Month: October 2015

10.11 - El Capitan

How Can El-Capitan Get my Work Done Faster? Read This….

Dan Uff October 6, 2015 0

“Apple’s latest operating system for Macs, El Capitan, officially launched September 30,” Jill Duffy reports for PC Magazine. “OS X 10.11 doesn’t have as much eye candy as the last few point releases of iOS, but it does come with a few capabilities that will boost productivity, and help you work smarter and more efficiently. There are also some improvements to the search functionality as well that will help disorganized people find what they need.”

“How often do you fiddle with two windows on screen to get them sized just right so that you can easily swap between them while working? You might have a browser open for research while typing in Word, or your Calendar on one side of the screen while responding to emails on the other,” Duffy reports. “Rather than waste time adjusting the windows to take up the right amount of space, El Capitan can quickly snap them into place for you.”

“Mac’s search bar, called Spotlight Search, launches apps, looks up words, and can even do math problems. In El Capitan, it becomes more powerful than that,” Duffy reports. “Natural language search functionality has been added, so you can search for ‘documents about budget,’ ’emails from mom,’ or ‘photos taken last week’ to find what you need faster than before. Natural language search has been added to the search function in Mail and Finder, too.”

Read more in the full article here.

(Video): New Apple Watch Commercial: Sing

Dan Uff October 6, 2015 0

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY0pr8o_R58&w=560&h=315]

Apple Seals the Deal for Second 'Spaceship' Campus

Dan Uff October 5, 2015 0

“Apple Inc. has landed its second spaceship — this time, in Sunnyvale — in a massive deal that exemplifies a new era in Silicon Valley real estate and crystalizes Apple’s enormous growth trajectory outside of its Cupertino stronghold,” Nathan Donato-Weinstein reports for Silicon Valley Business Journal.

“The iPhone maker has sealed a deal for Landbank Investments LLC’s planned Central & Wolfe campus — a curvaceous, 777,000-square-foot project at Central Expressway and Wolfe Road that’s expected to look like nothing else ever attempted in Silicon Valley,” Donato-Weinstein reports. “The Silicon Valley Business Journal and The Registry both reported last month that the developer and tech giant were in negotiations. But this week, sources with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to me that the deal is completed. Terms of the deal couldn’t immediately be learned, but I’m led to believe that Apple has leased, not purchased, the project. It’s unknown when it could start construction.”

“The transaction is another sign — as if you need any more — of Apple’s tremendous expansion, potentially providing enough room for more than 3,000 workers,” Donato-Weinstein reports. “The 18-acre campus, approved last year, is slated to transform a collection of nine buildings erected in the 1960s and ’70s — the golden age of Silicon Valley’s tilt-up construction era — into a striking structure that defies easy description. Indeed, the project seems perhaps a perfect fit for Apple, recalling some of the curvy design cues on its under-construction ‘spaceship’ Apple Campus 2, about five miles south.”

“One caveat: It’s unclear whether the project will be built according to that design, from architecture firm HOK, or if Apple and Landbank will want to modify it in some way,” Donato-Weinstein reports. “At this time there’s no indication it will change substantially, and indeed Landbank has made the signature look a key selling point, with a website that highlights the out-of-the-box design [notanotherbox.com].”

Much more in the full article here.

Rumor: iPad Pro and Accessories to Go on Sale During the First Week in November

Dan Uff October 5, 2015 0

Grumblings out of the Far East seems to suggest that Apple's iPad Pro, Apple pencil, and its other accessories will be released in the wild during the first week in November.

The report from Japanese blog Mac Otakara is light on details, but does cite reliable sources with knowledge of Apple's Chinese supply chain as conveying an expected November launch window.

When Apple announced iPad Pro in September, the company did not specify an exact sales date, instead saying the large slate would ship sometime in "November." Apple's official webpages for iPad Pro and its accompanying accessory lineup are still showing "Available November," no change from last month.

With the debut of its largest tablet to date, Apple is introducing an advanced stylus called Apple Pencil that works in conjunction with specialized iPad hardware to determine tilt and pressure. The system allows users to employ natural drawing motions to achieve lifelike onscreen renditions of brush, pen and pencil strokes.

Apple is also marketing a keyboard/cover accessory called Smart Keyboard that attaches to iPad Pro via the new Smart Connector port. The keyboard supports iOS 9 shortcuts for app switching, text entry, app control and more.

Apple's iPad Pro starts at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model, while a $949 version comes packed with 128GB of storage. A top-end 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is priced at $1079. Apple Pencil will carry a retail price of $99, and the addition of a Smart Keyboard will set customers back another $169.

Web site AppleInsider.com contributed to this report.