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Ballmer says tide has turned on Apple, "paying $500 more to get a logo on it" won't work in this economy
Hot off word that Apple's Mac and iPod sales for February took a 16 percent hit compared to last year, Steve Ballmer says the "tide has really turned" after recent Apple market share gains: "Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction. The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be." Of course, PC sales have been hit as well, but the numbers do point to Apple's market share slipping of late. Of course, he's not exactly complementing the masses when he says that people were paying $500 more a fruit logo. Maybe, just maybe design and software had something to do with it? Just something to think about, while you roll around in piles of cash and a dominant market share, Steve.[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]
Friday Favorite: R-Name
R-Name is a simple, single-purpose application that takes the names of files and folders on your Mac and renames them one at a time or in batches. I use it almost every day. Yes, there are a dozen ways to batch rename files. I like R-Name for a few reasons: It's fast, both in loading and renaming Easy to rename just files, folders or recurse folder Hard to mess things up because you have to preview the new names before committing Drag and drop (Apple forgets how important this feature is all too frequently) Here are the functions you can perform with R-Name: find and replace, number sequentially, add characters (beginning, before extension, at end), remove characters with the same options, change case, add/replace/remove extensions. There are some smart prefs too, but that's icing on the cake. Oh, and did I mention: it's donationware! The author asks you to make a donation to UNICEF. Unfortunately, R-Name appears to be abandonware -- the author's site is currently down (thus the source code is unavailable) and best I can tell the app is only supported to 10.3. But it works for me. What renaming tool or workflow do you use?
Leaked Snow Leopard screenshots and video show new Stacks, install options
We haven't seen too many Snow Leopard screenshots leak out, but it looks like a few more have finally surfaced, and they seem to show some interesting -- if minor -- interface enhancements. Most notably, Stacks now allows nested browsing, so if you click on a folder in the stack view, the old stack drops back and you can navigate the folder contents -- the old way just opened a Finder window. Other improvements include a Put Back menu item for accidentally-trashed items, a redesigned Keyboard Shortcuts prefpane that might encourage people to actually use it, and what looks like a welcome new installer option to only install printer drivers for printers that have been used with your machine. That alone should cut down on Snow Leopard's install size -- now if Apple would just figure out that we don't need 200 language packs by default, we'd be really getting somewhere. All the images in the gallery, and video of the new Stacks behavior after the break.Update: Flickr user Stellarolla pinged us to share one more shot showing some preset HDTV modes, check it after the break![Via AppleInsider]%Gallery-45884%
Get your 25 seconds of fame with Tweetube for Mac OS X
If you're a Twitter fan and a Mac user, you'll appreciate a new tool from RADSense Software -- Tweetube for Mac OS X. Tweetube is a free application that uses your iSight camera to record a 25 second video which is then uploaded automatically to Tweetube. A tweet with an embedded link to the video is sent out, and the world can then see your smiling face.It's also easy to share YouTube videos with your Twitterpals by logging onto the Tweetube site, and then either entering a YouTube URL or doing a quick search. After you add your tweet, a link is sent off to your Tweeples. Tweetube received a few seconds of fame earlier this week when comedian Dane Cook recorded a 25-second blast in his usual high-speed rant mode. If you use Twitter, give Tweetube a try!
Rumor: Snow Leopard to include QuickTime Pro
At long last, Apple will (allegedly) stop charging customers for the "Pro" features of QuickTime by building them into Snow Leopard. Finally.You'll recall that Apple has been gradually increasing the options available to the free version of QuickTime, like full screen playback mode. Other features of the Pro version -- like simple editing and export options -- were unlocked with in a recent developer's build of Snow Leopard.Of course, this may be a way to let developers test all aspects of QuickTime, but we're hoping that's not the case. With the popularity of Apple's video editing software like iMovie and Final Cut, it seems that simple cut-and-paste should be free with QuickTime. Launching one of those apps just to complete a simple edit is overkill. Kind of like swatting a fly with a Buick.We've got our fingers crossed.
German Mac clone maker claims it won't face Psystar's legal troubles
Matthias Kremp, of German periodical Der Spiegel, has an interesting story about PearC, "Der PC mit Mac OS X." You don't need Google Translate to figure out what that means, though a mechanical translation of the story is available here. PearC is offering three flavors of Mac clones in Germany, starting at €499. All of the options are built to order: The Starter edition can be equipped with anything from an Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 to a Core 2 Duo E7300. The Professional version, though, starts at €1,499, and can be powered by a 3.2GHz Intel Core i7 Extreme processor for an extra €720 -- a processor that Apple does not offer. PearC also offers Blu-Ray optical drives as an option. All come with the option to install Mac OS X. Kremp notes that PearC's parent company, Hypermeganet, says that since the End User License Agreement (EULA) is sealed inside retail copies of Mac OS X, there's no legal way to review the EULA. If you'll pardon the bad translation, "the restrictions that Apple [has] for its Mac OS X in the EULA [...] in Germany [has] no legal explanation," said Hypermeganet spokesman Dirk Blößl. "Hypermeganet assumes, therefore, that the product (meaning the Mac clone) in Germany is legal," he says. Similarly, Psystar, possibly bankrolled by a larger PC clone maker, is defending itself now against charges that it violated Apple's EULA by selling clones with Mac OS X. That dispute is ongoing. Apple did not return Spiegel Online's request for comment. However, Kremp concluded by suggesting "one may probably assume" that Apple will pursue legal action against the clone maker. Thanks, Hauke, Holger and Martin!
Psystar continues to be stubborn
Psystar, as you may remember, is the computer company that has begun selling computers with Mac OS X Leopard pre-installed. Of course, they drew the attention of Apple legal right away, but that only caused them to further dig in their heels. Last month, they challenged Apple's claim to the copyright of Mac OS X, claiming that Apple never registered Mac OS X with the U.S. Copyright Office.Previously, Judge William Alsup had dismissed federal antitrust claims, which only prompted Psystar to amend its countersuit with all new claims. Now, they're trying yet another angle. Psystar is claiming the first sale doctrine. Similar to the right you have to buy a book and re-sell it, Psystar says that since they bought legit, retail copies of Mac OS X from Apple and installed them on their computers, they're in the clear. If they want to then sell those computers, that's fine and dandy. Unfortunately for them, they also bought shrinkwrap EULA's which impose license conditions. They don't "own" the software.Everything else aside, this seems like an awful amount of time, effort and expense just to sell computers. There are less difficult ways to sell Mac OS computers, folks. At this point, you're just being stubborn, Psystar. Let it go.Back in April, Psystar went public with the first commercial Hackintosh clones. For US$554, they'd send you a Core 2 Duo minitower with Mac OS X pre-installed. In June, they released rack-mount servers with Leopard Server pre-installed in both 1U (starting $1599) and 2U (starting $1999) configurations.Update: It seems that Psystar has included claims to the first sale doctrine, as some of our readers have pointed out, for a while now. However, we don't feel that it's a "linchpin" of the case -- first-sale hasn't been rejected by the court. More on this seemingly unending story as it develops. Thanks to Alex at World of Apple for the heads-up.
Learn how to draw a Mac network node sphere with this tutorial
If you've always wondered how to draw a "ball of nodes" as featured in a variety of Mac OS X icons, wonder no more: Mike Rundle of flyosity.com has written a tutorial to show you how using Photoshop. Rundle discusses "spheric realism," the process of understanding the materials, reflectivity, and roundness of a sphere, and how to accurately illustrate it digitally. Clever users can easily adapt the technique for Illustrator, Acorn, or many other compositing tools that feature blur and blending mode support. Rundle also offers a PSD file containing the artwork with no strings attached. Thanks Todd!
Apple issues Mail update for users experiencing problems
If you were one of the many users who upgraded to Mac OS X 10.5.6 soon after it came out, then you might have experienced some major problems on your Mac. Fortunately, Apple has admitted there were issues with the update. Now there are more updates to fix the problems. Last night, Apple released a Mail update for users experiencing problems with Mail unexpectedly quitting. "This can be caused by using a copy of Mail that wasn't updated properly (you may need to install the Mail Update)," the update page states.If you have been experiencing problems with Mail.app post-10.5.6, then you can install the update by visiting the Support Downloads website and download the installer package.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple applies for trademark on the "Grand Central" Snow Leopard feature
When Apple announced Snow Leopard, they also detailed a new developer service that can be used to full take advantage of the dual cores in newer Intel Macs. The Apple website tells us the following about GrandCentral: Grand Central takes full advantage [of the processor cores] by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors. Grand Central also makes it much easier for developers to create programs that squeeze every last drop of power from multicore systems.MacNN is reporting that Apple applied for a trademark on the name "Grand Central" under USPTO serial number 77626943. The trademark was filed under "009" classification, which is "computer software; computer operating system software." We can only wonder if this trademark filing will cause an uproar from Google, who acquired the Grand Central telephony service.Continue reading to see a screenshot of the trademark filing.[via MacNN]
MacNN: Snow Leopard could ship 1Q 2009
Snow Leopard could ship as early as January, according to comments made by the director of Apple's Unix Technology Group. Jordan Hubbard said at the Large Installation System Administration conference last week that Mac OS X 10.6 will ship in the first quarter of 2009, according to MacNN. This primes the Macworld Expo rumor pump: Scheduled for January 5, Steve could debut new quad-core iMacs in addition to showing off this new version of the operating system. This is not to be confused with Mac OS X 10.5.6, a minor update, which could be available as soon as Friday.
Mac OS X on a HP Touchsmart (kind of)
Here's a video and setup instructions for getting Mac OS X to run on a HP TouchSmart. The machine's main feature, of course, is the touch screen. It kind of works with OS X in that elements respond to touch, but the calibration is way off and, as the guy in the video says, there's no way to adjust it. He does offer to test out any other aspect of OS X on the Touchsmart, so speak up.The setup instructions were written for a HP TouchSmart IQ507 and do require you do "grab a torrent" as the kids say. It doesn't look too tricky, though. The author notes that audio, the wireless card, Bluetooth and the TV Tuner won't work under OS X.Still, it could be a fun project for anyone who's got a spare Touchsmart lying around. Don't we all?
6 easy steps to migrate your Mac using Time Machine
If you use Time Machine in Leopard, then transferring your stuff to a new Mac might be a bit simpler than you thought. With Migration Assistant, you can easily transfer Applications, Documents, Settings, and more. In this Mac 101, we're going to show you how it's done, and how you can do it yourself! var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/6_easy_steps_to_migrate_your_Mac_using_Time_Machine; 1. Make sure you have a recent backupMake sure you have a recent Time Machine backup on the machine you wish to transfer your information from. To check, go to System Preferences (Apple menu) > Time Machine. If you see a recent backup, then you're set; if not, click "show Time Machine status in the menu bar." In the resulting menu bar item, click "Back up now." Time Machine will make a new backup. 2. Make sure you're not leaving anything behindIn the Time Machine System Preference pane, click the Options button. In the dialog box, you can see all the folders you have chosen not to backup -- check these to make sure you really don't want them. If you do, click the folder and chose the "-" (minus button) at the bottom. Click OK and backtrack to step 1 to create a current backup. 3. Getting the new machine readyFrom this point, you can deviate into two directions: If your Mac is new: Boot up the new Mac and go through the setup screens. When the setup assistant asks if you want to migrate information from your old Mac, choose "From Time Machine backup or other disk." If your Mac has an existing account, don't fret. Just open "Migration Assistant" located in /Applications/Utilities. 4. Connecting your Time Machine drive to the new machineOnce you have completed the above step, click continue. Migration Assistant will ask you to specify the backup you would like to transfer to the new machine. %Gallery-35574%Continue reading for more details...
Get into the Halloween spirit with a screen saver
With Halloween only a couple weeks away, it's time to get your Mac into the holiday spirit ... with a screen saver! The free Jack-o-Lantern screen saver from Killer Robots does just that -- without the mess of carving a pumpkin. It has over 25 pre-made designs, but you can also create your own pumpkin designs in Photoshop using the carving template provided by the developer. The screen saver features a very realistic pumpkin that rotates against a black background. You can control many settings including: seconds between pumpkin design changes, camera rotation, quality, and screen glow. In addition, you can select which designs you want shown. Check out our gallery of screenshots to get a feel for the quality of this awesome screen saver. You can download the screen saver from the developer's website. If you want even more customization, check out the Icon Factory's Halloween section for free icons (compatible with Candybar from Panic). Do you have another favorite holiday screen saver or icon set you like to use? Let us know in the comments! %Gallery-34299%
Apple releases Security Update 2008-007
Apple released Security Update 2008-007 for Mac OS X Leopard and Tiger users today. The update addresses many specific areas of the Mac OS, including: Apache, ClamAV, CUPS, Finder, and more. A full list of the areas affected by the update can be found on the Apple support website. The update is available for the following systems: Client systems running Leopard Server systems running Leopard Client systems running Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Intel) Client systems running Mac OS X 10.4.11 (PPC) Server systems running Mac OS X 10.4.11 (PPC) Server systems running Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Universal) You can get the update by downloading the installer package from the Apple support website, or by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update). Continue reading for a change log for this update.
Mac 101: Retrieve your Keychain passwords
Have you forgotten a password to a website, email account, or other password? If you use Mac OS X's Keychain, chances are that your password can be easily retrieved. First off, open Keychain Access.app (located in /Applications/Utilities/). Once there, scroll through the list of keys until you find the one that you're looking for. Double click on it and check the box that says, "Show Password." Once you authenticate with your user credentials, your forgotten password will be displayed in the text box. Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section.
Mac OS X 10.5.5 Combo updater, Security Update for 10.4 now available
If you've been a bad nervous Mac user, then chances are that you might not be running the latest updates. If so, you can download the Combo updater for Mac OS X 10.5.5 which includes all important patches up to this point, so you can remain up-to-date even if you skipped a couple of updates. If you are still running the slightly older OS, Tiger, then Apple has provided an update for you as well. The Security 2008-006 update allows you to stay as safe as your Leopard brethren. Security update 2008-006 is available for both PPC and Intel Macs running Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).You can download all of these updates by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by visiting Apple's download page.
Terminal Tips: Make extended print dialog show by default
When you print something in Mac OS X, the standard print dialog window will pop up. However, if you always use the extended options (such as landscape/portrait orientation, number of copies, etc.) then you might have to click the blue arrow constantly. With this Terminal hack, the print dialog will open with the extended options already shown by default. Just open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/) and type in the following command: defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -bool TRUEIf changing back to the original settings makes you happy, then replace "TRUE" with "FALSE" in the command above. Want more quick Mac tips like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.
FrontRow 2.1.6 is available
The updates keep coming out of Cupertino this morning. iTunes, QuickTime and now Front Row. Version 2.1.6 adds iTunes 8.0 compatibility and "...bug fixes." This update is just over 13MB. Short and sweet. Get it via Software Update now. We didn't find anything obviously new with this release, but let us know if you do.
Flickr Find: Mac OS 10.0 UI
Reader and Flickr user ismh has posted a series of screenshots of Mac OS 10.0 to our Flickr pool. It was just seven years ago -- March of 2001 -- that Mac OS 10.0 was released to the waiting masses. I distinctly remember driving to my local authorized retailer to buy a copy, and then quickly rushing home to install it on my 333mhz G3 iMac.What I apparently fogot was how different the UI was. Remember the pinstripes? How about Sherlock? And don't miss the list of supported hardware, including the iBook, the PowerBook G3, The Power Macintosh G3 and the good 'ol Power Mac G4.I also remember slower-than-molasses performance and aqua lozenge buttons everywhere. Oh, Mac OS X. How you've changed.
