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Weekend Poll: What rate, innovation?
Over the past year, things seem to have slowed down at Apple. OS upgrades have spaced out. The iPhone seems to have stabilized to a fairly consistent product -- the 4, 4S, and 5 aren't markedly different, other than a small bump in size. OS X has become more a matter of bug fixes, smoothing and refinement, than new features. So where's our big wow? It's not that Apple really needs innovation at this point. Its stable of products has a continued high demand, and consumers are responding to channel inventory in a gratifying way. Most of Apple's newest products have been upgraded in subtle but important ways, but "subtle" doesn't always feed the public's perception of innovation and revolution. So does Apple need that innovative push right now? The competition, certainly, has not stood still. From handsets the size of baby dolphins to low-cost high-definition tablets, the market is trying to find new device expressions. Where does Apple stand in all this? You tell us. Join in our poll and then drop your opinions into the comments section, and tell us where you see Apple innovating over the next few years. %Poll-81772%
TUAW Bookshelf: Mac Hacks
Mac Hacks ($19.99 e-book, $24.99 print, $27.49 combo) by Chris Seibold is packed with fun and useful OS X-themed tips for anyone looking for non-obvious ways to get more from their Mac. Like Seibold's earlier Big Book of Apple Hacks, Mac Hacks offers ways that technically savvy readers can better take charge of their system. This volume is current, and its tips are specifically compatible with OS X Mountain Lion. From nondestructively partitioning drives to building Mountain Lion installers on flash drives, Seibold has collected a lot of useful information into his book. When you buy a book like this, you're essentially purchasing a condensed collection of ideas. I encourage you to stop by the O'Reilly site and look at the Table of Contents for the book, which is packed with "Oh, I didn't know you could do that!" ideas. The book is a great gift for any Apple geek in your life. Just remember that the content tends to skew more "experienced" and less "noob."
Mac Hacks: Change your default Notification Center sound
It's bad enough that a billion iOS devices all start chiming at me whenever I receive a notification. The OS X notification center plays that awful sound -- Basso, whenever my reminders trigger. Not sure what that sounds like? Open System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects and click on it to hear. I hate it. So I decided to override it. These steps aren't for everyone. You'll need to feel comfortable at the command line for one thing. So caveat hackteur. Go to ~/Library/Sounds. This is not the same as the system /Library/Sounds folder. It is in your home folder. Add your (short) sound and name it Basso.aiff. Use an AIFF format file, don't just rename something else. I use QuickTime Pro, but there are lots of other AIFF-friendly apps out there. Open Terminal. Find the Notification Center process: ps -ax | grep -i notification Kill it, e.g., killall NotificationCenter Make sure the notification center restarts and is a new process: ps -ax | grep -i notification Test. Create a new reminder for a minute or two in the future. These steps enable you to replace that horrid Basso with more appealing audio, as you hear at about 14 seconds in:
The Twitter Client Project: Echofon
I love Echofon. It was among the first apps I bought for iOS, and remains to this day on my devices. When it hopped to OS X, I was delighted and immediately installed a copy. I'm still using it. Only one problem. Naan Studio discontinued it last October. It still works great, however, and probably will until Twitter drops support for its 1.0 API. My love for this no-longer-supported app, however, continues -- even if it's beginning to feel a little like appnecrophilia. Kelly H pulled me to the side, the other day. It was time for an intervention. Although TUAW has done individual reviews an any number of Twitter apps, she wanted me to start looking at popular clients with the angle of searching for a replacement. It was, she pointed out, long since time to move on from Echofon. She, another Echofon fan, had dropped it a few months ago after Naan said they would stop development. We quickly realized how individualized client choice is. There are things I love about Echofon that speak strongly to me, but may not be essential for other users: I love how I can click on the dock icon and my feed appears and disappears. It's just one click and one window. I love how the layout is vertical, with icons on the top, and tweets displayed using the full window width. I love the default fonts and whitespace. It may not be the prettiest client, but it's extra readable for those of us with bad eyes. I love the customizable notification controls, with highlight words and Growl support. I love the minimality of the interface, like the simple + button (versus, for example, the official Twitter client's huge "Save" button) that transforms searches into saved items. I love that it adds information I want like the time the tweet was posted -- missing in the official Twitter client. I love the conversation bubble integration with the side-drawer. Even better, the drawer has a history feature, so I can walk back. In the best of all worlds, of course, a public outcry would force Naan to bring Echofon for OS X back -- renewing support for a great client. (Hashtag hint: #bringBackEchofonForOSX) In this world, however, I have promised Kelly to start road testing Twitter clients. I'll be doing this slowly, probably one every week or two, and writing up my experiences. If you have any OS X clients you'd like to request I look at or features you want me to pay special attention to, drop a note on our feedback page. In the mean time, let's kick things off here in the comments. What OS X Twitter client do you use and why do you love it?
Patch 5.2 PTR: Mac OS X 10.6 no longer supported as of 5.2
Mac OS X 10.6 will no longer be supported in patch 5.2, so if you happen to be running under that operating system, you may want to consider upgrading. While World of Warcraft has long been known for running on ridiculously outdated computers, it has over time dropped support for older operating systems. Does this mean you can't play if you're running OS X 10.6? Nope -- but it means it will no longer be supported, so if your game suddenly stops functioning correctly with that operating system, there's not much to be done about it other than upgrading your OS. There is no need to panic if you're currently running with said operating system, however -- your game isn't going to suddenly stop running tomorrow. Daxxari posted more information about the changes, as well as some helpful links to follow as a polite heads-up warning in advance, so players using this OS will have time to make any changes they need. Daxxari In the upcoming Patch 5.2: The Thunder King, players using Mac OS X 10.6 will be presented with a message stating that we will no longer support Mac OS X 10.6. During this time, you will be able to continue playing; however, Mac OS X 10.6 will no longer be supported. We recommend Mac users upgrade their systems to Mac OS X 10.7.5 (or newer) as soon as possible. We are giving players advance notice of this change to ensure Mac users have enough time to update their operating systems in preparation for the release of Patch 5.2: The Thunder King. We will provide an additional update when we no longer provide technical support for Mac OS X 10.6. Mac OS X 10.7 and Mac OS X 10.8 will continue to be fully supported per the recently posted Mac OS Support policy here. For more Mac-related information and help, visit the support site. source
The Daily Roundup for 02.15.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Mac 101: Schedule event details in the event title with Calendar
More Mac 101, tips and tricks for novice Mac users. Let's say you've just got off the phone with a friend. You've arranged to meet later for coffee, but you don't want to forget, so you go to Calendar on your Mac to schedule the event. You double click the date you're going to meet, enter a title, like "Meet Martin for Coffee" and hit return. The event has been created, but all the details still need to be populated. So you double click the event again, to open it and enter further details, like time, location, etc. Or do you? With the Calendar app in Mac OS X, you can schedule event details in the event title. The Calendar app will intuitively read those details and populate the appropriate sections. For example, let's say you're meeting Bob Jones for breakfast tomorrow at 8 AM at 23 Commercial Street. Simply enter "Breakfast with Bob 8 AM 23 Commercial Street" in the event title and Calendar will populate the time and location for you. Unfortunately, you can't schedule alert or note details like this, but this neat trick is really helpful for quick and snappy Calendar entries. This tip works for most computerized calendars out there (including web-based ones like Google's Calendar), but I'm always surprised at just how many people don't know they can do it.
Weekend Poll: What's up for Apple this Spring?
Normally as February and March roll around, our minds start drifting towards iPads and OS X. Until this past year, when Apple seemed to reset its iPad clock in October, we saw new hardware ticking by each Spring. Late Winter is also usually the time we hear the first meows of Apple's newest OS X cat. So what about this year? With iPad shifting to pre-Christmas updates, will we see a refresh? And with Federighi spearheading a joint iOS/OS X restructuring, have we seen the last of the felines? Is it time for OS Xi? Will this be the year that Apple moves past traditional OS X and AppKit and introduces a grand unified operating system along the lines introduced by Steve Jobs in October 2011? You tell us. Join in these polls and then share your thoughts in the comments. %Poll-80761% %Poll-80768%
Half-Life now runs on Mac OS X and Linux, we assure you
Now with a Steam page that doesn't expressly list Mac as a supported platform, we understand your skepticism regarding the headline to this very post. Indeed Half-Life has been ported to both OS X and Linux today.We tried it on OS X and it totally worked, though we've yet to try it on Linux. Odds are if you have a Steam account, you probably already own Half-Life – but if for some reason you need to purchase this iconic shooter, it'll set you back $9.99 on Steam right now.
Weekend poll: Why the long OS upgrade delays?
iOS 6.1. OS X 10.8.3. What do they have in common? They are Apple operating system updates that many expected to debut way earlier than now. So why the delay? Is Apple fixing engineering issues from previous teams? As Craig Federighi (at right) takes control over a joint OS X/iOS team, are new directions being explored? Is this extra time allowing code review and bug fixes? Or is something else at play? Could someone have exposed the engineers to water and/or bright lights? You tell us. Jump into this poll and then add your comments about the latest OS delays. %Poll-80327%
A reasonable response to Java security problems (Updated)
Update: According to The Mac Observer, Apple has acted proactively to block the Java browser plug-in on Mac machines with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or higher. If you are running an earlier version of OS X, then you should disable Java as noted below. Update 2: In a remarkably speedy turnaround, Oracle has released a patched Java VM (release 11, listed as b21 internally) that closes this particular hole. Users who need Java installed are urged to update ASAP. You may have to update manually; Mike Rose reports that the auto-update feature on his machine ended up crashing the Java control panel. A Java security flaw has been reported by CERT (the Computer Emergency Readiness Team). TheNextWeb has a good write-up of the background of the exploit's discovery. Here's the bad news: there is no "fix" for the bug yet. Here's the worse news: it is believed that malicious sites on the web are already aware of this security hole, and are trying to exploit it. Is your Mac at risk? Maybe. It is possible that your Mac does not even have Java installed. Apple stopped including Java by default with Lion. However, if you have run into any websites or software that needs Java, it may have prompted you to install it. So what should you do? Well, here are some options: Stop using the Internet and go live in a yurt. Disable Java Uninstall Java Ignore it and hope that everything will be OK. Hopefully you guessed that options 1 & 4 are the "Not Good" options, so that leaves us with two choices: Disable or Uninstall? Here's my suggestion: if you are on Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8 (Lion or Mountain Lion) have Java installed and you're not just one of those people who goes around installing things willy-nilly, my guess is that you have (or had) some software program that relies on Java. If you uninstall it, something might break and you might not be able to figure out why. However, if you disable Java in whichever browser(s) you use regularly, you can continue to use your web browser without worrying about this exploit. If you find a website that uses Java, you can turn it on, do what you need to do, and then turn it off again. Safari Users: you can easily disable Java by going to Safari's Preferences, then choose the Security tab, and uncheck the appropriate box: Google Chrome users need to go to chrome://plugins Firefox users: Go to the "Tools" menu, then "Add-ons" (or ⌘ + Shift + A) and choose the "Plugins" tab. Then click the 'disable' button next to Java Applet Plug-in. "But I need Java for these sites I use every day!" OK, so that's the reasonable response that I think will work for most people, but if you happen to be one of the people who needs to use Java every day for a specific set of websites all is not lost. In fact, there's a very easy solution called Fluid.app. This one might seem a little nerdy, but once you set it up, it's quite easy. We've mentioned Fluid.app on TUAW in the past and it's one of my favorite tools. With Fluid.app you can make a "standalone" web browser with its own set of preferences, including Java. You can find these settings in your Fluid.app browser under 'Settings': But wait! he said in his best made-for-TV voice There's more! Fluid.app will also let you say exactly which websites (domains, URLs, etc) that you want to use with that browser. Go to the "Whitelist" preferences and enter the domains, like this: Now that the rule that I have will allow me to visit any URL that includes www.google.com. You can add more sites using the + at the bottom of the window. Add all of your known and trusted sites which use Java. If you come across a link to a different site, it will automatically send you over to your regular browser (where you have disabled Java). Using this system you can have the security of having Java disabled, but still have the convenience of being able to use it on sites that you trust.
Testing for OS X vs iOS
Yesterday, I was messing around building shared NSLayoutConstraint code to be used across iOS and OS X. I put in a few #if TARGET_OS_MAC directives, assuming they'd just work. They didn't. Turns out that you should always check for TARGET_OS_IPHONE first, before TARGET_OS_MAC because the latter is true on the iPhone but the former is not on OS X. Here are some of the most common checks suggested to me yesterday as I messed with this dilemma. #if TARGET_OS_MAC #if TARGET_OS_IPHONE #if TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR #if TARGET_OS_EMBEDDED #if defined(__MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED) #if defined(__IPHONE_OS_MIN_VERSION_REQUIRED) And here are the results of running them on the Simulator, iPhone device and OS X: SIMULATOR Target OS Mac Target OS iPhone No Target OS Embedded Target iPhone Simulator Mac OS X Version Min Required is NOT defined iPhone OS X Version Min Required is NOT defined PHONE Target OS Mac Target OS iPhone Target OS Embedded No Target iPhone Simulator Mac OS X Version Min Required is NOT defined iPhone OS X Version Min Required is NOT defined OS X Target OS Mac No Target OS iPhone No Target OS Embedded No Target iPhone Simulator Mac OS X Version Min Required is defined iPhone OS X Version Min Required is NOT defined Since I was most interested in determining whether to use NSBox/NSView vs UIView, my solution ended up looking like this: #if TARGET_OS_IPHONE #define VIEW_CLASS UIView #elif TARGET_OS_MAC #define VIEW_CLASS NSView #endif This approach ensured that the iPhone platform triggered first, and then the second check mandated OS X. This created definitions that allowed my code to successfully compile and execute cross-platform. Thanks Gwynne Raskind and everyone else in #iphonedev
TUAW Bookshelf: Mac Kung Fu by Keir Thomas
Mac Kung Fu by Keir Thomas, a collection of OS X tips and tricks, has entered its second edition. From Pragmatic Programmers, the new edition contains over a hundred more tips than the original version. Packed with fun customization tips, Mac Kung Fu shows you how to tweak your system to get the most out of OS X. Among its many other hints, you can learn how to find forgotten passwords, force scrollbars to appear, eject stuck CDs and DVDs, browse old Time Machine disks and lots, lots more. Mac Kung Fu combines all the kind of tweaks and tricks you normally find on sites like TUAW and Mac OS X Hints into a simple, easy-to-browse reference. The book itself can be a bit overwhelming if you try to sit down and read it, but it's terrific for scanning through when you have a moment here or there to pick up a new idea or a fresh technique. It's not really a solution book -- the chances are that when you have a problem, a quick Google search will work better. Instead, think of it as a volume of inspiration. You're sure to find something clever, amusing, and (best of all) useful by browsing its 400-odd pages of high-caffeine OS X utility content. The e-book retails for US$24, the paperback for $39, or buy both for $49. Recommended.
Unclutter offers digital pockets for your OS X miscellany
I have really mixed feelings about Unclutter for OS X (US$2.99). On the one hand, it's a pretty cool idea. The app offers a pull-out "drawer" on your desktop that lets you store files, make notes, and view your clipboard. On the other, parts of the app are unintuitive to use and could stand some design improvements to enhance the user experience. To begin with, I struggled to get the app to respond until I realized that you could not just click and drag from the top of the screen. I needed to use the scroll wheel to entice the application window to appear. Once I mastered that, opening the app became an easy process. The window consists of three embedded panels, each of which you can pull out and let float on your desktop. When pulling out each window, the other items resize to accommodate. When you close them (incidentally Command-W does not work, you have to click on the close X buttons), they return to the pocket window. I'm not entirely sure why anyone would extract the component panels and I'm a little surprised the developer even offers this feature, but there you have it. You cannot, however, push normal Finder windows into the pocket (I tried).T With Unclutter, you can: Preview the contents of your clipboard (left) Store files into a central folder for easy access (middle) Make notes (right) The idea is that the app gives you this instant availability without taking up space on your desktop. In practice, the three sections feel disjointed, consisting of one strong utility (the file drawer) and two rather weak ones (the Notes and Clipboard preview). I wonder why they were merged together into a single app. The Clipboard preview does exactly what it says on the label. It shows whatever items you've copied to the system pasteboard. If you copy a picture, it shows the picture. If you copy text, the text. It does not, however, reflect any styling hints you've copied (all text is shown in the same common font) and if you copy multiple images, it just lists them. I was hard pressed to find a compelling reason why the developer included this feature, but it's there. As for the Notes section, the built-in OS X Notes app does a far better job and is accessible with just a few keystrokes (Command-Space, Notes, return). OS X Notes offers tabs, sharing, and search, none of which are part of the Unclutter interface. I'm guessing the developer hoped to provide a single quick "to do" central scribbling area and it does work for quick reference. I'm just thinking that, again, it's a superfluous feature that should have been trimmed, with the app focusing on file access. The strongest portion of the app is that file storage, offering a pull-out drawer with a quick file reference. For those who wish to keep their desktop clean, this is the best of the Unclutter uncluttering tools. You can drag your files in, and access them by opening the pocket window. It's a pity then that the other two utilities take up so much of that pocket space. As is, most people will struggle to put more than a half dozen to a dozen reference items in, even users with large screen real estate. The app offers no option to disable the notes or clipboard viewer, and if you drag them out of the pocket, they're stuck on your desktop, doing the opposite of uncluttering. Adding files to the pocket was another task I struggled with. And unlike the opening and closing of the pocket, one that came with no hints or instructions. In the end, I figured out two ways to add files. First, you can drag the file panel out to your finder and add items by drag and drop. But far easier (and discovered much later), I found you could just drag files to the menu bar (this opens the pocket window) and then pull back down below the menu bar to drop them into the file panel. When you copy items to the panel, they're stored in a rather obscure folder in your personal library, specifically: ~/Library/Containers/com.softwareambience.Unclutter/Data/Library/Application Support/Unclutter/FileStorage. This is part of the OS X sandboxing system. In testing, I created a test RTF file with an easy-to-distinguish name ("snickerdoodle") and added it to my drawer. I then allowed Spotlight to update indexing. When I attempted to search for it with Spotlight, it could not be found. This would not be as much of an issue if Unclutter created aliases and left the files in-place, but since the actual file moves into the FileStorage folder, its unfortunate location may cause side effects like this. Dragging the folder back to the desktop, immediately restored its entry in the Spotlight search. As utilities go, I think Unclutter has a pretty cool basic idea -- the pocket drawer that can be accessed with a simple mouse combination. I'm just unhappy with some of the implementation details on what is otherwise a promising concept.
Where's my convertible Mac?
Here at TUAW, we just received our 5 billionth review request for a new iPad keyboard system. More and more, makeshift solutions attempting to turn iPads into laptops is a "been there done that" for me. Is it "too Microsoft" to ask Apple to come out with a proper convertible notebook/tablet, a duo for the new decade? After all, Windows 8 hasn't exactly been redefining the user experience. That's something that Apple usually does. There are, admittedly, problems with the proposition: You can already "kind of sort of" get work done on iPads -- more than ever, now that software is expanding for the touch-based office, Bluetooth accessories are ubiquitous, and onboard dictation means you don't have to hunch over a desktop to get things done. OS X isn't meant for small screens or touch interfaces. You probably don't want to be running Xcode on an iPad mini. Even though many technologies for iOS and OS X are converging, the underlying basis for sandboxing the file system are still far enough apart that running both OS'es on a single unit would be a smidge difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. The raw power needed to compile efficiently would price a convertible out of the market and it would probably have to weigh as much as a Macbook Pro to get any real work done. On the other hand, wouldn't it be awesome if a tablet really could do full desktop-level creation work, be able to dock to monitors wirelessly, be able to operate in tablet mode, and provide all the power of Apple's top systems in a tiny package. By the way, I'd also like sparkles for my rainbow pony unicorn. None of these technologies are unachievable, although ports, storage and battery life would provide strong design challenges, not to mention balancing weight into the equation. And, of course, the bigger question is would a frankentablet sell? Are we heading towards a unified device solution? Or is the triumvurate of desktop / laptop / tablet due to continue for the foreseeable future? You tell us. Vote in this poll and then join in the comments. %Poll-79548%
Build a photo calendar with Automator
You've seen it in your Launchpad. You've seen it in your Applications folder. It's Automator. It sounds cool. It looks cool. It's got a cool robot icon. But, what can it really do, and why should you care about it? Well, Automator can do lots of things to improve and streamline your OS X experience. With Automator, you use building blocks called actions like ingredients in a recipe. When your actions are strung together, the result is an Automator workflow that can perform a series of tasks. Apple provides lots of built-in actions for automating things with Calendar, Mail, Safari, and more. You get even more actions as you install Automator-ready apps, like Aperture, BBEdit, Microsoft Office, and Transmit. What you can do with Automator depends on the actions installed on your Mac. So, you may run into limitations if you don't have actions for certain tasks, or if an app doesn't support Automator. For simple things like working with folders, images, and PDFs, however, it's a great tool that can save you time and let you do some fun stuff. In this post, I'll show you how to use Automator to create a print plugin that shows up in the PDF menu when you print a document. This specific plugin lets you print a photo calendar right out of the Calendar app.
OS X's MIA features: Out of style or out of time?
One of the things that typifies Mountain Lion is Apple's insistence on removing existing features that users know and love. I suspect some just weren't finished in time, but others seem to simplify interfaces at the cost of user frustration. Here at TUAW Central, we receive regular emails from readers asking for work-arounds for features that no longer appear in OS X. Need a menu-bar display control? There's an app for that. Want to add hyperlink annotations in Preview? You may need to hunt around a bit for a solution, but there's not one in Preview itself. Operating systems are supposed to keep improving -- offering fixes and better features. With Apple, OS upgrades often have users wondering where their favorite tools are and why things they used to be able to easily accomplish are no longer possible. I will spare you the exact phrasing Beloved TUAW Leader Victor Agreda Jr shared to express his displeasure with the the current Airport utility, and turn to TUAW Editor Mike Rose. Rose points out that simplifying the user interface only goes so far. Apple understands that 80 percent of user interactivity applies to just 20 percent of OS features. This encourages Apple to trim down feature sets for better maintainability. "You can only apply the 80/20 rule so many times, however," Rose explained, "Before you're left with an on-off switch and a picture of an Apple." As rumors of OS X 10.9 ramp up under a unified OS team led by Craig Federighi, we wonder: what message would you send Apple? What features do they need to bring back, what features would you battle to the death to save and what features would you be willing to cut? Join in the comments with your thoughts, and let us know what you think. It's the Apple Operating System Battle Royale. May the OS ever be in your favor.
iBook lessons: Mac clients and built-in updates
iBook Lessons is a continuing series about e-book writing and publishing. Since yesterday's announcement, I've been having a series of conversations -- in email, on the phone, on Twitter -- regarding iBooks, the iBookstore, and why iBooks for Mac remains missing in action. Many in the book world are well aware that Amazon's Kindle reader runs on nearly every platform you can think of, from iOS to Android, OS X to Windows, and in web browsers as well. In a world guided by DRM, readers can ubiquitously access Kindle purchases. Apple's iBookstore continues to have a single client: iBooks for iOS. Yes, the iPad is a delightful reading platform. At the same time, there's no denying that Amazon outpaces iBookstore sales for nearly every title I've worked with. Customers like the control Kindle offers them in how and where they read their books. When faced with a buying choice, readers regularly choose Kindle by a wide margin. There isn't a practical option for a third-party iBooks solution for OS X and Windows. DRM encryption means reverse-engineering Apple's system, an unrealistic basis for establishing a business. Plus, I'm sure Apple has already explored the notion of a desktop client in the run-up to the January 2010 iBooks announcement and since then. I remain puzzled though as to why Apple is not pushing to release iBooks for Mac. I can't imagine that the technical issues for a desktop-based reader are that insurmountable, so it must be a marketing and business decision, or a failure to staff and push the initiative. A Mac and Windows reader would certainly increase book sales; could it depress iPad sales? I wouldn't think so. iBooks 3 launched yesterday, bringing with it expanded dictionaries and continuously scrolling titles. This latter is what Mike T. Rose calls "Megillah" mode, referring to a book traditionally presented as a single scroll of text. In addition, the iBookstore will now allow publishers to push book updates, letting books receive new versions the same way apps do. From an author/publisher's point of view, this provides a mixed bag of blessings and frustrations. For the most part, when a book is done, it's done. Books go through an extended process of reviews and edits that put most apps to shame. Publishers do their best to produce the most polished creations they can, and post errata for any flaws that slip through the cracks. For top-selling books, errors can be fixed in subsequent printings, but all updates involve a huge investment in production overhead and page layout. The costs have to be worth it. In the apps world, it's common to push out point releases that offer simple bug fixes. The new iBookstore update feature is where books meet apps, and it's something that offers mixed benefits. Publishers will welcome the ability to tweak and refine manuscripts. Readers, however, may expect a commitment to relentless perfection that book creators cannot provide. With updates, e-books -- like apps -- become a project that never ends. Will readers revolt with one-star reviews when authors create enhanced and new editions -- now a common practice -- rather than pushing those updates to existing customers? Book updates, like app updates, don't offer a paid upgrade path and there are, as yet, no in-book purchase programs. Mistakes happen; they are part of the human experience. As an author and publisher, I'm glad the update mechanism exists. Trying to push an update through Amazon last year was a huge hassle, and Apple's approach looks far friendlier. But will updates become a big part of my publishing methodology? At this time, I see them as a safety mechanism, not an opportunity for growing a new business.
Seagate Backup Plus brings USB 3.0 speed, sociability to new Macbooks
When Seagate launched its PC/Mac Backup Plus offering that could safeguard not only your folders but your Facebook or Twitter content, too, it seemed like a nice idea. But conspicuously missing from the Mac side of that equation was a USB 3.0 port to hustle transfers along at a much less pedestrian 5 Gbps -- likely because until recently, no Macs directly supported it. Now, Seagate has launched a USB 3.0 version of the device for those shiny new Macbook Pro Retina and Air models that pack it, while offering the option to upgrade to Thunderbolt or FireWire 800 "as the need presents itself." Prices go from $110 for the 500GB model up to $180 for the 3TB version -- check the PR after the break to see the entire range.
Ubuntu One reaches Mac in beta, completes the cloud storage circle
For all of the many directions Ubuntu One's cloud storage has gone, it hasn't headed the Mac's way. Official clients have been the province of Linux devotees (naturally, Ubuntu is recommended) and their Windows friends across the aisle. A newly available Mac beta puts all three major desktop platforms on an even keel, very literally -- the OS X port is almost identical to what you'd get in Linux or Windows, including a few rough points where other interface concepts clash. Still, the Ubuntu One test build has a handy Mac-specific menu bar item, and it's one of the few cloud options that will natively support both the Ubuntu box in your den and the MacBook Pro in your bag. Grab your copy at the source link if you can deal with a few unfinished elements.
