2007 December

Amir writes:
“OS X.5 came with a cool new feature called Timemachine which automatically backs-up your internal Mac harddrive. People like me live off their flash drive, and losing it would mean disaster, and you can never remember to manually back it up. When I learned that Time Machine didn’t backup external drive I was disappointed. […]

Well, it’s about damn time. Java 6 is now available for Leopard:
“Mac OS X is the only major consumer operating system that comes complete with a fully configured and ready-to-use Java runtime and development environment. Professional Java developers are increasingly turning to the feature-rich Mac OS X as the operating system of choice for both […]

The Mac Night Owl poses the question: is Leopard a failure?
“After long months of anticipation, Leopard went on sale in late October, and I’m sure many of you succumbed to the lust for eye-candy and the promise of over 300 nifty new features and placed your orders early on. I know I did.
Others waited for […]

For all of you garage bands out there, you can now export your songs as ringtones:
“iPhone users with crappy bands will rejoice today, as the recently released GarageBand 4.1.1 update adds easy ringtone exporting. Users have full access to Apple Loops and iLife jingles—as well as their own recordings—to export tracks. Here’s the full procedure:”
Read […]

In a move that is sure to win the nostalgia vote of the geeks out there, Apple is running a new series of “Santa Claus” ads that pay tribute to the old Rankin/Bass Christmas claymation …. movies?
“We’re usually able to reign in our fanboy tendencies enough to not go writing about every new Apple […]

Browsing the Apple section on Digg, I came across this interesting entry describing how Microsoft’s lack of competence forced the author to buy an iPod rather than a Zune:
“It’s been over 7 years since I got my first MP3 player. I started with the 6 GB Nomad Jukebox back in 2000. Upgraded to the 40 […]

Run multiple OSes, including Windows, Linux, and Solaris, on your Macintosh at the same time as Mac OS X without rebooting. VMware Fusion allows you to run Mac and Windows applications side-by-side!

Digital Download

Physical Product

Macworld.com is reporting that the Apple TV has been a complete failure for Apple and we might expect to see that particular product fade into obscurity soon:
“Apple may have had high hopes for its first generation Apple TV, but analyst sales estimates indicate the product is not as successful as once thought. Blaming the iTunes […]

AppleInsider has the latest roundup of rumors in the Mac world: sub-notebooks will be coming out with a sub-$1500 pricetage, and there will be a 3G iPhone in June.
“In a just-aired broadcast on CNBC, the network’s Jim Goldman reported that a source close to Apple’s manufacturing facilities has confirmed that the company will launch its […]

Gizmodo is carrying a video, and accompanying description, of the new Apple store that is opening in NYC. Suffice it to say, this place looks really frickin’ huge!
“Is the new 14th Street NYC Apple Store the biggest in the country? We knew it was opening soon, but this afternoon we discovered that the window blinds […]

Little things keep cropping up in Leopard that extend the functionality of the operating system beyond it’s candy-coated shell. Glenn Fleishman uncovered a really neat bit of information that Leopard initially hides from you about nearby AirPort networks, including the RSSI and security type of the network you’re connecting to. And, there’s a neat tooltip […]

Thanks to OS X Factor for the tip.
Panic’s system icon replacement app for OS X, CandyBar 3 finally received its Leopard update. New features include:

Cstomize the Dock in Leopard

CandyBar 3 replaces Pixadex, merging the icon management feature into CandyBar 3

At $29 it’s a great graphical upgrade for Leopard.