shownotes_20110615

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
    Mandaandthemarbles.com
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News
  WWDC Fallout
    iCloud
      More significant than you expect
      File system is gone
        Dan Moren from Macworld points out the significance that it was on equal footing with iOS and OS X. It's just as important.
        Apple will revolutionize the idea of a filesystem.
        File aware apps that display relevant data that makes sense for the types of files they consume
        Storage location should be irrelevant
        The difference between Apple and others is going to be the transparency. It will just work.
      Services left behind from Mobile Me
        iWeb, iDisk, Mobile Me Galleries (photo stream).
        Unclear at this point, but Apple has confirmed iCloud will replace Mobile Me.
        The cut off date is June 30, 2012
        Current web interfaces will cease to exist after that date.
          Not sure if they will be replaced, but seems like Apple's cloud future is in web services on the iCould with App, not web interfaces.
          An iCloud version of iCal invites seems to be in the works.
          Why not both?
        The App stores might be a good indication of what we will see. There are really web interfaces in a Application wrapper with thin Web "views" (iTunes preview pages in Safari).
    No PC
      Significant because it hastens the Post PC transition
      MacNN reports that possible as many as 50% of iPhone owners have never connected to iTunes.
    Notifications
      In case you missed it, in addition to new notifications there are also some lock screen widgets (Weather and Stocks)
      UK developer Will Homer discovered that he could hack in a custom widget for Notification Center
      No word on if Apple will allow 3rd parties to do this, but it's interesting.
      Notification Center looked like Android notifications at first past, but goes far beyond it
        Swipe to launch app
        App by app control of notifications, including how many items will be displayed (1,5,10).
    iOS is the future?
      Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster and crew polled 45 developers at WWDC and found most are coding for iOS only
      Note this is hardly a good sampling, but here's what they found
        only 7% also wrote Mac apps
        47% also wrote for Android, and 36% for RIM, just 13 for Windows phone. No interest in WebOS, Symbian (Nokia)
        In 2009 a similar survey showed 50% of iOS developers also produced Mac apps.
      Likely just shows that developers are choosing platforms, but I also know a big request from customers is that they support both.
      The Mac App store is likely too young to tell if the model will translate to better sales for developers and more apps.
    Nuance is in there?
      All the rumors leading up to WWDC mentioned more voice control and a partnership with Nuance
      @chronic claims to have found hidden iOS 5 preferences that show "Mic on Space key" and "Nuance Dictation" settings.
  Mac sales up, but under estimates
    Gene Munster's and IDC are out with their Mac sales predictions for the current quarter
    In the first two months (April and May) they estimate US sales up 15%.
    Wall Street is predicting a 22% growth year over year for Apple's 3rd quarter which ends this month.
    Strong Macbook Air (up 38%) and MacBook sales (up 35%) have driven the quarter.
    We just had the Sandy Bridge Thunderbolt iMac refresh, so that should help June. Apple could still make the Streets target.
    There have been rumors of a Sandy Bridge Macbook Air refresh coming soon which could pump late quarter numbers.
      Apple supposedly has orders in for 380,000 units that would be arriving in Apple Stores soon.
    Rumors of a possible Mac Mini refresh soon too.
      Bust Buy is reporting backorders of 1-2 weeks, but Apple still show 24 hours
    Airport and Time Capsules rumored for a refresh
      Apple Australia had long lead times 1-2 weeks up to 30 days
      Some sources think Apple will add A5 processors and iOS
      Lion drops the "Airport" branding from the networking settings
        Some think it's too confusing for new users
        Would also add consistency between OS X and iOS
        I think the Airport brand will stick on the hardware and the Airport Utility.
      Apple released Airport Utility 5.5.3 on Wednesday
        Resolves an issue that caused the AirPort Utility to unexpectedly quit during setup.
        But MacRumors reports it also seems to contain references to future AirPort Extreme and Time Capsules that can store software updates.
        It's also been reported that new units would expand iCould functionality and allow streaming of content from your home iTunes to remote devices. Seems less likely to be, but certainly technically possible.
      I think a lot of the updates would be about making iOS and the network support Apple's new "PC Free" strategy.
    If Apple's hoping to jumpstart Back to Schools sales I don't think $100 iTunes gift cards will cut it.
  Verizon iPad 2 recall confirmed
    Apple is recalling a small number of Verizon iPad 2's, but will not say how many
    The effected units were flashed with duplicate mobile equipment identifier (MEID) numbers
    Units need to have unique IDs
    The issue was effecting connectivity for some iPads
  Rumors of iPad 3s still linger
    There are still rumors flying that Apple has an iPad 3 waiting in the wings
    This week saw a resurgence in the rumor that it would have a 2x resolution "retina display"
      Based on new image assets found for Twitter integration in iOS 5.
      We had already seen some background image assets in iOS 4.3 builds that use the double 2048 x 1536 resolution.
      It's also believed a next gen iPad 3 3G would have a single "world" baseband chip to cover all frequencies on both GSM and CDMA networks. The Verizon iPad 2 already has a Qualcomm MDM6600 (Gobi) baseband, but no SIM slot to support GSM networks.
    Some are looking for a release in September, but I don;t think Apple has any incentive to do that.
  Unlocked iPhones in the US?
    Rumor released as a tweet by @Chronic
    Confirmed Tuesday morning when Apple started selling the device
    $649 for 16GB and $749 for 32GB. GSM only at this point.
    Would technically allow iPhone on T-mobile, but the iPhone 4 doesn't have a chip the supports their 3G frequency, so slower data. Also no visual voicemail
    Better for US iPhone owners who need to travel and want to be able to pop-in a local SIM for cellular and data.
    Details are still spotty on whether or not AT&T pay as you go plans are supported.
      They offer a $25 plan for 500 MB of data for 30 days
      Can get the standard $40 month voice, plus $15 250Mb data plan and cancel since it's unlocked.
    Need to use a micro SIM or buy a SIM cutter.
  Final Cut Pro X on App Store next week?
    A Japanese Mac blog is reporting that Final Cut Pro X will be available in the App Store next week
    Apple showed it off at NAB in April and announce a $299 price point.
  iBooks 1.3 Update
    Help your children learn to read with the new read-aloud feature included in select children’s books from the iBookstore. The read-aloud feature uses a real narrator to read the book to you, and in some books, it will even highlight the words as you read along.
    Enhanced books can now automatically play audio or video included with the book.
    Makes iBooks more responsive when opening very long books.
    Addresses an issue where some books may display the same page twice.
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Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  More Find My iPhone tips
    Play tip from Jared
    I personally would tell my teenager I was tracking them and why, but that's up to your particular teenager and situation.
    Also note you can bypass the restrictions by doing a restore on the iPhone and not restoring from backup.
  General thoughts on Apple's WWDC event
    Long and impressive.
    Lion looks like it's shaping up to be a nice update
      Mission Control looks like a great update to Expose
      Resume, Autosave, and Versions are going to be the "sleeper" feature. As more developers implement support
      Love the AirDrop icon and that will be useful especially for small workgroups and family Macs
      Conversations in Mail are going to be useful
    iOS 5 really addresses many of the complaints
      Michael Johnston said, "Fewer and fewer reasons to jailbreak".
      Notification Center
      iMessage
      iReminders
      Camera and Photo
        Access camera from lock screen
        Crop, rotate in photo app. Also auto enhance (requires A4 or A5 processor)
      Safari
        tabbed browsing
        Reader and Reading List - Not sure if these will replace Instapaper for me yet?
      PC Free and Wi-fi sync are huge.
      Airplay mirroring rocks.
    iCloud and iTunes Match Service
      Demoting the Mac to "just a device".
      “We’re going to move the digital hub into the cloud". Your Mac. iTunes, iPhoto, etc won't be the center anymore, iCloud will.
        I'm hoping there is also room for "local clouds". The home sever concept, which might be a re-envisioned iOS, A5 powered Time Capsule.
      Seems to be all about the "sync" and management of that could be tricky.
        You do get 5GB of document storage, but it's still pushed to devices.
        iTunes purchases and last 1,000 photos for photo stream don't count against the 5GB of storage
      I'm already low on storage n my 32GB iPad
      I like losing the filesystem metaphor, just not sure I always want to sync everything
      Backup and syncing to the could, especially over 3G, will likely prove cumbersome at first.
      iTunes Match
        $25.00 a year to basically get remastered versions of your old ripped stuff
        Again no streaming discussed, storage and data access will still be an issue
  Unpromoted iOS 5 features
    Jobs and Co. could only show off 10 features during the WWDC keynote. Here are some other good ones.
    iMessage
      Auto switching from SMS to iMessage
        If the user is on an iOS device
        The text input area and title will switch to show "iMessage" indicating your now using that service
        Save on TXTing charges.
        Also gives you true group messaging, everyone sees all replies.
      Assign a phone number and multiple email addresses to an iMessage account (like with your FaceTime account)
        Any one will work and you can set the default that people see when you text them back.
      Option to use SMS instead of iMessage if you want to.
    Accessibility
      Custom vibration patterns, like ringtones. Can tap out your custom pattern.
      LED flash alerts
      Assistive Touch, customized gestures as macro shortcuts. In early development.
      Speak text (text-to speech) and Speak Selection
      I'm sure users without accessibility needs will also like these features
    FaceTime over 3G
      It's in there, but looks like it will be carrier dependent
      Rumors that Verizon will not support it on launch.
    Photo remote
      Because Apple now allows you to snap photos with the volume up button on iOS 5 you can also use the inline remote on the earbuds to do the same.
      Good for night/tripod shots and self portraits.
      Hopefully someone will make an extension cable that supports the inline headphone remote
    Software Updates OTA
      Can update multiple apps simultaneously even over 3G (if carrier allows).
    More info on music
      Swipe to skip music. Swipe left or right on album art while playing to skip tracks.
      Cult of Mac reported on tap+hold feature in new 'Music' app
      Displays, title, artist, and album right now, but presumably could display any meta data
      Would be great if there was a setting, so you could control the meta data you want displayed (bit rate, format, file size, etc)
      Swipe to delete music. Useful now that you can re-download
    Video playback
      1080p video playback. iOS 5 enables decoding and encoding of 1080p for A4 processors.
    Weather App
      Now has location based screen and hourly weather for your current location
    PC Free
      Set up a new Airport via the General-->Network settings
        Looks like only new (un-configured) Airport base stations trigger the feature
    Subscriptions and purchases outside in-app purchase
      Apple appears to have relaxed the restriction that required in-app purchases of subscriptions
      New text: "Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content."
    GSM hacker warnings
      If a hacker has set up a IMSI catcher, basically a fake GSM base station. You'll now get an alert.
      “The cellular network you are using is not encrypted. This call can be intercepted by unauthorized listeners.”
    Safari
      Tabbed browsing (finally)
      Private browsing
  Unpromoted Lion Features
    Requirements
      Intel Core 2 Duo or better and at least 2 GB of RAM. Means my Intel Core Duo Mac mini is out for Lion.
      At the moment seems like you have to be running Snow Leopard to get the upgrade.
    Lion Up-to-date
      Lion update is free for any new Mac purchased after June 6th
      You have 30 days after the release of Lion to claim your upgrade
      Check the Up-to-Date page after release for more details. (www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate )
    Reboot to Safari
      Allows you to start the Mac in a "guest" mode that only has Safari access.
      Could allow the Mac to phone home for Find My Mac.
    Creating a boot disk
      If your drive is GUID formatted Lion creates a boot partition during install
        Need to access it via the EFI firmware boot. Hold the option key down during boot-up.
        You can also see this partition in Disk utility
        OS X still needs to phone home during install (internet connection required)
        Also, what if you have a complete HD failure?
      While not built in (yet), Cult of Mac reports it is possible
      Right now you need to open the Lion Installer package contents and extract the InstallESD.dmg which is inside the SharedSupport folder.
      You can then use Disk Utility with that image file to create a bootable DVD or external drive.
      The hope is that Apple will provide easier built in functionality for creating a boot disk, but for now at least we know it's possible.
    Or just use Disk Utilities repair option to put the DMG downloaded from the App Store onto an disk
    Built for trackpad and multi touch
      Apple looks to be wanting to kill the mouse.
      Will be able to map some Mission Control gestures to keyboard shortcuts.
      For true Lion power you might consider also getting a Magic trackpad. Add another $79 to your upgrade price.
    No mention of AirPrint built in support in Lion for shared printers
      Good news for apps link Printopia
  Making ex(tra)FAT hard drives
    Play tip from John
    Extended File Allocation Table, also sometimes referred to as FAT64
    Developed by Microsoft and especially suited for USB Flash drives and Flash memory cards
    Gets past the 4GB files size limit of FAT32, up to 16EB (Exabyte)
    exFAT support was added in the 10.6.5 Snow Leopard update
  Setting up auto iTunes Downloads
    As part of the iTunes 10.3 (and subsequent 10.3.1 update) you can now have your purchased items automatically "pushed" to all your Macs and devices
    Need to be logged in (registered) to the same Apple Store ID
    In iOS 4.3
      Go to Settings-->Store
      Now there is an "Automatic Downloads" section
      Can set for Music, Apps, and Books
      Option to use or not use Cellular data on 3G devices
      Any purchases made on iTunes will be pushed to the device if enabled.
    In iTunes on the Mac
      iTunes-->Preferences-->Store
      "Automatic Downloads" at the top
    Happens almost instantaneously and concurrently on my wi-fi
    Doesn't support Movies or TV Shows (yet?). Also Music isn't supported outside the US (yet?). Likely because of licensing.
    Also, a "Previous" purchased section on iOS and in iTunes
      "Purchased" tab in iOS. In iTunes Store sidebar on the Desktop
        Handy, "Not on this Mac/iPod/iPhone" tab
      Noticed that old purchased stuff I removed the DRm from back in the day wasn't recognized as matching
        Re-downloading resulted in duplicates.
        Were re-protected AAC and still at low bit rate
        iTunes Plus upgrade option, better to purchase Apple's new iTunes Match Service for $25/yr.
    Syncing over the Air supports up to 10 devices, 5 of which can be Macs
    Have to wait 90-days to re-associate a device with a different account?
      Big issue for uses sharing multiple iTunes accounts on a single Mac or device.
      This applies to auto-downloading or re-downloading not "authorizing" the device or older DRM'd content.
    Home sharing options still work locally
      Click on the Home Share in the 'Shared' list in iTunes
      Click the "Settings…" button at the bottom of the window
      You can set automatic transfer of Music, Movies, TV Shows, Books, and Apps.
      Works locally, not over cloud (push).
    iTunes 10.3 also brought iBooks to the iTunes store. Why Apple hasn't added a eBook reader app or better yet eBook support in Preview is beyond me
Closing
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  Server move this week
    I'm moving the Maccast servers so there may be some disruptions near the end of the week.
    I expect things to go as smoothly as possible, but the forum might be offline and access to the site might be down for brief moments.
    Also, I'm on vacation next week and I'm not sure if I'll be able to squeeze in a show or not.
  Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
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  EOL: Truly Magical iPad
    Some iPad Magic (via You Tube)