Alright, that’s SEGA’s slogan back in the days, but this is what the Mac App Store is, the next step in how we find and consume apps. With the introduction of iTunes, Apple changed the way we find and consume media. Then with the iPhone/iPod/iPad App Store they changed, well actually created, the platform for mobile applications. Now they are doing it again, the Mac App Store is going to change the way we look for and purchase actual programs for computers. The store is setup very similarly to the already familiar iTunes/App Store, and prices are also comparable. This not only makes it easy for users, but also creates a streamlined distribution platform for developers. I don’t like to sound like a fanboy, but I have to say it.  This is going to be a game changer.

What are your thoughts?

The files you need are:

/usr/libexec/cups/filter/urftopdf
/usr/share/cups/mime/apple.convs
/usr/share/cups/mime/apple.types
If you migrate those from a 10.6.5 prerelease build (there seem to be many floating around torrent sites and file sharing sites – build 10H542 works; naturally I can’t link you to the files themselves, sorry!) to your machine you’re just one step away from having AirPrint working.

The final key thing is you have to remove and re-add your printer in the Print & Fax preferences pane. Once you do that (and share your printer in the Sharing preferences pane) it should show up on any iOS devices that support AirPrint.

Still don’t understand why Apple would remove this, but at least there is a work around…if you can get your hands on the beta files.

(via iClarified)

Skype just released the overdue update for Mac. It now brings it more inline with the latest Windows version, including group video chat. Here are the key features from the Skype blog:

• New call control bar — Hang up, mute and more from a mini Skype toolbar that sits on top of any web pages, documents or photos you’ve got open
• Search chat content to easily navigate past conversations
• Offline IM so that you can send and receive instant messages even if the recipient is offline
• Personalise contacts via user profiles
• Quickly rejoin calls if your Internet connection fails momentarily
• Floating Contacts Monitor to see your online contacts and contact groups

Also, Skype is doing a $1500 Apple Store gift card Twitter contest:

Win a $1,500 USD Apple Store gift certificate! Tweet your favorite feature of the new Skype for Mac 5.0 Beta http://bit.ly/dm6AAe

Go download it now!

I remember reading many years ago that the desktops days were numbered and laptops were the future, which the numbers later backed up. Now it seems it’s happening all over again, but this time moving from “bulky” laptops, like the MacBook Air,  to smaller tablet devices, like the iPad. I believe Apple is in the strongest position in this new market, even more so then they are with the traditional laptop market, and that’s got a lot of other companies scrambling to exist in this new future.

I just received my Magic Trackpad and so far I’m liking it.  There really isn’t much to say, it is basically a multitouch trackpad similar to the ones found in MacBooks, just bigger.

Construction wise, the trackpad looks like it’s all aluminum, but inspecting it closely reveals that there is actually a thin glass placed on top of the aluminum base. It has a power button and a bay for battery, very straight forward.

Functionality wise, it takes a bit of getting used to navigating your desktop like a notebook, but if you have used a notebook there really is no learning curve.  However, for more precise work, like graphic design and photo editing, a mouse will probably fare better, but for everything else the Magic Trackpad works very well. Maybe with some time and practice I’ll be able to do everything with it.

This is the next logical step for computer input devices. The Magic Mouse, with its multitouch surface, introduced desktop users to navigating with gestures and with more people choosing notebooks over desktops, it is only a matter of time before trackpads replace the mouse as an input device. Perhaps in the future the mouse to be delegated to specific tasks similar to what pen tablets are today.

So should you get it? This I think is a personal preference, so I’ll leave it up to you.

]]> http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/08/03/review-magic-trackpad/feed/ 0 http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/04/28/wwdc-2010-announced-for-june-7-11/ http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/04/28/wwdc-2010-announced-for-june-7-11/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:20:28 +0000 Justin Horn http://whenwillapple.com/blog/?p=3992 Looks like Gruber was right, WWDC 2010 was announced today for June 7 – 11th. So we only have to wait about 5 weeks to get the rest of the details on the 4th gen iPhone hardware, and any new OS 4 updates that only apply to the new hardware.

(via TiPb)

Until now, the miniDP port only transmitted video, even though the DisplayPort spec supports optional alternate signal channels such as audio or USB.

Apple confirmed to Ars that the just-updated MacBook Pros will pass both video and audio signals to an HDTV or receiver when using an miniDP to HDMI adapter.

Those dedicated When Will Apple blog followers will remember our review of the Monoprice Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. It worked great, but even though the Mini DisplayPort spec and the Monoprice adapter  supported audio, the MacBook did not. The good news is the latest MacBooks support Mini DisplayPort audio. The bad is that my hopes for a simple a software update to enable audio are crushed.

(via Rene Ritchie of TiPb)

We will pick 2 comments at random to give the Wave invites to. If you already have Google Wave leave a comment anyway because it will be fun.

Also, don’t forget to register with When Will Apple and take your best release date guess for the yet to be named tablet device for a chance to win a $50 iTunes or Apple store gift card.

A pretty obvious warning, especially in this economy, but it’s worth mentioning.

The Miami Herald reports:

Shoppers in Pinecrest and Kendall beware: Thieves are preying on customers who leave their electronics purchases in their cars while they eat or continue shopping.
A favorite target: Apple computers.

“At some point after the purchase is made, the customers are spotted carrying the purchase in an Apple bag,” he said. “If the customer does not go home directly with the purchase — if they make an intermediary stop — criminals, having watched them make this purchase, know the equipment is in the car.” [Pinecrest Police Chief John Hohensee]

This could obviously happen after a purchase from any electronics store, but we all know Apple’s products can be a bit pricier and much nicer. So it makes sense for thieves to target Apple products over the new Windows 7 computers. The few examples used in this article were all purchases made at the two Apple stores 10 mins from me (yes I have 2 Apple stores that close). So if you must stop somewhere on your way home, lug your new toys with you!

I’m coming around to the idea that Enderle’s really a genius and his doofus routine is a Stephen Colbert-esque schtick.

Unfortunately Gruber is joking (at least I hope so)…Enderle is not a genius. I pretty much disagree with everything he says in this article with the exception of the Magic Mouse (Apple has never been good at making mice) and when Apple almost went belly up.

Let’s take a look at “Windows 7: A New Hope” section of the post:

Steve Jobs and Apple clearly planned for the same traditional behavior [Windows launch failure] and were completely unprepared for both the quality of Windows 7 and the fact Microsoft has a war chest this time. Their near pathetic recent release of a couple slightly improved PCs and a couple peripherals showcases this. They figured they could easily skate through the next few months because, traditionally, Microsoft would be vulnerable and not able to fight back.

The new updates were just that, updates. They got faster hardware and a few other tweaks with the lone MacBook getting the biggest upgrade. Apple is not “unprepared”, but instead sticking with what works and Windows 7 isn’t going to change that. Not sure what Rob thinks Apple should have released? Apple isn’t going to suddenly start competing in the thin margin budget computer business.

Windows 7 should shake some of the bad Vista press (just as XP did for Windows Millennium), but the problem for Microsoft is all the negative press has pushed Apple into the spotlight…even with their teeny weeny market share. People that have never considered a Mac are now thinking about “the switch”. Add in the success of the iPhone and iPod touch and Apple has gained a much larger audience than they ever have before.

Here is what’s really going to happen for Apple and Microsoft in the Windows 7 world:

• People running XP now will continue using XP for as long as they have that computer, especially businesses.
• At lot of people running Vista will pay the upgrade fee since it will probably be worth the price to get the hell off Vista.
• People on a tighter budget will buy a new cheap PC with Windows 7 just as they would if it still had Vista on it.
• People deciding between a Mac and PC will not be swayed to a PC by Windows 7, they just won’t be pushed to Apple by Vista (so one plus for Microsoft here).

Rob wraps things up with:

Two good lessons here, even when you are on top it is very foolish to under estimate a competitor with Microsoft’s resources because they can actually get it right, and picking too many fights at once can take out the most powerful of entities just as it took out a nearly unbeatable Germany in the second world war.

Not even sure how to respond to this one. The “too many fights” is referring to the Droid (Google, Verizon, and Motorola) in addition to Microsoft. I don’t see how Apple is under estimating anyone? Apple is selling more Macs then they ever have before and have the fastest growing consumer devices ever with the iPhone and iPod touch. Looks to me like they are winning both wars.