Peace on Earth...

Just finished up another Apple Certified Trainer assignment, teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA. Thank you to all my students from Lehigh-Carbon Community College, Pearson, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University and Johnson & Johnson. Best wishes in your careers!

All we are is dust in the wind...We blew into Kansas and had a great time teaching an Apple Service Technician Certification course in Overland Park. Special thanks to ThinqDigital President Michael Falkner and his wife Julie, and to Rob Daniels of TechWyze. Also thanks and best wishes to my students from Stowers Institute, Oklahoma University, Kansas Public Schools, Iowa Public Schools and Nebraska Public Schools.
Carry on my wayward son....we are now headed to a Apple Trainers' conference at Apple's office in Austin, TX.

• The office is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 19-26.
• I will be teaching a course at ThinqDigital, in Overland Park, KS from Nov. 26-Dec. 2.
• I will then be attending a Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard trainer-orientation in Austin, TX, Dec 4-7.
• The office will reopen on Tuesday, December 11.

Jefferson Consulting wishes a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving
to all our friends and clients, and their respective families.
Don't eat too much turkey, and leave room for pie!

MacNN reports that Quark has announced that early tests reveal compatibility for QuarkXPress 7.3 with Leopard. There is one exception, however: the Flash export in Quark Interactive Designer. Quark spokesperson Sarah Rector told MacNN "We chose to focus on optimizing the latest version of QuarkXPress because it offers our customers the greatest value, features and benefits. We plan on releasing a QuarkXPress 7 update with fully tested Leopard support within the next few weeks." Quark says the new release will be a free update for existing QuarkXPress 7 users and will be available to download from the Quark Web site. Of important note is that QuarkXPress 6.5 is not compatible with Leopard.

Just finished up another Apple Certified Trainer assignment, teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA. Thank you to all my students from Moravian College, Food-and-Water-Watch.org, Boyertown, PA Area School District, and Montgomery County Community College IT Department. Best wishes in your careers!

Business Rules, Inc. is an Apple Authorized Training Center located in the picturesque little hamlet of Rhinecliff in Dutchess County, NY. The training center is 4-minutes down the road from historic Rhinebeck, NY and about a half-hour drive north of Poughkeepsie, NY. Both Vassar College and Bard College are nearby. "Around the corner," Hyde Park is home to the FDR Library and the Culinary Institute of America (hence, the excellent restaurants in the area). Across the Hudson River is Kingston, NY's first capital. Just north of all this is Woodstock, and further back south (passed on the drive up) is West Point. Rhinecliff is about a 90-minute train ride from New York City, and an smooth drive from Delaware, Maryland, PA or NJ. Lots of nice hotels in the area, including the Beekman Arms & Delameter Inn, Hampton Inn, and Courtyard Marriott. This is a great place to get away from the office and take an Apple certification class!

I have just returned from taking the Mac OS 200: Mac OS X Server Essentials course and corresponding exam at Business Rules, Inc. in Rhinecliff, NY. Mission Accomplished! I am now an Apple Authorized Technical Coordinator!

MacNN reports that FileMaker yesterday released FileMaker Pro 9.0v2 and FileMaker Pro 9.0v2 Advanced, enhancing its database software with improved support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The update no longer crashes when creating files if the file system language and region do not match, and returns the correct version on Mac OS X operating systems ending with double digit revision numbers like 10.4.10. The database consistency check initiated on launch will no longer incorrectly report that a database is damaged for some databases that users can open and use without any problems, and the update addresses issues that caused the application to crash when a page range was specified when printing. FileMaker Pro 9.0v2 and FileMaker Pro 9.0v2 Advanced are available as downloadable updates to registered users of version 9.0.

The latest revision of FileMaker Pro no longer causes records to disappear from a portal related to another portal after adding approximately 400 records, and the application no longer crashes when a page range is specified. A relationship with a global field now returns all related records if the value of the other key is empty, the application no longer freezes when displaying a layout that opens an external file via a relationship, and searching for decimal values with non-period decimal operators in a file with non-U.S. file locale will no longer fail.

An exhaustive list of changes is available from FileMaker.com via an update support page.

MacNN reports that Apple today quietly upgraded the performance of its MacBooks and added new performance options for its MacBook Pro models. The former, 13-inch systems are now based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform used by the recent MacBook Pro and run on a faster 800MHz system bus in addition to using faster GMA X3100 integrated graphics, which add improved hardware 3D acceleration compared to the GMA 950 used in previous models. The improved bus speed has led to a slight increase in processor speed from 2.16GHz to 2.2GHz for the mid-range $1,299 and high-end $1,499 models.

Stock configurations otherwise remain the same, including the 2GHz speed of the base $1,099 model; Apple has added a build-to-order option of a 250GB, 5400RPM hard disk. All new configurations are listed as shipping within 24 hours and are available today from the online Apple Store.

In return, the MacBook Pro now takes advantage of improvements in Intel's processor design and includes a $250 option for a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo on all 2.4GHz models. The faster 250GB hard disk is also an option for all 15-inch and 17-inch systems, the update notes. No other changes appear to have been made to the systems, all of which ship within 24 hours.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard offers many amazing capabilities for your Mac and to show you, Apple has posted a guided tour video for your viewing enjoyment. Are you considering the leap to Leopard? Are you sure if your installed applications will work after the upgrade? Is your Mac model even compatible with Leopard? If you cannot answer these questions, and you rely on your Mac on a daily basis, then you need the services of a consultant. Did you know that many software developers do not update their products until after the final Mac OS release? Many of the third-party apps you run now may not work with Leopard! As your consultant, we recommend NOT upgrading until we take a complete inventory of your system. We look at application software, printer and scanner drivers, and other peripherals that may require driver updates (free software download) or complete upgrades (purchase a new version) in order to work properly with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. According to Apple's system requirements, Leopard will run on any Mac with at least a PowerPC G4 867MHz or faster processor, and requires at least 512MB of RAM, a minimum storage capacity of 9GB and a DVD drive to read the installation media. Some Leopard features require a compatible internet service provider.

Macworld News Alert
October 26th, 2007
Breaking news from Macworld - The Mac Product Experts
============================================================
Here's a special news alert from Macworld: Mac OS X 10.5, the major OS X update also known as Leopard, ships today, and we've got in-depth looks at the 300-plus features and enhancements Apple has added to its operating system. For full Leopard coverage, visit our topic page.
http://www.macworld.com/topics/software/system_software/os_x/leopard/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

"Inside Leopard "article explores the major additions to Leopard, such as its Time Machine backup tool and the Spaces virtual desktop feature.
http://www.macworld.com/2007/10/features/leopard_main/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

We also have a video of our favorite Leopard features.
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/mwvodcast/2007/10/leopard_video/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

Other Leopard coverage at Macworld:
Apple's Leopard pounces on Tokyo
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/10/26/leopardjapan/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

Ten overlooked Leopard gems
http://www.macworld.com/2007/10/firstlooks/leopard_s_hidden_gems/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

Shelve Leopard's Dock shelf
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2007/10/shelvedockshelf/index.php?lsrc=newsalert

MacWorld's Jim Dalrymple reports that with the release of Mac OS X Leopard just 24 hours away, one company is bucking the trend of announcing compatibility with the new operating system. Apple owned FileMaker said its products are not compatible with Leopard.

“We are currently working on Leopard compatibility updates for FileMaker Pro 9, FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, FileMaker Server 9 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced. At this time FileMaker does not recommend the use of FileMaker 9 products on computers running Mac OS X Leopard,” said a support note posted to FileMaker’s Web site. Representatives from the company told Macworld that they couldn’t be more specific on when updates would be available. FileMaker also said they have not performed compatibility tests on older versions of FileMaker, but they do not recommend using them with Leopard. FileMaker 9 was released in mid-July.

source: MacWorld

MacFixit reports that Mac OS X 10.5 does not support the Classic (Mac OS 9 runtime) environment for PowerPC-based Macs. The only option for running Mac OS 9 applications after updating to Leopard is to boot your system into Mac OS 9 (if it supports the OS) or booting into a Mac OS X 10.4.x or earlier volume.

Apple has now confirmed this information with a Knowledge Base article that states:
"Classic applications do not work on Intel processor-based Macs or with Mac OS X 10.5. Upgrade your Mac OS 9 applications to Mac OS X versions. Check with an application's manufacturer for more information."

It has been clear for some time now that Mac OS 9 is dead. Jefferson Consulting discontinued support for Classic Mode, Mac OS 9 and other legacy Mac OS versions earlier this month.

Macfixit.com reports that DiskWarrior and other tools that modify or rebuild the directory of volumes should not be run after installing Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard until furthernotice or updates from the developers of these tools.

Alsoft, the developer of DiskWarrior, has now released a statement on compatibility that is somewhat confusing. It reads:

"[...] until we have a copy of the final build of Leopard, we cannot completely comment on Leopard compatibility.
"We will absolutely support Mac OS X 10.5. While we have the early builds of Mac OS X 10.5 to test with, Apple does not tell us ahead of time what changes or enhancements they plan to make until they provide us with the software and documentation. Apple engineering may make changes right up to the last few days before the release and we wouldn't know about them until after the fact.
"As for your current version of DiskWarrior, you can run the application knowing no harm will come to the hard drive or to your data. If a newer version of DiskWarrior is required, DiskWarrior will simply not allow the replacement of the old directory.
"When DiskWarrior 3 was released 3 1/2 years ago, Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), was the current version of the operating system. When Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) was released we updated DiskWarrior for compatibility at no charge. The same is true for when Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) was released - no charge. Each of these updates was available through the process of downloading an updater which helps you burn an updated DiskWarrior CD. More information will be posted on the Alsoft website, once Leopard is released."

Jefferson Consulting highly recommends not running DiskWarrior at all after installing Mac OS X 10.5 until further information is available. All current indications are that the program will run, and rebuild directories on bootable Leopard volumes and could result in serious consequences, including an inability to startup from the drive.

MacNN reports that two major publications have already published reviews of Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, due for public sale on Friday. Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal describes the operating system as an evolutionary release, but says that it is still "better and faster" than Windows Vista, with useful new features. Among these are the Time Machine backup system, Quick Look file previews, and the ability to browse with Cover Flow in Finder. Mossberg further notes that upon upgrading his iMac to Leopard, all his programs continued to function properly, including VMWare's Fusion application, used to merge Windows and Mac OS. General speed is reported to be equal to Mac OS X Tiger, and in terms of start-up substantially faster than Windows Vista, launching in 38 seconds from a MacBook Pro versus Vista's time of two minutes from a Sony VAIO notebook. Complaints about Leopard are few; notable is a limitation of Time Machine, in that network backups can only be accomplished by copying to a hard disk attached to a Leopard Mac. The translucent Menu Bar can be difficult to read with dark wallpaper, and fonts on some websites may be illegible, a problem Apple is already aware of. 

British newspaper the Telegraph also takes a favorable view of Leopard, praising elments such as Stacked Dock icons, and the ability of Mail to the detect key data, which can be then used to quickly add Address Book or iCal information. Time Machine is highlighted as the most important upgrade, simply because it automates the backup and restoration process, something many users many not be adept at. The paper in fact has no criticisms of the new OS, except that because it is not a dramatic upgrade, there is no reason to buy it immediately.

MacNN reports that after a brief downtime on Tuesday, the Apple Store is back online with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, now available for pre-order. The latest version of the Mac operating system costs $129 for a single user or $199 in a "family pack," and should ship October 26th; customers who pre-order now will receive free shipping. The software introduces a number of new features to the Mac OS, among them Time Machine file recovery, stacked Dock icons, and the integration of Cover Flow into the Finder system browser. Users can also divide their desktop into separate "Spaces," and run Boot Camp without a separate download. An Intel or PowerPC G4 Mac is required, with a minimum of a 867MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and a DVD drive.

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. It was a pivotal moment, the kind of event that -- five decades later -- still has people asking, "Do you remember where you were when …?"
The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 in.), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.

Nasa's Sputnik Site
Wired.com
BBC.com
Russia Today
Listen to Sputnik's telemetry (Quicktime Required).

MacNN reports that Apple has released a battery update (version 1.3) for 15" MacBook Pros that the company says addresses battery performance issues with the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Instructions state that your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source while running this update. Also, after the Battery Update has been installed, any additional batteries you put in your 15-inch MacBook Pro are automatically updated. Installation of Battery Update 1.3 requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later.

Also new is a security update for the Windows version of QuickTime 7.2. The update patches a flaw where viewing a maliciously crafted QTL file may lead to arbitrary code execution.

MacNN reports that Apple has begun warning users that its beta Boot Camp software for running Windows on an Intel-based Mac will expire at the end of October. Unlike VMWare and Parallels virtualization solutions that run from within Mac OS X, Boot Camp allows users to start up their Mac using Microsoft's Windows operating system. The Cupertino-based company last week posted a technical support document indicating that some versions of the beta software have already expired and that the latest version will expire when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard ships in October. Apple's next-generation Leopard operating system was delayed earlier this year so the company could focus its development resources on the iPhone.
The document notes that the license to use Boot Camp Beta 1.2 or earlier expires on September 30, 2007 and that the Boot Camp Assistant Beta will no longer open after expiration. Apple says that users can continue using Boot Camp Beta by upgrading to Boot Camp Beta 1.4, but warns that that "the license to use Boot Camp Beta expires when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is available to the public. To continue using Boot Camp at that time, upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard." It is not clear whether Apple will offer its Boot Camp technology for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

MacNN reports that Microsoft has announced its expanded product line-up for the Universal version of Office 2008 for Mac, which is expected to be available on retail shelves on January 15th, 2008. The delayed product launch will include three separate Office 2008 for Mac products, including a Special Media Edition and a Home & Student Edition.

The Office 2008 for Mac core suite ($400) includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage along with Microsoft Exchange Server support and Automator tools, while the Office for Mac Special Media Edition ($500) combines Office 2008 applications with the Microsoft Expression Media digital asset management system. The special education and consumer version, Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition ($150), provides the basics of Office 2008 for Mac for home and school users: it includes three user licenses for use by consumers and students but does not include connectivity to Microsoft Exchange Server or support for automated workflows. The new Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition features the Office 2008 applications together with the Microsoft Expression Media digital asset management system, a digital assent management suite acquired from iView Multimedia earlier this year.

All versions of Office 2008 for Mac support the new Open XML file format and are Universal applications that will perform natively on Power PC- and Intel-based Macs.

Sorry. guys....the seasonal allergies that usually afflict me in October have come a bit early this year. It was a tough haul but I made it through the class and will be laying low today. Yeah yeah, I know what you are thinking: It's nice outside....a good golf day. There is one small issue I need to deal with...some Mac OS X permissions problems with Classic Mode. But when I clear that call, I am going "10-7" as we used to say back in the day.

(10-7 is the Delaware Radio 10-Code for "out of service." I worked one summer back in my college days as a 911 dispatcher down at the beach. Now that was an experience! Radio 10-Codes can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; Delaware uses a different system then Maryland or PA. With the arrival of secure digital multi-channel communications, the events of 9-11, and the resulting need for different agencies across state lines to work together, the 10-Code is going out of style).

Just finished up teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials at Ridley School District, in Folsom, PA. Thank you to all my students from Downingtown Area School District, Thomas Jefferson University and Penn State. Best wishes in your careers!

MacNN reports that in London, Apple CEO Steve Jobs early Tuesday announced that mobile carrier O2 would begin selling the immensely popular iPhone in the UK starting November 9th, confirming circulating reports about signed Europe deals. The device will be available for £269 without any rebates or subsidy and will be offered with three separate plans: £35, £45 and £55 per month. Each of the three plans will offer free data traffic along with access to a network of 7,500 WiFi hotspots, while users will billed for their calls and messages. "We are coming to the UK and wanted to pick the best carrier and that is O2," Apple's Jobs said at the news conference. Other reports indicate that T-mobile will sell the device in Germany and Orange will sell the device in France.

MacNN reports that members of the British press are receiving a mysterious invite to an Apple UK event, accounts say. Sent by e-mail, the invite contains very little information; primarily it directs people to Apple's Regent Street store in London, where a press conference will be held September 18th, starting at 10AM GMT (5AM EST). Instructions are given for transporation and parking options. The only indication of the conference's subject is a one-line header, "Mum is no longer the word." While containing no specific references, speculation suggests that the header is referring to the iPhone, which has so far been absent from Europe.

Apple today made its $100 credit available to early iPhone adopters who paid the full introductory price for the device less than three months prior to its hefty cost reduction earlier this month. The $100 credit is available only to iPhone owners who have activated the device with AT&T. Owners aiming to collect the credit must identify the phone by entering the phone number as well as the iPhone serial number, and enter an access code sent via SMS text message for confirmation. Following those steps, eligible iPhone owners will receive a $100 electronic store credit redeemable at any Apple Store location as well as the Apple Online Store. For more information, refer to Apple's iPhone Store Credit link.

Electronista reports that Palm's shareholders today greenlighted its recent plan for partial buyout of the company by private equity firm Elevation Partners, giving the company a 25 percent stake in the smartphone maker for about $325 million. Palm in return would pay about $9 per share, or $940 million, to shareholders to compensate for their reduced influence on the company. The deal would sharpen the company's performance through "renewed innovation and focused execution," according to Palm chief Ed Colligan. The company has recently been struggling to upgrade its lineup under current conditions, having just canceled the Foleo smartphone companion and running all of its non-Windows smartphones on aging PalmOS 5 software.

The move also brings two former Apple executives into the company's business. Jon Rubinstein, the former head of Apple's iPod division, has confirmed his place as executive chairman of the company's Board of Directors. Rubinstein will offer his own advice and help attract a fresh round of designers and engineers to "change the dynamics of the company," according to Colligan. Rubinstein is also known for leading the team that ultimately created the original iMac, which reversed Apple's sagging fortunes in the late 1990s.

Another Apple member will join the Board through Elevation Partners, the company noted. The Mac maker's former chief financial officer, Fred Anderson, will join Bay Area investor Roger McNamee as part of Palm's directing team and influence the company's financial direction. Anderson left Apple in late 2006 amidst an SEC investigation which questioned the company's approach to backdating stock options and which ultimately led to Anderson agreeing to a monetary settlement for his alleged role.

source: Electronista

Just finished up teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA. Thank you to all my students from Fox Chase Cancer Center, Hershey Resorts, Olympus, Safe Sound Archive, and Bucks County Schools. Best wishes in your careers!

MacNN reports that Parallels today released a free feature update for its Parallels Desktop 3.0 software, which allows Mac OS X users to install Microsoft Windows XP or Vista and run Windows-based software right alongside Mac applications on the Mac OS X desktop. The update makes Coherence windows -- Mac OS X windows that contain running Microsoft Windows software -- work exactly like Mac windows, and includes full support for Apple's Expose technology. A new "Mirrored Desktops, Documents and Media" feature makes Windows "My Documents," "My Pictures," and "My Music" folders point to the same location as Apple's "Documents," "Pictures," "Movies," and "Music" folders so that changes in one folder automatically affect the other. The latest release of Parallels Desktop boasts improved performance under heavy workloads, as well as more efficient resource management -- especially related to CPU-intensive tasks. Parallels Desktop is priced at $80 for new users, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Another year has passed, and our memory of this day is still very bright, seven years later. As I commented last year at this time, our parents can think back and remember where they were when JFK and MLK were shot. Our grandparents still remember the shock and horror of Pearl Harbor. Some say my generation's defining moment was when the Berlin Wall came down. Today is the anniversary of this generation's defining moment, and a defining moment for us all. Politics aside, let us take a moment and remember the souls lost in New York, at The Pentagon, and on the fields of Pennsylvania. Let us pray that their families remain strong, and that America remains strong, too.

http://www.pahighways.com/features/shanksville.html
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/
http://www.pentagonmemorial.net/

There has been an outpouring of criticism over the iPhone price drop. Jefferson Consulting has also affected by this price drop: 8GB model is now cheaper than the now-discontinued 4GB model I purchased only 60 days ago. Indeed there is a premium to pay when being an early-adopter. Initially I was shocked, but came to my senses early this morning. I hold no grudges, and agree with Steve Jobs' assessment that the technology road is bumpy; but the flurry of press and blog posts on this subject have had their affect on Apple stock. AAPL shares dropped down 5.1% according to this morning's Wall Street Journal. To address concerns, Apple has late this afternoon announced an apology and a $100 credit for the early adopters. Cool. Thanks Steve, for doing the right thing.

Steve Jobs made another batch of hot announcements today at a special event in San Francisco. Apple has posted a Quicktime stream of the keynote address.

Announcement highlights:

Lower Price on iPhone
To make iPhone affordable for even more customers this holiday season, Apple today lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone—its most popular iPhone model—from $599 to just $399. The 4GB model of iPhone will remain available while supplies last ($299 on Apple's Clearance Page). Apple also announced that it is on track to sell its one-millionth iPhone before the end of September.

New iPod touch
The new iPod touch introduced today features built-in Wi-Fi networking and a revolutionary multi-touch user interface—first introduced on iPhone—that makes it easy to find all of your music, video, and other digital content and enjoy it on the gorgeous widescreen display on iPod touch. The multi-touch interface uses pioneering new software to present the perfect user interface for Safari, Apple’s YouTube application, and the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. An unbelievable 8mm thin, iPod touch features up to 22 hours of audio playback and up to five hours of video playback. Available later this month, iPod touch comes in 8GB and 16GB models for $299 and $399, respectively.

New iPod Nano with Video Playback, and New iPod Shuffle
The all new iPod nano brings video playback, an enhanced user interface featuring Cover Flow, and an incredible new design to the world’s most popular music player. Featuring a larger two-inch display with 204 pixels per inch, the new iPod nano lets you watch your favorite movies, TV shows, and music videos in the same resolution available on the current video iPod. iPod nano comes with three enjoyable games (iQuiz, Vortex, and Klondike), and you can purchase and download other games from the iTunes Store. Encased in a beautiful new all-metal design, iPod nano comes in five new colors—silver, black, blue, green and a (PRODUCT) RED special edition. Available today, iPod nano comes in 4GB and 8GB models, selling for just $149 and $199, respectively. The new iPod shuffle, introduced today, comes in four new colors—including the new (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPod shuffle—and the original silver. Featuring 1GB of storage, iPod shuffle lets you wear up to 240 songs on your sleeve. Or belt. Or lapel.

iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and Ringtones
Starting today, you can enter the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store; wirelessly browse, search, preview, purchase, and download songs or albums to your iPhone or iPod touch; then immediately listen to your new music after it downloads. Once you get back to your Mac or PC, iTunes automatically recognizes the new music and syncs it with your existing library. iTunes will even complete the download of any partially downloaded songs or albums. Using the new built-in ringtone maker in iTunes, you’ll soon be able to create custom ringtones by selecting a segment, up to 30-seconds long, from any of the more than one million participating songs. Ringtones will cost 99¢ each to download.

On September 5, 1882 the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City. Twenty thousand workers marched in a parade up Broadway. After the parade there were picnics all around the city. Workers and celebrants ate Irish stew, homemade bread and apple pie. At night, fireworks were set off. Within the next few years, the idea spread from coast to coast, and all states celebrated Labor Day. In 1894, Congress voted it a federal holiday. Jefferson Consulting will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day, and we wish our clients and friends a relaxing and safe holiday weekend!

Just finished up teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials (3-Day), and Apple Desktop Service Lab. (2-Day) at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Thank you to all my students at Sacred Heart's IT department for taking time out of your hectic schedule! At the end of the week we now have 8 certified Apple Technicians to keep the university's Mac community up-and-running smoothly. Thank you for your hospitality and good luck with your careers!

Macminute reports on a story in The New York Times today notes, that NBC will pulling its TV shows from iTunes, notes CNNMoney.com. "But because NBC's current deal lasts through December 2007, the shows will remain available on the iTunes store at least until then," according to the piece. "Many media companies are unhappy with their deals with the iTunes store because they have so little control over the pricing of songs and videos, said the Times. NBC had wanted Apple to implement better piracy controls and allow it to bundle shows together to increase sales, said a person familiar with the matter, according to the report. Spokesmen for NBC Universal and Apple both declined to comment on the decision, said the report."

Alright you guys...time to download all those episodes of The Office, Heroes and Battlestar Galactica before they go away!

Just finished up teaching Apple Desktop Service Certification at Business Rules, Inc in Rhinecliff, NY. Thank you to "all" my students from Darden Restaurants Inc.

MacNN reports that Google on Wednesday launched Google Earth 4.2 with Sky, allowing users to explore the universe by zooming in to distant galaxies hundreds of millions of light years away. Sky enables users to explore the constellations, see the planets in motion, and even witness a supernova explosion, according to Google. "It's like having a giant, virtual telescope at your command -- your own personal planetarium!" Google Earth 4.2 adds a new Sky button on the toolbar at the top of the screen providing access to more than 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies, as well as various natural phenomena -- such as the Orion Nebula -- and asteroids. Users can animate the solar system in motion, view some of the best photos taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, and overlay the sky with a microwave view to see temperature variations. Google Earth 4.2 is already available as a free download, with Plus and Pro editions priced at $20 and $400, respectively.

Just finished up teaching Intro to Mac OS X for Technical Professionals, and Mac OS X Support Essentials at Ridley School District. Thank you to all my students from Downingtown Area School District, Wissahickon School District, US Department of Veterans Affairs, and University of Delaware.

Wow...lots of great announcements today. The new iMac is beautiful, and finally we have a spreadsheet app in iWork! Shhhhhweeet! You can watch this Apple Special Event on Quicktime here.

Announcement highlights:

Apple Unveils New iMac
Apple today unveiled an all new all-in-one iMac line featuring gorgeous 20- and 24-inch widescreen displays encased in elegant and professional aluminum and glass enclosures. The entire new iMac line features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and a new, ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard, built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing and iLife ’08, making it the ultimate digital lifestyle desktop computer for both consumers and professionals.

Apple Introduces iLife ’08
Apple today introduced iLife ’08, the most significant upgrade ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto and a completely reinvented iMovie. iPhoto ’08 automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let users more easily manage their growing photo collections, and iMovie ’08 introduces an entirely new way for users to quickly make movies and share them online. Both iPhoto and iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple’s new service for .Mac members to instantly create and host stunning online websites for their photos and videos.

Apple Enhances .Mac
Apple today announced significant enhancements to its .Mac online service, highlighted by the debut of .Mac Web Gallery, a new feature for sharing photos and movies on the Internet. .Mac Web Gallery lets members easily share photos and movies directly from iLife ’08 with anyone on a Mac, PC or iPhone in stunning quality. In addition, .Mac Web Gallery visitors can download high quality images for printing and even contribute photos using a standard web browser or email.

Apple Introduces iWork ’08
Apple today introduced iWork ’08, a significant upgrade to Apple’s productivity software suite featuring new versions of Pages and Keynote word processing and presentation applications, and introducing an innovative new spreadsheet application called “Numbers.” Numbers introduces the concept of intelligent tables on a flexible canvas, a new approach that makes it easy to organize information, create calculations, analyze results and make spreadsheets look as great as they work.

The Macintosh, over time, has proven to have the best total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to other operating systems, according to CIO Magazine. In fact, there are eight financial components that suggest why corporations should be using Mac OS X. The debate regarding the total cost of ownership has been around for a long time. It started about 15 years ago when the Gartner Group launched the concept. Since then, many studies have been done. Recently, computer security expert Winn Schwartau created a well known tool to assist companies measure their own TCO of Macs versus Windows PCs. What's emerged from the study is something that's been suspected all along, namely that the security issues surrounding Windows is a significant part of the TCO and makes it twice as great as the Mac's. There are altogether eight major components that corporations should look at in the TCO calculation.

1. Macs cost about the same as PCs, but they are more scalable.
2. Mac servers don't have Microsoft's Client Access License (CALs) fees.
3. Macs generate fewer calls to the help desk.
4. Mac users are more productive.
5. Macs last longer.
6. Macs are more secure.
7. Macs are easier to administer.
8. Macs allow retention of investment in other OSes via virtualization.

What sets this article apart from others that discuss similar topics is the research behind it. Each of the eight components of the Mac TCO is backed up by contributions from experts who have industry experience. The fact that it was was published in CIO Magazine gives it even more credibility, and Mac IT managers may be bookmarking and referring to this article by Jacqueline Emigh for some time to come.
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source: MacObserver

MacNN reports that Apple today released an iPhone firmware update via its iTunes software, which it says brings several bug fixes. Apple has provided the update to all customers who sync their iPhone with iTunes, offering the ability to download the software or download and install the software. The update, only available via iTunes, takes several minutes and users are greeted with the standard white Apple logo and white progress bar on the iPhone as well as a progress bar on their desktop while the updated is being applied to the device. Apple's security website notes indicate that the update fixes a critical Safari bug that allowed malicious users to take control of an iPhone (updates for Mac OS X Tiger/Panther and Safari 3.03 beta for Windows are also available).
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source: MacNN

Apple next week is expected to hold a Mac-oriented press event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The Mac event, confirmed by MacNN sources, will be held on Tuesday, August 7th and will cover Mac-related announcements, which many insiders believe will bring a new iMac and an update to the company's iLife suite. The suite, bundled with all new Macs and available for $50, contains applications such as iPhoto for photo management/editing, iMovie for video editing, iDVD for disc burning, GarageBand for music/podcast creation/editing, and iWeb for webpage creation. The company last updated its iLife '06 suite of applications more than 18 months ago at Macworld Expo in January 2006.

Several websites report that the event will not feature any announcements related to Apple's iPhone or iPod product lines. The event will begin at 10:00 am PDT at the Apple Town Hall on company's Cupertino-based campus. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is widely expected to use the gathering to take the wraps off a new generation of 20- and 24-inch iMacs.
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source: MacNN

The Register reports that the computer virus turns 25 this month. Long-suffering computer users would be forgiven for thinking that the first computer virus appeared in the mid-to-late 1980s, but the first virus actually predates the arrival of the first IBM-compatible PC. Elk Cloner, which spread between Apple II computers via infected floppy disks, has the dubious distinction of the first computer virus to spread in the wild. The "malware" is thought to be the work of a 15-year-old high school student from Pittsburgh, who released it in July 1982.

The payload of Elk Cloner was largely benign, merely a verse or two of poetry, harking back to an earlier more innocent age. Some computer historians reckon the Creeper Virus, which was detected on ARPANET, ought to be considered the first computer virus. The majority, however, date the first computer virus back to Elk Cloner, the first to affect personal computers.

Jefferson Consulting is shutting down for the week of July 16. Office will reopen Monday July 23. I don't believe there are any palm trees at the Jersey Shore, but it's a cool picture!

Just finished up teaching Intro to Mac OS X for Technical Professionals, at Montgomery County Community College. Thank you to all my students and the college staff!

Jefferson Consulting is closed today in observance of Independence Day. We wish our clients and friends a relaxing and safe holiday! And we send out a heartfelt "Thank You" to the men and women serving our country and protecting our freedom...

Declaration of Independence webpage at the National Archives.

Well my "wait and see posture" didn't last long. After reading initial reports, and hearing from a client who "pulled the trigger" Saturday morning at an AT&T store on Concord Pike, I decided to take the plunge. Jefferson Consulting bought an iPhone.

It all went down Monday afternoon at the Apple Store at Christiana Mall. I went with the 4GB model only because they just sold out of the 8GB flavor. Despite earlier reports of problems with activation, I was able to activate with no troubles. A download of iTunes 7.3 and Mac OS 10.4.10 are the "only" prerequisites.

I found that the iPhone does "almost" everything I wanted my Treo to do, only better. The iPhone is everything that everyone said it would be, but the things that were NOT said are causing issues (although small issues).

Issues we have seen:
• No to-do lists for iPhone Calendar, iCal to-dos do not sync with the iPhone Calendar.
• No Flash support. So I won't be watching non-YouTube videos.
• No WAV audio support. iTunes and Quicktime on the Mac support WAV, but not the iPhone. This is a problem because Jefferson Consulting is using a VoIP telephone solution that emails voice messages in WAV format. iPhone's email has plugins for Word, Excel, PDF, JPG, and probably others we have not found yet. I expect that WAV support will be added in the near future.
• Battery lasts for most of the business day as long as I am not goofing around with alot of video. Might be an issue on a business day that involves a plane ride. Bottom line is that I better be prepared to charge it every night. Surely a third party battery upgrade is right around the corner.
• No cut/copy/paste of text like with Palm Treo.
• Stylus or Pen will not work with touch screen. Only a finger will work.
• Hard to type with the "virtual keyboard," particularly while the unit is in my cellphone mount in the car. Treo seems better for that, but I may get used to this iPhone feature over time.
• Cannot purchase iTunes music online with the iPhone.

At this point I don't see these points as deal-killers. I'm confident that all of these issues will be addressed in the near future with updates from Apple. So far in Northern Delaware I've had good cellular signal, and I love the feature where the iPhone automatically connects to my home or office WIFI. It's almost like having a little handheld Mac in my pocket!

Will I get rid of the Treo on Verizon? No, I will keep the Treo and will continue to support clients with Treos. But do I love the iPhone more? At this point, heck yes! Palm had better get their act together real quick, because Apple has won this battle and quite possibly the entire smart-phone war.

Sitting here in JAX waiting for a plane-ride. The iPhone has been on the market now for a little bit over half and hour. The Apple Store at Christiana Mall closed today at 2:00pm to get ready, and reopened this evening for the big rush. They will be opened until midnight. I am reconsidering the whole iPhone thing. More information coming out, making it look better all the time! Will hopefully arrive in Baltimore just in time to get to Christiana Mall before midnight!

Just finished up an onsite Apple Portable Certification Course in at Rymfire Elementary School in Palm Coast, FL. Congratulations to my students from Flagler County Public Schools. Good Luck with your careers!

Caroline sez....."Happy Birthday Daddy!"

Working on my birthday! Hey, it's all good...nothing a cold brewsky and a steak can't fix. Can they put a candle on that steak? Hmm.... The good news is that by tomorrow we have will 8 new Apple Certified Technicians (between these two classes), joining the ranks. How old today? I'm not tellin'....Don't want you guys thinking I'm an old dude!
It's just one more candle and a trip around the sun...

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Currently playing on iTunes: ''Trip Around The Sun'', by Jimmy Buffett with Martina McBride

Apple has posted additional info to it's iPhone site, pushing live a new 20-minute guided tour video and offering easier access to previously posted information. The new video is hosted live and includes demonstrations of device functionality, as well as diagrammed shots of the iPhone's physical controls.

AT&T has published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Web page that aims to answer most of the common questions consumers may have who are looking to purchase Apple's iPhone when the device hits shelves this coming Friday.

The Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg calls the iPhone "a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer," that "sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry."

Newsweek's Stephen Levy reviews the iPhone and is critical on some points. But he says the "iPhone is a significant leap. It’s a superbly engineered, cleverly designed and imaginatively implemented approach to a problem that no one has cracked to date: merging a phone handset, an Internet navigator and a media player in a package where every component shines, and the features are welcoming rather than foreboding."

The New York Times' David Pogue also weighs in; loves the email and internet features, but points out that making a call can take up to six steps.

Jefferson Consulting has decided to take a "wait and see approach" regarding the iPhone. We have a significant investment in the Palm Treo technology and MarkSpace's Missing Sync. We want evaluate the iPhone's internet performance on AT&T's wireless network before making the switch from Verizon. We don't love our Treos, but we don't hate them enough to drop $500+ per phone on untried hardware and an untried network. The iPhone offers some interesting capabilities and we are impressed by the latest information. Once the crowds dissipate, we'll check it out.

Just finished up an Apple Desktop Certification Course in Rhinecliff, NY.
Congratulations to my students from St. Lawrence University, Univ. of Michigan, and Univ. of Rhode Island for a successful class! Good luck with your careers!

I will be at Business Rules, Inc., an Apple Authorized Training Center in Rhinecliff, NY, as instructor for Apple Certified Desktop Technican training, the week of June 18. The following week of June 25, I will be teaching an onsite Apple Certified Portable Technician class in Flagler County, FL. I will have limited email and voicemail access during this time; best option for contact will be email. The office will reopen Monday July 2nd.

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Playing on iTunes: ''Fast Cars and Freedom'', by Rascal Flatts
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 120.13

MacNN reports that Apple today announced that more than one 1 million copies of its Safari for Windows Web browser were downloaded in the first 48 hours since its release on Monday. The Cupertino-based company touts Safari 3 as the world's fastest and easiest-to-use browser, "rendering Web pages up to twice as fast as IE (Internet Explorer) and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2." Apple's browser supports all of the modern internet standards including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SVG, and Java. Safari updates are delivered easily through Apple's Software Update feature, the first of which has already arrived which fixes various security flaws discovered in the test browser just after its release.

Way back when we were little dudes, my pal David Utter and I would do radio shows on a Radio Shack tape deck, and distribute cassettes to our friends. Way before shock jocks were all the rage, we were "MadDog" and "Dynamic DJ", of WDRY 91FM, the (fake) station for Rock-n-Roll and Dry Jokes. By the time we got to high school, our interests turned to girls, cars, and sports (yes, in that order), and we realized that there was no money in radio. We graduated and went off on separate, but not too different paths...These many years later David has found himself back on the radio...for real this time:

Robert Siegel of NPR's All Things Considered talks with David Utter, staff writer for Web Pro News.

A version of Mac OS X 10.5 is now in the hands of developers attending Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco this week. Steve Jobs used his WWDC keynote to reveal the latest details about the Leopard upgrade coming in October, including its $129 price tag and its overhauled Finder and Desktop. Also during the keynote, Jobs announced that Apple would develop a new version of Safari for Windows that would match the features found in the Leopard version of the Web browser.
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source: MacWorld
Playing on iTunes: ''Panama'', by Van Halen
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 120.19

Hardcore technos and software developers descend on San Francisco this week for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Commonly abbreviated WWDC, the conference is held annually in California by Apple Inc. The conference is primarily used by Apple to showcase its new software and technologies for developers, as well as offering hands-on labs and feedback sessions. The number of attendees varies between 2000 to 4200 developers.

WWDC 2007 is in progress NOW, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and runs this week of June 11-15. Jefferson Consulting is not in attendance this year, but our friend and fellow Mac User Group member, Kurt Tappe is reporting back all the juicey details.

Be on the lookout for possible announcements regarding:
• iPhone
• Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
• new hardware (iMac or Mac Mini)
plus other third party software and hardware products.

MacNN reports that Apple today updated its MacBook Pro line of notebo