Wednesday, May 3, 2000
Top Stories
Apple Heads For Interface Oblivion
It seems a shame to sacrifice over a dozen years of common-sense progress at the alter of cool. It seems foolish to ignore every lesson that's been painfully learned about user productivity in the face of translucent plastic. It seems suicidally stupid for Apple to toss aside one of their core competitive advantages in the name of making pretty pictures. Turn back, Apple; turn back before it's too late. Even people who think different should still use their brains.
News
Apple Teams Game Developers With WWF
Apple Computer, in cooperation with a San Francisco television station and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), has launched an unusual marketing program that will allow Mac game developers to promote their products in advertising spots shown during WWF broadcasts in Northern California.
AppleWorks 6.0.3 Promises Stability, RTF Translation
AppleWorks 6.0, the controversial update to Apple's suite of productivity tools has been updated to version 6.0.3, an update that purportedly improves the performance, compatibility and stability of AppleWorks 6 and adds RTF (rich text format) translation.
Smile For The iMac, Dahling...
What if you were at some chichi event none of your friends could get into, and dressed to the nines, and found out you could hop into one of those old photo booths, and instantly email your gleaming mug out to all of your hapless friends ó to their envy and spite?
Newer Resurrects Upgrade Products
The CPU upgrade vendor, on the comeback trail after averting bankruptcy, has revived its NuBus and L2 cache products.
Opinion
Wanting More From Apple
The iMac and iBook were barely the beginning — a lot of exciting things are left for Apple to develop and innovate. I just can't wait for that innovation to start.
Play Different
The iMac as currently envisaged can catch up with the Playstation hardware to remain popular, and sell at a good price with its own distinctive style. However, it needs to catch up on software - fast!
Beyond Four
Apple has created models for what they consider the four largest, most important markets — why are some Mac users still disappointed?
Review
What's The Best Choice For A Budget Workhorse PowerBook?
A couple of letters I received from readers this week ask essentially what is the minimum specification PowerBook practical for all around use these days. There is of course no simple single answer to this question.
AppleWorks 6
AppleWorks 6 receives a Good ratingóthree out of fiveóbecause of the strong feature set and good design that it inherits from ClarisWorks 4 and 5. The new table editor is nice, the presentation module is adequate for its first version, and there are some nice new features for novices, but most of the other changes are for the worse.
Sidetrack
Over at MacDesktops, eight new pcitures are posted. Download an iBook, Bob Marley, or Dirty Harry.
Is this a Mac user's fantasy, or a Microsoft user's? Anyway, Bill Gates IV declared war in this little fiction piece on Low End Mac.
MacInTouch readers wrote in on their experiences with iMovie.
AOL is commited to Macintosh platform? Several readers of MacNN wrote in to disagree.
Wintel
Windows Bug Shuts Down School System's Computers
Calgary Board of Education officials shut down the computer system Friday after staff detected a computer virus in the system.
Microsoft Breakup May Doom Strategy For Internet
Although the government's proposed antitrust remedies focus on two of Microsoft's oldest businesses - Windows and Office - its real aim may be the company's sweeping plans to merge Windows with Internet services.
How Relevant Is Microsoft?
To maintain its influence in the post-PC world, Microsoft must hit it big with its Next Generation Windows Services.
Compaq And Sony Unveil Notebooks
It must be spring. Like plants putting forth flowers, PC vendors keep rolling out new notebook computers that feature more power and lower prices. The latest entries to bloom are from Compaq and Sony.
Across The Atlantic, Interest In Microsoft Antitrust Case
In Britain and on the Continent, the latest chapter in the Microsoft saga has gotten prominent attention in the media. For many, Microsoft has served as the best example of an entrepreneurial success story. Others see it as embodying the worst traits of American excess.
MS: Beware Of The Charging Bull
Why do Chairman Gates and CEO Ballmer insist on waving a red flag in front of a charging bull?
Microsoft's Real Problem: No Innovation
At this point in time, I think it's all over anyway. It's Microsoft's complete lack of vision and innovation that is killing the company. Most of its technology is bought from others and tweaked. The Microsoft marketing machine then kills off the competition, which is where the innovations came from in the first place.
What If Microsoft Hadn't Been A Bully?
Chances are we'd see a more dynamic software marketplace, a larger number of thriving high-tech firms with record revenue - even an earlier Internet boom.