shownotes_20100731

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is "Say Anything" by Manda and the Marbles
    Band's MySpace page
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News
  New Mac Pro
    New dual Quad-Core and 6-Core Intel Xeon Processors
      Base processor configs:
        one 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3530 processor with 8MB of fully-shared L3 cache ($2,499 (US))
          3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM
        two 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5620 processors with 12MB of fully-shared L3 cache per processor ($3,499 (US))
          6GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM
      Custom config options:
        one 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3565 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
        one 3.33 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon W3680 processor for the quad-core Mac Pro;
        two 2.66 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5650 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core Mac Pro;
        two 2.93 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon X5670 processors (12-cores) for the 8-core mac Pro;
    New ATI graphics
      ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics processor with 1GB of memory
      or ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 1GB of memory
    Both base configs include:
      ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory;
      two Mini DisplayPorts and one DVI (dual-link) port (adapters sold separately);
      1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
      18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
      four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
      five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports;
      AirPort Extreme® 802.11n;
      Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
      Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Magic Mouse.
    Memory can be expanded to 16GB on Quad Core models and to 32GB on 8-core models (12-core)
    BTO option for up to 4-SSD drives
      Up to 512GB SSD
    Available in August
    Apple claims the new Pos will offer up to a 50% speed boost.
  New iMacs
    New Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors.
    $1199 / 21.5" / 3.06GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 500GB / ATI Radeon HD 4670
    $1499 / 21.5" / 3.20GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670
    $1699 27" / 3.20GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670
    $1999 27" / 2.8GHz Quad-Core Core i5 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5750
      +$200 27" / 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Core i7 BTO option
    All feature
      slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
      Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
      AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
      iSight video camera;
      Gigabit Ethernet;
      four USB 2.0 ports;
      one SDXC SD card slot;
        SD Slot supports the SDXC format.
      one FireWire 800 port;
      built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
      Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
    27" also seems to offer the option to add a 2nd SSD drive in addition to the main drive
      If your planning on adding your own think again. OWC did a teardown and unless it came pre-configured the mounting hardware ain't there.
    So how does the Core i3 stack up to the old Core 2 Duo
      The clock speed remains the same, but it's supposed to be 20% faster than the old 3.0gGHz Core 2 Duo and 9% faster than the 3.2GHz Core 2 Duo
      MacNN reports that the benchmarks shows it possibly even better depending on the tool. Up to 40%
      Macworld's Testing showed the 3.2GHz Core i3 to be overall 7% faster than the 3.06GHz Core 2 Du0, but up to 28% faster in individual tests.
      The discreet ATI graphics may be the bigger boost though.
        Upping the frame rate by 4 to 12 fps depending on the model.
    Mac OS X 10.6.4 Update iMac (Mid 2010)
      Fixes compatibility and performance-related graphics issues, improves compatibility with SDXC memory cards, and adds support for the new Magic Trackpad
  New 27" LED Cinema Display
    $999 US
    16:9 edge-to-edge glass display running at a 2560 x 1440 resolution
    LED back-lit using in-plane switching (IPS) offering an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle.
    Built-in iSight video camera, microphone and speakers,
    Powered USB 2.0 hub
    Universal MagSafe connector
    Available in September.
    The current 24" LED Cinema Display has been discounted $100 down to $799.
      ArsTechnica also got a statement that the 24" and 30" models are available while supplies last, hinting that soon the 27" LED Cinema Display may soon be the only Apple LCD option.
      Macworld got word from Apple vice president of hardware marketing David Moody that the 24" and 30" are discontinued.
  New "magic" accessories
    Magic Trackpad ($69)
      large multitouch surface
        Apple says 80% larger than the Macbook Pro
        5.2 inches by 4.3 inches
      Added option to control inertial scrolling
      Also can now switch 3-finger swipe to move windows
      Software update and 10.6.4 required.
        Magic Trackpad and Multi-Touch Update 1.0 also adds new functionality to some Macbooks and Macbook Pros.
      Clicks are in the rubberized feet at the bottom edge of the trackpad.
      My early thoughts
        Design is great and matches perfectly with the keyboards
        Multi-touch gestures on a desktop are great
        perfect if you have limited desk space
        Experienced some issues with accuracy. Specifically with inertial scaling?
        At the Apple store on a 27" iMac it was very difficult to maneuver across the entire screen
        At $70 a bit on the pricey side
      Play Magic Trackpad feedback from Tommy
    Rechargeable batteries ($29)
      6-batteries and a charger
      No "vampire" charge
        Once charged the unit draws just 30 milliwatts (mW), compared to 315 mW for other chargers.
      4 in your devices and 2 in the charger
      Apple claims an up to 10 year battery life and a low self-discharge rate. Maintaining up to 80% of original charge after sitting for a year.
      No Apple logo anywhere (at least visible in the photos).
      You can use NiMH batteries from other companies, but not sure you'd reap the benefits of Apple's own cells.
  DMCA exemption allows Jailbreak
    Every 3 years the Library of Congress can add exemptions to the DMCA
    This year they said that breaking copy protection to allow the use of 3rd party apps would be allowed.
    Apple had argued that the practice of jailbreaking could harm it's reputation due to bad or malicious software being allowed onto the devices.
      Not an unsupported concern given some recent issues on the Android Marketplace
      Cult of Mac got a statement from an Apple spokeswoman
        "…he vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably."
    So it's MAY break your warranty according to Apple, but I haven't heard of anyone being denied Applecare due to jailbreak.
      Typically a restore will remove the jailbreak and I'm not sure there are traces left behind.
  Is Apple blocking magazine subscriptions?
    A new version of SI from Time, Inc. that included a monthly subscription option was rejected by Apple
    A complaint is that most "magazine" apps are over priced.
    Speculation that the issue might be
      Concerns over how personal in app data is being tracked an used.
      Apple wont's to control magazine subscriptions and revenue stream
    May be more obvious
      My understanding of the API documentation is that subscriptions can deliver new functionality and content (data), but not updated versions of an app
      Subscriptions and in-app purchases can't deliver new versions of apps
      I think because of how the SI and many other magazine apps are compiled that each issue is a new app.
  Safari 5.0.1 with Extensions
    Fixes include
      More accurate Top Hit results in the Address Field
      More accurate timing for CSS animations
      Better stability when using the Safari Reader keyboard shortcut
      Better stability when scrolling through MobileMe Mail
      Fixes an issue that could cause VoiceOver to misidentify elements of webpages
      A bunch of site specific fixes for You Tube, Rolling Stone.com, Facebook. Crate and Barrel, and American Airlines.
      Security fixes and updates including patching an Auto fill exploit that was recently disclosed.
    Apple updated and added the Extensions Gallery. Access from the Safari menu
    Previously you had to use the Developer feature and get extensions from 3rd party sites
    Safari Extensions are built with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript web standards.
      They also need to be signed with an Apple issued certificate
      Sandboxed from system data and can only communicate with sites designated by the developer.
  Apple working on 3G iOS 4 speed issues
    According to reports An Apple spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal they are aware of the issues and looking into them
    On older devices like the iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 3G users have been reporting excessive battery drain, heat, and overall performance.
    Fixes and work around include
      Hard resetting the device (seems to be temporary)
      Doing a full factory restore and setting up as a new device.
      Just saw a tip that says to turn off Spotlight Search
        Settings->General->Home Button->Spotlight Search
        Turn off searches you don't use.
  Apple uses it's own location services
    Tech Crunch noted that in their letter to congressmen over recent changes to it's iTunes and iOS privacy policies Apple's general council, Bruce Sewell, said Apple has used, and continues to use data from Skyhook wireless and Google in iOS versions 1.1.3 through 3.1
    As of April 2010 with iOS version 3.2 Apple started using it's own location services database.
    The iOS still uses Google maps for the map data, but that could change too.
    Apple recently made acquisitions of 2 mapping companies Placebase and Poly9.
    There are many possible reasons why Apple could be doing this
      Maintain better control over user data and privacy
      Maintain better control over targeted advertising.
      Location is going to be big business and no doubt Apple wants a nice slice of that pie.
  Apple loses antenna comparison vids
    Apple has changed it's apple.com/antenna page
    Now just shows details of their antenna testing labs and a brief 1 paragraph on understanding attenuation and signal loss.
    CNET heard from Apple PR on the change: "We constantly refresh the content on Apple.com. If you'd like access to [the videos], you can find them archived on YouTube.com/Apple."
    Videos are also still on the Canadian site.
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      Words, highlighting, URLs are easily tracked down
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Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  iPhone showing black thumbnails on Photos
    Jessica points out a photo issue after upgrading her 3GS to iOS 4
    Images in the Camera roll that were taken prior to the upgrade are showing up as black thumbnails
      Clicking through to the actual images show that they are there.
      Newer images seem to not be affected
    Work arounds I found
      Killing the Camera Roll and Photos apps if running in the background and re-launching
        Double-tap the Home button
        Tap and hold the application until you see the "close" icon.
        Quit the apps.
      Killing the Camera Roll and Photos apps before sync
        Shutdown the Camera Roll and Photos app
        Dock and sync the iPhone
        Need to do this every time you sync or reportedly the issue come back.
        Didn't work for Jessica
      Only other fix recommend was a full restore and not restoring from backup
        Doesn't make sense because that would delete all the old photos and newer ones weren't affected.
      Apple is reportedly aware of the issue and working on a fix.
  Dangers and benefits of the restore
    Very often Apple Geniuses will ask you to do a full restore of your iDevice and not to restore from backup.
      This can be great for resolving a host of issues
      Danger is that all your data will be lost
        Store purchases that haven't been transferred back to itunes
        Rentals that haven't been transferred
        SMS and MMS messages
        Photos
        POP Email
        3rd party application data
    Apple doesn't do a good job of warning you
    They now do have a TIL article on how to save some of that data
      Coping SMS messages to the Notes app and syncing? Seriously
      In iOS 4 apps that use the FileSharing system can save off some documents.
    If you jailbreak there are some apps to restore app and saved game data
    Apps like eCamm PhoneView let you extract some data
      SMS, Voicemails, call logs
  Review: iPhone 4 Bumper
    Play review from Dallas
    Share my thoughts
  Swapping drives from old Mac to new
    Jimmy had an interesting dilemma.
      Old Macbook Pro's logicboard died, but had a 5 mo old 320GB HDD in it that he swapped out. Had been on vacation so his TimeMachine backup didn't have all his data.
      This was an older Core 2 Duo system without easy access to the drive, but he needed his data, specifically pictures from his old drive.
    How to set up the new Macbook Pro 13". 250GB HD model
    Use the iFixit Guide to pull the good 320GB drive out of the old Macbook Pro
    Connect it to the new Macbook Pro using something like the USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter
    Then can pull individual files off or use Migration Assistant to set up the new Macbook Pro
      I would also pull a Super Duper clone or at least backup the critical data to another location.
    Buy an enclosure of the old drive and re-use it.
    Better yet in Jimmy's case, put the 320GB drive from the old Mac into the new Mac
      Normally wouldn't recommend this with an older drive
      His 320 GB drive is only 5 month's old and is bigger than the stock 250GB drive he'll get on the new Mac.
      Super easy to swap the SATA drive in the new machines.
      Put the 250 in an enclosure and use it for additional storage or backup
        I like OWC On-The-Go Pro Enclosures. $25 to $70 bucks for USB 2.0, Combo, or triple interface bus powered enclosures
  MMS audio on the iPhone
    Play message from Jon
    Apple has iTunes and has to deal with those pesky record labels, so they don't make it easy
    No way to attach an audio file directly on the iPhone that I could find. Maybe a listener knows
    Email the audio file to yourself as an MMS
      Didn't work for .m4r (iphone ringtone file), but did for MP3 format.
      email the audio file to yournumber@mms.att.com I think there is a 500K or 600K limit?
      Once you have the MMS on your phone then you can forward it.
      With the MMS displayed click the 'Edit' button. Then select the MMS (red check) and click "Forward". Now add the contact or type their number in the "To" field and hit send.
    On the iPhone you can "copy" the audio file, but again there is no way to add it into the ringtones or iPod library on the device.
    You can MMS audio memos directly from the built in Voice Memo app using the "Share" button from the memo's Info screen.
Closing
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  New Music
    "One Perfect Day" by Adrienne Pierce
    From Musicalley
    Artist's site
    Other music available on iTunes
  EOL: Darth's iPhone 4 Support Call
    An Apple support rep gets a call from the dark side on the iPhone 4 antenna issue