This Week's Sponsor:

PowerPhotos

The Ultimate Toolbox for Photos on the Mac

Posts in links

Downgrade iOS 5 beta to iOS 4.3.3→

Downgrade iOS 5 beta to iOS 4.3.3

Apple said it couldn’t be done, but according to a many a Twitter user and OS X Daily, iOS 5 doesn’t have to a be a permanent fix if you’re just stopping by to see what’s new. Perhaps you are having lots of problems, or maybe you’ve decided you really need those apps that don’t work with your premature update. Well folks, lucky for you some kind soul posted all the details on how to get back to ground zero of things go south during your time in iOS 5, and it requires nothing more than a simple trip to DFU mode on the iPhone. I’m not accepting responsibility if things head south during the restore process, but hey, you shouldn’t have been installing iOS 5 when you didn’t need to!

Permalink

If you think WWDC wasn’t successful, you weren’t paying attention→

If you think WWDC wasn’t successful, you weren’t paying attention

Apple did a lot at WWDC, but one of the most important things was that they gave developers the roadmap for where they are headed (at least in the short term). That’s big for the end user because we are relying on those developers to make the apps that we use.

I spoke with countless developers last week and not one of them were disappointed with Apple’s announcements. Apple gave them hundreds of new APIs to work with to improve existing apps and to create new ones.

Jim Dalrymple from the loop tells it like it is. This year was a massive success by Apple at WWDC, and many genuinely see the distinction that make this month’s announcements revolutionary, and not evolutionary. And it’s not just about what was announced, but about what Apple does for its community.

Developers spent the week hunkered down in sessions with Apple engineers learning about the new code. That’s what WWDC is all about — code, apps, APIs, and more code.

WWDC is not about Apple releasing new products for consumers to run out and buy. It’s about educating developers so they can make great products for consumers to buy.

Apple is setting the precedent for some big changes, and I can’t help but feel there’s a lot of anxiety around the new announcements. I think this piece by August Mueller sums up the wide variety of emotions and feelings encountered at this year’s WWDC: Roll With It. Multiply the implications of what Apple is doing by the 5000 developers at WWDC, and you can imagine how serious this is. What Apple is doing might look like just an upgrade on the surface by and end user, but internally there’s going to be a lot of changes as Apple drives innovation, and heads in the opposite direction that Microsoft appears to be heading in. It’s all being done for us.

Whether you were a developer soaking in all that Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud have to offer, or a bystander witnessing the change in technology, WWDC 2011 was an event to be remembered.

Permalink

iOS5: There’s a reason it’s called ‘beta’ software.→

iOS5: There’s a reason it’s called ‘beta’ software.

Malcom Barclay comments on how iOS 5 is hurting App Store reviews,

I can understand users are very eager to get their hands on the latest & greatest iOS shown off at WWDC. So they sign up for developer accounts for £59, with a few clicks and an alternative restore through iTunes. Voilà new iOS on shinny iPhone. Problem is, this is beta software and there’s a very good reason it’s called beta software. It’s not finished.

Barclay writes, “The review system is not for leaving bug or support related questions, for example, ‘How do I add a favourite?’.” While the review system in the Mac App Store is generally unfiltered and used to spew much vitriol if an app doesn’t work, the iOS 5 beta adds to this problem since so many casual users are downloading the software early from Apple or somewhere online, and then complain when these apps are broken or crash.

Barclay reminds us that while Apple doesn’t provide a proper support system so developers can better engage with customers, that you should be mindful (in general) and contact the developer directly with any questions, concerns, or bugs. With iOS 5 just being released this week, developers have had little time to update their apps, submit it to the app store, wait for the review process, and fix any current bugs. Considering that iOS 5 is beta software, you shouldn’t expect anything to run smoothly - iOS 5 is scheduled to be released in the fall, and iterative updates will be made in the meantime. “There is no point in dev’s releasing fixes for these issues yet because this is just beta 1, there could be as many as 6 more to go.” Barclay concludes.

Many of us often forget that the beta labels software that is untested; instead it’s associated with ‘early’ or ‘preview’. If you currently have iOS 5 running on your devices, be aware that developers aren’t supermen. Many are just getting back from WWDC (full of knowledge), and will be working to update their apps for the scheduled Fall release. If stuff doesn’t work in the meantime, that’s the risk you take. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy your first look, but to simply to be mindful that you’re using an unfinished product.

Permalink

iPhone 4 Ousts BlackBerry For Top Spot→

IPhone 4 Dethrones BlackBerry for Top Spot

Despite RIM’s gradual slide in market share as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms grow, the company still has three of the top ten models. The 9700, meanwhile, plunged to sixth – the first time in two years that RIM didn’t have a model in the top three, suggesting that it needs to get its next-generation of QNX-based handsets out the door sooner rather than later to stop the bleeding.

RIM’s top selling BlackBerry has now fallen to the iPhone 4, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. The iPhone 4 has sold the most smartphones in the first quarter of 2011, surprisingly followed by Nokia’s N8. Nokia also has two other phones competing in the top ten. The iPhone is available through 200 carriers worldwide, and iOS has captivated 44% of the mobile market, while RIM holds on to 19%.

Permalink

Angry Birds Rio Gets 15 New Levels→

Angry Birds Rio Gets 15 New Levels

We’ve been tracking the releases and development of Angry Birds here at MacStories, and it looks like Rovio really won’t give up on updating its insanely popular franchise (which surprisingly didn’t win an Apple Design Award) for iPhone and iPad. Recently dethroned by the blockbuster-selling The Heist, Angry Birds is back with a new update for the Rio version, both on phones and tablets. Angry Birds Rio 1.2 gets 15 shiny new levels with a samba setting that reminds of Rio Carnival – I’ve been playing around with them and they look great, with the usual amount of fun provided by Rovio’s clever level design.

Or, to use Rovio’s iTunes changelog:

A whole new episode! It’s time to Samba!
15 all new levels
New bird type

You can download the full version of Angry Birds Rio for iPhone ($0.99) or iPad ($2.99).

Permalink

“Think Of iCloud As The New iTunes”→

“Think Of iCloud As The New iTunes”

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, in a post where he details some of the iCloud features he has “heard” from sources (but doesn’t state as a fact) and other personal wishes about iOS 5, doesn’t describe iCloud as a new music service or “cloud services offering” – rather, he says he’s heard iCloud is something more on the lines of a full replacement for iTunes:

The italicized sentence that follows is fourth-hand information, at best, and also the sort of thing that many of you might have already guessed based merely on your own hunches and hopes. But here goes:

Don’t think of iCloud as the new MobileMe; think of iCloud as the new iTunes.

Instead of simply overhauling MobileMe with a new name, new UI, new functionalities and call it iCloud, Gruber pictures a scenario (again, based on unconfirmed sources) where iCloud becomes the de-facto standard to sync all kinds of media and information to an iOS device:

But in short let’s just think about the ways that iCloud might be a major, dare I say game-changing, step away from USB tethering between iOS devices and iTunes running on your Mac/PC. Consider just the new out-of-box experience. Rather than “Take this out, plug it into your Mac or PC (after first making sure your Mac/PC is running the latest version of iTunes), wait for it to sync before you actually play with it”, you might get something like “Take this out, turn it on, sign into your iTunes account, and start playing with it.

There’s been a lot of speculation around iCloud, iOS 5 and the rumored Time Capsule refresh in the past couple of days. Whilst many had initially pegged iCloud as a standalone music service with streaming features, others later claimed iCloud would be a rebranding of the existing MobileMe service, accommodating options previously reserved to me.com subscribers and new features like music, movie and TV show storage and streaming. A new option surfaced in the iTunes Store earlier this week suggested iOS devices would soon get the possibility to receive automatic app updates, and indeed over-the-air sync of applications and media has long been rumored as a major functionality coming to iOS.

Permalink

Fast Company: Our Interview With Dieter Rams, The Greatest Designer Alive→

Fast Company: Our Interview With Dieter Rams, The Greatest Designer Alive

Here, Rams talks about being bum-rushed at a party by Philippe Starck, who exclaimed, “Apple is stealing from you!” But when it comes to Ive and Apple, Rams subscribes to the adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Dieter Rams, perhaps the most inspiring creative mind of the pre-Jobs generation, makes a guest appearance in a fantastic series of video interviews via Fast Company. His designs, elegant and leaving only what’s necessary, have clearly been an inspiration in Apple’s products. If you’re at all interested in the creative genius of Dieter Rams, and his current thoughts on a variety of topics from sustainability to startups, the interview is a must read and watch.

Permalink

A Lunch At Apple Changed Square’s Name and Design→

A Lunch At Apple Changed Square’s Name and Design

The name Squirrel was known even before Square’s official announcement in December of 2009. As was the fact that the dongle was acorn shaped. The information that a lunch at Apple changed the design of the Square dongle so drastically and was the reason behind the name change is new, as far as I can tell.

I can just imagine that lunch in the Apple cafeteria with Steve Jobs telling Dorsey to drop the woodsy Acorn look and go with something white, minimal and squared off. Hey, it worked for Apple right?

The Next Web reports Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and Square CEO, gave out interesting tidbits on the origins of Square when accepting the 21st Century Visionary award in San Francisco last night. In particular, Square was originally called Squirrel and the reader was wooden and acorn shaped. That was, until a lunch at Apple, quite possibly with Scott Forstall, magically changed the design to a squared off white reader named Square.

Furthermore, it really seems like Apple is a major source of inspiration for Square. From the design of the card reader and the website, to the skeuomorphic attention to detail in the new Card Case app and the whole style of Jack Dorsey’s presentation earlier this week, the simplicity and elegance of Square are certainly well-suited for Apple’s retail stores.

Permalink

MacBook Air SSD upgrade provides big storage, mixed speed results→

MacBook Air SSD upgrade provides big storage, mixed speed result

Once the storage upgrade was installed, we found the added capacity to be a blessing, but our performance results were unexpectedly mixed. The marketing materials for the Mercury Aura Pro Express claim that the drives offer up to 68 percent faster performance than the stock flash storage. In order to see such a vast a difference between the MacBook Air’s flash storage and the Mercury Aura Pro Express, we had to use automated tests that task the MacBook Air in ways that most people wouldn’t use an ultra-portable.

In conclusion, the only reason you’d need to buy a Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD is for additional storage, and not necessarily for the advertised performance benefit. The upshot is that the SSD is ridiculously simple to replace (OWC includes a pentalobe screwdriver with the purchase). While expensive, OWC sells 320 GB and 480 GB capacity drives that cost $1,096.99 and $1,499.99 respectively. This is on top of an already pricey MacBook Air purchase, and unless you really need those extra gigabytes, I don’t know if the cost of entry is justified. Where OWC’s solution might have the advantage, however, is in longevity. The company claims that their SSD solution maintain their write speeds over a prolonged period of time thanks to their wear-leveling technologies. OWC’s Mercury Aura Pro Express SSDs are one of the only upgrades you can pimp your MacBook Air out with, but before you make that purchase, I’d consider reading James Galbraith’s in depth review for all the hard numbers.

Permalink