MacBook Air shows: “never been a better time to switch to a Mac”

“As I look at a newly arrived MacBook Air laptop,” writes Dean Takahashi (mercurynews.com), “it occurs to me there has never been a better time to switch to a Mac.” And he points to the new MacBook Air as “a great example of the faster innovation” that Apple offers customers. “The design is attractive and nobody can boast having a thinner notebook computer. It has an innovation dubbed Remote Disc. You install a disk on a desktop’s DVD drive. Then you can use your MacBook Air’s Remote Disc function to take over the DVD drive and install software into the MacBook Air. It’s an innovation that may signal the beginning of the end of disk media.” [Feb 18, 2008]

Four Mice to Bento

“Bento,” reports Dan Moren (macworld.com), “FileMaker’s new consumer-level database, aims to do for the database what Numbers and Pages did for the spreadsheet and the page layout program, respectively: make them easy and accessible for the rest of us.” The new consumer-level database “provides an approachable interface that appeals to the general consumer and a feature set that’s suitable for a single user to manage data. Bento easily handles data that’s too cumbersome for a spreadsheet, yet doesn’t require the complexities of a professional-level database.” [Feb 18, 2008]

MacBook Air just what the road warrior has been waiting for

“For a lot of people,” says Ken Mingis (computerworld.com), “smaller and lighter is better when it comes to their laptops.” He considers MacBook Air “one of the coolest-looking laptops to appear in years — both in terms of size and hipness.” It has “a gorgeous display that looks sharper and brighter on the Air than it does on the regular MacBook.” And, he says, “waking it up from sleep mode took about 2 seconds, and the LED backlighting means the screen hit full brightness as soon as it was awake.” As for performance: “The Air feels just about as snappy as my MacBook Pro in day-to-day use doing the kinds of things most users will be doing: surfing the Web, firing off e-mails, text editing and light graphics work.” [Feb 18, 2008]

Catch “American Idol” Performances Exclusively on iTunes

For the first time, music fans can enjoy all of the contestant performances from Season Seven of American Idol, television’s most popular show, exclusively on iTunes. This week, performances of the “American Idol” Top 24 semifinalists will be the first to appear on iTunes. You also can purchase music performances for 99 cents per song. Starting March 11, you’ll also be able to purchase the full video of Top 12 finalist performances for $1.99. And, beginning today, you can pre-order performances of your favorite contestants from the iTunes Store, which will automatically download the day after the show airs. The exclusive availability comes to you thanks to a partnership of Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Interactive Media, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia and Apple. [Feb 18, 2008]

Aperture 2 impresses CNET Editor

“Apple has done well with Aperture 2.0, based on my test of ingesting and editing a batch of my own photos on a dual-core iMac,” remarks Stephen Shankland in a recent article on CNET. And, he points out, he’s not the only one to notice the dramatic performance gains: “I feel like someone snuck a new CPU into my machine,” gushed photographer Josh Anon in a Wednesday blog posting.” “On top of a general performance boost,” Shankland continues, Aperture 2 delivers “a new preview mode that specifically emphasizes speed,” an entirely “new raw-processing engine” that delivers significant advantages, and a variety of other new features, as well. [Feb 15, 2008]

MacBook Air “instantly attractive to mobile workers”

Reviewing MacBook Air for the Daily Telegraph, Claudine Beaumont notes that most of the staff there “have found this lightweight laptop very impressive.” MacBook Air, she indicates “is a delightfully designed gadget, hewn from aluminum and glass, and draws amazed gasps from almost all who see it. It’s hard to appreciate just how slim it is until you hold it for yourself.” While “there’s no doubt the Air is beautifully designed,” Beaumont points out that it also “ packs all of the powerhouse computing we expect from Apple.” [Feb 15, 2008]

iPhone sets the tone at Mobile World Congress

The cellphone industry went to Barcelona to “show off the latest and greatest phones” and, once again, hardware took center stage. But, Victoria Shannon (New York Times) points out, “software is growing in importance as smartphones, capable of accessing the Web, become more popular.” So, Shannon continues, “it was no surprise that many of the phones were iPhone clones — with touch screens, sleek flat shapes and spare software interfaces. Apple was able to make a phone that paid equal attention to the software and the hardware. And the rest of the industry was following suit here.” [Feb 14, 2008]

iPhone customers lead mobile search stats

Macworld’s Jonny Evans reports that “Google has confirmed it has seen 50 times more searches from the iPhone than from any other mobile handset. ‘We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again,’ Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations told the Financial Times at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.” Evans also indicates that O2 “recently confirmed the iPhone to be driving ‘unheard of data traffic’ on the mobile network.” [Feb 14, 2008]

Customers continue their “love affair with iPhone”

“The best recent advance in the mobile telecommunications user space came not from a mobile telecom company but from Apple Inc. — the iPhone.” That, according to David Benjamin (EE Times) was the conclusion reached by a “blue-ribbon panel of human behavior and technology experts at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.” And, Benjamin points out, “Anup Murarka, director of technical marketing for Adobe, cited a study showing that 77 percent of iPhone purchasers described themselves as “very satisfied” with their user experience.” [Feb 14, 2008]

Quick Tip of the Week: Manipulating PDFs in Preview

You’ve probably downloaded scores of PDFs from the Web and no doubt created many of your own in Mac OS X. But did you know that Leopard gives you more control of PDFs than ever, even letting you reorder or delete pages, insert or extract pages, or add Spotlight search terms? We show you how to use Preview to manipulate PDFs in the latest Quick Tip of the Week. [Feb 14, 2008]

MacBook Air “one sexy portable”

If my hunch is correct,” writes Julio Ojeda-Zapata (TwinCities.com), “business-class airliner cabins will be filled with corporate types whipping out their MacBook Airs for work amid admiring glances from seatmates.” MacBook Air, after all, “is one sexy portable,” a laptop that “screams luxury with its extra-bright display (a newfangled light-emitting-diode variant) and a full-size, backlit keyboard that has a great, firm feel.” Ojeda-Zapata suggests that “business types needing ultraportability with style and comfort won’t be able to resist the Air. They can even wedge Windows in there (I did so with no trouble).” [Feb 13, 2008]

Apple TV “even better”

Apple TV remains “a fantastic way for people to get their iTunes-purchased movies, music and TV shows from their computers onto their living room TVs.” And now “what’s even better” about Apple TV Take Two, concludes Jason Chen (Gizmodo) “is that it doesn’t require a computer to function. People can plop down an Apple TV into their homes and rent movies, listen to iTunes music, sync up with their grandchildren’s Flickr or .Mac streams, or just waste an hour surfing YouTube.” [Feb 13, 2008]

Apple TV “a networked video iPod for your living room”

“With its enhanced iTunes video offerings, PC-free operation, and a lower price tag,” John P. Falcone (CNET) concludes that “the updated Apple TV is a compelling Internet-enabled entertainment device for the living room” and awards the product an Excellent 8.0 out of 10 rating. [Feb 13, 2008]

MacBook Air “stunning, elegant, and convenient”

Mike Wendland (Detroit Free Press) was “impressed but skeptical” at first. But the skepticism quickly passed after he had the opportunity to take MacBook Air out for a flight test. It’s “an absolute delight to look at and to use,” but it’s “the convenience of the MacBook Air that I think has been underreported,” Wendland observes. “For the corporate worker who runs from meeting to meeting, this is the gadget you want. It’s not much bigger than a legal pad in a binder. And, with Wi-Fi now being standard in most of the corporate world, you have full access to your calendar, your address book, e-mail and the Internet, so you’re never out of touch.” [Feb 13, 2008]

Checking out Apple TV Take Two

Christopher Breen (macworld.com) takes us on a tour of Apple TV that begins with downloading the software update and ends with the big question—”How’s it look?” To which Breen responds, “Darned good.” After renting Live Free or Die Hard. Breen reports that “ the picture is great on my 42-inch Panasonic plasma display. With a digital audio cable connected to my AV receiver the movie caused the receiver’s 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio light to glow and the resulting sound was bigger than anything I’ve heard come out of the box previously.” [Feb 13, 2008]

Curl up with Apple TV and enjoy a romantic movie

From Breakfast At Tiffany’s to Once to Shakespeare in Love, you’ll find plenty of perfectly romantic titles to rent from iTunes. And now that the Apple TV software update is available, you can browse, choose, and rent your Valentine’s evening movie right from a cozy corner of your sofa. Come see how easy it is to update your Apple TV. [Feb 12, 2008]

Apple Releases Aperture 2

Apple today introduced Aperture 2, the next major release of its groundbreaking photo editing and management software. Featuring an improved interface, faster browsing, and enhanced image processing, Aperture 2 delivers more than 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use, and more powerful than ever. Thanks to its new low price of $199, anyone can easily organize, edit, and publish photos like a pro. Owners of previous versions of the software can upgrade to Aperture 2 for just $99. [Feb 12, 2008]

Bento, the “$50 database for the rest of us”

“Bento,” says Stephen H. Wildstrom (businessweek.com) “takes the essence of FileMaker Pro, a database-management program aimed at small- and midsize businesses, and marries it to Mac’s new Leopard operating system. The result is a powerful organizing tool anyone can use.” [Feb 07, 2008]

iPhone finishes a strong second in Q4 phone sales

“Even after being on the market for less than half a year,” reports Nancy Gohring (IDG News Service), “more iPhones sold in the fourth quarter than Windows Mobile phones in the U.S., according to research from Canalys.” The research suggest that “iPhone had 28 percent of the U.S. converged-device market in the fourth quarter of 2007” with Research in Motion coming in with 41% and Windows Mobile phones with a 21% share. [Feb 06, 2008]

Bob LeVitus “still loving the iPhone”

After months of silence, Bob Levitus (Houston Chronicle) wanted to “share my opinion of iPhone after seven months of heavy use.” After saying that he couldn’t “imagine living without one” way back in July, Levitus adds “that is still true today, as well.” Seven months later, he says, “I believe the iPhone is the best darn mobile phone money can buy.” “Where else,” he wonders, could “can you find a world-class phone, plus video, audio, Web and e-mail, all in a single hand-held device with an intuitive user interface?” [Feb 05, 2008]

• “American Idol” Performances Available Exclusively on the iTunes StoreFebruary 18, 2008 5:11 AM PST
• Apple Releases Aperture 2February 12, 2008 5:30 AM PST
• Apple Adds New iPhone & iPod touch ModelsFebruary 5, 2008 5:14 AM PST
• MacBook Air Now ShippingJanuary 30, 2008 9:30 AM PST
• Apple’s 2008 Proxy Statement Now OnlineJanuary 23, 2008 1:22 PM PST
• Apple Reports First Quarter ResultsJanuary 22, 2008 1:30 PM PST
• Apple Adds Pink to the iPod nano LineupJanuary 22, 2008 5:30 AM PST
• Apple Introduces MacBook Air—The World’s Thinnest NotebookJanuary 15, 2008 7:41 AM PST
• More press releases...