Apple has released update 3.10 to its Digital Camera RAW. Digital Camera RAW is a system library software that allows applications such as Aperture and iPhoto to read camera RAW format files. This release includes RAW compatibility to a number of hot camera models on the market right now such as Sony NEX-7, Panasonic GX1, Nikon D4 etc. The update is available via Software Update.
This update adds RAW image compatibility for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’11:
Apple has released the latest update to Safari for Snow Leopard and Lion. One key improvement in this release running on Lion is the 11% Javascript performance boost over the last Safari version. This release also improves responsiveness during network activities and includes a number of fixes. You can update this release from the usual Software Update.
- Improve JavaScript performance up to 11% over Safari 5.1.3*
- Improve responsiveness when typing into the search field after changing network configurations, or with an intermittent network connection
- Address an issue that could cause webpages to flash white when switching between Safari windows- Address issues that prevented printing U.S. Postal Service shipping labels and embedded PDFs
- Preserve links in PDFs saved from webpages
- Fix an issue that could make Flash content appear incomplete after using gesture zooming- Fix an issue that could cause the screen to dim while watching HTML5 video
- Improve stability, compatibility, and startup time when using extensions
- Allow cookies set during regular browsing to be available after using Private Browsing
- Fix an issue that could cause some data to be left behind after pressing the “Remove All Website Data” button
Remember iSight camera on your Mac? iSight is the name Apple used for the webcam on Mac computers before its transition to the current “FaceTime” or “FaceTime HD” camera naming. When Apple launched the new iPad, it refers to the new 5MP camera as an iSight camera. And iSight name is prominent in iPad’s product literature. More than just the new iPad, Apple has just applied the iSight name to the camera in iPhone 4/4S. The camera on both the new iPad and iPhone 4S appears to be the same going by specification.
The iSight branding is expected to extend to the camera on the Mac during their next refreshes later in the year. It is safe to say that the resurrection of the name only make sense when Apple plans to make it a differentiating product feature. To speculate, Apple might be adding motion sensing detection technology into the iSight camera. This new technology might be enabled as part of Mountain Lion and in iOS 6. There might even be a standalone iSight webcam accessory for the AppleTV, with full gaming API support for its motion detection technology. Will Apple play catchup with Kinect? We will know for sure when Apple unveils iOS 6 in June.
Apple announced the preview to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, just seven months after OS X Lion’s release last July. Here are the new features in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in summary form for quick digestion:
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has a serious looking cat.
Similar to Snow Leopard, the name Mountain Lion suggests it is a fine-tuning release of Lion.
Apple surprised everyone by announcing the preview release without the usual press event. Instead, only selected tech publishers are invited to closed door briefings by Apple.
Apple released a preview of Mountain Lion to its developers as part of the announcement.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is scheduled to release in late summer 2012.
With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple is changing to an annual release cycle of OS X, to be on par with its iOS counter part.
Apple started using “OS X” without the “Mac” naming since the release of Lion. But “Mac OS X” is still the title when view from within let say the “About This Mac” screen in Lion. In OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple officially drops the “Mac” title from within the operating system.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be exclusively available from the App Store. It will not be available in USB stick like in Lion.
iCloud is integrated deeper with Mountain Lion. You will be asked to sign-on with or create new Apple ID during installation. This is similar to the startup of iOS 5.
iCal is renamed to Calendar and Address Book is renamed to Contacts, making apps to have consistent naming in iOS and OS X.
Messages app will replace iChat in Mountain Lion. Messages app supports existing iChat services and iMessage, allows you to message to anyone using iMessages on their iPhone and iPad without the carrier texting charges. Apple released a public Messages beta for existing users to try out Messages before it’s release in Mountain Lion.
Reminders will be moved out from iCal into a standalone Reminders app. The app looks similar to its iOS counterpart and will sync with iCloud, enable you to have the same tasks on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Notes will be moved out from Mail app into a standalone Notes app. The app will sport the same look as iOS version and will sync between the OS X Mountain Lion and iOS.
Notification Center will be a system feature in OS X Mountain Lion. Apps can publish notifications to pop up in a sidebar. This is a port of Notification Center from iOS, and is likely to replace Growl to become the de facto notification standard in OS X.
Apple will bring the Game Center app from iOS to OS X. This will bring social gaming to the desktop, let you play games and chat with friends, and keeping your game score.
AirPlay Mirroring allows you to mirror the content of iPad 2 and iPhone 4S to your HDTV via Apple TV. With Mountain Lion, you can stream 720p content from your Mac to HDTV via Apple TV.
Share Sheets is a system window component that allows app to implement standard sharing mechanism. Safari, Preview etc in Mountain Lion will have a small button at toolbar to trigger the Share Sheets, allowing you quick access to email, message, tweet, AirDrop, share to Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo etc.
Twitter is integrated with Mountain Lion, as with iOS 5.
You can install apps from anywhere or from App Store in Lion. With Mountain Lion, Apple introduced a third type of app which is available outside the App Store but is digitally signed with Apple. This is a measure to combat malware as Apple is able to remotely prevent digitally signed apps from installing. Signed apps also can not be modified as it will break the signature. Gatekeeper is a new security mechanism introduced in Mountain Lion that allows the users to choose the type of apps that can be run. By default, Mountain Lion will allow only apps from App Store and identified developers with digital signature.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion reflects the rising importance of the China market. Mountain Lion will have integration with Chinese services such as Baidu, Weibo, Youku, QQ etc.
Mountain Lion brings a new Documents in the Cloud view to the traditional Open/Save File Dialog for apps that support working on documents in iCloud. iCloud will appear as another location besides your local disk for opening and saving your documents.
The usual Software Update will be relocated under App Store app in Mountain Lion.
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion comes with an improved Safari 5.2. One notable new feature in Safari is its integration of search bar within the address bar. Apple has seeded a beta release of Safari 5.2 to its developers.
There are reports that some older Mac models can run Lion but not Mountain Lion. Those affected are mostly machines with integrated graphics. It is still too early to confirm the minimum requirement since there is no official statement from Apple and Mountain Lion is still months away from release.
Apple released the latest update to OS X Lion 10.7.3. This release includes support for new languages (Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian), improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows file sharing and Active Directory, new RAW image support for new cameras such as Canon S1 and Nikon 1, updates Safari to 5.1.3, and other bug fixes. Update is via the usual Software Update.
Alfred is a productivity app that can do many things. You invoke Alfred with a customizable hot-keys which will bring out the command bar. Enter an app name or search term and Alfred will execute your order. Alfred is an app launcher and a search helper. Alfred can also do basic calculations, check word spellings and helps you issue system commands.
New in OS X Lion is the ability to display a message when the screen is locked. This is useful to inform your co-workers not to meddle with your Mac in your absence. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Under the General tab, check the option “Show a message when the screen is locked” and key in your note below. If you’re not able to check the option or key in the note, click on the lock icon at bottom left corner to unlock for editing.
QuickTime Player in OS X Lion has the capability to merge multiple video clips into one movie. Simply drag the clips you want to add into a movie window. QuickTime Player will automatically scales or crops the clips so they match the dimensions of the movie. You can even trim the head or tail of any clips before saving the combined clips as new movie. If your video editing is just trimming and combining clips, instead of the more elaborate iMovie, you can just use QuickTime Player to achieve the same result.
If you find the sidebar icons in Finder and Mail a little too big or small, you can change it from System Preferences.
From System Preferences > General, click on “Sidebar icon size”. A drop-down menu will give the options “Small”, “Medium” and “Large”. The default settings is “Medium”.
