MacLife

Well, whether we like it or believe it, the numbers are in. The folks behind Mytype, a personality-typing application for Facebook (and we all know how accurate those can be) claim to have the scuttlebutt about iPad users. We are, according to a recent survey of 20,000 individuals, pretty terrible people. According to the survey results, if you own an iPad, you're pretty much the Devil:

"When asked about the iPad, these respondents answered that they already bought one or have a certain, near-term intent to buy one. These iPad Owners are best characterized as selfish elites. Wealthier, older and more educated, they are sophisticated, highly value power and achievement, and are not very kind or altruistic."

And what about the folks out there that haven't sprung for an Apple-branded tablet?

"iPad critics, on the other hand, tend to be independent geeks: self-directed young people who look down on conformity and are interested in video games, computers, electronics, science and the internet."

Wealthy, clever, selfish and power hungry. If you've read your Milton, you'll know that what you got there is a lil' bit of Lucifer and--Oh noes!  I own an iPad AND I've read Paradise Lost! Even worse, I spent so much money buying an iPad that now I don't have anything left to hand over to charity! I'm a sort-of educated, non-alturistic hedonist! MyType, you got me pegged!

All sarcasam aside, While the report's numbers might be sound, one must wonder over the presentation of the data. Pigeonholing a group of users as being wealthy elitest is hyperbole designed to elicit an inflammatory response. Suggesting, however, that the individuals surveyed who did not own an iPad tend to be interested in video games, computing, and the internet--all things that the iPad handles amazingly well--is a statement that while pandering to the hearts of iPad haters everywhere, defies logic. How can the key traits of an individual that wants nothing to do with an iPad also be used to describe some of the core features of the tablet? That sort of thing is bound to start a flame war.

And that may well be the point. A quick jaunt over to the company's Wordpress blog shows only two postings: One touting iPad survey results, and the other making snarky over the 2008 presidential elections. Both are hot-button topics for those that care, chosen and posted in the last few weeks, no doubt, to raise the company's public profile. While such tactics make for sound advertising, they detract from the respectability company, and as such, the reliability of the data as a whole.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is currently investigating concerns that the iPhone 3G slows down significantly after the device is upgraded to iOS 4. Though this response comes more than a month too late, it's comforting to know that the Cupertino-based technology giant is looking into resolving this slight annoyance.

Faithful Apple fans have resolved to posting parody videos on YouTube and complaining in the official forums, so it was only a matter of time until the company addressed the issue.

We'd gather that Folders and a unified Inbox are really not worth the hassle of a phone operating at snail-like speeds. For now, we strongly suggest not updating your 3G to iOS 4, and possibly rolling it back if you've already made that step.


Follow this article's author, Florence Ion, on Twitter.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are demanding a response from Apple Japan on the reports that overheating iPod nanos have caused at least 27 incidents in the country. The Japanese iPod nano owners left the iDevice charging for so long, that the battery pack became too hot and began sparking. There have been six different fires and four people burned as a result of this mishap.

Apple's Japan division has yet to issue a public statement, or respond to government questioning and requests for action. 

"The ministry repeatedly asked Apple Japan to take market measures, such as giving warnings or recalling the products, but it has failed to do so," says a Ministry official.

It appears that the iPod nanos in question are 2005 models, but Japan wants to know how many other similar incidents have happened around the world. The problem is believed to have been caused by potentially faulty lithium-ion batteries.

via iPodNN

Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.

Now there's a better way to get your 15 minutes of fame on the internet--literally. YouTube has increased the maximum duration of video clips from 10 minutes to 15 minutes, which means that you've got an extra five minutes to tell the world why you deserve your own reality television show, or why you greatly despise the lol cat meme.

YouTube Partners--companies that have their own channels on the massive video streaming site--have already had the privilege to upload videos longer than 10 minutes, but now the Average Joe will also be able to rant and rave freely on the site's servers.

Well, if anything, this just means you'll be seeing longer videos from Mac|Life in the future. Wahoo! Fifteen minutes of more of your favorite editors.


Follow this article's author, Florence Ion, on Twitter.

It was only a matter of time before someone made this idea a reality. According to iPodNN, Sprint is preparing a case to pair both a MiFi device and an iPod touch in a single design. The device, called the ZTE Peel, would allow the iPod touch and surrounding devices to connect via Wi-Fi to the mobile hotspot.

The FCC filing, which was uncovered late Wednesday, shows a few pictures of the device. And while we don't yet know the full details, the device may be able to charge via a mini USB port on the side. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the iPod touch would attach to the device through the dock connector, which means you will still have to take the iDevice out to charge it.

There have been no rumors surrounding such a device from Sprint, and therefore there have been no leaked news regarding the device.

Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.

(Image courtesy of The Economist)

It’s widely known that Apple fans have an often cultish devotion to their favorite tech company, despite widely known chinks in their armor such as the lack of Adobe Flash playback or a smartphone who’s weakest point is actually keeping a phone call connected -- could religion play a part in that devotion?

FoxNews is reporting that several academics are now calling Apple “the new religion,” claiming that devotion to Cupertino is not a matter of rationality but “a matter of faith.” At least that is the result of a research paper published this month by two professors at Texas A&M University, whose authors propose that the only way to understand the “slavish devotion and over-the-top financial success” of Apple and the iPhone is to understand “its minimalist, white-walled stores as the new churches of the tech generation.”

"The religious-like behavior and language surrounding Apple devotion/fandom is an example of 'implicit religion,'" Professor Heidi Campbell, one of the authors of the study, told FoxNews.com. “Implicit religion” occurs when technology becomes a substitute for belief and behaviors once attached to religion or religious practice, she explains.

Apparently, that means it doesn’t really come down to simply making good products and marketing them well. Despite Apple’s recent “Antennagate” and “death grip” problems on the iPhone, “fans still believe when the leader of the Church of Apple, Steve Jobs, blames consumers for the poor reception of the company’s cell phone (clearly, users are holding their phones incorrectly. In fact, they flock to buy the device despite its serious design flaws.”

The research report also cites some pretty far-out comparisons to the Bible in Apple’s history, comparing the legendary story of Apple’s humble beginnings in a garage to the birth of baby Jesus in a “humble manger” or how Apple CEO Steve Jobs was controversially fired but “rose again to save the company,” or even citing that Apple has always had an “evil archenemy” they compare to the Devil -- first in Microsoft, and today in Google.

As FoxNews points out, there are some great tax breaks in applying for religious status under the First Amendment -- maybe Apple should look into it.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Image courtesy of AppleInsider and iFixIt)

If you thought a trendy new Apple product like the Magic Trackpad would escape the attention of those disassemblers at iFixIt, you’re sadly mistaken. Barely a couple days in the retail world, and already they’ve taken one apart and have the pictures to prove it.

AppleInsider is reporting that iFixIt has completed their teardown of Apple’s new Magic Trackpad, less than two days after its release. But before you get the idea to do the same, be forewarned: The diminutive wafer-like device is bound together by “copious amounts of glue, making it difficult to disassemble.” And that’s from the pros!

Apple’s $69 Magic Trackpad appears to follow the recent trend out of Cupertino, which iFixIt calls “thin and pretty = not user serviceable.” The device does have one user-replaceable area, which of course is the battery -- two AA batteries, to be exact, which slide into the cylindrical base at the upper end of the trackpad. You don’t have to be an iFixIt pro to do that -- just twist the battery door on the rear left of the device with a flathead screwdriver and you’re in.

Getting inside the actual Magic Trackpad itself was something of a challenge. After prying away the lower panel, iFixIt found layers of adhesive that had to be sliced away in order to disassemble the hardware. Other potential pitfalls include two “very thin” ribbon cables that connect the capacitive touchpad to the logic board, which are stuck to the bottom of the touch surface itself.

More glue awaited the iFixIt team as they tried to remove the outer touchpad from the aluminum chassis, requiring the use of a heat gun to warm up the adhesive. “This is not for the faint of heart,” iFixIt explained. “A copious amount of heat, guitar picks and plastic opening tools were required to make this thing bulge.”

As noted in many early reviews, the Magic Trackpad has a rather unique way of triggering the mouse button -- pressing down on the pad “actually clicks the two rubber feet on the front of the device” which creates a familiar “click.”

After removing solder from the four wires leading to the battery connector and status LED and unscrewing two Phillips screws, the logic board was revealed to include a Broadcom BCM2042 chip for the wireless Bluetooth connectivity. This is the same chip found in Apple’s Magic Mouse. The Magic Trackpad gets its multitouch magic from a BCM5974 chip -- the same one used in the iPhone, iPod touch and MacBook Air. Last but not least, the trackpad also includes 2Mbit of serial flash memory.

For all of the gory details on the Magic Trackpad disassembly, head over to iFixIt and enjoy!

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Image courtesy of ObamaPacman.com)

It seems like only yesterday when The Wall Street Journal’s own Walt Mossberg was praising the iPhone 4 just prior to its release, calling it “the best device in its class.” A lot has happened since then but one thing remains the same: Mossberg still “hearts” his iPhone 4 -- most of the time.

AppleInsider is reporting that The Wall Street Journal tech guru Walt Mossberg has done a followup to his original review of the iPhone 4, weighing in on the six weeks he’s spent with the device during the “Antennagate” PR nightmare and Apple’s response that free cases will solve the issue.

Actually, make that two iPhone 4s -- Mossberg compares the signal on the original device that Apple gave him to review, as well as his own personal model which has since been updated to iOS 4.0.1 to fix the signal bars error that Apple claims is at the heart of most of the “death grip” problems. The tech scribe mostly comes away with the same conclusion: In areas with “average or strong AT&T coverage,” the iPhone 4 generally performs better than the iPhone 3GS.

The downside is that, in areas with weak coverage, Mossberg feels that his iPhone 3GS performs better than either of his new iPhone 4 handsets -- the 3GS dropped less calls and showed a “No Service” status less frequently. Mossberg also notes, however, that Apple claims their customer reports are quite the opposite.

What it comes down to is that Mossberg doesn’t recommend the iPhone 4 for people in poor AT&T reception areas, claiming that AT&T “operates a network that has trouble connecting and maintaining calls in many cities.”

Finally, on the subject of the fabled “death grip,” Mossberg seems to feel it’s much ado about nothing. While Mossberg was indeed able to get the signal bars to “fluctuate” by gripping it a certain way, the actual call quality remained the same and failed to drop. In some cases, the signal bars actually rose when his fingers covered the left-hand seam that Apple has identified as the iPhone 4’s Achilles heel.

So there you have it: Walt Mossberg says there’s no problem, nothing to see here… so everybody move along now.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Image courtesy of Endgadget)

If you still maintain a hold on the iPhone 3G and made the upgrade to iOS 4, you might have noticed some performance issues with your device.  Well, so have countless others apparently, and Apple is looking into it.  A spokeswoman for Apple told The Wall Street Journal that Apple is aware of the reports of the issues.

Many users of the device have made mention of several problems after they made the jump to iOS, with problems such as slowness, a decreased battery life and overheating.  This has led to increased frustration amongst users.

"This phone has gone from being a dream to constantly annoying me.  Not a way to make friends.  I would upgrade to an iPhone 4, but I'm feeling pretty angry that Apple has forced my hand by making my 3G unusable," mentioned one user on an Apple forum.

Are there any 3G users out there that made the iOS leap experiencing the same problems?  Do you feel like Apple has "forced your hand?"  Feel free to leave some comments below!

via AppleInsider

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With this weeks refresh of the iMac and Mac Pro line, Apple chose ATI graphics cards, no longer offering even an option of NVIDIA graphic chips. There's a lot of rumors as to why Apple made the switch to ATI-exclusive graphics, but new speculation leads to believe that Apple was able to achieve a larger graphics performance boost from the ATI cards instead of NVIDIA cards.

According to AppleInsider, who actually got in touch with ATI for comment, Apple placed a ATI Radeon HD 5770, with 1GB of GDDR5 memory card as the default option for the Mac Pro. This is a huge performance boost as Apple normally places a lower-end card in the base models of Mac Pros.

"This round they actually moved that up (and chose the 5770), so the default is actually a very, very capable product on its own," said David Baumann, product manager for AMD's graphics division.

The ATI 5770 is the equivalent to the previous years' high-end model graphics card.

On the iMac side of things, the default card is the ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM. This means that all of the iMacs now have discrete graphics, instead of an integrated solution.

Icrontic doesn't believe that NVIDIA cards are gone forever, though. They believe that we could see the cards reappear in the default configurations in 2012, when it is time for product refreshes again.

Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.

Earlier this week, the new unibody Mac mini went on sale in Taiwan. However, Apple accidentally listed the Mac mini with 8GBs of RAM for $19,900 NT (~ $621.77 in US currency), but was supposed to be priced at $47,000 NT (~ $1468.51 US). This of course, led to a blunder in Apple's history as the company raised the purchase price on orders from the $19,900 NT to $47,000 NT.

As you might imagine, customers were none too happy about this. With many people threatening lawsuits, and complaints from a regional organization called the Consumer Foundation, Apple has decided to honor the mispriced Mac mini at $19,900 NT.

Like with all good deals, there is a catch. You can only get one Mac mini at the wrong price, and as the pricing mistake was only on the educational store, buyers must confirm their student eligibility.

via MacNN

Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.

Best Buy is allegedly tacking on free invisibleSHIELD 4Fix films to iPhone 4 customers complaining about iPhone 4 reception problems. The invisibleSHIELD is really only supposed to cover the front and back of the handheld, though this package also includes transparent films that you affix to your iPhone 4's anttena band. How this prevents iPhone 4 reception loss is anyone's guess.

It is not clear whether you have to had purchased your iPhone 4 from Best Buy to receive this offer (it's still not clear whether or not this is really going on), but you may certainly test this theory and let us know if it worked for you int he comment below. If anything, this could entirely be plausible because Best Buy wants to deter customers from returning iPhone 4 units and going to Apple for the free bumpers.

Via Macnn

Follow this article's author, Florence Ion, on Twitter.

Microsoft announced today that they will begin a video series showing off the various new features in Office 2011. The first video, which was just placed online, shows the Outlook Conversation View and the new Template Gallery that launches when you open an application.

The Template Gallery enables you to pick a template with built-in designs and several thousands to choose from online, while the Conversation View allows you to sort emails with ease. The new database, which is Spotlight-friendly, also enables for a quick search through your files.

In addition, Outlook 2011 is Time Machine capable, allowing you to backup files with ease. There's also a new Ribbon feature that is an evolution of the bar that was created in version 2008. This feature was met with some uncertainty from PC users, so it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft manages to implement it into Mac OS X.

You can see the video on the Mac Mojo blog (embedded below). This is the same place where more videos will be posted in the future.

iPhone 4 users, there may be a solution for your proximity sensor issues. The iOS 4.1 Beta 2 is rumored to be the big update that Steve Jobs promised us at the Apple iPhone 4 press conference weeks ago. But of course, this not based on any concrete evidence, just sheer speculation.

In case you're unaware, the proximity sensor problem stems from the fact that the touchscreen on the phone does not fade out during a phone call, so your ear or cheek could accidentally hang up on your buddy on the other line.

Since no one wants this happening, there will hopefully be an update to fix this issue very soon.

Via 9to5Mac


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If you thought Apple had exhausted its goody bag for the week with new hardware on Tuesday, think again. Wednesday morning, Apple made available a Safari 5.0.1 update, with the major new addition being a Safari Extensions Gallery and a whole lotta third-party extensions from major players like Twitter, Bing, eBay and more.

Apple has had a busy week, but Safari lovers haven’t been left out of the fun. Run (don’t walk!) to your Software Update and you’ll discover the yummy goodness of Safari 5.0.1 awaits you. A short restart of your computer later, and you’ll find the Cracker Jack “surprise inside” -- the Safari Extensions Gallery is now open for business, and its shelves are stocked with something for everyone.

“Extensions are a great way for you to add new features to Safari 5.0.1,” Apple’s Safari Extensions Gallery web page boasts. “Built by developers, Safari Extensions use the latest HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript web technologies. And they’re digitally signed and sandboxed for improved security. You can install extensions with one click -- no need to restart Safari.”

Among the first extensions out of the gate are Twitter for Safari, Bing Highlights, breaking news updates from The New York Times and Fox News (how’s that for bipartisan?), 1-Click Weather from The Weather Channel, eBay, Amazon Wish List and a whole lot more.

The full change log for Safari 5.0.1 reveals some other hidden gems and bug fixes as well:

• More accurate Top Hit results in the Address Field
• More accurate timing for CSS animations
• Better stability when using the Safari Reader keyboard shortcut
• Better stability when scrolling through MobileMe Mail
• Fixes display of multipage articles from www.rollingstone.com in Safari Reader
• Fixes an issue that prevented Google Wave and other websites using JavaScript encryption libraries from working correctly on 32-bit systems
• Fixes an issue that prevented Safari from launching on Leopard systems with network home directories
• Fixes an issue that could cause borders on YouTube thumbnails to disappear when hovering over the thumbnail image
• Fixes an issue that could cause Flash content to overlap with other content on www.facebook.com, www.crateandbarrel.com, and other sites when using Flash 10.1
• Fixes an issue that prevented boarding passes from www.aa.com from printing correctly
• Fixes an issue that could cause DNS prefetching requests to overburden certain routers
• Fixes an issue that could cause VoiceOver to misidentify elements of webpages

We don’t know about you, but we like seeing the words “more,” “better” and “fixes” so many times in our change logs. Safari 5.0.1 is available to download now from the Apple website or via Software Update and requires Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 or later or Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8 or later. It’s also available for your Windows-loving friends, so go get it!

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

If publishers were looking to Apple and the iPad to save the dying print industry, they probably realize now there are a few roadblocks to deal with along the way. One of them is Apple themselves, who is thus far refusing to allow publishers to sell magazine subscriptions within their applications.

AppleInsider is reporting that publishers have become increasingly frustrated with Apple’s business model for the App Store as the company is blocking their efforts to sell subscriptions on their publications without an explanation.

It appears to have started last month, when publisher Time Inc. submitted a subscription version of their Sports Illustrated iPad app, only to see it rejected by Apple at the last minute. According to MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka, the magazine was then forced to sell single copies of the publication, which come with a higher price tag.

The irony is that the publishers are only trying to give the people what they want: Reviews for magazines like Sports Illustrated are “overwhelmingly negative” due to the current $4.99 per issue price tag, with 97 out of 146 reviews giving the slick application only one star (the average is only two stars).

"Not gonna pay what SI charges per issue," user Russ1409 writes in a user review. "Lower the cost, SI, get behind the new technology, but don't gouge us."

The reality is that Time Inc. executives “have been going nuts” trying to get Apple to approve subscriptions, which have historically been a major part of their business model -- not only for recurring revenue, but also for customer data used in advertising. Time Inc. officials were reportedly “startled” by Apple’s chilly reception after making a major effort to reach out to them.

"So what happened?" Kafka queries. "The Time Inc. insiders I talked to don't have a clear answer, presumably because they can’t get one from Apple itself. One theory: Apple is concerned about the publisher’s plans for the consumer data it would collect with each subscription. A darker one: Steve Jobs loves the idea of digital magazines and wants to control the market for himself."

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Image and Video courtesy of TUAW and Chris Pinnock)

Ever thought about lining up a member of each of the four generations of iPhone and shooting some video of how they compare to each other? Well, a fellow by the name of Chris Pinnock did, and it’s a rather entertaining little gem for iPhone fans.

TUAW is reporting that Vimeo user Chris Pinnock has created a five-minute video showing off four generations of iPhone lined up against each other running various apps and clocking the time they take to perform the same tasks simultaneously.

Featured in the video are the original 2007 iPhone (commonly referred to as the “2G” model or “the one that started it all”), the 2008 iPhone 3G which really kicked off Apple’s run for the top of the smartphone hill, the 2009 iPhone 3GS sequel (“bigger, stronger, faster”) and finally, this year’s troubled yet truly beautiful iPhone 4.

The four generations of iPhone are pitted against each other in various tasks such as launching the game Plants vs. Zombies and Google Earth, with the older models going left to right. At times it makes for an entertaining view, as the iPhone 4 on the right pretty much smokes the others, then the screens gradually update from right to left until the older original iPhone plays catch-up.

It goes without saying (but we will anyway) that the iPhone 4 is faster than the older models: Plants vs. Zombies was ready to play in only 8.5 seconds, and the original iPhone took 26 seconds to reach the same point. Google Earth was ready to map in 21.4 seconds, where the original iPhone took a hair over 37 seconds -- not as dramatic a gap as you might expect, though.

But there just so happens to be one area where the original iPhone can lift its head proudly. The elder handset took only 8.2 seconds to shutdown, whereas last year’s model was the speed champ at starting up in only 26.4 seconds. Take that, iPhone 4!

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Once you get a certain reputation for knowing things about computers, it isn’t long before your grandpa or your Aunt Marge out in Skokie are calling up, wanting you to help them remotely. The phone rings constantly as relatives, older co-workers, maybe even that cute girl who lives two blocks over (you wish), call up. Here’s the thing, though: getting them to navigate where they need to go to gather information about their system can be a real chore. Not anymore.

Sure, you’ve got all this data memorized, maybe even made it your forum tagline, but not everyone is quite, ahem, as into their computers as you are. Via Lifehacker, Support Details is website that does a quick and easy system check and coughs up a bunch of details about your browser, your OS version, even if you have Java and cookies enabled. And while that stuff may be old hat for some, Support Details goes it one further, offering options to export as a PDF, as a CSV, or to email the details. Direct your noobs in question to the site, have ‘em plug in your email, press send, and you’re on your way.

Now if we could just find a way to stop people from installing toolbars....

If you were sick of all those Facebook games showing up in your friend feed, well maybe now you'll be less inclined to "hide" them all. Today, Disney announced that it purchased Playdom, the makers of games like Social City, Sorority Life and Market Street, for $563 Million.

Disney is excited to expand its "already-robust digital game portfolio" and looks forward to providing new games for social networking addicts to click away at during their off time at work. Playdom now has 15 different development studios and the company will keep its headquarters in scenic Mountain View, California, miles away from Apple's Cupertino campus.

"We see strong growth potential in bringing together Playdom’s talented team and capabilities with our great creative properties, people and world-renowned brands like Disney, ABC, ESPN and Marvel," said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. "This acquisition furthers our strategy of allocating capital to high-growth businesses that can benefit from our many characters, stories and brands, delivering them in a creatively compelling way to a new generation of fans on the platforms they prefer."

Hopefully, those cafe- and farm-type games will turn into online versions of The Lion King and Aladdin, two of this editor's favorite Disney movies. It'd be even better if they made them just as spectacular as the Sega Genesis games of the early nineties.

Via Industry Gamers



Follow this article's author, Florence Ion, via Twitter.

Well, in light of all of the happy-go-lucky Apple hardware news, something was bound to go wrong somewhere. Bloomberg is reporting that apple is facing a brand new lawsuit over complaints that the iPad heats too quickly in direct sunlight. The complaint was filed on Friday of last week in Oakland, California and claims that the Apple tablet device "does not live up to the reasonable consumer's expectations created by Apple" because it "overheats so quickly under common weather conditions."

The re[prt added that in direct sunlight, the tablet turns off after a few minutes of use because it overheats.

Apple has a support document all about overheating of their iDevices on their site, and it has been updated to include the latest iPhone 4 and iPad mobile devices.


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