The home of Mac info for New Zealanders, mac-nz serves daily Mac, iPhone and related news from the world of Apple Inc.
New Mac users
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Hey, shiny and new Mac users – what's the desktop? The first time you start your new Mac, you’ll see a screen that looks similar to the one above. If all you’ve ever used before is Windows machines, it might seem a little weird and intimidating.So, here’s Cult of Mac's super-quick guide to the geography of the Mac desktop.
This is the first of Cult of Mac's series of 100 Essential Mac Tips and Tricks for Windows' Switchers. The series has already become extremely popular.
Free NZ Mac newsletter: Remember, you can sign up free for the monthly mac-nz newsletter MagBytes, which collates every Five Tip Friday for the month along with demystifying articles, what's new stories and more. It's a free PDF emailed to you, slickly designed, you can print it out and it's popular. Sign up here.
And look out for the Five Mac Tips that will be posted on this site tomorrow ...
Using the Dock effectively: OS X’s ever-present Dock can help you manage your applications and documents. But are you taking advantage of all the ways it can make your work easier?
Here are some Macworld tips for using the Dock efficiently – whether you're quickly accessing files, folders and applications or turning your tunes. on and off
Mainstage update: The 2.1.1. patch builds on MainStage’s 2.1 release back in January, which added 64-bit support for the application (along with the rest of the Logic Studio suite) and introduced Audio Unit Bridge to allow users to continue working with their 32-bit plug-ins. Apple has posted an article on what it contains. The update is recommended for all MainStage 2 users and is available for download via Apple’s Software Update.
Microsoft updates Office 2004, 2008: Microsoft has just released updates to the 2004 and 2008 versions of Microsoft Office. The updates weigh in at 9.7 MB and 221.5 MB respectively, providing "fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code" as well as improvements to stability and performance.
Google Apps becomes a platform: At the Campfire One event last night, Google launched the Google Apps Marketplace and demonstrated how external Web applications from other vendors can be integrated into Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and other services that are part of the search giant's Web-based productivity suite, reports Ars Technica.
Apple loyalty up: Apple has scored a victory in public perception through two important wins in Brand Keys' 2010 Loyalty Index. The iPhone helped it top the researchers' smartphone ranks, while unibody MacBooks helped push it above Dell and all others Windows PC brands in the full-size notebook computer category, reports Electronista.
Google Maps gets bike directions: Google this morning added biking directions to Google Maps (pic). The heavily requested feature navigates using not only bike trails but marks and uses roads that are known to be bike-friendly, including both those with bike lanes or those simply recommended for cyclists. Maps goes so far as to factor in hills and to avoid heavy car traffic.
