MacCast 11.13.2009 - Show #284
Media/Links
V Opening
V Opening Music
* Music is "Say Anything" by Manda and the Marbles
* Band's MySpace page
V Sponsor
V Audible
* If you haven't tried it now is the time. Holiday travel is upon us.
V 14-day Trial of Audible Listener Gold
* 1 book credit per month
* Huge selection of titles, over 60,000
* Works on a wide range of devices including your iPod, iPhone, Kindle, etc.
* If you decide not to continue your first book is free to keep.
* Buy it for yourself or as a gift.
V News
V Lots of interesting Apple numbers
V A Cult of Mac article has numbers from Apple 10K SEC filing showing Apple plans to raise it's capital expenditures by 70% in 2010. 1.9 billion to be exact, up from the 1.1 it spent in 2009.
V Buzz is they will be spending some of the cash on "cloud" initiatives
* The $1 Billion dollar North Carolina Server farm
* Rumors of iTunes $30/mo. TV subscription service (Apple Insider).
V Apple holiday sales look to be strong
* Predicting December Mac sales up to 3.4 million from the 3 million sold in September on recent iMac, Mac Mini, and Macbook refreshes
* Predicting a record 10 million iPhones sold in December.
V Reporting on some new Comscore numbers Electronista says the iPhone now makes up 32.9% of all US touchscreen phones.
* #2 and #3 the Verizon LG Dare and Voyager are 8.7 and 7.8% respectively
* Electonista also reports Apple has 17.1% of the smartphone market in the quarter up from 16.6%, but still fell behind Blackberry which rose to 19% for the quarter.
V And again proving that market share doesn't equate to success...
V Electronista says numbers from Strategy Analytics have made Apple the most profitable phone maker in the US beating out Nokia.
* Apple has just 2.2% of the US mobile phone market, but is estimated to have earned 1.6 billion compared to Nokia's 1.1 billion.
* Remember Apple has only been making phones for 2 years.
V Apple can't get any respect
* Seems like they have painted a huge target on their backs
V iPhoneCentral notes visiting the GetFlash site on your iPhone results in an opportunity to kick some dirt in the iPhones face.
* "Apple restricts use of technologies required by products like Flash Player. Until Apple eliminates these restrictions, Adobe cannot provide Flash Player for the iPhone or iPod touch".
V Then to add insult to injury, Verizon post a new "Misfit Toys" holiday version of their recent "There's a Map" for that campaign.
* AT&T is suing over the ads, which always seems like a petty response to me.
* Verizon launched the Droid phones, but isn't really up front with the fact that tethering will run you $30/mo extra and Exchange support is another $15/mo. They also doubled ETF fees on "Advanced Phones" to $350 bucks.
V Droids reported sold 100,000 units in their opening weekend. About the same or a little more than the Palm Pre did in it's opening weekend
* Macworld says the iPhone 3GS sold about 10 times that amount in it's debut weekend. The original iPhone sold about 500,000 in it's first weekend.
* Interestingly, this week brought a rumor from OTR Global and AppleInsider that Verizon might see an iPhone with a new Qualcomm hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip in the 3rd Quarter of 2010. Guess they can bash away until then.
V iTunes getting more polish
* iLounge notes a new Music Movies page. And also says Apple is pushing to get some Music films on iTunes prior to release in other formats. Starting with "It Might Get Loud", a documentary about guitarists Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge and a Kings of Leon concert film.
V iTunes LPs were updated for AppleTV which is supported in the recent 3.0 update.
* Email to update if you already purchased or in iTunes go to 'Store'-->'Check for Available Downloads…'
* Thanks to TMO for the tip.
V Apple TV 3.0.1 update rushed out to fix an issue where sync'd iTunes content would disappear
* I have reports from some users who have applied the update and are still not seeing their AppleTVs in iTunes.
* I had to restart mine and re-connect my iTunes with the 4-digit codes
* Macworld reports a huge HD movie update with Apple now offer more than 280 titles in HD. Lots of films are also now sporting the new iTunes Extras.
V Mac OS X 10.6.2 Update
* The big fix was patching the 'Guest account bug'. Which was deleting data when logging into the main account after creating a Guest account.
V Apple says the update, "includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac". It also addresses:
* an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
* a graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites
* Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
* a problem that prevented authenticating as an administrative user
* issues when using NTFS and WebDAV file servers
* the reliability of menu extras
* an issue with the 4-finger swipe gesture
* an issue that causes Mail to quit unexpectedly when setting up an Exchange server
* Address Book becoming unresponsive when editing
* a problem adding images to contacts in Address Book
* an issue that prevented opening files downloaded from the Internet
* Safari plug-in reliability
* general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
* an issue that caused data to be deleted when using a guest account
* TMO also notes additional graphics fixes, Safari fixes, updates to address font issues, Mail fixes and more.
* Adam reports the update fixes issues some owners of older Mac Minis were having with FrontRow and video playback on systems with 1GB or RAM.
V Update also fixes a couple of Adobe related issues
* Stops general application crashes when opening or saving files.
* Fixes crashes and program errors when using the Menlo font, in Premiere and Photoshop.
* Fixes a Photoshop CS4 cursor display bug
* and more.
* If you have a "hackintosh" don't update as report are that the final build does disable booting on Netbooks with Intel Atom processors.
V Security Update 2009-006 (included in 10.6.2) and also available for Leopard
* MacNN note sit included security fixes related to embedded fonts, NUL characters in SSL certificates, PDF file handling, TIFF images, H.264 files, HTTP headers, QuickTime, Spotlight, and more.
V iPhone attacks target Jailbreakers
* 2 attacks on Jailbroaken iPhones. One was an extortion deal, were an attacker scanned the mobile networks looking for jailbroken iPhones, then used an SSH vulnerability to change the default password and ask for $5.00 to get your iPhone SSH access back.
* The second attack, being called a "the first iPhone worm", originated in Australia and also used the SSH exploit and changed the owners wallpaper to "rickroll" them.
* A 3rd hack was reported by Intego, iPhone/Privacy.A. This one silently installs itself and allows hackers to access personal information and data on the iPhone. Again it uses the open "backdoor" on Jailbroken iPhones with default SSH passwords.
V Mini Display Port made VESA Standard
* ArsTechnica reports that the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced it will make Apple's Mini Display Port connector part of the current DisplayPort standard.
* It probably helped that Apple is offering no-fee licenses for the connector, likely in an effort to speed adoption by other manufacturers.
* Becoming an official part of the VESA Standard should only help that effort.
V Apple works to make Holiday shopping easier
* New reserve and pickup service allows you to order online and arrange for in-store pickup between December 15th and the 24th.
* Free shipping on orders over $50
* Gift wrapping on online orders
* Free iPod engraving.
V Safari 4.0.4 Update
* For Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Windows
V Improvements to performance, stability, and security.
* Improved JavaScript performance
* Improved Full History Search performance for users with a large number of history items
* Stability improvements for 3rd-party plug-ins, the search field and Yahoo! Mail
* Six Security fixes, three of them to WebKit
V Apple rolls out iTunes Preview
* Macworld noticed that Apple quietly changed the web jump pages for iTunes music links.
V Now when you go through Apple's iTunes Chart page or use a link generated using the 'Copy iTunes URL' feature in iTunes (Control + Click album art) the link goes to a 'iTunes Preview' page
* Looks to be part of the iTunes section of Apple's site w/ full Apple navigation
* No longer launches iTunes (unless using 'Charts' links).
* Displays full album and track details, album art, ratings, customer reviews, etc. Basically same page you would see in iTunes.
* Links launch iTunes and take you to the store.
* No previews in browser and is music only at the moment.
V Apple retail keeps growing up
* Apple just unveiled it's Upper West Side Store in NY and it's big.
V Ron Johnson, Senior VP of Retail, said in 2010 they will only get bigger
* Plan to open 40-50 more locations in 2010
* The UWS store has a 45-foot Genius Bars
V Apple retail stores are very profitable and the most profitable on a per sq ft. basis
* Currently bring in about $26 million per year
* About $4,300/per square foot
V Sponsor
V Smile On My Mac
* Disc Label
V Great for polishing off Holiday projects for gifts. Labels and tray liner cards
* Photo Slide shows, home video DVDs, mix CDs for holiday parties
* Great built in templates or you can design your own
* Works with labels, direct print, and Lightscribe
* Free trial available
V Feedback, Comments and Commentary
V Apple TV Issues after 3.0.1 update
* A couple of you have mentioned continued issue with the recent Apple TV updates
V Apple issued an alert and patch 3.0.1 via email
* If you've installed the Apple TV 3.0 software update, you should immediately update to version 3.0.1. This prevents content from temporarily disappearing until it is resynced.
To update your Apple TV software:
* 1. Reboot your Apple TV (unplug the power cord and plug it back in)
* 2. Select Settings > General from the main menu
* 3. Select Update Software
* 4. Select Download and Install
* Note: Your Apple TV will conduct a restart, which is followed by the Apple logo and a status bar.
V New UI has some concerns for parents.
* Pushes popular iTunes content and album images up to the top of the interface and some of it might not be appropriate.
* Seems like parental setting don't apple to previews?
V More Magic Mouse Feedback
V Many of you are liking the Magic Mouse
* Play comment from Cris
* I purchased one and have been using it for a while and it's growing on me.
V Get momentum scrolling in Leopard
* How to on Maccast.com
V Questions about a stolen Mac
V 1- Why doesn't Apple support biometrical based login protocols?
* As long as the system can be booted externally this wouldn't necessarily protect it.
V 2- Can a thief get into a computer which is password protected at the sleep prompt? If so how easy is it to hack into password protected files in MS or Adobe format?
* No, and these are fairly easy to crack.
V 3- Why doesn't Apple support folder password protection?
* They do in a way with encrypted disk images.
V 4- Why doesn't Apple record periodic logging into their network of any apple devices. Apple could compare these devices serial numbers against a database of stolen hardware?
* This would be a costly thing for Apple to manage and maintain and it's really not their responsibility.
V 5- Why doesn't Apple enable remote lock of computers and other devices once they are located on a network and you've proved ownership? Somehow, we need to deter theft by disabling all components on a computer rendering it useless.
* They do on the iPhone, so maybe a remote wipe or lock for Macs could be enabled in the future.
V 6- Couldn't we enable any web-cam embedded on a computer to remotely record once the hardware has been compromised by theft or loss?
* There are 3rd party apps for this.
* Undercover
V 7- Why wouldn't Apple build in a secure application available on all computers to store sensitive information?
* They have 2 options. Secure Disk Images and Keychain Access Secure notes
V Also great 3rd Party apps like
V 8- Can a Mac user delete all calendar and contact from an account which has been compromised by the loss a computer?
* Not that I am aware of. Again this would be a nice feature to enable with .Mac
V Reality is that most crooks are going to wipe the system and data and resell the system. Some identity theft might occur.
* Once they have access to the hardware, even if it's deleted (wiped), encrypted, etc. It can potentially be accessed you can just make it harder to get to.
* It would have to connect to the internet to track or phone home
* Apple does offer FileVault whole Mac encryption built-in and you can set a firmware password (utilities on OS X SL DVD).
* 3rd party whole disk encryption like PGP Whole Disk
V New vs. Unplayed in iTunes
* This one always confuses me and it was causing trouble for Petter
* New is a brand new. As in hasn't been listened to or watched yet. Once you play to even a second, either on your iPod or in iTunes, it's no longer "new".
* Unplayed hasn't been played all the way to the end, or hasn't upped the play count. It will show a full or partial "blue dot".
V Windows virtualization vs. Bootcamp
* Rick wants to know my opinions on stability, security, efficiency, cost, etc.
* Stability, should be similar on both, yet in Bootcamp a crash could require a reboot vs. a simple restart of the app.
* Security, again similar in either case if it's compromised you can always re-create the image
* Efficiency, Bootcamp will allow you to maximize resources.
* Cost, both you have to buy Windows. The additional cost of VMWare or Parallels. USD $80
V Really comes down to your reason for needing to run Windows.
* Intensive resource heavy apps or hardware access is likely better under Bootcamp
* Occasional use and light requirements. Copy, paste, etc. Visualization should be fine.
V Thoughts on being a pirate
* Alejandro was shocked at how easy it is to get Mac apps off Bittorrent and wanted to know my opinion
* Apple doesn't protect the Snow Leopard "upgrade" although the licensing rules are clear. Same on the regular vs. "family" pack.
* Piracy creates a vicious cycle and it's just wrong in any format.
V There are options
* Educational and military pricing. Teachers, home schoolers, continuing education, etc. qualify.
* Software bundles, like Mac update and Mac Heist
* Shareware, Freeware and Open Source Alternatives. NeoOffice or Open Office. GIMP, Pixelmator, Acorn.
V Closing
V Podcast Marketplace
V Thanks to my sponsors
* Circus Ponies
* Smile on my Mac
* Faronics, Deep Freeze
* Audible
V Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
V 281-622-4269 or 281-Mac-I-Am-9
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V Maccast Nominated for a Podcast Award
* These are people's choice awards, so thanks to all who nominated me
V I'm in the Science and Technology category with some great shows
* Bwana TV, FLOSS Weekly, Geek Brief TV, Security Now, Skepticality
* iPhone Alley is also nominated.
V Voting starts the 13th and continues through the end of the month.
* You can vote once a day, so please vote often.
* Heavy competition and I have never won this.
V Vote for your favorite shows in other categories as well
V Some of my friends and favorites
* TWiT, This American Life, Planet Money, The Instance, AppSlappy, Today in iPhone, Amateur Traveller
V "Chelsea" by The Summer Set
* From Mevio's Music Alley
* Bands website
* Buy on iTunes
V EOL: OS X Calculator for realsies?
* The folks over at Minpass think about stuff, cool stuff. Liike making real versions of the OS X and Windows built-in calculator apps. (via TUAW).