Latest Posts in Editors' Notes
The history of the Mac, told by those who were there
This year’s Macworld Expo is unique in a number of ways—it’s Apple’s last Expo, Steve Jobs didn’t give the keynote, and there are not one but two separate premieres of Macintosh-related feature-length movies. Monday saw the press screening for Rob Baca and Josh Rizzo’s Welcome to Macintosh ($20), which will be followed by a public screening on Thursday night. (The second premiere is MacHEADS the Movie, which will be shown on Wednesday night at Moscone.)
I went to the Welcome to Macintosh screening Monday not knowing what to expect—I intentionally stayed away from the Web site, and hadn’t seen any trailers for the movie. The movie weaves a series of story threads about Apple, its employees and philosophies, and the Mac together by interviewing people who were there for the launch of the Mac—or the launch of Apple itself, in one case.
Through these interviews, you get a sense of what was involved in the making of the Mac, why Apple’s products tend to appeal to their users moreso than do products from other manufacturers, and the personalities of those involved in the products. You’ll also learn some interesting tidbits about the Mac and other Apple products, including quite a bit of detail about the original Apple I.
The film consists entirely of interviews with these individuals, interspersed with some shots of various Mac models (including many in interesting locations) and the occasional visual of a Mac’s screen. But there’s no doubt about the focus of the movie: It’s the people—and if you’re interested in the history of Apple and the Mac, that’s a good thing.
The amazing vanishing Mac desktop machine
A couple years back, after the introduction of the iPhone at the January 2007 Macworld Expo, I penned a little reaction piece entitled iDisappointed, expressing my dismay at the lack of Mac hardware updates—it is, in fact, called Macworld Expo. (I should also point out that I was also amazingly prescient with that piece, when I wrote “My gut reaction is that Apple has hit a huge home run with the iPhone.” I love it when I luck into being right!)
I learned my lesson that year—don’t expect anything from the keynote, and you won’t be disappointed by whatever you hear. The following year, my newly-lowered expectations meshed well with the message that was delivered, leading me to discuss the overall cohesiveness of the products covered in the keynote speech.
Fast-forward to 2009, and the Phil Schiller-delivered keynote address. In the lead-up to the Expo, I’d read the various new product rumors, discounting most of them in line with my ‘low expectations’ approach. I entered the keynote in good spirits, not expecting much at all in the way of new stuff.
Upgrading to iTunes Plus: Why the hassle?
At the end of Tuesday’s lackluster Macworld Expo keynote address, Phil Schiller, filling in for Steve Jobs, had one last thing to say involving changes at the iTunes Store. It was in three parts, actually, but the most important item in his list was that music sold at the iTunes Store will soon be totally without digital-rights management. As of Schiller’s announcement, 8 million tracks available at the Store are DRM-free; the remaining 2 million will have no DRM restrictions by the end of March.
This is certainly good news for music consumers, but what about those of us who have already bought music with DRM?
When Apple introduced iTunes Plus music in 2007, offering DRM-free tracks encoded at a higher-quality 256 kbps rate, the company also introduced an Upgrade My Library feature, which you’ll find at the top of the right hand column of the iTunes Store. Apple describes this as a “special offer to upgrade your entire music library of previously purchased albums, songs and music videos,” at a rate of 30 cents per song, 30 percent of the current price for albums, or 60 cents per music video. This sounds like a good deal, until you read the fine print.
Here’s what iTunes offers me to upgrade.
There’s something rotten in Cupertino’s way of offering this upgrade possibility. First, not everything I’ve purchased without DRM is currently available for upgrade, even though many of the albums in question are available for purchase in iTunes Plus format. But beyond that, if I want to upgrade any of my music, I have to go for everything Apple offers, like it or not. So that Franz Ferdinand single I downloaded for free for my son? 30 cents. The 50 Cent track, also free? Another 30 cents, as are all the other “free” singles I’ve downloaded over the years. (Curiously, Apple’s FAQ says that free songs are not “eligible” for upgrade, though I see quite a few in my list.) What about those two Black Eyed Peas albums that my son bought, that he no longer listens to? That’s six bucks. Add them all up, and that’s a fair amount of cash for music I don’t want to pay for again.
Why won’t Apple let me choose what I want to upgrade? Is the company afraid that it won’t make enough money? Apple would certainly make more by my spending something rather than nothing, which is what I plan to do for now. Instead, the company wants to force me to pay again for music I don’t want, rather than allow me to choose what I really want to own in iTunes Plus format.
The least Apple could do is allow users to opt out for any song or album they don’t want, losing the opportunity to be able to upgrade those tracks in the future. I’d especially like to upgrade the Dylan and U2, but does Apple really think that I’ll be able to shell out around $500 (what it would probably cost to upgrade all 2,419 tracks) in one shot? Sorry, Apple, if you want to get me to upgrade my music you’ll have to come up with a better way.
[Kirk McElhearn is a senior contributor for Macworld.]
iPhone gift-giving tips
Back when we were assembling the Winter Gear Guide that appeared in the December 2008 edition of Macworld, I asked my colleague Christopher Breen to contribute a section on creatively presenting the iPhone 3G as a gift, should anyone on your shopping list be lucky enough to receive Apple’s smartphone this holiday season. After all, the iPhone 3G presented unique gift-giving challenges: Unlike the original iPhone, which you could simply buy, gift wrap, and sit back for the outpouring of gratitude from the thrilled-to-pieces recipient, the iPhone 3G requires in-store activation. AT&T and Apple have their reasons for imposing that restriction—since AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the iPhone this time around, it wants as many users activating service as possible—but the bottom line for gift-givers is that it means handing over a box that’s empty, save for a hand-scribbled note reading “I.O.U. one iPhone 3G.” And for recipients, it means spending December 26, jostling with other shoppers to pick up their gift.
We ended up with so much gear for the iPhone, iPod, mobile users, and desktop-bound Macs that Chris’ article wound up on the cutting room floor. That’s just as well since right after the December 2008 issue went to press, several things happened that made the iPhone 3G a much more attractive gift option.
Apple's iPhone 3G gift card
While Apple’s gift card lets you give your friend or relation something other than an empty box, AT&T now lets you give the phone itself. Earlier this month, the iPhone’s exclusive service provider began selling the iPhone 3G online. Not only does this save you the trouble of trudging out to the store to pick up a phone, you—or your lucky gift recipient—can activate the phone from the comfort of home. As I type this sentence AT&T’s Web site indicates that 2-day priority shipping is free, so procrastinating holiday shoppers should probably stop reading this blog already and close the deal.
These moves by Apple and AT&T have made the iPhone a much more attractive option for gift-givers, whether it’s this holiday season or at some point in the future (birthdays, graduations, or just because you like the cut of someone’s jib.) Still, that scrapped sidebar that Chris wrote contained some valuable advice I’d like to reprint here: To avoid giving the wrong gift, slyly inquire about your recipient’s current mobile-phone plan. If he or she is looking at an onerous cancellation fee, rethink your gift idea (or be prepared to subsidize the cost of switching). Also be sure that AT&T’s monthly fee and two-year contract won’t be an unwelcome imposition.
It’s also worth noting that if you’re nowhere near a brick-and-mortar Apple Store or not comfortable shopping at AT&T’s online outlet, ubiquitous retailer Best Buy also offers the iPhone. And, if you’re willing to both bide your time and put your trust in the rumor mill, you could be in a position to pick up an iPhone at Wal-Mart as early as next week.
The ever-evolving Macworld Expo
I’ve been attending Macworld Expos regularly since about 1991 or so, first as a civilian, then as a booth worker, and, for the past decade or so, as a journalist. I’ve seen the show evolve and change a lot over the years.
Before the ascendancy of the Internet as a commerce vehicle, Macworld Expo was largely a flea market; a bazaar where vendors would go to hawk their wares, where people would come to get discounts on products that they had only read about in magazines. There were grand parties and after-hours events where liquor poured freely and people rubbed shoulders, Mac glitterati and civilians alike.
At that time, Macworld Expo was very similar to other computer shows of the era. It was an event populated by hobbyists who shared a common interest around the Macintosh. It was there that the identity of Mac users as a cult or a subculture first developed.
That hasn’t been what Macworld Expo has been about for years, however. Some time ago IDG World Expo changed the name of the event to Macworld Conference & Expo, to reflect the changing reality. If all you’ve been doing to attend Macworld Expo is spending $15 on an Exhibit Hall badge, quite frankly, you haven’t been getting very much out of the show. It’s the users who attend the show’s conference tracks who have been getting their money’s worth.
Choosing a virtualization application
So now that you’ve read our reviews of Fusion 2.0 (
), Parallels Desktop 4 (), and VirtualBox 2 (), you may be wondering just which program is the best virtualization solution for your Mac. The answer, unfortunately, isn’t quite as simple as simply picking one of the programs and saying, “There you go. That’s the best.” Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and as such, each program works better in some situations than in others.
To help you with the task of picking between these three programs, I’ve created this guide that makes recommendations based on your virtualization needs. Just skim the document until you find a category that closely matches what you intend to do, and then read about which program handles those tasks best.
The good news is that you can download and try all three of these programs free of charge, so even if you don’t agree with my conclusions in a particular category, you can try out the alternatives yourself before making your buying decision.
Performance
Before I get into the recommendations, though, I wanted to spend a bit of time talking about performance, specifically the performance of the virtualization apps with Windows. Generally speaking, all three of the virtualization solutions handle basic duties just fine in Windows XP Pro and Vista.
The end of an era for Macworld Expo
For several years, trade shows—technology trade shows in particular—have been in serious decline. From Comdex to E3, large trade shows have been dying out or drastically changing their focus. Even Macworld Expo hasn’t been immune, as the east coast show was canceled after the 2005 event. (The Expo was moved from New York in 2004, and Apple declined to participate in the Boston show that year; the show lasted only one more year before being canceled.) The annual San Francisco Macworld Expo, however, seemed safe from the troubles. For nearly 20 years, the January event has been the one place to see and be seen in the world of all things Apple.
With Tuesday’s announcement that the upcoming Expo is Apple’s last, however, that era is coming to an end. While it’s entirely possible the show will survive as a smaller, more-focused version of its prior self, it simply won’t be the huge, all-encompassing event that it’s been with Apple’s participation. Without Apple’s huge booth—and the promise of cool new products delivered in an enthralling keynote presentation—both vendors and attendees probably won’t feel a compelling need to be at the show each January, so we’re not going to see a huge show with thousands and thousands of attendees walking a show floor loaded with hundreds of companies…and that’s really too bad.
As a business person, I think I completely understand Apple’s decision—not being tied to a huge annual event, occurring just after the Christmas buying season, is a good thing. Not spending a small fortune on everything involved in participating in a huge trade show is a good thing. Having more flexibility in releasing products whenever you want to is a good thing. Not having to come up with One More Thing every year is a good thing. So really, I get it; it makes perfect business sense. As an individual and Mac enthusiast, though, I think it’s one of the worst things to happen to the Mac community in many years.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying this will have a negative long-term impact on Apple. There may be some short-term pain, but I do think it really is the right business decision (that doesn’t mean I agree with it, just that I understand it). But for the community that surrounds the Mac, this is truly the end of an era. The most-affected group, I think, will be the Mac fans who made the annual trek to the Expo. Speaking as one of those folks—yes, it’s my job to go, but I still have a blast going—I’ll definitely miss the keynote, the One More Things, the cool new products (not just from Apple but the other vendors as well), and that great psychological kick I get from seeing the show every year. But those aren’t the things I’ll miss the most.
A deeper look at Mac OS X 10.5.6
Monday’s release of OS X 10.5.6 included a number of updates that fix bugs, improve security, and in some cases, add new (or bring back) functionality to the Mac operating system. Apple detailed many of these changes in its official release notes. Of the things Apple documented, one change was of particular interest to me (and, perhaps, to many other Macworld readers):
Fixes an issue when running the New iCal Events Automator action as an applet.
That’s right; the Create iCal events from anywhere hint from April of 2008 now works again—the 10.5.3 update broke it, and 10.5.6 fixes it. I’ve confirmed this on two machines here; my most-used Automator applet is now back in business!
Another interesting tidbit revealed by Apple is greatly improved synching of bookmarks, contacts, and calendar changes—regardless of where you make changes, those changes should propagate to all devices within a minute. In the past, updates from the computer to an iPhone, for instance, could take quite a while. In my testing, this seemed to work as described, with updates to my calendar sometimes showing up in less than a minute on my other devices. Being able to update information on any source device and have those changes propagate quickly and automatically is a welcome addition to OS X’s capabilities.
Apple highlights a number of other changes, from the important (improved printing from Adobe’s CS3 applications), to the interesting (all laptops get a new Trackpad System Preferences panel, though four-finger gestures haven’t migrated to older machines) to the mundane (Chess is now more reliable).
Beyond what Apple told us about, however, there are more changes—with an update approaching 200MB in size, that’s to be expected. To see what else I could find, I dove into the update’s bom file, found in /Library -> Receipts -> boms, and examined the 10.5.6 bom file with lsbom. Most of the changes I found there correspond to Apple’s release notes—updates to iCal, Mail, Safari, Address Book, Chess, DVD Player, and more would all be expected based on the notes. There are, as expected, lots of other areas that were updated, most of which are probably not all that interesting. After digging through the file, though, here are the things that caught my eye.
- Bluetooth seems to have received some attention, as Bluetooth File Exchange, the Bluetooth Contextual Menu, some Bluetooth-related files in the CoreServices folder, and the Bluetooth Setup Assistant all showed updates to more than just language files.
- The Migration Assistant received some updates as well. Many are just language files, but some connection files also appear to have been updated.
- The Podcast Capture application was updated, going from version 1.0.2 to 1.0.3. In looking at the bom file, it appears there were changes in the login panel, the preferences panel, and the camera configuration panel.
- For those who care about such things, the Apache Web Server manual has been updated; you’ll see new pages when you access the manual on your machine.
- There were a lot of changes to low-level drivers, frameworks and extensions. The details of those changes, however, are beyond my skill level. Compared to prior updates, however, it seemed like there were a larger-than-usual number of such changes.
I’ve now updated all four Macs here—a first-generation Mac Pro, a 2.5GHz MacBook Pro (from the pre-unibody era), a mid-2008 iMac, and my workhorse 12-inch PowerBook G4—to 10.5.6. On two of those machines, I installed the gargantuan (700MB) combined updater, and on the other two, I used the 190MB incremental updater as found by Software Update. (I use both methods just to make sure the updates run smoothly regardless of how the updates are installed.) So far, so good, as I haven’t had anything break, and I’m thrilled to have my Automator-based iCal new event application up and running again.
The best mice aren't always mice
It’s difficult to believe the mouse has been around for 40 years. (Even more difficult to believe, for me personally, is that I’ve been using one mouse or another for nearly a quarter of a century!) Forty years is an eternity in technology, and today’s input devices barely resemble those of the 1960s.
The first mouse (image courtesy SRI International)
As Macworld’s resident input-device geek, I’ve had the pleasure of testing many mice and mouse alternatives over the years. Here are my favorite current devices for moving a cursor around a screen (which means the iPhone’s touchscreen interface doesn’t count). They show just how far input devices have come since that first electronic rodent.
Logitech MX/VX mice
When it comes to traditional mice, Logitech is currently the top dog. The company’s higher-end mice have long had great ergonomics, lots of customizable buttons, and excellent tracking, but it was the introduction of the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel in 2006 that pushed the company’s mice to the next level. Made of metal instead of plastic, this weighted scroll wheel can spin freely; a gentle flick of your finger speeds you through page after page of onscreen real estate, stopping instantly with a touch when you find what you’re looking for. (It can also function as a standard click-per-line scroll wheel.)
Imagining an Apple netbook
Eleven years ago I was working in IT, doing systems management for the ill-fated interactive branch of a major textbook publisher. That summer I got my first look at a product that had debuted only a few months before, and as it turned out, wouldn’t be part of Apple’s product line for much longer. It was called the eMate 300. With the steady rise of “netbook” laptops, I think it’s high time for Apple to take another look at that product and recognize some of its great ideas and innovations.
The eMate 300 was doomed from the start. It was a product built on Apple’s Newton operating system, a PDA before the PDA market had really formed. The eMate 300, along with the rest of the Newton product line, was discontinued—“Steved,” as we said in those days—when Steve Jobs took the reins of the company back from then-CEO Gil Amelio in 1998.
But the eMate 300 was—and still is—a cool piece of tech. It featured a 480-by-320 pixel display, set in landscape orientation, inside a “clamshell”-style case, complete with stylus and keyboard. The eMate 300 was envisioned as a Newton for the classroom—a way to get computers into the hands of kids before Apple engineered the iBook. The device had no moving parts, and I remember Apple booth monkeys at Macworld Expo Boston, set up in a tent across the street from Boston’s World Trade Center, dropping the eMate 300 onto concrete to show how tough it was.
The eMate 300 suffered the same fate as other Newton devices in early 1998. A lot of explanations have been put forth as to why—the Newton business wasn’t making the money that Apple needed it to; the Newton itself reminded Steve Jobs too much of John Sculley, and so on. But the bottom line is that the eMate 300 really never had much of a chance for success.
Read more…
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