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iTunes 9 Wishlist: 10 Ways Apple Can Improve Its Media Organizer

Written on September 07, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 51 people have commented

With Apple’s music oriented media event right around the corner, everyone is abuzz with thoughts about new iPods, Apple TV updates, tablet rumors and more. The one thing we can all but guarantee besides new iPods is an update to iTunes. But what will this version bring? Social aspects have been rumored, but there is [...]

ATI Returning to Mac With 4000-Series Graphics Cards

Written on August 31, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 7 people have commented

Poor NVIDIA — it looks like your honeymoon with Apple is over. There hasn’t been an official announcement from Cupertino yet, but a glance at the customization options for high-end iMacs (the ones that use discrete graphics) and Mac Pros reveals that ATI Radeon HD 4000-series cards are already available as new configurable alternatives to [...]

iPhone 3G S: What is Missing?

Written on June 12, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 90 people have commented

Though everyone is excited about the launch of the new iPhone, I wanted to take a practical look at what features are still missing from this device, compared to others on the market. If Apple really wants to knock the next iPhone out of the park, hopefully some of these ideas will show up next time.

Microsoft Finally Giving iPod Touch a Serious Competitor?

Written on May 18, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 20 people have commented

Apple isn’t the only company enjoying a storm of recent hardware rumors. Its chief competitor, Microsoft, is also under scrutiny due to whispers concerning a new addition to its Zune line of portable media players. Early reports gave the device HD playback capabilities, but little else was known about what it might offer. A new [...]

Apple Updates iTunes to 8.1.1

Written on April 06, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 11 people have commented

Apple today released an update for iTunes, bringing the version number to 8.1.1.
The new version (currently available from Software Update) supposedly fixes syncing issues with the iPhone and iPod touch (which I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter) and with VoiceOver, the we-don’t-need-no-stinkin’-display substitute for the iPod Shuffle.
It’s also supposed to bring HD movie rental [...]

Vuze Brings Easy Video Conversion to Apple Devices, but at What Cost?

Written on March 25, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 3 people have commented

I admit, I am a reformed Azureus user. When I made the transition from Windows to Mac for my primary machine, one hang-up that came with me was my devotion to Azureus, a program which (as I was soon to discover) was fast becoming unnecessarily resource-heavy and bloated, especially compared to lightweight Mac alternatives like [...]

HD Movies Now For Sale in iTunes

Written on March 20, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 16 people have commented

Blu-ray took another today hit as Apple announced that it will be offering HD movies for sale (iTunes link), rather than just for rent. That means consumers can download HD quality movies directly into their iTunes library, for use on their computers or Apple TV, or TV-connected Mac mini, if you happen to be me. [...]

Elgato Releases Turbo.264 HD Video Convertor

Written on March 20, 2009 by David Appleyard and 6 people have commented

Elgato is a company synonymous with television and video hardware products for the Mac. Today they announced the availability of Turbo.264 HD, a hardware conversion tool that offers a fast way to encode video between formats or move video off your HD camcorder.
Many different software tools exist for converting video on the Mac, ranging from [...]

New MacBook HDCP Impairing External Displays

Written on November 18, 2008 by Darrell Etherington and 14 people have commented

In what seems like another addition to a long list of examples of how when you rent digital content, you’re actually renting it with a strict set of conditions, Apple owners are running into trouble with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP). The problem, affecting owners of the new aluminum MacBooks and MacBook Pro, occurs when [...]

FOX in HD: iTunes Offering Complete Range of HD TV Shows

Written on October 16, 2008 by David Appleyard and 2 people have commented

Apple have announced today that they are now selling TV shows in high definition from all four major broadcasters, ABC, FOX, CBS and NBC Universal. FOX were the fourth and final large network to offer HD support today.
Some of the HD shows available include “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Lost”, “CSI”, “Bones”, “Prison Break”, “Heroes” and “The Office”. [...]