MarcForrest.com

Category: Mac

  • [Press Release] Apple Updates MacBook Air, MacBook Pro & reveals New Generation MacBook Pro

    Although no news on when we will see it in SA, Apple announced some exciting changes to their Macbook lineup earlier today at the annual Apple Developer conference WWDC

    SAN FRANCISCO—June 11, 2012—Apple today updated MacBook Air with the latest Intel Core processors, faster graphics and flash storage that is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.* The current generation 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro have also been updated with the latest Intel Core processors and powerful discrete graphics from NVIDIA. Apple’s popular AirPort Express has been redesigned to include features previously available only in AirPort Extreme.

    “Today we’ve updated the entire MacBook line with faster processors, graphics, memory, flash storage and USB 3 connectivity,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve made the world’s best portable family even better and we think users are going to love the performance advances in both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.”

    Available in 11-inch and 13-inch designs, the new MacBook Air features the latest Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors and is perfect for browsing the web, making movies and managing photos. The new integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 is up to 60 percent faster and gives the MacBook Air plenty of power to tackle games and videos.** MacBook Air features flash storage up to four times faster than traditional hard drives for instant-on performance and fast access to your apps and data. Now with 4GB of faster memory, configurable up to 8GB, you can run memory-intensive apps with ease. MacBook Air also features a new FaceTime HD camera that delivers high-definition 720p.

    The 13-inch MacBook Pro features the latest Intel Core i5 or Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz. The 15-inch MacBook Pro features the latest Intel Core i7 quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.7 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with a 1TB hard drive or SSDs up to 512GB that are up to twice as fast as the previous generation.

    MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both feature a high-speed Thunderbolt port and two USB 3.0 ports to easily connect to external displays and a wide variety of high performance peripherals. The 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro deliver up to 7 hours of wireless battery life, and the 11-inch MacBook Air delivers up to 5 hours. Mac notebook batteries use advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology to provide up to 1,000 recharges.***

    The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro ship with OS X Lion. Starting today, customers who purchase a Mac are eligible for a free copy of OS X Mountain Lion when it becomes available. Mountain Lion introduces innovative features including the all new Messages app, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, AirPlay Mirroring, Game Center and the enhanced security of Gatekeeper. With iCloud built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across all your devices.

    Priced at just $99, the new AirPort Express features a completely redesigned compact enclosure and new wireless and connectivity capabilities. Simultaneous dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi allows users to easily create a network that delivers optimal performance and range. The AirPort Express also features an audio-out port to connect external powered speakers or an A/V receiver and use AirPlay to wirelessly stream from iTunes on your Mac or iOS device. A USB 2.0 port allows you to share a printer wirelessly over your network, and an additional ethernet port lets you connect to other computers and network devices. Setup is built right into OS X and iOS and can be done in just a few simple steps, and with AirPort Utility 6.0 for OS X Lion and iOS you can access a visual map of your network for viewing and reconfiguring devices.

    Pricing & Availability
    The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.7 GHz processor, 4GB of memory and is available with 64GB of flash storage starting at $999 (US), and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,099 (US). The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.8 GHz processor, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at $1199 (US), and 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,499 (US). Configure-to-order options include a 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 onboard memory and up to 512GB flash storage.

    The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,199 (US), and with a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory and 750GB hard drive starting at $1,499 (US). The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,799 (US); and with a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, and 750GB hard drive starting at $2,199 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz, additional hard drive capacity up to 1TB, up to 8GB of memory and solid state storage up to 512GB.

     

  • Apple changing eduction with iBooks 2 & iBooks Author

    It seems that the Steve Jobs legend lives on, and Apple today announced something I believe will change the future of eduction in our lives & our children’s lives forever.

    Earlier today Apple announced a new version of their iBooks app (version 2) which now allows you to use and display interactive content in the book, paving the way for text books to be fully interactive in the class. Coupled with this announcement was a new FREE Mac app called iBooks Author which now allows you to create these books & publish them for FREE !!

    Imagine the possibilities !!??

    Also included in the announcement was a new app specifically designed for iTunesU, the “University” section of iTunes which allows educational institutions to publish course in iTunes and make them available for download. The app now gives you a dedicated interface into that part of the store.

    To get an idea of the goodness of these game changing apps, do the following:

    • Download or update to the new version of iBooks. The update is more geared towards the iPad though.
    • iPad Only – Download the FREE interactive text book called – Life on Earth. Here you will get an idea of what the new capabilites of the app are
    • Download the FREE iBooks Author app from the Mac App store. Here you can design and publish your own Textbook. If you that way inclined :)

    I can’t wait to see if South African schools will pick up on this.

    Rural Areas – iPad  – 3G – Free Text Books – Interactive – Apple TV – Airplay —> BOOM ! :) *Just Imagine*
     

  • Buy iTunes music & movies in South Africa

    One of the more frequent questions I get through my site is, “How can I buy music from the iTunes store ?” Because the current South African iTunes store doesn’t allow you buy music, due to regulations in South Africa, you need to get a US iTunes account.

    Getting a US iTunes account is fairly quick & simple, and you need to follow a couple of easy steps to sign up for one. I have posted this before, specifically on how to get apps from the US iTunes store, but you can also use the account for music as well.

    You can download the step-by-step guide by simply tweeting about the guide, with a “pay-with-a-tweet” option

    Or, you can simply download the file directly from ->

    Once you have your account, you will need to top it up using vouchers. I have used a couple of providers in South Africa, and I can say, all of these below are great, and they all deliver the codes instantly

    If you have any issues signing up for the US iTunes account, you can leave a comment below, and I will try and help where I can.

  • 5 cool iOS5 Tips & Tricks

     

    So, today is iOS5 day. I have been using iOS5 for a couple of weeks now, and I can promise that this update is probably the best I have seen of all the updates. There are loads of new features included in this release, and definitely make life a lot easier.

    So, here are a couple of cool tips & tricks I have found over the last few weeks on how to make the best of iOS5. Some of them are a bit different and not your standard stuff. If you want a complete list of over 200 new features & changes, I highly suggest checking out this post on Techzoom.org – iOS 5: Complete List Of 200+ New Features or 15 iOS 5 tips from Cnet.

    1. Keyboard shortcuts

    Hidden deep in the new OS is a nifty feature called Keyboard Shortcuts, which will help you save time when typing the same message over & over. So like an email signature, or  twitter hashtag. As an example, I have setup “omw”, which expands to “On My Way!”. This pops up in the same way as an auto complete.

    To turn this feature on: Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Keyboard -> Add New Shortcut. Very cool :)

    2. iMessage

    iMessage is an awesome new addition which allows instant messaging between iDevices. This also means iPod Touches, iPads & iPhones. For the iPad & iPod Touch you can set an email address (your Apple Account) as your contact address, while the iPhone works with Telephone number & email.

    To make sure iMessage is turned on, go to Settings -> Messages -> iMessage -> On. To add an email address or phone number scroll down on that page, you can also add additional email addresses under the “Receive At” menu

    3. WiFi Sync

    Another cool feature is WiFi sync, which allows you to sync your phone over your WiFi network, ensuring you don’t need to plug it in every time. I can promise you this is a HUGE time saver, and syncing your phone becomes so simple. Apparently the phone also automatically syncs when it is plugged into a power source, although I haven’t used this yet. Another feature is you can now use your iDevice in the background while it is busy syncing. No more waiting hours to finish a sync.

    To set up WiFi Sync, you need to ensure you have ticked the “Sync This iPhone over WiFi” check box in iTunes. You can do this after updating to iOS5 and your phone is still plugged in with a cable.

    To do a manual WiFi Sync from the phone you need to do the following: Settings -> General -> iTunes WiFi Sync -> Sync Now. It will also show you the computer name you are trying to sync to.

    4. Custom Vibrations

    Ok, might seem like a bit of a silly one, but cause I have a bit of a hearing problem in 1 ear, this has def helped me quite a bit. You can also assign a specific vibration pattern to a specific contact. So if my wife phones me, it vibrates differently to other contacts. Soon you can pick up the differences :)

    To set Custom Vibrations on you need to do the following

    Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> And turn Custom Vibrations -> On (Another really cool tip here is to turn LED Flash for Alerts on, so your Camera LED flashes every time you get a call, message, or alert. Aka BB)

    Once you have turned your Custom Vibrations on, you need to go to:  Settings -> Sounds -> Scroll right to the bottom to Vibration Patterns. Click the Vibration button and You will see a list of predefined vibration alerts. You can create your own vibration pattern by tapping “Create new Vibration” And tap your new vibration sequence out. Loads of fun :)

    To assign a Custom Vibration to a contact, go into contacts and edit, and then set the Vibration alert (about halfway down the page)

    5. Notifications

    Probably one of the best features in iOS5 is the new notification centre, which allows you to see any notifications you have received.

    When you receive a notification for any app, missed call or voice mail, you can simply swipe from left to right on the home screen and it will take you directly into that app.

    If you need to see all your previous notifications, on any screen in the phone, you simple drag the top bar (where the time is) down. This will bring up all your notifications from all your apps. And you can clear these by clicking on the x above each app. Tapping on a notification will open that app

    You can also select which apps display on this screen by setting individual alerts under Settings -> Notifications -> And tapping on each app. You can then select a banner alert (top of screen) or Alerts  (old style alerts) You can also set how many alerts per app you want to see, or turn the alerts off completely.

    And that is my top 5 tips & tricks. Of course there are LOADS more. Any cool ones you have picked up on ? Leave a comment below.

     

     

  • Setup iTunes wireless syncing & see purchased songs

    With the release of iOS5 & iCloud earlier today by Apple, a new feature called Automatic Downloads was introduced & it seems that the iTunes syncing & ability to download purchased songs is now available. This means that if you previously downloaded a song, app or book on your iPhone, it will now be available on the iPad & vice versa.

    (Big thanks to @yash0505 who pointed this out to me.Thanks :) )

    To get this set up follow these steps:

    • On your iPhone or iPad go to Settings -> Store
    • You will see a new menu, called Automatic Downloads appears which allows you to turn on what you want to sync
    • Then go into your iTunes app, and you will see a new tab called “Purchased” appears. Here you will see all your previous music that you have bought.
    • You can re-download this music to your device.
    • If you buy any new music, on either device, it will automatically sync to the other
    • Same goes for apps, and you will now see a purchased tab under the update menu on either device.

    This is a huge step up, as previously you could not download your purchased music to another device. Thanks Apple :)