Rumors Has It

Just as predicted, by several tech bloggers, Apple has sent out invitations for an Apple event to be held on March 7th. This event will be used to announce the next generation iPad – the iPad 3. There is confirming rumors that this event may also yield a new Apple TV set-top-box device and possibly a new audio format to be used with iCloud and/or iTunes Match.

The event is scheduled to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco next Wednesday at 10 AM PST. The invitation reads, ”We have something you really have to see. And touch.”

Rumors of the next iPad include a new Retina type high-resolution screen, longer battery life, 4G connectivity, better front and back cameras, and either a faster dual-core or new quad-core processor. There has been no rumors about any new iOS update, but that is not really expected until the next iPhone.

Apple normally does not live-stream their events, but you can follow along through sites like MacWorld, Engadget, and Gizmodo. Check out these sites on the morning of the event. Twit.tv will also likely to have live coverage.

The Apple Steamroller

Apple’s announcement of the next ‘big cat’ OS X seemed to come out of the blue. Apple usually isn’t this good at keeping big secrets. They usually leak out in the rumor sites just before Apple officially makes an announcement, but this time they fooled everyone. The good news is that it should be out this summer (Aug.-Sept.). The bad news is that your Mac might not be able to run it.

Apple has a long history of abandoning ship and jumping into something new, no matter the cost. That is exactly what it will do to you – cost you. If you want to have all the latest toys, latest Apps, and latest OS, then you have to keep buying new hardware.

Here is a case in point. Let’s say you have a nice shinny white polycarbonate 24-inch Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. This Mac was made from 2006 through 2007. If you bought it right at the end, this Mac is at least 4 years old. Now let’s say you just bought a new iPhone 4S. It requires, on the Mac, OS X 10.5.8 or better and iTunes 10.5 or better.

OS X – The Next Generation

It’s going to happen. Your Mac is going to be just like the iPad. Well, that might be a bit too strong, but with Apple recent announcement of the next ‘big cat’ OS X version, iOS is still coming to the desktop.

Announced this week, we now know the next OS X is to be called Mountain Lion. When Apple went from Leopard to Snow Leopard, the idea was that it was not a full blown, hundreds of new features update. Just because Apple put Mountain in front of Lion, I wouldn’t assume that 10.8 is going to be some small update.

There looks to be plenty of new things in Mountain Lion. Most of which are going to look very familiar to iPad users. These include more iCloud integration, Messages (formerly iChat), Notifications, Airplay, and Game Center.

Security looks to be a bigger concern in Mountain Lion. A new feature called Gatekeeper is there to help validate software downloads. This is a way to help keep out Malware (which there are very few of at the moment).

Twitter will be more integrated into the OS. By having the OS in tune with social sites like Twitter just makes it easier to share things with your network of online friends and colleagues.

Airplay looks like it could be very interesting. If you are lucky enough to have an iPad and an Apple TV then you probably already know how cool Airplay can be. Starting with Mountain Lion, it looks like any Mac running 10.8 will be able to send its video output to an Apple TV 2 allowing you to watch video on a big screen TV without having to mess with all those wires and settings. The cool part will be if you can actually mirror the Mac’s screen on a TV. Just think of gaming – that’s all that needs to be said.

Apple stated a summer release for Mountain Lion. I haven’t been able to find any pricing details yet, but since the last two OS X releases have been $30, I would expect Mountain Lion to be the same.

Airport App

The original iPad touted the post-PC era, but you still needed a computer at home to activate it and backup your data. Not what I would call post-PC. When Apple released iOS 5, along with their new iCloud service, the iPad really did bring us into the post-PC era.

Apple sells two types of iPads. They have a 3G version, which is available with either AT&T or Verizon cellular data. The other type only has WiFi networking. If you don’t have Internet coming into your house, then you need to decide on whether to use only 3G connectivity, or get a high-speed Internet connection in your house.

There is, or was, a small problem if you wanted to have WiFi in your house without a computer. Most WiFi systems require a computer for configuration. Apple recently released an App for iOS for configuring an Airport Base Station. Now you can use an Airport WiFi router without a computer, just an iPad.

The WiFi only iPads are less expensive than the 3G models. The base WiFi only iPad 2 is $499, while the 3G model is $629. If you think you can survive without 3G (and GPS, which is only available with 3G models), then you can save some bucks going WiFi only. Hopefully you can get high-speed Internet (probably DSL) into your house less than the monthly 3G data plan. Just remember, when you are out on the road, you will need to find an free WiFi hotspot to get online. The good news is there are plenty out there to choose from.

The Airport Utility App really helps make the iPad an independent device. The addition of iCloud brings online backups into the mix. Now you can have an iPad, WiFi or 3G, as your main, and even only, Internet device. One that can do a whole lot more.

 

 

Waiting for Ivy

While we’re waiting for the next iPad to be announced – hopefully sometime in the first week of March – let’s sit back and speculate about the timeframe for the next versions of Macintosh models. Shipping in April are the next generation of Intel processors, code named Ivy Bridge. New Macs should soon follow.

The new Ivy Bridge processors (CPU) will still carry the Core-i series naming scheme. This includes the low- to mid-line i5, and high-end i7 (looks like the i3 is gone). These are going to be available in dual-core and quad-core configurations. The delivery date for desktop chips is April, with laptop chips arriving in May. The supposition is then that there should be new desktop Macs sometime late April and new laptop updates near the end of May or beginning of June.

Only Apple knows which Macs will get updated first – and they’re not talking…yet. If Apple still has plans for the Mac Pro workstation-class desktop, then my money would be on a new Mac Pro arriving first. The Pro was completely passed over in 2011 and hasn’t seen a refresh since the middle of 2010. Hopes are high for a new Pro tower, especially now that Apple has updated Final Cut Pro X, bringing back many of the pro features lost when they killed Final Cut Pro 7 (actually the whole Final Cut Studio 3 suite).

New Newer Tech

I will admit that I love my Mac mini. Apple packs a powerful desktop computer in such a small an elegant package. I have used the newest Mac mini model, the one with a unibody aluminum case, but was surprised to find it has no built-in optical drive – not even as an option. The folks at Newer Technology has a unique solution.

If you have been using Macs for a while, you probably recognize the Newer Tech name. They have been around for quite a while. The company went bankrupt back in 2000, but the name and its products were bought by another company. They used to produce processor upgrades for PowerPC Macs, which they still have a G4 upgrade kit. Their product line is more concentrated on iPads, iPhone, iPods, RAM, hard drives, and other accessories.

A few weeks ago, just before this years CES, Newer Tech made a couple announcements. The one that caught my eye was for a new version of their MiniStack external hard drives. Newer Tech plans to release two new models that can be used for both Macs and Widows PCs. There is a new miniSTACK and miniSTACK MAX.

More Pro

The Mac video community is buzzing. Apple has released a major update to Final Cut Pro X (FCPX), which brings it up to version 10.0.3. This latest update to FCPX brings with it many of the missing features that ‘pro’ video editors have criticized Apple when they dropped the popular Final Cut Studio 7.

The biggest news in this update is the return of multi-camera editing, or multicam. With multicam, you can take video from several cameras and sync them together and edit a master track by selecting different camera views. Multicam allows for post-production to simulate live switching. What is shocking is that this update allows FCPX to use up to 64 cameras. This goes far beyond what Studio 7 could do.

Other welcome new features include media relink. This allows an editor to take a project from one computer and work on another computer. Not possible with the old version, the project was locked to the one computer.

There is also a much-improved chroma keying system. This new system allows for much finer control of the key, which allows for much finer detail in the subject. This can be a big time savings by keying inside FCPX instead of having to use a stand-alone App like Apple’s Motion or Adobe’s After Effects.

To round off this new update are enhanced XML support, which allows for exchanging data from FCPX and other editing or effect packages. Apple also is starting to build-in support for third-party hardware. This included PCIe cards and Thunderbolt devices.

With this new update to FCPX, Apple is showing that it is committed to making FCPX a ‘pro’ level application. They have a bit more work to help rebuild the bridge they tore down last year, but if the new FCPX is look into the future of Apple Video, then things are looking up.

 

GigaWiFi

The current wireless networking standard in all Macs and Apple iOS devices is 802.11n. Over the years, we have gone through the alphabet with WiFi protocols. It started with ‘b’ then ‘a’ and a jump to ‘g’ and now ‘n’. While b was pretty slow in today’s standards (11Mbs), the latest n can run up to 450Mbs – theoretically. A new Gigabit WiFi standard is coming soon, and Apple wants to be there at the start.

Apple has plenty to gain by adopting a super-fast WiFi network. Back in 1999 when Apple introduced the first Airport devices, people wanted to access the Internet wirelessly. High-speed Internet was just starting and you were lucky if you were getting over 0.5Mbs.

Today, the Internet is only a part of a wireless network. With gaming machines, tablet computers, media set top boxes, video is becoming a large part of wireless traffic. Web pages, email, and even music won’t tax a wireless connection. Video, on the other hand, can choke it if there isn’t enough throughput. Another benefit would be for those who have Apple’s Time Capsule, a network based backup solution for Macs.

There is a new standard and it was show at this years CES (Consumer Electronics Show). One standard being shown, and a likely candidate for the next generation of Airport devices, is 802.11.ac. This new standard uses higher frequencies and multiple antennas to get a top end just over 1Gbps.

Having this much speed in a wireless connection is just what Apple needs to put inside their Apple TV 2 device, or should I say the next one – the Apple TV 3. Of course to get the most out of this new WiFi standard, you will need a new WiFi router and adapters for all your computers. The next versions of the Apple TV, iPhone, Touch, iPad, and MacBooks will likely have the new 802.11.ac chips built in.

Just like the other WiFi standards, the new gigabit protocol should be backwards compatible with n, g, and b. There has been not announcement from Apple, but the chips should be ready by April, which is when the new processors should be available from Intel. Looks like spring will bring Ivy Bridge and Gigabit WiFi this year.

Soon…

Apple should be making an announcement sometime soon. At least that is what the rumor mill wants to think. We’re definitely into 2012 and Apple, at least the last two years, has announced an iPad release in January or February. Well, January is pretty much over, so let’s hope that we get an Apple press event announcement here soon.

When Apple released the iPad back in 2010, the world went crazy – or at least it seemed that way. The iPad is a super easy to use Internet and entertainment device. With proper App selection and accessories, the iPad can even replace a laptop for some.

The first iPad seemed to have plenty of speed and graphics were excellent. Then Apple came out with the iPad 2. They redesigned the iPad making it thinner, sleeker (rounded edges), added two cameras, added 5x faster graphics chip, and a dual-core CPU. The iPad 2 has been a huge hit.

Apple has not officially announced the next iPad, likely to be called iPad 3. Bits of information have been leaking over the last month or so about what the next iPad will have. Many have stated that the iPad screen could definitely have a higher resolution. Using the same technology as the latest iPhones, the new iPad might have a Retina high-resolution screen. It might even have the newest mobile processor based on a quad-core design.

Now that MacWorld/iWorld is over, this is the tradeshow that used to be called MacWorld Expo, Apple has everyone’s attention as we wait for news of the next iPad. The sad part is that Steve Jobs won’t be on stage showing off a new iPad.

Spinning Out of Control

It happened summer of last year. Starting at the end of July, Thailand’s monsoon season started and they had the worst flooding in decades. Unknown to most, Thailand seems to be where the majority of computer hard drives are manufactured. Thailand’s monsoon season was devastating in the tragic number of lost lives. Property losses in key industries will also be felt for longer than originally believed. The hard drive industry will likely take a year or more to recover.

If you have been looking to get a new hard drive, either as an upgrade, backup, or repair part, you may have found that the price and availability of drives have changed dramatically. Just a year ago, hard drives were cheap and plentiful. But that has all changed due to the flooding in Thailand.