iCloud Libraries To Be Wiped Tomorrow As Apple “Prepares” For iTunes Match Launch

In an email sent to developers a few minutes ago, Apple has announced that iCloud music libraries will be wiped tomorrow, November 12th, at 10 AM PST. Since Apple began testing iTunes Match in August, iCloud libraries have been wiped periodically as part of Apple’s testing process to build and optimize the service. Currently, iTunes Match is being tested by registered developers in the United States, and it requires iTunes 10.5.1 beta.

As we prepare for the launch of iTunes Match, we will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST.

Please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please choose Music > Turn off iTunes Match.

The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.

iTunes Match is Apple’s upcoming scan & match service for music built into iTunes and iCloud. iTunes Match will scan a user’s music library, find songs that match with Apple’s iTunes Store, and upload results that haven’t matched correctly. Songs stored in iCloud can be downloaded on any device, at any time, as long as you’re subscribed to iTunes Match, which costs $24.99 per year. At the “Let’s talk iPhone” media event in October Apple said iTunes Match would launch by the end of the month, but as the company missed its own deadline many started wondering whether additional beta time was required to finalize iTunes Match. On November 3rd, Apple seeded to developers a new beta of iTunes 10.5.1 for additional iTunes Match testing.

Apple Still Investigating iOS 5 Battery Life Issues

Apple yesterday released the iOS 5.0.1 software update which, among other fixes and features, included optimizations for battery life of devices running iOS 5. In particular, a number of users in the past weeks have reported shorter than normal battery life on the iPhone 4S, Apple’s latest iPhone model released on October 14th. Apple promised that the iOS 5.0.1 update would fix a software issue that had affected battery life on iOS 5, not just the iPhone 4S.

Yet after the release of iOS 5.0.1, which was distributed over-the-air to iOS 5 devices as well as through iTunes, several users on Apple’s Support Communities reported battery life issues similar to pre-iOS 5.0.1 scenarios, if not worse after the upgrade. In a statement issued to All Things D, Apple says they will continue to investigate issues with battery life:

The recent iOS software update addressed many of the battery issues that some customers experienced on their iOS 5 devices,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to investigate a few remaining issues.

As Apple keeps working on iOS 5 and improving the system’s battery management, a number of users suggest that disabling some of iOS’ Location Services and Notifications might improve battery life dramatically. Apple doesn’t specifically recommend any of the “tips and tricks” found online, though it does offer a Feedback page for all users willing to report back about their experience with iOS devices.

Developers Explain Changes in Growl 1.3→

Developers Explain Changes in Growl 1.3

Speaking of Growl themes, the developers of the popular notification system for OS X have seen a bit of confusion after the release of version 1.3 on the Mac App Store. They have published a post with a summary of changes, and here’s the most important point:

Growl is still open source and under the BSD license, but version 1.3 is sold at $1.99 on the Mac App Store. This paid model allows the developers to work on Growl full-time.

So why upgrade to Growl 1.3 when the old version might still work? First off, to get the new features. More importantly, for a reason I didn’t know about:

Growl 1.2 and older will not work with Sandboxed applications - Sandboxing is meant to protect users from bad things happening (which is a good thing!), but it has consequences for applications which are doing good things too (like Growl). Apple announced this summer that Sandboxing is a requirement for all applications in the Mac App Store. As our developers who went to WWDC this year quickly realized, the impending Sandboxing requirement would have broken Growl entirely for applications in the App Store, for everyone, without a large amount of changes. Growl 1.3 introduces support for Sandboxed applications.

We may debate on the pros and cons of sandboxing, but the point is that, eventually, the old Growl will stop working with sandboxed Mac App Store applications. If new features and compatibility aren’t compelling reasons to upgrade, then I guess the problem is with those users not willing to spend $1.99, not Growl. The Mac App Store charts, by the way, seem to indicate Growl 1.3 has been pretty successful so far.

I use Growl on a daily basis and I like the new version a lot. Another thing I didn’t know about: apps written with the Growl 1.3 SDK will be able to display notifications even if Growl 1.3 isn’t installed. The system is called “Mist”, and a comparison table is available for developers here.

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iOS 5 Notification Style for Growl→

iOS 5 Notification Style for Growl

Back in September, MacThemes forum user SkyJohn created an iOS 5-like notification theme for Growl, which was recently released on the Mac App Store as version 1.3. A few days ago, following feedback from the MacThemes community, SkyJohn updated the Growl theme to include the same “cube” animation seen on the iPhone or iPad. The effect is very nice, as you can see from the screenshots above.

The latest version of the theme is available for download on deviantART, and it includes black and white variations. Being a Growl theme, you can’t expect the notification popup to roll down from the menubar exactly as in iOS 5, but the result gets very close. Make sure to check out MacThemes’ thread as well for suggestions and other modifications.

And if you don’t like the iOS 5-like banner style for notifications, check out this iOS 5-inspired translucent theme for Growl by Philipp Rappold (via). Growl is a $1.99 download on the Mac App Store.

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Apple Starts Selling Unlocked iPhone 4S In US Online Store

Alongside the international launch in 15 more countries, Apple today began offering unlocked iPhone 4S units through its US online store. Current orders for unlocked iPhones ship in 1-2 weeks, and the models are available at $649 (16 GB), $749 (32 GB) and $849 (64 GB). The unlocked iPhone 4S only works on GSM networks such as AT&T in the United States and allows for micro-SIM cards from local GSM networks when travelling internationally. The unlocked iPhone 4S doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint.

The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States.* The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.

If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

Apple launched the iPhone 4S in October and promised unlocked versions would be available starting in November. The unlocked and contract-free iPhone 4S can be purchased from Apple’s online store here.

AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware Update 7.6 Released

Earlier today Apple released an AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware update, reaching version 7.6. The update is compatible with all 802.11n AirPort Express, 802.11n AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models and adds a number of fixes:

  • An issue with performance on overlapping wireless networks
  • An issue with AirPlay audio streaming
  • An issue with configuring multiple entries for DNS servers

Apple recommends upgrading from AirPort Utility 5.5.3 or later. The new version can be downloaded by checking for updates directly in AirPort Utility.

Firefox 9 Beta Released with “New Look” To Match OS X Lion

Two days after the release of Firefox 8, Mozilla has made available a first public beta of the next major Firefox update, Firefox 9. As expected due to the company’s fast release cycle, Firefox 9 will follow Firefox 8 in a few weeks, with Firefox 10 likely entering initial alpha testing soon.

For the first time since the release of OS X Lion in July, Mozilla says they have included “a new look that matches the Mac OS X Lion application toolbar and icon styles”. In the release notes, Mozilla refers to these changes as “improved theme integration for Mac OS X Lion”. For comparison, we have grabbed a series of screenshots to show the differences the “new look” brings between Firefox 8 and Firefox 9 beta. It is, however, possible that haven’t spotted all the differences between the two versions yet – MacStories readers are welcome to leave us a comment if they find more visual cues to the “new look” in Firefox 9 for Lion.

Mozilla mocked up some big Lion changes a few months back, and notably Firefox still hasn’t implemented several native Lion functionalities, like natural scrolling and full-screen mode.

Firefox 9 comes with other improvements for developers:

  • Type Inference: Firefox Beta adds Type Inference to make JavaScript significantly faster. To learn more about how rich websites and Web apps with lots of pictures, videos and 3D graphics will load faster in Firefox, check out this blog post.
  • Do Not Track JavaScript Detection: Firefox Beta enables JavaScript to show developers when users choose to opt-out of behavioral tracking with the Do Not Track privacy feature.
  • Chunked XHR Support: Firefox Beta supports chunking for XHR requests so websites can receive data that’s part of a large XHR download in progress. This helps developers make websites and Web apps faster, especially those that download large sets of data or via AJAX.

You can download Firefox 9 beta over at Mozilla’s website.

Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9 Released

Apple today released a new Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update, which reaches version 3.9 and adds support for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto ‘11:

  • Canon PowerShot S100
  • Nikon 1 J1
  • Nikon 1 V1
  • Nikon COOLPIX P7100
  • Olympus PEN E-PL1s
  • Olympus PEN E-PL3
  • Olympus PEN E-PM1
  • Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150
  • Sony Alpha NEX-5N
  • Sony Alpha SLT-A65
  • Sony Alpha SLT-A77

OS X Lion introduced support for more RAW formats, as did the 10.7.2 update, and Apple maintains a list of supported RAW formats in this support document. Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9 is available now on Software Update and should be uploaded shortly to Apple’s Support Downloads website. Both iPhoto and Aperture were updated with Photo Stream functionality and other fixes in October.