The big news is that Apple has announced the ship date for the iPad – April 3rd – but we have a lot more meat in this issue. For instance, Glenn Fleishman lays out the changes in Apple’s new Mac Developer Program and shares a pair of cartoons that echo the irritation we all have with DRM-instigated usability nightmares. Also this week, guest contributor Chris Pepper muses in depth about the effect on fiction authors of having to compete with zombies in the ebook market, and Adam both reviews the iPhone app WeatherBug Elite and explains why Apple might be charging your credit card $1.00 for no apparent reason. Notable software releases this week include DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.0, BusyCal 1.2.2, Default Folder X 4.3.6, Mactracker 5.1, Mailplane 2.1.5 and ProKit 5.1 (Leopard and Snow Leopard).
The Wi-Fi-only iPad will be available in the United States on April 3rd, with pre-orders starting March 12th. The version that adds 3G will come later in April.
A pair of cartoons about the frustration with DRM-protected content appeared recently to explain why ordinary folks become pirates in order to get at legitimate content.
In an effort to simplify and expand access to Mac OS X development, Apple has made the program's cost cheaper for most people while changing the name to Mac Developer Program. A free option remains, too.
A fraud warning call about a $1.00 charge from MobileMe sends Adam on an investigation that reveals just how Apple checks to make sure credit cards are still good before charging automatic MobileMe renewal fees.
Looking for an iPhone app to provide weather conditions and forecasts that goes well beyond Apple's bundled Weather app? Adam, who cares deeply about past, present, and future weather, looks at his current iPhone weather app of choice, WeatherBug Elite.
Chris Pepper looks at what's happening with books and reading, and ponders the impending impact on living authors, who are at risk of having their livelihoods (if not their brains) eaten by zombies like Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and Jules Verne.
Notable software releases this week include DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.0, BusyCal 1.2.2, Default Folder X 4.3.6, Mactracker 5.1, Mailplane 2.1.5 and ProKit 5.1 (Leopard and Snow Leopard).
The future of iPad development captured our attention this week, with Jeff Carlson pointing out how The Omni Group is developing for a device they don't yet have and how Penguin Books plans to go beyond the book on the iPad. Also, Adam chats about iPhone multitasking with Shawn King on Your Mac Life, and the EFF compiles a list of abuses of the DMCA.