Apple
The Apple Mac App Store is Out– Get it Now for Your Snow Leopard Running Mac
Jan 7th
Before today, finding good apps for a Mac (or Windows for that matter) has been incredibly hard. Up until last year’s announcement at Apple’s October Mac event, there wasn’t even any word from Microsoft or Apple regarding releasing an app store for their OSes to make getting new apps on your Windows or Mac PC as easy as it is for your iPhone, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry or Android phone. That all’s changed now, with Apple’s launch of their Mac App Store for all Macs running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The App Store is pretty much everything you’d expect Apple to put in an App Store. It looks pretty much the exact same as the iPhone and iPad App Stores, offering an easy way to search, download and update apps using the same Apple ID you use in iTunes.
We’ve been playing with it for a little bit and we’re really liking it. As we said above, finding good apps for your computer has long been a very annoying and frustrating experience. The Mac App Store makes this process a lot easier (for both free and paid apps), with tabs along the top to let you see apps you’ve already purchased as well as updates for those apps. This means you don’t have to go searching around online to find where to get those apps you’ve had if you get a new computer. Simple, but very clutch.
But the best part here has to be that this isn’t replacing the ability to go online and download apps (though Apple of course would like you to only use their store. There was some concern online that with this update, Apple would make it harder to download and install apps straight off the internet). Instead, this is just another great, easy way to make your Mac even better.
The Mac App Store is available now as a free update for all Mac OS X Snow Leopard users. To get the App Store, click on the Apple logo in the upper left of your Mac and then go to software update, click install, and then let your Mac install and restart. That’s it!
Info from Apple.
Skype Video Calling From iPhone Out Now– First Look
Dec 30th
Skype video calling– now from your iPhone and iTouch (Pic from Skype)
We’re not gonna lie, we thought it wouldn’t come till at least next week at CES– but, hey, who are we to complain when something awesome happens early! Yes, you read that headline right– Skype video calling from the iPhone 4, 4th gen iPod Touch and iPhone 3GS (though obviously here only using the back camera) is now live– with video calling over WiFi and 3G!
As we wrote last week, you can also grab the update for your camera-less iPad or 3rd gen iPod Touch (running iOS 4.0 or later) and still be able to do one-way video chats with friends using Skype on their phone, PC or Mac– so don’t feel too bad iPad and 3rd gen iTouch owners.
Anyways, back to the app. In our brief hands-on with the updated app we found it worked really well. Video quality over 3G and WiFi from our iPhone 4 to our PC was very good– not perfect but very, very good (particularly for a phone), with sound coming in fine as well. There didn’t even seem to be too much of a lag between what we were doing and what was showing up on our PC, and you can even share a screen from a PC/Mac to the iPhone. One downside we noticed so far: multitasking while video chatting. If you leave the video chat while it’s going on– say, to look something up on Safari or respond to a text– the video on your end freezes to how you were when you tapped that Home button. The conversation still goes on through audio like it would on any call so you’re not dropping the connection– and the video quickly picked up when we came back to the app– but this could still be a little annoying for some. Oh, and constant use of this will also probably kill your battery life really quickly.
All in all, Skype is finally what we all were hoping for once Apple released the iPhone 4 and 4th gen iPod Touch– offering true video chat on the go while raising the bar for Apple if they want Facetime to ever be successful. Let’s just hope Skype next week spreads the mobile video chat love to Android and other mobile OSes.
The new Skype app for iOS is available now for free in the App Store– and make sure to let us know what you think of the new app in the comments.
Apple: White iPhone 4 Not Coming Until Spring 2011
Oct 27th
Just a little update for those of you waiting for Apple to finally release that white iPhone 4. As you probably remember, the white iPhone 4 was first promised back in June when the iPhone 4 was announced, then got pushed back from the June 24th launch to “later this year” and it now looks like that “later this year” has turned into “Spring 2011.” Yes, as the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D is reporting, Apple has announced that they won’t be able to ship the white iPhone 4 until next Spring, which is almost a year after it was first promised.
If your still waiting for that white iPhone 4 at this point I’d recommend either just going for a black one or waiting for the iPhone 5, which if previous iPhone updates are to be believed, will probably come next summer (Apple has updated the iPhone every summer since it first came out in 2007. Heck, at this point I’d even wait for a Verizon iPhone, seeing as all the rumors on that are getting so strong that it really looks like it will finally come next January).
Why the white iPhone 4 keeps getting delayed Apple isn’t saying (if previous reports are to be believed, it has something to do with the white not being the same shade on all parts of the phone), but at this rate what do you think we’ll see first– a white iPhone 4 or a Verizon iPhone (or what about this– a white Verizon iPhone!?!)?
Apple’s Back to the Mac Roundup– Everything Else You Need to Know
Oct 22nd
So we covered the new MacBook Air, but what about everything else Apple introduced? Well, we’ve got that fully covered here. Apple was pretty busy with a whole bunch of other cool stuff, including that new iLife ’11, the next version of OS X called Lion, and even the announcement to bring FaceTime to the Mac. We’ve got the whole thing covered for you after the break, so read on!
Apple Unveils New MacBook Airs– Is This the End of the Plastic MacBook?
Oct 20th
Apple today at their “Back to the Mac” event showed off a whole bunch of cool new products and features including the expected preview of the next version of OS X– called Lion, as well as a new iLife ’11 with all new features and enhancements to the popular Garageband, iMovie and iPhoto. And of course, they released the all new MacBook Air, now thinner than ever with a new 11.6 inch model to go with the traditional 13.3 inch one, and most importantly, a starting price of $999. Yes, that is the same $999 as the MacBook. In fact, I can definitely see this as perhaps being the white plastic MacBooks successor.
Don’t Buy that New Mac Yet– Apple Holding “Back to the Mac” Event This Wednesday
Oct 17th
As we’ve all seen, Apple’s focus of late really has been on mobile– mainly it’s iOS devices like the iPhone 4, iPad, and new iPod Touch. Sure there have been some updates to the Mac line during this time, with updated Mac Minis and spec updates to the iMac and MacBook lines, but there really hasn’t been any major shakeups to the Mac that warranted a special Apple event. Well, this looks like it’s all about to change as Apple has scheduled a “Back to the Mac” event for this Wednesday, October 20th.
All the rumors seem to point to an updated MacBook Air (with the rumors suggesting that this update will not only include the expected spec bump but also a design update to the unibody aluminum as seen on the recent MacBook Pros– which is about time since the Air hasn’t really been updated design-wise since its launch in 2008. Oh, and there are rumors that a price drop is in the cards, which also would be very nice– the current Air starts at $1,499 and is not exactly cheap by any stretch of the imagination) and a preview of the next version of OS X, probably named something to do with a Lion (see the Lion in the back of the Apple logo in invite above?). What exactly is in OS X “Lion” is anyone’s guess, but seeing all the success of iOS I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple finally begins outlining a way to merge their two OSes’ into one (and there have been rumors for a while now of Apple doing real touchscreen Macs). Personally though, I’m just hoping for a “one more thing” that allows the iPhone/iTouch to FaceTime with computers (who knows, it’s Apple after all and stranger things have happened!).
Whatever it is that Apple does announce, you can bet to find all the info you need and want to know back here so make sure you check back on Wednesday! And while we wait… anyone else have any other guesses/hopes/wishes for what Apple’s got planned?
New iPods, iOS 4.1 Out Now
Sep 8th
Waiting for those new iPods or the new iOS 4.1 for the iPhone/iPod Touch? Then today is your day as Apple has finally made both available, with the new iPods now available in Apple, Best Buy and other stores, as well as shipping between 1-3 days (the new Shuffle), and 3-5 days (the new Nano and Touch) from Apple’s online store. And if you already got your iPhone 3G, 3GS or 4 or an iPod Touch 2nd (2 years ago, with the built-in speaker), 3rd (last years model) or 4th generation (the latest one announced last week), you can download iOS 4.1 now.
Just as a recap, iOS 4.1 offers a bunch of new features to iOS 4, including Game Center (Apple’s mobile gaming network, kinda like Xbox Live), HDR photos, and iTunes movie rentals for $0.99 as well as mobile access to Apple’s iTunes Ping music social network (both of these are in the iTunes store app). We’ve got iOS 4.1 running on our iPhone 4 here, and while a lot of iOS 4.1 is minor updates (it is after just .1 update not iOS 5), we really are liking some of the new additions like HDR photos. If you use your phone (or now iPod Touch!) to take a lot of on-the-go photos, you’re going to really appreciate this, and as you can see below, it really makes a difference.
iOS 4.1 HDR– pic on left with HDR, on right without
So did you get a new iPod today or download iOS 4.1? If so, what do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Thinking of Getting that New iPod Touch Free With a New MacBook? Think Again
Sep 2nd
Thinking of trying to use Apple’s back-to-school deal (which runs until NEXT Tuesday, September 7th) to snag that brand new iPod Touch or Nano for “free?” Think again. We were searching around Apple’s site to see what the deal was with the new iPods and the back-to-school deal, and sure enough, we found this little line on the deal’s Terms and Conditions page:
Please be advised that Apple announced new iPod models on September 1, 2010. These new iPod models are NOT ELIGIBLE for the Back to School promotion. Rebate claims submitted in conjunction with these new products will not be honored.
We can’t say we’re too surprised about this (I mean, it doesn’t make sense on a whole bunch of levels for Apple to put the new iPods into this deal), but yeah, if you want one of those new iPods you’re going to need to actually buy it.
Apple Unleashes New iPods and More at Fall Event– What You Need to Know
Sep 1st
Yeah, you’re gonna wanna read on.
We know today was going to be a big day for Apple, and boy did they not disappoint. Apple gave the pretty much the whole iPod line a refresh (except for the Classic which appears to be on its last legs)– and all look really, really nice. We got the whole round-up and breakdown of what you need to know about Apple’s Fall Event after the break, so read on!
Don’t Buy that New iPod Yet– Apple Holding a “Special Event” September 1st
Aug 25th
Remember how a couple of weeks ago we wrote about how Apple might be planning to release some new iPods soon? Well, get ready as they may be coming next week. Today Apple sent out invites (see the pic above) for yet another “special event” they’re hosting next week (September 1st), and as we can clearly see from the “Apple Guitar” this event (like all previous September Apple events) looks to be iPod and media related.
So what can we expect? New iPod Touches are pretty much all but confirmed, and there’s a ton of rumors going around about them packing those dual cameras for FaceTime as well as a Retina Display and Apple A4 processor like the iPhone 4. An update to the Apple TV is also gaining strong in the rumors, particularly that it will now be running its own custom version of iOS with no hard drive built-in (the current Apple TV has 160 GB built-in)– instead relying on an all new streaming music and video service for content (this is yet another item gaining a lot of strength on the rumor wire, with the talk being that Apple is releasing their own 99 cent movie and TV show rentals as well as some form of streaming music service from iTunes to your particular iDevice of choice).
What does all this mean to you? If you plan on buying a new MacBook for school and getting the free iPod you should probably hold off on it for just a few more days– as that deal runs until September 7th and this event is on the 1st. And if you’re going for a free iPod Touch you may as well get the latest and greatest right?
Remember to check back next Wednesday for our complete breakdown on whatever it is that Apple reveals.
