< Return to Blog

Flashback Virus Fix

April 12, 2012

Apple Today has released the fix for Java that caused the Flashback vulnerability.  If you run your Software Update you will find a new version of Java that will make your machine no longer susceptible to attack.

Mac Virus Flashback Checker

April 10, 2012

Are you afraid you have contracted the newest Flashback virus for the Mac?  Odds are that you haven't but if you want to check for sure download this helpful app that will determine if you are infected or not.  While this will NOT remove the virus at least it will let you know if you need to worry.  Click the link to download.

Mac Matters Newest Employee

April 04, 2012

 

Something from My Childhood

March 29, 2012

Alright today's post comes from something from my childhood.  It is completely unrelated to Apple and their products but it was one of my favorite TV shows growing up.  I bring you the greatest thing the internet has to offer today, Married with Children, Bulgarian!

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/married-with-children-bulgaria_n_1386589.html

 

I have actually sat through and watched the whole episode it is pretty interesting to watch the similarites and just how much the actors try to portray their original counterparts.  Either way its good for a laugh.

iTunes Updated to 10.6.1

March 28, 2012

Apple updated their popular music player today to version 10.6.1.  Nothing real big in the way of changes but plenty of bug fixes for the player as well as iTunes Producer, for those of you who upload content to the store.  You can get the update now by running Software Update.

Adobe CS6 Expected System Requirements

March 27, 2012

Adobe is looking to kill support of their new CS6 userbase much in the same way Apple is with Mountain Lion.  Essentially they have stated that if you don't have a multi-core 64bit processor you are out of luck with their new software.  While this probably doesn't mean much for many of their pro users, who typically have recent Macs, it certainly will effect some.  So it is looking like support for those initial Intel machines is dwindling down by the day now.

Lady Sues Apple for Walking into Wall

March 26, 2012

So apparently some elderly lady in New York is deciding it is now prudent for her to go and sue Apple for over 1 million dollars.  All because apparently she couldn't be bothered to notice that glass  was in her way, while there being "crash graphics" on said glass.  As many of you undoubtedly know, Apple's entrances to almost all their stores are basically giant glass fronts with glass doors that allow you to enter.  To the sides of the doors are HUGE window displays behind the glass where it would be impossible for you to walk as well as frost squares placed along the entire length of the glass to give your eyes the visual cues that there is something of substance there.

If you ask me I think the cleaning crew should get a raise for doing their job so well.

Watch Apple Trailers in Retina Glory!

March 23, 2012

Apple has updated their movie trailers application today to now support the retina display on the iPad.  It will allow you to watch the trailers in a video format fully optimized for the new iPad so they look terrific!  If you would like to check it out click here.

Security Bug is iOS 5.1

March 22, 2012

If you have an iOS 5.1 device beware that there has been reports of a bug that tricks users into believing they are on a site that they are actually not.  So for instance someone can send you and email that says click this link to go to Apple's website to fill out a satisfaction report.  They can hide the source of the link to the user it directs them to http://www.hackers.com but the user wont know that.  Once they are on http://www.hackers.com that website changes the information that is on the address bar in Safari.  So once the user is on http://www.hackers.com, Safari will report that the user is surfing http://www.apple.com when they really aren't.  

Apple is aware of the issue and I am sure a fix will surface soon enough.  So as always be cautious of the links you click especially in emails.

If you would like a sample of what the bug does you can click the following link (this link is NOT malicious it just shows a proof of concept of the bug).  

http://majorsecurity.net/html5/ios51-demo.html

Draw Something Developers Purchased

March 22, 2012

So chances are if you own a smartphone you have probably downloaded the latest runaway hit, Draw Something, by OMGPOP.  This application has had INCREDIBLE success in the last five weeks.  They have had over THIRTY MILLION downloads of their app in just five weeks!  This is a new benchmark for an application growth.  So much so that social gaming giant Zynga has decided they no longer wanted OMGPOP performing in their arena any longer and have purchased them.  The purchase price you ask?  A cool 200 Million dollars!  Now OMGPOP isn't new to developing apps but this app just happened to strike gold.  Just shows that there is still money to be had in the application gold rush.

iPad Sales hit 3 Million!

March 19, 2012

In just three days the new iPad has already sold over THREE MILLION units!  That number is pretty staggering for quite a few reasons.  The first of which is this device isn't a neccessity much in the way an iPhone is (if you can say a smart phone is a neccessity).  This device is largely a toy for most users much like an iPod, execpt way more expensive.  To make a comparison the iPhone 4S sold four million units in the same time frame.  The iPhone 4S also costs only $200 with a subsidy and the majority of Americans consider a cell phone a neccessity so the market for that product is much higher.

That all said if you have ever played with an iPad it is easy to see how there would be huge demand for this product.  It is looking more and more each day that tablet devices are going to be the new everyday device for most computing environments.  I for one am excited for that day!

New iPad Has Landed!

March 16, 2012

Well today is the day a lot of us Apple fans have been waiting for since the announcement of the new iPad.  We have gotten our hands on our new units and have been fairly impressed with the screen thus far.  I wouldn't say it was as dramatic a difference like going from the 3GS to the iPhone 4 but I am not sure that is just because I am used to looking at the retina display on my phone or because the pixel density is acutally lower than it is on the iPhone.  Either way the difference is certainly nice and I am enjoying composing and reading emails on my unit much more.  Considering that is what I use mine for most of the time it was a worthwhile upgrade for the $100 or so dollars it cost to upgrade after selling my iPad 2.  That said I think once the developers start rolling out games that take advantage of the new found power it will prove to be a much more significant upgrade.  The speed upgrade feels very slight just moving around between apps but I have noticed some of my games seem to have a pep in their step now as well.  Either way sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.

New iPad Guts Revealed!

March 15, 2012

The New iPad has yet to even be released here in the USA but that didn't stop the crazies over at http://www.ifixit.com from flying all the way to Australia to take advantage of the timezone differences just to guarantee that they would be the first on the web to reveal the guts.  If you haven't heard yet iFixit is notorious for always buying the newest gadgets and disecting them for science.  Click the link at the end of the article to see all the gruesome operation photos and pseudo how-to.

 

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-3-4G-Teardown/8277/1

Is Your Mac Ready for Mountain Lion?

March 14, 2012

Apple's upcoming operating system update is due to drop sometime this summer. They are making quite a few changes and are further blurring the lines between OS X and iOS(iPhone Operating System). From the direction they have set it looks like they are trying to make a seamless experience between the two devices and make our desktop environment mimic that of the iOS. I am kind of torn on how I feel about that as I really do LOVE the user experience of the iPad, I also like to be able to sit down at my laptop and get real "work" done. I guess we will all find out very soon how the experience translates to traditional computing. In the meantime it looks like Apple is going to be dropping support for several early Intel machines so if you have an older Intel Mac and are looking to get Mountain Lion, I would start shopping for a new Mac.

 

Here is the tentative list of machines that Apple will be dropping support for this summer.

• Late 2006 iMacs (iMac5,1, iMac5,2, iMac6,1)

• All plastic MacBooks that pre-date the aluminum unibody redesign (MacBook2,1, MacBook3,1, MacBook4,1) 

• MacBook Pros released prior to June 2007 (MacBookPro2,1, MacBookPro2,2)

• The original MacBook Air (MacBookAir1,1)

• The Mid-2007 Mac mini (Macmini2,1)

• The original Mac Pro and its 8-core 2007 refresh (MacPro1,1, MacPro2,1)

• Late 2006 and Early 2008 Xserves (Xserve1,1, Xserve2,1)

 

That is quite a few Mac's that will no longer be supported! Essentially the limiting factor is if your machine is not a 64-Bit processor. So if you have and Intel Core chip that is NOT Intel Core 2 you will be left in the dark. As always if you have questions if your Mac makes the cut feel free to give us a shout and we can help you figure it out!

New iPad Excitement

March 13, 2012

If you are anything like us here at Mac Matters then I am sure you are very excited about the release pending this Friday. We will be at the Biltmore store(maybe Arrowhead if lines are crazy) trying to get our hands the new hotness. If you need help setting up your new toy or just want to brag, feel free to call us, we will be here!

Update from Mac Matters

March 13, 2012

Alright well this blog has become stagnant long enough! It is now our goal to have new and fresh content on here at least once a day. It may not have anything to do with Apple and it may just be something neat we found along the way and it may be something that interests us personally but there will be something new here at least once a day! Hope you all enjoy the updates. Mark Munoz

Microsoft considering bringing Office suite to iPad.

January 28, 2011

 The iPad is a great device but for it be a viable production/office tool it needs one very important capability, Office documents. Apple has done a great job at allowing people to view Word and Excel Documents on iOS devices and even allowing for editing with Pages and Numbers. Unfortunately Pages and Numbers has to do conversions going back and forth and most of the times those conversions go without much hassle but if you have complex documents it can be troublesome. Here is to hoping Microsoft realizes just how large the iOS user base has become, and how much larger it trends to be.

iPhone OS 4.0 to be demoed today

April 08, 2010

Apple is set to show off its latest and greatest in iPhone OS. A lot of speculation is going around concerning exactly what is to be included in this release but today those questions should finally be answered. Here's to hoping we get unified mailboxes in Mail and some sort of multi-tasking for applications.

Chat with Facebook friends in iChat.

February 16, 2010

You can do this after you have gone into Facebook and signed up for a user name. You will need that info for the “yourname” sections of the setup.

1. Go to the iChat menu and select “Preferences.”
2. Click “Accounts,” then click the “+” at the bottom.
3. Select “Jabber” from the pull-down menu, then enter the following info:
   Screen Name: “yourname”@chat.facebook.com
   Password: <your Facebook password>
4. Select “Jabber” from the pull-down menu, then enter the following info:Screen Name: “yourname”@chat.facebook.comPassword: <your Facebook password>
   Click the arrow next to “Server Options” and enter the following info:
   Server: chat.facebook.com
   Port: 5222
   (Uncheck the box labeled “Use SSL”)

To see the full info and how to set it up from Facebook directly click here.

Aperture 3 Released

February 09, 2010

Apple announced the availablity of Aperture 3 the update to their professional photograph management software. Included in this update is more than 200 new features. They have brought some of the features from iPhoto ‘09 including Face detection, and GPS location. They also added a new brushes feature that allows users to “paint on” effects so the effect happens where they want it to.

For more information, read the full release from Apple.

Apple Announces the iPad!

January 27, 2010

Apple has final shown off the iPad today, for a good price and with some nice features. Coming in at $499 for a 16GB version it brings it right in line after the iPod Touch.

Apple also has an agressive price point for 3G data plans. $14.99 for 250MB for basic use and $29.99 for unlimited. Better than the $60 most others charge for data only devices.

Apple releases Bootcamp 3.1, Updated drivers for Windows 7

January 20, 2010

On tuesday Apple released updated Bootcamp drivers to officially support Windows 7 on supported machines. The updated drivers specifically address issues with the Apple trackpad, turns off the red digital audio port LED on laptop computers when it is not being used, and supports the Apple wireless keyboard and Apple Magic mouse.

If you are currently a Bootcamp user you can update to the latest drivers by running “Windows Apple Software Update” while you are logged into your Windows OS.

For more info refer to Apple’s FAQ.

5 Reasons I Love My Mac & Will Never Go Back to Windows: 1 Year Later

January 19, 2010

One past customer of MacMatters sent us his thoughts on a change he made over a year ago. Here are his insights on his new found love for Macs .

All right, so I’ll admit that never may a poor choice of words. I have nothing at all against Windows. In fact, I was a Windows user for over 10 years but 1 year after switching I’m loving’ my Mac more than the day I bought it.

I compiled the list in a Letterman’s Top Ten fashion with the number 1 reason being the best reason for loving my Mac and number 5 is the last (but not least) reason.

5) Interoperability with the iPhone:

The main reason this one is number five on the list instead of being higher up is that I don’t own an iPhone yet. I do know, however, that Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure that syncing between the Mac OS (mostly) apps like iCal, Mail and Address Book), MobileMe (Apples online syncing system) and the iPhone is a seamless experience that ensures your information is always with you.

This interoperability is not limited to MobileMe either. Agile Web Solutions’ superb password management software, 1Password, is available for both Mac OS and iPhone and comes complete with syncing capabilities.
I’ve found that there are many Mac software titles that have iPhone counterparts.

4) The Mac Community:

I don’t know why but for some reason, when you own a Mac, you can’t help but feel esoteric or that you’re a part of a club that is really cool but only has a small group of members. People have heard of the group and know who you are and there may even be some that say they’ve entertained the idea of finding out more but then never followed though. What ever the case may be, being a “Mac” has a sense of mystery and uniqueness to it.

One of my favorite Mac websites right now is Mac Stories by Federico Viticci. Mac Stories is chalk full of information like tutorials, roundups (favorite Tweets of the week), and reviews of great software that you would otherwise not hear of. You can also follow Mac Stories on Twitter.

3) Time Machine:

When I first got Windows XP and discovered the System Restore function I was very impressed. That function saved me a lot time of when helping customers while working as a tech support rep for an Internet Service Provider.

I do believe though, that Apple has one-upped Microsoft with their back up system, Time Machine.

Time Machine requires either an external hard drive, network drive or second internal hard drive as keeping your back up on the same drive you want to back up completely defeats the purpose. If your drive fails, you’ll be unable to access both your regular data, and your backed up data. I do not believe a second internal hard drive is available for the iMac but if you’ve got a Mac Pro you can do it. Large volume external hard drives are available and fairly economic these days. Just remember that the cheapest isn’t always the best.

When you first set up Time Machine, it will back up your entire hard drive. After that, it runs quietly in the background syncing any changes to your hard drive on an hourly basis. At any time you can access Time Machine via a very slick interface that lives up to the name Time Machine to access your backed up data.

Despite the fact that I am always hitting Command + S (keyboard shortcut to save what you’re working on), Time Machine has saved me a few times in a few different ways.

2) Ability to run Windows, reliably:

When Apple made the decision to start using Intel processors in their Macs, they made it possible to run Windows on the Mac. In what I’m sure was a marketing move; they released Boot Camp, which makes installing then running Windows a breeze.

Personally, I’ve successfully installed and run Windows Vista Business and Windows 7 Ultimate (not at the same time) on my iMac.

Being able to run Windows is very important to me as my work requires I do cross-platform, cross-browser testing meaning the more operating systems (IE: Mac OS and Windows), and the more browsers (IE: Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer), I can test on, the better. Being able to do that one machine is a definite plus.

One very cool thing I found by accident with my Windows 7 Ultimate install is that a right click on the Apple Mighty Mouse (standard with the iMac I bought) actually works just like it would if you were using a two button mouse on Windows!

Lastly, and despite the fact that I don’t like it, there is simply some really great software out there that are strictly Windows based and again, being to do everything on one computer is key.
You really can have the best of both worlds with the Mac!

1) Performance and reliability:

One year after making the big switch, my iMac is still the most reliable and smooth running computer I’ve ever owned.

As a Web designer/developer, I’m always running multiple programs at the same time and need a computer that can keep up. Processor intensive applications like Adobes Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver alone can slow down a lesser-equipped computer.

It’s not out of place to see my iMac running the three above mentioned apps along with a Web browser or two, iTunes and Entourage at the same time so I need something that will not bog down under pressure. My iMac has no problem with this type of multitasking and switching between the apps on the fly is quick and easy.

Just like cars though, computers need regular maintenance and the Mac is no exception. Despite the fact that the Mac OS is pretty solid, it will still benefit from some TLC with a program like TechTool Pro.

So there you have it! 5 pretty good reasons that even though it took some time for me adjust to the switch from Windows to Mac, 1 year later I’m very glad that I took the plunge.

Inklet turns your glass trackpad mac into a tablet

January 12, 2010

The guys over at Ten One Design have created a very interesting new application that will take your make with a new glass trackpad and let it be used as a Wacom tablet. This is a very interesting idea as the new trackpads are very large and do lend themselves quite well for this functionality. The software is priced at $24.95 and should be available very soon.

App Store tops 3 billion downloads!

January 05, 2010

Apple® announced today that they have surpassed 3 billion downloads from their app store. This was accomplished in less than 18 months, which averages out to about 167,000,000 apps per month world wide. Rather a staggering number with only one type of phone with three versions and an iPod out there to run them on. With the revenue from this and the iTunes store it would be nice to see more expansion in the app store model. Hopefully this bodes well for the rumors of the tablet that may be announced later this month.

How to stop those Annoying downloaded file warning.

January 01, 2010

Macworld has a great how to on stopping the “This file was downloaded from the internet are you sure you want to open it” warning.

This will completely disable the pop-up paste this in terminal, hit return and reboot and it will be gone.

• defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSQuarantine -bool NO

To see all the ways to modify this check out Macworld here.

Unreal Engine 3 coming to iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch.

December 22, 2009

Epic has shown off Ureal Engine 3 for the iPhone 3GS and the third generation iPod Touch to the guys over at AnandTech. The visuals look good though control looks a little clunky. Hopefully there will be a proper controller attachment in the near future for the iPhone, otherwise games like these will not have much of a chance with a mainstream audience.

Apple iPhone 3G top cell phone of 2009.

December 22, 2009

Apple’s iPhone 3G is the most used cell phone of 2009 followed closely by blackberry according to Nielsen Research. It has this distinction with only 4% which in cell phone terms is huge. Besides Blackberry no other phone comes close to the iPhone in use. It is most likely that the price drop on the iPhone 3g to $99 was enough to gain that mind share needed for people to look more closely at the iPhone.



Click here for the original Nielsen Report.

Intel unveils new Atom processor.

December 21, 2009

Intel unveiled the new Atom processor which brings better battery life and integrates the video card and memory controller into the processor itself. The new chip is based around their new 32nm process, reducing power consumption and heat produced.

Could we finally see an Atom powered mac in the future, or will Apple wait for a faster version of the chip with a better video card?

Click here for a full rundown on the new chip from Intel.

Win a free MacBook Pro

November 30, 2009

Cyber Monday is giving away a free Mac Book Pro on December 1st. The contest is going to end on Monday, November 30 so make sure you tweet it today and follow them for the winner tomorrow!

Win a new Macbook Pro on Cyber Monday 2009. Details here: http://bit.ly/29rFES

Apple releases 10.6.2 Update.

November 09, 2009

Apple has released 10.6.2 update for Snow Leopard and comes in at around 500 MB and is available in software update. It fixes some critical issues with the system.

For the full rundown of what has changed check out apples release notes.

Apple releases slew of new hardware before holiday season!

October 21, 2009

Apple has released new hardware, on the very long list are iMacs, Mac mini, MacBook, Airport Base Stations, Apple Remote, and a Mac mini Server. All these releases appear to be worthwhile upgrades for most users especially if you are in the market for a new iMac. More news to follow as they start to hit the streets

Bento 3 released.

September 29, 2009

Bento 3 was released and it is looking as if Bento is getting even more great features. Below are a few lists of features that Bento 3 has:

• Organize contacts, clubs and mailing lists
• Track projects, tasks, and deadlines
• Plan special events, parties and weddings
• Link photos to contacts, projects, and events
• Manage students, classes, and lecture notes
• Search wine and movie collections
• Catalog inventory, assets, and equipment
• Record billable hours and payments due
• Keep a daily log of diet and exercise
• Store recipes and shopping lists

Copies of this new updated application can be purchased online at FileMaker or at your local Apple Store.

 

iWork 9.0.3 update released

September 28, 2009

Apple announced the availability of the iWork 9.0.3 update.  Here is the list of bug fixes according to Apple.

This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, updates the help, and fixes a number of other minor issues in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. The issues addressed include:

• Reducing file size of images that have Instant Alpha applied
• Managing file size when inserting some movies
• Working with dates and durations in the Chart Data Editor in Keynote and Pages
• Exporting to CSV from Numbers when using table categories

Improvements to comment notification and security in iWork.com Beta are also included in this update.

Here is the link to the update on Apple.com

Mac Matters Launches New News and Support Blog

September 11, 2009

Mac Matters is happy to announce the launch of their in-house blog to better serve the Apple community in Phoenix, Arizona. Here you will find a number of interesting articles on tips, tricks, and ways to fix some basic Mac issues. We’ll also let you know about the latest Mac Matters company news, coupons, and promotions!

So add us to your news readers and enjoy another feature of the Mac Matters Mac experience!