On the same day that Apple posted the Software Development Kit (SDK) that third-party developers can use to create image editing plug-ins for Aperture 2.1, the first image editing plug-ins from third-party developers have arrived and several others are expected to appear shortly.
In what columnist Glenn Derene (popularmechanics.com) billed as the "Ultimate Lab Test for New Desktops & Laptops," both the iMac and MacBook soundly outperformed Vista-running PCs. "In our speed trials," reports Derene, "Leopard OS trounced Vista in all-important tasks such as boot-up, shutdown and program-launch times. We even tested Vista on the Macs using Apple's platform-switching Boot Camp software"and found that both Apple computers ran Vista faster than our PCs did.
Preview, says Bob Levitus (chron.com) has "always been a gem. But in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, it's turned into a real powerhouse with many new and useful features." For example, Preview's "Mark Up icon provides a drop-down menu with highlighting, strike-through and underlining tools, all fantastic for editing text. " And, Levitus points out, you'll find tools for annotating PDFs, reordering pages in a PDF, and several other new and highly useful features.
Calling it "a small, thin, unobtrusive box that fetches music, photos and videos from your home network using either a wired or a wireless connection," Walt Mossberg lauds Apple TV in a response to a question submitted to his "Mailbox." Not only does it work "with any computer, Windows or Mac, that has Apple's free iTunes software installed and running," but it "also allows you to access YouTube and to purchase music and TV shows from Apple, and rent movies from Apple, without the use of a computer."
Though many people equate backing up with "doing taxes or changing the oil," Dwight Silverman (Houston Chronicle) wants us to know that "Apple has come up with a hardware and software combination that makes backups almost effortless." Silverman's talking about Time Capsule " which offers high-speed wireless backup to a 500GB or 1TB hard drive " and Time Machine. An automatic backup utility, Time Machine is built right into Mac OS X Leopard, and Silverman considers it "the simplest backup solution available, bar none."
For the fourth year in a row, Apple celebrates the Tribeca Film Festival and the spirit of independent filmmaking with a series of free events at the Apple Store, SoHo. From Filmmaker Talks (featuring such speakers as Paul Haggis, Tony Gilroy, and other actors, screenwriters, and directors) to filmmaking workshops (at the SoHo, West 14th Street, and Fifth Avenue Apple Retail Stores) all the events are free and open to the public. If you're in New York later this month, be sure to drop in and enjoy the festivities.
Macworld editor Jim Dalrymple has "been writing about the Mac for more than a decade." The long-time guitarist also likes "to write and play blues-based hard rock." Now, marrying the knowledge he has of Mac products with his love of music, Jim Dalrymple's decided to write an album he plans to release worldwide on iTunes. "I'll start with writing songs in GarageBand," and he'll keep us apprised of the process " and the Mac applications and peripherals that help him get the job done " in the Creative Notes blog he writes for Macworld. This is the first installment of those posts.
At the end of the day, I don't think you can currently do better than what Aperture has to offer," concludes Erik Vlietinck (it-enquirer.com) in his review of Aperture 2.1. "It has a strong management system, excellent adjustments, a near-perfect RAW engine that gets basic corrections right in 99.90% of the cases as far as I can see, and support for plug-ins." In awarding the application a five-star (out of five) rating, he applauds its " vastly more streamlined" interface and its "dramatic speed boost." And he points out that the quality of Aperture's "built-in RAW adjustments " even in automatic mode " is simply stunning."
You created a great presentation in Keynote "08, and now you're ready to hit the road with it. But before you go, take a few minutes to save your presentation in multiple formats. You may not know what equipment or conditions await you at your next stop, but Keynote lets you prepare for just about anything. Find out how by watching the latest Quick Tip of the Week.
If you've seen The Simpsons, you've seen the work of Rough Draft Studios. In fact, the Glendale, CA-based animation powerhouse has been churning out hit after animated hit for decades. And they're just as animated about the Macs they use. Says Scott Vanzo, Director of CGI and Chief Technology Officer at Rough Draft. "The work we do involves everything from traditional 2D animation to 3D CGI to video editing. An iMac can be an office machine one day, and the next day it can be put into production. Every Mac in the studio can do what we need it to do. There simply isn't another platform out there that can do as much as the Mac."
Take it from Mike Wendland (freep.com). If you don't back up, scary things could happen to your photos, music, and all your documents. Though backing up used to be a tedious affair, Time Capsule has made it amazingly easy. "Time Capsule automatically backs up everything, every hour, every day so you no longer have to worry about losing your digital life." In fact, Wendland is so impressed, he calls Time Capsule "the most advanced backup device and WiFi station I have ever seen."
In that folder filled with photos, how can you quickly find the one you want " without even launching an application? With Quick Look. One of the great new features of Mac OS X Leopard, Quick Look lets you scan a collection of images, text files, PDF documents, movies, Keynote presentations, Mail attachments, and Microsoft Word and Excel files. Find out how you can take advantage of Quick Look in the latest Quick Tip of the Week.
Thanks to Mac OS X Leopard, its even easier to collaborate with others on your network. Not only does Leopard facilitate the sharing of files, it also lets you start interactive screen sharing sessions. Screen sharing offers a great solution for training a co-worker or running a Keynote presentation on a networked Mac clear across the room. Watch the latest Quick Tip of the Week to learn more.
"If you use iTunes," writes Eliot Van Buskirk, "you should consider the AirPort Express." That's because the diminutive base station not only "supports faster 802.11n wireless networks" and "enables easy printer sharing." It also facilitates "quick-and-easy iTunes streaming." Just "plug the Airport Express into a wall outlet near your stereo, run a single cable" (analog or digital) "to your sound system, run the configuration software, and you're all set."
Says David Pogue (nytimes.com). Waxing enthusiastic about the forthcoming iPhone 2.0 software, Pogue explains that following its release, "there will be thousands of iPhone programs, covering every possible interest." And they'll be available 24/7 since "Apple will preinstall the iPhone Apps Store right on every phone." The move will turn iPhone into "an engineering tool, a game console, a free-calls Skype phone, a business tool, a dating service, an e-book reader, a chat room, a database, an Etch-a-Sketch," and, Pogue predicts "a gigantic success."