1. The Steve Work Ethic

Considering the turbulence Apple faced Monday and Tuesday, it’s difficult to imagine that every analyst would choose to not ask questions about the impact Jobs’ medical leave of absence would have on the company, yet none did, at least not directly. However, one question was posed about “long-term planning” about products.

“In my view, Apple’s doing the best work ever,” said COO Tim Cook, adding that the company was “very happy” with the product pipeline, and then he said this:

“The team has an unparalleled breadth and depth of talent and innovation that Steve has driven in the company, and excellence has become a habit, and so we feel very confident about the future of the company.”

Present or not, the influence of Steve Jobs still guides Apple.

2. Apple and the Dragon

When queried about how Apple can manage to sustain the insane growth of the present and the past, the answer that came up repeatedly was Asia, specifically China. The company stated that years ago Apple identified China among emerging as its “top priority” and the results are “absolutely staggering.” China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan generated some $2.6 billion in revenue for the quarter, quadrupling performance over last year. The number of visitors and sales at Chinese Apple Stores exceeded those of every other store, including flagship stores in the U.S. and Europe.

Besides China, sales in Japan were up 83 percent year over year, with strong growth for the Mac: up 56 percent. Korea was also singled out as being very receptive to the iPhone, and Japan was mentioned as well, but clearly, China is the focus of new markets for Apple going forward.

3. The Mac Is Back

Actually, it never left. For a jaw-dropping 19 consecutive quarters, the Mac has grown faster than rest of the PC market. For the most recent quarter, the Mac achieved 23 percent growth, compared to a meager three percent for the rest of the industry. Apple sold more than 850,000 Macs in retail Apple Stores, and once again, for nearly 10 years, “about half” of those purchasing Macs were doing so for the first time.

As to what people were buying, the biggest sellers were the MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air. Apple executives described the Mac as a “phenomenal” part of their growth. That growth included 2.9 million laptops sold, representing 70 percent of Macs sold during the quarter. Consumers loved new features like “instant on” and the speed of solid-state drives according to Apple. Look for SSDs to migrate to other Mac portables soon, most likely with faster CPUs from Intel.

4. The Unstoppable iPhone

After selling more than 14 million iPhones from July through September, Apple topped that by selling more than 16 million iPhones during the holiday quarter, and they could have sold more. More than six months after launch, the iPhone 4 is still supply-constrained, and Apple executives have no idea when supply and demand equilibrium will be reached.

It almost certainly won’t be this quarter, with the launch of the Verizon iPhone. In fact, a question regarding expanding sales of CDMA iPhones to countries like China was only partially deflected. While Apple is “always looking for opportunities,” it was implied that current iPhone supplies preclude any major expansion in the short term. For the first time, Apple may be looking at an iPhone that sells out across the model year.

5. Other Tablets Still Suck

Trash-talkin’ Steve Jobs may not have been there to put the smackdown on competing tablets, but Tim Cook filled those shoes admirably. According to Cook, competing tablets currently fall into one of three categories:

1. Window tablets that are “big, heavy, expensive, and have poor battery life,”and that require input devices like a stylus. Consumers are simply “not interested.”
2. Android tablets that, by Google’s own admission, run an OS not designed for tablets in sizes that are “less than reasonable,” failing to provide a “real tablet experience.” They are “scaled-up smartphones” and Apple is ”not concerned” about  them. I wouldn’t expect a 7-inch iPad this year.
3. Vapor. That would be tablets previewed at CES or earlier, and possibly the BlackBerry PlayBook, though RIM was never mentioned.

6. 160 Million iOS Devices Sold

To put that number in perspective, the number of iOS devices passed 100 million last June. In September, that number was 120 million, and now it’s 160 million. By the time the next iPhone launches in June or July, it will be at least 200 million, perhaps as many as 250,000 million.

That’s the takeaway from this quarter’s conference call: six facts worth remembering.

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• Pixelmator. With a powerful image editor that gives Adobe’s Photoshop Elements a run for its money on the Mac, the Pixelmator team is urging existing customers, as well as any prospective new customers, to pay the limited time price of $29.99 to get the application from the Mac App Store. If you do, you’ll be entitled to a “free” update to the upcoming 2.0 version of the application.  They’ve also made it clear that the Mac App Store is the future for Pixelmator, and cite several advantages on their own website.  A definite buy at this price any day, app store or not.
• SketchBook Pro. Autodesk is also offering a great deal on the Mac App Store, selling SketchBook Pro for $29.99 instead of $79.99.  The app is the Mac desktop equivalent of its iOS counterpart. Since your Mac isn’t a touch device like your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to look at augmenting your desktop experience with something like Wacom’s Bamboo tablet. Trust me; if you’re interested in creating digital artwork, it’s worth it.
• RapidWeaver. Realmac Software is offering its flagship product for $39.99 on the Mac App Store instead of the usual $79.99. With Apple not paying much attention to iWeb, switching over to a tool like RapidWeaver may be your best option. With over 45 themes included, this web development tool can plug right in to your existing MobileMe account and be everything iWeb isn’t, and more besides.
• Art Text 2. One of my personal favorites from BeLight Software is now priced at just $9.99 in the Mac App Store, a full $30 cheaper than its usual price. The options and degree of control a user has over text and its presentation with this application is astonishing.  I use it all the time for almost every sort of communication.
• Apple Remote Desktop (ARD). If you managed a household with more than one Mac, or a business that uses Macs as the standard machine, then Apple’s Remote Desktop software is great. It allows you to provision software, perform regular maintenance, and even troubleshoot and control all the Macs on your local network. The software used to be $299 for a 10-client limit, or $499 for an unlimited license. ARD on the Mac App Store doesn’t seem to have a limit at the present time.
• Aperture. As mentioned above, Apple knocked a full $120 off the price of this advanced image management and editing application. If you like iPhoto, but want more power, Aperture is the way to go.

Each of these applications has a proven track record among users, and it’s amazing to see them available at these prices. The Mac App Store’s sales pace, including one million downloads in the first day, may keep prices down, but that’s not a sure thing. There’s little reason not to act now, unless you think this is just the beginning of a race to the bottom for App Store pricing.

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Much of the discussion surrounding the Mac App Store has been around the repercussions it will have on Mac application development, but I think the conversation is missing something. I feel the Mac App Store could be the starting point for a better iTunes, or at least the death of iTunes as we know it today.

On the Mac, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and every other type of media are downloaded and managed through one application: iTunes. This is entirely different from the way things are done in iOS, where the iTunes app is strictly for downloading media, while separate video, music, and photo apps are used for managing it.

As we learned in October, the stated goal of OS X Lion is to bring features of iOS back to the Mac. It seems likely that could include the way different types of media are managed on iOS, meaning separated apps for managing and downloading content.

It actually sounds pretty great to me: iTunes would be used exclusively for downloading media, and then there can be secondary apps for managing it. A music app for music and podcasts, a video app for movies and TV shows, and then a books app for, well, books, and so on. Oh, and also a separate app for Ping. We can’t forget Ping. While it may seem more complicated, it would actually make more logical sense from a user perspective. Where does one go to see video? The Video app. Why would a user new to the platform ever expect to find that content in something called “iTunes?”

Of course this leads to the question of how all this media is going to be synced to iOS devices. For that, Apple could bring back the long-neglected iSync application. Beef it up, make it more apparent to the user, and there you’ve got your syncing solution. It could be somewhat like the Windows Phone 7 sync client for Mac.

And it could be that the release of the Mac App Store is just the first step in this transition. It’s worth noting how similar the Mac App Store icon is to the iTunes icon. Both are circular and blue. The only real difference is the image in the middle. The icons for the iOS versions of the App Store and iTunes are also quite similar, the main difference being that former icon is blue and the latter purple:

By making the icons so similar, Apple could be setting the groundwork for a decentralization of iTunes. Since iTunes just turned 10, I think it’s time for a change from the trend of more bloat, and I hope Apple agrees.

What do you think? Do you envision a future where iTunes isn’t the master of your iOS life? Or are you happy with one application managing everything? Tell us in the comments.

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For Mac-using remote workers, the Mac App Store presents a major step forward in making sure that we always have our tools with us, no matter where we are.

When I know I’ll be working from someone else’s computer, I mentally make a checklist of all the software I’ll need to download and install before I can get up and running. In some cases, this is a simple process, but in others, it’s quite difficult. It can be a considerable headache to depend on trial or demo versions of the software I need.

Now, however, the App Store allows us to install apps associated with our accounts to any Mac. This represents a major change for the better in the way we can work. Imagine signing in with your Apple ID and quickly and easily making a temporary workstation feel just like home. It’s a vision that’s now within reach, without the need for a remote server or enterprise support.

As long as you’re using the software for personal use, you should be able to log into the App Store from any Mac and download the apps you need. Once you’re done, you can just uninstall your software, transfer any stored data to a thumb drive or to storage space in the cloud (if it isn’t already automatically synced, as with apps like Evernote) and go. You’ll be able to spend less time on setup and configuration, and more time actually getting work done.

So the App Store makes Mac software more portable, and it also makes it more discoverable. It will be a lot easier to find the right app for the job, and will simplify making sure that clients and co-workers have access to the same tools as you do. Eventually, when Apple introduces Mac app gifting, you’ll be able to provide teammates with the tools they need on demand, and they won’t need to pick up the cost.

The current Mac App Store is only the beginning. It’ll be built-in to OS X Lion, which means eventually it’ll be on every Mac you encounter. And it’s likely that apps won’t be the only thing you can grab from the cloud. User accounts, preferences, application data and documents; evidence suggests that soon it’ll reside on the web for easy access from wherever you happen to be.

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Apple did not respond to an inquiry about the breakdown of paid vs. free downloads as of this writing. It’s worth noting that at this time, 7 of the 12 top grossing apps available on the Mac App Store are Apple’s own offerings, including the iWork and iLife suites, Aperture and Apple Remote Desktop. No wonder, then, that CEO Steve Jobs had this to say about the store’s initial success:

We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting. Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is.

Apple also took the opportunity to talk up its developer terms for offering software in the Mac App Store, wherein developers keep 70 percent of the revenue, and 30 percent goes to Apple, but Apple covers hosting, marketing and payment processing fees. That it foregrounded this information suggests the press release might be intended more to attract further developer interest than to impress the general public.

Whatever the reasoning behind the announcement, 1 million downloads in one day is a solid start for any software distribution platform. Let’s see if the Mac App Store can keep the momentum going.

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Handbrake 0.9.5 adds presets for the iPhone 4 and the iPad, as well as the Apple TV 2. For the latter, the changes include setting the frame rate to NTSC Video standard. These features should make it easier to get content onto a variety of devices, with the best quality possible.

Other improvements include AC3 encoding support, universal audio downmix support, updated libraries for x264 and ffmpeg, SSA subtitle support, better detection of a DVD’s main feature, and more. In terms of usability, editing queue jobs is now thankfully possible.

For Mac users, Handbrake now checks for VLC in /Applications and ~/Applications. That’s important because DVD decryption libraries were decoupled from Handbrake in version 0.9.3, so you need VLC to convert DVDs. Note that if you’re using the 64-bit version of Handbrake also requires that you use the 64-bit version of VLC to handle DVD conversion. Likewise, if you’re using the 32-bit version, you’ll have to have the 32-bit version of VLC installed for the programs to work together.

While Handbrake 0.9.5 now also supports the Blu-ray format, it does not decrypt discs. You’ll need separate ripping software, VLC, and Handbrake for that. Sadly, the state of Blu-ray support on Mac remains weak due to Apple’s indifference towards the format.

HandBrake 0.9.5 is available 32-bit and 64-bit versions for both OS X 10.5 and 10.6, but not PowerPC Macs, though running Handbrake on anything less than a G5 would be pretty painful anyway. Handbrake 0.9.5 is available for download, and don’t forget to get the latest version of VLC for DVD decryption, too.

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Only need access to information in order to make decisions?

One unfortunate hand-me-down that iOS devices have inherited from their iPod ancestors is that they are all tethered devices. You need either a Mac or a PC to take advantage of many of the iPad’s feature, by design, making the iPad incapable of replacing someone’s only computer.  It’s puzzling to see a Mac, a USB cord, iTunes and an Internet connection listed as system requirements for what is marketed as a standalone computing device. Still, if you already have a computer, and you’re looking for something that grab info for quick scanning and play media, then the iPad is perfect.

Need a travel buddy?

If you’re trying to decide between the Air and the iPad as a mobile solution, consider how far you’ll be traveling, and for how long.  While the iPad is a perfect companion around the office or even for intra-city adventures, if you plan on being gone longer than a day, then the 11-inch Air would be the better choice. When away for even a few days, having access to the software available on OS X as well as being able to utilize a keyboard will be a welcome benefit of the 11-inch Air over the iPad.

Creating content on the go?

If you’ll primarily be creating content and media, or regularly use multiple applications, then the MacBook Air 13-inch may be the better choice than the 11-inch Air. The screen size of the 11-inch will prove to be a little challenging when utilizing multiple applications. While Exposé and Spaces will certainly help, sometimes the extra bit of screen real estate is what’s needed to get the job done.

Creating advanced content on the go?

If you do more than just simple graphic design, preparing office presentations and charts, or writing, then consider stepping up to something a little more powerful: the MacBook Pro. If you’ll have regular access to larger secondary displays, then the 15-inch model is the one to get. If a secondary monitor isn’t often going to be an option, then consider the 17-inch, but go to the Apple Store first and decide if you want to carry one around first.  Both the 15-inch and the 17-inch MacBook Pros have the specs to handle most tasks, including video editing, photo manipulation, graphic design and more.

Will you be sharing with others at home?

Perhaps your family shares a household computer; which Mac is the right Mac to hold down the fort?  That all depends on whether or not you have and are satisfied with an existing keyboard, mouse and monitor.  If so, get a Mac mini, since it’ll save you a bunch of money, but if not, get an iMac.  As for which size iMac, get the 27-inch if your budget allows. No one has ever wished they got the smaller monitor after purchasing the big one.

Do you tend to do a lot of really demanding things all of the time?

If you work on massive video projects that require lots of rendering time, use multiple virtual machines simultaneously, or if your Mac is used as a serious gaming machine, you probably need the power and expandability of a Mac Pro.  Keep in mind that not every Mac Pro will outperform some iMac configurations, but you can customize them after the fact.  With its dual Super Drives and expansion capabilities, you can add plenty of memory and storage to a Mac Pro. Having more cores allows it to do more things at the same time.

Whichever you choose, it’s still a Mac

A new computer is a major purchase, so there will almost always be second-guessing that goes on after you’ve made your choice. At least with Apple, you can be confident that whichever Mac you choose, your decision was overall a good one.

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First of all, you’ll need to open up Automator (Applications > Automator) and create a new Service by double-clicking the Service icon. If you don’t see this option when Automator starts, go to File > New and the new workflow screen will show.

At the top of the right-hand panel, there are two drop-down lists. Change the first to say URLs and leave the second on Any Application. Leave the Replaces selected text box unchecked.

Now, in the left-hand column, under the Utilities category, find Run Applescript and drag it over into the workflow on the right.

In the right-hand panel, replace the placeholder text in the Run Applescript action by copying and pasting the following script:


on run {input}
set inputResult to (input as string)
ignoring case

if (((characters 1 thru 4 of inputResult) as string) is not equal to "http") then
display dialog "Invalid URL"

else
set curlCMD to "curl --stderr /dev/null \"http://bit.ly/api?url=" & input & "\""
set tinyURL to (do shell script curlCMD)
return tinyURL

end if
end ignoring
end run

Next thing to do is add a Copy to Clipboard action from the Utilities category underneath the Applescript action. This grabs the output from the script and copies it to the clipboard ready for you to paste wherever you want.

Finally, you need to save your Service so that you can access it in other applications. Call it something sensible like “Shorten URL” or “Send to bit.ly” so that it’s obvious what goes on when you run it.

Once you’ve saved it, you can test it out by selecting a URL, right- or control-clicking and choosing the name of your service (in my case, it was “Shorten URL”).

Once you’ve activated the Service, wait a couple of seconds while the script contacts the bit.ly API, then paste into your browser. You’ll see that a bit.ly URL has been created, and if you follow it, you’ll be taken to the original page whose URL you originally selected.

If right-clicking isn’t your thing, and you prefer using the keyboard, you can go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services and set up a keyboard shortcut. Now when you have text selected, just use that keyboard shortcut and you’ll get your short URL.

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Option 1: The Mac Way

This is the most powerful and versatile option, but it’s also among the most expensive. You can get away with spending relatively little by using a Mac mini. The idea is to set up a Mac computer connected to your TV as a media centre. The Mac mini is perfect if you want to dedicate a computer entirely to this task, thanks to its small form factor and HDMI port. If you’d still like to use your computer as a computer, too, then getting a Mac notebook might be a better solution.

The benefit of using a Mac is that you have all of the power of a full desktop computer. That means you can browse the web, access Flash-based video sites (Hulu, network sites), and even play full-featured video games using USB or wireless game pads if you like. You can also use Boxee, XBMC or Plex (media player and organization apps) to make your Mac more easy to control and navigate with a remote in a home theater setting.

You can use Netflix on your Mac using the web interface, but there are better ways. Boxee has a Netflix app, for example, which makes it far easier to control. There’s also possibly a native Mac app in the works from a third-party developer, and Netflix itself might get in on that game when the Mac App Store launches next week.

• Hardware Required: Mac, HDMI or VGA cable (depending on which port your TV has available), Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter (if you’re using a Mac other than the Mac mini).
• Cost: $$$$
• Advantages: Full computer at your disposal, supports Flash.
• Ideal for: The advanced Mac enthusiast who wants to have it all.

Option 2: The iPad Way

Using an iPad to cut the cord is probably the easiest option to overlook, but it’s also among the simplest. It can even provide HD output via the dock connector-to-VGA peripheral, though using the Apple Component AV cable will only provide standard definition video.

The iPad is also limited in terms of content sources. Obviously, it won’t play Flash content, and not all apps provide video-out support. Hulu Plus is a notable example of one that doesn’t. Some very crucial ones do, however, like Netflix. If you purchase or rent most of your video content through iTunes, though, the iPad will work well for you.

Finally, remember that controlling your iPad while watching video through your home theatre system could be quite awkward, and the device will have to remain tethered to your TV if you don’t have an Apple TV to stream to. But the iPad is a good choice if you’d like to also be able to take your media with you and access it on the go.

• Hardware Required: iPad, Dock Connector to VGA Adapter, Apple Component AV Cable.
• Cost: $$$
• Advantages: Also a standalone portable solution.
• Ideal for: The infrequent TV-watcher who spends most of his/her time out of the house.

Option 3: The Apple TV Way

The new Apple TV is a great option for Apple cord cutters, since it’s small, cheap, and easy to set up. It provides access to iTunes rentals and Netflix, and it provides HD quality video (720p). If you’re not really amazing at using OS X, and you want a set-it-and-forget-it solution, this is the way to go. It’s even quite portable, since it’s so small and only requires two cables, as I’ve proven many times by taking my own when visiting friends and family.

Apple TV does have some downsides to consider. Unlike the Mac and iPad, there’s no way to browse the internet from the device, which could limit your content sources. In fact, as of right now, you’re only able to get video from Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes, unless you’ve stored your own content on a computer attached to your local network in an iTunes-friendly format. Flash video isn’t anywhere near an option, unless you go the jailbreak route. Also unlike the Mac and the iPad, you won’t be able to store any media locally on the device, so you can only watch what you can stream from other sources.

If you have an iOS device, AirPlay provides another reason to consider Apple TV. You can stream content from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (providing you’re using iOS 4.2) from your device to your Apple TV easily, although the type of content that can be streamed is limited to YouTube videos, local videos synced from iTunes, pictures and music.

• Hardware Required: Apple TV, HDMI cable, optical audio cable (optional).
• Cost: $
• Advantages: Portable, cheap, easy to add to an existing home theatre setup.
• Ideal for: Average Mac user who wants to primarily use Netflix and the iTunes store for content.

Any other tips or ideas for ditching the cable subscription with the help of your Mac and Apple devices?

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If you’re getting or giving a new MacBook during the next couple of days, then grab Mac app Hidden, which provides a number of theft prevention services. Now until January 2011, the app is free. All you need to do is register, download and install.

What does Hidden do? It’s a little bit like Find My iPhone for your Mac computer, in that it lets you track where your computer goes, so long as whoever stole or bought your stolen computer from the original thief turns it on and connects to a wireless network. The app then connects to the Skyhook network of Wi-Fi signal towers (the same one the iPhone and iPod touch originally used for geo-location services) and reports back with the approximate location of your Mac.

Hidden also offers more than just location tracking, though. It launches a three-pronged attack agains thieves, by also attempting to identify them and keeping track of what they do with your computer. It accomplishes the first by taking pictures periodically using your built-in iSight camera, and the second by taking screenshots of your computer when it’s in use, which should help you know whether or not a thief attempted to access and abuse your private data.

The Hidden app doesn’t display an icon in the Applications folder, or a menu bar item, or even a preference pane in the Settings app. That way, no one will know that your Mac is being tracked. Once you’ve registered, you can sign in to the Hidden website from any computer and track computers on which you’ve installed the Hidden app right from a web-based dashboard. All you need to do is change the status of the machine to “Stolen” and Hidden will start gathering data. You can also set it to “Test Mode” if you want to see what kind of info you’ll receive in case of theft.

You can uninstall the app by following instructions found on Hidden’s FAQ, but it requires an administrator password, so as long as you’ve set a strong one, thieves shouldn’t be able to do the same.

For the great price of free, this is a great way to give some piece of mind this holiday to Mac-using friends and family.

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Instapaper

This is possibly a strange request, since Instapaper works pretty well as a browser-based application, but I’d still love to see it. The Instapaper and Reeder apps provide the best reading experiences on the iPhone and iPad, in my opinion, and Reeder for Mac already proved that kind of experience can translate successfully to the desktop. A similar Instapaper iOS app with a full-screen reading mode would completely satisfy my Mac reading needs.

Angry Birds

It may be ideally suited to a touchscreen interface, but I still think Angry Birds could work on the Mac. Especially now Apple’s Magic Trackpad allows all Macs to use touch-based input. It won’t be as satisfying as slinging those avian tools of destruction just by touching them, but it will likely still provide many hours of distraction.

Facebook

Considering the social network hasn’t even released an iPad app yet, this is probably asking for a lot, but I would love a native OS X Facebook client. The web is great, but I actually prefer using the iPhone app most of the time, because I find it less distracting and easier to navigate. The best part is that it strips out all the third-party applications, which is probably also the reason an OS X Facebook app will never happen.

WhatsApp/Kik/Viber

I like having a messenger system that replaces texting on the iPhone, and I’d love to see it be able to reach the desktop as well. Having either of these would help make other IM clients obsolete, and keep me truly connected everywhere without having to actually be signed in to a service (so long as they worked persistently in the background the way they do on the iPhone). In the same vein, an app like Viber could work well for providing a dedicated iPhone-to-Mac voice calling solution.

I could go on and on about other apps and games I’d enjoy using on the Mac, but my point is made: There’s huge crossover potential for successful iOS apps in the Mac App Store.

What iOS apps do you think would work best on OS X?

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Apple announced Thursday that the Mac App Store will officially launch on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011. The Mac App Store, like its iOS equivalent, will be used to sell and distribute applications, only for OS X instead of for Apple’s portables. The newly-announced date falls well within Steve Jobs’ stated release timeframe of 90 days, which he announced at Apple’s Back to the Mac event in October.

In the press release, Jobs notes that he hopes the Mac App Store will do for OS X software what the App Store did for mobile apps:

The App Store revolutionized mobile apps. We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.

The official announcement goes on to briefly describe how the Mac App Store will work. New and noteworthy apps, staff favorites, category searching and customer reviews and ratings will all make the jump from the iOS version of the software marketplace. Apps can also be downloaded and installed in one click, and once you’ve bought an app, you can download and install it on any other Mac associated with your iTunes store account. Updates for software purchased through the Mac App Store are delivered directly through it, too.

Some things the Mac App Store will be missing from its iOS counterpart include in-app purchases and trial versions of software with limited content or gameplay. It’s unclear whether or not Apple plans to implement any of these things down the road.

When it does arrive, users won’t even have to go to Apple’s site to grab the download, since it’s being pushed out to all Snow Leopard users via Software Update as a free download. Apple clearly doesn’t want to risk anyone missing this boat.

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Apple Address Book and MobileMe Contacts

Apple’s Address Book application on Mac OS X Snow Leopard has the ability to print directly to address labels.  First create a new group called “Holiday Cards 2010″ in Apple’s Address Book.  Add the contacts you wish to send a card to this season to this new group.  Once this task is complete, simply select the group and perform the following steps:

1. Select File>Print from the Address Book Menu
2. Click the icon next to your Printer choice that looks like an upside-down triangle
3. From the Style drop down menu, choose Mailing Labels
4. Under the Layout tab, set the Page to Avery Standard and 8160 (or whatever type of mailing label you have)

Now you’re all set to print.  I would also recommend saving the results as a PDF file, and printing from there.  That way you’ll always have a record of whom you already mailed cards to this holiday season. If you want to change the font or add an image to the address labels, from that same print dialog box where you choose which type of label you’re using, simply toggle over from Layout to the Label tab and make any changes you want.

Avery Designer Pro and Google Contacts

Just as with the Apple Address Book solution above, the first thing to do when you’re dealing with your Google-stored addresses is to create a new group called “Holiday Cards 2010″ in Google’s Contacts.  Add your chosen contacts to the group. Now we’ll export the group to a local file on your Mac, and use Avery’s Designer Pro for Mac application to actually print the labels. Once you’ve installed Avery’s software, perform the following steps:

1. Export the contact group in Google Contacts as a “Google CSV” file (google.csv)
2. Launch Avery Designer Pro and choose 8160 – Easy Peel Mailing Labels (or whatever type of mailing label you have) from the list of all Avery Products
3. Click on the Use Blank button in the bottom right hand corner of Avery Designer Pro
4. From the toolbar located on the top left, click on the Text Box button to add a text box to the label
5. Now click on the Mail Merge button located just below the toolbar, this will prompt you to load the exported CSV file (google.csv)
6. Select the exported CSV file from the file system, and insert the columns you want to show up on the label

Now you can print from Avery Designer Pro’s File menu.  I would again recommend saving the results as a PDF file, and printing from there.

This technique is a little more flexible considering you have the option to choose one of Avery’s design styles. It’s also a little more powerful since you are actually designing the address labels in a designer that even supports layers, and of course a little more complex, as you need to export data and install and use a third-party application.

You can also mix and match the above two solutions, as you could certainly export your Google Contacts as a vCard and import them into Apple’s Address Book. The Avery Designer Pro application can also import Apple Address Book Contacts.  Either way, hopefully you find printing mailing labels on a Mac one of the easier one of the easier things to cross of your list this holiday.

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The company originally stated its intent to alter preview length in November, through a letter to music labels notifying them of the impending change. The letter didn’t mention when Apple was planning to implement the new times, but it did say that music labels should indicate their compliance by simply continuing to offer music through iTunes. Many labels weren’t very pleased with this decision, according to reports.

It looks like Apple’s hard-line negotiation wasn’t entirely successful, because not all tracks on iTunes 2:30 or longer have the new 90-second previews. For example, tracks from Ra Ra Riot’s The Rhumb Line all retain the 30-second preview length. Same with artists Bloc Party and Tokyo Police Club, which suggests that independent artists responsible for licensing their own content might be exempt from Apple’s blanket policy change. Major label releases seem mostly to have adopted the new standard.

Longer previews are only available through the U.S. iTunes Store as of this writing. It’s unclear whether Apple will be rolling out extended song samples to other areas in the future. It’s possible that this initial roll-out is just a trial to see how labels react before Apple flips the switch worldwide. We contacted Apple for comment, but the company didn’t respond in time for publication.

Personally, 90 second previews are a lot more likely to encourage me to buy an album, but I’m very conservative with my music purchasing and won’t buy something unless I’m absolutely sure I’ll enjoy it. How will the new sample length affect your own buying habits, if at all?

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One- or Two-Button?

One of the most confusing things about a Mac mouse is its lack of physical left and right buttons. Both the Magic Mouse and the Mighty Mouse which preceded it have only one click function, clicking anywhere on the mouse, but it’s possible to set up a secondary or right-click, too.

To enable a right-click, open up Mouse in System Preferences (>System Preferences) and find the Secondary Click setting. On the Magic Mouse, you can set the secondary click to either be on the right, or the left, for left-handed users. To use the right-click function when it’s turned on, perform your click on the right-hand side (or left, if you set it to left) of the mouse.

You can enable two-finger tap secondary clicking in the System Preferences>Trackpad options. Trackpads also have the option of a one-finger secondary click, where you click in the corner of your choice on the trackpad to perform a secondary click instead of using a two-finger tap.

If you uncheck the option for Secondary Click, then to perform a right click, you will need to hold down Control on the keyboard and click with the mouse. Clicking on the left or right-hand side without holding the Control key will perform a left-click.

Scrolling With Inertia

Both the Magic Mouse and trackpads have the option to scroll with inertia. This is the effect you see on the iPhone, where flicking makes the scroll carry on after you let go. The option can be found alongside the checkbox for Scroll, which for mice is under the One Finger heading in the relevant Systems Preferences pane, and for trackpads is under Two Fingers.

You can also turn off scrolling altogether, but that would become tiresome after a while, because it means either using the cursor keys to scroll, or dragging the scrollbar on the right of a window. I imagine you’d be turning scrolling back on fairly soon after turning it off.

Getting a Closer Look

System Preferences (under either Trackpad or Mouse) also offers the option to turn on Screen Zoom for your input device. By holding one of either Control, Option or Command, depending on your choice in the settings, you can then scroll upwards on your device to zoom in on your screen, and scroll down to zoom back out again. This is great for the visually impaired. There are some other options for Screen Zoom which let you change how the screen moves in relation to the cursor, and turn image smoothing while zoomed on or off.

Navigating Using a Mouse or Trackpad

If you use a Magic Mouse or a trackpad, you can turn on swipe to navigate, which lets you go back and forward in your web history, jump between pages in a Preview document, and much more, depending on which application you’re using. On a mouse, you swipe either left or right with two fingers, and for a trackpad it’s three. There are no settings for swipe to navigate; it’s a simple on or off setting.

Trackpad Multitouch

If you own an iPhone or iPad, and you like being able to pinch to zoom, and rotate with two fingers, you’ll be happy to hear that the new glass trackpads on MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, as well as the Magic Trackpad, support both these multitouch gestures, and a few more. Each gesture can be turned on and off individually, and additional gestures to choose from include swiping up and down with four fingers to access Exposé and the Application Switcher (⌘⇥). These gestures are the best thing about Apple’s Magic Trackpad.

These are just the options which Apple has built-in to Macs by default. With an application like MagicPrefs, you can add even more functionality to your mouse or trackpad such as custom gestures other than the Apple specified ones. If you have any other input device-related tips or tricks, feel free to share in the comments.

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Generally speaking, when someone in the tech world says a product is launching “within” a certain period, it’ll come at the end of that range, at the earliest. Apple is pretty good about hitting its own deadlines, but I still wouldn’t have expected to see a Mac App Store arrive before January. However, an “inside source” speaking to Appletell claims it could arrive as early as next week, and, in fact, Steve Jobs was pushing for it to launch today or even earlier.

The Mac App Store is a software marketplace and distribution platform designed to centralize the sale of OS X apps, in the same way that the original App Store manages iOS applications. Unlike the iOS App Store, however, the Mac version won’t be the sole source for Mac software.

Jobs wants an early release badly, according to the source. Cupertino had reportedly told developers to have their apps ready to go for a launch as early as Monday, Dec. 6. Though his original preference of today likely won’t be met according to Appletell’s source, Apple is still said to be on schedule for a pre-Christmas release.

It makes sense Apple would want to have the Mac App Store up and running before Christmas. We’ve seen in recent years that the iOS App Store posts its highest sales volume by far on and around Christmas, as new iOS device owners break in their devices and iTunes gift cards find their way into stockings everywhere. Apps experience a 1,000 percent increase in sales on Christmas Day, and generally enjoy higher sales volumes around November and December.

Bottom line? If it’s at all possible for Apple to launch the App Store in December, it will. OS X 10.6.6 beta seeds are already making the rounds, with a second version released last week. That build includes support for the Mac App Store, and should see release either shortly before or coincidental with the Mac App Store’s launch, so watching its progress will be a good indicator of how close Apple is.

The second factor that could affect Apple’s launch plans is content. It needs a healthy library for consumers to choose from if it wants to capitalize on the holiday app rush. I think Apple will be happy with relatively few third-party offerings so long as it can get its iWork ’11 suite prepped in time for day one sales. If the marquee products on the App Store at launch are Apple’s own, it stands to gain even more. But since developers will also want to reap the benefits of a pre-Christmas release, I don’t think Apple should have much trouble filling the shelves.

Of course, if Steve Jobs isn’t happy with the product, we won’t see it released. He gave himself and the company 90 days to get everything right, and he’ll take all of that time and more to make sure the Mac App Store is up to his exacting standards. I hope it does arrive early, though, since it’ll make shopping for stocking stuffers that much easier.

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