MacMost: Archives

Version 11.0.3 of iTunes for Mac, available through Software Update, includes a new MiniPlayer with album artwork and a progress bar, an improved Songs list view and better grouping for multiple-disc albums.
Last week Tim Cook mentioned the upcoming change that will bring production of one Mac model back to the United States. Rumors point to this being either a new Mac Pro tower or the next generation Mac mini. Cook said that the effort represents a $100 million investment. In addition to the model being assembled in the US, many of the components will come from domestic sources.
Apple currently employs about 50,000 people in the United States, with much of its software development and services located here.
Apple also released its testimony submitted to Congress, which is investigating how large companies use tax loopholes. In it, Apple suggests that Congress should eliminate tax loopholes and lower corporate tax rates, as well as place a reasonable tax on foreign earnings. Apple currently keeps much of its overseas revenue outside of the US.

The special All My Views view in the Finder gives you access to all of your user files in one list. You can arrange these to group them by application, size or date. You can also sort inside the groups and search to narrow down the list.

You can use a Google Calendar on Mac or your iOS device just as easily as you can use an iCloud calendar. There is no need to 'sync' between them as using one or the other is all that is needed. Google Calendars can be shared between your Mac, iOS, Android and Windows devices.

The OS X Finder offers simple options to compress video and audio files. You can use this to quickly re-compress these files before archiving them or sending them to others. These simple functions only work with some file types and offer limited options.

Another slow week allows Apple’s self-promotional 50 billionth app sale contest to top the news. The lucky guy from Ohio who downloaded an app from the App Store at just the right moment won a $10,000 gift card.
This milestone puts a spotlight on the overwhelming success of the iOS App Store. It has transformed both the mobile device industry and the software industry in five short years.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will soon appear in front of a Senate subcommittee about Apple’s practice of keeping money earned overseas outside of the United States to avoid domestic taxes. Many other large international companies do this as well. Microsoft and HP have already participated by answering questions and many more companies are expected to do so. Some government officials would like to find a way for companies like Apple to bring this cash into the United States. Currently the large resulting tax bill would go against shareholder interests.

“I’m very disappointed. In the past you have scored 95% or better on your tests. But this time you scored only 94%. I’m going to have to call your parents.”
Stock market analysts would not make good grade school teachers.

There are a variety of ways to export a photo from iPhoto. Using the File, Export function you can decide which file format to use and set the quality and size. Learn how to use the various options and see a comparison between image quality settings.

Rulers and guides can be found in page layout and graphics apps. You can use them to precisely align objects on a page. Learning to use rulers and guides can make it easier and quicker to create professional designs. You can use them in apps like Pages, Keynote, Pixelmator, Photoshop and more.

You can set custom vibration patterns for your iPhone to use in addition to custom ringtones. You can use these vibrations to tell who is calling you, or what type of alert you have received. You can also set your phone to blink the LED flash so you can see an alert in addition to hearing and feeling it. You can turn off vibrations and silence your phone and still see the LED alert.

Adobe has been offering its suite of apps by subscription for a while now. But this week Adobe announced future versions will only be available through their Creative Cloud service by paying a monthly or annual fee, not as products purchased once per version release. Microsoft switched to a similar model this year for Mac users, offering their apps as part of Office 365, a subscription service.
The advantages of subscribing rather than buying are many: frequent smaller updates can be rolled out instead of major releases every one or two years, large upgrade purchases can be avoided, apps can be installed and removed from computers easily, and often these subscription licenses allow for installation on more than one computer. But overall costs can be higher, especially for those that did not regularly buy new versions in the past.
Apple’s Mac App Store is a slightly different cloud-based model, where software is still purchased with a single payment. But otherwise, it is similar to a subscription model since apps can be moved and re-installed easily, put on multiple machines, and minor updates tend to come frequently instead of major updates at longer intervals.

Can you name some of the hardships the pioneers experienced on the Oregon Trail?
We drove out west last summer on vacation. It was horrible. Sometimes no LTE, just 3G or Edge network!

Apple uses cat names to represent versions of OS X. It is important to know both the cat name and the version number of OS X that you are using. Sometimes you will hear or read the cat name, and sometimes the version number. So knowing which ones match which is important.

Learn how to use the keyboard to move between fields, menus and checkboxes in forms on web pages. Knowing these shortcuts can save you a lot of time if you need to fill out forms often.

You can use a graphics program like Pixelmator to add some semi-transparent text to your photos before uploading them. Adjusting the color and opacity of the text will make sure the text doesn't interfere with the photo's content, unless you want it to.

Each year Apple comes out with a new version of iOS, and this year looks to be no exception. What will be different this time is that Jonathan Ive, the designer behind the look of Apple’s hardware, is now in charge of the look of iOS as well. According to rumors, the result may be the end of designs that make software look like their pen and paper predecessors, like the yellow legal paper look to Notes and the textured look to the Calendar app.
On Apple’s financial front, the company sold $17 billion in bonds this week. The company is taking on some debt in order to finance a stock buyback and larger shareholder dividend. The debt inside the U.S. allows them to keep much of their cash stockpile outside the U.S. and beyond the reach of taxes. Apple stock is up sharply this week on the news.

Glass of Beer.
Google Glass.
Both have the potential to make other people more interesting.

Learn about the Undo and Redo functions for Macs and iOS. The Undo function is available in almost every app and situation on the Mac, and many on iOS too. However, what the Undo function does depends on the type of app and the last action you took. Many apps allow you to undo multiple steps and redo them as well.

Learn how to tell which apps are using the most space on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. You can use the Settings app to list all of your apps by the amount of storage space they are using. You can delete apps, clear their storage areas and sometimes manage the files they keep. With other apps you will need to use the app itself to manage its files.

The Recent Places list appears in save dialog boxes across all of your applications. You can use it to quickly save documents to the same folder, even if you are using a variety of apps for the same project.

Apple’s quarterly financial report was a pleasant surprise for investors as the numbers beat many forecasts. Apple reported $43.6 billion in revenue for the quarter. The iPad and iPhone continue to lead, while Mac sales dropped. But Mac sales may have merely echoed lower sales in the overall PC market, and were also hurt by low supply.
Apple also announced plans to buy back more of its stock and also increase the quarterly dividend to shareholders.
Following the financial report, Apple announced the dates for its next Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It will take place from June 10 to 14 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale today for the event with will feature more than 100 technical sessions and will likely include developer-related announcements such as new versions of iOS or OS X.