Mac OS X 10.7 LION

Since Apple's announcement of the next release of Mac OS X 10.7 code named "Lion" I've been getting my MacBook prepared for this new Operating System release. In the past few weeks I've been playing with a pre-release version and it does have a different "feel" to it and yet it still has all the familiar things that we are accustom to on the Mac. With the release of the "Magic Pad" and the "Magic Mouse" last year, being Solid State devices and using technology borrowed from the iPhone touch screen with the Swipe & Pinch gestures, I can now see what Apple was preparing to do in this upcoming release of Mac OS X "Lion". If you use the TrackPad on your MacBook or you have one of Apple's new Pointing Devices, then you'll be able to move within your Mac a lot faster and efficiently using different Swipe & Pinch gestures. Apple announced that there are 250 new features in this new release. Playing with the pre-release and going through those new features, Apple is beginning to take the Macintosh to the next level of Ease Of Use. When the Macintosh first came out in 1984, I understood where Apple was coming from. With this next level of Swipe & Pinch gestures, there may be no need for a file system as we know it today, because Apple has incorporated a full auto-save system within Mac OS X Lion. In the next new versions of your favorite Applications running in Lion, they will no longer have the Save Command under the File Menu. You just do your work and Lion takes care of the rest. Lion can also remember where you left off the last time you shut down your Mac if you choose, again to speed things up and make your Macintosh experience more efficient.

By the time Mac OS X Lion is released some time this July, I will be ready to help you get started and you'll end up with a greater user experience than ever before. You can contact me here for any Apple Product related help or any questions you have.

Summer is a Great Time for a TuneUp!

It's June already and in the past I've mentioned that every 6 months it's a good idea to give your Macintosh computer a TuneUp. With the heat of the summer, it can take a toll on your Mac and wear out your hard drive. If that happens, it makes it difficult to recover your Important Files, especially if you don't have a Backup in place. Also, as you are using your Mac and you are getting the Spinning Beach Ball increasingly more often, that's a sign that your hard drive is working too hard searching for all the bits of data to put together in order to bring it up on the screen. At the same time, there can be flaws in certain Applications that can also contribute to the dreaded Spinning Beach Ball which can be corrected. Part of the TuneUp process that I perform includes making sure your Applications are Up-To-Date in addition to correcting internal System Code. If you would like a TuneUp done on your Macintosh; Contact MacMobile Services at: mserv@sbcglobal.net or call (707) 994-2886 to schedule an appointment. Stay Cool.

The Re-Designed iPad 2

Announced yesterday in San Francisco, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage with the re-designed iPad 2 and comes with IOS 4.3. The first noticeable difference is that it's 33% thinner and a 10th of a pound lighter than the first Apple iPad. The iPad 2 has a Dual Core A5 processing unit that's 2 times faster and 9 times faster Graphics than the original iPad but has the same low power consumption as the A4 processor in the original iPad, which means that the battery charge will still last 10 hours, even with the faster processor. The iPad 2 has a Front and Rear camera and comes in Black or White and will work with both AT&T and Verizon carriers. Both Photo Booth and FaceTime software is included to take advantage of the new built-in cameras. The rear camera not only takes snap shots but doubles as an HD video camera which brings about the next version of iMovie, now for the iPad 2. iMovie for iPad 2 includes a Precision editor, Multitrack audio recording, New themes and AirPlay to your Apple TV. Share your videos in HD. It's a Universal application which means any project that's in iPad 2, can be transferred back to your Mac. A second Apple App for the iPad 2 will be Garage Band which includes 8 tracks of recording and Smart Instruments that helps you learn how to play an instrument. Both iMovie and Garage Band will be priced at $4.99 US each. IOS 4.3 brings better Safari browser performance, iTunes home sharing which allows access to your iTunes library on your Mac or PC to stream your music and videos to your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Better AirPlay streaming to your Apple TV 2 such as being able to view video from a web page and any App. You can use Apple TV's built-in slideshows when streaming photos from your iDevice too. There is a new Preference for the right-side iPad switch which can either act as a mute or a rotation lock switch. The last major feature in the IOS 4.3 software update is a Personal Hotspot for the iPhone 4. This will allow you to create a wireless Internet connection using your iPhone 4's 3G network for your laptop computer when there isn't a wireless Internet connection nearby. A new HDMI adapter will also be available. It will offer Mirrored Video Output which means anything that shows on the iPad screen for example, will show on the HDTV that the iPad is connected to. The HDMI adapter will support resolutions up to 1080 progressive, it'll work with all apps, will support screen rotation and no special setup or configuration is required. The HDMI adapter will cost $39.00 US.Then, there is the new covers for the iPad 2. The covers feature a magnetic hinge which grasp and auto-aligns itself to the iPad 2. Has a Micro-fiber lining underneath that cleans the iPad 2's screen, wakes the iPad 2 when lifting the cover and sleeps the iPad 2 when closed and is easy to remove or change. It comes in 10 colors, 5 colors in Polyurethane for $39.00 US and 5 colors in Leather for $69.00 US each.

The iPad 2 will be the same price as last year's iPad.

The iPad 2, IOS 4.3, iMovie and Garage Band for iPad 2,

will be available March 11th.

Thank You

I would like to say Thank You to my clients and family that have supported MacMobile Services over the years and during these extremely tough economic times. I'd like to thank Phil Doty of Fairfield for his generosity recently. I'd also like to thank Bill Bounsall of Bounsall Construction in Calistoga and Larry and Joyce Brown of Farifield for their generosity and the long relationship with MacMobile Services over the years. A special thank you goes to my aunt Shelley at Marin Country Arborists Tree Service www.marincountyarborists.com for her support from the beginning along with my Mom who keeps encouraging me to keep going and not to give up during these rough times.

I want to thank the following clients for their great testimonials for MacMobile Services, I really appreciate the kind words for the work I've done over the years. It means a lot to me knowing that my clients are satisfied customers; Michael Rosenthal, Al Bayless www.albaylessphoto.com, Phil Doty, Max Beere, Ron Kline, Layna Kinsman, Elissa Benn, Dr. James Neely, Michael Witt and Vern and Linda Bendsen. I look forward to providing much more service and support to you in the future, Thank You.

Suggestions Welcome

MacMobile Services wants to improve our services and further customize services to fit our clients better. Any suggestion you have would be greatly appreciated. You can leave a comment at the end of this Blog entry or send an email at: mserv@sbcglobal.net or send a Tweet at JohnAtMacMobile.

Update: Caution, iTunes 10 Extremely Buggy

Yesterday I troubleshooted iTunes v10.0.1 for my client. The issues my client was having was iTunes 10 would not literally play anything in the music library regardless of the file format. Another thing I ran into was that iTunes 10 interferes with the System sound. The System sound will not come back on until you quit iTunes 10.

There is a possible fix for certain issues in iTunes 10 involving re-installing iTunes 10 with this installation procedure at http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20017359-263.html.

Right now I'm concerned about how well iTunes 10 will work with the new Apple TV. As soon as I get my hands on a new Apple TV, I will do thorough testing and shake-down of the new Apple TV and iTunes 10 streaming system along with testing everything else in iTunes 10.

I will bring my testing results here at the Blog and on my JohnAtMacMobile twitter also. Stay Tuned.

New Apple TV Service Coming Soon!

Apple has announced the 2nd generation of the Apple TV set top box. The biggest features are that it's about 3 quarters smaller than the first Apple TV. It runs cooler and no syncing to the New Apple TV. The reason for this, is Apple decided to remove the internal hard drive. Apple figured that users found syncing to be confusing. Without the internal hard drive, Apple TV is now steaming only. The benefits are: 1. Simpler to use. 2. Smaller and cooler hardware. 3. Less expensive to own. Pricing history for the Apple TV when it first came out in 2007 was $299. Then a year or two later the price dropped to $229.00 and that's where its been until now. The price for the new black Apple TV is now just $99.00. You can Pre-order now at the Apple Store online. The New Apple TV should be out at the end of September or the first part of October. The other nice features that it will have is; you can access your Netflix account if you have one or this could be a good excuse to signup with Netflix now. You can watch YouTube and Podcast videos in High Definition for FREE! I believe in November, Apple will be releasing the next update for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touches that will include a feature called AirPlay. AirPlay will allow you to stream video from your iDevice right to your Apple TV. That's what I like about Apple, you buy the hardware and you can rent or purchase the content or just watch content from the web right through to Apple TV with no monthly subscription fees. That's it! One thing I wish Apple would do is keep the previous Apple TV available for users that like to have the internal storage option and make the new Apple TV software available to the previous Apple TVs also. I've heard that the previous Apple TVs are still around for this month for $149.00. I guess Apple is trying to sell off the rest of their inventory. I just wish Apple would continue making both versions.

I'm adding a new service to my list of services. I'm going to offer an Apple TV setup service that not only includes the initial setup of Apple TV but I'll convert your DVDs for viewing on Apple TV, setup and/or sign up Netflix, YouTube, MobileMe and Flickr accounts for you as needed and show you all the things you can do with Apple TV. I would also like, in the near future, to put together an Apple TV package for educational use. More on that later.

I purchased the first Apple TV when it came out in 2007 and it's still going strong. I love my Apple TV and by adding this new service, I hope a lot more people will benefit from it and boost Apple TV sales too. With the lower price, I think it's a great system and I want Apple to continue to innovate it.