Open Source Mac
February 09, 2006
Looks to be a great resource for Mac nubies interested in learning all of the great things they can do with their new machine.
Via Kelvin
Last Updated: Apple Computers Archives
Potential Apple Mobile Device Not To Be Designed For Professional Use
February 07, 2006
Do I believe that Apple is working on and will release a cell phone within the next 12 months? Yes. Will I hold off and purchase that phone (and whatever service will be required to make it fully functional)? No. Read on to hear why.
I think that Apple is surely up to something in the mobile arena. With all of the varying reports of iPhones, tablets, wireless iPods, etc... there is no reason to think they are not planning their moves in order to cash in on this billion dollar industry. I do not, however, think that the first phone (or wireless device) that they release will be aimed at the professional or even prosumer. I believe that the first device will feature an iPod like interface and Bluetooth. I think that this first foray into the mobile world will be a glorified iPod, potentially with GSM phone capabilities (in order to piggyback onto Cingular or TMobile networks) but also require a new style plan (most likely offered straight from Apple) in order to access the ITMS. I also believe that the phone itself will be tightly integrated with .Mac and it's accompyning services (mail, groups, iDisk, etc...).
I will not purchase this device though. The lack of a QWERTY keyboard, Airport Extreme (802.11g), various peripheral ports (USB, FW, etc...) and even a slick version of OS X scaled down to fit the processor and screen will leave a lackluster device for the business professional. Do I blame Apple for this approach? No. They are slowly gaining ground in the business sector I'm sure, but this is not their target market. For Apple to release a device aimed at the business professional glorifying it's "connectivity" through marketing, they risk alienating their bread and butter market, the iPod generation. Has your younger sibling ever complained about the lack of WiFi on the Treo 650? Exactly.
So in conclusion, I will not hold out for an Apple mobile device as there is no sign of one coming over the next few months and even if it does, I don't believe it will be aimed at professionals.
Most Anticipated Tiger Features
April 20, 2005
"Mac OS X Tiger delivers 200+ new features which make it easier than ever to find, access and enjoy everything on your computer."
The feature I'm looking forward to most in Tiger is Dashboard. How about you?
Safari 1.3 (v312) in Mac OS 10.3.9 Update
April 16, 2005
I updated to Mac OS 10.3.9 today which includes Safari 1.3 (v312) and noticed quite a few changes in Safari's behavior. First there is an improvement in HTML rendering as a page I frequent which uses a position:absolute div now renders properly. Another change I noticed isn't as helpful. The quick-keys for View Source have changed from Command+Option+V to Command+Option+U which will take a bit of getting used to.
NOTE: I updated this article to reflect the correct Safari version number as the one previously posted was part of Mac OS 10.3.8.
.Mac
April 04, 2005
Over the past day or two I've had quite a few failed .Mac syncs from iSync. I could be wrong but it could be due to Apple preparing the .Mac servers for OS 10.4 and it's new sync services. OS 10.4, or Tiger, is scheduled to ship by the end of April according to many rumor sites. Apple sticks to it's guns saying the first half of 2005.
Apple iPhone
December 22, 2004
MobileWhack: "Rumours that Apple is making their own phone (dubbed by the pundits the 'iPhone') are flying around the net, backed up by reports that they're showing prototypes around to their partners. These rumours are probably true -- for one simple reason -- the iPod."
For me, this device would be a sure buy. I am an Apple Macintosh user who has been looking for a solid replacement for my SonyEricsson T610 for about 6 months now. I've been tempted by the Treo 650 but PalmOne's lack of continuing support for the Mac OS is a little discouraging. I've also been interested in the SonyEricsson P910i but it's $800 price tag is keeping me away. Hopefully MobileWhack is correct in their prediction and if so, that this new iPhone be release sooner rather than later considering my T610 is on it's last leg
G5
November 10, 2004
I never really had a chance to post on the performance of my new dual 2.5ghz G5 Powermac from Apple Computer. It truly is an amazing machine, super quick and beautiful to look at. The increase in performance over my 12" Powerbook G4 is remarkable. Photoshop starts up in no time and I can quickly and easily switch between Illustrator and Flash with only 1GB of memory installed.
I have the machine attached to a 23" Apple Cinema Display and a 16.1" Sony LCD display and the video performance is fantastic. Great resolution and millions of colors on both displays. Both also hooked up using digital (ADC and DVI) connections. The USB and Firewire ports on the back of the Cinema Display are really handy but I wish there was one more of each on the back of the actual Powermac case. There is only one Firewire 400 port back there and I find that slightly limiting.
Overall I would highly recommend any flavor of the G5 processor to anyone looking for a new desktop machine. It's quick and snappy and makes for a great computing experience.
G5 Ordered
August 26, 2004
So I ordered my G5 but it won't be here until the middle of September. I also ordered the 23" Cinema Display, which I already received. I really can't imagine going back to a smaller monitor after using this thing. A big (literally) improvment over the 12" Powerbook screen I had been using as my primary monitor. I'll report in more detail on the G5 when it arrives.
Dual 2.5Ghz G5's Shipping
July 29, 2004
It looks like Apple will be shipping the first wave of consumer 2.5 Ghz G5's this coming Friday. While some corporate accounts already received their orders many consumers have been waiting for quite some time now for the machines to ship. I will be ordering one once I hear the reviews of the machines as it's a new configuration and aparently dependent on 10.3.5, an OS update.
I'll keep this site posted on my thoughts on the new machine.
Palm and Apple
February 11, 2004
So it appears that the next generation Palm Operating system, you know, those handheld devices, won't support Mac OS. More clearly, they will not be developing a new version of Palm Desktop for Mac. While they do cite certain reasons for this decision I believe they are making a huge mistake. This is not to say that third party developers cannot develop conduits but personally, I'm not willing to invest in a product which does not support my platform OEM.
New G5's.
January 26, 2004
I'm going to be upgrading my computer setup as soon as Apple releases the next round of G5 Powermacs. I've been putting off the upgrade since last Fall when my G4 400Mhz Powerbook started to become a little slower than I could handle. It's still fast for the most part but applications such as Flash and Illustrator give it some problems. I also think it's time to stop carrying all of my data around with me everywhere and start keeping everything home on the desktop.
I've been reading Macintosh and Apple rumor sites for quite a few years now but I think I've logged more macrumors.com page views in the past month than all previous years. It's really hard to purchase Apple equipment and if not done properly can cost not only $$$ but bragging rights and pride. It's been my experience that Apple will release a new or upgraded product immediately after I make my purchase. After heeding the advice of Justin I will wait until they release the new G5's and buy one right away. That way I have the latest and greatest for at least a couple of months.
Switchback Rebuttal
November 05, 2003
I am writing this posting as a response to an article I recently read on stopdesign.com, a weblog on technology and design by the very talented Douglas Bowman.
Douglas has recently "switched" back to his Mac after roughly 3 years of using a PC for daily computing and the Mac primarily for testing. He goes on to say that he feels, "out of control" on the Mac, not understanding their new operating completely and pointing out differences between OS X and OS 9.
I made the switch from PC to Mac about 3 years ago while working at my last job where they used Macs for everything. Some engineers there used Windows and Linux for development but everyone had a mac. I was reluctant at first but slowly started to warm up to the idea of the "Finder" and other Mac-sclusive interface and networking principles. After a while I was more than comfortable with my Mac and began to do all of my personal computing on my own PowerBook G4 400, which I've been using for over 2 years now.
There are major differences between a Mac and a PC and I don't want to get into the argument of which is better but I will say that a Mac surely feels more comfortable for me. Using my Home folder and the default directory structure for organizing Documents, Sites and other media makes my machine very flexible but streamlined at the same time. I have been telling people that the Mac allows you to spend more time doing work or being creative than figuring out how to use the computer because everything is pretty straight forward. If you think you can do it on the Mac, you probably can (drag and drop flexibility for example).
In conclusion, I've been using a Mac as my primary computer for about 3 years now and I don't intend to switch to anything else any time soon. I am eagerly awaiting my upgrade to 10.3 this weekend (thanks Justin) and I'm sure I will be very satisfied with the new OS.
Concerns over 10.3
I am getting ready to upgrade my G4 PowerBook 400 to 10.3 this weekend but I am hesitant based on a couple of things I've read over the past few days. Aparently there were early issues with some Firewire 800 drives using a certain chipset as well as ongoing problems with FileVault and user preferences.
I was also getting ready to purchase a new 15" PowerBook but am glad I waited based on reports of problems with the display. It appears that spacers in the LCD are causing white spots to appear on the display.
New iBooks from Apple
October 22, 2003
Apple has updated their ibook line with more than just a speedbump. They've moved the popular notebook up in status with a G4 processor. It appears that all of the machines they now offer use the G4 chip. This small detail seemed, at least to me, to go by unnoticed and undocumented. Good work Apple.
800MHz, G4 iBook, 12.1", 256MB DDR SDRAM, 30GB HD, 2 USB 2.0, FW400, Combo Drive. $1099. ATI Mobility Radeon 9200.
933MHz, G4 iBook, 14.1", 256MB DDR SDRAM, 40GB HD, 2 USB 2.0, FW400, Combo Drive. $1299. ATI Mobility Radeon 9200.
1.0GHz, G4 iBook, 14.1", 256MB DDR SDRAM, 60GB HD, 2 USB 2.0, FW400, Combo Drive. $1499. ATI Mobility Radeon 9200.
From macrumors.com
The ibook is a great machine for a student or someone who will primarily be using the computer for email, the internet, music, and some basic document functionality (read: writing word documents). The G4 processor is powerful enough to handle these tasks with ease.
If more power is needed, the obvious solution is to step up to the powerbook. It offers a slightly faster chip with improved architecture for more demanding users.
Apple is not, of yet, offering their new G5 chip in a portable. Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying that it is in the works and possible by the end of 2004. No one thought they would be able to get the G4 into a laptop but they did it. Remember, there are many issues which affect the porting of a chip from a desktop design to a portable design. These include cooling, power requirements, size and most of all, cost.
iTunes for Windows
October 16, 2003
Today Apple released it's popular iTunes audio application for Windows. The interface is very similiar to the Mac version with it's brushed metal styling as Apple did a good job keeping the distinctive Mac look and feel. For example, the scroll bars have the Aqua theme and the "Browse" pane slides down very smoothly. I've loaded our entire MP3 library into it and it seemed to have no trouble importing all of the files.
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