Apple releases iTunes 11 on schedule and making a feature length film with an iPad 2 as your camera and Nisus Writer Pro and Express on sale!

Apple made its self-imposed deadline of November 30th and released the latest version of iTunes, #11, on Thursday the 29th. It continues Apple’s trend of iPadification of its Mac apps. In other words, if you’ve used Music on your iPad; you’ve seen a preview of the new iTunes.

We here at MacValley Labs just installed it last night and haven’t had time to do a full review of it yet. We can tell you that it doesn’t open in List view like the previous versions did.

While on the topic of deadlines, today is the day Apple promised the 21.5” iMac would be available. We have to make a trip to the Apple Store to get something for the forthcoming presentation at the December meeting December 5th, and we’ll try to check out the new iMac.

Now to the topic of deals. Nisus has put Nisus Writer Pro on sale for $59 and Nisus Writer Express on sale for just $25! Excellent value in word processing.

Finally, if you’ve thought about making a feature length film and have an iPad, check out this article at Mac|LIfe about making a film using an iPad 2 as the camera. What?! Check it out, you budding Spielbergs and Scorseces!

And “one more thing”. Atari-yes, they still exist-has put out a version of Pong for the iPad and iPhone. It’s been 40 years and trillions of dollars in quarters since Pong was first released.

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

Apple releases iTunes 11 on schedule and making a feature length film with an iPad 2 as your camera and Nisus Writer Pro and Express on sale!

Apple made its self-imposed deadline of November 30th and released the latest version of iTunes, #11, on Thursday the 29th. It continues Apple’s trend of iPadification of its Mac apps. In other words, if you’ve used Music on your iPad; you’ve seen a preview of the new iTunes.

We here at MacValley Labs just installed it last night and haven’t had time to do a full review of it yet. We can tell you that it doesn’t open in List view like the previous versions did.

While on the topic of deadlines, today is the day Apple promised the 21.5” iMac would be available. We have to make a trip to the Apple Store to get something for the forthcoming presentation at the December meeting December 5th, and we’ll try to check out the new iMac.

Now to the topic of deals. Nisus has put Nisus Writer Pro on sale for $59 and Nisus Writer Express on sale for just $25! Excellent value in word processing.

Finally, if you’ve thought about making a feature length film and have an iPad, check out this article at Mac|LIfe about making a film using an iPad 2 as the camera. What?! Check it out, you budding Spielbergs and Scorseces!

And “one more thing”. Atari-yes, they still exist-has put out a version of Pong for the iPad and iPhone. It’s been 40 years and trillions of dollars in quarters since Pong was first released.

 

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

The new iMacs are coming and a really cool free app for your iPad

1. 1.The 21.5” Macs promised for the end of November will make it to the Apple Store. On Friday, November 30. You can order the 27” iMacs on-line, but you have to wait for their delivery until December.
2. 2.Will Apple make the same Friday deadline for iTunes 11? What version of OS X and what machine will you need to run it?
3. 3.If you want to prove to a friend that we're truly living in the future, look no further than Air Display, an innovative iOS app capable of extending your Mac or Windows desktop using an iPad.Avatron Software has introduced Air Display Free, an ad-supported version of its popular app which extends the desktop of any Mac or Windows computer onto any Wi-Fi enabled iPad, complete with Retina Display quality, when available

Helpful Hints for changing a lost administrative password and dealing with Super-Duper and more!

How’s the shopping going out there? I wouldn’t venture near the malls in Canoga Park/Woodland Hills right now. A lot of shoppers fiercely determined to get the best value and brooking no opposition. Besides, finding a parking place would be murder.

I did do some shopping from work on Black Friday. I bought the version of Office 2011 for the Mac with Outlook for Mac, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I got it for $9.95 and downloaded it when I got home from work.

Now if you think I’m dealing with some pirate outfit, no, no, that’s not the case. Microsoft has a Home Use Program, where employees of corporate customers can buy Office for either PC or Mac at this price. I took advantage of it to put Office 2010 on my PC and now it’s time for my Mac.

The best part? Microsoft allows you to have two installs from the downloaded installer. This means you could put the program on your kid’s computer, too.

The opening screen of the Home Use Web site shows Office 2010. Go under Other Products for Office 2011 for the Mac.

Now Office 2011 works on Intel Macs running at least 10.5.8 with 1 Gb of RAM and 2.5 GB of available hard drive space. Full system requirements here.

Now let’s suppose you went on eBay or Craigs List or got your brother-in-law’s old Mac. You got an Intel Mac at a good price. When it arrives, though, you need to change the administrative password. If you’re running 10.6 or less, Apple tells you to get a copy of the installation disk.

But you don’t have the installation disk the morning you exchange gifts.Your brother-in-law left town to party in Vegas. What do you do? Well, you follow the sage wisdom of Mac Yourself on how to change the administrative password without an installation disk. They’ve gathered how to do this for 10.4 through 10.8.

Finally, a tip from my own experience. I’ve used the cloning program Super-Duper! since OS X 10.3. I got it on the advice of Ken Gruberman and Elena-Beth Kaye. It works! But lately, I’ve had problems…

The problems occur due to conflicts between Super-Duper! and an anti-virus program I installed. I solved the problem by running Super-Duper! under Safe Boot mode. Safe Boot mode temporarily disables all those program that would otherwise automatically start when you boot up.

You get to Safe Boot mode by restarting your Mac, listening for the BONGG! sound and then immediately pressing the Shift key. I press the left Shift key myself. The Mac will then go through extra steps. Finally you arrive at the Safe Boot log-in screen.

This is the OS X 10.4 “Tiger” Safe Boot screen from my MacBook.

This is the Safe Boot screen from my Mac Mini running 10.8.2. Notice that the Safe Boot message is in Red and in the upper right-hand corner.

Boot into Safe Mode to run Super-Duper! When you finish backing up or cloning a hard drive, you can just restart the Mac from the Apple menu. You’ll return to full functionality.

See you at the December meeting Wednesday, December 5th, at 7:30 PM. You’ll find Holiday Goodies on the table and Holiday Apps demonstrated on screen.

News from Apple and M$ and AC/DC

First, OS X 10.9 is in the works. 9 to 5 Mac reports users of early builds of this have shown up on Web logs.

It appears to offer Siri to Mac users as well as a Maps application.

When will it hit the market? 9 to 5 Mac speculates that developer builds will come out in the spring of 2013 and consumer builds later in the year.

So what big cat will they name this after? Your guesses are welcome in the comments. I’m going with “Mr. Bigglesworth”.

Second, in what may be a sign of impending doom :), the Australian rockers AC/DC have signed with iTunes. They held out for a long time, but now you can get them in the iTunes Music Store.

Third, Macrumors.com reports that both Belkin and iPad Mini Mod have released keyboards with cases for the iPad mini. Belkin’s sells for $80, while iPad Mod Mini sells for $40.

Top that, Google and Amazon!

Fourth, Apple has announced its own Black Friday sale:

Apple has posted a teaser page on their Australian online Apple Store for a "one-day Apple shopping event" on Friday, November 23rd.

The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday, 23 November. Get ready to give. Shop online or visit your favourite Apple Retail Store. We'll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop.

This Friday represents Black Friday in the United States. Black Friday is the day afterThanksgiving that marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. Traditionally, retailers offer major sales on that day.

Apple's international online and retail stores also participate in these sales, though Apple's discounts tend to be very modest. Last year's discounts for Apple's core products were as follows (in USD):

iPad 2 - $41 to $61 Off

iPod nano - $11 off

iPod Touch - $21 to $41 off

MacBook Air - $101 off

MacBook Pro - $101 off

iMac - $101 off

For absolute savings, customers will have better luck with 3rd party merchants that tend to offer steeper discounts on Apple products on Black Friday.

Finally, Will the New iMacs arrive as scheduled?

Last week, a report from french site MacBidouille claimed that Apple may not be shipping their new iMac until early 2013, despite Apple's official promises that the new iMac models would ship before year's end.

9to5Mac now reassures us that Apple's original plans are still intact for the iMac. The new 21.5" iMacs are said to already be shipping to distribution centers, while the 27" iMacs are due in December. Supplies, however, are likely to be very short through the rest of the year.

Apple continues to list November and December availability dates for the new iMacs in their online store. Pre-orders are not yet available but are expected by the end of November.

News from Apple and M$ and AC/DC

First, OS X 10.9 is in the works. 9 to 5 Mac reports users of early builds of this have shown up on Web logs.

It appears to offer Siri to Mac users as well as a Maps application.

When will it hit the market? 9 to 5 Mac speculates that developer builds will come out in the spring of 2013 and consumer builds later in the year.

So what big cat will they name this after? Your guesses are welcome in the comments. I’m going with “Mr. Bigglesworth”.

Second, in what may be a sign of impending doom :), the Australian rockers AC/DC have signed with iTunes. They held out for a long time, but now you can get them in the iTunes Music Store.

Third, Macrumors.com reports that both Belkin and iPad Mini Mod have released keyboards with cases for the iPad mini. Belkin’s sells for $80, while iPad Mod Mini sells for $40.

Top that, Google and Amazon!

Fourth, Apple has announced its own Black Friday sale:

Apple has posted a teaser page on their Australian online Apple Store for a "one-day Apple shopping event" on Friday, November 23rd.

The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday, 23 November. Get ready to give. Shop online or visit your favourite Apple Retail Store. We'll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop.

This Friday represents Black Friday in the United States. Black Friday is the day afterThanksgiving that marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. Traditionally, retailers offer major sales on that day.

Apple's international online and retail stores also participate in these sales, though Apple's discounts tend to be very modest. Last year's discounts for Apple's core products were as follows (in USD):

iPad 2 - $41 to $61 Off

iPod nano - $11 off

iPod Touch - $21 to $41 off

MacBook Air - $101 off

MacBook Pro - $101 off

iMac - $101 off

For absolute savings, customers will have better luck with 3rd party merchants that tend to offer steeper discounts on Apple products on Black Friday.

Finally, Will the New iMacs arrive as scheduled?

Last week, a report from french site MacBidouille claimed that Apple may not be shipping their new iMac until early 2013, despite Apple's official promises that the new iMac models would ship before year's end.

9to5Mac now reassures us that Apple's original plans are still intact for the iMac. The new 21.5" iMacs are said to already be shipping to distribution centers, while the 27" iMacs are due in December. Supplies, however, are likely to be very short through the rest of the year.

Apple continues to list November and December availability dates for the new iMacs in their online store. Pre-orders are not yet available but are expected by the end of November.

Love for the iPad Mini-and a review of the Surface RT, too- Thanks again Arnold!

My love for the mini over the other iPads comes down to one thing: size. It's perfectly sized for every room in the house. It's perfectly sized for travel, where every ounce counts.

the build quality on the iPad mini is fantastic

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/07/why-im-returning-my-ipad-mini/

Chris Pirillo’s Microsoft Surface Review

John Gruber thought this was a fair and comprehensive review.

Best line: “If you’re the sort of person who likes features over finish, Surface is for you.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQhhtvuZwVg

Windows 8 is just another way for Microsoft to show you ads

And the ads continue to play even if you pay subscription fees.

http://owened.co.nz/windows-8-is-just-a-way-for-microsoft-to-show-you-ads

Want to charge up your iPhone or iPad after the electricity goes out?  Such as after an earthquake?

Now you can with this hand crank generator.  Buy one before the big one!!

http://uncrate.com/stuff/eton-boost-turbine/

Russian Hacker Gets a Taste of His Own Malware

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/76519.html

Apple’s products say, “You can’t do that because we think it would suck.”

Microsoft’s products say, “We’ll let you try to do anything on anything if you really want to, even if it sucks.”

People who dislike Apple’s approach or whose requirements are incompatible with it will always exist in great numbers, and the Surface is for them. It’ll probably sell well, especially if Microsoft can expand their retail presence quickly.

http://www.marco.org/2012/10/26/an-alternate-universe

iPithy: Why the World's Biggest Company Speaks With the Fewest Words

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/10/ipithy-why-the-worlds-biggest-company-speaks-with-the-fewest-words/264126/

A yacht designed by Steve Jobs has been completed a little over a year after his death

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2012/10/29/steve-jobss-yacht-completed/

The Yacht Steve Jobs Designed With Philippe Starck Has Finally Been Unveiled

http://www.cultofmac.com/198521/the-yatcht-steve-jobs-designed-with-philippe-starck-has-finally-been-unveiled/

Apple Acknowledges UK Legal Judgment That Samsung Tablets Are Not as Cool as iPads

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal-judgement/

iPhones, iPads, and not much else: How the mobile revolution drove Apple’s exponential growth

http://qz.com/20109/iphones-ipads-and-not-much-else-how-the-mobile-revolution-drove-apples-exponential-growth/

The Kill Switch Comes to the PC

Google …... flipped a little-known kill switch, reaching into more than 250,000 infected Android smartphones and forcibly removing the malicious code.

Google, Apple (AAPL), and Amazon (AMZN)all have the ability to reach into devices to delete illicit content or edit code without users’ permission. It’s a powerful way to stop threats that spread quickly, but it’s also a privacy and security land mine.

The bottom line: Kill switches can improve computer security, but they worry privacy and free speech advocates.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-02-17/the-kill-switch-comes-to-the-pc

Thanks to Arnold Woodworth, our Vice-President, for all these great links.

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

Catching Up with Posts-A lot about how to use Twitter more effectively with Hashtags

Hashtags -- General Lists:

Organizing the world's Hashtags

http://www.hashtags.org/

75 Top Twitter Hashtags

http://wearesocialpeople.com/75-top-twitter-hashtags/

Hashtags for the 21st Century

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/52-twitter-hashtags-for-21s-century/

A Twitter Page Dedicated to Hashtags

https://twitter.com/hashtagsforlife

Trending Hashtags

http://hashonomy.com/hashtags/trending/

Twitter Hashtags for Fashion and Beauty Bloggers

http://www.onewomansstyleevolution.com/2012/02/hashtag-101-for-fashion-and-beautybloggers/

Lists of Social Responsibility Hashtags

45 hashtags for social change

http://www.socialbrite.org/2011/12/27/45-hashtags-for-social-change/

45 Hashtags for Sustainability

http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/elainecohen1/58901/45-hashtags-sustainability-reports

30 Super Useful Nonprofit Hashtags – Twitter Chats, Too!

http://www.nten.org/blog/2011/11/08/30-super-useful-nonprofit-hashtags-–-twitter-chats-too

Lists of Business Hashtags

Small Business Hastags

http://www.macgetit.com/642/twitter-small-business-startup-entrepreneur-list-of-hashtags/

Top 25 List of Twitter Hashtags for Human Resources & HR

http://www.blogging4jobs.com/social-media/twitter-hashtags-human-resources/

35 Twitter Hashtags for Financial Professionals

http://financialsocialmedia.com/twitter/35-twitter-hashtags-for-financial-professionals/

Hashtags for #LegalMediaTypes

http://www.hellermanbaretz.com/sound-bites/twitter-hashtags-legalmediatypes

http://careerenlightenment.com/twitter-job-search/50-hottest-twitter-hashtags-for-job-seekers

http://www.social-hire.com/career--interview-advice/1081/the-top-hashtags-for-the-job-seeker

Lists of Education Hashtags

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/the-complete-guide-to-twitter-hashtags-in-education/

http://edudemic.com/2012/06/2012-twitter-hashtags/

http://elearningindustry.com/subjects/general/item/331-list-of-elearning-twitter-hashtags-being-used-right-now

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/top-10-educational-technology-hashtags.html

Lists of Science and Technology Hashtags

Public Health and Science Hashtags

http://mrepidemiology.com/2012/04/24/epidemiology-and-science-hashtags-epid/

The Ultimate Green Hashtag List

http://greeneconomypost.com/green-twitter-hashtag-17290.htm

Engineering Hashtags

http://www.cadalyst.com/cad-hashtags

Most Popular Hashtags For The Healthcare Industry

http://www.hashtags.org/platforms/twitter/most-popular-hashtags-for-the-healthcare-industry/

30 Hashtags for Science Lovers

http://edudemic.com/2012/09/30-twitter-hashtags-science-lovers/

Lists of Hashtags for Writers

44 Essential Hashtags Every Author Should Know

http://www.authormedia.com/2012/01/24/44-essential-twitter-hashtags-every-author-should-know/

40 Twitter Hashtags for Writers

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/40-twitter-hashtags-for-writers/

Hashtags for Writers, Authors, and Self-Publishers

http://selfpublishingresources.com/twitter-hashtags-for-writers-authors-and-self-publishers/

Hashtags for Writers

http://richlycoloredmask.blogspot.com/2012/10/twitter-hashtags-for-writers.html

Top Twitter Hashtags for Bloggers

http://www.blogelina.com/2011/04/top-twitter-hashtags-for-bloggers/

The iPad Mini Is The Ideal Second Screen Companion

The iPad mini’s size makes it a take-anywhere device

http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/04/the-ipad-mini-is-the-ideal-second-screen-companion/

Apple sells three million iPads in three days

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-sells-three-million-ipads-in-three-days-2012-11-05-891536

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-sells-3-million-ipads-since-launch-of-mini-2012-11-05

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

A Trip to the Microsoft pop-up store to see the Surface RT tablet

First, the Microsoft pop-up store. It’s a simple square with a tall sign showing the new Microsoft logo. I saw the sign as I walked through the JC Penny close to the MS store. The MS Store itself is set up in the middle of the floor in front of JC Penny at the Glendale Galleria.

I saw several Surface tablets set up. The tablet is set up on the tablet in landscape orientation. The cover that doubles as a keyboard came attached to it in front.

Face it, it’s a netbook with a touch screen. I didn’t want to buy it. With the cover with molded keys, it felt like trying to type on a brick.

The young sales associate who answered my questions was totally professional. MS, the problem is not the people; it’s how you set up the product. You don’t set up a tablet for display by attaching a mediocre keyboard to it. You attach a lanyard to it and let people touch it.

I asked how the Surface connected to a printer. The sales associate told me that you would use a USB wired connection or a Bluetooth pairing. I asked about using a Wi-Fi printer with it. They said it would work, but I did not feel satisfied.

I saw another person looking at the tablet, so I excused myself and headed up to the Apple store.

Second, The Apple Store at the Glendale Galleria. Now this place was busy. Not too busy to answer my question, “Where’s the iPad Mini?”

It was right behind me. I saw it when I entered the store, but I expected the iPad Mini to be much smaller and heavier. I’m thinking of my iPad Classic’s size and weight.

To my delight, the device has a much bigger screen than I anticipated and it weighed much less than I feared. I fell in love with it. I want one. If I had the money, I would have taken whatever they had in stock.

I overheard conversation between the staff. They only had the black 32 Gb model left. Jump on it, people. People are falling in love with this cute little fella at first touch.

I still remember that CNN.com correspondent at a loss for words about the iPad Mini. What would people use it for? Just take them up to the nearest Apple Store, put an iPad Mini in their hands, and stand back.

Now excuse me, I have a game of Tiny Wings to get back to.

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

Important Apple iMac Hard Drive recall information

Thanks to Jeff Janning for alerting me about this.

“Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.

Apple is contacting affected iMac owners who provided a valid email address during the product registration process to let them know about this program. If you have not been contacted, but think you have a 1TB Seagate hard drive, you can enter your serial number below to see if it's part of this program.”

Click here to go to the Apple Web page concerning possible bad 1 TB hard drives. It will tell you how to find your serial number.

Thank you again, Jeff, for alerting us to this problem.

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG

The iPad Mini fits in a standard lab coat and what this means for medicine

Physicians carry all sorts of things in their lab coats. Lab reports, sandwiches, stethoscopes. Only the size of the objects limits their ability to go with the physician. Up to now, the size of the iPad has kept them from serving as the physicians trusty companion on rounds.

But NOW!…with the introduction of the iPad mini, the iPad slips right into the pockets next to the grilled cheese sandwich and cytology results. An article in Appleinsider points to doctors planning to buy the iPad Mini soon.

"Compared to the general populace, physicians are early and high adopters of Apple products," the company told AppleInsider. "A large majority of physicians own an iPhone, and the current iPad dominates the healthcare tablet market."

Here’s a picture (courtesy of Epocrates, a maker of medical software) of one of their iOS apps on an iPad Mini:

Tom Briant

Editor and Media Manager, MacValley UG