It’s inevitable that Apple is going to release new Mac models at some point this year, particularly new MacBooks, since the iMacs just received a recent refresh. On the software end, Apple recently seeded the second beta version of OS X 10.8.4 Mountain Lion to developers, and the code inside of the operating system hint at the possibility of 802.11ac WiFi for new Mac models sometime this year.
According to 9to5Mac, a developer testing out the beta operating system spotted the code in OS X 10.8.4, specifically in the WiFi-frameworks folder deep within the file system. The code clearly reads “802.11ac” and it’s a line of code that is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest version of OS X that’s currently available to the public.
If you’re not too familiar with 802.11ac wireless, it’s essentially the successor to 802.11n, which is the latest and fastest network protocol to be certified. We’ve seen a few routers with 802.11ac on board, but it has yet to be certified, so we probably won’t be seeing a crop of 802.11ac products pop up just yet.
However, we’ll definitely see 802.11ac sprout up more and more in the near future, but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Apple waited a bit to implement it into their Macs. Sure, it may be in the code itself, but it’s possible that Apple won’t enable it in the next batch of MacBooks right away. However, we’ve heard in the past that Apple is partnering up with Broadcom to bring the new protocol to Macs this year.
There is plenty that can be gleaned from the code of an operating system or program, assuming you know on where are the right places to look for. Well, it seems that code in the most recent 10.8.4 beta version of Mountain Lion did point towards the very real possibility of OS X support for 802.11ac WiFi. Just what the heck does that mean? In plain English, next generation Macs could very well come with 802.11ac WiFi connectivity right out of the box, which also goes by the moniker 5G.
802.11ac is capable of delivering speeds of up to 1.3Gbps, where this is made possible courtesy of beamforming, in addition to delivering additional range as well as a new layer of robustness when you place it side by side with its 802.11n predecessor. Of course, this does not mean that this will be the first of its kind, as there is a fair number of routers that support this uncertified wireless format to date. The thing is, code would remain just as code until something official is announced from the lion’s mouth itself, and as with any good rumor or speculation, only time will tell, so playing the patience game is highly advisable in this case.
Viruses, trojans, and other malicious pieces of software are nothing new on OS X. While the mainstream consensus is that Apple‘s desktop platform is impervious to such malware, that’s actually not the case. In fact, a new piece of adware is making the rounds that injects advertisements into web browsers after installing a disguised plugin.
The trojan is detected as “Trojan.Yontoo.1” and it was discovered by Russian security firm Doctor Web. Of course, you have to an install a plugin or other piece of software in order for the trojan to activate, but hackers are making it easy for unsuspecting users to take the bait. They’re prompting users to install a plugin before they can watch a mobile trailer, for example.
Of course, we’ve all come across this scenario before, where we don’t have a certain plugin installed in order to view something, so we’re forced to download and install it before continuing. However, it looks like criminals are taking advantage of that tradition by implementing the same kind of system in order to get users to install the trojan.
It’s said that a Windows version of the trojan also exists, but it doesn’t affect Windows 8 users currently. Cross-platform malware isn’t rare most of the time, but this particular one uses its own code to target each specific operating system, as opposed to targeting a universal piece of software like Java, which we’ve heard plenty about recently.
OS X Mountain Lion has been out for less than a year, and already we’re seeing the third update come around. This time, we’re seeing improvements and bugfixes to Boot Camp, which now supports Windows 8, and the Mac App Store also added support for gift card redemption via webcam, which is a feature that was recently introduced with iTunes 11.
Along with support for Windows 8, Boot Camp also added support for Macs with 3TB hard drives, a feature that is long overdue considering the storage needs of a lot of users. The 10.8.3 update also comes with several bugfixes including patches for Logic Pro and a fix for a bug that sometimes made audio stutter on some iMacs.
Overall, OS X 10.8.3 spent three-and-a-half months in beta, with 13 different beta version being released over that timeframe. That’s a long time for such a small OS update, but this isn’t anything new from Apple. They’ve been known to release several beta versions of updates before seeding it out to the public.
Hopefully todays update doesn’t cause any problems. In the past, several different OS X updates have wreaked havoc on particular Mac machines, so if you’re weary about updating this time around, then it won’t hurt to wait it off for a few weeks to find out if it’s causing any problems. Otherwise, the update should be ready for you, either in Software Update, or through the Mac App Store.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
This week we’ve gotten our hands on the Microsoft Surface Pro for an extended review, and one of the first things to strike us was the idea that this device might be another competitor for the MacBook Air. With the Surface Pro running Windows 8 and the MacBook Air (the newest model, that is), running OS X, there’s some things that simply cannot be compared – some people simply prefer one over the other. When it comes down to the experience and one-on-one comparisons between these two devices, on the other hand, winning features shine through on both devices.
With the MacBook Air you’ve got an 11.6-inch display while the Surface Pro works with a 10.6-inch display – you could also get a 13-inch MacBook Air, mind you, but here we’ll compare the display that’s nearest the Surface Pro. The display on the Surface Pro works with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution while the MacBook Air’s native resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels. It’s also worth making the distinction between these two displays in the fact that the MacBook Air does not work touch.
Windows 8 is an operating system that makes full use of the 10-finger touchscreen display on the Surface Pro while the MacBook Air is a machine that relies on its touchpad to mouse around, select items, and make gestures. The Surface Pro works with a cover that doubles as a keyboard, too. And in that point is the biggest differentiation point between these two machines – one is a tablet, the other a notebook.
While the Macbook Air is a notebook computer that made and continues to make a point of its ultra-thin nature and how it can work as a full-function notebook computer with as tiny an amount of bulk as possible. You’ll see from the images above and below as well as the hands-on video we’ve got prepared that the MacBook Pro is a significant amount thinner than the Surface Pro – or so it might seem at first.
MacBook Air (11-inch) Thickness: 0.11-0.68 inches Width: 11.8 inches Height (front to back, while closed) : 7.56 inches Weight: 2.38 pounds
Both devices have the ability to store a massive amount of data, with the Surface Pro having two iterations, 64GB and 128GB. Those are the amount of internal storage the Surface Pro has in its two different iterations, each of them with their own cash cost – that’s also one of the only things that differentiates the different versions of the Surface Pro at this very moment. The MacBook Air comes int two different iterations (with several different modifications available therein), one of them 64GB, the other 128GB.
The power you’ll be able to work with in a MacBook Air is either an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor. The Microsoft Surface Pro works with one configuration at the moment for processing power, that being an Intel Core i5 – and all of the processors here are 3rd gen Ivy Bridge, mind you, regardless of Apple or Microsoft surroundings.
The MacBook Pro has a lovely collection of ports and connections including: 720p “FaceTime” HD camera 2x USB 3 ports Thunderbolt port MagSafe 2 power port Microphone Headphone port Wifi Bluetooth Stereo Speakers
With the Surface Pro you’ll also be connecting with ports and wirelessly like mad: 2x 720p HD “LifeCam” cameras (front and rear-facing) USB 3 port microSDXC card slot power port Microphone Headphone port Wifi Bluetooth Stereo Speakers
You’ll notice that the 11-inch MacBook Pro doesn’t have an SD card slot – the 13-inch version of this device does, but the 11-inch version does not. The Surface Pro also benefits from its form factor in that it can make use of such sensors as an Accelerometer, a Gyroscope, and a Compass. With these you’ll be about to, for example, steer a car in a racing game, while the MacBook Air is meant to stay stationary while you’re using it.
The MacBook Air also benefits from the fact that it’s a notebook computer, able to stand up on its own with its keyboard attached, while the Surface Pro works in an entirely different way for stationary standing. The Surface Pro uses a kickstand on its back that’ll keep it upright while you tap away and also has a keyboard cover that, like a notebook computer, folds up and protects the device’s display or down for everyday typing use.
The Surface Pro also works with its own pen that sticks to the side of the tablet when not in use, utilizing an active digitizer in the display to make more than just standard capacitive moves galore. The pen creates a rather unique experience for you with the Surface Pro while the MacBook Air really isn’t the same universe – the only other place you’re going to get a digital pen experience in a mobile sense like this right now is in the Samsung Galaxy Note series – have a peek at our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 review for more on that environment.
And this is only part of the story – for more information on both machines, you’ll want to check our full reviews of both devices. Have a peek at our MacBook Air (mid-2012) review as well as our Microsoft Surface Pro review for everything you could ever want to know!
Also be sure to let us know which of these two devices seem like they’d suit your needs given what you know today. Is there one that strikes your fancy more than the other?
Back in November when we heard that OS X 10.9 was being secretly tested by a select number of users (most likely various Apple employees), we remained curious to see what kind of progress the new rumored version would make after a few months. Apple has been releasing updates to OS X every year or so, which means that 10.9 will most likely release sometime this summer based on the operating system’s updating cycle.
Back in November, a select number of websites were reporting that they were getting a few visitors that were running OS X 10.9, and now it seems that number has jumped quite significantly since then. AppleInsider has reported that the number of users running OS X 10.9 spiked in January, according to their traffic logs, claiming that they’ve gotten “thousands” of hits from OS X 10.9 machines.
Of course, last year Apple announced OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 during the month of February, so it’s very possible that we could officially hear about version 10.9 sometime soon, although we’re keeping the salt by our side as always. While it seems that 10.9 is really close to an unveiling, we won’t officially believe in it until we see it, of course.
However, it’s obvious that Apple will release a major update to OS X at some point in the future, and they’ve been on a yearly release schedule for the past few releases, so it could be as far ahead as this summer before we see 10.9 show up for download. The biggest question remains, however: What cat will Apple give its next major OS X update this time around?
Thanko is now selling “Air Mouse” which is a wireless mouse unified with a keyboard. By Internal gyro-censor recognizing the tilt, it allows you to move the mouse cursor, to click and scroll in the air. While mouse and keyboard operations can be very effective wirelessly, this product is interesting in that it combines both and is so compact. Users can basically operate their computers remotely with a palm-sized mobile unit. When you don’t use it, the mouse operation stop …
There were whispers going around earlier this month that Apple has already begun to test out early builds of Mac OS X 10.9, where it does seem as though Cupertino is pretty adamant on delivering iOS features onto the OS X platform. So far, it seems that early builds do point towards the integration of Siri and Maps, although we do wonder why would anyone want to use Apple Maps on their desktop when you can always fire up a browser and rely on the far more accurate Google Maps.
At this point in time, Apple does offer both Dictation and Text-to-Speech, but when you take into consideration Siri integration, chances are Mac users will then be able to take advantage of voice-command as well as search functionality to boot. Maps integration, on the other hand, would mean developers can incorporate it into their own Mac apps, and it remains to be seen whether Apple will put up on offer its own stand-alone mapping app for the Mac. We await with bated breath for the official release of Mac OS X 10.9, and will keep a keen eye out for it on the grapevine as well as official news channels.
Apple users working with their untouchable Mac computers will be pumped up to see that Mimo Monitors have brought forth a brand new USB powered-and-connected 10.1-inch monitor that works with OS X like a charm! This Mimo Magic Touch monitor is the first of many models that’ll be offered by Mimo Monitors ready to rock with OS X with just a download of a special driver. This model also works with Windows 7 and can be used as a display-only unit for Windows XP, Vista, and 2000.
The Mimo Magic Touch is the first model released by Mimo Monitors to be assured readiness to work with the official Mac OS X Touchscreen Driver distributed by Mimo Monitors as well. This driver works with Intel Macs only and is compatible with systems up to and including OS X Mountain Lion. The driver, incidentally, is an alpha release – but once the final version is ready for action, you’ll get that upgrade for free.
The folks at Mimo Monitors note that “that this software is proprietary and we cannot provide it without charging this nominal license fee.” This is why it’s not free, if you’d like to know. You’ll also get a free downloadable “Gesture Pack” that allows two-finger scroll, pinch / magnify, and rotate gestures galore. You can also download a “trial version” of the software from Mimo Monitors once you’ve got the Mimo Magic Touch if you’d like to be sure you actually want to work with it, too.
The Mimo Magic Touch is also a lovely touchscreen monitor on its own, working with Windows 7 with full touchscreen capabilities with a 1024 x 600 resolution display, an adjustable dock/bast, and connects with USB 2.0. This unit needs to be connected with a USB cord in order to function, but requires JUST the USB cord and no additional display cords to work. Neat stuff! You’ll be picking up the monitor for $299.99 and the driver for $35.00 USD.
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There is plenty that can be gleaned from the code of an operating system or program, assuming you know on where are the right places to look for. Well, it seems that code in the most recent 10.8.4 beta version of Mountain Lion did point towards the very real possibility of OS X support for 802.11ac WiFi. Just what the heck does that mean? In plain English, next generation Macs could very well come with 802.11ac WiFi connectivity right out of the box, which also goes by the moniker 5G.
There were whispers going around earlier this month that Apple has already begun to test out early builds of Mac OS X 10.9, where it does seem as though Cupertino is pretty adamant on delivering iOS features onto the OS X platform. So far, it seems that early builds do point towards the integration of Siri and Maps, although we do wonder why would anyone want to use Apple Maps on their desktop when you can always fire up a browser and rely on the far more accurate Google Maps.
