Newsletter to Members
May 2009
Monday 4 May 6.30pm
Room 327 Theatrette, Robert Webster Bldng, UNSW, Anzac Parade, Kensington.
Main Topic: Internet and computer security
Main raffle prize this month is an Apple Wireless Keyboard valued at $109;
plus 4GB USB Thumb drives, iTunes Cards, recordable CD/DVD media and other prizes.
New Disc-of-the-Month CD
HobbyMac Vol II
More than 40 applications to assist you pursue over a dozen different hobbies – including Astrology, Astronomy, Crafts, Diary, Gardening, Home Automation, Languages, Model Trains, Music, Pets & Animals, Weather, and others.
More info (4-page PDF 500K).
Our Disc-of-the-Month software compilation CDs are provided courtesy of Nicholas Pyers and Australian Macworld. Normally $10 for other user groups, 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).
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.
Missed the opportunity to buy a previous disc? Use our updated DISC ORDER FORM, where you can view the full catalog archive, submit your order and pay securely online with your credit card or PayPal account. We can then make up your disc/s on request and mail them to you. You can even use this form to order a music DVD from the SXSW Series.
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Recent CD offerings include:
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News from Apple
App Store Downloads Top One Billion
In just nine months since its inception, iPhone™ and iPod touch users around the world have downloaded one billion applications from Apple's revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. The one billionth app, Bump created by Bump Technologies, was downloaded by Connor Mulcahey, age 13, of Weston, CT, USA. As the grand prize winner of Apple’s one billion app countdown contest, Connor receives a US$10,000 iTunes® gift card, an iPod® touch, a Time Capsule® and a MacBook® Pro.
Today, the groundbreaking App Store has more than 35,000 applications available to consumers in 77 countries. This winter the iPhone OS 3.0 software update will provide developers with over 1,000 new developer APIs enabling In-App Purchases, Peer-to-Peer connections, App control of accessories, and Push Notifications.
Apple Posts Record Profit for Q2 2009
Extract from TidBITS#976/27-Apr-09 by Jeff Carlson. Full article.
The weak economy is hurting Mac sales to professional and educational customers, but consumer sales and the iPhone and iPod touch have lifted Apple to another impressive financial quarter. Ending the second quarter of 2009, Apple reported a US$1.21 billion profit on worldwide revenue of US$8.16 billion (compared to US$1.05 billion profit on US$7.51 billion in the year-ago quarter).
Mac sales: During the quarter ending 31-Mar-09, Apple sold 2.2 million Macs worldwide, a 3 percent decline from last year. The desktop refresh in early March (which updated all of Apple's desktop models) has since boosted sales.
As part of the discussion with analysts of Mac sales, the question of netbooks arose. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook expressed Apple's opinion of the current netbook market, saying, "When I look at what's being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience and not something that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly." He also pointed out that the features for which people are buying netbooks – Web browsing and email – can be accomplished with the iPhone or iPod touch.
iPod sales: Led by strong sales of the iPod touch, Apple racked up 11.01 million iPod sales worldwide during the quarter, a 3 percent year-over-year improvement. Apple claims it owns 70 percent of the market for music players in the United States.
iPhone 3G: The star of Apple's financial results, once again, is the iPhone, with 3.8 million iPhones sold in 81 countries, a 123 percent growth over the year-ago quarter.
Apple Updates Xserve with Twice the Performance
New Server Features Next Generation Architecture and Intel “Nehalem” Xeon Processors
Following last month's beefing up of all desktop Macs, Apple has updated its Xserve industrial-grade server unit to deliver up to twice the performance of the previous system. The 1U rack-optimised Xserve, with up to two 2.93 GHz Intel “Nehalem” Xeon processors and a next generation system architecture, has industry-leading storage options that include a low-power solid state drive (SSD) and three hard drive bays for up to 3TB of internal storage.
Two PCI Express 2.0 x16 expansion slots provide massive I/O bandwidth to support the latest high-bandwidth expansion cards. The Xserve RAID card option now delivers improved performance up to 497MB/s and supports RAID levels 0, 1 and 5 with 512MB of cache without using a valuable PCI Express expansion slot. A 72-hour backup battery is included for enhanced data protection.
The new Xserve joins Apple’s latest hardware products in setting new standards for environmentally friendly design. Xserve uses PVC-free internal cables and components, contains no brominated flame retardants and features a power supply with an average energy efficiency of 89 percent.
Starting at a recommended retail price of A$5,899 inc GST, Xserve includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard, offering support for Mac, Linux and Windows clients without the added cost of client-access licenses.
Image courtesy of Apple.
News from the Net
Security Updates for Adobe Reader and Acrobat
Release date: March 18, 2009; Last Updated: April 9, 2009
Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 and earlier versions. These vulnerabilities would cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. These updates resolve the issue from Security Advisory APSA09-01 and Security Bulletin APSB09-03.
Recommended Updates, All Platforms:
- Adobe Reader 9 – update to Adobe Reader 9.1
- Acrobat 9 Standard, Pro, and Pro Extended – update to Acrobat 9.1
- Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader 8 – update to relevant version 8.1.4
- Acrobat 7 and Adobe Reader 7 – update to relevant version 7.1.1
See Security Bulletin APSB09-04 for full info and relevant download links.
Adobe Snares Schools & TAFE Contract
Education Department Selects Adobe for Digital Education Revolution Initiative
Adobe Systems has announced that the NSW Department of Education and Training will provide Adobe® design, development, photo-editing, video and collaboration software to students and faculty in its kindergarten through 12th grade schools and TAFE vocational education and training institutes. The selection of Adobe software is part of the joint federal and state government Digital Education Revolution initiative, providing students in Australian schools with skills they need to live and work in a digital world.
The contract, valued at approximately AUD$20 million, will provide Adobe software to 741,000 NSW government K-12 students, 50,000 K-12 teachers, 500,000 TAFE students, and 10,000 TAFE teachers. Year nine through 12 secondary school students will receive Windows-based netbooks preloaded with various Adobe software combinations, including Adobe Photoshop® Elements, Adobe Premiere® Elements, Adobe Captivate®, Adobe Contribute®, and Adobe Acrobat® Pro. Additionally, classroom and lab machines across K-12 schools and TAFE campuses will be equipped with Adobe Creative Suite® 4 Design Premium, Adobe Creative Suite Web Standard or Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. The Department of Education and Training has also licensed Adobe Acrobat Connect™ Pro software for Web conferencing and teacher training, and Adobe Flash Media Server software to provide streaming video and real-time communication.
To ensure a successful roll-out, the government is investing in teacher training, teaching resources, technical and curriculum support.
Adobe Extends Flash Platform to Digital Home
Content Partners Embrace Adobe Flash Platform for Televisions, Set-Top Boxes and Blu-Ray Players
At the April 2009 Las Vegas NAB Show, Adobe Systems Inc. announced the extension of the Adobe® Flash® Platform to connected digital home devices with an optimized implementation of Flash technology that delivers high definition (HD) video and rich applications to Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other devices in the digital living room.
The Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home enables the delivery of HD Web videos to digital home devices via the Flash Video (FLV) file format. Consumers will be able to enjoy rich, interactive viewing experiences and amazing new ways to engage with HD content on televisions. Flash technology-based applications will allow users to quickly switch between television programming and Web content outside the Web browser.
The Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home is available immediately to OEMs and the first devices and platforms with support for the optimized Flash technology are expected to ship in the second half of 2009.
Open Screen Project
Delivering Flash technology to the digital home builds on the vision of the Open Screen Project, a broad industry initiative to deliver a consistent runtime environment across devices. Announced in May 2008, the initiative is dedicated to enabling Web content and standalone applications across televisions, desktops, mobile devices and other consumer electronics that take advantage of capabilities of the Adobe Flash Platform. Open Screen Project.
About the Flash Platform
The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers for the development of Web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices. Adobe Flash Player content reaches over 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops, and has delivered Flash technology-based content on close to 40 percent of all new mobile phones and devices in 2008. For a high-tech overview and more information visit the Adobe Flash Platform web site.
MacThe... What?
Matthew J.C. Powell – the long-serving former editor of Australian Macworld magazine (now edited by Chris Oaten) – has started a new venture that changes the rules of tech publishing. It's actually a multi-media assembly of content under the banner of MacTheMag, each title containing 'MacThe...'
MacTheMag is an all-digital magazine and will include content written by well-respected contributors from all over the world and offer content created by the Mac-user community. It will include audio, video and text on the web and mobile devices like the iPhone, and there’s more to come after that. “We might be based in Australia,” says Powell, “but it’s global. Everyone is welcome to be a part of it.”
You can register at www.macthemag.com to have MacTheMag delivered FREE to your inbox once a month.
MacTheForum
This new web-based discussion forum is open to anyone
interested in Apple related topics and includes categories for Feedback,
Industry News, iPhone, Help, Software, Hardware and General topics. Free
registration is required to post comments to the various forums.
www.mactheforum.com
MacThePodcast
Produced weekly, there are already four podcasts available
at time of writing. MJCP interviews local technology experts to deliver timely
and useful information on a variety of topics. The new MacThePodcast website includes summaries and links for the chapters
in each episode.
macthepodcast.com
You can download each episode from that web site, or subscribe via the iTunes Store (search for MacThePodcast in the Podcasts section).
MacTheTwit
If you are into Twitter, Matthew throws in quick posts on these projects and other thoughts as they come to mind. twitter.com/MacTheTwit.
MacTheMag was founded by Matthew JC. Powell and his company pi, in partnership with Nick Ross’s Sproog Media.
Read Nicholas Pyers' blog about the venture:
www.appleusers.org/news/news/what-the-mac-the/
Cut down on cables
In the Help/Tips section of Australian Macworld Online, author Dan Frakes talks about the issue of cable clutter for laptop users, and how he cuts down on weight and bulk when travelling.
Dan says, "...Instead of carrying fewer cables, I carry smaller cables. A 6-foot FireWire cable? Try 6 inches. A tangled-up iPhone cable? I prefer a 3-inch connector... "
All the miniature cables and adapters he uses are pictured with his Macworld article – even a retractable Ethernet cable!
Read the full article.
Thanks to Tony Healy for this tip.
Take Control News
Two New Ebooks Help GarageBand '09 Users Make Better Music
The Take Control ebooks about Apple's GarageBand music software have helped readers work creatively and learn real-world techniques ever since GarageBand 1.0, and they've once again been updated, this time for GarageBand '09. If you've always wanted to learn how to use GarageBand, or if you want to improve your existing skills, these ebooks have the real-world advice, step-by-step instructions, and audio examples you need. Both ebooks continue to be authored by Seattle musician and composer Jeff Tolbert.
Normally US$10 each, AMUG members pay only US$7 each with the 30%-off MUG discount (coupon code embedded in the links below).
"Take Control of Making Music with GarageBand '09":
This 117-page ebook provides step-by-step instructions and linked-in audio examples for using GarageBand's built-in loops to create three songs, explaining not only how to use GarageBand's editing and mixing features but also how to be playful and creative while composing tunes that please the ear. Readers will learn how to plan a song, get the most out of Magic GarageBand, edit and arrange Real Instrument and Software Instrument loops, create exciting mixes, and export projects. The ebook also covers how to change track volume, tempo, and panning dynamically, and how to work with GarageBand's effects. Buy this ebook.
"Take Control of Recording with GarageBand '09":
This 134-page ebook explains how to create musical
compositions with vocals, drums, guitars, MIDI keyboards, and even the kitchen
sink. Readers will learn how to get the most out of their existing gear or
purchase new equipment that fits their budget and style. The ebook covers how
to plan a recording session, and it discusses real-world recording studio
techniques for tasks such as using a microphone effectively, getting the best
sounds from your gear, applying effects, fixing mistakes, using the new
Electric Guitar track and new stompbox effects, and recording multiple tracks
at once. Two example songs demonstrate many of the techniques discussed.
Buy this ebook.
Is Your Wireless Network Secure?
TidBITS has released a new version of "Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security," penned jointly by wireless networking guru Glenn Fleishman and Take Control publisher Adam Engst. The ebook is aimed at anyone who is running a home or small-office wireless network and who wants to set up and maintain an appropriate security level for their needs and budget.
"Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security" helps you assess your real-world security risk, and aids in evaluating the likelihood of a security-related problem, the potential severity of a break-in, and the opportunity cost of securing your wireless network. It then goes on to explain the pros and cons of various security techniques, explaining how to implement the best ones to secure your network and your data in transit. It covers Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
Price: US$7 (30%-off for AMUG members, normally US$10) with
the MUG discount code embedded in this link:
Buy this ebook.
"Take Control of iWeb '09"
Helps Readers Make Better Web Sites
iWeb '09, part of Apple's iLife '09 application suite, aims to help users build an attractive Web site quickly and easily, but not all of iWeb's features are fully explained in Apple's documentation, making it difficult for users to get the most out of iWeb.
To fill the documentation gap and help readers use iWeb's
tools creatively, TidBITS Publishing Inc. has just released "Take Control
of iWeb '09," a 152-page ebook that provides all the steps for building an
iWeb site and uploading it to MobileMe or to another Web host. Readers can look
over author Steve Sande's shoulder as he enhances iWeb's templates with a
designer's eye, using tools like masks, reflections, and Instant Alpha. Readers
will also learn the ins and outs of uploading, with special coverage of using a
custom domain name and uploading to third-party hosts. The ebook is available
for US$7 (after the 30% MUG discount embedded in this link):
Buy this ebook.
As with all Take Control ebooks, updates are free for anyone who owns a previous edition of an ebook of the same title. In your existing PDF, click Check for Updates on the first page to access a download link.
TidBITS Snippets
Extracts from TidBITS#976/27-Apr-09:
Apple Yanks Crass "Baby Shaker" iPhone App
by Mark H. Anbinder. Full article.
Following a day-long eruption of protest on Twitter and in blogs last week, Apple removed an app from the App Store that allowed iPhone and iPod touch users to shake a picture of a baby to stop it from crying. The US99¢ 'Baby Shaker app', published by Sikalosoft, featured shaded line drawings and lifelike recordings of a baby's cry. The app's listing encouraged users to "See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!" Apple apologized for allowing the Baby Shaker app through.
Windows 7 Adds Optional Virtualized XP
by Glenn Fleishman. Full article.
Microsoft has revealed that Windows 7 will offer an optional, downloadable Windows XP virtual machine to provide full backwards compatibility. The Windows XP Mode won't ship with Windows 7, but will be available as a free download (weighing in at a couple of gigabytes) for Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate system owners. The XP mode will comprise a Virtual PC 7 virtual machine and a fully licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3.
Windows XP Mode will be a separate environment, but will allow running programs to appear alongside Windows 7 programs, rather than locking them inside a window – this sounds just like the 'Coherence' mode that Parallels initially introduced for Windows applications running under Parallels Desktop in Mac OS X; VMware later matched Coherence with VMware Fusion's 'Unity' mode.
The Evolution of Apple Design, in One Image
Want to see how Apple's industrial design has evolved over
the years? Edible Apple has a graphic that shows every Apple product released
(computers, iPods, displays, mice, and keyboards), in chronological order.
Someone should make a poster.
View
it here.
The Lifecycle of Microsoft Office
TidBITS recently noted that Microsoft Office 2004 will hit
its end-of-life date (after which it won't receive any more updates) on
13-Oct-09. You can look up this date for other Office products at Microsoft's
Web site, or just keep in mind that Microsoft offers "mainstream
support" for a minimum of 5 years or 2 years after the successor product
is released, whichever is longer.
Microsoft Products Life
Cycle List.
Oracle to buy Sun Microsystems
In a surprise move, database developer Oracle has agreed to acquire hardware maker Sun Microsystems for US$7.4 billion, taking over after talks between Sun and IBM failed. Despite this merging of computer industry heavyweights, the effect on the Mac world will likely be relatively minimal, with the main question being the future advancement of Sun's Java and Oracle's MySQL technologies. (Posted 2009-04-20)
iPod touch Storms the Battlefield
Newsweek reports that the United States Army has begun equipping soldiers with iPod touch devices for use in language and gesture translation, analysis of data from satellites and drones, and more. (Posted 2009-04-18)
Microsoft Office 2008 Available in 30-Day Trial Edition
Trial software is commonplace on the Internet these days, but it's not so easy to do with massive suites like Microsoft Office that are generally sold through resellers. Microsoft has now made a 30-day trial version of Office 2008 for Mac available, though downloading it requires running through a cart and registering with Microsoft for periodic followup messages. You can unsubscribe later, if you wish. It's a 545 MB download. (Posted 2009-04-14)
.Mac HomePage Web Application To Be Discontinued
Extract from TidBITS#974/13-Apr-09 by Doug McLean. Full article.
Apple has announced that on 07-Jul-09 it will discontinue the .Mac HomePage Web application as a method for adding and editing content on .Mac-hosted Web pages. HomePage is a legacy feature of the .Mac service that enables users to publish simple Web pages using their .Mac account; old versions of iPhoto also created photo albums that could be edited via HomePage.
While all .Mac Web pages will remain accessible at their current URLs (as long as you maintain an active MobileMe membership), they will become unmodifiable via the HomePage Web application after 07-Jul-09.
In lieu of HomePage, Apple recommends that existing MobileMe users use iWeb (included with iLife '06 and later versions) to publish new pages to their MobileMe accounts. Additionally, MobileMe members may use iPhoto or iMovie to publish photos and movies directly to MobileMe Gallery.
TidBITS articles © Copyright 2009 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license. Reprinted with permission.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates during April
Extracts from data compiled by Doug McLean, TidBITS and arranged alphabetically.
- Apple Aperture 2.1.3 (Free update, 49.4 MB)
- Apple Server Admin Tools 10.5.6v1.1 (Free, 92.7 MB)
- Camino 1.6.7 (Free update, 15.3 MB)
- Default Folder X 4.2 (Free update, 10.2 MB; US$34.95 new)
- Drive Genius 2.1.1 (Free update from 2.0)
- Fetch 5.3.1 (Free update, 16 MB, US$25 new, US$10 upgrade from v4 to v5)
- Firefox 3.0.9 (Free update, 17.2 MB)
- iMovie 8.0.2 (Free update, 24.1 MB)
- iTunes 8.1.1 (Free update, 68 MB)
- Mactracker 5.0.7 for Macintosh (Free update, 21.6 MB)
- Mactracker for iPhone and iPod touch (Free app, new)
- Microsoft
Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 (Free, 268 MB, requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later,
and the 12.1.0 update pre-installed) - Microsoft
Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.4 (Free, 9.7 MB, requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later,
and 11.5.3 Update pre-installed) - NeoOffice 3.0 (Free update, 160 MB)
- PDFpen 4.1.2 (Free update, 12.2 MB)
- Snapz Pro X 2.1.4 (Free update)
- SpamSieve 2.7.4 (Free update, 5.8 MB; US$30 new)
- VMware Fusion 2.0.4 (Free update, 186 MB)
- WireTap Studio 1.0.11 (Free update).
Saturday Workshop
One-on-one Mac Help from AMUG Committee members in a friendly, sharing environment.
Saturday May 9, 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
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