How Apple could pull ahead in the Mac vs PC speed race again
While things are not quite what they used to be, Apple does still have a shot at impressing its seemingly forgotten Mac Pro customers by putting the power back into its Macs. Read more »
The Mac didn’t do as bad as the PC last quarter, but it’s stopped growing
photo: Om Malik
Apple said it sold 3.95 million Macs during its second fiscal quarter, which is ever-so-slightly below the 4.01 million it sold a year ago. It’s the second straight quarter of no growth for the Mac. Read more »
The PC market is a horror show right now
We can pretty much stop arguing about whether the PC industry is deathly ill or not: the numbers speak for themselves, with its worst quarter since tracking began in 1994. Read more »
Tick tock: why timing your Mac hardware upgrades makes good sense
Planning out your MacBook upgrade to coincide with Intel’s chip releases should ensure that you are getting the largest performance gains with each purchase. Here’s a look at the historic Apple-Intel upgrade cycle. Read more »
Apple to stop Mac Pro shipments to EU ahead of promised 2013 update
Apple won’t immediately have a new model ready that meets new safety regulations. But CEO Tim Cook promised last year something “really great” is coming in 2013. Read more »
Too soon to tell if it’s the beginning of the end for the Mac
One of the questions coming out of Apple’s earnings is whether the Mac is soon going to be following in its PC brethren’s footsteps. But it’s a bit too early to say. Read more »
Tim Cook: Apple will spend $100M to build Macs in US next year
photo: Om Malik
Apple’s CEO reveals in an interview that he will invest $100 million of Apple’s money to build Macs in the U.S., starting next year. The reason: corporate responsibility. Read more »
Don’t overspend on new guitar amps: get these 2 great Mac apps instead
There are two OS X modeling programs I’ve become quite enamored with: AmpliTube 3 Custom Shop and Guitar Rig 5 Pro. Both can also plug in directly to GarageBand for use in recording a variety of sounds without having to blow out your bank account. Read more »
Three Mac apps to help you self publish your book
I’m looking to self-publish my writing, so I took a look at a bunch of different Mac apps that can create ebooks. The best I found were Apple’s Pages, Adobe InDesign, and Scrivener. Here’s a look the pros and cons of each program. Read more »
Why Apple could be getting closer to building its own Mac chips
photo: Om Malik
Yet another report indicates that Apple might be aiming to move away from Intel chips in its Mac lineup. Bloomberg says the company wants to get its mobile and PC products on the same chip architecture. Here’s why that could actually happen. Read more »
Live blog: Apple’s iPad event
Apple introduced a bunch of new products Tuesday, October 23rd, including the anticipated debut of the iPad Mini as well as a new iPad, extremely thing new iMac, and a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. Here’s how events unfolded in San Jose, Calif. Read more »
Tips for integrating Documents in the Cloud into your life
I need a central place to store all my files, and Documents in the Cloud is an easy way for me to access them from any of my devices. Here’s a walk through how I’m using the software, as well as some pitfalls to avoid. Read more »
Quick tip: Do you need Java on your Mac?
Java doesn’t come pre-installed for on OS X as it once did. You may have manually installed it, but it’s likely that besides a few web sites and an occasional piece of software you may want to run, you don’t really need Java on your Mac. Read more »
Hands on: Mac and iOS task management with Things 2
Things was my task management tool of choice in the pre-cloud era. When Cultured Code announced recently that, finally, after four years that cloud syncing was finally here, I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to try it out. Here’s my take on the new software. Read more »
The Apple Roundup: Did Sharp just violate Apple partner rule No. 1?
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Sharp’s president hints at coming iPhone, why annoyance at Apple’s new round of ads isn’t new, the Mac’s growth trajectory, and pics of Apple mysterious new NC facility. Read more »
Apple’s new ads not the work of geniuses, but still hit the mark
Some say Apple is not really thinking differently enough about TV ads with its new “genius” campaign. Everyone already knows the iPhone and iPad, why shouldn’t the company play up an intangible feature — its customer service — that potential new customers may not know about? Read more »
Apple: Mountain Lion downloaded 3 million times in 4 days
photo: Om Malik
The Mac App Store-only availability of OS X Mountain Lion is clearly driving faster adoption of the software than in previous years. It also probably helps that Mountain Lion is a little bit cheaper than Lion, which cost $29.99. Read more »
Apple earnings preview: The iPad may finally rival the iPhone
In a Q3 without a new iPhone, and one in which the iPad has continued to gather steam, it’s worth wondering if the iPad could finally rival the iPhone in terms of sales and significance to Apple’s bottom line when it reports earnings on Tuesday. Read more »
Apple backs down: Macs will stay EPEAT certified
Following an outcry from environmentalists and customers, Apple is reversing its decision to walk away from EPEAT certification for its computers. On Friday, outgoing SVP of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield posted a letter on Apple’s website calling the move “a mistake.” Read more »
Excuses for a shrinking PC market, and 4 other Apple stories to read today
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: PC market apologists, Apple stores’ policy on selling gadgets to Iran, The Daily isn’t doing that well, how Aereo’s victory could benefit Apple, and Time Warner’s hopes for Apple TV. Read more »
Tweetbot’s new Mac client gets buzz as Twitter crackdown looms
The popular iPhone client Tweetbot will now have an application for Mac, an exciting development for fans of the product, but an interesting development to come just as Twitter has announced plans to restrict third-party use of its API and keep Twitter users on Twitter products. Read more »
City of SF won’t buy Macs without EPEAT certification
Just days after news hit that Apple no longer wants its computers and monitors evaluated for EPEAT certification, the first public agency has said it will no longer be allowed to buy Macs as a result. The City of San Francisco is (unsurprisingly) first up. Read more »
Retailers & ‘the Apple demographic,’ plus 4 other Apple stories to read today
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: the young, spendy Apple demographic, how design patents have become essential, Sprint’s curious sales woes at Apple stores, Airplay as Trojan horse, and conflicting reports of Verizon iPhone sales. Read more »
What iPhone with NFC & Passbook means for airlines, plus 4 other Apple stories to read today
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: The airline industry is anticipating an NFC iPhone, Yelp gets further integration with iOS devices, App Store’s changing search and the influence of Steve Jobs on Disney stores. Read more »
New Skype 5.8 for Mac is ready for OS X Mountain Lion
The latest version of Skype for Mac has just been released and supports OS X Mountain Lion. By releasing the new Skype in advance of Apple’s own OS release, scheduled for next month, it’s clear Skype remains committed to supporting the service for Mac users. Read more »
New Mac hardware line adds Retina Display MacBook Pro
At its WWDC event on Monday, Apple took the wraps off of new hardware in the form a total revamp across its entire line. The hardware upgrade includes the sought after Retina Display, not as an option but as part of a next-generation thin laptop. Read more »
How much will you pay for a Mac Retina Display option?
Based on an app in the Mac App Store gaining “Retina graphics” support, it appears that Apple will introduce higher-resolution Mac hardware next week. But the costly displays are unlikely to be in base models. How much would you pay for a Retina Display option? Read more »
What to look for at WWDC 2012: Macs, Mountain Lion, iOS 6, maps and iCloud
The banners now decorating Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference venue indicate the event’s tagline is “Where great ideas go on to do great things.” It’s vague, as usual, making it’s hard to pinpoint what this year’s theme will be. Here’s what we’ll be watching for on Monday. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Who and what to watch in the new era of the living room
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A brewing Facebook-Apple phone battle? Plus 4 other Apple stories to read today
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: How Facebook is reminiscent of Palm, phones shipped versus phones sold, how doctors are using the iPad, and another clue that Apple is redesigning its mobile maps. Read more »
In major redesign, Daylite 4 integrates with native iOS apps
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 »
Mountain Lion creeps forward: new features in the developer preview
Apple continues to tweak the upcoming version of its Mac desktop operating system, OS X Mountain Lion. The changes made recently to the developer preview are good indications of what we’ll see when the final version goes live this summer. Here’s an overview of those changes. Read more »
On heels of new iPad, iPhone still drives Apple earnings
When Apple announces its 2012 second fiscal quarter earnings on Tuesday, it’s sure to boast about new iPad sales. But the iPhone is still the product that will have the biggest impact on the company’s results and how Wall Street reacts. Read more »
The three-year itch: Why Apple needs to do more to keep older systems secure
Apple recently introduced software updates and a removal tool for the “Flashback” threat on Macs. Users of Apple’s current desktop OS, Lion 10.7.3, and the previous Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Apple’s got you covered. For anything older, Apple’s recommendation is disabling Java. That’s wrong, and here’s why. Read more »
Small miracle: HP PCs outgrow Mac for Q1
Considering the barely contained disaster that the consumer side of HP’s hardware business has been over the last year, today represents some welcome news: its PCs sales actually grew at a faster rate during the first quarter of 2012 than Apple’s Macs in the U.S. Read more »
How my iPhone and iPad helped me (re)learn guitar
About 20 years ago, I was a pretty good guitar player. Once it hit me that I was never going to be a rock star (although I did have a fun four summers setting up stages for some instead) guitar playing fell off the radar. I […] Read more »
New Filemaker Pro 12 gets better iOS support
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 »
Subscriber Content
New challenges for the IT organization
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT combine to create another force that overwhelms IT departments: complexity, including complexity of devices and applications, physical and virtual computing environments, and related challenges for IT staff. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Subscriber Content
The new IT manager, part 1
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT are changing the game for IT departments. Section one of our three-part report describes and quantifies each of these trends, demonstrating that they are real now, growing rapidly and perilous to ignore. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Mac 101: Deleting files and erasing drives
There are two ways to think about securing information: Enabling access to information you want to keep, and disabling access to information you don’t. For information Mac users no longer want, it’s not as easy as moving a file to the trash and emptying the trash. Read more »
