Apple has released a new version of the operating system for Intel based Macs. Mac OS X 10.9.3 increases apple’s support of 4K devices. Restoration of the USB syncing of Calendars and Contacts is also included in this update. Also Apple has attempted to imporve the reliability of connections via VPN that use IPsec. They has also released Safari 7.0.3 in coordination with this update. The update is a 947mb download and is available now. For more information about the…
Antoine Vignau has announced an update of the Apple II Cassette Collection on Brutal Deluxe. The update includes the following new items: Apple’s High-resolution graphics (002-0002-01) Apple’s Checkbook-1 (002-0005-01) Hayden’s Songs in the key of Apple The new additions brings the total number of offerings in the collection to 623 tapes. For more information or to download the items in the collection, see the Brutal Deluxe Apple II Cassette Collection website at: http://www.brutaldeluxe.fr/projects/cassettes/
May 2014 but, what are those somethings? Rumours continue to swirl about Apple and its certain/probable/possible/mythical/impossible product introductions for 2014 (some may be all five at once). Given Apple’s recent history, and that we’ve made it this far into the year without any major introductions, the Spy is convinced (has managed to convince himself–Nellie) that WWDC will be the venue for some significant product announcements. Our reader may recall that by delaying two minutes after 0900 on ticket sale day…
Posted on the Skype blog is the announcement that group video chats are now free. The blog goes on to say, “For the last few years, we’ve offered group video calling to Premium users on Windows desktop and Mac and more recently Xbox One. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re making group video calling free – for all users on these platforms. And, in the future, we’ll be enabling group video calling for all our users across more platforms…
David Schmidt, curator of the ADTPro project, has announced the release of version 1.3.0. According to the posting in CSA2, ” Just a quick purge of CVS as I prepare to get going on the new wide protocol in earnest – this should represent the known bugs up to today of the “1-byte protocol” ADT-compatible ADTPro client and server. There’s no new functionality, just a cleanup of earlier problems caused by yours truly. There will be maintenance as required of…
As promised, the beta Uthernet II card has finally arrived for me to test out and share my feedback. Big thanks to Glenn Jones of A2RetroSystems for including me in his beta testing program and allowing me to give the Apple II world a preview of this exciting new technology! My first impression after opening the box and removing the bubble wrap is that this is definitely a little card! If you thought the original Uthernet was small, the Uthernet…
by Rick SutcliffeApril 2014 Wearable computing technologyhas been the “latest” buzz longer than most ideas (indeed longer than some ideas endure from conception to death), generating endless speculation about who will bring out what product in the genre and when. As often the case, the Spy has the inside track. Mind, he does not deal in speculation or rumour. However, he does keep his ear to the ground, his eye on the horizon, his nose to the grindstone, his hand…
Apple has released the first update to iOS 7 since last September to the general public after a long beta test period. This update includes fixes for the TouchID fingerprint system, a fix for the home screen crashing issue, as well as the new feature for automobiles: CarPlay. Apple calls CarPlay “a better way to use iPhone while driving.” The system is only available on select new cars for 2014. iPhone 4 users will enjoy improved responsiveness and performance with…
A.P.P.L.E. has negotiated a discount for A.P.P.L.E. Members who purchase Option8’s Joystick Shield or the Joystick Shield Kit. These connectors allow users to utilize their original Apple II series joysticks with their current Mac or PC. Many emulators will also recognize the Joystick Shield. The discount code is available to A.P.P.L.E. members only through their login ID’s and is good for 10% off on the Joystick Shield and Joystick Shield Kit. This discount does not apply to any other Option…
Apple has announced that Peter Oppenheimer, the Senior VP and CFO, will call it a career in September. His retirement opens up a slow for the VP of Finance to move up. Luca Maestri will replace Peter beginning in June. For more on this story, see the announcement at apple.com — http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/03/04Apples-Peter-Oppenheimer-to-Retire-at-the-End-of-September.html
Being insanely proprietary can be both a strength and/or a weakness. On the negative side of the leger, HP, Xerox, and IBM, by not being more particular about their in-house inventions and IP, all lost opportunities to dominate the personal computing market. Oh, yes, IBM did for a while, but because the software was controlled by Microsoft, and wasn’t exclusive, clones eventually turned their boxes into commodities, and they exited the market rather than compete on a consumer level–much to…
Potion Factory, Publishers of software Mac based hits such as The Hit List and Tangerine has been acquired by the company which make Sandvox, the web production software for the Mac.
Silvern Castle was reported to have an update bug in it which was preventing users who had version 9.4 from upgrading to 9.5. The bug did not affect other users, however, the author has chosen to release and update of the program. According to his email, ” This release fixes the issue that prevented running the game after updating from v9.4 that was introduced in the original v9.5 release.” The V9.5.1 release is available at the following websites: http://webpages.milwpc.com/finkjc/silverncastle/ http://finkjsc.a2hq.com/silverncastle/
From the Kansasfest Comittee announcement: “KansasFest 2014, the Apple II convention, is scheduled for July 22 -27 in Kansas City, Missouri. Margot Comstock, co-founder and editor of the much-loved Softalk magazine, will join us with a keynote presentation. Comstock and Al Tommervik founded Softalk in 1980 to share the hardware, software, and people behind the Apple II. At its peak, Softalk had 250,000 readers and uniquely offered broad and deep coverage of everything Apple II related, including programming, game playing,…
According to the author of Silvern Castle, Jeff Fink, the latest release of Version 9.5 has a bug in the program which affects the update from Version 9.4 to 9.5. According to an email received by A.P.P.L.E> from Jeff, “It has come to my attention that if you update to v9.5 from v9.4, then it may fail with error #107-1190 when you start the game. The reason is simple. At the following line numbers I entered 9.4 instead of 9.5:…
AppleIIGo version 1.0.9 has been fully implemented. AppleIIGo is the emulator which currently runs the Java based version of the Virtual Apple II pages. Updates to the emulator include: – fixed disk speed-up bug (Sherwood Forest reads with the drive motor off) – added check for 2IMG header ID – fixed processor status bugs in BRK, PLP, RTI, NMI, IRQ The source code for the emulator will be available once we confirm that there are no issues with this release. …
Margot Comstock, co-founder and editor of the much-loved Softalk magazine, will join us with a keynote presentation at KansasFest 2014, which is scheduled for July 22 –27 in Kansas City, Missouri. Comstock and Al Tommervik founded Softalk in 1980 to share the hardware, software, and people behind the Apple II. At its peak, Softalk had 250,000 readers and uniquely offered broad and deep coverage of everything Apple II related, including programming, game playing, business use, and home use. The Apple II magazine ran for four years before…
Bill Buckels, curator of the Aztec C Museum has released a new image comverter for the Apple IIgs. According to the announcment on CSA2, “BMP2SHR is a command line utility to convert BMP files to Apple IIgs SHR Files. Please see the User’s Manual and the Tutorial for information on using BMP2SHR. If you have BMP2SHR Version 1.0 upgrading to Version 2.0 is well worth the effort. If you want to learn more about the SHR (Super Hi-Res) display on…
The Kansasfest committee has release a teaser email containing the 2014 rendition of the Kansasfest Logo. Kansasfest is an Apple II centric enthusiast convention which happens each year in Kansas City, Missouri. The event draws hobbyists from around the globe and is usually inundated with advancements in the hardware and software on the Apple II series platforms. The 2014 Kansasfest will take place July 22nd to 27th. For more information, check the Kansasfest website at: http://www.kansasfest.org
Virtual Apple ][‘s database has been updated this week with the release of Version 1.22. Current efforts include adding the blurbs of all of the games in the system as well as adding a new EBay pricing guide with the High and Low prices for items being sold on Ebay. The current database sports nearly 1500 records and is expanding daily. If you have the iOS version of the ActiveGS app, just click the update button at the top of…
