Recently in Macintosh Category

The buzz around this Saturday's release of the iPad is growing exponentially, as the first previews and reviews begin to appear. I've sampled some of the best material, and gathered it together here for easy consumption.

ABC News has the distinction of being the first to have a video hands-on preview, shown Wednesday evening on World News with Diane Sawyer.

Alas, if you're viewing this on an iPhone (or iPad, you lucky dog!) it's in Flash.

At my full-time job at ABC 7 Chicago, there was a live report on our 11 am news as well.

A couple of cool things from the WN piece: We saw a Scrabble game. I imagine you'll now be able to play Scrabble online with a nice sized screen, on the same device you'll use to read the paper or your favorite magazine. They also showed a music app from the developer of the popular Ocarina that leads me to believe the iPad will be a viable musical instrument. The lack of multi-tasking on the iPad hurts here, as you won't be able to record instruments from different apps together; you'll have to record them to a music recording application like GarageBand on your computer.

One of my favorite columnists, Andy Inhatko of the Chicago Sun-Times, has deep thoughts about why this tablet will succeed where others have hardly made a blip.

"The iPad user experience is instantly compelling and elegant. It’s not every computer and every function. It’s a computer that’s designed for speed, mobility, and tactile interaction above all other considerations."

The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg has published his mostly glowing review of the iPad. He found reading text very comfortable. He looked at his paper's own iPad app, and in comparison with the Web or iPhone versions of the Wall Street Journal, "the iPad version blends much more of the look and feel of the print paper into the electronic environment. " Many more observations, Mossberg's review is a good read. There's a video clip, but it's just Mossberg talking on camera. No iPad demo other than a clip from Apple's own video news release.

David Pogue of the New York Times cleverly wrote two reviews of the iPad; the second one is the real gold.

"the iPad is not a laptop. It’s not nearly as good for creating stuff.
On the other hand, it’s infinitely more convenient for consuming it —
books, music, video, photos, Web, e-mail and so on. For most people,
manipulating these ...digital materials directly by touching them is a
completely new experience — and a deeply satisfying one."

Shivers

USAToday's Ed Baig has a very thorough and positive review. Annoyingly embedded in the page, USAToday's Jefferson Graham has a video preview. Or you can watch it here.

PCMag.com calls it a winner, and goes on in very geeky detail. Its a good read if you're into that sort of thing, and I am.

Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin has an interesting article that focuses partly on how the right app can make an old scientific document like the the rather dry but vitally important Periodic Table of Elements come alive. Some more screen shots from this iPad app can be seen here.

If you're the same kind of Apple geek that I am, you now have sufficient information to fill your daydreams until Saturday, or until your 3G version arrives in a few weeks. Me, I plan to go have actual dreams about it in my sleep.

Apple plans to have a suprise on store when the iPad goes on sale this Saturday. There's a reason so few developers have advance iPads, and why even the few Apple employees that have them carry them in locked cases.

They have front-facing cameras and will enable live video chats where ever you can get a wi-fi signal.

And when the 3G version ships in a few weeks, we'll find that video chats are possible on AT&T's network as well.

The handful of critics that received iPads in advance will discover the video chat service at 9 am EDT Saturday, the same time Apple issues its press release in classic Steve Jobs "one more thing" style. The cameras are already in those critic's iPads, but the software includes code that disables them until magic time.

If you hadn't noticed, by the way, today is the first day of a new month, a particular day of note among those who like to fool people. This story is false. There is no camera. I hope I fooled you.

Or did I? What if it comes true?

Back in December, I posted about the deluxe digital edition of The Fireman's Electric Arguments album.

If you, like I, have been waiting for it (we were told it would come in January.

Now it looks like April. I got this email today:

Electric Arguments Deluxe Limited Edition Order Delay
March 02, 2009

Hello,

We're emailing you because your Deluxe Limited Edition of Electric Arguments hasn't shipped according to schedule. We're very sorry for the delay and wanted to give you an update on your order status.

In an effort to ensure the highest quality deluxe product available, design and production have taken longer than originally anticipated. We are now looking at 4/15/09 as the delivery date for Deluxe Limited orders, and we are progressing well towards that goal. Again, we're very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and we sincerely thank you for your patience. We're very pleased with how the package is taking shape, and we can't wait to get it in your hands.

Best regards,
The Fireman Team

For the first and last time, Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller delivered the keynote address at Macworld Expo today.

It makes it all the easier to understand why Apple will not be attending any more Macworlds. The company has been forced to try to produce new products to meet an artificial deadline of early January. None of the products introduced today were revolutionary. They're good, they have cool features, but there were no big secrets hiding in the wings.

The biggest deal was the new 17-inch MacBook Pro. Like many of the other MacBooks, Pro and amateur (that's a joke, don't get peeved), the new 17-incher will feature Apple's new unibody construction, in which the enclosure is carved from a single block of aluminum. It is thinner than its predecessor, by one-fiftieth of an inch (measure that!). It's also an ounce or two lighter. The processor is a wee bit faster, and the graphics chips are improved.

This was emailed to me by Apple:

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I've decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause -- a hormone imbalance that has been "robbing" me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment. But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

UPDATE: Apple's Board of Directors released this statement:

CUPERTINO, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world.

As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple's CEO, you will know it.

Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.

It was bound to happen. The writing's been on the wall for a long time. Apple announced today that its appearance at next month's Macworld Expo in San Francisco will be the company's last at that forum. Not only that, but according to CNET, Steve Jobs won't be delivering the keynote.

There once was a time when the San Francisco Macworld Expo was the center focus of the Mac community. But so much has changed. Apple now has hundreds of stores around the world, especially in the United States. People all over can touch the products, and talk to knowledgeable sales people. As Apple points out in its press release, its been pulling back from other trade shows, such as the National Association of Broadcasters show. Macintosh is no longer the only focus of Apple, and many of the most ardent Mac faithful came to resent the role the iPod and the iPhone have come to play at the expo.

Other companies have disappeared. I don't think Adobe was at the last Macworld Expo I went to. Oh yes, there's that too. The last couple of years, I haven't felt the same passion I used to, to fly to San Francisco and immerse myself in all things Mac. There's enough immersion elsewhere. Every day, I can read a half a dozen great sites covering all things Apple in minuscule detail. Although I wasn't present for the last couple of keynotes, there was nothing too surprising in them.

I suspect this will be the end of the Macworld Expo altogether. Not so long ago, there were two Macworlds; the other in Boston, then New York for a few years, then back to Boston. Apple pulled out, and after that, the Boston expo was abandoned.

One other bad thing about this, Steve Jobs' failure to participate is bound to stir up a whole new batch of rumors about his health. I expect Apple's stock price (which closed at 95.43 today) will be a bit rocky tomorrow.

Its too bad. Because Apple's decision to leave Macworld makes nothing but sense.

Considering my obsessive fanship of The Beatles, I haven't listened to all of Paul McCartney's new collaboration with Youth, Electric Argument. Its the third album by the duo, known as "The Fireman," and by far the most accessible. It's been getting generally great reviews, and from the part I've heard, its much more interesting than Paul's previous effort (although I enjoyed that one too).

But what really has me exicited is a series of digital packages that are available. Although I had already bought the CD, Macca's marketing mind has suckered me in to spending another $90+, including shipping and handling. But its good for the budget conscious as well. Read on for more!

On the Fireman Music home page, you can listen to all of the tracks on line for free. That's a pretty good start. But go to the purchase page, and it's clear that Paul McCartney (and Youth) are not ones to fear piracy.

For $8.99, you can immediately download the entire album in non-DRM, 320Kbps LAME-encoded MP3 files, about as good as MP3 files can get. And, if you click the little links right below it, included will be lossless files in your choice of FLAC and Apple Lossless. That's a damn fine deal.

For four dollars more, get the downloads right away and they'll ship you a CD with a full colour (I love the British spelling) 48-page booklet. Shipping prices begin to get a little outrageous, but what can you do?

Vinyl collectors can pony up about $30 and they get the downloads, the CD, and a specially mastered audiophile quality LP.

And for me, the most exciting package, is the Digital + Deluxe Limited Edition. It won't ship until January, but in addition to the immediate downloads, the CD and the LP, you get another CD with bonus tracks and outtakes, a DVD with high-definition recordings of the music, an art print, a booklet, and... wait for it...

A DVD with multitrack session files of some of the album tracks, allowing weirdos like me to remix the songs with our own sense of creativity. It's $80, but I can't wait to mess with Macca tracks.

Let me say at the outset: I love my iPhone. The App Store and its contents are amazing.

But I have had my problems.

Many have experienced various application crashes. They don't really surprise me. Its only been a little over two weeks since the App Store opened, and between this being a new version of the iPhone's OS, combined with the foibles of multiple developers, I think some recoverable crashes are to be expected. The situation should improve as both the OS and the apps become more stable.

But last week, I experienced an apparently unrecoverable crash. Some application, I don't remember which, froze the iPhone. Holding down the lock and home buttons caused a restart, but that restart stalled on the Apple logo. Forever. Or at least the minute or two I gave it to recover.

I tried again. Same result. After about 2 minutes, the iPhone vibrated twice, but the Apple logo never disappeared. I plugged in a cable to keep the battery going, and let it stew for about 3 hours.

I attempted to get the iPhone into Restore mode, but it was no dice. It was then that I called Apple Care.

I believe I was talking to a non-US support center, as the CSR I spoke with had an accent. But she went through the usual support stuff, having me try things I had already tried. She also had me remove the SIM card and blow into the slot. Nothing helped.

The CSR offered to make an appointment for me at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago; but could offer nothing earlier than 7pm. Unfortunately, my job requires that I be at work at 4am, so 7pm isn't practical. The CSR transferred me to a local human at that store, Peter. When I explained my situation to him, he offered to help facilitate getting me on the standby list, to try to get me seen in a reasonable amount of time.

I arrived at the store at 12:30 the next afternoon, after work. Peter was working the front door, and took me right up to the iPod Bar, where I was seen by Mark in about 20 minutes. We spent the next three hours together. Mark seems to be one of the smartest people in the store. Many other store workers came in him with questions, and Mark tried to help 3 people at a time with their varied iPod and iPhone problems.

First, Mark managed to get a Restore going, using a slightly different technique involving holding down the home and lock buttons for a longer period of time. The phone appeared to restore as a new phone. But when turned on, Safari was nowhere to be seen. Mark declared the phone dead, and set up a second phone.

The second phone was activated, but kept alternating between 3G and "No Service." So Mark tried a third phone.

Even before opening the shrink wrap; Mark scanned the box, and his computer reported that the SIM card was already registered! So Mark when for a fourth phone.

This one, too, scanned as already registered. So Mark broke out a new SIM card. Finally, the phone set up, it saw the 3G network good and strong, and I left the store with a new iPhone.

I took it home and synced it as a new phone, with my additional 20 or so Apps, and music, movies and photos. All was well until the next night, when I was rearranging the layout of the Apps. I moved most of them, but when pressed the home button to lock them in place, the phone froze up.

I restarted the phone... and the Apple logo returned forever.

If this were a ghost story, I'd stop there. But I now knew the alternate method of getting the phone into Restore mode; and I managed to restore it myself.

It's now 4 days since that latest restore. I have not rearranged my Apps, but all is currently working well.

I do wonder if moving too many of the Apps without saving taxes the phone's memory. I'll try rearranging again, but I think I may move only 3 or 4 apps at a time.

Just a quick note on software for those using the Treo 700p with a Mac.

I am so freaking excited! Nothing stirs joy in my heart in quite the same way as obtaining a new Macintosh. It's been more than a month since I ordered my Quad G5. The holdup has been my choice of video cards. But I think the logjam has broken free.

A few months back, when Apple announced it would be moving to Intel chips, there was conjecture that the move could slow Apple's sales until the new machines come out. After all, who wants a computer that's soon going to be obsolete?

Macworld isn't quite as wowed as Computerworld, but the new benchmarks published Friday still impress me. Compressing an MPEG-2 movie was more than two minutes faster than the dual-core 2.3GHz machine. That's a task I'm likely to do regularly.

Two weeks ago, I ordered the computer of my dreams. It may end up being the ultimate PowerPC Mac, as I'll be surprised if this machine gets surpassed before Apple switches to Intel.