Lion: Apple’s newest Mac OS Lion-compatible Macs OS X Lion requires a Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 or Xeon processor. That means most Macs shipped after 2006 have at least the minimum horse power to run Lion. MacBook The first Core 2 Duo MacBooks shipped in November…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
iOS 5 Gets New Push Notifications, iMessage, More [Updated]
iOS 5’s Notification Center iOS 5, which will be shipping this fall, will include: Notification Center iOS 5’s Notification Center replaces the current push notification system with an interface that shows missed calls, calendar alerts, app alerts, instant message notifications and more in one place. Notifications no longer interrupt applications, and tapping a notification takes…
Time Capsule May be Apple’s iCloud Data Center
Time Capsule may handle iCloud dataAn anonymous source that’s apparently familiar with Apple’s Time Capsule and iCloud plans told Cult of Mac that an upgraded Time Capsule will make user’s Home folder backups available through the iCloud service, but data will be stored on the device’s own hard drive. Currently, Time Capsule offers 1TB or…
Safe Download Version Adds Manual Definitions Update
Snow Leopard users that installed Apple’s Security Update 2011-003 can get daily safe file updates Safari uses to help make sure malware doesn’t find its way onto their Macs. Apple doesn’t, however, offer an easy way to tell when your definitions list was last updated, or what list version number is installed, so The Mac…
Stay On Top of Apple’s Malware Definitions with Safe Download Version
Safe Download Version shows when your Mac’s malware definitions were updatedSafe Download Version is a Mac OS X application that shows which safe downloads definition list version is installed, along with the date and time the definition list was last updated on your computer. The brand new version 0.2 update changed the time shown from…
Lodsys Hits iOS, Android Developers with Patent Lawsuits
The lawsuits came in response to a letter Apple sent to Lodsys requesting the company abandon its legal actions against developers. “Lodsys chose to move its litigation timing to an earlier date than originally planned, in response to Apple’s threat, in order to preserve its legal options,” the patent holder stated in a blog post.Lodsys…
Apple Music Cloud Becoming Clearer
The service, often called “iCloud” or “Music Locker,” will offer users online storage for the music in their iTunes library. Record labels Warner, Sony and EMI have apparently already signed licensing deals with Apple, leaving only Universal to come onboard.Those licensing deals will let Apple’s service mirror user’s music libraries without requiring customers to upload…
iPhone 5 Commercial Casting Call? Probably Not
MacRumors managed to get ahold of the Craigslist ad before it was pulled. The listing, titled “IPHONE 5 CASTING (LA),” claims to be looking for actors for an iPhone 5 commercial to be shot in the Los Angeles area, but lists the payment for the job as £4500, which seems like an odd pay rate…
Skype Outage Impacts Users Around the World
Can you hear me now?Mac users that can’t access Skype’s services should quit the Skype application, then delete the shared.xml file in <you home directory>/Library/Application Support/Skype. Skype’s services should be available once the application is relaunched.Skype doesn’t have any details available yet on exactly what went wrong, nor has the company said when it expects…
iPhone 4 Launches in India on May 27
iPhone 4 hitting India this FridayBoth companies are aggressively pursuing iPhone customers with the launch. “With a robust roll out of Aircel’s 3G services in 13 circles across India, the launch of iPhone 4 will allow our consumers to truly savour the 3G experience,” commented Aircel Director Sandip Das.Despite an Airtel spokesperson confirming the carrier…
Apple CEO Steve Jobs to Host WWDC 2011 Keynote, or Not [UPDATED]
Steve Jobs speaking at a 2010 media eventWWDC is Apple’s annual conference for iOS and Mac OS X developers, IT professionals and third-party hardware makers. This year Apple will be focusing on the future of Mac OS X and iOS.Apple isn’t expected to make any hardware announcements at the event, so it seems likely that…
iPhone, iPad Dominate Mobile Video Viewing Market
iOS dominates mobile video viewingThe iPhone and iPod touch each made up 30 percent of the mobile viewing devices, and the iPad accounted for another 20 percent.“This majority reflects the number of these devices in market and their early dominance in the smart-device sector,” the FreeWheel report said. “It also reflects the development priorities of…
Foxconn Factories Shut Down During Explosion Investigation
Combustible aluminum dust that collected in factory air ducts is suspected as the cause of the explosion and fire at the Chengdu facility. The factory is said to be a location where some iPad production takes place, although neither Foxconn or Apple has offered an official confirmation.The Chengdu explosion happened on Friday, May 20, and…
Apple to Lodsys: Developers Can Use Patents [UPDATED]
James Thomson, one of the developers that was hit with legal threats from Lodsys, tweeted “Good news for everyone!” Iconfactory co-founder Talos Tsui echoed that sentiment by tweeting “Way to go, Apple! Thanks!” Craig Hockenberry, also of Iconfactory fame, added “DEAR STEVE I WANT TO KISS YOU HUGS CHOCK” In a letter to Lodsys CEO…
Third Worker Dies from Foxconn iPad Factory Explosion
According to AllThingsD, Foxconn said in a statement that six employees have already been released from the hospital.The explosion took place on May 20 at a Foxconn polishing facility, and an initial investigation suggests the accident was caused by “an explosion of combustible dust in a duct.”“All operations at the affected workshop remain suspended and…
iPhone 5 to Sport Curved Glass Surface
Rumors say curved glass coming to iPhone 5Unnamed industry sources, according to DigiTimes, claim the Cupertino-based company has already bought between 200 and 300 glass cutting machines to help get manufactures on board since they apparently aren’t excited about investing in the equipment necessary to make the glass for Apple’s phones.The cutting machines are currently…
Analyst: Foxconn Fire to Have Limited iPad Impact
“Hon Hai acknowledged a fire at its Chengdu plant, which we believe is a secondary location for iPad production,” Mr. Um said. “Our checks and those of our Taiwanese tech analyst Arthur Hsieh indicate less than 20 percent of iPad volumes are produced at the Chengdu facility.”The fire and explosion happened on May 20, and…
Intel: Thunderbolt Belongs to Us
Apple will continue using Thunderbolt technology without any restrictions after the trademark transfer is complete, according to Bright Side of News.“As part of our collaboration with Apple, they did some of the initial trademark filings,” Mr. Salvator said. “Intel has full rights to the Thunderbolt trademark now and into the future. The Thunderbolt name will…
Sony Signs on for Apple Music Locker
Sony hops on the iTunes cloud storage trainNews of the deal between Apple and Sony comes from unnamed sources with insider information, according to Bloomberg.Apple’s online music service is expected to include cloud-based music storage and streaming playback support, support for downloading music to multiple devices, and higher audio quality support compared to competing online…
HP on Thunderbolt: Meh
Thunderbolt uses the same Mini DisplayPort connector Apple relies on for external displays, but offers 10Gbp/s data transfer speeds, and can handle video and audio along with hard drives and other peripherals.HP said it did consider Thunderbolt, but hasn’t completely shut the door on the idea of including the technology in its computers. “We’re still…
Slacker Intros Slacker Premium Radio Music Subscription Service
Slacker RadioSubscribers can listen to Slacker music channels through a Web browser, iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, as well as BlackBerry and Android OS devices. Users can build their own Slacker stations based on artist, tag songs as favorites, and can temporarily download songs for playback when an Internet connection isn’t available.Slacker’s basic service is…
Lodsys Speaks Out on iOS Developer Patent Threats
“The economic gains provided by the Lodsys inventions (increase in revenue through additional sales, or decrease in costs to service the customer) are being enjoyed by the business that provides the product or service that interacts with the user,” the company said. “Since Lodsys patent rights are of value to that overall solution, it is…
Seagate Unveils GoFlex Wireless Hard Drive for iOS
Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite hard driveThe drive includes 500GB storage, a built-in rechargeable battery that runs for up to five hours (25 hours in stand by mode), can sync content with your computer via drag and drop or Seagate’s companion application, and can transfer data with user’s computer via cable, too. The GoFlex Satellite supports streaming…
Record Labels Angry Over Google’s Music Beta
Music Beta lets users upload music to an online server where it can be played back in a Web browser or through an Android OS-based app. The service is free for now, but eventually Google plans to charge customers a fee.Negotiations between Google and the record labels apparently failed for several reasons, not the least…