shownotes_20100416

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is "Say Anything" by Manda and the Marbles
    Band's MySpace page
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    Notebook
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News
  iPad popularity means shortages and delays
    Wednesday Apple announced they had sold 500,000 iPads in the US and that due to high demand they were pushing back International shipments until the end of May.
      They did finally announce that International (defined by Apple as the 12 countries announced) will get pre-order sales on May 10th.
      Jobs confirmed via email that International shipments of 3G models are also pushed back to the end of May
      Odds and ends
        Apple looking to hire a Performance QA Engineer, iPad Media. Description says they must have a strong technical background in order to test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks.
        Direct-to-iPad movie rentals can't be transferred back to your Mac according to iLounge.
  iPhone OS 4 Preview
    100 new features, 1500 new APIs. Apple highlighted 7 "tent-pole" features
      1) Multitasking, but not how you think
        7 components that make up "multitasking" on the iPhone
          Background audio that supports the lock screen controls
          Voice over IP, includes the return to call bar.
            Skype will still not be over 3G?
          Background location. 2 types. GPS or cell site location.
            Privacy, app by app control, app snitching, menubar icon
          Push and local notifications.
          Task completion
          Fast App Switching, "carbonite" mode.
      2) Folders
        Up to 12 items in a folder
        Automatically names with the category
        More than 2,000 apps with folders.
          Also change background and home screen wallpapers. New calculator icon.
      3) Mail
        Unified in-box and fast in-box switching
        Threaded emails
        Multiple Exchange accounts
        Attachments now can open in apps, including 3rd party
        From the "user features" slide:
          edit messages in the Outbox, file or delete messages from search results, choose larger, set the size of outgoing image attachments.
      4) iBooks
        Sync place and bookmarks. I assume via iTunes like iPods and iPhones do with movies?
      5) Enterprise
        Data protection, emails and attachments can be encrypted on the device. Encryption is also avail to 3rd party apps
        Wirelessly distribute corporate apps
        Exchange Server 2010 and multiple Exchange accounts
        Support for SSL VPN.
      6) Game Center
        Developer preview in iPhone OS 4
        Apple branded social gaming network. Xbox LIVE for iPhone
        leaderboards, achievements, matchmaking, chat?
      7) iAd
        Developers can easily add ads to their apps.
        Apple will keep 40% and developers get 60%
        Interactive using HTML 5 and never leave the App.
        In-app purchases also possible?
        A lot of debate among analysts about what it will mean for Apple
          Brian Marshall with Broadpoint AmTech did a range based on a "hybrid" ad pricing model that would include cost per click, cost per action, and cost per 1,000 viewers.
            Anywhere from 292M to 4.6B in revenue
          Gene Munster sees Apple capturing about $220 M in 2011. In app revenue for all 2009 was just $45M.
          Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. see iAds as a break even proposition for Apple meant to keep app developers happy and paid on the Apple platforms. Especially developers of free apps.
    Bonus user features
      Rotate photos, Birthday calendar, Create playlists, Recent Web searches, Gift apps, Persistent Wi-Fi, Cell data only setting, Spell check, SMS & alerts, CalDAV invitations, Bluetooth keyboards, Top Hit in Search, Sync IMAP notes, 5x digital zoom, Nested playlists, CardDAV, Tap to focus video, Upload workouts to Nike+, Places and Faces in Photos, iPod Out (device iPod navigation), Home screen wallpaper, Search SMS/MMS messages, Wake on Wireless, Web search suggestions
      Web and Wikipedia results in Spotlight search
      Connect external braille devices
      Rate on Delete, deleted.
    Available for iPhone and iPod Touch this summer. iPads in the Fall.
      All features supported on iPhone 3GS and 3rd gen iPod Touch. Partial on iPhone 3G and 2nd Gen iPod Touch.
    Audio Video Chat rumors are back
      Developers noticing what looks like iChat frameworks for video and audio chat.
      AppleInsider reports iChatAgent running in the background of iPhones updated with iPhone Software 4.0 beta.
    John Gruber says he has reason to believe that a "tentative" plan to release a developer beta of Mac OS 10.7 at WWDC, is now on hold. Development taking a back seat to iPhone OS 4?
    Speculation of a June release for the 4th Gen iPhone
      AT&T blocking employee vacations in June.
      Not surprising since WWDC is expected in late June or early July
      Rumors Apple has booked the Yerba Buena center for June 22nd.
  More blows in the Great Flash War of 2010
    Apple changes to the iPhone Developer agreement section 3.3.1
      "Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited)."
    Many saw this as specifically added to block Adobe's CS5 Flash-to-iPhone compiler. May impact other cross-coding compilers like Monotouch and Unity, but it's not clear.
    Reality is that the cross compilers may prevent Apple from doing the smart multitasking features
      ArsTechnica points out this argument may be bunk.
        Tap Tap Revenge (demoed by Apple at the event and using multitasking) uses Lua, an embeddable scripting language, ironically used by Adobe in Lightroom. Also games like World of Warcraft.
      3rd party frameworks might not give developers full access to all the native API features and need to be updated when Apple makes changes and updates.
        Developers don't always choose to use every API in an app, and if they use a framework that doesn't immediately implement a new Apple API feature that's their tough luck. If an Apple change breaks their app it might be another story.
  New Macbook Pros are finally here. i5s and i7s all around (almost)!
    15" Macbook Pro (USD $1,799) - 2.4GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB RAM, 320GB HDD, SD Card slot, and up to 9 hours battery.
      USD $1,999 - 2.53GHz Core i5 processor and 500GB HDD
      USD $2,199 - 2.66GHz Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB RAM
    17" Macbook Pro (USD $2,299) 2.53GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB RAM, 500GB HDD, ExpressCard/34 slot, and up to 9 hours battery.
    13" Macbook Pro (USD $1,199.00) - 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, 250GB HD, SD Card Slot, 10 hour battery life
      USD $1,499 - 2.66GHz IntelCore 2 Duo, 320GB HDD
    Extra options
      13" SSDs - 128GB (USD $350), 256GB (USD $800), 512GB (USD $1,450)
      15" and 17" SSDs - 128GB (USD $200), 256GB (USD $650), 512GB (USD $1,300)
      15" - high-resolution 1680-by-1050 glossy or antiglare display (1440-by-900-pixel LED-backlit glossy display standard) - Add USD $100 for glossy and $150 for anti-glare
      17" - Only has 1440-by-900-pixel LED-backlit high resolution display. Add $50.00 for antiglare
      Antiglare has silver bezel.
    Can switch between the integrated Intel HD graphics and the discrete NVIDIA GPU on the fly, but is custom designed Apple technology not the NVIDIA Optimus technology. Tighter hardware software integration for increased battery life.
    Apple Insider reports that the NVIDIA GeForce 320M was made especially for Apple. Uses shared memory. Supports PureVideo HD for high definition decoding within the GPU and also GPU video encoding.
    Mini Display Port to HDMI adapters
      Apple has no plans to make their own, but they are available from 3rd parties.
      New Macbooks support HDMI audio
      HDMI adapters won't work with the new MacBook Pros if they aren't compliant with the 1.1a version or later of the DisplayPort spec
    Early benchmarks
      Gizmodo did some Geekbenching and concluded the new Core i5 and i7 Macbook Pros are about 50% faster than the last gen Core 2 Duos.
      New GPUs should help in performance.
    MacBook Pro Software Update 1.3, contains improvements for graphics stability for high-performance video and gaming applications as well as various bug fixes.
    Sales were brisk with early reports of 13" Macbooks selling out at some locations.
    Rumor from Electronista says Apple may be talking to AMD of all people about providing chips in upcoming Mac.
      Opteron for Desktops and Turion for mobiles
      Speculation as to why ranges
        Concerns over Intel's shortage on Core i5 and i7 and that Intel may have give Acer first crack at supplies over Apple.
        Posturing to put pressure in Intel for better deals
        Better integrated GPUs with AMD due to their aquisition of ATI. May be attractive to Apple since Intel's integrated GMA architecture has been slow to progress.
  27" iMac updates
    27-inch iMac EFI FW Update 1.0
      Recommended for all quad-core Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors 27-inch iMacs.
      Resolves an issue that sometimes caused high processor utilization while playing audio through the headphone output mini-jack.
      Resolves an issue that prevented the display backlight from turning on after powering on the iMac.
    27-inch iMac SMC Firmware update
      Fixes Target Display Mode compatibility issues on 27-inch iMac computers.
  Leopard, Snow Leopard Security Update 2010-003
    Patches the exploit used by security expert Charlie Miller at CanSecWest's Pwn2Own Contest
    Fixes an unchecked index issue exists in Apple Type Services' handling of embedded fonts.
  New Mac virus raising HellRTS
    Mac anti-virus maker Intego has warned the Mac community about a new variant of the HellRTS maleware first discovered in 2004 according to MacUser.
    The HellRTS.D variant, once installed on your Mac, opens a back door allowing hackers remote access to your Mac.
      It sets up a password protected server and renames itself to avoid detection.
    Good news is it's not in the wild and would ned to use a Trojan attack to embed itself in your system.
    Safe Mac rules still apply.
      Turn off “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading” option in Safari
      Don't install apps from untrusted sources.
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Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  Questions about buying a new Macbook
    Susan is ready to replace her trusty 7 year old Powerbook G4, but has a bunch of questions
    New high-resolution screen (1680 x 1050)
      Standard display is 1440 x 900
      My opinion, will things look smaller, why go high-res?
      Glossy (Glare) vs. Anti-glare? Have to do high-res if you want anti-glare
      Can you run the high-res at 1440 x 900?
    Using it with a 20" cinema display, possible? What about difference in native resolution? Why can a machine with a 1440 x 900 native screen drive a 1680 x 1050 20" external display?
      Use Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter.
      Actually can do external displays up to 2560 by 1600.
    7,200 RPM vs 5,400 RPM drive. Only $50.00 more. What about SSD? Same flash that is in a camera SD card?
  Enable Text-to-Speech in iBooks on the iPad
    The iPad will do Text-to-Speech for iBooks, but it's not obvious how to enable the feature.
    It's enabled via the Accessibility settings.
    Accessibility is the iPad and iPhone OS are a great thing if you need them, but for most users you don't need the features all the time.
    Here's is the best way to enable it selectively
      Go into the 'Settings'.
      Then into 'Accessibility' and Look for the 'Triple-click Home' option.
      Change the Triple-click home settings to 'Toggle VoiceOver'
      Now exit the settings and go to iBooks and open your book.
      Make sure sound is up.
      Triple-click to turn on voice-over. You should get an audio confirmation.
        Navigation changes, so single-tap will "touch" an item, double-tap to select it, 3 fingers to scroll.
        Tap to select starting point for reading and then two-finger swipe down to start reading.
        It will automatically turn and go to next page.
        Tap with 2-fingers to pause and resume the reading.
      Other Voice Over gestures in other apps.
        "Rotator" to change the selection level.
        One finger swipe to go forward or back by selection level.
        3 finger tap to give page and position info.
  Review: BearExtender n3
    802.11n wireless adapter for Mac
    External USB Wi-fi device, about the width and thickness of my iPhone 3 GS and about 1/2 the height
    Outputs up to 700mW output power (10x the built-in Airport) and has an external 2 dBi gain antenna.
    You can reach signals that your internal Airport card can't reach.
      Mac Mini, 1.66 Core Duo with Airport Extreme b/g could only get a week signal and would drop.
      Bear Extender added 802.11n and gave me 60-80% signal strength
      I was using a 802.11n USB adapter from NewerTech, It was giving a 25%-30% signal strength.
      Bear n3 was 3 to 4 times greater in the same place. You can move the external antenna to get a better signal and you can upgrade it if needed.
    While it supports 802.11n it does need to run at the 2.4GHz band, so won't work in a 5GHz only n network. Fine for me because my iPhone uses 3G and I have the newer dual-band Airport Extreme.
    Compatible with most Macs running OS 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 Snow Leopard (32-bit)
      Excludes early clamshell iBooks and some XServes and MacPros with Snow Leopard.
    What you get
      BearExtender n3
      Removable 2 dBi gain antenna (RP-SMA antenna port)
      Removable clip
      4 inch USB Metal Flex cable (for Macintosh notebook users)
      3 foot USB cable (for Macintosh desktop users)
      USB flash drive containing manual and drivers (RALink)
    Price is amazing at $44.95
  Wi-fi Security on iPads and iPhones
    I had a could listeners ask this week about security on the iPad and the iPhone OS while using wi-fi hotspots.
    Kevin wondered why there wasn't a firewall added to OS 4.
    A firewall isn't going to provide a whole lot of security, since the iPhone isn't really running a bunch of services and protocols in the background. There's no default system wide file-sharing for example.
    The main security concern when using an open wi-fi hotspot would be packet sniffing or interception, "man-in-the-middle" style attacks.
    Your best protection is going to be what you choose to access and how you choose to access it on open wi-fi
      For log-ins and sensitive data, always use SSL. I don't know how you tell this with 3rd party apps?
        Make sure the whole site is SSL and not just the log-in screen.
      Only use Mail (POP and IMAP) accounts that let you log-in with SSL on.
    Use VPN
      Encrypts all the data from your device to the VPN server. Prevents sniffing at the open wi-fi.
      David Morgenstern from a Dec. 2008 ZDNet piece mentions Anchorfree HotspotShield (User Products-->iPhone)
        Uses L2TP VPN which they had to set up just for iPhone OS devices. Normally the service uses OpenVPN software which relies on SSL VPN which will be supported in iPhone OS 4
      Anytime you go from hotspot to hotspot or hotspot to mobile you'll lose the VPn and need to reconnect.
  Quit iPhoto to back up pics with Time Machine
    David Morgenstern points out a potential gottcha if you use Time Machine and iPhoto.
    iPhoto won't get backed up by Time Machine if it's open.
Closing
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  New Music
    "Woodwork" by The Kathy Fleishmann Band
    Artist web site
    Buy on iTunes
  EOL: How to Print from the iPad
    TUAW found at least one iPad owner who may have found a solution for the iPad's lack of direct printing support. (via TUAW)