Robert Balousek

The readme for the iPhone SDK says it is only compatible with Intel based macs running OS X > 10.5.2. Apparently it is possible to get it to run on PowerPC based Macs:

By default, the iPhone SDK package available free from Apple’s site will run on a PowerPC-based Mac but omit the iPhone SDK-related files, installing only Xcode 3.1 beta and a series of other files. This routine is easily circumvented via the shareware tool Pacifist, which can be used to force an installation of the entire SDK package on PowerPC-based Macs.

Follow these steps:

• Drag the iPhone SDK package onto the Pacifist icon
• Select the top entry, “Contents of iPhone SDK”
• Click the “Install” button in the upper-left corner and enter your administrator credentials

[Via iPhone Atlas]

The iPhone SDK presentation sounded great, but they didn’t answer every question. They also didn’t mention some important details. Most importantly:

Only one iPhone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they were using quits.

This is one of the caveats explained in the 100 page iPhone Human Interface Guidelines PDF on the iPhone SDK website.

So what does this mean to the average non-programmer/layperson? Simply put:

If you are running an application such as AOL Instant Messenger on your iPhone, everytime you receive a call or browse away from the application you would be signed out, you would lose any unread messages, and your conversations would end.

A group of engineers tear apart a MacBook Air and critique the engineering that went into it:

“Can we say that the MacBook Air has a perfect, sophisticated external appearance, but its insides are full of waste?” asked Mayuko Uno, a squad member, as if speaking for the engineers that had finished the teardown process.

“The total number of screws in the MacBook Air was several times the number used in a PC we make,” one of the engineers said.

Looking at the hinges connecting the upper and bottom units of the PC and at the inside surface of external components, the engineers pointed out the possibility of additional cutting work.

All of the engineers found the structure hard to comprehend. The screws that attached the keyboard might also prevent the keyboard from bending when being pressed, but it seems like there must have been a better solution.

“If I proposed such a design, our company would never approve it,” said one of the engineers. “I can’t find anything that is technically superior. We can make the same computer at a lower cost,” said another. Did the MacBook Air’s internal structure represent the immaturity of Apple’s design skill?

Via Tech-On!

Today Apple announced Leopard would be pouncing onto computers in 10 days, on Friday, October 26, 2007. Even though I solely use Windows on my home and work computers, I decided to check out the list of features added since the prior Tiger release. After reading these, I’ve realized I’m 75% excited for the features and 25% convinced simply by Apple’s first-rate marketing and design choices. Here are some of the enhancements that caught my eye:

Google Map Addresses

View a detailed map of any address in Address Book. Just hold down the Control key while clicking any address and select “Map of” and Safari will show you its location in Google Maps.

Everything I own should give me one click access to a map; ala iPhone.

UI Recording and Playback

Add even more capabilities to your workflows. Use a new action called Watch Me Do that lets you record a user action (like pressing a button or controlling an application without built-in Automator support) and replay as an action in a workflow.

Imagine an OS that packages in macros. I can finally level up my fishing skill in WoW.

Dashcode IDE

Quickly design, code, and deploy your Dashboard widget. Dashcode is a completely integrated development environment.

A visual IDE built specifically so I can create little widgets that make my life easier; yes, please.

Automatic Packaging and Deployment

Deploy your widget in one click. Dashcode organizes all the files that make up your widget, including images, stylesheets, and JavaScript. Adding new files is handled automatically by the project manager.

Automagic packaging and deployment so I don’t have to spend 4 days figuring out I forgot to make a __config.xml file.

Wikipedia in Dictionary

Harness the power of Wikipedia when you’re connected to the Internet — built right into it’s Dictionary. You get a great Mac OS X user interface with super-fast searching and beautifully laid out-results.

Easy access to information from Wikipedia. I wonder if they could have optionally stored a copy on disk and update periodically so it didn’t require an internet connection. I can’t wait until they forget to renew the domain and a search for book reports on Abe Lincoln(NSFW) returns TMI.
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