It’s the week of small but important updates from Apple. Adam looks at iOS 5.0.1, which aims — only somewhat successfully — to address battery life problems created in iOS 5, and he also covers the release of iTunes 10.5.1 and the squirrelly iTunes Match, along with a firmware update to 802.11n AirPort base stations that is proving troublesome for some users. Jeff Carlson joins in with a look at the 2.0 version of the Apple Store iOS app, which lets U.S. users pay for products without interacting with a salesperson. In other news, Adam looks at Adobe’s halting of development of Flash for mobile platforms, Glenn Fleishman walks us through a recalcitrant upgrade to Lion, and guest contributor Dennis Wurster explains how Square makes it possible for anyone to take credit cards for large and small payments alike. Notable software releases this week include Postbox 3, DEVONthink Personal, Pro, and Pro Office 2.3.1, Java for Mac OS X 10.7 Update 1 and Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 6, Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9, and MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.5. Lastly, we’re taking next week’s email issue off for the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States; look for our next issue on 28 November 2011!
We’re taking the next email issue of TidBITS off to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, although we’ll continue to post articles and links on our Web site. The next email issue will be published on 28 November 2011.
Apple has shipped iTunes 10.5.1, with the sole notable change being support for the just-released iTunes Match music service.
While this AirPort base station firmware update provides a few welcome bug fixes, it doesn’t add Back to My Mac access to AirPort disk and Time Capsule files via iCloud. But it’s fun to install via the new iOS version of AirPort Utility.
Apple has released iOS 5.0.1 to address widespread problems with battery life in iOS devices; the update also adds multitasking gestures back to the original iPad and fixes some bugs and security vulnerabilities. And for the first time ever, you can update directly from your device, without iTunes!
With the new version of the Apple Store app for iOS, you can walk into a retail store, scan the barcode of a product, purchase it, and walk out without any other human intervention. Other in-stock items can be ordered in the app and picked up at a store.
Adobe has officially discontinued development on mobile versions of Flash. In other words, Apple’s refusal to allow Flash on iOS was either prescient or causal.
See who won the $170 Tom Bihn Cadet laptop bag in last week’s DealBITS drawing.
In some unforeseeable utopia, the lion shall lie down with the lamb. Glenn Fleishman just wanted Lion to bow its head and accept its fate in running an older Mac Pro. Herewith, the machinations necessary to achieve Lion’s blessing.
For anyone who needs to take occasional (or even frequent) credit card payments, the Square service is a brilliantly easy solution that works with iOS and Android devices and charges entirely reasonable transaction fees.
Notable software releases this week include Postbox 3, DEVONthink 2.3.1, Java for Mac OS X 10.7 Update 1 and Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 6, Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.9, and MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.5.