Tuesday, January 11, 2000
Top Stories
PC Reinvention Is't Easy
Yes, Jobs brought us the personal computer with the help of Steve Wozniak and later the graphical user interface, which Microsoft would copy. Those of us covering high tech for the past 20 years have woefully short memories. But for sheer accomplishment, I challenge anyone to beat the magic Jobs worked to bring Apple back from the dead.
The Lollipop Look
What was striking about the iMac was not that it invented a look but that Apple's designers, led by Jonathan Ive, had the courage to apply the lollipop look to a whole computer, a serious and expensive device, and that they did it with such elegance.
News
Waldman Exits Microsoft's Mac Unit
Ben [Waldman's] accomlishments in the Macintosh Business Unit have been outstanding for Microsoft and, most important, for Microsoft's 12 million Macintosh customers... The 32-year-old Waldman... will report to Microsoft Group Vice President Bob Muglia "to lead the design, development and marketing of software for mobile devices such as Pocket PCs, handheld PCs and mobile-phone products.
Macromedia's Stealth Bombshell
The crux of Macromedia's announcement is that it will push designers to apply a different model of thought: We're no longer talking about lking the Web page to legacy documents but about providing a complement to the online user experience - one that's designed from the ground up with printing in mind.
Apple Named "Best Brand" By AdWeek
Bolstered by the consumer-popular iMac and resonating "Think Different" campaign, Apple Computer Inc. was named as the company with the best brand in the personal computer category by AdWeek and Deja.com.
Vendors Salute Macworld Expo
Last week's Macworld Expo here is shaping up to be the biggest in the West Coast show's history, and exhibitors reported good sales and steady traffic to their booths throughout the event. Both third-party hardware and software vendors said the mood at the annual gathering was upbeat and Mac fans came ready to buy.
FireWire Takes Center-stage At Consumer Electronics Show
While last week's Macworld Expo garnered most of the Macintosh community's attention, there were Apple-pertinent announcements taking place only a couple hundred miles away at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las vegas.
This Must Be That 'New Paradigm'
Santa Clara County, which encompasses about half of Silicon Valley, recently said it will start providing low-interest loans to families making more than $100,000 a year, because even a six-figure income doesn't necessarily mean you can afford a house.
Opinion
Apple Now A Pop Icon?
If you've been watching even a light amount of TV lately, you'll notice that Apple seems to have broken into the big and ever changing world of pop-culture.
Apple Taiwan Weathers Adversity
What's done is done; the market slump and the earthquake should be left to 1999. In Y2K and beyond, there may still be some challenges to Apple's price, service, compatibility and products, but the prospects are good that these obstacles will be overcome here as well as in other contentious Asian markets.
Review
Kritter USB
The Kritter USB is great, it's a big step up from the other USB cameras.
PowerBook 1400: A Good Buy
There's a lot to like about the PowerBook 1400: it was the first PowerBook with a CD-ROM, it ofered decent power, wasn't too heavy, and had a very nice 800x600 pixel color screen.
iReview Reviewed
Maybe I shouldn't be disappointed that Low End Mac didn't make the cut at iReview. I'm in very good company.
Sidetrack
Mac OS Rumors speculates on the kind of machines that Apple will officially support for Mac OS X. And AppleInsider reports that PowerPC product woes may have slowed Mystic Dual G4s' launch.
Wintel
Microsoft Leaks Own Plans For Coup D'Etat
The tone seems further to suggest that the federal government is a big software company that would be well advised to merge with another big software company called Microsoft.
Microsoft Looks Left Out Of Mobile Frenzy
More big technology names lined up for a share of the wireless Internet boom on Tuesday in a rising tide of partnerships that made global software leader Microsoft look increasingly isolated.
Microsoft's Buying Binge: Dealing For Dollars
The software maker said it completed 90 investments or acquisitions valued at $9.88 billion last year... It makes Microsoft, which had a cash hoard of $18.9 billion in its fiscal first quarter... one of the most active corporate buyers or financiers of companies — and makes the company a giant portfolio manager.