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Monday, June 30, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Explains Power Mac G4 Mobo Switch
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Reverting to the older motherboard architecture had another added benefit: Today's Power Mac G4 is dual-bootable in Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.

Beige G3 Abandoned By Panther? Is It Really Inevitable?
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac
At some point it's going to happen.

News

Casady & Greene To Cease Operations Thursday
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Casady & Greene, a company that's been publishing software since 1984, will offiically cease business as of Thursday.

.Mac Members Getting Renewal Notices Three Months Early
by MacFixIt
"What happened to the extra 3 months?"

Netscape 7.1 Released
by MacMinute

Pinnacle To Buy Dazzle Products
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Pinnacle Systems Inc., which makes such products as the Mac-based CineWave video editing solution, has entered into a definitive agreement to buy the Dazzle home video editing business from SCM Microsystems.

iSight, iPod, Power Mac G5 Top Apple Sales Chart
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

Fuel Creativity, Manage Passion
by Jimmy Yap, MIS Magazine
Apple Computer attracts many bright, passionate individuals, and the big task for its Asia-Pacific VP, Tony Ho, is to manage them and harness their creative energies.

Benchmarking The Leaders
by Chris Bell, Blanche McMath, Vikki Bland, MIS Magazine
Most if not all educational organisations use the Apple Mac platform for teaching information technology and in visual arts departments.

PowerSchool Announces Student Information System 3.6
by MacMinute
PowerSchool 3.6 features "more scheduling versatility, expanding on the Master Schedule Builder of version 3.5."

Apple Kicks Off "You Save. They Rave." Promo
by MacMinute
US$99 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a Mac and an HP DeskJet or Photosmart printer or any HP all-in-one product.

MacSoft: Neverwinter Nights Coming In July
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Set in the Forgotten Realms, Neverwinter Nights is a true 3D RPG set developed using D&D 3rd Edition rules.

Macworld CreativePro To Feature FCP-Made Films
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral

Independent Bands Use Internet To Sell Recordings, Widen Their Exposure
by Christina Dyrness, News And Observer

Opinion

New Power Mac G5 Triggers Wave Of Hype
by Larry Blasko, Associated Press
Processor speed is but one measure of a desktop computer's performance.

The Video Phone Meets The PC: Steve Jobs Shows How To Put THe Phone Companies Out Of Business
by Erick Schonfeld, Business 2.0
The folks who should be the most worried about this development are the phone companies.

Apple's On A Roll Again—But Is It Too Late?
by David Coursey, ZDNet
With stuff this good, Apple deserves a break.

Take Another Look At Apple
by Dan Gillmor, Computerworld
Apple can still make a case in the enterprise, targeting creative types, some road warriors and some server applications, and it's clearly not running short on innovation.

Will Microsoft's Browser Engine Backfire?
by Munir Kotadia, ZDNet UK
Microsoft may have unwittingly started a revolt against its Internet Explorer (IE) browser by discontinuing it as a standalone product and blurring the future of the current version, IE 6.

The Audiophile Future?
by Jon Lverson, Stereophile Magazine
Once the mass market has adopted an audio format it finds convenient, audiophiles are expected to grumble a bit and then get down to the business of perfecting it.

Q&A: Dan Gillmor On Apple's New G5s, Panther
by Ken Mingis, Computerworld
"Clearly on the UI front, Apple is ahead and will stay ahead. But Microsoft is nothing if not relentless. This is a long, long competition."

Analyzing Apple's Market Position
by Miguel, OSNews.com
I would appreciate if other marketing aspects are also brought to the spotlight, as the "lower the prices, sell more machines" argument is very simple and not well thought.

The Panther Report: Is Apple Now Cribbing Ideas From Windows?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
This isn't the first time Apple has gone outside the company for technology and ideas.

Review

MacAlly Noise Reduction Headphones
by Greg Gant, Inside Mac Games
The MacAllys are a solid set of headphones and pack the sound quality that should be expected for their price.

Sidetrack

Monday, June 30, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

BRAND NEW TOY : "So, to Mac developers," advised Brent Simmons, , "I'm not saying don't use Web Kit. Use it. It's super cool."

"I'm just saying to pay attention to security."

After all, there is a reason why most of us don't use Windows by choice.

STUPID : The Malaysia government wants to put software under price control to fight piracy. I only have one word to describe this move.

Wintel

IBM Takes On Microsoft: Smaller Businesses Win
by Paul McDougall, InformationWeek

Microsoft's New Interest In Washington
by Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com

New Itanium A Breakthrough For Intel?
by Stephen Shankland and Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
With "Madison," Intel is hoping the third time's a charm.

A Safer System For Home PC's Feels Like Jail To Some Critics
by John Markoff, New York Times
Your next personal computer may well come with its own digital chaperon.

Sunday, June 29, 2003

Top Stories

Mac's Retail Rush
by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Press
When Apple launched its "switcher" campaign to woo Windows users into the Macintosh camp, the stores were supposed to serve as the ultimate physical enticements for would-be defectors. But fewer than two out of a 100 non-Mac-using store visitors end up buying Macs, about the rate at which Mac-using visitors buy new machines.

Apple Exploits Open Source To Produce An Outstanding Browser
by Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post
Safari is one of Apple's finest releases, an elegant piece of work that shows a refreshing emphasis on two often-neglected qualities: simplicity and speed.

News

Mac Geeks Unite At Sea
by David Pogue, CBS News
Inside what looks like an ordinary classroom, students gathered for what seemed to be a usual computer seminar. But the computer users were far from common.

Oak Ridge Upgrades School Computers
by Bob Fowler, KnoxNews
Students and teachers at Oak Ridge's four elementary schools will have new wireless computers and software when school resumes in August.

Apple Wins Two Industrial Design Excellence Awards
by MacMinute
Apple received two awards in this year's Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Opinion

Apple And Developers
by Tim O'Reilly, O'Reilly Network
Just because Steve Jobs doesn't have a genius for encouraging developers doesn't mean that he isn't a genius at a certain kind of marketing.

Review

Macintosh In The Land Behind The 64-Bit Looking Glass
by Nebojsa Novakovic, The Inquirer
Combined with the compiler and software improvement, the roadmap might give us the fastest desktop platform around — but will Apple make full use of it, or screw up a great opportunity as they did many times before?

PlanarMedia 14 Audio System
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
I don't have any pretense of being an audiophile, but I know what I like. And I like the way this speaker system sounds.

Sony CD Recorder Is Good To Go
by Ric Manning, Courier-Journal
Sony's new MPD-AP20OU portable CD recorder costs more than some other outboard units, but it has several features that might make it worth the price.

Sidetrack

Sunday, June 29, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

HACK AWAY : iTunes Music Store's digital rights management scheme.

YET ANOTHER MARRIED QUOTE : My contribution to this : "So, why not you choose what we'll have for dinner?"

"Pizza?"

"No."

Saturday, June 28, 2003

Top Stories

Greene Leaders Agree To Lease Computers
by Sandy Wall, Kinston Free Press
Greene County leaders on Thursday approved a lease agreement that will provide laptop computers for every middle and high school students.

News

Sybase Covers All The Bases
by Rick Whiting, InformationWeek
New offerings help manage very large databases and mobile and small-business apps.

Corel Shows Loss, Trims Staff
by David Becker, CNET News.com

Aspyr Ships SimCity 4
by Jefferson Regan, Inside Mac Games
The long-awaited 4th generation of the game features new simulation and graphics engines, new regional game play and the new ability to track the lives of individual Sims as they go about their daily routine.

Apple Confirms Third-Party Cards Work With AirPort 3.1
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The ability for third party IEEE 802.11g cards to work in Macs equipped with AirPort 3.1 drivers was a deliberate engineering decisiono n Apple's part.

Security Concerns Raised Over Retrospect
by MacNN

Apple Blooms On Michigan
by Howard Wolinsky, Chicago Sun-Times
Apple today puts the final polishes on and at 6 pm, opens its new North Michigan Avenue store, the largest in its rapidly expanding network of company-owned retail outlets.

Opinion

Panther Preview Confirms New PowerBooks?
by Tony Smith, The Register
A tantalising glimpse of Apple's PowerBook plans has emerged courtesy of the preview release of Mac OS X 10.3 handed out to developers at this week's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Why Does Apple Put Politics First?
by Rush Limbaugh
Apple is apparently a company that is so constrained by the political views of its corporate leadership and board, which now includes Algore, that it's accepting lower sales. What a shame.

Apple's iChat AV And AOL IM Interoperability
by Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News
Now we can guess why AOL asked the FCC to cancel the instant-messaging interoperability requirement for video services, something AOL had promised as a consequence of its buyout of Time Warner.

Concerning Apple's New Power Mac G5
by Jared White, Idea Basket
A number of interesting details about the new Apple machines have gone more-or-less unnoticed.

Is The G5 Going To Change The Platform?
by TheMacMind

The Time Is Now
by DBRobinson, MacTeens
To grow their market share, Apple need to increase the appeal to all levels of consumers.

Will The Power Macintosh G5 Inspire The Market?
by Andreas Pfeiffer, ExtremeTech

Review

Add Songs To iPod After Altering Your Preferences
by Jim Rossman, Dalls Morning News

Audio/Video Conferencing With iChat AV
by Wei-Meng Lee, O'Reilly Network
After fiddling with iChat AV, I have this feeling that Apple is going to popularize video conferencing with these two new product launches.

The Game Room: Save The Drama
by Peter Cohen, Macworld UK
From comic-book heroes to skate rats to tried-and-true board games, we've packed this month's Game Room with games that offer a more upbeat outlook.

Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition
by Karen Halloran, Inside Mac Games
If Tropico slipped by you on its initial release, the Mucho Macho Edition is a great opportunity to try one of the most unique simulation games ever at a bargain price.

Unreal Tournament 2003
by Corey Tamas, MacGamer

Wintel

Sobig Variant Making A Name For Itself
by Dennis Fisher, eWeek
Our long national nightmare continues.

Microsoft Eases E-Mail Licensing
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Companies will not have to pay as much to keep their e-mai-addicted employees happy under new licensing terms established by Microsoft for the next version of Exchange.

Friday, June 27, 2003

News

PowerLogix Drops G4 CPU Upgrade Prices, Talks G5
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral

PC-Mac War Hits Tukwila School — Foster High Wins Grant For 30 New Apples, But Tech Plan Calls For PC Use
by Nora Doyle, King County Journal
"I'd rather have 30 PCs than nothing," although the first choice would be to have new Macs rather than used PCs.

VCD-Authoring App Updated
by Macworld UK
The software lets Mac users create VCDs from iMovie or QuickTime files.

Opinion

Gloves Off The Benchmark Brawls
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Did Apple lie? No, it probably got the results it said it did on the Dell machine, but the system world probably submerged in maple syrup or powered by a humidifier.

Flipping The Bird
by John Gruber
The tendency to cast every story in terms of conflict is fueled by laziness.

Could An eMac Strategy Bring More Market Share To Apple?
by Eugenia Loli-Queru, OS News

Panther For $129? Please
by TheMacMind
I'm sticking with Jaguar.

Review

Uplink
by Cliff Joseph, MacUser UK
Uplink might not appeal to trigger-happy FPS fans, but it's worth a look if you like games with a cerebral twist.

3 Days Of The Panther... Not Bad, Not Bad At All
by MacNETv2
The best feature of Panther is the new level of sophistication.

The Panther Report: An Early Look
by Gene Steinbger, Mac Night Owl
I'll distill a few personal reactions based on working with the Panther prerelease right after the keynote, and conversations with Apple on the subject.

Sidetrack

Friday, June 27, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

VISIT IT ONLINE : Catch pictures of the brand new Apple Store at North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Wintel

Gates: Security Isn't All Big Brother
by Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com
Technology will help preserve privacy rights.

Group Claims Linux Advance On Xbox
by Patrick Gray, CNET News.com
A group of Xbox security researchers say they have found a way to run Linux on the Xbox without a so-called mod chip and will go public with the technique if Microsoft won't talk to them about releasing an official Linux boot loader.

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Top Stories

Will Apple Score With The Technical Crowd?
by David Morgenstern, StorageSupersite
Even the most vocal critic must agree that the forthcoming PowerPC G5 will have considerable juice, but will it have what it takes to make the grade in scientific research and engineering apps?

Apple Design Award Winners Announced
by MacMinute
Salling Clicker 1.5 picked up awards for both Best Mac OS X Product (Best of Show) and for Most Innovative.

Video Chat Software Reviewed
by David Pogue, New York Times
Apple, [as opposed to Microsoft], would sooner die than release anything that could be described as "stuttering" or "microscopic."

News

Questions On Mac OS 10.3 (Panther) System Requirements; Real-World Test Results
by MacFixIt
As far as we can discern, any hardware that will run Mac OS X 10.2.x (Jaguar) will also be capable of running Mac OS X 10.3.

Thursby Releases Free DAVE 4.1 Update
by MacNN

QuickTime State Of The Union Address Posted
by MacMinute

AppleScript Gathering Planned For CreativePro
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
An AppleScript for Workflow Automation Birds-of-a-Feather meeting will be held at next month's Macworld CreativePro Conference and Expo.

Biggest Apple At Home In Chicago
by Lorene Yue, Chicago Tribune
Apple is opening its largest store in Chicago, part of a retail that has yet to prove it can help the computer-maker take a bigger bite of its market.

Apple Releases Darwin 7 Preview Source Code
by MacNN

Apple's G5: Reality Distortion Field Not Required
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
While the casual Mac user may wonder what the fuss is about, the new Power Mac G5 is the machine for which pro users (as well as home users with a penchant for power) have waited for more than a year.

Opinion

Will The G5 Kill Consumer Mac Sales?
by Remy Davison, Insanely Great Mac
Would you buy an iMac now if yo uknew that inside 12 months a G5 iMac would be released?

A Look Inside Apple's New Push For Speed
by Jon Fortt, San Jose Mercury News
If I were a betting man, I'd wager that an Apple-branded camcorder and an Apple-branded phone aren't too far off.

The WWDC Report: Apple Does It Again To Third Party Developers
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
If you look at the larger picture, Apple's move makes sense. It is not competing with third party developers, but with Microsoft.

No Wonder People Don't Buy Apple Macs
by Jack Russell, Inquirer
Why people don't switch and how to entice them.

Apple On Speed
by Sandy McMurray, Globe And Mail
The old debate about Mac versus PC has been revived, and the Mac side has a lot more ammunition today than it had last week.

Review

Making The Switch: Macs Can No Longer Just Talk Amongst Themselves
by Emru ownsend, CanadaComputes.com
Wired or wireless, the process of sharing files is the same.

Blogs For Teachers: Post Your Lesson Plans On The Web
by Jeff Adkins, Low End Mac
I was so impressed with the organization, versatility, and ease of use of iBlog that I went ahead and set up blogs for my classes this fall.

Want To Do More With An iSight Than Chat?
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
I want to introduce you to one variation right now — EvoCam 3.1.

Windows Of Opportunity
by Dave Bullard, Herald Sun
The real beauty of the latest Virtual PC version 6 is how seamlessly it works with Mac OS X Jaguar.

Sidetrack

Thursday, June 26, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

SORRY, NO MAC USERS PLEASE : Mac Net Journal discovered that Safari 1.0 doesn't work with FileMaker's site.

Will somebody be fired too? :-)

SHHHHH! : Last night, on the local news on TV, a report was made on steps the National Library Board is taking to make the library a quieter place again.

I was so happy, until I realise the reporter was conducting interviews in the library, interviewing both librarians and library users.

Sigh. I lost hope.

IT'S A CITY DOWN THERE : Artist turns PPC 970 die into futuristic city.

Wintel

Time Running Out For WIndows NT
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
The clock is ticking for those Microsoft customers still using the software maker's Windows NT 4.0 workstation operating system.

Windows 2000 Fixes Released
by Munir Kotadia and Ina Fried, CNET News.com

Court Curbs Microsoft Java Distribution
by Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com
A federal appeals court dealt a legal blow to Sun on Thursday, tossing out most of a preliminar injunction requiring Microsoft to carry its rival's version of an interpreter for the Java programming language.

Office Remodel To Help Disabled Users
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft plans to make the next version of Office more accessible to people with disabilities, a move that could help sales to companies doing government work.

Microsof Urged To Fry Its Own Spam
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
Microsoft recently launched a high-profile campaign against spammers, but some critics say the company should be more introspective if it is serious about reducing the scourge of unwanted e-mail.

Microsoft Warns Of Windows 2000 Server Flaw
by Dennis Fisher, eWeek
Microsoft on Wednesday issued a bulletin warning users of a flaw in a Windows 2000 Serve rcomponent that could allow attackers to execute code on vulnerable machines.

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Top Stories

Design According To Ive
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
"We wanted to get rid of anything other than what was absolutely essential. We kept going back to the beginning again and again. Do we need that part? Can we get it to perform the function of the other four parts?"

Developer Notes From WWDC 2003
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
The hardware is robust, the operating system is evolving, the developer base is growing, and customers worth having are taking notice of Apple once again. My gosh, what a good time to be an Apple developer.

Apple Hardware VP Defends Benchmarks
by Slashdot
Apple set out from the beginning to do a fair and even comparison, which is why Apple used an independent lab and provided full disclosure of the methods used in the tests, which would be "a silly way to do things" if Apple were intending to be deceptive.

Apple's Benchmarks Put To The Test
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Analysts and others are raising questions over Apple's claim that its new Power Mac G5 is the world's fastest personal computer.

News

Apple Offers Details On Panther Server
by MacNN
Apple's Panther Server Sneak Preview offers a glimpse of its upcoming features which Apple says "will deliver major enhancements."

Power Mac G4 Hard Drive Update For OS X Released
by MacMinute
Apple has released Hard Drive Update 1 for Mac OS X, which improves the longevity of some hard drives shipped in certain Power Mac G4s, including the Cube.

FileMaker To Spotlight K-12 Solutions At NECC
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

Sony USA CEO Sees Glimmers Of Hope In Music Sector
by Reshma Kapadia, Reuters
"Steve Jobs has liberated us."

Pixar Measuring Interest In Mac Renderman
by MacNN
Pixar has "found the performance of the G5 to be impressive," and is considering a full release of the popular renderer, depending on customer demand, among other issues.

iChat AV Problems Widespread
by TheMacMind

Apple Shares Hit 52-Week High
by MacUser UK
Apple's share price reached its highest point for a year following Monday's announcement of the Power Mac G5.

Apple Denies Fiddling G5, Xeon Tests
by Tony Smith, The Register
What the 'cheating' controversy has done at least is question the value of SPEC-based tests.

Apple Computer Steps Up Marketing In Korea
by Korea Herald
Apple Korea said it would actively promote its computer products for ordinary users as well as professionals.

Apple Store Boca Raton To Open July 3rd
by MacNN

MacMania III To Sail For Eastern Caribbean
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
MacMania combines an ocean voyage with 20 hours of conference ocurses. It will run Nov 7-14, 2004, in the Eastern Caribbean.

Ability Enterprise Lands Orders From Apple And Casio
by Claire Sung and Wen-Yu Lang, DigitTimes.com
Ability Enterprise has landed orders to produce Apple's iSight PC camera, sources said.

Keep Connected On The Go
by Chris McGregor, Chatham Daily News
"The use of wireless laptops facilitates learning and students become lifelong learners. The idea is to get into the hands of kids technology they can use."

Can The G5 Save Apple?
by James Maguire, NewsFactor
For all of the innovation the company is introducing with its next-generation G5 processor, its market battle remains decidely uphill.

Ellison And Jobs: Two Visions Of Tech
by David Kirkpatrick, Fortune
In their recent moves, the CEOs of Oracle and Apple have demonstrated divergent views of the industry.

No WPA For Apple Until Year-End
by SmallNetBuilder
Support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) will not be available until Mac OS X version 10.3 "Panther".

Retail ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Coming To The Mac
by Sean Smith, Inside Mac Games

Opinion

Apple: The Last Bastion?
by Alex Kidman, ZDNet Australia
As more sites shift to the IE way of thinking, it becomes easier to sell the Windows message; why buy a Mac system (or for that matter, a Linux one) that 'doesn't work properly with the Internet'?

Tempted
by Marc Zeedar, MacOPINION

Apple's New G5 Is Impressive Despite Questionable Benchmarking
by Martin Reynolds, Gartner
In any case, Apple's market share does not really depend on performance. The company's user interfaces, packaging and competence with content keep customes coming back. Apple users will welcome the update, but we see no reason for PC users to switch unless the Mac platform offers a compelling and sustainable performance benefit for their specific needs.

Wintel Catching Up? Time For Apple To Think Again
by Yeong Ah Seng, Straits Times
Apple, I believe has, in recent times, taken its customers and pre-eminence in PC laptop design for granted. It's time to Think, not just Different, but Again.

Review

Blowout G4s Or Forthcoming G5s, Which Wins Value Comparsion?
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac
There are precisely two standout values — the 2002 dual 1.25 GHz G4 at $1,299 and the dual 2.0 GHz G5 scheduled to ship in August.

Apple Power Mac G5
by Molly Wood, ZDNet
We don't love the G5's look, but the innards have serious promise.

Rendezvous With Web Services
by Massimiliano Bigatti, O'Reilly Network

Xserve RAID Shows Promise
by Henry Baltazar, eWeek
Apple's first foray into the RAID market yields an interesting storage unti that blends ATA drives with Fibre Channel connectivity. Unfortunately, it's currently an Apple-only product.

Sidetrack

Wednesday, June 25, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

DON'T EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE : Dave Hyatt on Safari 1.0. "If you actually thought all 10 million Web sites would render flawlessly in 1.0, then you simply had unrealistic expectations."

Wintel

Gates Puts The Squeeze On Spam
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft stepped up the rhetoric in its war on spam Tuesday, as Chairman Bill Gates called for government and corporate cooperation to stem the tide of junk e-mail.

Microsoft's Next Target — Google?
by Jim Hu and Mike Ricciuti, CNET News.com
Microsoft's path to expand the Windows empire is leading directly to search king Google.

Alas, Poor Microsoft... Yo Used To Be So Interesting
by Stewart Alsop, Fortune
These guys are no longer the zeitgeist-setting titans we loved to hate. It makes a polemicist like me sad.

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Steps Into The Future With Panther And G5
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
"We're not in a space where we are still finishing things we wanted to do with Mac OS X; Jaguar was that and we are beyond that now."

Apple & User Centricity. A Fan Letter.
by Steve Mallett, O'Reilly Network
Everything I saw this morning made me reel in the fact that Apple really, truely gets it and delivers.

Apple Benchmarketing Raises Questions
by Mark Hachman, ExtremeTech
It appears that Apple requested an optimized compiler to be used with its processors, while forcing the Intel processors to use a generic alternative.

News

Hello, iPod. Goodbye, MD
by Gizmodo
Sony really dropped the ball.

Power Mac G4s And G5s Compared
by David Read, MacCentral

Power Mac G4 Prices, Configs Slashed After G5 Intro
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Users interested in one of Apple's G4-based pro desktop systems will find their choices more limited than before, although bargain hunters may find some deals.

Aladdin Offers Ten For X Vol. 2
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

Apple Takes A Bite Out Of Video IM
by Christopher Saunders, Instant Messaging Planet.com
Jobs hopes to encourage the spread of video chat by integrating it into instant messaging.

Apple Plan To Roll Out Net Music In Europe Delayed
by Charles Arthur, Independent
Attempts by Apple to launch a European version of its online Music Store has been held up until next year by disputes between record companies and their artists over licensing.

Apple Steps Up Speed
by Benny Evangelista, San Francisco Chronicle

Apple Hits A High, But Fails To Convince Big Investors
by K. C. Swanson, TheStreet.com
Shares of Apple hit a one-year high in intraday trading Monday, propelled by enthusiastic chatter about a new powered-up chip for its high-end computers and a promising venture into the online music business. But though Mac lovers may see reason to applaud, heavy hitters in the fund world aren't exactly jumping out of their seats.

EverQuest Mac Edition Now Available
by MacMinute
EverQuest is a real-time 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

The MacHax Best Hack Contest 2003
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS
The touchstone for the MacHack developers conference has long been the annual MacHax Group's Best Hack Contest, in which numerous Macintosh developers of all skill levels show off their programming talents and learn new skills, all while having some fun and entertaining their friends.

Apple Announces Chip Deal And Other Moves To Lift PC's
by John Markoff, New York Times
Steve Jobs unveiled a new alliance with IBM today in a bid to stay innovative and independent in a computing world dominated by Microsoft and Intel.

Apple Unleashes Panther
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
With its new Panther operating system, Apple is once again asking Mac users to pay to adopt a new cat.

Oracle Bringing Database Software To Mac OS X
by MacMinute
Oracle today announced plans to issue a production release of its next generation database technology on Mac OS X, citing high demand for its Database Developer Release.

Wolfram Announces Mathematica 5
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Mathematica 5 boasts over 100 new algorithms for symbolic and numerical computation.

Mac Enthusiasts React To WWDC News
by David Schloss, MacCentral
Macintosh users are an easily excitable bunch.

Opinion

3 Months Ago: Apple Switch
by John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine
Apple will switch to Intel processors within the next 12 to 18 months.

Linux: Cheap, Reliable, But Fast?
by Scott Rosenberg, Salon
What I find interesting — and what Boutin doesn't really acknowledge or deal with in his article — is how effecitvely Apple has rekindled developers' interest.

Thrills At The Mall Of America's Apple Store
by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Press
If Apple has raised the bar for OS X's hardware requirement above my iMac, I'll be bummed.

Flipping The Switch
by Paul Boutin, Slate
Linux's new popularity may hurt Apple more than Microsoft.

Review

My Life And The Big Screen
by Bangkok Post
The 17-inch PowerBook G4 is a bit heavier, but you do get more computer for your trouble.

The Power Mac G5 Value Equation
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac
Apple has definitely turned things on their head with the Power Mac G5 when the dual 2.0 GHz machine offers 2.5x the sheer power of the 1.6 GHz model at just 50% more money.

Sidetrack

Tuesday, June 24, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

AN APPLE A DAY : MusicOnMac — the site for artists.

Monday, June 23, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Previews Mac OS X 'Panther'
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Highlights of the new operating system version include a revamped Finder interface that Jobs describes as "user-centric". Other new features include faster search, colored labels, and better integration with Windows network environments.

Apple Rolls Out iChat AV, iSight
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
The next version of iChat, iChat AV and a new Apple digital camera, the iSight, were unviled by Steve Jobs today.

Jobs Unveils New Power Macs
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Speaking at the company's annual developer conference, Steve Jobs rolled out a new crop of Power Macs that he says can outperform any Windows-based PC on the market. The Power Mac G5 will be built around IBM's new PowerPC 970 chip and come in three flavors — a 1.6GHz model, a 1.8GHz model and a dual processor 2GHz model.

News

Mac OS X Users Top 7 Million
by MacMinute
The number of Mac OS X applications have also doubled to more than 6,000 during the past year.

iTunes Music Store Hits 5 Million Downloads
by MacMinute
Over 46 percent of the songs have been purchased as albums, and over 80 percent of songs available the online store have been purchased at least once.

Apple Releases Safari 1.0
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Safari has seen over five million downloads of the beta versions in the past six months; version 1.0 will be the defalt browser for the new Power Mac G5s coming in August.

Apple Introduces Xcode Developer Tools
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Xcode, Apple's new developer tools, combines a Unix-based development environment, a breakthrough — and simplified — user interface, and performance technologies including Fix and Continue, Zero Link and Distributed Build.

Apple Previews Mac OS X 'Panther' Server
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The new version includes an Automatic Setup feature, Open Directory 2, Samba 3 and the JBoss Application Server.

Musical Revival
by Dawn C. Chmielewski, San Jose Mercury News
Success of Apple's service breathes new lie into online song sales.

OpenOffice For The Mac Goes Gold
by Andrew Orlowski, The Register
OpenOffice for the Macintosh is finally out of beta, just in time for Apple's WorldWide Developer Conference.

Week Ahead: Pocket PC Vs. Mac
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft and Apple Computer are set to face off "mano a desktop" on the publicity front.

LaCie Announces 60GB Pocket Drive
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral
The 7200rpm drive weighs in at 12.5 ounces and is small enough to fit into your pocket.

No School For The Unwanted
by Tom Pullar-Strecker, Stuff
Christchurch hi-tech research organisation Ultralab South is hoping to persuade the government to trial a British scheme for educational non-achievers called "Notschool".

Apple iPod Does A Palm
by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Sait Paul Pioneer Press
Now Windows users can harness their iPods as personal organizers, too.

Opinion

Apple And Microsoft: Can This Divorce Be Saved?
by David Coursey, ZDNet
I remain concerned tha tthere needs to be more great Apple software to help the platform along. But I don't think that Microsoft's withdrawal from that market will prove fatal for Apple.

Review

More Than An MP3 Player
by Chris Oaten, Advertiser
Apple's new range of iPod music players are musical manna from heaven.

Sidetrack

Monday, June 23, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

SEE YOU IN THE MORNING : Because of the time difference, I will be fast asleep when Steve Jobs unveils G5s and Panther. (And maybe iTunes for Windows, TiVo on iPod, and OS X Tablet PC Edition.) So, you'd have to go to some other places for your up-to-the-minute news.

HOGWART EXPRESS, in full QuickTime VR glory.

Wintel

Microsoft Unleashes New Handheld OS
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Aimed to play up its WIndows heritage, Microsoft on Monday will unveil a new version of its handheld operating system that boasts the new Windows Mobile name, but only a few new features.

New P4, Itanium From Intel
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Intel on Monday will come out with a Pentium 4 running at 3.2 GHz and will separtely discuss a new version of its upcoming Madison chip specially enhanced for dual-processor servers and workstations.

Microsoft Blog Policy Coming Down The Pike?
by Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft Watch
So far, corporate has yet to weigh in on its growing cadre of bloggers. But that may be about to change.

Sunday, June 22, 2003

Top Stories

The Missing Future
by Eric Kidd, Random Hacks
If you want my support, and the support of others like me, propose a vision. Show me you can co-operate, show me you can build platforms.

MacHack 18: Experiencing The Unstoppable
by Shawn Platkus, MacFixIt
MacHack is a conference for professional developers who make their living developing for the Macintosh platform.

News

NetNewsWire Gets Combined View, LiveJournal Support
by MacMinute
Version 1.0.3 brings a new Combined View that combines titles and descriptions into a single view.

Power Mac G4 Hard Drive Update For OS 9 Released
by MacMinute
Apple has released Hard Drive Update 1 (Mac OS 9 only), which improves the longevity of some hard drives shipped in certain Power Mac G4s, including the Cube.

MacHack 18 Opens With A Keynote Address From Ken Arnold
by Shawn Platkus, MacFixIt
As is traditional, MacHack 18 opened first thing Thursday morning at 12.00 am with its keynote address.

Apple UK Posts iPod Radio Ads
by MacMinute

Review

12-Inch PowerBook Continues Low-Weight Legacy
by Jon Fortt, San Jose Mercury News

PowerBook Is Big, Expensive Spectacle
by Jon Fortt, San Jose Mercury News
It's a dream. Get one and tourists might even ask to pose with you at the Burbank airport.

Saturday, June 21, 2003

Top Stories

Apple To Update Desktop Chips
by Jon Fortt, San Jose Mercury News
IBM has scheduled analyst briefings on the chip to begin after Steve Jobs givs his keynote address. A group of IBM engineers has come to Appe's Cupertino headquarters for last-minute preparations. And Apple's close partners say signifcantly faster Apple machines should arrive before the end of the year.

News

Apple Expected To Preview Next OS X On Monday
by Reuters
It has been a big year for Apple.

Safari Time For Mac Users
by Mike Musgrove, Washington Post
For users of Apple's Macintosh operating system, a certain amount of dependence on Microsoft has long been a practical necessity.

Apple Workers Get 13% Pay Rise
by Conor Keane, Irish Examiner
Workers at the Apple plant in Cork have managed to break the computer manufacturer's global pay freeze by winning a 13% pay rise.

Apple Gets A Taste For Speed
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Apple appears poised to boost its Power Mac line in what could be a much-needed overhaul of its high-end desktops.

O'Reilly In A Nutshell
by Joe Cellini, Apple
"When Mac OS X came out, it offered thebest of all worlds, the Office world and the whole Unix toolset all wrapped into that cool new interface, and with all the interesting iApps."

Profiles In Success: Information Security Institute, Johns Hopkins University: Securing The Internet Age
by Apple
For this team, security, collaboration, and productivity are mission-critical. That's why they depend on Macintosh systems running Mac OS X.

Apple Ships Shake 3
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Shake 3 includes such Mac OS X only features as Shake Qmaster network render management software that allows visual effects artists to distribute rendering tasks across a cluster of Apple's Xserve 1U rack servers or desktop Power Mac G4 systems.

Apple Acknowledges Continuing .Mac Problems
by MacNN
Several outages have affected .Mac within the past 12 hours.

Opinion

Letters: iTunes Will Save The Music Industry, Not Destroy It
by Salon
Readers respond to Sahar Akhtar's "iTunes — The 'i' Doesn't Stand For Innovation."

Review

New Computer Tools Help Jam Spam, Spare Ham
by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times
My technique has reduced the 1,000-plus spams a day I used to receive to a few dozen, which are easily filtered for later review.

Wintel

Reports Wrong On Xbox Successor
by David Becker, CNET News.com
A Japanese newspaper on Friday retracted statements attributed to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer regarding a new version of the Xbox.

Friday, June 20, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Leaks Power Mac G5 Specs
by MacMinute
The online Apple Store inadvertently posted the specs of the Power Mac G5 late Thursday.

News

Apple To Replay WWDC Keynote Via QuickTime
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral

Opinion

AppleWorks Lament: In A Vacuum, No One Can Hear You Type...
by Vern Seward, Mac Observer
Times have changed, the OS has changed and unless Apple wants it to be the office equivalent of the Yugo, AppleWorks needs to change.

The Bet: Aple, Faster, Better & Still A Loser
by John Kheit, Mac Observer
Steve Jobs should take his own advice and sacrifice some profit margin in exchange for some market share.

Does Mac OS And Windows Convergence Threaten Innovation?
by Adam Robert Guha, Low End Mac
If the Mac OS and Windows keep getting more and more similar, how long before they end up being the same thing?

Review

Giga Designs G4 Upgrades: Recent Entries TO CPU-Upgrade Market Let You Hol On To Your Old Mac
by Jeffy Milstead, Macworld

Live 2.0 And Phrazer 2.0: Two Apps Represent The Highs And Lows Of Loop-Based Sequencing
by Christopher Breen, Macworld

Portfolio 6.1: Upgrade To OS X-Native Digital-Asset Manager Speed Workflow
by Andrew Shalat, Macworld
Solo users may consider this upgrade pricey, but if you're working in OS X as a single user or a small-office creative pro, you'll want this upgrade.

RealBasic 5.0: Software-Development Application Remains Top In Field
by Andy Ihnatko, Macworld
What makes RealBasic a compelling buy has remained the same since the early days: when you commit to RealBasic, you've got a lot of people at your back.

TextWrangler 1.0: Text Editor Brings BBEdit Features To Bargain Market
by Jason Snell, Macworld
If you spend a lot of time looking at Unix config files or exports from a database application, or if you simply can't afford the $179 BBEdit, TextWrangler is a good option. But for TextWrangler to build a broader audience, it will need more flexibility and some features — such as AppleScript support — that it currently lacks.

ZBrush 1.5: Package Lets 2-D Artists Break Int To The Third Dimension
by Ben Long, Macworld
We like ZBrush's innovative support for painting with depth, but the interface leaves lots of room for improvement — and the program can't replace Adobe Photoshop or a full-featured 3-D application.

4th Dimension 2003 Standard Edition: Database-Development App Adds Cool New Features But Retains Familiar Barriers To Ease Of Use
by Scott Love, Macworld
4D 2003 is not easy to learn or use, but the company sure is trying, as evidenced by its well-integrated XML and Web-services support. It's well worth purchasing if you're an established 4D developer, but it will likely be over your head if you're not.

Mac Gems: Add Smarts To OS X
by Rick Lepage, Macworld

Mac FlipAlbum 3.0: Effort To Bring Real-World Feel To Virual Photo Albums Is Easy To Use But Yields Mixed Results
by Jason Teague, Macworld
Mac FlipAlbum is definitely not a tool for professional photographers, but home users who are looking for a conceptual alternative to iPhoto may find FlipAlbum's interface refreshing. However, those users should think twice before deleting iPhoto — there are still many things FlipAlbum can't do.

FontLab 4.5: Highly Scriptable, OpenType-Compatible Font Editor Deserves To Be The Typography Professional's Choice
by Amy Conger, Macworld
Professionals who take the time to tackle FontLab's toolbars will be rewarded with its pwoer and ease of use — especially after the sticky-mouse bug is fixed.

Datavideo DV Bank: Drive That Acts Like A Tape Deck Provides Improved Workflow For Video Editors
by Ben Long, Macworld
For videographers who need an additional capturing facility or time-lapse capability, this sturdy, well-designed machine is a great tool.

Faxstf X Pro: Major Improvements Earn Fax Software A Place Among Its Competitors — Though It's Not Without Faults
by Jeffery Battersby, Macworld
Faxstf X Pro is significantly better than its predecessor, but its hefty price, inconsistency in receiving faxes, and limited address-book compatibility mean it's no match for Page Sender.

FreeHand MX: Illustration Program Joins The FX Family
by Andrew Shalat, Macworld
The real selling point is its more comprehensive integration with other MX products; this integration finally brings FreeHand MX up to a level where professionals can use it with confidence.

DataBackup X (v 1.0.1)
by Gary Coyne, Applelinks.com

Wintel

Ballmer Sets Date For Next Xbox
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft will deliver the next version of its Xbox game console in 2006, CEO Steve Ballmer said.

Thursday, June 19, 2003

Top Stories

Ambrosia Software: Software Of The Gods
by Michael Yanovich, Inside Mac Games
If you play Mac games, you've probably heard of Ambrosia Software. One of the Mac's premiere shareware developers and publishers, Ambrosia has been making games and utilities with the passionate zeal that comes from drinking the gods' nectar.

AirPort Update Complies With Final IEEE 802.11g Spec
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Apple has released an update to bring AirPort Extreme base stations and client computers equipped with AirPort Extreme cards in-line with approved specifications.

News

iPod Software Update 2.0.1 Released
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Apple has released iPod Software Update 2.0.1, which offers restore and update features to iPods with a dock connector.

Macworld Shrinks To Core
by Scott Van Voorhis, Boston Herald
Macworld's much-touted return to the Hub next year may feature a dramatically downsized show that has tens of thousands of fewer attendees than first planned, recent events in New York indicate.

Apple Gets Indie Bands
by Warren Cohen, Rolling Stone
"I was waiting the whole time to find out, 'Where is the catch?' So far, there hasn't been any."

Apple In 2008
by Robyn Weisman, E-Commerce Times
If industry influence trumped such tradition economic considerations as market shares, Apple probably would be the top computer manufacturer.

Opinion

Confessions Of A Soon-To-Be Ex-Mac User
by Dale Tournemille
The Macintosh is slow, horribly expensive and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Apple WWDC: The 64-Bit Question
by Matthew Rothenberg, eWeek

Review

Super Pop And Drop
by Jack Jose, Applelinks.com

Power Over Ethernet
by Niko Coucouvanis, MacAddict
This one-trick widget obviously isn't for everyone, but as one-trick widgets go, it's a class act.

iMovie Retains Edge In Movie-Making
by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Philadelphia Inquirer
Apple's program is easy to use, has lots of interesting features, and works.

Creature Comfort Sounds Good
by Garry Barker, The Age

Put Weblogs To Work: Low-Cost Tools Let You Publish Professional And Personal Sites Instantly
by Scot Hacker, Macworld
For users who want a Weblog system that can expand with the needs of their publication or business, we recommend Movable Type or pMachine. Both offer excellent features, extensibility, and power, and they're both easy to use.

Wintel

MSN Search Bot A Glimpse Of Ambitions
by Jim Hu, CNET News.com
In preparation for unveiling its own algorithmic search engine, Microsoft's MSN has quietly launched software that will index Web sites, a move that raises questions about MSN's relationship with Yahoo subsidiary Inktomi.

Tech Giants Ally On Home Networking
by Richard Shim, CNET News.com
Microsoft, Sony and other tech heavyweights are set to unveil a joint effort to make sure that their products — from computers to DVD players to cell phones — can communicate with each other over a home wireless network.

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Stock Jumps On Analyst Upgrade
by MacMinute
Shares of Apple hit a 52-week high Wednesday after Charles Wolf of Needham & Co. upgraded the Mac maker to "buy" from "hold," citing strong iPod sales and a potential Power Mac rebound.

News

Sony Unveils Fingerprint Identity Package For OS X
by MacMinute
The package is an easy-to-use solution for securing access to desktops, Web sites and other critical applications.

Making The Cut: Producing A TV Series On The Mac
by Ric Getter, MacDirectory
"We decided to go with Macs for everything and I'm very glad we did."

iPod Muzak Isn't Same Old Song
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
Instead of piping bland background music over tinny speakers, enterprising music promoters are loading hundreds of hours of hip tunes onto iPods and renting them to restaurants, nightspots, clothing boutiques and hair salons.

More Universities Hosting WWDC Keynote
by MacMinute

Apple Upgraded At Needham & Co
by MacMinute

Mac Advocates Launch New Publication
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
6 Years Ago: Mac Today will hit newsstands later this week that will argue the case that Apple isn't in trouble, it's just misunderstood.

Opinion

Apple Sometimes Get It Wrong
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Apple has had its share of missteps over the years. That the company is still here, however, is a tribute to the brand's mystique and the quality of its products.

iTunes — The "i" Doesn't Stand For Innovation
by Sahar Akhtar, Salon
As songs are increasingly sold one by one online, the musical creativity and risk-taking associated with the album format will decline.

Apple's Real Worry Isn't The Loss Of IE
by Alex Salkever, BusinessWeek
Far more daunting is the prospect of Microsoft abandoning the Mac version of its popular Office software. That's because Apple hasn't yet shown it can replace Office for most of its users. And without Office, Apple's whole "switchers" program to convert Windows users will probably run aground.

Review

First Impressions Of A Low-End eMac
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac

JBL Invader
by Tim Morgan, Inside Mac Games
All in all, while certainly a noteworthy 4.1 system, after shelling out $180, it may leave the buyer wishing for a more memorable aural experience.

Reason To Believe...
by Walter S. Mossberg, Smart Money
Apple store provides a much better experience than bootleg services such as Kazaa — and it'sguilt-free.

How To Manage Large Image Libraries With iPhoto 2
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
iPhoto 2 includes a few key improvements to help manage large image catalogs.

Sidetrack

Wednesday, June 18, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

MAYBE WE SHOULD BE SMILING when Microsoft stops developing IE for Mac. After all, you don't want to go through this experience when you visit your parents.

I CAN'T BELIEVE that MacSurfer's actually took my link that points to a 6-year-old article and reprint the link as if it's current news. :-)

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Top Stories

The Key To Innovation
by Sandy McMurray, Globe And Mail
For now, the Innovation Advantage belongs to companies that control both hardware and software development. In this regard — until Microsoft buys HP, or Sony buys Microsoft — Apple stands alone.

Adventures In Downloading Haydn
by Anne Midgette, New York Times
This isn't all Apple's fault. It's just the way classical music is made.

News

Apple Director To Speak At Digital Music Event
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Peter Lowe, Apple's director of marketing for Applications and Services, will be a keynote speaker at the Jupiter Plug.IN Conference & Expo.

University Of Winsconsin Hosting WWDC Keynote
by MacMinute

Apple Responds To Microsoft Dropping Internet Explorer
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
"The Safari beta program has been an incredible success, and we will be releasing Safari 1.0 soon. Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit felt it was a good time to reassign their resources working on IE to the revenue-producing Mac products they are working on, such as the next versions of Office, Entourage (including an Exchange client) and Virtual PC."

Apple To Broadcast Jobs Keynote From WWDC
by MacNN
Apple will provide a live satellite broadcast of Steve Jobs' keynote address from its Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

Apple Store Coming To Burlingame, CA
by MacMinute

iPod, iTunes Put Apple At Core Of Music Industry
by Stephen Williams, Newsday

Supply Snag Slows Down Mac Cloner
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
John Fraser's one-mac Mac clone business has been put on hold after a key parts supplier became the target of Apple's legal team.

iTunes Independent-Lables Move
by Macworld UK
Apple has published a Knowledge Base document for musicians wishing to make their music available through iTunes Music Store.

Mac OS X Gains Reporting
by Lisa Vaas, eWeek
Sybase is bringing graphical reporting capabilities to the Mac OS X platform.

Opinion

The New Void In The Web Browser Market
by Stephanie Losi, E-Commerce Times
Safari is not currently available for Windows, but a case can be made that Apple could benefit from porting it to the Microsoft platform.

Why I Love The iPod
by Gareth McLean, Guardian
When you see someone on the street, white buds in their ears, it's a thrill to know that they are part of the brotherhood. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that my iPod has changed my life.

The Microsoft Watch: Will You Miss Internet Explorer?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl

Info With A Ball And Chain
by Steven Levy, Newsweek
We do need legislative help in keeping DRM under control. But ultimately, its fate will be determined by our own actions.

Microsoft Shows True Color: Yellow
by Tig Tillinghast, MediaDailyNews
We are entering a tech world in which means of distribution trumps marketing and even trumps product quality.

Review

Mask Pro 3
by Gary Coyne, Applelinks.com
What Mask Pro offers is more tools to assist the user in the art of extraction.

Aladdin Spring Cleaning 6.0
by Brian Burnham, MacMerc.com
Spring Cleaning and its trusty side-kick iClean remain the safest way to scrub out uesless files and polish the performance of your Mac.

TouchStream For 15" PowerBooks
by R. Emory Lundberg, O'Grady's PowerPage

Chartsmith
by Don Briggs, Stepwise.com
It shwos the strengths of Aqua and AppleScript. It follows the UNIX way: simple-seeming but powerful tools that interoperate freely.

Replacing A Power Mac G4 Power Supply
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS
Most everyone else will probably be happy that the new power supply and fan are indeed quieter, even though this replacement won't eliminate jealousy over the silence of the fan-less Power Mac G4 Cube and older iMacs.

Sidetrack

Tuesday, June 17, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE : I really hope that iTunes for Windows will be available for Windows sufferers outside of the U.S., because none of the Windows MP3 players that I've tried matches the quality of iTunes.

Just don't use metal inferface on Windows. I've checked. There's no such thing in the Windows HCI guide.

Update: If this is true, then I worry. :-)

THANKS, DAN, now I need to go get myself a camera-phone.

SIMILARLY, IN SINGAPORE : there is also a right-of-reply policy for reporting on the Government. I don't think there is a policy of a right-of-reply for any individuals, companies, or organization, though.

Wintel

Microsoft Takes Spam Fight To Court
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
Intensifying its campaign against spammers, Microsoft announced Tuesday that it has taken legal action in the company's home state of Washington and in the United Kingdom.

Microsoft Go Direct To Drive Profits
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Microsoft has a new strategy to boost its sales and fend off rivals: go direct.

West Virginia Drops Microsoft Appeal
by Reuters
West Viriginia's attorney general said Monday he would drop the state's appeal of the landmark Microsoft antitrust settlement, leaving Massachusetts as the final hold-out pushing for stricter sanctions.

Monday, June 16, 2003

Top Stories

Send Your Kids To Apple Camp
by MacMinute
Conducted at your local Apple retail store, Apple Camp "enhance the learning, study, and research skills of students in grades 1 through 9."

News

Profiles In Success: B. F. Yancey Elementary School: Transforming Kids With Technology
by Apple
"Working with the computers has given [the students] a sense of competency and initiative. They're starting to seek out their own learning opportunities."

Apple Store Coming To Cleveland, OH
by MacNN

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 5.2.3
by MacMinute
The update enhances browser compatibility for users who work on a network with secure authentication or with proxy servers.

Apple To Introduce New Mac OS X Server At WWDC
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
Apple will introduce the new version of OS X Server based on Panther and discuss how Apple products and technologies fit into today's IT environment.

Apple Shipping iLife 1.1
by MacMinute
The new version adds iTunes 4.0.1 to the bundle.

Apple Hardware VP To Keynote Macworld CreativePro
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Apple vice president of hardware product makreting Greg Joswiak will deliver the opening feature presentation at next month's Macworld CreativePro Conference & Expo in New York City.

Updates To Microsoft Internet Explorer Expected Today
by MacMinute

New Mac Site Launches For Mac Server Help
by MacMinute
A new Web site has launched that seeks to provide help to users looking to develop and serve Web sites on a Mac.

Windows iTunes Service 'By End Of Year'
by Macworld UK
Apple remains on track to deliver a Windows version of its iTunes Music Store by the end of the year, a senior executive confirmed last week.

Maine Ushers In A Laptop Revolution In The Schools
by Abraham McLaughlin, Christian Science Monitor
Now, at the end of the experiment's first year, the consensus seems to be that it's a hit.

Review

Mac Chronicles: What's In A Dot Mac?
by Dwayne R. Brown, CanadaComputes.com
When used as a complete package $159 is not a bad deal. But if you're only looking for a couple of features, put your wallet away and opt out for the freebie services that are scattered across the Web.

Apple's Net-Sharing Smarts Overcome Apple's WiFi Woes
by Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News
Apple needs to fix whatever is making some networks invisible to Airport Extreme cards. But it deserves some praise for the simple way you can create a low-end mesh network, with just a few clicks of a mouse.

Uplink
by MacSofa
While this game might not appeal to everyone, it does what it does good.

FreeHand MX
by Matt Osborn, MacAddict
New features and tools, better stability, and seamless program compatibility make FreeHand MX a good contender for future standards.

Price Cut Bolsters PowerBook's Value
by Gannett News Service
A recent $200 price drop makes Apple's 12-inch G4 PowerBook one of the more attractive options if you're looking for an ultraportable laptop with powerful multimedia capabilities.

Wintel

Linux Version Of Acquired Antivirus Product Doomed
by Joris Evers and Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
Users, resellers regret Microsoft plan to kill RAV AntiVirus for Linux.

Sunday, June 15, 2003

News

Independent Streak
by Chris Gaither, Boston Globe

Opinion

Why Apple iTunes May Win
by Frank Catalano, WebTalkGuys Radio
Apple is winning the online music battle, and may win the war.

This Month In Web Browsers
by William Grosso, O'Reilly Network
When you throw in Safari and Firebird, it feels like something's shifting.

Windows And Macros Can Prove Virus-Prone
by Linda Knapp, Seattle Times

Review

Why I Can't Finish The Upgrade To Mac OS X
by Ted Haigh, Mac Night Owl
There are three applications and one print driver keeping me chained to crashes, spinning beachballs, and inflexible modal dialog boxes. I need them, and I can't use them without Classic because, two years after OS X arrived, there is still no OS X version.

eMac In Class Of Its Own
by Chris Oaten, The Advertiser
The newest Apple eMac computers present compelling options to those in the market for a new machine.

Saturday, June 14, 2003

Top Stories

Selling Out: The Pocket Jukebox That's Shaking Up The World's Music Industry
by Danielle Demetriou, Independent
Weighing little more than a tube of toothpaste and fitting easily inside the palm of the hand, an innocuous British-designed gadget is leading a revolution in the music industry.

News

Apple Re-Issues Security Update For Mac OS X
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
Security Update 2003-06-09 2.0 apparently fixes a login problem where you had to hit the return key instead of the login button.

School Committee Nams Two To Consolidation Panel
by Paula Gibbs, Wiscasset Newspaper
Apple is offering school systems a three year payment plan [for Powerschool], with a very low or token payment the first year. If the school system signs on by June 30, the company will throw in a free $4,000 server.

Opinion

R.I.P.
by Jeffrey Zeldman
On this grey and rainy day, this news of a kind of death brings no warmth.

Review

Top Ten Digital Video Tips
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
Apply one or more of these tips to your movie making, and I guarantee you'll be rewarded with terrific results.

Sidetrack

Saturday, June 14, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

STUPID WEBSITES : Visited Dallas Morning News' web site, who asked me to register first before letting me read. So I did. Except that the stupid registration form allows me to indicate I'm from Singapore (and not U.S.), but insists I enter a 5-digit ZIP code. (In Singapore, it's 6 digit postal code. I'm sure there are other countries that uses alphanumeric postal code.)

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

So what do I do? I faked the data. Now, Dallas Morning News have a visitor from Singapore with a ZIP code of 12345.

Nowadays, it's so darn difficult to be an honest man.

Friday, June 13, 2003

News

The Art Institutes To Migrate 3,000 Macs To OS X
by MacMinute
Thanks to the release of QuarkXPress 6.

Microsoft: No New Versions Of IE For Mac
by Ian Fried, CNET News.com
Microsoft's decision creates a conudrum for Mac users seeking maximum compatibility.

In iPod He Trusts
by Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia City Paper
Armed with a small fleet of iPods, Porter's embarking on a one-of-a-kind business venture: filling the little mp3 players with a specially created musical catalog and renting them out to area businesses.

Internet Explorer Consigned To The Trash
by Jo Young, PC Pro
Roz Ho, the general manager of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit, has confirmed that no future versions of Internet Explorer will be released for the Mac.

Corel: A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Ambition
by James Bagnall, Ottawa Citizen
With Corel set to disappear into the control of a California-based venture-capital firm for little more than a buck a share, it's easy to forget there was a time when this company could do no wrong.

Line Of Apple Stores Expanded With Opening In Newton, Mass
by Hoover's Online
Leave it to Apple, the only PC maker that controls its own operating system, to think it can sell its products better than the computer superstores.

Apple Store Eats Channel Business
by Brian Corrigan, ARN
Apple resellers are becoming increasingly disgruntled with the product expansion and aggressive pricing of the vendor's online presence.

Wireless Remote Debuts For iPod
by MacMinute
The naviPod consists of a receiver that plugs into the top of the iPod and a 5-button infrared remote control that produces the same functions as the Apple iPod wired remote.

Adobe Posts Gain In 2nd-Quarter Earnings
by Reuters

By Kids, For Kids
by Colin Steele, Daily News Tribune
The Masconomet students wrote their stories then drew and painted pictures to go along with them. But everything soon turned high-tech.

Macs To Drive On HyperTransport Links
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Apple will use HyperTransport as a high-speed link between the two processors that make up the chipset in new desktop Macintoshes, sources said. This is faster than most existing chip connection technologies, a change that in turn should lead to overall better performance.

Opinion

Can Diversifying Save Apple?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Products with Apple labels on them would have to somehow fit into the company's master plan. Since the company doesn't necessarily share its plans with the outside world, we're left to speculate.

iPod: Digital Music's Windows Desktop
by Jimmy Guterman, Business 2.0
Since record companies are desperate for new means of distribution, shouldn't they be looking for access to the iPod rather than just iTunes?

How Apple Software (And Not Just iTunes) Could Improve The Windows Experience
by Adam Robert Guha, Low End Mac
Who ever thought we'd be looking to Apple to make the Windows experience better.

Mac G5: Too Little, Too Late
by James Maguire, osOpinion
Instead of a hot new model, Apple needs a new manufacturing process that will enable it to compete price-wise with Windows.

Review

Why Text Browsers? MacLynx Vs. WannaBe
by D. W. Owens, Low End Mac
Text browsers remain a viable alternative to graphical browsers, especially if you have a slow connection and/or an older machine.

From Geek To Chic, Mac Gifts Suit Dads, Grads
by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle
M last installment of gift suggestions focused on audio, but there's much more to being a Mac user than creating or enjoying music.

Ilisten 1.6 Dictation Software For OS X
by Charles W. Moore, Applelinks.com
iListen's far from perfected yet, and still has rough edges, but so does the competition, and this release has done considerable smoothing.

1GHz iMac
by MacAddict
We love the LCD iMac enough to accommodate its flaws, but not enough to overlook them.

Mac OS X And AudioUnits Update
by Stephanie Jorgl, Apple
An abundance of delectable new plugins.

Sidetrack

Friday, June 13, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

WANT A MACINTOSH PDA? : Why not try emulating Mac OS 8.1 on an iPaq?

Wintel

Rivals Say Microsoft Flouts Deal
by Jonathan Krim, Washington Post
Microsoft is trying to license key pieces of its technology at inflated rates and under onerous conditions, according to competitors who charge that the software giant is thwarting its antitrust settlement with the federal government.

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Top Stories

Who Really Owns Unix?
by Allen Brown, CNET News.com
Apple has been using the Unix trademark on and in connection with its OS X product. THis constitutes an infringement of our trademark since OS X is not certified under our Unix system certification progrm, and Apple has refused to use that program to obtain certification.

Talk Time
by Hamish Mackintosh, The Guardian
Susan Kare designed the original desktop icons for Apple and Microsoft Windows.

News

NoteTaker 1.5 Adds Host Of Features, Enhancements
by MacMinute
The new version marks a major feature evolution in NoteTaker's navigation system while also adding a very powerful global search tool for retrieving information across multiple notebooks.

Mac OS X Server Security Update Released
by MacMinute
"Updates Apache 2.0.45 to 2.0.4 and addresses a security hole in the mod_dav module."

Sybase Talks Apple Strategy
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
"Mac OS X is such a close relation to UNIX that it was easier to look at the Mac market economically."

PowerBook, iBook Nominated For Linux Hardware Award
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
The PowerBook and iBook have been nominated in the Best Linux Hardware category of the UK LinuxUser & Developer Awards.

Spring 1.3 Adds New Content To 'Universal Canvas'
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Spring 1.3 sports a variety of new features aimed at enriching the user experience.

802.11g Standard Approved
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
IEEE, the group responsible for setting standards in the networking industry, on Thursday approved the final specification for 802.11g, known to Mac users as AirPort Extreme. Very little has changed from January when Apple released its first 802.11g product.

SimCity 4 Goes Gold
by Tuncer Deniz, Inside Mac Games
Aspyr Media has announced that SimCity 4 for the Macintosh has gone gold and is now in duplication.

Hey Mr Tangerine Man
by Garry Barker, The Age
An Australian dollar that is finally getting its head above the water of the international exchange markets, and some price cutting decreed by Apple in Cupertino, has brought about big cuts in the price of portable computing.

Wozniak Looks Back: Part Two Of AN Exclusive Interview With Apple Computer Co-Founder Steve Wozniak
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
"And when you think all of these wonderful things happened in a life, who could ever want more?

Opinion

A Mac Is More Than Just A Computer (Or, Why Are Apple Fans So Zealous?)
by 2 Guys, A Mac, And A Website
I could almost hear them thinking: "Hundreds of people are waiting in line for... a computer store?"

Review

Laser Versus Ink Jet
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl

Dungeon Siege
by Chris Ritchie, Inside Mac Games
If you are a fan of the RPG, definitely check this game out, and if you have never so much hefted a sword in your entire game career, Dungeon Siege is an excellent opportunity for you to learn what all these "experience" points are about.

Sidetrack

Thursday, June 12, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

SARS VICTIM: The Singapore's Ministry of Health is still investigating the case where a cancer patient died due to lack of treatment. Given that every person on home quartine has a record somewhere in the Ministry, I'm surprised this person hasn't been tracked down. Either that, or the story is fake.

And how I wish Straits Times can put a link back to the original letter.

Wintel

Microsoft Preps New Handheld OS
by Richard Shim, CNET News.com
Microsoft will debut Pocket PC 2003 on June 23, according to sources close to the company. The operating system is not expected to be a major revision of Pocket PC 2002, but it will include new features such as built-in support for wireless technologies Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Intel Takes Notebook Chips Past 3GHz
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
The increase in speed comes courtesy of a new 3.06GHz mobile Pentium 4 chip, which was introduced as part of a volley of new processors fired off by Intel.

HP, Dell To Ship Java With PCs
by Stephen Shankland, CNET News.com
Sun signed deals Wednesday under which Dell and HP will ship Java technology on all PCs, a move that bypasses Microsoft's reluctance to distribute the software.

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Top Stories

Unix's Courtroom Adventures Continue
by Ian Fried, CNET News.com
Apple is being sued by The Open Group, the San Francisco company that claims ownership of the Unix trademark, for using the term Unix in conjunction with its Mac OS X operating system without a license. Apple has countersued, asking a judge to declare that the trademark is invalid, because the term Unix has become generic.

News

Apple 'Threatened To Sue' Samsung Over iPod Clone
by MacMinute

Quark: QuarkXPress 'Absolutely... Will Ship Next Week'
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
"I absolutely want to reassure you that QuarkXPress 6 will ship next week."

AOL Looks To Rival Apple Service
by Owen Gibson, The Guardian
AOL plans to follow Apple's lead by launching its own music download service in the US, offering music fans the chance to download songs on a track by track basis for 99 cents and offering more flexibility in terms of what they can do with them.

Apple Store To Open In Tokyo
by The Inquirer
An advert in the Japan Times has given a strong indication that Apple is to open an Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo.

Apple Store Coming To Cleveland, Ohio
by MacMinute

Opinion

Mac Users Can't Catch A Break In A PC World
by Vicki Estes, Capital-Journal
Even when a software company supports the Macintosh platform or operating system, they really don't want to.

Say, Ya Want A Revolution?
by Megan Johnston, Money
Apple's new iTunes Music Store is changing the music biz. Here's why.

Review

Medal Of Honor: Spearhead
by Chris Barylick, MacGamer

Apple's Titanium PowerBook Adapters: Flawed Design?
by MacFixIt
There is no strain relief built into the device and the cable on some adapters.

Risky QuickTime? Safety QuickTime!
by Chris Adamson, O'Reilly Network
If you take a little time to learn the vast expanse of QuickTime's toolset, you can either make more clever movies for your QuickTime users, or make movies that an even larger user community can enjoy.

Should Family Computers Be Secure Or Not?
by Jeremy Lavergne, MacTeens

With QuarkXPress 6.0 Arriving, Are The Glory Days Back?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
It appears that Quark has done very well with its Mac OS X upgrade. So maybe one can forgive the delay.

Wintel

What's Right About Microsoft
by Adam Lashinsky, Fortune
Ignore Ballmer's stock sales. Things are starting to look a lot brighter for the tech giant.

Radio ID Tags Get Microsoft Backing
by Margaret Kane, CNET News.com
Microsoft is enlisting in a venture designed to help develop standards for radio frequency tags intended for use by retailers and manufacturers to track goods.

Microsoft Aims Higher With Web Software
by David Becker, CNET News.com
After years of playing with amateurs, Microsoft has decided to push its FrontPage Web-authoring sotware into the big leagues.

Microsoft Moves Into Antivirus Realm
by Robert Lemos, CNET News.com
Antivirus software makers aim to protect users against Internet threats, but now have to face a new threat of their own: Microsoft.

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Top Stories

Quark Makes Way For Mac OS X
by Ian Fried, CNET News.com
Quark says a long-awaited version of its publishing software will ship next week, removing a major hurdle that's prevented some businesses from upgrading to Apple Computer's Mac OS X operating system.

QuarkXPress 6 For Mac OS X To Ship Next Week
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
"This is one of the biggest, most important applications in the creative space," said Phil Schiller.

Wi-Fi For Dummies
by Paul Boutin, Slate
The only product that met our needs was Apple's AirPort Extreme base station. At $199 for the entry-level model, it's a bit pricier than most other home Wi-Fi bases, but it has all the right stuff for our project.

Foster High Considers Turning Down Free Macs
by Nora Doyle, King County Journal
Some Foster High School teachers are balking at the idea that the school board could refuse to let them accept $43,000 worth of new computers the school was recently awarded through a grant program.

News

Can Apple Break The 5 Percent Barrier?
by Robyn Weisman, E-Commerce Times
The answer may be determined within the next couple of years — and if it is a resounding yes, Apple's future may be not just bright, but insanely great.

Aladdin Ships Internet Cleanup 1.0 For Mac
by MacMinute
Blocks pop-ups, banner ads, and detects the presense of Spyware on your computer.

Apple Store Coming To Boca Raton, FL
by MacMinute

QuickTime Facilitates The Making Of Lecture Videos
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Administrators and professors in Baruch's Zicklin School of Business have found that making digital video recordings of lectures available online can help undergraduates succeed in large lecture courses. Not surprisingly, Apple technology is being used.

Internet Giants Plan Music Services
by Jeff Leeds and Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times
Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL and others may follow Apple's lead by offering downloads a la carte.

Independent Streak: Apple Wooing A Host Of Indie Record Labels To Join Online Service
by Chris Gaither, Boston Globe
"It's really the first business model for online retailing that actually makes some sense."

Apple Opens New Web Site For Education IT Managers
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
"Technical Resources for Integrating Mac OS X" is an interactive site that promises the opportunity to "learn about — and discuss — Mac OS X installation, deployment, and maintenance in your school."

Final Cut Express 1.0.1 Released
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The new version introduces improved performance and stability, according to Apple, and can now link keyframe parameters to the Motion tab. NTSC and PAL noncontrollable device presents have also been added.

Microsoft Settlement Change Highlights Apple's Problems
by Paul Thurrott, WinInformant
For Apple, fending off Microsoft in its home state is a crucial move because Apple's education sales — once one of its strongest markets — fell 15 percent in 2002, when California schools faced budget shortfalls and moved to standardize on Windows.

Greene Board Endorses Laptop Project
by LaToya Mack, Kinston.com
The Greene County Board of Education endorsed a plan Monday nkight that would provide Apple iBook laptop computers to every student and teacher in the middle and high schools.

Review

New Apple Laptops Are Droolworthy
by Christopher Allbritton, Popular Mechanics
These two beauties could easily make 2003 the "Year of the Laptop," as Steve Jobs said in his keynote speech at Macworld SF. And if the experience I had with these machines is any indication of the degree of technolust they inspire, he's right.

iSync, Therefore I Am
by Ross Rubin, Wireless Supersite
It's hard enough to get one piece of software working right with any of these quirky devices, but it's downright impressive that Apple has suddenly been able to support so wide a variety.

Freeverse Deluxe Board Games
by Erica Marceau, Applelinks.com

Wipeout 2097 1.2.1
by Eric Blair, ATPM
If you like fantasy-style racing games, you'll likely enjoy Wipeout 2097.

MSN Reaches Out To Mac Users
by Gene Steinberg, Gannett News Service
If you're looking for a full-featured online service, complete with exclusive content, the new Mac software merits serious attention.

eMac Keeps Promise Of Original iMac Alive
by Gene Steinberg, Gannett News Service
Today's eMac is not just a direct descendant of the CRT iMac. Its lineage can be traced directly back to the original Macintosh. If you want a true computer for the rest of us, the eMac may indeed be your best choice.

Monday, June 9, 2003

Top Stories

Laptops In Schools Click, Win Support
by Associated Press
Maine's first-in-the-nation program that put computers on the laps of students in all 241 public middle schools has received high marks as the first full year of the experiment draws to a close this month.

News

BugBear Virus Slows .Mac E-Mail Service
by MacMinute
"While the bug apparently only affects Windows executables files, the massive amount of waste e-mail generated took its toll on Apple's already high-load .Mac mail servers."

Apple Offers Security Update For OS X
by Peter ohen, MacCentral
The new security update addresses a potential problem that arises when AFP is used to reshare a NFS mount. Also addressed is a potential situation that causes LDAP bind authentication requests to be improperly sent when using Kerberos authentication.

Macs Against Cancer: Dr. David B. Agus
by Chris Mace and Claudia Palz, MacDirectory

Apple Store Coming To Santa Monica, CA
by MacMinute

Greene County Looks At 'Learning With Laptops' Program
by Angela Hame, The Daily Reflector
"Apple has a tremendous dedication to education. I'm very optimistic at this point (about a partnership)."

Apple To Spotlight 'Digital Classroom' At NECC
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Apple will show how incorporating Apple technology into the curriculum can: promote mastery of basic skills; engage and motivate students; and provide an environment that fosters higher order skills, such as problem solving and collaboration.

Apple Peeling Off
by Tim Arango, New York Post
While selling a half-million songs a week isn't bad, considering the service is only available to the 3 percent of computer users with Macintosh computers, some music execs had hoped the service would sell 1 million to 2 million tracks per week.

Reader: Misleading iTunes Store Ad
by MacNN

Opinion

64-Bit Macs May Outpace 'Panther'
by Nick Ciarelli and Matthew Rothenberg, eWeek
Apple is nearing the release of desktop systems featuring IBM's 64-bit PowerPC 970 chip, sources report — but a 64-bit version of Mac OS X may lag behind by a month or two.

Saving Commencement
by Dean Browell, Applelust.com
This story is not atypical of the jams Apple has gotten me out of by just being a high quality hardware and software maker.

Dad Offers Barometer Of Tech World
by Paul Andrews, Seattle Times
What my dad does with his computer is in many ways more telling about the state of the industry than what early adopters are doing.

Apple Gets It Right With iTunes System
by Randall Rothenberg, AdAge.com
What makes Apple's new music-distribution system so delicious (f not downright insidious) is that you don't think of it as a music distribution system. Apple has managed to fashion a near-perfect retail outlet on the Web.

Review

Want Souped-Up Application Switching? Check Out LiteSwitch X!
by John F. Braun, The Mac Observer

Uplink
by Zack Lipowski, Inside Mac Games
Uplink is satisfyingly unique and fresh, and a great addition to the growing Mac library. Don't miss it.

iPod Old Vs New - A Comparative Analysis
by Taylor Barcroft, iPod-Zone

VR Worx 2.1
by Rick Sanchez, MacAddict
In one app you can easily create impressive, interactive VR objects, panoramas, and scenes — and the whole process is deceptively simple.

Wintel

Microsoft Still Certifying Leaky Drivers
by Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
Months after promising to tighten up its procedures for certifying third-party software drivers, Microsoft is still giving the green light to network interface card (NIC) drivers that leak sensititve user information from machines running Windows Server 2003, according to a prominent security company.

Intel: A Quarter-Century Of X86
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Intel on Monday quietly marked the 25-year anniversary of x86, the basic architecture underlying the chips that power most of today's PCs.

Microsoft Plays To Film Industry
by Aram Sinnreich, Wired News
The software company wants Hollywood to use its Media Player technology in the industry from start to finish — from filming and post-production to distribution. While some are intrigued, Microsoft still has much industry trust to win.

Sunday, June 8, 2003

Top Stories

Digitally Mastered
by John Hanna, Beaver County Times/Allegheny Times
Quaker Valley's plan centers around the idea of putting the technology into the hands and bookbags of every student from grade 3 up, every teacher and administrator in the district and creating a wireless local-area network to tie it all together.

Innovation Is No Promise Of Success
by Charles Stein, Boston Globe
In computers, Apple is on the wrong side of the Microsoft moat.

News

Confidential Apple Music Details Leaked
by BBC News
"I didn't realise yesterday's presentation was supposed to be confidential. WHen I found out, I pulled the details. Honest mistake."

Brian Purdy: Extreme Sports Filmmaker
by Stephanie Jorgl, Apple
"People are friendly and I don't have to wake up at 6 AM and put a suit on and battle traffic on my way to sit in a cubicle for 8 hours."

Chad Muska: Hip Hop On The Fly
by Stephanie Jorgl, Apple
"I was going crazy because I couldn't make music. So I got a PowerBook, the PC300 USB-connected keyboard and Cubase."

Tom Anthonly; The Ambrosia Software Spokesman Who's Not A Parrot
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com

Review

Got Grads Or Dads? Give 'Em Gifts For Their Macs
by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle
We'll look at some gift ideas sure to tickle the fancy of the dad or grad in your life.

Face The Fax: Dependable Software Can Be Found
by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times
Smile Software's PageSender works. It sends, it receives, it's easy to use and it does not fail us.

Scattered Digital Photos?
by Doug Bedell, Dalls Morning News
Album software organizes the photo strewn on your hard drive.

Wintel

Gates' Wealth Irrelevant, Microsoft Says
by Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Microsoft wants to exclude references to the "wealth or net worth" of Chairman Bill Gates or other executives from the trial of a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging consumers for Windows.

Friday, June 6, 2003

Top Stories

Apple iTunes + Independent Music
by Derek Sivers
I got an invitation to go to Apple's offer for a presentation/meeting about how to get independent artists into the iTunes Music Store. I wrote down all the major points of their presentation as they went.

News

.Mac Email Difficulties Continue
by MacNN
.Mac users have reported email-related problems for over a week.

'iCreate' Mac Magazine Launched
by MacMinute
Paragon Publishing has announced the launch of "iCreate," a new UK-based magazine aimed at creative Mac users.

Aladdin Ships Spring Cleaning 6
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The new version is optimized for Mac OS X, and sports improved performance, organization and privacy capabilities, according to the developer.

Pogue To Speak At SoHo Apple Store
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

George Spyros: Directing In DVD
by Apple
While DVD Studio Pro is often the star of the show, it doesn't stand alone either.

iTunes Music Swap Just Won't Die
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
Apple may never be ablet o stop Mac users from sharing music over the Internet, despite its best attempts.

Opinion

Discussion: Celebrating 26 Years Of The Apple ][
by Slashdot

Review

Legion
by Dean Browell, Inside Mac Games
This is a game that could provide hours of up-late-all-night intensity, or even casual pick-up play on a portable.

Installing A Wiki On Your iBook
by Giles Turnbull, O'Reilly Network

The Browser Wars: New OmniWeb Beta Improves On Original
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl

Sidetrack

Friday, June 6, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

TIRED from work. Sorry about the minimal updates.

Wintel

European Regulators Seem More Evidence In Microsoft Inquiry
by Paul Meller, New York Times
European competition regulators are seeking more evidence in their investigation of Microsoft, a move that is almost certain to delay further the five-year-old antitrust inquiry.

Microsoft Alters Settlement To Address Apple Concerns
by Karen Gullo, Bloomberg
Vouchers are good for software "produced by other companies that compete with and/or have substantially similar functionality to" Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel and Office.

Thursday, June 5, 2003

Top Stories

Final Cut Pro To Be Released June 14
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The next version of Apple's pro video editing software is set to go on sale at 4 pm on Saturday, June 14th.

A Conversation With Steve Wozniak
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
Apple's co-founder discusses Steve Jobs and the company's roots.

News

OmniWeb 4.5 Public Beta Released
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
OmniWeb 4.5 public beta 1 is the first version of the Omn Group's Web browser to incorporate WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple — the same frameworks Apple uses for its own Web browser.

Apple Preps Mac OS X Server Security Update
by Nick Ciarelli, eWeek
Apple is preparing to release a security update to Mac OS X Server, sources said. The patch will reportedly update Mac OS X's instllation of Apache 2.0, fixing a security vulnerability.

Symantec Debuts Norton SystemWorks 3.0
by MacNN
Symantec today announced its first complete antivirus and drive repair/optimization solution for Mac OS X.

Apple To Open Chestnut Hill, MA Store Next Week
by MacMinute

Opinion

So What's The Truth About Apple's Market Share?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Apple cannot just depend on its own user base to generate sales.

Review

Legion 1.0
by Gregory Tetrault, ATPM

Apple's iTunes Music Store Is A Winner
by Michael Gowan, PC World
Apple's iTunes Music Store is by far the best of the three services and may be the beacon that finally draws users to pay for play.

Sidetrack

Thursday, June 5, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

SWAMPED with work and other things in life... update minimal... sorry...

Wednesday, June 4, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Releases Keynote 1.1 Update
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
"With any update release we want to address any outstanding customer issues we're aware of. We've been monitoring feedback from our customers and testing for any issues they've reported."

Return Of The Mac
by Neil McIntosh, The Guardian
How did an ugly beige box become a fashion accessoary? The Guardian meets the man who made computers cool.

iMovie 3 Gets Performance, Stability Boost
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Refinements to the Ken Burns Effect allow greater pan and zoom control on digital images and make it easier to crop digital stills.

News

Apple Confirms Meeting With Indie Record Companies
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral

Opinion

Apple Cracks The Music Market
by Robin Bloor, IT-Director.com
Apple is now thinking of porting the iTunes software to Windows, and may be staring a $3 billion per annum market straight in the face. However, it may not be so easy to realise this in practical business terms. Apple has to find a way of remaining in harmony with the music industry, which means staying ahead of the music pirates.

Review

Insanely Cut Rate
by Matthew Haughey
The titanium metal snapped clear off the LCD screen, right above the left hinge.

Sidetrack

Wednesday, June 4, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

SWIMMING AND SINKING : I haven't told you, dear readers, but I have a new job.

No, I didn't quit. But I'm taking on a new project due to a reorganisation, together with an "emergency" thing.

Last night, I dreamt that I was sinking. Too many fishes crowding around me, chanting "me! me! me!". (No, I haven't watch Finding Nemo.)

This morning, after I wake up, I watched a rerun episode of The Simpsons to regain my sense of humor before going to work. Unfortunately, it's the episode where Bart sold his soul. :-)

AN APPLE A DAY : Useful Mac.

Wintel

Ballmer Memo Targets Linux
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer identified Linux and open-source software as key competitive challenges to the company in a memo sent to all employees Wednesday.

Microsoft's Browser Play
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
Purveyors and consumers of Web content and software, already unsettled by the peace pact between Microsoft and AOL Time Warner, may be in store for an even more radical upset: The end of Microsoft's standalone Internet Explorer browser.

Microsoft Lock-In?
by Tristan Louis
This is really all about a fight for the soul of the Internet.

Microsoft Puts The Web On Your Wrist
by Michael Kanellos and Richard Shim, CNET News.com
Microsoft's plan to bring the Internet to your wristwatch will kick off this week when the company previews gadgets based on its Smart Personal Objects Technology.

Microsoft Renews Security Vows
by Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com
Microsoft has opened up its drive to improve software security with a redesigned software patch management system and a partnership with VeriSign to authenticate Web services.

Tuesday, June 3, 2003

Top Stories

QuickTime 6.3 Adds 3GPP, Improves iApp Support, More
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
QuickTime 6.3 adds support for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, bridging a connection to passing multimedia content over wireless networks on devices like cell phones and PDAs.

iSync 1.1 Adds Broader Phone Support, Safari Bookmarks
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The new version supports more than 20 cell phones. iSync 1.1 also enables .Mac subscribers to synchronize bookmarks using Apple's own Safari Web browser.

Mr iMac Wins Design Prize For Banishing Beige Boxes
by Charles Arthur, Independent
Jonathan Ive is admired among designers because he pours elegance into products.

iMac Designer Who 'Touched Millions' Wins £25,000 Award
by John Ezard, The Guardian
Jonathan Ive won the Design Museum's first designer of the year award for a range of innovations from the Apple iMac to the iPod.

News

Bluetooth 1.2.1 Improves Phone Support
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
Thr update provides enhanced stability and support for several Symbian OS-based mobile phones.

Dashboard, Interpol May Be Headed For iTunes As Apple Woos Indies
by MTV News
Apple has invited hundreds of indie label representatives to a private presentation on Thursday at Apple's campus to discuss hopping onboard and adding their content to the more than 200,000 songs already available through the service.

The World According To Quark
by Pamela Pfiffner, E-Commerce News
For the first time in many years, Quark has to deal with a viable contender to its seat at the top of the page-layout heap. Pressure from Adobe will only increase, and Quark will need to respond.

University Art Departments Requiring 17-Inch PB
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Virginia Tech's Department of Art & Art History is requiring the new 17-inch PowerBook for all of their incoming students in Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Art History.

Will The Beatles Take A Bite Of Apple Computer?
by Fox News
Soon Apple Corps is going to want something from Apple Computer besides a few laptops for its executives.

Macquarium: Swimming In Clear E-Business Waters
by Elizabeth Millard, ComputerUser.com
As Macintoshc omputers went from being small-screened beige boxes to stylish and sleek desktop machines, some Mac owners had a quandary — what to do with all those old clunkers?

B'Before Jonathan Ive, Digital Technology Was As Dull As A Suburban Cul-De-Sac'
by Jonathan Glancey, The Guardian
Ive's genius has been to make imaginative what was previously lacklustre, to give a glamorous, desirable and human face to a technology that has been all too much the domain of joyless office managers and electronic professionals for all too many years.

MacExpo 2003 Off To Flyer
by Macworld UK
MacExpo 2003 is shaping up to be a major event, with a series of high-profile exhibitors signed up to appear at the show.

Keeping The Faith In Steve Jobs
by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes
Faith isn't about the cold reality of things like market share. And that's why Jobs, in the face of so much criticism about Apple's long-term viability in the market, still commands wide approval, whent he chips are down as well as when the chips are up.

iMac Designer Who 'Touched Millions' Wins £25,000 Award
by John Ezard, The Guardian
Jonathan Ive won the Design Museum's first designer of the year award for a range of innovations from the Apple iMac to the iPod.

Opinion

I Have To Disagree With Many About The iTunes 4.0.1 Update
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
Sure, I wish Apple didn't have to limit the streaming of music. But even more, I hated how things were before April 28, and I don't want to go back. Ever.

Thinking Too Different: Why Mac Users Are Slow To Adopt OS X
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac
If Apple wants to gain converts, they need to make OS X as easy, as elegant, as simple, as powerful, as friendly, and as comfortable as the best OS these people have ever used — the classic Mac OS.

Looney Tunes
by John Gruber, Daring Fireball
Apple's disabling of Internet sharing in last week's iTunes 4.0.1 update caused quite a stir. I'm baffled — not by Apple's decision, but by much of the reaction to it.

Review

What Does Apple's New Wireless Technology Mean For The Future Of Networking?
by Glenn Fleishman, E-Commerce News
AirPort Extreme's new speed and the Base Station's bridging option make it a natural choice for businesses or schools looking to expand their networks in a more flexible and potentially less costly way than adding more Ethernet.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
by Corey Tamas, MacHome
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is cool, original and, above all else, a whole lot of fun.

Letter Perfect: Font-Management Tools For Macintosh
by Micah Johnson, ComputerUser.com

Crosswords Online: Cruciverbalizing On The Web
by Kirk McElhearn, TidBITS
For a reasonable cost, or even for free, cruciverbalists can have their daily fix, and solve crossword puzzles either onscreen or on paper. It may seem like a niche market, and it is, but the advantages provided by the Internet allow it to turn a tidy profit, something relatively few other types of content have accomplished.

Sidetrack

Tuesday, June 3, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

OPEN SOURCE : Dave Winer on Open Source. "I think open source is to programming as pro bono work is to lawyers."

Wintel

Why Centrino And VPNs Don't Mix
by Elisa Batista, Wired News
Intel recommends that users shut down a utility for automatically switching between wireless hotspots called the Adapter Switching Feature.

Microsoft Details Exchange Server 2003
by Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Some changes have been made to the Standard Edition that could result in cost savings for users, Microsoft said.

Microsoft Recruits For New Office
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft on Monday announced several new programs aimed at helping outside software makers build applications that work with the next version of the company's Office productivity software.

Intel Gives Centrino A Boost
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Intel launched three new Pentium M processors running at higher clock speeds and cut prices on existing versions of the chip.

Microsoft To Buyers: Open Your Wallets
by Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com
Microsoft is trying to convince businesses to spend more money on server software, as the company readies product releases for later this year.

Monday, June 2, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Switches On PowerBook Cuts
by Ian Fried, CNET News.com
"We want to get to a point where we are selling as many notebooks as desktops, and you need to do some stuff to make that happen."

Apple Drops 12, 15-Inch PowerBook Prices Up To $300
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The 12-inch PowerBook G4 is available from $1,599, a price drop of $200. What's more, Apple's 15-inch PowerBook G4 is now available from $1,999 — a drop of $300.

News

Formac Introduces New FireWire TV Recording Solution
by MacMinute

Apple's Ive Wins 'Designer Of The Year' Award
by MacMinute
Jonathan ive, Apple's chief design guru, has been named "Designer of the Year" by london's Design Meseum.

Apple Canada Cuts Laptop Prices Even Further
by MacNN

Xserves Power iTunes Music Store, 'America 24/7'
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral

Opinion

Lower Your Blood Pressure
by Sandy McMurray, The Globe And Mail
I've switched to the Mac because it works and because it doesn't make me miserable.

Apple, Amazon In Online Music Talks
by Tim Arango, New York Post
Apple and Amazon.com are working on a deal that will make Apple's popular new online music store available on Amazon, The Post has learned.

Resistance Really Was Futile
by Andrew Leonard, Salon
Far from admitting guilt, it looks as though Microsoft took advantage of AOL's need for cash to establish another major beachhead for its products.

Review

Snowball Run
by Karen Halloran, Inside Mac Games
It's a solid game that's well worth purchasing, especially considering the amount of entertainment you'll get at the price point.

Bloodrayne
by MacGamer

iBook 14.1in 900Mhz
by Kenny Hemphill, MacUser UK
If you want a robust, reasonably powered low-cost portable, this iBook won't let you down.

Snowball Run
by Mark Lowe, Mac Game Database
Nice idea, but looks like it didn't finish its beta cycle.

D2 External FireWire CD-RW Drive
by Dan Boland, ATPM
At a reasonable price, this speedy drive will make anyone who burns CDs extremely happy with the results.

NetNewsWire Lite
by Byron Hinson, TopTechTips
There are no better RSS news readers around at the moment, and I certainly can't find any faults with NetNewsWire at all.

Need For Feed
by Shyma S, Rediff
News aggregators provide an easy and efficient way of surfing the Internet.

Snowball Run
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com
The monotonous gameplay wasn't incentive enough to keep me playing.

Sidetrack

Monday, June 2, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

WHY OH WHY : Upgraded to Mozilla 1.4rc1 on my Windows XP machine... Why oh why must the Mozilla people change things around in every upgrade? The way unloaded images are rendered (I turn off graphics when browsing) has been changed again, and I'm totally lost.

SWITCH ON/SWITCH OFF : The Scobleizer asks, "can you turn of your geek gene when you get home from the office?"

You can't, but I find a pretty good distractor that comes pretty close. :-)

Wintel

Digital Media Becomes Focus As Microsoft And AOL Settle
by Steve Lohr, New York Times
The corporate armistice declared last week between Microsoft and AOL Time Warner reflected two companies moving from the past to the future.

Internet Explorer 7.0
by Joel Spolsky
Considering that AOL spent $4.2 billion to buy Netscape, you'd think somebody would have noticed that they already have a browser component.

Sunday, June 1, 2003

News

Web Without Wires
by Lisa Gill, Hoosier Times
Armed with a $250 Apple AirPort Extreme station and a DL high-speed Internet connection, Steve Volan is providing his customers with the ability to surf the Web, download e-mail and electroncially chat with friends — for free.

Apple To Open Store In Richmond, VA Area
by MacNN
"The new store will be at Short Pump Town Center, an upscale mall nearing completion in Henrico County."

Giant Bank Dumps Apple Mac Customers
by Adamson Rust, The Inquirer
Get lost, we don't want your business.

Opinion

99-Cent Songs Online Not Really A Bargain
by Jim Hillbish, The Repository

The Jaguar Report: Migration Conspiracies Revisited
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Aren't we forgetting why Apple bought NeXT in the first place?

Review

Reader Notes Flaw In Some iPod Belt Clips
by MacNN
"The plastic part that hooks the carrying case to my belt buckle broke and my iPod fell 1 story onto our concree patio."

New iPod Is Not Necessarily Improved
by Michael Prager, Boston Globe
What I want more of its battery capacity. But in service of sleek, they reduced it from 10 hours' time to 8!

iPod Is An All-Star; Neuros Is Still A Rookie: Challenger Shows Promise, But It Needs More Seasoning Before It Can Take On The Cagey Veteran Of MP3 Players
by Edward C. Baig, USA Today
Apple remains at the top of its game.

Sidetrack

Sunday, June 1, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

INTERVIEW WITH STEVE JOBS : It's "off-the-record", but that doesn't prevent audiences from blogging...

Wintel

Microsoft To Abandon Standalone IE
by Evan Hansen, CNET News.com
Microsoft is phasing out standalone versions of its Internet Explorer Web browser, according to statements attributed to IE program manager Brian Countryman in an interview posted on the software giant's web site.

Dell Advancing To The Championship Round
by Terril Yue Jones, Los Angeles Times
The Texas company moves aggressively to expand beyond PCs, with its sights set on big rivals HP and IBM.

Microsoft's New Linux Gambit
by Charles Cooper, CNET News.com
Listen closely to what Microsoft is not saying about SCO Group's open-source operatta.

Going For A Streak-Free Finish
by Robert X. Cringely, PBS
Will Microsoft's answer to Linux be Windex instead?

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