John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
Over at Anandtech, they’ve posted a fantastic first look at the MacBook Pro’s Retina display, which naturally confirms that Apple’s new laptop display is every bit as gorgeous and futuristic as we all think it is. What I was most interested in, however, was the new settings panel for the Retina display, which actually gives users the option to choose on-the-fly between having clearer graphics or more desktop space. What a great idea.
Apple’s been releasing a surprising number of updates for their next-gen Retina MacBook Pros… all the odder given the fact that pretty much no one has one. We can only assume there are some software kinks that still need working out, which is why — following last night’s software update — Cupertino has just released a new update for the trackpad to “address an issue where the trackpad may not respond consistently to user input.”
If you have a Retina MacBook Pro — which you almost definitely don’t — go grab it.
One of the more bizarre changes that Apple introduced in OS X Lion was completely abandoning the “Save As…” option in documents.
Apple’s idea, of course, was to simplify saving files so that it worked more like iOS. They wanted to help make the file system invisible, so that when you’re working on a document, it automatically saves itself. All of the revisions are available, allowing you to switch back to old versions if you need to reference an older “copy” of the document. There’s no reason to “Save As…” anything.
It makes sense, but it’s a change that Apple made in OS X Lion that, while ostensiby much more friendly to new computer users, was extremely counterintuitive to Mac owners who’d actually been using “Save as…” for the last twenty years.
The good news? In OS X Mountain Lion, Apple’s re-introducing “Save as…” The bad news? It’s still hidden and unavailable from menus, but instead only accessible through a convoluted keyboard shortcute: Command-Shift-Option-S. For power users only, in other words. There’s no way to just discover it.
Here’s a thought, Apple… if you’re willing to backpedal this far, why not just go all the way and put it in the damn menus?
It’s hard to believe, but there was a time when Apple’s computers were accused of being strictly last generation.
Their computers were made with clunky Power PC processors, and Windows PC owners smirked at the wheezing Mac platform. Michael Dell even famously said the whole company was so behind the times that if it were up to him, he’d euthanize it.
How things change.
While the rest of the industry was counting Apple out, a Steve Jobs newly returned to Apple spent the early part of the last decade quietly assembling a time machine. Following the iPad, iPhone and MacBook Air before it, the retina-display MacBook Pro announced Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco is just the latest time traveler Apple has sent back to us from the future.
It’s a machine so shiny, so shimmering, so futuristic, so unlike anything else out there that it will take the PC-making competition at least a year to release a truly competing product. How did this even happen? How did Apple assemble its time machine, and why can’t the likes of Sony, HP, Dell, Acer and Lenovo seem to catch up?
When this happens, the iMac won't have a Retina display... it'll practically have a Quantum display. Mock-up by Stephen Smith.
Yesterday’s announcement of the new, slim next-gen MacBook Pro took pretty much everyone’s breath away. Largely thanks to an incredible new 2880 x 1800 Retina display, the next-gen MacBook Pro is, without a doubt, the most powerful notebook a video or photo professional could own.
It’s also, technically, overkill. Packing an amazing 220 pixels per inch, the new MacBook Pro actually has almost two million more pixels than it needs to qualify as retina.
Make no mistake. Apple blew the doors open with this one. We were curious, though, what this meant for the rest of the Mac line. So we did the math, and as it turns out, when Apple’s other Macs are updated to Retina Displays, the next-gen MacBook Pro we’re all drooling over? It’ll be the worst Retina display of the entire Mac line.
Apple announced a lot of cool features in iOS 6 today, but here’s some of the stuff they didn’t show worth noting:
• Improved privacy controls.
• Redesigned stores
• Lost mode: if you’ve lost or misplaced your iPhone or iPad, you can send a phone number directly to that phone
• Game center challenges
• Per-account Mail signatures
• Voice-Over imrpovements
• Personal dictionary in iCloud
• Tons of new APIs for Devs, including Pass Kit, in-app contrent purchases (sell iTunes music right through your apps), transit apps
Apple has just unveiled a major new app: Passbook. And it looks like it could be the groundwork for the famed iWallet.
The idea here is simple: a single repository for all of your passes. Plane tickets, movie tickets, store cards, you name it.
Passbook even has QR code support. And any pass stored in it has live information displayed alongside it: for example, if you have a ticket pass, the time until departure is then shown inside of the app.
And, of course, all of these cards and passes are accessible at your local business with just a wave. Boy, all they need to add is credit card support and Apple’s got its NFC approach squared away, don’t you think?
Everything in iOS 6 is getting a big upgrade, and Mail is no exception.
One of the biggest updates is VIP, which allows emails to come right to the lock screen like a text message. Mail now has a flagged and VIP mailbox built right in.
You can also add photos and video right from the mail compose screen, even open password protected docs. Rad.
Apple is also launching a new setting for iOS 6, called Do Not Disturb. And it does what it says on the tin.
Here’s how it works. Essentially, Do Not Disturb allows you to tell your iPhone not to bother you with interruptions. Notifications will still pop up, but they won’t light up the screen or make sounds.
Even better, you have fine-grained access to the kind of calls you can receive when the setting is one.
It’s also safe. For example, repeated calls go through: if someone calls multiple times in a short period of time because it’s an emergency, the call gets put through.
Sounds great, although it sounds to me like this is just going to encourage obnoxious repeat calling from people who think you turned DND on.
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
Apple is also launching a new setting for iOS 6, called Do Not Disturb. And it does what it says on the tin.
Here’s how it works. Essentially, Do Not Disturb allows you to tell your iPhone not to bother you with interruptions. Notifications will still pop up, but they won’t light up the screen or make sounds.
Even better, you have fine-grained access to the kind of calls you can receive when the setting is one.
It’s also safe. For example, repeated calls go through: if someone calls multiple times in a short period of time because it’s an emergency, the call gets put through.
Sounds great, although it sounds to me like this is just going to encourage obnoxious repeat calling from people who think you turned DND on.
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
As rumored, iOS 6 is getting Facebook integration, just like Twitter integration in iOS 5.
“We’re also making it really easy to post to Facebook from many of our apps. Post photos from Photos, post location from Maps… we’ve also integrated it right in with Notification Center. Anywhere you are you can tap to post to Facebook and Twitter.”
Siri is also having Facebook integrated. Even better, Facebook’s deep integration is now a public API, meaning any app can easily integrate Facebook into its app.
There’s even contact list integration. Facebook events and birthdays will now automatically appear in your calendars. And it’s also coming to Mountain Lion.
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
Apple just unveiled iOS 6. And the first thing they’re showing off in iOS 6 is Siri upgrades.
First thing’s first. Siri now knows about sports. You can now ask Siri what the score of the big game was, and it’ll give you the most recent results. You can also ask what a baseball player’s batting average is. She can even give you league listings.
Siri has also learned a lot about restaurants, thanks to integration with Yelp and OpenTable.
Siri’s also now a movie buff. You can ask Siri which movies are playing at your local theater, then even see trailers, right from within ratings. Heck, you can even see reviews, thanks to integration with RottenTomatoes.
You can now tweet from Siri!
Siri’s also gaining the ability to launch apps, which is likely to be a huge accessibility boon to blind people, which Apple is highlighting by mentioning that this is “eyes-free” smartphone usage.
Even better, Siri’s getting external hardware integration. In the next twelve months, BMW, GM, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Honda, amongst others.
Siri’s also learning some new languages: French-Canadian, Spanish, Italian, Italian French, German and Korean. Mandarin and Cantonese for China. Local search is going global, too.
And, of course, the biggest news: Siri is finally, finally coming to iPad. Hurrah.
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
Apple has finally spilled full details of how AirPlay Mirroring for Mountain Lion will work.
The good news is that pretty soon, you’ll be able to throw your Mountain Lion video and audio across a room to your Apple TV in good old 1080p.
Also, because of an update to Game Center, you’ll soon be able to have head-to-head gaming action from Macs to iOS devices, all broadcast on your HDTV. iPad Versus Mac!
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
Apple just announced some nice new updates to Safari: iCloud Tabs and a new scroll architecture.
iCloud Tabs syncs your open tabs across all devices. There’s also a new tab view, which shows live pages on each tab as you gesture through. It looks great.
The new scrolling architecture apparently makes scrolling “lightning fast.”
Looks like some average-sized but great updates. Too bad I don’t use Safari.
“”Nobody turns over their entire line as quickly and completely as we do at Apple. So what’s next? We need to make room on the slide for this.” And Apple is about to announce a completely new and improved MacBook Pro, the next-generation.
““With the MBA, the engineering team did something bold. They reenvisioned the consumer notebook, and were aggressive in embracing new technologies, and discarding legacy technologies. Things we could eventually do without.”
“So what would make a next-generation MacBook Pro?” Schiller asks.
According to Schiller, the next-gen MBP is the most beautiful computer Apple has ever made. It’s thin, its light, it has no optical drive, it’s exactly what the rumors had us believe it would be: a cross between the last MBP and the MacBook Air.
The new MBP is about as thin as the current Air, and weighs under four and a half pounds. And it has a Retina Display.
Noting that everyone tries to copy the MacBook Air, Phil Schiller says they’re updating their ultraportable line.
The MacBook Air will now feature:
• Updated CPU — Ivy Bridge, up to 2.0GHz dual-core i&.
• Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
• Up to 8GB RAM
• 60% Faster Graphics
• Up to 512GB SSD
• USB 3 Support!
• 720p FaceTime camera
• No retina!
Prices now start at $999 and $1099 for the 11-inch, $1199 and $1499 for the 13-inch
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
After addressing the crowd about the App Store, Tim Cook has moved onto the next thing to brag about: new MacBooks, OS X updates and iOS 6! But first, Phil Schiller joins the stage.
(This story is developing.Check back for updates.)
Apple CEO Tim Cook has just taken the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to deliver the keynote address, and are we excited.
Over the next hour and a half, Tim Cook is expected to announce some radical new products for Apple, including new Macs and iOS 6. Apple is expected to abandon Google Maps for its own in-house solution. We will also likely hear a release date for OS X Mountain Lion.
Stay tuned for updates, and keep refreshing our home page for the latest scoops from the keynote. We’ll be live-blogging the whole thing over the course of the next 90 minutes, so as soon as something’s announced, you’ll see it on the front page.
What are you most looking forward to Apple announcing today? Let us know in the comments.
In a hysterical change of pace, instead of Apple CEO Tim Cook taking the stage to start the WWDC keynote at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Siri came on the big screen to warm up the crowd instead.
“Hello and welcome to WWDC. I’m Siri, your virtual assistant and today I was asked to warm up the crowd, which should be easy since the high will be 75 degrees,” said Siri.
Here were some more jokes Siri told:
“How many developers does it take to change a lightbulb? None, that’s a hardware problem.”
“Hey, any of you guys been working with ICS or Jelly Bean. Who’s working up these codenames? Ben & Jerry?”
“Seriously, I am excited about the new Samsung. Not the phone, the refrigerator.”
“I love you guys, but it’s hard for me to get emotional. Because my emotions haven’t been coded yet.”
Workers are already getting ready for WWDC 2012, and so are we.
Today at 10AM Pacific, Tim Cook will take the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco for Apple’s annual WWDC keynote, and if the rumor mill is to be believed, he’ll be hard pressed to fit everything Cupertino is ready to announce into its 90 minute presentation. We’re looking at massive upgrades to the entire Mac line, the official unveiling of iOS 6, loads of new apps, and maybe possibly even our first glimpse of the iPhone 5 and Apple HDTV.
Here’s what we think Apple will (and won’t) announce today, ranked in order of likelihood.
The chances of iOS 6 being anything like this video concept by Joost van der Ree are pretty slim: we already know most of what to expect in iOS 6, and across the board, it looks like an app — not feature — focused update.
But who cares? This still looks great. We’re not so sure about the redesign of the Notification Center to pull down under the home screen — this seems counter intuitive — or the need for a “Mission Control” for finding running apps — the existing task switcher is an expert feature unused by most people which works just fine for poiwer users — but we do love the major innovation of this mockup: “Flipcons”, which show all your app updates and notifications as an overlay that pops out of each individual app on the homescreen.
None of this stuff will be in iOS 6, of course. But maybe some of it will come via jailbreak, and if it doesn’t, there’s always iOS 7.
When Apple first showed off the iPad Smart Cover, the idea was simple: what’s the point of owning a device as beautiful as the iPad if you’ve got to cover it all up in a bulky case so no one can see it? What’s the point of the iPad even being designed to be so slim, so pleasant in the hand, if you’re immediately going to slap a half pound of plastic or leather sheath on top of it?
The Hex Code Folio Case for iPad is the exact opposite kind of case. It’s a professional-style case made for professionals who want to make their iPad part of their business folio. It’s beautifully made and looks quite handsome, but if you’re not the sort of person who spends hours every day in business meetings wrestling with sheaves of print-outs, this isn’t the case for you.
Following earlier reports hinting that Apple would allow devs to start making software for the existing Apple TV as a way of paving the way for a true Apple HDTV early next year, BGR is now officially sticking their neck out, saying an Apple TV SDK is coming at WWDC, allowing devs to build Apple TV-compatible apps. This is in addition to a new control API that will allow other entertainment devices in the living room to use the same remote as the Apple Tv, and even connect through it.
BGR’s the only place claiming such a thing, so we’ll have to see, but it makes sense: if Apple wants to release a proper HDTV, they’ll need to have apps to run on it. This paves the way without tipping their hand too much.
