Amusingly enough, you know what’s missing from the new MacBook Air models? Adobe Flash Player. While preloaded on Apple’s past hardware, out of the box here it just says missing plugin, with no click to install option. To be fair, Flash doesn’t come standard on a lot of machines, even for Windows, but we wonder if past models will continue to ship out with Adobe’s plugin, especially once OS X 10.7 becomes de facto.
Holy shit.
Update: Nilay Patel confirms.
Well, the next big cat has a name, and that name is Lion. Here’s is Apple’s introduction of OS X 10.7:
We took our best thinking from Mac OS X and brought it to the iPhone. Then we took our best thinking from the iPhone and brought it to iPad. And now we’re bringing it all back to the Mac with our eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.
While I’ve already discussed one of the big features[1. Although, since it’s coming to Snow Leopard, it’s weird to consider it a feature of 10.7.] of Lion, the Mac App Store, let’s dive into the other things the company outlined today.
Under Snow Leopard, there are three ways to open an application:
Launchpad is a glorified Stack, really. Here’s Apple’s descripition:
The Launchpad gives you instant access to your apps — iPad style. Just click the Launchpad icon in your Dock. Your open windows fade away, replaced by an elegant, full-screen display of all the apps on your Mac. It takes just a swipe to see multiple pages of apps, and you can arrange apps any way you like by dragging an app icon to a new location or by grouping apps in folders. Downloaded an app from the App Store? Your new app automatically appears on the Launchpad, ready to blast off.
So, in short, click a Dock icon, and get a big grid of your apps.
This is a pretty obvious carryover from the iPad. While it will simplify opening new apps, I’m not sure that it simplifies things radically. Seems like a silly headline feature to me.
Of course, there are those that makes this fear for Finder’s life. Launchpad works outside of any Finder window. Is this one step closer to an Finder-less Mac? iPhoto, iMovie, iCal and other applications already store their data in ways that users can’t directly access. It’s not a small jump to hide regular old documents as well.
iWork on the iPad simply shows you a list of what is available to open, hiding the actual structure. iWork on the Mac uses the Media Palette to pull in photos — this seems like a tiny step in that direction, and while I’m not scared yet, I understand that some people are.
While Apple is touting this is a new-to-Lion feature, it’s really a very old idea that disappeared before OS X even made it to Public Beta stage almost 10 yeas ago.
Full-screen apps take up every pixel on the display — getting rid of the Dock, the Menubar, everything. The only current built-in app that does this on the Mac is Time Machine.
While visually reminiscent of the iPad, single window mode on OS X is drastically different — several apps are still fully running in the background. Instead of doing one task at a time, this lets users simply focus on one task at a time. That’s a critical difference.
This is the biggest UI change Apple has made in years:
Mission Control is a powerful and handy new feature that provides you with a comprehensive view of what’s running on your Mac. It gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything — including Exposé, Spaces, Dashboard, and full-screen apps— all in one place. With a simple swipe gesture, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control. There you can see your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full-screen apps, Dashboard, and even other Spaces, arranged in a unified view. And you can get to anything you see on Mission Control with just one click. Making you the master of all you survey.
I think it’s a change for the better. While it may take some getting used to, I think that Mission Control will be a very handy feature. Spaces and Exposé are easily confused by most users.
Don’t miss the detail that the background for Mission Control is the default image used on the iPad while waiting for UI elements to build in. It is a subtle, but purposeful thing.
While Apple didn’t give much detail about these features, it will make life easier for many users. It is unclear if these APIs will be available only to App Store programs. I see these features being slow to come to large programs like Microsoft Office — if they come at all. Sadly, Office is the perfect candidate for an auto-save feature.
While Apple is touting Lion as “iPad meets Mac,” the melding isn’t as complete as it would seem. Most of the features outlined today are more cosmetic than functional.
However, Lion opens the floodgates when it comes to conversations of Apple more deeply combining iOS and Mac OS X. I think that Lion is just the start of that process, leaving some uneasy.
That said, Apple is a smart company. It knows that there are things that work well on mobile devices that simply don’t make sense on the desktop. Hopefully Apple keeps that in mind as Mac OS X continues to age, and the lines between the desktop and mobile devices continue to blur.
Well, it’s happened. The Mac App Store is coming to the Mac in the next 90 days:
The Mac App Store is just like the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. So it’s as easy to find and download Mac apps as it is to add your favorite magazine to iPad or a new game to iPod touch. You can browse Mac apps by category, such as games, productivity, music, and more. Or do a quick search for something specific. Read developer descriptions and user reviews. Flip through screenshots. When you find an app you like, click to buy it.
Sound familiar? It should, as Apple is basically bringing one of the keystones of iOS to the desktop.
On the Mac Developer webpage, Apple outlines the benefits for developers of selling software in the App Store:
Sound familiar? It should, as these benefits are the same one Apple uses to sell developers on using the iOS App Store.
I think that most Mac developers — especially the smaller ones — will greatly benefit from an App Store. Getting in front of millions of users is something most developers simply can’t do on their own. Plus, with Apple handling the hosting, credit card processing and marketing, developers can spend more resources on what counts — building applications.
Customers will benefit, too. This will greatly simplify the app installation process for Mac users. I bet most average Mac users run Firefox and Skype from disk images because they don’t understand how DMGs work.
Additionally, by tying purchases to iTunes accounts, it makes for an easy, simple way to spend money. The function of re-downloading apps will make it easier to move to a new computer as well, if a migration isn’t possible.
However, the same fears that surround the iOS App Store will surround the Mac App Store. Will Apple reject Mac apps for silly reasons? Can Apple’s already slow approval process handle an influx of Mac apps? Will Apple post rules for developers? Will Apple accept apps built with XCode only? Isn’t this another example of DRM creeping into things?
While most of these answers remain unknown, I think the biggest fear is that Apple won’t allow users to install non-approved applications.
The key difference between the two platforms is that the on iOS devices, the App Store is the only way to get apps. On the Mac that is not the case. Users will still be able to download apps from the Internet and install them. While some people are jumping up and down that this is the beginning of the end of OS X as a flexible, “open” platform, I’m not convinced it is. Yes, the Mac App Store raises questions and some concerns, but I just don’t see Apple stopping users from installing their own programs.
For one, I don’t think Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office will ever be on the Mac App Store. Period. Adobe uses the iOS App Store because it’s the only option — they aren’t going to jump into a Mac App Store after doing things a certain way on the desktop for two decades. If the only way to a Mac is the App Store, the Mac will starve from the lack of high-end programs.
Secondly, since Apple more than likely won’t accept programs like torrent clients, there will always be an desire from the Mac user base to keep side-loading an option.
Yes, most people will probably get most of their apps from the App Store eventually.
But most and all are very, very different words.
Earlier today, Ben Brooks and I had a conversation on Twitter:
This whole thing of a small Mac raises an interesting set of questions. Do people need a smaller Mac OS X device, as I suggested to Ben? Can a small Mac survive in an iPad world?
One problem that has always plagued the MacBook Air is that it can’t really serve as a stand-alone computer for most Mac customers. I think most people use an iMac or a MacBook Pro as their machine machines — and for good reasons. These machines are powerful, with large amounts of storage available for photos, music and more.
The MacBook Air, however, tops out at 256GB of storage, with 64GB being the base option for the smaller MacBook Air. Many people have iTunes libraries bigger than 64GB. It’s clear that the Air isn’t designed to be a main machine for most people. It packs less horsepower, less RAM and less storage than any other Mac.
The upside of the Air — the very reason it exists — of course is size. Still razor-thin, the new smaller Air takes up even less space in a bag or on a desk as before, which is a good thing for some people.
It’s more in line with the iPad, spec-wise and size-wise, than any other member of the Mac line.
In fact, the MacBook Air’s biggest competition is the iPad. Both can be used as a standalone product, but really shine when used as a secondary device. Both have great battery life and are thin and light. The smaller Air is even close to the size of the iPad.
The difference of course is all about software.[1. Comparing the iPad and the Air includes some factors other than software. Will the Air’s higher price dissuade some people from purchasing it over an iPad?] For some people, iOS just doesn’t meet their needs.[2. Of course, this group of people may be smaller than I think.] The new 11.6" MacBook Air offers all of the features of Mac OS X in the smallest package ever. For people who need a full-blown computer[3. Calling the 11.6" MacBook Air a full-blown computer is hard to do with that 1.4GHz processor. I’m not sure I’d want to run Aperture on that thing.] that can go just about anywhere, the Air is an obvious choice. For everyone else, though, the iPad is really, really hard to ignore.
Update #1: Giles Turnbull at Cult of Mac sums it up nicely:
It looks like a beautiful product but I don’t think I’ll be buying one. If I want a lightweight portable computer, I’ll buy an iPad, which offers better battery life and is far, far cheaper. Even if I splash out on a wireless keyboard to go with it.
Update #2: Ben Brooks weighs in:
Back when the 12” PowerBook was the kingpin you had the option of 12”, 15” or 17” PowerBooks. There was no iPad, or iPhone. That is what made the 12” so damned good – there was nothing more portable and more powerful than the 12” PowerBook. Now though that is not the case, many people just travel with an iPhone and have no problems.
That is the very reason I don’t think the 11.6” MacBook Air is the heir to the 12” PowerBook – there are far better portable options. The 13” though is not the direct heir, but pairing it with an iPad and you should have all you really need.
Update #3: Marco votes in favor of the Air:
If forced to choose between bringing an Air and an iPad on a trip, to a meeting, on a train, on a plane, or pretty much anywhere, I’d choose the Air. (Even the 11”.)
Most of what I do on computing devices either can’t be done or would take much longer on an iPad, and I’m impatient and demanding with my hardware.
If you can say the same about yourself, an iPad probably won’t replace a laptop for you.
Get it while it’s hot, folks.
Be sure to read this little nugget of information from that page:
Whenever someone tries to reach you, the call rings through on every Mac you own even if FaceTime isn’t running. So you never have to worry about making yourself available. If you don’t want to receive calls, just turn FaceTime off in Preferences.
Very cool, but I have one big question — why is this not just part of iChat? Or will these two apps combine in OS X 10.7?
Update: The UI in FaceTime is very minimal, and very dark. It require an AppleID, and will let you create a new one right within the app. FaceTime can use an email other than your AppleID email, which is nice for those of us who keep using an expired MobileMe account for an AppleID name.
During today’s “Back to the Mac” event, Steve Jobs asked:
What would happen if an iPad and a MacBook hooked up?
The new MacBook Air is the answer.
The biggest story here I think here is price. Yes, it’s neat[1. And frustrating to those who are used to upgrading their Macs.] that Apple is building their own flash-based storage. Yes, it’s awesome that they are finally shipping a sub–12" notebook again. But all of that pales in comparison to the price.
The 11.6″ MacBook Air starts out at just $999 for a 1.4GHz Core2Duo and 64GB of storage. Bumping up to 128GB of storage is an additional $200. The 13.3″ Air starts at $1299 with 128GB of storage and a 1.86Ghz Core2Duo. Bumping to 256GB is an additional $300.
The MacBook Air debuted at $1,799 just under three years ago.
Like last time, it requires Safari 4 or 5 on Mac OS X 10.6 or Safari on iOS 3 or later.
Things should get going in just under an hour.
Genius tips for the Microsoft and the Apple trolls of the world.
Despite some issues, webOS 2.0 is probably neck and neck with iOS4 when it comes to polish and ease of use, and that’s a pretty huge thing for Palm. This isn’t just a good OS, it’s a great OS, and the updates in this version have made it even better. It’s obvious that when combined with even slightly better hardware, it’s also a fast experience that makes it easy to get real work done. And that’s the problem with webOS 2.0, really. Palm is still hampered by last-generation, underpowered hardware. The Pre 2 is nice, but it’s not cutting edge, and it doesn’t hold a candle to the iPhone 4 or G2. If Palm wants to survive in this game — let alone truly compete — it needs to push killer hardware into the marketplace now. The faithful are dwindling, and the smartphone race is getting more crowded every day — webOS 2.0 is a big improvement, but if this and the Pre 2 are Palm’s hail mary, they just lost the game.
Sounds like HP is following in Palm’s footsteps. This is a real shame.
Twitter’s Carolyn Penner to Macworld on the beloved Mac app:
We aren’t actively planning Tweetie for Mac 2, but we maintain the app for current users. For example, over the summer we updated the client to use OAuth and improved MagicMouse support. We also made the app available for free.
Tweetie is one of the best designed programs for the Mac, however it is already behind the times, lacking both native retweet support and lists. While there are some other great Mac Twitter apps out there, it’s sad to see this one begin what will surely be a long, painful death.
Update: From TUAW:
MacHeist director John Casasanta was even surprised by Williams’ tweet, because he reports being in contact with Tweetie’s developer, Loren Brichter. The good news? Tweetie 2 for the Mac is alive and well, even though work has slowed due to the Twitter acquisitions of the mobile products. There’s still no word about when it’ll be released, but we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s out.
Until Loren breaks his silence, I wouldn’t count on a Tweetie 2.
Mac Rumors has a great post up summarizing today’s call.