shownotes_20120911

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
    Mandaandthemarbles.com
Sponsor
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News
  A day away from IPhone 5
    We are literally a day away from the iPhone 5 announcement, what's the latest?
    Apple is holding the event at 10:00 AM PDt in SFO at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
    Decorations are already up and so is the wild speculation of what it all means
      A banner that features what looks like stretched and blurred app icons is said to hint at the stretched screen? Please.
    Nothing really new on the predictions side, but to reiterate:
      3.99" taller screen 1136 x 640
      More RAM. 1GB
      Better processor, but will it be a modifies dual-core A5X or a new quad core A6?
      Nano SIM? maybe?
        Vodafone Germany supposedly has Nano-SIMs ready to go according to 9to5Mac
        Could also indicate a coordinated multi-country release day?
      Smaller 9-in docking connector
        Dock adapters rumored at 10 bucks and only available from Apple
      4G LTE support. Wall Street Journal reports support will be also in Europe and Asia along with the US. Canada is also believed to be supports, but not mention in the Wall Street Journal report
      Headphone jack on bottom
      2-tone metal and glass back design
    Actual launch day is predicted to be the 21st by sources like iMore
      Best Buy is reportedly already getting display materials for launch dated 9/18/12 to 10/27/12. Friday seems a more typical release day,
    Sales are expected to be big, but a J.P. Morgan analyst says it may even raise GDP by 0.33%
      To be fair he warns the prediction is on based on an aggressive overestimate of possible sales
      The prediction is based on Apple selling 8 million iPhone's in the 4th quarter at an average retail price of $600 each
      if that happens the analyst claims sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate. Which is a 0.33 percentage-point boost.
    9to5 Mac also claims there will be a bunch of new iPod announcements at the event
      New iPod Shuffle adding 3 new colors (8 total), no work on capacity
      New iPod Nano. Also in 8 colors. Not 9to5, but some rumors have said a return to the taller design with a touch screen and possibly a physical "home" button
      New iPod Touch.
        Current model held on at a lower entry price
        2 new models at $299 and $399. No word on capacity bumps.
        Taller 4" inch retina screen like the iPhone 5
        Possibly available in colors
  Mountain Lion reduces battery, fix coming
    ArsTechnica did some of the initial testing and TMo confirmed, but 10.8 brought a significant drop in battery life on many Mac notebooks. Upwards of a 33% loss in battery life
    TMO came back with extensive tests that confirmed the findings again and showed the while 10.8.1 improved things slightly the real fix may be in 10.8.2
    Their test platform was a 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro at 2.0 GHz with 8 GB of RAM and an SSD and traditional HDD.
    They tested OS's from 10.6.8 through 10.8.2 beta 2 (build12C35)
    They found that 10.7.4 performs nearly as well as 10.6.8, so Snow Leopard users upgrading to Lion should be OK
    10.8 Mountain Lion decreased battery life significantly, by about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or 30 percent.
    The 10.8.1 update put the battery at about 1hour 15 minutes less than 10.7.4
    But the big news was early test show 10.8.2 running at or better than 10.7.4 levels
    TMO did caution that 10.8.2 is a developer build and results could change once it hits final release, but the early indicators look positive.
  PC Sales down, but Apple up
    Looking at NPDs latest US domestic PC sales numbers things don't look good on the whole, but Gene Munster thinks Apple will do better than fine.
    The NPD numbers show US PC sales down 7 percent in the first two months of the quarter
    But checks by Munster show Apple beating that trend. Munster estimates Apple year over year sales are up 5% for the September quarter.
    If that's true that would roughly predict sales of 5.1 million Macs which could beat their prior September quarter sales record of 4.9 million Macs which came last year.
    Apple is also rumored to have some nice fall Mac updates with a new 13" retina Macbook Pros and new iMacs possibly in the mix which should keep them bucking the PC downward trend through the end of the year.
    As for when we'll see those new Mac? Digitimes claims the 13" rMBP in October, but says the iMacs are delayed because of issues with screens. There are reports from other sources that cite iMac screen yield issues, so the 21.5" updated model may arrive in advance of an updated 27" model.
  New iMac models soon
    Clayton Morris is saying the new models are "imminent"
    He hasn't heard "retina", but did say the displays are high resolution.
    It's also expected the new models will have the latest Ivy Bridge processors, USB 3, and bigger SSD options.
Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  Photosteam needs iPhoto or Aperture
    Mat sent me a great followup to a question a listener had about using Photostream on iOS and with the Mac, but without having to install iPhoto.
    I postulated that since the Photostream Documents are in the ~/Library/Application Support/iLifeAssetManagement/assets/sub/ that you could enable it and use a Smart Folder or Automator Script to get at and extract the photos.
    Well unfortunately Matt tried it on a Mac that didn't have iPhoto installed and when you go to System Preferences > iCloud, the PhotoStream checkbox is greyed out and says iPhoto or Aperture is Required. There is also a Learn More link to an Apple Support Article on using Photostream with Aperture and iPhoto '09
  Clarifying Rounded Rects
    I want to follow up on some of the things I discussed when I gave my commentary on my thought regarding technology patents in light of the Apple v Samsung case
    Listener Kim pointed out that I may caused confusion because Apple's patents with respect to the iPad were not help up by the Jury in the case.
    There were in essence two patent that dealt with the ornamental design (shape and look) of the devices. D’889, which covers the iPad and D’087 and which deals specifically with the rectangles-with-rounded-corners design of the iPhone.
    The jury did not find Samsung to be infringing in the case of the iPad patent and only found them to be infringing in 5 of the 13 claims Apple made on the iPhone patent.
    That said the patents were still issued and whether you agree with me or not, in my mind in looking at the illustrations they almost seem too broad to me.
    Prior art is another factor. Prior art is information that has been made available to the public in any form before a given date that might be relevant to a patent's claims of originality.
    Samsung had wanted to argue that the film "2001: a Space Odyssey" depicted tablets as prior art. They were barred from doing that.
    There is precedence that Fictional or artistic representations of inventions can be used to invalidate design patents.
    And so to really clarify, my issue here is not with Apple or Samsung per se. It's with a system that seems to not be functioning in the way it was intended.
    In my mind Apple should have never been granted the patents that they had to fight Samsung with to begin with.
    The jury was obviously smart enough to see this, the question is why can't the patent office. Don't answer that, it's rhetorical.
  iPhone vs. Galaxy
    Play the comment from JP
    That's a tough call especially when you trying to make the sale to a tech savvy user
      Spec for spec it's a really close call, right now the Galaxy SIII has a slight edge on Processor speed, RAM, Screen size (but not pixel density), front camera. But the iPhone 5 should even all that up.
      If HDMi out, SD card slots, and mini-USB are important the Galaxy winds hands down.
      So at the end of the day the battle is all about experience.
      I have not personally uses Android with TouchWiz so I can't say much on that front.
      iOS 6 I think is going to be more of an iPhone seller than the new hardware
        More mature Siri integration, Galaxy should have Jelly Bean and Google Now
        Apple's new Maps look amazing, in my opinion beating out Google's 3D stuff. Street View isn't on iOS. Do get good turn by turn built in powered by Tom Tom and Waze
        AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring
      A lot depends on if you buy into the iOS Apple ecosystem too. That dictates experience in a lot of ways.
      My personal view is that I think Android OS is a bit clunky. I don't like the back/home/setting "button" navigation, but that might just be a learning curve.
  Losing iCloud storage space
    Benjamin noticed recently that the available storage on his iCloud backup was dwindling fast, yet he had not added any new apps and was monitoring thing pretty closely.
    He tried doing a restore of his devices, but after that the same amount of storage that was used up on iCloud was the same.
    Benjamin said it's seems like the used space has grown over 1GB in two weeks.
    Depending on the number of apps that re being backed up and the kinds of apps )possibly games) the issue may simply be that you are updating apps
    Ever since the release of the new iPad apps have been getting "retina" graphics updates and so app sizes themselves have grown in size.
    You can use the list view in iTunes to see the sizes of individual apps
    A secondary question Benjamin had was related to the data apps store. Is there a way to clear that off?
    You can go into Settings > General > Usage and then look at the Storage options
      You can see both the Apps storage and the iCloud Storage for apps that you are backing up.
    For iCloud Storage
      If you tap 'Manage Storage' you can drill down and get to the Documents and Data for individual apps
      Swipe across the items to delete
    For App data (local)
      The list show the 10 apps using up the most storage. Tap Show All at bottom to see the list of all apps
      You can tap an App to see some details
        Some apps, like Videos, Photos, podcast will let you swipe certain data to remove it.
        Most will just have a 'Delete App' button
    Currently for most apps the only way to remove or clear the apps data is to delete and re-install the app
    Lastly, Benjamin asked about iTunes no longer automatically downloading both HD and SD versions of TV shows
      Currently the process for getting an SD version involves:
        Going to the iTunes Store
        Go to the Purchased tab
        Click on the show title to go to the show page
        Click over to the SD show page
        Redownload the episode in SD
      Unfortunately there seems to be no setting in iTunes to download only SD versions
      You can set if you want 720 or 1080p to be the default
        iTunes > Preferences
        Store tab
        When downloading HD videos, prefer: 1080p or 720p
      You might be able to save a step or two in the re-download process
        Once on the store 'Purchased' page
        Look at the bottom.
        I have an option for 'Download HD When Available' if I uncheck that it shows just the SD download I think because the '(HD)' label next to the show titles goes away.
  Straight talk on StraightTalk
    A number of you have asked me to talk more about my plans to make my next iPhone purchase be an unlocked device and to use StraightTalk's Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) prepaid service.
    I am seriously considering this for my iPhone 5 purchase, but there might be some deal breakers.
    How it works:
      StraightTalk is owned by TracFone, which is a huge Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in the US
      They resell service on AT&T and T-Mobile's GSM/HSPA+ networks
      You purchase a new SIM directly from StraightTalk for $14.99 and then activate it online
    First let me explain the positives
      The plan is $45/mo for unlimited minutes, text, and data
      You can buy refill cards at Walmart or sign-up for an auto renewing 30-day plan
      Because it uses AT&Ts line you get the same coverage and 3g/HSPA+ data speeds you would get with AT&T
      Potential savings over 2 years
        Single plan:
          AT&T: $400 (phone) + $70 voice + 30 data (3GB) + $20 (txt) = $120/mo. x 24 mos. = $3,280.00
          StraightTalk: $849.00 (phone) + $45/mo x 24 mos. = $1,929.00
          Savings: $1,351.00
        Family plan:
          With existing plan. $400 (phone) + 2 phones $135.00/ mo. x 24 mos. = $3,640.00
          Equal plans: $400 (phone) + ($170 x 24) = $4480.00
          $849.00 (phone) + $215 (buyout) + ($90 x 24 mos.) = $3,225.00
          Savings: $415.00 from current plans, $1,255.00 plan to plan
      No contract, so you can move to any GSM/HSPA+ or LTE carrier at any time.
      You can port your number or get a new one
    The potential downsides
      Set-up is a little more tricky. You have to tweak your own APN settings. On an unlocked device there is a setting screen,
      Unlimited data isn't REALLy unlimited (same with AT&T) if you go over the 2GB or 3GB StartightTalk send s a warning about heavy data use and some have reported being cancelled. Not a bug deal, go back to AT&T
      MMS may or may not work. There is a 'Profile' file you can get on-line or a sit you can visit that will load the APN setting as a Profile with the MMS enabled. iMessage supports images and does work.
      Currently doesn't support LTE and and it's not clear when or if it ever will. (this might be the deal breaker).
    Things that complicate the choice
      Being on an existing contract and needing to pay ETF to switch
      No "Family plans", so each new device is full price for voice & txt service
      No data or text tiers
      Buying a new phone every year.
  Record audio form an iOS app
    Ken wanted to know about how to go about recording the game sounds and audio from Angry Birds
    The Analog Hole
      Use an 1/8" to 1/8" audio cable to go from the iOS device headphone jack to the audio input jack on your Mac
      Then record with Garageband.
      You could also go from the speaker on the device to the built-in mic on your Mac, but obviously quality wouldn't be great.
    Better: Assuming you have the Mac and iPad on the same WiFi.
      1) Go to Rogue Amoeba
      2) Go into Airfoil and then click on the 'Compatible Outputs' section
      3) Download the free Airfoil Speakers.
      4) Get a copy of Piezo, $14.99 direct or on the Mac App Store
      5) Launch Piezo and then from the Source choose 'Other Application…' and then select AirFoil Speakers. This should launch Airfoil Speakers.
      6) Launch Angry Birds on the iPad.
      7) Double tap the Home Button to bring up the App switcher and swipe left to right on the apps to slide to the Media controls.
      8) Tap the Airplay button and you should see the Mac as an Airplay Audio destination (Air Foil Speaker). Tap to select it.
      9) you should now hear the iPad (Angry Birds) audio on your Mac (if not make sure the speaker volume is up).
      10) In Piezo tap the record button. Now any iPad audio will be recorded by Piezo
      11) Tap the record button again when finished and you should now have an AAC audio recording in your Mac.
    Better Still: Extract the audio file directly from the App.
      1) In the Finder Go to ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications and locate the Angry Birds.ipa file.
      2) Select the file and make a copy onto the Desktop.
      3) Rename the copy from Angry Birds.ipa to Angry Birds.zip (it will ask you to confirm changing the extension. Click OK)
      4) Double click the now .ZIP file to extract it. You should now have an Angry Birds folder
      5) In the folder there is a Payload folder with an Angry Birds.app file. Right+Click (Control+Click) that file and choose Show Package Contents
      6) In the Package you'll see a folder called 'data_iphone'. In that folder you'll find an audio folder and inside that a music folder (there is also a SFX folder)
      7) In the Music folder are MP3 files for the game audio, You can copy those right to your Mac.
    What about Video?
      Get the Reflection App and use Airplay Mirroring
      Then in Quicktime X if you want you can Export and then choose the 'Audio Only' setting.
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