Macworld August 2012

Like his predecessor, Apple CEO Tim Cook occasionally invokes the idea that we’re living in a post-PC world—one in which, for many people, the iPad is enough of a computer that they don’t need a Mac. In the same vein, friends and family members often ask me whether they could get by with “just an iPad” instead of buying a new laptop. Questions like that inspired this month’s cover story, in which we compare the upstart iPad and the venerable Mac head-to-head on a variety of tasks (see “iPad vs. Mac,” page 34). You may find our conclusions surprising, largely because the iPad can do a heck of a lot more than many people think. But to me, what makes the iPad-versus-Mac question really interesting is the fact that people…

iTUNES ON ICE Thank you for the nice editorial regarding iTunes [“Syncing Ship,” From the Editor’s Desk, June 2012]. Many iTunes users could not agree more. You are spot-on with the idea of Apple splitting iTunes into separate apps—one for syncing, one for media playback—and removing the iTunes Store from the mix as well. Let’s hope Apple is already delving into this issue. Ken Canevari, via email The addition of wireless sync and the iCloud has only made things worse. I no longer sync my iOS devices regularly for fear that something will be screwed up in the process and never sync automatically. An extensive article about the right (and wrong) ways to sync would be appropriate for Macworld to include in a future issue. Bob Morgan, via email iTunes…

The great convenience of MobileMe’s iDisk was that it provided Internet-based file storage that appeared as a mounted volume in the Finder. You could mount iDisk, transfer items to it, and access it from anywhere. MobileMe and iDisk disappear on June 30, and while iDisk was never an ideal storage solution, it was useful, and you may be looking for a replacement. A Net disk is one option for getting Internet-accessible file sharing and storage. OS X enables you to mount certain kinds of file-sharing services (FTP and WebDAV) in the Finder, but its approach isn’t robust or flexible enough. It also omits two popular ways to access files stored on a remote server (SFTP and Amazon S3). If you have file-sharing access via a hosting company, a storage system…

After June 30, iCloud replaces MobileMe, but some MobileMe customers can’t use iCloud just yet—specifically, those who chose to stick with OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Apple previously informed MobileMe customers who hadn’t yet transitioned to iCloud that they could, in fact, continue using their me.com or mac.com email addresses and calendars after the June 30 deadline. Apple’s updated MobileMe transition and iCloud page states: As of May 1, you can choose to keep using your mail after MobileMe ends, even on devices that don’t meet the iCloud system requirements. Just go to me.com/move and select the option to keep using your email after MobileMe ends. Once you have completed this short process, your mail will continue to work on devices that don’t meet the iCloud requirements after MobileMe ends…

With its new Amazon Cloud Drive app, Amazon is the latest company to dive into the Desktop Cloud Storage Wars of 2012. The Cloud Drive service debuted more than a year ago. In May, Amazon began offering the Cloud Drive desktop app for Macs running Snow Leopard or Lion. You get 5GB of storage free with Cloud Drive. You can pay for more storage, with simple pricing: At each level, the price is a dollar per gigabyte; the 20GB plan costs $20 per year, with plans also available at 50GB, 100GB, 200GB, 500GB, and 1000GB storage levels. You get unlimited storage of Amazon-purchased MP3s with any plan; with the paid tiers, you can also store an unlimited amount of digital music acquired elsewhere. Installing Amazon Cloud Drive is easy enough…

The number of Thunderbolt cable makers is growing, with numerous companies announcing cables that also work with upcoming Thunderbolt-equipped Windows PCs. StarTech announced a €57 ($90) Thunderbolt cable that is 3 meters long, the longest copper cable available yet (uk.startech.com). StarTech’s TBOLTMM3M cable also carries power, reducing the need for some peripherals such as storage devices to connect to power outlets. Kanex started shipping a 2-meter cable for $60 (www.kanexlive.com). Sumitomo offers a 2-meter cable in Japan for ¥4500 ($56; global-sei.com). But Apple’s $49 cable remains a cheaper option (www.apple.com). Thunderbolt is a high-speed connector technology that offers data transfer speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, making it a faster alternative to USB 3.0. A high-definition movie can be transferred from an external storage device to a laptop…