The iPad uses DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) client software (in the iPhone OS) to request network configuration information - most notably an IP address - from a DHCP server. That IP address is typically "leased" to the DHCP client for a period of time; once that lease expires, if the DHCP client is still online, it asks to renew the lease and retain its IP address. If the client is not online when the lease expires, the DHCP server is free to assign that IP address to another device. When the DHCP client returns to the network, it requests and receives a new IP address.
The problem seems to be that the iPad, in some situations, is failing to renew its DHCP lease but continuing to use the previously assigned IP address. Because the lease wasn't renewed, the DHCP server believes it is free to reassign the IP address. If that IP address is reassigned to another device while the iPad continues to use it, both devices end up using the same IP address, which can cause loss of network connectivity, confusing dialogs as operating systems attempt to handle the error condition, and more.
Princeton is working with Apple to resolve the problem, which is believed to lie with the DHCP client in iPhone OS 3.2, and which should be easy to fix with an update to iPhone OS 3.2. In the meantime, Princeton recommends that iPad users not connect to the campus network because if the iPad malfunctions, they may need to be blocked to prevent them from causing problems for other network users.
Who's likely to experience this problem? Primarily institutions with large networks that rely on DHCP for a constantly changing collection of network devices. Home users and those with small networks aren't nearly as likely to experience IP address collisions due to this problem.
If you do run into this problem on a small network you control, there are a variety of possible solutions:
- Assign a static IP address to your iPad and configure your DHCP server to avoid handing out that address to other devices. This fix isn't feasible on a large network with a lot of devices because it requires too much manual intervention.
- Configure your DHCP server to reserve a particular IP address for your iPad. I tried this in AirPort Utility using the client ID approach to identifying the iPad, but it didn't work; it's possible the MAC address approach would work better. This approach also requires too much manual intervention to be useful on a larger network.
- Set a very long DHCP lease time so the DHCP server is much less likely to reassign the iPad's IP address to another device. Trying this on a larger network would likely tie up too many IP addresses that weren't actually in use or require the use of NAT.
It is worth noting that, despite a quote in The Daily Princetonian article linked above, this DHCP problem is almost certainly unrelated to the Wi-Fi problems that have plagued some iPad users (see "Some iPad Users Suffer Wi-Fi Woes," 6 April 2010).
Nevertheless, here's hoping that Apple fixes this problem soon, not because it's necessarily causing all that much trouble even for large networks, but because it would be a shame if the iPad garnered a bad reputation among network managers based on what should be an easily fixed bug, given that DHCP is a long-established standard.
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There's not a lot of details out about Apple's upcoming mobile advertising program, iAds, quite yet, but Broadpoint Amtech is already convinced it's a moneymaker. Analysts there say that the program could generate a whopping US$4.67 billion in revenue in just one year's time. Of course, that's a high-end guess, but even the medium figures are pretty amazing -- analyst Brian Marshall suggests that even conservatively, Apple could earn $2.48 billion. Realize what we're talking about here: this is more or less a from-scratch profit stream for Apple, and with developers receiving 60% of the revenue from iAds, Apple won't be the only company making money.
In fact, Apple's good news may benefit Google, too -- CEO Eric Schmidt said that Apple's iAds announcement should convince those concerned that Google's deal with AdMob is good to go, and that the two companies will just be one big player in "a highly competitive market." Of course, Google has a bit more advertising experience than Apple -- it made most of its $23.7 billion revenue last year from its online advertising model. While iAds sounds big, it's not quite that big.
Still, iAds will be big, and there's room to grow -- Apple is starting off with the mobile market, but don't forget that they've got a whole library of iTunes podcasts, and content space on AppleTV to sell as well. At this time next year, we might be reporting that Apple really has created a $2.5 billion-per-year income stream for themselves.
iAds could make a billion dollars, help Google make their deal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iAds could make a billion dollars, help Google make their deal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Well, after the abysmal Pre sales, who didn't see this coming? Palm has put itself up for sale. Bloomberg reports that, at this point, Taiwan's HTC Corp. and China's Lenovo Group Ltd. have expressed interest in the company and may make offers. However, the most likely buyer of Palm is expected to be HTC. Though HTC has committed to the Android platform, Palm has something they desperately need: patents.
In March Apple filed suit against HTC for infringing on 20 patents concerning the iPhone's user interface and hardware. If HTC could acquire Palm's patents they would have ammunition to use against Apple, which would open up the possibility of a counter-suit. As of market close on Friday, Palm was worth only $870M, making it a relatively cheap company to buy.
So cheap, in fact, that it would make sense for Apple to snap the company up -- again, just for the patents. An Apple acquisition of Palm would not only prevent HTC from acquiring the ability to counter-sue Apple, it would strengthen Apple's patent portfolio even more and leverage greater protection against its intellectual property.
[via 9to5]
Palm puts itself up for sale originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Palm puts itself up for sale originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We've heard a few times now that Apple was ready to pick up some smaller, innovative hardware companies, and the rumor mill now says that chipmaker Intrinsity was purchased by Apple late last week. Rumors first hit on April 1st about the company being sold to a bigger buyer, and on Friday at least one employee was saying the buyer was in fact Apple. There's still no official word of a sale, as far as we can tell, but maybe Apple is waiting for a certain press conference to reveal that a new company will be providing chips for future, oh I don't know, iPhones.
Intrinsity certainly fits the bill for the kind of company that Apple would want to buy with all its cash -- it's behind some of the fastest mobile processors out there, and that's certainly what Apple is looking for. It's also unencumbered by other ownership (which means Apple can pick it up outright), and it's got that nice mix of innovation and quality that Apple usually looks for.
In short, even before the event on Thursday, we can probably expect to see Intrinsity behind some of Apple's processors in the future -- if they haven't made a few already.
[via Engadget]
Rumor: Apple buys Intrinsity originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Rumor: Apple buys Intrinsity originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Let's say you have a Mac collecting dust in the corner of your garage. Rather than succumb to your spouse's demands and send the old friend to computer heaven, why not re-purpose that Mac into something both functional and beautiful?
Cult of Mac points us to one enterprising hardware modder who has converted the base of his iMac G4 into a round wall clock. Take a look above on the left for the final result of his Dremel-sourced endeavor. This Apple fan from Japan was also kind enough to post photos of his DIY adventure [Google Translate link]. Check out another image below; the aluminum really pops on the dark wall.
Additionally, it seems that the inspiration for the iClock came from another Japanese modder who converted his PowerMac G5 into a functioning timepiece as well. Seen at the top on the right is the completed product. When all is said and done, it seems as though the PowerMac is still usable as computer. This qualifies the creator's work to be considered a "case mod" rather than an all out butchering -- which is ideal because a chopped Mac is a sad Mac. The PowerClock owner also posted in-progress shots of his work [Google Translate link].
I tend to fall in the camp that favors "software" modification, believing that for any piece of computing hardware there is some flavor of Linux that can breathe in new life. Unfortunately, however, sometimes Macs and PCs alike simply bite the dust and are only good for conversion into clocks or lamps.
Turn that old Mac into a functioning clock originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Turn that old Mac into a functioning clock originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Did you order one of those sweet 27-inch iMacs from the Apple online store recently? Well, if you did, expect to see a delay in getting it.
AppleInsider is reporting that the 27-inch models currently have a three-week shipping time. Earlier this week, Apple's web store showed estimated shipping times of less than a week.
The delay could be due to several factors. First, initial users of the 27-inch model had been experiencing screen flicker issues, which caused orders made in December to be delayed about two weeks. Apple released a software patch for the big-screen iMac on December 21st that was meant to resolve the screen flicker issues, but many purchasers are still experiencing the problems. It could be that Apple is slowing the pace of manufacturing until the situation is resolved.
Another possibility not addressed in the AppleInsider post could be that the demand for the 27-inch iMac is reaching a new peak. The iMac line made up the best-selling desktop computers in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2009, with the 21.5-inch model topping the charts. It's not entirely out of the question that demand at Apple resellers, including the Apple Stores, is finally being met by the supply of the 27-inch model and that fewer of the machines are available for purchase online.
If you're looking for a 27-inch iMac, we'd recommend visiting a local Apple reseller rather than attempting to purchase it directly through the online Apple Store.
27-inch iMac shipping delays extended 3 more weeks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
27-inch iMac shipping delays extended 3 more weeks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Be sure to check all of our ongoing Snow Leopard coverage right here.
One of the biggest features of Snow Leopard isn't something apparent to the naked eye: software tweaks and refinements intended to make OS X a leaner, meaner OS for your fighting Apple machine. But is Snow Leopard really any faster? Now that I've successfully upgraded two Macs to Snow Leopard I've got some benchmarking results to share.
My Early 2008 MacBook Pro shipped with OS X Leopard 10.5.2 installed. I ran Geekbench on the stock OS X installation after upgrading the RAM to 4 GB to get a baseline for comparison of future performance. 18 months later I ran the same test immediately after updating to 10.6. Both tests were performed with Geekbench testing in 32-bit mode immediately after a restart, with no other programs open except the Finder, nothing loaded in Dashboard, and no Time Machine backup running.
Machine specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.60 GHz w/ 4GB RAM
Average Overall Geekbench score for this model of MacBook Pro: 3304
Read on for the scores.
Continue reading Benchmarking results: Is Snow Leopard really any faster than Leopard?
Benchmarking results: Is Snow Leopard really any faster than Leopard? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Benchmarking results: Is Snow Leopard really any faster than Leopard? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iMacs are great, except when you have one sitting with its back to a wall and you need to plug something into the back of it. Particularly with the larger models, you end up having to pick up the iMac and swing it around to get to those ports on the back. Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you could just spin it?
That's the idea behind the Rain Design i360, a turntable that encloses the base of an iMac or Apple Cinema Display, and then allows easy movement of the display. Want to show a co-worker on the "back" side of your iMac something? Just spin the entire computer around. Need to plug or unplug something? No problem -- just swing the iMac or Cinema Display around and do it.
I've had an i360 on my first-generation Intel iMac since just after I bought it, and I can't count the number of times that it has saved me from having to pick up the computer and slide it around to plug something in. I've recommended the i360 to many of my Mac consulting customers who have iMacs or Cinema Displays, and many of them end up buying the device.
Continue reading Rain Design's iMac turntable sends the iMac for a spin
Rain Design's iMac turntable sends the iMac for a spin originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Rain Design's iMac turntable sends the iMac for a spin originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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]]>Apple Support Downloads page, and will be presented by Software Update to those reinstalling Snow Leopard from scratch. (Free, 785.29 MB)
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