I work on Mac stuff all day long and sometimes write about it. You can see more about my day job at Rewind Tech. Connect with me on Google Plus or follow me on Twitter.
Daylite 4, the Mac and iOS CRM solution from Marketcircle, gets its first major redesign in a long time. Daylite has a decade-long history with the Mac, and has some very welcome improvements in this new version, but a lot of polishing to do too. Read more »
Version 12 of the Filemaker Pro database line for Mac, Windows and iOS is out. This new version introduces some key enhancements that will make the business software even more appealing to organizations with large databases and those using iOS devices for mobile access to Filemaker solutions. Read more »
The Retina display on the new iPad, available Friday, is absolutely stunning. However, the increase in resolution makes some older apps appear a bit pixelated. Here are several apps already updated with Retina-ready graphics so you can show off the pixel-pushing power of your new tablet. Read more »
Along with the new iPad, Apple also announced updates to several iOS apps from the iWork and iLife suites. iPhoto for iOS features sophisticated photo-editing features for iPads and iPhones with front-facing cameras, and there were some unexpected changes to Apple’s iCloud integration and mapping. Read more »
The new Register app from Square promises to replace old cash registers in stores with something sleek and easy that runs on your iPad. So what sort of case or stand can display the iPad and prevent it from being stolen from a busy retail store? Read more »
What’s behind Apple’s decision to require sandboxing in OS X apps? It is not a far stretch to consider that this shift in approach might have a connection to Apple’s long-term plans to make iCloud the center of their strategy for the next decade. Read more »
If the speculation is true that Microsoft is prepping Office for the iPad, it’s worth asking where it will save documents. Would Office for iPad save docs to Apple’s iCloud? Or would it use some Microsoft technology like SkyDrive, Office365 or Sharepoint servers? Read more »
Many school districts are rolling out student programs, where most computing is done with the iPad. By more closely integrating with iOS, the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion release should help in schools that make heavy use of iPads and still want to use Macs. Read more »
OS X Mountain Lion looks to improve on Lion with UI refinements and some significant changes for developers. Most of those changes appear to be out in the cloud. Here’s a list of changes that Apple is rolling out, and how they will affect developers. Read more »
One of the new features of OS X Mountain Lion, coming this summer, is Messages for Mac, which replaces iChat. Apple’s iMessage service is available as a beta version to download for use with OS X Lion today. Here are our first impressions. Read more »
One of the trends I saw on the floor at Macworld | iWorld 2012 is an increasing number of companies producing high-end audio and home theater equipment to use with your Mac and/or iOS devices. Here are some standouts from the show floor. Read more »
While the target audience for Macworld | iWorld is your typical consumer, there are a few vendors in attendance that are focused on reaching developers. If you’re a developer yourself, or work with developers, you might want to stop by the following vendors during the show. Read more »
Macworld | iWorld Expo officially kicked off Wednesday night with an energetic performance by Modest Mouse at The Warfield, a beautiful and historic theater in downtown San Francisco. The conference itself is a combo of rich history and modern tweaks, and that’s especially evident this time around. Read more »
Recently, I tried Antec’s new cleaning solutions on my MacBook Pro, iPad and my iPhone 4S. Initially I was a bit skeptical because, well, it’s just cleaning solution. Still, I’ve been a long-time user of iKlear, so I wanted to give the competition a shot. Read more »
Everyone likes to share their predictions for what the future will bring in technology as a new year dawns. But some things seem to manage to stay the same, despite anticipation to the contrary. Here’s where I think the boat won’t rock in 2012. Read more »
The iPhone 4S is an improvement over the iPhone 4 in several ways — faster A5 processor, better 3D graphics performance, even a better antenna design. But the camera is arguably the best change, and we’ve got the side-by-side photos to prove it. Read more »
Steve Jobs said at the WWDC keynote this week that “the truth is in the cloud.” He wasn’t just being hyperbolic when he said this, though. It’s actually a clever reference to how iCloud will work behind the scenes, and how it will make apps better. Read more »
One of the many traditions of Apple’s WWDC is the presentation of Apple Design Awards (ADA) for “excellence in iOS and Mac OS X app design and development.” This year, the winners include some familiar names, as well as some you probably won’t recognize. Read more »
WWDC 2011 revealed a number of enhancements to OS X, iOS, and iCloud. I polled several independent developers ranging from long-time Mac mainstays, one-man shops, and large shops that cover both Mac and iOS development to get their reactions to the many changes. Read more »
Today, at WWDC, after Steve Jobs took the stage to highlight some new features in OS X Lion, Phil Schiller and others walked the audience through 10 important new changes to the OS. Read more »
We’ll be providing coverage of WWDC today for those who couldn’t be there. And If you couldn’t make it to the conference, the next best thing might be to attend one or more of the other iPhone and Mac development conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Read more »
iCloud is mostly being looked at as a potentially ground-breaking consumer cloud service suite. But Apple is introducing it at WWDC, where it shows off new tools for developers to use in their apps. iCloud, then, could be a huge deal for developers, too. Read more »
There are signs that Apple’s Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme are poised for an updated, based on diminishing stock of the current models. Buzz is that the refresh will provide caching for software updates. But what if it provides media streaming caching, too? Read more »
Rumors have been flying that Apple is deep in negotiations with record labels and publishers to secure the rights necessary to provide a cloud-based music service. But why does Apple need to negotiate anything? Here’s a basic guide to the murky waters of music licensing. Read more »
Apple’s back to school promotion has run the last several years, from the last week in May to the first week in September. However, as the growth of iPod sales has slowed and other products have the spotlight, it might be time to rethink the promotion. Read more »
On the 10th anniversary of Apple Retail, it is amazing to consider the great success that the company has had with a program many thought was doomed to fail. A big part of the secret to that success can be attributed to Apple’s openness to change. Read more »
Don’t replace the hard drive in your new 2011 iMac, or the fans will scream like a banshee as they spin up to full-speed and the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) will fail. It’s the latest sign that Apple is against user meddling, and it sucks. Read more »
Karelia Software released Sandvox 2.0 Tuesday, a major upgrade to its website building software for the Mac. I had a chance to get a walkthrough of the new release from Dan Wood, president of Karelia Software, and the new capabilities are impressive. Read more »
Among those who have tried OS X Lion for the first time, there is near universal dismay at the “reverse scrolling” behavior in the Apple-provided applications. It’s a big change in the way we use computers, but has the scrollbar’s time passed? Read more »
In my recent post about pairing SSD and HDD storage in a Mac, I used a little-known command line feature to redirect some of my user folders between the drives. I’m talking about symlinks, which can be a very powerful tool for Mac users. Read more »
Just before the latest MacBook Pro updates were released, rumors swirled that the new models would adopt solid-state drives in addition to hard disk drives and drop internal DVD drives. That sounded perfect to me, so I made it happen even though Apple didn’t. Here’s how. Read more »
Today is Worldwide Backup Day, when we celebrate taking precautions so as not to lose data. The best backup strategies take a layered approach to provide different levels of protection. I’m going to focus on three layers for protecting your Mac: online, nearline, and offsite backups. Read more »
The release of Bento 4 was, according to Product Manager Ryan Griggs, driven primarily by customer requests. Bento 4 is more usable and polished in a number of small ways that make it much more enjoyable to use, and a lot more productive in certain situations. Read more »
Steve Jobs was on stage today to introduce the iPad 2, and took a few moments to talk about why the iPad has been so successful to date. Jobs stressed the role of the App Store in the iPad’s success, but also that of Apple Retail. Read more »
Macworld 2011 raised a few important questions for the Mac community. These are the questions I was asked by Mac-loving friends who couldn’t attend this year and people on Twitter. You’ll notice that the effect of Apple’s continued absence at the show is a prevailing theme. Read more »
On the eve of Apple’s cancellation of the Xserve, Active Storage, makers of the ActiveRAID storage system, announced the ActiveSAN appliance to provide an upgrade path for Xsan users. The ActiveSAN appliance uses Intel Nehalem hardware and utilizes Linux and the Quantum StorNext SAN file system. Read more »
One of the new features at Macworld 2011 this year was an Industry Forum day where various Apple luminaries were invited to deliver their own “State of the Union” about where the market is headed. Here are some key highlights from that event. Read more »
I flew into San Francisco yesterday to get ready for my annual pilgrimage to the Moscone Center, to gather with other like-minded individuals and explore all things Apple at Macworld 2011. The Stevenote is long-gone, but the show still offers plenty to get excited about. Read more »
I had a chance this week to talk with a few developers about the Mac App Store and what the launch yesterday means for their business. The general feeling is one of optimism, and even excitement, at the opportunities that the store presents. Read more »
Watching the launch of the Mac App Store, I am struck by the change in the way people buy software. Much like primitive societies evolved from the hunter-gatherer model of resource collection to an agrarian civilization of cultivated farming, so has shopping for software changed. Read more »
