Posts Tagged ‘new mac’

OS X Lion – An OS That Looks a Lot Like the iPad

The news, whether good or not is that Apple appears to be trying to make their Lion upgrade to the Mac OS as much like iOS as possible. So if you like the look and feel of your iPad, iPhone or iPod interface, you may be pleased.

While many early reviews seem to agree that Lion is beautiful to look at, they all seem to accuse Apple of choosing ‘form over function’. In moves that almost appear to forget that a large number of Mac users are still using mice instead of trackpads, the swiping-style interactions aren’t intuitive or useful.

Perhaps the most frustrating of all these additions may be the inverted scrolling. Lion’s default scrolling configuration has you scrolling down with a finger-swipe upward and up when you swipe downward. The Wired reviewer feels that while this behavior might make sense on a portable device where the experience is more intimate, the translation to a Mac is lacking.

Some features also seem to forget that most Mac screens are larger than that found on the iPad, meaning features like Launchpad that displays a grid of available open programs is quite spread out and hard to skim.

Fortunately for all Mac users, there are many new Lion features that do not take their cues from iOS and seem to offer real benefits: AirDrop allows you to share documents wirelessly with nearby Lion users, Resume and Auto Save allow you to enter and exit programs without losing your place, and full-screen gives you the option of maximizing application windows with a single click to take up the entire screen.

As promised, Apple has released Lion and all of the 250 new features to the public today. It is available as a 3.49GB download from the Mac App Store for $29.95.

[via Wired, image courtesy of Wired]

» Related posts:

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• iOS Developers Already Planning for the New Mac App Store
• ‘Assistive Touch’ Feature Activated in Latest iOS 5 Beta

The ‘NuStand Alloy’ – A Stand for Your iPad and Mac mini

Still looking for accessories for your iPad? The NuStand Alloy may be a sturdy, reliable and affordable option for your tablet.

NewerTech’s NuStand Alloy will not only showcase your iPad, but it can also fit the new Mac mini.

The NuStand Alloy is a sturdy option with aircraft grade aluminum body that provides full access to all ports for using, viewing and charging your iPad. A silicone center will gently hold your iPad while allowing you to securely angle the display to your viewing preference. The stand also comes with non-skid rubber feet that secure and stabilize your iPad.

The stand features a rubberized black finish. It’s compact enough to fit anywhere in your desk, and its lightweight (3.5 ounces) design makes it easy to take with you wherever you go.

The NuStand offers a 15-degree angle in portrait or landscape for the iPad and a vertical orientation for the Mac mini. It’s available in either black (iPad) or silver (Mac mini).

The NuStand Alloy for iPad or Mac mini can be purchased now for $24.99. It’s available via Other World Computing’s website (a NewerTech distributor).

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Apple’s Mac App Store to Open January 6

Apple’s popular App Store will launch for the Mac on January 6 according to Apple. The company announced today that the Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries on launch day and will feature both paid and free apps for Apple’s Mac computing platform.

The Mac App Store will be very familiar to anyone who has ever owned an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Users will be able to browse, search and purchase Mac apps directly from their computer. Apple will also feature apps in a “Noteworthy”, “Staff Favorites” and a “What’s Hot” section of the Mac App Store, similar to what is currently available for iOS apps in the App Store.

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.”

The app purchase process is simple and straightforward. Find an app you want, click on it and the app will begin downloading and install itself on your machine automatically. After an app has been purchased, the Mac App Store will notify user’s when updates become available.

The Mac App Store will be available as a free download for Mac users running OS X Snow Leopard.

» Related posts:

• Apple OS X Lion – How the iPad is Influencing New Mac Features
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iOS Developers Already Planning for the New Mac App Store

Yesterday, we wrote about how the iPad has influenced new Mac features. Steve Jobs was certainly driven by the success of the iPad and unveiled six key new features inside the new Mac operating system (OS X Lion) that were inspired by the iPad and iPhone.

This week Apple made the big announcement about the upcoming Mac App Store. All week long they’ve been using the “Back to Mac” theme to make it clear that OS X and iOS would be coming closer together. And, iOS developers seem to be gearing up already for the new Mac App Store.

The first developer to let the world know about their plans to join the upcoming Mac App Store is Firemint. Firemint is a well known game studio that has won two Apple Design awards. They have developed famous titles for the iPad and iPhone. Does Flight Control and Real Racing ring a bell? Both have been very good hits for iOS devices.

Firemint confirmed this week they’ll launch Flight Control HD for the Mac. Hold on to your seats, because we should expect many iOS developers to bring great titles to the Mac App Store after Apple’s recent announcement.

It will be interesting to see how Flight Control HD will translate to the Mac. As of now, the game relies quite a bit on touching the screen to pilot all those planes. But, let’s keep in mind Apple’s Multitouch Gestures. According to Apple, OS X Lion will include additional multitouch gestures that supposedly will be accessible via Apple’s Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and the built in trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro product line. And, let’s not forget that Apple’s designs seem to find a way to make it easier for the audience.

What other apps would you like to see ported over by iOS developers? Angry Birds, Real Racing? Share your comments.

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Apple OS X Lion – How the iPad is Influencing New Mac Features

Apple took the wraps off OS X Lion, their latest Mac operating system, during a special media event yesterday. Now that the dust has settled, we look at what iPad and iOS related features Apple will be integrating into Lion.

Steve Jobs said that Apple had learned a lot from the launch of the iPad and that they were ”inspired by some of those innovations in the iPad and iPhone and we want to bring them back to the Mac.” This “Back to Mac” theme was echoed throughout the day’s event where Apple made it clear that OS X and iOS would be coming closer together as the company moves forward.

Jobs outlined six key new features inside OS X Lion that are inspired by the iPad and iPhone and we summarize each below.

1. Multitouch Gestures – Apple is continuing the Mac’s existing multitouch capabilities and OS X Lion will include additional multitouch gestures. These new gestures will be accessible via Apple’s Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and the built in trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro product line.
2. Mac App Store – One of the biggest announcements was that Apple is bringing the very popular App Store concept to the Mac. The new Mac App Store will allow users to discover, browse and buy new Mac applications all from the comfort of their Mac. Apps can be purchased from the Mac App Store and installed on the Mac with a single click greatly simplifying the Mac application buying experience. The Mac App Store will also automatically update Mac apps similarly to the process on the iPad or iPhone. The app licensing model is also identical to the iPad, any app downloaded from the Mac App Store is licensed for use on all of your personal Macs.
   

3. App Home Screen – The new Launch Pad is essentially an iPad or iPhone like system to browse, launch, arrange and organize all your apps. The Launch Pad screen will be very familiar to current iOS users and provides an intuitive way to work with your Mac’s apps.
   

4. Full Screen Apps – Taking another cue from the iPad, Apple has embraced the ability to run apps in full screen mode on your Mac. When an application is launched, users can click on a window to have it takeover the entire screen similarly to how apps currently run on the iPad. Apple demonstrated the feature with iPhoto and iMovie on the Mac and is incorporating the feature in all iLife 11 apps.
   

5. Auto Save – When you exit an app, your work as well as the current app status will be automatically saved. This feature is an important part for the new Auto Resume function.
6. App Resume When Launched – When you launch an application from the Launch Pad, the app will resume right where you left off the last time you used the app. The app will bring up any current documents you were working with and restore the app state to your previous work session. This behavior is common on the iPad and a top feature for many users.

Lion is targeted for release next Summer and the Mac App Store will be available for OS X Snow Leopard Mac users in January of 2011. With the launch of Lion, Apple is beginning to blur the lines between the Mac and iOS based devices like the iPad. The Mac App Store should be a huge hit when it goes live next year and several developers have already announced support for the new app distribution platform. This is the first real platform that could make Internet software distribution a reality and will likely lead to the decline of physical distribution of software on CD or DVD.

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