Reprinted from TidBITS#976/27-Apr-09 with permission. Copyright (C) 2009, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ TidBITS#976/27-Apr-09 ===================== Issue link: This month marks the 19th anniversary of TidBITS, and Adam takes a look at how far the industry has come, and where it will likely go in the future. If that's not enough opinion for you, Adam also argues that the optimal move for Apple would be to make Mac OS X Snow Leopard free (or as close to free as is reasonable), given its lack of marquee features for users. In other news, Apple reported a $1.21 billion profit for Q2 2009 and, after user protests, pulled the Baby Shaker app from the App Store. We also look at how Microsoft's Windows 7 will take a page from Apple's Classic mode, warn readers about the latest in GPS thievery, and announce a pair of Take Control ebooks about GarageBand '09. Notable software releases this week include Mactracker 5.0.7, MercuryMover 2.0.5, Firefox 3.0.9, and PopChar X 4.2. Articles Apple Posts $1.21 Billion Profit for Q2 2009 Apple Yanks Crass "Baby Shaker" iPhone App Savvy GarageBand '09 Documentation Now Available Beware the GPS Thieves Windows 7 Adds Optional Virtualized XP Why Snow Leopard Should Be (Almost) Free A Few Thoughts After 19 Years of TidBITS TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 27-Apr-09 ExtraBITS for 27-Apr-09 Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 27-Apr-09 ------------ This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by: -------------- * READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today! Special thanks this week to Neil Green, Hi Oasis Orchards, Ron Risley, and David A. Steffens for their generous support! * Fetch Softworks: With Fetch 5.3, FTP and SFTP are simpler than ever. Use it on Mac OS X to upload, download, mirror, and manage your Web site, eBay images, and data sets. Download your free trial version! * WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks Create a complete social network with your company or group's own look. Scalable, extensible and extremely customizable. Take a guided tour today * Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.1 -- A burly upgrade introducing new capabilities like Projects, non-modal Find and Multi-File Search, editing in browsers, text completion, Scratchpad, new Ruby module, better JavaScript, ObjC, Obj-C++, YAML * MARK/SPACE, INC: If you have a smartphone, we can sync it! Sync your address book, calendar, notes, music, pictures, and more from your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or Palm OS mobile phone to your Mac. * VMware Fusion. The most seamless way to run Windows on your Mac. Backed by nearly a decade of proven virtualization technology. Try VMware Fusion today for only $79.99. Visit: * Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008. Straighten up your Office with the latest updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. Update today at Mactopia! * ConceptDraw Office adds real business power to Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork. Whether you need project management, business graphics, or mind mapping, it's all easily created on your Mac! Buy today for only $499! * Speak up with MacSpeech Dictate! Get the all-new MacSpeech Dictate with spelling and phrase training. Speech recognition so good, about the only thing it can't do is speak for you. Learn more: ---------- Help support TidBITS by supporting our sponsors ------------ .