Apple has posted an iCloud transition guide both to outline what was changing and to assuage worries that web apps might go away. The Q&A promises that the calendar, contacts, e-mail, and Find My iPhone will all still have web interfaces. The only services going away will be iWeb hosting, the Gallery pages, and iDisk, although iDisk is partly replaced by iCloud.
Apple chief Steve Jobs in a e-mail response to a fan reportedly confirmed that iWeb hosting was going away with the shift to iCloud. When asked if he'd need an alternative web builder and a hosting service, the CEO supposedly gave a simple "yep" response from his iPhone. The MacRumors reader was worried at having to start fresh and made it clear in the feedback.
It may have been some time since iWeb, Apple’s simple WYSIWYG web page design tool, has received new features. However, it appears that Apple has at the very least considered bringing it across to the iPad. A new patent application has emerged that shows a version of iWeb for the iPad. It would join GarageBand, Keynote, Numbers, Pages and iMovie as productivity and creativity apps ported from its Mac OS X platform over to its burgeoning iOS platform.
The Plugin Site has posted an update to FocalBlade, a sharpening plugin with features for printing and adding blur, soft focus, and glow effects to 8- and 16-bit images. The software can be used within a number of graphics applications, including Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Illustrator, Painter, Fireworks, Canvas, Photoline and GraphicConverter. Version 2 is said to render between 10 and 100 times faster than the original, depending on the settings used and processor power. It adds support for multiple sharpening workflows and various output devices, as well as smart filtering in Photoshop CS4 and CS5. It also includes a new Softproof feature, which simulates the sharpness of prints.
To support the launch of iLife '11, Apple has implemented what it calls the iLife '11 Hardware Up-to-Date Program. Instead of having to pay the usual $49 for an iLife '11 upgrade, people can potentially get the software for just $7. Those who bought a Mac with an earlier version of iLife between October 1st and the 19th must submit an order form by November 19th. For people buying a Mac with an outdated iLife on or after the 20th, a 30-day post-purchase window exists.
(Updated with additional discoveries) At least one listing discovered at Amazon UK today backs claims that iLife '11 is due soon. The entry for a German help guide mentions both the creative suite as well as references to it coming "with apps for Mac, iPhone 4, iPod and iPad." The mentions are likely references to the current iMovie app for the iPhone 4 and fourth generation iPod touch.
iWeb theme showcase site iWeb Themes Park has updated their collection with five new themes, bringing their total to 65 independently-designed themes compatible with iWeb. All themes require only a Mac capable of running iWeb 2.0 (which came with iLife '08) or later.
Apple has released several maintenance updates for Safari and iWeb. Safari 5.0.2 brings improvements to security and compatibility. The latest version fixes an bug that had prevented users from submitting web forms in certain circumstances, while a Google Images issue with Flash 10.1 has also been resolved.
Aquafadas has released a new version of PulpFx Abstract, a collection of generators for animated slideshows in Final Cut Pro, Motion, Final Cut Express and After Effects. The v1.1 update features two all-new generators, Small Moves and Sphere, along with added options for editing titles and managing the order of images. Also included is the ability to choose between several transitions with the Light Slice and Static Pulse generators. A trial version of the software can be downloaded from Aquafadas' website; a full license costs $49.
Some significant changes are coming to the next iLife suite, a "well-informed" source claims. The software is first of all said to be going 64-bit, potentially providing significant performance boosts within Snow Leopard. Allegedly being dropped as a default app is iDVD, Apple's disc-authoring tool, which as been available for Macs since 2001. While it should still be an option, people will have to download it, the source says.
Aspyr has expanded its GameAgent digital download store to residents of the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The move marks the first time that Aspyr's catalog of Mac titles have been available outside of North America. Europeans looking for boxed games, meanwhile, can expect to see those become available later this summer. In celebration of various announcements, Aspyr and GameAgent customers can take advantage of a 15 percent discount on any product until July 28th; the company has also announced the launch of its own customer support forums, allowing users to communicate with each other on a variety of topics.
The Open World Forum is currently looking for people to showcase open-source products at this year's Demo Cup, which will be a part of the Open Innovation Awards. Twelve companies, selected from written applications, will be nominated and asked to give eight-minute presentations of their work to both an audience and a jury of experts. Submissions should arrive before July 15th, and consist of a 5- to 10-page executive summary and an initial draft of the storyboard for the demo presentation. Finalists will be selected by July 31st, with a main event set to take place October 1st in Paris, France.
AKVIS has posted updates for five of its photo editing applications, which include Enhancer 11.5, Noise Buster 7.5, Coloriage 7.5, ArtSuite 6.5 and Magnifier 3.5. The patches address a variety of bugs and add full 64-bit support, thereby improving compatibility with Photoshop CS4 and CS5. The tools let users enhance detail, reduce noise, modify colors, resize images and apply artistic effects. Upgrades are free for registered users; new customers can buy the titles as standalone apps or as plug-ins for Photoshop/Photoshop Elements.
Maintain has released a new iPhone app containing guides and advice for Mac owners. In particular the self-titled app is meant to help users exploit the company's Mac maintenance utility, Cocktail. This includes information on how to clean, repair, and optimize a computer, as well as troubleshoot several common issues that Mac users may face. The iPhone app is a free download, and can be found at the App Store.
One of Europe's largest mobile Wi-Fi providers, The Cloud, has announced that it is launching a free application for all O2 iPhone users. The new application, FastConnect, provides users with access to all of The Cloud's 22,000 wireless access points around Europe, including all paid-for access hotspots. The software includes a built-in hotspot locator that can automatically connect to a hotspot when in range. Also included is a searchable directory that allows users to locate hotspots across Europe and view directions on a map.
A public beta of FotoMagico 3.2, a tool for creating slideshows with photos and music, has been released by Boinx Software. With the new release of FotoMagico users are able to animate stills in Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Adobe After Effects. This new support has been made possible through the use of a new QuartzComposer plugin and the latest FxPack from Noise Industries. In addition, screensavers created with the new release are now 64-bit compatible, support for the FotoMagico Remote for iPhone has been added to FotoMagico Home, and several other small issues have been updated. The beta is available for download from the companies website and the final version will be a free update to current 3.x license owners. FotoMagico 3.2 Home can be purchased for $29, while FotoMagico 3.2 Pro, which includes PhotoPresenter 4 is available for $149.
BKTools recently announced the launch of its first Macintosh software product, Strainer. The new application has been designed to help users quickly rename groups of files. Users can define a set of rules that determines which characters to remove or replace in a filename and then drag a group of files to be modified. Each filename will be edited based on the users preferences and if users are not happy with the outcome they can choose to undo the changes. A free demo of the software is available or a full license can be purchased for $14.
iWebThemesPark on Wednesday released a package with ten new themes, along with a free theme, for Apple's iWeb software. Each of the themes provides eight fully-customizable templates including Welcome, About Me, Photos, My Albums, Movie, Blog, Podcast and Blank.
iPresentee has released a new set of iWeb Intros to be used with Apple's website-building application. iWeb Intros 3.0 is a collection of five short Flash animations that can be used as a way to welcome guests to a webpage. The package includes Cityscape, Sunset, Highway, Nature and Factory, with each customizable using static and animated text. iWeb Intros requires a Macintosh computer with either iLife '08 or iLife '09 installed. Each Flash intro can be purchased individually for $10, or the package of all five can be ordered for $30.
Jumsoft has released Mail Stationery 3.0, delivering over 100 new stationery templates for use in Apple’s Mail client. Within the collection are two new design sets, Ink Sense and Cardboard Gallery. There are seven different categories, such as greetings, invitations and newsletters; the greetings category includes a bonus holiday pack with 10 templates. Most of the templates throughout the bundle offer multiple color schemes or design variations.
In Brief: iPresentee has announced the release of a new set of themes for Apple's Keynote software. The new Motion Themes package includes five new themes and is available for $25. Additionally, a new set of iWeb themes have been released by iWebTemplate. Seven new customizable packages have been introduced, with each available for $10.
iPresentee has released v5.0 of its iWeb Themes suite, used to add new themes to Apple's iWeb application for website development. The latest version brings five new themes to the suite, extending the collection to 45 themes total. The new themes are called Amber, Flowered, Blue-Black, Claret and Free-liver. Each theme in the suite consists of 10 different page templates.
iWebTemplate has released iWeb Themes for Business 4.0, new themes for use with Apple’s website building application, iWeb. The package contains five new themes including Simplicity, International, Blackout, Time Machine, and Flourish, which bring the complete collection of themes up-to 91. Each template consists of several graphic elements customizable in size and color, and can be either moved around within the theme or removed completely.
iPresentee has announced iWeb Intros, a set of Flash welcome clips meant for Apple's iWeb design tool. The templates can either stand on their own, or be incorporated into an existing static template. Arrangements in the initial package include Desert, Groove, Paint, Splatter, Dreamy Intro and Multilingual Greetings.
In brief: A new set of iWeb themes have been released by iPresentee. The five themes are designed for creating business websites and each includes 11 templates instead of the usual 8. Core Cases is currently running a sale on all of its products, offering everything at a price of $10 or less. The company offers protective cases for all of Apple's latest handhelds, along with models for several older-generation devices. Beginner REALbasic developers now have access to a new kit which includes several resources for learning different aspects of the development environment. The kit includes a program which teaches users about various functions, along with source code for several example applications.
iWebTemplate has launched a new group of themes, called the Budget line. Founding the collection are five choices, Church, Joy, Love, Billiard and Cat; the themes form the basis for websites created with Apple's web design software. Elements of a theme can be adjusted as necessary, moved around or altered in terms size, opacity or color.
iPresentee has released iWeb Animations 2.0, expanding the content supplement for Apple's website editor. Version 2.0 adds 35 new animations, on top of the 40 from the original collection. Among the new offerings are blinking buttons, a hopping envelope, a turning coin and a dancing note.
iWebTemplate has released a new template collection, iWeb Themes 4.0. The package consists of five main themes: Blossoms, Couple, Eyes Fire, Garden and Theatre. Each theme also includes 10 templates, instead of the conventional eight. Graphic elements can be removed as necessary, or altered in size, opacity or color.
Apple has released maintenance updates for iPhoto, iWeb and iMovie, along with general support updates for the iLife and iWork '09 software suites. The iPhoto 8.0.2 update improves overall stability, while addressing minor issues in Faces, Places, photo sharing, slideshows and other parts of the software. The download weighs in at 87.86MB. The iWeb 3.0.1 update is 14.23MB in size and fixes issues related to publishing to an FTP server and other minor bugs. iMovie 8.0.1 is a stability and usability fix, and is contained in a 24.53MB file.
iPresentee has released Keynote 3D Stuff 2.0, an updated package of 3D images meant for Apple’s Keynote, iWeb and Pages. Expanding on the previous version, which contained 70 images, the new Stuff package provides 45 more 3D objects for a total of 115. Each object is designed for Keynote presentations measuring up to 1024x768, and Pages or iWeb documents of any size.
Google may have consciously stripped multi-touch input from its Android mobile operating system solely to avoid a conflict with Apple over patents, a member of the Android development team claims. The iPhone maker reportedly asked Google not to use multi-finger input and, according to the source for VentureBeat, was granted its wish. The exact reason isn't known, though Apple has both the incentive of an early competitive advantage as well as patents that might have forced it either to negotiate a patent license or else challenge one of its closest partners in court.
In brief: Internet Evolution is holding a contest to find its readers best ideas for an iPhone application. Users can post their ideas and a winner will be announced in early March. Ten One Design has announced that it is reducing the price of its iPhone compatible stylus to $15. Meanwhile, iWebTemplate has update its offerings with several new iWeb Themes from iPresentee and Miamiou.
There are plenty of options for creating webpages. Professionals typically opt for editors like DreamWeaver, while hardcore designers may choose to dive into the HTML code. It's theoretically possible to use ordinary word processors, but the resulting pages are often too simplistic. For the average person who wants to create professional-quality pages without taking design classes -- or learning the vulgarities of HTML code -- Apple offers the much simpler iWeb '09, a part of the new iLife '09 suite.
iPresentee has launched a new collection of iWeb themes, iWeb Themes 3.0. The five new themes in the pack include Black and White, Flora, Mahogany, Ray and Tracery, and come with 10 content templates each, instead of the usual eight. Template formats include Welcome, About Me, Photos, My Albums, Movie, Blog, Podcast, Blank, My Hobbies and News.
iWeb Template has released family-based iWeb themes for building web pages with a family orientation. The collection has seven iWeb themes to choose from, including Baby, Boy, Girl, Tree, Old Album, Wall and White Album. Each theme includes multiple page layouts as starting points, like a Welcome page, About Me, Photos, My Albums, Movie, Podcast, Blog, and Blank pages.
Jumsoft has announced Goodies, a new product line of themes and animations for Apple software. Goodies will be free downloads for customer, including infrequent customers, featuring a variety of themes or animations for Keynote, iWeb and Mail. They will be available around national holidays. The first three goodies are Halloween and Teddy, for iWeb, along with ten Mail Stationery designs. Each theme arrives with page layouts for different needs, such as Welcome, About Me, Photos, My Albums, Movie, Podcast, Blog and more.
iPresentee has released iWeb Themes for Business 2.0, featuring five new themes. The new geared-for-business themes include Target, City, Clarity, Rainbow and Tomorrow. Each theme includes seven templates, including Home, About Us, Services, Support, Clients, Contact Us and Blank. The themes and templates are customizable, and iPresentee is now offering custom-design services as well.
Rage Software has launched iWeb SEO Tool 1.0, a utility that optimizes a user's website for search engines. In addition to search engine optimization, it offers the ability to add title pages, metatags and alternative image text, all without delving into HTML code. Rage claims that Apple's iWeb-based pages are not designed to rank high on search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN/Live, and the SEO tool can gear the pages for better results.
Jumsoft has released a series of new themes for iWeb 2.0 based on various sports. A total of 10 different themes are available, including baseball, basketball, chess, football, golf, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, yoga and cheerleading. The iWeb Sport Themes also include numerous page layouts, for content such as photos, podcasts and movies. Each theme further includes five different color variations, which can be used combined or individually to represent a team's colors.
