Newsletter to Members
February 2009
Next Meeting: Monday 2 February 6.30pm
Main Presentation: New iWork '09 and, time permitting, a preview of iLife '09 as well.
Room 327 Theatrette, Robert Webster Bldng, UNSW, Anzac Parade, Kensington.
Raffle prizes include a book published by Peachpit Press; 4GB USB Thumb drives, iTunes Cards, recordable CD/DVD media and more.
New Disc-of-the-Month CDs
Cards, Boards & Dice: 2-Disc set
Hundreds of different Card Games, Board Games and Dice Games to play in solitude, against computer opponents and even against human players across the Internet… say goodbye to your spare time, and not so spare time! Set of 2 CDs for $10 (member price). More info (4pp PDF, 620K).
Our Disc-of-the-Month software compilation CDs are provided courtesy of Nicholas Pyers and Australian Macworld. They are on sale at our meetings for the specially reduced AMUG member price of just $5 each (or $10 for DVDs, plus $2 postage if required). For the full list and order form, log in to the AMUG web site members area.
Recent CD offerings include:
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Various license types apply to applications supplied on compilation CDs. Some titles require further payment direct to the application publisher to enable full feature sets and continued use. |
News from Apple
Apple’s Last Year at Macworld
San Francisco – Tuesday, January 6, 2009 – Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing (pictured, standing in for Steve Jobs because of Steve’s health issues), delivered the opening keynote for this year's Macworld Conference & Expo. It was Apple's last keynote at Macworld Expo and the last year the company will exhibit at the show.
Apple says it is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how it reaches its customers, with the increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores and the Apple.com website enabling the company to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB in the US (National Association of Broadcasters), Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo, Apple Expo in Paris – and now, Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
In his keynote, Schiller announced:
- iLife ’09 – with slick new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand and iWeb
- iWork ’09 – updated versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote, plus iWork.com beta
- Aluminium unibody 17” MacBook Pro with integrated battery for longer life
- DRM-free, higher quality music from the iTunes Store that will play on almost any device.
Other Apple announcements since Macworld include:
- Beefed up specs for low-end WHITE MacBook
- Record revenue last quarter
- iPod rebate offer for Students.
Recent Apple Software Updates:
- iLife Media Browser Update (released 26 Jan 09, 2.7MB)
- QuickTime 7.6 for Leopard (released 21 Jan 09, 72MB)
- QuickTime 7.6 for Tiger (released 21 Jan 09, 63MB)
- Mail Update (released 22 Dec 08, 58MB)
- Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.4 (released 18 Dec 08, 3.8MB)
- Mac OS X v10.5.6 Security Update (from 10.5.5, released 15 Dec 08, 372MB)
- Mac OS X v10.5.6 Combo Update (from 10.5.0-10.5.4, released 15 Dec 08, 668MB).
L to R: iMovie editing, iPhoto Faces, GarageBand Basic Lessons
iLife ’09 – new features:
iMovie ’09 adds powerful, yet easy-to-use new features to let you create a movie quickly, or add refinements and special effects to your project if you have more time. Drag and drop one clip on top of another to reveal new advanced editing options, including replace, insert, audio only, and even picture-in-picture or green screen. With the revolutionary Precision Editor, you can skim and click on a magnified filmstrip to view clips up close and fine tune any edit, like identifying precisely how much to keep, where to cut, use sound from one clip with video from another and more. iMovie ’09 analyses video and reduces camera shake in clips when added to your project. New titles, transitions, cinematic effects, speed changes and animated travel maps add professional polish to your movie.
www.apple.com/au/ilife/imovie/
iPhoto ’09 makes it even easier to browse and search photos, not only by when they were shot (Events), but by who appears in them (Faces) and where they were taken (Places). iPhoto automatically scans photos to detect people’s faces and when you assign a name to any face iPhoto will automatically find more pictures of that person. The library can be searched by name or browsed using the new Faces View. Places automatically imports photo location data from a GPS-enabled camera or any iPhone or you can manually assign a location to any photo, group of photos or event. Once iPhoto knows where photos were taken, you can explore them with a simple search or an interactive map. iPhoto ’09 lets you easily publish photos to Facebook or Flickr. Photos published to Facebook include assigned names, and name tags added on Facebook sync back to iPhoto. You can also share photos by creating a themed slideshow to play on your Mac, iPhone or iPod, or create a beautiful travel book, complete with customised maps of your journey.
www.apple.com/au/ilife/iphoto/
GarageBand ’09, the updated version of Apple’s popular software used by millions to play and record music, now gives budding musicians a fun new way to learn to play piano and guitar. Basic Lessons let you learn the fundamentals at your own pace with Apple instructors in beautiful HD video synchronised to animated instruments and notation. Artist Lessons feature original artists showing how to play their hit songs with everything from finger positions and techniques to the story behind the song. Artist Lessons are sold separately at the new GarageBand Lesson Store, available inside the GarageBand '09 application. GarageBand ’09 also includes exciting new guitar amp and stomp-box effects, and Magic GarageBand Jam that lets you play along with a virtual band that you create.
www.apple.com/au/ilife/garageband/
iWeb ’09 adds new iWeb Widgets, such as iSight video and photos, a countdown timer, YouTube video and RSS feeds. New integrated FTP publishing allows you to publish your website to virtually any hosting service and updates to your site can now be automatically added to your Facebook profile.
iDVD lets you customise your DVDs by starting with themes. Choose from more than 150 Apple-designed themes in widescreen and standard format, each providing a family of coordinated screens including main menu, chapters menu and extras menu for content like slideshows. Many themes feature attractive animations, and every theme offers drop zones that make it easy to personalise your menus by dragging in photos and movie clips from the iLife Media Browser.
Pricing & Availability – iLife ‘09
RRP: A$129 inc GST for a single license; A$169 inc GST for 5-License Family Pack (one household); iLife ’09 shipped on 28 January.
iLife Up-To-Date upgrade package A$16.95 inc GST for customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system on or after 6 January 2009.
Artist Lessons are sold separately through the GarageBand Lesson Store (within the application) for A$8.49 inc GST each.
System Requirements – iLife ‘09
iLife ’09 requires Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6 or later, a Macintosh computer with an Intel processor, a PowerPC G5 or 867 MHz or faster PowerPC G4*, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), QuickTime 7.5.5 or later (included), a DVD drive for installation and 4GB of available disk space.
* iMovie ’09 requires PowerPC G5 or Intel-based Mac; GarageBand Learn to Play requires an Intel-based Mac with a dual-core processor or better.
Tutorials
You can view step-by-step demonstrations of iLife ’09 features by browsing more than 70 video tutorials at www.apple.com.au/ilife/tutorials/.
L to R: Numbers, Keynote, Pages.
iWork ’09 – new features:
Pages ’09: Full Screen view lets you focus on your document without any distractions and reveals the menus, format bar and page navigator only when needed. Outline mode includes templates that help to quickly build the framework for your document and allow you to collapse, expand and rearrange elements, even inline graphics, with ease. Enhanced Mail Merge in Pages ’09 works directly with a Numbers table or Address Book. In just a few clicks, you can merge your contacts or any type of data to address invitations, create invoices, personalise letters and build mailing lists. Pages ’09 also includes 40 new Apple-designed templates, including newsletters, posters, certificates and co-ordinated stationery.
Keynote ’09 introduces Magic Move, which allows you to apply a simple transition to automatically animate the position, scale, rotation and opacity of any image, graphic or text that is repeated on consecutive slides. New text transitions morph text from one slide to the next. New advanced object transitions animate objects off one slide while simultaneously animating objects onto the next slide with a choice of effects. 3D charts now include cylinder shapes, beveled-edge pie charts, new textures and four new 3D build effects. The Keynote Remote application, sold separately in the App Store, lets you view slides and presenter notes and control your presentation with your iPhone or iPod touch.
www.apple.com/au/iwork/keynote/
Numbers ’09 provides a great way to quickly categorise data by column, which you can then collapse, expand and summarise to easily make sense of large sets of data. Numbers ’09 makes formula writing dramatically easier with an enhanced function browser which includes built-in help for over 250 functions, and visual placeholders with tool tips that explain each variable in a formula. Use the new Formula List to view all formulas in your entire spreadsheet and jump directly to any formula cell with a single click. Expanded chart options include mixed chart types, two-axis charts, and the ability to apply trend lines and error bars. Numbers charts pasted into Pages or Keynote are linked, and can be updated with a single click.
www.apple.com/au/iwork/numbers/
iWork.com Online Document Sharing
Apple also introduced iWork.com public beta, a new service Apple is developing to share iWork ’09 documents online. Using your Apple ID, just click the iWork.com icon in the Keynote, Pages or Numbers toolbar to upload your document and invite others to view it online. Viewers can provide comments and notes, and download a copy of your document in iWork, Microsoft Office or PDF formats. A consolidated online list of all your shared documents indicates when your viewers have posted comments.
You can open Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in iWork, and save your iWork document as a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file.
Pricing & Availability – iWork ‘09
RRP: A$129 inc GST for a single license; A$169 inc GST for 5-License Family Pack (one household); available now.
A free 30-day trial of iWork ’09 can be downloaded from www.apple.com/au/iwork/
Mac Box Set: Includes Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 all in one box, for A$279 inc GST – a saving on single license RRP of $137 if purchased separately. Available through the Apple Store (store.apple.com/au), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers.
System Requirements – iWork ‘09
iWork ’09 requires Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11 or Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6 or later, a Macintosh computer with an Intel processor, PowerPC G5, or 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), 32MB of video RAM, QuickTime 7.5.5 or later, a DVD drive for installation and 1.2GB of available disk space.
iWork.com Public Beta is not included with the purchase of iWork ’09. Account setup and activation are required. Fees may apply. Internet access and iWork ’09 are required. Terms of service apply and are available at www.apple.com/legal/iworkcom/en/terms.html.
17-inch MacBook Pro with new Built-in Battery
Delivers Eight Hours of Use & 1,000 Recharges
Apple uses advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery, and Adaptive Charging technology to create a revolutionary new lithium polymer battery that delivers up to eight hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and up to 1,000 recharges without adding thickness, weight or cost to the MacBook Pro’s new unibody aluminium design.
www.apple.com.au/macbookpro/17inch-battery/
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes an ultra-thin, widescreen glossy 1920 x 1200 LED-backlit display with 78 percent more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and a 60 percent greater colour gamut that delivers desktop-quality colour in a notebook. An optional 'anti-glare' matt display is available with the 17-inch model (but not with new 15-inch MacBook Pro models).
Measuring less than 25 mm thin and weighing 2.99 kg, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook. New graphics architecture allows users to switch between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for better battery life and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor with 512MB GDDR3 video memory for higher performance.
Pricing & Availability
RRP: From A$4,499 inc GST; shipping from the end of January.
17-inch MacBook Pro Base Model |
Build-to-Order Options |
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Changes Coming to the iTunes Store
- All Songs DRM-Free
- Download songs directly onto iPhone 3G over 3G Network, same price
- Three Price Points from April 2009
DRM-Free
All four major music labels – Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent labels, are now offering their music in Apple’s DRM-free format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) limits music, games, or videos to play only for specific users on recognized devices. Now, DRM-free music purchased from the iTunes Store can be played on any device or computer that supports the MP3 or AAC music formats.
Upgrade existing Library
iTunes offers customers a simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their entire library of previously purchased songs to the higher quality DRM-free iTunes Plus format, for A50 cents per song, A$1 for music videos or an entire album for 30 percent of the album price.
The following information – announced at Macworld in January – relates to the US iTunes Store at this stage and I am assuming the same will apply for the Australian iTunes Store some time soon–KD.
3G downloads for iPhone™
iTunes customers in the US can also choose to download their favorite songs from the world’s largest music catalog directly onto their iPhone™ 3G over their 3G network, just as they do with Wi-Fi, for the same price as downloading to their computer. Songs purchased on an iPhone will automatically sync to a user’s computer the next time they sync their iPhone.
Three Price Points
Beginning in April in the US, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points: US69 cents, US99 cents and US$1.29, with most albums still priced at US$9.99.
What’s new in iTunes 8:
Low-End White MacBook gets a boost
Subsequent to Macworld announcements and without further fanfare, Apple has quietly begun shipping a beefed up version of the white MacBook. It features more memory (2GB), the more powerful Nvidia graphics card that is used in the new unibody aluminium models, and a faster frontside bus speed, up from 866 MHz to 1066 MHz. This model retains the popular FireWire 400 port, lacking in the aluminium models (all have 2 x USB2.0 ports).
Other specs identical to the aluminium models are a Built-in iSight camera, AirPort Extreme 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 10/100/1000 Ethernet and an 8 x slot-load SuperDrive.
Despite these significant performance improvements, the price of the white MacBook is kept to entry level for a notebook at just A$1649.
www.apple.com/au/macbook/white/
[Information below sourced from the Apple Aust Online Store]:
WHITE 13-inch MacBook |
Aluminum 13-inch MacBook |
Aluminum 13-inch MacBook |
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Apple Reports Record Results
Best Quarterly Revenue and Earnings in Apple History; iPod Sales Set New Record
Announcing financial results for the quarter ended December 27, 2008, Apple says it achieved worldwide sales during the quarter of:
- 2,524,000 Macintosh® computers
- 22,727,000 iPods (a new quarterly record)
- 4,363,000 iPhones (cumulative total 13.7 million iPhones in 2008 sold in over 70 countries).
“Even in these economically challenging times, we are incredibly pleased to report our best quarterly revenue and earnings in Apple history – surpassing US$10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time ever,” said Steve Jobs, speaking during his period of recuperation. (Steve is taking medical leave of absence from Apple until June 2009, while staying involved in ‘major strategic decisions’).
Students, buy a Mac, save on iPod.
If you’re a student (or a parent of a student) attending a higher education institution, a teacher or a lecturer, and you buy a qualifying Mac and iPod from the Apple Online Store for Education, between now and 13 April 2009, you can get a $179 rebate. Conditions apply. Details here.
News from the Net
Two new Take Control ebooks about fonts in Leopard
Managing fonts is all too often like herding cats – they install into multiple identically named folders, they seem to disable and enable themselves randomly, they can create mile-long menus, they can be nearly impossible to trash, and removing the wrong font can render your Mac unusable. Fortunately, you can now corral your fonts with these latest TidBITS ebooks.
"Take Control of Fonts
in Leopard"
In this 227-page 1.1 update, author Sharon Zardetto extends all her useful advice about installing, managing, using, and removing fonts with coverage of what has changed with font handling in Leopard through version 10.5.5, along with details of how fonts work in Leopard with Adobe CS3 and CS4, Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008, and iLife '08 and iWork '08. If you work with fonts professionally or just want to get more out of your fonts, this US$15 guide has all the information you need. (If you already own the 1.0 version of this ebook, this is a free update; click Check for Updates in your existing copy to download the update).
Buy this ebook with 10% MUG discount.
"Take Control of Font
Problems in Leopard"
In this new edition, Sharon provides oodles of tips for avoiding font problems, troubleshooting advice, and specific steps for solving problems. The 151-page ebook focuses on font-related issues that might arise generally while using Leopard or while working with fonts in Font Book, Character Palette, and Keyboard Viewer. It also examines font-related oddities and problems you might experience in software such as Adobe CS3 and CS4, Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008, and Safari. This ebook costs US$10, and owners of the previous edition should already have received an email from TidBITS with upgrade information; click Check for Updates for details.
Buy this ebook with 10% MUG discount.
Bundle both and save: TidBITs say if they were producing traditional printed books, they would combine both these publications in a single volume, however the total page count would be too long for a PDF aimed at on-screen reading. So, to make it easy for you to get both titles, the publishers are bundling them together for a further 20% (US$5) off. To get the bundle, either look for a "Buy Both" option in the left margin of one of the above Take Control pages or just use this link to put both directly into your cart:
Safari RSS Vulnerability
Extract from TidBITS #961 19-Jan-09 by Rich Mogull
Programmer Brian Mastenbrook revealed on 11-Jan-09 that he has discovered a security vulnerability that could allow a malicious Web site you visit using Safari to read any file on your system. The flaw affects the latest versions of Safari when used in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or Windows, though not in earlier versions of Mac OS X.
The vulnerability lies in the Safari RSS reader, and according to Mastenbrook, you may be affected even if you don't use the reader, as long as Safari is set to be your default RSS reader, which it is unless you've changed the setting. The vulnerability apparently could reveal the contents of any file, which includes email messages, passwords stored in browser cookies, or other documents.
Mastenbrook wrote that he has reported the details to Apple but at time of writing Apple is yet to issue a Security patch.
Read the author’s full article and suggested free fix [caveat emptor! –KD].
Macintosh turns 25
In December last year, we had Nicholas Pyers do his presentation on “30 Years of Apple and the AUG”. 1978 was when Apple Computer started up, but the Macintosh computer was born 25 years ago this week, first launched at the US SuperBowl with that iconic “1984” TV commercial.
TidBITS Publishing marks the occasion with two articles, titled ‘The Mac Turns 25: Our First Macs’ and ‘The Mac Turns 25: Best Mac Ever?’
Apple's Product Strategy
Speaking to financial analysts in December 2008, Steve Jobs is quoted as saying:
“… There are some customers which we choose not to serve. We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that. But we can continue to deliver greater and greater value to those customers that we choose to serve and there's a lot of them. And we've seen great success by focusing on certain segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody. So I think you can expect us to stick with that winning strategy and continuing to try to add more and more value to those products in those customer bases we choose to serve.”
Adobe CS4 Roadshow
This full-day, free seminar is your opportunity to hear about the latest and greatest from Adobe – Creative Suite 4 – from the local Adobe experts.
The day begins with a keynote address followed by an industry expert who will discuss and debate "The Future of Digital". Then a deep dive into the Adobe Suites and products, rounding out the day with an "Adobe Feature Jam" where you can pick up some great Tips & Tricks.
Venue: Sydney
Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.
Date and Time: Tuesday 24 February, 9am-4pm.
For agenda and details follow this link: Register online.
David Harradine 2009 Training Events
Professional Studio Lighting Workshop
Venue: Glow Studios, Melbourne, Saturday Feb 21, 2009
Melbourne based photographer, independent teacher/trainer and Adobe Photoshop beta tester David Harradine together with Melbourne advertising photographer Robert Earp will demonstrate the core principles of studio lighting. Under quidance, participants will have the opportunity to photograph a professional model and do a food shoot with a professional food stylist. Event Registration.
China Photography Trip 2009
August 30 to September 12
David and Robert will together lead this year’s group through many spectacular locations in China, with full technical support in all areas of photography, Lightroom and Photoshop usage.
Full Event Details. Photos from 2008 Trip.
Email expression of interest to <training@whack.com.au>
No Macs for White House
Extract from a story in The Leader/Fairfax Group
For a team that harnessed the internet to create the most tech-savvy political campaign in history, the first day of the Obama administration was remarkably low-tech. New staffers arrived at the White House to find old computers outfitted with ancient versions of Microsoft operating systems, rather than the Macs they – and Obama – had become accustomed to.
Donate unwanted PCs
The Wesley Mission refurbishes and on-sells computers (internet ready if required) to qualified individuals or groups. Unfortunately they only service the dark side, and are Microsoft-centric. So if you or someone you know has switched from PC to Mac and want to give the old PC another life, visit www.wesleymission.org.au/Centres/wesleyerecycling/donate.asp
They also accept monitors and working laser printers.
Saturday Workshop
One-on-one Mac Help from AMUG Committee members in a friendly, sharing environment.
Saturday February 7, commencing 10am. Room 136C (Computer Lab), Ground Floor, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
Bring your own Notebook or use one of the Uni's iMacs.
Enquiries and bookings, phone Rob on 9387 2069 or email sydamug@mac.com
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