October AMUG newsletter

Greetings AMUG members. This month’s ‘e-newsletter’ is a brief text-only version.

First, a reminder that our monthly meeting is THIS MONDAY 8th October (deferred by one week because of the public holiday last weekend). 6.30pm in the usual venue – Level 3, Robert Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
The main presentation this month is iWork ’08.
Some great prizes on offer too, including iWork ’08 (retail value $99).
More info: www.apple.com/au/iwork/

And our Saturday Workshop session is on next Saturday 13th October, 10am in the Robert Webster Building. Bookings email or phone Robin Workman on 9387 2069.

VoIP Presentation

You can view a recap of Warwick Harty’s VoIP presentation from our September meeting here:
homepage.mac.com/sydamug/VoIP_presoWH.html

This month’s news in brief...

The Leopard is poised to pounce
Hello tomorrow! The all new Mac OS X 10.5 ‘Leopard’ is due for release THIS MONTH. Take a Tour and sample all the new features here:
www.apple.com/au/macosx/leopard/

All-new iPod range

A month is a long time in the technology industry. At the time our September newsletter went out to members, new iPods were just a highly-anticipated rumour. Now, not only has the new range been released, but they have been promoted so heavily they seem to have been around for ages. In case you have been out of the country and missed the advertising blitz, here is a quick overview...

  • iPod Shuffle  – 1GB, up to 240 songs; 4 new remixed colours plus the original silver. RRP $99 inc GST.
  • New iPod nano – now does VIDEO: new squat shape with a two-inch 320x240 pixel colour display; delivers up to 24 hours audio playback or five hours video playback on a single charge; encased in a new all-metal design made with anodised aluminium and polished stainless steel; five new colours. 4GB (1,000 songs, silver only) RRP A$199 inc GST; or 8GB model (2,000 songs) in silver, black, blue, green or special edition (PRODUCT) RED™, RRP A$279 inc GST.
  • New iPod Classic – now in its sixth generation, this is an upgraded version of the Video iPod; huge capacity 80Gb or 160Gb models (the 160GB model holds up to 40,000 songs or 200 hours of video); thinner, all-metal enclosure and enhanced user interface; 2.5 inch colour display; available in silver or black. 80GB RRP A$349 inc GST; 160GB RRP A$479 inc GST.
  • Revolutionary new iPod touch – looks and acts like an iPhone, but without the phone; multi-touch user interface; Wi-Fi wireless networking; web browsing with Safari, Google Search, Yahoo! oneSearch and YouTube; 3.5-inch widescreen display; accelerometer that automatically senses when you rotate it into landscape position. 8GB (1,750 songs or 10 hours video) RRP A$419 inc GST; 16GB (3,500 songs or 20 hours video) RRP A$549 inc GST.

www.apple.com/au/ipod/whichipod/

iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store

Wireless Music Downloads Directly to iPod touch

Apple has unveiled the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, offering music fans the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from the iTunes Music Store over a Wi-Fi network, directly onto their new iPod touch – no computer required. Once they connect their iPod touch back to their Mac or PC, downloaded music will automatically sync back into their iTunes library. If users have only partially downloaded a song or album onto their iPod touch, their computer will complete the download automatically. Prices and selection on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store are the same as on the regular iTunes Store.

iTunes 7.4 (required) is available as a free download at
www.apple.com/au/itunes/

MacBroadband

A new Sydney-based web site supplies broadband gear specifically for Mac users. Its online shopping categories cover ADSL, Routers, Wireless, Networking, VoIP and Dial-Up products. Their physical address is 38 Russell Street, Watsons Bay 2030, phone 8213 2220.
www.macbroadband.com.au

TidBITS:

MacBook, MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0 Enables Journaling

by Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

If you own one of Apple's latest laptops, your version of Mac OS X may not have shipped with journaling turned on (you can check by launching Disk Utility, selecting your boot volume name, and looking at the Format line in the disk information area at the bottom of the window). Journaling is a system-level feature that causes the system to log all disk changes in order to prevent data loss in the event of a crash or power outage. To remedy this situation, Apple has released MacBook, MacBook Pro Software Update 1.0, a 200K download that applies to MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007) and MacBook Pro (2.2/2.4 GHz Mid 2007) models. After you install the update, Apple recommends running Disk Utility from another startup disk (such as the Mac OS X Install or Restore disc) and performing a disk verification.

iLife '08 Updated, iMovie Improved

by Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

Apple has released updates for iLife '08, fixing bugs in most of the applications but also significantly addressing some of iMovie's shortfalls. Some of the changes in iMovie 7.1 (44.6 MB download) restore features from iMovie HD 6 that didn't cross over to the new iMovie 7 (which was created from scratch).

The updates are available via Software Update or as stand-alone downloads; they all require iLife Support 8.1 (7 MB download), which updates shared components:
www.apple.com/support/downloads/ilifesupport81.html

  • iPhoto 7.1 (59.3 MB update) fixes issues with stability and moving photos between events, and adds new greeting card themes in anticipation of the holiday season.
  • iDVD 7.0.1 (18.6 MB download) appears to be just a bug-fix update.
    GarageBand 4.1 (46.1 MB download) addresses problems with third-party audio software, display issues, and the Magic GarageBand feature.
  • iWeb 2.0.2 (17 MB download) addresses upgrading iWeb 1.x sites and fixes "some common publishing problems."

Download each iLife component update from its own download page:

www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovie71.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/iphoto71.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/idvd701.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/garageband41.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/iweb202.html

Apple Updates iWork '08 and Core 2 Duo Mac Firmware

by Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

Continuing its recent update spree, Apple released incremental versions of Keynote, Pages, and Numbers (collectively iWork '08), as well as firmware revisions for Intel-based Macs. The updates are available via Software Update or as stand-alone downloads. Apart from general performance improvements across all components, Keynote 4.0.1 (31.1 MB download) addresses issues with builds; Pages 3.0.1 (27.8 MB download) updates the change tracking feature; and Numbers 1.0.1 (26.1 MB download) addresses issues with tables.

www.apple.com/support/downloads/keynote401.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/pages301.html
www.apple.com/support/downloads/numbers101.html

 “iBrick”

Apple has attracted criticism for its tough stance on iPhone hackers. The company released the first significant update to the iPhone's software last week, adding features such as the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and welcome shortcuts. But the iPhone 1.1.1 update was more notable for breaking third-party iPhone applications and "bricking" (rendering inoperable) phones hacked to work with SIM cards from cellular carriers other than AT&T.

TidBITS has collated responses from staff in an article headed “Staff Roundtable: Apple Should Do No Harm to iPhones”
http://db.tidbits.com/article/9214