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News & Opinion
Products & Services
News & Opinion
Apple Ends Security Updates for OS X 10.4 and
10.5
ZDNet's Ben Woods reports that Apple will not provide a security
update for the
DigiNotar breach to users running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or older, such
as OS X 10.4 Tiger, which have
been left unpatched from the vulnerabilities that could potentially
lead to a man-in-the-middle attack, whereby an intruder can intercept
credentials or other sensitive data.
Woods notes that this is the first time that Apple has not issued
core security updates to the Leopard and Tiger versions of OS X,
leaving a question mark over whether it will deliver any other security
updates for the platforms in the future.
Link: Apple Skips
Security Update for Pre-Snow Leopard Macs
Apple Stops Security Updates for PowerPC Macs
MacFixIt's Topher Kessler reports that Apple's release last week of
a security update to address the DigiNotar root certificate
vulnerability reveals that the company may no longer support
PowerPC-based Macs when it comes to security updates. Unlike previous
security updates that have supported Leopard and even Tiger, Apple's
latest update requires OS X
10.6 Snow Leopard or OS X
10.7 Lion. This means that users running OS X 10.5 will not be able
to update their systems against the DigiNotar breach.
Kessler observes that without an official security update,
addressing security vulnerabilities that are found may be a bit of a
challenge, if possible at all, and discusses the implications for users
of older Mac hardware in some detail.
Link: Apple Canceling
Security Updates for PowerPC Macs
Mid 2011 Mac minis Can Run Snow Leopard
MacBidouille (Hardmac) columnist Lionel cites a reader who got a
2.7 GHz i7 Mid 2011 Mac mini
to boot into OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 using a clone of his MacBook
Pro's hard drive. He had been under the impression that the latest mini
motherboard was finalized before the release of Lion and thus should
logically boot Snow Leopard, and this is indeed the case.
Lionel observes that this is news that will delight the many OS X
users who are underwhelmed by Lion and want to stay with Snow
Leopard.
Link: Les Mac mini 2011
Fonctionnent Sous Snow Leopard
7 Useful Features Missing from OS X 10.7 Lion (and
How to Get Some of Them Back)
The NextWeb's Aayush Arya says that while some of the over 250 new
features in Mac OS X Lion - such as the new version of Mail, multitouch
gestures, systemwide autosave, versions, and resume - were are almost
universally loved (some of us would take issue with a lot of them -
cm), others like Launchpad, natural scrolling, and Mission
Control have been - how shall we say? - more "controversial."
- Erase drive and reinstall Lion from DVD
- Save As..., replaced by Duplicate
- 3-finger swipe gesture, now reassigned to drag operations
- syncing System Preferences with .mac/MobileMe (soon to be lost with
transition to iCloud)
- Front Row
- iPhoto integration with Time Machine, no longer possible to restore
individual photos
- Safari reliability
Link: 7 Useful Features
Apple Removed from Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
Gartner Says PC Shipments to Slow to 3.8% Growth in
2011; to Increase 10.9% in 2012
PR: Worldwide PC unit growth is on pace to total 364 million
units in 2011, a 3.8% increase from 2010, according to the latest
preliminary forecast by Gartner, Inc. PC shipments are forecast to see
better growth by the end 2012, when units are expected to reach 404
million units, a 10.9% increase from 2011.
PC unit growth for both 2011 and 2012 has been reduced from previous
projections: from 9.3% growth for 2011 and from 12.8% growth for 2012.
The notably lower outlook for 2011 PC growth is largely due to sharply
downgraded forecasts for Western Europe and the United States in the
second half of the year. The lower outlook for 2012 is the result of a
weaker 2011, and also a slower start to 2012 with an expectation for
better growth in the second half of next year as economies stabilize
and new mobile PC form factors enter the market. Even so, the slowdown
in the market is notable: Total unit shipments in 2012 are expected to
barely reach 400 million units, which was originally a target for
2011.
"Western Europe is not only struggling through excess PC inventory,
but economic upheaval as well," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at
Gartner. "U.S. consumer PC shipments were much weaker than expected in
the second quarter, and indications are that back-to-school PC sales
are disappointing. An increasing pessimistic economic outlook is
causing both consumer and business sentiment to deteriorate in both
regions. We're expecting consumer spending to tighten in response.
Business spending will also tighten, but less than the consumer
space."
Gartner analysts said that while PCs remain important to consumers
and businesses, purchases can be easily delayed, especially when there
are complementary devices that are seen to be more attractive.
"More worrisome for the long term is that Generation Y has an
altogether different view of client devices than older generations and
are not buying PCs as their first, or necessarily main, device," Mr.
Atwal said. "For older buyers, today's PCs are not a particularly
compelling product, so they continue to extend lifetimes, as PC shops
and IT departments repair rather than replace these systems."
"Media tablets have dramatically changed the dynamic of the PC
market and HP's decision to rethink its PC strategy simply highlights
the pressure that PC vendors are under to adapt to the new dynamic or
abandon the market," said George Shiffler, research director at
Gartner. "Vendors' tried and true business models are failing as
traditional PC functionality is extended to other devices, and users
continue to lengthen PC lifetimes. Vendors only seem to be flailing as
they look for quick fixes to their problems. Unfortunately, the
resulting chaos is just creating more confusion across the entire PC
supply chain, impacting sell-in."
Note: Gartner's PC forecast does not include media tablets, which
are forecast separately.
Additional analysis is available in the Gartner on Demand webinar
"Gartner PC and Media Tablet Forecast Update, 3Q 2011."
Link: Gartner PC and
Media Tablet Forecast Update, 3Q 2011
Intel CEO Outlines Company's Plans to Lead Future
of Computing
PR: In his Intel Developer Forum keynote at San Francisco,
Intel CEO Paul Otellini revealed how advances in silicon technology and
platform engineering will reduce idle platform power for the "Haswell"
chip in 2013, lowering it by more than 20 times over current technology
designs, a development expected to usher in a new class of platform
power management for Ultrabooks that will aid in the delivery of
always-on-always-connected computing.
"Computing is in a constant state of evolution," said Otellini,
describing the opportunities and challenges facing Intel and the
industry. "The unprecedented demand for computing from the client
devices to the cloud is creating significant opportunity for the
industry. Intel is innovating and working with our partners to deliver
computing experiences that are more mobile, secure and seamless. I'm
excited about the new experiences that will be created across a range
of devices, and we're just getting started. "
Otellini also discussed Intel's recent efforts to accelerate its
smartphone business and showcased a form factor reference design based
on Intel Atom processor, and running the Android platform.
Joining Otellini on the keynote stage was Andy Rubin, Senior Vice
President of Mobile at Google, with the two executives outlining plans
to enable and optimize future releases of the Android platform for
Intel's family of low power Intel Atom processors. The joint effort is
designed to speed time-to-market of Intel technology-based smartphones
running the Android platform.
"Our collaboration with Google will bring a powerful new capability
to market that helps accelerate industry innovation, adoption and
choice," said Otellini. "I'm excited by the possibilities of this
collaboration. It will enable our customers to bring exciting new
products and user experiences to market that harness the combined
potential of Intel architecture and the Android platform."
Tuesday's announcement builds on the two companies' recent joint
initiatives to enable Intel architecture on Google products. Joint
initiatives include Chrome OS, Google TV, and the Android Software
Development Kit (SDK) and Native Development Kit (NDK).
Pushing the Limits of Low Power for Ultrabooks and Beyond
Otellini also predicted that Intel's Ultrabook subnotebook systems
will provide the most satisfying and complete computing experience
available, and affirmed that the company is working with industry
partners to deliver mainstream-priced products beginning this coming
holiday season for this new category of lighter, sleeker computer
companions.
Intel's CEO affirmed that the company's engineers will further
accelerate Ultrabook innovation with Intel's "Ivy Bridge" 22nm
technology early next year with the help of the company's revolutionary
3-D Tri-gate transistors, and highlighted the broad enabling work
between Intel and Microsoft, pointing to the future opportunities that
Windows 8 will present across tablets, hybrid devices and new form
factors such as Ultrabooks.
Otellini also described the new class of platform power management
in development for the 2013 "Haswell" CPUs for Ultrabooks. The advances
in silicon technology and platform engineering are expected to reduce
idle platform power by more than 20 times over current designs without
compromising computing performance. Otellini said he expects that this
design change, combined with industry collaboration, will lead to more
than 10 days of connected standby battery life by 2013. The
advancements will aid in delivery of always-on-always-connected
computing where Ultrabooks stay connected when in standby mode, keeping
the e-mail, social media and digital content up-to-date.
Looking even further into the future, Otellini predicted that
platform power innovation will reach levels that are difficult to
imagine today, noting that Intel's researchers have created a chip that
could allow a computer to power up on a solar cell the size of a
postage stamp. Referred to as a "Near Threshold Voltage Core," this
Intel architecture research chip pushes the limits of transistor
technology to tune power use to extremely low levels.
Another guest joining Otellini on the stage was Candace Worley,
senior vice president and general manager, Endpoint Security at McAfee,
who discussed how Intel and McAfee have been working together on a
range of innovative hardware assisted software security solutions.
Worley introduced McAfee's new DeepSAFE technology platform that
works with hardware capabilities found in the Intel Core i3, i5 and i7
processors. DeepSAFE technology provides new levels of security and a
different vantage point by operating below the operating system. This
technology will launch in a McAfee enterprise product later this
year.
Otellini announced that Intel is working with McAfee on a roadmap of
security solutions that extend across the spectrum of computing from
embedded devices to the cloud.
Seamless, Consistent, Interoperable Experiences
With computing continuing to evolve, Otellini emphasized the need
for seamless, consistent and interoperable experiences across a variety
of devices. To help support this vision, Intel is now building
capabilities into a broad array of devices including Ultrabooks and
all-in-one computers. Otellini demonstrated several new capabilities
that will be available on Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba systems later this
holiday season.
Products & Services
5" Logitech Wireless Touchpad Lets You Point,
Scroll, and Swipe with Ease
PR: Logitech has unveiled the Logitech Wireless Touchpad,
making it easy to point, scroll, and swipe your way to wherever you go
on the Web and beyond.
The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is claimed to be ideal for users
who want to surf the Web "in a more fun and natural way."
With multitouch navigation and intuitive, gesture-based controls,
the Logitech Wireless Touchpad lets you navigate your computer using
increasingly popular touchscreen-style techniques. The large touch
surface gives you plenty of room to let your fingertips do the
clicking. There are no cords, hence no clutter and connection hassles.
Just put the touchpad anywhere on your desk or tabletop, insert the
plug-and-forget Logitech Unifying receiver into your computer's USB
port, and you're good to go. Plus, the receiver stays in your computer
and enables you to easily connect up to five other compatible
devices.
Point, scroll, swipe "naturally" thanks to the large, multitouch
touchpad that makes it easy to go wherever you want to go on the Web
and more.
One-finger control: Touch one finger anywhere on the touchpad
to control your cursor. Want to click on a link? Just tap and go.- Two-finger scrolling: Scroll up or down with two fingers to easily
move through a document or your favorite web page - like your list of
friends on your Facebook page.
- Three-finger swipe: A simple, three-finger horizontal swipe moves
you back and forth so you can flip through your wedding photos or move
from your Amazon wish list to your Gmail account in a flash. With a
three-finger vertical swipe, you can easily move page-up or
page-down.
- Four-finger swipe: Use a four-finger swipe to switch between your
favorite applications. Jump from Internet Explorer to Skype with just a
swipe.
- Large touch surface: The large, 5" touchpad offers you more room to
point, scroll, and swipe just where you want it.
- Clutter-free wireless device: Browsing has never been as
convenient. Just put the touchpad down and let your fingertips guide
you to your favorite websites.
- Logitech Unifying receiver: The tiny receiver stays in your laptop.
Plus, you can easily add a compatible wireless mouse, keyboard or
number pad - without the hassle of multiple USB receivers.
- Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless: Now you can work or play in more places
with long-range wireless connection that virtually eliminates delays,
dropouts, and interference and gives you a range of up to 25 meters (82
feet).
- Fewer battery hassles: A 4-month battery life means you can go for
months without the hassle of changing batteries. And an LED indicator
tells you when the touchpad is on and your batteries are running
low.
"The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is perfect for people who want to
surf the Web in a more fun and natural way," says Rory Dooley,
Logitech's senior vice president and general manager of the Control
Devices business unit. "It lets Web surfers flick through websites and
effortlessly scan long pages making browsing easier than ever."
The Logitech Wireless Touchpad's multitouch navigation offers up to
4-finger gestures and swipes to scroll pages, jump tabs, and switch
applications. Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless virtually eliminates delays,
dropouts, and interference. And you can easily stay powered up with up
to four months of battery life - and an LED indicator light that tells
you when the touchpad is on and your batteries are running low.
The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is expected to be available in the
U.S. and Europe beginning in September 2011, for a suggested retail
price of $49.99. For more information visit:
Publisher's note: The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is almost identical
in size to the $69 Apple Magic Trackpad, which is a Bluetooth device
and reportedly lasts
less than three weeks with freshly charged batteries. dk
Link: Logitech Wireless
Touchpad (available at the
Logitech Store)
G-Technology by Hitachi Showcases Its First 4 TB
External Hard Drives
PR: Post-production
pros know that you can never have enough fast, cool, and reliable
storage. Dedicated to serving the Apple Mac and creative professional
audio/video (A/V) markets, G-Technology by Hitachi is demoing the
industry's first 4 TB hard drives at the International
Broadcasters' Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, with its two-drive, RAID
0, G-RAID solution.
The 8 TB G-RAID demo shows how G-Technology is making digital
production faster, super-sized and affordable, giving pro users the
storage capacity they need in the demanding entertainment and film
industries.
G-RAID with Thunderbolt - More than Just High-Speed RAID
Not
only does the G-RAID Thunderbolt demo showcase the fastest interface
you can find, with data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps, it shows amazing
sustained throughput for handling multi-stream compressed HD workflows
including REDCODE, DVCPro HD, XDCAM HD and ProRes 422 . At 8 TB it
is also claimed to be the highest capacity, two-drive, RAID 0 external
storage device in the world for storing hours of clips, composites,
digital intermediate (DIs), proofs, effects and more. And that's not
all. Connected to an Apple MacBook Pro, the G-RAID solution enables a
portable editing workstation to take on the road, in the studio or even
use from the comfort of your own home to complete projects after hours.
With Thunderbolt's speed and the G-RAID's huge capacity, you can easily
transfer, capture, process or edit SD or HD video virtually
anywhere.
All G-RAID drives come preconfigured in a RAID-0 for maximum
throughput and are specifically designed for video editing with
excellent cooling and air flow. Its sleek, all-aluminium enclosure acts
as a heat sink, keeping the drives nice and cool, while a super-quiet
smart fan makes it a perfect fit in any audio or video post-production
environment. For easy set up, the G-RAID solution is ready out of the
box for use with Mac OS X systems and appears to the system as a
single, big and fast disk drive. The G-RAID solution also supports
Windows systems with a simple reformat.
Industry's First 4 TB Hard Drives
Leveraging the
high-quality and time-to-market strength of Hitachi GST, G-Technology
by Hitachi is the first to incorporate Hitachi's 4 TB 7200 RPM
drives into its G-RAID and G-Drive solutions.
Answering increasing capacity needs with the use of high-quality HD
video formats, G-Technology's 4 TB-based solutions enable greater
return on investment. By using the highest capacity drives,
G-Technology customers realize savings by lowering the cost per GB of
storage as compared to having the same total capacity using multiple
lower capacity external drives. In addition, customers benefit from
needing fewer external drives, which take up space and power, and
create cable clutter.
How much storage do you need? Since there are substantial
differences in storage requirements for the different types of high
quality HD video files, G-Technology provides this guide to show how
much storage space you may need:
Every 1 TB holds up to:
- 84 hours of HDV 1080i
- 17 hours of DVCPRO HD 1080/60i
- 30 hours of 2K RED
- 10 hours of ProRes 422 HQ
- 10 hours of 10 bit SD
- 2.5 hours of HD 1080/60i
"We understand the process of creation, and today, digital video
editing is no longer facility-driven Its driven by the places and
lifestyles of the people doing the work," says Steve Pereira, vice
president, Hitachi GST, Europe Middle East and Africa. "Our G-RAID
Thunderbolt demo connected to a MacBook Pro shows how our customers can
get lightning speed and huge capacity in a single RAID 0 storage
solution to easily edit anywhere. Built like a tank, our G-RAID
solution has been the cornerstone of our business, and we look forward
to bringing our Thunderbolt-based family and 4 TB-based solutions
to the market. With G-Technology's high quality, high performance
commitment, our customers can continue to focus on their work and not
on their equipment."
G-Technology will begin shipping its 4 TB-based G-RAID and
single-drive G-Drive solutions with eSATA, FireWire 800 (FireWire 400
via cable) and USB 2.0 ports in October. First in a family of
solutions, the company's Thunderbolt 4 TB-based G-RAID and G-Drive
solutions will ship in Q4.
Link: G-Technology by Hitachi
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