MacSwitching.com - The Mac Switcher resource

The George Foreman iGrill (!) is the ultimate barbeque cooking machine for the iPod generation... or something like that. We don't know what the launch campaign slogans will sound like, but we have just heard about this "gem" and couldn't pass up the occasion to relay it to our readers.

The The George Foreman iGrill is available now for a street price of $149.99.

Thanks to SourceCrowd.com.

The security update affects various parts of the operating system, including some third-party components such as the Kerberos authentication technology. The most serious of the vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to gain complete control over an unpatched Mac, Apple said in a security advisory.

The update deals with another trio of zero-day bugs that were disclosed as part of the Month of Apple Bugs in January. Apple has quashed many bugs detailed during the Month of Apple Bugs and Month of Kernel Bugs projects in previous patch releases.

While several of the vulnerabilities repaired by Apple’s updates were previously known, it doesn’t appear that any attacks exploiting the flaws actually occurred.

Apple’s patch release comes just as hackers at the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, B.C., are being challenged to break into two MacBooks. A successful hack wins the hacker the MacBook and a $10,000 bounty, according to show organizers. The contest and conference ends on Friday.

Leopard time may not come in June as previously reported.
Apple’s new operating system will not appear until October, as Apple PR says and SourceCrowd.com reports.

Some more time for Vista to gain momentum – or just more bugs and Service Packs?

Today Apple has refreshed its high-end Mac Pro line of desktop computers adding an ultra powerful 8-Core model. The top of the range now sports two “Clovertown” 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300 series processors, with 8MB of L2 cache per processor (16MB total), while maintaining all the other specifications (which can be found here) of the Quad-Core models. The 8-Core Mac Pro comes as a build-to-order option from the Apple Store and is available now.

www.sourcecrowd.com reports on this.

Aperture support for more dSLRs, improved Spot & Patch results, Viewer issue, Raw file compatibility addressed. iPhoto Exif data compatibility and Photocasting enhanced.

Apple yesterday released Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update which includes a handful of enhancements to Aperture, its image editing software.

According to an Apple support page:

The Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update includes many benefits for Aperture:

• Adds support for the Raw image formats of these third-party cameras: Leaf Aptus 17, Leaf Aptus 22, Leaf Aptus 65, Leaf Aptus 75, Leaf Valeo 11, Leaf Valeo 17, Leaf Valeo 22, Leica Digilux 3, Nikon D40, Pentax K10D, Pentax K110D, Pentax K100D, Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1, Samsung GX-1L.

• Improved Spot & Patch results: The update contains changes to Core Image that improve the visual correctness of images using Spot & Patch adjustment.

• Reduces issues of temporary “black” Viewer: Mac OS X 10.4.9 addresses several issues that could cause the Viewer to temporarily turn black when displaying adjusted images.

• GPS metadata is preserved when image versions are exported.

• Incorporates all Raw file format compatibility and other imaging issues originally addressed in Digital Camera Raw Support Update 1.0.1. This update improved Raw file format compatibility for the Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss x Digital, Nikon D80 and Pentax *ist-DS. It also addressed the following issues: Handling of large Canon Raw files (.CRW); DNG compatibility on Intel-based Macs; Lines sometimes appearing in images exported from Aperture. For more information, see this page or this page.

IPHOTO

At the same time, the company released an update to iPhoto to address “issues associated with Exif data compatibility and Photocasting.”

Both updates are available through Software Update in System Preferences.

Not too much to say.
It’s just a bunch of around 160 MBytes with plenty of updates/patches.

Wow, it’s the last before Leopard!

A really useful freeware from nClass Software.

Corripio is the premier tool for gathering album artwork. By searching four sources: the iTunes Store, Coveralia, Best Buy, and Walmart; Corripio enables the user to get the exact artwork they want.

In continuing to improve usability, Corripio has a new contextual menu, thus making the user experience that much more enjoyable. In addition, the user has more control of lyrics because of the added Lyrics window.

Go here for a snappy download!

Jason D. O’Grady’s Apple blog reports:
In a not-so-surprising move, Apple filed for confidentiality with the FCC on October 12, 2006 for almost everything relating to iPhone. The document obtained by LoopRumors (picture courtesy of WorldOfApple) details Apple’s request:

The above mentioned documents contain detailed system and equipment descriptions and are considered proprietary information. The public disclosure of the above mentioned documents might be harmful to [Apple] and would give a competitor an unfair advantage in the market.

If you’re keen on this rumor-shaped story, read more on ZDNet

See what you’ve done, Steve?
You’ve gotten people so whipped up in a froth over your new phone that they’re actually baking cakes in its visage.
Same with the Mac mini, but it’s safe to say that’s probably not the first Mac mini cake that’s come to be.

Check here.

Another good reason to switch to a Mac? iTunes seems to have authorization issues & problems with new Win Vista.

Now-shipping PCs already come with some flavour of Vista, from the basic one to the Ultimate Premium – sort of XP Pro + Media Center, but early users are reporting critical problems with iTunes and fear losing their music library, as posted in some forums.

Read more on News.com: Apple to Windows iTunes users: Don’t install Vista yet , on Afterdawn’s forum iTunes has problems with Vista and here, on partner web site www.ipodpalace.com coverage on Vista and Apple software compatibility list.

Here are some thoughts I’ve been making after reading lots of web pages around about yesterday’s iPhone and Apple TV announcements.
I know very few will care about them but… it’s my blog after all…

Don’t care how good reviews the iPhone will get, the real message is somewhere else.
To be more accurate, it’s right where Steve says from now on it’s going to be called Apple, no longer (and not just) Apple Computer.
See what?
Apple entering the TV room of every household with a (yeah…) Win-compatible box, Apple entering our pockets and suitcases with something that a ‘smartphone’ definition just won’t fit.
But that’s just a part of the game.
See Apple entering mobile devices arena with a new operating system: the very Mac OS X that runs iPhone?
See Apple engaging Symbian, Windows Mobile, UIQ and most other players around?

I’m (still) a proud owner of a Treo 650, PalmOS-based, and still think that PalmOS devices have been running fine (not just with Macs) for a long time, but now it’s over with PalmOS: check the new Treo 750 – which is Windows Mobile-based.
But Mac OS X for mobile looks like something really new.

Note: these are just personal speculations, not dogmatic truth or long-term forecasting…

iTv farewell, meet Apple TV!
Some sort of Airport Express with a 40 GB hard disk, USB2, Wi-Fi 802.11/B/G and N!
Up to five connected PCs (Macs, sorry) can access this true digital hub!

iPhone: the most expected widget in history….
This time is for real!
Touchscreen, innovative interface and multiuser device – as well as smartphone.

By the way, Steve dislikes the ‘smartphone’ tag…

A really thin device, with 8 GB memory, a huge 3,5″ display, WiFi, EDR Bluetooth, quadband and… runs Mac OS X!!!
More details upcoming!