This article was originally posted on The Verge Forums. Click here to see it, and be sure to participate in the ensuing discussion.

Android has a problem. Actually, Android has several problems. (Don’t freak out, its okay. Every platform has several problems.) Many of them we already know about. The half-baked Google TV. The lack of cohesion across different Android devices. Apple. Windows 8 with Metro. These are but a few (and likely the biggest) challenges the platform is facing going forward. But this post isn’t a list of problems. This post is the start of a conversation about how to fix them.

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Well, what did we get? We’ll be posting a full wrap-up later with all the juicy details, but click through for the highlights as they become available!

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If you’re an Apple fan, today is a big day for you. Frankly, no matter who you are, Apple fan or not, today is a pretty important day. At 1pm Eastern time today, Steve Jobs will take the stage at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference and give us details on everything from new features in the latest version of OS X, Lion, to the changes that will be coming to iOS in its new version, as well as some info on the oft-rumored iCloud. So what do we expect to see this afternoon? Read on after the break for the offical ITK breakdown!

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The Apple Store went down this morning, and now we know why. Apple announced a complete refresh to the iMac lineup today. With processor speed boosts across the board, as well as their newly minted Thunderbolt port, the new iMac specs are definitely welcome if you’ve been putting off purchasing one for any reason. Read on to see what you get for your $1000 and how much you should spend to really get what you want.

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You may remember our post from a little over a week ago speculating that the Mac App Store may be coming to Macs as soon as January. Well as it turns out, it is! Apple has released an official statement confirming that the Mac App Store will open for business on January 6th. Apple’s official press release is included below, but the main points are as follows:

• Available on January 6th, 2011
• Updates for apps are delivered through the App Store, just like on other iOS devices, making it easy for developers to update, and easy for users to stay up to date.
• The Mac App Store will be for Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) users and up, so if you’re still running Leoapard, its time to upgrade!
• The Mac App Store will be a free download to Mac users.
• Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs.
• Developers wil get 70% of the earnings, Apple will get 30%, giving developers plenty of incentive to get their Apps in the store.

I’m interested to see how they’re going to implement the “Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs” part, as transferring other things from computer to computer that you buy from the iTunes store (ie. music and movies) has historically been a challenge, but here’s hoping one copy of software will be good on all my computers!

Are you excited for the App Store? Do you prefer downloading software or having a CD or DVD backup just in case something goes wrong?  Let us know!

Source – Apple Press Release

So here’s some cool news if it proves to be true…Mac rumor and news site Appletell has a source who has advised that it looks like the App Store for Macs will be arriving sometime next month. While the source originally identified an early availability date of sometime next week, it turns out that January is looking like more of a realistic timeframe.

While we obviously would love to get our hands on the software as soon as possible, the delay is probably in all of our best interest. First off, its really not good for everyone to get half-finished software, especially when you’re trying something sort of new, like a software storefront for desktop apps. Additionally, the delay could be a factor of wanting more great content with which to launch the store. If Apple’s just waiting an extra month or so in order to have some outstanding apps available for download right away, then we’d say patience here is a virtue, as an app store without any good apps is hardly an app store at all!

Are you excited to see the Mac App Store?  I feel like I may still want hard copies of the software I buy, unless this stuff is really full-proof.  What do you think?

Source – appletell

Mac’s don’t get viruses. Right? Wrong. Not only do Mac’s get the occasional Mac virus (because yes, they do exist.) but you probably don’t even realize that there is a 33% chance your Mac is carrying around Windows viruses as well. This means that while you may not be affected by them, they’re at least taking up some valuable space on your hard drive, and you may be unknowingly sharing those same viruses with your Windows using friends. So how do you protect your Mac? Its a big investment, and you certainly don’t want it wrecked by a virus you could have easily avoided. There’s an easy way, and the best part? It’s free. But not everything that’s free is a good value, so read on to see if Sophos can help protect you! Read the rest of this entry »

Calling all ITK Mac users!  Keep your wits about you!  While its no secret that new viruses crop up every single day, and that they’re all over the internet, its not every day that there’s a big time critical alert that Mac users need to be aware of.

SecureMac, a security blog devoted to locking down the Mac, has issued a critical alert for all Mac users.  They’ve discovered a trojan horse, or a virus that allows someone from the outside to seize control of your computer without your knowledge, that is spreading through social networking sites and email.  If you get a message in which the subject line reads “Is this you in this video?” DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.  It’s not you in the video, I promise.

The virus basically sets your computer up to not need passwords for anything, allowing the outside user exploiting the security flaw to have complete access to anything on your Mac.  Additionally, it runs at startup in the background, and does so silently, so you’d never even know it was there.  It will also have your Mac participating in other attacks, as well as sending your private data back to their server.  This will slow your computer down.  If you feel like your Mac’s been sluggish, or just want to double check that you don’t have the virus, click here to download SecureMac’s removal tool.  You can run it with one click and if you have the virus, it will be gone in no time.

In closing, don’t forget to be safe on the web.  Only surf to websites that you know and trust.  Watch what you download, and the links you click, as these actions are where you can get in to trouble.  Lastly, use OS X’s security features and maybe even some extra software.  Mac’s come with a built in firewall, why not use it? Also, please pass this article on to your Mac using friends to stop this virus before it gets too bad!

In light of this and other viruses, I’m going to give you all a rundown on some ways to help keep your Mac secure, so check back soon.  Are you worried about the number of viruses for Mac’s growing as Mac’s become more popular?  Also, if you scan your system and find that you do have the virus (we didn’t,) let us know!

See you in the comments!

Source – SecureMac

The idea of FaceTime for Mac is a great one: Video chat with your friends and family, no matter where they are or where you are, if you’ve got an internet connection and they’ve got a new iPod Touch or iPhone.  You’re always connected, face to face, in a way that people (here in the US at least) never have been before.  That being said, Apple released FaceTime for Mac as a beta application, and it really shows. Read the rest of this entry »

As a regular Mac user and Apple consumer I was thrilled to see Apple announce the brand new iLife. Consistent with the past, the new iLife suite will be included in new Macs, but now it is a low fee of $49 to upgrade your current iLife version to iLife ’11. The package includes a newly designed and modernized form of iPhoto, GarageBand, and iMovie, three extremely popular Mac programs used today. Let’s take a glimpse at the new software! Read the rest of this entry »