Info needed on plumbing software for the Mac
Our next Category Review will look at Mac software for plumbers. If you use or know of such goodies, drop me a line (dsellers@applecentral.com) no later than Wednesday, Nov. 2.
Category Reviews appear on Friday and round-up Mac solutions for specific industries and areas as dentistry, engineering, sales, etc. Also, if you have a particular migration topic you'd like us to cover, drop me a line, as well.
Apple updates Logic Pro, Logic Express, Mac Pro firmware
Apple has updated Logic Pro, Logic Express and its Mac Pro firmware.
Logic Express 9.1.3 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1015) and Logic Pro 9.1.3 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1014) offers improved compatibility with Hyper-Threading, improved compatibility with 6 and 12-core Mac Pro systems and offers support for iOS control surface apps that utilize the OSC protocol Both require Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher.
The Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1321) resolves an issue that prevented the firmware password prompt from being displayed and resolves an issue that prevented the Boot Picker from being presented if Ethernet is connected to a network without DHCP). It requires Mac OS X 10.6.4 or higher.
'Take Control of MobileMe' up to second edition
The new "Take Control of MobileMe, Second Edition"from Take Control Books is designed to help readers get set up with Apple's MobileMe online service, understand its features, and complete useful tasks from both a desktop computer and an iOS device.
Author Joe Kissell, explains how MobileMe subscribers can get the most out of the services and demystifies interactions between MobileMe and handheld devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, as well as between MobileMe and the Mac. The 140-page ebook costs $10 and is available now at http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/mobileme .
The ebook also has up-to-date details about fast-changing topics including MobileMe's email and calendaring services, and integration with both iLife '09 and the just-released iLife '11. It's 140 pages.
Time Sink is app/window time tracking utility for Mac OS X
Many Trick has released Time Sink for Mac OS X (http://manytricks.com/timesink), an utility for tracking time spent in applications and windows. Time Sink is designed to answer that age old question "Where does the time go?" by showing users exactly where they spend their time.
Once launched, Time Sink automatically records the time each open window (and application) has been in the foreground, along with the total amount of time it's been open. It saves this data on the fly, and creates reports showing just how a user is spending their Mac time.
Users can alsogroup related windows (and/or applications) into pools, which are then tracked in the same way. So a user working on a client project can see just how much time they've spent working for that client, just by looking at the pool. Pools can also use wildcard characters in window names, to automatically collect any similarly-named windows.
Reports can be viewed at any time onscreen, and exported either manually or automatically...
OWC releases Data Doubler line for Mac minis, iMacs
Other World Computing (http://www.macsales.com) has expanded its OWC Data Doubler optical bay drive mounting solution line with a custom fit model for Mac mini 2009 and iMac 2009-2010 models.
The OWC Data Doubler enables Mac users to replace their optical drive with a second hard drive or SSD for up to an additional 750GB of internal drive capacity, internal RAID, or other user customized internal data storage configurations. The US$79.99 OWC Data Doubler for 2009 Mac mini (user installable) and iMac 2009-2010 models (professional installation recommended) comes complete with all required hardware and is immediately available for the following Macs: Mac mini “Early 2009” and “Mid 2009” model; iMac 20-inch “Mid 2009” models; iMac 21.5-inch and 27-inch Late 2009” and “Mid 2010” models.
CDMA iPhone orders to reach 10 million units next year?
Pegatron Technology expects its Apple CDMA iPhone shipments to reach 10 million units in 2011 and the company has recently started to gear up and is installing new equipment as well as hiring about 10,000 new employees at its plant in Shanghai, China, reports "DigiTimes" (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101027PD216.html), quoting "sources from component makers."
Commenting on the news, Pegatron CEO Jason Chang declined to discuss its clients, but said the increase in employees is mainly to handle growing smartphone business and that he expects revenues in the first quarter of 2011 to see a strong increase, the article adds. In addition to the iPhone, Pegatron is also said to have been aggressively pursuing MacBook and iPad orders.
LaCie rolls out new storage solutions
LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has released two new professional storage solutions -- the LaCie d2 USB 3.0 and LaCie 2big USB 3.0. Thanks to the inclusion of 3TB hard drives and the performance of USB 3.0, LaCie’s 2big USB 3.0, now available in 6TB, purportedly achieves a 20% speed boost by reaching 306MB/s.
LaCie says that's the fastest performance of any 2-bay RAID solution to-date. The d2 USB 3.0 also demonstrates a speed increase of 156MB/s with the inclusion of a 3TB hard drive. The LaCie 2big USB 3.0 6TB and LaCie d2 USB 3.0 3TB will be available worldwide, at the beginning of November. Pricing starts at US$349.
Serial port extension will 'kill' laptops in...
An Australian network engineer has designed and built a serial port extension for Apple handhelds, including the iPad, "that is set to spell the death of laptops in datacentres," according to "ZDNet Australia (http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/Aussie-makes-Apple-iMod-for-datacen...).
Designer and network engineer Chris Pollock, who will sell the devices for about US$50 through his site, IoNetworks, built the device after becoming frustrated at having to cart a bulky laptop into a datacenter in order to access serial ports on networking equipment, the article adds.
"For the last six years, I've been able to use SSH [Secure Shell] from my phone and so the idea of carrying a laptop into the datacentre has become less and less necessary," Pollock told "ZDNet Australia." "But we are carrying around a few kilos of laptop just to use the USB or serial converter to log into the consoles of routers and switches. I'm using Terminal and SSH on my phone already. The only thing that is stopping...
Apple increases employees, decreases amount of moolah spent on...
According to Apple's latest 10-K, which it filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, it has increased its number of employees, expects its gross margins to fall, and is spending less (percentage-wise) on ads.
Apple has 46,600 full-time employees as of Sept. 25, up from 34,300 a year-ago and 32,000 in 2008. Most of that increase came in the retail segment, where Apple now has 26,500 employees, 10,000 more than in 2009.
Apple says in the 10-K that its gross margin will likely fall in coming quarters, as it sells a larger mix of products such as the iPad. Apple reported a gross margin of 39.4% in fiscal 2010, down from 40.1% in 2009.
When it comes to advertising, Apple actually spent less: $691 million in 2010. However, total revenues were over $65 billion, so Apple only spent about 1% of its revenue on advertising. Last year, that percentage was 1.37%. In 2001, it was 5%.
For 2010 overall, Apple poured $2.6 billion into capital expenses, including $404...
VUDU comes to Boxee and the Mac
VUDU’s on-demand movie service (http://www.vudu.com) will soon be available to Boxee (http://boxee.tv) users on Mac, Windows, and the Boxee Box by D-Link.
Boxee is VUDU’s very first Mac and Windows delivery platform, allowing users both new and old to access VUDU’s huge library of content from any computer. In turn, VUDU will be Boxee’s first premium pay-per-view movie service with access to new release movies as soon as they come out on DVD along with a huge catalogue of TV shows and films.
VUDU is offering every new user who signs up through Boxee a free movie so you can try out the service when it launches. Boxee’s free software will give viewers access to VUDU’s movie collection in standard definition.
Users who have the Boxee Box by D-Link will experience the VUDU’s full HD and HDX library delivered directly onto their televisions in 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound. The Boxee Box is due to arrive Nov. 17. Manufacturer's suggested retail pricing for the US and...
Contort USB Hub manager available from Quirky
Contort -- a community-developed USB hub that manages your drives and cables while protecting them -- is available for US$34.99 from Quirky (http://www.quirky.com/products).
Contort is a four-port USB hub and cord manager with a 360-degree flexible rubber neck to protect all your USB devices from accidental damage. It has a built-in cord management wrap with four anchors to corral your cables.
Contort is the 59th product designed and developed by the Quirky community since Quirky’s launch on June 2, 2009. Quirky gives everyone the chance to get product ideas out of their heads and onto shelves. Each week, Quirky’s community collaborates to select and produce one new product idea.
MEI offers Adobe DPS training
Managing Editor (http://www.maned.com) -- an Adobe premier development partner and a provider of software solutions for the publishing industry -- is offering training and consulting services for publishers, advertisers and creative teams using Adobe’s new Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) to build specialized content for tablets such as the iPad.
MEI has been working with Adobe during the development of the DPS tools, which were made available on Adobe Labs this week. In conjunction with this beta release, MEI’s workflow, technology and design experts are ready to assist users of the suite, from template creation to app deployment.
Depending on a publisher’s specific tablet needs, MEI also offers the vjoon K4 Cross-Media Publishing Platform, which is fully compatible with Adobe’s DPS. K4 allows publishers to integrate Adobe InDesign and InCopy to create and manage content for print, online, mobile and, now, iPad and other emerging media.
Qoppa Software enhances Java PDF Libraries, Components
Qoppa Software (http://www.qoppa.com), a provider of PDF solutions, has released ew versions of its Java PDF Libraries and Components, adding PDF feature coverage along with improvements in memory management and performance.
There's now new Unicode support in jPDFProcess, jPDFAssemble, and jPDFNotes. These libraries now allow editing unicode text in annotations content and within document properties (author, subject, description). This will be of special interest to customers using non-latin characters such as Arabic, Asian (Chinese, Japanese and Korean), Greek, or Cyrillic characters.
There's new callout annotation in jPDFProcess, jPDFViewer, jPDFNotes. The callout tool combines a text box with a line and an arrow and is used to draw attention to text or objects in a PDF document.
Theres a new calibration tool in jPDFNotes. The measuring tool now also allows architects and engineers to set the scale directly on the drawing.
Enhanced digital signatures in jPDFProcess and jPDFSecure...
Strata releases Live 3D CX 2
Strata (http://www.strata.com) has released the Strata Live 3D CX 2 Suite of design tools for 3D on the web. It offers one-click publishing to the cloud and the ability to distribute, share and embed interactive 3D content anywhere on the web. Live 3D Version 2 becomes the first solution to make high-quality interactive 3D content as easy to publish and share as a YouTube video, according to Ken Bringhurst, president of Strata.
Live 3D is a cross platform Java based application for publishing interactive 3D content to the web and Adobe PDF, allowing viewers to experience products in a virtual 3D environment with the ability to rotate, zoom, measure, and interact with a model’s features and options. Its content requires no special plug-ins and is already viewable by the majority of people accessing the Internet, says Bringhurst.
Each license of Live 3D comes with a free subscription to StrataLive3D.com, a solution that allows rapid publishing and free hosting of interactive 3D content...
SoftStep is USB/MIDI foot controller
Keith McMillen Instruments (http://www.keithmcmilleninstruments.com) has released SoftStep (US$289.99), which it says is the first universal multi-touch USB/MIDI foot controller. It can be used with an effects racks or software programs.
SoftStep weighs in at just over a pound and fits into most laptop and guitar cases. Ten sensor keys support five degrees of motion such as up/down, left/right, inc/dec, pressure and rotary motions that can be preprogrammed to control effects, software, or multimedia.
SoftStep also has a four-direction navigation pedal, an alphanumeric LED display, and backlit keys. It connects to a computer through USB and contains Expansion and Expression ports. With the MIDI expansion module, SoftStep can be used with or without a computer (Mac or PC) to connect to external MIDI hardware.
Virtual Programming acquires Syncode
Virtual Programming has announced the purchase of Australian developer Syncode (http://syncode.com.au/), which is known for its Synotes, Syncopy, and iTweetReply utilities for Mac OS X and iOS.
Virtual Programming will immediately assume ongoing support for all three products, as well as development of a new product listed as "Coming soon" on Syncodes web site. Additional software development is currently being discussed.
Virtual Programming will retain use of the Syncode brand for current and future versions of Syncodes products. It will remain distinct from Virtual Programmings brand, which is associated with gaming entertainment for Mac OS X and iOS.
Synotes is an iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch app that's also available as a web application. It lets users create, view, edit, save, and delete notes that are synced between devices, as well as with the web version, via Syncode's server. Users can retrieve previously deleted Synotes, edit offline in the iOS versions, sort and filter...
Apple hosting 'secret' iOS developer meeting next week...
"Silicon Alley Insider" (http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-developer-event-2010-10) says that Apple is hosting an event for iOS developers in California next week. Quoting "an industry source," the publication says it may be a more intimate version of the iPhone Tech Talks that Apple hosted around the world last year.
This year, app publishers may get some extra face time with Apple engineers, and perhaps some hands-on development help. The big idea, it seems, is an effort to improve the quality of iOS apps available in Apple's App Store, says "Silicon Alley Insider."
Apple, Gemalto working on 'special' SIM card?
Sources inside European carriers have reported that Apple has been working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto to create a special SIM card that would allow consumers in Europe to buy a phone via the web or at the Apple Store and get the phones working using the Apple App Store, reports "GigaOm" (http://gigaom.com/2010/10/27/is-apple-about-to-cut-out-the-carriers/).
It’s rumored that Apple and Gemalto have created a SIM card, which is typically a chip that carries subscriber identification information for the carriers, that will be integrated into the iPhone itself. Then customers will then be able to choose their carrier at time of purchase at the Apple web site or retail store, or buy the phone and get their handset up and running through a download at the Apple App Store as opposed to visiting a carrier store or calling the carrier, says "GigaOm."
Study: mobile operators can expand tablet market by 70%
The Strategy Analytics research group (http://www.strategyanalytics.com) predicts that greater use of operator retail stores and subsidies could grow volumes of tablet sales by over 70% in the US and Europe.
Companies across the value chain are developing strategies to participate in the hot new tablet market, driven by the success of the Apple iPad, the firm says. Mobile operators, such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless, have announced plans to sell the iPad directly in their retail stores. As device vendors ready new tablets, aiming to take market share from Apple, it is important to understand the role that operators and their subsidies can play in tablet market growth, says Chris Ambrosio, executive director of the Strategy Analytics Global Wireless Practice.
"Subsidies can be an important tool to promote tablet sales, but operators need to price data plans at levels that support profitability," adds Martin Bradley, co-author of the report.
Localized versions of Vectorworks 2011 line now available in...
Nemetschek Vectorwork (http://www.vectorworks.net/international) says a number of its European distributors have released localized versions of the 2011 award-winning Vectorworks line of design software, including: Vectorworks Designer, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals and Renderworks.
Versions in each country’s native language are now available in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The English-language version of the Vectorworks 2011 product line was released in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and other international markets on Sept. 14.
Pamplin executive MBA students adopt iPads
In Blacksburg, Virginia, Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business has a new class of executive MBA students who have adopted iPads in their learning program, reports "Virginia Tech News" (http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2010/10/102710-pamplin-ipads.html).
“Executive MBAs need to be up-to-date on technology. What better way than by using such innovative products as the iPad?” says the program’s executive director Charles Jacobina says.
He expects that the students will use the iPad primarily as an eReader, as a tool for team collaboration and communication, and as a notepad for taking notes in class when used with a stylus, notes "Virginia Tech News." In addition to the student users, five Pamplin faculty members are using the device in their teaching, as a replacement for or complement to traditional textbooks, business cases, and other reading materials, the article adds. The response from students and faculty so far has been very positive, Jacobina says.
Future Sonics announces Atrio special edition headphones
Future Sonics (http://www.FutureSonics.com) has announced the new Atrio Special Edition (ASE) professional earphones. They're equipped with Future Sonics’ proprietary studio-grade dynamic driver.
The multi-driver and cross-over free ASE’s provide remarkable full range audio for use on stage, in-studio, or with your personal MP3 and multimedia pads and players, says Futer Sonics co-founder Marty Garcia. The ASE’s are available for US$229.
The Power of 1, Future Sonics' proprietary dynamic drivers, produce frequencies below 150Hz more effectively than multiple driver designs, delivering audio the way your own ears would naturally hear, says Garcia. The ASE sports a lightweight design with multiple in-ear sleeves to create a custom fit and seal with natural noise-isolation characteristics, he says.
They're available in a special edition chocolate color. Each ASE comes stored in a case made with reclaimed-rubber taken from old inner tube truck tires.
Intego warns of new new Mac trojan horse
Intego (http://www.intego.com) says it has discovered a Mac version of the Koobface worm, which spreads via social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The company sys its Virus Monitoring Center has been examining this malware for some time, and given the low level of risk, has not publicly issued information about it.
However, since other reports have been made public about this malware, Intego has decided to publish this security memo. Reports have circulated discussing a Trojan horse, but without understanding either the scope or the functioning of this malware, according to Intego.
"This threat is a Mac OS X version of the Koobface worm, which is served as part of a multi-platform attack via a malicious Java applet," the company says. "The malware itself is made up of a number of elements, though in order to simplify, we will use the term 'Trojan horse' to describe it. (Technically, it propagates as a worm, is installed via a Trojan Horse, and installs a rootkit,...
'iPod: The Missing Manual' up to ninth edition
O'Reilly Media has released "iPod: The Missing Manual, Ninth Edition" (http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920010142) by J. D. Biersdorfer. It's 304 pages and costs US$15.99 for the ebook edition and $19.99 for the print version.
The updated book covers the latest iPod touch, iPod shuffle and iPod nano, as well as the iPod classic. Biersdorfer is the author of "iPad: The Missing Manual," "iPod: The Missing Manual" and "The iPod Shuffle Fan Book," and is co-author of "The Internet: The Missing Manual" and the second edition of "Google: The Missing Manual." She has been writing the weekly computer Q&A column for the Circuits section of "The New York Times" since 1998.
Barclays reiterates 'overweight' rating on Apple
Barclays reiterated its "overweight" rating on Apple, saying that shares can benefit by strong iPad demand, a continued iPhone 4 ramp, significant international expansion & a pipeline of new innovations, reports the "International Business Times" (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/75879/20101026/apple-iphone-iphone-4-mac...?).
"We believe the biggest news of the event was the launch of new MacBook Airs w/no HDD's & prices from $999- $1599 (prior models cost $1500-$1800) which should help stimulate Mac sales into the holidays," analyst Ben Reitzes told clients. "... We believe the new MacBook Airs will help Mac growth remain solid into calendar year-end."
Fifty-four percent of web video now HTML5 compatible
Video search engine MeFeedia (http://blog.mefeedia.com/html5-oct-2010) now says that 54% of web video is now compatible with HTML5, the format beloved by Steve Jobs and preferred by Apple over Flash.
That’s more than double the tally the company had back in May. MeFeedia also found that:
° Flash remains the dominant player within desktop environments.
° Mobile is driving HTML5 video adoption. HTML5 compatible (H.264 mostly) video is the most common format for mobiles (inc. iPhone, iPad and Android).
° Publishers and platforms now offer iframe embeds, allowing them to switch players dynamically, depending on the access device.
HTML5 is being developed as the next major revision of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), the core markup language of the web. It's touted as the next standard for HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0 and DOM Level 2 HTML and is designed to to reduce the need for proprietary plug-in-based rich internet application (RIA) technologies such as Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight,...
White iPhone 4 delayed until 2011
The white iPhone 4 has been delayed yet again and apparently won't go on sale before next spring, reports "CNET" (http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/10/27/white.iphone4.delay.cnet/).
"We're sorry to disappoint customers waiting for the white iPhone yet again, but we've decided to delay its release until this spring," Apple said in a note.
This comes after Apple had released an updated version of its App Store iPhone app with the option to reserve a white iPhone 4 in stores. The white version was supposed to launch in June, but Apple cited manufacturing issues, and pushed the launch back to July.
That deadline passed, with Apple stating that the handset would be available by the end of the year, but it has now been announced that the white iPhone 4 will not be available until early 2011. Apple has said that the device was “more challenging to manufacture” than it originally expected," but hasn't elaborated.
Chinese company sues Apple over 'iPad' trademark
Another day, another lawsuit. Chinese firm Proview Technology is suing Apple, saying it has the rights to the "iPad" trademark.
According to "Physorg" (http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-apple-accused-copyright-infringement...) -- quoting a "Beijing News" article -- the company says it registered the iPad trademark in January 2000 and still owns the rights to its use in China. Apple started selling its tablet in the country last month.
Li Su, a shareholder of Proview Technology, has demanded the California-based Apple "immediately stop its rights infringement activities" and hold fresh negotiations with the Chinese firm, according to the report. Li threatened that the company would otherwise ask authorities to "seize relevant Apple products." The two companies held talks previously over the transfer of the trademark but had failed to reach an agreement, according to reports.
27-inch Cinema Display touch screens announced
Troll Touch (http://www.trolltouch.com), a manufacturer of custom touchscreen solutions for Apple computers and displays has announced two new additions to its Mac product offering. The first is an internally integrated, high resolution, analog resistive touchscreen overlay and controller system that replaces the sheet glass that is installed on the display when purchased from Apple.
The second product announced is a user-installed 27-inch removable touchscreen system that incorporates the same analog resistive technology and high resolution controller as the Troll Touch factory integrated, internal product. The SlipCover external system can be installed or removed by the user in minutes.
Both products are shipped with driver and calibration software. The systems are both Mac and Windows compatible. Delivery of the 27-inch systems is slated to begin on or before Dec. 1. Pricing is: US$2,499 for 27-inch internal integration with display included; $1,499 for touchscreen installation...
ShotPut Pro Enterprise Edition released for the Mac
Imagine Products (http://www.imagineproducts.com) has released a new multi-version user of its ShotPut Pro application for Mac OS X. ShotPut Pro?--Enterprise Edition is designed for sites with many users and computers and is built for rapid, remote deployment via disk imaging.
This version of ShotPut Pro? for Mac requires individual computers to access your internal "server" once during initialization of the application. After cloning the master disk with the unactivated software on it, or installing ShotPut Pro? individually, simply launch the software once on the target computer to auto-activate from the Enterprise Software Manager.
The Imagine Enterprise Software Manager controls all serial numbers and allowed number of copies. It runs on your server or active computer on your network when activating ShotPut Pro? on individual Macs.
Available for Macintosh or Windows, ShotPut Pro is an automated copy utility for HD video and photo files (e.g. Canon, Panasonic, RED, Sony, etc.)....
SecureMac says trojan horse that affects Mac OS X is 'in...
SecureMac says it has discovered a new trojan horse in the wild that affects Mac OS X, including Snow Leopard. The trojan horse, trojan.osx.boonana.a, is spreading through social networking sites, including Facebook, disguised as a video.
The trojan is currently appearing as a link in messages on social networking sites with the subject "Is this you in this video?" According to the folks at SecureMac, when a user clicks the infected link, the trojan initially runs as a Java applet, which downloads other files to the computer, including an installer, which launches automatically.
When run, the installer modifies system files to bypass the need for passwords, allowing outside access to all files on the system. Additionally, the trojan sets itself to run invisibly in the background at startup, and periodically checks in with command and control servers to report information on the infected system. While running, the trojan horse hijacks user accounts to spread itself further via spam...
Disk Drill 1.0.55 released by CleverFiles
CleverFiles (http://www.cleverfiles.com) has updated their new data recovery software for Mac OS, Disk Drill. The new release (version 1.0.55) features fixes that help you recover your data faster, more effectively, with much better results, according to J. Press of CleverFiles.
Specifically, these changes were applied to Recovery Vault, the brand-new technology developed by CleverFiles to improve data recovery from HFS/HFS+ Mac file systems. Now Disk Drill has better understanding with Mac´s feature to empty trash securely. Also, version 1.0.55 correctly detects USB media and boasts many other graphical user interface and low-core updates.
Disk Drill is compatible with any PowerPC or Intel Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or newer and is 64-bit ready. Currently it's in beta testing and is being offered for free. Just remember: beta software is unfinished software, so use with care.
iPad, tablets may be slightly cannibalizing notebook sales
Jon Peddie Research (http://www.jonpeddie.com), a research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, has announced its estimated graphics chip shipments and supplier’s market share for the third quarter of 2010 (Q3’10). Tablets such as the iPad seem to be having some effect.
Overall graphics chip shipments were an unseasonably 1% down from Q2’10 due to the 8.4% drop in notebook sales despite an 8.4% growth in desktop sales reflecting the increasing impact of the notebook market. The possible cause for the decline in notebook sales could be the iPad, and the related shift from netbooks.
Embedded graphics processors from Intel showed strong growth, up 50% from Q2’10, while total IGPs shipments from all vendors slowed to a modest 1.4% growth quarter-to-quarter.
Overall, market shifts occurred for all vendors even though the quarter-to-quarter total shipments were basically flat.
AMD attributed its slip in market share to weakened demand and original equipment manufacturers letting...
Adorama announces iBoard keyboard for iOS devices
Adorama (http://www.adorama.com) has announced the Flashipoint iBoard wireless Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, as well as Macs. The US$69.99 keyboard is purportedly manufactured to the same specs as the original Apple wireless Bluetooth Keyboard but with an additional feature.
In addition to normal keyboard functions, this app-controlled mobile keyboard also provides shortcuts that allow users to open apps and web sites. The iBoard Keyboard kit includes:
° The keyboard with App shortcuts such as “Mail” printed on the keys to provide users with a quick response to certain apps and web sites. The keyboard’s “A” Hot key is pre-programmed to take users to the iPad and iPhone accessories page at: http://www.adorama.com/ipadkeyboard . Also included is a full coverage transparent skin with additional shortcuts printed on it.
° A free iBoard waterproof skin (a $49.90 value) that will protect the keyboard from any spill. It completely surrounds the keyboard front and...
Apple execs exercise stock options
Several senior Apple -- including Betsy Rafael (controller), Jeffrey Williams (operations senior VP) and Bertrand Serlet (software engineering senior VP) -- took advantage of the company's recent record share prices to exercise some of the stock options they've been sitting on, reports "Fortune" (http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/10/26/bob-mansfields-10-million-payday/...).
But none saw quite the windfall that Bob Mansfield enjoyed last Thursday, the article adds. According to an SEC Form 4 filed Tuesday, Mansfield sold 40,000 shares on Oct. 21 with a strike price of $36.54 for $308 apiece -- clearing $10.844 million in the deal.
"Mansfield's market timing was pretty good, but not as good as Serlet's, who sold 5,000 shares on Oct. 18 for $318.50 each, within $0.50 of Apple's all-time intraday high," says "Fortune."
Analyst: Apple, Netflix a good match
Here's more fodder for the "what companies should Apple buy?" discussion. Gleacher & Co. analyst Brian Marshall, on CNBC’s “Fast Money,” said Apple should buy Netflix.
“I do think that that transaction could make sense,” said Marshall -- as noted by "Barron's" (http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/10/26/netflix-apple-makes-...). "You know, Apple wants to be the first company to seemlessly integrate the home office and the living room. What’s limiting them now is basically content and better broadband into the home. In terms of content, they have over 10,000 titles on iTunes. Netflix has over 100,000 titles. That would be a pretty interesting marriage right there.”
Sony doesn’t make sense as an Apple target, said Marshall, as they’re “not very innovative,” having missed the industry shift to software.
Apple launches online store in China
Apple has introduced the Apple Store in China (apple.com.cn), which features free shipping, free personalized engraving on any iPod or iPad, and the ability to custom configure any Mac with just a few clicks.
“We are thrilled to open our newest online store in China,” says Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook. “With personalized engraving, configure-to-order options and free shipping on everything, the Apple Store is a great destination for our customers in China.”
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, signature gift wrap is available with the purchase of most Apple products including iPod, iPad and iPhone. The online Apple Store also lets eligible students and faculty members take advantage of special education pricing on Apple products. Also starting today, customers in China can access the Apple App Store in Simplified Chinese.
Apple drops in Greenpeace rankings
In the latest Greenpeace Greener Electronics rankings (http://www.greenpeace.org), Apple takes a big drop (from fifth to ninth place) "not because it has lost any points but because several other companies have overtaken it."Here's what Greenpeace has to say about Apple:
"Apple drops to 9th place from 5th, with the same score of 4.9. Apple does best on the toxic chemicals criteria, where it scores most of its points. All Apple products are now free of PVC vinyl plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), with the exception of PVC-free power cords in countries where their safety certification process is still ongoing.
"For this Apple continues to score full marks (doubled). Apple scores points for its chemicals policy informed by the precautionary principle and for lobbying the EU institutions for a ban on PVC, chlorinated flame retardants and BFRs during the current revision of the EU’s RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics), but for full marks it...
Apple Pro Training part of Government Video Expo
NewBay Media, a publisher of digital content creation media, hsa announced details of its conference program for Government Video Expo (http://www.gvexpo.com), coming to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.
Featuring three distinct conference programs covering a broad range of topics, Government Video Expo is expected to attract thousands of video and A/V professionals for three full days of education, training, exhibitions, film screenings and networking events. At the heart of Government Video Expo’s educational program is the Digital Media DC Conference, produced by Future Media Concepts, which features three full days of sessions in five parallel tracks, and includes over 50 presentations focusing on the latest techniques and practices for editors, motion graphics designers, new media professionals and video producers.
Tracks include: Final Cut Studio Editing; Avid Editing; Motion Graphics and Visual FX; Digital Video Production...
Apple wants more business, government clients
Apple has enlisted Unisys to help it help it sell more to businesses and U.S. government agencies, expanding beyond a customer base made mostly of consumers, reports Bloomberg.
Unisys will provide maintenance and other services to companies and government agencies that purchase Apple devices, Gene Zapfel, a managing partner at Unisys, said in an interview. One of the first of its kind for Apple, the contract was signed this month, he told "Bloomberg," though he didn’t discuss terms of the deal.
Apple has tended to cater mostly to consumers, though it’s adding corporate customers in part because of widening interest in other products, such as its mobile phones, Brian Marshall, an analyst at Gleacher & Co., told "Bloomberg."
“Apple will get adoption of more Mac clients in the enterprise because of the iPhone,” Marshall added, citing the way users of the iPad helped attract customers to Macs.
Unisys (http://www.unisys.com) designs, builds, and manages mission-critical environments...
OWC offers do-it-yourself 1TB HDD kit for laptops
Other World Computing (http://www.macsales.com) has announced the OWC DIY Hard Drive Kit, a way to upgrade your laptop hard drive at home, school, or office to a faster (to 7200RPM), larger (to 1TB) hard drive or high performance SSD. The kit includes:
° A new hard drive up to 2.5 inches and 1TB hard drive, 5400 or 7200 RPM or SSD;
° An OWC External Enclosure to re-use the old drive;
° A five-piece toolkit with the tools to complete the DIY project;
° Cables for transferring data from the old drive to new drive.
A how-to guide and installation videos can be found at http://www.macsales.com/installvideos . There are 60 configurations with pricing starting at US$57.99.
Mapdiva releases free Ortelius Military Map Symbols for Mac OS
Mapdiva, makers of Ortelius map design software, has announced the availability of its free download of military map symbols for graphic designers and mapmakers to create custom maps for web sites, magazines, books, and brochures.
The NATO Equipment Map Symbol Collection is comprised of 93 different scaleable vector graphics, including silhouette icons of artillery, explosive devices, helicopters, equipment, personal weapons. soldiers, tanks and vehicles. It has NATO equipment, as well as some non-NATO items. This symbol collection is designed for military history mapping projects and wargaming maps.
The NATO Equipment Map Symbol Collection for Ortelius map illustration software is created with MilPics pictorial fonts series developed by Tom Mouat (copyright 1988) MapSymbs and distributed with permission. A registered True Type Fonts version is available from Wargame Downloads.
Symbols are customizable thanks to Ortelius' Style Inspector and integrated Mac OS X color picker. Download...
The Mac doing very well in Europe
Pascal Cagni, Apple vice president and general manager for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, did in an interview with Katie Allen of "The Guardian." Speaking after Apple’s earnings report for the fourth fiscal quarter, Cagni was optimistic on the Mac in Europe.
Questioned on Apple’s success in Europe during the recession, Cagni responded that the Mac is “typically above 20-25% market share in each of the countries.” That’s about twice the market share in the U.S., and you have to wonder how the numbers add up to worldwide figures that put the Mac under 5%, says "The New York Times" (http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/10/26/26gigaom-apple-europe-...).
At Monday’s conference call, it was noted that Mac growth was around 40% in Spain, Germany and France. So the Mac is "doing very well indeed in Europe," says the "Times."
Rumor: Apple to buy Sony (nope, won't happen)
Shares of Sony rose nearly 3% on Tuesday as traders cited various media reports speculating that the Japanese electronics maker could be a potential acquisition target of Apple to help it jump into the gaming industry.
Apple currently has US$50 billion in cash reserves and has a market capitalization of $282 billion while Sony has a market cap of $34 billion. Financially Sony is within Apple's reach.
But what good reasons are there for Apple to want to buy Sony? Between the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple App Store, the Mac and the upcoming Mac App Store, Jobs & Company have all the pieces they need to make a serious play for the gaming market should they so desire. The Sellers Research firm is 99.99% certain that Apple isn't planning on buying Sony (or any other major company at this time).
-- Dennis Sellers
ABI Research: 19% of all phones shipped in 2Q were smartphones
According to ABI Research (http://www.abiresearch.com), smartphones made up 19% of all handsets shipped in the second quarter. That represents a 12% increase over the first quarter, and a 50% jump compared to the same quarter in 2009.
Senior analyst Michael Morgan says that these remarkable growth rates are being driven by falling (often heavily subsidized) handset prices. Cost is no longer much of an obstacle.
“One of the key remaining barriers to smartphone adoption in subsidized markets is now the cost of the data plan rather than the cost of the handset," he says.
Ten percent would normally be considered very good quarter-over-quarter growth, Morgan notes, but in the smartphone segment that would now be considered lackluster. The battle for supremacy is now escalating at a feverish pitch.
“The market is exploding, but there are so many players and so many operating systems that the question becomes, ‘Can this market structure be sustained?' Most observers say no: it needs to boil...
Western Digital releases WD TV Lib Hub
Western Digital (http://www.westerndigital.com) has introduced the WD TV Live Hub media center, a Full-HD 1080p media player with a 1TB built-in network hard drive that gives users the freedom to play all their personal media on any screen in the home.
The WD TV Live Hub media center brings new experiences to the WD TV family, including instantly renting or purchasing the newest releases through the Blockbuster On Demand service, the same day as DVD/Blu-ray release, as well as interacting with personal Facebook communities. In the U.S., the WD TV Live Hub media center is initially available exclusively at Best Buy online and at all 1,093 Best Buy stores nationwide.
The WD TV Live Hub media center plays a variety of media file types, including Full-HD 1080p video formats such as .mkv, .mp4 and .mov. The compact hard drive enables users to centralize their digital media from multiple sources.
Digital media can be easily transferred to the internal drive from shared folders on Macs and...
Franklin 3D Game Engine for REAL Studio released
The Component Man Group has announced Franklin 3D 1.71 for REAL Studio (formerly
REALbasic), the cross-platform BASIC language development environment from REAL Software.
Franklin 3D is a professional 3D game and simulation engine available for Mac OS X and Windows. It includes over 400 methods, including support for display control, model loading and callbacks. It also includes the engine, plus a collection of example projects. According to the Component Man Group, utilizing an open source core engine, Franklin 3D lets developers use the optimal 3D rendering engine depending on the platform: OpenGL on Mac OS X or Windows, and DirectX
Franklin 3D includes a set of demo examples/projects that developers can use in their own games and simulations. Deployment is royalty free.
This is the second development platform supported by the game engine. Franklin 3D for LiveCode incorporates the same core engine and supports Runrev LiveCode, the HyperCard like cross-platform development...
Raidon releases new HDD mobile rack
Raidon (http://www.raidon.com.tw) has released a new, hot-swappable mobile rack, the iS1010, which comes in a tray-less design accommodating both 2.5-inch HDD and 3.5-inch HDD without securing with any screws.
The iS1010 is only the size of a standard CD-ROM and fits in any 5.25-inch bay from any computer casings. Even without the trays, the well-protected structure design of iS1010 ensures a well connection to the installed HDD and without any intervals possibly causing damage from vibration, according to the folks at Raidon.
Other than that, the aluminum casing with cooling fan provides excellent heat dissipation keeping HDD in a well functioning temperature during operation, they add. Contact Raidon for pricing.
iPresentee unveils iWeb Themes holiday sale
iPresentee (http://www.ipresentee.com) has announced iWeb Themes 10 -- Holiday Bundle to be used with Apple's web site building application, iWeb. iWeb Themes 10 adds 25 holiday intro themes. T
iWeb Themes 10 includes themes for Halloween, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day and Easter holiday. The new release extends iWeb themes collection up to 105 themes.
iWeb Themes 10 requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or higher and iWeb 2.0 (iLife '08) or iWeb 3.0 (iLife '09 or iLife 11). Each iWeb theme is available for US$6.99. The set of five new iWeb Themes 10 may be purchased for $25. Samples and more information about iWeb Themes 10 are available at the iPresentee web site.
MegaSeg update works better with Magic Mouse
Fidelity Media has released MegaSeg 5.5.1 (http://www.megaseg.com), an update of the Mac-based DJ and radio automation software. According to Fidelity Media Founder Jason Cox, the new version --- a free update for registered users of version 5.x -- contacts improvements to mixing with Apple's Magic Mouse, better performance during Time Machine backups, a fix for reading AAC metadata created by Sound Grinder and Logic Pro, and several other refinements.
MegaSeg is a self-contained DJ music mixing and radio automation system that enables DJs and radio stations to put their music libraries on their Mac and segue or beat mix between songs or music videos, trigger sound effects via hot keys, note requests via color-coded request lists, cue tracks via a second sound output, create dynamic scheduled playlists, and program timed playlist events. MegaSeg has full integration with the iTunes library and playlists, including compatibly with songs bought from the iTunes Music Store.
MegaSeg 5.5...
