The Macworld Lab has been hard at work tweaking Speedmark, our overall system performance testing tool, to better accommodate Snow Leopard and to test the Macs on which it runs. Of course, that means that the new version, Speedmark 6, runs on Snow Leopard and supports only Intel-powered Macs.
We have Speedmark 6 scores for 19 Intel Macs, including the new MacBook, iMacs, and Mac minis released last month. Please note that because Speedmark 6 uses different tests and a different OS, Speedmark 6 scores can’t be compared to the scores of Speedmark 5, the previous version of our test tool.
Category: Apple
Android: Under the Hood
Google has purposely broken compatibility with Java ME to introduce Android’s Dalvik alternative as a new development platform that leverages all the developer experience and familiarity of Java, without allowing or intending Android software to run on BlackBerry or Symbian phones. The hope is that Android’s single, standardized implementation of Java technology will do what Sun’s broadly licensed Java ME failed to do: deliver a viable mobile software market across hardware vendors’ offerings.
The Dell Adamo XPS Reminds Me of the TAM
The Brushed Metal iPhone
The gist of the tip is this: if you’d like to hide or eliminate scratches on your iPhone’s bezel, or you just want to sport a different look, then find ye a two-sided sponge and tape up your iPhone all kidnapped-like, leaving only the bezel exposed. Take the rough side of the sponge and start buffing the chrome in long, straight swipes. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, but your iPhone will come out looking just just a little sharper than it used to. It’s a subtle change, but the buffed bezel is not as prone to fingerprints and just looks a lot more hi-tech overall. I like it!
Sample Shots
Andy Ihnatko has posted a collection of photos pitting the Droid’s camera against the one in the 3GS.
Spoiler Alert: the iPhone 3GS beats the Droid in almost every way.
100,000 Apps
Apple today announced that developers have created over 100,000 apps for the revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. iPhone and iPod touch customers in 77 countries can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. App Store users have downloaded well over two billion apps, continuing to make it the world’s most popular applications store.
Macworld’s App Gets Approved
Suffice it to say, someone from Apple called me this afternoon and insists this is all a misunderstanding. (On their part.) Resubmitting.
And a few hours later:
I am happy to report that “Macworld’s iPhone and iPod Touch Superguide”-actual name!-is now in the App Store.
That was fast. Too bad it takes Apple days — if not weeks — to get such issues resolved for independent developers who don’t have their own Mac-based magazine and website.
EasyPay Gets Touchy
‘EasyPay’ is Apple’s handheld point-of-sale system in their retail stores. In the past, the system ran on Windows Mobile and was unreliable.
Seems like that has changed. AppleInsider:
Those who have seen the system for processing credit card, debit card and cash purchases, dubbed “EasyPay touch,” said it combines iPod touch features with a magnetic stripe reader, advanced barcode scanner and Apple-written software to speed plastic and cash transactions.
Perhaps more significantly, the change to an iPod touch and Apple software will bring the entire point-of-sale (POS) system under Apple’s control. In addition, the system will have the added benefit of advertising the usefulness of the iPod touch to customers who see it being used right in front of them.
The Magic Mouse
Ars:
I have yet to decide whether the Magic Mouse is much of an improvement over its predecessor. The multitouch capability and lack of a scroll ball to gum up are definite upgrades, but the loss of Exposé and Dashboard support about balance that out for me. If you like your Apple Mouse’s pressure sensors and the ability to launch Exposé and Dashboard from your mouse, you may want to give the Magic Mouse a pass until Apple figures out a way to support those features with its new mouse. If you’re in love with multitouch and are tired of futzing with scroll wheels and scroll ball hand crud build-up, the Magic Mouse may be for you. If you’re using a Logitech or some other third-party mouse and are wondering if it’s time to give one of Apple’s eccentric mice a shot, it isn’t.
Enderle Just Keeps Nailing It
Robert Enderle over at tgdaily.com:
…last week VMware servers were brought to their knees as a result of downloads for Fusion 3.0 a product that is used to run Windows on Mac hardware. This would suggest that an incredibly large number of recent Apple customers are putting Windows 7 on their Macs anyway and not waiting for Apple to license the product from Microsoft.
If Mac customers were so interested in using Windows full-time, they would have bought PCs. A surge in VMware downloads just means there are a lot of Mac owners who also need to run Windows. Which is good for Apple — the company’s OS is so compelling, people would rather run it most of the time, and just fire up Windows on an as-needed basis.
Maybe the Best* App Store Rejection Yet
Jason Snell on Twitter this afternoon:
Our book about the iPhone has been rejected from the App Store BECAUSE IT CONTAINS THE WORD iPHONE. We were told: You can’t show an iPhone or even use the word iPhone in the icon. (@Pogue’s book does, BTW.) It’s the SUBJECT OF THE BOOK. So basically, you can write a book about the iPhone, and even sell that book on the App Store, but you can’t say what the book is about. In other news, watch for our Macworld Superguide book app. It’s about… something! I have to admit, my initial response to Apple’s rejection was to replace the word iPhone with the image of a hand giving Apple the finger. We worked with Apple’s rejectors. Removed the image of the iPhone. Changed title to bogus “Macworld Superguide for iPhone,” still rejected.
TUAW Posts Another Non-Story, This Time About Warranty Parts
The vast majority of parts that Apple ships to repair centers are what they consider “re-manufactured.” As a Genius, I was coached to explain that process when we were asked where the parts came from. Customers would always respond with, “Wait, so you’re giving me a refurbished iPhone?”
[…]
This doesn’t just apply to iPhones and iPods; it actually applies to any part they put into your Apple product. The logic board they put into your MacBook Pro: refurbished. The optical drive they put into your iMac: refurbished. The DC-In Board they put into your PowerBook G4: refurbished. There are many, many parts out there that Apple will happily replace for you, but beware – it’s probably not new. Re-manufactured is no different than refurbished.