My Visit to the Other Side

I've been using an iPhone since July of 2007, about two weeks after its release. I've since owned every model. My iPhone 5 is as near perfect as a smartphone can be. My retina iPad has become my go-to machine for e-mail, web surfing and writing. Almost every post for the last couple of years was written on my iPad in a Zagg Folio keyboard case. The reason? It is always with me. In the office, at the coffee shop, on my living room sofa or in bed, my iPad is generally within arm's reach and with its ten-hour battery life, almost always juiced and ready.
Call me jaded, but...

Click to read more ...

Free at Last

So I'm an Apple geek. So what? Just because I love my Macs and iOS devices, doesn't mean I take my marching orders from the Grand Poobah in Cupertino. Continuing the story I began in my previous post, my iPhone and iPad go with me wherever I go. As an independent IT consultant/contractor, I rely on them to track my schedule, time charged to customers and keep notes from every job I do. I would describe them as indispensable, but far from everything I need. As much as I love them, I wouldn't even consider showing up at a customer's site without my MacBook Pro. If not in hand, its in the back seat of my car, just in case. All to often, I need a network sniffer, wifi stumbler, an ethernet connection or just a good ol' terminal, none of which are allowed in the iOS App Store, at least none with any useful functionality. Sure, there are lots of apps that do pieces and parts of these tasks, but nothing really powerful and useful to a professional like myself. Apple just won't allow those types of "weeds" in their walled garden. The iOS SDK (Software Development Kit) just doesn't provide the necessary functions and coding an app outside the SDK is a sure-fire path to rejection by the App Store gatekeepers.

I certainly understand their reasoning. After all, iOS devices are designed for consumers, not gearheads like me. It just makes commercial sense to take all steps necessary to insure a smooth, consistent, reliable user experience for 95% of their customers. Still, Apple could give "superusers" the option to install third-party apps outside the App Store, but I estimate that will happen sometime after Jesus returns. It just doesn't fit Apple's M. O.  So, what's a person like me to do?

Jailbreak!

Thanks to some very clever folks, anybody can modify their iOS device to allow installation of apps from any source. Now the disclaimer: Do this at your own risk, Apple will frown on this at the Genius Bar and although this is completely legal, your warranty may be voided. Now that that's out of the way, I don't hesitate one millisecond to recommend evasi0n.com.  The evasi0n app (there's a version for Mac, Linux and Windows) is a simple tool to jailbreak any iOS device and works with the current iOS release (6.1.2).  The entire process of downloading and running evasi0n, following the simple instructions to jailbreak your device and waiting for a couple of reboots takes less than 5 minutes. So far I've jailbroken 4 devices, 2 iPhone 5s, an iPhone 4 and an iPad third gen.  All four were running iOS 6.1.2 and all went without a hitch.

Now, my iPhone is a perfectly-functional wifi sniffer and my iPad has a terminal app that is as useful as the one on my Macs.  That's just the beginning. I can now browse, create and delete files on all my devices like they were just another node on my network. I can download files in Safari and save them any number of places on my device or in the cloud. I can Facetime and download apps larger than 50 MB over 3 & 4G thanks to a $2 app that lifts the built-in restrictions.  I can also stream Amazon InstantVideo and HBO Go to my AppleTV via AirPlay, something taken away from users because Apple is in the middle of a pissing contest with various media providers.  Now, I can modify my user interface in more ways than I could possibly know or describe short of creating a small encyclopedia volume. Unlimited apps within folders, folders within folders and a custom settings drop-down are the ones I like best, but there are as many permutations as grains of sand on the beach.

Just like a real computer.

I still haven't left the MacBook Pro at the office, but it does stay in the car more since I acquired all these new capabilities. After all, iOS is just a slimmed-down version of OS X optimized for minimal resources and maximum battery life. Its lack of functionality has little to do with resource constraints and much to do with Apple's tailoring. Besides, all jailbreaking does is remove artificial restrictions built into the operating system. After using this most recent jailbreak for two weeks, I've noticed no decrease in battery life or reliability, just a two-fold increase in capability. I'm not saying jailbreaking is right for everyone, just that its a proper solution for me. There certainly isn't any technical barrier.  My 14 year-old daughter jailbroke her iPhone with no assistance, so I'm pretty sure anyone reading this will have no problem at all. So what if Apple doesn't like it. After all, these devices belong to us.  Jailbreaking is just a way to say, "Thanks for all your help and protection Apple, but I'll take it from here."

Macworld No More

Well, here I am again. Another year, another Macworld er, uh, Macworld/iWorld. I guess it would sound stupid if they called it iPhone/iPad Case World, which is pretty much what it has become. In fairness, that is a more accurate description of the expo floor. The event taken in its entirety does offer a great percentage of Mac-centric content, but still, the "iOS-ification" of the entire Apple world is reflected quite accurately by this annual event. Many of us are sad about that.
I've been making this annual pilgrimage to San Francisco since 2007, the Macworld where Steve Jobs' keynote address included the introduction of the iPhone. Some might argue things have gone downhill (for Macworld Expo) ever since. It is hard to imagine anything topping the iPhone announcement and to date, nothing has. With Apple's withdrawal after the 2009 event, Macworld Expo wasn't blessed with the 2010 iPad introduction and it's unlikely anything like that will ever happen at Macworld again.
An argument can be made that, along with the Macworld Expo, Apple is in the process of abandoning the most loyal of their minions, the power users (like me) and Apple's decision to stop participating in the Expo was the first step in that direction. Don't get me wrong, I think iOS and all the great devices it runs on are truly life-altering. I'm writing this on my iPad and my iPhone is sitting on the sofa right next to me. Both have become almost indispensable to my daily workflow. iOS devices also comprise the vast majority (approximately 2/3) of Apple's money-minting juggernaut, so I understand why they focus on it. My question is, "Do they have to do it at the expense of the very loyalists who kept them solvent through the lean years?" Would it really hurt a company with over $100 billion in the bank to spend a million or two participating in an event that their users from all over the world pay good money to attend? Don't get me wrong, I'm a freedom-loving capitalist through and through. I own quite a few shares of AAPL and really appreciate the run up since I got in at $73 a share, but I'm also a total Apple gearhead who can't help but feel a bit jilted. As much as I love and rely on my iOS devices, I could never get by without my Macs and all the UNIX goodness of OS X. When Apple was there, the Expo gave fans an opportunity to get some quality "hands-on" time with whatever new Mac was announced at the keynote before anyone else in the country. The experience sort of made you feel privileged and special.
Oh well, enough pining for the "good ol' days".
Well, maybe just a couple more points while I'm bitching.
For me, an iMac and MacBook Pro do everything I need and Apple does a great job of keeping those models on the cutting edge of current technology. But I'm starting to worry for the Mac Pro crowd. Video editors and 3D modelers haven't had their Mac Pros updated significantly in over four years and perennial pro software titles from Apple like FinalCut and Aperture have taken a decidedly "pro-sumer" tack. It's becoming blatantly obvious that people who've historically relied on the most powerful Macs are being ignored. Tim Cook is promising something really great for them in 2013, but so far it's been all talk.
As neglected as the Pros are, I worry more about what may be happening to the rest of us power users. You know, those of us who spend a lot of time using Terminal, Automator and AppleScript. The people who enjoy command line wizardry and automating tasks with apps they create or scripts they write may me in as much danger of losing their mojo as their Pro brethren. Not because we lack good Apple hardware, but we sense a disturbing trend with each release of OS X. The first hint came with the introduction of the Mac App Store. Suddenly there was a clearinghouse for Macs like the one for iOS, but unlike iOS, users can still choose to get apps from anywhere they please...for now. Mac developers now have a gatekeeper to please before their apps can be sold in the App Store and the rules just got a lot more strict. Last year with Apple's insistence that all apps be "sandboxed", lots of our favorite apps got neutered and others will never pass muster with the Apple guard dogs. Simply put, "sandboxing" means an app can only play in its own sandbox, or memory space. This severely limits an application's ability to interact with OS X and other apps. The reason for this is to minimize the chance that an intrusive, poorly written or otherwise unstable app can steal data or compromise the security and stability of your Mac. This leaves developers of apps like 1Password and TextExpander (both rely heavily on calling OS X system functions and interacting with other apps) with the choice of publishing a stripped-down version for the App Store or selling a full-featured version by conventional means, or both, which is almost double work for them. I'm beginning to fear the loss of some really handy and powerful software titles because their developers inability to compete while outside of the Mac App Store.
The problem is, the App Store is quickly becoming the go-to for most users who need or want apps for their Mac (especially noobs) and it's a very financially attractive marketplace for developers. Like users of iOS devices, Mac users can virtually eliminate the possibility of inadvertently installing an unstable or malicious app by using the Mac App Store exclusively. As the store grows in popularity, some of us are beginning to fear a couple of things: 1) Really good apps will get stripped down to get into the App Store and 2) Apple may eventually decide to treat Macs like iOS devices and not allow app installation from anywhere else. The machinery for enabling this second nazi-like behavior is already in place. In Mountain Lion, there is a Gatekeeper app that allows users to choose whether or not they can install apps other than the Apple-vetted ones available in the Mac App Store. It would be a simple matter for Apple to exclude Gatekeeper from some future version of OS X, leaving everyone except gearheads like me with only one option for acquiring apps. This scenario isn't unimaginable. With computer security and privacy concerns constantly on the rise, some even predict its inevitability. It certainly fits Apple's M.O. If it does come to pass, I guess I'll have to jailbreak my Mac the same way I hack my iPhone.
That will be a sad day indeed. Probably as sad as the day I stepped onto the Apple-less Expo floor in 2010.

The Best 5 Bucks You'll Ever Spend for Mac Software

I spend as much time using iOS as OS X these days. I write most of these posts on my iPad and my iPhone is almost like an appendage. That's a testament to iOS's increasing functionality (and my near obsession with Apple toys). Actually, I've been completely spoiled by the ability to do 90% of my work from almost anywhere.

But, enough about me.

In 2009, Apple released iOS 3. With it, we got the much anticipated "Cut, Copy & Paste" capability which many believed was long overdue. After all, Blackberry and Android had it, so many people thought Apple was being wontedly stubborn by omitting it originally. Of course, Apple claimed it was because they were waiting until they could get the functions done properly. No matter the truth of the matter, Apple did do it properly. iOS's implementation of C,C & P includes a rather elegant method for selecting text and other objects. One that is tailored for touch. What is even more impressive is the pop-up menu that appears once you've made a selection. It intelligently lists a set of actions (like cut, copy, etc.) based on the type of data you select and what app you're using when you do it. Like most things Apple does, it is very intuitive and works flawlessly. If you spend much time in iOS, using these functions quickly becomes second nature.

So much so that going back to OS X can leave one wanting. I mean, <CMD + C>, <CMD + V>? Puhleeeease!

Not any more. Now there's PopClip (Now on sale for $2.99 in the Mac App Store). It provides a global method of providing pop-up lists of actions for things you select and it looks strikingly similar to the ones in iOS.  And because it runs in OS X, the developers were free to add a huge list of add-in functions that Apple would never allow on one of their iOS devices. More on that in a moment.

PopClip installs easily and when running, adds its icon to your menu bar (Yes, I know, another one. See Bartender) that gives you quick access to its user preferences and a button to quit the app. There is also a link for downloading add-ins. (Just one more moment.)

When you select text (or other things) in almost any app, PopClip intelligently pops up a list of actions you can choose to perform on that selection. Like the C,C & P functions in iOS, PopClip comes with the standard cut and copy buttons, but the real value in this app is found in the extensive list of free extensions (65 of them as of this writing) available on Pilotmoon's web site. You can transform text, replace text with the clipboard contents, clip to Evernote, Tweet the selected text, dial a selected number in Skype, create an email with your selection, look up selected text in the dictionary and...Well, the list goes on and on and it's growing rapidly. When I first began using PopClip a month or so ago the list of available extensions was only half what it is today.

PopClip is so convenient, I now find going back to iOS makes me wish I had some of PopClip's extensions there. I use the Evernote, Tweetbot and Wikipedia add-ins like crazy when I'm on one of my Macs.  It's a shame Apple will probably never allow that type of system-wide functionality from a third party iOS developer. Too bad. 

I'm Not Addicted, Just Dependent

Internet dependent, that is.  Yes, I do exhibit some symptoms of addiction, but I must admit to enjoying a few days of being completely unplugged.  I doubt that would be the case were I truly addicted.  It happens whenever I come to my lake house.  Here, we have no Internet connection, not even a phone line for dial-up service.  I have to set my iPhone in one particular windowsill to maybe get two bars of EDGE service. We get our TV via satellite, and we've considered doing the same for broadband, but just can't justify the cost for a house we only visit for a weekend every six or eight weeks.  My dad used to say we were so far back in the woods we got our sunshine by mail-order.

For someone who makes a living on-line, I have to say I enjoy an occasional 48 - 72 hour respite. It gives me time to do something I rarely get to do, think.  Not the problem solving, concentration kind of thinking I have to do almost every day, but the random daydreaming type of thinking you only get to do when there are no distractions.  It does a body good to occasionally revert to a simpler time where email and text message alerts don't sound every few minutes and the iPhone only gets sporadic reception. My 14 year-old daughter doesn't see the value in this.  Being disconnected from her on-line community of gaming and FaceTime friends puts her in a most disagreeable mood. It's really fortunate she can still send and receive text messages (although spottily) or we'd never get her to come up here with us.

While serene, this is no panacea.  On those none too infrequent occasions when you need a plumber, electrician or someone else to help with the inevitable breakdowns, absence of some sort of Internet connection reminds me of how much I've come to rely on Google and the on-line Yellow Pages.  It's hard to imagine how out of date a three-year-old phone book can be.  Since disconnecting the hard line phone a couple of years ago, we haven't gotten a new phone book in the mail. It amazes me how many small businesses no longer exist after 36 months!  It's really frustrating to struggle to get a cell signal only to waste it on a recording,"The number you've reached is no longer...".

One thing I am grateful for is my Navigon app.  All it needs to function is a GPS signal.  I made the decision to buy it a couple of years ago and I've been very glad I did on more than a few occasions.  My initial decision was based on the original iPhone's lack of turn-by-turn directions. Navigon is a full-featured GPS navigation app that works on both my iPhone and iPad.  The original version I purchased forced you to purchase the entire continental US & Canada for $79 or Europe for $89.  Today it is a much better value at $29 and you have the option to only download the states you want.  The point is, traveling requires a good stock of off-line maps.  Cell signals are not as ubiquitous as the wireless carriers would have you believe and there's nothing worse than being lost and staring at an empty grid pattern in Google Maps.  Navigon is fully functional anywhere, provided you have a map for the area you're in.  Fortunately for me, that includes the vicinity of our lake house.  We've owned the property for 35 years, but I can still manage to get turned around in the woods.

It's also amazing how many hardware vendors assume availability of an always-on Internet connection.  Over the holidays, my daughter got a Seagate GoFlex Home external hard drive to backup her Mac. The app on the setup CD completely surrenders on step 1 if the Seagate web site can't be reached.  So, I thought I'd just set the drive up manually using Safari to connect to it's on-board web server.  No luck.  It seems the same setup program is hard coded into the device with no way to circumvent it short of completely wiping the drive with Disk Utility.  I wouldn't be afraid to do that for a drive of my own, but the built-in utilities on the device are probably the only way a non-techie like my daughter can manage the rig.  Punt.

Thank goodness I have lots of other fun things to do up here.  There's hiking, fishing, cruising the woods on the four-wheeler and oh yes, writing this on my non-connected laptop.  I'll upload it when I get back home.