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Apple Boot Camp update finally adds better trackpad support for Windows
Apple has added support for Windows Precision Touchpad drivers to its latest version of Boot Camp, addressing a big issue with Windows 10 Mac installations.
Play It On A Mac: Goat Simulator
In this weekly series I'll show you how to get your favorite Windows-exclusive PC games running on OS X. For more information on the programs used, check out the Play It On A Mac explainer. For suggestions and/or questions about any game, feel free to contact me on Twitter. If you aren't excited for Goat Simulator, there's something wrong with you. The physics-experiment-turned-viral-hit was recently released on Steam to much acclaim and many laughs. It was a game that, as its developer admits, was never even meant to be a game, but that doesn't mean it's not a blast to play. A Mac version is in the works, but there's no release date and you're probably tired of waiting, so here are your options for getting the barnyard animal simulator up and running on your trusty Mac. CrossOver Unfortunately, Goat Simulator is not officially or unofficially support on CrossOver. It has a status of "Known To Not Work" on the CrossOver compatibility list, with no ETA on a fix. It looks like we'll have to go an alternate route. Parallels After a quick Steam download and the usual first-time installation hiccups and almost-freezes, the game boots up just fine in Parallels 9. Despite being very simple in its approach, the game is pretty graphically demanding on the higher settings, so turn off things like dynamic shadows, light shafts, and motion blur, and turn the anti-aliasing off as well (it doesn't make a big difference anyway). At full 1080p resolution I was able to get between 25 and 40 frames per second constantly, even as I destroyed cars and sent pedestrians running for the hills. If you're willing to cut down your resolution a bit, this gets better, but it's certainly playable at 30fps given the sandbox style gameplay. When it comes to Parallels settings, I found that devoting between 50% and 60% of my available resources to the virtual machine produced the best results. Lower than that and the game suffers, but nothing over 60% provided a noticeable return. Parallels 9 settings: CPUs: 4 (out of 8) Memory: 8GB (out of 16GB) Video memory: 1GB Performance: Faster Virtual Machine Power: Better Performance Depending on your machine specs, this will differ, but this is a great starting point. Boot Camp Believe it or not, there's virtually zero benefit when booting directly into Windows this time around. I got the same 25fps to 40fps either way, and although the game seemed to load faster in between menus, the actual in-game performance was virtually identical. You might prefer Boot Camp if you'd rather not mess with micromanaging your virtual machine settings in Parallels, but there's no real benefit. Verdict Get amped, barnyard brawlers, because Goat Simulator is 100% A-OK in both Parallels and Boot Camp! Even on my decidedly underpowered Mac, the game is a ton of fun, and you should have no problem getting the game up and running on anything with similar (or better) specs. I noticed virtually zero difference between Parallels and Boot Camp this time around, so either one should suit you well.
Introducing Play It On A Mac
I'm a gamer who doesn't like compromises. I have a gaming PC that runs Windows, but I also have a few Macs around my house as well, and the fact that most PC games found on Steam are Windows-exclusive is a huge bummer. Play it on a Mac is a new weekly series that will offer puzzled Mac gamers the answers they're looking for. There are three main avenues to investigate when trying to get a Windows program running on OS X: Boot Camp, Parallels, and Crossover. Each method has its own nuances that can affect the performance of individual apps, and games are no different. Because of this, knowing whether or not a Windows-compatible game is even worth the trouble to install on your Mac is nearly impossible. So I'll test them all, and here's how. The Machine To offer the most realistic experience for the widest range of Mac users, the test system is modest in terms of power: Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 Memory: 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (1GB) OS: OS X 10.9.2 & Windows 7 Professional Benchmarking: FRAPS If I can get a game running with playable performance on this machine, there's a good chance it'll run on most Macs built within the last couple of years, and many more capable older machines as well. CrossOver CrossOver is the most lightweight solution for running Windows programs on OS X, allowing you to the applications in a more standalone manner than the alternatives. However, compatibility is a huge issue here, and whether an application (or game, in this case) is supported is a tossup. I'll give you the latest CrossOver details on each game I test. You can download a free trial of CrossOver 13 and purchase the full program from the official website. Parallels Parallels installs a virtual machine on your Mac, effectively conjuring a Windows PC inside your Mac using what I can only assume is a combination of black magic and human sacrifices. Compatibility usually isn't an issue here, but the amount of resources you dedicate to your virtual machine can have a big impact on how a game responds. I'll help you hit the right balance. You can download a free trial of Parallels 9 and purchase the full program from the official website. Boot Camp Boot Camp turns your Mac into a Windows computer using officially supported software. Boot Camp offers the most faithful Windows experience, but you need to boot straight into Windows and leave OS X temporarily behind. This can be a pain for multitaskers, and there's also the possibility that games perform no better here than in CrossOver or Parallels. I'll clear this up for each game I cover. You can find out more about Boot Camp and view tutorials on Apple's Boot Camp page. Verdict Each article will wrap up with a verdict and the overall outcome, so you can decide whether any of the available options is worth your time and money. If you have any suggestions for games to cover, questions about the process, or other input, feel free to nudge me directly on Twitter.
Are you an Apple tech or consultant?
Do you support others? If so, our friends over at MacTech have an event just for you. MacTech BootCamp III is the third incarnation of MacTech's successful event series, and it's specifically designed for techs and consultants that support clients, or those in their organization. MacTech events are not only designed to learn great, useful content from key players in our industry -- but also to give techs a chance to spend time with their peers, meet new people and make that incredibly useful vendor contact that could be critical. MacTech BootCamp is a one-day, regional seminar that is headed to nine cities in 2014 (more than ever before): Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta and Toronto. Neil Ticktin, MacTech's editor-in-chief, says "MacTech's 2014 topics/sessions are designed to tackle the most critical issues of the year: From encryption to Apple IDs, mobility to deployment, WiFi to storage, and security ... man o' man ... security. The all-new content is good for both those that have attended past events, as well as those new to MacTech." Even better, if you support Microsoft Office for Mac, or Office 365 for Apple users, there's more for you. Microsoft has updated their new Microsoft Office for Mac Accredited Support Professional program with new content for 2014. This half-day course and exam takes place the day prior to MacTech BootCamp in each city -- and is included in your MacTech BootCamp registration. After attending the course, and passing the exam, you become accredited by Microsoft. MacTech makes every effort to make every attendee feel like a "guest," and for people to get the most out of the experience. We've seen it firsthand, and MacTech tells us that people from 48 states and 35 countries have already been to its 39 events held since 2010. In talking with readers, it's clear the community agrees. That said, if you are a consultant or tech, these MacTech BootCamp events are an excellent way to get up-to-date on what's going on with Apple technologies to make you an even better tech. As it has been for the past few years, TUAW is a sponsor of these event, and our own Kelly Guimont will be speaking at the Seattle event in a couple of weeks. The regular registration price for the event is US$495 and includes sessions, lunch, breaks and the opportunity to talk to some great vendors. TUAW readers can not only save significantly on their registration, but get a special bonus as well -- your price: $299 when you use this special TUAW link.
Apple issues day-one EFI update for new iMacs to address Boot Camp issue
No sooner had Apple announced the 2013 iMacs than they also issued a day-one EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) update for the speedy new all-in-ones. The update is targeted at an issue that sometimes occurs when installing a Boot Camp partition with Windows 7 or Windows 8. The issue appears when an external optical drive (the devices have no internal optical drive) and a USB thumb drive are connected at the same time, causing the screen to go black. The update also ensures that the default boot drive for the system will be OS X after Windows 8 is installed. iMac (late 2013) EFI Update 2.1 can be downloaded from Apple's support pages, and requires that the Mac be running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 or later.
Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices
If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.
MacTech NYC Boot Camp to include TUAW/TidBITS panel
On April 18 and 19, the MacTech live event series will be coming to the Big Apple. The Park Central Hotel in New York will be hosting MacTech Boot Camp and MacTech In Depth: OS X Server Administration over those two days, giving IT professionals and consultants covering the range from home user support up to small & medium-sized businesses the best sessions, instruction and networking opportunities out there. TUAW is a media sponsor of the MacTech series (and our readers get a hefty $200 discount + a free MacTech subscription when signing up for either of the daylong events in NYC; just follow this registration link), but that's not the only reason I'm looking forward to the program on the 18th. At 6pm on that Wednesday, I'll be among the participants in a bonus panel session called "Understand and Make The News." My fellow hosts for the panel are MacTech's Neil Ticktin and TidBITS's Adam Engst. The discussion will cover how magazines and websites evaluate Apple-centric news, why some stories thrive and others don't, and how SMB owners and consultants can work more effectively with digital and traditional media outlets. If there's time afterward, I'll be happy to chat one-on-one with attendees about their specific media challenges and suggestions. If you haven't signed up for MacTech's NYC events yet, time is running short! Be sure to use the TUAW registration link to get the special pricing, and we'll see you there.
Winclone tool for Boot Camp imaging comes back as paid app
Say the word "Winclone" to any Mac-centric IT person and you'll likely get a wistful sigh in return. The original Winclone utility, which provided a handy GUI wrapper around CLI tools such as the open-source NTFSprogs, did a spot-on job of backing up and restoring the Boot Camp partition of a dual-boot Mac. After Mike Bombich's NetRestore was EOL'ed, Winclone became a de facto standard; it made it into the workflows of enterprise desktop management systems like JAMF's Casper. (The NTFSprogs project, by the way, lives on as part of the NTFS-3G code and the commercial Tuxera NTFS driver for OS X.) Something so useful and free besides: it was bound to end, and so it did when the original developer of Winclone ceased work on it some years ago. Subsequent system updates broke the tool, and although third parties patched some of the underlying scripts to keep it limping along with Snow Leopard and Lion, it just wasn't all there. There are other tools, of course (like the open-source and powerful DeployStudio) but Winclone was so simple and straightforward. We missed it. I bring you good news, though, you toilers in cross-platform support land: Winclone is back, baby. New owner Tim Perfitt has revitalized the app and the twocanoes.com domain, and is now selling an updated and Lion-ready Winclone version 3 for a modest $19.99. Yes, it used to be free; yes, you could still muddle through with the hacked older versions -- but for anyone who's using Winclone in a professional environment, I strongly urge you to pony up for a license and support the resurrection of a vital Mac imaging tool. Hat tip to John Welch.
MacTech Boot Camp
"MacTech Boot Camp is specifically designed for those techs and consultants supporting home users, small office/home office, and small-to-medium sized businesses. This one-day, hotel-based, seminar is designed specifically to help you be the most successful consultant you can be. Learn. Network. Expand your horizons." We're a media sponsor for the MacTech events, and from what we have seen they are quite excellent. Plus, there's a special deal for TUAW readers here that'll save you US$200. To see what sessions and topics will be covered, check out this page. For a full schedule, look here. Did I mention lunch is included? Seriously, if you are a consultant for the clients mentioned above, these Boot Camp sessions are an excellent way to get up-to-date on what's going on with Apple technologies.
MacTech announces a full year of events
MacTech has been doing well with its annual Mac IT conference event (which I've attended the past two years here in Los Angeles), and the company recently announced that it is spreading out with some one-day MacTech InDepth events. But this morning, the company revealed that it's going even bigger than that. MacTech will be holding fifteen different events in 2012, all over the US, featuring the annual conference in October and a few more InDepth one-day events. MacTech is also holding a series of Boot Camp events designed specifically for IT engineers supporting smaller businesses and home users. You can see the full schedule below. As you can see, MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin will probably be a very busy guy. Some of the events are clustered around one city; Chicago in July, for example, and New York in April. But this is definitely a much more packed schedule for these MacTech events than we've ever seen before. If you run IT for any businesses or clients that use Macs, odds are there's something good going on near you. Feb 16, MacTech Boot Camp, Phoenix, AZ Mar 7, MacTech Boot Camp, Seattle, WA Mar 28, MacTech InDepth: Lion Server Administration, Austin, TX Apr 18, MacTech Boot Camp, New York, NY Apr 19, MacTech InDepth: Lion Server Administration, New York, NY May 17, MacTech InDepth: Network & WiFi Design & Troubleshooting, Boston, MA May 18, MacTech InDepth: Mobile Device Management, Boston, MA Jun 27, MacTech Boot Camp, Washington, DC Jul 18, MacTech InDepth: Network & WiFi Design & Troubleshooting, Chicago, IL Jul 19, MacTech InDepth: Mobile Device Management, Chicago, IL Aug 7, MacTech Boot Camp, San Diego, CA Sep 5, MacTech Boot Camp, Minneapolis, MN Oct 17-19, MacTech Conference, Los Angeles, CA Nov 7, MacTech InDepth: Network and WiFi Design and Troubleshooting, San Jose, CA Dec 5, MacTech Boot Camp, Miami, FL
Quark will host iPad publishing seminars
As noted by MacObserver, Quark is pushing the new App Studio feature of QuarkXPress 9.1 by offering designers two seminars to help them use this new publishing tool. App Studio lets designers create their own multimedia-rich iPad magazine app using the familiar interface of QuarkXpress. It includes a suite of tools that'll let you create the app, distribute it through the App Store and publish new content as issues that customers can buy or download for free. Quark will be holding two one-day training events in October that'll walk attendees through these new iPad tools. The first event will be held October 20 in Denver and the second will be held in London on October 26.
Windows 8 ain't fussy: runs on Macs, Surface, 128MB RAM, banana peel (videos)
Downloaders of the Windows 8 Developer Preview have been proving their mettle the best way they know how: by getting it to run on systems it was never really intended for. Brent and the folks at Codesnack win the Real Utility trophy for their successful Boot Camp installs. Josh Blake gets the Damn I Look Good By Candlelight trophy for making the OS run on the MS Surface in his living room. Meanwhile, Marcin Grygiel has awarded himself the I'm HARDCORE!!! title for somehow getting it to run on a PC with just 128MB. Treat yourself to some intimate video evidence after the break. [Thanks, Prashanth]
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me run Windows on Mac
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am new to the Mac community, and there are some programs that are unsupported on the Mac and I know there are a few options to run Windows on a Mac. When I search online for the best options and answers to my questions (what is the best option, do I need a Windows license/disc, difference between emulators/virtual machines, Parallels vs Boot Camp vs VMware Fusion etc), most of the info is pretty old and outdated. Can you help me navigate jumping out of the Windows into the Apple Orchard? Lovingly with One Foot on Both Platforms, James Dear James, For any full Windows install, you definitely need a Windows license. A disc will certainly help you install, whether you go with Boot Camp (dual-boot) or Parallels/VMware Fusion/VirtualBox (run inside an virtualized PC). Auntie knows there are pluses and minuses to both these approaches which our noble commenters will surely dive into with both feet, but here's the abbreviated version. Boot Camp offers the fastest, fullest Windows-on-Apple hardware experience. You basically get a complete Windows install, but on a shiny Apple computer. For gaming, hardware-dependent apps and maximum available performance, it's the no-compromises option, but you do need to reboot to switch between Windows and OS X, so it may slow you down in that regard. The other main option is virtualization, creating a 'PC in a box' that runs in software under OS X. Both market leaders Parallels and VMware Fusion have some compromises in speed and peripheral integration, but they do so while running at the same time as OS X, with easy file access and other shared elements. The open-source and free VirtualBox may have a few more rough edges but it does do the job for intermittent use. Another solution is Crossover. Allowing you to run Windows apps inside OS X, it does not require a license or a Windows disc... but as Uncle Mike puts it, "60% of the time, it works every time." Not all Windows applications play nicely in Crossover's W32 API compatibility environment (based on the open-source Wine project), and those that do launch may be limited in their functionality. It pays to try out Crossover first, however, if your application is on the supported list -- it might be perfect for you. In the end, it all comes down to how integrated you need your Windows experience to be. If you don't do a lot of switching back and forth, dual-booting through Boot Camp may be your best solution. If you do, then virtual Windows helps integrate your apps better. Auntie's not a big Windows user, so she invites her more Win-ny nieces and nephews to jump in with suggestions. Hugs, Auntie T.
Apple issues Boot Camp Software Update 3.3 for Windows
In addition to today's iMac Graphic Firmware Update 3.0, Apple has released Boot Camp Software Update 3.3 for Windows. Boot Camp allows users to run Microsoft Windows natively on their Intel-based Macs. The update is recommended for all Boot Camp 3.2 users and contains critical bug fixes and hardware support. The update weighs in at 199.75 MB and requires Windows 7-32 bit or Windows 7-64bit and Boot Camp 3.2. A direct download link to the update is here.
Boot Camp in Lion requires Windows 7
Apple's latest version of OS X 10.7 Lion ships with Boot Camp 4 which, according to an Apple support document, only runs Windows 7. Previous versions of Windows like Vista and XP are no longer supported. There's no reason for this change, but Apple, like Microsoft, is likely increasing its focus on the newer OS and lessening it on legacy versions. Mac users that must run an older version of Windows will either have to keep Boot Camp 3 if they wish to upgrade to Lion or use a third-party virtualization solution from VMWare or Parallels. [Via Macworld]
Boot Camp update for Thunderbolt iMacs available
With new iMacs comes new software. Apple has released a Boot Camp update for Thunderbolt iMacs. The small update (the download is just 638 KB) can be found via Software Update or Apple's website and offers a specific fix. According to Apple, the update "...addresses issues with Japanese and Korean keyboards on early 2011 iMac." If you've been struggling with this issue, on the iMac you can't possibly have received yet, here's the update for you.
Mac OS X 10.6.6 introduces subtle changes to Boot Camp
MacNN cites two tips they received noting changes made to Boot Camp in Mac OS X 10.6.6. The first suggests that Apple has dropped support for Windows XP. When setting up a Windows partition, Boot Camp requests an "...authentic installation disc of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate." XP isn't mentioned. Also, users are discouraged from using software from a Mac OS X install disc or another computer in an attempt to find drivers and the like. Instead, Boot Camp will prompt you to download "additional software designed specifically for each Mac" to get your keyboards, etc. working. Just as MacNN speculates, we agree that this measure is meant to ensure that users have the latest software, helping to eliminate future troubleshooting.
Boot Camp, MacBook firmware updates appear in Software Update
After the excitement of the Safari 5.0.3 update this morning, Apple quietly slipped in a few more updates this afternoon. Boot Camp Software Update 3.2 for Windows 32 bit and Windows 64 bit both provide support for the ATI-Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, the Apple USB Ethernet adapter, and the MacBook Air SuperDrive, as well as "addressing critical bug fixes." Don't be fooled by the post date of "January 18, 2010" -- the previous update came out on January 19, 2010, so it appears that someone forgot to change the month while posting the Knowledge Base article. There are also a couple of firmware updates that have been delivered. The MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.0 "resolves an issue where an attached external display may occasionally incorrectly show a purple coloration" and is recommended for the 13-inch, Mid 2010 MacBook Pro. The Mid 2010 MacBook also had the same issue, and there's the MacBook EFI Firmware Update 2.0 to resolve that problem. [via The Mac Observer]
The extra special TUAW TV Live all-Mac episode, version 2.0
Welcome to another episode of TUAW TV Live, the weekly livestreaming video show where you can join in on the conversation. Today, I'll be presenting another all-Mac episode, where I try to avoid using the i-words (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and showcase the venerable Apple computer line. Some of today's topics include: Upgrading older Macs to bring back some of that new-Mac speed Ideas for regular maintenance of your favorite Mac Backups Boot Camp How to prepare an old Mac for "repurposing" (i.e., sale or donation) Places to sell an old Mac I'll also give you a peek at a few Mac apps that I've been playing with lately. Now it's time to get on with the show! To join in from your Mac or PC, just go to the next page by clicking the link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a live stream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to join in on the fun by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. iPad users haven't been forgotten, either, as you can tune in to TUAW TV Live on your iPad! That link will send yo to a non-Flash page, although you won't have access to our chat tool.
Chinese addicts escape from Internet 'boot camp,' invade Farmville
Is the internet an addiction? Absolutely not, we can totally quit whenever we like, and so we honor the spunk and spirit of 14 dedicated World of Warcraft grinders, Starcraft APM masters, and social networking gurus who escaped from their "rehabilitation center" in China's Jiangsu province. These so-called boot camps have been described by various outlets as being a little too close to torture camps, and while shock therapy has been banned, this 14 had still had enough. They captured their supervisor, tied him to his bed, and then hopped a (presumably large) taxi to get out of Dodge. But, there was one problem: none had any money to cover the fare. The police were called, all were apprehended, and they're presumably back to the "monotonous work and intensive training" they came so close escaping. Don't give up, kids. Let Andy Williams be your inspiration.
