PC

How a journalist convinced Jobs to bring iTunes to PCs and other tidbits from Tony Fadell interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

It was The Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg, one of Steve Jobs's favorite reviewers, of all people who has finally managed to persuade then Apple CEO to expand the addressable market for iPods by bringing iTunes to Windows PCs.

Jobs, Nest founder Tony Fadell and then Apple executive charged with iPod and iPhone development recalls, long insisted that the iPod be used as a vehicle to increase Mac sales. “Steve, the iPod is $399. But really it’s not. Because you have to buy a Mac!” We had to give people a taste,” Fadell recalls telling Jobs, to no avail.

He eventually relented and agreed that Apple should bring iTunes to Windows, under one condition: the software was to be tested by journalist Walt Mossberg. “We’re going to build these and run it by Mossberg,” Jobs reportedly said. “And if Mossberg says it’s good enough to ship, then we’ll ship it.”

Walt reportedly said, “Not bad. I’d ship it,” and the rest is history.

Check out an unofficial client which lets your Apple TV stream Steam games from a PC

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 2, 2015

Kevin Smith, the developer behind the MAME emulator that allows you to run classic Nintendo and Sega games, as well as play arcade games on your fourth-generation Apple TV, is back with another cool software: an unofficial client that can stream Steam games from a Windows PC to Apple's new box.

The solution takes advantage of an iOS edition of Moonlight, an open source implementation of Nvidia's GameStream technology used by its Shield console.

Moonlight technology makes it possible to stream the full collection of Steam games from a PC to the new Apple TV without needing to run on the Apple TV hardware.

Parallels Desktop 11 with support for El Capitan and Windows 10 now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

In addition to running newly-released Windows 10 natively on your Mac in dual-boot mode through Boot Camp 6, you can now enjoy Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system alongside OS X using the popular virtualization solution, Parallels Desktop.

In its latest incarnation that was released earlier today, Parallels Desktop 11 brings full support for Windows 10 features like Cortana and experimental support for Macs running OS X El Capitan.

2K announces Sid Meier’s Starships, hitting Mac and iPad early this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Publisher 2K Games and developer Firaxis Games are gearing up to launch a new interstellar strategy game for Mac and Windows PCs and the iPad, Polygon said Monday.

Coming in early 2015, legendary game designer Sid Meier had a direct hand in designing Sid Meier's Starships, a turn-based, adventure-driven interstellar strategy game in which you'll take the role of a fleet commander after the age of the Seeding.

Parallels Access now lets you access remote desktop via iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Parallels Access was released last August as an iPad-only application allowing users of the popular desktop virtualization software Parallels to access remote computers on their Apple tablet.

It instantly became indispensable to mobile warriors who want to run Mac or Windows apps remotely and need to access desktop files and documents wherever they are.

Today, the free Parallels Access app has been updated with native support for the iPhone and iPod touch so users can now access their desktop on the go and use their PC and Mac applications in full-screen mode like they were made for their handset...

Apple tops PC customer satisfaction for tenth year

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 18, 2013

Apple once more tops PC customer satisfaction. The Mac and iPad creator practically owns the top spot, ranking No. 1 in the American Customer Satisfaction for nearly a decade. Since 2004, Apple has scored highest in pre-sale expectations, perceived quality and value, number of complaints and customer loyalty.

The firm scored 87, 1.2 percent higher than 2012 and topping the 79 rating for average PC customer satisfaction. Where were the competitors? In the basement, or lower...

Good deal: 60% off Borderlands 2 for PC and Mac

Cody Lee ∙ September 13, 2013

Looking for something to do this weekend? I've got two words for you: Borderlands 2. If you haven't played the game before, the folks over at Stack Social are running a sweet deal on the popular FPS sequel for both PC and Mac.

In the game, you return to the crazy planet of Pandora as one of 4 unique, playable characters: Axton, Maya, Salvado and Zer0. And upon selecting one of them, you'll embark on a journey of revenge, redemption and blood shed...

New Parallels Access app lets you remotely run Mac or PC apps on your iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Virtualization software maker Parallels on Tuesday launched Parallels Access, an iPad app and a subscription-based cloud service that usher in a new era of mobile productivity. Parallels' novel solution basically applifies your desktop applications on Windows and Mac machines, letting you access them remotely on your iPad or iPad mini as if they were made for the iPad, down to the native iOS gestures and multi-touch interface.

Not only can you stream your desktop productivity applications to your tablet, but also all your video from Mac or PC onto your iPad. Check it out in action right after the break...

Apple’s lower Mac sales created by ignoring iPad demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

When is a tablet a PC? When it's running Windows 8. Conversely, when is a tablet not a PC? When it bears the Apple logo. In a second quarter littered with negative sales figures, it took some fancy footwork to lump Apple Mac shipments in with an industry decline that's lasted five quarters.

In its estimates of PCs shipped during the last quarter, Gartner earlier this week announced PC shipments on average fell 10.9 percent. Even Apple - which has consistently beaten PC numbers - fell 4.3 percent. However, in a curious note, the firm explained the figures included desktops, mobile PCs and mini-notebooks - but not iPads. What gives?...

IDC: tablets to overtake laptops this year, all PCs in 2015

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

It was not long ago that people dreamed of providing a PC for every child on the planet. Well, the vision needs to be updated. Tablets - particularly those in the iPad mini size range - are outselling laptops now and soon will overtake all PCs, research firm IDC reported Tuesday.

Some 229.3 million tablets are expected to ship this year for a 58.7 percent growth rate, compared to 2012. By contrast, PC shipments are down for the second year in a row, dropping 7.8 percent in 2013, the company announced.

The key takeaways: tablets are becoming smaller and cheaper, while at the same time being increasingly able to accomplish tasks once done by PCs...

Viber hits desktop, iOS app gains video chat, live call transfer, new stickers and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 7, 2013

Viber, the popular instant messaging service and WhatsApp's chief rival, has fallen behind a bit in the past year or so. Not only did WhatsApp take the lead - the service claims to handle an astounding eighteen billion messages every day - but the search monster Google is getting ready to unify its many chat services under a new Bable IM brand.

Small wonder then that Viber in a major move on Tuesday announced a brand new desktop application for Mac and Windows PCs. Available as a free download from the Viber's web site, Viber for Mac lets you send free messages as well as make free calls to other Viber users.

The much-welcomed software release now enables one to keep their communication in sync across mobile and desktop devices because in addition to desktop, Viber is now available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Bada platforms.

Moreover, Viber - which was founded by American-Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco - has revamped its mobile iOS/Android client with video messages, an improved voice engine said to help improve call quality and lots more. Go past the fold for an introductory video and more tidbits...

The MAUZ turns your iPhone into the ultimate computer mouse

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 23, 2018

Thanks to the introduction of the App Store, we've had the ability to turn our iPhones into computer mice for quite some time now. Off the top of my head I can think of several apps that do this, including Mobile Mouse and Touch Mouse by Logitech.

But none of them can do what the team at Spicebox is claiming their new MAUZ accessory can do. The peripheral connects to your iPhone via the dock connector, and gives you motion and gesture-based control over computers and other gadgets...