Mac OS Lion: The Likes and Dislikes after one week.

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One week with Mac OS X Lion and we can’t say enough good things. But that’s not the case for everyone. TUAW.com reports what writer harley Tsukayama of the Washington Post likes and dislikes about the new Apple operating system.

It’s mostly positive, states TUAW, but they also say writer Hayley Tsukayama finds Lion a bit quirky. His chief criticisms, according to their report, are the change to natural scrolling (which can be turned off) and some of the complicated gestures when using a track pad. Mission Control also gets a thumbs down.

Seriously? We here at MacOSLion.org thinks some people just don’t like the new and different. And the gestures…they seem pretty simple to us. But, hey, what’s a critic without some complaints.

But TUAW goes on to state some positives as well: The positives from Tsukayama’s perspective are the stability, overall simplicity and increased security of Lion.

So what’s the good and bad that you’ve found after week one?

Mac OS Lion: Airdrop doesn’t work on older Macs. Even if they’re running Lion.

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Earlier we outlined Airdrop in Mac OS X Lion. Today, we came across a list of supported Macs published by AppleInsider.com.

They write: To use AirDrop, you’ll need a Mac incorporating hardware support for the new feature, which involves Mac models built no earlier than late 2008.

Then they list the supported Macs:
13 or 15 inch MacBook Pro models starting with Late 2008 (MacBookPro5,1) models (aka the Unibody design)
17 Inch MacBook Pro starting with the Early 2009 (MacBookPro5,2) model (aka the Unibody design)
11 or 13 inch MacBook Air from Late 2010 (MacBookAir3,1) models (the revised version offered in two sizes)
13 inch aluminum MacBook models from Late 2008 (MacBook5,1) (aka the Unibody design)
13 inch White MacBook models from Early 2009 (MacBook5,2) (aka the plastic Unibody design)

iMac Early 2009 (iMac9,1)
Mac Mini Mid 2010 (Macmini4,1) models (new flatter case design)
Mac Pro Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card or Mid 2010 (MacPro5,1)

So why do earlier models that run Mac OS X Lion, not support AirDrop? Apple Insider says it’s because they lack the WiFi hardware features to discover other machines. Bummer to say the least for those using older Macs. It’s old school for all of you when it comes to transferring files. Anyone running in to this problem?

Mac OS Lion: Revealing your dock in fullscreen mode.

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If your like us, you like the new full screen mode in Apple’s new operating system: Mac OS X Lion. But sometimes we miss the dock, as Lion hides the dock automatically in full screen mode. So what to do? Well, MacWorld does a nice job of explaining the quickest, easiest way to access your dock. They write:

To get to the Dock from a fullscreen app, just move the pointer all the way to the edge where the Dock is pinned, then swipe or move the mouse in the same direction again, as if you were trying to move beyond the edge. The Dock pops right up, with no keyboard commands needed. 

This is probably the best solution for full-screen apps where you may frequently need to move the pointer quickly to the edge of the screen where the main buttons are likely to be. If it just popped up the Dock when you move the pointer to the edge (as with ‘Hide Automatically), it would be a source of frustration. 

So there you have it. Accessing the dock made super easy in fullscreen.

Mac OS Lion: Here comes Windows Office.

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Microsoft announced today that they will in fact be updating Windows Office—for those who for some reason still aren’t using iWork—to take advantage of the new Mac OS X Lion features.

Slashgear.com sums it up pretty well:

The new features will be integrated for the latest Office for Mac 2011 and will include Auto Save, Versions, and Full-Screen mode. However, don’t expect the update to come tomorrow or even in the next few weeks. Instead, Microsoft Office team member Pat Fox confirmed that the wait for the update will more likely be “measured in months.”

Fox also emphasized that Office for Mac 2004 will not work with Lion as it is written for PowerPC systems and Lion no longer includes the Rosetta code needed for backwards compatibility. This seemed to have been the same problem for several other software packages, including Intuit’s popular line of QuickBooks and Quicken accounting software.

Great features indeed. But like we’ve said before…now the time to try out the less expensive iWork, as they’ll be some very nice iCloud features going to iWork this fall—seamless syncing (we hope) between computers, iPads, and iPhones. Have you recently switched from Office to iWork? If so, what are your thoughts?

Mac OS Lion: Are you experiencing video-related freezes?

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9to5mac.com is reporting video-related freezes popping up across the web in regards to the new Mac OS X Lion operating system.

Here’s what they have to say:

We have received numerous tips regarding issues with OS X Lion resulting in Macs freezing after waking up from sleep. A thread on Apple’s Discussion forum about this problem already has over 12,000 views and more than 300 replies. The issue appears to predominantly affect 2011 iMacs, although some of the posters have reported freezes after waking up their MacBook Pros from sleep. The only solution is to hard-reset the machine by holding down the power button.

Other people report freezes when playing back video clips in iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand and other apps. Moreover, the problem is persistent regardless of whether users have the latest version of Flash Player installed, or any version of it for that matter. This suggests a likely problem with the QuickTime subsystem which mostly handles video encoding and decoding in third-party applications, in which case either the 10.7.1 update or a graphics firmware update could fix this problem. Here’s a little trick to help alleviate the freeze after playback issue…

We have not experienced anything of the like a MacOSLion.org. But if you do, 9to5mac.com goes on to state what you can do about it:

OS X Lion includes two new features that let you continue right where you left off in case of an intentional restart or a freeze. The first option available in System Preferences tells your Mac to restart automatically if your computer freezes and the other ensures the operating system reopens all your windows and applications when you log back in. And if you were using Lion-optimized software (such as Apple-included Lion programs and iLife apps) that take advantage of the new Auto Save, Versions and Resume capabilities, you won’t lose your work as apps will also reload up-to-date versions of your documents.
1. Enable automatic restart after a freeze

Open System Preferences from Dock and navigate to Energy Saver. Tick the “Restart automatically if the computer freezes” box.

2. Turn on Finder’s Resume feature

Choose Restart from the Apple menu and have the “Reopen windows when logging back in” box checked. Restart once to make sure Lion has sprung your open windows to life.

Simple enough if you have any issues. Which again, we’ve experience no type of crashes whatsoever (knock on wood). Have you had video-related freezing issues?

Mac OS Lion: Window resizing we’ve all been waiting for.

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Want to resize a window on a Mac. Better have good aim with your mouse to catch the bottom right corner just right. Until now. Finally. The new Mac OS X Lion operating system allows window resizing by using your mouse pointer anywhere on the window’s edge.

TUAW goes a little more in-depth:

Simply point your mouse pointer along a window’s edge, and it should change to two opposing arrows indicating the direction in which the window can be resized. Clicking and dragging a window’s horizonal or vertical edge will resize it horizontally or vertically. As in earlier versions of OS X, clicking and dragging along the corners will allow you to resize the window in both dimensions at once.

They also point out a few other additions:

Also new to OS X Lion are optional modifier keys while resizing a window, as described by developer Daniel Jalkut. Holding down the Option key while resizing will cause the window to expand in equal dimensions on both sides at once; in other words, holding Option and dragging one horizontal edge will cause both horizontal edges of a window to “grow” simultaneously. Holding the Shift key while resizing will cause the window to retain its current proportions while resizing, so if you have a window that’s perfectly square or a 4:3 rectangle, it will stay that shape even as you shrink it or make it bigger. That may come in particularly handy if you do a lot of graphics work on your Mac and want to keep your windows’ proportions constrained when resizing images.

A very nice welcome addition to Mac. Any other “small” but big tricks that you’ve come across?

Mac OS X Lion: Joining captive networks without a web browser.

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A not-so-well-known feature of Apple’s new operating system, Mac OS X Lion, is one that those who frequent coffee shops and other “working” establishments are sure to love. Us included. Browserless login to captive Wi-Fi.

TUAW outlines the process in a pretty simple way:

If you’ve ever used one of these institutional wireless offerings, you know how they work: first you connect to the Wi-Fi network, then you pop open a browser tab and try to navigate to any external site. If you’re not authenticated yet, the service throws up an interrogation page asking for your credentials, or just an acceptance of the terms and conditions — click through and you’re online. Most airport & hotel Wi-Fi networks behave this way, as does AT&T’s WLAN in Starbucks stores, and the subscriber networks from Optimum Online, Time Warner Cable, Boingo and others.

In Lion, you can skip step two. The OS itself notices that you’re not connected all the way to the Internet, and puts up a small Webkit window where you can log in or accept the T&Cs.

Certainly not a huge feature of Mac OS X Lion, but simple and effective. It’s the little things, right?

Mac OS X Lion: Does Microsoft Office Work?

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We’ve all heard about certain applications working and not working with Apple’s new Mac OS X Lion. Some are simply false rumors. Walt Mossberg addresses one such rumor over at AllThingsD.com. Does Microsoft Office work on the new Lion operating system?

According to Mr. Mossberg and his tests, it does in fact work…although some minor features won’t work right. He also says that Microsoft states Office 2011 and Office 2008 do in fact work though they haven’t updated it to take advantage of Lion’s new features. But if you’re still on Office 2004, you’re out of luck with Lion.

Let’s face it though, if you’re still using Microsoft Office (any version), maybe it’s time you gave Apple’s iWork a shot. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll probably think it’s better and more intuitive anyway. We certainly think so. Plus it’s been updated to take advantage of Lion’s new features. How ’bout you? Do you prefer Office or iWork?

 

Mac OS X Lion: More than meets the eye.

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Well, well. Look what those clever guys over at MacRumors.com found. Some interesting evidence of something big that could be in the works: Ultra High Resolution Displays.

According to Mac Rumors, it’s pretty simple. They write:

For those who have downloaded Apple’s Xcode for Lion, you can enable “HiDPI” mode in the Quartz Debug application found in the Developer directory. Once enabled, OS X’s Displays control panel offers additional 1/4 (and lower) resolution sizes as shown here on a 30″ Cinema Display with a native resolution of 2560×1600:

They go on to say: The 1280×800 HiDPI resolution shown here represents exactly 1/4 of the area of the native resolution of the 30″ Cinema Display and simply offers you a zoomed in view on present day monitors.

The reasoning is that when displays do reach ultra high resolutions and dots per inch (DPI), simply drawing the OS X interface as-is would result in very small interface elements. Apple’s solution is to scale all on-screen elements automatically by a factor of two (in each direction).

So, in the future, we might be using 2560×1600 (HiDPI) mode on a theoretical 30″ 5120×3200 pixel display. All user interface elements would stay the same size as today’s 30″ Cinema Display, but when available, higher resolution textures would be used to render the graphics. This is the same way that it worked when Apple transitioned from the original iPhone resolution to the iPhone 4’s retina display.

Too good to be true? Maybe if you’re hoping for something in the near future. But it’s pretty easy to imagine Apple’s working on bigger and better monitors—and no, sorry, we’re not talking about TV monitors…but that’s another article.

Mac OS X Lion: How to make a bootable install disk.

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If you’ve already downloaded Mac OS X Lion then you already know this: the download can take quite some time. So why do it more than once? And if you ever need to reinstall Lion (or put it on other machines) that’s exactly what you’ll have to do—unless, of course, you buy the USB thumb drive option that Apple will be releasing in-store later this summer for $40 more. But who wants to spend $40 more, right?

Instead, try backing up you install app so you never have to redownload again. And, fortunately, CultofMac.com listed some simple steps to make that happen.

Step 1: Download OS X Lion from the Mac App Store.

Step 2: Once you have the “Install Mac OS X Lion” app download to your Applications folder, navigate to that app in Finder. Right click the install app and click “Show Package Contents.”

Step 3: Navigate to Contents > SharedSupport and select the “InstallESD.dmg.”

Step 4: Copy the InstallESD.dmg to your desktop.

Step 5: Now we’re going to make our bootable DVD. Open Disk Utility on your Mac (located in the Utilities folder) and find the “Burn” option.

Step 6: Select Burn and choose the InstallESD.dmg file that you saved to your desktop.

Step 7: Insert a blank DVD and let Disk Utility write to the disk. Once completed, your bootable DVD should launch as a new volume on your desktop.

Sounds pretty quick and simple, eh? We think so. We also think well worth the little time and effort.