Appletell

With another new chapter in the Psystar saga, things aren’t all dandy over in Cupertino. The nasty stuff’s about to hit the proverbial fan, so Apple may want to consider their options. But, it looks like Cult of Mac writer Leigh McMullen took care of the thinking, and came up with a seemingly perfect solution.

Read on to hear all about how Apple can stop Psystar with ease.

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Learning absolutely nothing from the entire Psystar saga, Open Tech has announced their version of the Mac clone.

See what an Open Tech machine gets you after the break

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Have you ever found yourself away from your computer, and wished you could access that document, or your music library, or fire up your e-mail application because you can’t remember your Gmail password? Apple provides this ability in Leopard (OS X 10.5), but it requires two Leopard-running computers and a $99 yearly subscription to MobileMe. And even then, there are a few limitations.

So, what can you do if you don’t meet the requirements for Back to My Mac? That’s where LogMeIn helps (pronounced “log-me-in”, not “log-mein” like the chinese food)! It overcomes the major hurdles presented by Back to My Mac, and does it with style.

Details after the break.

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As news of Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard abounds, speculation about features begins.

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Yesterday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s latest trademark, titled “Snow Leopard,” under application 7749408sn6.

According to Apple’s Snow Leopard webpage, “The next major version of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X, changes more than its spots, it changes focus. Taking a break from adding new features, Snow Leopard—scheduled to ship in about a year—builds on Leopard’s enormous innovations by delivering a new generation of core software technologies that will streamline Mac OS X, enhance its performance, and set new standards for quality. Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.”

Apple filed their trademark under International Class 009 covering computer software and computer operating system software. Apple asserts a claim of priority based on Trinidad and Tobago application number 39830 and claims ownership of U.S. Registration Number 3386175.

Apple claims Snow Leopard will include out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007, and will introduce a new set of technologies, bringing unrivaled support for multicore systems to Mac OS X called “Grand Central,” extend 64-bit technology to support enormous amounts of RAM, and introduce QuickTime X, a streamlined, next-generation platform that advances modern media and Internet standards. Mac OS X “Snow Leopard” will most likely to be in retail stores by fall of 2009.

Via [MacNN]

It’s a definite that we’ll be seeing at least two more updates hitting Software Update before July 11th.

Both the iPhone 3G and Mobile Me list system requirements of Mac OS X v10.5.4, while the iPhone lists a requirement of iTunes 7.7. Mac OS X v10.5.4 is likely to be small, with not many bug fixes or updates, focusing instead on compatibility with the newly released software and hardware. iTunes 7.7 will probably be much the same.

Secretly, I’m hoping either iTunes gets the Aqua scrollbars or Leopard gets the iTunes scrollbars, because it has been a horrible mismatch since day one.

What are you looking forward to in 10.5.4 or iTunes 7.7?

Well, folks, its this time of year again. Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. EST/9:00 a.m. PST, Steve will be donning the blue jeans and black turtle neck and heading for the stage of the Moscone Center. As this year’s World Wide Developer Conference gets ever closer, it’s time for a rumor and speculation round-up.

For the most part, the speculation this year has hovered around four items:

1. 3G iPhone
2. .mac
3. iTablet
4. Mac OS X v10.6

Read on for all the recent news regarding these and other possible happenings at WWDC ‘08.

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The blogsphere is alive with speculation about Apple’s next operating system, Mac OS v10.6. It just got a little more interesting. Following upon rumors that Apple was prepping a 10.6 release for January 2009 comes even more information, this time by Ars Technica, that Apple has code named the operating system “Snow Leopard.”

As well as the code name, they also say the OS will indeed drop support for PPC Macs and provide “stability and security” without adding new features. Apple’s goal is speed and performance, and since they’re spending a lot of time developing devices like the iPhone and the Macbook Air, it’s no wonder. Battery life has said to be one of the main reasons for the upgrade.

There is much speculation that Apple had chosen the name Snow Leopard to signify a release that isn’t major. Apple may also choose to charge less for the operating system or even give it away for free due to the nature of the upgrade; at least, I have my fingers crossed.

Of course this is all rumor and speculation, so don’t go throwing out your PPC Mac quite yet. I still find it hard to believe that Apple would throw away all PPC support so suddenly when they’ve been so great with backwards compatibility in the past. Still, Apple has been known to surprise.

Via [Ars Technica]

There’s been talk lately about what Apple’s operating system will be like in the future, and some evidence that Apple is already working on it. Will it be entirely multi-touch? What will it be called? If this next rumor is to be true, we might be seeing a sample of what’s to come sooner than we think. TUAW has reported that the next release of the operating system could be debuted by Apple at the WWDC in just five day’s time, and then seeded to developers. They also say the next release could be dropping support for PPC based Macs, and that it could be ready for release in January 2009.

Hold your horses, though, because they also say that a source has told them that Apple is focusing solely on “stability and security” in their next OS, I guess we’ll have to wait until OS 11 to see any groundbreaking features, then (multi-touch here we come).

If the next OS really does leave behind its support for PPC based Macs, this could come as quite a blow to those still using them. Apple has had excellent backwards-compatibility in their previous operating systems (take Leopard, for example), but we all knew there would come a point when they would no longer support PowerPC. Perhaps not this soon? And is this goodbye to universal applications then?

One more question; what will Apple name the new OS?

Via [a href="http://TUAW.com" title="TUAW">TUAW]

There’s only so much Apple can do with a product. Yes, even Apple has limits. Mac OS X is getting long in the tooth. Just look to the Leopard features list for evidence. While everything is nicely improved in Leopard, there’s no big innovation, no game-changing features.

Mac OS X 10.6 will be the last iteration of OS X if Apple has a good plan. Its crowning feature will likely be resolution independence, but, other than that, there won’t be many new features, just improvements. Apple will be turning their focus to the next generation OS. Just as they made the leap from OS 9 to OS X, there will be another big leap, and it will come sooner rather than later. Now, while I compare it to the OS 9 - OS X leap, it won’t be as huge underneath the hood, but the end user will see a drastic shift.

By now, it’s likely you know I am talking about Multi-Touch. The next generation Mac OS will be multi-touch; there is very little question about it. Under the hood, it will be using many of OS X’s underpinnings, so that developers who spent time making apps for OS X aren’t once again left scrambling to recreate from scratch. On the surface, though, it will be a whole different ballgame. Nothing like OS X as we know it now, and nothing like the iPhone either. It will share characteristics of both, and have characteristsics of its own.

What do you think the next-gen Mac OS will be like?

What do you think it will be called?

Sound off in the comments!

Personally, I feel it will break from the “Mac OS Number” conventions we’ve seen, as the use of the X in Mac OS X seems to denote that it is the pinnacle of the Mac OS naming system. As for the interface, I want to see what you have to say. As of now, I have little idea of what would be practical.