TidBITS#936/14-Jul-08
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/936>
Some of us spent a long, hot Friday standing in line and all we have
to show for it are our new iPhone 3Gs. Rich Mogull offers his
first-weekend impressions of the 3G and iPhone 2.0 software, while
Jeff Carlson examines why people would spend hours in line for a
cellular phone. Plus, Jeff discovers a way to send SMS text messages
from the iPhone for free using the new AIM application. Apple, not
content to overwhelm its servers with those releases, also activated
the MobileMe service in fits and starts; Glenn Fleishman looks at
how Apple nearly scuttled the job, but seem to have righted the
ship. In news not related to the iPhone, the U.S. Justice Department
ends its investigation into Apple and Steve Jobs over backdating the
company's shares (which still leaves open civil and SEC suits), Joe
Kissell explains how sparse bundle disk images are the wave of the
storage future, and Adam teases his sweet tooth with custom-printed
M&M candies.
Articles
Print Custom Text and Photo M&M's
Backdating Investigation on Apple Shares Ends
First Impressions of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0
MobileMe Fails to Launch Well, But Finally Launches
Send SMS for Free via AIM on iPhone
iPhone 3G: On the Line in Seattle
Discovering Sparse Bundle Disk Images
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 14-Jul-08
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/14-Jul-08
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Print Custom Text and Photo M&M's
---------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9672>
Too cool. I just saw in the Photojojo newsletter that you can print
text and - this part is new - photos on M&M's, the little
candy-covered chocolates from Mars. This doesn't mean you can run an
M&M through your HP inkjet, amusing as that is to imagine; instead
you design your M&M's on the My M&M's Web site. For any order, you
can create up to four designs - two photos and two text messages.
Photos should look good when printed in black food-grade ink at a
size of about 1 centimeter, and if you think Twitter's 140 character
limit is tight, try getting your message across in two lines of 8
characters each. Going beyond the obvious may be a bit tricky, since
Mars is persnickety about what you're allowed to put on an M&M, so
no "inappropriate" images, objectionable words or phrases, business
or product names, drug references, or single letters. It's not
cheap, needless to say, with a 7 ounce (198 gram) bag costing
$11.99, and you have to buy at least three bags at a time.
<http://photojojo.com/>
<http://www.mymms.com/customprint_faces/>
<http://www.mymms.com/pricing/pricing_popup.asp>
Backdating Investigation on Apple Shares Ends
---------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9687>
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department has
ended its criminal investigation into whether Apple executives broke
the law when they backdated some options without proper accounting
and disclosure. Neither Apple nor the Justice Department has made a
statement confirming that the investigation is over, but lawyers
representing some of those under a cloud told the Journal that they
were informed the probe is finished. A civil action by the SEC and
private lawsuits are still underway, however.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121565603712141637.html>
The SEC looked into Apple's revelation that they had issued stock
options to a variety of employees, including Steve Jobs and other
executives, that tied the options to a date prior to that on which
the options were granted, so called _backdating_. Stock options are
the right, but not the obligation, to purchase stock at a specific
price no matter the current price.
By backdating options, a company can assure a windfall to the
recipients. Companies may backdate options in many circumstances,
but must account for them as a higher expense than merely granting
current-dated options, as there's a negative effect on the equity of
a firm's shareholders. An academic researcher and The Wall Street
Journal blew the lid off this widespread and long-running practice;
executives at other firms were indicted, sued by shareholders,
fired, or all three. (For more background on backdating, see "Apple
Reports on Options Backdating Problems," 2006-10-06.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8699>
The investigation has lasted nearly two years. A parallel SEC
examination led to civil charges filed against two former Apple
executives. Former chief financial officer Fred Anderson, who did
not admit to wrongdoing or any of the charges, settled them almost
immediately, giving up $3.7 million in gains, interest, and
penalties (see "Former Apple Employees Charged in Stock Option
Backdating," 2007-04-30). Anderson, who had left his job as CFO at
Apple on good terms in 2004, resigned from Apple's board the day it
released its first report on backdating in October 2006.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8963>
Nancy Heinen, Apple's former general counsel, was also charged and
still faces civil action by the SEC, according to her lawyer as
quoted in the Journal. The charges against Anderson and Heinen
centered on options granted to Steve Jobs, which were canceled
before they were exercised, and replaced with 10 million properly
restricted stock grants that were properly accounted for. (Jobs sold
about $300 million of those shares when the restrictions ended in
2006 to pay the tax due. He still holds 5.5 million shares worth
nearly $1 billion.)
<http://quote.yahoo.com/q/ir?s=AAPL>
Apple released its own report on the matter back in January 2007
from an internal committee headed by former Vice President Al Gore,
a board member (see "Apple Releases Stock Option Backdating Report,"
2007-01-08). That report will likely stand as the public accounting
unless Heinen's case goes to trial and additional facts are
revealed.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8803>
The apparent end of this Justice Department probe also means an end
to the speculation that Jobs would face a trial or be forced to
resign as part of a settlement. While in recent months this issue
seemed to be in abeyance, this probably relaxes the stock market and
analysts who speculated on an abrupt change in who would be running
Apple.
The backdating kerfuffle in part led to Daniel Lyons's blog, The
Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, written by Lyons's nom-de-blog Fake
Steve Jobs. Lyons wrote a book called oPtion$ that fictionalized and
satirized the minor scandal (see "My Real Breakfast with Fake Steve
Jobs," 2007-10-24).
<http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/>
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/0306815842/?tag=tidbitselectro00>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9259>
Lyons recently announced on his Fake Steve blog that he was
discontinuing writing in a faux Jobs style. Lyons was recently hired
away from his current employer, Forbes, to take over Steven Levy's
technology beat at Newsweek. (Levy had previously left Newsweek for
Wired.)
<http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-am-so-friggin-high-its-not-funny.html>
The timing was suspicious - how did Lyons know that his story arc
was at an end? Perhaps...an investigation will be launched.
First Impressions of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0
-------------------------------------------------
by Rich Mogull <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9692>
Evaluating a product is always one of the more difficult tasks for a
writer. Everyone has their own individual preferences, and the
reviewer is forced to pool these together, stir them up, and distill
a complex personal experience down to a few paragraphs someone will
use to decide where to place their hard earned dollars.
Apple didn't make this any easier by combining the release of the
iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 software for first generation iPhones over
the course of two days. Well, it was supposed to be a single day,
but Apple's server overload disrupted that plan. Even so, the
company reported today that 1 million iPhone 3Gs were sold worldwide
between Friday and Sunday, and more than 10 million applications
were downloaded from the App Store during the same period. (To quote
Red Sweater Software's Daniel Jalkut, "If I ever sell a million of
something in 3 days, I expect to see some infrastructural problems,
too.")
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/07/14iphone.html>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/07/14appstore.html>
<http://twitter.com/danielpunkass/statuses/858111951>
Rather than write a comprehensive review of the iPhone 3G and the
iPhone 2.0 update - which were released on Friday - these are just
my first impressions.
**The Hardware** -- Although the iPhone 3G is only slightly wider, the
design of the bevel makes it feel overall thinner and wider than it
actually is. Aesthetically it's an improvement, but this is like
comparing two supermodels. The 3G is definitely sleeker in feel, and
the metal buttons (power, volume, and ring mode) in the black
plastic are a nice touch with a really great feel. The speakers on
the bottom are smaller, but with metal grills rather than the usual
tiny holes punched in plastic.
In subjective testing, the volume of the 3G is probably equal to the
original iPhone, but with better sound reproduction. At full volume
it sounded less tinny and more like regular speakers, but it still
won't shake down the walls of the house. The camera is the same
resolution (2 megapixels), but photos seem slightly better on the
3G, although they still lag higher resolution options.
The much-lauded non-recessed headphone jack is exactly what you'd
expect, and it's nice not to have to carry a little adapter around
for workouts or car connections anymore. The plastic case is pretty
tough, surviving an accidental drop test with just a small scratch
when it slipped out of my pocket during a movie.
**3G and GPS** -- The star attractions of the iPhone 3G are its
increased data speed and inclusion of a built-in GPS (global
positioning system) chip. The 3G connection is noticeably faster
than EDGE, and the overall reception of the phone seems better.
Testing in areas with spotty reception shows the 3G holds better
signals - something we frequently get to test thanks to AT&T's
network. Web browsing is easily double the speed of EDGE so far in
my testing. It doesn't match Wi-Fi performance, of course, but it's
still quite satisfying.
The iPhone 3G is now location-aware thanks to the GPS, which, in
combination with cellular triangulation and location information
from Skyhook (which maps Wi-Fi networks) is truly outstanding. (The
first-generation iPhone uses only cellular triangulation and Skyhook
to establish location.) When you switch to the Maps application, you
quickly get a large ring with your general location, followed within
seconds by a pulsing blue dot at your exact position.
Early reports suggested the GPS wasn't accurate enough for
turn-by-turn directions, but I found it to be both surprisingly
accurate and much faster than starting up a traditional GPS device.
One of the worries about GPS is where to put the phone in order to
get the best reception, but the iPhone 3G managed to hold an
accurate position even while being handheld in the car, where GPS
signals are notoriously weak. It appears accurate enough to feed
audible turn-by-turn directions should Apple authorize a third party
navigation application; Apple's developer agreement stipulates that
developers cannot create such an application.
One of the best features of the 3G radio is the capability to make
phone calls and use the Internet at the same time. Aside from
letting you look up movie times while chatting with your friends,
you can now use the GPS and Maps while talking on the phone. That's
perhaps not the safest thing to do while you're driving, but at
least you'll know exactly which lake you just ran your car into
while being distracted.
On the downside, as Apple warned, the 3G radio consumes a lot more
power than EDGE, leading to a noticeable decline in battery life. I
tend to travel a lot and really pushed the battery on my first
generation iPhone, but could usually make it through a business day.
After a couple of days of testing, it was clear I'll need a portable
battery pack to survive my trips with the iPhone 3G. (I ordered the
APC UPB10, which looks compact enough to carry in my bag, and unlike
some other external batteries can directly recharge the iPhone.)
<http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=UPB10>
**The iPhone 2.0 Software** -- Having tested the iPhone 2.0 firmware
on both a first-generation iPhone and the iPhone 3G, the performance
appears completely equal aside from network performance. Apart from
MobileMe and the App Store, many of the changes are small, but
welcome. You can finally bulk-delete or move mail messages; a
Contacts application takes you to the same contact list used by the
Phone application; the Calculator application becomes a scientific
calculator when you turn the iPhone into its horizontal position;
Calendar finally supports multiple calendars from iCal (although
strangely the colors you assign to calendars in iCal aren't
honored); pressing the Home and power buttons simultaneously
captures a screenshot and saves it to the Photos application. Two
much desired features, cut-and-paste and support for iCal to-do
items, are still noticeably lacking.
The App Store application is well designed, making it easy to move
between different categories and find software. (The App Store also
appears in iTunes.) Application user ratings are included right in
the store (although, oddly enough, not when browsing applications in
iTunes). One really nice touch is that the App Store checks for
software updates to your installed applications; the App Store icon
on the home screen will indicate how many software updates are
available. Purchasing titles is easy, and fortunately requires your
iTunes account password before you're charged or before a free
application is downloaded. The new application's icon immediately
appears on the home screen with a little status bar showing the
installation progress.
The downside of the App Store is that not all applications are
created equal. Many applications, such as AIM or The New York Times
reader, seem plagued with early performance issues and frequent
crashes. Some of the location-aware applications in particular seem
to lock up or crash location services, requiring a system reboot to
regain use of Maps. There's also no shortage of... marginal
applications.
But complaining about a few bad applications and the occasional
crash seems almost selfish once you realize how game changing third
party application support really is. Want to find a movie? Load up
BoxOffice and see times for anything within a 5 (or 10, or whatever)
mile radius of your current location. Don't know where the theater
is? You're only one tap away from directions and the GPS-enabled
Maps. Traveling, have no idea where you are, and need the weather?
Weatherbug will give you the forecast for your current location.
Want to race prehistoric cars or cute monkeys in bubbles? Stream
Internet radio? Dictate a to-do item and have it transcribed to text
and added to your calendar? The App Store has you covered. (The
links here go to the iTunes Store.)
<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284939567&mt=8>
<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=281940295>
Spending just a few days with the 2.0 update and the App Store
really gives you a taste of the future of augmented reality - where
the phone becomes far more than a communications device or
occasional portable game machine. And remember, all these
capabilities, except for the pinpoint location provided by GPS, are
available to anyone with a first-generation iPhone or iPod touch.
**Final Impressions** -- Overall, if you compare an iPhone 3G with its
first generation predecessor, the user experience is very similar.
Many first generation users will be more than satisfied with their
2.0 update, which is where most of the changes are. You'll still
have full use of the App Store and even location services (although
without the same accuracy).
But for heavy data users or frequent - and directionally impaired -
travelers, the iPhone 3G is a welcome upgrade. Internet access is
materially faster, and the GPS is accurate, useful, and well
integrated into various third party applications. If you have a
first generation iPhone and are happy, there's no need to upgrade,
but the 3G is still a worthy second version of an exceptional
product.
MobileMe Fails to Launch Well, But Finally Launches
----------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9689>
MobileMe, Apple's replacement for its long-running .Mac service,
kicked off to a rocky start last week following what was supposed to
be an overnight transition. (For an overview of what's changed
between the two services, see ".Mac Morphs into MobileMe,"
2008-06-09.) The crush of activity on Apple's servers during the
iPhone 3G launch and release of the iPhone 2.0 software further
crippled the service, but its performance appears to have
stabilized.
<http://me.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9649>
If you're wondering just how to update to MobileMe, there's a trick
- it doesn't automatically appear in Software Update, nor is it
available as a download from Apple's downloads support page (at
least, at the time I wrote this article). Instead, go to System
Preferences and click the .Mac preference pane, where you will be
prompted to download the update. After you apply it, simply close
System Preferences and open it again to find the MobileMe preference
pane in place of .Mac; you don't need to restart the Mac.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/mobileme_update2.jpg>
**Bumpy Rollout** -- Users were greeted for most of Thursday with a
routine message with few details; on Friday, the message was
upgraded with slightly more useful information, but no apology nor
estimated time until the service would be usable again:
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/mobileme_maintenance.jpg>
"The MobileMe transition is underway but is taking longer than
expected. While core services such as desktop mail, iDisk and sync
are available, the new MobileMe web applications are not yet online.
Thank you for your patience as we complete the upgrade."
While MobileMe wasn't slated to launch until Friday, July 11th,
Apple planned to perform some heavy lifting on Wednesday night, with
a plan to finish in the wee hours of Thursday.
The service finally launched at me.com sometime between Friday night
and Saturday morning. MobileMe's Web 2.0 applications were briefly
available at times on Friday.
Apple made no other public comments on the matter, according to
several Mac industry and mainstream articles. This is what is known
as an "epic fail," to use a phrase common for its terseness in
Twitter: a transition key to the company's relationship with its
individual users has gone horribly wrong.
**Hoping for a Smooth Road Ahead** -- The good news is that the ease
of use of the new system is extraordinarily high. Apple has managed
to instill the feeling of a desktop application into a Web-based
one; it's about the best I've seen. The Mail screen, for instance,
is far more polished and interactive than Google's Gmail, which has
been under development for years. You can make contiguous and
non-contiguous selections, drag and drop, and use Control plus
various keys for menu selection or actions. In iCal, for instance,
you press Control-right arrow to move forward a week in the week
view.
.Mac synchronization has been the bane of my life for years, with it
working erratically, duplicating entries, and working magically
without intervention for periods of time. During the MobileMe
transition, my laptop Address Book locked up, and despite all
efforts won't synchronize at all even when it says it has. (I've
deleted its data store, reset the sync, and repaired disk
permissions. The error log for "dotmacsynclient" persistently shows
obscure errors that I can't find via Google; Apple's message boards
have search disabled due to high load.)
My office desktop Mac restored hundreds of entries I'd deleted on
multiple computers, many of them duplicates of existing entries, and
which must have been cached at .Mac. I went through and reculled my
contacts. My iPhone initially had problems picking up changes from
my desktop Mac via MobileMe, but ultimately appears to be handling
the new push service just fine. It's awfully nice to be able to
change a contact's phone number or update a calendar entry and have
it flow through everywhere.
How did Apple get in this mess? Obviously by leaving themselves too
little time, and deciding to do a full power-off/power-on
switchover, which is a known method of producing epic failures. The
more intelligent move would have been to delay the MobileMe launch,
and open it up to current subscribers to move in small numbers,
offering a "transition" button that would have converted data stores
from .Mac to MobileMe. The architecture certainly would have allowed
that.
But Apple had a lot staked on having a successful iPhone 3G launch,
and wanted iPhone 2.0 software, MobileMe, and the new phone to
appear simultaneously for the biggest bang. Well, they got a bang;
no one can deny that.
Send SMS for Free via AIM on iPhone
-----------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9690>
I expected that iPhone 3G service from AT&T would be more expensive
compared to the original iPhone - $30 per month for data on top of
voice service, a $10 increase), but the telco slipped in a poison
profit pill by removing SMS text messaging from the plan. Instead,
you can pay $5 per month for 200 messages (the amount included in
the original iPhone plan); $15 per month for 1500 messages, or $20
per month for unlimited messages. If you sign up for a FamilyTalk
plan, your choices are either $30 per month for unlimited or $0.20
per message.
<http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp>
Text messaging is already one of the great bamboozlements of the
technology age, given the prices charged for what amounts to a
miniscule amount of data transferred. Making the service an extra
fee for a smartphone is just cruel.
<http://gthing.net/the-true-price-of-sms-messages/>
With the release of the iPhone 2.0 software, you can send SMS
messages from your iPhone for free. (To clarify, this appears to
work only in the United States; Joe Kissell, who lives in France,
reports that the following technique does not work with the "+33"
designation there.) The secret is a capability that already exists
on your Mac: send it via iChat/AIM. (This technique works on the
iPod touch, too, but I'll just use "iPhone" from here on out to
avoid writing "iPhone or iPod touch" over and over.) Here's how:
1. From the App Store, either in iTunes or on an iPhone, download
and install the free AIM client for iPhone (link goes to the iTunes
store).
<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=281704574&mt=8>
2. In iChat (or whichever instant messaging software you use),
create a new contact whose AIM address is a plus sign and the mobile
number of a friend, such as "+12065551212".
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/sms_new_buddy2.jpg>
3. On the iPhone, launch AIM. Your buddy list is stored on AIM's
servers, so connecting to the service reveals your new buddy.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/sms_aim_iphone.png>
4. Tap the buddy name, compose a text message, and tap Send.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/sms_compose_msg.png>
When the other person receives the message and writes a reply, the
return message appears in AIM (though the other person will have
then paid to send an SMS).
This approach is a bit more work, and if you're a frequent text
message user it may be worth paying AT&T (or whomever your provider
is; plans vary widely around the world) for the convenience of just
using the SMS application. But if you need to dash off a quick
message without wondering if you're getting your $0.20 worth, AIM is
a good alternative. It also helps lessen the pain of getting gouged
by greedy telcos.
iPhone 3G: On the Line in Seattle
---------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9691>
My sister called my cell phone out of the blue on Friday. "Hey, did
Apple release something today?" she asked. "There's a huge line at
University Village."
"Yes, the iPhone 3G. I'm _in_ that line!" I replied.
This chance encounter was one of the highlights of a long day spent
in line at the launch of the iPhone 3G at Seattle's University
Village Apple Store.
<http://www.apple.com/retail/universityvillage/>
Glenn Fleishman and I debated whether there would be a big turnout
for Apple's revamped phone. Last year, the first iPhone seemed like
a much bigger deal: not just a brand new product from Apple, but a
smartphone that appeared to eclipse other cellular phones on several
fronts. This time around, the changes are more modest, with improved
3G data speed and built-in GPS. The new software features are great,
but they're available to anyone who owns a first-generation iPhone.
Surely there wouldn't be the same kind of interest on opening day.
The approximately 400 people in line proved us wrong.
**Activation Woes** -- I arrived at 8:00 AM, just as the doors opened
and the first five customers were let into the store. Those hardy
(crazy?) folks started lining up Thursday at 5:30 PM.
While the crowd size seemed similar to last year's launch, the time
it took to get an iPhone was certainly different. The original
experience was genius from the customer's point of view: you bought
an iPhone, took it home, plugged it into your computer, and
activated it through iTunes. The disadvantage, from Apple's and
AT&T's points of view, was that people could purchase iPhones and
never sign up for AT&T's two-year service commitment, instead
reselling the phone to other markets or unlocking the phone using
"jailbreak" software to use with other providers. Under that
arrangement, both AT&T and Apple lost out on monthly service fees,
since Apple received a percentage of each subscriber's monthly fee.
This time around, AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the iPhone's
price, Apple only gets a cut when the phone is sold (or buyers later
purchase software from the iPhone App Store), and buyers must sign
up for a service plan and activate the phone at purchase. And with
potentially a million people worldwide buying the iPhone 3G on
Friday as it went on sale in 21 countries, activation proved to be
glacial.
Almost 40 minutes passed before the first iPhone 3G came out,
carried by a sleepy-looking man who seemed startled that a
television cameraman, two photographers, and reporters from the big
daily papers wanted to take his picture and get his opinion.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/iphone_3g_first_buyer.jpg>
I assumed the problem lay in AT&T's servers, which crumpled under
the load last year. According to an anonymously sourced quote in the
Seattle Times, however, the problem had more to do with Apple's
servers. Despite the advance word that all activation would happen
in store, the iPhone 3G needs to be first registered on AT&T's
systems and network, and then activated through an Apple process
that uses the iTunes Store. By the time the west coast began selling
iPhones at 8:00 AM, the rest of the country had been hammering
Apple's servers for hours. But that was likely just a fraction of
the load, thanks to Apple's decision to simultaneously release the
iPhone 2.0 software for existing iPhones (which led to many people
temporarily owning upgraded but unusable devices for much of the
day).
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008047588_iphone12.html>
Trying to buy an iPhone 3G at an AT&T store proved to be no relief.
Several AT&T stores sold out of supplies early - one person near me
in line said that the first store he visited sold out in 20 minutes.
Another guy spent three hours in line at a different AT&T store
before being turned away.
**Awesome Apple Employees** -- I don't mean to disparage AT&T, but
here's why I never considered buying an iPhone 3G anywhere but at an
Apple Store: the employees at the University Village store - and I
presume elsewhere - bent over backwards for their patient customers.
Throughout the day, the employees gave out free bottled water (and
collected empty bottles for recycling), wandered along the line
offering to answer any and all questions, and made sure we all
understood the limitations that could scuttle a purchase. (If your
phone is paid for by your company, or you have some discount that
would apply, you need to deal with AT&T directly. One Apple
specialist pointed out that he wasn't able to buy a new iPhone at
the store because Apple is a corporate customer of AT&T.) As time
passed, a pair of employees arrived with a cart full of free
cookies. And as the sun rose in the sky, they came bearing sunblock
and large umbrellas. [Editor's note: I walked by the same Apple
Store on Sunday, mid-day, and saw a line of about 50 people in the
80-degree F weather, and Apple Store employees handing out water and
snacks, while making sure new additions to the line were up to speed
on policies. -gf]
Throughout the long day, in fact, I never once saw anyone get angry
or frustrated. Several people got tired of waiting, or had other
commitments and couldn't stay, but they exited with a hearty "good
luck" to those of us who stuck with it.
**Captive Audience** -- The smarter retailers in the University
Village complex recognized the opportunity to pitch their wares at
hundreds of potential customers who weren't going anywhere fast.
Jamba Juice was giving out free samples of their blended smoothie
drinks; Fran's Chocolates had a plate of hazlenut chocolate
truffles; and The Ram, the restaurant next door to the Apple Store,
was giving out menus and offering to bring orders out to people in
line. One fellow, tired of waiting in line, offered to buy someone's
first-generation iPhone (though I saw him exit the store at the end
of the day with an iPhone 3G after all).
<http://www.jambajuice.com/>
<http://www.franschocolates.com/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/will_buy-old_iphone.jpg>
Some of the marketing didn't go over as well, such as the
chiropractor handing out postcards or the Verizon van cruising
through the parking lot. One woman crossed the line ahead of me
saying, "Who wants a high-five for Verizon?" She wasn't giving out
information, and we couldn't tell if she was a Verizon employee or
just someone having fun at our expense. But when someone asked why
they should high-five for Verizon, she replied, "Well, no one is
high-fiving for AT&T." I guess she had a point.
A local developer, Nathan Hunley of Igloo Games, was handing out
cards to publicize Dizzy Bee, the iPhone game he had finished and
uploaded to Apple the night before. Dizzy Bee uses the iPhone's
motion sensor to control a bee who bounces around maze-like levels
attempting to free captured fruit. (Despite that description, Nathan
appeared to be as sane as one would expect a sleep-deprived
developer to be.)
<http://igloo-games.com/db/Dizzy_Bee.html>
**At Last, Activation** -- I ended up spending only a few minutes in
the Apple Store itself. Once inside, an Apple specialist introduced
me to one of the Apple geniuses who would be my own personal iPhone
shopper for the day. I told him that I wanted a black 16 GB model
(all three configurations were in stock) and no accessories.
"Great," he said, "I'll go get one and meet you outside."
At a table under an umbrella, we activated the phone wirelessly. He
plugged my information into the Symbol handheld device each employee
uses - the concept of going to a register to pay for your purchases
is almost extinct at Apple Stores; you can buy what you need
anywhere on the floor from an employee.
He wasn't able to answer my one question about the AT&T plan. The
iPhone 3G is actually my wife's birthday present - I'm keeping my
first generation iPhone for now - and I didn't know how the addition
of another iPhone would affect our FamilyTalk plan. Would the 200
text messages included on my monthly plan go away? The information
at AT&T's Web site lists only two options for FamilyTalk plans: $30
per month for unlimited messages or a $0.20 per-message charge. To
my surprise, the system gave me the option of choosing the
individual plan options for my wife's line. He pointed out that if
the billing got messed up, I'd have to work it out with AT&T
separately. (Checking my account at AT&T's Web site so far reveals
that we're paying $30 more per month for the iPhone 3G, plus the $5
fee for 200 messages, which I chose because that's the easiest route
for her; note that it _is_ possible to send SMS messages at no cost
using AIM.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9690>
**The First-Day Appeal** -- So how long did I wait in line for an
iPhone 3G? Did I turn out to be one of the crazy ones? To be fair, I
probably would have bailed early on and come back when the initial
enthusiasm died down if I wasn't covering the iPhone 3G and the
event as a journalist. Instead, I held out - for _8 hours_.
But here's the funny thing about standing in line with like-minded
folks: 1 hour becomes 3 hours becomes 5 hours becomes 7 hours (that
eighth hour was a bit much, honestly). It wasn't a party, but it
wasn't a slog, either. The novelty of having one of the first iPhone
3G units will wear off quickly, but the experience of doing
something out of the ordinary with a lot of people, like watching a
live concert instead of just listening to an album of the same
music, is worth doing on occasion. I joked in line that someday we
could tell our grandchildren about the time we stood in line for
hours to get an iPhone, and a fellow next to me pointed out that our
grandkids will probably just have implants and not understand the
concept of a "phone."
Discovering Sparse Bundle Disk Images
-------------------------------------
by Joe Kissell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9673>
In the latest releases of both my ebooks on backups ("Take Control
of Mac OS X Backups" and "Take Control of Easy Backups in Leopard"),
I include sidebars titled "(Sparse) Bundles of Joy," in which I
describe Leopard's new sparse bundle disk image format, used by Time
Machine for network backups. Because this format is quite
interesting, has potentially broad application, and hasn't received
much attention, I'd like to say a bit more about it here.
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/backup-macosx.html>
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/leopard-easy-backup.html>
**Managing Your Image** -- By way of review, a disk image is a special
file that can also behave like a disk - that is, if you double-click
the image, a new volume appears in the Finder; this volume can
contain any number of files and folders, and you can open or copy
them just as you would do with the contents of any other volume.
Disk images typically have the extension .dmg and are often used to
distribute software. Unlike ordinary folders, disk images can be
compressed, encrypted, and/or made read-only, and can be opened on
any Mac, all without the use of any third-party software. If you
want to distribute a whole set of files and be sure that they remain
perfectly intact on the other end, using a disk image is an
excellent way to do so.
Over the years, Apple has created a variety of different formats for
disk images. The sparse image (extension .sparseimage), for example,
was an improvement over the .dmg format in that it could grow
automatically in size as needed (up to a preset maximum). Prior to
Leopard, Mac OS X used sparse images for things like local copies of
your iDisk (if you have iDisk Sync turned on in the MobileMe pane of
System Preferences) and FileVault (which used an encrypted sparse
image). In both cases, the images could begin relatively small,
rather than occupying lots of unused space on your disk even when
they contained little data.
But sparse images, like .dmg images, had a problem. Making any
change to their contents marked the entire image file as changed. If
you were doing incremental backups that included a large disk image
file, say, this meant that even the tiniest change would result in
the entire file having to be backed up again. For example, I used to
store private documents on a 10 GB encrypted .dmg disk image. But I
couldn't back up the disk image file itself, because it changed
every day and I'd rapidly run out of disk space if I kept backing it
up. So instead, I had to separately back up the _contents_ of the
mounted image to an encrypted archive, which was an inconvenience.
**Bundle Up** -- When I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard the first
time, one thing I noticed immediately was that a copy of my local
iDisk sparse disk image was sitting on my Desktop, while a new disk
image, this time with the extension .sparsebundle, was stored in a
subfolder of ~/Library/FileSync. Leopard had taken the liberty of
converting my iDisk image to a new format - a sparse bundle - and
put the old one on my Desktop as a backup, presumably in case
anything had gone wrong during the conversion. So what's with the
new format and why should you care?
A sparse _bundle_ looks and acts just like a sparse image - it can
grow in size, can optionally be compressed or encrypted, and so on.
What's different is that it isn't actually a single file, as all
previous disk image formats were. It's a bundle (also known as a
package) - a folder that Mac OS X treats as a single file, which is
also true of applications. (To verify this, you can Control-click or
right-click a sparse bundle, choose Show Package Contents from the
pop-up menu, and browse through its contents.) Inside that package
is a folder full of _bands_ - files that are each 8 MB in size, as
many as are needed to hold the image's data.
What's cool about this is that if you change something on a sparse
bundle (adding or modifying a file, for instance), only the band(s)
containing that data change, not the whole bundle. As a result,
assuming your backup software treats the contents of bundles as
individual files, you no longer have to back up a huge disk image
just because a tiny file changed. Your backup software only has to
copy the 8 MB band(s) containing any of that file's data (often only
one). So I converted my encrypted sparse image to an encrypted
sparse bundle, and now I can include it along with all my other
files in my ordinary backups.
**Nuts and Bolts** -- You can create and modify disk image files (of
whichever sort) using Disk Utility, located in
/Applications/Utilities, or with the command-line tool diskutil if
you're so inclined. For example, to create a new, encrypted sparse
bundle, you'd follow these steps:
1. In Disk Utility, choose File > New > Blank Disk Image.
2. Fill in the filename, location, volume name, and maximum size;
leave the format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
3. Choose either 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption from the
Encryption pop-up menu. Leave Partitions set as it is.
4. From the Image Format pop-up menu, choose Sparse Bundle Disk
Image.
5. Click Create. Enter and verify a password and click OK.
Although Disk Utility can also convert one format to another (using
the Images > Convert command), I've had some trouble with this
method, and I've generally found it more reliable to create a new
image from scratch and copy the contents of the old image manually.
**The Future of Sparse Bundles** -- As I mentioned earlier, Time
Machine stores your backups in sparse bundles when you're backing up
over a network (to another Mac running Leopard, or to a Time
Capsule). The Leopard version of FileVault also uses the sparse
bundle format now, which may decrease its susceptibility to disk
errors. (I'm still no fan of FileVault, though, because apart from
the threat of losing data to file corruption, I prefer much greater
control over what is, and isn't, encrypted.) But what I find most
exciting about sparse bundles is the problems they could potentially
solve, if more developers used them.
Let's go back to the problem of backing up huge files that change
frequently. If you use Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion to run
Windows on your Mac, this is still an issue, because those programs
still store all their data in monolithic disk image files.
Similarly, Microsoft Entourage uses a single big database file to
store all your email, contacts, and calendar information. So
conventional wisdom says you should exclude files like these from
Time Machine or other backup programs that run frequently, because
otherwise your backups will take an excessively long time and
require tons of disk space. Unfortunately, that also means you have
to find some other, more cumbersome way to back up that data - or
leave it unprotected.
If Parallels, VMware, and Microsoft were to adopt the sparse bundle
format for their respective data storage needs, at least as an
option, this problem could disappear. (This approach would work only
under Leopard, however.) In fact, I know of at least one attempt to
trick Entourage into using a sparse bundle, though the process is
rather elaborate and geeky, and I haven't tried it myself. Similar
acrobatics could possibly be performed with virtualization programs,
basically forcing them to store their existing disk images on sparse
bundles, but it would be better by far if users didn't have to jump
through such hoops.
<http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080605115101581>
Although Entourage and virtualization programs are among the most
prominent examples, undoubtedly many other applications that deal
with very large files could also benefit from using sparse bundles.
For all I know, perhaps developers are already hard at work bundling
up their images, or perhaps technical problems I'm unaware of
(beyond the requirement for Leopard) make it harder than I imagine.
But for the sake of speedy and space-efficient backups, I certainly
hope the sparse bundle rapidly becomes a favorite format for storing
large amounts of data.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 14-Jul-08
---------------------------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9683>
* iPhone 2.0 and iPod touch 2.0 (direct link to iTunes Store) from
Apple update first-generation iPhones and existing iPod touch
devices to the latest version of the iPhone operating system. Among
numerous improvements, the 2.0 updates enable third-party
application software from Apple's App Store (including an App Store
application on the device), support for separate calendars in the
Calendar application, a search field for the Contacts application,
improved Mail handling, and support for MobileMe push syncing. The
updates are available via iTunes and require remote activation from
the iTunes Store before they can function. (On the launch day, when
Apple's servers failed to handle the demand of iPhone 2.0 upgrades
and new iPhone 3G activations, people's updated iPhones were
unusable for much of the day. We haven't seen the problem resurface,
however.) As with previous iPod touch updates that add significant
functionality, Apple charges an upgrade fee due to the way the
company accounts for iPod income. (Free update for iPhone, $9.95 for
iPod touch, 225 MB)
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/>
<https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/touchLandingPage>
* iTunes 7.7 from Apple adds support for iPhone 2.0 syncing and the
App Store. Also added is support for a new Remote application for
the iPhone and iPod touch that lets you control iTunes from those
devices. Currently the iTunes 7.7 update is available only for Mac
OS X 10.3.9, Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, or Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
(Free update, 48.32 MB)
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunes77.html>
* Apple TV 2.1 from Apple adds support for the new Remote application
on the iPhone and iPod touch; on the Apple TV, go to Settings >
General > Remotes to set up the device. The update also includes
several security enhancements that guard against behavior caused by
maliciously crafted video and image files. Apple TV 2.1 is available
only on the Apple TV itself (Settings > General > Update Software).
(Free update)
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2304>
* Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 is an update of
Microsoft's tool for connecting to and controlling a Windows PC from
a Mac. This version is now a universal application for running on
both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs; uses the Remote Desktop Protocol
6.0 for better performance with Windows Vista, including Network
Level Authentication security; offers the capability to connect to
multiple computers simultaneously; automatically reestablishes
sessions when the connection is lost; prints from the Windows
environment to any printer available to the Mac; and improves screen
handling and interface issues. The utility requires Mac OS X 10.4.9
or later. (Free, 7.7 MB)
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/remote-desktop/default.mspx>
* GraphicConverter 6.1.2 from Lemkesoft updates the multipurpose image
editor with improved support for EXIF data and bug fixes - but that
only describes the latest minor update. GraphicConverter has always
been one of the most versatile applications on the Mac for reading
and saving image files of all stripes, but in recent versions the
program has also become a full-fledged digital photography toolbox.
If an image file has you flummoxed, GraphicConverter is likely to be
your lifeline. ($34.95 new, free update, 41.4 MB)
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/188/graphicconverter.html>
* PDFpen 3.4.2 and PDFpenPro 3.4.2 from Smile on My Mac improve
performance when using optical character recognition (OCR) to read
PDFs such as electronic faxes thanks to better handling of font
widths. The updates also squash a crashing bug affecting some bank
statements and offer other fixes. ($49.95 new for PDFpen or $94.95
for PDFpenPro, free upgrade, 5.3 MB)
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/>
* Safari 3.1.2 for Tiger from Apple "includes stability improvements
and the latest security updates." In particular, that means that
Apple fixed a vulnerability in the WebKit framework upon which
Safari relies that could enable an exploit if you visited a Web site
that used maliciously crafted JavaScript. The Leopard version of
Safari was updated by either the Mac OS X 10.5.4 Update, or by
Security Update 2008-004. Software Update should provide the
download for those who need it, or you can download directly from
Apple's Web site. (Free, 49.2 MB)
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari312fortiger.html>
* 1Password 2.6.5 from Agile Web Solutions updates the form-filling
and password management utility with improved support for Firefox 3,
support for the Safari 4 Developer Preview, DEVONagent, the OmniWeb
Sneaky Peek releases, and Flock 2. Localizations were removed for
smaller download sizes, credit card filling was improved on a number
of sites, and a variety of small cosmetic changes were made. The new
version also provides some stability fixes. ($34.95 new, free
upgrade, 14 MB)
<http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password>
* Apple Wi-Fi firmware 7.3.2 updates for Time Capsule, AirPort
Extreme, and AirPort Express has what Apple describes as "bug
fixes." Thanks so much for explaining what problems we might have
that were solved by this update to the hardware's soul. The update
requires that you have AirPort Utility 5.3.2 installed under Mac OS
X 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard, Windows XP, or Windows Vista. Launching
AirPort Utility causes the program to perform a firmware check of
all devices on the local network; you're then prompted to upgrade
any applicable Wi-Fi routers. AirPort Utility can be downloaded
through the above link for your particular platform.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/timecapsuleandairportbasestation80211nfirmware732.html>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/14-Jul-08
------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9693>
**iMac failing to startup into OS 10.3.9?** -- An unfortunate
encounter with Norton System Works leads to an old iMac being unable
to boot into Mac OS X. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2062>
**Discovering Sparse Bundle Disk Images** -- Readers discuss whether
virtualization software such as Parallels and VMware Fusion use
sparse bundle disk images. (5 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2063>
**Corrupted Printer setup utility** -- Mac OS X Leopard moved printing
tasks into the Print & Fax preference pane, and in the process
discarded the old Printer Setup Utility. (5 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2064>
**Cutting off bad Wi-Fi connection** -- How do you make a Mac stop
automatically connecting to a wireless network? (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2065>
**The Hole in My Backup Plan** -- Readers relate to Joe Kissell's
experience of losing the use of his main Mac, including purchasing
two similarly configured machines and renting a replacement. (25
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2066>
**iTunes Store technical details** -- Does Apple store and serve the
iTunes Store from its own hardware? It doesn't appear to. (2
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2067>
**Third-party batteries for older laptops** -- When a laptop's
original battery reaches the end of its life, should you buy a
replacement from Apple or try one from a third party? When dealing
with older portables, you may not have a choice. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2068>
**How to revive a "broken" hard disk?** After replacing a hard disk, a
reader gets suggestions for erasing it for use elsewhere when
trouble arises. (7 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2069>
**Mac OS X 10.5.4 Issue** -- Following a system update, a reader's
files and folders become invisible. The solution? Changing the
screen resolution. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2070>
**Current iPhones Keep Cheaper Plan on Reactivation** -- Readers
ponder the best methods of upgrading to the iPhone 3G. (8 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2073>
**New Mac threats?** What started as an article that mirrors a press
release about Mac malware turns into a discussion of how important
terminology can be when defining security threats. (48 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2075>
**Precipitate shines Mac Spotlight into Google** -- Readers talk about
Adam's article about this utility for making Spotlight search Google
services. (5 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2076>
**802.11g-n mixed network question** -- Will having wireless routers
of different speeds slow down an entire network, or can they all
just get along? (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2077>
**Gaming the system?** Is it ethical to buy a computer with the
express purpose of using it and then taking it back within the
return policy? Readers debate. (15 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2078>
**Extend iTunes Movie Rentals Beyond 24 Hours** -- Attempting to play
a paused iTunes rental beyond its expiration time led to a gray
screen. Is this a bug or a policy change from Apple? (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2080>
**Apple Stores Ready for 3G Onslaught** -- Apple and AT&T seem to
expect that most people will transfer existing cellular phone
numbers to the new iPhone service. (3 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2081>
**Send SMS for Free via AIM on iPhone** -- You can use AIM on the
iPhone to send a text message for free, but how does it appear to
the recipient, and can they reply in kind? (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2087>
**MobileMe Fails to Launch Well, But Finally Launches** -- Readers
discuss Apple's stumbling start of the MobileMe service. (2
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2088>
**Buying an iPhone 3G** -- A reader shares his impressions of the
iPhone 3G, leading to a discussion of price and how AT&T is
subsidizing the cost of each phone. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2089>
$$
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