Prez Art Gorski read what John said about tagging photos and files in his email just now. Here's Art's comment, "This reminded me of Gmail, where, unlike normal IMAP email, you use tags instead of folders. Methinks this, like documents in iCloud, is another nail in the coffin of a file system with folders. Apple has apparently decided that most folks can't deal with a directory structure. Want more proof? Spotlight searching for documents and All My Files in the Finder."
Changes Coming in Mavericks
Starting with a short note about the coming Mavericks John Carter simply pointed out, "Not an overhaul, says one reviewer, but just a tune-up. Read the full article here."
Then John emailed again and added more, "My comments below are not as a result of my being able to play with OS X Mavericks. I'm paraphrasing what other reviewers are saying.
"Probably the most significant change in OS X Mavericks, in my opinion, is what they've done with Finder. They added tabs and tags. These will be the greatest tools that any user could use. Tagging files like you do with photos in iPhoto will be a boon in finding a needle in a haystack. But then, you first have to go through all your files and tag them - just like with iPhoto.
"The second most important feature to me is iCloud Keychain. Storing all your login and private information in one place that can be instantly available on all Apple devices is like having 1Password, but without all the fancy features. However, this will mean that you should assign a separate Keychain master password, and it also means that you can have no login password on your desktop computer, a strong login password on your laptop and other mobile device, and still have all your password info secure behind a separate, strong password.
"What I'm waiting to hear about are the changes to iTunes and iPhoto. Some of the changes that went into iTunes 10 made a few people really mad - because one very useful feature was removed (to be able to create a mix on the fly without having to create a new playlist). I like the new iPhoto, but the features in Aperture are so compelling that I hardly ever use iPhoto anymore. What iPhoto needs is a built-in library manager like what is available in Aperture."
John has more to say! "I'm hoping they don't mess around with Pages and Keynote much (the way Windows did with Word and PowerPoint by restructuring the toolbar), but it would be nice if Apple offers a much larger selection of templates - for free.
"The new Maps isn't terrific, and its location sensing is not as accurate as Maps in iOS (which would be useful for a laptop, but not necessarily so for a desktop), but it does have some new feature that makes it fun to play with - still not as much fun as using Google Earth.
"There's a lot of noise by uninformed people about why Apple derailed the cat names for OS X versions when they adopted Mavericks." John concludes his email with a picture of a Saber Tooth Tiger and the final touch of humor, "All I can think of for a title is 'Windows, you're my next lunch!'"
Anticipating Mavericks
With the latest from WWDC mentioned in earlier postings today we are looking to the next upgrade, and Jim Hamm sends this, "Here is a tentative list of requirements to upgrade to Mavericks. I noticed that perhaps one can go directly from Snow Leopard to Mavericks."
Here Comes Mavericks and iOS 7
John Carter's keeping up with the latest news! "Apple announced the newest OS X (Mavericks) and iOS 7 to be available this fall. I expect both releases will be available by late October.
"The changes in Mavericks and iOS 7 are enough to warrant a thorough review, and many reviews will be available online immediately after the release, if not before (from some developers). However, I will be upgrading as soon as they are released and putting together a presentation to be offered (hopefully) at the November PMUG meeting.
"There is hope that iOS 7 can be Jailbroken to allow the iPhone to work as a Wi-Fi hotspot for an iPad, as well as allowing thousands of non-Apple approved apps to be installed. I will be working on this as well."
Here, Prez Art Gorski jumps in with this piece of good news, "You can already do this without jailbreaking on Verizon."
But this is what John Carter has to say, "For a fee from Verizon. I want to do it for FREE!"
So, what will the outcome be? Stay tuned for further information . . .
But this is what John Carter has to say, "For a fee from Verizon. I want to do it for FREE!"
So, what will the outcome be? Stay tuned for further information . . .