iCal 1.5, iSync 1.2 and Preview 2.1

[MacRumors]

AppleInsider previews (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=135) iCal 1.5, iSync 1.2 and Preview App 2.1.

While AppleInsider claims the updates to iCal, iSync and Preview will be coming with Mac OS X 10.3, previous rumors (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/08/20030821184417.shtml) suggest that iCal 1.5 and iSync 1.2 may come independently. The most recent builds of Panther contain the updated version of these applications.

iCal 1.5 improvements include improved interface, Time Zone support, quick-key-commands and more. iSync 1.2 is said to provide increased phone, .Mac and iPod support.

Preview 2.1 is also reviewed, with confirmation of claims by Apple (http://www.apple.com/macosx/panther/preview.html) that the new Preview application will be much faster.

[rockman2023]

Hmmm.......will Preview still be noticibly faster on my Quicksilver 733? It definetly needs the speed up.

[kylos]

PDF viewing is abysmal on my ibook, so I'll definitely be happy to not get a beachball anytime I try to do anything with a pdf when Panther comes out.

[BWhaler]

I am hoping iCal v1.5 really is the update I have been waiting for. The current version is too slow, too quirky from an UI perspective, and missing too many basic features.

I won't use Entourage since I don't use proprietary files formats unless I need to, so I've been stuck with this crappy version.

If iCal is truly an upgrade, it'll be worth the price of Panther alone.

[bobindashadows]

PDF Viewing is slow as death on most computers with Jaguar's Preview.

[jmerk]

It is about time that Apple updated iCal. I have always disliked this app from a usability standpoint and used it only sparingly (to check dates, not make appointments, etc.). It is my feeling that this app didn't follow Apple's usual modus operandi in improving on existing ideas/creating apps that function properly, are functional and beautiful...
I can hardly wait for Panther...

[Delenn]

Isn't it Preview 2.1?

The additions to iCal sound very good... Can't wiat.

[jimthorn]

iCal 1.5 looks like an improvement. I prefer the Info Drawer over the Inspector Window. I just wish I could put my To Do List at the bottom of the left column so I could make the main calender viewing area bigger.

Here's hoping it gets released before Panther!

[arn]

A few more iCal screenshots

http://www.chaosmint.com/screenshots/mac-osx-ical/

[Mudbug]

well, my hope is that the idiosyncracies with ical will be fixed, like better handling of the to-do list, and how it integrates with the calendar. But they need to fix the speed problem with it too - takes too long to do much of anything for it to be of use to me yet - PalmDesktop is just quicker for me, not to mention it syncs faster.

[ebow]

I'm hoping that iCal lets you publish (to Web) a single calendar view that's made up of multiple iCal calendars. I hate only being able to see "Home" items without any "Work" items, for example. Many other improvements are needed, but I can't think of any off the top of my head as I stopped using the app a while ago.

[a_kim]

I really hope these claims of a faster Preview application are true, and I can't wait to have it on my machine. As it is now, PDF viewing pretty much sucks on OSX right now because of how slow it is.

Also, I hope that Apple or Adobe will make a PDF-viewer plugin for browsers. This is something I value when using my Windows machine at work. This doesn't exist on OSX right now, does it?

-Alex

[Nugget]

The lack of timezone handling in iCal has been the deal-killer for me. I'm really optimistic that I may be able to start using iCal with this next release.

[mainstreetmark]

Originally posted by a_kim
I really hope these claims of a faster Preview application are true, and I can't wait to have it on my machine. As it is now, PDF viewing pretty much sucks on OSX right now because of how slow it is.

Also, I hope that Apple or Adobe will make a PDF-viewer plugin for browsers. This is something I value when using my Windows machine at work. This doesn't exist on OSX right now, does it?

-Alex

PDF is slow in the windows side, too. I kick myself every time i click a google link and don't notice that it's PDF.

[hrashid]

any news on whether or not birthdays will be linked between ical and addressbook?

[DStaal]

Originally posted by a_kim
Also, I hope that Apple or Adobe will make a PDF-viewer plugin for browsers. This is something I value when using my Windows machine at work. This doesn't exist on OSX right now, does it?

-Alex

While you're waiting for an 'official' plugin, you can use this plugin: http://www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/

Oh, and to be ontopic: I hope iSync will auto-quit when done syncing. It gets annoying to sync my Palm and have to quit iSync every time...

[gujamin]

Does anyone know if iSync 1.2 will add the calendar and to-do syncing promised to Symbian OS users to be "coming soon" back in June?

[mdoudoroff]

I've seen no mention of something I saw demonstrated at MacWorld CREATE at the Apple booth: the demo goon was free rotating pictures in Preview in real time. Would be useful in conjunction with that crop tool!

[cnladd]

I'm surprised that Preview will be even faster than it is now.

I was running the Panther betas (up to 7B28) until just last week. Before that I was running Jaguar. The early developer releases of Panther had a much improved Preview. Not only was I thouroughly impressed, I didn't have any complaints.

I've now gone back to Jaguar. My three biggest problems with going back are: the older version of Mail (Panther's is a huge improvement), the slower Preview, and the lack of Expose.

To think that a new Preview will be coming that's even faster than what's in the Panther betas is simply astounding.

[BWhaler]

Other things on my iCal Wish, or more accurately, "How the Hell Does iCal not have This?" List

1. Reminders set on appointments by default.
2. Better task prioritization and sorting
3. Speed. Any amount of speed will do fine. The current version is pathetic.
4. Ability to click EASILY and FAST in cell, copy appointments by dragging, and extending appointments by dragging them across multiple days.
5. When there is an appointment on the calendar out of the viewing area, but a symbol to reflect there is something down/up there.

I could go on and on about its short comings, but I kept this list to the "what any calendaring on the planet has except for iCal." I am very hopeful Apple has gotten it right this time.

And, just because I can't resist, why not add some Apple magic:
1. Have birthdays from contacts appear as a task on the appropriate day on iCal

[Noiseboy]

I also stopped using iCal a while ago after it moved a bunch of entries to different days without my noticing straight away. It caused major consternation to myself and the other colleagues who used the calendar I publish.
Hopefully this update will improve stability and I will be able to go back to iCal. Virtually all the people I work with use Powerbooks so it's great to have a calendar we can all share but not when it suddenly developes a mind of it's own.:(

[makkystyle]

thank the lord they've finally sorted out the time zone problem. I am from D.C. but had been living in Ireland for five years. I don't know how iCal picked the time zone for publishing but everytime I published all of my appts would be five hours earlier even though my computers time zone had been changed and they appeared correctly in the program. A real PITA.

I do have to disagree about the reminders being set on as a default. I would hate to have my phone beeping every hour or half hour telling me about an appt. But I do think you should have a preferences option to set this if you want it :)

[evoluzione]

i have been messing around with Preview today, and it's much smoother, very slick.

I'm currently using 7B44 and was loading up an 18MB tiff file from a Canon 10D and it's quick, and this is on a G4/450...

as for iCal i can't really comment as I don't use it much at all.

iSync seems to be good too, faster on this G4/450 than it was on G4 cube running an older version of panther....

[themadchemist]

These are mundane apps, but the improvements will be exciting. These little changes to applications we use everyday, like Preview, are going to be great, esp. faster speed w/opening up PDFs.

[vitaboy]

What would be REALLY cool for iCal is for the ability to sync with evite! Just a thought.

[BWhaler]

Originally posted by makkystyle

I do have to disagree about the reminders being set on as a default. I would hate to have my phone beeping every hour or half hour telling me about an appt. But I do think you should have a preferences option to set this if you want it :)

Agreed. That's what I should of said. I just want the option... :)

[daijones]

What would be really nice, in a basic, "why doesn't it do that?" kind of way, would be if you could set reminders on to do items. I set a to do item with a deadline in a copule of weeks time, then forget about it. Often. I probably should be able to remember, but isn't the point of software like this to help those of us who can't? How much imagination does it take to think reminders for to dos would be a good idea? "Think different"? Only in the sense of ignoring the bloody obvious

[jmerk]

along with all of the other quirks mentioned above by other posters (highest on the list being that you can't QUICKLY click on a day/cell and get the information that you want/edit that information [click on it>command i?=crap]); i don't know what other people's experience has been but i have not been able to get the e-mail reminder to work in iCal and this is a deal breaker to me...i'd also like to see a better "to do" list.
someone mentioned that these are "mundane apps" and i have to say that i disagree. a usable calendar app that allows you to schedule appointments, publish them so others can see them, gives you reminders, that syncs with mobile devices seems pretty important (if it actually worked that is!).

[jpolk]

Apple has instituted a "snooze" function on its iCal alerts much like the function in Entourage.

http://macintosh.fryke.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=10&t=216

Oh happy day! :D

[visor]

Originally posted by gujamin
Does anyone know if iSync 1.2 will add the calendar and to-do syncing promised to Symbian OS users to be "coming soon" back in June?

it does.

[jabester10280]

I am running 7B44 and I have all three of the updated applications. All that I have noticed is that they run much faster and smoother and they fix a couple of bugs. Before my Preview couldn't view anything properly but now it works fine.