The highly anticipated FTP client, code editor, CSS editor, and previewer, Diet Coda for iPad has hit the App Store. Now you can make quick edits to your website while on the go or on vacation.

A while ago, we were going on vacation, and facing a difficult question: do we take the MacBook, or the iPad? 95% of what we needed was on the iPad, and it felt right to travel light. But what if we needed to fix or post something on our website? We'd be straight out of luck. So, the Macbook was packed. And work on Diet Coda begun.

With Diet Coda, you can edit documents right on your server or staging server, quickly edit works on your servers, insert chunks of codes with "clips" by a single tap, and take advantage of the built-in terminal. Diet Coda also features powerful FTP and SFTP file management and support for HTML, CSS, JS, and PHP.

In addition to the introduction of Diet Coda, Panic has also released Coda 2 for Mac. It features a brand new UI and better text editing, file management, clips, sites, design, and MySQL.

Diet Coda will normally be $19.99, but it's 50% off until the end of Thursday, May 24. Similarly, Coda 2 for Mac is available for $49.99 (regularly $99.99) for today only -- so you better grab these quick!

Diet Coda for iPad - $9.99 - Download Now

Coda 2 for Mac - $49.99 - Download Now

From Apple II to Mac to iPad to... what exactly?

Last week, during their Q2 2012 financial results conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that, in terms of sales, the iPad achieved in just 2 years what took the iPhone 3 years, the iPod 5 years, and the Mac 20+ years.

I'll let that the idea of that jump-to-warp-speed acceleration curve sink in for a moment while I digress into nostalgia.

Apple made mainstream the personal computer with the Apple II, the graphical interface with the Mac, and the multitouch interface with the iPhone and iPad. Decade after decade they made computing ever more personal, from clunky command line to intermediated mouse, to intimate touch. That is the single, relentless theme of Apple's existence.

They wove branches around the trunk of that theme as well, of course. Cameras and printers that didn't set the world on fire. Set top boxes that faded away or remain just a hobby. Social networks that have been anything but. Yet a few of those branches have been every bit as compelling as the main theme. The iPod popularized digital audio players and iTunes, digital audio. Apple Stores redefined the retail experience and the brick-and-mortar consumer electronic profit potential. The App Store revolutionized software delivery and the idea of mobile devices as platform ecosystems.

By any measure, Apple has had an unprecedented string of successes that not only dented the gadget universe, but knocked it sharply on its ass.

Now back to that acceleration curve. As mind-boggling as Apple's past successes have been, they also sharply bring this question into focus -- what's next?

Steve Jobs' biography raised television, textbooks, and photography as areas of interest. Apple has already dabbled in television with their aforementioned hobby, the Apple TV. They've stuck their toe into the textbook space with their recent Education Event and iBooks Author initiative. And, hey... they make iPhoto and Aperture.

There have been persistent rumors of an Apple television set proper, something that Steve Jobs may have said he'd cracked the interface for, and something Apple might have already prototyped to some degree in their labs. It remains to be seen if Apple will ever decide to release their own television set, however. And if Apple does release it, it's doubtful it could match or exceed the sales of the iPad, that it could it do in one year what the iPad did in 2. It could absolutely change the rules, the way the Apple II did, the Mac did, and the iPhone/iPad did, and disrupt the current television industry to the degree that it soon begins to redefine it, but it wouldn't redefine computing itself again.

An Apple television wouldn't be part of Apple's relentless theme to further democratize and popularize computing. It could further socialize it, since television is more familial than personal, but it would simply be another branch, perhaps lucrative as the iPod, or perhaps just a hobby like the Apple TV. It wouldn't be a leap beyond the iPhone or iPad.

Same with photography. Apple has already played the iPhone card, and that's a great play in the point-and-shoot, mobile photography space. High end (DSLR) isn't mainstream and supporting services is another sub-plot, not a theme.

Same with textbooks. Again, Apple has played that card with the iPad and everything else will just enhance that existing disruption.

So what does that leave? iCars, iWatches, iRobots? Unlike many of their competitors, Apple doesn't just drop nukes on the future and hope to hit something, some day. They fire cruise missiles and carefully adjust the course until they hit just exactly what they want to hit, just exactly when they want to hit it. That's why, despite their tendency towards patterns and cycles, they remain hard to predict.

The Apple II was released in 1977. The Mac some 7 years later in 1984. The iPhone and iPad some 20+ years later in 2007 and 2010. As much as the sales curve is accelerating, the big leaps in product category for the devices that serve Apple's main theme have slowed considerably.

That's why the branches are so important, and that's why there will continue to be iPods and iTunes, Apple Retail and Apple TVs. There will be products besides a personal computer and a mobile device, that mainstream consumers will still buy by the hundreds of millions, and are ripe for an Apple style revolution.

Apple will still pursue their main theme, and will follow the iPhone and iPad the same way they followed the Mac, but there will be a lot more iPods and iTunes along the way.

Perhaps Apple will get into mobile payments and further expand the reach of the iTunes checkout system (sure, Apple could buy Square and Foursquare -- and why not Squarespace -- while they're at it?). They could finally overcome the cataclysmic myopia of Hollywood by either funding creators directly and serving up more Dr. Horrible style made-for-digital content, or simply buy a studio like Sony did and force Hollywood, kicking and screaming, into the future (is Pixar for re-sale?). There are many, many opportunities ancillary to Apple's existing businesses over-ripe-to-the-point-of-rotting for innovation.

So, while every pundit and their analyst seems eager to rumor up Apple's next big thing while simultaneously dismissing all current things as "iterative", I'm eager to see all of it. From Mountain Lion and iOS 6 at WWDC 2012 to the 2012 iPhone this fall and the next new iPad beyond it.

Nothing Apple does exists in a vacuum. Sure, at some point in the future, when technology makes it possible, Apple might just re-revolutize personal computing again. Maybe they'll make it wearable or implantable. Maybe they'll make it more human, with a natural language and thought interface disruption that does to multitouch what multitouch did to mouse and mouse did to command line and command line did to punchcard.

Or maybe, just like the computer became the network, the device may become the ecosystem, and each element from hardware to software to service will drag each other inexorably forward. Maybe Siri and iCloud are the first indicators of that.

What better way to serve Apple's theme but for the next big thing to be a relentless stream of small things?

Image credit: iDoodle by Jason Harrison

Apple is recommending that MobileMe customers log in to their MobileMe accounts and fill out a form with their mailing information. Apple will then send out a free copy of Snow Leopard on DVD. Of course there is more to this than meets the eye. In order for users to take advantage of iCloud, Snow Leopard still doesn’t cut the mustard. Once upgraded to Snow leopard with the free DVD, you then have to upgrade your Mac to Lion which will cost you $29.99.

MobileMe is due to be terminated as an Apple Service on June 30, so it makes sense to upgrade to an iCloud account as soon as possible. The offer of a free copy of Snow Leopard is due to expire on June 15, so it’s a good time to at least save half the cost of your upgrade... if you are still running Leopard on your Mac.

Which version of OS X are you running? Let us know in our Mac and OS X Forum

Source: MacGasm

Hot on the heals of the release of iA Writer for iPhone and iPad comes a mighty fine competitor, Byword for iPhone and iPad. Byword is a text and Markdown editor that focuses on being simple, distraction free, and beautiful.

The keyboard features a single, light, scrollable bar where you'll find a word count, commonly used symbols, and arrows that work just like the arrow keys on a physical keyboard.

If you are easily distracted by things like auto capitalization, auto correction, and spell check, these features can be disabled and Byword also has support for TextExpander. You can choose between four fonts, but you cannot change the font size.

Since Byword is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, there's a good chance you'll want to divide up your writing time between multiple devices, so Byword lets you keep your documents in sync with either iCloud or Dropbox. The process is very simple and works like a charm.

If you use Markdown for your writing, you'll be happy to know that Byword has a Markdown preview mode that allows you see exactly how your writing will look when converted HTML.

When you're done with your writing and ready to share (to, say, your blog) you can export or copy the text as HTML. Even though the Mac version supports rich text export, the iOS version does not.

The Good

• Simple, clean, and beautiful environment
• Supports Markdown and Markdown preview
• Can export/copy as html
• A single, scrollable bar above the keyboard contains special, commonly used characters and the ability to insert photos and links
• Can choose between 4 fonts and toggle features like autocapitalization, autocorrection, and spell check
• TextExpander support

The Bad

• Light colored UI may be difficult for people to see
• iPhone and iPad version does not support rich text export -- Mac version does
• Can't change font size

The Conclusion

I'm using Byword to write this article in Markdown and have enjoyed the process. I've switched between the iPhone, iPad, and Mac during my writing and all devices have been treating me well and iCloud syncing has been instantaneous. Byword is fantastic app for all writers, especially those who write in Markdown. The clean, simple environment will have a positive impact on your productivity -- guaranteed.

$2.99 for iPhone and iPad - Download Now

$9.99 for Mac- Download Now

Reflection is a new Mac app that lets you use the screen mirroring feature of your iPhone 4S and iPad 2 with your Mac. It's very easy to use and will be great for giving demos, teaching, and gaming.

To use reflection, you simply install the app, connect both your Mac and iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the same Wi-Fi network, select your Mac from the list of Airplay options from your device, and toggle the mirror switch to on. Your screen will then instantly appear on your Mac inside a frame that looks like your device. It's looks awesome.

Reflection works great and has an almost non-existant delay; however, it does seem to crash a lot. You will likely only be using Reflection while giving some sort of presentation or playing a game and crashes are unacceptable for both of these activities.

This it the first release of Reflection, and the frequent crashes make it feel like it. Having said that, Reflection has the potential of being a very useful app and I'm looking forward to future updates. I've been in some contact with the developers and they are already working hard on the next release and have more features in the works.

In the meantime, I recommend at least trying out the 10 minute trial. A single licesne will run you $14.99 and a multi-licence for 5 Macs is available for $39.99.

Download Now

Screens VNC, the best designed, easiest to use VNC app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, recently went 2.0 and now handles remote computing better and faster than ever before. Even better -- we've partnered with Edovia Inc to put both the iOS and Mac versions of Screens VNC into the hands of 5 lucky readers! That's $50 worth of apps for each winner!

For a chance to win, just leave a comment below! The contest begins now and ends Sunday, March 4 at midnight PST.

$19.99 for iPhone and iPad - Download Now

$29.99 for Mac - Download Now

"With iCloud integration, SSH keys, and a re-designed Screens Connect, Screens 2.0 handles remote computing better and faster than ever before."

Screens 2.0 from Edovia lets you use your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac to take control of anything from your home computer to a secure server room, from the couch while you watch the big game, to poolside, half a world away, while you sip an umbrella drink. Mobile VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is the dream every geek has had since we first saw prop tablets on TV starships, since we first heard talk of ultra-thin clients. And Screens 2.0, thanks to its design and usability, opens that dream up to a wider, more mainstream audience than ever before.

There are many VNC apps available for iOS, and several of them are excellent. Which you ultimately prefer will come down to personal tastes and requirements. Do you want your finger to move the screen, or move the mouse cursor on the screen? Do you want something that stands alone, or is tied to a subscription service, perhaps one your company or enterprise uses? Do you want something specifically designed for iOS, easy to set up and intuitive to use, or something incredibly bare-bones and expert-user focused?

Screens is a universal binary for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and a separate app for Mac

Screens 2.0 makes deliberate, Apple-style choices. It's gorgeously designed, intuitive to use, and as consistent with iOS and OS X standards as can be. If you're coming from an enterprise environment where you're used to using a specific, point-and-click based PC tool, Screens can take some getting used to at first. If you've never used VNC before, Screens makes it incredibly accessible.

When you first launch Screens, or any time to tap Help in the Settings menu, you get all the information you need to get going with VNC.

Screens setup is ridiculously easy. If you're not already familiar with the basics, Screens give you a quick how-to on startup, including connecting to Mac, Linux, and Windows, using Screens Connect on Mac and Windows (more on that later), and using the Screens app itself, including gestures, Siri dictation, the pasteboard, and more.

Screens will automatically detect and help set up any computers on the local network, but also allows IP connections and SSH tunneling for experts.

To add a screen (remote computer view), just tap the button at the top left. Screens will automatically detect nearby and remote computers on your network. For most users, when on their home or work network, this is the fastest, easier way to get up and running. Just tap the tab, tap the name of your computer, and Screens will populate most of the general connection info for you.

Screens options include scrolling type, color depth, and custom gestures for everything from Mission Control to CTRL-ALT-DEL

You still have to enter your own username and password, either your Mac user account, or VNC account. If you're a more advanced, or security conscious user, you can also add machines via IP address or Hostname, enable SSH tunneling, toggle color-depth, and create custom gestures.

Your available screens (machines) are beautifully rendered -- even with multiple display configurations -- and available at any time with a swipe and a tap.

Once you have a screen set up, you'll see it available on the Screens desktop. On the iPad you can switch to a grid view to easily re-oder them as well.

Tap a screen to launch it. If you haven't saved or recently entered your password, you'll be asked to enter it for security. Then your screen will open up. It's literally that simple to get remote access to your desktop or laptop from your iPhone or iPad (or other Mac, if you're using the Mac version.)

Once in your screen, swiping with your finger moves the screen around (not the cursor, as it does in some other VNC apps), and two-finger swipes scrolls the content within the active window (for example, scrolls through a document or web page). You can pinch to zoom, and touch-and-hold one finger to drag a window around or drag and drop an icon or highlighted text. Responsiveness for panning and zooming is remarkably fast and fluid. Scrolling within a window is a little slower.

A single tap is equivalent to positioning the mouse curser and clicking. A double tap is a double click, a two-finger touch-and-hold is a right mouse click (or ctrl-mouse click). These can be a little trickier to accurately pull off, especially on the physically smaller iPhone display, so you'll want to make sure you're as zoomed in a possible first.

If you're connecting to a Mac, three finger swipes default to changing Spaces or launching Mission Control. Other Mac options include launching Spotlight, showing Dashboard, etc. Windows options include Open Start Menu, CTRL-ALT-DELETE, etc. Four finger swipes are currently used for for system-wide multitasking gestures on iPad, but if you disable them in Settings, you can reassign them for specific Screens actions as well.

Screens can display your computer in portrait and landscape orientations, and has regular and special function keyboards.

Screens 2.0 for iOS has a great new unified toolbar. Escape, tab, shift, control, alt/option, and command/Windows keys, as well as arrow keys, the Action button, and a special purpose as well as default keyboard are all accessible along the bottom of the screen. The standard keyboard is just what you're expect, and the second, special purpose keyboard lets you quickly minimize, close or quit an app, undo, redo, or send to pasteboard, copy, paste, or cut, and similar, as well as offering function keys F1 through F12.

On the [iPhone 4S](http://www.imore.com/iphone-4s], Screens' default keyboard includes Siri dictation for easy voice-to-text entry.

The keyboard doesn't automatically appear when you tap into an editable area of the screen; you have to open it manually. That's typically been my experience with other VNC apps as well, and I can see the reasoning behind it, but it feels a little un-iOS-like.

The Action button lets you quickly disconnect, snap a screen shot, or access help and settings.

Closing a screen is as simple as tapping the Action button and hitting Disconnect. You can also use the Action button to quickly take a screenshot (of just the desktop, not the entire display the way a built-in iOS screenshot would) and quickly access Settings and Help.

Overall, the iPad feels like it was made with a VNC app like Screens in mind. The large 9.7-inch display just works so well. The iPhone and iPod touch can feel a little cramped at 3.5-inches but the density of the Retina display mitigates that a lot. And yes, Screens 2.0 just screams for a Retina iPad 3.

Screens 2.0 for Mac is every bit as easy to setup and even easier to use, since you're driving a windows-mouse-pointer interface with a windows-mouse-pointer interface, and don't have to worry about mapping multitouch gestures to point and clicks the way you do with iOS. If you're familiar with Apple's own Back to my Mac service, it's almost as elegant (just not built into the system), but it works with Windows and Linux machines as well, not just OS X.

Screens Connect lets you easily, almost effortlessly open a VNC session to your computer while on a different network

Completing the picture is Screens Connect, which lets you open a screen into your home or work computer while away from home or the office, on a different network. After setting up a free Screens Connect account via Edovia's website, you download Mac or Windows clients and install them on your local machines. They keep track of your machine's IP address, so you can always find that computer remotely, over the internet. Because most of us don't have static IP addresses, a service like Screens Connect is really a must-have for remote connections.

On a final, fun note, with AirPlay mirroring you can even beam your screens via Apple TV your big screen HDTV, which is great for conference room demos.

The good

• Excellent design, very iOS-like experience
• Incredibly easy to setup
• Universal binary for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
• Also has Mac version
• No subscriptions or additional services required

The bad

• Precise cursor placement with multitouch requires a lot of zooming

The conclusion

With iCloud integration, SSH keys, and a re-designed Screens Connect, Screens 2.0 handles remote computing better and faster than ever before. While other VNC clients have some advantages, such as more precise mouse placement, or integration with popular subscription RDP solutions, Screens is the most iPhone, iPad, and Mac-like remote computing app on the market today. It's the easiest to setup and the most familiar to use. That makes it a great VNC app for anyone just getting started with remote computing, or anyone who wants something with a great user experience that "just works". If you're a pro or a network admin, you might cycle between several different VNC apps depending on the situation. Screens 2.0 will almost certainly become one of them.

Screens 2.0 requires iOS 5 on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and OS 10.7 Lion on Mac. It's is available now, and is a free update for existing users.

$19.99 - Screens for iOS - Download Now

$29.99 - Screens for Mac - Download Now

Free - Screens Connect - Download Now

Special thanks to our resident networking wizard, Anthony Gabriel, for his assistance with the testing.

Apple is clearly bringing the best parts of the iPad to the Mac, but how about bring iOS some of the best parts of OS X as well?

Yesterday Apple released the OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion developers preview, and like OS X 10.7 Lion before it, front and center was a drive to take what worked best in iOS in general, and the iPad in specific back to the Mac. To make an Apple experience that's more consistent across their two platforms.

But how about a little quid pro quo? There are several aspects of OS X, including some of what's being implemented in Mountain Lion, that I'd love to see in iOS 6.

Messages

While webOS-style Synergy should be the end game, one Messages app to manage them all would be a good start

Messages for OS X replaces the venerable iChat and brings iMessage to the Mac, including the ability to send text messages, as well as picture, video, and audio messages, and to share location and contact information. Just like in iOS, you get delivery and, if enabled, read receipts.

You can literally send an iMessage from your Mac at your desk, pick up your iPad and send a reply from the couch, then grab your iPhone and continue the conversation out the door. It does test the boundaries between connection and noise, staying in touch and being just to much, but it's there on the Mac if you want to use it.

And unlike the iPad, it also handles AIM, Jabber, Google Talk, and Yahoo! Messenger protocols. Can we have this for iOS?

The ideal would be a webOS-style Synergy, where Apple would collect all your IM accounts in silos and present them in a unified view, so it doesn't matter to the user what protocol anyone else is using, they just see it in iMessage. (Sort of like the unified inbox in Mail doesn't care which account anyone is sending from, or which account you're receiving from.)

One Messages app to rule them all, however, would be a good start. (Especially if they could figure out the iMessage overload issue.)

Notes

Adding photos to Notes would be nice. Adding typeface options would be nicer.

Notes has been around since iOS 1 (iPhone OS 1) and works in the best tradition of the venerable Palm OS memos, automatically saving anything entered into it. Aside from some typeface choices added to settings, however, and rich-text options made system-wide, it hasn't had much attention over the years.

The Mountain Lion version keeps the iPad aesthetic but adds some functionality, including rich text formatting options, the ability to add images, and to tear off pages to stick to the desktop. It's not TextEdit-type functionality, much less Pages, but it's... something.

It's going beyond simple notes but not entering the realm of true text editor. It's closer akin to the very basic image editing features added to Photos in iOS 5.

I don't know if we'll see anything so "widget"-like as page tearing in iOS any time soon, but the ability to do rich text, basic formatting, and paste images would be nice. What would be even nicer would be more typeface choices, like the Mac.

Marker Felt, Chalkboard, and Helvetica make for a rather anemic selection. iBooks offers more for reading than Notes does for writing. iOS in general, now that it has far more processing power and bigger storage options, could do with more typographic options to go with it.

Notification Center

Putting linen back in the background would please designers, stopping banners from covering buttons would please everyone

Both iOS 5 and OS X Lion make abundant use of the linen texture, but its inconsistency in iOS has caused some consternation in the design community. Given linen's use in the fast app switcher and folders, it seems to signify a layer beneath the Home screen -- something literally in the background. Yet Notification Center slides down on top of the Home screen.

Mac Notification Center uses linen, but is visibly beneath the scenes, just like folders and the iOS fast app switcher. It's more consistent, which is far from a mainstream problem to to be sure, but it's something Apple usually nails. So, yeah, want that.

The stacked banners shown off for Mountain Lion could work on iPad but not the limited screen real estate of the iPhone. Already on the iPhone the banners often obscure buttons at inopportune moments (until they automatically go away or you manually dismiss them.

Again, webOS does this better by making notifications much easier to dismiss with a quick swipe.

So take the background layering from the Mac, but take the functionality from webOS.

Gatekeeper

But would allowing the side-loading of non-App Store apps, signed by identified developers, really fix any iOS pain points?

This is the big one. The thing most power iPhone users have probably dreamed of since the original, no-third-party-apps iPhone launched in 2007 -- the thing that led to the jailbreak scene. The ability to run apps not approved by Apple. The ability to run app that come from outside the App Store.

The Mac has always been able to do that. (The Mac App Store is a very recent development). With Mountain Lion, however, Apple has given users the choice -- run only App Store apps, run App Store apps and non-App Store apps signed by identified developers, and run any app, no matter where it comes from.

The App Store provides a lot of security -- it minimizes the chance for malware or other malicious software. For all the hoops developers have to jump through to get their apps approved, it creates a trusted environment that makes users not only confident and willing to buy apps, but eager to.

Non-App Store apps signed by identified developers is a good middle-ground. They don't need Apple approval but if any of them are found to be malicious, their certificate can be revoked.

Unfortunately, I don't think this would mean much for iOS. It still wouldn't allow the tweaks that jailbreak users enjoy, the ones that hack into notification center or the dock or folders or the messages system, or otherwise modify the system itself. It could potentially allow porn, copy-cat or other intellectual-property violating apps, GPL-licensed apps, and the few remaining things Apple still blocks or removes from the store, but what else? Tethering apps? Apple may yank certificates for those anyway. And unlike the Mac, the potential market doesn't seem worth the effort on iOS.

A few more things

There's more from OS X and the Mac, past and present, that I'd like to see on the iPad and iOS. In no particular order:

• FaceTime conference calls. Like the iChat that Mountain Lion kills off, the big iPad screen -- especially a Retina display on a quad-core iPad 3! -- should allow for multi-person calling.
• iPhoto. The built-in photos app has basic editing now, but it doesn't have the range of tools iPhoto offers. Aperture could be an App Store app, but unifying Photos and iPhoto, like iChat and Messages, should be on the agenda.
• Print to PDF. A built-in PDF printer option, built into AirPrint, that goes right to Documents in the Cloud, would be great for everything from Mail to Safari.
• Per-account mail signatures. No reason the current signature setting can't be moved down a step in the Settings hierarchy. Work and play can't always have the same signature.
• Top Sites for Safari. I could do without the forced curve effect, but quickly getting my most common sites as thumbnails is very convenient.
• Launch center. Or Expose. Apple originally tested a more Expose-like fast app switching system before settling on the current, dock-behind-a-the-dock approach. Visually, it still seems like a better metaphor, especially for a larger display like the iPad. Apple used it in Safari (well before webOS cards), and they could still take it system-wide.

I'm sure others would add multi-use login, or even guest login, to the list, but it's fairly clear Apple means for iOS devices to be personal devices at this point.

iOS 6

While iOS is based on the same core as OS X, and they share many of the same concepts and ideas, if different implementations at times, there's a lot about the Mac that should now go back to the iPad. Hopefully Apple has that planned for iOS 6.

We are all familiar with Messages for iPhone and iPad and now Apple has brought Messages to the Mac. Messages for Mac is technically in beta, but it's a public beta which means if you're running OS X 10.7 Lion or the developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, you can download it now and give it a try.

If you use Messages on the iPhone or iPad, then you already know how to use Messages on the Mac. In fact, messages for the Mac is nearly identical to the iPad version.

Messages on all your devices is a fantastic idea, however it still needs some work. Namely, when someone sends you a message, a notification is sent to all of your devices. This would be fine for the first message, but even if you are actively using Messages on your Mac, your iPhone and iPad will continue to beep and chirp with every new message that comes in. This gets extremely annoying very fast. Apple needs to figure out a way to recognize which device you are actively using and disable notifications to all other devices. I'll be honest, I won't be using messages on the Mac very often with its current design. The experience is maddening.

That's not to say it isn't a good start, though. Messages for Mac is technically in beta, so hopefully Apple will make some changes before the final release.

There's no word on Siri, Apple's voice controlled assistant, for Mac yet, but then again there's no word on Siri for iPad 3 yet either.

Apple is taking their time and doing what they do best -- seeding interest and creating buzz. They're excellent at it, just look at all the coverage they're getting this morning without even holding one of their famous keynotes!

And we want to know how its working.

If you're a Mac user, is this a no-brainer, instant-update for you when it's available, or would you rather Apple kept OS X and iOS separate and distinct?

If you're a Windows user, does anything you've seen today tempt you to make the switch to Mac, or does the idea of iOS-style stuff on your desktop make you even less likely to make the change?

If you're undecided, if you're waiting to see more, what precisely would Apple have to do to win you over to Mountain Lion?

You know the drill, vote in the poll above and give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller sat down with The Wall Street Journal to discuss some of the reasons Apple chose to bring the iPad experience over to the Mac. During the interview, Cook went over some of the changes we'll be seeing in Mountain Lion and how they plan to allow the iPad and laptops to coexist while merging the user-experience in many ways.

"We see that people are in love with a lot of apps and functionality here," said Mr. Cook, 51 years old, pointing at his iPhone. "Anywhere where that makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac." [...] Mr. Cook said he already thinks of Apple's iOS and OS X operating systems "as one with incremental functionality." He said both laptops and tablets will continue to coexist, but he didn't rule out that the technologies could converge further.

Cook also touched upon some of the rumors related to Apple using their own integrated SoC (system-on-a-chip) across the the gamut of their products -- from mobile to the desktop -- although he was rather vague on the subject while leaving it open to possibility.

When asked if Apples iPhones, iPads and Macs might run the same microprocessor chips, he said: "We think about everything. We don't close things off."

Phil Schiller also went over some of the reasons Apple is attempting to merge the mobile and desktop experience between iOS 5 and OS X Mountain Lion, indicating they took a "logical pass" at the user-experience in order for everything to make sense to the end user.

When asked if Apple was worried about the iPad taking over Mac sales, Cook tried to calm the concerns by explaining how iPhone and iPad users flock to the Mac after realizing how much better of a user-experience the devices provide, although he did admit Mac sales have been slightly canalization by the iPad in the most recent quarter.

Mr. Cook said the Mac remains an "incredibly important" part of the company and that it is already benefiting from the success of the iPhone, particularly in China, where Mac sales doubled last year. "They know about Apple and what Apple stands for," he said. "Then they search out and look for the Mac."

Apple officially announced they'll be pushing OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to the public later this summer, further integrating the iPad experience with the desktop, and creating Mac versions of Messages, Reminders, Notification Center and more.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be available later this summer, with a developer preview hitting the channel this Thursday.

Source: WSJ

Here's an unofficial version of the official OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion preview video, showcasing some of the 100 new features Apple plans to include in the upcoming version of their desktop OS.

With Mountain Lion, Apple is moving even further into merging the experience between the iPad and the desktop, integrating features like Messages, Notification Center, Reminders and more.

Apple's version isn't embeddable at the moment so we're including one from YouTube. We'll update with an official version if/when Apple releases it.

Source: YouTube

Keep track of all your mail, message, twitter, and other alerts on your Mac as easily as you do on your iPhone or iPad

Notification Center will be making its way from your iPhone and iPad to your Mac with the release of OS X Mountain Lion. It was one of the most eagerly awaited features of iOS 5 and aims to do the same now for Mac -- bring all your alerts to you in one place, including mail, reminders, calendar, messages, Twitter, and more.

Among the many other things Mac OS X Mountain Lion brings over from the iPad and iPhone, Notification Center comes complete with the features you already know, including a pull out notification list you can access by swiping to the left and banners that disappear quickly so your regular workflow isn't interrupted.

You can access Notification Center from anywhere on your Mac at anytime. Swiping left from anywhere will bring up a new Notification Center section on the right hand side of your display. If you'd like to respond to an iMessage or an e-mail just tap it and you'll be taken straight to it.

iOS users should feel right at home. Apple is tightening the integration between all their devices and starting to heavily rely on services like iCloud to help make all your information available on all devices.

OS X Mountain Lion just seems like another step towards making the user experience even more alike across all Apple devices and computers. It also increases like likelihood that users shopping for a new computer may be more likely to consider a Mac if they're already familiar with and enjoy the experience they get from their iPhone or iPad.

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Apple has released a developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and, among the many other clearly iPad- and iPhone-inspired features will be a new Reminders app that synchronizes across your Mac and iOS X.

Now nothing slips your mind. When you have so much to do, Reminders helps you get it done. It’s all in a list. More than one, in fact. Make as many lists as you need and easily add to them. Set due dates and you’ll get alerts as deadlines approach. Check items off your lists as you go and keep track of what you’ve completed. And to be sure you don’t forget anything, iCloud keeps your reminders up to date on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Apple previously allowed Reminders to be synced to the Mac using iCal on OS X 10.7 Lion, but that proved to be somewhat finicky and didn't reflect the user-experience or interface of its iPad or iPhone counterparts. With the update to Lion and the official Reminders app, the experience will be completely fluid and sync via iCloud using your Apple ID.

I'm personally going to love this added feature in OS X Mountain Lion, as I made the decision not to use Reminders on iOS due to the stark differences in how it worked on the desktop. Now that the experience will be the same across all of my Apple devices, this should be much better for Apple users.

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Avoid carrier SMS and MMS charges and keep all your IMs in one place with iOS iMessage right on your Mac

If you have been waiting for Apple to release a version of iMessage for Mac then that day has just become a lot closer. After the release of the beta of OS X Mountain Lion earlier today, Apple has followed it up with the release of a beta version of its new Mac Messages app. Messages, which will replace the current iChat app, brings all of the great features of iMessage to your Mac while keeping many that made iChat great as well.

Messages for Mac works just like it does on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, running iOS 5. You can send and receive unlimited messages across all of your supported Apple devices. All of your devices will receive the same messages, and copies of messages that you have sent from other devices, so all of your chat messages are in the same place and in-sync, no matter which device you have in your hand at the time. You can start an iMessage conversation on your Mac, continue it on your iPad then finish it on your iPhone or iPod touch while on the go.

Just like the iOS 5 version of iMessage, Messages also lets you send photos, videos, file attachments, contacts, locations and even start a FaceTime call right from the app. Messages also supports a host of other chat services like AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber. The Messages app is available today as a public beta so anyone with a Mac running Lion 10.7.3 can give it a whirl.

Messages Beta – Download Now

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Apple's drive to bring iOS back to the Mac continues with Messages, Notification Center, AirPlay mirroring, and more for OS X

Apple has just announced a preview of the next major version of their Mac operating system, OS X 10.8. It's called Mountain Lion. The preview is available now and the full version, with over 100 new features, will ship this summer.

“The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system.”

The current OS X 10.7 Lion system was announced as a way to take iOS ideas back to the Mac, and Mountain Lion looks to accelerate this process dramatically. It's not a port of iOS to the Mac, far from it. It's the continued implementation of the best of iOS ideas on the Mac OS X system. Like Lion, some of the ideas will no doubt work better than others, but the path seems absolutely clear and Apple seems incredibly focused on getting there. Fast.

Especially noteworthy:

• iCloud is coming to the Mac in a big way. It will be available on signup, like iOS, and will offer not only push/store "sync" features but Documents in the Cloud as an alternative, highly abstracted way to handle files without the traditional, complex management.

• iOS apps like Reminders, Notes, and Messages are coming to the Mac, and traditional Mac apps are transforming to better mirror their iOS counterparts, like Calendar (iCal) and Contacts (Address Book)

• Game Center is coming to the Mac, as is Twitter integration.

• Notification Center will handle alerts, just like iOS, and Share Sheets will make it easier to share information on the Mac.

• AirPlay Mirroring will let your Mac screen appear on your big screen HDTV, via the Apple TV.

• Gatekeeper provides a middle ground between standard apps and App Store apps, signed by a developer but not approved by Apple.

No word on Siri, Apple's personal voice assistant yet, but it's early days. Apple's Mountain Lion page is live, so check it out. Full press release below.

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview with Over 100 New Features

CUPERTINO, California—February 16, 2012—Apple® today released a developer preview of OS X® Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system, which brings popular apps and features from iPad® to the Mac® and accelerates the pace of OS X innovation. Mountain Lion introduces Messages, Notes, Reminders and Game Center to the Mac, as well as Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay® Mirroring. Mountain Lion is the first OS X release built with iCloud® in mind for easy setup and integration with apps. The developer preview of Mountain Lion also introduces Gatekeeper, a revolutionary security feature that helps keep you safe from malicious software by giving you complete control over what apps are installed on your Mac. The preview release of Mountain Lion is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today. Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store™ in late summer 2012.

“The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system.”

The developer preview of Mountain Lion features the all new Messages app which replaces iChat® and allows you to send unlimited messages, high-quality photos and videos directly from your Mac to another Mac or iOS device. Messages will continue to support AIM, Jabber, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk. Starting today Lion users can download a beta of Messages from www.apple.com, and the final version will be available with Mountain Lion. Reminders and Notes help you create and track your to-dos across all your devices. Game Center lets you personalize your Mac gaming experience, find new games and challenge friends to play live multiplayer games, whether they’re on a Mac, iPhone®, iPad or iPod touch®.

Mountain Lion presents notifications in an elegant new way, and Notification Center provides easy access to alerts from Mail, Calendar, Messages, Reminders, system updates and third party apps. System-wide Share Sheets make it easy to share links, photos and videos directly from Apple and third party apps. Twitter is integrated throughout Mountain Lion so you can sign on once and tweet directly from Safari®, Quick Look, Photo Booth®, Preview and third party apps. Mountain Lion also introduces AirPlay Mirroring, an easy way to wirelessly send a secure 720p video stream of what's on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV®.

More than 100 million users have iCloud accounts, and Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to set up iCloud and access documents across your devices. Mountain Lion uses your Apple ID to automatically set up Contacts, Mail, Calendar, Messages, FaceTime® and Find My Mac. The new iCloud Documents pushes any changes to all your devices so documents are always up to date, and a new API helps developers make document-based apps work with iCloud.

Gatekeeper is a revolutionary new security feature that gives you control over which apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac. You can choose to install apps from any source, just as you do on a Mac today, or you can use the safer default setting to install apps from the Mac App Store, along with apps from developers that have a unique Developer ID from Apple. For maximum security, you can set Gatekeeper to only allow apps from the Mac App Store to be downloaded and installed.

Mountain Lion also has features specifically designed to support Chinese users, including significant enhancements to the Chinese input method and the option to select Baidu search in Safari. Mountain Lion makes it easy to set up Contacts, Mail and Calendar with top email service providers QQ, 126 and 163. Chinese users can also upload video via Share Sheets directly to leading video websites Youku and Tudou, and system-wide support for Sina weibo makes microblogging easy.

Hundreds of new APIs give developers access to new core technologies and enhanced features within OS X. The Game Kit APIs tap into the same services as Game Center on iOS, making it possible to create multiplayer games that work across Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A new graphics infrastructure underpins OpenGL and OpenCL and implements GLKit, first introduced in iOS 5, to make it easier to create OpenGL apps. Using Core Animation in Cocoa apps is easier than ever, and new video APIs deliver modern 64-bit replacements for low-level QuickTime APIs. Enhanced Multi-Touch™ APIs give developers double-tap zoom support and access to the system-wide lookup gesture. Kernel ASLR improves security through enhanced mitigation against buffer overflow attacks.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Trying to figure out just exactly how to find your Mac UDID so you can get in on an ad-hoc Mac App Store beta? Just like with iPhone and iPad, your Mac has a UDID (technically a Hardware UUID) that developers can use to send you app builds before they become publicly available. Luckily, it's easy to locate once you know where to look.

1. Click on the Apple logo at the top left of your Mac menu bar
2. Click on About This Mac
3. Click on More Info...
4. Click on System Report
5. Make sure Hardware is selected at the top left
6. The very last entry in the list on the right will be your Hardware UUID

Copy and paste it and mail it off to the developer, then wait for your ad-hoc app to arrive and start beta testing!

Of course, since the Mac App Store isn't the only way to distribute software on the Mac, developers can also choose to simply send you a non Mac App Store -- i.e. regular-style apps. If they're developing specifically and only for the Mac App Store, however, this might be the way they choose to go. If it is, you're all set!

• More tips and how-tos
• Mac help and discussion forum

Via: @lucvandal

Apple has released Mac OS X Lion version 10.7.3 and while there doesn't seem to be any new goodies for iPhone or iPad users, if you're running Apple's desktop OS, it's waiting for you via Software Update.

OS X Lion was first shown off at Apple's Back to the Mac and presented as taking iPhone and iPad innovations back to Apple's traditional computer lines. While some of the changes have been welcomed with open arms, others have experienced birthing pains, and hopefully this and future updates help take the rough edges off. Either that, or 10.8 better give us another solid Snow Leopard-ing of the OS.

Details below.

The 10.7.3 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that:

-Add Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support -Address issues when using smart cards to log into OS X -Resolve issues authenticating with directory services -Address compatibility issues with Windows file sharing

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5048.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Apple has just released an update to Final Cut Pro X, their executive video editing software suite, which adds multi-camera syncing and broadcast monitoring suport. Final Cut Pro X 10.0.3 also includes enhanced XML, so it can talk with third-party plug-ins more easily. As always, there's a bunch of great audio, animation, and color correction tools in there which professionals have come to rely on.

So, okay, okay, maybe Final Cut Pro X is a little overkill for something shot on your iPhone 4S, especially with iMovie available right on the device, but if you're knee-deep in the Apple lifestyle, maybe you like adding an extra layer of polish to your mobile videos. Or if you just shot your new music video with a four iPhone setup and need that new multi-cam sync. (Hey, it happens!)

Even though Final Cut Pro X is clearly built for, well, pros, it's still interesting to see some people kit out their iPhones with all manner of video-enhancing accessories. While I can't speak much to the quality of those videos versus something done with a "real" camera, I still admire folks who try to close the gap. A full-blown version of Final Cut Pro X on iPad -- even the iPad 3 is still the stuff of legend, but I'd love to see a bunch of mobile companion apps to enhance desktop publishing. Adobe's done a lot of stuff like this, and I think a similar strategy for Apple would be a great way to keep an iPad in the workflow. Even if Apple doesn't take up the call, maybe the enhanced XML support will enable third parties to make some cool iPad companion apps for Final Cut Pro X. There are just so many separate panes and menus to keep in order when editing video, that it would be nice to shunt a few of the less vital ones to a separate display. Full press release after the jump.

• Free trial - Apple.com link.
• $299 - Mac App Store link,

CUPERTINO, California—January 31, 2012—Apple® today released Final Cut Pro® X v10.0.3, a significant update to its revolutionary professional video editing application, which introduces multicam editing that automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos; advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app; and enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third party apps and plug-ins that support the fast growing Final Cut Pro X ecosystem. Available today as a free update from the Mac® App Store™, Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 also includes a beta of broadcast monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards.

Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 includes a collection of groundbreaking new tools for editing multicam projects. Final Cut Pro X automatically syncs clips from your shoot using audio waveforms, time and date, or timecode to create a Multicam Clip with up to 64 angles of video, which can include mixed formats, frame sizes and frame rates. The powerful Angle Editor allows you to dive into your Multicam Clip to make precise adjustments, and the Angle Viewer lets you play back multiple angles at the same time and seamlessly cut between them.

Final Cut Pro X builds upon its robust, one-step chroma key with the addition of advanced controls including color sampling, edge adjustment and light wrap. You can tackle complex keying challenges right in Final Cut Pro X, without having to export to a motion graphics application, and view your results instantly with realtime playback.

In the seven months since launch, the third party ecosystem around Final Cut Pro X has expanded dramatically. XML-compatible software like DaVinci Resolve and CatDV provide tight integration for tasks such as color correction and media management. The new 7toX app from Intelligent Assistance uses XML to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects into Final Cut Pro X. In addition, some of the industry’s largest visual effects developers, including GenArts and Red Giant, have developed motion graphics plug-ins that take advantage of the speed and real-time preview capabilities of Final Cut Pro X.

Broadcast monitoring in Final Cut Pro X is currently in beta and allows you to connect to waveform displays, vectorscopes, and calibrated, high-quality monitors to ensure that your project meets broadcast specifications. Final Cut Pro X supports monitoring of video and audio through Thunderbolt I/O devices, as well as through third party PCIe cards.

Pricing & Availability Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99 (US) to new users, or as a free update for existing Final Cut Pro X customers. A 30-day free trial of Final Cut Pro X is available at www.apple.com/finalcutpro/trial. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro X can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutpro.

Apple has updated the Airport Utility for Mac OS X Lion to version 6.0, and once again went back to the Mac by making it look just like the iPhone and iPad version released earlier this year. Used to manage everything from the Airport Express and Airport Extreme Wi-Fi base station routers, to the Time Capsule router + hard drive Time Machine backup companion, here's what Apple has to say about Airport Utility 6.0 for OS X Lion.

Use AirPort Utility to set up and manage your Wi-Fi network and AirPort base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule. See a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network and devices. Change base station and network settings, or manage advanced features such as security modes, wireless channels, and more.

iOS for iPad and iPhone has taken huge strides in making all kinds of computing tasks easier and more accessible to mainstream users, and the Airport app for iPhone and iPad is no exception. OS X Lion, however, hasn't always successfully transitioned that accessibility to the older Mac platform, with some re-interpretations working magnificently and others feeling like they need a few more revisions worth of polish (or even a solid Snow Leopard-ing)

The Airport Utility for OS X Lion, however, looks solid and should make something as potentially intimidating as managing and Airport Extreme or Time Capsule

Source: Apple.com via MacStories

Tim Cook has apparently unveiled some new Apple employee benefits at yesterdays Town Hall meeting. According to 9to5Mac, the meeting was all about giving something back to the people who worked so hard to put Apple where it is today; one of the wealthiest businesses in the world.

Cook announced that Apple employees will soon be given $500 discounts on purchases of new Macs and $250 discounts on purchases of a new iPad. The new discount program will officially kickoff at some point during June 2012. A major caveat is that Apple employees may only utilize the opportunity every three years and employees must have been working for Apple for at least 90 days.

Source: 9to5 Mac

Air Dictate is an iPhone 4S app by Avatron that allows you to use Siri to dictate text to your Mac. To use, first you must visit avatron.com/i to install the Air Dictate Receiver app for you Mac. Then, over your shared Wi-Fi network, you can share your Siri dictation to any Mac application that accepts text!

I just tried this out, and all I can say is - epic win! (Inputed with Air Dictate.)

On Mac:

• Launch any app that allows text input. For example: TextEdit, Mail, Pages, Microsoft Word.

On iPhone 4S:

• Launch the Air Dictate app.
• Choose your Mac from a list of nearby computers.
• Press the microphone button, speak for a while, and press the button again to stop.

Automatic:

• Your speech will be converted into text, and will automatically appear in the text field on your Mac, just as if you had typed it on your Mac keyboard.

Air Dictation is available on the iPhone 4S for $0.99.

• App Store link

Have an app you'd love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

The second part to the hugely popular Mac gaming trilogy Marathon is set to hit the App Store on Thursday December 16. The original Marathon title was released back in July to great acclaim and better still it was free. The creators, Bungie, later went on to make Halo for the Xbox.

Marathon 2: Durandal will be arriving on December 16 according to touchArcade. Amazingly, it will not only support Retina display devices but it will also come as a universal binary. Throw in Game Center support, enhancements to use with the Fling joystick and an all new menu interface and it all adds up to a really exciting game release.

The app will apparently launch for free but again offer in-app purchases for enhanced graphics, cheat options and custom packs. We will let you know as soon as it appears!

Source: touchArcade

Best Buy has released a new advert for the holidays called “Everything Apple at Best Buy", and it's aimed squarely at poaching potential Apple purchasers. Best Buy has Apple Stores within a store idea and is aimed at letting its customers know that they sell all of Apple’s products too.

The advert starts off with a sales representative demonstrating a FaceTime call with an iPad 2. The customer says she didn’t know that Best Buy had all of the Apple products. See where this is going? It ends with Santa about to leave his presents under her tree however she has already bought the complete Best Buy Apple inventory; and it’s under the tree already!

Source: YouTube

Apple has announced that it will be holding a one day holiday shopping event on Black Friday which just happens to be this Friday November 25^th.

Mark your calendar now, and come back to the Apple Online Store for the special one-day event. You’ll discover amazing iPad, iPod and Mac gifts for everyone on your list.

Source: Apple Store UK

MacWorld's Jason Snell has written up a quick way to force your local Windows or Mac iTunes library to upgrade all your songs to the 256kbps iTunes Match versions. If you're still syncing your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to iTunes via USB or via the new Wi-Fi sync, it's a quick way to get them on your device(s) as well.

While iTunes Match makes the -- often higher quality -- tracks available in iCloud, it keeps the local -- often lower quality -- track on your actual drive until you tell it otherwise. If you have thousands of tracks, that could be a long process.

Snell's tip involves creating a Smart Playlist or two and having the courage to delete all your local versions, trusting iCloud will replace them. If that doesn't scare you off, hit the link below and get your upgrade going fast.

Source: MacWorld

Apple has released iTunes 10.5.1 and along with it, their paid music locker service in the U.S., iTunes Match. Coming after several extended betas, and past the previously announced October time frame, iTunes Match costs 24.99 a year and allows users to scan their iTunes libraries and either gain access to matching, 256kbps tracks from the iTunes Catalog, or upload their own, off-catalog tracks for access from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iTunes client on Mac or Windows.

Introducing iTunes Match. Store your entire music library in iCloud, including music you've imported from CDs, and enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer, or Apple TV.

So if you've been eagerly waiting to get your music to the cloud, hit software update or download directly via the link below. Then come back here and tell us what you think. Did Apple get it right?

UPDATE 1: iTunes is currently saying no new subscriptions are available due to overwhelming demand, and is asking users to check back in a hour. Let us know if you get signed up, and how long it takes!

UPDATE 2: Here's our official TiPb iTunes Match troubleshooting thread in the forums to give and get extra help!

• How to subscribe to and set up iTunes Match
• http://www.imore.com/2011/11/16/daily-tip-set-itunes-match-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch/

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Reminders - @iMuggle and @llofte

Ally: I've been using the default reminders app in iOS 5 for a few months now. I was hesitant to think it could replace my current task management apps but it pretty much has. I love that it can sync across all my Macs and other devices. I don't have to log in to some 3rd party website to view my reminders or have a Mac app launched. It just seamlessly integrates with my current workflow and iCal setup.

Adding a reminder is quick and easy and now with the addition of Siri, I'm actually not forgetting things (well most of the time anyways). Now the only thing I'm missing is a jailbreak and all those fancy themes for my iPhone 4S!

Leanna: I recently sent out a tweet saying that the combination of Siri and Reminders is greatly improving my life - it's so true! I swear I'm one of the most forgetful people on the planet, so having reminders is very helpful for me. Before the iPhone 4S, I would use various to-do apps, but they were hit or miss for me because I would think about the things I had to do at moments I couldn't add them to my list, like while driving. By the time I could add them, I'd forget. Not anymore!

Believe it or not, I've become a more productive person since getting my iPhone 4S. I tell Siri to remind me of all sorts of things at specific times or when I get home or arrive at school. If I'm driving when I remember of specific task I need to get done, it's not a problem because I can ask Siri without taking my eyes off the road.

Siri and Reminders is exactly what I needed.

AppDelete (OS X app) - @Alli_Flowers

I would never have thought of going with a Mac app for my pick of the week, but this one saved my bacon. I actually purchased AppDelete shortly after buying my first Mac. Coming from Windows, I was not only uncomfortable just dragging apps to the trash can to delete them, but it wasn't always working. And I kept finding remnants left behind. A quick search led me to AppDelete, which comes with a 5 use trial. Five uses was enough to convince me that it was well worth the $7.99 purchase price.

Skip to yesterday when I discovered that by some quirk of fate, my Lion installation of iTunes had menus in some unreadable, unrecognizable Slavic language. Nothing I tried would get my menus back to English, not even half a dozen new installations of different versions of iTunes. But I couldn't remove it, because iTunes cannot be removed from Lion...or so they think! As if by technomagic, AppDelete removed all traces of the evil iTunes and allowed me to install a nice fresh version direct from Apple.

AppDelete has a ton of features for getting rid of things. You can drag an app right to to AppDelete (instead of OS X's trash can), or you can search for things to delete including apps, files, and orphans. AppDelete is like the terminator - it will find what you want and get rid of it. Permanently.

A few of AppDelete's advertised features: - Hidden mode for full backgound operation - Finds associated items that are invisible or hidden - Archive/install from Archive feature for safekeeping and transferring items to another Mac - Preference to protect Default (Apple) apps - Keeps a log of all activities and has the ability to Undo a deletion - Force Empty Trash for stubborn to remove items - Don't wait until you find yourself in a position where you can't get rid of something.

Get AppDelete now.

[$7.99 - Purchase link]

CamScanner – @chrisoldroyd

I have been looking to apply for a new mortgage for my home this week and one of things I had to produce were scans of my payslips and passport. As I have an HP Scanner and Printer this shouldn't be a problem right? Wrong, even though the printer is installed and working wirelessly on my PC it will not work as a scanner, the software does not even see it. Total fail!

Luckily I have my trusty iPhone 4S at hand, a quick search in the App Store and CamScanner is on my home screen and its free. A couple of pictures later and it re-sizes them, squares them up and emails them as a PDF. Awesome!! It can even search text within scanned documents as it supports OCR too. With CamScanner, your iPhone is actually a portable scanner, with which all your paper documents, receipts, notes, whiteboard discussions can be archived anywhere at any time.

If you want a simple to use scanning application for your iOS device, this is very good.

[Free - App Store link]

WriteUp - @sethclifford

I'm a sucker for apps that sync with Dropbox, and I'm just as smitten with plain text editors. Naturally, as you might expect, I've tried a great number of the apps fitting this description in the App Store, and one of my favorites that I'm currently enjoying is WriteUp.

WriteUp hits all the basic notes for me out of the gate, but it has a few nice interface features that some of the other apps are missing. You have the ability to apply different themes to the app, which is nice if you want to change things up visually from time to time. There's also a very handy swipe menu (which plenty of apps have come to utilize, but it doesn't mean it's any less useful) that lets you copy text or HTML, mail text or HTML, or delete the note all from the main notes list. There's also a full-screen edit mode which is really nice, allowing just a little bit more screen space and less clutter when your keyboard is up or a simplified interface when you're just reading over notes in general.

The app has great Markdown support and allows for previews with one tap, which is great to quickly check on your formatting as you're writing. A new feature to the app is also the ability to tweet the contents of a note, so that if you want to, you can set up files to store drafts that you can access on your iOS devices and your desktop or laptop, and save ideas wherever they strike you. The settings contain plenty of font options, sort options, and the ability to change the Dropbox folder to which the app syncs, which is nice, because since I switch apps so frequently, I can have one single folder for notes, and point whichever app I'm using at that folder.

There are a lot of great choices for text editors on iOS, almost an embarrassment of riches. If you're still looking or just like to sample what's out there, WriteUp is a solid candidate for a test drive.

[$3.99 - App Store link]

Flick Home Run ! - @jdipane

Personally I get pretty bored of games on my iPhone rather quickly, I don't care for games with an intense plot or story line, I would rather something I can launch to play for a few minutes and close without worrying about having hit a save point. Flick Home Run is a great game that I came across, very similar in concept to Flick Golf, except baseball styled. They pitch the ball to you and you swipe your finger across the screen and try to hit a home run, simple right? Wrong. Some pitches come straight, others swirvy, slow, fast, all sort of craziness comes across the screen, and each has to be hit a bit differently in order to try to get a home run. In the sky are various balloons which offer different prizes and multipliers, and there are a few different home run types depending how far the ball is it.

If you are looking for something to kill some time, and to offer a small challenge, be sure to hop in the AppStore and pick up Flick Home Run today for free before it goes back up to 99 cents!

[Free - App Store link]

Noteshelf - @reneritchie

This isn't really my pick of the week. I'm donating my pick this week to Andrew, one of the big brains behind the scenes at Mobile Nations because he was so in love with this app, I just had to help give his recommendation voice.

When Andrew first got his iPad it was out of curiosity but it rapidly fell into inconsistent, infrequent use. He surfed some web, he consumed some content, but between his laptop and his iPhone there just wasn't any compelling reason for a third category of device, regardless of what Apple said.

Then he started investigating note-taking apps. Then he found Noteshelf. Now his iPad is a first-class device in his lineup, and his go-to device in meetings and brain-storming sessions. Now he's using his iPad so much he can barely keep it charged.

The levels to this app amaze him and he keeps finding new features and new combinations of features that light him up and get him praising it anew. Noteshelf is literally a note-taker's Nirvana in finely crafted App form.

He sold it so well Leanna and I have both bought it, and now, like Andrew, we've moved from looking for the best note-taking app to looking for the best stylus to help us take more detailed, less fat-fingered notes.

Look for what Andrew -- and we -- find in a future pick.

[$4.99 - App Store link]

Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels - @Barryloy (Reader's Choice)

This week, my 2 1/2 year old son found the Thomas & Friends train app in the App Store. After checking it out, I noticed it was on sale for 99 cents, instead of the original price of $4.99. This was great news, because as anybody with kids knows, things get expensive fast. The Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesel app is great! It has a story book, movie, coloring, puzzles, and matching. The games are great because there is a easy and hard setting. My son has played with it for a few hours and loves it so far.

[$0.99 - App Store link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

Harvard Business Review has a great write up likening Siri as being as revolutionary to computing with it's hands free interaction as was the Mac with it's desktop metaphor using a mouse, and as with the iPhone using multitouch gestures. The article states that Mac brought computing accessibility to the masses but over the years, complexity via added functionality introduced issues that broke the "desktop metaphor". Siri, it contends, solves these complexity issues.

"The advantage of using speech over other interaction paradigms is that we have honed its use over thousands of years. It is entirely natural for us to talk to one another. Talking is one of the first things we learn how to do as children. It's second nature for us to ask a colleague or a friend a question and for them to answer the same way. Being able to talk to a phone like it's a personal assistant is something that people are going to get very used to, very quickly. It's a much more natural approach than using a mouse on a desktop."

iOS has had some manner of voice control since iPhone 3GS launched, and although useful, the implementation was lacking. I've often asked to voice dial "Fred" only to get my ac/dc playlist to start blaring from my speakers instead. I certainly like the idea of Siri. I definitely hope that it will work as advertised but mouse and multitouch have been tested and proven over years of use now, and Siri is only just hitting the market today.

Have you tried Siri yet? Do you think it's the next great leap forward?

Source: Harvard Business Review

If you've got the iOS 5 GM seed on your iOS device, you can now jailbreak via RedSn0w 0.9.9b3. This one is also tethered like the previous beta versions of RedSn0w for iOS 5.

Be advised that not all jailbreak apps and tweaks have been updated to support iOS 5. If you’re alright with running tethered and don’t mind a few bugs here and there, follow along for a quick walkthrough.

By this point, almost anyone jailbreaking is already familiar with RedSn0w and how it works. It’s not too much different this time except that RedSn0w has a nifty little tool to automatically detect the iOS 5 GM IPSW which makes the process a bit smoother.

Devices Supported

• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• iPad 1
• iPhone3GS
• iPhone4 (GSM)
• iPhone4 (CDMA)

And I can’t say this enough times, if your device is not listed above, please do not attempt to jailbreak it on any version of iOS 5! And if you rely on a software unlock and don't have an older boot rom, stay away from iOS 5 altogether.

What you need

• iOS 5 GM seed installed on your device from the Apple Developer Portal - Developer license required
• iTunes beta 7 for either Windows or Mac from the Apple Developer Portal - Developer license required
• RedSn0w 0.9.9b3 – Mac Link, Windows Link

After you have iOS 5 GM installed on your device, your device backed up, and your version of iTunes upgraded to the newest beta version, follow the steps below to jailbreak.

1. First Launch RedSn0w

2. This version automatically detects your IPSW unlike older versions of RedSnow. Just click Jailbreak and follow the prompts.
3. After RedSn0w finishes doing it's thing, you're done!

4. Next you may need to perform a tethered boot. If you do, simply open RedSn0w again and click Extras and then Just Boot
5. Your phone will perform a tethered boot and you should be good to go!

RedSn0w has also thrown in a little bonus for Windows users. You can copy the redsnow.exe file to your desktop or anywhere you like and rename it something like justboot.exe. As long as you have the word "boot" in the file name you can just double click that file to perform a quick tethered boot with RedSn0w.

That's it boys and girls. If you need any help, be sure to check out our TiPb jailbreak forums. Until next time, happy jailbreaking!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

LIFE for iPad - @sethclifford

I love photography, and in particular, photos that transport me to other times and depict life as it used to be. I'm fascinated by our changes as a culture, and always love comparing what we see now to the way things looked decades ago. I completely stumbled onto LIFE for iPad this week, and instantly fell in love with it, tweeting out how great it was. I've been spending a lot of time with the app this week, and I'm still enjoying it immensely.

Life magazine has been a staple of photojournalism for almost a century now, and has gone through some transitions in that time. But one thing that hasn't changed is the incredible quality of the images it brings to readers. The iPad app is a wonderful way to browse some of these libraries, both from the past and present. Much of the app focuses on current events and color photography, but for me where it really shines is with the historical archives you can page through. I spent hours poring over pictures of New York City from the 30s-50s, and gazing at pictures from the 1939 World's Fair and the construction of the Empire State Building. The captions and the summaries for each picture provide a little more insight into the moment of capture, and allow you to really immerse yourself in the scenes.

There are, unfortunately, some jarringly intrusive ads that sit within the photo sets, but you can skip them easily enough. I would really prefer if the ad content was served some other way, because it takes you out of the frame of mind in which you're viewing the content, but for now it's not so annoying that it would prevent me from using the app. There are also some sharing functions (email, Facebook, Twitter) if you want to post photos or tell friends about the app.

If you're a student of history (and you should be) and appreciate great photography, it's worth the few minutes to download. I can see this being a "must-install" whenever I restore or change my iPad out in the future.

[Free - App Store link]

Frogger Decades – @chrisoldroyd

I am showing my age here but I remember the original game and used to play it in the arcades when I was young. Anyway to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original, Konami has released Frogger Decades. It follows a similar theme to the original game but is much more colorful and has a more varied back drop than the original. It has loads of levels and even carries Game Center support!

It does look beautiful and is one of those games that you pick up instantly and enjoy forever. It is only $1.99 in the App Store so stop messing about and go and get it. It's pure gold!

[$1.99 - App Store Link]

Tangled - @Alli_Flowers

I'm not a big game player, and I hate games with a soundtrack that distracts me. I stumbled onto Tangled, which is normally $.99, but the developer is giving it away for a limited time. It's minimalistic (no soundtrack - yay!), simple, beautiful, and neither too simple nor frustrating.

The object is to untangle the lines by grabbing the round handles and moving them around. Of course, the tangles become increasingly difficult, but not impossible. You won't "die" if you don't untangle them inside 60 seconds, and you can always reset and start over if you get things more tangled than they were when you started.

This is a peaceful brain exercise that you can catch onto quickly. Go get it while it's still free!

[Free - App Store link]

1Password (Mac App Store edition) - @reneritchie

1Password has just hit the Mac App Store. Repeat, 1Password has just hit the Mac App Store. This is not a drill. Deploy. Deploy. Dep... What, too over the top?

Listen, there's a few things I do whenever I install or re-install a Mac. I a) Type in my Apple ID and start syncing down my Preferences, Keychains, etc. (which iCloud won't be doing in the near future, frakdammit), b) install Dropbox and start syncing my home directory, including the library I'll use to, c) install 1Password.

And then I'm most of the way done.

Now if you bought 1Password directly from AgileBits in the past, you might hesitate on buying it again via the Mac App Store. Don't. It's on sale for $20 and comes with a free upgrade to 1Password 4 when it launches.

If it was any more of a no-brainer, it'd be negative brained. Seriously. Especially because it's also available for iPhone and iPad as a universal app, and Windows if you swing that way (or both ways). It also plugs into Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc. to autofill your password hassles away.

There's supposed to be a continual conflict between security and convenience. 1Password does a great job of mediating that conflict. It lets you have gnarly, strong, pseudo-random passwords without having to remember them.

Get it now.

[$19.99 - Mac App Store link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

Users of the well known Mac virtual machine software Parallels can now purchase an updated Parallels Mobile from the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It will allow you to not only access any of your Parallels virtual machines -- for example, that Windows 7 you're running on your MacBook -- from your device, but also control your Mac as well. Simply log in to your Parallels account and you'll have instant access.

Parallels Mobile offers the following features:

• Use any of your Windows applications, from Internet Explorer to Outlook
• Remotely start, stop any of your applications.
• Stay connected via WiFi or 3G networks
• Control your Mac just like you control Windows (Parallels Desktop 7 only)
• Play back music and audio files remotely - see and hear Flash video on your iPad or iPhone (Parallels Desktop 7 only)
• Copy and paste text between your mobile device and Windows programs (Parallels Desktop 7 only)

There isn't support for Windows Aero and some features depend upon the version of Parallels Desktop you have installed. It's available in the App Store for an introductory price of $4.99. Standard pricing will be $19.99.

[$4.99 - App Store Link]]

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Marc, Seth, and Rene iterate through Apple's OS X Lion, Microsoft's Windows 8 preview, HP's webOS 3.0 TouchPad UI, discuss text in graphics and color management, and talk with Prototypes' Duncan Wilcox and Keith Lang. This is Iterate!

• Show notes

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

DropVox - @sethclifford

As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of Dropbox and apps that capitalize on it by tying into the APIs to create interesting new services. I also find Apple's own Voice Memos app lacking in that there's no easy way to get those recordings off my iPhone short of syncing (for now). DropVox is a little app that solves this problem simply. All it does it record audio and throw it into your Dropbox for you. Using compressed .m4a files, the app fires up quickly and sends faster than you might expect. It's not the kind of thing you'd use to record a full album in the studio, but it's super handy for quick thoughts. You can also set it up to record immediately on launch, which makes the flow even faster (this is how I have it set up because when I'm using something like this, time is of the essence).

It's a clean-looking app, with a singular function, and it does it well. Check it out.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Twinkle Twinkle - @chrisoldroyd

My little girl loves singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star so she absolutely loves this app. "Twinkle Twinkle" tells the story of a friendship between a restless owl and a little star that watches over the forest. The simple touch animations are designed to help children relax. Touch the screen to watch the owl's wing's flap and hear the owl hoot. See the star spin around. Help the owl and the star fly across the sky with a flick of your finger!

It comes with different reading options as well as two videos showing the content of the book all beautifully rendered. It also includes a simple counting the stars game. If you have young children, they will love this app and story. Great for bedtimes!

[$2.99 - iTunes link]

OS X Lion - @reneritchie

Really, did you expect anything else? After OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, whose changes were as profound as they invisible to end users, OS X Lion finally brings some user experience refresh to Apple's aging desktop operating system -- and it brought it straight back from iOS. It's not a gimmick either. Apple has spent decades trying to simplify and mainstream the computing appliance. What started with the Apple II in a garage has thus far come closest with iPad in 20 million homes. That's not lost on Apple, Steve Jobs, or the OS X team. Lion is proof. We get full screen apps, LaunchPad which mimics the iOS home screen right down to folders and jigglies, saved state and auto-resume that blurs the distinction between open and closed apps, and multitouch gestures to swipe and pinch through it all. Even the built in apps, from the outstanding new 3-pain, threaded Mail, to the curious stitched leather iCal, look like their iPad equivalents.

It's even distributed via the Mac App Store. For $30. For all your personal machines. (And you can bump that up to full on OS X Server for $50 more.)

Lion is not without it's frustrations of course -- beyond the above-mentioned stitched leather UI. Scrolling has been reversed, also to match iOS. Give it a week, however, and you'll likely not want to go back. Pushing content really does feel more natural than pulling scroll bars (which Lion does its level best to hide anyway.)

Auto-restore, where every window comes flying back up when you re-start an app could potentially cause embarrassment depending on what kind of website you were last on, who you were last drafting an email too, or what video you last had playing, so user beware.

You can turn almost all of these fancy new features off in settings, but you can also get used to the brave new world of auto-saving, document versioning, sandbox securing, Mac App Store downloading wonder. It's a glimpse at the future and Apple's brought it to us today.

Bottom line, if you love iOS, you'll love Lion. And if you want to no more, check out Ars Technicas epic 20,000 word review, courtesy of John Siracusa, which analyzes and critiques every byte and pixel from the controls to the code. You can even enjoy it on your iPad in ebook form if the mood strikes you.

[$29.99 - Mac App Store link]

Diptic - @Alli_Flowers

Diptic is a triptych app, pure and simple: three images together in a single work of art. On your iPhone, you can use 2, 3, or 4 photos, and arrange them into a single piece. You can take a new photo from your iPhone's camera as you go, choose a photo in your album, use one of your Facebook photos, or grab something from Flickr.

There are a series of frame layouts from which to choose, and all you have to do is drop your photos into the box. Once there, you can zoom or rotate so you have just what you want. You can even get artsy and traditional and use the same photo in each box, with only a portion showing in any one section. You have total control over the frame's thickness and colour.

Diptic is great if you have trouble deciding which photo is the best - you can just use them all in a single image, or if you have pets or children, and like to show them off simultaneously.

It's an extremely easy app to use, and offers lots of flexibility.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Metal Gear Solid Touch - @skeetobite

My pick of the week is Metal Gear Solid Touch (played on the iPad). This universal binary continues the Metal Gear Solid line, a game franchise I first looked at on the Playstation! This first person shooting game is a little different than some others - you aren't moving through corridors or buildings. Instead, you are stationary, and you have to aim your gun by moving the target around on the screen. You have a couple of different kinds of guns (for sniping or closer combat) and the goal is simple - survive and kill your enemies. The interface is very very intuitive, although for a while I was expecting the target to appear wherever I tapped (it doesn't, you have to move it around the screen by sliding). The graphics are outstanding, and all in all this was a fun way to waste many hours this week. I wish there was a little more variety in some of the levels (although in fairness, I haven't gotten very far so maybe it changes). This game has been fluctuating in price between, although I missed out on the most recent sale. If you keep an eye on it, you might get it at a greatly reduced price sometime soon!

[$7.99 - iTunes link]

FX Photo Studio - @llofte

FX Photo Studio just got a big update and now it has a Masking Studio. This is exactly what this app needed! FX Photo Studio has nearly 200 different filters you can apply to your photos, but, unfortunately, not all of them look good on the entire photo. There are many times when one filters does wonders to the sky, another to buildings, and still another to skin, while simultaneously making the rest of the photos look worse. With Masking Studio, you can mask in (or out) the part of the photo you want (or don't want) to be affected by the filter. I love it! Hopefully the next update will have a "soft brush" update to better blend the edges of the masks.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Starbucks - @duscraftphoto (Reader's Choice)

America is a country that is run on C8H10N4O2 (Caffeine) and it’s our crazy schedules and long work days that are to blame... Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an app that made the consumption of this popular potable even easier? Well, the good folks over at this little Seattle based coffee company called Starbucks have heard your cries and offer a solution... The Official Starbucks app.

The Starbucks app has recently gone through a major overhaul and is vastly better than the earlier versions. You now have the ability to completely control your Starbucks card collection, monitor your Gold Points, view nutrition facts, make and share custom drinks, find store locations and even buy gifts for people you’re fond of. The app also allows you to protect all of your super secret secrets with a passcode.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself “How this can help me improve my day to day life?” Well, let’s say you’re like me and your job requires you to travel a lot and work late into the night... We all know how lame that is. If i’m out of town and I need a quick Iced Soy Cinnamon Dolce Latte fix and I can’t find a Starbucks anywhere around me (which is highly unlikely if you’re on or around Earth). I can just pop out my phone, go straight to the Starbucks app and tap on the “Stores” button and with the power of GPS and, lets face it, magic... I’m on my way! All while avoiding having to Google a location.

Not impressed yet?.. Well, you can also use the app to pay for your coffee at most locations! You don’t even have to fumble with that pesky wallet and all of it’s Velcro tyranny . Nope, you just pull out your phone and tap the pay icon and hold your phone in front of their laser ray gun and BOOM! You’ve just paid for your coffee!

Maybe you’re one of those people that always orders their drinks in the wrong order and then gets the “correction” from the barista. That minor embarrassment is a thing of the past because now you can read your drink order to them from your Favorites just the way Schultz intended. No more “Can I have a Venti Iced Vanilla Latte with Soy?” and getting this response “You mean an Iced Venti Soy Vanilla Latte?..”

So go my caffeine addict friends, go and drink the sweet nectar of modern day life with ease and serenity... And while you’re at it, get me a triple shot.

[Free - iTunes link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

• The official Google+ application finally landed in the App Store, share your experiences with it here in this thread. And if you'd like to add yours truly, you can find me here.

• If you own a Mac chances are you've heard Apple's new OS Lion has been released. Have you taken the dive and upgraded yet? Discuss that and many other topics in our Mac OS X forum.

• So you installed iOS 5 beta 3 and you want to back track to iOS 4.3, it's not as simple as an easy restore via iTunes. If you'd like to know how to do so be sure to check out the iOS 5 beta 3 downgrade thread.

• If you'd like to talk about the iPhone 5 in any way, shape or form then our iPhone 5 forum is the place to visit.

See you in the forums!

Apple has just announced their Q3 2011 results and the iOS platform continues to impress with 20.34 million iPhones sold (up 142% from last year), 9.25 million iPads (up 183%), 3.95 million Macs (up 14%) and 7.54 million iPods (down 20%). All that added up to $28.57 billion in revenue and record quarterly net profit of $7.31 billion.

“We’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.”

“We are extremely pleased with our performance which drove quarterly cash flow from operations of $11.1 billion, an increase of 131 percent year-over-year,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $25 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $5.50.”

Their quarterly conference call is coming up soon and we'll add highlights as we hear them, after the break.

• Starting off with Macs. Up 14%. 4x IDC forecast for PC industry... but nothing compared to iOS. Particularly strong in AsiaPac.
• New iMacs with Thunderbolt, FaceTime HD cameras
• iPod touch is half of iPods sold.
• iTunes $1.4 billion, music, video, apps strong. 225 million accounts. 15 billion songs.
• 20.3 million iPhones. 142% growth, double IDC estimates for global market.
• iPhone revenue $13.3 billion, increase of 150%
• Very strong growth, all segments. AsiaPac robust, 400% up.
• Increasing iPhone manufacturing capacity. 228 carriers in 105 carriers.
• 5.9 million iPhones in channel. Support strong demand, carrier additions, distribution.
• 91% of fortune 500 testing or deploying iPhone, 57% of global 500 companies testing or deploying iPhone. Acta, Netsle, Dow, SuperValue, Comcast.
• 9.2 million iPads. 183% increase. Increased production by over 4.5 million. Sold every one they could make.
• 64 countries for iPad, iPad 2.
• $6 billion in revenue from iPad.
• 1.05 million iPads in inventory.
• 86% of fortune 500 are testing or deploying. 47% of global 500 companies.
• Boston Scientific, Xeorox, Salesforce deploying iPad. Top hospitals, retail. General Electric, SAP internal apps. Airlines using in cockpit.
• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, 222 million cumulative device sales.
• iOS 5 includes 200 new features, notification center, iMessage, Newstand. PC-free, activate and set up out of the box. Launching this fall.
• June provided preview for iCloud. Free new services. Work seamlessly. Store content on cloud, push to devices. Release in fall.
• App Store 425,000 apps, 15 billion downloads. $2.5 in cumulative payments to devs. Far ahead of competitors.
• Apple Stores now. (They're doing just fine thanks.)
• Cash is at 76.2 billion in the bank. Wow.
• Will continue to charge for OS upgrades like Lion and iWork.
• (Call keeps cutting ou for me, sorry if I miss stuff)
• Deferring revenue, recognizing over 2 years to account for upgrades.
• Now giving out typically conservative guidance for next quarter.
• Q&A time.
• 12% revenue downtick is more conservative than normal, why? PO: September more weighted to higher education. Best Macs ever. Expect increase. Expects iPhone increase as well, expanding iPad, expecting as well. iPod decline. A lot going on with iCloud, iOS 5. Product transition they won't talk about will effect quarter.
• How do you approach working transitions into guidance. OP: Not talking about it. Factored it in. Incredibly confident about pipeline.
• iPad 2 sales, trends? Tim Cook: Do believe some customers chose iPad over Mac. Believe even more chose to purchase iPad over Windows. Lots more Windows to cannibalize over Mac. Mac has attributes that will continue to do well in the market. Grew 5x market. iPad 2 has been a frenzy. Feel good about progress, reception.
• China, growth in AsiaPac? TC: China was key for results. Greater China up 6x. $3.8 billion is quarter, $8.8 billion year to date. Substantial opportunity for Apple. Just scratching surface.
• Outlook for gross margin? PO: 38%, down 370 basis points. 2/3 decline driven by different product mix. Loss of leverage on lower revenue. Full quarter of back to school. Future product transition. TC: NAND and DRAM, LCD, batteries, optical, in positive supply situation. Pricing to fall at or above historical trend. HD supply constrained, less than trend. Components favorable on sequential comparison. Offset by 1 time benefits discussed for June quarter.
• 1 time benefit on gross margins. PO: Saw benefit on warranty on phone support, benefits.
• Patents? IP strategy? TC: Simple view, we love competition, great for Apple, everyone. Want people to invent their own stuff. Going to defend portfolio.
• What drove iPhone strength? TC: Added 42 new carriers, 15 new countries. Throughout quarter. Real sequential improvement due to emerging and developed markets. China, Latin America - Brazil, Mexico, Middle East. Great for Apple. Not historically as strong in. Beginning to see fruits of their labor.
• Milestones for next quarter? TC: No, but can see it's something of great focus. Want to do business with great partners. Still out there. Working new relationships.
• Android activations higher than iPhone, China is on fire, what about Google numbers? TC: Android activation number is difficult to get hands around. Apple numbers from data sheet, add iPhone, iPad, approximate 50% iPods is iPod touch. Sold over 33 million iOS devices. Now over 222 million cumulative devices. Numbers very straight forward, transparent, quarterly. iPhone is up 142%, more than 2x rate of market growth. Incredible. Sold every iPad 2 they could make. Also gaining traction in enterprise. Converting to penetration focus. App Store largest by far, iPad specific over 100,000. Be hard pressed to find more than a few hundred on other platforms. Other tablets not getting any traction to speak of. $2.5 billion to developers, great model. Customers love it. Confident with model, app store. Ranked iPhone #1 in customer surveys. Confident in road map. Feel very good. Changewave data reaffirmed iPhone is clear leader in satisfaction, number one preference for new smartphone buyers.
• Apple TV? Not a leg of the stool yet. Not in size market iPhone, Mac, etc. Love the product, customers love it. Got it right with new model. Still a hobby.
• Non-Apple retail channel? TC: About 115,000 points of sale. Diversified. Part of the magic. Prefer not to share it. Make right decisions for Apple.
• iPhone, iPad manufacturing yield? TC: No specific numbers, supply of iPad improved dramatically in the quarter. Further improved in July. In balance in some SKUs in some countries. Feels good about progress.
• How to sustain growth? TC: On tariff side, carrier sets that. Better question for them. At very macro level, virtually every carrier is desirous of more customers having smartphones, using data, expanding ARPU. No better device to move to from any phone up to smartphone than iPhone. Ease of use, ecosystem. Good alignment. Key driver emerging and developing markets. Putting more and more energy in these markets. Bit more difficult to do well in.
• How to address markets? TC: Some percentage of post-paid but looked in aggregate, predominantly pre-paid. Convinced in some cases to start pre-paid, better for customer, carrier, Apple. Obviously developing and expanding channels on list. 115,000 down, some experience to play with.
• What lack of Mac growth was cannibalization, what was hold off for Lion? TC: Look more year-over-year on Mac than sequential. Proud of numbers. Doing 5x rate of growth is something to be proud of. Why isn't it higher? Some cannibalization by iPad. 2x iPad shipped over Mac. But more customers chose to buy iPad over Windows PC. Some customers have delayed purchase for Lion. Launching tomorrow. Fantastic product. Worked really hard on it. Revolutionary. 3rd thing, year ago quarter launched new MacBook Pros. This time launched new iMac. Both well received but MBP makes up majority so makes more difficult comparison.
• Growth trajectory for iPad? TC: Don't predict units. Don't want to make a comment. Think iPad will grow significantly year over year.
• Why does iPad have supply problems? TC: (Repeats previous statements).
• Any differences in enterprise strategy? TC: Dual prong on both iPad and iPhone. Work with carriers who have sales forces. Train and provide help with carriers. Do some direct sales or act as overlay to channel. Very happy with numbers, interest, pilot, deployment. Now moving to penetration. To be this far into Enterprise for a product only shipping 15 months is incredible. Enterprise typically much more conservative, takes more time to evaluate. Moving at speed he's never seen. K12 takes very long time as well but last quarter sold more iPads than Macs. Would never have predicted this. Clear it has universal appeal from consumer to business to government and on and on.
• Expectations for iCloud? PO: Cannot wait to get iCloud and iOS 5 into hands of customers. Have done it right. Seamless, integrated experience they're going to love. Didn't go unnoticed in Changewave results that iOS devices are #1 in intent to buy.
• Lead over competitors in ability to mirror content? PO: Good with internet, delivering content. Proved with iTunes, App Store. Have some things to learn but have a lot of skills. Excited.
• China Mobile? Pre-paid? TC: Pre-paid or unlocked phones (off contract) are key in China and a number of emerging market where credit systems are not as well established as US, Japan, Western Europe, Australia, etc. iPhone volume for 1st 3 quarters was up 5x year over year. iPhone is key contributor to greater China revenue. Not saying figured out precisely how to play perfectly in environment. Have more to do, more to learn. Feel good about progress. If told a year ago would do $3.8 billion, very many in Apple wouldn't have believed it. Feel very, very good. Applying those learnings to other markets.
• Recent market data in some countries shows lost share? Is iPhone share strategically important to Apple? TC: Share gain is important. Do offer 3GS as example in lower price point. US is $49 with contract. Varies off-contract. Clearly in distinctly different price than iPhone 4. Philosophy same as always. Will only make products Apple is proud of, best in the world. iPod shuffle was created, now $49. Lot of people love it. Always question, litmus test. Up to Apple to convince Apple to spend more for a material better experience and product. Seen people will do that if product is great, message is appropriate. A lot of experience in both those areas.
• iPad media consumption? TC: Talk to 10 people, 10 different reasons they love it. Reason it's doing so well across demos, geographies.
• Why not more movie titles? PO: Have a very broad library, particularly in US. Adding more internationally each quarter. Look for more later this quarter across the various stores. Have neat stuff coming.
• That's all!

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Surfline - @sethclifford

Summer's my favorite time of the year, and I love to surf. I've been a beach kid since birth, and being in the ocean is about the greatest thing I can imagine. I'm busier now than I was when I was younger, and I can't just hang out at the beach all day, every day, and hop in the water when it looks good. I've got to plan my surf sessions to maximize the time I can spend in the water, and I use the Surfline app to do it. In addition to tons of information on thousands of surf spots around the world, I like that I can customize it to my home break and get all my local data quickly, like tides and charts, wind speed and direction, and even live surf cam footage. It's packed with stuff, and even if you don't surf, you may find a use for it. For instance, I sent the link for the app to my sister just yesterday, because she wanted an accurate way to know when to take my nephew to the beach to swim when it wouldn't be too deep or dangerous for him (he's only three).

It's a cool app, and every time I use it I miss the beach more, but I know that when I get there, I'll get some great surfing in, because I've planned it out like a Metal Gear op.

[Free - iTunes link]

Plants vs Zombies - @iMuggle

I know, I know - Plants vs Zombies is anything but new. That still doesn't mean it isn't one of the all time best games made for iPhone and iPad. No matter how many times I play through the game, it's still just as fun as the first time. Whether I'm bored on a flight or bored at home, I sometimes find myself picking up my iPad or iPhone and playing for a bit. Each time you play through the game, you can do things differently. You can also attempt to unlock achievements or play through the mini games.

I'm not a huge gamer but I do enjoy strategy and arcade games on my iPhone and iPad. Plants vs Zombies fits perfectly into both genres. It's easy to play and one of those games you can just kind of do you own thing with. PopCap is by far one of my favorite game makers with classic titles such as Bejeweled and Peggle. They may not have ridiculous graphics but they're the games I always seem to end up tapping into when taking a break or relieving myself from boredom.

If you haven't checked out Plants vs Zombies, make sure you do. I'm convinced you won't be disappointed!

[$2.99 for iPhone - iTunes Link] [$6.99 for iPad - iTunes Link]

Foreca.st - @Alli_Flowers

Foreca.st is the latest addition to the social networking scene. It ties in to your 4Square account, but in addition to being able to tell your friends where you are, it will tell them where you're going.

Only a week ago I got a text from a 4Square friend while I was standing in line at the checkout at WalMart. "Hey, are you still at WalMart? I see you checked in there on 4Square." All I could think was...if only I'd known he were going to be there, we could have coordinated the visit - maybe even carpooled! Foreca.st lets you do just that.

One of the great features of Foreca.st that I've always wished was native to 4Square is the ability to queue up your forcasted check-ins so that when you arrived, you can just tick it off, rather than locating and checking in from scratch.

Another feature that I REALLY like, is the ability to select those contacts for whom you want to receive check-in notifications. After all, for the most part, does it matter where your friends are going if they live 1,000 miles away? No, your interest lies with your local contacts. (Unless, of course, you're using 4Square for stalking purposes, but that's another matter altogether.)

Definitely worth checking out, and you can't beat the price!

[Free - iTunes link]

LockInfo [jailbreak] – @chrisoldroyd

Ok I know I am late to the jailbreak party, but as they say, better late than never right? Anyway I am now 100% #teamjailbreak!

Ok, on with this week’s pick, its Lockinfo. How have I managed to get through life without this amazing app? It’s a miracle to be honest, Lockinfo makes my iOS life complete, it makes it easy and it makes it a joy. I have it on my iPhone, I have it on my iPad.

I can see all the important information right on my lock screen. More importantly I can see all the unimportant information on my lock screen too. Like that spam email that usually involves a sound notification, a slide to unlock, firing up the mail app then the disappointment. Not anymore, I can see the heading and who it’s from in an instant with Lockinfo.

I haven’t even mentioned all the other amazing things it offers like calendar integration, twitter integration, weather plugins, missed calls notifications, SMS and of course all the other notifications you can think of. It also has a lovely Infoshade that you can pull down when you’re using your device. It is a fantastic app.

Look, stop reading this now and go jailbreak and install it - it’s that good!

[$7.99 – LockInfo]

FreeTime - @JorjLim

FreeTime is a simple, beautiful, yet powerful calendar tool.

When you launch Freetime, you’re asked to set an average day, your weekly working hours, and, to select which calendars will effect your free-time. The app then works out your total ‘time available’ for the day, which you can then view at a glance. New events can then be added directly within the app, to fill any “freetime”.

There is a built-in filter, to easily find out exactly when you are free for any length of time. for example: Find when I have [1 hour] free between [12:00pm - 3:00pm].

You can collaborate with colleagues or friends, either by email, SMS, or by using “bump” to reveal when you are both free, which is great for collaborative projects or organising a casual day out with friends.

The functionality of this app is only equalled by its beauty.

The app has already made me start inputing more events into my calendars. FreeTime is an absolute ‘no-brainer’, if you need an app to help organise your time.

[Free - iTunes link]

Power Inventory - @skeetobite

My pick of the week is Power Inventory. This is a useful app that allows you to identify and record everything you own. Yes, everything. With the start of hurricane season here in Texas, it is recommended that you have a detailed inventory (including pictures) of all your possessions for insurance purposes. Power Inventory lets you enter items, including pictures of items. It also allows you to record data include purchase date, purchase price, repairs, warranty information, condition, and even it you have loaned something out to someone! Of course, it can be time consuming to do this for everything you own, but Power Inventory at least takes some of the difficulty out. Of course, I just started this earlier this week, so I still have a long way to go. If you are a collector, or someone who deals in large purchases, Power Inventory can also help you out there.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Marked - @reneritchie

I write almost everything in John Gruber's Markdown syntax. It's quick, it's clean, and in-so-far-as bits on a screen can ever be, it's human. Everything I write for TiPb and a lot of what I write for myself starts in Markdown and stops when some plugin or script converts it for display on the web. (Now I'm thinking I need to write InDesign docs in Markdown as well... hmmm...) So when I saw Marked in the Mac App Store, I jumped on it.

Yeah, it's a Mac app, not an iOS app, so shoot me. Or better yet, use it on your Mac because there are some great Markdown tools on iOS already and being able to roundtrip thanks to Dropbox (and maybe iCloud eventually) means I don't really have to worry about platform or place any more.

Back to Marked. It's clever. It opens files written in Markdown and previews them with processed formatting. But that's not all. It waits. It watches. And any time an open document is changed in any editor, it updates the preview.

Do you understand what I'm saying? It's a social network for Markdown. No, wait, sorry. It's a live preview for Markdown, which can save you a lot of cursing and correcting when you're writing blind now and processing in a rush later.

Simple. Like most brilliant things.

[$2.99 - iTunes link]

Ticket to Ride - @llofte

Perhaps you've heard of Ticket to Ride, the best selling board game? Well, it's also available on the iPad and it's awesome! I won't get into the rules of the game, but know that it is easy to learn and even playable by children. As a physical game, Ticket to Ride would take up a lot of table space and be easily messed up by small children or pets. I love playing on the iPad because I can kick back and relax on the couch to play. I have it installed on both of my iPads and my husband and I lean back on opposite ends of the couch and play against each other.

There is also a pass-and-play option for households with only one iPad and you can play against your friends on Game Center or anyone else who's logged into the game at the time.

The game comes with the US version of the game with the Europe and Switzerland maps available as in app purchases.

If you like board games, I highly recommend picking this one up!

[$6.99 - iTunes link]

Flick Golf - @jdipane (Reader's Choice)

Truth be told I am not one who is much for gaming on their device, typically because I like to use my battery for more important things, like work calls, emails, etc but when I came across Flick Golf I knew I had to try it. Immediately upon launching the application I knew I was going to love it, the graphics look simply amazing on the retina display, and the colors were amazing. After running through the tutorial, I launched into the game and next thing I knew, it was two hours later, and I was still going strong. Each flick of the golf ball sends it flying towards the hole, then you flick which direction it needs to go, hoping to get a hole in one, but settling for anything that gets you points. There are three different game modes: QuickShot, WorldTour, and QuickShot Pro, each offering different amounts of fun for different users. For only 99 cents, I would have to say this is probably the best purchase I have made on my iPhone to date.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

Since Apple recently released iOS 5 beta 3, you may be wondering whether or not you can jailbreak as you could with beta 1 and beta 2. Fortunately, beta 3 is also jailbreakable.

But again, we'll warn you that beta software has its own qualms to begin with so if you're not comfortable with a few more bugs, we urge you to stay away. Also keep in mind a lot of jailbreak tweaks and apps have not yet been updated to support iOS 5. If you absolutely need to get your beta jailbreak on, follow along for another walk-through.

Devices supported

• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• iPad 1
• iPhone3GS
• iPhone4 (GSM)
• iPhone4 (CDMA)

If your device is not listed above, please do not attempt to jailbreak your device. So yes, iPad 2 owners will have to wait or jailbreak iPad via JailbreakMe on iOS 4.3.3.

1. First you will need to download Redsn0w 0.9.8b2 - Mac Link, Windows Link
2. Next you will need to make sure you have the iOS beta 1 firmware file from the Apple Developer Portal or wherever else you choose to find it.

3. Launch Redsn0w. You should be asked to navigate to the firmware file from the previous step. Select it and click next.

4. Once you click next, Redsn0w will take a minute to do it's thing. You should see a patching kernel message and that Redsn0w successfully recognized your firmware.

5. Next select the options you'd like Redsn0w to perform. I typically only select Install Cydia. It's worth noting that this is where you will perform a tethered boot if needed as well. You will just select Just boot tethered for now if you need to do this or your device reboots or dies.

6. Redsn0w will now walk you through putting your device into DFU mode

7. After you're successfully in DFU mode, simply let Redsn0w do its thing and you're done!

Have you jailbroken iOS 5 beta 3 yet? Let us know your results and about any bugs you find. If you're having issues, don't be shy! Ask for help in our official TiPb Jailbreak & Unlock forums.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Apple has sent out a note to developers advising them that iTunes Connect, the back end interface for managing App Store apps, will be down for maintenance on Wednesday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT. They also warn that some countries will lose App Store access, and price changes might cause apps to temporarily become unavailable.

During this time, iTunes Connect will still be available. However, pricing changes made between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PDT will cause the app to become unavailable for purchase until maintenance is complete, at which point the app will become available at the new price. To avoid interruptions to the availability of your apps, do not make price changes during this time.

Lastly, customers may not be able to purchase apps in the Mexico, U.K., Australia, Switzerland, Japan or Norway storefronts during the scheduled maintenance.

Everything should be back to normal following the maintenance, and it's not difficult to imagine Apple's new OS X Lion launch for the Mac might be nicely set up soon thereafter.

Apple has just seeded the Gold Master (GM) candidate for OS X 10.7 Lion to developers. That's the desktop jab, scheduled to land this month, that Apple is using to set up the overhand right of iOS 5, which will finish the combo this fall.

What's interesting here is that Apple seems to be distributing Lion by Mac App Store redeem codes for the major milestones, and via Software Update for the smaller releases. By contrast, Apple has stuck with the tried, true, traditional direct download method for iOS 5 beta 1 and beta 2, though with the new over the air (OTA) features built into iOS, it's possible they could try and test that system sometime in the next couple of months.

Lion, like iOS 5, will tie into the also-in-beta iCloud system so developers testing iCloud APIs for iOS will probably want to see how they work in Lion as well.

So, unless there are any showstoppers, we're probably only a couple weeks away from Lion. We likely won't see iOS 5 GM until September, however, but once and while, new iOS-centric features sneak into the OS X updates as well, so keep your eyes open.

[developer.apple.com]

Wondering why Google+ looks, well, uncharacteristically good for a Google product? Turn out Andy Hertzfeld, an former Apple design guru going back to the days of the original Mac, has been given the freedom to exercise his creative genius on the new Google+ project. No wonder it has such a simple, useful -- dare we say elegant -- look and feel to it.

Hertzfeld credits some of his work done on the project to Apple, saying that Apple's reign on the mobile industry may have had "A little bit to do" with his creative design into the project of Google+.

Does knowing that a famous former Apple designer had a big hand in how Google+ looks and works make you any more likely to try it out?

[Wired]

We've known for a while now that iPhone 5 won't be coming out this month, as it has for the last four years, but this fall, when iOS 5 is also scheduled to ship. Whether one delayed the other, or Verizon contracts, component shortages, engineering hours, a deliberate decision to change the launch schedule, or some combination of factors caused the delay, we may never know, but now rumors suggest new Macs are similarly on hold, this time waiting on OS X Lion before they ship.

Steve Jobs has always stressed that Apple is a software company, and has several times quoted Alan Kay's "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware". They make beautiful boxes out of glass and aluminum and stainless steel and plastic, but as recently as WWDC 2011, Jobs called software their "soul".

iPhone has always been tied to major new releases of iOS (previously iPhone OS), the two launching together with precise regularity. (iPod touch has almost always coincided with an iOS x.1 release, and iPad launched with the unique-to-iPad iOS 3.2, and iPad 2 came with the more modest iOS 4.3).

New Macs, however, were seldom if ever tied to new OS X releases. Users who bought new Macs on or around OS X launches would get a free upgrade offer or a DVD in the box, or something... less than coordinated.

But MacBook Airs with ThunderBolt ports and Sandy Bridge processors might just be on hold for Lion now.

Apple hasn't always had luck with big, coordinated releases. They -- and their servers -- struggled under the same-day iPhone 3G, iOS 2, MobileMe, and App Store release back in 2008. But they have kept their mobile releases in a row.

There was little chance we'd see iPhone 5 announced with WWDC as shipping in June with iOS 4.3, upgradable to iOS 5 in the fall, and if rumors of Macs waiting on Lion pan out, could Apple be moving to an even more tightly integrated hardware/software model? Could we see a day where OS X and iOS releases are coordinated so features that bridge both, like iCloud, "just work" as desktop and mobile both come on line?

[Apple Insider]

If you were one of our many readers waiting for Apple's annual educational promotion to kick off so you could grab a new MacBook or iMac and get a free iPod touch along with it, you're in for some disappointment. Instead of a free iPod touch like last year, this year Apple is offering a $100 iTunes gift certificate to cap off your educational purchase.

Sure, that means you can give it right back to Apple when you buy things from the iOS App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Music (and media) Store, and iBookstore, and get some great stuff to put on your shiny new machine, but we can't help but be a little sad that iPod touch isn't getting in on the big promo this year.

Any of you taking advantage of the Back to School event anyway?

[Apple Online Store]

There's some debate as to whether or not Apple will keep the MobileMe web apps, like Mail, Contacts, and Calendars around after the transition to iCloud. Some have heard no, that Apple will trash them and go 100% apps. Others have heard yes, that Apple will keep them around.

No one outside Apple seems to know for sure. For our part, TiPb has heard there will indeed be web apps in iCloud. At the very least, you'll need a way to access Find my iPhone, Find my iPad, and the forthcoming Find my Mac over the web. Apple has also poured significant resources into the SproutCore-powered Mail, Contacts, and Calendars app -- including a major update to Calendars recently -- and it's hard to imagine them flushing all that effort.

Whether Photo Stream will take over for Photo Galleries, whether Documents in the Cloud will replace the wishy-washy iWork.com, and whether or not the App Store and iTunes store get Web-to-Device push remains unknown.

Even if the native iOS and Mac apps are used far more often, having the web apps as backup is a pretty important feature. We expect Apple to clarify before iOS 5 launches and iCloud comes out of beta this fall.

It sounds like the latest developer preview for Mac OS X Lion will allow you to reboot into a Safari only mode (similar to how a Google ChromeBook is perpetually in Chrome-only mode), as part of the upcoming Find my Mac feature. Should iPad have that option? iPhone and iPod touch?

It would be handy if you wanted to give someone easy access to the web but didn't want them nosing around in your pictures, iMessages, email, and other personal information. It might also be good for educational, business, or even kiosk settings where web access is enough and apps might be too much.

Even if it isn't this, would you want some type of "guest mode" for iOS?

[MacRumors]

This year at WWDC 2011 Apple announced iMessage, a BBM-like instant messaging service built right into the SMS/MMS app. They also built Twitter right into the OS, for clip sharing in Safari, Photos, etc. and come this fall, authentication for the official Twitter app and others. Last year at WWDC 2010 they introduced FaceTime, a video calling service that existed first in the Phone app, then later in its own app on iPod touch, Mac, and iPad. Back in 2002, Apple introduced iChat, an instant messaging service that eventually gained video calling and video conferencing support, as well as desktop sharing and more.

iMessages is proprietary and only on iOS right now. Twitter is proprietary but cross-platform. FaceTime is a collection of open standards that Apple has promised to release the specs for but hasn't as of yet. It's also iOS and Mac OS X only right now. iChat uses both proprietary (like AIM) and open (like Jabber) protocols, with different level of feature and functionality support depending on which you use (though you can use more than one). It's Mac only, but the protocols can be used in other apps on other platforms.

iMessage and FaceTime can both use the same Apple ID, and I can launch into FaceTime via a button in iMessage, but they don't really work together, not the way Skype calls and chat do, for example. Twitter is treated like a separate systems, and iChat is an island all its own.

I can't iMessage someone on Mac or Windows. I can't iChat someone on iOS unless they install a 3rd party app like BeeJive or AIM, and I can't easily switch between text video/voice in the same app.

iChat on Mac OS X could conceivably become a blended iMessage and FaceTime client. Change iChat's name to iMessage and have FaceTime calls as easy to launch from Mac OS X (and hopefully Windows one day) as they are on iOS. Add a similar way to switch back from FaceTime and things might "just work" better.

However, Apple seems to be improving the iChat app in Mac OS X Lion all on its own, with no iMessage or FaceTime support in sight. So that doesn't look like an immediate possibility.

Hopefully Apple is working on this, and we won't have to wait for iOS 7 and Mac OS X 10.8 to get a grand, unified messaging system.

Forget to add your UDID (universal device identifier) to the iOS Developer Portal before loading up iOS 5 beta and wondering how to find it so your iPhone or iPad will activate? It happens. Your iPhone gets swapped out by the Apple Store due to a hardware issue or you get an iPad 2 and forget to add it before you install the new software. iTunes won't help you until the device is activated. Usually you can just grab it from Xcode but if you don't have Xcode handy, you can also get it from System Profiler. We'll show you how, after the break!

To get your UDID:

1. Launch System Profiler (it's in the Utilities Folder or just hit Spotlight and start typing)
2. Under Hardware in the sidebar, go down to USB
3. In the top right pane, go to USB High Speed Bus. If you have a MacBook or iMac, the first one is usually the iSight/FaceTime camera, so open the second to find your iPhone or iPad
4. Click on your device
5. In the bottom pane, look for the serial number. That's the UDID.
6. Copy and paste it
7. Head back to developer.apple.com and add it to your authorized device list

That's it, from crisis to cool in just a few clicks.

If you have any other developer tips, leave them in the comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

With the iCloud unveiling yesterday, Apple also announced that a new version of iTunes and a beta version of iCloud would be available now (with the rest rolling out in the Fall). Users have been reporting iTunes 10.3 downloads becoming available over the past 24 hours. Now, it appears to be available for everyone.

Keep in mind only some iCloud services are available now (and they're still considered beta). The rest will be rolled out this Fall. You should already see changes to the App Store on your devices as those were rolled out wireless yesterday.

iTunes 10.3 will let you do the following right now -

• Automatic downloads - Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices

• Download previous purchases - Download your past music purchases again at no additional cost. Your purchases are available in the iTunes Store on your Mac or in the iTunes app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.

The rest of the services will be available this Fall, along with iOS 5.

Did you download it already? Any bugs so far or is it working for you like Apple said it would?

Passwords are an important part of having an online presence. I always tell friends and family that you should never ever have the same password for all of your accounts. (Do they listen? Probably not.) Either way, having the same password means if someone gets hold of one of your accounts, they could potentially have access to all of them. Having separate passwords is the best idea but then comes keeping track of all of them. Apps like 1Password and DataVault set out to solve that problem.

I took a look at both of these popular password management apps and pitted them against each other. Follow along to see which one came out on top!

Management & Syncing

When it comes to password management, I want to have easy access to my passwords regardless where I'm at. Both of these apps seem to provide that. Both 1Password and DataVault have iOS apps, desktop apps, and syncing services. So if you need to reinstall your desktop client or iOS client, you won't have to re-enter all your passwords.

I'll have to give the edge to DataVault on this one simply for the fact that they offer many more ways to sync your data than 1Password does. 1Password currently offers wifi syncing and syncing with Dropbox. DataVault offers the same but also offers syncing with MobileMe, iTunes file sharing, ad-hoc, and sync servers such as Box.net. So if you don't feel comfortable syncing with Dropbox or over wifi, DataVault may be a good option.

Features and control

Both apps have tons of features. You can create any kind of entry imaginable from logins, credit card accounts, bank accounts, and more. The desktop clients also offer a ton of profile options to auto-fill forms. Even though we are talking about the iOS version of these apps, I think it's still important to talk about their desktop counterparts since they do work together for one single solution.

In my testing, both seemed efficient and did their job well. Feature-wise they're about even.

Interface and ease of use

I'm the type of person that doesn't want to spend an hour learning to use an app before actually being able to utilize it. (I'm a Mac user for a reason!) I somewhat felt this way while using DataVault. The interface felt uncoordinated and clunky. I had to figure out what exactly I was supposed to put in each field and a lot of times, I was entering things in the wrong fields. DataVault is definitely a powerful application but I just felt as though entering information was a task in itself.

1Password seems a lot simpler. Entering a login or password is easy and doesn't require much work. I also like that I can set two passwords. One being a 4 digit number and the other being a master. I can easily require a master on sensitive passwords and only a 4 digit code for passwords that aren't so sensitive. I use the 4 digit code option on things like forum passwords or membership passwords that don't have any financial data attached. It allows me to access those passwords much quicker.

From a user experience standpoint, I much prefer using 1Password.

Pricing

DataVault and 1Password for the iPhone are both $9.99 at regular price. The desktop clients will vary. As of now, DataVault for Mac and Windows is on sale for $9.95 (regular price is $19.95). 1Password for Mac and Windows is a bit steeper as it starts at $39.99 and goes up from there if you'd like to purchase bulk or family licenses. The setup was a bit easier on the desktop version of 1Password opposed to DataVault.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, DataVault may be a cheaper all-in-one solution if you want a complete password management solution but 1Password is definitely just as appealing. For me, I prefer the ease of use of 1Password over DataVault. Some users may want to save the $20 difference on the desktop client and spring for DataVault. The features and syncing capabilities are present in both apps. I do wish 1Password would add MobileMe syncing but for now, Dropbox syncing has always worked just fine. Since Dropbox is free, I somewhat consider it a non-issue for most.

If you decide to try one of these apps out (or already use one or the other), let us know which you prefer. If you prefer a different password management app, let us know why in the comments! Also check out the gallery below for more screenshots of both applications!

DataVault for iPhone - iTunes Link

1Password for iPhone - iTunes Link

ipswDownloader is a shining example of a great utility that allows jailbreakers to download firmware (.ipsw) files easily and quickly. On top of that, it also tells you what jailbreak utility you should use in order to jailbreak (and/or unlock) your device. This is especially convenient if you're using something like PwnageTool that requires you to have an ipsw file in order to create a custom firmware bundle. This is highly common among unlockers.

This can be great for beginner jailbreakers that may feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of jailbreak tools available. "What jailbreak utility do I need to use?" is probably the number one question we get asked here at TiPb. I really think this tool will come in handy for anyone from beginners to advanced users that really just want an easy and convenient way to download firmware files. Hit the jump for a download link and a quick walk-through.

Download ipswDownloader

ipswDownloader (Mac only as of now) - Download Link

Choose your device and firmware

Simply choose your device and your current firmware version. ipswDownloader will quickly tell you if you can jailbreak, what tool you can use, and whether or not you can unlock. You'll also see a download button in the bottom right hand corner. Click that if you'd like to download a copy of your firmware file to your computer. Choose your save location and you're good to go!

Let us know in the comments if any of you plan on using ipswDownloader!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

As you can see from the tweet above, the Dev Team has updated their popular PwnageTool to support an untethered jailbreak under iOS 4.3.2. You now have the option of using either PwnageTool or redsn0w to jailbreak iOS 4.3.2.

We have experienced some issues with jailbreaking iOS 4.3.2. Some users say they have had issues as well while others are perfectly fine. I'm personally staying on 4.2.1 for now since I have no compelling reason to upgrade.

The updated version of PwnageTool is available at the link below. It supports the following devices -

• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4 (GSM)
• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• iPad First generation

So iPad 2 users and Verizon iPhone users need not apply. And a final note to unlockers - you should only ever use a custom IPSW when upgrading firmware. While ultrasn0w will unlock your iPhone running iOS 4.3.2, that only applies if you are running an older baseband. So never restore to a stock firmware in iTunes because that will not preserve your baseband! Check out more details and grab your download from the link below!

[Dev-Team Blog]

TiPb is hearing that Apple might just be set to take on government and enterprise a little bit more aggressively by adding FIPS 140-2 Cryptographic Modules to iPhone, iPad, and the Mac.

The Federal Information Processing Standard, publication 140-2 is a US government security standard for certifying both hardware and software security modules. According to our source, Mac OS X Lion is already in the 2nd to last stage of testing via the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with an estimated 1-2 months before completion. iPhone and iPad aren't as far along yet, with several months to go before certification.

While Apple has made huge inroads into enterprise there are organizations that simply won't consider iPhone or iPad without strong cryptographic support. Looks like that might just be on the way now.

Apple announced today that the next version of their desktop operating system, Mac OS X Lion -- the one that takes iPhone and iPad features back to the Mac -- is now available for developers to preview.

“The iPad has inspired a new generation of innovative features in Lion,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Developers are going to love Mission Control and Launchpad, and can now start adding great new Lion features like full screen, gestures, Versions and Auto Save to their own apps.”

There are the features they've mentioned before, including the Mission Control system that replaces/unifies Spaces and Exposé, Launchpad which lets you have a grid of apps like iOS, full screen apps also like iOS, more multitouch gestures like iOS (sensing a trend?), and some new ones like a new, iPad-inspired version of Mail, AirDrop which sounds like AirPlay for files, Resume which is saved-state for Mac OS, Auto-Save, a new File Vault, and more.

No mention of 10.7, does that mean Apple thinks version numbers aren't even developer-facing information anymore? Press release after the break and feel free to speculate if we'll see things AirDrop show up for iOS at next week's iPad event...

[Apple.com]

CUPERTINO, California—February 24, 2011—Apple® today released a developer preview of Mac OS® X Lion, which takes some of the best ideas from iPad™ and brings them back to the Mac® for the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Lion features Mission Control, an innovative new view of everything running on your Mac; Launchpad, a new home for all your Mac apps; full screen apps that use the entire Mac display; and new Multi-Touch™ gestures. Lion also includes the Mac App Store℠, the best place to discover, install and automatically update Mac apps. The Lion preview is available to Mac Developer Program members through the Mac App Store today, and the final version of Lion will ship to customers this summer.

“The iPad has inspired a new generation of innovative features in Lion,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Developers are going to love Mission Control and Launchpad, and can now start adding great new Lion features like full screen, gestures, Versions and Auto Save to their own apps.”

Mission Control is a powerful, entirely new feature that unifies Exposé®, Dashboard, Spaces®, and full screen apps to give you a bird’s eye view of every app and window running on your Mac. With a simple swipe, your desktop zooms out to display your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full screen apps as well as your Dashboard, and allows you to instantly navigate anywhere with a click.

Launchpad makes it easier than ever to find and launch any app. With a single click, Launchpad displays all your Mac apps in a stunning full screen layout where you can launch, re-order or organize apps into folders. You can also arrange apps into multiple pages and swipe between them.

Lion brings the full screen experience that iPad users love to the Mac. With one click, your application window goes full screen, taking advantage of your Mac’s brilliant display. You can swipe from one full screen window to another and even back to your Desktop or Dashboard.

New Multi-Touch gestures and fluid animations give you a natural and intuitive way to interact with your Mac. New gestures include pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps and swiping up to enter Mission Control.

Lion also includes the Mac App Store, where you can find great new apps, buy them with your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apps purchased from the Mac App Store are installed directly into Launchpad.

Additional features in Lion include:

• a new version of Mail, with an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010;
• AirDrop, a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup;
• Versions, which automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions;
• Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
• Auto Save, which automatically saves your documents as you work; the all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously; and
• Mac OS X Lion Server, which makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone®, iPad and iPod touch® devices.

Intel's new ultra-high speed, 10Gbps LightPeak connector might just be adopted by Apple soon, and under their own branded name, according to CNET's sources. That's more than 4x faster than USB 2.0's 480Mbps, which is currently supported by iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Since MacBook refreshes are all the rumor-rage right now, that's what's expected to get the LightPeak (or whatever Apple ends up calling it) love first, maybe as soon as this week. But wouldn't that be fantastic for iOS as well, especially for people who sync lots of big games, navigation apps, movies, and other media? If Apple transitions from the 30-pin Dock connector to an EU-favored micro-USB we gain nothing but more standardized same-speed cables with less pins. With LighPeak we get blazing fast connections.

I won't get my hopes up for iPad 2 or iPhone 5... but how about iPad 3 and iPhone 6? Anyone else want that future now?

[CNET]

What Apple products do you own? If you're reading TiPb then chances are high you have an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple TV, but what about iPods nano, shuffle and classic? What about iMacs and Macs Mini and Pro? What about MacBooks Pro and and Air? Airports Express and Extreme? Time Capsules and Cinema Displays?

Apple products spawn like tribbles I tell you, really expensive tribbles! I know I have more than I ever thought I would. What about you, what Apple products do you call your own?

Apple's long-awaited Mac App Store has gone live! The New Mac App Store, part of Apple's taking iPhone and iPad innovation "Back to the Mac" comes with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6, which is available as a software update on your Mac.

Some of the apps available at launch include old Mac favorites -- and iOS favorites as well:

• The iWork '09 suite
• The iLife '11 suite
• Twitter for Mac
• Flight Control
• Angry Birds
• Things
• Aperture 3
• Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

So are you going to be using the new Mac App Store? Let us know what you think in the comments.

[Apple]

Apple released firmware updates for both the AirPort Wi-Fi router and Time Capsule router + hard drive combo today to version 7.5.2, in part to fix AirPlay bugs that prevented some users from properly streaming content from their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to their Apple TV.

• General fixes to Wi-Fi base station stability
• General fixes with USB interoperability including connection to external storage devices
• Fixes some issues with NAT port mapping settings
• Disables TKIP security with 802.11n rates per the Wi-Fi Alliance specifications

Apple also updated the Airport Utility for both Mac and Windows to version 5.5.2.

• Resolves an issue that caused the DHCP settings tab to display incorrectly
• Resolves an issue that caused the application to quit unexpectedly when automatically launched
• Resolves an issue that prevented the network password from being stored in the Keychain when the network on the 5GHz band was named differently

Were you having any issues with AirPlay? If so, does the update correct them?

[TUAW x2]

Screens from Edovia is a new, gorgeously designed, super simple VNC client that brings your Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. I had the good fortune to test drive it through the beta cycle and it really is the closest thing to a Back to my Mac-style, "it just works" experience on iOS. Features include:

• Universal - Screens will run on both iPhone and iPad - one app for both devices.
• Easy to Use - Screens is the easiest, most user friendly VNC client for iOS.
• Secure - Screens can connect to your computer through a SSH Tunnel so your session is encrypted and safe.
• Pull-to-Dock - Your Dock is hidden? No problem! Screens can make it appear with a simple flick!
• Multi-Touch - Screens supports many multi-touch features your already use on your trackpad.
• Screens Connect - Make your computer available from anywhere. Easy as flicking a switch! No messy router setup. (Requires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard)

It's on introductory sale right now so if you act fast, you can save $10 off the regular price.

Screenshots after the break. If you want to run your desktop -- or server room -- from your lounge chair, and do it in pixel-perfect style, check out Screens. And after you do, come back and tell me what you think.

[$14.99 on sale - iTunes link]

Printopia extends iOS 4.2 for iPhone and iPad AirPrint compatibility to any printer associated with your Mac. That's important because, while AirPrint was one of the most highly anticipated features of iOS 4.2 and Apple boasted that AirPrint mades it simple to print your email, photos, web pages, and documents, by itself it's currently only compatible with 11 printers. Enter Printopia:

Whether you have an inkjet printer plugged into your Mac, a laser printer plugged into your router or even a network printer, if your Mac can print to it, Printopia will share it. Is your printer plugged into your AirPort or Time Capsule? No problem. Printopia translates for your printer, allowing it to speak to your iPhone or iPad even if it's not an AirPrint-compatible printer. Printopia even supports many password-protected printers.

Printopia also adds a "Send To Mac" printer to your network. This virtual printing option will save a PDF or JPG file directly to your Mac. Additionally, Dropbox.com users can send files directly to their Mac's Dropbox directory for instant synchronization to the cloud.

It's baffling that Apple did not provide this kind of AirPrint support to begin with, but it's great to have a third party option. Printopia costs $9.95 and a free 7 day trial is also available.

If you pick this one up, let us know what you think!

[Printopia]

As part of the steady march towards iOS 4.2, Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6.5. Beta versions of this OS were said by developers to be necessary to enable iOS 4.2 iPhone and iPad AirPrint support for networked printers. Now, however, there have been rumors networked AirPrint support has been postponed or cancelled.

We'll try it out with the iOS 4.2 GM but we likely won't know for sure until the release version of iOS 4.2 hits, hopefully soon.

If you've updated to 10.6.5 and have iOS 4.2 GM, let us know if it works for you!

Wondering how to Jailbreak iOS 4.1 with greenpois0n? Jailbreakers have a wealth of options when it comes to iOS 4.1.  We've already looked at how to jailbreak iOS 4.1 via limera1n and how to jailbreak via PwnageTool 4.1.  Now we're looking at the Mac version of greenpois0n.  PC users shouldn't have too much difficulty following along with any of these as the steps are generally the same.  It's really up to you what tool you decide to use.  I suggest unlockers use PwnageTool 4.1 though, as it will preserve your baseband for future unlocking.  And as always, we take no responsibility to any damage done to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

This version of greenpois0n will jailbreak the following devices:

• iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS
• iPod Touch 4th and 3rd gen
• iPad (iOS 3.2.2)

Hit the jump for a walkthrough and video!

You'll need to download greenpois0n first.  After that you'll be able to launch it and it'll walk you through how to put your phone in DFU mode.

If for some reason it keeps failing, try making sure iTunes is running in the background.  I know some people were saying it would fail unless iTunes was running.  You'll know it worked when iTunes starts telling you you're phone must be restored before it can be used.

greenpois0n should then do its job of jailbreaking your phone.  You'll see a lot of random text across the screen of the phone and it'll reboot itself.  If all goes well, when it reboots, you should have a loader icon on your homescreen. (For some users it seems to be the greenpois0n icon, for others it's showing up as a white blank icon.)  Either way is fine.

Open the loader and install Cydia.  Once that's done, your iDevice will reboot once more and you should now have access to Cydia.  Pretty simple process.

But if you do have questions or issues, feel free to visit our Jailbreak Forums for help and tips.

As part of the Back to the Mac event, Steve Jobs wondered what would happen if a a MacBook and iPad hooked up and the answer is the new MacBook Air. It's full unibody, full keyboard, full trackpad. Instant on. Great battery life. Great standby time. There will be both 13.3 inch and 11.6 inch models.

• 1440x900 display or 1366x 768
• Core 2 Duo
• NVidia graphics
• FaceTime camera
• Flash storage
• 7 hours Wi-Fi use (under better battery tests) or 5 hours for 11.6 inch
• 30 days standbye
• 802.11n Wi-Fi

Pricing starts at $999 for 11.6, 64GB, 1.4Ghz. All models are 2GB of memory standard. [Update: but you can upgrade to 4GB! W00t!]

Available today.

Steve Jobs today gave a hint at the future of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, and that future is... iOS and iPad!

• Multitouch gestures
• App Store
• App home screens (with Folders)
• Full screen apps
• Auto save
• Apps resume when launched

It's not going to be a multitouch Mac. Jobs says Apple tried it but vertical touch surfaces are tiring and don't work. That's why Apple has made multitouch trackpads for laptops, and Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad for desktops. That's how they're going to do multitouch.

Mac App Store won't be exclusive but Jobs thinks it will be the best. Same 70/30 developer split, one click downloads, free and paid, auto instal, auto updates, licensed for use on all your personal macs.

LaunchPad will be the homescreen for Macs.

Mission Control will unify Spaces, Exposé, Dashboard, full screen apps.

Screenshots after the break. And check out Apple.com's new Mac OS X 10.7 Lion page for more.

Wondering how to Jailbreak your iOS 4.1 iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? limera1n was updated to support Mac today and after testing, it's a pretty painless process. Pretty much what we've come to expect from Geohot. So here's your TiPb-style walkthrough. You PC users should be able to follow along relatively easily as well since both jailbreaks are pretty much identical in nature.  We've also got tutorials on how to jailbreak iOS 4.1 withgreenpois0n as well as how to jailbreak iOS 4.1 with PwnageTool 4.1 as well.  So feel free to pick your pois0n, er... ra1n.

But as usual, here's the standard disclaimer first:

If you are at all hesitant about jailbreaking or don't consider yourself an intermediate to advanced user, we recommend you pass this up.  TiPb does not accept any responsibility for broken iOS devices (even though we'll be happy to try and help if you run into any problems along the way).  If you're alright with all this, click on for a written, as well as a video walkthrough!

• Visit limera1n.com and download the Mac version (or the PC version if that applies to you)
• Plug in your iOS device (compatible versions: iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generations, and iPad on iOS 3.2.2)
• Launch limera1n and simply click Make it ra1n
• limera1n will prompt you and walk you through putting your phone in DFU mode
• once in DFU mode, limera1n will jailbreak and reboot your device
• Once your reboot is done (you may have to turn your phone back on, it happened with one of mine) - simply click the limera1n icon and install Cydia.

Apple has sent out a reminder to MobileMe members who subscribed back in the old .Mac days and used HomePage to publish content to the web.

The short version is, after November 8 you'll no longer be able to view those pages though the content will remain in your iDisk and can be reused in things like MobileMe Gallery, or republished via the iWeb app. (Or who knows, maybe something even more interesting when/if iLife '11 is announced).

For the long version, follow after the break.

And we can't help but ask -- was anyone still using HomePage anyway?

Dear MobileMe member,

Over a year ago, we retired the .Mac HomePage application for publishing new pages, but allowed previously published pages to remain viewable on the web. On November 8, 2010, we will discontinue online viewing of photos, movies, and files shared using .Mac HomePage.

Please note that your content will not be deleted. Any photos, movies, or files you have published using HomePage will continue to remain on your MobileMe iDisk in the Movies, Pictures, or Public folders. We recommend MobileMe Gallery as a great way to share photos and movies on the web. Please read these instructions on how to move your HomePage photos and movies to MobileMe Gallery.

MobileMe members who have published web pages using iWeb will not be affected by this change. If you have used other software to publish web content to MobileMe or .Mac, or have questions about this change, please read this FAQ.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for being a MobileMe member.

Sincerely,

The MobileMe Team

iTunes 10 is here, we've been using it for a while, and now we've got a complete walkthrough for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. If you're new to iTunes 10, especially if you're new to iOS devices, we'll help you get up and running quickly. If you're already an expert, well here's a guide you can send your new user friends and family. Let's get started, after the break.

If you haven't downloaded iTunes 10, you can do so from Apple.com. Once it's installed, plug in your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to get started.

Summary/Info

The Summary section is helpful for checking on updates for your iOS device and restoring it if you run into problems. You can also configure some preferences such as syncing automatically when you plug-in your device. If you use a service like Apple's MobileMe, you won't have to do much on the Info section, but if you don't sync over the air, you can choose/manage what to sync over here such as Contacts, Calendar and Bookmarks.

New Color Bars

When you plug in your iOS device you will notice a colored bar at the very bottom labeled "Capacity". This bar is not a new feature to iTunes 10, but it is a tweaked one. It is divided into colors showing you what you have stored on your device by Audio, Video, Photos, Apps, Books, Other and Free space. If you click in the colored space it will cycle you through few options. Click it once and it will list you how many items you have in each respective category. Next it will break down the data into volume such as days and hours. Last, the display will show you the storage taken up by each category. Depending where you begin clicking this sequence may be in a different order, but it is still quite useful.

Managing Apps

iTunes 10 brings a couple of welcome changes to how iOS devices manage apps- especially if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch and an iPad. On the Apps section of iTunes on your device you have a filter that is probably default sorted by Kind. This places the iPhone and iPod Touch apps at the top and iPad apps at the bottom. You have more filters such as Name and Category, but the really useful choice is "iPad Only". This selection only displays iPad apps for your iPad. Regretfully, iTunes does not save this filtered selection and the next time you plug in your iOS device, it gets reset to Kind.

You also have a check box at the bottom of the screen that allows you to automatically install new apps. This option works great for me, but not my wife. With this checkbox checked, she gets every app I have downloaded installed on her device. An easy way around this is to go to the preview screen to the right in iTunes and select the last screen. This is typically where new apps will go (unless you have a lot of gapping spaces on your home screen). You can delete the app by hovering over it and clicking the X in the top left corner of the app. You can also remove any other app while you are at it. Be careful though, most apps don't store their info in the cloud yet, so if you delete it, the data might go with it too.

If you have an .ipa file (Apple's app format) you can drag and drop those files to the Apps section in iTunes located in the upper left.

File Sharing

Do you have an app such as Apple iWork Pages that you would like to get some documents installed? Piece of cake. Scroll to the bottom of the Apps section in iTunes for your app device and you will see the Apps and Document area. Click on the app you want and you will see an available list of documents currently synced to that app. If you want to add more documents, click the Add... button, browse to the document(s) and click Choose. If you want to save a document from the selected application, select it and click Save to... to place it on a folder on your computer. Here is an easy tip; of you want to save multiple files from an app or all of them, click the first document then hold the Shift key and click the last document. This selects all of them. Now you can save all of the documents to your computer. You can also Ctrl (PC) and the Apple Key (Mac) to select just the apps you want when clicking on them.

Music

Getting music on your iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad has never been easier. You can choose to sync your entire music library (it won't fit on my device... my library is too big). Or pick your favorite Artists, Genres, Playlists an Albums.

Do you have a lot of music videos? I do, but I don't want to sync all of my videos; that can take up precious space. To still get music videos on your  iOS device but not all of them, create a playlist in iTunes and drag the music videos you want onto it. Make sure the Include Music Videos checkbox is checked and you are ready to Rock and Roll, so to speak.

Movies/TV Shows/Podcasts/iTunes U

These sections all work relatively the same way. Select played or unplayed content to sync or a playlist. You can even choose more robust choices like the most recent episode that has been downloaded but not played. Yikes, but it is useful so you don't get redundant content on your device.

Books

Photos

If you use iPhoto or Aperture you can sync those events and projects to your iOS device. On the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch with Retina Displays pictures looks very good. They are also fun to view on the iPad with its huge display. If you really like someone, you can even use the Faces feature and sync over just specific people; that is just too cool. If you own a PC you can sync directly from a folder.

Ping

Ah, the only really "new" feature in iTunes 10 for iOS devices (except for iPad running 3.2, gotta wait till 4.2 folks) is Ping, Apple's new social network for music. You can access Ping directly from iTunes via the Ping button from the desktop and iPhone/iPod Touch.

I really enjoy Ping. You can follow other artists, like and post songs and albums. Strangely you can only do this with music, not Audiobooks or Podcasts. I am betting in the future you will be able to.

Conclusion

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already head on over and register now!

• How many of you purchased an iPhone only to replace your PC with a shiny new MacBook or iMac? I know I fell into that trap back in 2007...

• If your iPhone is jailbroken and you have the need to customize your SMS tones this is a thread for you: Custom SMS tones for free!

• NAVIGON MyRegion Promo Code Give Away! The title says it all...

• This is a must read: iPhone and iPod touch battery management.

See you in the forums!

Your fingers glide effortlessly along the expansive, glass-but-not-quite-glass-feeling surface. The cursor flies from edge to edge. You pause, press down, feel and hear a satisfying click, and then glide on. A double swipe sends the gallery hurtling down until it stops under the weight of its own virtualized momentum. A double twist rotates a photo. A click in the right corner brings up the contextual menu, a click in the left selects copy. A triple touch grabs the window and moves it aside, a quadruple swipe switches you to email and then another right click, another left, and the photo is pasted into the message. Your fingers pull clear of the Apple Magic Trackpad and you smile. Computing is fun again.

Apple went all-in on multitouch for the iOS-based iPhone, iPod touch, and now iPad, and they've been slowly extending that back to their Mac platform as well, first with MacBook trackpads, then the Magic Mouse, and now the Magic Pad.

"Wait, this is an iPhone and iPad blog, why are you talking about a Mac peripheral?" Because. That's why. iOS comes from Mac OS and if Apple has shown us anything over the years it's that they're the best in the business at leveraging advances back and forth between the two. With rumors of Apple TV going iOS and my persistent fantasy that Apple will replace DashBoard and Front Row with an iOS layer, what they do with multitouch for Mac is definitely something I want to keep an eye on. Two actually, as often as I can spare them. So if this isn't something you're personally interested in, no worries, hit up the next post. If it is, if you think like I do that nothing Apple releases exists in a vacuum, then hang on to your pinches and swipes; the review starts after the break.

Unboxed. Literally.

Magic Trackpad doesn't come in a fancy glass container like its magic mouse cousin. It comes in a box akin to what Apple uses for their software packages. The front shows the Magic Trackpad itself, the back describes the multitouch gestures you can do with it. Inside is the same as out, you get the trackpad and a the plain paper pamphlet that tells you about it. Yes, it includes batteries, and they're already installed.

Hardware

Clearly designed to sit side by side with the Apple Aluminum Keyboard -- especially the newer, numeric-keypad-less version -- the Magic Trackpad has the same look, the same angulation, the same round battery housing. "Look" being the key word because the surface of the Magic Trackpad isn't aluminum at all, it's glass like the MacBook Trackpad. It's mixed and coated -- according to what Apple has previously said about said MacBook Trackpad -- to provide just the perfect feel and friction. That's hyperbole, of course, and I find both to be usable enough if strangely desensitizing over time. Perhaps that's just the result of to much Stoneloops on the iPhone, however...

What's interesting is that Magic Trackpad feels cooler than my MacBook Pro trackpad, no doubt because it's not sitting on top of a furnace-hot Intel chipset.

As with most things Apple, the fit and finish is spectacular. Every edge is clean and crisp, every line straight and every curve precise. The power button on the right clicks perfectly, the battery door on the left screws smoothly and securely.

And yes, the little rubber feet are the buttons. Push down on the Magic Trackpad and just like the MacBook trackpad (and the BlackBerry Storm, of course), you get an audible, tangible, click.

So it looks great, it feels great, but how does it work?

Setup

Setup is simple. You need the latest version of Mac OS X, 10.6.4, and the Magic Trackpad software update if you don't have it already (MacBook and MacBook Pro users might -- so don't worry if you don't see it available). Once you have those, just hit "Bluetooth set up device", detect the Magic Trackpad, and it just works.

Preferences

If you're familiar with current generation MacBook trackpad preferences, then you'll feel right at home with the Magic Trackpad. If not, Apple makes it very easy. Go to Settings, chose Trackpad, and you'll be presented with a series of speed sliders, feature checkboxes, and movie to show you what those features do.

Tracking speed, double-click speed, and scrolling speed can all be adjusted from slow to fast. Between work and home, desktop and laptop, I use enough machines that I've just found it simpler to stick with the defaults. They work fine to me. If you like to tweak, though, you have the option.

One finger gestures include tap to click, dragging, drag lock, and secondary click (assignable to either bottom right or bottom left corner). Two fingers let you scroll (with inertia -- I heart inertia), rotate, pinch to open and close, screen zoom (with toggle key, move preferences, and image smoothing checkbox), and secondary click. Three fingers let you swipe to navigate (think going from one picture to another in Photos) or dragging (moving windows around). Four fingers let you swipe up/down for Exposé and left/right to tab-switch between apps.

##Usage

I've been using an iPhone and Macbook since 2007, I currently use a 2009 Magic Mouse and a 2010 iPad and MacBook Pro. I spend 12 to 18 hours a day using some form of Apple multitouch. So, needless to say, I had zero learning curve with the Magic Trackpad. (I'm using it to write this review, right now). That's one of the huge advantages you get if you've sold your soul to Apple hardware -- they've brought you along, trained you, and made you accustomed to their technology step-by-step, year after year.

I tried to capture the feeling of using Magic Trackpad at the beginning of the review. If I grant that I'm an anomaly, a freak, or a fanboy, however, then let me break it down into the tangibles.

The Bluetooth connection is good. I've experienced no lag, no loss of signal, no interruption in interactivity. The throw is excellent. A swipe from side to side sends the cursor flying from edge to edge. Gestures are quick and precise. I can tell nary a difference between my MacBook Pro's built-in trackpad and this Bluetooth one.

The gestures, while not intuitive, work well once you get used to them. If you have an iPhone but have never used a MacBook trackpad, it will be mixed bag of hurt. Some things are similar and others different. That creates a level of mental overhead you don't experience with the very different mouse. One finger will move you around but not select or swipe. Two fingers will scroll (like the iPhone does in frames) but everywhere. Three and four fingers you'll just have to learn.

In my Magic Mouse review I complained Apple left a lot of gestures out. Obviously, those gestures are all here for Magic Trackpad.

Rechargeable-ish

Apple is also selling a re-charger along with a pack of 6 NiCad batteries that you can use with Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse, Apple Aluminum Keyboard, or pretty much anything else that takes AAs.

That's great. I'd still like a real, rechargeable peripheral from Apple. Shove a LiOn battery inside and have the door open into a micro USB port and let me plug it in when I need and want to. That way if the battery goes dead in the middle of podcast, I'm not scrambling, I'm just plugging it in like an old fashioned peripheral.

Magic Pad vs. iOS apps, Magic Mouse, and Wacom

Does it invalidate iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad trackpad apps? Not at $69. If you already have one of those devices, and one of the trackpad simulating apps, as long as you don't find it too cumbersome or battery draining to keep launching and using the app, you'd be trading functionality and flexibility, convergence and coolness for the convenience and independence of a dedicated device.

Does is supersede the Magic Mouse? For anyone but die-hard mousers, for anyone who doesn't need to grip and move a physical object around, yes it does. It requires less desk space and offers more gesture support. While I was initially worried, trained perhaps by iPhone fingers, that there was no way the Magic Trackpad could be as precise, as pixel perfect, I haven't had the slightest problem so far. (And I live in Photoshop).

Should Wacom be afraid? Yes and no. While newer Wacom devices offer multitouch support their history and tradition is in pen-based, sensitivity-based, angle-based input. If you need that pen, if you need to produce that kind of art or design, you need to stay with Wacom, much as if you need the feel of that mouse you need to stay with the mouse. If iPhone and iPad have made your fingers do the working, however, then you can safely say goodbye to Wacom and hello to Magic Trackpad. (Bamboo touch users, you have a choice -- Apple matches look and feel, Wacom offers a stylistic alternative).

Conclusion

Magic Trackpad has just launched. I'm really, truly loving it so far but like any launch-timed review I've only used it for a short time. For now, it's replacing my Magic Mouse and it's replacing my iOS apps for controlling my Mac from the couch. I think it's going to stay that way but I'll come back after a week, and again after a month and update to let you know.

For now Apple has done with Magic Trackpad what Apple does best -- pushed technology further and faster by wrapping it up in gorgeous form and simple-enough function.

Apple has just announced an update for Safari 5 that enables extensions (plugins), something Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome have had for a while now. We're happy for our big desktop brothers, of course. Really. Truly. But in our minds a lot of the stuff you'll read about after the break would be even better suited on mobile devices like iPhone and iPad. That's where convenient extensions like password managers would shine.

Maybe iOS 5?

Read on for the good bits from the presser.

[Apple PR, Apple Safari Extensions Gallery]

“Safari 5 has been a big hit, and user response to the innovative new Safari Reader has been fantastic,” said Brian Croll, Apple’s vice president of OS X Product Marketing. “We’re thrilled to see so many leading developers creating great extensions and think our users are going to love being able to customize Safari.”

“Millions of our customers already use Amazon Wish Lists to store items they want to buy for themselves or receive as gifts,” said Gianna Puerini, vice president of Worldwide Design and Community at Amazon.com. “With Safari 5, we were able to quickly build the Add to Amazon Wish List extension that lets customers add items from any website to their Amazon Wish List with the click of a button.”

“We’re excited to continue working closely with Apple to bring visually compelling Bing experiences to Safari,” said Jeff Henshaw, general manager of Bing User Experience. “The Bing Extension for Safari brings Bing search intelligence to everyday browsing with Safari. When a user selects text in Safari, Bing instantly recognizes what they might need and pops up helpful, informative tips, from real time maps and driving directions to real time translations to direct web search results.”

“Using web standard technologies and Safari’s extension builder, we developed an MLB.com extension to give fans another way to consume up-to-the-moment baseball content, including live look-ins to games, right from the Safari toolbar,” said Noah Garden, executive vice president, Commerce and Sponsorship at MLB.com.

The Safari Extensions Gallery is accessible from the Safari menu or at extensions.apple.com. Users can download and install extensions from the gallery with a single click, and there’s no need to restart the browser. Extensions can be automatically updated and are easily managed within Safari. Users can enable or disable individual extensions, or turn off all extensions with one click.

Safari Extensions are built with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript web standards, and can have all the power and functionality of advanced web applications. Every Safari Extension is signed with a digital certificate from Apple to prevent tampering and to verify that updates to the extension are from the original developer. Safari Extensions are sandboxed, so they can’t access information on a user’s system or communicate with websites aside from those specified by the developer. For increased stability, Safari Extensions run solely in the browser. “Our extension for Safari is a great way for readers to get all of the latest breaking news and all the important stories, blogs and columns they want to see,” said Denise Warren, general manager, NYTimes.com at The New York Times Company. “While you browse other sites in Safari, our extension checks for updates and slides in new headlines and thumbnails, so you won't miss a thing.”

“Creating our Twitter extension in Safari couldn't have been easier,” said Jason Goldman, vice president of Product at Twitter. “By providing features like the ability to tweet about a page and view trending topics, we've created a simple way to deliver relevant, interesting content to people regardless of where they are on the web.”

The Safari Extensions Gallery is accessible from the Safari menu or at extensions.apple.com. Users can download and install extensions from the gallery with a single click, and there’s no need to restart the browser. Extensions can be automatically updated and are easily managed within Safari. Users can enable or disable individual extensions, or turn off all extensions with one click.

Safari Extensions are built with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript web standards, and can have all the power and functionality of advanced web applications. Every Safari Extension is signed with a digital certificate from Apple to prevent tampering and to verify that updates to the extension are from the original developer. Safari Extensions are sandboxed, so they can’t access information on a user’s system or communicate with websites aside from those specified by the developer. For increased stability, Safari Extensions run solely in the browser.

The Apple Online Store is back up and with it comes the Magic Trackpad, bringing full on MacBook-style multitouch goodness to Apple's desktop line.

It's got click, scroll, swipe, and rotate, so if the Magic Mouse just wasn't enough for you, here's the escalation you've been waiting for. Oh, and there's an Apple battery re-charger to go with it.

And while it's not the iPhone or iPod touch "Magic Trackpad" app I've been waiting for -- can you please get on that Apple? -- it does show Apple is continuing to leverage their technologies across their various platforms, devices, and machines, creating a virtuous cycle iOS is sure to benefit from as well.

(And no, there's no info on whether or not it will work as a companion to the BT Keyboard for iPad -- we'll have to try it when it arrives).

$69. Anyone besides me picking one up?

[Apple.com]

TiPb nation, rev up your ZOMGS and get ready for SQUEEE -- the Apple Online Store is down world wide.

Now before you get too excited, this is not for the White iPhone 4. That's been delayed until later this year. Unfortunately, this time it's probably not for any iOS devices. If the rumors are true, what we'll see today are 12-proc Mac Pro, updated iMac, 27" LED displays, and maybe -- just maybe -- the MagicPad multitouch trackpad for the Mac.

Give us your best guesses in the comments and we'll find out just as soon as the store comes back up.

Apple is launching a new version of the online MobileMe calendar web app, and much like they did with the new version of online mail, the design influence of the iPad app is unmistakable. Want in on the beta? Here's what you have to do:

To sign up, go to me.com/calendar and click "Request an invitation." You will receive an email notification when you have been added to the beta (we will add members in the order of their request over the coming weeks).

New features include:

• The aforementioned new, iPad-like UI.
• Shared calendars (for family and friends).
• Published calendars (for groups and teams).
• Event invitations with RSVPs (yes!).
• Based on CalDAV standard.

It's good to go on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac, with Outlook support for the PC coming soon.

So, how does it sound? Enough of an upgrade? Anything major still missing? Anyone get in on the beta yet?

Full feature descriptions after the break.

[MobileMe News]

Beautiful new web application
The Calendar beta includes a new web application at me.com with great-looking calendar views. You'll find redesigned day, week, and month views, as well as a new list view to make scanning your events easier. Your calendars will also load faster, thanks to improved performance. The new web application works best with Safari 5, Firefox 3.6, and Internet Explorer 8.

Share calendars with family and friends
You can easily share your calendars with one or more MobileMe members to keep everyone on the same page. For example, create a shared calendar called "Kids" for school and weekend activities. You can allow the person you're sharing a calendar with to edit events, and set up email notifications to tell you when they make a change.

Publish a calendar for a group or team
The Calendar beta lets you share a read-only public calendar that can be viewed by anyone, perfect for publishing an events calendar such as a soccer team schedule. After setting it up you can send the team members a link to view the calendar on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.

Event invitations with RSVPs
Inviting any guest to an event is easy from the MobileMe Calendar beta. Just add their email address to the event (they don't have to be a MobileMe member) and your guests will get an invitation email they can respond to directly by clicking a link. Your event then automatically updates, making it easy to track RSVPs right in your calendar.

Works on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac
The MobileMe Calendar beta uses the CalDAV standard so you can view and edit your calendars using the built-in calendar applications on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. Please note that support for PCs with Microsoft Outlook is coming soon.

I am always looking for tools to help me be more productive. I am very excited over discovering MindNode. MindNode is a suite of mind mapping products across multiple Apple platforms that allows you to brainstorm or mind map out thoughts and ideas. MindNode is available as a universal app for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad as well as a free and paid version for the Mac. Today I will be looking at the iPad version, but functionality is the same across apps.

You start off with a simple node. That node can be an idea or thought, perhaps an object. You can rename the node to what ever you like. From here, you can add another node by tapping the plus icon. You can really start to branch out quickly too. You can branch from the main node, any children nodes, or just make a new node from scratch. If you find your ideas are taking over on a particular node, you can detach it and make it a new node.

To help differentiate nodes and thoughts, you can change colors of the connector lines and the node itself. You can even setup the colors that will be used and what order they appear if you like. If you need to move around a node, simply drag the title to a new location, or you can cut, copy or paste by double-tapping on the node. To help keep your mind maps organized, MindNode gives you the ability to search within your document and look at a list of all of the existing nodes and their parent-child relationships in your document.

Sharing documents is a snap in MindNode. You have several options at your disposal:

• Mail to MindNode
• Freemind
• png
• Text Outline
• OPML Outline

• WiFi sharing with MindNode Pro only
• Websharing, provides URL, port and user name/password

[$5.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Very easy to use
• Excellent export options
• Complete control over color and positioning

Cons

• More robust customizations (shadows, shapes, etc)

Twitter recently purchased Tweetie, the widely popular iPhone and Mac Twitter client, and the iPhone version was renamed Twitter for iPhone. The big question on everyone's minds has been if there will be a "Twitter for iPad" any time soon. The answer is Yes!

Loren Brichter, the designer of Tweetie and now employee of Twitter, has confirmed that Twitter for iPad is coming to the iPad, it's coming soon, and he's very excited about it. He claims that "the goal is to exceed the Twitter iPhone app in the iPad."

Tweetie also has a Mac client that has been seemingly neglected for almost a year. Users have expected an update for quite a while now, but no such update has arrived. Loren has now spoken and promises to get back to working on Tweetie for Mac in the coming weeks. He had to put it on hold after accepting the position at Twitter to focus on the release of Twitter for iPhone.

TiPb is very excited for Twitter for iPad and an updated mac client. What about you? Are you looking forward to some Tweetie goodness on your iPad? Are you a MacHeist user who as been patiently (or impatiently) waiting for the promised Tweetie for Mac update?

Sound off in the comments below!

[ars technica]

A little while ago TiPb asked if the Apple TV should be switched over to the iPhone OS, but what about the Mac? Coincidentally, a recent Apple job offering was discovered by ComputerWorld that hinted Apple was seriously considering pushing the iPhone OS from phone, MP3-player iPod touch, and tablet iPad to further devices:

The Core Platform team within Apple's Core OS organization is looking for a talented and inspired manager to lead a team focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms. The team is responsible for low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms. The team consists of talented engineers with experience in hardware, firmware, IOKit drivers, security and platform architecture.

Now the New York Times blogs quotes a former Apple engineer musing about whether or not the iPhone OS could be implemented as a special layer on top of Mac OS X, the way Front Row or Dashboard work today. Push a button, the multi-touch iPhone OS screen zooms in, you flick and swipe and pinch though what you want to do, then tap and go back to your mouse and keyboard.

We're all fans of the iPhone OS here, do we want to see it everywhere else as well?

(ComputerWorld and New York Times blogs via MacRumors, twice)

If you own either an iPhone or iPod touch along with a Mac computer then Airlock may just be the security OS X application you've been looking for. For only $7.77 you can have a very effective lock for your Mac computer with just your iPhone or iPod touch.

How does Airlock work? It's pretty simple, the program determines when you are near your computer. If you leave your computer's Bluetooth reach with your iPhone or iPod touch, your computer locks itself. As soon as you are back within Bluetooth range it unlocks your computer. If your iPhone/iPod touch is in a place that is out of range and you need access to your computer, simply set Airlock up to allow for your user name and password to gain access.

If any of you give Airlock a try let us know how you like it!

[Via Gizmodo via Unplggd]

11-point multitouch tracking might sound nifty in a theoretical spec throwaway, but what does it mean to an end-user? Likely still not much, but thanks to FingerMgmt we can at least see it in action now -- on a MacBook glass trackpad at least.

Apple may have debuted their modern multitouch in the iPhone, but they've quickly spread the technology out to their MacBook glass trackpads and now Magic Mouse for desktops. Ultimately that's good for all of Apple's products, as innovation in each one can benefit the others on their next revision as well. Now, 11 points might be overkill for any practical need on a display this small, but when we start dreaming of unicorns and larger form-factor iTablets... Oh the games they could make (never mind the obvious jokes about just what constitutes that 11th finger...)

[Lericsson via Reddit via Gizmodo]

iPhone hacker, geohot, has released blackra1n RC2 for your enjoyment. It corrects a few small bugs from the first release and can be downloaded here.

• Fixed 3G issues
• Tethered jailbreak for 3.1 OOTB ipt 8GB and new 3GSes
• Fixed icy issues
• Both Windows and Mac
• If you used RC1 with success, no need to rerun

So nothing earth shattering but it is worth a mention and on the unlock side, geohot is not working on that but the Dev Teams MuscleNerd is. So rest be assured an unlock is being worked on, we just have to be patient.

[Via TiPb Forums]

UPDATED: According to @geohot on Twitter, blackra1n for Mac is now live.

ORIGINAL: When George Hotz released his all iPhone/iPod 3.1.2 jailbreak application for Windows, blackra1n, he was unsure whether or not he would write a Mac OS X version. According to a recent post on Twitter it seems as if he's had a change of heart.

blackra1n for mac coming soon...actually reuses code...NSRunAlertPanel causing crashes...and can anyone blackify the purplera1n mac icon?

It would be nice if this upcoming Mac version includes an exploit for the new bootrom but the probability of that happening is highly unlikely. For the latest news and tips for jailbreaking/unlocking your iPhone, visit our iPhone Jailbreak/Unlock forums.

UPDATE: Looks like Engadget managed to score the mouse and keyboard diagrams from the FCC filings before Apple had them yanked. They look the same from what little outline is shown, though the new keyboard is a tad smaller.

ORIGINAL: Is Apple on the verge of releasing a new, multi-touch enabled mouse for their Mac line that harnesses the technology debuted in the iPhone? That's what AppleInsider is claiming.

Unlike the iPhone, which garnered almost immediate and universal praise when it brought multi-touch mainstream, Apple has historically gotten the opposite reaction to their Mac mouse line, from the abysmal hockey-puck that came with the original iMac to the latest track-balling, gunk-clogging Mighty Mouse that ships in old-school white, even for the latest gen aluminum Mac Pros.

So the poetry of Apple's latest input technology swinging full circle to one of their oldest (keyboard aside) isn't lost on us, and goes to show just how deeply multi-touch is being explored -- and more importantly, realized and integrated -- into Apple's entire product line.

And it goes to show what TiPb's been saying for a long time, the iPhone benefitted from the Mac platform, and the Mac platform is certainly benefitting from the iPhone!

Via CrackBerry.com:

RIM has officially announced that BlackBerry Desktop Manager software for MAC will be available this September. THANK YOU RIM. You can visit blackberry.com/mac to sign up for updates and learn more or visit the Inside BlackBerry blog to see a few screen captures of it in action.

Yeah. Good luck with that. Any guesses how long that lasts before Apple releases a patch to disable BlackBerry sync?

(Kidding! Joking! Don't panic, Kev! We're happy for you -- now you're at least half-way towards restoring your childlike sense of wonder...)

We generally don't cover Mac or Windows news on the site, even though most people who have an iPhone will at some point plug it into a laptop or desktop. And we almost never cover software that isn't directly involved with that plug in connection. Why the exception? Tweetie for Mac began as Tweetie for iPhone, one of the most popular and robust iPhone Twitter clients in the App Store, and as much as the iPhone version set the foundation for Tweetie for Mac, it looks like Tweetie for Mac rebuilt that foundation for the next iPhone release.

Everything that's good about Tweetie for iPhone is in the Mac version, including support for multiple accounts, an easy way to trace back conversations and fetch user data, and elegant solutions for tracking your timeline @mentions and direct messages. However, though some have complained about it on the iPhone version, I have found myself missing the big honking refresh button that tops all iPhone list views in Tweetie (you have to use a key combo or go to the menu for refresh or refresh-all on the Mac).

My wish list for the future? Double clicking sidebar icons to collapse or expand the reading panel so the application could be truly tiny but still informative when not in active use. Likewise, -- tip of the hat to lgreenberg) iPhone style numbered badges to count unread replies and direct messages would be swell (though they may not scale nicely if you let them hit the thousands).

Overall, I've never had much use for desktop Twitter clients in the past but it's been a day now and I'm still using Tweetie. I'm not a huge fan of Adobe Air-based apps, so the idea of a native application appeals to me greatly, and one that gives such an iPhone-like experience, with iPhone roots, just seems like such a natural fit to my usage style.

(Note: Tweetie for Mac has just been updated to fix an issue with SSL encryption)

Of course, come iPhone 3.0, Tweetie for iPhone may not just roll up all the re-engineered goodness from it's big desktop brother, but we're hoping it gets some Push Notification love as well.

Meanwhile, if you have a Mac, give the free, ad-supported version a try or take advantage of the reduced, debut-pricing of $14.95.

If you give it a try, let us know what you think. I still haven't found a Windows or Linux client that feels "right" to me either, so if you have a recommendation, drop that in the comments as well!

With all of this Jailbreak talk going on lately, what better time to let all of you wanna-be Jailbreakers know that all of our how to guides are completely up to date for firmware 2.2.1. For some people, getting into the world of Jailbreaking can be confusing and that is completely understandable. TiPb wants to make it as cut and dry as humanly possible for you. So here we go.

So you have a iPhone 3G that you will want to unlock? Ok, in order for that to happen you must use our preserving baseband guide which can be found here. Currently only Mac users can use this method, sorry Windows faithful. It is also important to note that you must be on anything but the 2.2.1 firmware (2.2 or earlier) in order to be able to unlock your iPhone 3G with the Dev Teams Yellowsn0w.

Ok, here is another one for all of the Mac users out there. You have a first generation iPhone or an iPhone 3G and all you care about is simply Jailbreaking. Well then you would use the Mac QuickPWN method. It is important to remember, use this method only if you are not interested in unlocking your iPhone.

No, we have not forgotten about Windows how to guides. You say you have a first generation iPhone that you want Jailbroken and unlocked? This is the guide you would use to get that taken care of right here.

iPhone 3G owners who want to Jailbreak, it is pretty simply - check out this guide and you are good to go.

So there you have it, all of TiPb how to guides updated for 2.2.1.

So Macworld 2009 has come and gone. Sad, yes we all know. Although, that does not mean all of the special deals that were going on at the show are gone! One of discounts still floating around comes to us from RichardSolo.

Are you someone who has issues with your iPhone not having enough battery life to last you a full day? Well here is a option that you may be interested in. Enter the RichardSolo 1800, battery back up. From now until January 30th, enter coupon code 'Macworld' at checkout and you will get $20 off your very own RichardSolo 1800 which retails for a cool $69.99.

Now we're introducing our newest backup battery, using Apple's proprietary connector: the rechargeable RichardSolo 1800 Battery — just snap it on and it begins to charge instantly. It is certified both "Works with iPhone" and "Made for iPod", and for both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

For full details of this handy device be sure to keep an eye out for Rene's review coming soon!

So you say you updated to the latest Mac OS X 10.5.6 and wanted to jailbreak or unlock. Well the update severely hindered your ability to do that. The Dev-Team says it is a simple kernel bug and not a specific countermeasure by Apple, never the less, there is still a work around.

It's a pretty straight forward fix actually, first you need to have administrator privileges. Then download the script file . Got it? Good, now continue on for the detailed instructions after the break!

[Via Gizmodo]

Lately the forums have picked up quite a bit of traffic so we have been getting more and more good conversations. Today on the forums is no exception.

First up we have forum regular cjvitek. More than likely if you are reading this you have your own iPhone, well what is your choice of computer? Mac? Windows? Chime in and vote in the poll!

This next thread is something right out of the National Enquirer, It involves a man, woman, and their marriage. Some people are really not the sharpest tools in the shed. Check it out, Man Cheating Via iPhone Gets Caught... yes you heard me correctly...

Next up is thread started by iPhone Nanite, lasvegasoutlaw, and he seems to be having Yahoo "Push" issues on his iPhone. Honestly, it has had issues since day one but how is Yahoo holding up for you? Let the "outlaw" know how your luck has been in the following thread - What is up with Yahoo Push?

Be sure to join our community to be able to post in theforums! It's free and will only take a minute!

See you on the forums!

It's been a while since our last Today on the Forums post, but hopefully today's topics will make up for it.

Today on the forums we have some great ideas from Alienwhere, who would like to see some more integration with his iPhone and his Mac. I agree... Check out some of his ideas and add to them if you can.

Next up we have Reaktor5 who wants to know, do you feel inferior when a new Apple product comes out? Everyone who is in this game of electronic gadgets knows there is always something around the corner that will be better. That's just the way it works. But do you care about the newer device?

How has MobileMe been treating you lately? Fed up to the point where you can not take it anymore? Well look no further than gymnofrool's thread, MobileMe Alternatives. I recently made the switch to an Exchange account and it has been working perfectly for me. I'm actually getting all of my mail...

Lately there have been so many new devices being announced and released. Everyone here at TiPb is curious as to what you think about the latest and greatest. To comment about devices such as the Touch HD, Palm Treo Pro, Blackberry Storm, etc... head on into the Smartphone Different: Other Gadgets forum.

So what are you waiting for? To get in on the forum action be sure to register, only take a few minutes of your time!

See you on the forums!

We told you that today's earnings would be thin on iPhone details and that is definitely the case. Apple's just posted their 3rd quarter results and the results are: dizzang!

Dig the full results (minus the legal speak) after the break. Here's the short version: a record number of Macs were sold, just shy of 2.5 million, which works out to about 41% growth year over year, 43% revenue growth. That's ALottaMacs, friends, and it helped Apple hit a quarterly profit of over a billion dollars on $7.46 billion in revenue -- both significant increases over the same quarter last year. Margins were down a hair, but whatev -- Apple's selling Macs, dig?

We can't wait to see what the financial results are for iPhone sales (they'll come next quarter), but we have a sneaking suspicion that numbers like these mean that the just-dandy sales for iPhones 2 quarters ago have translated into quite a few people getting interested in replacing a PC with a Mac. As Mac-users ourselves, we welcome you folks to the fold. Are you a recent switcher? Was it the Halo effect? Is your new iPhone 3G spotting a shiny halo that has you thinking Mac for your next purchase?

CUPERTINO, California—July 21, 2008—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 third quarter ended June 28, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million, or $.92 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.8 percent, down from 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 42 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple shipped 2,496,000 Macintosh® computers during the quarter, representing 41 percent unit growth and 43 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 11,011,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 12 percent unit growth and seven percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone™ units sold were 717,000 compared to 270,000 in the year-ago-quarter.

“We’re proud to report the best June quarter for both revenue and earnings in Apple’s history,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with our new iPhone 3G, and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months.”

“We’re extremely pleased with the growth of our business and the generation of almost $5.4 billion in cash in the first three quarters of fiscal 2008,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, we expect revenue of about $7.8 billion and earnings per diluted share of about $1.00.”

MacRumors is reporting that tonight's financial results from Apple aren't going to contain a whole lot of crunchy iPhone goodness. The news is based on a Bloomberg report that points out that Apple's last quarter ended before the iPhone 2.0 software update was available, Apple doesn't count those sales towards revenue. Likely if they had, they might have had to go all Sarbanes-Oxley on us and charge for that update. That might be fine for iPod owners, but iPhone owners have had enough of hidden costs lately.

The lack of iPhone info doesn't look to put much of a damper on the earning call, though, as the high-margin Mac has been selling quite well (especially in laptop form). If you still want to listen in for that, Apple has a webcast set up for 5pm Eastern.

So I ventured out to an Apple Store yesterday hoping that since the iPhone 3G was a couple days old that I could easily grab one. No, not for me. For the girlfriend and my sister. I could have gone to the AT&T store only a few blocks away but whenever Apple releases a new product I prefer the full Apple experience at an Apple Store (Brea, CA); it’s just more complete that way. Expecting to get some hands on time with the iPhone 3G and pick up the Macbook Air again, I was pretty excited to get to the store.

As I cheerily walked through the mall eagerly anticipating the iPhone 3G, I stopped dead in my tracks. There was at least a 100-person line that stretched multiple storefronts! The Apple Store Employee ‘in-charge’ estimated the line to be a 5-hour wait! This was a Monday afternoon, didn’t people have work to do?

But it gets better (read: worse).

Read on for the rest of this very weird Apple Store Experience!

The iPhone 3G line wasn’t the only line! There was a ‘Mac-line’ for people who weren’t interested in the iPhone 3G but wanted to buy a Mac, play Frisbee with the Macbook Air, get free WiFi, or just do whatever you do at the Apple store. That line was at least a 30 minute wait—to just get into the store! This Apple Store was making potential customers willing to spend thousands of dollars on the iPhone 3G wait outside. Two different lines to get into an Apple store—just crazy!

Adding to the ridiculousness of it all, an Apple Store employee served as a ‘bouncer’ complete with a ‘guest list’ that presumably had genius bar appointments on it. I felt like I was in Hollywood trying to get into an exclusive club, not buy a computer at a computer store.

How is it good business making people wait to buy a Mac because of the iPhone 3G? Won’t it cannibalize sales of their other product lines if Mac customers have a difficult buying process? A few people in the Mac-line were already getting quite antsy and angry at having to wait. The Store employee gave me the excuse that the lines served as a safety precaution but the Apple Store looked pretty empty. I mean Apple Stores are almost always crowded, where are the safety measures then?

I understand a line for iPhone 3G customers, as insane as a 5 hour wait is, if you want to buy an iPhone 3G you have to wait your turn, that makes sense. But having a Mac line just to get into the store? That’s a little too exclusive, even for Apple. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I was ready to buy a Mac but had to wait outside the store because of the iPhone 3G. Just let me in the store! At least I’d be able to play with my future purchase.

What do you think? Is the iPhone 3G bad for the rest of Apple’s products? Is this Apple's way to Store different? Can Apple focus enough energy on all their products? Is two lines ridiculous or what?

Photo Note: The line on the left side is the 'Mac Line' and the line on the right that stretches all the way down is the iPhone 3G line. Picture taken with iPhone.

MacRumors has discovered that though you receive your MobileMe email very quickly, the "pushing" of other MobileMe services is not as fast when coming from your Mac. Apple's knowledgebase article states:

Selecting Automatic in Mac OS X allows your computer to immediately sync and update when there are any changes on the MobileMe servers.  Those changes can come from your iPhone, iPod touch, the MobileMe website, or another computer.  Changes made on your computer will be synced to the MobileMe "cloud" once every 15 minutes (or every hour in Mac OS X 10.4.11).

I have personally not experienced this. Even when I change information on my Mac (specifically iCal), I received the updates in a matter of minutes. I suppose this could have been because my scheduled 15 minute sync was about to happen, but I really have not noticed that much of a delay over all. 

What do you think? Is this really that big of a deal? Should Apple's push services be realtime from your Mac?

This is it. We're in the home stretch. Games in overtime, the shot clock is almost done, and Steve Jobs is soaring from mid-court looking for the slam dunk. In 3 days we find out if Apple brings down the net, the two-peat for smartphone (even gadget) championship, or if they bounce it off the rim (pun sorta intended) with their mostly evolutionary, not so much revolutionary, next generation handset.

Saturday we mentioned one big change: the fast 3G data chip. Sunday it was GPS. Monday we tackled the 2.0 Firmware update. Today we're looking at the rebirth of .Mac: MobileMe.

Note: .Mac users have been able to send to username@me.com for a few days already, and as of yesterday, July 7, could both send and receive using me.com. (Just tried it out and it works!)

Now word comes that, to accommodate New Zealand, which due to their time zone gets the iPhone 3G way before anyone else, Apple has announced that it's really not 3 days to MobileMe -- just one! That's right, MobileMe goes live on Wednesday, July 9 between 6pm and 12am PST. Mark your calendars, then get ready to "push" sync them!

Why should you want to? Read on after the break!

iTools made its debut at Macworld 2000, way before the iPhone, and before OS X as well. Originally free, it became the subscription based .Mac in 2002. The first version of .Mac included IMAP email, web hosting, iDisk, Backup, and... er... iCards. Small tweaks were made over the years, including increases to iDisk storage (currently starting at 10GB), syncing Mac applications like Mail, Address Book, iCal, Safari bookmarks, Keychain passwords, Dock, Dashboard Widgets, etc. between multiple Macs, an AJAX web 2.0 interface for .Mac Mail, Galleries with iPhoto/Aperture photo and iMovie video integration, and Back to My Mac for easy remote file and screen sharing between laptops and desktops, work, home, and travel.

While the $99 price tag (discounted if you bought it with a new Mac, or from online retailers like Amazon) was stiff for some, there were arguable benefits for people with multiple Mac, but not much for iPhone users aside from an email account they could get for free form Yahoo!, Google, and many others. Indeed, the industry in general felt .Mac had fallen badly behind the times. Even Steve Jobs conceded the service had been neglected, and promised to do better.

And do better they have! (Well, except for the name...) At WWDC 2008, Apple VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller announced the all new, all better, .Mac replacement: MobileMe, and dubbed it "Exchange for the Rest of Us."

Exchange, of course, is Microsoft's business solution, which the iPhone also supports via ActiveSync. Exchange, through proprietary technology's requiring an Exchange Sever, "pushes" updates to email, contact lists, and calendar events to desktop clients like Outlook on Windows and Entourage on the Mac, and to scads of mobile devices, including Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm Treo, etc.

Unlike traditional services, which "pull" data at user-definable intervals (i.e., manual, every 5 min. every 10 min., every hour, etc.) and are only updated during those server checks, "push" immediately sends anything arriving on the server. So, if you "pull" email at 12:00, an email arrives at 12:03, and you only "pull" that email again at 12:10, you only receive that email at 12:10 (7 minutes after it arrives). With "push", you wouldn't check the server at all, the email would arrive at 12:03 and instantly alert you it was there. (Whether you need precise, per second email, and whether you want to be alerted constantly, on demand, without pause or respite, is up to you).

MobileMe provides this very same service to any subscriber. Push email. Push contacts. Push calendar. Someone sends you an email, it pops right up on your iPhone. Change a contact on your iPhone, the MobileMe website will instantly update it as well. Delete an appointment on your PC, it will immediately be removed from your iPhone. All your data, synced instantly, all the time.

Add to that some SproutCore powered eye candy in the form of lush, desktop-class but web-based online applications (similar to how Google Gmail, gCal, etc. work), integrated with the same Gallery photo and video features of .Mac, and topped off with a web-accessible iDisk, all available not only to Windows users but Mac users as well (even Linux/Unix/etc. users via Web standard browsers), with the same special multiple-Mac sync and Back to My Mac bonuses for Apple faithful, and you have one tremendously powerful offering fully on par with the best of Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. (Albeit at the same $99 price!)

Still curious about how it looks and how it drives? Check out Apple's online Guided Tour.

I'm a .Mac user, so I'll be getting MobileMe for sure. What about you?

.Mac has been up and down again over the last few days, which is nothing new, but this time it seems like the transition to MobileMe might actually have begun. Some people are reportedly able to receive mail at the me.com version of their alias (meaning name@mac.com is already mapping to name@me.com for some).

I just tried it, and received an "illegal alias" error for my trouble. Is it working yet for you?

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Woke up this morning and as per my usual modus operandi, checked mail on my iPhone and then went to read some feeds. That's when it happened, mobile.mac.com (the interceptive RSS reading feature on MobileSafari) came back with a server error.

Seems to be working for me again, but reports have since sprung up of others having trouble with web-bound services of .Mac (though email protocols seems fine).

Server problems round Infinite Loop way? Transitions to MobileMe hitting some speed bumps? Karmic revenge for us knocking the RIM NOC again?

My guess is the road to MobileMe will be a wild ride, server side...

During the 2008 WWDC Keynote today, Apple VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, confirmed the rumors of a .Mac maga-revamp in the form of MobileMe.

Apple's answer both to previous critiques of the admittedly out-dated .Mac service, and the expected cloud computing boom (see Android, Google), MobileMe features ActiveSync-like "push" email, calendar, and contacts syncing between your iPhone (or iPod Touch) and your Mac or PC, or via any web browser with some pretty spectacular looking Web 2.0/AJAX style online apps. It also adds photo syncing, clearly targeting consumers.

iDisk (the online storage service) gets a bump to 20GB, and goes fully online as well. Mac user? Still enjoy the Mac sync, iWeb, and Back-to-my-Mac that you know (and I) love.

Launching in July in time for the new iPhone 3G, and priced at the same $99 as .Mac, it still smacks the expensive, but if your don't have Exchange, and value highly polished syncing and web-based solutions, this might just be the service for you.

Existing .Mac customers will be rolled into MobileMe -- see Apple's migration page for details -- with a choice of maintaining their old @mac.com address, or the new @.me equivalent.

For more, go to me.com (which will redirect you to Apple.com/MobileMe), where a handy-dandy MobileMe guided tour awaits!

We've gone over just how bad the Mobile Me brand sounds to us a couple of times already (almost as bad as this week's service!), but now reports surface that there may just be something better hidden beneath the bad label:

MobileMe is slated to include a host of new features, which we alluded to early in May; in addition, there will be new web interfaces for all aspects of MobileMe -- calendars will look just like iCal, Contacts will look just like they do in Address Book, etc. This is similar to the way .Mac Webmail works today, though we've heard that the new interfaces will be much snazzier (yes, that's a technical term).

Delivery estimate? Late June/July timeframe, hooking into the iPhone 2.0 and not only the newly released OS X 10.5.3, but potentially Windows as well.

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Yesterday came word that the name Apple might be using to rebrand .Mac was "Mobile Me", and amid the pitchforks, torches, and angry villagers storming the internet pipes to Cupertino, we figured our readers could easily come up with a better name, and sweetened the pot with $50 worth of gift card incentive to prove it.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber had previously mentioned that iMobile might be an alternative, though his readers felt it could too easily be mistaken for immobile, probably not the poetry Steve Jobs is shooting for.

Now Gruber, and his handy crowd-source at Twitter bring word that just plain old "Me", surfaced as me.com, could be a candidate as well, and had mysteriously changed ownership just today.

Make of that what you will (and I will continue to make fun, for the same reasons mentioned in the first post). And don't forget to enter our contest. Pick a better name than "Mobile Me", and if the blog staff likes your name best, the $50 gift certificate is yours! [We'll compile the guesses from this and from our previous post. The Gift Card is for the Phone different Accessory store. Deadline: 4EST on Monday June 2nd].

[From Dieter: I dislike this whole "me" thing for several reasons. First, it smacks of a 1990's, by-committee branding that sounds hip and clever but is actually staid and out-of-touch. Very Un-Apple. Second: If Apple somehow manages to make this brand hip and the "Me" does make people feel like they have ownership and identity with the brand ("Me.com really is about ME. Gosh, it's like it's my very own internet service,") then they'll be faced with an impossible task: not screwing that up. Think about how unhappy you are with .Mac's reliability and speed. Now imagine if that service weren't called ".Mac" but instead "Me." People will become disenamoured very quickly. Now we can obviously assume that this whole Me.com thing will have better reliability -- but if Apple really is looking for a straight-out, bald-faced "this is Me on the internet" branding, then even the tiniest failure in the system is going to make people super pissed -- it would go from "Aw crap, .Mac sucks again" to "Me.com is down again. Apple broke ME". Not good.

Thirdly: Windows ME. 'nuff said.]

[Note: Official $50 Phone Different Store gift card says our readers can pick a better name than "Mobile Me". See below for details!]

If you hear the steady sound of thumping, as though something were continuously bumping, that's not the GPS industry going into cardiac arrest at the mere thought of the iPhone 3G's specs, that's tiPb's collective heads as we knock them against our glass screened, glossy facaded, aluminum cased displays in abject terror of what Apple may be choosing to rename our loved-to-hated old .Mac service:

Mobile Me

Sadly, no. (And we thought Back-to-My-Mac was awkward...)

Dear Apple,

We, your loyal iPhone users, realize .Mac was fine for a label pre-.com bubble burst, and has desperately needed a fresh coat of paint ever since. We understand that you need to provide not only ActiveSync for business users, but similar email, contacts, and events "push"-style for consumers as well. We get that the service (perhaps) formerly-known as .Mac is an ideal launching pad for these features. And Jobs-knows that Windows users, your largest install base for iTunes, iPods, and iPhones, would be confused to the point of BSOD by something called .Mac.

But "Mobile Me". Seriously?

Sure, iSync is taken by local sync features, and Microsoft using ActiveSync for both local and Exchange services is confusing to say the least, but what about Apple Sync? Worked for Apple TV, didn't it? Okay, Gruber doesn't like iMobile, but I'd humbly suggest it kicks the sync out of the horribly precious "Mobile Me".

Please tell Steve that "Mobile Me" just isn't Zen enough. Tell him it's already something planned for the "Zune Social". Or Nokia's "Comes With Muzak". Whatever. Anything. Because let's face it, the line of better names than "Mobile Me" stretches around an Apple Flagship Store sized block a few times.

P.S. I bet the iPhone Blog readers could pick a better name (if not a couple hundred dozen better names). In fact, Dieter's so sure he'll pony up a $50 Phone Different Store gift card to the reader who picks the best alternative to "Mobile Me" (to be judged by the blog's staff).

Readers, have at it,

Apple, warmest namastes,

"Concerned Me"

Ah, .Mac, the poor abandoned stepchild in Apple's 360 degrees of spherical integration. It's the online service Google, Yahoo, and even Microsoft Live kick sand at on the playground.

Sure, Back-to-my-Mac can rock, and syncing can be oh-so-sweet, but c'mon, what have you done for us lately?

Could be a lot, if rumors pan out. We've already brought you word on possible iPhone 2.0 .Mac "push" mail, and even reports of a total revamp. Now it seems the revamp may be more of a full on renovation, including a brand spanking new name!

[Dmitry Chestnykh, the CEO at Coding Robots] went through the iCal Localizable.strings file in the recently released 10.5.3 update and found a number of changes. In particular, he found a lot of evidence that the .Mac brand name is going to be replaced. Apple is apparently using a placeholder %@ which will be dynamically replaced by the new name, whatever that is, when it's released.

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Sorry PC Users. And non-iPhone users. And we're not sorry for you having to think about an upgrade to Vista or Windows Mobile 6.1 either. No, we're sorry because Google loves us iPhone users more than you. Google has an iPhone Fixation. The newest evidence? The latest and greatest update to the Mac OS, 10.5.3, just came out today and it has a new feature: syncing of contacts with Google. Gmail already works better with the iPhone than it does with any other mail app, now it works better with the iPhone when plugged into a Mac, too.

Odd that it would only work if you have an iPhone, though, innit? If you're not "one of us" (Google! Goggle!), you can still sync your contacts up with Yahoo, who still is also the only way to get Push email pre-iPhone-2.0.

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Update: Ars Technica chimes in with a hack for your forlorn non-iPhone-owning Mac Users. For my part, I very much want to apply 10.5.3 but I have a policy of waiting at least a week before installing it. Crazy? ...Or crazy like a fox?