MacRumors

Apple's iTunes Music Store has updated with a new show from NBC called Conviction. Conviction is a new mid season legal drama from NBC which focuses on young district attorneys. The show will be premiering after the Winter Olympics.

NBC and Apple, however, look like they are experimenting with digital distribution methods to promote this new television show. The Conviction show is labeled "Free" for the "World Premiere Pilot Episode + Extras" on iTunes' NBC category. (The iTunes link for the show is now available.)

Apple/Sci-Fi previously offered a half-hour Battlestar Galactica special for free to catch viewers up on the show before the winter season. Meanwhile, CBS and Yahoo similarly offered free streams of Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother in late December/early January to drive interest. Both shows reportedly saw ratings boosts following the free distribution.

While iTunes TV show sales do represent an additional revenue stream for networks, providing some free content could drive interest and ratings for new shows, increasing long term revenue from television advertising and syndication.

Jason O'Grady posts photos unpacking his MacBook Pro tonight. Details are still trickling in, but of note, the MacBook Pro already ships with Mac OS X 10.4.5 DVDs.

Meanwhile, one forum user posted a couple of preliminary pictures from his new MacBook Pro. (image reversed due to PhotoBooth).

Readers who simply can't wait for their MacBook Pro to arrive can review the MacBook Pro Users Guide (PDF) from Apple.

Details on yet another Apple Touch Screen interface patent application was revealed last week under the title "Virtual input device placement on a touch screen user interface".

The display includes an application display, associated with an application executing on the computer, and a virtual input device display for a user to provide input to the application executing on the computer via the touch screen.

What is shown in the application are images of Mac OS X with a pop-up virtual keyboard interface. Apple appears to be experimenting with multiple methods of displaying a virtual keyboard on top of an existing Mac OS X screen. Options include a simple overlay, compressing the Mac screen evenly or compressing the edges more than the center/area of interest or simply a movable pop-up window.

A flurry of Apple Tablet related patent applications have appeared in the US Patent and Trademark office, indicating that Apple is pursing active research into the topic. This most recent application was submitted relatively recently on September 16, 2005.

Several readers have received shipping notices for their MacBook Pro orders. Photos of the first MacBook Pros are also appearing on the web:

Flckr Gallery

The 15" MacBook Pro was announced on January 10th 2006 at Macworld San Francisco, but the initial shipments weren't expected until mid February. Apple also surprised customers by announcing earlier this week that the 15" MacBook Pro would be shipping at higher processor speeds than originally announced.

The 15" PowerBooks are slowly being phased out of Apple's product line. Apple had previously said that the previous G4 PowerBook would only be sold while supplies lasted.

Appleinsider claims that the 17" MacBook Pro is slated for release by June 2006, around Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

The upcoming MacBooks Pros are expected to ship with "at least a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor". The new MacBook Pro ships with a slimmer form factor requiring a slimmer SuperDrive. At present there only appears to be 4x SuperDrives available at that thickness (9.5mm). Appleinsider speculates that the lack of 9.5mm 8x SuperDrives may be one of the limiting factors from Apple shipping the higher end 17" MacBook Pro.

No word on the expected availability of the 12" MacBook Pro, but the 15" MacBook Pro announced in January has begun shipping to users.

Yahoo news reports on hidden messages placed by Apple into Mac OS X for Intel to warn would-be hackers/pirates. The system files of latest version of Mac OS X revealed a short poem:

"Your karma check for today: There once was a user that whined/his existing OS was so blind/he'd do better to pirate/an OS that ran great/but found his hardware declined./Please don't steal Mac OS!/Really, that's way uncool./(C) Apple Computer, Inc."

Apple confirmed that it had placed these messages into the Mac OS software hoping "it, and many other legal warnings, will remind people that they should not steal Mac OS X."

It appears that that may not have been the only approach Apple may have taken, as a message on OSX86Project.org Forums indicates that they have been issued a DMCA violation notice:

We're sorry to report that despite our best efforts, the OSx86 Project has been served with a DMCA violation notice. The forum will be unavailable while we evaluate its contents to remove any violations present. We thank you for your patience in this matter.

The OSX86Project.org and forums discussed methods/attempts to run Mac OS X on PC hardware. Earlier this week, an individual developer posted patches to install Mac OS X 10.4.4 on PCs.

The announcement of the release of a Mac OS X trojan/virus/worm yesterday has drawn a lot of attention, confusion and significant misinterpretation. While much of the attention was aimed at the "virus vs trojan" distinction, this energy was misguided.

On the one hand, some users were quick to dismiss it as a simple "trojan" that anyone could easily script in minutes. While the application was setup to trick the end-user into launching it, the resultant actions it took were far more sophisticated as it was designed to inject itself into other applications on the users' hard drive. Despite much confusion on this detail, most users were not prompted for the administrator password before the file modifications took place. (The Application directory is writable by the Admin accounts which most Mac OS X user accounts are established as, by default.)

On the other hand, several saw this as a much more ominous sign for the Mac platform. However, this application itself is of a rather limited threat by the nature of its propogation -- and no particular Mac OS X vulnerability exists which allows the unimpeded transmission of a virus. Unless you specifically downloaded and launched this file, there is no way your Mac could have been infected.

The significance of this event is simply the intention behind the release of such malware under Mac OS X.

For additional reading, Symantec provides a step-by-step guide on what happens when the application launches and what modifications it makes to the users applications, while Andrew Welch of Ambrosia SW finished a detailed technical summary of the application.

On the evening of the 13th, an unknown user posted an external link to a file on MacRumors Forums claiming to be the latest Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 screenshots. The file was named "latestpics.tgz"

The resultant file decompresses into what appears to be a standard JPEG icon in Mac OS X but is actually a compiled Unix executable in disguise. An initial disassembly (from original discussion thread) reveals evidence that the application is virus-like or was designed to give that impression. Routines listed include:

_infect:
_infectApps:
_installHooks:
_copySelf:

The exact consequences of the application are unclear, but users who originally executed the application have noted that it appeared to self propogate:

If anyone remembers last night, when lasthope spread that picture that opened in terminal. I just turned on my other computer and it said it had an incoming file, from my computer, which was the latest pics file. Any help. I have already secure deleted it off of my harddrive, but how do i know that it will not come back.

Andrew Welch, who had done some of the initial disassembly, is posting updates to this thread.

According to the initial investigation, the application uses Spotlight to find the other applications on the infected machine and subsequently inserts a stub of code into each application executable.

Update: It appears that there is some debate about the classification of this application, and as it does require user activation it appears to fall into the Trojan classification, rather than self-propogating through any particular vulnerability in OS X.

Update #2: The most recent updates show that the file does send itself to other users in your AIM/iChat buddy list.

Update #3:

Andrew Welch posted the final technical analysis of the application with assistance from Ed Wynne and Glenn Anderson.

Symantec has posted a step by step guide on what happens when you launch this application.

Now available for iLife '06 users via Software Update:

iDVD 6.0.1 Update
This update to iDVD 6 resolves issues with integration with the other iLife applications, importing of legacy projects and some theme related issues. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

iPhoto 6.0.1 Update
This update to iPhoto resolves issues with photocasting, viewing thumbnails in large libraries, and ordering cards, calendars and books. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

iMovie HD 6.0.1 Update
This update to iMovie HD 6 resolves issues with Ken Burns rendering performance, Scrubber Bar editing performance and theme image quality. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

iWeb 1.0.1 Update
This update to iWeb 1.0 addresses issues related to publishing and blogs. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

iTunes 6.0.3 Update
With iTunes 6, you can preview, buy, and download over 2,000 music videos and hit TV shows on the iTunes Music Store and sync your music and purchased videos with iPod to enjoy on the go. To watch purchased videos, you must have QuickTime 7.0.3 or later and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

iTunes 6.0.3 includes stability and performance improvements over iTunes 6.0.2.

Note: After purchasing music from the iTunes Music Store with iTunes 6 or later, you will also need to upgrade your other computers that purchase music from the iTunes Music Store to the latest version of iTunes.

As a final note in the recent flurry of Apple Tablet and Gesture patents, one user points out some interesting possible relationships between Apple's recent patents.

One video has received a lot of attention. It is a video by Jeff Han on his research into Multi-Touch displays. The impressive display shows a user using multiple fingers/hands in manipulating objects on the screen. A closer look at technology behind the demonstration reveals that it is a very intricate setup.

The system shown uses a technique called Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) to accomplish the tasks shown. It involves the use of a transparent screen with the images rear-projected onto it. For touch-sensing, a camera is placed behind the screen to detect the user interaction. A diagram of the setup is shown here.

The use of both a projector and rear-camera, of course, is not feasible in any potential laptop or tablet device from Apple... but conveniently enough, Apple has recently applied for a patent on an Integrated Sensing Display (diagram) providing a screen that can be used both as a display and as a camera:

The integrated sensing display includes both display elements and image sensing elements. As a result, the integrated sensing device can not only output images but also input images.

At the time, many users dismissed the need for such an elaborate display when the built-in iSights offer a reasonable solution for video-conferencing needs. Of course, the use of this "integrated sensing" display would not likely use the FTIR method as described above, but could offer similar multi-touch functionality.

Apple has recently demonstrated a need for a multi-touch display in their recent Gesture patent application, specifically in this image.

Update: Hrmph previously noted a European patent application from Apple for a "Multi-point touchscreen" -- allowing up to 15 simultaneous presses.

Appleinsider speculates on what today's MacBook Pro processor bump might mean with respect to the upcoming Intel iBook.

Apple's MacBook Pro was upgraded from 1.67GHz and 1.83GHz models to 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz models respectively. In additional there is an option for a 2.16GHz Build-to-Order model. To review, Intel presently has the following Yonah processors in their product line:

T1300 (Single) - 1.66GHz
T2300 (Dual) - 1.66GHz
T2400 (Dual) - 1.83GHz - MacBook Pro 1.83GHz
T2500 (Dual) - 2.00GHz - MacBook Pro 2.00GHz
T2600 (Dual) - 2.16GHz - MacBook Pro BTO

Low Voltage Versions
L2300 (Dual) - 1.5GHz
L2400 (Dual) - 1.66GHz

While it appears there is no reliable information available on what will be used in the Intel-based iBook, the Single Core T1300 1.66GHz model has been mentioned as the possible candidate for use in the upcoming iBook. With the upgrade of the MacBook Pro line into the 1.83GHz+ models, it opens up the possibility that Apple could use the 1.66GHz Dual Core processor in the iBook.

That being said, previous speculation by ThinkSecret suggested that Apple was planning on using the Dual Core Low Voltage version of the Yonah processors (1.5GHz and 1.66GHz) in the Intel iBook.

Apple Software Update has just pushed out the latest update to OS X Tiger (10.4.5).

The 10.4.5 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

- iChat video conferencing
- Safari rendering of web pages
- usability of Dashboard and widgets
- viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
- printing to some Epson printer models
- iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing
- time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
- VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous standalone security updates

Detailed information can be found at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303179.The update appears to be available for both the PowerPC and Intel versions of Mac OS X 10.4.4.
It's unknown if this breaks the PC-install patch posted just today for Mac OS X 10.4.4 for Intel.

Maxxuss has released a patch for Mac OS X 10.4.4 8G1165 (Intel) to allow it to be installed on a generic PC.

This is a preliminary release of my Patch Solution for the official Mac OS X on the Intel platform. Ultimately, it would allow you to run this Mac OS X release on a generic x86 computer (SSE2 required).

There's still a lot of work and documentation to do, like support for SSE2-only CPUs, a proper installation procedure and a PPF patch. However, if you like to play around, this will get you started.

The first version, however, requires installation onto a PCU with SSE3 and NX/XD support. The patch includes: A modified mach_kernel system file (can boot under SSE2; required for VMWare), A AppleSMBIOS kernel extension replacement (only required for VMWare), most importantly, the decrypted system files along with an installation shell script. While the previous Mac OS X for Intel developer releases have been similarly hacked, this represents the first hack for the publicly shipping Intel Mac OS X.

These hacks/patches, of course, are targeted at a limited audience. Certainly, future versions of Mac OS X will break these workarounds, but the potential for widespread Mac OS X on Generic PC installs is one of the foreseeable side effects of Apple's transition to the Intel architecture.

According to a press release, Apple has started shipping the new MacBook Pro. In addition to the shipping announcement, the new machine is also being offered in 1.83 (up from 1.67) & 2.0 Ghz (up from 1.83) variants of the Intel Core Duo, Apple has also added a 2.16 Ghz build-to-order option on the portable.

We are incredibly excited to start shipping the MacBook Pro, a groundbreaking new notebook with dual-processor desktop performance in a thin, sleek design, said Philip Schiller, Apples senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. The new MacBook Pro includes even faster Intel Core Duo processors than originally announced, up to 2.16 GHz, and we think customers are going to love them.

MacBook Pro, announced January 10 as the replacement for the aging PowerBook, features a full-size backlit keyboard, AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, dual-link DVI video out, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and optical digital and analog audio in/out.