Apple Posts Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 2

Following a brief fix in Software Update, here comes a new build of OS X Lion. It’s available now in the Mac Dev Center. Build number is 11A419. Once again, the new Developer Preview must be downloaded through the Mac App Store via a redeem code. It’s worth noting that OS X Lion Server has been posted as a separate build this time:

To install the Lion Developer Preview, you’ll need 10.6.7 or the previous developer preview which, again, needs to be updated in Software Update. For those who will need to pause their download from the Mac App Store and resume it, Apple says in the FAQ section:

If you need to interrupt your download for any reason, including changing the network you are connected to or traveling to a new location, ensure that you first Pause your download under the Purchases tab in Mac App Store. After you re-establish your connection, you may Resume your download under the Purchases tab.

While TechCrunch reported a few days ago that Apple would soon release a “GM” version of Lion to developers, it clearly appears that Lion still needs a few more updates before being ready for the golden master status. Several bloggers are speculating that a GM version will actually be released at the WWDC, which will kick off in San Francisco on June 6th.

Changes in the Lion Developer Preview 2 are still unknown. We’ll update this post as we gather more details.

TechCrunch now follows up to their previous report with details on today’s build:

More importantly, this is the build that Apple is considering to be a “GM1″ revision internally, we hear. And yes, it’s said to be much more stable and complete than the previous build.

Having said that, it’s unlikely that this will be the actual “Golden Master” copy. We’re still a solid two months away from Apple’s WWDC event where Lion will be a key area of focus. Apple may attempt to launch Lion there, but more likely is that the release candidates is handed out to developers there.

 

Photoshop For iPad To Be Updated With Support For Layers

Photography Bay got to go hands on with an updated Photoshop app for the iPad, which will bring support for layers and new features to compared original and edited photos. Recently, the Photoshop app was updated to its second version which included multitasking support and an update to utilize the Retina Display on the iPhone. Back in November, Adobe’s John Nack offered some insight as to what features would arrive in future app updates after a brief survey. Electronista notes that an updated Photoshop would, “help address the lack of content creation, one of the most commonly cited flaws of the platform.” Maybe the author hasn’t been paying attention, but while Adobe is updating Photoshop, many other photo editors such as Photogene, Masque, and PhotoForge have existed for a while. An update to Photoshop is still, however, a welcome addition to the iPad. While the Photography bay was able to snap some blurry demo photos and video, the video hasn’t been published online and has been noted to be published later tonight.

[Photography Bay via Electronista]

Apple Releases Lion Developer Preview Update 1

As noted by iClarified, Apple just released a first update for the OS X Lion developer preview in Software Update. A few days ago, TechCrunch reported Apple was getting ready to seed a GM build of Mac OS X Lion, and while this build isn’t touted as “golden master” to developers, it appears that the sources close to TechCrunch were right about Lion moving forward in the development stages.

The changelog indeed suggests this is only an update aimed at allowing developers to download new builds from the Mac App Store in the future:

This update is required to redeem downloads of Mac OS X Lion seed builds from the Mac App Store.

We’ll update this post with changes as more details come in.

Apple Releases 10.6.7 Supplemental Update For the 13” MacBook Air

MacBooks have been getting their fair share of updates recently, and today Apple is providing a supplemental 10.6.7 update for the 13” MacBook Air (Late 2010) to resolve unresponsiveness when using iTunes. The previous 10.6.7 v1.0 (build 10J869) update must be installed in order to apply the supplemental update. If you have a 13” MacBook Air, check Software Update or download the 461 KB file from the posted support page below.

Supplemental 13” MacBook Air Update: DL1370

In Which We Apologize For The Downtime

Driving a decade old pickup, my first year of college was hampered with consistent issues revolving around anything and everything electrical, engine, axel, and the front arms even had to be replaced. I’ve had some terrible experiences when I purchased my first vehicle, including a scary engine misfire and a superheated rotor. At times I thought my truck would almost shake to pieces, but every time I managed to coast down that hill and limp the truck into the dealership. Often times when your vehicle breaks down or needs immediate maintenance, it comes at the inconvenience of others. Mechanics have to work late and adjust their schedules, friends are called to pick you up, and it ends up being a terrible hassle.

MacStories has had issues before, but today’s outage and downtime reminded me of all the issues I’ve had in my personal life, and it came at the inconvenience of our readers and advertisers. We apologize for the downtime, and thank you for your patience as we took the site offline, fixed what needed to be fixed, and brought the mothership back online. Needless to say that process didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped, but now we’re running at full speed and believe our issue has been promptly resolved. We’ll be taking great care to prevent this kind of outage in the future. I want to thank everyone who offered help on Twitter, and a big thanks goes out to Alessandro Vendruscolo (@misterjack).

Now, let’s say we get some reviews out?

Yours truly,

The MacStories Team

KansasFest→

KansasFest

This is awesome RT @danfrakes: A yearly convention dedicated to the Apple II: http://t.co/NOOBJuu

Mac|Life Online Editor Roberto Baldwin (@strngwys - where are the vowels man?), Retweets Dan Frakes on one of the coolest conventions I wasn’t aware of. Dedicated to only the Apple II, KansasFest welcomes hobbyists to Kansas City, Missouri, where workshops, keynotes, contests, and other sessions take place over a span of six days this year from July 19th to July 24th. Some of the sessions include hacking together an expansion card, a programming competition known as HackFest, and a vendor fair for old equipment and hardware from the days of yore. This is seriously cool, and if the nostalgia flu is kicking in, you might want to get in during the early registration. This year will mark their 22nd annual convention.

Permalink

#MacStoriesDeals - Exclusive Wednesday

If you didn’t already know, we’ve set up a new twitter account for Deals, it’s @MacStoriesDeals. We’ll tweet the daily deals there as well as exclusive weekend deals too. Help spread the word! Here are today’s deals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot!

Read more

2011: $100 Billion Revenue Year for Apple?→

2011: $100 Billion Revenue Year for Apple?

With the success of iOS devices and Macs, and the release of the iPad 2 that saw huge lines across the world, analysts are now revising their estimates for Apple’s revenue in 2011 and are predicting Apple might be on track for a $100 billion revenue year:

This morning, Needham analyst Charlie Wolf raised his FY 2011 revenue forecast for the company to $103.9 billion from $98.9 billion; his EPS forecast goes to $23.25 a share from $22.25. For FY 2012, he now sees $125 billion in revenue and profits of $27.35 a share, up from $118 billion and $25.50. The higher estimates, he writes, reflect a revised forecast for iPad sales: he now sees the company selling 30 million units this year and 40 million next, up from 20 million and 30 million previously.

Last night we reported Apple will announce its Q2 2011 financial results on April 20th. The company is expected to provide sales numbers for the iPad 2 and the Verizon iPhone, which was initially rumored to have sales “below Apple’s expectations”. There is no doubt the release of the iPad 2 will play an important role in Apple’s 2011 strategy; the iPhone 5, in the meantime, is generating different reports about a possible “delay” that is making Wall Street Analyst update their estimates again.

Permalink

With Apple’s New System, Popular Science Sells 10,000 iPad Subscriptions

Ever since Apple launched its new subscription system for “publishing apps” in February, there’s been a huge backlash over the implementation of the service itself, which requires publishers to give away 30% of the revenue to Apple (just like every “regular” App Store application) and allows consumers to opt-in for sharing personal data with the publisher. The new policy left many unhappy with Apple’s decision to protect the user’s privacy and ask for the same 30% cut on every subscription sold; plus, the notable rejection of the Readability app raised some questions and doubts over the whole idea of “publishing apps” and software that simply gives access to content published by others. Still, in spite of the debates and speculation, the first numbers are coming in, and they’re rather interesting.

Speaking with AdAge, VP-group publisher at the Bonnier Technology Group Gregg Hano confirmed the Popular Science iPad app sold 10,000 subscriptions since the update six weeks ago that enabled support for Apple’s new in-app subscription technology. And even if Popular Science has 1.2 million print subscribers and the iPad’s numbers are quite low right now, the publication is excited about the possibilities offered by Apple and the iTunes Store.

We really did not have any expectation of what would happen because we’re really pioneers.

We’ve been averaging 10,000 to 12,000 unit sales per month almost since the beginning,” Mr. Hano said. “Now we’re going to be above that in March. We’re inching up over that. And we look forward to continuing to see subscriptions grow. Hopefully people keep testing Popular Science on their tablets and then hopefully come back and subscribing.

The obvious downside, Hano confirms, is that they have so access to subscribers’ data:

We don’t have any information on where the subscribers are coming from or whether or not they are or are not print subscribers,” Mr. Hano said. “Nor do we at this time know the number of people who have opted in to share their data with us.

The Popular Science iPad app is available for free in the App Store and comes with in-app purchases for single issues ($2.99 for old ones, $4.99 for the latest issue) and a $14.99 annual digital subscription. A print subscription to the magazine costs $12.99 on Popular Science’s website. iPad magazines have been struggling with finding a loyal userbase mainly due to complicated subscription systems and clunky user interfaces, so an easy-to-use payment system based on the iTunes Store (Apple has 200 million credit cards on file thanks to iTunes) might really be the first step to get things started and change the way consumers think of digital publications for the iPad. [via The Loop]