Apple’s App Store has revolutionized the way we get new applications onto our mobile devices.
We can search, buy, download and install iPhone/Touch apps all through the internet. Just like iTunes did for music, the App store makes the buying process more convenient while eliminating waste (retail boxes and disks.)
So what about desktop applications and other traditional software? Where’s the Mac download store for that?
While desktop apps are bigger (and piracy is more of a concern,) it seems outdated to go to a retail store to buy a version of Office or Civilization on DVD.
The bandwidth limitations are disappearing (we can already download multi-gig movies from iTunes,) and other companies are gravitating towards the download model.
I’d much rather update to 10.6 through iTunes for $29 than to go the Apple Store or order from Amazon. Is the bandwdth cost really more that than the package, shipping and stocking costs of a retail box?
While individual software companies offer some titles for download, a centralized Apple store just makes sense. I’m sure that in a year or two, the on-demand download model will win out, and we can enjoy the same great iTunes shopping experience for all of our apps.
Activity Monitor in Applications > Utilities
Your Mac’s battery may drain faster if there is an application that has “run away” or taken over system processes.
This can happen to an application if it has crashed or is unstable. This may lead to the app using to much of the processor resources, which in turn causes the system to consume unnecessary power.
You can look at the Activity Monitor (in the Utilities folder) and see what percentage of the CPU any given app is using.
If an idle app is consuming more than 70% of the CPU, try quitting the app to regain CPU process control.
If you use your Mac laptop by sleeping rather than shutting down when not in use, it’s worth a look in the Activity Monitor to make sure no apps are hogging resources that will decrease battery life.
Google has released a new desktop search app for the Mac named Google Quick Search Box.
This stand alone app ties into the Spotlight search feature of OS X and displays search results from across your computer and the web.
It’s fast and easy to use with a very clean interface.
Once you begin typing your query, a list of matching results appear and you can perform actions like playing the song or launching an app. You can dig deeper into your local results by using the right keyboard arrow (it even shows your hidden files which is pretty slick.)
After a morning of use, I already prefer this app to Leopard’s built-in Spotlight search.
Google Quick Search Box is worth a look. It’s a free 4.5MB download from Google.
[ Google Quick Search Box ]
I played guitar in my early teens, and not realizing it was probably a bad idea to stop, I did. Now, 15 years later, I’m picking up the guitar again. The internet back then didn’t have all the great info it has now, so I had to purchase chord books and sheet music to learn chords and play my favorite songs (lots of Metallica & Pearl Jam at the time). Now, every song you ever wanted to learn is out there for free, and there’s a cool little app called GuitarToolkit for your iPhone and iPod Touch for $10.
It has a built-in tuner (worth the price of admission alone), a chord finder for every chord you can think of (or not think of), a metronome and a nifty scales section. It supports 6 and 12 string guitar, as well as 4 and 5 string bass. There’s a left handed mode for those that need it.
I’ve found myself spending hours learning chords and scales. I shoot for one new chord a day, this way I’ll build back my knowledge level slowly. I haven’t had any issues with the app so far, and if you’re trying to brush up on your skills, it’s a great investment.
[ GuitarToolkit ]
