A piece I wrote last week on the impact of iTunes web preview pages on App Store SEO brought up a little side conversation about how many people found it annoying that the links launch iTunes automatically. Sometimes you don’t even have any warning that the link is going to launch iTunes if you click on a shortened link. There are a few simple steps that you can take to stop this behavior and suppress iTunes in its eagerness to run and take you to the page for that app (or other iTunes content). Below, I have outlined the steps for Safari, Firefox, and Chrome. The Basic Concept The iTunes preview pages run a JavaScript function that attempts to load iTunes by opening an ITMS file. This file will launch iTunes and direct the application to open the iTunes Store to the specified content. I did not want to recommend just disabling JavaScript because that would interfere with a lot of websites that rely on the interactivity that is possible with JavaScript. We will prevent iTunes from opening by changing the way that these browsers handle the ITMS file. This approach will allow you to manually launch iTunes when you desire. In the case of Chrome, we can selectively disable JavaScript for iTunes links. Safari Safari uses the helper applications as defined in the “Get Info” dialog box for each file type. In Snow Leopard, Mac OS X relies solely on the file’s extension to determine the default application. This may behave differently in 10.5, which still respects the creator code attribute. Create a simple text file on your desktop.

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How-To: Stop iTunes Web Links From Opening iTunes

When iTunes web preview pages first appeared for songs and albums the industry was abuzz with the possibility that iTunes could be migrating to the cloud. iTunes preview has so far had little impact on how we use purchased media content, but it has had a huge impact on how we find iTunes media content on the web, especially with iPhone apps. The iTunes web preview pages are an enormous draw for search engines and consistently rank high in the results when searching for the names of apps. A Quick History of iTunes Web Preview Previously, web links to iTunes content opened a redirect page (hosted on phobos.apple.com) that asked you to wait “One Moment Please” while the iTunes application was launched. This page only had a thumbnail of the cover and sparsely listed just the title and publisher. iTunes web preview first appeared on November 13, 2009 with full pages including descriptive text (hosted on itunes.apple.com). Audio clip previews were added on January 7, 2010. These pages still launch the iTunes application, but also include the full description, select customer reviews, and links to related content.

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App Store SEO: The Impact of iTunes Web Preview

It’s official: Apple will begin selling iPads on Saturday, April 3rd, with pre-orders beginning on March 12.  Sales will be done through “selected Authorized Retailers.” Note: this is for the basic Wi-Fi model.  The 3G ‘Pad is promised for late April, but the House of Jobs doesn’t have a date set in concrete yet.  This is also for the USA release: elsewhere in the world, both the Wi-Fi and 3G’s have the “late April” disclaimer.  Also, the Wi-Fi pad can be reserved online, and picked up at your nearest mall’s Apple Store. (Speaking of which: feel free to share any stories/photos of store feeding frenzies you might encounter…) App availability — not to mention how many devices are hitting the retail channels on Day One — are not known at this time.  

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Mark Your Calendars: iPad Sales Begin April 3rd, pre-orders beginning on March 12

Filed under: Apple Unless you have absolutely no imagination, you’ve probably noticed the resemblance of the iPad to one of those cheap little clipboards that your friendly neighborhood doctor carries around on rounds. Apple is rumored to be making its own rounds of hospitals marketing the new über-iPod touch, having visited a hospital in LA in the recent weeks. What’s so great about tablets for health care? When connected to a Wi-Fi network, they’re perfect for looking up medical information or working patient charts while on the move. The iPad in particular would be perfect, having no keyboard to disinfect or lid hinges to break. In addition, the most expensive Wi-Fi iPad is priced at just US$699, while many traditional Windows Tablet PCs used in health care start in the neighborhood of $2,000. Of course, it all depends on the software. We recently received a question from a reader who just happens to be a doctor, asking if he could use an iPad with his existing Windows-based medical record keeping system. The answer was simple; yes, since there are already many VNC and RDP apps available for the iPad that can be used to control a remote PC (examples are Jaadu VNC [ iTunes Link ] and iTap RDP Client [ iTunes Link ]

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Hospitals eye the iPad for low-cost paperless records

Filed under: Software , Hacks , Odds and ends , Apple , Security And now we’re at the point in the iPad cycle where there’s just enough information out there about it that people are interested, but not enough that they can discern credible information from scammers. That’s the report of the BBC, which says that “hi-tech” scammers are using iPad-based searches to prey on users and install various types of “rogue security software.” The news here isn’t necessarily that scammers are out there scamming people (that happens all of the time), but it’s that scammers are cashing in on the iPad frenzy to do so. Then again, that’s probably not a huge surprise, either: they probably always latch onto whatever the hottest search topics are, and this past week, of course, it was the iPad. In my own personal opinion, these fearmongering reports are the biggest scam of all. Even the BBC is only reporting this based on information from Symantec, and that’s S.O.P. for the antivirus company: a) release a report that claims everyone is in danger and that viruses are everywhere, b) get some less-than-tech savvy journalist to believe it, and c) sell copies of your antivirus software and profit. In reality, if you click links only on trusted sites and keep an eye on everything coming in to your Mac, you don’t need Symantec to tell you how to be safe. If you install “security software” that you happened to pick up while searching for iPad news, of all things, then you can’t be surprised when your system gets compromised. Scammers exploit Apple iPad fever originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Scammers exploit Apple iPad fever

Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for January 22, 2010: Macintosh iFunia has released iFunia AVCHD Converter for Mac , a new application designed to help Mac users convert AVCHD video into any video format. The program lets users work with most AVCHD video files recorded by Panasonic, JVC, Canon, Sony and more AVCHD camcorders. It enables converting AVCHD M2TS, MTS, MOD, TOD video to all popular video formats, including HD. RAGE Software has announced the immediate availability of their Step by Step iWeb SEO Instructional Video Tutorial . The iWeb SEO Video provides easy to follow steps to getting your iWeb site listed in search engines, attracting more search engine visitors and exposing your website to your target market. Combined with the free iWeb SEO Tool software, iWeb users can finally achieve the same, or better, search engine rankings that other websites have enjoyed for years. Agile Web Solutions has announced 1Password 3.0.4 , an update to its award-winning password and identity manager for the Mac. 1Password is a highly secure database to keep track of web site logins, secure notes, identities, credit cards, bank accounts, and software registration information. This deceptively minor update adds over 60 new features, changes, and fixes, and is available free to registered users. 1Password 3 is compatible with Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard. Mien Software has released MediaEdit 3.1.8 for the Mac, a consumer-level video editing tool which supports standard painting tools and multiple layers. Designed specifically for moviemakers, amateur photographers and new creative artists, MediaEdit 3 can edit virtually all QuickTime compatible formats. This update improves stability and support for Snow Leopard

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Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup – January 22, 2010

Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for January 22, 2010: Macintosh iFunia has released iFunia AVCHD Converter for Mac , a new application designed to help Mac users convert AVCHD video into any video format. The program lets users work with most AVCHD video files recorded by Panasonic, JVC, Canon, Sony and more AVCHD camcorders. It enables converting AVCHD M2TS, MTS, MOD, TOD video to all popular video formats, including HD. RAGE Software has announced the immediate availability of their Step by Step iWeb SEO Instructional Video Tutorial . The iWeb SEO Video provides easy to follow steps to getting your iWeb site listed in search engines, attracting more search engine visitors and exposing your website to your target market. Combined with the free iWeb SEO Tool software, iWeb users can finally achieve the same, or better, search engine rankings that other websites have enjoyed for years. Agile Web Solutions has announced 1Password 3.0.4 , an update to its award-winning password and identity manager for the Mac. 1Password is a highly secure database to keep track of web site logins, secure notes, identities, credit cards, bank accounts, and software registration information. This deceptively minor update adds over 60 new features, changes, and fixes, and is available free to registered users. 1Password 3 is compatible with Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard. Mien Software has released MediaEdit 3.1.8 for the Mac, a consumer-level video editing tool which supports standard painting tools and multiple layers. Designed specifically for moviemakers, amateur photographers and new creative artists, MediaEdit 3 can edit virtually all QuickTime compatible formats. This update improves stability and support for Snow Leopard. Built completely from the ground up with the latest video editing technologies.

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Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup – January 22, 2010

Confirming last week’s Financial Times report that Apple has rented out the Yerba Buene Center for the Arts in San Francisco for a January 26th event, Clayton Morris over at Fox News is now reporting that the January event will be “big” and focus on the “mobility space.” Quoth Morris: I’ve spoken to a source inside Apple

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Fox News confirms “big” Apple event for January 26th, focused on “mobility space”

We know that some of you are still sporting a dot matrix printer in your office.  Sometimes its rattle and hum almost puts you to sleep.  But for those of you that want to forge ahead to the 21st century, we have a great giveaway for you on Twitter. The Giveaway: 1 Epson Artisan 710 printer

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TWITTER GIVEAWAY: Win An Epson Artisan 710 Printer

Section: iPhone , Carriers , iPhone The iPhone made its landing in Korea last week, and it brought some nice numbers, too. 60,000 phones were delivered for the initial launch of the product, with 1,000 being handed out in Seoul instead of being sent through the mail. As with here in the United States, Korea saw its fair share of people in line, too. The first person in line reportedly waited for 26 hours just to get his hands on one. KT Corp. will be carrying the iPhone in Korea and is hoping the iPhone “will be a trigger point for the smartphone market in Korea.” With the appearance of this device in Korea, smart phones now make up 1% of the overall cellphone market in the country. The majority of these products come from Samsung and LG, so KT Corp. is excited to help kickstart the smartphone market in the area. Since the iPhone is already available is most of the Asian countries, Korea is probably happy the wait is over. While we won’t see millions of iPhones sold there as we have in the States, it is certainly nice to see it being offered in even more areas of the world on even more carriers. Via [ BusinessInsider ] Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell . | Comment on this Article »

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iPhone arrives in Korea with 60,000+ pre-orders