- apple-list - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

INTEREST: Microsoft Dismisses Chief Information Officer
by billing 07 Nov '07

07 Nov '07

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/business/07soft.html? _r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin Microsoft Dismisses Chief Information Officer By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: November 7, 2007 REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 6 (AP) — Microsoft said Tuesday that it had fired its chief information officer, Stuart L. Scott, for violations of company policies, but a spokesman declined to give the exact reason for the dismissal. “Stuart Scott’s employment with Microsoft was terminated after an investigation for violation of company policies,” a Microsoft spokesman, Lou Gellos, said, reading from a company statement. Mr. Gellos said Mr. Scott was dismissed Friday. He would not elaborate. According to Microsoft’s Web site, Mr. Scott was responsible for the information technology infrastructure at the company, the world’s largest software maker. He reported to B. Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer, who in turn reports directly to the chief executive, Steven A. Ballmer. Mr. Scott joined Microsoft in 2005 after 17 years at General Electric, according to Microsoft. Mr. Gellos said that Alain Crozier, a corporate vice president who also reports to Mr. Turner, and Shahla Aly, a general manager in the services group, would take over Mr. Scott’s duties until a successor is found.

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FYI: OSX trojan horse reported; requires user authorization to install
by billing 01 Nov '07

01 Nov '07

Many sources are reporting that a "trojan horse" has been released targeted at OS X. A computer "trojan horse" is a program that attempts to get the user to install it onto the user's machine much as the wooden horse was a "present" to the residents of Troy acting as an incentive to induce the inhabitants of the city to open the city doors themselves and pull in the horse containing enemy soldiers. This "social engineering" (as it has been termed) is a technique that attempts to exploit the average computer user's lack of computer knowledge to help the break-in take place. Arstechnica describes it this way: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071101-rsplug-a-mac-os-x- trojan-a-new-threat-but-the-sky-is-not-falling.html "Apparently, Mac forums have been massively spammed to drive lusty Mac users to porn sites that say that they require a Quicktime codec to be viewed. In the spirit of Halloween, the OSX.RSPlug.A trojan dresses up like said Quicktime codec, requiring an administrator password to install. "Savvy users should notice that something is wrong, as most sites targeted by phishers use SSL, which ties a cryptographic certificate to a DNS name. Just redirecting the DNS name isn't enough to phish successfully; some additional browser tricks are required to show the actual URL of the target site with the little lock in the browser. "The appearance of this trojan may mean that Apple has crossed some sort of threshold for malware writers. One important thing to keep in mind is that this trojan does not exploit any Mac OS X weakness, relying instead on social engineering to deliver the payload. The user is asked for the administrator password, the disk image is mounted, and the malware installed. Such attacks mean that Mac users will no longer be able to blindly enter their passwords and trust in the benevolent intentions of the package creators, as many are accustomed to doing." If the administrative password is not given, the trojan horse cannot install itself and all should be well. So one way to protect your computer is to avoid entering an administrative user ID and password unless you are expecting to do so, say, at login time. If a dialog pops up unexpectedly asking for an admin ID and password, just cancel the dialog. Wayne

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INTEREST: Intel’s Paul Otellini Loves His Mac, iPhone
by billing 30 Oct '07

30 Oct '07

...from: http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/10/24/intels-paul-otellini- loves-his-mac/ October 24, 2007 Intel’s Paul Otellini Loves His Mac How times have changed. In 1998, while I was still working for TIME magazine, Andy Grove stopped by to chat with the editors about the wrenching changes the Internet was going to force on the computer industry. Future PCs, he said, wouldn’t be general purpose computers to which networking has been added as an afterthought, but networking machines that also do computing. “The iMac embodies a lot of the things I’m talking about,” Grove said. “Sometimes what Apple does has an electrifying effect on the rest of us.” I went back to my desk and banged out a one-graph story for Time.com. “Intel chairman Andy Grove,” I wrote, “has seen the future of computing and it is … a Macintosh.” The next day I got a call from Intel PR. Grove wasn’t particularly happy about the piece, but he was positively livid about the headline that ran above it — ANDY GROVE LOVES HIS MAC — because it implied that the chairman of Intel (INTC) actually owned an Apple (AAPL) computer. We printed a version of the story in the magazine the next week with a different headline, and Intel was mollified — although the next time I saw Grove he smiled and said if I ever did that again he would sue. I’m reminded of all this by a Q&A I read yesterday with the current CEO of Intel, Paul Otellini. He’s not ashamed to admit that he uses Apple products. In fact, he says, “My wife and I both have iPhones. My wife came in with a jacket for her phone. She was all excited. It’s a flimsy little thing. It cost $39. It probably cost 6¢ to make.” He adds that he uses a ThinkPad for work and a MacBook Pro for his personal life, including his personal photos and music." (http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2007/ db20071023_407351_page_2.htm) Only nine years have passed, but how times have changed.

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Mac OS X (10.5) Leopard
by Doug Hamilton 16 Oct '07

16 Oct '07

Hello, Sorry if I offend anyone by providing pricing via the C-REPs and Apple list-serves; this is done to inform and not as a sales pitch. This is a notice to all those holding an Apple Maintenance Program (AMP) licence for Mac OS X Server. You should be receiving a single Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Server DVD-Media set on or after the official ship date of October 26. It will be sent directly from Apple Inc. to the address you provided the BookStore, which appears on your licence agreement. If you require additional media sets, you may order them via the BookStore for $19.00/ea (plus taxes); please provide your AMP licence number when doing so. Documentation sets are also available for Mac OS X Server for $26.00/ ea (plus taxes); you will get one under your AMP Server licence. For those of you who chose to participate in the limited campus AMP for Mac OS X client, please communicate via your LAN Coordinator, or in the absence of such a person contact me directly, regarding the number of DVD-Media sets you will require for your office. Mac OS X client DVD media sets will cost $19.00/ea (plus taxes). For those of you who do not have a AMP for Mac OS X Client or Server, you may order boxed product from the BookStore for $85.00/ea (plus taxes). We would like to remind those people who are intending to upgrade of the following concerns. 1. Please compare you system specifications with the system requirements at Apple's website prior to purchases and/or installing (http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/). 2. Make a complete backup of your system(s) prior to upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5. If you do not know how to create a back-up please contact our service department (474-7010), and for a service fee they can create a back-up of your system. 3. Should you be upgrading your primary computer, it is only prudent that you wait a week or two before installing the new operating system. This should provide sufficient time for the manufacturers of the software you use on a daily basis the opportunity to publish "know incompatibility" issue(s) with their respective products and the new Mac OS; should there be any. For those of you looking to purchase a new Apple Macintosh computer, the "Mac OS X Up-To-Date" program has be initiated and states the following, "A Macintosh computer qualifies for this program if it was sold by an Apple Authorized Reseller or Apple Inc. between October 1, 2007, and December 29, 2007, and does not include Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard." Details of the upgrade program can be found here (http:// www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/). If you have any questions or concerns regarding this transition, please contact me. Regards, Doug ------------- Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP Senior Computer Consultant Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba 204-474-6196 (Ph.) 204-474-7556 (Fax) http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/

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FYI: cell phone and iPod recycling
by billing 15 Oct '07

15 Oct '07

While Apple(US) has a full recycling program in place (if you purchase a new Apple product the US branch of Apple Inc. will recycle *any* computer and monitor you choose to bring in) Apple(Canada) is not quite there yet. However, the web page at: http://www.apple.com/ca/environment/recycling/ipodrecycling/ ...describes the current Apple(Canada) recycling plan: Apple’s recycling program offers free and environmentally friendly disposal of your iPod and cell phone with no purchase necessary. Free iPod and cell phone recycling Apple’s commitment to responsible environmental citizenship includes ensuring that an iPod is properly disposed of at the end of its useful life. The recycling program covers your iPod or any cell phone — regardless of the manufacturer or model. Apple’s recycling program makes it easy for you to help protect the environment. When the time comes for you to recycle, Apple makes it quick and free. Visit the iPod and cell phone recycle page and select the quantity that you want to recycle. 1 Fill in the form with your name and address to receive a prepaid mailing label. Print the mailing label and attach it to your packaging — or request a free mailer to ship your items. 2 Securely package your items and take them to your local post office. To find the location nearest you, please visit the USPS website at www.usps.com.

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FYI: iWork and iLife updates
by billing 01 Oct '07

01 Oct '07

...from: http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/09/27/iwork/index.php?lsrc=mwweek Keynote, Pages and Numbers get updated By Jim Dalrymple After releasing updates for its iLife updates on Wednesday, Apple has updated its iWork ‘08 applications. All three of the applications in the suite received an update. Keynote 4.0.1 addresses issues with builds and performance; Pages 3.0.1 addresses issues with change tracking and performance; and Numbers 1.0.1 addresses issues with tables and performance, according to notes provided with the updates. The iWork ‘08 updates are available from Apple’s Web site or from the software update panel in Mac OS X. ...from: Apple updates iLife applications By Jim Dalrymple Apple on Wednesday released updates for iDVD, iMovie, GarageBand and iPhoto. A separate update was released to support components shared by all of the iLife applications. GarageBand 4.1 addresses an isolated graphic display, as well as compatibility with third-party audio software, according to Apple. The update also fixes minor problems with Magic GarageBand. iPhoto 7.1 addresses issues encountered when moving photos between Events. Apple has also added new greeting card themes, including holiday card designs. A few other minor issues were also fixed. The iMovie update fixes a bug with video and audio editing capabilities and performance associated with opening and switching iMovie Events and Projects. iMovie 7.1 also fixes several bugs and overall stability. iDVD 7.0.1 improves overall stability, supports general compatibility issues, and addresses a number of other minor issues, according to Apple. Finally, iLife Support 8.1 — which supports system software components shared by all iLife ’08 applications — improves overall stability, addresses a number of other minor issues and supports general compatibility issues. It is recommended for all users of iLife ‘08, the company said. All of the updates can be downloaded from the software update panel in Mac OS X

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FYI: Canadian students Microsoft Office 2007 promotion
by billing 20 Sep '07

20 Sep '07

...from: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/ sep07/09-12ultimatesteal.mspx Students can get an Office 2007 Ultimate license from MS Canada for $64 for a perpetual one, or $22 for a year’s subscription. Here are the details, it seems like a... well, steal. Microsoft – The Ultimate Steal Promotion Go back to www.theultimatesteal.ca This promotion is subject to the following terms and conditions and all participants acknowledge and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. Program Description: All eligible university and College students are entitled to make a purchase from the promotion site as described further below. Promotion Duration: This offer commences at 12:00PM Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time on September 12, 2007 and all purchases must be made via the Promotion web site by 11:59PM Eastern Standard Daylight Time on April 30, 2008 at which time the offer ends. Promotion Eligibility: This offer is good only to eligible students who possess a valid email address at an educational institution geographically located in the Canada. This offer is non-transferable. Limit one purchase per eligible student. The following conditions serve to define eligibility for the program: 1. Individual must possess a valid e-mail address at an educational institution which is supported by the program through a recognized email domain. 2. Individual must be a student enrolled at one of the qualified universities listed here and must be actively enrolled in at least 0.5 course(s). Microsoft or an appointed vendor may contact you to verify that you are a current student. If documentation is not provided indicating that you are a current student, you will be liable to reimburse Microsoft for the full retail cost of the software (CA $899). Program Description: Eligible students may have free access to Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007 Trial for a limited amount of time. Each trial provides (1) 25 application launches (each launch of an individual Office Ultimate application is counted as one launch) before the software goes into reduced functionality mode (at which time your software behaves similarly to a viewer, you cannot save modifications to documents or create any new documents, and additional functionality might be reduced); and (2) the opportunity to purchase the following license durations for the Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007 software: 1. Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007 (CAD $64.00): Perpetual license, which includes the following applications: o Access™ 2007 o Excel® 2007 o InfoPath® 2007 o Groove 2007 o OneNote® 2007 o Outlook® 2007 with Business Contact Manager*(see Obtaining Software below o PowerPoint® 2007 o Publisher 2007 o Word 2007 2. Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007 Subscription-1 year (CAD $22.00) 12 month license from date of activation, which includes the following applications: o Access™ 2007 o Excel® 2007 o InfoPath® 2007 o Groove 2007 o OneNote® 2007 o Outlook® 2007 with Business Contact Manager*(see Obtaining Software below o PowerPoint® 2007 o Publisher 2007 o Word 2007 Trial Conversion: Eligible students can convert their Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 Trial to the perpetual license by returning to Promotion website prior to the Promotion deadline and purchasing the relevant product key. Purchase Limitations: Each eligible student is limited to one purchase per valid e-mail address and billing address. Obtaining Software: Eligible students can obtain the Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 software by downloading or ordering a disk from the official Promotion web site. The cost of ordering a disk is $13 CDN. *Business Contact Manager requires a separate download. If ordering a disk Business Contact Manager is included on a separate disk. Obtaining Product Keys: Product keys will be provided on the purchase confirmation page and sent to the student’s eligible educational institution email address entered into the Promotion web site during the purchase process. Promoter: The promoter of this program is Microsoft Canada Co., 1950 Meadowvale Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario L5N BL9. Microsoft reserves the right to terminate this promotion at anytime. Go back to www.theultimatesteal.ca

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INTEREST: Apple Sells 1 Millionth iPhone - 74 days (iPod took 2 years)
by billing 11 Sep '07

11 Sep '07

...from: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jeQB_4vxoBp-evv_7ghNwrkYpDWQ Apple Sells 1 Millionth iPhone By MAY WONG – 33 minutes ago SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Apple Inc. sold its millionth iPhone over the weekend, days after it slashed the price by a third to spur sales. The milestone was reached weeks earlier than expected and sent shares of Apple up $4.94, or 3.8 percent, to $136.71. The stock regained some of the ground it lost after the price cut spooked investors as a sign of weak demand and slimmer margins. It took just 74 days for the combination cell phone-iPod to hit the 1 million mark, which Apple had said it would achieve by the end of September. By comparison, it took two years for the company to sell 1 million iPods, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted in a statement.

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FOLLOWUP: roaming? charging! (was: if you travel, don't roam)
by billing 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/technology/10iphone.html?th&emc=th [...] Other iPhone users have felt the sting of high roaming charges with their iPhone, too. Some, like Mr. Dingman, are unaware that they need to disable the e-mail feature; others are billed erroneously; still others misunderstand the explanation of charges they are given by AT&T customer service representatives. The iPhone is no different from any other phone, said Todd Smith, an AT&T spokesman, with the exception of the BlackBerry, whose users can opt for a flat monthly rate when traveling. Any AT&T customer planning to travel outside the United States should contact AT&T to inquire about roaming plans, he said. Dave Stolte did that before taking his iPhone with him on a two-week trip to Ireland and England in July. He signed up for a roaming plan, but he said the customer service representative’s explanation of the charges was unclear. His bill was $3,000. [...] In July, Aaron Oxley took his iPhone with him to London, Dubai and Bangkok. Mr. Oxley said in an e-mail message that he was aware that there would be international roaming data charges, so he always made sure he was in an area with free Wi-Fi when he used his iPhone to access the Internet. But when Mr. Oxley’s AT&T bill arrived, the data charges [erroneously] totaled $300. When Mr. Oxley called AT&T, he was told that even though he was using Wi-Fi, there was still a data transfer charge. According to Mr. Smith, the AT&T [spokesman], iPhone owners are not charged for Wi-Fi connections. Mr. Oxley eventually received a full refund for the $300 roaming data charge. Mr. Dingman said it didn’t occur to him to disable the e-mail feature. AT&T eventually reversed the charges, but only after Mr. Dingman signed up for a $24.99-a-month global data plan. AT&T is not automatically crediting customers for such charges. Mr. Smith said that each complaint is being evaluated case by case.

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FYI: if you travel, don't roam - on your "smart" phone, that is
by billing 10 Sep '07

10 Sep '07

This story has as its culprit an iPhone but the advice of "turn off roaming when you travel" is probably sound for any "smart phone" on a cell phone plan that supports roaming (and roaming charges). By the way, unlike Mr. Herbert Kliegerman, if you have a question regarding your cell phone billing, you should probably sue the cell plan provider and not Apple since Apple is responsible for only the iPhone hardware. ::-) Wayne ...from: http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzappl0908,0,2929341.story Hewlett Harbor man racks up $4,800 iPhone bill Jay Levy and his family took their iPhones on a Mediterranean cruise. Now the Hewlett Harbor entrepreneur feels as if he got taken for a ride, receiving a 54-page monthly bill of nearly $4,800 from AT&T Wireless. While Levy, his wife and his daughter were enjoying the trip, and even while they were sleeping, their three iPhones were racking up a bill for data charges. The iPhone regularly updates e-mail, even while it's off, so that all the messages will be available when the user turns it on. "They have periodic updates on their data files, and they translate into megabucks," Levy said. "This is akin to your bank having automatic access to your ATM machine and is siphoning money out during all times of the day and night without your knowledge." Levy and his daughter each have three e-mail accounts on their iPhones, and they were each billed more than $1,900. His wife's phone had one e-mail account, and her bill hit $890. One connection alone ran $223. Levy said he has complained all the way to office of AT&T's president. Data transfers are not a problem domestically, where the AT&T Wireless plan includes unlimited data transfers for the iPhone. But the iPhone's international plan in 29 countries, mostly in Europe, costs $24.99 for 20 megabytes. In countries outside the plan, charges can run from $5 to $20 per megabyte, said Ben Wilson, editor of iPhone Atlas, a Web site owned by the online news company CNet. "It was a big surprise," Wilson said. "Consumers didn't expect that the charges were going to be so high and that the phone was going to be doing all this data transfer in the background that they weren't aware of." Herbert Kliegerman, 68, a real-estate agent from the Bronx, said he incurred $2,000 while visiting Mexico. He filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status in New York State Supreme Court last week, alleging that Apple did not properly disclose the international roaming charges. AT&T Wireless offered to refund $1,500 to Kliegerman, but he said that's not good enough. "I want a full refund," he said. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said the company adequately discloses the potential charges on the Web site and when the phone is activated. The 6,707-word terms and conditions document on the AT&T Web site says: "Substantial charges may be incurred if phone is taken out of the U.S. even if no services are intentionally used." Kliegerman said said most people don't read the lengthy terms and conditions. Furthermore, the rate plans listed on the site indicate "unlimited data (Email/Web)," without an asterisk. He said that's misleading. Kliegerman's lawyer, Randall S. Newman of Manhattan, said about 15 people from around the country have called him complaining of international roaming charges and the inability to unlock the phone to use it with another carrier. Apple hasn't yet released the iPhone abroad. Levy said he didn't expect data transfer charges internationally because he believed the data network in Europe wasn't compatible with the iPhone. The Levys brought their phones with them for voice calls. Other smartphones also automatically update e-mail and other data such as weather and stock prices, but those phones offer a wider variety of international pricing plans in more countries than is available on the iPhone, AT&T Wireless spokeswoman Ellen Webner said.

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