iTunes 10.1: Music in mono
The original poster checked his connections along with playing the same files in QuickTime, Logic Pro, and via Finder's preview function--all worked fine. After reverting back to iTunes 9.2, the problem was solved.Of course, this does not answer why the files may have been playing as mono in iTunes 10.1. It is possible that a third-party plug-in is the culprit. Users should be sure that all their software is up-to-date at all times, especially when major updates to large programs like iTunes are released. Often, it takes third-party vendors some time to update after major releases. If you find that some of your plug-ins are not compatible with the latest version of iTunes, check with the developer for a new release or delete them. Test your issue again and chances are, you'll be good to go.Do you have any issues with iTunes 10.1? Let us know in the comments.Be sure to follow MacFixIt on Twitter and contribute to the CNET Mac forums.
Monday, March 23, 2015
It's not the iPad 3, but it would be sweet if it was (video)
It's not the iPad 3, but it would be sweet if it was (video)
Gadget geeks everywhere are, of course, beside themselves with anticipation over next week's iPad announcement from Apple. And, of course, the rumors have been flying.But it seems unlikely we'll see too much of a departure from the current model--except when it comes to the high-res display. As CNET's Donald Bell puts it,"the most likely scenario we'll see from Apple is an incrementally improved device that will stun users (and disrupt an industry) with a unique high-resolution display."Related storiesComplete iPad 3 coverageiPad 3 rumor roundupThis isn't iPhone 5, but it might be iPhone 8iPhone 4S (from CNET Reviews)Disrupting an industry is nothing to sneeze at. Still, wouldn't it be cool if we saw something like what Aatma Studio has dreamed up in the video embedded below?As you may recall, the Aatma folks are the same ones who posted an iPhone 5 "concept video" back in August of last year, before that device hit the streets. The iPhone 5--or iPhone 4S actually--also turned out to be an incrementally improved device, which stunned users not so much with an industry-disrupting display, but with a sassy voice assistant named Siri. The Aatma video, though, conjured many dreams of future iPhones--and the studio's current concept vid of the iPad 3 similarly activates the imagination (and the salivary glands). Check it out.
Gadget geeks everywhere are, of course, beside themselves with anticipation over next week's iPad announcement from Apple. And, of course, the rumors have been flying.But it seems unlikely we'll see too much of a departure from the current model--except when it comes to the high-res display. As CNET's Donald Bell puts it,"the most likely scenario we'll see from Apple is an incrementally improved device that will stun users (and disrupt an industry) with a unique high-resolution display."Related storiesComplete iPad 3 coverageiPad 3 rumor roundupThis isn't iPhone 5, but it might be iPhone 8iPhone 4S (from CNET Reviews)Disrupting an industry is nothing to sneeze at. Still, wouldn't it be cool if we saw something like what Aatma Studio has dreamed up in the video embedded below?As you may recall, the Aatma folks are the same ones who posted an iPhone 5 "concept video" back in August of last year, before that device hit the streets. The iPhone 5--or iPhone 4S actually--also turned out to be an incrementally improved device, which stunned users not so much with an industry-disrupting display, but with a sassy voice assistant named Siri. The Aatma video, though, conjured many dreams of future iPhones--and the studio's current concept vid of the iPad 3 similarly activates the imagination (and the salivary glands). Check it out.
ITC examining HTC's patent claim against Apple
ITC examining HTC's patent claim against Apple
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday said it plans to investigate HTC's claim that Apple's iPhone infringes on its handset technology.The trade panel will look into whether HTC's claim will justify its request that the ITC ban the import and sale of iPhones, iPads, and iPods.HTC complained to the panel in May that Apple infringed on five of its patents related to its handset hardware and software.HTC's suit is a counterclaim to Apple's lawsuit, which first alleged patent infringement by HTC. When Apple filed the suit in March, CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it...We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."In its suit, Apple claims that HTC phones violate 20 patents it owns related to the iPhone's graphical user interface, hardware, and underlying software. And although HTC is named in the suit, the legal maneuver was widely seen as an indirect way of putting pressure on Google, whose Android software powers many HTC smartphones.
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday said it plans to investigate HTC's claim that Apple's iPhone infringes on its handset technology.The trade panel will look into whether HTC's claim will justify its request that the ITC ban the import and sale of iPhones, iPads, and iPods.HTC complained to the panel in May that Apple infringed on five of its patents related to its handset hardware and software.HTC's suit is a counterclaim to Apple's lawsuit, which first alleged patent infringement by HTC. When Apple filed the suit in March, CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it...We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."In its suit, Apple claims that HTC phones violate 20 patents it owns related to the iPhone's graphical user interface, hardware, and underlying software. And although HTC is named in the suit, the legal maneuver was widely seen as an indirect way of putting pressure on Google, whose Android software powers many HTC smartphones.
iSuppli- iPad leads in U.S. brand satisfaction
iSuppli: iPad leads in U.S. brand satisfaction
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the highest rating, iPad owners gave an average rating of 8.8 for the iPad--the highest rating of the 11 brands, when asked how likely they were to recommend their tablet to friends or family members, iSuppli said. And more than 80 percent of iPad owners rated the tablet at 8 or higher on the recommendation scale. And of those surveyed, 79.2 percent said they owned an Apple-branded product that was either an iPad or iPad 2, iSuppli said.And 61 percent said they would buy the same brand again.One brand--clearly not a household name in the U.S.--was a surprise, however.China's Shenzhen Zenithink Technologies came in just below Apple at 8.75, though iSuppli qualified this a bit by saying the overall sample for Zenithink was small.Samsung Electronics, with a large respondent sample, was third, scoring an average of 8.5. Overall, iSuppli believes this survey validates a previously-published forecast."Apple will account for the majority of tablet sales through the year 2012 and...will remain the top-ranked seller of such devices at least through the year 2015," iSuppli said.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the highest rating, iPad owners gave an average rating of 8.8 for the iPad--the highest rating of the 11 brands, when asked how likely they were to recommend their tablet to friends or family members, iSuppli said. And more than 80 percent of iPad owners rated the tablet at 8 or higher on the recommendation scale. And of those surveyed, 79.2 percent said they owned an Apple-branded product that was either an iPad or iPad 2, iSuppli said.And 61 percent said they would buy the same brand again.One brand--clearly not a household name in the U.S.--was a surprise, however.China's Shenzhen Zenithink Technologies came in just below Apple at 8.75, though iSuppli qualified this a bit by saying the overall sample for Zenithink was small.Samsung Electronics, with a large respondent sample, was third, scoring an average of 8.5. Overall, iSuppli believes this survey validates a previously-published forecast."Apple will account for the majority of tablet sales through the year 2012 and...will remain the top-ranked seller of such devices at least through the year 2015," iSuppli said.
Israel lifts ban on iPad imports
Israel lifts ban on iPad imports
Two weeks after it began confiscating Apple iPads being brought into the country, Israel has lifted its ban on the tablet computer."Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of [the] iPad to Israel," Yechiel Shabi, a spokesperson for the Communications Ministry, said in a statement. Israel prohibited the devices from being imported into the country over concerns its wireless signal could disrupt other devices, leading to the seizure of several iPads at the country's airports. The Communications Ministry said iPads would be allowed to be imported beginning Sunday, limited to one per person, and that confiscated devices would be returned.The iPad Wi-Fi-only model went on sale April 3 in the U.S., selling more than300,000 devices on the first day.The strong demand for the device in the U.S. led the company to delay international shipments until the end of May, a month later than previously expected. Apple will begin taking international preorders on May 10.
Two weeks after it began confiscating Apple iPads being brought into the country, Israel has lifted its ban on the tablet computer."Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of [the] iPad to Israel," Yechiel Shabi, a spokesperson for the Communications Ministry, said in a statement. Israel prohibited the devices from being imported into the country over concerns its wireless signal could disrupt other devices, leading to the seizure of several iPads at the country's airports. The Communications Ministry said iPads would be allowed to be imported beginning Sunday, limited to one per person, and that confiscated devices would be returned.The iPad Wi-Fi-only model went on sale April 3 in the U.S., selling more than300,000 devices on the first day.The strong demand for the device in the U.S. led the company to delay international shipments until the end of May, a month later than previously expected. Apple will begin taking international preorders on May 10.
Is the iPad's display a slam dunk-
Is the iPad's display a slam dunk?
Does the new iPad's pixel-packing display make it a must-buy? I haven't seen the 2,048x1,536 display up close (yet), but this CNET hands-on video gives you an idea.Apple's Web page devoted to the display also gives you a pretty good tour of the technology. By offering four times the pixel count of tablets on the market today, Apple is clearly pushing the display technology envelope.From the ongoing discussions I've had with NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim, it seems clear that LG Display and Sharp are struggling with production.Though main supplier Samsung has managed to ramp up enough volume, it hasn't been easy getting there. That's not the only challenge. On the app front,some developers are skeptical, claiming that apps won't match up with the display's high resolution. That said, millions of consumers are already opening their wallets, judging from pre-orders.Related storiesiPad's display is cutting edge--and a challenge for manufacturersAnd consumers obviously went for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in droves due, in no small part, to the Retina Display--the same branding Apple is using for the new iPad's display. So, my question is, do you expect those extra pixels to make a noticeable difference in day-to-day usage? Is it enough to entice you to sideline your iPad 1, iPad 2, or Android tablet? Hands on Apple's new iPad (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 23NextPrev
Does the new iPad's pixel-packing display make it a must-buy? I haven't seen the 2,048x1,536 display up close (yet), but this CNET hands-on video gives you an idea.Apple's Web page devoted to the display also gives you a pretty good tour of the technology. By offering four times the pixel count of tablets on the market today, Apple is clearly pushing the display technology envelope.From the ongoing discussions I've had with NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim, it seems clear that LG Display and Sharp are struggling with production.Though main supplier Samsung has managed to ramp up enough volume, it hasn't been easy getting there. That's not the only challenge. On the app front,some developers are skeptical, claiming that apps won't match up with the display's high resolution. That said, millions of consumers are already opening their wallets, judging from pre-orders.Related storiesiPad's display is cutting edge--and a challenge for manufacturersAnd consumers obviously went for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in droves due, in no small part, to the Retina Display--the same branding Apple is using for the new iPad's display. So, my question is, do you expect those extra pixels to make a noticeable difference in day-to-day usage? Is it enough to entice you to sideline your iPad 1, iPad 2, or Android tablet? Hands on Apple's new iPad (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 23NextPrev
Smash Cops for iOS- A law-enforcement demolition derby
Smash Cops for iOS: A law-enforcement demolition derby
At first blush, Smash Cops ($2.99) resembles other top-down racing games, including Reckless Racing and Reckless Getaway. (The latter is pretty much the polar opposite of this game.) But here the view comes from an overhead TV-news helicopter, ostensibly broadcasting the action as it transpires. It's a neat gimmick, particularly the "breaking news"-style status updates.Another big difference: the controls. Instead of steering your car with an onscreen wheel or left/right arrows or the like, you use a "push" method: you hold your finger behind the squad car to make it go, sliding left or right to steer.There's a more-traditional "joypad" option if you prefer it, but I found the push option ideal for this kind of driving.There's one other control, and that's for ramming your cruiser into the getaway car. This requires nothing more than a tap of the screen--and then a wait while your "ram" meter refills. Thus, you can't just ram the bad guys into oblivion; you have to keep up the chase until you've earned another stab at them.Smash Cops looks gorgeous, especially when viewed large on an iPad (or mirrored to your TV, which you can do on an iPhone 4S or iPad 2). And when you manage a solid ram, the enemy car goes flying in a satisfying slow-motion roll.There are other challenges besides running down criminals. You'll also face obstacle courses, evidence-gathering runs, timed races to crime scenes, and so on. It's a nice mix.This is a great little game, and a perfect companion to Reckless Getaway. When you're in the mood to play cops-and-robbers, you can pick which one you want to be.
At first blush, Smash Cops ($2.99) resembles other top-down racing games, including Reckless Racing and Reckless Getaway. (The latter is pretty much the polar opposite of this game.) But here the view comes from an overhead TV-news helicopter, ostensibly broadcasting the action as it transpires. It's a neat gimmick, particularly the "breaking news"-style status updates.Another big difference: the controls. Instead of steering your car with an onscreen wheel or left/right arrows or the like, you use a "push" method: you hold your finger behind the squad car to make it go, sliding left or right to steer.There's a more-traditional "joypad" option if you prefer it, but I found the push option ideal for this kind of driving.There's one other control, and that's for ramming your cruiser into the getaway car. This requires nothing more than a tap of the screen--and then a wait while your "ram" meter refills. Thus, you can't just ram the bad guys into oblivion; you have to keep up the chase until you've earned another stab at them.Smash Cops looks gorgeous, especially when viewed large on an iPad (or mirrored to your TV, which you can do on an iPhone 4S or iPad 2). And when you manage a solid ram, the enemy car goes flying in a satisfying slow-motion roll.There are other challenges besides running down criminals. You'll also face obstacle courses, evidence-gathering runs, timed races to crime scenes, and so on. It's a nice mix.This is a great little game, and a perfect companion to Reckless Getaway. When you're in the mood to play cops-and-robbers, you can pick which one you want to be.
Retail sites see 27 percent traffic jump on Christmas Day
Retail sites see 27 percent traffic jump on Christmas Day
Following suit with other major holiday shopping days, Christmas Day also saw a jump in online traffic this year. According to marketing firm Experian, the top 500 U.S. retail sites had 27 percent more online traffic on this year's Christmas Day compared with last year. A total of 115.5 million people in the U.S. visited sites like Target, BestBuy, Sears, and Apple's online store.Looking at the past seven-week period, online retail traffic went up 10 percent over 2011, and each major shopping holiday had traffic increases this year, according to Experian. Thanksgiving had a 6 percent increase, while Black Friday had a 7 percent jump, and Cyber Monday went up 11 percent. Of the sites that saw the most traffic on Christmas Day, Amazon won out, with nearly 25 million visitors. It was followed by Walmart with more than 7 million visitors and Target with more than 3.5 million visitors. Amazon has also been the most visited site throughout the entire holiday season.According to Experian, many of these shoppers were searching for tech gifts -- tablets topped the charts as the No. 1 most searched-for product. The marketer tracked traffic from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day and saw that visits to Apple's iTunes store increased by 193 percent, while the store on Apple's Web site saw a 155 percent increase. The top product search terms people queried were iPod Nano, iPad Mini, and iPad 4. For Amazon, the top product search terms were Amazon Kindle, Kindle Fire, and Kindle.
Following suit with other major holiday shopping days, Christmas Day also saw a jump in online traffic this year. According to marketing firm Experian, the top 500 U.S. retail sites had 27 percent more online traffic on this year's Christmas Day compared with last year. A total of 115.5 million people in the U.S. visited sites like Target, BestBuy, Sears, and Apple's online store.Looking at the past seven-week period, online retail traffic went up 10 percent over 2011, and each major shopping holiday had traffic increases this year, according to Experian. Thanksgiving had a 6 percent increase, while Black Friday had a 7 percent jump, and Cyber Monday went up 11 percent. Of the sites that saw the most traffic on Christmas Day, Amazon won out, with nearly 25 million visitors. It was followed by Walmart with more than 7 million visitors and Target with more than 3.5 million visitors. Amazon has also been the most visited site throughout the entire holiday season.According to Experian, many of these shoppers were searching for tech gifts -- tablets topped the charts as the No. 1 most searched-for product. The marketer tracked traffic from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day and saw that visits to Apple's iTunes store increased by 193 percent, while the store on Apple's Web site saw a 155 percent increase. The top product search terms people queried were iPod Nano, iPad Mini, and iPad 4. For Amazon, the top product search terms were Amazon Kindle, Kindle Fire, and Kindle.
Open sourcing the music experience with Songbird
Open sourcing the music experience with Songbird
I've kept an eye on Songbird for a year or so now.The project defines itself as "a complete desktop media player or 'jukebox' with a uniquely open approach to Internet digital media network services."I like to think of it as the music experience...open sourced.InformationWeek's review of Songbird is dead on: enormous potential but still quite a few rough edges:The idea seems to be to create something that has the same extensible, developer-friendly framework as Firefox, so that people can write plugins to add all different kinds of functionality to the core program....A big part of what Songbird is about is something that, say, the Zune seemed to be aiming for but fell far short of (and created in a totally closed-ended fashion): a way to make digital music into a social phenomenon. Songbird comes pre-loaded with bookmarks to a number of music aggregation sites, like The Hype Machine, and can speak to any number of Web page music APIs. This makes it possible to build a Web page that a Songbird user can navigate to, plug into, and play from. Music is a social thing.iTunes, for all its strengths, isolates music.Sure, you can share your music across a network, but it's a thin form of sharing.Songbird aims to open up its music jukebox to improvisation and innovation.In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who singsSometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.(Led Zeppelin)Not in the case of Songbird.Will it turn out to be a winner?I'm not sure.That depends entirely on you...which is why it's such an interesting project.
I've kept an eye on Songbird for a year or so now.The project defines itself as "a complete desktop media player or 'jukebox' with a uniquely open approach to Internet digital media network services."I like to think of it as the music experience...open sourced.InformationWeek's review of Songbird is dead on: enormous potential but still quite a few rough edges:The idea seems to be to create something that has the same extensible, developer-friendly framework as Firefox, so that people can write plugins to add all different kinds of functionality to the core program....A big part of what Songbird is about is something that, say, the Zune seemed to be aiming for but fell far short of (and created in a totally closed-ended fashion): a way to make digital music into a social phenomenon. Songbird comes pre-loaded with bookmarks to a number of music aggregation sites, like The Hype Machine, and can speak to any number of Web page music APIs. This makes it possible to build a Web page that a Songbird user can navigate to, plug into, and play from. Music is a social thing.iTunes, for all its strengths, isolates music.Sure, you can share your music across a network, but it's a thin form of sharing.Songbird aims to open up its music jukebox to improvisation and innovation.In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who singsSometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.(Led Zeppelin)Not in the case of Songbird.Will it turn out to be a winner?I'm not sure.That depends entirely on you...which is why it's such an interesting project.
iPhone music app offers new way to annoy bandmates
iPhone music app offers new way to annoy bandmates
But exciting as it might have been for iPhone holdouts like me, today's keynotes at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference didn't have much music-related news. Steve Jobs did promise that the audio on the new iPhones would sound better than the current version, and Apple is finally getting rid of the weird recessed earphone jack that caused a lot of angst because it was hard to use with older peripherals. But that was about it--no big iTunes updates, for example.One demonstration did catch my ear: Moo-Cow Music's Band, which was originally developed by a single programmer, Mark Terry, as a sort of fun hack. It is now being rewritten for the iPhone development platform and offered with Apple's blessing through the iTunes App Store. It allows you to tap out and program simple drum beats, add bass, piano, guitar, and vinyl-scratching noises, then mix them all together in a simple song.I immediately thought of all those band rehearsals in which nondrummers attempt to describe a beat they have in mind to the drummer, and end up spitting and clicking like the sound effects guy in the Police Academy movies. Now they can whip out their iPhones and play exactly what they have in mind. Drummers love that!
But exciting as it might have been for iPhone holdouts like me, today's keynotes at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference didn't have much music-related news. Steve Jobs did promise that the audio on the new iPhones would sound better than the current version, and Apple is finally getting rid of the weird recessed earphone jack that caused a lot of angst because it was hard to use with older peripherals. But that was about it--no big iTunes updates, for example.One demonstration did catch my ear: Moo-Cow Music's Band, which was originally developed by a single programmer, Mark Terry, as a sort of fun hack. It is now being rewritten for the iPhone development platform and offered with Apple's blessing through the iTunes App Store. It allows you to tap out and program simple drum beats, add bass, piano, guitar, and vinyl-scratching noises, then mix them all together in a simple song.I immediately thought of all those band rehearsals in which nondrummers attempt to describe a beat they have in mind to the drummer, and end up spitting and clicking like the sound effects guy in the Police Academy movies. Now they can whip out their iPhones and play exactly what they have in mind. Drummers love that!
HP iPhone app opens door to thousands of ePrint Mobile Print Locations
HP iPhone app opens door to thousands of ePrint Mobile Print Locations
Today HP announced an iPhone ePrint Service application that supports the company's effort to send jobs wirelessly to the latest HP networked printers using Apple iOS 4.2-supported devices and HP ePrint Enterprise server software.Drivers are traditionally a printer's worst enemy, so HP hopes that ePrint and the accompanying iPhone app will encourage users to materialize their presentations, e-mails, appointments, notes, and more from their mobile devices using ePrint. As with the online version of HP's ePrintCenter, all documents sent from the iPhone will go through an initial screening process by HP ePrint Enterprise Administrative Server software to keep data safely stored within the Internet network.Additionally, if you download the HP ePrint Service app, you'll gain access to a directory of publicly available print locations including FedEx Offices, retail stores, hotels, and airport lounges. You can use the iPhone's GPS to source these printing locations and make rush printing more convenient.The HP ePrint Service App for iPhone is available now as a free download in iTunes.
Today HP announced an iPhone ePrint Service application that supports the company's effort to send jobs wirelessly to the latest HP networked printers using Apple iOS 4.2-supported devices and HP ePrint Enterprise server software.Drivers are traditionally a printer's worst enemy, so HP hopes that ePrint and the accompanying iPhone app will encourage users to materialize their presentations, e-mails, appointments, notes, and more from their mobile devices using ePrint. As with the online version of HP's ePrintCenter, all documents sent from the iPhone will go through an initial screening process by HP ePrint Enterprise Administrative Server software to keep data safely stored within the Internet network.Additionally, if you download the HP ePrint Service app, you'll gain access to a directory of publicly available print locations including FedEx Offices, retail stores, hotels, and airport lounges. You can use the iPhone's GPS to source these printing locations and make rush printing more convenient.The HP ePrint Service App for iPhone is available now as a free download in iTunes.
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