iOS 5 and iCloud updates – 12 Oct
Apple has started rolling out pieces of the puzzle that is iOS 5 and iCloud. We will be updating the site as and when they are out for you to download/install.
loving the Apple (in a Beta'ish way)
Apple has started rolling out pieces of the puzzle that is iOS 5 and iCloud. We will be updating the site as and when they are out for you to download/install.
In my review of the iPad, I said that the iPad is a blank canvas that can become what you want it to be, to be more precise, what kind of apps you install in there. Air Display by Avatron Software is a good example of this.
Ever wish you had an extra display for your computer? There’s an app for that! With Air Display, you can use your iPad as a wireless display for your Mac OS X computer.
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Quite a fair bit of bug fixes in this new update.
For more details on the fixes, read this knowledge based article. Always do a backup before updating to ensure you have something to fall back on.
The update is available via Apple Support page:
You know the saying – learn as you grow – that is what we at iHeartApple subscribes to and everyday, we find something new about your favorite Apple products, operating system OS X and the numerous applications available. Here are some of the most interesting ones that we found over the last week.
For most people, there won’t be a need to ever dig into the core of OS X, nor open files that we were supposed to see. But what if you were given instructions to open or edit certain files that is hidden in Finder – usually a file that has its name prefix with a period. Previously to see these files, you will need to use the Terminal, familiar with Unix commands to view them. But with Snow Leopard, you can see those hidden files by pressing Shift-Command-Period at any Open or Save dialog windows and pressing the same combination to hide them.
For photographers, there are many applications out there to help you import, organise and edit your photos. From Apple’s own iPhoto, Aperture to Adobe’s Lightroom, to name a few. In OS X, when you plug in your digital camera, Image Capture will start and then you can import your photos. With Snow Leopard, there is an improvement in Image Capture that besides importing your photographs, but also let you choose what default application opens when you plugin your camera. This is especially useful when your Mac is being used by the family with each family member having their own software preference.
And if you happen to use Photoshop CS4 to edit your photographs, you can improve its performance on OS X with these technical article from Adobe … but if is too in-depth for you, there is always this tip.
What it does is to keep Flash files from playing until you decide to do so – thus you click … to Flash. This also keeps irritating Flash ads from running without your permission. You have the options to choose which sites or applications to white-list so that they will play automatically – choose wisely.
The advantages of ClickToFlash are numerous. Since Flash isn’t loaded until you specifically ask for it, your CPU usage will stay at normal levels when browsing the web. This has tons of benefits: web browsing stays speedy, your Mac laptop won’t get as hot, and your Mac’s fan won’t come on as often. In fact, we guarantee* that ClickToFlash will quintuple your battery life and that it will protect those precious parts of your body on which you rest your laptop! (*note: not actually guaranteed)
Try it out – it’s free
As we stated in the beginning of this post – that we are learning more of our Macs and OS X as we use them and this site – Finer Things in Mac – digs deeper and find out all the little tidbits of information and bugs that is on our Macs. May it be a life-saver, or an irritating bug, this site is worth bookmarking just to learn more about your favorite Mac and operating system.
Apple has announced the official shipping date for the new Mac OS X 10.6, code-named “Snow Leopard”. It will start shipping from August 28 and it is available now at the Apple Store for pre-order.
Before you do that, you might want to check which version you should go for. For a start, Snow Leopard is only available for Intel-based Macs. So if you are still using a PowerPC Mac, it is time to upgrade.
If you have the Intel-based Macs, and it is running OS X 10.5 (Leopard), you can upgrade to Snow Leopard by purchasing the Single User license for S$48 (S$78 for Family Pack1).
If you are running OS X 10.4 (Tiger), you will need to buy the Mac Box Set, which costs S$268 (S$369 for Family Pack1) and comes with iLife 09, and iWork 09.
To find out more about why you should upgrade – just click here.
The full press release after the jump.
Apple pushed out one more update to OS X 10.5.7, probably the last before Snow Leopard rear its tail come WDDC in June. Weighing in at 449MB (729MB for Combo Updater), this includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.
According to MacRumor, the new Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will feature Chinese handwriting recognition for multi-touch capable machines. Already available on the iPhone, this feature will probably allow existing laptops with multi-touch trackpads to write Chinese like how it is done on the iPhone.
Apple recently acquired Chinese handwriting technology for use in the iPhone, and appears to be incorporating this same technology into Mac OS X. Most interesting, however, is the fact that it is specifically enabled on multi-touch capable machines. We presume this to include Apple’s notebooks which include multi-touch trackpads. While Apple does offer an English handwriting recognizer based on old Newton technologies, it is only available when you have a drawing tablet connected to your Mac. This could open the door to more novel uses for Apple’s multi-touch trackpads or even suggest a more robust full-screen multi-touch screen as has been rumored.
This will be useful especially in the Asian market where Chinese is still predominantly use in certain countries. It will be another feature to look forward to with Snow Leopard.
Read more at MacRumors
We know that Jobs won’t be there (to give the keynote), but there is still a Macworld in January to look forward to. Here are some news and rumors about Macworld 2009 that I’m keeping track.
Besides having installation problems, Apple also acknowledged problems with Mail.app for some users after installing the update for 10.5.6.
After updating to Mac OS X 10.5.6, Mail may unexpectedly quit. This can be caused by having outdated third-party Mail plugins installed, or by using a copy of Mail that wasn’t updated properly (you may need to reinstall the Mac OS X 10.5.6 Combo Update).
Apple also released a download to update the Mail.app properly. Let me know if you have any problems and whether it is solved.
Just saw this on my Software Update window before I call it a day…and this is a hefty 190MB piece of updates (some might be 377MB) with quite a fair bit of updates.
You can also get the updates via downloads at Apple Support Page:
Here are the updates to Mac OS X 10.5.6:
Do let us know if you encounter any problems or the update has solved your problems.
The next big event on Apple’s calendar – WWDC. A look ahead.