Category Archives: Apple

The rumor about Apple planning on creating a smaller 7-inch version of the iPad has been hanging in the air for a while.However,up until now there was no clear reason to take that rumor seriously,especially considering how much Steve Jobs disliked the concept of smaller tablets.

Nevertheless, according to a new report,Apple is really planning a 7-inch iPad,which would probably be available for users in October for about 200 – 250$.Here is the quote from iMore reports:

“Apple will be going forward with the 7-inch iPad, currently targeting an October 2012 release alongside the new iPhone, and — here’s the killer — at a $200 to $250 price point. According to our source, which has proven reliable in the past, the reason for such aggressive pricing is to do to the tablet market what Apple did to the MP3 market in 2004 with the expansion of the iPod product line — leave absolutely no space for competitors.”

It seems like the device will feature a resolution of 2048 x 1536 – the same as Retina display on the new iPad.If that is true,a pixel density on the “iPad mini” will be identical to that of the iPhone 4S.The new iPad is going to be almost identical to the new iPad 3,just scaled down in size.

Another news about Apple’s new creation is that its built-in storage is going to get cut down in order to establish a cheaper price for it.According to the report,the new iPad is going to come out in an 8GB version at the price of 200$ – same price as an entry-level iPod touch.

Sounds a little too strange at first – why would Apple release a 7-inch iPad at less than lalf the price of the current entry-level iPad?It would only position the device to compete with other 7-inch tablets and it might hurt their sales of the new iPad.
Anyway,previous iMore claims were very accurate,so,this statement might be worth of considering.

The fourth maintenance update for Lion – OS X 10.7.4 – had just been released by Apple.You can get through Software Update.This update is recommended for all Macs and it includes most notably a fix to the bug,left in OS X 10.7.3 that stored passwords in plain text on a user’s hard drive.

The OS X Lion 10.7.4 update includes general operating system fixes that improve stability,compatibility and security of your Mac.
Updating your system
Remember,it is crucial for you to back up your system before installation – use TimeMachine.
You may experience some unexpected results in case you interrupt the installation process.You might also face some difficulties if you have third-party system software modifications installed.
Select Software Update from the Apple menu to check for the latest Apple software via the Internet.
There could be some other updates for your computer that need to be installed.Keep in mind,that an update’s size may be different from computer-to-computer when installed using Software Update.Some updates must be installed prior to others,make sure to run Software Update until Software Update states “Your software is up to date”.

There is a useful trick in case you want to update multiple computers,but don’t really feel like downloading the update more than once – you can manually download installer. These versions of the standalone installers are available from Apple Support Downloads.

Additional Information
What’s included?
The OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes fixes that:

1. Resolve an issue in which the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled.

2. Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards.

3. Addresses permission issues that may be caused if you use the Get Info inspector function “Apply to enclosed items…” on your home directory. For more information, see this article.

4. Improve Internet sharing of PPPoE connections.

5. Improve using a proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file.

6. Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to an SMB server.

7. Improve printing to an SMB print queue.

8. Improve performance when connecting to a WebDAV server.

9. Enable automatic login for NIS accounts.

10. Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.

11. Improve the reliability of binding and logging into Active Directory accounts.

12. The OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes Safari 5.1.6, which contains stability improvements.

Finally,after Apple’s release of software updates that can clean infected Macs and prevent infection,the number of Flashback-infected Macs is decreasing.But,is it safe for IT departments and average Mac users to relax and forget about the crisis?Hell no!This whole Flashback-situation was nothing but a wake-up call to It and security professionals,as well as to average users – Macs are not invincible anymore!
Analyzing the Flashback events of the past couple weeks,we got five main themes and lessons to consider when it comes to Mac security.

1) Mac malware threats do exist,even though they’re still pale,compared to Windows security issues.
The important thing here is to understand that Macs are going to be targeted more and more each day,since the platform gains more traction with consumers and businesses.The antidote for Macs malware should be locked and loaded before another threat occurs,because nobody knows when that might happen.Although,the number of malware threats for Macs is still fairly small,compared to Windows threats.
2) Macs do need malware protection,and it should be centrally managed
It seems like almost every IT shop relies on security software that’s centrally managed and includes malware protection.The good thing about the centrally managed system is that IT alerted to infections may deal with them in an instant – either remotely,using the central management console,or in person – at the infected machine.Having your malware protection centrally managed allows you to deal with any threat as quickly as possible.

3) The best malware protection for Mac may not be the same as the best antivirus software for Windows.
Here is the thing.With this whole Flashback situation Windows-oriented security and anti-virus producers weren’t the first companies to respond to the threat.On the other hand,Intego,which specializes in Mac security solutions,had already determined the threat,before Flashback became a big story.Now that is something you need to think about.The next major Mac threat might be way more dangerous,it is just a matter of time.For that reason,it’s a good idea to look at Mac protection options,rather than simply sticking with the same vendor that produces malware protection for Windows.

4) Companies need to invest in the training and resources in order to effectively protect their Macs
A lot of companies,especially small or mid-size businesses,with a small amount of Macs,technicians and system administrators don’t really know how to effectively lock down and secure Mac systems.They assume that default OS security settings should be enough – and that is like playing with a time bomb.If the company wants to have a good,solid protection,it needs to invest into training and resources to build up an effective protection mechanism.

5)Companies need to ensure BYOD Macs are protected
If a company is considering adding Macs to the BYOD mix it needs to learn how to protect those Macs for the sake of their owners and the safety of the company as well.

There is a whole new wave of rumors about next-generation iPhone.The most significant one comes all the way from Korea.It claims that new iPhone will replace its glass back with super-durable Liquidmetal alloy.

According to the Korea IT News’ claim,Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone will be made of zirconium,titanium,nickel,copper “and so forth”.It is also supposed to have a “surface smooth like liquid”.
The report includes a few references to a general “liquid metal”,but the proper noun “Liquidmetal” refers to an amorphous metal that Apple bought exclusive rights for in 2010.Liquidmetal Technologies – the company that came up with the concept,revealed in March that Apple purchased those rights for 20,000,000 dollars.
Korea IT News also said that the new iPhone is expected to debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June.Last year though,Apple launched its fifth-generation iPhone in October – well after WWDC.

Claims of a metal back for the new iPhone are not new;last year there were rumors that Apple was working on a revolutionary design with a metal back,similar to the iPad.
The company that owns the material anounced in March that it had begun shipping commercial parts to a “few” customers.Apple has the exclusive rights to use the material in electronic products.
An iPhone SIM card ejector tool was the first product Apple created out of Liquidmetal,but,it seems to be the only product made of this material,so far.

Finally,Apple is developing a tool to detect and remove the Flashback Trojan malware – this statement was posted on the company’s support page today.
Last week’s Flashback Trojan malware attack is rated the most significant and largest security issues in the history of Macs.

This malware first appeared in September 2011,masquerading as an installer for the Adobe Flash Player.Later,in February,the new Java version appeared and became the #1 target right away.
Apple released two Java updates last week to fix the vulnerability in Java and prevent new infections.The problem is – they can’t remove the infection if it already exists on the Mac.So,users who have already been infected have to remove the Trojan manually.
Now,the company says that they’re going to release the official software that will “detect and remove the Flashback malware”,nevertheless,they didn’t indicate an expected release date.Also,Apple states that they’re “working with ISPs worldwide” to shut down the remote servers which control the infected computers.Russian antivirus company DR.Web had been trying to communicate with infected computers in order to monitor the growing numbers of the infected machines.Apple tried to shut the Dr.Web’s servers due to Cupertino company’s inability to distinguish them from the real malware controlling servers.
This move had been criticized heavily as a mistake that proves nothing but the fact that Apple is not experienced enough when it comes to security issues.Dr.Web’s CEO noted that his company has good relations with Microsoft’s security teams,but they don’t know anything about the antivirus group inside Apple.
The safety of Macs is crashing down very quickly and Apple is thinking of what to do next.How to deal with the future where Mac is no longer invincible.