Category Archives: mac

traditional mac topics

Sep 17 2015

Number Nine ! 

Apple has released its new OS for their mobile devices including iPhones , iPad and even iPods. Like its counterpart in the Mac platform El Capitan this OS concentrates on tightening up the systems under the hood, reducing bulk, eliminating extraneous code. 

Also a new NEWS app.

  

 It’s Lean and Mean. It also adds a few major features a refined look with new system font named San Francisco and better integration within the Eco system. 

For a full well written detailed review of this latest OS and the features it now available  Click Here

Jun 30 2015

Updates Updates Updates !!!! 10.4, 8.4 Music App Goes Live

Apple releases OS X 10.10.4 with networking fix, Mail and Photos improvements, more

(click image below to read Zac Halls 9 to 5s post on features)

yosemite

 

 

Apple Music & Beats 1 launches hyped by Eddy Cue, Jimmy Iovine & Trent Reznor

Click Image Below to go to Neil Hughes post in appleinsider

 

Apple Music

 

Jun 19 2015

Apple’s Strong Stance on Privacy is starting to bear Fruit

 

Eric Snowden has publicly endorsed Apple’s stance on privacy during a video interview with Josh Constine of TechCrunch at the Challenge.rs conference held in Barcelona Spain

Read about and watch video here

Apple’s strategy of doubling down on privacy as an effective business model in response to Google and its Android OS seems to be bearing fruit for company. As arguably the most famous proponent of citizen privacy Erik Snowden commented directly to this question posed by TechCrunch journalist Constine

Continue reading “Apple’s Strong Stance on Privacy is starting to bear Fruit” »

Jun 3 2015

Microsoft has been given another Opportunity. Will Santay go where Ballmer feared to tread ?

 

MS Logo_Fotor_CollageIn February 2012 I published a post urging Microsoft to purchase or exclusively collaborate with HP for control of their computer manufacturing business, at the time HP was breaking itself up to concentrate on following IBM into the enterprise business and spinning off their hardware business. See that post here. As well as my call for Microsoft to purchase Radio Shack here. Something I thought would jump start their business. That was a critical time in HP’s history  with the demise of Leo Apotheker who in prior months was fired for proposing and preparing the company for the same change Meg Whitman who replaced him is calling for now. The HP Board surrounded themselves with cozy solutions that would not upset their Apple cart and reverted back to its outdated business model. Now more then three years later Meg Whitman is taking HP where they feared to go and is spinning off its hardware businesses. Meanwhile to the north Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer was taking personal responsibility for Microsoft’s missteps following his “surprised by mobile” debacle. Ballmer started formulating the “One Windows” initiative and began the process of expanding their manufacturing business with its new phone partner Nokia for the handling Window phones while Microsoft independently produced their answer to the iPad their Surface pro along with the Xbox, great mice, Zune, keyboards etc. Like the HP board Steve Ballmer blinked like a deer caught in the headlights, this time even Bill Gates  could not give Steve another chance. Which leads us to today with Satay in the hot seat.

Continue reading “Microsoft has been given another Opportunity. Will Santay go where Ballmer feared to tread ?” »

Apr 17 2015

Apple Buys its Own Forest , with Parcels in North Carolina and the State of Maine !!

From Buzzfeed

The land — two tracts in Maine and North Carolina that, combined, are roughly two and a half times the size of Manhattan — will be managed by The Conservation Fund. This land is part of an estimated 45 million acres of private forest in the U.S. that are in danger of being lost to development.

Apple Forest in NC

 

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environmental initiatives and former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, told BuzzFeed News that the company managing its own supply chain — rather than buying pulp from outside vendors — represents a massive step forward.
“Imagine if every time you opened a package from a company you knew that it came from a working forest. And imagine if companies took seriously their paper chain and made sure that was renewable, just like energy. And imagine if they didn’t just buy renewable paper, but took the step of ensuring that they would stay working forests forever.”
@ over 36,000 acres it is more then twice the size of Manhattan Island, to be fair it probably costs more the $24 as well (apv)

Apr 1 2015

Can Apple TV save PBS ?

As funding for PBS continues to dry up at the whims of politicians there may be a silver lining in Apple’s TV new service

First a little history for our younger readers. Once upon a time the beginning of cable television offered up some great promise for premium content programming. Premium channels like The Alpha Repertory Television Service — or ARTS & The Entertainment Channel which merged to become A&E , Bravo, American Movie Classics (Now AMC) before these channels went commercial and turned into what they are now they were an attempt to capture the the dollars of the more ” sophisticated tastebuds”. They all premiered with wonderful content from operas to concerts and plays but one by one they disappeared into the mess we call cable tv. The reason for their failure can be traced to many different problems including the wild west like environment at the birth of the industry , poor planning, competition, confused public, or lack of interest.

PBS LOGOamcARTs

With the introduction of streaming service there exists a chance to bring back channels like that who can then rely on viewer support to find success. I believe it also provides a unique opportunity for Public Broadcasting Stations to supplement their funding from a subscription service. Like the current app found on Apple TV viewers could pick their local stations and subscribe with a monthly fee of say $3.99 with proceeds split between local station and a national fund. Hopefully freeing them up from their fund raising drives.

Mar 7 2015

ICONIC: From Shrine of Apple A Great Gift for any Fan of Great Industrial Design

Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation takes you on a tour of the most visually stunning and important products produced by the world’s most innovative company — Apple.

Iconic

With a breathtaking collection of unique photography, Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation takes the reader on a tour of the most visually stunning and important products produced by the world’s most innovative company — Apple. Follow Apple’s journey through a photographic collection of their most important desktops, portables, peripherals, prototypes, iDevices (iPad, iPod and iPhone) and packaging.

Mar 3 2015

Weapons Of Mass Distinction or How Apple dropped the Big One on Google

 

Googles Graveyard, just some of the apps , products and services Google has shuttered Google+ is now on life support. 

Google Businesses Killed

 

Hi Tech Buddies

Well another week and yet another announcement from Google about shutting down another previously touted service or product.

It seems Google has given up on its stated Dream to challenge Facebook with its Google+ application.

Link here for a well written Slate piece on the dearly departed.

Google’s failed effort to topple Facebook as a social media sight, and former scapegoat for other shuttered services an effort we were told that Larry Page was absolutely committed to and devoting all of Googles resources to. Once again people begin asking whats up with Google?

Why do they constanly cancel all these products and services ,  sometimes after committing fantastic advertising budgets to them, jumping out of airplanes and shifting employee’s lives around? Is Google just indifferent to the efforts of their developers,  indifferent to its loyal users who devote hours and hours of time and in some cases financial investment to these platforms, products and services only to be abandoned time and time again. Is Google as a company mindless, misguided, poorly managed? Do they not have a business plan?

I thought the answer to all these questions was obvious but I still see articles by tech journalist reportedly surprised when Google kills a product or Service. Whats up with them? Why are they all wasting talk and pencil lead pontificating about about Google’s “Noble” ambitions and strategy, is it just click bait or do they really not get it.

First lets say this one more time. Continue reading “Weapons Of Mass Distinction or How Apple dropped the Big One on Google” »

Feb 26 2015

Apple Invites you to “Spring Ahead” Live Streaming Event Set Your Alarms!!


Apple Watch Event

On March 9th @ 10am PDT Apple will hold an World Wide Event introducing the Apple Watch to theWorld ! This will be a live streaming Event viewable on Apple Tv or direct from Apples Website. We hope to learn pricing and configurations as well as features not previously announced.

Sep 10 2014

Welcome The Apple Watch !

apple watch

Things you can do with the Apple Watch:

Track fitness and health using several baked-in, wrist-facing sensors
Get iPhone notifications. (iPhone is required for this watch)
Control your AppleTV and iTunes
Talk to other Apple Watches
Pick up your heart rate using LEDs and sensors
Pay for goods with your watch at numerous nationwide stores
Trigger actions or dictate messages via Siri
Change watch faces
Run a variety of functions, like maps for turn-by-turn navigation or a communicator tool that lets you connect directly with friends’ Apple watches
Display your favorite photos
Tweet from your wrist
See airline flight information
Unlock a hotel room door by waving the device (Starwood)
Run widget-like customizable bits of info showing things like calendar data and music info
Get notification vibrations using a so-called “taptic engine”

Jul 19 2014

Apple and IBM partnering, Karma ? Will Apple and Microsoft’s relationship come full circle?

I love when current events have links to past events and coincide with history it’s like putting together a karmic puzzle. With the recent announcement that IBM and Apple will be collaborating on bringing IOS to IBM’s enterprise clients we have a great example of how Karma works.

IMG_1553.JPG

This partnership should not surprise anyone , IBM’s relationship with Microsoft was not a pleasant experience while their business dealings with Apple have always been very professional. If you have been following technology as closely as I have for the last thirty years you probably remember that Microsoft originally grew by developing software at the behest of Apple Computer.

Microsoft started by developing Word Processors and Spreadsheets for the Macintosh Platform (see the 1983 video of Apple Sales Conference presentation in which Bill Gates and others play suitors to Apple’s Macintosh business. Continue reading “Apple and IBM partnering, Karma ? Will Apple and Microsoft’s relationship come full circle?” »

Jun 7 2014

Steve Jobs unveils “One More Thing ” @ the 2014 WWDC, finally able to RIP

On Monday June 2nd,  Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveiled what will most likely become his Greatest Product to date.  Although passing away almost three years ago , Steve was able to unveil

“One More Thing”

steve & tim

Tim Cook’s Apple 

Like many of the products unveiled by Steve in his history at Apple Computer as well as Pixar and now Apple Inc. they are not so much a revolution as an evolution. Apple’s secret sauce has always been the ability commoditize technology and place it into the hands of the public as a useful tool for change. Steve once talked of producing a personal computer as friendly to use “for the rest of us” as a household appliance. In 1977 there were a handful of personal computers before the Apple 1 , and once again in 1984 (working as a pirate within his own company) he saw the need to replace the design with a more user-friendly UI the result became the Macintosh which today we call the iMac. This formula could be applied to software as well as hardware as in spreadsheets, desktop publishing, MacWrite, MP3 players, iTunes, Mobile Phones, iPad, iBook Author, iTunes U etc. all required a dash of Apple’s special sauce to make those product categories relevant and groundbreaking. Continue reading “Steve Jobs unveils “One More Thing ” @ the 2014 WWDC, finally able to RIP” »

Feb 1 2013

The Job’s Yacht Docked in West Palm Beach, Florida

Steve Jobs Yacht Docked in West Palm Beach Florida

Steve Jobs Yacht Docked in West Palm Beach Florida

Steve’s Jobs yacht has been dock at Rybovich Marina in West Palm Beach for a couple of weeks but recent activity suggest that it is being prepped for a cruise.
This is the best shot I could get before being chased away by security

20130203-181204.jpg

Jan 31 2013

Is Apple Poised to Change the World Again ?


What will be the Apple’s NeXt Big Thing. Can Apple pull off the most important product introduction of maybe all time? I believe so and here is why!

20130327-163908.jpg
3D printing technology is at the same point that the personal computer was when the Steve’s were beginning to produce the Apple 2. That little packaging of computing power unleashed a wave of industrial growth not seen since the utilization of the Assembly line at the beginning of The Industrial Revolution. The technology for 3D printing has reached a cost factor approaching a pro consumer level. Like the laser printer introduced by Apple in 1984 the 3D printer would benefit from Apple’s unique ability to simplify and commoditized the product. Apple also uniquely processes the ability to build the subsystems for unifying, developing and distributing software.
Macintosh Pro Computer line (trucks) would find a new life as a leader in industrial design and production.

for a good idea of the possibilities read this from Seeking Alpha<

Update 12/3/2015

Maybe Apple is Listening 

Check this new patent filing

Nov 6 2012

More Beatles on iTunes !! Magical Mystery Tour a Fair Deal for Both Apples

Magical Mystery Tour

Looks like the iTunes deal on all things Beatles continues, it was once thought that Apple had negotiated a one year deal , it looks as if that deal is for a longer period. Also note that Apple Inc. has gained the Apple Corp. Apple Logo which like all the Beatles media shares the rights with the Beatles empire , The best for both Apples,

 Kudos to Steve for working that deal.

Oct 25 2012

Apple’s New Line up (Part 2)

In September Apple introduced us to the new iPhone 5 as well as the new iPod Touch Line, on October 23rd Apple dropped the other shoe. With these two intros Apple has refreshed its entire line and added four totally new products, Below we have the latest from Apple , click on each image for more info.

Aug 16 2012

Can Apple untie this Gordian Knot we call Television ? I think I see the answer!

Apple Set Top Box circa 1995 thx to Shrine of Apple

Apple Inc. has been sitting or the fence when it comes entering our  living rooms with a television solution. The problems involved have been huge hurdles to get over. Yesterday we were informed that Apple had been granted a patent for a television channel guide UI software.  This got me thinking about which way Apple may be heading and the more I think about it the more I see Apple’s fingerprints all over the place. Follow me here , this could be the Game Changer we have all been looking for!  Continue reading “Can Apple untie this Gordian Knot we call Television ? I think I see the answer!” »

Jul 31 2012

When Apple litigates, it’s Personal and it’s Business!

Apple Inc. of Silicon Valley has declared war on “The Copyists”, their name for companies they believe have illegally appropriated Apple developed Technology. Many pundits think Apple is being over aggressive in their reaction and should just keep competing. Below I try to lay out Apple’s reasons and point out why this is an important business move but their selection of recipients is personal. Continue reading “When Apple litigates, it’s Personal and it’s Business!” »

May 14 2012

“Apple can’t ignore us,”says Otellini, Maybe,Maybe not says I

During Intel’s annual investor day on Thursday, CEO Paul Otellini outlined the company’s plan to leverage its multi-billion-dollar chip fabrication plants, thousands of developers and industry sway to catch up in the lucrative mobile device sector, reports Forbes.


“Our job is to ensure our silicon is so compelling, in terms of running the Mac better or being a better iPad device, that as they make those decisions they can’t ignore us,” Otellini said.

 

The problem for Intel is two fold, First; this happens only if Apple is able to customize Intel’s chip to their specifications in order to maintain its dominance over competitors. Many reviewers neglect to credit Apple’s customized chips for the smooth user experience Apple can create by this process. Android like the Windows platform suffers from lowest common denominator approach to satisfy the many hardware accommodations needed to support their system. Second: Currently Apple’s ARM processors are produce by its untrustworthy manufacturer Samsung. Apple knows enough not to put all it’s eggs in one basket the beauty of ARM is that Apple can choose from many manufacturers, their problem encounter with Samsung is one of huge supply, Apple is working boldly to help other producers come up to speed, see related post below Maybe Intel can be trusted but they would have to supply a very compelling product, which I think is what Otellini is referring to. tv

Read our post about Apple’s Think Different business approach

read our related post about The coming of WWIII here