Tag: iCloud

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VMware Fusion 4.1 now supports installations of Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard client.

UPDATE:
VMware said that this should not be the case, the next update will check the version of Mac OS X before installation. Only OS X Lion and Mac OS X Server are allowed for virtualization.

From MacNews:

One thing that was revealed is that you could run earlier versions of Mac OS X as a client under 4.1 (this was not previously possible with version 4.0.1). Given the licensing, we were incredibly surprised (although delighted) to see this. Unfortunately, while incredibly useful for developers wanting to test on multiple versions, this turns out to be an oversight.

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VMware has just updated VMware Fusion 4.1 with added support for installing Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard client in addition to OS X Lion as noted by many including The Mac Observer.

This is certainly a good news for many Mac users, especially the ones who really need Snow Leopard and Rosetta support. Now you can have iCloud and Rosetta support in one Mac.

Buy VMware Fusion from Amazon.com.

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iTunes Match, a $24.99 Question.

Apple finally launches iTunes Match two weeks after the “late October” date as mentioned in the “Let’s talk iPhone” event. iTunes Match costs $24.99 annually in the US.

How does iTunes Match work?
Well, iTunes scans the music in your iTunes library and matches them to the ones available in the iTunes Store. iTunes also uploads “unmatched” audio tracks (not just songs, but any audio tracks) from your iTunes Library into your iCloud account.

What you need to know about iTunes Match:

  • iTunes Match is limited to 25,000 songs.
  • iTunes Store purchases made with the same Apple ID being used for iTunes Match do not count towards the 25,000 song limit.
  • Songs containing DRM (Digital Rights Management) will not be matched or uploaded to iCloud unless your computer is authorized for playback of that content

You can find a lot of articles about iTunes Match including the one from Apple Support. Some of you want to know the answer to the $24.99 question. Is iTunes Match worth it?

First, it costs $24.99 for one year. That’s pretty cheap.

Second, once I had iTunes Match I found it to be really convenient. I can easily access my song library on my computers, iPhone and iPad. Well, my HP TouchPad, Android phone and tablet have to take a backseat since they are not supported.

Third, I still purchased CD. Over the years, I ripped the CD’s into AAC and MP3 in various quality. Once I had them matched, I get a music library with consistent encoding quality. That is great considering I had a lot of 128kbps MP3 tracks.

The answer is simple, if you can spare $24.99 a year then you should have no problem trying out iTunes Match.

Remember that iTunes doesn’t have those obscured live bootleg tracks you love so much. iTunes will upload them and it might take some times depending on your internet upload speed.

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OS X Lion 10.7.2

OS X Lion 10.7.2 is now available for download through Software Updates and Apple Support Downloads page.

OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 Client Combo

The 10.7.2 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes support for iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that automatically and wirelessly store your content on iCloud and push it to all of your devices. iCloud on OS X Lion includes the following features:

iCloud stores your email, calendars, contacts, Safari bookmarks, and Safari Reading List and automatically pushes them to all your devices.
Back to My Mac provides remote access to your Mac from another Mac anywhere on the Internet.
Find My Mac helps find a missing Mac by locating it on a map and allows you to remotely lock the Mac or wipe all its data.
Getting started with iCloud is easy. After installing the update, OS X will automatically present an iCloud setup panel. Simply enter an existing Apple ID or create a new one and then follow the on screen instructions. To learn more about iCloud visit http://www.apple.com/icloud.

For more info, go to http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1459.

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iCloud: What about Mac OS X Snow Leopard users?

UPDATE (2011-11-21):

VMware clarifies:

Running Mac OS X client in a virtual machine continues to require Lion (purchased from the Mac App Store or a USB thumb drive.)  Users should always ensure they remain in compliance with any applicable software license agreements.

It seems that the next update will restrict installations of Mac OS X Snow Leopard or older to Server and OS X Lion.

UPDATE:
VMware has just released VMware Fusion 4.1 and allowed installation of Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard client in virtual machine.
As long as you have Mac with 64-bit processor, you can now install OS X Lion while keeping Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard in the virtual machine.
It is a good time to buy VMware Fusion 4 now if you haven’t already.

Apple has just opened iCloud to OS X Lion 10.7.2 and iOS 5 users. What about Snow Leopard users? For those who own any Macs with 64-bit capable processors (Core 2 Duo or newer) should upgrade to OS X Lion before moving their MobileMe account to iCloud.

Before I go on, let’s recall that Mac OS X Leopard is the last Operating System from Apple to run on PowerPC Macs. They are out of the pictures.

Apple sold quite a lot of Core Duo Macs and some Core Solo Mac minis. Those Macs do not meet the system requirements to run OS X Lion. Thus iCloud is not supported on those Macs. I am still using a MacBook Pro Core Duo from January 2006. I can only use iCloud through iCloud.com. In the meantime Apple is committed to run MobileMe service until June 30, 2012. By that time Apple would hope that Mac users would have at least an iOS 5 device or a Mac running OS X Lion.

If you already are a MobileMe user, you do not have to hurry moving your account to iCloud. If you do not have any iOS 5 devices and/or Macs running OS X Lion, please refrain from moving your MobileMe account to iCloud. If you are still using a non-OS X Lion compatible Mac or a non-iOS 5 compatible devices (iPhone, iPhone 3G and older iPod touch), Apple would hope you would buy a new one.

UPDATE:
Someone reminded me the lack of Rosetta support in OS X Lion, another reason to stay with Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

mac-osx-snow-leopard-no-icloud

 

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Moving your MobileMe account to iCloud.

So, you want to move your MobileMe account to iCloud.

First, read this frequently asked questions about the MobileMe transition and iCloud.

What you need to have is at least one of the followings:

  • A Macintosh running OS X Lion 10.7.2
  • An iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running iOS 5.

From iCloud page at Apple.com:

iCloud requires iOS 5 on iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2; a Mac computer with OS X Lion; or a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Outlook 2007 or 2010 required for accessing contacts and calendars). Some features require a Wi-Fi connection. Some features are not available in all countries. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices

Whenever you are ready,  head to http://me.com/move/ and login to your MobileMe account. Follow the instructions. Once the transition completed, you can then login to iCloud.