Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco

After lab results demonstrated that the iPhone 3G’s antenna actually functions normally, critics complained that the tests didn’t represent their own experiences. So the tests were performed again on two phones that had been experiencing severe problems for some users; the verdict was the same: no hardware problems found.
Eva Wieselgren, a journalist in Sweden, originally presented the findings of a study by Bluetest earlier this week which confirmed that the iPhone 3G’s antenna and its 3G reception were functioning normally. When readers complained that the tests didn’t properly single out a problematic phone, Wieselgren asked for volunteers who owned a bad iPhone 3G to offer their unit for additional testing.

Continues: Repeat tests show iPhone 3G doesn’t suffer from faulty hardware

Next year’s 10.6 reference release of Mac OS X promises to deliver technology updates throughout the system without focusing on the customer-facing marketing features that typically sell a new operating system. Here’s a look at what those behind-the-scenes enhancements will mean to you, starting with new 64-bit support.

The move toward 64-bit computing is often generalized behind the assumption that “more bits must be better,” but that’s not always true. In some cases, expanding support for more bits of memory addressing only results in requiring more RAM and computing overhead to do the same thing. However, Apple’s progressive expansion of 64-bit support in Snow Leopard will bring performance enhancements across the board for users of new 64-bit Intel Macs. Here’s a look at why, along with how it is that every version of Mac OS X since Tiger has advertised “64-bit support” as a key feature.

Continues: Road to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: 64-Bits

Despite the lack of any clear and obvious enterprise strategy at Apple, analyst Benjamin Gray of Forrester Research reported an incremental gain in enterprise Mac use among the 2,500 organizations the company tracks, representing 50,000 end users.

Continues: Report: Mac adoption expanding in the enterprise

Daniel Eran Dilger
Today’s broad array of smartphone operating system contenders are offering lots of potential answers to a problem that only requires one. It appears the market has two options ahead: either pool generic hardware makers behind a single operating system and deliver a smartphone marketplace that resembles the Windows PC market, or watch them fall to a dominant leader and have a smartphone market that resembles Apple’s iPod ecosystem.

This decision isn’t going to be made by a class of intellectual elite, or by government mandate. it’s going to be made by the market itself. Here are the factors that will influence the outcome, either marginalizing Apple’s iPhone into a niche as the company has twice experienced previously at the hands of DOS in 1981 and Windows in 1991, or positioning it as the dominant leader as Apple has achieved for itself with the iPod since 2001.

The third segment in this series looks at Google’s Android and the Open Handset Alliance as a possible “DOS-attack” against Apple’s iPhone. Subsequent segments will look at Nokia’s newly opened Symbian and other mobile contenders challenging the iPhone.

Will the iPhone Meet its Match from a Modern Day DOS?
Will Windows Mobile Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone?
Will Google’s Android Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone?
Will Symbian Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone?
Continue reading →

Daniel Eran Dilger
Kevin Rose has been trying his hand at making broad sweeping generalizations about the next generation of iPods, but sorry, no digg. Most of his predictions are not even original, and those that are are so vague that they’re really just worthless. Here’s what you can really expect.
Continue reading →

Sources within Apple’s retail stores report that sales of the iPhone 3G are being slowed down by handhelds running Microsoft Windows Mobile/WinCE. That’s because the stores have been selling new iPhones to customers using the old EasyPay, a problematic Pocket PC handheld computer that’s causing employees lots of grief.
Continues: iPhone 3G sales hampered by Windows Mobile

Daniel Eran Dilger
A recent article presenting how MobileMe works was been roundly criticized by at least three different bloggers. While the original article did not primarily address MobileMe security, the statements made about MobileMe’s security do warrant some additional detail and clarification. In contrast, much of the criticism was wildly overstated to the point of actually misinforming users about the actual state of MobileMe and email security. Here’s a look at what’s involved.

Inside MobileMe: Web 3 and Web Client-Server apps
Continue reading →

Daniel Eran Dilger
Today’s broad array of smartphone operating system contenders are offering lots of potential answers to a problem that only requires one. It appears the market has two options ahead: either pool generic hardware makers behind a single operating system and deliver a smartphone marketplace that resembles the Windows PC market, or watch them fall to a dominant leader and have a smartphone market that resembles Apple’s iPod ecosystem.

This decision isn’t going to be made by a class of intellectual elite, or by government mandate. it’s going to be made by the market itself. Here are the factors that will influence the outcome, either marginalizing Apple’s iPhone into a niche as the company has twice experienced previously at the hands of DOS in 1981 and Windows in 1991, or positioning it as the dominant leader as Apple has achieved for itself with the iPod since 2001.

The second segment in this series looks at Microsoft’s Windows Mobile’s attempts to “DOS-attack” Apple’s iPhone. Subsequent segments look at Google’s Android and Nokia’s newly opened Symbian and other mobile contenders challenging the iPhone.

Will the iPhone Meet its Match from a Modern Day DOS?
Will Windows Mobile Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone?
Will Google’s Android Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone?
Will Symbian Play DOS to Apple’s iPhone? Continue reading →

The Internet is running out of addresses. To get around this problem and a host of others not addressed in the existing Internet Protocol (IPv4), a new revision has been in development for years, called IPv6. Uptake has been slow; it requires upgrading all the routers and devices that make up the Internet. Apple has a few tricks up its sleeve for pushing IPv6 adoption, and many Mac users are already chin deep in the technology without even knowing it. Here’s why, and what it means for users on every platform.

Continues: Apple’s secret “Back to My Mac” push behind IPv6

Apple has offered an additional two month free extension for all MobileMe subscribers with active accounts as of August 19, 2008, on top of the original 30-day extension granted a month ago, shortly after the MobileMe launch.

Continues: Apple gives another 60-day free extension for MobileMe