If digging through build trees for a Mac build of Chromium (the open source project behind Chrome) was more trouble than you wanted to go through, here’s some good news for you: Google today announced availability of an official Google Chrome for Mac developer preview at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.
The developer preview is based on the upcoming version 4 of Google’s upstart browser, and it’s important to note that although it’s publicly accessible, it’s still not quite a beta. Several versions have already been released for Windows, but none have been released for Linux or Mac OS X. This is the first time an official release—build 4.0.223.8—has been available for Mac OS X outside of nightly development builds.
Category: Apple
Apple Kills ZFS Project
The ZFS project has been discontinued. The mailing list and repository will also be removed shortly.
ZFS is an advanced file system developed by Sun that had been ported to Mac OS X and released as an open source project on Apple’s Mac OS Forge collaboration site in 2007. ZFS had been rumored to become the default file system for Mac OS X Leopard, but ultimately appeared with only limited read-only capabilities.
iPod Turns 8
Happy 8th Birthday, iPod-you don’t look a day over… Aww, who am I kidding? You look old.
[…]
Because the problems weren’t fixed by the release of the perfect iPod, but a whole new species: the iPhone and its non-phone-y sidekick, the misnamed iPod Touch. (There’s a good reason why many people prefer to call it an iTouch.) Apple themselves expects the iPod’s trajectory to chill out as iPhone sales eat into the big picture. And it’s not because of these small fixes as much as the fact that while the iPhone and iPod Touch apps collections get bigger and more useful, there’s been a quick shift from the regular iPod as a consolation prize in a time where if you don’t have a network connected pocket computer, you’ve got a toy. A toy that is an island. Or something.
Engadget Reviews the new MacBook
The MacBook is an extremely competent, utterly boring laptop that doesn’t have enough ports.
At only $200 more, I don’t understand why anyone — other than maybe schools — wouldn’t upgrade to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Slight Correction
The Mac Observer posted a story this morning titled “iPhone 3GS, 3G iPod touch Could Make Apple a Major Mobile Gaming Player.”
I’d replace “could make” with “have made.”
Boot Camp, Windows 7 Not Friends Yet
Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X Snow Leopard before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp.
This marks the first time not all Intel-based Macs will be included in a Boot Camp update. The following models will not be supported:
iMac (17-inch, Early 2006)
iMac (17-inch, Late 2006)
Disc or Disk
They’re pronounced the same, but, technically speaking, there is a distinct difference between a disc and a disk.
I love it.
[ via MacUser]
New MacBook Includes Minor Changes
As usual, iFixit has been quick to dissect Apple’s updated MacBook, offering an extensive gallery of photos documenting the process.
A few notes of interest:
- There is no external indicator of battery charge state.
- There is no infrared port, meaning that the new model is incompatible with Apple Remotes.
- The integrated battery offers only 9% more capacity than on previous models (60 watt-hours vs. 55), but Apple claims an increase in battery life to 7 hours from the previous 5 hours, suggesting that the new model is more energy efficient. The new battery is significantly lighter than in the previous generation, offering a power-to-weight ratio that is 23.5% better.
New MacBook Leads to One Question...
…are the days of the never-ending palm rest cracks over?
The problem affected almost every single MacBook, since the very first models back in 2006, and up until today, Apple didn’t make any real adjustments to the design of the machine to resolve the issue — but today, that seems to have changed.
From looking over Apple’s photos of the new machine, I feel safe saying the issue will no longer be a problem. The new MacBooks are built like the unibody machines — from a single chunk of material (in this case, white plastic).
Apple Releases Loads of New Gear
Apple Spending Big Money on R&D
From MacJournals’ live-tweeting of today’s earnings call:
Apple is clearly working on some big things: R&D expenditures for the year of $1.333B are right around 10% of gross margin.
‘Most Profitable Quarter Ever’ Yet Again
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter ended September 26, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $9.87 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.6 percent, up from 34.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter’s revenue.