime, keep your retinas locked right here for our hands on. For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display reportedly seen with 2,560 x 1,600 LCD, dual Thunderbolt ports
We hope you didn't want Apple's little event next week to be a complete surprise. After promises of extra details for a prior leak, a WeiPhone forum goer has returned with photos of what's supposed to be the active screen and ports of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that might be on stage come October 23rd. If this is what we get alongside the similarly unofficial miniature iPad, we'll take it. The possible leak shows a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (four times higher in resolution than the existing MacBook Pro) and, importantly, no sacrifices in expansion versus the 15-inch Retina model -- there's still the dual Thunderbolt ports and HDMI video that shipped with this system's bigger brother. Vital details like the performance and price are left out, so there's a few cards left off Apple's table, but the images hint at what could be a tempting balance between the 15-inch MacBook Pro's grunt and the MacBook Air's grace.
Display expert: Microsoft Surface display not superior to iPad Retina display
After the director of research for Microsoft's Applied Sciences group, Steven Bathiche, boasted via Reddit that the company's new Surface RT tablet could offer more screen detail than the latest iPad, an expert decided to weigh in. The verdict? Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rending technology does indeed give the Surface RT's 768p display some added clarity, but to say that it beats the newest iPad's 2,048 x 1,536 screen is a stretch, to say the least. Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies performed the comparison using an Asus tablet equipped with a 1,366 x 768 display similar to the Surface RT. Both devices boast Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rendering feature. It's important to note that while the two displays are similar, the Asus tablet's pixel density is 130 ppi, compared to 148 ppi on the Surface RT. The iPad's Retina display comes in at 264 ppi. Soneira then compared the ClearType display to the second and third-generation iPad, with all three devices displaying the New York Times website front page running on Safari. "The Windows ClearType 768p display on the Asus Netbook was significantly sharper than the iPad 2 768p display but also significantly less sharp than the new iPad 3 [sic] 1536p display," he explains. "It is certainly possible that the Microsoft Surface RT Tablet will perform better than the Asus Netbook, but it is very unlikely that it will turn out to be visually sharper than [the new iPad]." Bathiche later added a very important caveat to his claim, noting: "I wanted to elaborate some more. I hope folks understand that I am not saying that one resolution is better than the other. Nor that one display is better than the other." [via PC World]
Rayman Jungle Run updated for iPhone 5
Rayman Jungle Run on iOS was bumped up to version 1.0.3 today. The update optimizes the game for retina display on iPhone 5, adds a menu option that allows players to gift Rayman Jungle Run to a friend (you still have to pay the $3, mind you), and fixes minor glitches in iCloud and elsewhere.Rayman Jungle Run is available for Android and iOS. We think it's "evil," but in a good way.
Apple announces 'Special Event' for October 23rd -- we'll be there live!
Apple has just invited members of the press to attend a product launch on October 23rd, where we assume the long-rumored iPad mini will be unveiled. The event will go down merely weeks after Apple took the wraps off of the iPhone 5 (and strangely enough, the Foo Fighters played their last show for the foreseeable future). It's quite unlike Apple to throw two product parties in the fall, but if an entirely new iPad is being revealed, it may be a scenario that becomes more familiar in years to come. At this point, we're left with far more questions than answers: will the iPad mini really ship with a Lightning port, while the Retina iPad -- which was only introduced in March -- continues to ship with the "old" Dock Connector? Will Apple really continue to refresh its two iPad products at different intervals? Will the (presumed) AT&T iPad mini actually include mobile hotspot functionality? And while we're at it, is Apple really going to throw a "one more thing" into the mix by bumping its 13-inch MacBook Pro into Retina territory? After all, tossing "little" into the invite could allude to a smaller iPad and an update to an already-small laptop. We'll be there to bring you the blow-by-blow as it happens, so feel free to go ahead and take next Tuesday off. We'll sign the approval form.
Tips have 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display joining iPad mini at rumored Apple event
While Apple's supposed October 23rd event still exists only in the land of leaks and rumors for now, there's mounting suspicions that it won't just be a one-trick pony if it becomes real. Both AllThingsD and 9to5Mac claim to know that a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display is also on the cards for the presentation and would be just what you'd expect: a smaller version of the 15-inch model with four times the screen resolution of its conventional equivalent (2,560 x 1,600 here), all-flash storage and a price premium. There's not much more to go on beyond talk of a D1 codename versus the 15-inch D2, although we won't have long to find out if the rumor represents more than just wishful thinking. You might want to hold out on buying that MacBook Air for a week as a precaution.
Retina MacBook Pro meets EPEAT standards
Back in July 2012, Apple removed the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) green certification from its products, resulting in a flurry of excitement when school systems and governmental agencies threatened to drop Apple products from their "approved to buy" lists. About a week later, Apple apologized to customers and put the products back on the EPEAT listing. Now the company is happy to announce that the MacBook Pro with Retina display meets the EPEAT standards. Previously, the MacBook Pro's inability to be "upgraded with commonly available tools" kept it and other unibody laptops off of the EPEAT list. EPEAT has changed its definition to now include hard drives and optical drives that can be connected externally through Thunderbolt and USB 3.0. EPEAT also wasn't happy with the process of disassembling sealed unibody notebooks, since it makes it difficult to do things like replace batteries or recycle the devices at the end of their useful lives. Manufacturers including Apple provided disassembly instructions, and the EPEAT labs were able to take most laptops apart in 20 minutes or less, removing batteries in less than three minutes. What's good for EPEAT isn't necessarily good for all "green" organizations. According to TechCrunch, Greenpeace's Casey Harrell bemoaned the EPEAT change in definition, stating that "It's unclear why EPEAT caved in, but the impact is that EPEAT has confused consumers and businesses who want to buy green electronics that can be repaired and will last a long time, and sets a dangerous trend for the burgeoning market of Ultrabooks."
Virginia Beach McDonald's adds free iPad use to its menu, McRib still seasonal
In an age of grab and go eating, it seems somewhat odd that a fast food restaurant would feature an attraction that causes its patrons to drop anchor and stay. However, the house with well over one billion served is doing just that. A Virginia Beach McDonald's has leveraged the popularity of another Big Mac maker, by stocking its location with free to use iPads. Yes, the tablets are mounted on tables, but after polishing off a hearty array of Mcfixings, you're likely to be bolted to your seat as well. Franchise owner Hugh Fard got the idea while attending the annual worldwide McDonald's convention in Florida. While it's great to see major eateries incorporating the use of new technology, we can only wonder just how greasy shiny those fancy Retina displays will be after spending a day under the golden arches.
Firefox Retina display support almost here
TechCrunch is reporting that Firefox has inserted support for Apple's Retina display into its nightly builds, which means the official release will be in the public's hands very soon. Unfortunately, "very soon" in this case may mean "not soon enough" for many users -- while the Aurora release of this build should be out next week, the stable release might not be until January 2013. That may be too long for some users, especially since Safari supported the Retina display on day one (because it's made by Apple, of course), and Chrome released support for Retina earlier this year. If you'd rather stick with Firefox and can't wait, though, you can get access to the "nightly build" releases (which still include features currently being tested) on Firefox's website. It's too bad we've had to wait so long for this, but diehard Firefox users will probably be happy to hear full support is on its way.
