MacShrine

The 10.4.8 Update is recommended for all users and includes general system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies. Some of the changes include:

Connecting to wireless networks using the EAP-FAST protocol, Apple USB modem reliability, using OpenType fonts in Microsoft Word, compatibility with 3rd party USB hubs, scanner performance, RAW camera support, printing documents with Asian language names, performance of the Translation widget, broadband network performance and security updates.

The update weighs in at 140MB and remember that if you have an Intel machine, there’ll be a double startup.

Again just some more swapping around. Fergie and Beyonce have left the top 10. By the way, who’s “Hinder”? Anyway, until next week…

United States Top 10 Songs::

1. How to Save a Life - The Fray
2. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
3. Lips of an Angel - Hinder
4. Chain Hang Low - Jibbs
5. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
6. Smack That - Akon
7. Too Little, Too Late (Radio Version) - JoJo
8. Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence
9. Far Away - Nickelback
10. Money Maker - Ludacris

Everybody say “whoo!”, new iLife ‘06 updates have arrived. The fixes fix up compatibility avec the new Aperture 1.5. So if you don’t use Aperture, there is really no point downloading the 100MB+ update. Available via the lovely Software Update utilty as well as online at Apple. For those with iLife ‘05, then just hold out till January for iLife ‘07 and iWork ‘07.

Update: Seems Apple has let iWork updates loose into the Mac world, these again just improve the app relationships with Aperture.

Finally after like 4 years we get an update! Check all the new “Web 2.0″ features out at this special .Mac page. We’re loving the sound of all of it, especially the quick reply and drag-drop! Our account runs out in 12 days and we’ll be sure to renew. Also of note is even more evidence that Apple is moving away from Aqua, there’s no pinstripes to be seen!

As we reported last week, Apple has finally released a fix for iTunes. Version 7.0.1 should fix most, if not all, bugs and nuisances from iTunes 7. It is available online or via Software Update.

iTunes 7.0.1 addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more.

According to a thread on the MacRumors forum, the latest series of iMacs are suspected to include a new 801.11n wireless card. A user booted up into Windows Vista and when he went to check the system specs he found that the iMacs wireless card was listed as “Broadcom 802.11n” when Apple lists it as only b/g compatible. The new spec will allow wireless transfer speeds of 100Mbps and should be finalised early next year. This is not the first time Apple has used technologies before being standardized. The Airport Extreme system used the “g” specification before it was finalized. This confirms what we all previously thought - Apple’s Airport system will be updated soon to to support “n” (as will all Macs) and also the upcoming iTV setup box will support this new specification.

Aperture 1.5 provides more iLife integration, plug-in support for Internet services, and advanced library and editing features. The new features and improvements are summarized here, and include:

Flexible Library Manangement, iLife ‘06 and iWork ‘06 Integration, Export Metadata Automatically, Advanced Color Controls, Edge Sharpen, Speed Metadata Entry with Presets, Improved Loupe, iPod Sync and more…

It is a free update to existing Aperture owners and should be available later this week. Aperture’s website has been updated.

Minor jumble around in this weeks top 10 and no new entries! Congrats to JoJo on getting to number 3 on the Billboard charts.

United States Top 10 Songs::

1. How to Save a Life - The Fray
2. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
3. Money Maker (Explicit Version) - Ludacris featuring Pharrell
4. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
5. Lips of an Angel - Hinder
6. Too Little, Too Late (Radio Version) - JoJo
7. Chain Hang Low - Jibbs
8. Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence
9. London Bridge - Fergie
10. Ring The Alarm - Beyoncé

Disney today announced that they have sold over 125,000 movies in the iTunes Movie store during it’s opening week. This resulted in $1 million revenue. Rob Iger (Disney CEO) projects that Disney will earn over $50 million in additional revenue during the first year business.

We didn’t actually believe the reports of MacBook peeling, we’d just seen pictures of paint chipping. Thanks to a reader, here’s a picture of their MacBook… Yikes. It does look nicer beneath the plastic though.

It appears that Apple is busy fixing up iTunes for a quick “point one” update next week. Since iTunes 7 was released a few days ago, many users have been saying that it’s “the worse iTunes update ever” and “did Apple even alpha test it?”. Posts on Apple Support forums have angry users complaining that iTunes 7 is a memory hog, crashes the system and has song “amnesia”. Don’t expect a change to the new interface though, it seems that this is the upcoming “Leopard” look *shudders*. Anyone else having problems?

Before you start shouting, “Where’s the difference” - just look! Notice the blue sidebar instead of the silver one that “us” users have. The picture comes from an Apple Support page. I think I prefer this one actually.

Update: If you also look at the sidebar icons, they’re different from the iTunes 7 release we got. Still has the old green iTunes logo!

Apple is preparing to update their MacBook Pro range in Germany next week. The Photokina event on September 25th will also see the launch of Aperture 1.2. The new MacBook Pros will come in 2.33GHz and 2.16GHz models. There are rumors of a 1.83GHz powered 12″ model, but we cannot confirm them at this time. Apple will then again update ALL their Macs in Q1/2 next year to the upcoming second-wave of Merom which is due for launch next April… Which is when Leopard is due to launch… See what Apple’s doing? (Steve is oh so clever). We’ll keep you updated as ever.

Update: Sorry, the date for Photokina is 25th.

Apple has posted a new version of Boot Camp. The following improvements are listed but are similar to the updates from Boot Camp 1.1:

Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers, Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes, Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk, Support for built-in iSight cameras, Support for built-in microphones, Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple keyboards, Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys.

We’ll run over this briefly. The Zune features WiFi, 30GB of HDD, built-in FM, a 3″ screen and the basic music, pictures and video playback. Supports h.264, MP3, AAC and WMA. Has “Zune to Zune” music sharing, enabling users to share music tracks to other devices. The size is basically a tiny bit bigger than an iPod and around double the thickness of the video iPod. No news on price or release date. Not that we care.

P.S. The brown one is hideous!

Skype today announced they have released the beta version Skype for Mac 2.0, which gives any Mac user with an Internet connection the ability to make free video calls to anyone else on Skype, regardless of whether they use the Windows or Mac platform. Skype’s new cross platform support allows its extensive international community of more than 113 million users to make free video calls to people across the globe using both Windows and Macintosh computers.

Ludacris jumps to number 1, knocking Justin down to 3. Highest new entry is JoJo at 4. Fergie has dropped out of the top 10.

United States Top 10 Songs:

1. Money Maker (Explicit Version) - Ludacris (Ft. Pharrell)
2. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
3. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
4. Too Little, Too Late (Radio Version) - JoJo
5. How to Save a Life - The Fray
6. Lips of an Angel - Hinder
7. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
8. Ring the Alarm - Beyoncé
9. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
10. Chain Hang Low - Jibbs

Looking at the resource files in the new iTunes 7, we found some evidence about an iPod phone. The evidence is based on the fact that the current “iPod phone” (ROKR) can’t do the things that the messages are saying…

“Some of the games in your iTunes library were not copied to the mobile phone [name] because you are not authorized to play them on this computer” and “iTunes cannot sync photos to the mobile phone [name] because your iPhoto Library needs updating. Open iPhoto to update your iPhoto Library”.

So it seems the iPod phone will support full iTunes features such as the new games, movies and photos. It must also have a scroll-wheel to support the games. Perhaps we’ll see this launched at Macworld with the iTV?

Update: Could the phone actually be called “iTunes Phone”? Registration details on the iTunesPhone.com domain point towards Apple.

Update 2: For those who still don’t believe it, go check yourself! We have found even more options for TV shows and Podcast syncing.

In a rare move, Apple provided a sneak peek of the long rumored Apple media center. Currently codenamed iTV, it has the apperance of a flattened Mac mini. Providing various audio and video outputs, it is intended to be connected to a TV, communicating wirelessly with your Mac or PC and displaying a Front Row like interface for the content on your computer. The ‘iTV’ is to be available in Q1 2007, priced at $299. Final details and launch date is expected to be announced at Macworld in January.

Apple today announced iTunes 7, the most significant enhancement to the world’s most popular music jukebox and online music and video store since it debuted in 2001. iTunes 7 delivers stunning new features such as the new album and Cover Flow views of music, TV shows and movies, enabling users to quickly find titles in their library as well as casually browse through and re-discover titles they already own. In addition, the iTunes Store is now offering over 75 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, that customers can purchase and download to watch on their computers and iPods, and soon on their flat screen televisions with Apple’s upcoming iTV player. Movies will become available on the iTunes Store the same day they are released on DVD, with new releases priced at $12.99 when pre-ordered and during their first week of availability, and $14.99 thereafter, and library titles available for just $9.99 every day.

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Apple today announced an update to the iPods. Among the new enhancements are new games (Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Holdem, Vortex, and Zuma), gapless playback, music search feature, a 60% brighter display and longer battery life. The new iPod is available immediately in the following models:

30 GB: $249 (Black or White)
80 GB: $349 (Black or White)