Apple has announced a special event for next week entitled “Back to the Mac.” The invitation shows a lion behind a slightly cut-out Apple logo. Most believe this means the next version of Mac OS X will be called “Lion.” That would follow along with the previous names: Cheetah, Puma, Panther, Jaguar, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard. It is likely than an announcement of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion would mean only an upcoming developer release and it could be more than a year before it is available for non-developers.
Rumors of a new MacBook Air have also been strong, and Apple has often mixed software announcements with some hardware news. Some speculate that the new Air would be even smaller and lighter than the current model.
Many have also noted that both the iLife and iWork suites are overdue for updates. A new version of both for 2011 could be announced or even released next week.
The timing for this press conference seems to be perfect as Apple now owns 10 percent of the U.S. computer market, just slightly behind third-place Acer. HP and Dell still dominate the market with a combined 50 percent.
Say you have an image file on your desktop or in a Finder window and you want to add it to iPhoto. You can select it and press the spacebar to view the image in Quick Look. Then, at the bottom, there is an icon to add the image to iPhoto. One click and it is done. This can come in handy when using Quick Look to browse through a folder full of images. You can easily add one or two to iPhoto as you browse.
Here’s another innovative game that uses the touch screen in a way we’ve not seen before. In Cut the Rope you’ve got to slice ropes with your finger to release candy for a creature to eat. Then start adding multiple ropes, floating bubbles and spikes and you’ve got challenging puzzle levels that require both skill and dexterity.
You can check out Alarm Clock Pro at http://www.koingosw.com/products/alarmclockpro.php.
Since there has been little or no Apple news this week, it is a good time to catch up on current Apple rumors. Since 2007 there have been rumors of the iPhone coming to America’s largest mobile network, Verizon. This week the Wall Street Journal claimed that Apple will be producing a CDMA version of the iPhone for Verizon in 2011.
While new versions of every Mac line have come out in the last year, the MacBook Air remains largely as it has been since its debut. It is hard to see its value over the less expensive, more capable and only slightly larger 13-inch MacBook Pro. But rumors of a smaller, lighter Air are growing stronger with reports that the current Air is out of stock. Rumors state that the new one will have an 11.6-inch screen and a special low-power processor.
There have also been more unlikely rumors of tests of a touch screen for future iMacs. While this innovation seems inevitable with the touch interfaces on iOS devices, most think that a touch-screen Mac may still be years away.
The iPhone’s spotlight search screen can be a very useful tool, but the amount of results can be overwhelming. Specify what shows up by going to Settings, General, Spotlight Search. You can also change the order of results. Narrow it down to only Applications, for instance, and you have a great way to launch apps.
If you like tilt-based puzzle games, vParticle+ is for you. You guide particles through complex and challenging levels with a huge variety of rules and features. A nice departure from the over-simplified puzzle games that clog the App Store.
The new Apple TV began arrive on doorsteps this week as Apple shipped the product in September as promised. Reports from those who have examined the device show 8GB of internal flash memory and a very similar architecture to the iPad. The door definitely seems to be open for future Apple TV apps.
Apple also updated iTunes to version 10.0.1 with bug fixes and a new right-side sidebar listing recent activity on your Ping social network. It even lists relevant information based on which artist and song you have selected in your library, such as showing artist posts and profiles.
Hard to believe that we’ve not gotten around to recommending Angry Birds yet. You sling various irate birds at the homes of these pigs that have somehow pissed the birds off. This game combines strategy and whimsy to create one of the best iPhone games out there. But if you can, play the iPad version of Angry Birds which is even more enjoyable.
Ever scroll down a very long web page on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, then need to get back to the address and search bar quickly? Just tap the top of the screen — the status and time bar — and the page will zip back up to the top and bring back the address and search fields.
