Saturday, December 30, 2006
News
Apple Faces Suit Over iPod-iTunes Link
As if its options woes weren't trouble enough, Apple said Friday it is facing several federal lawsuits, including one alleging the company created an illegal monopoly by tying iTunes music and video sales to its market-leading iPod portable players.
Living In A 3G World
In 2007, expect more hardware options, better network coverage, and (unfortunately) some confusion as new 3G network standards come on line.
Opinion
Ten Questions Apple Must Answer In 2007
iTunes, Authorization, And Multiple Macs
The five machine limit, and the tools we've given to manage that limit, simply aren't realistic for today's computing environment.
Review
Tri-BACKUP 4.0.4: Flexible Backup Software Has Some Interface Oddities
I found Tri-BACKUP made many activities that should have been simple unduly confusing. Unfortunate choices of interface and wording make this otherwise versatile program less attractive than others.
Age Of Empires III: Varied Game Play In Real-Time Strategy Offering Will Keep You Busy For Weeks
But the lack of multiplayer cross-platform support is this game's Achilles heel.
The Best Of The Best Of 2006
Reviews taking home the coveted five-mouse rating.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Top Stories
Apple Stock Probe Clears Managers
Apple said it had incurred an extra charge of $84m because of the scandal. But the firm reiterated that its own probe had found no misconduct by current management, including CEO Steve Jobs.
News
Apple Filing To Tell All On Options
Apple is likely to answer questions about backdated options granted to Mr Jobs and other executives in a delayed annual report that Apple said it would file with securities regulators on Friday.
IBM Rolls Out Lotus Notes For Mac OS X
Hello Kitty Gets Its Own iPod Docking Station / Stereo Clock
Top Ten Apple Rumours Of All Time
VMware Fusion Beta For Macs Goes Public
VMware has made available a public beta of its desktop product that lets Windows operating systems run in a virtualized environment on Mac OS X.
Airport Takes Off
Thanks to Apple's AirPort technology, every Mac is capable of wireless networking. In 2007, that technology is going to get a significant speed boost.
Opinion
Review
Personal Backup X4 10.4.5: Backup Software Has Advanced Options, But Some Limitations
For basic backup operations, it works well. But bugs and a poor restoration feature mar an otherwise attractive package.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
News
iPod Vending Machines Doing Pretty Well, Actually
Changes For Microsoft And Apple
Both Microsoft and Apples' years have been dominated by major changes. In Microsoft's case it was the release of its operating system and for Apple the big change in 2006 was integrating Intel chips in its machines.
2006: The Year's Biggest Mac Stories
Apple may be at the center of the Mac universe, but it wasn't the only company making waves in 2006.
Apple 'Falsified' Files On Jobs' Options
Steve Jobs was handed 7.5m stock options in 2001 without the required authorisation from the company's board of directors, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple Shares Recover
Apple shares fell as much as 6 percent on Wednesday on a reort of new developments in its stock options inquiry, but the shares later turned positive after analysts shrugged off concerns that the company faces deeper legal risks.
Apple Options Issues Unlikely To Impact Jobs
Apple Option Fears Seem Overblown, Says Analyst
Investors Weigh iPod Holiday Fervor Vs. Apple Backdating Probe
Christmas Rush Jams Up iTunes
The joy of receiving an iPod for Christmas turned to frustration for many Tuesday as a slow and sometimes unresponsive iTunes Store stymied music lovers looking to download songs and videos.
Opinion
Apple's Above The Law Attitude
Why .Mac Is Doomed... Unless Steve Jobs Finds A Passion For It At Macworld This January
.Mac could have done so much more for Mac owners, but its interminable slowness and lack of feedback about what's it's doing, means it gets used less nd less, as alternatives in the social networking community become available.
Review
The Mac OS X Font Managers Review
17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.33 GHz
If you can afford the price and don't mind the size and weight inevitably associated with such a large display, you won't be disappointed.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
News
Our People Of The Year? Same August Faces, But With New Tricks
Such is Mr Jobs's sway in the industry that the 150,000 people at CES will spend all day Monday in Las Vegas wondering what Apple is going to be doing the next day in San Francisco.
Faked Docs May Be Core Of Apple Case
According to people with knowledge of Apple's situation, federal prosecutors are looking closely at stock option administration documents that were apparently fasified by company officials to maximize the profitability of option grants to executives.
2006: The Year In Apple
While the Intel transition obviously dominated Apple's maneuverings this year, it wasn't the only news to come out of Cupertino.
Opinion
The Gift That Does Not Keep On Giving
iPhone, iTV, And Household Names
What's in a name? When a product doesn't actually have one, a whole lot.
Review
Data Backup 2.1: Backup Software For Both Beginners And Power Users
Other than the weak support for optial discs and a below-average synchronization feature — neither of which is crucial for backing up your data to hard drives — there's little not to like about Data Backup 2.1.
Wintel
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
News
Steve Jobs' Best Year Ever
Financial scandal or no, Apple's comeback is a solid validation of Jobs' business chops.
Opinion
Monday, December 25, 2006
Opinion
The Apple 'Curse'
Why do I call it the Apple 'curse'? Because, ever since seeing how well Apple designs things, I just cannot accept badly-designed products anymore.
Wintel
Flaws Are Detected In Microsoft's Vista
Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
News
Opinion
The Passing Of MacAddict
I can still remember buying the first-ever issue of MacAddict. It was in the late '90s when Apple was going through hard times. The company was referred to as "beleaguered" so often that I wondered if Apple would change its name to Beleaguered Apple.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
News
Planned Home PC Purchases Surge, Apple Closes On HP
Gadgets For Sale... Or Not
Why you can't get iPods at a discount.
Wheel... Of... Icons!
Opinion over the new design appears to be split.
VMware's Fusion Goes Into Public Beta
Joseph Vella: Passionate Podcasting
"I could not stand to work on PCs anymore. It was not inspiring. I felt like I had learned a million tricks to use advance applications. Then I got a Mac and it just blew me away."
Opinion
Game Over, Man
My advice for Apple is the same as I gave to developers: cut your losses. Give up on .Mac, as it is currently implemented — and yes (coming back to reality), as it is currently priced.
I Gave Up My PC For A Mac
What happens when a longtime Windows user abandons XP for a MacBook for two weeks? This is his tale.
Review
Backup 3.1: Apple's .Mac Software A Solid Choice For Basic Backups
For keeping archives of commonly used files, Backup is more than adequate. However, someone looking for advanced features may be disappointed.
Friday, December 22, 2006
News
iPod Shuffle Reset Utility 1.0.1 Posted
Cingular Patent Hints At iTunes Integration
The Net As Computer
Browser-based services — such as Google's Gmail and Yahoo's Flickr — are becoming increasingly sophisticated and usable alternatives to the applications and data storage that now reside on your Mac.
Opinion
Kill Two Windows Servers With One Xserve
Consolidating Windows servers with Xserve is an edifying and productive exercise.
The Mac's Secret Weapon: PC Vendors
A Review Of Apple In '06, A Glance At '07
I think the biggest news for Apple in 2007 will be Microsoft Vista. Really. More to the point, in managing the risk of migration to Vista, I think the argument can be made that migrating to Mac OS X as a primary operating system is a good risk management strategy.
Sidetrack
A Holiday Cocoa Duel: What happens when you give a bunch of Macintosh developers three days to write a holiday themed application for charity?
Thursday, December 21, 2006
News
For Some, One iPod Just Isn't Enough
For music lovers and gadget geeks, Apple's iPod portable music player has long been a must-have accessory. But now, some of Apple's most loyal customers are finding that one iPod just isn't enough.
Will Apple Ditch The iPod?
What does the future hold for Apple's iPod? Will Microsoft's Zune strike a chord with iPod users? Will the Mac continue to be part of Apple's core business?
Apple Plugs QuickTime Hole
Apple on Tuesday released a fix for a QuickTime flaw that could expose information stored on a Mac to outside attackers.
Microsoft Ships Office Updates
Flash Memory
Solid-state, flash-based storage — the kind used in the iPod nano and shuffle — is coming to the Mac. The result could be better battery life, quicker booting, and entirely new kinds of systems.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
News
2006 Garfield 'Bobby' Awards Honor Commercial Actors
Justin Long and John Hodgman win for Apple "Mac and PC" characters.
The Beauty Of iPod Shuffle Hacks
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 Updae Fixes Bugs
Mozilla has released an update for Firefox 2.0 to fix eight security vulnerabilities.
Report: iTunes Delivers 90 Percent Of Paid Video Downloads
90 percent of purchased video content comes from iTunes, says NPD. Vongo, MovieLink, and CinemaNow comprise the remaining ten percent.
Over "iPhone," Will Apple Enter Into International Trademark War With Cisco?
So, Cisco has it here. Apple has it there. It's anybody else's guess what happens next.
How Apple Stores Beat Tiffany
Apple's chic stores don't just sell more per square foot than even Best Buy, they beat some of the best in the luxury retail world silly, according to a report released Tuesday by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.
Coming In January: "Month Of Apple Bugs"
A pair of security researchers has picked January 2007 as the starting point for a month-long project in which every passing day will feature a previously undocumented security hole in Apple's OS X operating system or in Apple applications that run on top of it.
Survey: Half Of New Cars Sport iPod Integration
Practicing Dentistry's Future
"From examination to treatment to insuring comfort, from record-keeping to patient education, Macs have become co-associates in every aspect of patient care — and that, even more than administrative efficiency, is what's most important to me."
The Multiple-OS Mac
At some point in the not-too-distant future, most Macs will be running multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. The question is, will the multiple-OS tools built into OS X be enough for you?
Opinion
The Month Of Apple Bugs Project Is Bad For You
This irresponsible publicity stunt endangers your Mac.
iPod Just A Step In Music's Evolution
The click-wheel music player saved Apple's corporate bacon. But has it created the kind of music-buisness and cultural mayhem for which many give it credit?
'Hi, I'm A Mac. I Am Way Cool.'
Here's A Switch: Apple Touts Megahertz
Has Apple found a way to cleverly advertise its products to make them look different? Is this because Apple doesn't participate in all of Intel's marketing programs?
Review
SiteAssist 3.0: Automated Dreamweaver Site Builder Offers A Variety Of Design Options
SiteAssist 3.0.3 is a good choice for Dreamweaver designers who need to produce great-looking, functional sites quickly, and for those who lack the technical expertise to produce a full site from scratch.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
News
Apple Opens Its Ears For Aperture
Apple's Richard Kerris to discuss what is, and what isn't, in Aperture 1.5.
EA Ships Two iPod Games
Sudoku and Royal Solitaire available through iTunes.
Live From The Apple Store, Part 2: Fast Buying, Better Stuff
Mac Users Finally Waking Up To Security
Following a number of attacks against OS X in 2006, Mac users are finally getting the message that they are not immune, according to an IT security manager responsible for over 5,000 Apple systems.
Labels Could Sell Watermarked MP3s
Multicore Computing
The result: Today's big-brained chips that can do more processing than ever before — if the software is modified to take advantage of their design.
Opinion
Rotten Apple A Bad Byte
I hope Apple knows that they need a better way to handle this kind of problems.
Microsoft Haters Open A Window Into Their Views
I think Apple has a prime opportunity to steal away many Windows users. And once they leave, they likely won't come back.
Could We Stop Laughing At Microsoft?
Microsoft has spent the past year taking first steps. Apple has almost arrived. Problem is, of course, that the market happens on more than one road and we do not know where we stand on all those that extend beyond the iPod, the iPhone and the iTV.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Opinion
Has iWork Been An iDud For Apple?
It seems that iWork is a forgotten tool in Apple's weaponry, and it's not making much of a dent in an Office-centric world.
My Switch To Mac
My advice for the general public on securing and maintaining their home computer just got much shorter. Now it consists of only this: "Get a Mac."
Review
Sunday, December 17, 2006
News
As iPod Sales Slow, Apple Looks To Next Big Thing
Money managers who own shares of Apple — and the Wall Street analysts who follow the company — believe firmly that Steve Jobs has more iPod magic up his sleeve.
Opinion
Your iPod Says Plenty About You
What does my iPod say? I like to think that it tells the age-old story of marriage: of two distinct souls joining together to begin a family, merging a melody and a harmony into one unique and never-before-heard song.
Farewell iPod Halo Effect - Hullo, iPhone Bliss Effect
How an Apple phone will bring home to millions the essential difference between Apple and 'the rest.'
OK, Apple Really Needs To Fix The Mighty Mouse Scroll Ball
In my case, it has come to the point where I'm rubbing my mouse's scroll ball after every three to fifteen minutes of use.
Dueling Fools: Apple Bull
I think Apple's stubborrn refusal to compete much on price is finally going to work in its favor.
Dueling Fools: Apple Bear
Unless it does grow at 20%, Apple is overpriced.
Dueling Fools: Apple Bear Rebuttal
Putting Windows software on a Mac doesn't solve Apple's market-share problem. All it does is turn a Mac into an overpriced PC.
Review
Organizing's A Snap With Apple's iTunes
The program's ease of use is one of its main draws, but iTunes' simplicity also masks a number of features able to gove you a fair amount of control of your music collection.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
News
How An iPhone Could Rock Wireless
Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG might be secretly rooting for the iPhone to be a (minor) hit.
Review
The Mac's Got Some Game, Too
It's true that the Mac doesn't run anything remotely near the number of games available for Windows, a situation we've had to deal with for several years now. But that doesn't mean there isn't a healthy gaming market for the Mac.
Friday, December 15, 2006
News
FlickrBooth Plugin For Photo Booth Uploads Directly To Flickr
BluEye Connects iPod To Cell Phone Via Bluetooth
Apple Computer Delays Filing Annual Report With SEC Due To Stock Option Investigation
iTunes Sales Up 95% In 2006 - Analyst
Aging Films Get Digital Face Lift
A monumental collection of gear provides the mathematical brawn behind DTS Digital Images,the world's premier image-processing and -restoration house.
iPod Has Nothing To Fear From Zune — For Now
Microsoft's Zune had a decent debut last month, but Apple's iPod continued to dominate the MP3 market, according to new data from market research firm NPD Group.
Greenpeace Targets Apple's Fifth Avenue Store For Demonstration
Adobe To Release Intel-Native Photoshop CS3 Beta
The free beta can be downloaded at Adobe's web site by any user with a valid Creative Suite 2 or Photoshop CS2 serial number.
Opinion
Why Is Adobe Releasing A Photoshop CS3 Beta?
I believe this was just a defensive move designed to anticipate on both Microsoft and Apple.
Oh What A World...
If people think your application is worth $4, then it is worth $4. The market fixes the price. If you cannot develop it for $4 or deem this so unfair as to cause your blood to boil, then maybe you should not be developing it in the first place.
Review
Editing Systems Get Smaller, Easier, Cheaper
The move to non-linear, disk/file-based systems has given the post-production world a more efficient workflow, made easier and cheaper with hardware-independent tools.
Sidetrack
What Will You Eat, If You Only Have $30 For An Entire Month For Food?
Evan Lansing: For the month of November, I'm only spending $30 on food... I desperately wanted to find something tangible that a normal person could do to actually get some insight on what being poor is all about.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
News
Opinion
I'm Not A Mac. I'm A Google.
I am a little ashamed that I made a stink to get the Mac, only to give it up so quickly. In the end, I just wasn't able to get things done on it.
iTunes Sales Are Not Plummeting! Press Credibility, On The Other Hand...
It's simply not possible to draw this conclusion... as we pointed out in the report.
Review
Wintel
Vista Wins On Looks. As For Lacks...
Microsoft's description of Vista is "Clear, Confident, Connected." But a more truthful motto would be "Looks, Locks, Lacks."
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
News
Apple Denies Download Sales fall
Apple has denied a report which claims US sales at its iTunes Music Store fell by 65% in the first half of 2006. Apple said the report is "simply incorrect", but will not divulge iTunes financial figures.
Opinion
Do The Math: iTunes Sales Aren't Collapsing
Taking The Heist
The MacHeist crew has to be applauded for developing and testing new ways to market Mac applications. If it turns out that it was all not worth our while, we simply will have to mark it down as another way not to get rich.
The Iniquities Of The Selfish
My problem with MacHeist is that they're couching this bundle as a service to the indie developer community, when the truth is that they stand to make a significant amount of money while paying comparatively little to the very developers whose interests they claim to be serving.
Review
Wintel
Microsoft Exec Priased Mac To 'Change Vista Process'
Outgoing Windows development chief James Allchin says he was being "purposefully dramatic" in a three-year-old e-mail to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer that surfaced late last week at an Iowa antitrust trial against Microsoft. Allchin said the e-mail was a "rant encouraging a change to the way we were building Windows at the time... Taken out of context, this comment could be confusing."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
News
Apple A-Quiver Over iPod Vibrator Copyright Clash
There Are Now Two iPods In Space
Not one, but two iPods on the International Space Station.
iTunes Interest Climbs As One Analyst Cliams Falling Sales
Two separate reports offer contrasting opinion on the health of the digital music market.
iTunes Sales 'Collapsing'
The leading DRM digital download service, Apple's iTunes, has experienced a collapse in sales revenues this year according to analyst company Forrester Research. While the iTunes service saw healthy growth for much of the period, since January the monthly revenue has fallen by 65 per cent, with the average transaction size falling 17 per cent.
Apple's Number Of 'New-To-Mac' Buyers Growing
A recent survey of twenty Apple Specialist retailers shows that approximately 25 percent of customers buying Macs are new to the platform and that the figure is likely to keep rising due to the iPod "halo effect" and Apple's Boot Camp software.
QuickTime Issues Still Plague Websites
Similar to the issues that allowed the MySpace worm to parade through the popular social networking site, another flaw in Apple's QuickTime can be exploited.
iPod Is A Piece Of Art
If you think your iPod is a piece of art, you're not alone.
Opinion
Apple's iPhone... Can It Fail?
The Real Week Of Independent Mac Developers
Rather than support gimmicks such as MacHeist that hurt the independent Mac software platform why not directly support shareware developers so they earn the full amount of money for all their hard work?
What's Behind Apple's Pro Video Spending Spree?
What may be even more interesting for professionals and consumers alike will be the trickle down of Silicon Color and Proximity technology into the entire Pro Apps line-up down the road.
Chasing The iPhone
It's enough to make you crazy.
Review
Ambrosia Has Plenty Of Tasty Features
Having used its utilities and games for a long time, I assure you that every Ambrosia product I've ever used displays an exceptional level of care and craftsmanship.
Apple MacBook 13-Inch White (Core 2 Duo)
Among budget laptops, the Apple MacBook 13-inch white (Core 2 Duo) is one of the best. It's ideal for novice users, college students, and frequent travelers who are looking for something that's easyon the wallet and looks absolutely fabulous.
Sidetrack
APC Magazine: Researchers have discovered that Apple's new operating system will create 0 new jobs when it is launched early next year. This research stands in sharp contrast to the findings of an industry report that Vista release will create 100,000 new jobs in tech support and help desk positions.
:-)
Remember the days before Boot Camp and Parallel? There was a cash prize awarded to the hacker who successfuly create a way for Windows to boot on the shiny new Intel Mac.
Now, another cash prize is up, to be awarded to the first person who "create[s] a free replacement to dotMac's client-based services that's easy enough for a first-time mac user to install and so fully and transparently integrated that a long-time dotMac user wouldn't notice the difference."
Could the super-duper secret features in Leopard yet-to-be-unveiled, as promised by Steve Jobs back in WWDC 06, be a change in UI?
The latest rumor: Illuminous, the successor to Aqua. No details yet, but if this is true, application developers who've designed their applications using non-standard UI components will have to start preparing for a larger workload come this spring.
Wintel
Windows Development Chief: 'I Would Buy A Mac If I Didn't Work For Microsoft'
Longtime Windows development chief James Allchin wrote in a January 2004 e-mail to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and company co-founder Bill Gates that the software vendor had "lost sight" of customers' needs and said he would buy a Mac if he wasn't working for Microsoft.
Desperately Seeking Zune
"Searching for Zune devices," it said, promisingly. I waited, hopeful. "No nearby Zune devices found, or nearby devices have wireless turned off."
Monday, December 11, 2006
News
iPod Takes A Place On Space Station
An Apple iPod has a home on the International Space Station.
Sales Of iPods And iTunes Not Much In Sync
The numbers suggest that iPods are not driving iTunes sales as much as early supporters may have expected.
Apple Bulls Begin To Look Beyond The iPod
Analysis: Steve Jobs will need more than a phone to sustain growth.
Opinion
Novell-Microsoft Deal An Ominous Development
Will Apple Win In The Long Run?
I think Steve Jobs is finally going to beat up Bill Gates.
A Project Of Apple Market Share
At the current pace that Apple set for their fall sales, they have the fastest growing computer sales in history.
A Universally Bad Idea
Though piracy is a huge challenge, there are also tremendous opportunities for revenue that will come from this change. Those opportunities deal with making direct connections to customers, tapping into communities centered on muscial genres and fans, making live concerns and rarities available and other things that please customers. Not taxing MP3 players on the assumption that the buyers are thieves.
Mac Blogs Talking About The Zune
I believe that it's anti-Microsoft sentiment.
iPhone Madness Is Starting
Please, let's skip this question for the next few weeks, OK?
And Then I Saw It Shine, And Now I'm A Believer
I had to tell the world in case some iBook users hadn't heard the wonders of "Magic Eraser."
Sunday, December 10, 2006
News
Apple disconinutes UK Mail-In Repair Service
In a manoeuvre distinguished by both its stealth and audacity, Apple UK has discontinued its mail-in repair service without notifying its customers or, it appears, its resellers.
Opinion
Simplicity
If you think simplicity means "not very many features" or "does one thing and does it well," then I applaud your integrity but you can't go that far with a product that deliberately leaves features out. Even the iPod has gratuitous Solitaire game.
Saturday, December 9, 2006
News
Apple Should Pay For "Gratuitous" Legal Action Over Buzzle: Liquidator
Having lost its attempt to have the liquidator of Buzzle removed, Apple is now locked in battle over who will pay the legal costs for the action.
No iPhone At Macworld, Says Rumor Mill
Tangerine! For Mac Reaches 1.0
Tangerine! is an app that analyzes the BPM and intensity of your music to create automatic playlists, based on your preferences, within a certain beat and intensity range.
Opinion
Where Are The Left-Handed Mice?
Microsoft Makes A Basic Mistake With Office 2007
Dropping support for Visual Basic scripting makes Office suite DOA.
Friday, December 8, 2006
News
Apple Ships Two Xsan Software Updates
OS X More Appealing Than Desktop Linux: Gartner
OS X is more appealing to enterprises as adestop operating systen than ever before and although it is unlikely to take market share away from Windows, the Mac could reduce the number of Linux-based dekstops, according to research group Gartner.
Opinion
Curtains For Music DRM?
At heart, digital rights management (DRM) is a business strategy, not a police action. And that strategy may be reaching the end of its natural life.
Open XML Converters For Mac Office
iPod On Windows On Mac
I'll answer the obvious question: Why would you want to run an iPod under Boot Camp when the player functions beautifully with the Mac OS?
Thursday, December 7, 2006
News
iPod Owners Not So Fussed On iTunes
Apple is selling just 20 tracks from its iTune sstore for each iPod, and the relatively low value of each transaction risks rendering its entire business model unprofitable, a new analysis of the company's business model claims.
Microsoft Word Vulnerability Affects Office v.X, 2004 For Mac OS X
The only current solution is to not open or save Word files received from un-trusted sources.
First Look: A Guided Tour Of Apple's Leopard Server OS
Leopard server promises to be an exciting release with many new features for both the enterprise and small business environments.
Universal Acrobat Reader 8.0 Out For The Mac
Buy Mac Software On Dec. 7 For Charity
A bunch of Mac developers have teamed up and have decided to donate all of the proceeds from their software sales made on Dec 7th to Child's Play.
MySpace Gets Into Apple Patch Pickle
MySpace.com and Apple are demonstrating how not to deliver security fixes.
Apple Gets Low Score In Greenpeace E-Waste Report
Mac Games: What To Look For In 2007
Stars Wars, World of Worldcraft expansion, ports via Cider highlight 2007 releases.
Opinion
The Apple Phone Flop
The iPod looks like it may turn out to be a non-repeatable experience.
How I Outsmarted Apple, Microsoft And (Probably) Myself: Or, My Awesome New Music Setup
Apple Needs To Do More: Thomas Hawk Will You Help?
The Difference Between Trying Something And Using Something
Trying something is more common than using something. That's why most products are optimized for trying.
Calling iTunes, Part 3
Wherein we finally locate a customer-service telephone number.
A Windows Expert Opts For A Mac Life, Part 2
The transition was a little rocky, but once over that hump, the Mac experience has been superb.
the End Of Office For Macintosh?
Deconstruting Larry: Mac Lawyer Bites Back
Apple advocate responds to Larry Bodine's Macintosh G5-trashing article.
An iPhone In Your Pocket?
Why is it so important to have a music player and a cellphone in one package, anyway?
Review
Apple's Backup 3 - Hopeless Junk
What good is backup software that can't perform a restore?
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
News
Apple Expanding Into The Enterprise, Back Office
Apple's server products and acquisitions point toward enterprise expansion.
Apple Wins Design Patent For Mac Mini And/Or iTV Variant
MySpace To Apple: Fix That Worm
MySpace.com wants Apple to update its QuickTime media player software so it can't be used in attacks on the social-networking site.
New Office File Formats Could Cause Headaches
Although the company already has converters available for older PC versions of Office, the Mac translation tools are still in development. Microsoft now doesn't expect to have the tools available until late March or April, the company said Tuesday.
Analyst: Apple 'Almost Certain' To Start iPhone Production In Jan
It is "almost certain" that Apple will begin production of its long-anticipated iPhone in January, and the company will unveil improvements to its iTV and the iPod at the same time, according to one Wall Street analyst.
Projecting Apple's Future Beyond MWSF
Industry watchers are likely to shift their focus to potential new product announcements at Macworld during the final stretch of the busy holiday shopping season.
The Year In Mac Games: Seven Trends For '06
Casual games, Windows on the Mac among the year's top developments.
Apple Launches iTunes And Online Apple Stores In New Zealand
Opinion
Why "I'm A PC" Works
It's an amazing tightrope act of significantion the ad team's pulled off here and so it's not surprising that many commentators missed it.
The Pointless Converter Scandal
This is one of those something made-out-of-nothing situations.
If Apple Has The Slighest Sense...
Then the forthcoming iWork '07 will natively support the Microsoft Office 2007 document formats.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
News
New Law Makes iPod Use Legal
Thousands of Austrlians who use iPods and other digital music players will no longer be acting illegally after a major overhaul of copyright laws passed parliament.
Worm Uses QuickTime To Spread On MySpace
A ,alicious video on MySpace.com pages changes people's profiles when played, embedding itself and adding links to fraudulent web sites, experts have warned.
iPod ShuffleBud USB Adapter For 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle
Computers Serve Films On Demand
For years now, personal computer companies have been working diligently to get into your living room. And while Dan Lewis may be a relatively early adopter, his experiences — and the smoothness with which his system operates — shine a light on some very cool high-tech in-home entertainment possibilities.
Apple Buys Asset Management Company Proximity
Apple has extended its stable of technologies with the purchase on Monday of Proximity. The company's flagship product is artbox, an all-in-one asset management and workflow.
Opinion
Does Language In Computing matter?
Beggin' Your 'Poddin'
I'm left again to ponder why people have grown so affectionate toward iPods that they give them monikers while leaving their Blackberries, cell phones and PDAs with nameless disaffection.
My iPod Got Run Over By A Nissan
Why Older Users Love Macs
Seriously, if you wanted to hook up a recent retiree with a 1998 Mac or a 1998 Dell, which one do you think they'd find easier to learn?
Living La Vida Mac
Oh dear, they're at it, again.
Review
MacBooks Just Got A Lot Faster
I liked both models a lot before, but now, with faster processors, both models, more RAM and FireWire 800, in the MacBook Pro only, I like them even better.
Sidetrack
Rumor Today: Ultrathin MacBook Pro
Apple's annual Macworld show-and-tell at San Francisco is almost here, and the rumor season is in full swing.
The latest rumor is an ultrathin MacBook Pro, a laptop category that Apple has really never gotten into. Yes, there are people (like me) who feel that even the 12-inch MacBook is too heavy for their taste. And, possibly, some Newton lovers will also be cheering for this new product if it really comes to life.
Now that Apple has made the Intel transition, it is time for some new innovative products.
Monday, December 4, 2006
News
Go iPod, It's Your Birthday!
It's young, it's hip, it's sexy, and it fits in the palm of your hand. It's also changed the way we listen to music.
Opinion
What Happens When The OS Doesn't Matter?
We're not quite there yet, of course, but would such a world help Apple or Windows more?
Review
Sidetrack
Dear Customer, We Are Listening... Just Be Quick, Okay?
If your customer is motivated enough to fill out a bug report to tell you the shortcomings of your product, you should really listen. And if your customer is going into great details, you should probably listen very carefully.
Unfortunately, Adobe doesn't seem to want to listen to all those details from some of their best customers. The bug report form by Adobe limits you to only 2,000 characters. And they don't tell you beforehand.
Rumor Today: iPhone iPhone iPhone
The question you might want to ask today is whether you trust Kevin Rose.
Kevin Rose leaked/predicted/speculated the iPod nano accurately back in 2005. So, it's up to you: do you believe the iPhone is going to be out on January 07, have two batteries (one for music, one for talk), and is selling for US$249 and US$449?
Sunday, December 3, 2006
News
Apple Poised For Cheery Holiday
But company faces more competition, consumer anxiety.
Opinion
Podcasting's Done? Wait Until You Have An iPod Capable Car
So it could be that podcasting version 1.0 is done, just as radio with pictures was done in 1948. But podcasting as a medium is just getting started.
Sidetrack
Rumor Today: iPod Dock In Apple's Keyboard?
With iPhone and Tablet Mac "coming real soon now", a rumor about an Apple keyboard with an iPod dock sounds, well, unattractive.
Now, if only the keyboard is also wireless, and you can squirt tunes from one keyboard to another, and if the keyboard comes in white and black and brown... ooops, got carried awy.
One more months to Macword goodies!
I Am Not A PC. I Am Not A Mac.
I'm a Vaio.
Sony has an "interesting" campaign. Too bad it's all skin deep only.
Where is the differentiator?
Saturday, December 2, 2006
News
I Listen, Therefore iPod
Five years ago this week the first iPods arrived in Australia on a reconnaissance mission for what was to become a mass invasion. They were bound for the desks of tech writers eager to get their hands on the new digital music players that had been revealed by their Apple makers in California six weeks earlier.
Dual And Triple Displays For 1-Port Macs
Graphics hardware maker Matrox just announced a few new products which will allow Macs with only one video connection to drive up to three displays using a clever trick.
Michael Zagaris: Capturing The Game
Parallels Beta Works With Boot Camp Partition
Research Firm Says Apple Has An Age-Old Concern
Apple disputes Metafacts' claims. "Our customer data shows that only around 20 percent of Mac users are over the age of 55."
Opinion
Review
Six Fresh Tips From iPod: The Missing Manual
The Missing Sync For Windows Mobile 3.0: Synchronizer For Windows Mobile Device Improves iLife Integration
PocketMac For Blackberry 4.0: Free Syncing Software For BlackBBerry Users Has Some Glitches
Overall, PocketMac for Blackberry, 4.0 leaves me wanting more and wanting it to work better.
Friday, December 1, 2006
News
Ambrosia Releases Retro SketchFighter Game
The game combines elements of exploration and action game play.
Nike + iPod = Surveillance
If you enhance your workout with the new Nike+iPod Sport Kit, you may be making yourself a surveillance target.
Opinion
Review
InspireData: Tool For Students To Visualize Information And Find Meaning In Numbers
InspireData is for teachers who are looking for a superior tool to help students turn raw data into meaningful information.
Dimenxian: Algebra-Based First-Person Shooter Is A Real Blast
Wintel
Is Microsoft Driving Innovation Or Playing Catch-Up With Rivals?
As the computing landscape continues to evolve, is the world's largest technology company driving innovation or racing to catch up?
