My take on Apple's WWDC 2006

Well, a lot to take in this evening, but first off I think I should get the one big disappointment out of the way... What happened to Steve's "One more thing!" we all waited and waited for the infamous words, but things just seemed to be cut short. The important announcements out of the way very quickly, with the Mac Pro and the sneak preview of Leopard, ho hum.

That is not to say that I was disappointed with what we got. The new Mac Pro is stunning performance-wise and completes Apple's transition to Intel processors. They have done this in swarve sophistication, with very little you could even call a hiccup, so well done Apple on that front.

And Leopard, well what can one say, they have teased us with some stunning features, such as Time Machine, Spaces and Core Animation to name just a few, but left us knowing that there is a lot more to come between now and its' Spring 2007 release. I would not have expected them to reveal all, otherwise Microsoft may well have been listening, or er, recording, or er videoing, ahem, enough said.

So roll on the new few weeks when Mac Pros start hitting peoples desks, and roll on next spring when my most anticipated OS release will be landing on my doormat, promising to be my earliest OS pre-order as soon as it shows on the Apple Store website.

Apple Previews Mac OS X Leopard


Time Machine, Spaces, Plus Enhanced Mail & iChat Extend Apple’s Leadership in Software Innovation

WWDC 2006, SAN FRANCISCO—AUGUST 7, 2006—Apple® today previewed Mac OS® X version 10.5 Leopard, the sixth major version of Mac OS X, to its third party developers. Leopard, scheduled to ship in spring 2007, extends Apple’s leadership in software innovation with groundbreaking new features, including Time Machine, a revolutionary new way to automatically back up and restore everything on your Mac®, and Spaces, an entirely new way to instantly switch between groups of applications required for various tasks. Leopard also includes industry-first advancements in Mail and iChat, including Stationery, Notes and To Dos in Mail; and Photo Booth™-style effects, the ability to “place” yourself in any photo or video as the backdrop for your chat, and live presentations of iPhoto® slideshows, Keynote™ presentations and videos in iChat.

“Breakthrough features like Time Machine and Spaces are good examples of how Mac OS X leads the industry in operating system innovation,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While Microsoft tries to copy the version of OS X we shipped a few years ago, we’re leaping ahead again with Leopard.”

With its unique ability to let users travel back in time to find deleted files, applications, photos or other digital media, Time Machine is a revolutionary way to protect a consumer’s digital life. Time Machine automatically backs up everything on the Mac to an external hard drive or Mac OS X Server. In the event a file is lost, users can search back through time using an intuitive time-based visual display to find and then instantly restore the file. With one click, Time Machine can restore anything from a single file or photo to everything on a Mac.

Spaces is an intuitive new way to group applications required for a given task into a “space,” then instantly switch between different spaces to bring up the specific applications required for that given task. Users can get a bird’s eye view of all their Spaces and choose where they want to go next with just one keystroke or click of a mouse.

With Leopard’s iChat, Apple takes communicating with friends, family and colleagues to an entirely new level. iChat now makes video chats more fun with the ability to use Photo Booth effects and put images and videos in the background. iChat Screen Sharing enables users to share their desktops with others to work together in real time on an activity, such as editing an iPhoto book, or helping a buddy get the most out of their Mac. With iChat Theater, users can share an iPhoto slide show, a QuickTime® movie or a Keynote presentation within an iChat window.

Leopard’s Mail includes breakthrough new features that have never been seen before in a Mail application. Mail Stationery includes more than 30 customisable stationery designs to create stunning emails enriched with beautiful photos and graphics. Templates include photo collections, invitations, birthday cards and other greetings that look great when received on either a Mac or a PC. With Mail Notes, users can quickly jot down thoughts and ideas, add graphics and attachments and use the familiar Mail application to manage them like an email message. In addition, To Dos can be created from any email message or note and viewed in iCal® or sent to friends and colleagues. RSS news feeds now appear in Mail, allowing users to receive news in their inboxes, receive notifications when new stories appear and use Smart Mailboxes to organize news about the same topic in one place.

Additional features in Leopard include:
• full native 64-bit support that allows applications to take complete advantage of 64-bit processing while maintaining full performance and compatibility for existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers;
• enhancements to Boot Camp, Apple’s innovative technology that was previewed as a public beta in April 2006, making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs;
• Front Row™, now available with all new Macs to play back digital content, including video Podcasts using the simple Apple remote*;
• Photo Booth, Apple’s fun-to-use application that lets users take quick snapshots with an iSight™ video camera, add entertaining visual effects with the touch of a button, and share them via email;
• iCal 3 with group calendaring capabilities, event drop box, and standards-based CalDAV support;
• improved Spotlight™ searching that’s even faster, provides richer previews, and lets users search across network mounted folders on other machines;
• a new Movies Dashboard widget for movie times and Web Clip for clipping any part of a web page as a live widget;
• new parental controls including curfews, time limits and remote administration;
• Core Animation, a new graphics technology that makes it easy to create stunning visual effects and animations;
• major enhancements in Universal Access, including improvements in VoiceOver, Apple’s built-in screen reader;
• security enhancements including anti-phishing protection in Mail and Safari™, and an automatic firewall that limits network resources available to an application; and
• new development tools, including Xcode® 3 with full 64-bit support, DashCode™, an easy way to create new Dashboard widgets without writing a line of code, and Xray, for optimizing application performance.

Apple Unveils New Mac Pro Featuring Quad 64-bit Xeon Processors


New Mac Pro Completes Apple’s Intel Transition

WWDC 2006, SAN FRANCISCO—August 7, 2006—Apple® today unveiled the new Mac® Pro, a quad Xeon, 64-bit desktop workstation featuring two new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of the Power Mac® G5 Quad*. With advanced performance, greater expansion, higher performance graphics options and unprecedented customisation, the newly designed Mac Pro is the ideal system for the most demanding user. The introduction of the Mac Pro marks the completion of a rapid and seamless transition for Apple, with the entire Mac family now using Intel’s latest processors.

“Apple has successfully completed the transition to using Intel processors in just seven months—210 days to be exact,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And what better product to complete it with than the new Mac Pro, the workstation Mac users have been dreaming about.”

The new Mac Pro features the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 series processor based on the revolutionary Intel Core microarchitecture, delivering breakthrough performance and power efficiency. The new Mac Pro is up to twice as fast as the Power Mac G5 Quad running industry standard benchmarks and features two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz, each with 4MB of shared L2 cache and independent 1.33 GHz front-side buses. With 667 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered memory, the Mac Pro also boasts a 256-bit wide memory architecture for amazing bandwidth.

With more than 4.9 million possible configurations, the Mac Pro delivers unprecedented customisation to meet even the most demanding performance, expansion and storage needs. The newly redesigned Mac Pro features an all new, direct attach storage solution for cable free, snap in installation of up to four 500GB Serial ATA hard drives for a total of 2TB of internal storage—the most ever on a Mac—and support for two optical drives to simultaneously read and/or write to CDs and DVDs. Every Mac Pro includes three full-length PCI Express expansion slots and one double-wide PCI Express graphics slot to support high-powered, double-wide graphics cards without sacrificing multiple slots. Providing quick and convenient access to connect the most popular external devices, the front panel of the Mac Pro includes a FireWire® 800 port, a FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports with additional FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports on the back panel. Mac Pro also includes dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, optical digital input and output, analogue audio input and output, and optional built-in support for AirPort® Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.

Every Mac Pro comes standard with the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 256MB of video memory, providing built-in support for dual-displays and Apple’s 30-inch Cinema HD Display. The ATI Radeon X1900 XT and the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500, both with 512MB of video memory, are available as build to order options and provide built-in support for up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays. The Quadro FX 4500 also includes a stereo 3D port to connect goggles for stereo-in-a-window applications and is ideal for the most demanding animation, special effects and scientific visualisation applications. The Mac Pro supports up to four PCI Express graphics cards to drive up to eight displays at once for advanced visualisation and large display walls.

Which NAS for Macintosh?

Having recently listened to the latest MacCast (www.maccast.com) I was very interested in the discussion that Adam took us on about various NAS options of Mac users.

For those not in the know, NAS stands for Network Attached Storage and offers various solutions to having a standalone hard drive (or combination of hard drives) attached to your ethernet or wireless network that you can then use to centrally store files or to use for backup purposes. I suppose the main use would be to store media files (all your music and movies) that you can then access via other computers or devices throughout your house.

Now, I am looking for some help. It seems that some manufacturers tell us their devices support Mac OS and others don't, or in some cases the manufacturers do not tell us that in fact their NAS will work fine in the Mac OS. This is where you come in...

...I want to compile a NAS Matrix that will be easy to use and follow, that will show what works with the Mac OS, what type of hard drives it supports, what type of file sharing, if it allows the user to save, manipulate files and set permissions on the NAS device in exactly the same way as on a local hard drive. If you can help, please email your set-up and findings to geekanoids@gmail.com

Coca-Cola & Apple Team Up on Major Music Promotions


Promotion Includes Give Away of 70 Million Songs from iTunes Music Store in the UK & Thousands of iPods in Germany

LONDON—August 2, 2006—Coca-Cola and Apple® today announced a music partnership in Europe that includes major promotions in the UK and Germany and the launch of a new Coke branded music website across Europe, including the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As part of the promotion, Coke and Apple will be giving away 70 million free songs from the iTunes® Music Store in the UK and thousands of iPods in Germany.

The new www.Coca-Cola.com/music website is a Coke branded music destination launching next week that features iTunes integration throughout, providing fans with links to music and information focused on giving fresh talent new exposure. In the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland unsigned artists will have a venue to upload songs, giving them potential for broad exposure on the site through artist highlights, European podcasts available on iTunes, and invitations to play at Coke sponsored European festivals.

To kick-off the partnership, live concerts will be held in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with selected live songs and video podcasts from the performances available on iTunes and www.Coca-Cola.com/music.

“We’re excited to announce this partnership with Apple,” said Dominique Reiniche, president of Coca-Cola European Union Group. “Together we are creating a unique and exciting platform that gives young people a voice and allows them to refresh their music experience every day.”

European iTunes Music Store Tops 200 Million Songs Sold

Music Catalogue Now Includes More Than Three Million Songs

LONDON—August 2, 2006—Apple® today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 200 million songs from its European iTunes® Music Stores in just over two years, and the iTunes music catalogue now includes more than three million songs from major music companies and over 1,000 independent record labels.

Launched in the UK, France and Germany in June 2004, the iTunes Music Store now operates in 17 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. All iTunes Music Stores offer the same innovative features, breakthrough pricing and seamless integration with iPod® that have made iTunes the number one online music service in the world.

“The number of songs downloaded and purchased from the iTunes Music Stores in Europe have tripled in the past year from 50 million to 200 million," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We’re thrilled that music fans in Europe have shown such enthusiasm for the artists and exclusive music content found only on iTunes and would like to thank them for making iTunes such a success.”

HD-DVD will blow you away !


Now, many of you already know I am a bit of a gadget freak, always one to buy the latest (and sometimes the greatest) toys. I guess when I was a kid I had to wait until Christmas or Birthdays, but now I can afford things myself, why not ?!?

Well, when a friend of mine was raving about HD-DVD, for the first time ever I sat on the fence for a while. Mainly because I was still in the process of choosing an HD TV, but also because I was unsure about the technology. Should I wait for BluRay, or perhaps UK players, but then I caved in and ordered an import HD-A1 from Movietyme. The excitement built until at last my Toshiba HD-A1 landed !

There are two models available, the HD-A1 (cheaper model) and the HD-XA1. The main differences being the XA1 has a motorised front panel that slides up and down to reveal the DVD tray, a backlit remote control, and an RS232 port on the back for extra control options. That is is, apart from the way the player looks. I went for the cheaper option because it was an import and I felt like limiting my exposure at this stage. Had it been a UK player and I had the choice, I would have probably splashed the extra cash.

This is not going to be a full in-depth review, but I had to tell you all that I am totally blown away by HD-DVD. The player itself is very heavy, well built, superb finish and hooking it up was a breeze, a few button pushes later and I was watching my first film.

Apollo 13 was the film of choice and the first thing that I noticed was the copyright screen was crisp, bright and very readable. Into the main menu and things were punchy and different, then onto the film. Wow, absolutely gorgeous stunning visuals, with awesome colours and a real eye opener. I did not think there would be so much difference. Even the sound was so much crisper and more detailed. A quick switch back to my regular DVD player confirmed how big the jump is... so if you are sitting on the fence yourself, jump now, you will not regret it.

Brief Specification:

HD Content Output via HDMI (Disc Native Resolution)
11-bit / 216MHz Video Dac
Video Up-Conversion for SD DVD (720p/1080i)
Enhanced Black Level (0IRE /7.5IRE Selection)
Letterbox / Pan & Scan Support
Disc Playback: HD-DVD/HD DVD-R/DVD/DVD-R/DVD-RAM/DVD-RW/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/
Built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD Decoders
Dolby True HD Compatible (2 Channel)
Four 32-bit Floating Point Signal Processors
Multi-Channel 24-bit/192kHz Audio DACs

Links:
www.movietyme.com
specification of the HD-A1

Refurbs Galore !


Has anyone else noticed how many MacBook Pros are popping up as refurbs on Apple's websites. Is this a clue to just how quality control has been slipping of late.

Rumours elsewhere suggest that a revised logic board has crept out, supposedly to fix the whine issues. If anyone can confirm this please let us know. Otherwise, a few weeks should tell us if new users start reporting silent MBPros.

Apple Releases Shake 4.1


Industry Leading Compositing Software Price Cut to £329

CUPERTINO, California—June 20, 2006—Apple® today delivered Shake® 4.1, the first Universal version of its industry leading compositing software and cut its price from £1,999 (inc VAT) to £329 (inc VAT) to fit almost any production’s budget. Final Cut® Studio editors can now take advantage of Shake for sophisticated 3D compositing, keying, image tracking and stabilisation for the price of a plug-in. Shake continues to be the tool of choice for major motion-picture studios and leading effects houses to create award-winning visual effects including this year's Oscar winner, “King Kong.”

“At just £329, Shake is now priced as low as a plug-in for Final Cut Studio,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “Now Final Cut Studio customers can retouch their shots with Shake’s optical flow technology or add photo realistic visual effects to their productions, even on a shoestring budget.”

“Shake has become an essential tool at ILM for visual effects compositing, playing a central part in our pipeline on blockbuster movies such as ‘Mission Impossible 3,’ ‘Poseidon’ and the upcoming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,’” said Cliff Plumer, chief technology officer of Industrial Light and Magic. “By pricing Shake at less than £350, Apple has opened up the doors for the next generation of artists to master their craft.”

Picky about Quality or is it just 'cos it's a HAIRY MAC?


No doubt all of you who read this site know I have a love affair with Apple products, well I thought I would share with you my recent experiences that have 'almost' tempted me to get a quickie divorce and sleep with someone else.

Over the passed month or so, I was so so excited, the MacBook Pro was announced and I duly ordered one. Wow, I even got the free speed hike upgrade, so I was well pleased with Apple as a whole, until I took delivery. Yes, you guessed it I got a whiner, so loud it was a headache inducing whine, so it got swapped out. The second delivery was the same, so I got a refund (thinking I would wait a month or so before re-ordering).

Then in true Britney style, 'ooooops they did it again' and released the MacBook. Not only did this mean I could save some money for near identical performance, but it also meant I could have a nice matt black laptop. So the credit card came out again and after the awful wait for delivery it landed on my doorstep.

Opening up a new Mac is an awesome experience, much greater than opening up a plain boxed PC or other electrical item. My jaw dropped at how wicked it looked, then my head almost exploded as the disappointment hit home that I had another rogue product. The black finish was great, but whoever powder coated my one left a big drip of paint on one of the wrist rests.
I promptly got on the telephone again and duly arranged a replacement.

Now, I wasn't entirely straight with you earlier, I made it sound as though I was very decisive in my choice of black, well I couldn't make up my mind, so the day after ordering the black I had also ordered a white (yes, I know I am crazy). Well, the following day the white turned up and it was brilliant, no finish problems, no whines, no mooooooing, fantastic ! I used it until the battery was empty, then let it rest and charged it overnight to condition the battery. What I didn't bargain for was what happened the following morning. It would not turn on, until I plugged it back in the mains, then as soon as I tried to run from battery it would turn off.

A quick call to tech support had me resetting the PMU and all was then fine, until I charged it again and it would always stay on the same percentage of battery left from before I started charging (eg. if it was on 11% charge left, I would shut the lid, charge, then when I re-opened the MacBook it would still say 11%). The only way I could correct this was to do a restart. On top of all this the screen when closed had now twisted, so it protruded about 2mm over the right side of the bottom casing. So on the phone again and this one went back.

A few days later the second black one arrived, opened it up (no excitement, this was now quashed) and I didn't even turn it on. The front casing was pinched up and not clipped down properly, this left a bump on the wrist rest which was most uncomfortable. To add insult to injury, the person who had put this MacBook together, must have a very bald arm, as they had left most of their arm hair poking out the front casing of my not-so-awesome laptop.

Now this last problem had me remembering that the actual finish of my MacBook Pro was spot on, so when I contacted the big A for a return, I asked if I could upgrade this one to a MBPro. The irony is that they couldn't take my extra money, instead I had to return for a refund and re-order the MBPro, which I did same day.

The new MBPro arrived and (you guessed it) a finish issue was apparent straight out the box. Initially the screen would not open, then on closer inspection I would see that the screen was so wonky that it was tight against the right side of the case, yet it had a 2-3mm gap on the left. So I am giving them one more chance, with a new on due in a couple of days.

So my 'love affair' with Apple has been truly tested and I have already started the search for an alternative 'just in case' this last MBPro is a duff. My search has found one possibility in the shape of a 'Lenovo 3000 N100' which has nice specification and I have heard good things about quality build. I have had PC laptops in the passed and although they are boring, I have never had a quality issue with regards to build (eg. case alignment).

The crying shame is that I really want an Apple product, but I want a good one, I mean good out of the box so that I can be the one who puts the scratch on it. I have a lot invested in Apple equipment and I love the OS, but I feel that 'quality control' has slipped dramatically of late, or am I just unlucky, or am I just over picky when it comes to Apple products?