26 posts filed under this category.
Apple’s relative secrecy regarding the iPhone platform and distribution policies have caused market uncertainties in need of some further clarity. In this post I will examine the iPhone OS 2.0 platform and the iPhone App Store from the point of view of Apple and other hosted storefront providers.
I am organizing a dinner for Mac small business owners and developers on Wednesday, January 10, at Chaat Cafe in San Francisco starting at 6:30 p.m. Next week’s dinner extends the tradition of MacSB meetings held during each year’s Macworld and WWDC conferences in San Francisco, bringing together small software businesses within the Mac developer ecosystem to meet face-to-face, reflect on Apple announcements, and share tips and war stories. Chaat Cafe is located at 320 3rd Street (corner of 3rd and Folsom) in downtown San Francisco, one block from Macworld and the Moscone conference center. The restaurant has free WiFi…
Apple released a developer beta version of Dashcode, a widget development environment included in its upcoming Leopard operating system. The preview software is available for Tiger until July. (via Brent Simmons) Dashcode lets anyone design a new widget through a drag and drop interface or by directly editing the underlying code. Bundled widget templates include a countdown timer, latest items from a web feed, web feed single item view, podcast, photocast, and an activity monitor. Dashcode will debug your Dashboard widget code placing all of your files within the appropriate package and generates additional nice touches such as a…
The next version of Apple’s server software, codenamed Leopard Server, includes a few new features for the early adopter web crowd and their organizations. Ruby on Rails, podcast production, wikis, blogs, and grid computing are just some of the features built-in to the new server OS. The new features redefine what’s possible away from a Microsoft-centered world of Exchange and Sharepoint, opening new possibilities through a combination of open-source software, industry-standard protocols, and Apple’s friendly interface and design. Small workgroups using Macs or Windows should be able to rack an Xserve and be happy. Web server Leopard server has…
Mac OS X open-source community site OpenDarwin announced it will shut down in the next couple months. The site was the center of discussion and development of WebKit (the code behind Apple’s Safari browser and Nokia’s Series 60 browser), DarwinPorts, and other projects. It’s too bad the projects will now all disperse, and I can’t help but wonder if the move was influenced by something to be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in a few weeks….
Mac geek Dan Lurie took his PowerBook to Squid Labs yesterday for a custom laser-etched cover. Dan designed a tag cloud full of Web 2.0 buzzwords for the world to see. He’ll definitely have fun at the next Web geek gathering. I have a feeling most of the buzzwords will end up a historical blip like so many of the companies in the Monopoly .com edition I have at home. If you’re coming to San Francisco for WWDC start designing your etched covers now! There are a few laser etching shops in the Bay area….
I like the new Get a Mac ads Apple introduced tonight. The messages are simple and conversational with just one or two competitive points each. Less viruses, less restarting, better applications built-in for editing photos and websites, as easy as your iPod, simple connectivity, and a really good value are the themes communicated throughout. The Get a Mac campaign also promotes podcasting support as a good reason to switch….
Om and I received a variety of feedback last week as podcast listeners stood up against research reports about podcasts and their audiences. Some people thought a 20-minute discussion of hot tech news was just right and others wanted even shorter, more digestible chunks. This week Om and I recorded two 10-minute podcasts to try something new and introduce a little variety. It was also tough to pick just one topic this week since both Apple and Google had big announcements last Wednesday. You’re being watched Your cellular carrier knows where you are at all times. Pinpointing your location helps…
If you are a Mac developer and received a developer transition kit from Apple you can now exchange the old system for a new Intel-based iMac. Apple will send out the 17″ iMac first, allowing you to transition all your work off the old box, and Apple will even pick up all shipping costs. Sweet deal. The developer transition kit gives you a $1300 iMac for about $1000. Tags: imac…
I am organizing a dinner for Mac small business owners and developers on Wednesday, January 11, at Chaat Cafe in San Francisco starting at 7 p.m. I want to bring together the small businesses attending the conference for face-to-face discussion and sharing of ideas among other people who have probably used your software and read your blog but might have never met face-to-face. I enjoyed the lunch meeting during this year’s WWDC and want to keep the conversation flowing. Chaat Cafe is located at 320 3rd Street (corner of 3rd and Folsom) in downtown San Francisco, one block from…
I had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Reinacker and Brent Simmons to talk about the NewsGator and its recent acquisition of Ranchero Software. I spent about 30 minutes with Greg and Brent talking about how they decided to work together, how NetNewsWire contributes to NewsGator’s product strategy and revenue goals, and what changes we can expect from both sides in the near future. I asked a few questions Greg and Brent had never discussed and there are definitely a few details yet to be worked out. We also talked about Nick Bradbury and NewsGator’s acquisition of Bradbury…
I just created a new application icon for OS X using the NewsGator logo. Here’s how you swap logos for NetNewsWire: Find the NetNewsWire application on your hard drive. It is most likely in your Applications folder. Right-click, and select “Show Package Contents.” Open the “Contents” folder. Open the “Resources” folder. Replace the existing appIcon.icns with the new NewsGator icon (you may want to back up your existing copy). Launch NetNewsWire. Yes, it could be more pretty with transparencies, so feel free to modify if you like the idea. Tags: netnewswire, icon…
NewsGator Technologies has a new page on their site about the acquisition of NetNewsWire. Brent Simmons, the creator of NetNewsWire, will be joining the NewsGator team as a product architect according to a release on the NewsGator site. Om Malik scooped the news last night. The phrasing of the announcement is around NetNewsWire only. I presume NewsGator has acquired all of Ranchero software, including products such as editing software MarsEdit, and not just NetNewsWire. NewsGator Technologies now produces software in C#, ASP.net, Delphi, and Objective C. Lack of a unified codebase and the company’s reliance on one engineer per…
I just got back from lunch with about twenty-five Macintosh small business owners and developers visiting San Francisco for this week’s WWDC. We talked for about ninety minutes about common business problems and people shared their experiences with running a small business selling applications for the Macintosh operating system. Some quick notes: If no one complains about your pricing, you priced too low. Higher pricing usually leads to lower support requests. Most software publishers allow users to use trial versions of their software before making a purchase. eSellerate dominates as a payment provider but most developers choose to use…
Apple is offering pre-orders for upcoming albums such as Coldplay’s X&Y (planned release is June 7). You cannot preview any of the tracks on the album through the store even though the first single, Speed of Sound, is currently available for purchase. Apple is trying to get people to order digital music files for future delivery. The iTunes album includes a two exclusive pre-oder tracks, a digital booklet — liner notes? — and a video file. I presume iTunes will download the album the first time the application is launched on or after the full availability of the release. I…
I just upgraded my PowerBook to OS 10.4.1. Safari now supports the second Acid Test! Nevermind, I posted too quickly after I thought I had found the proper rendering. Sorry about that, nothing to see here.
I just got home from the Tiger launch at the flagship Apple Store in San Francisco.
Mac OS X Server version 10.4 (codename Tiger) will feature a weblog server. The Weblog server provides users with calendar-based navigation and customizable themes, is fully compatible with Safari RSS and enables posting entries using built-in web-based functionality or with weblog clients that support XML-RPC or the ATOM API. The Weblog Server, based on the popular open source project “Blojsom,” works with Open Directory for user accounts and authentication….
Mac OS X Tiger, Apple’s next operating system release, will include a RSS aggregator as part of Safari. Support for “RSS 0.9, RSS 1, RSS 2 and Atom.” Apple has a movie online demonstrating the new RSS functions. Interesting that Atom is a side note on a supported format list. What does the bundling of an RSS aggregator with a Mac OS mean for independent software developers? Safari RSS, in its current form, looks like Bloglines. Desktop applications will have a year to innovate and make their products more attractive to power users. There is still room for applications…
Gizmodo has a picture from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference of banners directly targeted at Microsoft and its upcoming Longhorn operating system….
Apple released Mac OS X v10.3.4 update today. Key enhancements: Improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PPTP, and wireless networksimproved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics driversImproved disc burning and recording functionalityiPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSyncAdditional FireWire audio and USB device compatibilityUpdated Address Book, Mail, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications…
Next month’s Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference features a bird of a feather meeting on RSS, Web Services and Online Content in Cocoa Apps. I do not have a conference pass, but I will try to attend the exhibits and this BoF. This BoF discussion delves into recent developments in desktop applications that integrate with content and services on the Internet. Such applications include RSS readers like Shrook and NetNewsWire and weblog editing tools like Ecto and Xjournal. Come get answers and share ideas about rich network client design and implementation….
I installed Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac last night. Notice how Microsoft’s site was last updated a month ago, and even though I have the product on my computer and it is selling in stores (#6 top seller on Amazon), I cannot read about the new program features on Microsoft’s own Web site. Bloggers within Microsoft did more to promote the released product than Microsoft corporate! [Update: 10:05 PM] Microsoft Office 2004 for the Mac is now live on Microsoft’s site….
Pearl Jam creates its own live concert DVDs using Apple software and hardware. Apple profiles Pearl Jam’s content production process. I don’t know that there would be three Pearl Jam DVDs if not for this type of technology. It allows people to do on their own what they were previously forced to hire from experts….
Apple will introduce a spoken interface as part of the next major relaease of OS X. (via Jason Kottke)…
Apple today released OS X 10.3.3 via Software Update and standalone installer. Now supports Bluetooth 1.5, AppleTalk Browsing is now on by default, and many more features….