mac

iTunes 11 tips and tricks

With the release of iTunes 11, Apple has made some significant adjustments to the media player. While Apple has removed some items including Cover Flow and iTunes DJ, it has offered a number of other features such as a new "Up Next" playlist feature and a radically altered MiniPlayer window. Even though there are some major changes to the program, the essence of iTunes is still there; however, there are a few hiccups you might run into when using it that require small behavior adjustments on your part to get by. This might be as simple as clicking … Read more

Mac and Siri becoming popular as baby names

Technology is trying to take over the world with as much grace as it can.

Sometimes, though, its influence can seem overt, especially when it steps onto the hairy, scabby toes of traditional thinking.

Earlier this week, there were unconfirmed rumors that a baby had been named Hashtag.

But, even if true, this is likely a one-off.

What is more important are societal trends. So my epiglottis was temporarily blocked with excitement on hearing that more and more parents are naming their children after Apple products.

I gurgle with delight at the information offered by Babycenter.com that "iBabies&… Read more

First glimpse at the inside of Apple's new iMac line

Apple's new iMac has been taken apart and gutted for the world to see.

Japanese Apple blog Kodawarisan today unboxed the iMac and then decided to take it one step further by fully disassembling the new computer. You can see the full set of teardown pictures here.

The blog didn't spend too much time discussing the internal components, but did find that it took a "vacuum lifter" to peel the screen away from the back of the computer and see inside. Behind the display, the blog found a surprisingly tidy collection of components packed into an … Read more

Apple's new iMacs now available online and in-store

Apple's newly redesigned iMacs are now available for order.

Apple has started selling the 21.5-inch model today both online and in its stores. As of this writing, Apple is saying that online buyers will have their 21.5-inch model shipped out in one to three business days. The 27-inch model is a bit of a different story. Although customers can preorder the 27-inch option today, Apple's site currently lists its ship date as two to three weeks.

At the flagship 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City, the new iMac was an invisible presence at 8:… Read more

How to use the new 'Up Next' feature in iTunes 11

After delaying the release of iTunes 11 by a month, Apple has released the much-anticipated update for both Windows and Mac users. The new iTunes is redesigned from the ground up, with a completely new look and feel. Along with the new look comes some new features: deeper iCloud integration, a new MiniPlayer, and a feature called "Up Next."

Up Next is more or less a living playlist within iTunes. You're able to add, rearrange, edit, and delete songs from the Up Next queue at any time.

To get started with Up Next, update to iTunes 11Read more

Flickering Mac Minis to get a fix

MacRumors is reporting that a fix is in the works for a display flickering problem on Apple's latest Mac Mini models.

The flickering problem, in which the screen intermittently goes black for a few seconds, has been outlined by a number of new 2012 Mac Mini users, who report that it occurs when their systems are connected to HDMI video devices.

This problem seems isolated to HDMI connections and does not affect DisplayPort connections through the Thunderbolt port on the Mac.

Some experiencing this problem have suspected their televisions and display devices to be the root of the problem, … Read more

Tackle OS X file sharing not allowing additional users

The default file-sharing protocol for OS X is Apple's "Apple Filing Protocol" (AFP) service, which is the primary service enabled when you select File Sharing in the system preferences. Enabling this will allow Macs on the same network to discover and connect to shared folders on the system, but there may be times when an error will occur that prevents users from logging on. When this happens, the client systems attempting to connect will get an message that states "this file server will not allow any additional users to log on."

This error happens because … Read more

Apple zaps Thunderbolt glitches with firmware update

Apple has released a new update for 2012 MacBook Pro systems that fixes problems with the handling of bus-powered Thunderbolt devices.

Thunderbolt is the next-generation I/O technology that Apple is implementing in its Mac systems, which allows very high-bandwidth communication between devices, and also allows for expansion of the PCIe (PCI Express) bus as well as carrying the DisplayPort signal for external monitors.

As Thunderbolt is relatively new, some bugs are bound to crop up in various implementations, and with the MacBook Pro systems produced in mid-2012 it's been found that some bus-powered Thunderbolt devices may not work … Read more

Add watermarks and make other bulk edits with PhotoBulk

Need a cheap and easy way to add a watermark to your photos or perform other batch edits? If you use a Mac, then I would urge you to check out PhotoBulk.

PhotoBulk is a simple photo editor that lets you perform three types of batch edits: Watermark, Bulk Resize, and Optimization. To get started, drag a group of photos to the small PhotoBulk window. It shows you how many photos you've added, and you can preview your photos by clicking on the eye-icon button on the right. To the left are three buttons for PhotoBulk's three editing … Read more

Adobe could unveil Retina version of Photoshop CS6 on Dec. 11

Adobe Systems is hosting a free online event on December 11 where it may reveal the new Retina edition of its flagship Photoshop program.

One of the topics of the Create Now Live event invites participants to "See what's next in Adobe Photoshop." And a YouTube video promoting the Photoshop presentation appears to show someone using the software on a Retina Display MacBook Pro.

That video clip has led Japanese blog site Macotakara and others to speculate that Adobe will show off a new update of Photoshop CS6 designed to support the high-resolution display on the 13-inchRead more