I didn't really take last week's Twitocalypse that seriously, but as you probably know by now, it turned out a little worse than expected -- we'd been told that Twitterrific (and, we assumed, most other Twitter apps) would be fine, and of course, as Craig Hockenberry explains on his blog, things ended up not-so-fine. Desktop app developers, of course, could publish updates as quickly as they could code them; iPhone developers were in a different situation.

When the Iconfactory's app stopped working, most people (including me) got an API error all weekend. Craig found the bug, then he and his team were able to leverage their contacts at Apple Developer Relations to help expedite the release; in short order, an update was pushed out to the App Store. I downloaded it yesterday, and can tell you that things are fixed... at least until the numerical limit on Twitter's tweet identifier raises its head again (or the Newton flips out, but that's another story).

Hockenberry also has ideas about how to keep issues like this from happening again. Not the actual issue of a variable overflow (that will undoubtedly happen again at some point, on Twitter or any other API that scales way faster than anyone expects it to), but the issue of iPhone apps needing a quick fix. He says that Apple should give every developer a number of "incidents" -- situations rarely used, in which a high priority fix can get sent out to apps in major emergencies. He says, and it's true, that for most developers, it's not a question of if you'll need to send out a critical fix, it's a matter of when. And support by Apple, obviously limited to one or two instances per developer, would help developers, distributors, and consumers.

Of course, it's up to Apple, and it's not like they've smoothed out the approval process so well already that they can start adding wrinkles to it. But clearly, given that the Twitterrific update went through quickly, there's room for exceptions to be made.

[via DF]

Update: Our bad... the date on the MacRumors comment was in late April, and this recycled up into our queue due to an editing mixup. Apologies –Ed.

There's a new iTunes beta version out in developers' hands straight from Apple, and a forum poster over at Mac Rumors found a little something fun in the About screen: a reference to Gracenote's ability to identify Blu-ray discs. Gracenote is the service that IDs your CDs when you import them into iTunes, so you don't have to sit there and type all the track names and artist information in. Apparently Apple is mentioning that not only CDs and DVDs, but also Blu-ray discs, will get information from Gracenote in the latest version of iTunes.

This doesn't mean that Apple will adapt Blu-ray as a standard (though it would probably be about time, don't you think?). But it should mean that the future version of iTunes will include Blu-ray support, so if you happen to have a Blu-ray drive hooked up to your Mac, you'll be able to read or play the discs via iTunes.

It could just mean that Apple has upgraded the Gracenote version in their app, however, and that they have no plans to actually use it -- the text in the About screen could just be a boilerplate cut-and-paste from some required Gracenote documentation that happens to include "Blu-ray." We'll have to wait and see just what shows up in 8.2 when it eventually releases to the public.

It doesn't sell them. It doesn't promote them. Apparently, however, T-Mobile will support them. The Consumerist is reporting today that a recent change left iPhone users on the T-Mobile network without voicemail. Worse, when someone tried to call an iPhone on the T-Mobile network, the system sent a blank text message. Unless the iPhone user had an unlimited text account, those little messages were costing money.

Several customers contacted Executive Customer Support and got a phone call that acknowledged the problem, and gave the customers a 1 month service credit.

T-Mobile, through a representative, said "T-Mobile, though they do not offer the iPhone, (but) they are committed to supporting users on their network who have them."

True to their word, within a day or two the problem was fixed.

Wow. Just wow.

Via The Consumerist

Now that you've read up on what to do with that shiny new iMac, MacBook, or MacBook Pro and spent some good time with the instruction manual in one hand and mouse in the other you've probably come to realize that these things aren't exactly perfect. Using a Mac is about as close to heavenly bliss as one can get while using a computer but let's face it, at some point you're going to run into a problem. Luckily for you there's an Apple Genius Bar right around the corner. What's that you say? You live hours away from the nearest Apple store? Fear not faithful reader; Apple is here for you! Read on for my experience setting up a fast, convenient, and personalized appointment with an Apple Expert.

In Apple's ongoing effort to add camera support for RAW formats, it has just released a new update. In update 2.4, Apple added support (for both Aperture 2 and iPhoto '08) for the following Digital Cameras that shoot in RAW format:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Canon PowerShot G10
• Pentax K2000/K-m
• Leaf AFi-II 6
• Leaf AFi-II 7
• Leaf Aptus-II 6
• Leaf Aptus-II 7
• Leica M8.2

In addition, Apple notes that this update "...also addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability." You can download this update via Software Update or by downloading the installer package from Apple's Support Download website.


Thanks for the tip, Miguel!

On Monday, Perian 1.1.3 was released. Perian is a Preference Pane that provides QuickTime with a ton of extra codec support, including: AVI, DivX, and FLV. Version 1.1.3 updates the following aspects of Perian:

• Enabled Indeo 2/3 decodecs
• Added external idx/sub (VobSub) support
• Added support for H.264 and H.263 in FLV containers
• Apple's decoder now handles Baseline/Main Profile H.264
• Fix inconsistent importing for multi-channel audio
• Reduced memory usage for packed streams
• Added sanity checks on all preferences
• Enabled hack to show subtitles in Front Row
• Fixed negative values in SSA \frz tag
• Fixed VSFilter bug-compatibility for \an

You can learn more about Perian, and download the new update, by visiting the Perian.org website.

If you're a regular visitor to the Apple support downloads website, then you might have noticed a change last night. In addition to releasing two updates, Apple also redesigned the site.

If you've used the update website before, then you know what a challenge it was to find any useful information. Before, Apple just showed a list of updates (with the newest ones at the top); now you are able to browse by specific product. By clicking a product link at the top, you can see updates for iPhone, iPod, Desktop Computers, Portable Computers, Mac OS and Software, Peripherals, Servers and Enterprise Software, and Internet (.Mac, MobileMe, Safari, Photo Services).

Two interesting notes on the new design: First, Apple doesn't use the word "Mac" after Desktop and Portable, but instead uses "Computer." Second, Safari is categorized under their "Internet" group alongside MobileMe; they also still have updates for .Mac despite the branding change to MobileMe. You can see the new site, and get your new updates, by clicking here.

MobileMe account holders trying to contact Apple's email outage chat support service have been promptly and brutally cut off if they're not on Apple's list of the "1%" of users affected -- and in one case, even if they are.

Some TUAW readers have been in touch to tell us that when they tried to get chat support for MobileMe email, they were quickly given this automated (or hastily pasted-in) response:

"I'm sorry, according to our records, you were not one of the members affected by the email outage that began on July 18th. MobileMe Mail 24-hour chat support is a temporary measure designed specifically for users whose accounts were affected by that outage. For help, please visit http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww for access to all of our support resources. I apologize for any inconvenience."

But one of our correspondents was doubly displeased, because he insisted he had been one of the 1%. But here was Apple telling him he hadn't -- and not giving him any chance to argue the matter.

It's that "according to our records" bit that seems to be the problem. What if Apple's records are wrong?

Thanks to Bill and Dom for the tip.

id software's CEO Todd Hollenshead met up with Kikizo for an interview recently, and the conversation turned, as often seems to do with id nowadays, to gaming on the Mac. Hollenshead was confronted with what his peers Gabe Newell (of Valve), and id's John Carmack had previously said about Apple, and he agreed that while "the Apple guys would probably frown to hear me" say so, it's true: Apple has stepped up on gaming before, and never "followed through" with their support.

He doesn't paint an extremely dark picture -- he says that Apple did send engineers this time to promise their support for the future, and that developing on Intel architecture makes things much easier than dealing with the "weird PowerPC" setup. And in Apple's defense, we've seen more support for gaming out of them, both on the Mac and on the iPhone and iPod, than ever before.

But so far, it's all talk on Apple's part, and we have yet to see indie games on the App Store and working day 0 releases from id and EA. Hopefully, Apple's following through this time, and those things are right around the corner.

[via IMG]

Apple just released an update for RAW camera support for Mac OS X Leopard, Aperture 2, and iPhoto '08. With this new update, the following list of RAW-format cameras are supported:

• Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/Kiss Digital x2/450D
• Epson R-D1
• Leaf AFi 7
• Leaf AFi 6
• Leaf AFi 5
• Pentax K200D
• Pentax K20D

You can download this update by opening up Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple Support downloads site.


Thanks to everyone who sent this tip in!

If you buy an iPhone and don't have AT&T service, it looks like Apple will be treating your iPhone as an iPod--with no 2 year service guarantee or even, for that matter, a 90-day service plan. Jake Dugard cancelled his iPhone account receiving poor AT&T reception. When his phone stopped working properly shortly after, he was told that Apple would not service his phone. Repairs depend on an active agreement.

It makes sense to me that Apple offers a much longer service time for under-contract iPhones than it does for iPods, but it doesn't make any sense that a no-contract iPhone isn't covered at least under the iPod's one complimentary support incident within the first 90 days of product ownership.

Dugard and/or his friends apparently recorded his service calls but, as an update, has now removed them for the time being from public view. If you followed the earlier link and cannot find them, that is why.

Thanks to iPhoned Home

Update: Quoting the relevant text: "iPhone comes with one year of hardware repair service coverage and up to two years of technical support during the time your wireless agreement remains active with AT&T."

Update 2: Apple 1 Year Limited AT&T warranty here. Have at it. (Thanks to Kai Cherry)

Update 3: An anonymous iPhone Product Special writes in: "During the first 90 days of ownership, iPhone customers experience unlimited support. For all active AT&T account holders, iPhone customers continue to receive unlimited support for the duration of their iPhone's 2 year service agreement. If a customer discontinues their AT&T service before the 90 days of complimentary support, they are still provided with support, and then covered by the 1 year hardware warranty, during which, if they call for support, have a pay-per-incident charge." /p>

When it comes to Phone support, Apple isn't exactly known for its generous terms. iPod owners can call once within the first 90 days of ownership, for example. So isn't it nice to know that Apple offers two years of complimentary technical support for your iPhone? Of course, it comes with restrictions. You have an active AT&T wireless plan subscription to qualify for support--although Apple doesn't specify which wireless plans qualify. To receive support during those two years, just call 1-800-MY-IPHONE. (That's 1-800-694-7466 if the translate-from-letters-to-numbers thing doesn't appeal to you.)

Update: The following graph comes straight from the Apple iPhone Applecare page

Apple has released a Pro Application Support 4.0 update that "improves general user interface reliability for Apple's professional applications." Basically, if you use any of the Final Cut Suite apps, Aperture, Final Cut Express HD or Logic products, you'll probably see this in Software Update. Strangely, as with previous Pro Application Support updates, there isn't a whole lot of extra information as to what this update fixes, or what bugs and quirks it squashes; it's just 6 MB of UI update goodness, I guess.

[via MacDailyNews]

Keyboard shortcuts are one of the finer pleasures of computing, especially on a Mac. While we've been blogging all manner of these shortcuts, especially some of the gems in Mac OS X, there is always the One True Keyboard Shortcut Document to Rule Them All; the one maintained by Apple themselves. The doc came across my RSS feeds which means that it has recently been updated, though I admittedly couldn't tell you exactly what is new. When it comes to a list of shortcuts like this, I think I exhibit the Homer Simpson syndrome, where I always learn something new that inevitably knocks out one of the older shortcuts. Take Option-Command-Right Arrow when in the Finder's List View, for example - I have no idea if that's new (though I highly doubt it; List View has been around for ages), but it expands both a folder and all of its subfolders. Option-Command-Drag (again, probably not new, but new to me) to create a file alias in a new location will also prove darn handy, as my home network is finally demanding more and more use of aliases across my machines and hard drives.

No matter how you work, taking a glance at this recently updated doc just might help you get things done a little better.