Posts in news

Project Mag Has A Gyro-enabled Cover for iPad 2

Project, the iPad-exclusive magazine launched by Richard Branson’s Virgin last year, was updated yesterday to include a new issue that, unlike the previous ones, makes extensive use of the iPad 2 hardware to bring an HTML5-based, gyroscope-enabled animated cover to the readers. Project has always stood out as an example of a digital magazine willing to experiment more than the competition with interactive elements and on-screen graphics; and although it’s not perfect – like most magazine, text isn’t selectable and the overall navigation is based on old print schemes – I have to say I’m always curious to see what the Project team comes up with for each issue. It started with a video-like animated cover, and it continues in the latest Issue #5.

The design team told us the new issue uses the gyroscope to control HTML5 canvas objects: you can pan horizontally by moving your iPad around and see the various movies characters featured by Project in this month’s cover. You can’t do much with this feature, but we think it’s really interesting that magazine designers are starting to play around with the iPad’s hardware capabilities – and we’re definitely looking forward to more examples of this kind of integration with content and hardware.

The latest issue of Project is available as a $2.99 in-app purchase.

It Gets Better: Apple Employees

In the video after the break – posted on Youtube earlier today – some Apple employees share a personal message for the “It Gets Better” project – part of the Trevor Project, an organization ”determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs.”

The video is just so good, there’s no need to comment. Watch it below.
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Apple Poaches Microsoft’s Datacenter GM→

Apple Poaches Microsoft’s Datacenter GM

Timmons left Microsoft this week and the company has confirmed his departure, though it declined to say why he left or where he was headed. But sources in position to know confirm he’s hired on with Apple.

When Microsoft hired Timmons in 2009, his responsibilities were briefly detailed by Technet:

In addition to bringing Kevin on board, we’ve recently restructured our Infrastructure Services team within GFS. In mid May we aligned the organization around five teams: Shared Infrastructure, Programmable Infrastructure, Platform Hardware and Standards, Global Network Services, and the Data Center Services team that Kevin now heads up.

Data Center Knowledge reports that Timmons was incredibly efficient at building scalable data center solutions on a budget, saving Microsoft $250 million in an initially estimated 500 million dollar project as Microsoft constructed a new data facility in Chicago (and later Dublin) in 2009.

At Microsoft, Timmons oversaw the deployment of massive new data centers in Dublin and Chicago shortly after his arrival in mid-2009, but then moved to streamline the company’s data center design and cost structure. Timmons said his goal is for Microsoft’s data center network to be “incredibly scalable at awesome cost effectiveness,” and said his team was on target to slash data center costs by 50 percent.

Some of Microsoft’s innovations during Timmons’ tenure are on display in its latest data center in Quincy, Washington, which is the culmination of years of design work at Microsoft Global Foundation Services, and offers dramatic reductions in cost and resources.

Apple has reportedly ordered up to 12 petabytes of storage from Isilon Systems, with Instor and Electrostak providing custom mounting, cooling, and power equipment to host the new influx of new blades Apple will deploy in their data center. Ideally, if Apple was going to build a rumored parallel data center in North Carolina, Timmons could oversee the remainder of the work and efficiently scale to deploy new services (whether it be for media or not).

[via Macgasm]

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Xcode 4.0.2 Released In Dev Center

Apple just pushed an update to Xcode 4 in the iOS and Mac Dev Centers. Version 4.0.2 is now available to registered iOS developers, while the Mac App Store still reports 4.0.1 as the latest version. Build number is 4A2002a.

Xcode 4.0.2. fixes “a bug with OpenGL apps running in the iOS Simulator on some Macs” and brings additional bug fixes and stability improvements.

Apple Releases Safari 5.0.5 and Security Update 2011-002

Together with iOS 4.3.2, Apple also released a security update and a new version of Safari. The updates are available now in Software Update and on Apple’s website. Safari 5.0.5 “includes the latest security updates”, and it’s recommended for all users.

Security Update 2011-002 is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update.

Apple Releases iOS 4.3.2 [Direct Links]

Apple just released iOS 4.3.2. It’s available now in iTunes if you check for updates, and direct links to the downloads will be available shortly.

As previously reported, iOS 4.3.2 fixes issues with FaceTime calls (freezing or displaying random photos from the camera roll), and problems with iPad WiFi + 3G connectivity. Build number is 8H7 for most devices; the CDMA iPad 2 got build number 8H8.

Here are the direct links for iOS 4.3.2:

iPhone 3GS

iPhone 4 (GSM)

iPad

iPad 2 (also iPad 2,2 and iPad 2,3)

iPod touch 3rd gen

iPod touch 4th gen

Update: Apple also released iOS 4.2.7 for the Verizon iPhone. It’s available here, and we’re looking for a changelog.

Update #2: iOS 4.2.7 for the CDMA iPhone 4 contains bug fixes and the latest security updates.

Screenshot of the changelog after the break. Read more

Intel To Support Both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt with Ivy Bridge

Yesterday, Intel confirmed they will support both USB 3.0 and the recently-introduced Thunderbolt technology in 2012. USB 3.0 – evolution of a widely adopted standard in PCs, mobile devices and tablets – failed to gain support by chipset maker Intel in 2010 and early 2011 as the company only enabled it in desktop motherboards powered by a NEC chip, thus focusing on finalizing the development of Light Peak instead, now known as Thunderbolt. USB 3.0 promises data transfers 10 times faster than USB 2.0, but it can’t reach the 10 Gbps capabilities of Thunderbolt – implemented by Apple and Intel in the latest MacBook Pros, and expected to come to more OS X computers and desktop peripherals in the near future.

Intel is going to support USB 3.0 in the 2012 client platform. We’re going to support Thunderbolt capability. We believe they’re complementary,” said Kirk Skaugen, a vice president at the Intel Architecture Group, speaking at Intel’s developer conference in Beijing today. The event was streamed over the Web.

With the 2011 MacBook Pro refresh, Apple used Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors to increase the performances of the new line and implement Thunderbolt, which allows for multiple connections (daisy-chaining) and high-speed data transfers with a variety of external devices. A report published a day before Apple launched the new MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge processors suggested the 2012 refresh would be a big milestone release for Apple, with a completely new design and breakthrough features. If Intel will manage to get Ivy Bridge chipsets available in the market by the first quarter of 2012, some speculate Apple might consider supporting both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 as well – it’s worth noting that Intel is indeed telling developers and manufacturers to support both standards. [via Cnet, Engadget]

Instacast 1.2 Adds Dropbox and Instapaper Integration, Lots More

You should have realized by now Instacast has become our favorite way of consuming audio and video podcasts here at MacStories. Whether it’s the latest episode of Shawn Today or tips from Merlin Mann on “Back to Work”, Instacast is the best way to keep podcasts organized and up-to-date without using iTunes (and thus USB sync) on your iPhone. Instacast packs a lot of features into a simple and elegant interface that’s backed by a powerful engine to refresh all your subscriptions, download episodes, stream them over WiFi and 3G and even send audio to an external speaker over AirPlay. Instacast is the Twitter of podcast apps, and it got a lot better in version 1.2 – approved a few hours ago.

Instacast 1.2 adds Dropbox integration to import / export an OPML file for all subscriptions. OPML support has also been introduced in this update, alongside the possibility to share the file via email with your friends. If you’re familiar with RSS readers, you know what to expect from OPML importing. If you’re really serious about your podcasts and you don’t want to miss anything from the authors, Instacast now allows you send show notes to Instapaper and Read It Later. The podcasts I’m subscribed to usually have brief descriptions and a few notes, but I can see why some people would like to Instapaper longer ones.

Instacast 1.2 also brings dozens of stability improvements and bug fixes, as well as minor features like “copy podcast URL to clipboard”, sharing options and auto-refresh for subscriptions. It’s a very good update (now we can’t wait for the iPad version, already in the works) and you can find it here at $1.99.

“ix.Mac.MarketingName” String Appears In The App Store - What Could It Be?

As noticed by several developers and bloggers last night soon after Tweetbot went live in the United States, a strange and curious string started appearing in the App Store’s description pages, under the “Requirements” info tab: ix.Mac.MarketingName. Initially tweeted by Panic’s developer Cabel Sasser, the “bug” has extended to hundreds of other apps in the Store.

This string has lead many to speculate it could be an indication of a new device capable of running iOS apps in the works that’s somehow showing up on the App Store due to a technical error, an old placeholder, or a simple bug on Apple’s end that doesn’t mean anything. Some theories point to “ix.Mac” as an emulator for iOS apps on the desktop – similar to what Apple is already doing with the iPhone Simulator, but for consumers. Others speculate it could be a new device, a sign of universal OS X / iOS apps, or apps finally coming to the Apple TV. The Apple TV second-gen, however, runs a modified version of iOS – whilst the string clearly mentions the Mac.

The most interesting theory we’ve read so far is perhaps looking a bit too much into the placeholder’s name, yet here it is: what if it’s not “ix.Mac.MarketingName” but iX – as in iOS meets OS X?

You can see an example of the string here.

Update: Apple removed the string from every app in the Store. See here.