A little bit of buzz has arisen after Apple has quietly suggested and recommended to Mac users that they should consider installing anti-virus software on their Macs. This has created somewhat of a stir since Apple has said several times that Macs are far less susceptible to viruses if they even get them at all. Personally I know that viruses can be written for any platform, Windows, Mac, and Linux alike. Windows just is the primary target since Windows holds the greatest market share...by a lot. Now imagine if the tables were turned and OS X held 90+% of the OS market, I'd bet that instead of Windows getting the majority of the threats, OS X would likely take the brunt of the attacks. Simply put, the evil-doers will go after whatever they can get the most out of.
I'm one of the people who has a Mac but doesn't have anti-virus software for it, which is probably not exactly the smartest move, but for the moment, I haven't needed it (or I've just gotten lucky). OS X doesn't have a lot of viruses in the wild that can affect the OS, but this however may very well come to an end soon enough with how popular the Mac line has gotten, and how OS X is rising which might make it a much more appealing target for virus writers. It might also be worth noting that Apple's switch to Intel CPUs a little while back probably makes it a little bit easier for the writers as well since they're so used to that for Windows machines.
In the end, I do understand where Apple is coming from, despite what they want to say, they have to acknowledge that OS X is not immune to viruses, no OS is (not even Linux). So putting anti-virus software on a Mac is by no means a bad idea, we'll just have to see how Mac users react. Will they snub their noses to the thought or will they think about it and agree that its probably a better idea to be safe, rather than sorry later should their Mac get infected.
One last thing for everyone to consider: Apple has been consistently growing, sales are up and more and more people are bringing Macs into their homes. With this growing popularity, comes a greater target. The number of threats are only going to go up, stay vigilant and be careful what you download, what you install, and what sites you visit. OS X may be a "small" target today, but given the growth, I don't know how long it will stay out of the virus spotlight.
Because of the upcoming release of the iPhone SDK, I figured I'd list some of the apps I would like to see developed for the iPhone. Some of them can probably be done through the web apps with Safari, but I'd still like native apps to use if possible rather than going through Safari.
IM Client - This is probably the one I want most. A client similar to Adium or Pidgin that can run natively on the iPhone so I can chat with my friends using AIM or Google Talk. I'm not quite sure how I'd like it set up, but if done right, it would definitely be nice to have.
PDF Reader - The ability to view PDF files would be nice to have for the occasions neccessary. What would make this even better would be the ability to turn the iPhone and view the PDFs from both perspectives like you can webpages with Safari.
Twitter Client - It would be nice to see a native app that I can use to post and view Twitter statuses like so many clients available for Linux, OS X, and Windows. I might even try my hand with this one.
Notepad - The key to this would be synching with the computer. If a notepad like app would be developed that would allow for one to create text files on either the iPhone or the computer and be able to transfer them back and forth, I'd be interested. All I'd need would be for a basic notepad program, don't need any text formatting or any of those extra features.
Some Games - Maybe a few simple games would be nice to see, and I'm sure some will come. What would be even cooler would be some multiplayer action. The games could be as simple as something like hangman, sudoku, solitaire, etc. I know there are already some web versions of the games for the iPhone, but native ones could be nice as well as to not have to go through Safari.
Paint - The touch screen would be perfect for something like this. It wouldn't have to be anything complex, but a basic drawing tool could be interesting to fool around or play with. It could also be used for visual notes or something along those lines.
So, what apps are you looking to see created for Apple's iPhone?
Apple's iPhone SDK will be coming out soon and rumors are going around that any and all 3rd party apps are going to have to go through Apple and be approved before they will be available for download and installation. This has some upsides and some downsides.
PROS
Malware, Harmful Apps Weeded Out - If someone tries to sneak in some app that harms the iPhone OS or causes an iPhone to be unstable, Apple should be able to pick these out rather quickly to prevent an unsuspecting victim from downloading and installing the app. Now granted, like computers, it could be up to the user to protect what he/she puts on the iPhone, but Apple at the same time probably wants to protect its name. Apple probably doesn't want some user to blame them for a 3rd party app that crashes that user's iPhone. In reality it wouldn't be Apple's fault, but too many people seem to blame the easy target, in this case Apple. (How many people blame Windows for a BSOD when in reality its a poorly written driver made by some third rate printer company).
CONS
Total App Control - Apps that Apple doesn't like for whatever reason could be blocked, even if they're good apps. Take P2P apps for example. Apple could take the stance that they'd only be used for piracy and shouldn't be allowed and block them from iTunes. (They haven't said anything on this, and it baffles the hell out of me why anyone would use the iPhone to download from P2P to begin with) With the power of total control could allow Apple to abuse that power.
Pricing - I haven't heard anything on the pricing of apps thus far but I would likely believe that they'd probably be mostly under $10. This alone wouldn't so much be a problem, but what if some developer wants to create an app and give it out free? Can they do this, or will Apple step in and charge for that app anyway? If they do, then I'd say its a bad thing. If they don't then this point is pretty much moot. Anyone know anything more about this?
Anyone else have any more pros or cons?
Back when the iPhone Firmware version 1.1.2 and iTunes 7.5 was released, people found a workaround for free custom ringtones from any MP3. I of course wanted to see if it would work, and sure enough it did. I was concerned as to how long the workaround would last figuring Apple would notice and close it up in future updates.
Then the 1.1.3 firmware became available which added a bunch of features that I liked so I figured I'd give it a try hoping that the upgraded firmware would not mess up my ringtones. After crossing my fingers and installing it, sure enough, the custom ringtones I made were still available.
iTunes 7.6 has been available for some time now, but I've been cautious about installing it thinking that it might be the update that disables the workaround. Well last night upon installing OS X 10.5.2, I decided that I might as well give it a try. Luckily my ringtones are still there, and I'm still able to create new ones, so obviously the workaround is still there for iTunes 7.6 and the iPhone 1.1.3 firmware. Here's the link for the workaround.
Note: this requires at least iPhone Firmware 1.1.2 and iTunes 7.5
So Apple's Macworld Keynote was yesterday and several new products and upgrades were announced. The big one of course is the Macbook Air, an amazingly thin laptop that looks pretty sleek. Here's my take on the Keynote and new products
iPhone 1.1.3
The latest update to the iPhone firmware. For those with hacked iPhones, this update is not a good idea right now, but for those without, this update adds a lot to the iPhone. First it brings in sending text messages to more than one person at once. Second it gives you faux GPS...locates your position using cell tower triangulation, as well as providing hybrid view in Google Maps. One more thing it allows for is for you to save websites as shortcuts on the main menu. It allows for a few other things as well, but I guess those are the big ones. Overall it seems to be a pretty good update, I've been fooling around with it some and the new features aren't bad, although I wouldn't rely on the triangulation as a GPS device...placed me in Philly last night while standing in my bedroom some 45 minutes away.
Time Capsule
This is seemingly a very nice product. Essentially what it is is a wireless-N router with a hard drive built into it for backup. For those who use OS X Leopard's Time Machine on a Macbook, Macbook Pro, and I guess now the Macbook Air, this is a viable solution to storage space. It comes in sizes of 500GB for $299 and 1TB for $499 which aren't horrible prices considering the storage space and speed that they're said to have, but it still may be more economical for people just to go out and buy an external hard drive. But, there are some nice things about it as well. One, it acts as a network server allowing for Windows, Mac, and Linux to connect to it, and two they can all connect simultaneously when you compare that to an external hard drive only being able to connect to one computer at a time. It seems like a nice product but I don't know if I can justify it at the moment since I have my server.
Apple TV Take Two
A new software update and price drop still is not influencing me to even consider this. In order for me to consider a product like this, it would have to include a DVR and support for Divx. Guess what, the Apple TV still doesn't. If Microsoft and Sony can get Divx on their game consoles, there should be no reason why Apple can't get it on Apple TV. Also, while it doesn't affect me so much, it'd be nice if Apple TV would support 1080p.
iTunes Movie Rentals
What seems like a good idea gone horribly wrong, although they are close. Essentially what it is is you pay $2.99 for a movie, $3.99 for a new release, and I believe $4.99 for high-def. So where did they go wrong? Two things. One, when you rent one of the movies, you have 30 days to start watching it. BUT, once you start watching it, you only have access to the movie for 24 hours. For a tad more at Blockbuster, I can rent a movie and watch it 24/7 for 3 days to a week if I want (depending on the return date). With iTunes, just 24 hours. If I were to go to Netflix, i could pay double the iTunes price and be able to rent unlimited DVDs per month with no late fees keeping each DVD as long as I want to. It was a step in the right direction, but they still have a lot of things off in my opinion. Also having to wait 30 days after the DVD release to rent from iTunes..and STILL pay a new release price is ridiculous.
Macbook Air
Most likely the thinnest laptop around right now. It looks sleek and seems to have decent power, but I'll take my Macbook Pro thank you. With the Macbook Air, you can't access your RAM, Battery, or your hard drive. Now the hard drive is not that big of a deal because I can't access it on my Macbook pro either, but the battery and the RAM, are biggies. To have to take it in to Apple to replace the battery, or pay Apple's prices to upgrade the RAM, is the sad reality stemming from the thinness of the Air. Now granted the replacement of the battery is at cost only. You'd only have to pay for the battery which is a slightly pricey $129.99, but the installation would be free. Personally I think the price of the Macbook Air should be slightly less as it is comparable in technical specs to the Macbook. I respect that by making it thin costs a little more, but $1800 for it is a little much. In all honesty, the Macbook is just about as portable.