Cloud-based storage and cross-device syncing of media content are two of the most competitive areas in consumer IT. Apple, Google and Amazon see cloud-based media services both as a way to increase attachment to their platforms and a means to extend and amplify their broader strategic goals. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In addition to the iOS 5 updates, Apple has released the latest version of OS X 10.7, which allows users to access iCloud on the desktop. The update adds an iCloud System Preferences pane, and prompts you to sign up for the service immediately upon install. Read more »
All iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion users can get 5 GB of storage in iCloud for free, but those who need more storage can pay $20 per year for 15 GB, $40 per year for 25 GB, or $100 per year for 55 GB. Read more »
With all the focus on OS X Lion’s new multitouch gestures, the keyboard is getting a little left out. Here are three tips to help navigate around Lion more quickly using the keyboard instead of the mouse (or trackpad). Read more »
Not one but two reports say Apple is now working on an ultrathin 15-inch Mac notebook, with one claiming that a 17-incher is also on the way. Apple has long been preparing for this, and I wouldn’t be surprised if those preparations bear fruit this year. Read more »
Overall, I’m thrilled with OS X Lion. However, like any new OS, there are some things that either don’t work quite right or, while working as intended, may annoy. So, here are five tips and work-arounds I’ve found that might help address some growing pains. Read more »
It took me 25 minutes to download OS X Lion at home, but using LTE mobile broadband service, you could do the same in a few hours. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s amazing when you realize 3G networks, like OS X, launched 10 years ago. Read more »
Facebook’s Skype integration involved a lot of slimming down of Skype’s native client and making it work in a browser, creating the back-end integration between Facebook and Skype and scaling up Skype’s network to handle the expected flood of traffic. Read more »
OS X Lion can run apps in full-screen mode, allowing compatible Mac software to take up the whole screen, as it does in iOS. Thanks to an update to Fluid, virtually any website can become an independent full-screen app as soon as Lion is ready. Read more »
New MacBook Airs could be right around the corner, according to stock shortages at retail partners like Best Buy and Amazon. OS X Lion is also arriving in July, which begins in only a few short days, and the Air could arrive at the same time. Read more »
OS X Lion will only be available in the Mac App Store, but a 4 GB download-only OS upgrade is going to be trying for some consumers, because of connection quality and bandwidth caps. Apple has one possible solution: come use our retail store Wi-Fi. Read more »
Apple’s refresh of the MacBook Air last fall did much to improve the fortunes of the company’s ultra-slim notebook. And with its next iteration, it could be getting ready to step into the spotlight as the quintessential Mac computer, alongside the release of OS X Lion. Read more »
iOS 5 and Lion are both great updates that are sure to please consumers, but while the platforms feel deeply and productively intertwined, there are a couple remaining last steps Apple could and should take that would make working back and forth between both seamless. Read more »
Innovation is best measured by the disruption it causes, and Apple sure has been disruptive this week. OS X Lion being offered only via digital distribution is perhaps the most noteworthy example, but here are a few more that are nearly as pertinent. 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 »
Apple made it official early Tuesday morning: We’ll see details about three exciting new software products at WWDC 2011 next week. OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud will all be included in the Monday keynote. But what, specifically, can we expect to see announced? Read more »
Apple may be readying high res or “Retina” display Mac computers, according to resources discovered in the latest build of OS X Lion. The discovery of new larger wallpaper and high-res icons indicates Apple may be planning to double the resolution of current Mac displays. Read more »
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held beginning June 6 this year at Moscone West in San Francisco. While Apple makes no mention of it in its press release, the company typically unveils its annual iPhone hardware refresh at the keynote for WWDC. Read more »
The Lion developer preview was released about two weeks ago, and while the marquee features such as Launchpad and Mission Control are getting most of the Mac blogosphere’s attention, there are some smaller changes in Lion that I think are worth pointing out. Read more »
Patently Apple has found a new patent detailing new methods of menu navigation that could see introduction in Mac OS X Lion. The patent describes interface elements perfectly suited to touch input, something central to both iOS and OS X according to Apple. Read more »
