by Keith Richardson
Summer’s here; enjoy our beer; be safe not sorry, and full of cheer!
If last month was full of speculation, prediction, and anticipation (and, for Canucks fans, dejection), July is full of curiosity and experimentation—particularly for those of us upgrading or switching to new Macs. Apple’s latest version of Operating System X (OS ten)—10.7, aka ‘Lion’—debuts on new Macs, bringing with it, Apple claims, over 250 new features including Multi-Touch gestures, Mission Control, full-screen apps, and Launchpad, all of which it claims challenge “the accepted way of doing things…” and “change the way you use a computer.” Check for details at apple.com/ca.
Among the most significant changes for many of us will be a shift in our means of interfacing with the computer. In simple language, many users will move away from the mouse and adopt the trackpad—which they will operate in a variety of ways depending upon how many fingers they employ and how they use them (collectively known as multitouch gestures). You’ll still be able to use the mouse, but even there, you’ll likely use it and the keyboard differently. And with the growing intimacy between Nuance (speech control) and Apple, look for more vocal interface opportunities, too. If you’ve used an iPad, you’ve already been introduced to this new way of doing things.
Launchpad in OS 10.7 will remind iPad users of the way they view apps on that device.
Writing this in June, I could only watch the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) online video and drool—or gasp, wondering if all these changes are really desired—and prepare to purchase, this month, a new Lion-equipped Mac. Gotta keep up with the clients, you know.
Oh, we can install Lion on our existing Macs provided they have Intel Core 2 duo (or newer) processors and they’re already running the previous OS, 10.6.7 (Snow Leopard). However, we can’t waltz into our nearest Apple store/“reseller” and purchase a disk to take home and install. No, we’ll have to download Lion over the Internet, after buying it from Apple’s “App Store.” At nearly 4GB, we’d better have a fast Internet connection! Shaw estimates that a 1.5 GB movie downloads for regular High Speed users in about 25 minutes. You do the math….
Some observers are predicting that Apple is a little ahead of itself here is eschewing software on disks, and that it will break down and make an installation disk available when they find out we’re not all as swift and comfortable with downloading as Apple engineers are. I’m not so sure; the MacBook Air used to demonstrate the new system at the WWDC doesn’t have a disc reader built in—just as Macs since 1998 have not have drives for floppy disks (remember them?). As Internet speeds increase, we’ll reach a point soon where installing something from a disc will be slower than downloading it from the ‘net….
The good news, Mac lovers, is that Lion will cost less than $35 including HST, AND we can install it on all machines we have “authorized.” Now, that’s a bargain. Plus, unlike some other OS’s, there’s only one version whether we’re home or business users. Of course, if we purchased a new Mac since the June 6th announcement but before its release, Lion is a free download.
Looking relatively spry in his surprise appearance at the WWDC, ailing Apple CEO Steve Jobs made two more significant announcements. “This fall” Apple will release the next iteration of the operating system used in iPods, iPads, and iPhones. iOS 5 promises over 200 new features. Most notable for both newcomers and those upgrading, devices running iOS 5 will be PC-free, meaning that you won’t have to own a separate computer in order to set up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch!
Other features we find intriguing: Newsstand, which enables us to subscribe to magazines on our iPads—with all the benefits of computerization over print; a great Reminders app, a Safari browser that more closely resembles it’s Mac version (featuring tabbed browsing; Safari Reader, which allows us to crush the clutter of webpages; and Reading List, which lets us easily mark websites we want to look at later). There are lots more interactive features that seniors may be less inclined to take advantage of: Twitter, PhotoStream and photo editing, Game Center, AirPlay mirroring for iPad 2, and more. But I’ll bet that some of us will try a few of these novelties, just to wow the grandkids….
Jobs also stated that Apple is dropping its MobileMe $100/year subscription service for Apple Mail and facility for synchronizing email, calendar, address books and online photo galleries on various “devices,” and replacing it with iCloud, a free service. iC will also enable subscribers to store/backup, wirelessly, at Apple’s “server farms” located in various parts of the US, other files including photos and music. Of course, companies like Google have been offering similar services for some time, though not, perhaps, on the scale that iCloud promises. (Though no sooner do we think such a thought than the competition ups its ante—such is the high-tech world we either live in or watch from the sidelines!)
So, we’ll learn more about iOS 5 and iCloud” in the fall.” This month, as MacSeniors begins its seventh year(!), I’ll be putting out to pasture my old G5 iMac (still working great even without a built in camera, or Intel processor), and trying to wrangle a new herd of broncos with new harness. (If you don’t understand this allusion, you are probably NOT a senior).
I’m looking forward to the changes. I think. Ask me more about them next month! And read the expanded Chat in Today’s Senior online (www.todaysseniornewsmagazine.com).