In addition to other updates detailed earlier, Apple today released Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station (802.11n) Firmware 7.3.2. Apple provides no details on the update, specifying only that it includes "bug fixes." The firmware update requires AirPort Utility 5.3.2 or later and weighs in at 4 MB.
TheRegister.co.uk claims that Apple is currently circulating prototype iPhones with physical keyboards amongst some mobile carriers to gauge demand for such a device.
actual prototypes - not just mockups - have been sent to senior executives at some operators. I'm not allowed to even hint which operators... but I can report that the keyboard has "issues" which are not yet resolved.
The author believes that despite Steve Jobs' open criticism of the fixed buttons on existing smart phones, that he is currently exploring keyboarded iPhones. The design is said to be a "slider" type design where the keyboard would slide out behind the screen. The reason for the interest is an attempt to further penetrate the enterprise market where physical keyboards are the norm.
Worldwide, it has not escaped the attention of mobile network execs that the bulk of corporate sales are not into the executive corridor. Rather, they are phones which are provided for staff, and the vast bulk of them have full-QWERTY keyboards - and all the best-selling ones, Nokia, Sony-Ericsson and HTC alike, have slide-out keyboards. The popular Danger Sidekick, too, has a slide-out (spin-out) QWERTY keyboard.
Of course, even if such prototypes exist, there's no guarantee that Apple will actually release such a design.
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.4 via the Mac OS X Software Update:
The 10.5.4 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.
For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1994.
For detailed information on security updates, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.
This represents a rapid turnaround for Mac OS X version updates, with the last point upgrade having been released just one month ago (May 28th). The new update, however, is a requirement for some of the features of Apple's upcoming MobileMe service.
Update: Alongside OS X 10.5.4, Apple also released Security Update 2008-004 for users running OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5 - 10.5.3. This security update appears to be included in the OS X 10.5.4 update but has also been made available as a standalone update.
Finally, Apple released Safari 3.1.2 for Mac OS X 10.4.11. This update addresses a WebKit vulnerability that was fixed for Windows XP and Vista users in Safari 3.1.2 for Windows (released June 19th) and for Leopard users with the 10.5.4 update.
Rhapsody announced the opening of a DRM-Free MP3 store today. The music tracks will be compatible with the Apple iPod as well as most other music players. This represents a significant shift in strategy for the company, who previously sold tracks on a subscription model exclusively. Rhapsody, however, has not completely abandoned the subscription model and still offers this option to their customers.
Rhapsody believes that their incompatibility with the iPod was in part to blame for their lack of market penetration:
"We're no longer competing with the iPod," Rhapsody Vice President Neil Smith said. "We're embracing it."
The new MP3 store from Rhapsody is only available to U.S. customers and contains 5 million songs. Music will be priced similarly to other services at $.99 per song or $9.99 per album.
One unique feature to Rhapsody's service is the ability for customers to preview an entire track, rather than a 30 second window.
Telstra announced that they will be offering the iPhone 3G in Australia.
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, Maps with GPS, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in onea revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and full web browsing. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can doagain.
Telstra is currently accepting registration of interest in the new iPhone 3G. Telstra joins Optus and Vodafone in offering the iPhone in Australia, and will also launch on July 11th.
If you are a .Mac subscriber, Apple appears to have activated the corresponding @me.com email addresses. If your email address was username@mac.com previously, you can now use username@me.com and emails should arrive in your .Mac mailbox. In the near future, Apple will be migrating all the email services over to Me.com, but users will be able to keep their @mac.com email addresses:
Yes. In addition to your mac.com email address, you will also get an address at me.com with the same username when MobileMe is available. For example, if your current email is emily_parker@mac.com, you will get emily_parker@me.com. You can send from whichever address you choose. The choice is yours. You will still receive email sent to your mac.com address so you wont miss any emails.
Apple has also published Frequently Asked Questions about the .Mac to MobileMe transition.
The @me.com transition is part of Apple's shift to MobileMe, a new web-based service that offers "desktop class" email, calendar and address book functionality. MobileMe is set to officially launch in early July.
Update: At least one user said theirs is not yet working, but it is working for several others. It may take some time for the changes to propagate.
iPhoneinCanada.ca posts a memo that reportedly describes some of the iPhone 3G activation process for Rogers stores in Canada. Specifically, they point to an "activation only" version of iTunes which is being offered as a beta download from Apple.com:
To ensure customers can leave with a fully functional iPhone, it must be first be "unbricked". This process involves using the tether (a USB cable: see below) to connect/sync the iPhone to a unique 'Activation Only' version of iTunes via a computer. More information about the unbricking process will be provided in training (found on Fast Track and Sales Central) and you will be informed when the job aid is available.
Come July 11th, the full version of iTunes 7.7 will be publicly available which will also contain this "activation only" mode. Little other new information is provided. Most of that appears as if it will appear in a later training memo.
Macsimumnews provides a tip on how to send and receive unlimited SMS messages from your iPhone (assuming you have an unlimited data plan). The steps are as follows:
1. Create a new email message.
2. In the To: box, type 10digitnumber@teleflip.com. (1235551234@teleflip.com)
3. Type a message and click send.
4. The message will be sent to the cell phone with the number in the To: box
5. All recieved text messages will be sent to you as an email.
They use the free service Teleflip.com to route your email messages to SMS and back. The service is free, but only works in U.S. and Canada.
This means you won't be getting instant notifications of these SMS->email messages since you have to wait until your email updates. This will be far less of an issue once MobileMe is deployed as you will be able to get Push email sent to your iPhone.
ZDNet.de has posted a new tool called ZDNet Clock Tool 1.0 for Mac Pro which allows you to overclock your Mac Pro. The process of overclocking uses software to increase your computer's processor speed and bus speed, potentially leading to higher performance. Boost the speed too high, however, and the computer may crash as either the processor or some of their components are unable to keep up. Still, ZDNet.de claims to have achieved some impressive results:
ZDNet uses three Mac Pros as test machines. One comes from the first Intel/Mac Pro generation (Mac Pro 1.1) with 65-nanometer processors and 1333-MHz front side bus. The others come from the third generation with 45-nanometer processors and 1600-MHz front side bus, as sold by Apple since January 2008 (Mac Pro 3.1). The first computer is equipped with two 2.66 GHz X5355 processors, and runs stable at 3.10 GHz, see figure 2. The other two have two 2.80 GHz E5462 processors. These can be overclocked up to 3.24 GHz and remain stable, see figure 1.
The multi-page article (be sure to click on 'weiter' for next pages) describes their results including stability tests over 24 hours. There are a few caveats as well:
If you carry out benchmarks such as Cinebench or Geekbench after overclocking, the benchmarks do not indicate any improvement in performance at first. But if you resort to a stopwatch, the higher performance resulting from overclocking can indeed be verified. You also notice that the system clock runs significantly faster after overclocking the computer.
Rebooting (but not shutting down) reportedly corrects this timing issue on all but the 1st generation Mac Pros. More details are available in the article. The application is available for free download from ZDNet.de (click on "Jetzt herunterlade" to download). Some MacRumors readers have already had some experience with this tool, but readers should proceed with caution (see potential disadvantages in overclocking, in general).
Update: Versions for other Mac models are expected in the future, and simply shutting down your Mac and turning it back on will reverse the effects of the overclocking application.
Microsoft's MacBU has announced that it is working to bring Solver to Excel 2008 as part of a future update.
Today, the best option for people who need Solver is to run Excel 2004 and Excel 2008 side-by-side, and switch to the 2004 environment for workbooks that require Solver.
However, we have been hearing loud and clear from our customers particularly in education that the side-by-side solution is suboptimal. For many people, Solver is a critical and necessary tool for coursework, and they want to work with Solver natively in the Excel 2008 environment. [...]
The Excel team is actively working to bring Solver to Excel 2008 as part of a future update. We have two distinct technical approaches and are exploring both. Once we have established which is the best option and have code that meets our quality bar we will announce a timeframe for availability here on Mojo.
Solver is an Excel add-in that allows linear programming in Excel, and was initially released for the Mac when Excel 2004 shipped but was dropped from Excel 2008 due to its dependency on Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support.
Microsoft has previously announced that VBA support will be coming back to Mac Office in the next version.
China Mobile says that talks geared towards bring Apple's iPhone to mainland China have cleared a big hurdle, according to Reuters.
But there is no timetable for when China Mobile would bring the iPhone to mainland China, a spokeswoman said. "Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are practical issues still to be resolved," said China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Lei.
The report indicates that the deal would be similar to traditional handset distribution models where the carrier subsidizes the cost to make the phone cheaper and spur sales.
Apple has recently moved to this model with the iPhone 3G versus the original iPhone which was not subsidized but Apple received a cut of the monthly service plans.
While there is still no firm timeline on the introduction of the iPhone in China, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has indicated he would like to see the rollout this year.
Rogers announced service plans for the iPhone 3G in Canada today. iPhone 3G combined voice and data plans start at $60 and will be available starting July 11th.
"As the wireless provider voted number one in wireless satisfaction(x), Fido is thrilled to offer a variety of well-priced voice and data plans making iPhone 3G accessible to as many of our customers as possible," said Sylvain Roy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Fido. "These pricing plans will allow our urban customer base easy enjoyment of all that iPhone 3G has to offer."
The data plans, however, are not unlimited as had been rumored. The new rate plans are detailed below:
- $60/month. 150 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 400 MB Data, 75 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $75/month. 300 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 750 MB Data, 100 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $100/month. 600 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 1 GB Data, 200 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $115/month. 800 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 2 GB Data, 300 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
They are also offering a $15 monthly value pack which includes Call Display, WhoCalled, Caller Ring Trax, 2,500 Sent Text Messages and 2,500 Call Forwarding Minutes; and a $20 monthly value pack which includes Call Display, WhoCalled, Caller Ring Trax,10,000 Sent Text Messages and Fido Evenings starting at 5:00 p.m. and 2,500 Call Forwarding Minutes.
Rogers suggests that 400MB will get you up to 200,000 text emails or 3,100 web pages or 1,360 photo attachments.
Apple has released two software updates related to their professional creative packages.
Final Cut Server Update 1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 and weighs in at 50.1 MB.
This update addresses issues with the check in/check out process for Final Cut Pro projects, fixes issues with double-byte character sets, and improves the general reliability of the software.
It is recommended for all Final Cut Server 1.0 users.
For more information about this software update, see the Release Notes.
Pro Applications Update 2008-02 requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 or 10.4.11 and weighs in at 138 MB.
Pro Applications Updates improve reliability for Apple's professional applications and are recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio.
Pro Applications Update 2008-02 addresses installation issues, compatibility updates, and general performance issues and improves overall stability.
Applications included in the update:
Final Cut Pro 6.0.4
Compressor 3.0.3
For more information about this software update, see the Release Notes
Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home -- a free download from the App Store.
Apple reveals that they will be offering a free app on the App Store that allows you to remotely control iTunes in your home from your iPhone or iPod Touch. The application will presumably work under Wi-Fi to control playback of iTunes.
Apple has previously patented methods to implement such an iPhone Media remote control.
Get started by downloading the eighth beta version of the iPhone OS, available in the iPhone Dev Center. With this new version of iPhone OS you can conduct final testing and prepare your application for submission to the App Store.
Apple is expected to launch the final iPhone 2.0 Firmware and App Store on July 11th alongside the iPhone 3G release. Developers may submit their applications now for availability in the App Store. Apple must approve all applications that are submitted.
A detailed list of changes are not yet available, but Apple is now accepting Apps into the App store.
New Features in iTunes 7.7
- MobileMe Support - "Use MobileMe to have push email, push calendars, push contacts, and bookmarks delivered over the air to your iPhone."
- "Applications" in iTunes Sync with the option to sync "All" or "selected" applications.
Despite some recent reports about an early Firmware 2.0 release, one reader points out that Apple's iPhone 3G press release pinpoints July 11th to be the day of the 2.0 software launch:
iPhone 2.0 software will be available on July 11 as a free software update via iTunes 7.7 or later for all iPhone customers
This also correlates to what Apple and AT&T representatives are telling enterprise customers.
Meanwhile, one analyst believes that Apple has increased their order for 3G iPhones to 15 million for 2008, well above their targeted goal of 10 million iPhones. Finally, we've heard that some locations (such as early reviewers) have already been seeded with the iPhone 3G in anticipation of the upcoming launch.
News continues to trickle out from various carriers about rate plans and prices for the upcoming iPhone 3G. We've compiled the most recent items here:
- Telia in Sweden has posted rate plans, with only 100MB of data transfer on the lowest plan.
- Mac4ever posted details of the iPhone 3G prices in France.
- Mobistar in Belgium will announce the launch date for the iPhone on July 4th. Expected to be launched in summer.
- T-Mobile in Germany allows you to sign up for an iPhone.
- Vodafone in India is accepting pre-registrations for the iPhone 3G.
- Comcel in Colombia has posted a splash page for the iPhone.
Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.
Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy?
Upgrade to A17 or newer chip with Apple Intelligence support, plus Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip.
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Juli Clover
2 weeks ago by Joe Rossignol
Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.
Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy?
Upgrade to A17 or newer chip with Apple Intelligence support, plus Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip.
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
2 weeks ago by Juli Clover
2 weeks ago by Joe Rossignol