Apple : iTunes and iWork upgraded for Mac OS X Lion |
- iTunes and iWork upgraded for Mac OS X Lion
- In Depth: Hands on: Mac OS X Lion review
- Tutorial: How to use multi-touch gestures on your Mac
- Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know
- Apple scraps white MacBook
- Apple announces update for Mac Mini
- Apple announces new Thunderbolt LED Display
- Updated: Mac OS X Lion roars into the Mac App Store
- Apple announces beefed-up MacBook Air range
- In Depth: OS X 10.7 Lion guide: get started with Lion today
| iTunes and iWork upgraded for Mac OS X Lion Posted: 20 Jul 2011 11:51 AM PDT  Apple has today upgraded two of its most popular Mac applications to support the newly-released OS X Lion operating system. iTunes 10.4 and office suite iWork Update 6 can now be utilised as full-screen apps, one of the 250 new features supported by Lion. Full screen apps are one of the hallmark features of Lion together with the multi-touch functionality that enables users to swipe between open apps using the Mac's trackpad. The new version of iTunes is the first OS X build to be created using the 64-bit Cocoa framework. Resume and Versions iWork also takes advantage of Resume, the iOS-like feature which opens all apps in the same state that you left them following a quit or restart of your machine It also adds auto-save functionality, as well as Versions, which gives you access to every saved iteration of a document you've been working on. Both apps are available to download now through the Apple Software Update tool. Mac OS X Lion was unleashed onto the Mac App Store on Wednesday and upgrading costs just £25 for UK Mac owners. You can read our Mac OS X Lion hands-on review here. |
| In Depth: Hands on: Mac OS X Lion review Posted: 20 Jul 2011 09:36 AM PDT  It's here, it's clogging up the internet and it's probably put a few people over their monthly bandwidth caps already. Yes, we mean Lion, the latest version of Apple's desktop and laptop OS. It promises to bring the best of iOS back to the Mac, and there are some interesting new features too. So is it worth the budget price of £20.99? We'd say yes, but only if your apps will work on it: for example, we found Logic Pro 8 refused to launch once we'd upgraded; if we were musicians rather than writers, that would have been a disaster. As it is, we suspect an update won't be forthcoming, and Logic isn't exactly cheap. Expect other irregularities too. Lion decided it didn't like our mouse, and decided not to recognise our magic trackpad in a fit of pique. These are the joys of early adoption: if you're using non-Apple kit or older software or hardware, we'd recommend checking for compatibility before hitting the App Store. Adobe has already published a list of issues and other firms are likely to follow suit.
COMPATIBILITY: Make sure your favourite apps are compatible before upgrading. This message is going to cost us about £170 Lion's user interface The new interface is a nice place to be, provided you don't like colour: Apple has leached the colour out of OS X, with the odd blue progress bar lost in a world of endless greys. You'll probably encounter a few minor irritations too, such as the enormous text size in the Finder sidebar and Mail's folder list; you can fix that by going to System Preferences > General > Sidebar Icon Size. While you're in System Preferences you might want to change another thing - the mouse and trackpad settings, which are set to move content in the direction of finger movement when you scroll - and then use View > Customize to remove any System Preferences icons you don't need.
SYSTEM ICONS: Get rid of icons you don't need in System Preferences with the handy Customize option Windows are now resizable from any edge and scrollbars have become dinky grey lines, and if your app supports Lion's new full screen mode - for now, most don't - you'll see a double-arrow icon at the top right of the application window. Clicking it takes you into full screen mode and Esc takes you out again. Moving the mouse or trackpad to the top of the screen when you're in full screen mode displays the menu bar.
FULL SCREEN: iPhoto is great in full-screen mode on a 27-inch iMac. Mail, not so much Mission Control and Launchpad The new Launchpad screen addresses the issue of finding applications that aren't in the Dock without having to wander around your Mac's hard disk, and uses a distinctly iOS-like interface to display all your application icons and folders. If you're used to a dedicated launcher you'll hate it, but if you aren't - or if you're new to the Mac altogether - then it makes perfect sense.
LAUNCHPAD: Launchpad bridges the gap between the Dock and faffing around in Finder. Non-geeks will love it
FOLDER SUPPORT: Launchpad supports folders too, so things never get too cluttered on screen Mission Control, on the other hand, is more for power users. A hot corner, function key or multi-touch swipe displays your open applications, your applications' windows, any full-screen apps, Dashboard widgets (optionally) and Spaces, enabling you to quickly find what you're looking for. The interface is in 3D, too, albeit subtly.
MISSION CONTROL: Spaces, Dashboard and Expose together in one happy 3D family Lion's default apps The revised Calendar and Address Book apps look like their iPad equivalents, which has already divided opinion. We think they're horrible, but we'll get used to them.
IPADALIKE: Address Book gets an iPad-style makeover. It's a rare blast of colour in Lion's mainly grey palette Mail's iPad-style overhaul is much more successful, with grouped conversations and a distinctly minimalist UI. The folder list is hidden by default but you can unhide it with a click if you miss it.
NEW MAIL: The redesigned Mail app is more useful than before, and once again there's a strong iOS influence to its UI
NOT KEEN: The new Calendar looks like the iPad one. We don't like that one's interface either Safari gets some under-the-hood enhancements including a newer version of the WebKit rendering engine and improved security against browser exploits, and the downloads window has been replaced by an iOS-style toolbar icon and pop-up.
DOWNLOADS: Safari's Downloads window is no more. Instead, there's a toolbar icon with a pop-up, shown here The big new feature, though, is Instapaper - er, Reading List. Whenever you see something interesting online, just click the Read Later - er, Reading List's Add Page button - and then load it up in Instapaper - er, Safari - when you've got time to read it. Come iOS 5 you'll be able to sync your Reading List with your iOS devices, just like you can with that program whose name starts with I and ends with "nstapaper".
Then there's DropBox - er, AirDrop. Like DropBox it enables you to drop files to other computers, although for now it's a Lion-only feature (DropBox is multi-platform). It benefits from a typically pretty Apple UI, but if you're already using DropBox there's nothing particularly exciting here. Versions and AutoSave Lion introduces a new way of saving data, although your apps will need to be updated to support it: files are saved automatically with no input from you, and once you've given your file a name you'll see Save a Version in the File menu instead of Save. Clicking on a file title in its menu bar then gives you the option to lock a file so it's no longer autosaved; to revert to the last saved version; or to browse all the different versions, which launches a Time Machine interface for that specific document.
VERSIONING: If your apps have been updated to support it, Lion will automatically save and track files for you It works very well, but it'll be a while until it filters through to all your apps - and probably even longer before you trust it, because it feels really weird not hitting Command-S all the time. The autosave also means that if you accidentally quit a program, you can just reopen it and pick up from where you left off - and when you log out, your Mac will ask if you want to restore your open apps when you log back in. Verdict This is a hands-on rather than a full review, but it's clear that there's enough in Lion to make it a must-purchase for most Mac users - although it might be worth waiting a while, because most apps haven't been updated to take advantage of new features such as automatic saving and file versioning. Watch out for incompatibilities, too: as we discovered today, just because something works on Snow Leopard doesn't mean it'll work on Lion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Tutorial: How to use multi-touch gestures on your Mac Posted: 20 Jul 2011 07:27 AM PDT  Gestures make life easier. Pioneered in iOS and warmly welcomed by OS X users, Apple's multi-touch gestures are a little like keyboard shortcuts in that they augment rather than replace more traditional ways of interacting with your computer. But are you getting the most out of them? If you use a Mac notebook, a Magic Mouse or a Magic Trackpad, it's worth checking out everything that Apple's gestures can offer. They're very easy to use and - believe it or not - soon become second nature. The first multi-touch trackpads in Apple's notebook range appeared in early 2008 with the original MacBook Air, before reaching the MacBook Pro range a month later. As well as two-fingered scrolling offered by earlier models, the new trackpad allowed three-fingered gestures too. This was made possible by an integrated controller chip much like the one in the iPhone and iPod touch - one that recognises inputs from more than two fingers. The current glass trackpad was first introduced with Apple's late 2008 MacBook and MacBook Pro refresh. It replaced the earlier, smaller trackpad that had a separate button at the foot of the pad. Now, the entire trackpad is the button, which you can press anywhere to click. Some find it awkward at first, largely because they rest their thumb on the foot of the pad where the button used to be, but it soon proves useful. The new trackpad is 39% bigger and continues to incorporate multi-touch gestures earlier MacBook trackpads. Over recent years, Apple has expanded its range of gestures, with additional three- and even four-fingered inputs being introduced with new notebook models. The full range of gestures was brought to earlier multi-touch MacBooks with Snow Leopard, but this only works if the trackpad has the integrated controller chip.
The Magic Mouse arrived in October 2009, adopting a completely new look over the traditional mouse controller. The entire upper surface of the Magic Mouse functions as a multi-touch sensitive pad. Instead of physical buttons, the whole body acts as a clicker, and like the MacBook's trackpad, you can achieve right mouse button clicks simply by holding down the key or by configuring the mouse to recognise whether you pressed the left or right side. The centre of the mouse can be used as a scroll wheel, but there's no middle click set up for you out of the box. The Magic Mouse can recognise multiple points of contact, and although only two-fingered gestures are officially catered for, its range can be greatly expanded using third-party software. (Note, however, that a Magic Mouse requires OS X 10.5.8 or higher.)
The Magic Trackpad finally brought the versatility of Apple's notebook trackpads to the desktop Mac user. Released in July 2010, it's around 80% larger than MacBook trackpads. It's designed to match the Apple keyboard, and can actually be connected to one using a third-party peripheral called MagicWand. Like the notebook trackpad and Magic Mouse, it can be configured via its preference pane. (OS X 10.6.4 or higher is required.) Engage multi-touch
To configure your multi-touch device, under the Apple menu, select System Preferences. If you're using a Mac notebook with a multi-touch trackpad, or have a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad connected, there will be a preference pane used to configure it. Open the Trackpad or Mouse pane for a checklist of the various gestures available to you, and hover your pointer over a specific gesture to see a rolling video showing how it's accomplished. The Trackpad preference pane is functionally identical whether you're using a MacBook or a Magic Trackpad. With the Tap to Click option on, tapping the surface of the trackpad without pressing down and clicking it serves the same function as a click. It can lead to irritating accidental inputs, which is probably why it's disabled by default. If you enable it by checking its tick box, you can then activate the Dragging gesture, whereby double-tapping and holding the second tap lets you drag items around your desktop, just like clicking and holding. Drag Lock means a dragged item is released with another double-tap. The single-fingered Secondary Click is also disabled by default. When activated, clicking on the bottom-right of the trackpad is equivalent to clicking the right mouse button, or Ctrl-clicking using a single-button mouse. Left-handers can slave the secondary button function to the bottom-left corner if they wish. The trackpad's two-, three- and four-fingered gestures are all enabled by default, but you can switch off inputs you keep triggering by mistake. Scroll lets you place two fingers on the trackpad and scroll your active window vertically, horizontally and diagonally, giving the same 360-degree scrolling as a Mighty Mouse's trackball. When you lift your fingers, scrolling slows to a gradual stop if With Inertia is selected, while Without Inertia stops it instantly. Most people prefer scrolling With Inertia, as it's more instinctive. You can use the Rotate gesture in a compatible app such as Preview or iPhoto to turn an image clockwise or anticlockwise. It's achieved by placing the thumb and forefinger on the trackpad an inch or so apart, and twisting them in a circle.
By placing thumb and forefinger on the trackpad together and moving them apart, you can zoom in, with the opposite gesture zooming out again. It's the equivalent of pressing Command++ and Command+- on the keyboard. These gestures are termed Pinch Open & Close on the preference pane (but we usually refer to them as 'pinch' and 'unpinch'). As you probably know, you can zoom into and out of your Mac's screen by holding and using the mouse wheel. With Screen Zoom active, you can do this by holding and swiping up or down with two fingers on a trackpad, or one finger on a Magic Mouse. You can modify this behaviour using the Options button. Experiment, and see what suits you best. Finger food The Secondary Click option listed under Two Fingers gives the functionality of a second mouse button by clicking with two fingers on the trackpad. It's active by default, but you can switch it off if you prefer to use a one-fingered corner-click as your second mouse button. Of course, there's nothing to stop you activating both options, or disabling them both and using Ctrl-click as your secondary mouse button. If the Tap to Click option is active, Secondary Click becomes Secondary Tap and can be activated simply by touching the trackpad with two fingers, with or without clicking. By default, swiping the trackpad with three fingers is used for navigation, just like pressing the 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons in Finder and other applications. If you wish, you can use it for dragging instead, whereby moving the pointer with three fingers on the trackpad is similar to doing so with the primary mouse button held down - for selecting text, moving windows and icons around your desktop or selecting a portion of an image, for example. Four fingers on the trackpad offers up Exposé options. Swiping up moves all open windows off the desktop (like F11), and a downward swipe shows all open windows (F9).
There are third-party applications available that greatly enhance the gesture capabilities of your MacBook trackpad, Magic Trackpad and especially your Magic Mouse. The most popular is MagicPrefs, a free download that brings many trackpad gestures to the Magic Mouse and fixes its rather slow tracking speed. It also configures a trackpad with additional (optional) multi-fingered taps and clicks. For $5.99 (£3.60), JiTouch2 is similar, and adds character gestures, whereby you activate a function by drawing a letter on a trackpad or Magic Mouse. Other third-party, gesture-enhancing applications available include MouseWizard (£3), BetterTouchTool (free) and Multiclutch (free). Third-party applications and peripherals are increasingly taking advantage of gestures. Adobe Photoshop, for example, has been gesture-capable since CS4. If you prefer a graphics tablet to a mouse or trackpad, Wacom's Bamboo series gives you multi-touch gestures. Elsewhere, Remote Conductor is an iOS app that lets you use your iPad as a gesture controller for your Mac. Digit enhancement Although daunting at first, it's surprising how quickly gestures become second nature. Open your preference pane and find a gesture you've previously ignored, and make a point of using it at every opportunity. You'll soon see what we mean. Gestures take an more central role in the forthcoming OS X 10.7 Lion, so there's never been a better time to get used to them. 01. Point, click and drag Control your pointer by placing a finger on the trackpad and moving it. Set the speed at which the pointer moves using the Tracking Speed slider in the Trackpad preference pane. By holding a click and moving the pointer, you can drag windows and icons on the desktop, or select a screen or window.
02. Clicking and double-clicking You can click and double-click on a trackpad just as you would with a mouse, for example, clicking on an icon to highlight it or double-clicking to open. Adjust the trackpad's double-click speed in System Preferences. Click on Trackpad and adjust the Double-Click Speed slider.
03. Two-finger click By default, clicking (or tapping if Tap to Click is activated) with two fingers is the equivalent of pressing a secondary mouse button. In the System Preferences pane for Trackpad, you can disable two-finger taps and assign a secondary mouse click to a corner of the pad, or disable both and use Ctrl-click.
04. Two-finger scroll By placing two fingers on your trackpad and moving them up, down, left and/or right, you can scroll your currently open window through 360 degrees - useful when web surfing or typing a letter. You can also use left/right gestures to speed through a QuickTime video or iTunes album covers.
05. Rotate Place your thumb and forefinger on the trackpad then twist them clockwise or anticlockwise. Use it in Preview and iPhoto to rotate images - handy if you're looking at pictures that aren't correctly orientated. Rotate can be tricky at first, but with a little practice, you soon get the hang of it.
06. Pinch/Unpinch On the desktop or in Finder's Icon or Cover Flow views, this gesture enlarges or shrinks your icons. With Quick Look active or when using QuickTime Player, it activates and exits fullscreen mode; in Safari and Mail, it enlarges and shrinks the font size; in Preview, it zooms in and out of images.
07. Screen zoom With a standard mouse, you zoom in and out of the screen by holding and using the mouse wheel. On a trackpad, hold and drag two fingers up or down. On a Magic Mouse, move one finger up or down the surface of the mouse while holding . Also see the Screen Zoom Options preference.
08. Three-finger swipe In Finder, swiping left or right with three fingers takes you forwards and backwards through a folder tree; in Safari, it takes you to the next or previous web page; in Mail, it navigates through emails and in Preview, through images; it also traverses dates in iCal, and navigates through Quick Look items.
09. Four-finger swipe (left/right) Swipe left or right with four fingers to open the Application Switcher. Repeat this gesture in the opposite direction to close it again. With the Switcher open, move the highlight left/right through the apps list using two fingers and Return to select, or click with the pointer.
10. Four-finger swipe (up/down) Four-fingered upward/downward swipes give you Exposé functions. Swiping upwards with four fingers hides all current windows, clearing the desktop (also F11). Swiping down with four fingers shows all active windows (as does F9).
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| Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:50 AM PDT  iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already. Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation. Check out what TechRadar is hoping makes it into the next iPhone, in our video wish list.
iPhone 5 release date This year's WWDC was about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS A new report from China later stated that Q3 (which still includes July) is now the earliest we will see the iPhone 5, after the disaster in Japan pushed back supply of key components. On 20 April 2011, it emerged that the iPhone 5 release date may be September 2011. This date was cited by three sources who spoke to Reuters. On 6 May it was reported that Apple manufacturer Pegatron has reportedly been given a massive order by Jobs and co to produce 15 million handsets ready for the phone's autumn launch. On 19 July Apple seemingly confirmed the presence of a new iPhone in the market by the end of Q3, leading to yet more suggestions that the iPhone 5 will be landing in September. Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer was asked during an earnings call why he was suggesting a 12 per cent drop in revenues for the Q3 financial period – a traditionally robust time thanks to the scores of people buying the latest iPhone. He said that there is "a lot going on in the fall with iOS 5 and iCloud" but added there will be a "future product transition that we will not talk about today". The iPhone 5 will debut alongside iOS 5 in the Autumn iOS 5 will ship in the Autumn, so it seems a safe bet that the iPhone 5 will make its debut sometime then.
On 1 July, Digitimes reported that Taiwanese-based component suppliers were gearing up for production of iPad 3 and iPhone - adding weight to the theory that they will appear in September. iPhone 5 will be iCloud-based Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes. You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac. "You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall. "Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued. iPhone 5 form factor The Wall Street Journal reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers." This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'. Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5. An iPhone 4S looked more likely on 16 May 2011 after analyst Peter Misek wrote: "According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support." However, earlier reports from China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards. On 22 March 2011, China Times also reported that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display. A rumour we covered on 7 March 2011 suggests that the new iPhone will do away with the glass back and opt instead for a metal back which will act as a new iPhone antenna. And an Apple patent that we reported on on 7 April 2011 suggests that we could see the bezel put to good use on the new iPhone. The patent describes how visual indicators and touch-sensitive buttons could be incorporated to the space around the iPhone screen. Rumours that we covered on 3 May 2011, suggest that there may even be two versions of the new iPhone: a 'standard' iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 'pro'. Apparently, Apple is buying in components of differing quality, and those parts wouldn't be required for a single phone. A cheaper, smaller iPhone 5 - an iPhone nano A prototype version of a smaller iPhone is said to exist, built to ward off competition from cheap Android handsets. Rumours around an iPhone nano picked up again on 13 February when the Wall Street Journal claimed that the so-called 'iPhone nano' exists and may even be on sale later this year. Those iPhone nano rumours may hold little truth, though. As we reported on 18 February, the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from Apple. "The size of the device would not vary," says the source. A white iPhone 5 The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone. iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD It's fairly likely - given that the iPad 2 supports Full HD - that the new iPhone will do the same. iPhone 5 specs According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components. We'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, and more storage. The A5 dual-core ARM processor from the iPad 2 is extremely likely to be included. The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat. iPhone 5 screen In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market." On 23 May, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in. The iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January. iPhone 5 digital wallet There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent. However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here. UPDATE: On 24 February 2011, we reported that an Apple patent has revealed an e-wallet icon on the iPhone homescreen. This adds credence to the rumour that iPhone 5 will feature NFC. However, on 14 March 2011, reports in The Independent cited sources from 'several of the largest mobile operators in the UK', who said that Apple told them not to expect NFC in the iPhone 5. So perhaps we'll have to wait for iPhone 6 for that. But who to believe? On 22 March 2011 China Times reported that the new iPhone will include an NFC chip. On 24 June it was reported that the Google Wallet mobile payment platform could feature on the new iPhone. Eric Schmidt admitted that Google is looking to port the software to other manufacturers. LTE support At least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5G a 4G phone, which won't be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming - AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 - but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year. iPhone 5 camera Speaking at a live Wall Street Journal event, Sony's Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company's camera image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. According to 9to5Mac, he said something along the lines of, "Our best sensor technology is built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for their iPhones… or iPads. Isn't that something? They buy our best sensors from us." Other sources have also said that the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera. iPhone 5 price If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag. iPhone 5 pictures A spurious photo of an iPhone 5 front case has been unearthed by a Chinese reseller, suggesting that the next Apple handset will feature an edge-to-edge display. We're not convinced it's a genuine Apple part, though. On 17 March 2011, we reported on another supposed set of leaked iPhone 5 cases, this time looking remarkably similarly to iPhone 4 cases. Whatever the iPhone 5 looks like, it appears Samsung wants to see it. Apple has accused Samsung of trying to harass it, as the Korean company demands to see top secret future iPhone and iPad devices including the new iPhone and iPad 3. What do you want to see in the next iPhone? Hit the comments and share your thoughts. |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:22 AM PDT  Apple appears to have abandoned the white MacBook, with the latest MacBook Airs pushing all mention of the older laptop from the official site. With the lowest priced MacBook Air now coming in at £849, the MacBook seems to have been squeezed out for the thinner and lighter consumer offering, with the MacBook Pro giving another option. The white MacBook has been one of the company's iconic products over the past few years, although the Air has become its flagship consumer-focused laptop. Thunderbolt The new MacBook Airs bring the new Thunderbolt port along with a return for the backlit keyboard and the latest Intel Core processors. Also announced by Apple were new Mac Minis and a new Thunderbolt display. "It was the most popular mac and an iconic piece of kit," said MacFormat editor Graham Barlow. "I'm sorry to see 'Apple white' removed from Apple's Mac line-up." Indeed, for lovers of white, this may be a sad day - with brushed aluminium now the only laptop option you have available to you if you want a new MacBook. |
| Apple announces update for Mac Mini Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:02 AM PDT  Apple has announced updates to its Mac Minis, with the latest offering boasting next-gen Intel Core processors, discrete graphics card, Thunderbolt ports and the brand-spanking new Lion flavour of OS X. The Mac Mini, which is available from today, will be priced from £529 and offers the now familiar aluminium small form factor of just 7.7 inches by 1.4 inches. "Mac mini delivers the speed and expandability that makes it perfect for the desktop, living room or office," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. Versatile "With faster processors, more powerful graphics and Thunderbolt in an incredibly compact, aluminum design, the new Mac mini is more versatile than ever," he added. Users can chose from dual-core Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, or a quad-core Intel Core i7 powered 'server configuration'. Interestingly, Apple has rid the Mac Mini of an optical drive - those DVD markers must have really upset Apple somewhere along the line, but you can upgrade to up to 8GB RAM a faster HDD or even a 256GB SSD. Configurations The 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of £529 inc VAT (£440.83 ex VAT), with options to add memory up to 8GB and a 750GB hard drive. The 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of £699 inc VAT (£582.50 ex VAT), with options to upgrade to a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive with an option to add or replace with a 256GB solid state drive. The 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of memory and dual 500GB hard drives starts at a suggested retail price of £849 inc VAT (£707.50 ex VAT). Options include adding memory up to 8GB, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives.
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| Apple announces new Thunderbolt LED Display Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:01 AM PDT  Apple has announced the arrival of the world's first Thunderbolt LED display. The 27-inch monitor is being marketed as a docking station for a Mac notebook and will allow you to access a FaceTime webcam, high quality audio, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports of your notebook once docked. The monitor is 16:9 and has a 178-degree viewing angle. It is compatible with any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac notebook and has an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions. Ultimate docking station Speaking about the new display, Apple's Philip Schiller said: "The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook. "With just one cable, users can dock with their new display and connect to high performance peripherals, network connections and audio devices." Apple is pricing the monitor at £899, with the Thunderbolt Display UK release date coming in the next 60 days or so. It's lucky, then, that Apple has announced a whole goody bag of devices - including new MacBook Airs and Mac Minis - to keep you busy until the Thunderbolt Display arrives. |
| Updated: Mac OS X Lion roars into the Mac App Store Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT Apple has officially confirmed that Mac OS X Lion will be available to download from the Mac App Store on Wednesday. Update: Mac OS X Lion is now available to buy from the Mac App Store. The announcement, made by CFO Peter Oppenheimer at Apple's Q3 earnings call, confirms widespread reports that Apple would be holding overnight updates at its Apple Store retail outlets on Tuesday night. Earlier on Tuesday, Apple had released a Software Migration Assistant update to allow users' Macs to make an easier transition from Snow Leopard to OS X 10.7 Lion. Cheap as chips The Mac OS X upgrade, which brings over 250 new features and an iOS-like user interface, will cost UK Mac users just £20.99 when it arrives on the Mac App Store on Wednesday morning. It's the first iteration of Mac OS X that is available download only, with Apple doing away with hard-disc sales. Speculation was also rife that Apple would choose Lion launch day to unveil its heavily-anticipated MacBook Air refresh, but there was no mention of new hardware at the conference call. |
| Apple announces beefed-up MacBook Air range Posted: 20 Jul 2011 05:54 AM PDT  Apple has announced its new MacBook Air models, with 11- and 13-inch editions coming with souped-up processing power and the return of the backlit keyboard. The new 11- and 13-inch models are powered by Intel Core i5 processors and come complete with Thunderbolt connectivity, as predicted by leaks that hit earlier today. The Sandy Bridge processors mean the new range is "up to twice as fast as the previous generation", according to Apple: the 11-inch Airs come with the 1.6GHz Core i5, while the 13-inch editions offer 1.7GHz, with a custom configuration of the 1.8GHz i7 processor available. Ah, memories A memory boost has also come to the new Air models; the lowest-spec model comes with the same 2GB RAM as its predecessor, but the three higher-end editions come with 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM. All models now come with the backlit keyboard that was missing from the last generation of MacBook Airs, while the battery life stays the same – the 11-inch models offering five hours of wireless web browsing, and the 13-inchers offering seven hours. The design and sizing of the new Airs is the same as the 2010 versions, with the Thunderbolt ports replacing the Mini Display video out. All the new MacBook Air models will ship with Mac OS X Lion as standard, and all the 250 new features that it brings. The new MacBook Air UK release date is 21 July, with pre-orders opening today. The MacBook Air 2011 UK pricing is a varied beast: the 1.6 GHz 11-inch MacBook Air is available in two models, one with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage coming in at £849, while the 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage model is £999 The 1.7 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air also comes in two configurations, one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage which will set you back £1,099, while the 4GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage edition will sell for £1349. |
| In Depth: OS X 10.7 Lion guide: get started with Lion today Posted: 20 Jul 2011 05:47 AM PDT The eighth release of OS X - OS X 10.7 Lion - is packed with over 250 new features, many of which were inspired by iOS. With Lion, Apple takes note of lessons learned developing the engine that powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and brings them to the Mac. Take LaunchPad. You can tell at a glance Lion's new application launcher is based on the iOS home screen, with its application icons arranged in a user-modifiable grid. Lion brings full-screen apps to Mac OS too. At the push of a button, your application fills the screen, offering the same distraction-free usability you get with an iOS device. Mail, Apple's respected email client, also benefits from qualities and features developed for the small-screen version. But it's not all about features gleaned from iOS; Mac OS has also learned a few new tricks of its own. Mission Control brings together OS X's Spaces, Dashboard and Exposé in one easy-to-use bird's-eye view showing everything that's currently running on your computer. AirDrop lets you share files over WiFi, and Resume starts up your Mac in exactly the same state it was in when you shut down, with the same applications open, its windows positioned as before and even highlighted text restored. With all these fine features on offer, and an asking price of just £21, most Mac owners are keen to upgrade. In this feature, we'll show you how to get your Mac ready for Lion, and how to use some of its key functions. We're currently putting the new OS through its paces and we'll have our in-depth Mac OS X 10.7 Lion review up soon. Getting your Mac ready for OS X 10.7 Lion After several months of tantalising previews, excited blogs and leaks from registered developers, you're just dying to get your hands on Lion. But can you run it? Is your trusty old machine prepared for this latest version of OS X, and if it isn't, what can you do? It's time to get your Mac ready for the upgrade. If you're going to install OS X 10.7: Lion, your Mac must meet the operating system's minimum system specs. Naturally, you need an Intel processor. Support for PowerPC-based Macs was dropped with OS X 10.6: Snow Leopard, so an Intel-only Lion was inevitable. Also inevitably, Lion makes greater demands on your computer than its predecessor. Snow Leopard could be installed on any Intel Mac, but with Lion, you must have a Core 2 Duo, Core-i series or Xeon processor. Intel Macs with Core Duo chips cannot run it. So if you own a PowerPC or a very early Intel model, you need to buy a new Mac. Lion also needs more RAM than Snow Leopard, demanding 2GB against its predecessor's 1GB. Thankfully, upgrading your computer's memory is a fairly painless task, and as long as you buy from a third-party vendor, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. To check how much RAM is currently installed and what processor you have, go to the Apple pull-down menu in the top-left corner of your screen, and select About This Mac. Instructions for fitting more memory can be found in your user manual or on Apple's support site. Make sure you follow the correct instructions for your model of Mac. Installing OS X 10.7 Lion Previous versions of Mac OS X installed from optical discs, or in the case of the recent MacBook Airs, flash drives. Lion takes a new approach. Instead of delivering the operating system on physical media, you download it from the Mac App Store. Launched in January to great success, the App Store is now an integral part of Snow Leopard, but isn't compatible with older versions of OS X. This means if you're still running Leopard, or even Tiger, you must upgrade to Snow Leopard before you can install Lion. The App Store was introduced to Snow Leopard with the 10.6.6 upgrade, so if you're running 10.6.5 or older, run Software Update or download the combo updater from Apple's support site. You can then purchase, download and install Lion direct from the App Store, which can be launched from the Dock, your Applications folder or from the Apple pull-down menu. As Snow Leopard was so cheap, we doubt there are many Macs capable of running Lion that still using Tiger or Leopard. But if you're in this situation, you need to buy two operating systems to run the latest version of OS X; Snow Leopard for the App Store, then Lion. Not that this is a huge expense. Snow Leopard sells for just £26, and Lion is even more affordable at a penny shy of £21. As older versions of OS X cost £89 for a single-user licence, the combined cost of Lion and Snow Leopard is not much more than half the price. OS X 10.7 means the end of Rosetta With Lion, Apple makes a complete break from PowerPC Macs by abandoning Rosetta, the dynamic translator used to run applications written for PowerPC processors on Intel machines. Snow Leopard downgraded it to an optional install, but it's been removed from Lion completely. This means PowerPC applications cannot run on Macs using the new operating system. Apple famously described Rosetta as 'The most amazing software you'll never see'. It works so well you don't notice it's there, so it's worth checking if you're running applications you've long since forgotten were written for the PowerPC architecture. From the Apple menu, select About This Mac. In the window that opens, press the More Info button at the bottom to open the System Profiler, showing even more about your Mac. In the left-hand column (labelled 'Contents'), open the Software list by clicking on the triangle to its left, if it's not already open. Highlight 'Applications' and click on the Kind column header at the top of the window to sort your apps according to their type. Intel or Universal applications run fine in Lion, but PowerPC apps must be updated or replaced; they cannot be used with the new operating system. OS X 10.7 Lion multi-touch support Lion greatly expands the range of multi-touch gestures available to Mac users. The new OS adds a four-fingered pinch to open Lion's LaunchPad feature, an iOS-like application launcher. Unpinching with four fingers takes you back to the desktop, or if you're already there, hides all windows. A three-fingered upward flick summons Mission Control, Lion's combined Exposé, Dashboard and Spaces feature, and flicking three fingers downwards gives a single-app Exposé. Another gesture carried over from iOS is Tap to Zoom. With your pointer on a specific part of a web page, tapping with two fingers zooms in on it to give a clearer view. You can also enlarge and shrink web pages using pinch and unpinch. These extra gestures will certainly be welcomed by Apple notebook users, and if you own a desktop Mac, it might be time to buy a Magic Trackpad. Apple's stand-alone device features the same multi-touch controls and glass finish as the trackpads built into the MacBook Pro range, but is almost 80% larger. Like the Magic Mouse and wireless keyboard, it connects to your Mac over Bluetooth. If you're planning on buying a new iMac or Mac Pro from Apple's online store, you can opt for a Magic Trackpad instead of (or indeed as well as) a Magic Mouse, or you can buy one from your local Apple Store or reseller for £60. OS X 10.7 Lion in the Mac App Store So having established your Mac or Macs are capable of running OS X 10.7, how do you go about upgrading? Installing Lion is a straightforward affair. After purchasing from the Mac App Store, the new operating system downloads and installs automatically. It's as simple as that. The download is around 4GB, which is about the same as a HD movie from the iTunes store, and after buying it once, you can install it on all your personally-authorised Macs. This is especially generous considering previous versions of OS X were also sold as 'family packs', with licences for up to five machines. If you've already bought Lion and want to install it on another Mac, just open the App Store, sign in with your Apple ID (if you haven't already done so) and press the Purchased button in the top bar. Your previously-bought software – including Lion – is listed. Press the Install button and your OS is upgraded. |
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