OS X Leopard news and tips from the Mac experts

Why go Pro when iMac goes faster?

Rob Griffiths — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:07:00 -0800

The new Core i7 iMac is a potent machine -- so potent, in fact, that it outpaces a couple of Mac Pro models in benchmarks. It's also an incredible bargain, offering tremendous power given its price.

Bugs & Fixes: Screensavers in Snow Leopard

Ted Landau — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

After a little wait, many third-party screensavers are now compatible with Snow Leopard. But there are glitches. Ted Landau has details.

Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:42:00 -0800

Using an AppleScript, create a Service (in 10.6) that will let you toggle the visibility of the sidebar in all open Finder windows. This also works in 10.5, but it's not quite as useful there, as the script can't fully hide the sidebar.

Review: 27-inch Core i5 iMac (with Core i7 option)

James Galbraith — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0800

The wait is over: The 27-inch Core i5 (and Core i7) iMacs have arrived. We've tested the new quad core iMacs, and it was worth the wait.

Hack brings 10.6.2 back to Atom processors

Jeff Porten — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:00 -0800

The latest Snow Leopard can now run on Atom processors, as long as you're willing to replace the kernel with an Internet download.

Use Tab key in Snow Leopard keyboard shortcuts

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:34:00 -0800

Learn how to include the Tab key in user-created keyboard shortcuts in Snow Leopard -- something that wasn't possible in previous OS X releases.

Agile Web Solutions releases 1Password 3

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

After two private betas and a public beta, the well-received Mac OS X password manager 1Password 3 has been officially released.

Five unexpected uses for Copy and Paste

Sharon Zardetto — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:10:00 -0800

Did you know you can copy and paste a whole lot more than just text and graphics? When you start in the Finder, you can use the Copy command to lift all sorts of information from a selected Finder item. Here are some of Sharon Zardetto's favorite tricks.

Review: Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server

Jason Snell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:18:00 -0800

The new $999 Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is a fantastic product for workgroups, small businesses, and even schools to use.

Apple fixes problem with LED Cinema Display iSight camera

Jonathan Seff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:55:00 -0800

On Wednesday, Apple released LED Cinema Display iSight Firmware Update 1.0, a fix for an issue with the built-in iSight camera on the LED Cinema Display not being recognized by some applications.

Macworld's complete Mac buying guide

Roman Loyola — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:00 -0800

In this buying guide, we'll cover all the Macintosh models available, tell you how they've changed over the previous model, and how well they did in our benchmark tests.

Open minimized windows in current space in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0800

Learn a simple keyboard shortcut to release minimized windows into the active Space, instead of back into their original Space.

Apple posts Snow Leopard printer driver updates

Philip Michaels — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:12:00 -0800

The drivers -- available from the company's Support Downloads site -- cover printers made by Canon, HP, Brother, and Lexmark.

Runtime Revolution 4.0 offers new Web-authoring option

Tony Craine — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:52:00 -0800

The latest version of this cross-platform software-creation environment allows developers to deploy apps directly to the Web.

Apple beats Psystar: Is it a win for you?

Ian Paul — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:50:00 -0800

Apple won big in its case against clone-maker Psystar. But did consumers? PC World's Ian Paul share his thoughts.

Judge rules in Apple's favor in Psystar case

Philip Michaels — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:20:00 -0800

A U.S. District Court judge granted Apple's request for a summary judgment, ruling that clone-maker Psystar had violated the company's copyright when it sold PCs with Mac OS X pre-installed.

The Macalope Weekly: Business 101

The Macalope — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Windows inspired by the Mac? Microsoft seems conflicted about the answer. And while the App Store continues to get attention, you can't argue that Apple knows how to sell iPhones.

Enable global text replacements in Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:17:00 -0800

In Snow Leopard, text replacement must be enabled on a program by program basis. Use this hint to enable text replacements globally, at least in all programs that support them.

Microsoft denies employee’s comments about copying Apple

Aayush Arya — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:43:00 -0800

When a Microsoft employee said in an interview that Windows 7 took some inspiration from Mac OS X, Microsoft quickly chimed in to let us know that he was incorrect and inaccurate.

Looking at the changes to Snow Leopard's top command

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:26:00 -0800

Learn about some key changes to the Unix 'top' command in Snow Leopard

Report: Chrome for Mac Beta may appear in 'early December'

Dan Moren — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0800

More than a year after Google released its Web browser for Windows, a Mac version is still under development. But a beta version may see the light of day as early as next month.

More Mac bundles for the masses

Nicholas Bonsack — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0800

TheMacSale 2 and TheMacBundles offer their own respective bundles of Mac software for $50, but at what cost to developers?

OS X 10.6.2 update breaks Hackintosh netbooks

Tony Bradley — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:50:00 -0800

The latest update to Snow Leopard removes support for the Atom processor, putting an end to "hackintosh" netbooks -- at least for now.

Directly set screen sharing image quality level

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:49:00 -0800

Learn how to set the quality level of a remote Mac's screen in the Screen Sharing application in 10.5 and 10.6.

Bugs & Fixes: What bugs Mac OS X 10.6.2 tackles

Ted Landau — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:27:00 -0800

The Mac OS X 10.6.2 update fixes several bugs that Ted Landau looked at in previous columns. Here's a rundown of what the updated OS addresses.

Apple releases Security Update 2009-006 for Leopard

Ramu Nagappan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:08:00 -0800

On Monday, Apple released a security update for users of OS X 10.5.8 and OS X Server 10.5.8.

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.6.2

Dan Moren — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:58:00 -0800

Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.2 on Monday, including a number of enhancements, improvements, and bug fixes.

Speedmark 6: Macworld Lab's new benchmark suite

James Galbraith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:01:00 -0800

The Macworld Lab has been hard at work tweaking Speedmark, our overall system performance testing tool, to better accommodate Snow Leopard and to test the Macs on which it runs.

Add more effects to Photo Booth and iChat

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:31:00 -0800

Learn how to add over 20 additional effects to photos taken in Photo Booth and iChat

Upgrade the Mac mini in six minutes

Dan Frakes — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:17:00 -0800

In this week's Macworld Video, Dan Frakes shows how easy it really is to upgrade the hard drive and RAM of Apple's Mac mini, completing the entire process, in a single take, in just under 6 minutes.

Five unexpected uses for the Control key

Sharon Zardetto — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:05:00 -0800

Sure, you’ve nearly worn out your Mac’s Control key using it to open contextual menus. But did you know you can also add Control to common key combinations to access different commands? Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Control key tricks.

Switchers Guide: Moving from Windows to the Mac

Harry McCracken — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

More and more people are switching from Windows PCs to the Mac. Harry McCracken explains what's involved in the move.

Four hints about Mail and Spaces

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:00 -0800

Four hints for the price of one ... learn how to easily switch between open windows of an app across Spaces, how to delete Mail messages without showing a preview of the next, and two tips for working with links in messages in 10.6's Mail app.

Review: 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs (Late 2009)

Roman Loyola — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:29:00 -0800

The Late 2009 iMacs are really about the new displays—and the displays are impressive.

iMac (Late 2009) benchmarks

James Galbraith — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:37:00 -0800

Macworld Lab has the new iMacs and we’ve put them to the test.

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac arrives

Rob Griffiths — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is shipping, including Aero support in Vista and Windows 7, a new Crystal mode for full Windows/Mac OS integration, OpenGL 2.1 acceleration in Windows and Linux, and more.

New DiskTool Pro update includes CPU meter, improved Snow Leopard support

Roman Loyola — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:38:00 -0800

Macware on Tuesday announced an update to DiskTools Pro, the company’s software utility for hard drive management.

Create pause-zoom-pause effects in iMovie stills

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:01:00 -0800

Learn how to show a still image for some time in your iMovie project, then zoom/crop/move that image, and then pause on the final image again before moving on.

Introducing Macworld's Total Snow Leopard Superguide

Jason Snell — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:15:00 -0800

Macworld's new Total Snow Leopard is a one-stop guide for everything you want to know about using OS X.

Psystar begs judge to rule it's legit

Gregg Keizer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:46:00 -0800

Psystar, the Mac clone maker that's been battling Apple for more than a year in federal court has asked a judge to rule that its business is legitimate.

Mac mini (Late 2009) benchmarks

James Galbraith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:58:00 -0700

Macworld Lab has the Mac minis, and we put them through our benchmark tests. Our result show that the new Mac minis are impressively faster than the models they replace.

Delete networked files without caution dialog

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:43:00 -0700

Learn a timesaving (but potentially dangerous) method of deleting files stored on networked volumes without going through the Finder's "are you sure?" warning dialog.

Bugs & Fixes: Snow Leopard's Spelling Ignore button is ignored

Ted Landau — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:43:00 -0700

After upgrading to Snow Leopard, have you noticed that words continue to be flagged as potentially incorrect even after you've clicked the Ignore button in the Spelling Checker? Ted Landau gets to the root of the problem.

See icon previews in folder Quick Look windows

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:41:00 -0700

Learn how to see a rotating set of icon previews for files within folders in Quick Look mode - perhaps not terribly useful, but visually intriguing

Five unexpected uses for the Esc key

Sharon Zardetto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:15:00 -0700

The Esc key has long been the “get me outta here” panacea for many things: canceling a dialog box, getting rid of a button-less splash screen, you name it. (Esc is, after all, short for "escape.") Here’s a handful of less-than-obvious solutions the Esc key provides.

Review: 13-inch MacBook/2.26GHz (Late 2009)

Jonathan Seff — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:14:00 -0700

In bringing the unibody treatment to the white MacBook, Apple has added many pro features while removing FireWire and the infrared port.

Fake Google Chrome OS download makes the rounds

Ramu Nagappan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:12:00 -0700

A site purporting to offer a beta download of Google's forthcoming Chrome OS on Wednesday was revealed to be a hoax.

MacBook (Late 2009) benchmarks

James Galbraith — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:05:00 -0700

Macworld Lab has received the new MacBook and has been hard at work, putting it to the test. And while we don’t have Speedmark 6 finalized just yet, we do have some MacBook benchmark results we’d like to share.

Two more Snow Leopard Expose tips

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:41:00 -0700

Learn how to change the Expose All Windows sort order, and how to control whether or not Expose searches across Spaces in Application Windows mode.

Review: ScreenFlow 2

Rob Griffiths — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

ScreenFlow 2 adds transitions, audio ducking, clip playback speed adjustment, and more to the screen recording and editing suite.