Ryan Faas - Author

Stories by Ryan Faas

Mac OS X: Make Snow Leopard (and other cats) roar like Lion

With a second preview version now in the hands of app developers, Apple's next generation of Mac OS X, called Lion (Version 10.7), appears to be on track for its planned release to the public this summer. The company has announced several new features for the upcoming Macintosh operating system (some of which are lifted straight from iOS, Apple's mobile platform) including the following:

By Ryan Faas | 16 April, 2011 00:28

Tags: Apple, applications, Mac OS, software, operating systems

Apple's Lion: A marriage of iOS and OS X

Apple's Back to the Mac event yesterday was preceded by plenty of speculation. Some of it was dead on -- such as predictions of revamped MacBook Air models -- while some of it missed the mark a bit: Apple didn't unveil a touch-screen iMac (in fact, CEO Steve Jobs referred to the idea as "ergonomically horrible") and, while FaceTime is coming to the Mac, it is as a standalone application, not as part of iChat.

By Ryan Faas | 22 October, 2010 01:32

Tags: Apple, Mac OS, software, operating systems

Windows Phone 7 could rival Apple's iOS 4

With all the features of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 now out in the open -- along with details about the handsets available on AT&T and T-Mobile here in the U.S. -- comparing the new mobile platform to Apple's iOS 4 is a natural. The long-running debate about Windows vs. Mac can now move into the world of mobile operating systems.

By Ryan Faas | 15 October, 2010 01:52

Tags: Apple, telecommunication, applications, Microsoft, software, Mobile operating systems, mobile

RIM's PlayBook vs. tomorrow's iPad

RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, unveiled last week, is the latest entry in what has become a rapidly growing field of iPad competitors. But unlike most upcoming Android tablets -- the big exception being Cisco's Cius -- the PlayBook isn't meant to compete with the iPad in the consumer market. Despite its touted capabilities for multimedia, the PlayBook is primarily designed to be a business and enterprise tablet.

By Ryan Faas | 06 October, 2010 01:55

Tags: Apple, research in motion, hardware systems, tablet PCs, laptops

A look at Apple's updated iPhone Configuration Utility

The big iOS-related news from Apple this week was the release of iOS 4.1, an update that included fixes for common bugs in the initial iOS 4 release for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also introduced FaceTime for the fourth-generation iPod Touch, which began shipping to customers on Wednesday, and Apple Game Center, which introduces a multiplayer gaming system that all iOS game developers can integrate into their products.

By Ryan Faas | 11 September, 2010 04:00

Tags: Apple, consumer electronics, smartphones, Phones

Apple TV, 'Ping' and iTunes -- what it means

There were a lot of rumors and expectations ahead of Apple's much-hyped music event yesterday. As expected, Apple unveiled a new touch-based iPod Nano, and an iPod Touch sporting the company's A4 processor, its super-high-resolution Retina display, and front and rear cameras offering HD video recording and video chat via FaceTime. There was also a new iPod Shuffle, which thankfully returns to the previous iteration's design with on-device buttons and a clip to make it wearable.

By Ryan Faas | 03 September, 2010 04:35

Tags: Apple, consumer electronics

Managing and securing iOS 4 devices at work

Apple Inc.'s iPhone has always had something of an image problem in the workplace, which isn't surprising given that Apple has always marketed its smartphone more to consumers than to the business world.

By Ryan Faas | 12 August, 2010 01:59

Tags: services, Apple, Mac OS, software, operating systems

Will the Cius challenge the iPad's potenial in health care

Last week, Cisco Systems announced its Cius tablet. Weighing 1.15 lbs. with a 7-in. SVGA screen and powered by an Intel Atom processor and Google's Android OS version 2.2, the Cius is designed as part of a range of products for the enterprise that offer integrated solutions for every part of the network, including switches, cloud storage and collaboration tools.

By Ryan Faas | 07 July, 2010 02:46

Tags: Apple, Cisco Systems, hardware systems, tablet PCs, Cisco Cius, laptops

5 reasons to upgrade to Apple's Safari 5

Although it wasn't mentioned during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote address Monday at WWDC, Apple launched an updated version of its Safari Web browser for Mac OS X 10.5.8 and 10.6.2 or higher, as well as Windows XP SP2 or higher, Vista, and Windows 7.

By Ryan Faas | 15 June, 2010 03:38

Tags: Apple, web browsers, safari

Developing for the iPhone OS: App Store vs. web apps

Apple's App Store approval process has always been a bit controversial because of the level of control the company holds over what types of applications are allowed in. Initially, there were concerns that Apple rejected apps because they duplicated functionality the company already offered or was planning to build into the iPhone OS -- not because the submitted apps wouldn't run according to the company's specifications.

By Ryan Faas | 07 June, 2010 16:35

Tags: iphone app store, apple ipad, iPhone OS, iPhone, iPad, iphone apps

Apple's iPad: What's it really for?

If there's one thing Apple is good at, it's keeping the rest of world guessing about new products while generating more buzz than the New Orleans Saints making it to the Super Bowl for the first time. Even though the world knew Apple CEO Steve Jobs would unveil a tablet on Wednesday, the announcement created enough of a stir to take down Twitter briefly and slow Web traffic on a lot of sites.

By Ryan Faas | 02 February, 2010 03:37

Tags: steve jobs, Apple, apple ipad, iPad

Should your IT department support the iPhone?

When the iPhone was first launched in June 2007, it was generally panned by IT managers and systems administrators. It didn't support any encryption of user data, could not have any enforced security policies and offered no way to remotely wipe data if it were lost or stolen. At the time, a lot of companies weren't prepared to accept those security gaps. Perhaps more importantly, the iPhone didn't yet support any third-party applications or interact with most office suites.

By Ryan Faas | 13 January, 2010 03:40

Tags: enterprise smartphones, mobility, iPhone 3G S, smartphones

In depth with Apple's Snow Leopard Server

I've worked with various versions of Apple's Mac OS X Server for nearly a decade now. Each new release has brought major advances to the company's server software in terms of overall features, performance and ease of administration. The most recent iteration, version 10.6 - a.k.a. Snow Leopard Server - is no exception.

By Ryan Faas | 25 November, 2009 07:29

Tags: Apple, servers, snow leopard server

What's the real deal with 64-bit computing in Snow Leopard?

One of the biggest points of confusion around Apple's newest version of Mac OS X is about whether it's really a 64-bit or a 32-bit operating system. Apple bills Snow Leopard as supporting 64-bit from top to bottom, while some industry watchers say it's not a true 64-bit OS. What gives?

By Ryan Faas | 29 August, 2009 07:14

Tags: snow leopard, Mac OS X

Upgrading to Apple's Snow Leopard OS: What you need to know

In building Snow Leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X (version 10.6), Apple focused more on under-the-hood improvements to boost speed and stability than on adding new features. That contrasts with its predecessor, Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), which added more than 300 new features when it was released two years ago.

By Ryan Faas | 28 August, 2009 05:12

Tags: snow leopard, Mac OS X