British Mac Show Notes

Episode BritishMac047

				News

				Headlines

				Steve Jobs to Kick Off Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 CUPERTINO, California — May 1st, 2007 Apple today announced that Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address beginning at 10.00 am PDT (6.00 pm BST) on Monday June 11th, 2007, at San Francisco’s Moscone West. At WWDC, Apple plans to show developers a feature complete version of Mac OS X Leopard and give them a beta copy to take home for final testing. Leopard is scheduled to ship in October. The five-day event, scheduled to run from June 11th to June 15th, will deliver more than 150 sessions and labs aimed at getting the most out of Leopard. The conference will also include new content to serve a wide range of developers, including Mac OS X Immersion Monday, designed to quickly get developers who are new to the Mac up to speed; a content and media track that shows developers the best ways to integrate animation, motion graphics, video, rich-media and web-based content into their applications; and dozens of hands-on labs that offer a unique opportunity to work directly with Apple engineers. Other activities at Apple’s WWDC 2007 include: • presentations from Apple engineers who will provide an in-depth look at Leopard, from its open source foundation to new technologies and innovations like Xcode 3.0, Dashcode, Core Animation, Time Machine, iChat Theater and more; • practical hands-on sessions where attendees can learn Apple’s own coding strategies and techniques for creating Cocoa bindings, building Automator actions and integrating iCal events into an application; • technology labs where attendees can work one-on-one with Apple engineers on topics such as Cocoa, Open GL and AJAX; and • special events, including the Apple Design Awards and Stump the Experts. Cost & Registration: The five-day conference costs US$1,595 per attendee, with a US$300 Early Registration Discount that has been extended to May 11th. Visit Apple’s WWDC Web site for registration and complete session details at http://developer.apple.com/wwdc.

				Apple admits laptop battery issue Mac user Dave Verwer spotted his battery bulging Apple has said that "some batteries" in its range of MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops have "performance issues". The company has issued a software update to fix the issue and has offered to replace defective batteries. "The factors causing the performance issues do not present a safety risk. You may continue to use your current battery," the company said. Reports of problems, including swollen batteries, have been circulating since the laptops were launched in 2006. In its support notes to users, Apple says battery packs which are "visibly deformed" are among the symptoms of battery problems. The company advises users to install the update on all "MacBook and MacBook Pro computers and extra batteries that were purchased between February 2006 and April 2007". If battery problems persist after the update, Apple has said users should contact their local Apple store or retailer and the firm will arrange replacement batteries free of charge. Other symptoms of battery problems include: The battery is not recognised The battery will not charge and runs down quickly In July last year the BBC News website was contacted by Apple owners who reported problems with their new laptops. Technology professional Dave Verwer said: "I noticed my MacBook Pro would get down to 30% battery left and then shut off without warning. "It had done this for a couple of weeks before I noticed that the battery case was swollen and coming away from the laptop casing." Despite the issues, the MacBook range of laptops has been very successful for Apple. Strong sales of the machines recently helped Apple sales soar to $5.2bn in the first three months of 2007.

				Call for Apple to go even greener Apple's manufacturing process has come under fire Greenpeace has given a cautious welcome to Apple's ambitions to be more environmentally friendly. In a statement Steve Jobs said the company would stop using toxic and hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. Greenpeace praised Apple for its decision to phase out the most harmful chemicals but said the electronics giant could do more. The group wants Apple to improve its recycling policy and stop dumping old products in other parts of the world. Gadget dump In the statement Apple explained what it had already done to clean up its manufacturing processes and laid out how it was planning to make them greener. Mr Jobs said in the statement that Apple's policy of not talking about its future plans had led to misconceptions about its green credentials. "It is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well," wrote Mr Jobs. Apple's future plans include removing arsenic in displays by the end of 2008. By the same date it will stop using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Both PVC and BFRs are considered hazardous because they do not break down when disposed of and can accumulate in body tissue and cause a variety of health problems. It also said it would start using LED backlighting for displays instead of mercury "when technically and economically feasible". The statement of Apple's green credentials comes in the wake of criticism by environmental groups. In early April Greenpeace put Apple bottom of its rankings of green electronics firms. The company's headquarters and conferences have been picketed by banner-waving activists calling on Apple to be greener. In its own statement Greenpeace said Apple's announcement was "something we've all been waiting for" and it praised the decision to stop use of PVC and BFRs before other computer makers. But Greenpeace said Apple still had ground to make up on its recycling policy. The green group pointed out that Apple's pledge not to dump returned gadgets and computers in Asia and India only applied to US customers. It called on Apple to offer a global takeback and recycling service. It said it wanted to see an Apple that was "green to the core".

				Quick News

				3D Dashboard Apple has plans to improve Dashboard and make it easier to deal with multiple widgets. Rather than cluttering the Dashboard view with lots of widgets, Apple has devised a way of grouping like widgets onto multiple dashboards with a system akin to Spaces, a new feature in Mac OS X Leopard that will make it easy to keep personal and work applications separate. Similarly, one Dashboard view could contain work related widgets related to work, while the other might house widgets related to personal matters. Apple filed a patent for “Multiple Dashboards” on 1 February 2006. The patent describes a system that will expand the dashboard concept to allow users to create and configure multiple Dashboards views to manage the increasing number of widgets available for download across the Internet, explains Apple Insider. Of particular note is a description of a 3D cube dashboard interface. Users can rotate the cube to reveal different collections of widgets. By using animated two- and three-dimensional graphical objects to display Dashboards, more than one Dashboard can be visible to the user at a time, Apple explained in the patent. Apple is also investigating customizable key combinations for switching between Dashboards. The Apple’s filing, first uncovered by MacNN says: “Different Dashboards can be available or 'owned' for different users of a computer or other electronic device.” This other electronic device is likely to be the iPhone, which also uses a version of OS X.H

				London Adobe Live event begins 5 June Adobe is pulling out the stops for this year's Adobe Live show Jonny Evans Adobe Systems will hold Adobe Live 2007 between 5- 6 June at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. Talking up its annual creative event, Adobe trumpted its intention to "bring together the largest collection of creative minds under one roof." Guest speakers will include Neville Brody, Hillman Curtis and Brendan Dawes, plus many more. Adobe Live attendees can expect presentations and seminars from Adobe and its third party developer partners with a range of raining, workshops and tutorials for the company's creative applications. Adobe Live also features break-out sessions for each sector of its creative product offering: Design, Publishing, Photography, Web and Video. Mark Wheeler, marketing director, Northern Europe, Adobe said: “The UK creative industry is recognised throughout the world as a pioneer, always pushing the boundaries on what can be achieved.” Additionally, for the fist time, Adobe is running a Developer Day in parallel to Adobe Live, at the same venue, on 5 June. This will focus on developing rich Internet applications (RIA), bridging the gap between developer and creative professionals and bringing web skills to the desktop. Adobe Live is a free event, but pre-registration is required.

				Apple at $100 per share on pre-market iPhone launch plans and imminent WWDC event inspire investors Jonny Evans Apple shares closed at over $100 each last night, maintaining their new value this morning on the early market. Optimism seems driven by Apple's plan to launch its iPhone this month, and could also have been boosted by revelations of the company's keen-to-be-green promise. All consumer electronics manufacturers are facing renewed pressure to deliver environmental products, as governments across the planet begin to push through planet-protecting policies in response to stark warnings on climate change. Trading on Apple stock is bullish, as the iPhone gold rush continues. Investors are considering recent reports which indicate visibility and demand for the device in the US market will be strong. AT&T recently revealed that one million people have already signed-up to be informed when the device ships. A recent report said Apple may even take a substantial chunk of the phone market within one year of the product's release. Investors are also considering the October release of Mac OS X 10.5 and Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). After weeks of little in the way of product releases, Apple continues to enjoy strong sales, indicating that any new devices that do ship will benefit from high interest and pent-up demand. Adobe's recent release of Creative Suite 3 is also anticipated to stimulate demand from within Apple's professional market. "Investors have come to the realization that Apple is much, much more than an iPod company," said ThinkEquity analyst, Jonathan Hoopes.

				Sun rises in the Mac world Sun engineers are stepping in to boost development of OpenOffice for Mac OS X Jonny Evans Sun has added some of its engineering muscle to help develop a Mac native version of OpenOffice, as development of the software has slowed. Plans to introduce a Mac native version of the Microsoft Office-competing software aren't new, of course. The intention to make a true Mac OS X version of the software has often been made. Development – which had stuck on an X11 port – seems set to ramp up a gear, now Sun has put two of its engineers onto working full time on creating the application. A note on the Sun website confirms the plan: "I'm excited to let you all know that as of now Sun engineering will add its support to the ongoing Mac/Aqua porting effort." The post explains that the company has made the decision to lend its support to the project because of the increasing use of Macs. It won't be a swift process – the lead developer warns that he has little experience of Mac OS X.

				Apple UK offers iLife seminars for musicians Musicians can attend a series of free seminars on using iLife for self-promotion Jonny Evans Apple will this month host a series of workshops at its Regent Street Store, showing musicians how they can best promote their music. Four seminars are being offered covering the gamut of promotion and communications, including documents, presentations, websites, blogging, podcasting and community-focused visuals. Details of each event follow: Promote Your Music: Producing Documents and Presentations This event will show musicans how to use iWork to create business documents, promotional materials and presentations. This talk takes place on 11 May at 7pm. Promote Your Music: Creating Web Sites with iWeb Musicians will learn how to use iWeb to create their own websites, incorporating images, films and music. They'll also learn how to connect their sites with MySpace. 18 May 7pm. Promote Your Music: Create Blogs and Podcasts with iWeb "With iWeb, it’s easy to incorporate photo blogs to keep your fans up to date. Want to share a performance? You can create and update your podcast, enhanced podcast or video podcast with GarageBand, iMovie and iWeb," says Apple. 25 May, 7pm. Promote Your Music: Reach Your Fans with Photos and Movies Apple will show musicians how to import, organise, enhance and share images with fans using iPhoto. They'll also learn the elements of iMovie and how to load such assets onto their websites. 1 June, 7pm.

				Apple no.1 Innovative company according to Business week

				& finally...

				Uncle Mac's Siesta

				Mac Garden

				http://mac.the-underdogs.info/

				St.British Mac

				ScreenSavers

				The British Mac Pussy Cat Club

				91 to 101!

				101. Dave Brown I love Macs! 100. Kirstie Roberts 99. Joshua Roberts 98. Jon Lee Bring on the Leopard 97. Jim Harmsworth Cowles All power to real big cats and to the forthcoming Leopard... and big up to the remarkable Will Green 96. Sam Mangan Great work Will! Have listened to British Mac since the first ep and think what your doing is truly honourable. 95. Greg Lee Great idea Will. Keep up the good work 94. james Hart Bring on OS X Moggy! 93. Jonathan Priest 92. Paul Eva Grrrrrrrr! Lets see some dosh for the Cats under the cosh! 91. kaden

				Dave's Review

				SightSpeed

				Desert Island Applications

				http://www.elvenmusic.com

				Hey Will, Here's a few of my Apps that I'd choose if I were strnded on an Island .. without any power or internet of any kind .... hmmmmm .... :D 1. Media Central .. (beta version). Great little app that works a little like Front Row. Nice little interface and it plays all your stuff like Front Row does. God forbid you should get sand in your Apple DVD player app .. this other app will step right up to do the job. (sadly now you have to pay for it .. but let me know if you want the beta version I'll send it along :D) 2. Quinn ... a Tetris like game .. that's free for download :P .. and is pretty damned addictive. www.simonhaertel.de.vu 3. Openoffice .. Cos I'm too damned cheap to go and by Microsoft office. If I need to write a nicely formatted note telling people where to rescue me from this island .. with it's Bar, Power outlet ... and wireless DSL connection and premium style holiday flats that we're all staying in ... then I'd use Openoffice to write the note .... Now all I need is a printer. Blast! http://www.openoffice.org/ 4. Celestia .. An amazing .. and free .. program that shows you a 3D map of the universe. Seriously .. the entire universe, as known of course. You can fly to any planet, comet, moon, sun or even galaxy that's been mapped and have a shufty at all that heavenly glory. http://www.shatters.net/celestia/ And last .. but not least, I could not exist without my musical instruments, and although these cost an arse and a leg I'd have to have them with me and these are: 5. Vienna Instruments - Top notch sample based music library from those brave boys at Vienna Symphonic library. I make a lot of my own music with their library and I wouldn't want to be on a beautiful island .. supping an ice cold Archers and lemonade (meh ... I've sweet but simple tastes) .. and not have my favourtite musical tools with me. Not free .. but damned good. (If you're curious .. check out my site to hear what I've done with the VSL .. got some nice TV theme demos on the VSL & Tech page :D) http://www.vsl.co.at Tah very much Will .. keep up the good British work. For if you do then there will be a part of Podcasting .,, that will be .. Forever .. England. (You might wanna play "land of hope and glory" when you read that bit out .. hehe) End with explosion - and I'm off! Hetoreyn http://www.elvenmusic.com

				Frankenwidget

				Dashit

				http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/developer/dashit.html

				Ye Olde MAc & Mouse

				OK, so i took the plunge. I am officially: 'A Switcher'!! Got my new mac two days ago. Could not wait to get it out of the hands of the hairy UPS guy and switch it on... and there it was, a lovely, shiny, HUGE, 20" Apple iMac. A beautiful machine. I set it up on the dining room table while we get used to it because thing are SO different. It took about 10 mins from first switch on. It asked my name, it found my wireless connection, asked for my password, and there it was: up and running and connected to the internet. Well, now what...?! Well, as with all new computers, you sit in front of them and think exactly that!! I actually wrote 'Help!!' on a sticky, its still there now!! The computer runs fast, not amazingly so, maybe i built it up in my mind too much, but its very, very stable, like it knows what its doing, like its helping you along. The first thing I did is try to get it just like my old Windows machine. Why? I guess i'm stuck in my ways. So where is Internet Explorer? Nope; now we have Safari, which is the built-in mac browser, its ok but i found it to be quite slow on page load-ups. After a quick search I found 'Camino' which is free and amazingly fast and totally fulfilled my expectations. Ha Ha! Installation! How? Well, it is strange at first, most Windows programs do it for you, this is totally different. When you download an application for the mac, you actually download the 'Disk Image', a DMG file. Its just like downloading a CD which holds the program. It appears on your desktop, so, you double-click it, and inside is the program. Thats it. No installation, just drag that program where you like. Its nice and tidy to keep them in the 'Applications' folder' where all the other programs are kept. This can also be dragged to the dock for easy access. Simple. MSN: there is a mac version, but its lacking in functionality, so no silly animations or the like, just a plain basic chat window. Maybe it will be updated soon, but do you really need them things? I remember i always preferred messenger when it was small and unobtrusive, just like this one. Itunes: I used my Ipod as hard drive to transfer all my songs. Simple as that, in fact, now its much better as Itunes organizes all the music into one folder and then adds all the artwork. I have lost my purchased songs and games though, you would think Apple would be happy for you to change to a Mac! Now, when i came to write this up, I found there is no word processor built in. You do get a trial of Microsoft office, but as i have not activated it yet, this is being written on text-edit. Its not as bad as it sounds actually, it has a built in spell checker and actually looks good. Maybe thats all you need! So there you go, Browser, MSN, Itunes. Just like you old Windows computer but on a fantastic mac computer. Macs are the greatest gadget you can own, they make things faster, more fun, more colorful and they have many, many surprises hidden away. If you want one, get one. You wont regret it. Windows now seems dated, clunky and boring. It's a change and, sometimes a change is good. Thanks, Paul Hutchinson.

				Kerry in Oz

				British iCon

				John Hurt / Alan Clark