Federico Viticci

10804 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
@viticci@macstories.net
@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

RIP, MacBook Pro→

RIP, MacBook Pro

MG Siegler:

And regardless of if storage capabilities hold it back or not, I have no doubt that the Air does point to the future of the MacBook lineup. They’re soon all going to lose their optical drives, gain flash storage drives, and work for hours on end. In fact, the only machine I can think of that I might enjoy more than this one is one that lasts even longer. To get that, I’d accept a model that’s slightly larger (15-inches), slightly heavier (maybe 3.3 pounds), but had 10 hours of battery life. That’s the future MacBook Pro right there.

Is it just me, or purchasing a regular MacBook doesn’t make much sense anymore?

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Apple’s Jobs Is Victor In War Of Words→

Apple’s Jobs Is Victor In War Of Words

It’s refreshing to see a CEO stand up and be so confident in his company and products that he is willing to speak out. In fact, I wish more CEOs had that much confidence in what they are making.

Jobs is winning the war of words with competitors because consumers are buying Apple’s products. Jobs is bringing innovative products to the market and everyone else is following his lead.

For many CEOs used to their business lingo, it’s hard to understand Jobs’ direct style.

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Sonos Wireless Dock for iPhone & iPod Now Available

Sonos, undoubtedly one of the leader companies in audio streaming technologies, has released its new product tailored to iPod Touch and iPhone users: the WD100 wireless dock, which allows you to stream audio from your iDevice to other Sonos Zoneplayers around the house. As the name suggests, the WD100 also charges your device, and relies entirely on digital audio transmission instead of cabled one.

The Wireless Dock retails at $119. Stay tuned for a full ZonePlayer S5 review soon on MacStories.

Press release below. Read more

iM: Upcoming Instant Messaging App for iPhone That Looks Beautiful

Every instant messaging app for iPhone and iPad I’ve tried so far looks ugly and comes with a lot of features I don’t need. I just want a simple app that plugs into my iChat account and lets me chat with my buddies, I don’t need a full-featured, multi-service, multi-account, multi-godknowswhatelse ugly piece of software that comes with “unique custom wallpaper capabilities” and “exclusive Facebook chat integration”.

I want something simple, focused, beautiful and stable. So that’s why I’m looking forward to iM app: developed by Trevor Sheridan and Steve Itterly and designed by the talented Mathieu White, iM aims at becoming the ultimate solution for iPhone users who’ve always been disappointed by the state of instant messaging app on iOS.

Read more

Charge Your iPhone 4 Wirelessly with the PowerMat

If you’ve ever wished to charge your precious iPhone 4 wirelessly without the need of plugging that ugly white cable into Ive’s metal washed in unicorn tears, heck - you need a PowerMat.

This $59.99 charging pad / case for iPhone indeed charges the device without any cables. It’s magical, I heard ‘em say. Or maybe it’s just the progress of science. Who knows.

You can go get a PowerMat here, and check out the pics below. [PowerMat via Gizmodo] Read more

Mac App Store: Big Changes Coming Soon to iOS App Store Too?

Last night I took some time to re-watch the Back to the Mac event video Apple posted in 1080p on Youtube, to see if I could spot elements I may have missed on the low-quality iTunes and streaming versions. Indeed I noticed something in the Mac App Store demo I hadn’t seen before, or perhaps really focused on: in the right sidebar, under the “Quick Links” box, there’s a “Purchased” link which, supposedly, should bring you to your purchase history page. Read more

Amazon Launches New “Windowshop” App for iPad

A few minutes ago Amazon launched a “top to bottom” rewrite of Amazon.com specifically geared towards iPad users and wrapped inside a native app called “Windowshop”. More than a simple optimized webapp for the tablet’s screen, Amazon touts Windowshop as a complete re-imagination of the original Amazon experience with new interface elements, friendly and fast navigation, rich media embeds and more visible categories.

The app features popular lists like “Featured”, “Bestsellers”, “Recommendations”, “New Releases”, “Most Wished For”, “Most Gifted”, and “Movers & Shakers”, all accessible from the “browse” button in the too left corner. You can add items to your wishlist or share them across Twitter and Facebook (email is supported as well), zoom on image to get a hi-res version of the product and leverage Amazon’s 1 click checkout to complete purchases.

The app is free and available here. Full changelog and screenshots below. Read more

Steve Jobs Was “Furious” Over Microsoft’s Bungie Acquisition

For those of you not familiar with the videogame industry: the blockbuster series Halo for Xbox and Xbox 360 is developed by Bungie, a company Microsoft acquired in 2000 to make Halo: Combat Evolved a launch title for the original Xbox. In 2007, Bungie became a privately held company; then earlier this year Bungie announced a 10-year publishing deal with industry giant Activision Blizzard.

According to a report published by Develop,  Steve Jobs was literally “furious” when Microsoft announced they had acquired Bungie in 2000, and called Steve Ballmer as soon as he learned about the deal. Read more