I sense a new trend… iPad 2 Fridge Art! Yes you can stick your iPad to a refrigerator, if you are brave enough to trust the smart cover magnets, anyway.
Haven’t had a chance to play around with Mac OS X Lion yet? Check out this 16 minute video walkthrough, it provides a nice look at the current 10.7 developer preview. It goes through the major changes and features, and gives a good overview of the next Mac OS X.
Want to run it yourself? Check out our guide to install Mac OS X 10.7 on a separate partition and dual boot with 10.6, it’s the best way to try out Lion without messing with your stable Snow Leopard installation.
The MacUpdate Spring Promo Bundle is out and it’s got some awesome apps at a huge discount. For $49.99 you’ll get the following Mac apps:
The price of all that software bought on it’s own would be $381, but the MacUpdate Bundle includes it all for $49.99. Great stuff, get it while it lasts!
It’s really easy to increase the size of the icons that appear on the Mac OS X desktop or anywhere in Finder by using an adjustable slider. This lets you select icon sizes as small as 16×16 pixels and as large as 512 x 512 pixels, which is really quite big, and of course, you can pick any size in between too.
We’ll cover both how to change the icon size of both Desktop items, and the icon size of files and folders shown within a Finder window of Mac OS X.
Here is how to increase the size of your Mac icons on the desktop or in a Finder file system window:
Want a super cheap vertical stand for your MacBook Pro? Try this $1.99 Ikea FANTASTIK napkin holder, apparently it’ll hold a MacBook Pro just fine (looks like a 13″ judging by the SuperDrive). Sure, it’s not the super sleak BookArc, but it’s also $48 cheaper.
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There is no centralized way of checking iPad 2 stock online, the only way to consistently verify stock is to call your local Apple Stores and resellers. Yes, we update our iPad 2 availability section, but the demand is so high right now that stores sell out quickly after they get stock.
If you want iPad 2 as soon as possible, we’re going to advise you with what nearly every Apple Store told us: “check back first thing in the morning.”
Here’s a list of a iPad 2 resellers and store locators, pick your local stores and call them right when they open:
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Want to erase and reformat an iPad? If you recently upgraded to a new iPad and you’re either selling or passing along your old iPad, you’ll want to reformat the iPad before sending it off to live with it’s new owner so that none of your personal stuff is on the device.
There are two ways to do this, one from iTunes and one from the iPad directly using iOS settings, and both methods remove all of your personal data, songs, media, content, and settings from the iPad.
We have independently confirmed with several Apple Stores that additional shipments of iPad 2 will be available to purchase tomorrow morning. Several representatives at different Apple Stores told us of the expected shipment, and two popular stores said they are planning to open an hour earlier than usual at 9AM to accommodate the sales.
Some Apple Stores to Open at 9AM, Not all Stores Getting Shipments?
It’s unknown if all Apple Stores plan to open an hour earlier tomorrow, and several refused to disclose any plans to open an hour early. Some Apple staff indicated uncertainty regarding additional iPad shipments tomorrow, with one Apple Store telling us they “don’t know yet” and instead to “check back in the morning.”
Expect Lines & Sell Outs… Again
One store representative told us that demand has been huge and they are getting a large number of store visits and phone calls inquiring about the new iPad, adding that they are expecting lines to form early in the morning. If long lines do form again, you can be sure this iPad 2 shipment will sell out rather quickly, so the earlier you can get to an Apple Store the better.
We will continue to update iPad 2 availability as we receive more information. If you want to check your local Apple Store, visit the retail store list and call them directly.
Looking for a killer deal on one of the highest rated SSD upgrades around? You can grab the Intel X25-M 120GB SSD for just $169.95 after a $30 mail-in rebate from Buy.com, free shipping is included. The Intel X25-M SSD deal is only valid for today (March 14th) and tomorrow (15th):
For some price comparison, the drive retails for $275 and the cheapest price on Amazon
is $227, where it has 33 five star reviews. The 2.5″ will fit right into a MacBook Pro, MacBook, and Mac Mini, but the drive comes with a 3.5″ bay bracket so that it will fit into a Mac Pro, iMac, or other desktops as well.
Why stop with an SSD? If you want to go all out while upgrading your Mac and get the ultimate in performance, combine the Intel SSD with 8GB of Kingston RAM for MacBook Pro, MacBook, Mac Mini, and iMac, for just $69.95 after rebate from Buy.com with free shipping:
To put that price in perspective, I paid $120 a few months ago for the exact same kit. You can read my MacBook Pro 8GB RAM review here if you missed it, but in short; 8GB of RAM rocks if you use a ton of apps at once.
Note: the Kingston 8GB RAM upgrade applies to 2010 models but will not install in the newest MacBook Pro 2011 refresh.
Seas0nPass is probably the best Apple TV 2 jailbreak and it has been updated to work with iOS 4.3. The latest iOS is well worth installing on ATV2, it brings AirPlay support, has MLB.TV and NBA live streaming, and includes Netflix surround sound. Sounds good huh? The only downside is Seas0nPass is currently a tethered jailbreak (learn about tethered vs untethered jailbreaks), but if you tend to leave your ATV2 running all the time you won’t need to do this often.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Now that you have everything ready, let’s get started:
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If you’ve ever wondered how much battery life is remaining on a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, you should set the battery icon in the OS X status bar to display some additional details, like the percentage remaining. This gives you an immediate idea of how much longer you can use a Mac.
Many iPhone owners are reporting yet another Daylight Savings Time bug, this time some iPhone clocks chose to ‘fall back’ an hour rather than “springing forward” like they are supposed to.
The bug has affected iPhone users on a wide variety of networks, including Verizon, AT&T, and Rogers, and there doesn’t seem to be any consistency on who had the problem and who didn’t. Is this a time-zone sensitive bug? Is it only certain versions of iOS that are experiencing the issue? We don’t know yet, but if your iPhone isn’t on the proper time after DST, here’s a manual fix:
Following those instructions your iPhone should correct the time itself, but you may want to set a backup alarm tonight just in case the bug persists.
The iPhone has inexplicably been plagued by multiple daylight savings bugs over the past year, each time sending the iPhone-dependent internet into an uproar as alarms go off late or early.
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Here is what 22 years does to Apple’s portable lineup; the Macintosh Portable was released in 1989, the iPad 2 is 2011 and oozes modernity. Here’s some fun statistics:
Macintosh Portable
Compare this with the iPad 2 specs: dual core 1GHz, 512MB RAM, 10″ touch screen, 1.2lbs, for $499… what a difference two decades makes huh?
If you want this setup yourself, availability of iPad 2 is very strained and most stores are sold out, but I did see a Macintosh Portable on eBay for a reasonable $75!
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Mac OS X 10.7 Developer Preview can be installed and ran alongside Mac OS X 10.6 on the same drive, all you need to do is partition your existing boot disk and I’m going to show you exactly how to do this in a step-by-step guide (alternatively, you can run it in VMware too).
Why do this? Having two separate installations of Mac OS X has several advantages over installing Lion atop your existing 10.6 installation (the default method), here are the primary reasons I recommend dual booting instead:
Now I’m going to assume you already have Mac OS X 10.7 Lion downloaded (grab Developer Preview from Apple) and ready to go, and that you’re currently running Mac OS X 10.6.
Important: Make sure you have a backup of your existing Mac OS X installation and disk before continuing with this guide. Time Machine makes this very easy. Any time you edit a drives partition table or install a new operating system there is always a small chance something could go wrong, so just be safe and have a backup ready.
Let’s get started!
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If you’re not a fan of the AppleTV remote, or you just don’t want yet another remote control laying around your coffee table, you can sync a standard TV remote with an Apple TV. This should work with virtually any TV remote, cable remote, DVD/Blu-ray remotes, and universal remotes.
This works the same on Apple TV 2 and Apple TV1:
After the initial control buttons are synced you will be able to use the TV remote to control your Apple TV, you’ll also be able to set additional buttons for things like chapter selection, skipping, and fast forward and fast rewind.
Advanced: Get the most out of your Apple TV
If you really want to maximize your media experience, sync your remote and then try installing XBMC on the Apple TV 2, XBMC is great software and it really excels on the ATV platform. While pairing the remote doesn’t require a jailbreak, using XBMC on the ATV2 does, this might seem to make the setup intimidating but Seas0nPass makes jailbreaking the Apple TV extremely simple.
Apple TV Envy: What about the Mac?
Don’t have an Apple TV but still want a sweet media center? No problem, your Mac will do just fine. You can setup any Mac as a media center, we simplified that guide so it’s very easy and a lot of fun. If you want a more advanced setup or a dedicated computer for this purpose, check out how to setup a Mac Mini media center and remote torrents box instead, it’s focused on a Mini but it will work on any other Mac too.
This MacBook is hooked up to an external monitor while the far right display is connected to a Windows PC. The screensaver is Fliqlo if you’re wondering.
This Mac setup is from flickr.
Update, May 8: Apple Stores continue to get shipments in daily, they go on sale first thing in the morning. These tend to sell out very quickly, you should call in the morning to verify stock before showing up but generally speaking, the earlier you get there the better. If you’re looking for a specific model, Apple is telling customers to “check back every morning” as shipments arrive frequently. From personal experience, it’s very hard to get one on the weekend unless you go early in the morning.
Update 2: Some stores reportedly have limited stock of select models but they too sell out quickly, check iPad 2 stock in your area by calling your local stores! Variations of the Verizon iPad 2 seem to be the most easy model to find.
Update 3: Some Toys ‘R Us locations are now selling the iPad 2 WiFi models, these are likely sold out so call to verify.
Update 4: Online orders through the Apple Store are now down to 1-2 week delivery time, if you don’t want to deal with calling and waiting in line, this may be the way to go.
The demand for iPad 2 is through the roof which is going to make getting the tablet in the first few weeks a challenge. iPad 2 has sold out almost immediately in many stores, and the most popular and hardest to get model is iPad 2 16GB in both colors. If you aren’t picky about color or the exact model you get, you may still be able to get an iPad 2 in this period of highly constrained supply.
Here’s what we currently know about the availability of iPad 2. We’ll update this list as we get more information.
Currently, the fastest delivery for online orders is the AT&T online store with iPad 2 3G models, otherwise:
Regardless of where you order online, it’s going to take a while to get the device shipped to you. If you want one right now, get in line at a retail store…
Most stores are sold out out all iPad 2 models, call ahead to verify stock. Availability numbers differ, stores are the same as our “where to buy” page.
Don’t want to order online and wait for delivery? AND you don’t want to wait in line at a local store? Your next option is the resale market, it doesn’t come cheap…
If you don’t mind paying highly inflated prices, you’ll be able to get an iPad 2 right away on the resale market
Of course, if you don’t want to get caught up in the initial launch hype all you need to do is wait a month or two, and you should be able to just walk into any Apple Store or retailer and get a new iPad without a hassle.
Update: In just a few short hours, shipping times on iPad 2 are now 2-3 weeks. If you want one sooner, you’ll need to get in line.
Want to buy the new iPad from Apple’s online store? All current models of iPad 2 available for order online are carrying a 3-5 day shipping time. Additionally, the estimated arrival date of iPad 2 models is March 18 to March 25 for standard shipping methods.
If you don’t want to wait a week or two for an online order to arrive, here’s where to buy iPad 2. Your best bet for getting any of the models is probably going to be an Apple Store, they start selling the device at 5PM tonight and lines are expected to gather.
