Conan O’Brien thinks Apple is getting a bit cocky. Never one to pass up the opportunity for a good parody, Team Coco takes on Apple’s slick interview-laden style in this funny spoof of the iPad 2 launch video.
Think Steve Jobs is the only employee at Apple capable of harnessing the Reality Distortion Field? And ever wonder about those team fashion choices? (Promo spot plays before actual video.)
[via Gizmodo]
For those who like to add sparkle to their bling – and can afford to spend as much on their iPad case as on the iDevice itself – CrystalRoc has announced their Swarovski iPad 2 case. Featuring over 4,000 Xilion cut crystals this ultra-chic piece of loungeware will set you back $700, and is shipping immediately.
Why wait for ostrich leather? Not recommended for use on subways or in urban areas at night.
[via BornRich]
For those of you who like living on the Bleeding Age – while running on older hardware – Cult of Mac received this tip from reader Matt Briggs about getting his Core Duo based MacBook running the Lion Developer Preview installation of Mac OS X 10.7:
I managed to get the Lion preview running on a supposedly unsupported Macbook Core Duo from May 2006.
I installed Lion on a USB drive hooked up to a Mac Mini Core 2 Duo 2009, then removed /System/Library/CoreServices/PlatformSupport.plist and the same drive booted in the Macbook with no issues!
there might be some stricter restrictions in the future, but pretty good right now!
IMPORTANT: This is an unverified tip of an unsupported configuration. Use a spare hard drive for any tests, do not overwrite your primary system. This capability may not last in the official release versions.
I don’t have a Core Duo system myself to test this, so if anyone can duplicate these results on their own system please let us know in the comments.
Ever wonder how blogs and websites decide whether to publish a juicy Apple rumor? Have you ever published a piece of gossip yourself? To help understand this delicate decision making process, Joy of Tech has published some helpful Apple Rumor Publishing Guidelines in the form of a easy-to-follow flowchart.
Gave me a good laugh – classic wisdom finely honed among rumorologists for decades! :)
[via Joy Of Tech]
Many people have seen the 1984 SuperBowl commercial introducing the Macintosh to the masses. In the fall of 1983, Jobs gave a preview of this spot to an enthusiastic crowd of Apple shareholders and insiders. With full Reality Distortion Field in place, a young, passionate Steve Jobs describes the history of computing, IBM’s missed opportunities, and their current threats to Apple and the computing industry.
Happy Birthday, Steve – you haven’t lost your touch! Apple SuperNerds will notice a few soundtrack differences between this preview and the commercial that actually aired – can you spot them?
I curse MobileMe, but I rely on MobileMe. So do many Mac users, it’s easy to setup and it generally works. However sometimes your info gets mixed up with duplicates or omissions, or a device in your sync setup can get stuck and won’t send or receive new data.
The basic procedure for resetting sync data involves taking the most complete copy of your data and propagating it through all other systems. Pick one system to become your Primary Mac for the steps below.
Before the Mac, before the Apple II, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak made their first product: a digital Blue Box for hacking into telephone systems. In this clip from the 1998 documentary Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance, Jobs describes how the capability of this device so impressed two young teenagers that they began to realize the power of ideas and the potential of technology to control vast amounts of information.
If we hadn’t made blue boxes, there would have been no Apple.
They also realized the importance of good product packaging – nice wooden shipping case!
Back in 2005, after his battle with cancer and first medical leave of absence from Apple, Steve Jobs gave a rare glimpse into his personal passions and motivation in an inspiring commencement speech to Stanford University graduates. As Jobs once again takes leave of his child – and prognosticators debate what may become of Apple – Matt’s Macintosh has created this lovely compendium of an excerpt from that address, with music and great old photos from Before the Turtleneck.
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. It’s what has made Apple so special. It can still change the world.
Potholes? Now There’s an App for That.
Snow and ice take a heavy toll on roads every year, and this winter has been brutal here in New England. Large potholes have already appeared all over the Boston area, with roads still clogged with snow. Fortunately some high-tech wizards here in my hometown are working on a solution. The Boston Globe reports on an effort to help solve this problem using iPhones and other mobile devices:
A new app, called Street Bump, would automatically report potholes to the city by sensing when a car has hit a bump. The app, in development, would be sensitive enough to identify cracks and divots, alerting the city to pavement problems before they become car-crunching craters.
From the bowels of the web where outtakes are never forgotten, a short video surfaced today showing a 23 year-old Steve Jobs making possibly his first appearance on TV. Far from the stage persona we know today, this candid clip shows a young Jobs wrestling with his earpiece, becoming visibly amazed that he could be seen across the country in realtime, and suffering from nausea due to nervousness!
Embarrassing, but in a charming way. Like those old home movies of you as a kid!
[via NYTimes]
Apple advertising has intersected with the NFL over the years. As we endure the countdown to Super Bowl XLV on a (thankfully snow-free) Sunday morning here in the States, a look back at some Apple ads either related to football or which ran during the Big Game itself.
The very popular I’m-A-Mac campaign gave the glory to the Referee in one spot, that unsung hero and arbiter of the game. The battle then was Leopard vs. Vista, and the ref got the call right!
For decades as they built up their network, Verizon repeatedly asked us “can you hear me now?” For the past few years, iPhone users on AT&T have often asked the same question. Now with the iPhone 4 on Verizon and early reviews commenting on solid connections and good call quality, Verizon decided to bring back their über- technician and ask us a new question in their latest commercial:
“Does your network work?”
“Yes” brags SuperGeek, “I can hear you now!”
Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun…
This just in from the remains of CES: Italian design firm Lavatelli has created a prototype emoticon keypad which plugs into a USB port. Soon you’ll be able to express joy, sadness, cheekiness and other ASCIImotion with just the touch of a finger! Email users and internet forum readers are atwitter in anticipation – or perhaps for some, dread.
No word yet if this will be Mac compatible. What would really be handy is a way to add a virtual emoticon keyboard to your iPhone or iPad – now that would be useful! :)
[via Geek.com]
The iPad isn’t just creating revenue for Apple and iOS developers, in many retail establishments it’s now tracking revenue as well. Everyone’s favorite iDevice has been increasingly seen helping out at the checkout counter and point-of-sale operations in restaurants and coffee shops worldwide.
Several vendors are now offering iPad software and integrated terminal hardware supporting order management, payment processing, reporting and remote management capability. What an ideal Geek Trend: iPads, Coffee, Cupcakes and Commerce!
From BBC One and The One Ronnie Show comes this delightful spoof poking fun at the challenges of all those fruit themed devices in our lives these days. A lighthearted dose in true Python’esque fashion – lest we take our tech too seriously!
From NAMM this year comes news of one of the coolest synthesizers money can’t buy. The OMG-1 is a one-of-a kind, custom endeavor designed by Eric Persing of Spectrasonics, the grand prize for an upcoming fundraising effort benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation.
The OMG-1 contains a Moog Little Phatty analog synthesizer, Spectrasonics Omnisphere software synth, an Apple Mac Mini, two iPads, two iPod touches, and the Omni TR iPad app. Installed in a beautiful
handcrafted curly maple cabinet, the OMG-1 is designed as a highly versatile live performance instrument.
Working as a Mac consultant brings me in contact with several dozen different Macintosh systems every month. Many needs and tasks are common – OS upgrades, backups, system slowdowns, troubleshooting startup or WiFi problems. Like any good mechanic there are a few items in my toolbox which I favor above others. From built-in tools like Disk Utility, Network Utility and Console to third-party tools like DiskWarrior, FileSalvage and iStumbler, these items help get the job done.
The double mirrored face in the blue Mac Finder icon has always been a recognizable piece of Macintosh lore. But did the concept for this graphic originate in Cupertino in the 1980s, or much earlier on another continent? Blogger Cattani Simone has noticed some similarities to a portion of Picasso’s painting Two Characters (Deux Personnages), 1934, located at MART, the Museum of Modern Art in Rovereto (TN) Italy:
The icon of the Macintosh Finder seems very similar to the face of one of the characters of the work of the Spanish artist … Initially I told myself that it wasn’t possible … I’ve never heard about that and anyway someone would know the story for sure … but on the internet there seems to be no correspondence between these things … or at least … No one has mentioned it in the network ….
Coincidence, or Great Artist Stealing? Inquiring minds need to know…
[via MacInTouch] [Daring Fireball]
Where do you characterize the iPad and iPhone in the music making process? They can be your instruments, recording console, video edit system, and playback devices all in one. With new tools comes new talent, taking advantage of what progress has to offer. The Age of the iDevice in Music has only just begun.
Korean musician Yoari and an all-iDevice band performed this cover of Beyonce’s Sweet Dream in June 2010. The apps used in the piece are noted during the performance – a nice touch. And not a bad jam!
If you need to type a letter or create a presentation, the Apple iWork suite can help get the job done. If you need to build a desk or fix the video projector, the Sears iWork toolkit might be a better choice. Complete with 119 dedicated purpose hardware applets in a rugged portable utilities folder, this productivity suite requires no power and never needs updating.
It may not remain on sale for long, however, given Apple’s penchant for preserving their trademarks (and fonts). A bargain now at only $39.99, who knows how much this may one day fetch on eBay?
[via Macenstein]
What’s past is present, at least in the Vintage Tech World. 2010 saw some significant stories involving those attic treasures: an Apple 1 sold for a whopping $213,000, a Mac Museum for $10k, and an Apple II Festival turned 21. Meanwhile iPads were spotted co-habitating inside old Macs, obsolete status befell our PowerPC friends, and The Macintosh Way lived again.
Travel back in time for this review of the Year in Vintage Apple News.
You knew it was coming. Currently VaporWare – and possibly HumorWare – Golden Cow Brands has announced the iToiletStand (aka Angled Stand), a waist high, foldable stand for iPads and other tablets which does just what you think:
Where can I use it? by the bath, couch, bed, in the kitchen or garage, by the toilet (yep, take a bit more time for yourself), next to your chair while playing a musical instrument, in hospitals, next to wheelchairs, somewhat near your barbecue grill, next to your lounge or lawn chair, next to your office desk, use it while giving presentations at school, during meetings or conferences, and the list goes on…
The implied cautionary warning of somewhat near your barbecue grill applies equally to anticipated bathroom usage. The company says cost will be cheap enough for you to purchase several for use around the house, and shipping is anticipated to begin in early 2011
Too bad they missed the 2010 Holiday Shopping Season…
[via BornRich]
Rare Vintage Apple items are popular these days. An Apple Lisa 1 put up for sale on eBay last week has sold for $15,000 after 11 bids! The unit, in working condition, belonged to a former member of the Lisa production team at Apple and was sold by his brother. In an email received by Cult of Mac, the seller noted that the buyer intends to display the system in a museum in Italy.
Hyundai has gone high-tech for their luxury Equus sedan, releasing the 2011 owner’s manual as a free interactive iPad app. Now you can view a multimedia reference guide, locate Hyundai dealers, schedule service appointments, read (and ignore) safety warnings, and – according to the App Store description – “experience Equus rear-passenger massage and relaxation therapy.”
Wow. That’s some owner’s manual.
Even better, an iPad comes with the car! Nice perk. Vehicle cost: $58,900. iPhone and iPod touch versions of the app are scheduled for release shortly.
After all the eggnog is consumed and the gifts unwrapped, your new and old Macs may need a bit of holiday cheer themselves. Whether you’re trying to setup a new system or infuse energy into an old favorite, a few MacRx columns on such matters resonated with our readers this year.
Read on for refreshers about Fixing Startup Problems, Speeding up Slow Macs, Troubleshooting WiFi Issues, Making Hard Drive Clones, and Managing Your Safari Bookmarks. Some things to do over the holiday break!
