Filed under: OS, Rumors, Leopard
Several outlets are reporting today that Mac OS 10.5.7 is due to drop any time now. Build 9J47 was released on Friday, less than a week after 9J44, and build 9J50 is said to have been distributed on Tuesday. Until now, these updates have been delivered weekly. This accelerated distribution, along with a shortening list of fixes (the latest build only addresses three) are clues that 10.5.7 is nearly ready.Additionally, some customers have reported that the ATI Radeon HD 4850-equipped iMacs that they ordered have had their ship dates bumped up to this week (there's a rumor that the graphics card requires 10.5.7).
We'll let you know when this shows up, and report any changes (or problems) we experience after installation.
TUAWReports: Mac OS 10.5.7 release imminent originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Towards Greener Graphic Cards!?
While CPU manufacturers have already started defining power consumption and performance per watt as the new reference standards for comparing/developing new CPU models; so far, graphic cards manufacturers did not really feel concern about such parameters and every new GPUs were racing towards the same goal: be the fastest irrespective to the power consumption.
Things might change in a near future, if one considers the screen capture related to the future presentation of the forthcoming AMD/ATI Radeon HD4770.
AMD/ATI have used performance per watt as one of the marketing parameters. They compare the forthcoming entry level model Radeon HD 4770 with the aging NVidia GeForce 9800 GT. According to their figures, the Radeon is almost 3 fold faster per watt. AMD takes advantage of an exclusive 40 nm engraving process, even thinner than the one currently used by Intel.
AMD most likely decided to apply this new engraving process to entry-level GPU as their architecture is usually not as complex as the high-end models. However, AMD will most likely transfer it to all other models, and the benefit of thin engraving could rather be used for high-end GPU to push core frequency higher, while controlling heat release. In other words, power consumption might not be the future marketing parameter of 40 nm engraved future flagship GPU from AMD. Especially, if one considers the growing importance of GPGPU, synonym of growing needs for raw power. This could be associated to greener behavior if the power management of the GPU is really improved to switch off unused cores as today in CPUs.
A handful of Apple patents made public
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has made public several patents deposited by Apple.
- The first describes the sleep mode of our Macs, in particular the saving of the contents of the memory and instant re-awakening.
- The second concerns the management of energy in the computer.
- The third describes a system of anti-copy protection for software based on a Watermark and a unique key.
- The fourth describes the usage of capacitors to stabilise the voltage and reduce the noise of a power supply.
- The fifth describes a library system capable of storing different types of documents; a bit like that already done in iTunes which mixes music, videos and Podcasts.
- The sixth describes a system of using a magnet to fix the power cord, otherwise known as the MagSafe, that we believe is one of the most beautiful inventions of Apple.
Thus there is a bit of everything in these patents, but not much to serve as a base of speculation.
News apps for the iPhone span the political spectrum
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
In the right corner, weighing in at four sections, it's the Wall Street Journal! Yes, the official newspaper of American business (whatever's left of it) has an iPhone app, and according to Silicon Alley Insider it's pretty good; the app lets you cache content for offline reading (similar to the NYT app), and offers audio and video content from the paper, along with stories and rich media from sister sites like Uncle Walt's hangout AllThingsD.
Most notably, using the iPhone version of the WSJ -- which is free -- you can read most or all the content from the daily paper... which, via the WSJ.com website, is not free (most full stories require a subscription). There's no way to know how long this workaround will be in place, but for now it's a great way to get access to the paper's stories.
And, in the opposite corner, weighing in at one home page and sporting a killer left hook, it's the Huffington Post! The HuffPo iPhone app has been in soft-launch mode for the past month and was just updated to version 1.1, quashing bugs and improving performance. It's not as polished as some of the other SSAs yet, but it gets the job done. The app is free.
If you have a preferred single-site app for news, let us know below.
TUAWNews apps for the iPhone span the political spectrum originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
AT&T and Apple to Renegotiate their Exclusive Agreement
If Orange's exclusive partnership agreement in France has been broken by the law, AT&T is still the only carrier supporting the iPhone in USA. AT&T is willing to extend the current contract ending in 2010 to at least end of 2011.
Discussion will most likely be hard. Indeed, Apple does not need to have exclusive deals to recover some of the financial investment for developing the iPhone. The mobile phone is now a true success everywhere it is available, and carriers are supporting it via the usual long-term subscription plan. So, Apple might be rather more interested into further increasing the number of carriers for the iPhone in a country, than being chained to a single one. Of course, AT&T does not want to drop this perfect tool for attracting new customers, and the forthcoming new iPhone to be released in June might demonstrate once more this effect. AT&T might have to sign a big check to Apple to preserve its exclusive partnership.
Apple's share of U.S. PC market slips to 7.4% as sales decline
Apple's share of the U.S. computer market fell to 7.4 percent during the first calendar quarter of 2009 from 8.0 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008, market research firm Gartner said Wendesday.
Ask TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
This time around in Ask TUAW we've got questions about online file syncing services, installing a faster drive for CD ripping, using a FreeNAS box for Time Machine backup, Twitter clients and more.As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!
Continue reading Ask TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more
TUAWAsk TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft Office rolls up to 12.1.7, trial edition downloadable
Filed under: Software
There's an update in town, and it's all about locking it down: the 12.1.7 update to Microsoft Office 2008 (available within the suite via the software update tool, or downloadable from Microsoft) closes two security holes present in multiple versions of Microsoft Excel and first acknowledged by the company in February. These vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to create a specially-configured Excel file that, when opened, would allow full control of the target machine.
The update package also bundles up all the previous patches to Office 2008, which lends it heft (it weighs in at over 150 MB) but simplifies matters if you're a few revs behind. Note that there is no 12.1.6 update in the sequence; the previous patch level was 12.1.5.
If you haven't made the leap to Office 2008 yet (perhaps you're on a PPC Mac; perhaps you feel that you get better interoperability with Office 2003 users on Windows; perhaps you have to have Visual Basic support for macros), Microsoft is giving you the chance to consider moving up with a full-featured 30-day demo of Office 2008, now available for download in the USA. The package includes all the Office apps and can be upgraded to a paid license in the field without purchasing a boxed copy and reinstalling. Upgrades from previous editions of Office start at $240... of course, there are some less expensive alternatives out there.
[h/t Ars Technica]
TUAWMicrosoft Office rolls up to 12.1.7, trial edition downloadable originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Reports: Mac OS 10.5.7 release imminent
Filed under: OS, Rumors, Leopard
Several outlets are reporting today that Mac OS 10.5.7 is due to drop any time now. Build 9J47 was released on Friday, less than a week after 9J44, and build 9J50 is said to have been distributed on Tuesday. Until now, these updates have been delivered weekly. This accelerated distribution, along with a shortening list of fixes (the latest build only addresses three) are clues that 10.5.7 is nearly ready.Additionally, some customers have reported that the ATI Radeon HD 4850-equipped iMacs that they ordered have had their ship dates bumped up to this week (there's a rumor that the graphics card requires 10.5.7).
We'll let you know when this shows up, and report any changes (or problems) we experience after installation.
TUAWReports: Mac OS 10.5.7 release imminent originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Towards Greener Graphic Cards!?
While CPU manufacturers have already started defining power consumption and performance per watt as the new reference standards for comparing/developing new CPU models; so far, graphic cards manufacturers did not really feel concern about such parameters and every new GPUs were racing towards the same goal: be the fastest irrespective to the power consumption.
Things might change in a near future, if one considers the screen capture related to the future presentation of the forthcoming AMD/ATI Radeon HD4770.
AMD/ATI have used performance per watt as one of the marketing parameters. They compare the forthcoming entry level model Radeon HD 4770 with the aging NVidia GeForce 9800 GT. According to their figures, the Radeon is almost 3 fold faster per watt. AMD takes advantage of an exclusive 40 nm engraving process, even thinner than the one currently used by Intel.
AMD most likely decided to apply this new engraving process to entry-level GPU as their architecture is usually not as complex as the high-end models. However, AMD will most likely transfer it to all other models, and the benefit of thin engraving could rather be used for high-end GPU to push core frequency higher, while controlling heat release. In other words, power consumption might not be the future marketing parameter of 40 nm engraved future flagship GPU from AMD. Especially, if one considers the growing importance of GPGPU, synonym of growing needs for raw power. This could be associated to greener behavior if the power management of the GPU is really improved to switch off unused cores as today in CPUs.
A handful of Apple patents made public
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has made public several patents deposited by Apple.
- The first describes the sleep mode of our Macs, in particular the saving of the contents of the memory and instant re-awakening.
- The second concerns the management of energy in the computer.
- The third describes a system of anti-copy protection for software based on a Watermark and a unique key.
- The fourth describes the usage of capacitors to stabilise the voltage and reduce the noise of a power supply.
- The fifth describes a library system capable of storing different types of documents; a bit like that already done in iTunes which mixes music, videos and Podcasts.
- The sixth describes a system of using a magnet to fix the power cord, otherwise known as the MagSafe, that we believe is one of the most beautiful inventions of Apple.
Thus there is a bit of everything in these patents, but not much to serve as a base of speculation.
News apps for the iPhone span the political spectrum
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
In the right corner, weighing in at four sections, it's the Wall Street Journal! Yes, the official newspaper of American business (whatever's left of it) has an iPhone app, and according to Silicon Alley Insider it's pretty good; the app lets you cache content for offline reading (similar to the NYT app), and offers audio and video content from the paper, along with stories and rich media from sister sites like Uncle Walt's hangout AllThingsD.
Most notably, using the iPhone version of the WSJ -- which is free -- you can read most or all the content from the daily paper... which, via the WSJ.com website, is not free (most full stories require a subscription). There's no way to know how long this workaround will be in place, but for now it's a great way to get access to the paper's stories.
And, in the opposite corner, weighing in at one home page and sporting a killer left hook, it's the Huffington Post! The HuffPo iPhone app has been in soft-launch mode for the past month and was just updated to version 1.1, quashing bugs and improving performance. It's not as polished as some of the other SSAs yet, but it gets the job done. The app is free.
If you have a preferred single-site app for news, let us know below.
TUAWNews apps for the iPhone span the political spectrum originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
AT&T and Apple to Renegotiate their Exclusive Agreement
If Orange's exclusive partnership agreement in France has been broken by the law, AT&T is still the only carrier supporting the iPhone in USA. AT&T is willing to extend the current contract ending in 2010 to at least end of 2011.
Discussion will most likely be hard. Indeed, Apple does not need to have exclusive deals to recover some of the financial investment for developing the iPhone. The mobile phone is now a true success everywhere it is available, and carriers are supporting it via the usual long-term subscription plan. So, Apple might be rather more interested into further increasing the number of carriers for the iPhone in a country, than being chained to a single one. Of course, AT&T does not want to drop this perfect tool for attracting new customers, and the forthcoming new iPhone to be released in June might demonstrate once more this effect. AT&T might have to sign a big check to Apple to preserve its exclusive partnership.
Apple's share of U.S. PC market slips to 7.4% as sales decline
Apple's share of the U.S. computer market fell to 7.4 percent during the first calendar quarter of 2009 from 8.0 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008, market research firm Gartner said Wendesday.
Ask TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
This time around in Ask TUAW we've got questions about online file syncing services, installing a faster drive for CD ripping, using a FreeNAS box for Time Machine backup, Twitter clients and more.As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!
Continue reading Ask TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more
TUAWAsk TUAW: Online file syncing, CD ripping, Time Machine to NAS, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft Office rolls up to 12.1.7, trial edition downloadable
Filed under: Software
There's an update in town, and it's all about locking it down: the 12.1.7 update to Microsoft Office 2008 (available within the suite via the software update tool, or downloadable from Microsoft) closes two security holes present in multiple versions of Microsoft Excel and first acknowledged by the company in February. These vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to create a specially-configured Excel file that, when opened, would allow full control of the target machine.
The update package also bundles up all the previous patches to Office 2008, which lends it heft (it weighs in at over 150 MB) but simplifies matters if you're a few revs behind. Note that there is no 12.1.6 update in the sequence; the previous patch level was 12.1.5.
If you haven't made the leap to Office 2008 yet (perhaps you're on a PPC Mac; perhaps you feel that you get better interoperability with Office 2003 users on Windows; perhaps you have to have Visual Basic support for macros), Microsoft is giving you the chance to consider moving up with a full-featured 30-day demo of Office 2008, now available for download in the USA. The package includes all the Office apps and can be upgraded to a paid license in the field without purchasing a boxed copy and reinstalling. Upgrades from previous editions of Office start at $240... of course, there are some less expensive alternatives out there.
[h/t Ars Technica]
TUAWMicrosoft Office rolls up to 12.1.7, trial edition downloadable originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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