Retrospect's long and twisted road

1984 was the beginning for both the Mac and Dantz Development, the vendor responsible for the backup program Retrospect. The Mac is obviously still with us, but it might surprise many Mac vets to know that Retrospect is, too. A new version of the software was recently released by a new company, Retrospect, Inc., that was started specifically to develop and market that software. The story of Apple’s ups and downs over the past couple of decades are well known, but Retrospect’s long and twisted tale is not.

Facebook warns employers not to ask job applicants for log-in credentials

Facebook on Friday warned employers about trying to gain inappropriate access to Facebook accounts to check out private information about potential employees, citing possible legal liability.

In recent months, Facebook has seen a “distressing increase” of reports about employers trying to access user accounts in the U.S., Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, said in a post. “The most alarming of these practices is the reported incidences of employers asking prospective or actual employees to reveal their passwords.”

Get digital copies of your Mac manuals

I rarely need to check my Mac’s manual—I can usually find what info I need by searching the Web. But when I want to find out something directly from Apple and I can’t find what I’m looking for on Apple’s website, I’ll check my Mac’s manual.

Adobe launches Photoshop CS6 as a free public beta

For the first time in seven years, Adobe has released a beta version of its flagship image editor in advance of a formal product release. Photoshop CS6 beta is now available as a free download from Adobe Labs in English and Japanese. The commercial release will follow fairly soon—sometime within the first half of this year.

Mac Pro users clamor for hardware upgrade

Ardent users are clamoring for quick upgrades to Apple’s Mac Pro, while an unstable hardware timetable for the high-end desktop has raised concerns about the company’s commitment to professional users.

The Mac Pro was last upgraded in July 2010, when Apple announced models with up to 12 processing cores based on Intel’s Xeon server chips. Mac Pro users now want the models upgraded to Intel’s recently announced Xeon E5-2600 chips to keep up with the increased horsepower required for tasks like video editing.

Apple’s popularity has surged in the last few years with iconic consumer products like the iPad and iPhone, and shipments of Mac computers are also growing. But Mac Pro desktops, which are largely aimed at creative professionals, are quickly becoming obsolete. Some users have moved over to iMacs with the latest Intel Core processors, which in some cases outperforms Mac Pros.

Review: The third-generation iPad

The iPad has been a remarkable success story. Apple sold 15 million of the original model in the first nine months of the product’s existence, a number that blew away even the most optimistic prognostications. With last year’s introduction of the iPad 2, things kept accelerating. In a little less than two years, Apple has sold roughly 60 million iPads, dominating the market it created.

Safari 5.1.4 update patches slew of security vulnerabilities

Apple updated Safari to version 5.1.4 on Monday, patching 83 vulnerabilities and boosting JavaScript performance on OS X Lion.

The patch count was a record for Safari 5, which Apple released in June 2010, three months before launching OS X Snow Leopard.

Apple to shut down iWork.com

Apple on Friday announced that the iWork.com public beta will close its virtual doors on July 31.

Dropbox's URL shortener abused by spammers

Spammers are abusing a Dropbox feature that lets users share a shortened link, directing people to websites selling questionable pharmaceuticals, according to security vendor Symantec.

Cure for an incomplete iOS update

Reader Jared Murray attempts to work the old “a friend of mine has a problem and…” gambit in regard to a “friend’s” uncooperative iPhone. He writes:

I have an iPhone and I installed the latest version of iOS 5 this morning. I did it, however, without plugging it into a power outlet. I did not realize this was a bad idea, but now my phone won’t turn on unless I plug it into my computer (it has an icon prompting me to do so). The problem is that in a few days I won’t have access to my computer for a week. With all that said, do you know of any way that I could get around that and get my phone to turn on without my computer?

Here’s what likely happened: Your iPhone probably wasn’t fully charged and, during the update, its battery ran out of juice. When it did, you wound up with an incomplete install—one that left your iPhone in this confused state. This is why it’s always a good idea to jack your iOS device into power when performing an OS update.

iPhoto for iOS arrives on the App Store

Apple’s mobile suite of iLife apps is now complete. On Wednesday, the company rolled out iPhoto for iOS, which joins mobile versions of GarageBand and iMovie in the App Store.

Apple unveils iPad, updated iOS apps

Apple on Wednesday unveiled a new iPad, the third edition of its wildly successful multitouch tablet. The new tablet sports a Retina display, a vastly improved camera, the new A5X processor, the high-speed mobile broadband technology LTE, and voice dictation support. Rather than give the iPad a new name like iPad 3 or iPad HD, Apple appears to be calling the new iPad simply “iPad” or the third-generation iPad.

Apple unveils new Apple TV with 1080p support, updated UI

Apple unveiled a new Apple TV model on Wednesday, with support for 1080p video and a new user interface, at a special event in San Francisco.

Intel's new Xeon chips and the future of the Mac Pro

Intel on Tuesday announced the availability of its new Xeon E5processors for servers and workstations. That announcement was accompanied by unveilings by Dell, HP, and IBM of E5-equipped servers.

While the news of new Xeons powering other companies' servers may not spark your interest, keep in mind that Apple's Mac Pro also run on that Intel processor. So does that mean an update to the Mac Pro—which has remained unchanged since August 2010—is in the works?

Adobe issues out-of-band updates for Flash

Adobe issued patches on Monday for two critical vulnerabilities in its Flash player found by employees of Google’s Security Team.

The company issued the fixes outside of its normal patching schedule, which is the second Tuesday of the month in line with Microsoft’s monthly patch release.

Eyes on the next Apple TV

When Apple calls a press event it’s always fun to speculate about what wonders the company intends to unleash. Next week’s March 7 event is no different. The smart (and obvious) money is on the iPad 3. But much as I’m intrigued by the idea of a new iPad with possibly better performance, a higher resolution screen, and improved camera, that’s not the only potential product that piques my interest. In the Department of Other Shoes, I’m also intrigued by the idea of Apple dropping a new Apple TV.

Creative Suite 6 or Creative Cloud: Which one is best for you?

Adobe has its head in the cloud and it wants you to, as well. That's because Adobe sees the cloud as the future—its primary delivery system for software, services, social networking, community, and ultimately, increased value to its customers.

The buzz around Creative Cloud, which began last fall, has gained momentum as its designated launch time approaches—within the first half, and before the summer of 2012, at a date yet to be announced. Meantime, Adobe has also confirmed that a new upgrade of its massive Creative Suite will also be released at the same time.

Thai floods catapult Seagate into hard drive market lead

Monsoonal flooding in Thailand last year helped Seagate Technology recapture the worldwide lead in hard disk drive shipments in the last quarter of 2011, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli.

Seagate passed former market leader Western Digital, which suffered heavy losses in the devastating Thailand floods last year. Seagate claimed 38 percent of HDD market share, compared with Western Digital’s 23 percent, according to the iSuppli report released today.