Archives for September 2011

September, 30th September 2011

• Apple Releases iTunes Match Beta 9 to Developers

  Apple released the 9th beta of iTunes Match to developers on Friday. The company said that the update includes, “a…

• Particle Debris (wk. ending 9/30) Take it on the Chin

  This week’s compendium of technical news debris looks at taking it in the chin. There’s a great discussion about how…

• 3 iOS Apps From All Over

  Sometimes you just want to be a sponge and absorb. In this week’s Free on iTunes, Vern Seward points out…

• Apple & Amazon: Let’s Talk & Burn

  Seems all it takes to get the tech world fired up is Apple announcing that they’re going to announce something…

• Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera:  $529.98

  The Deal Brothers found a deal on the Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera for $529.95. That price includes an 18-55mm…

• Global Delight Technologies Boom App Enhances Volume

  The Boom v1.2 app for the Mac enhances the volume for selected music, but it also works with QuickTime, Skype,…

• Watt to Know About iPhone & iPad Power Adapters [UPDATED]

  Over the years, Apple has sold several different kinds of power adapters for its iPods, iPhones, and iPads.  They’ve changed…

• Amazon Eyes webOS Purchase from HP

  Amazon is entering the multimedia tablet business with its new Kindle Fire, and may be working on a deal to…

• Reader Discussion: Amazon’s New Kindle Strategy

  With the Amazon’s introduction of its new Kindle ebook reader lineup, including the Kindle Fire tablet, the online retailer had…

• MagSafe Power Adapters Are Safe with All Mac Laptops

  Traveling with a MacBook Air but only have a MacBook Pro MagSafe Adapter?  No Problem!  We give you an official…

• OS X Lion: Contextual Menus & Dock Icons, Oh My!

  Lion’s got a whole mess of stuff that you can access by right- or Control-clicking on your Dock’s application icons.…

• Samsung to Apple: Let’s Make a Deal

  Samsung is hoping to end it’s patent infringement battle with Apple in Australia early by offering the iPhone and iPad…

• Meet Jeff Gamet, Ted Landau Saturday at MCE 2011

  The Mac Observer’s own Jeff Gamet and Ted Landau will be appearing on a special panel discussion at the 2011…

September, 29th September 2011

• U.S. Ninth Circuit Confirms Apple’s Psystar Smackdown

  The Court of Appeals for the U.S. Ninth Circuit issued a ruling confirming Judge William Alsup’s 2009 decision that Psystar…

• China Arrests Five iPhone Counterfeiters

  Chinese authorities arrested five people involved in counterfeiting iPhones. The Five allegedly spent around 2,000 yuan ($313) on parts used…

• Apple’s Safari: Lingers on as Second-Rate Browser

  An essential part of our modern life is to browse the Internet, and the single most important tool for that…

• Analyst Claims PlayBook is Dead, RIM Denies, Best Buy Dumps

  Conflicting reports on the fate of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet circulated on Thursday, starting with a research note…

• How to Repair User-Level Permissions in Mac OS X

  Permissions and Access Control Lists (ACLs) regulate user and system access in OS X.  Repairing Permissions from Disk Utility is…

• Step by Step: Mac Pro Processor Upgrade

  With his 2009 Mac Pro getting a bit long in the tooth, MGG Jim decided to attempt major elective surgery…

• AT&T Free Rollover Minute Offer Still Available

  AT&T offered up a week long promotional deal at the beginning of September where iPhone subscribers could earn 1,000 free…

• Steve Jobs Tried to Avoid Samsung Patent Battle

  Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs tried to work with Samsung to avoid a court room battle over patents ahead of…

• Fixing the Washington Monument? Use an iPad

  Crews have begun inspecting the Washington Monument following August’s Washington DC earthquake, and one of the tools engineers are carrying…

• Reader Reaction: Amazon’s Kindle Fire

  Amazon introduced the Kindle Fire ebook reader and multimedia tablet yesterday, and at US$199 it piqued the interest of consumers…

• Sprint Drops 1-year Plans Ahead of iPhone Event

  Sprint is trimming back on some of its cell service subscription offerings ahead of Apple’s October 4 iPhone-related media event.…

• LaCie’s LaPlug Takes Hard Drives to the Cloud

  LaCie announced the immediate availability of its new LaPlug that lets users access their USB hard drives over the Internet.…

September, 28th September 2011

• T-Mobile Squares Off Against Apple in Samsung Dispute

  T-Mobile has joined in with Verizon in asking a U.S. court to not grant Apple’s request for an injunction against…

• Illustrating 10 Years of of Apple’s iPod

  The ten year anniversary if Apple’s iPod is fast approaching—it was announced on October 22nd, 2001—the device that marked the…

• Study Finds 41% of Mobile Users Plan to Buy iPhone 5

  41% of all mobile phone users in the North America are planning on buying an iPhone 5 if Apple releases…

• A Mac User’s First Reaction to Windows 8

  Windows 8 is still in a Developer Preview mode, but it’s worth taking a look and sizing it up compared…

• Report: Apple Adds New SKUs for iPhone, iPod touch

  Apple has reportedly added SKUs to its inventory system for two new iPhone models, as well as SKUs for three…

• iOS Needs a “Universal Save”

  Apple may think that the idea of sandboxing apps in iOS and quarantining files within those apps is a splendid…

• Refurbished 17” MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Quad-Core Intel i7: $2,379

  The Deal Brothers found us a deal on the refurbished 17” MacBook Pro 2.3GHz quad-core Intel i7, a super fast…

• Amazon Officially Announces Kindle Fire Tablet for $199 [Updated]

  Amazon confirmed the news that Bloomberg prematurely announced Wednesday morning by announcing the new Kindle Fire ebook reader and multimedia…

• Amazon Rocks ebook Reader Market with $79 Kindle [Updated]

  Amazon shook up the ebook reader market Wednesday morning with the launch of its new Kindle that’s smaller than previous…

• Amazon Intros Kindle Touch ebook Reader [Update]

  Amazon used its Wednesday morning media event to unveil its new Kindle Touch ebook reader. The new Kindle model ships…

• TMO Live Coverage: Amazon Media Event

  Amazon will be hosting a media event today, September 28, and The Mac Observer will be on location providing live…

• Bloomberg: Amazon to Announce Kindle Fire Tablet

  Amazon’s media event hasn’t quite started yet, but that didn’t stop Bloomberg from announcing that the company is introducing the…

• OS X Lion: Viewing Conversations in Mail

  In Lion, we have a new ability to organize messages by conversation. It’s similar to Snow Leopard’s “Organize by Thread”…

• Apple May Drop iPod Classic, shuffle

  Apple’s iPod lineup may be set to lose two long-time members of its family: the iPod classic and the iPod…

September, 27th September 2011

• USPTO Denies Apple Trademark for Multi-Touch

  The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has rejected Apple’s application for a trademark on the term Multi-Touch, which apple introduced…

• Amazon Lands Three Major Publishers for Android Tablet

  Amazon has reportedly done what Google hasn’t and landed three major publishers for the Android-powered tablet the company is expected…

• Foxconn Plant Catches Fire in China

  A Foxconn plant in China caught fire Tuesday, sending large plumes of smoke into the sky above the city of…

• iMac 21.5-inch 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5:  $1019

  The Deal Brothers noted that Apple is offering the refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 for $1,019. This system…

• TMO Live Coverage: Amazon Media Event

  Amazon will be hosting a media event on Wednesday, September 28, and The Mac Observer will be on location providing…

• Analyst: Apple’s iPad Supply Chain is Just Fine

  Following a report that Apple has apparently cut back its iPad parts orders by 25 percent, UBS analyst Maynard Um…

• Apple to Host iPhone Media Event October 4

  True to the rumors, Apple will be hosting an iPhone-related media event on Tuesday, October 4. The event will be…

• Apple Q4 Earnings Report Set for October 18

  Apple will be hosting its fourth fiscal quarter earnings report on Tuesday, October 18. The event will start at 5PM…

• Reader Discussion: The iPad Parts Orders Non-issue

  One financial analyst thinks that an alleged reduction in iPad component orders is bad news for Apple, but that doesn’t…

• Australia Judge Hints at Samsung Galaxy Tab Injunction

  Samsung may be facing another setback in Australia because the Judge overseeing the patent infringement battle between the electronics maker…

• How to Find & Recover Missing Hard Drive Space

  By default, OmniDiskSweeper only scans and shows the sizes of some of your files. Listener Joe sends in a great…