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To make things easier, the author of this article has split the models into four categories: Pro Desktops, Pro Laptops, Consumer Desktops, and Consumer Laptops. Then he calculated and graphed the minimum overall score, average overall score, and maximum overall score for each model in each category.
Although iTunes makes it easy to share media between multiple machines on a home network, you might want to keep more than one physical copy of your music library synchronized. Perhaps the most common example involves a family's home network consisting of a desktop and a laptop - each containing subsets of what is really a single music library.
Chanpory Rith writes: "With a little tinkering, I’ve put together an AppleScript to let FlexTime use the Growl system to gently remind you when a new activity starts, such as when to work and when to play. I call the script, FlexTimeGrowl. (Imaginative, huh?)"
Derrick Story writes: "Here's a great graphics trick that many people don't know. - you can easily build fantastic slideshow titles right within iPhoto 6. You have lots of design control. You can change backgrounds, switch themes and even change fonts and size."
Apple is once again denying resellers and large partners the ability to place bulk orders for its petite Mac mini desktop computers, often an indicator that new models are on the horizon.
Time Machine is one of the exciting features in the upcoming new Mac OS X release Leopard. With Time Machine not only can you back up and preserve everything on your Mac - including priceless digital photos, music, movies, and documents - without lifting a finger, you can go back in time to recover anything you’ve ever backed up. Time Machine is not something people will be able to use out of the box. You need an external hard drive or an iPod to make it work.
Red Sweater Software released FlexTime 1.0.1, an innovative timer utility for repetitive activities. FlexTime's intuitive interface focuses on the metaphor of a "routine" made up of any number of timed activities and associated "cues." FlexTime costs just $18.95 and is available as a full-featured 30 day trial download.
Periodik Labs announced the immediate availability of Elektron 1.2, the latest version of its award-winning software for securing small business Wi-Fi networks. The software brings easy to use, enterprise-level Wi-Fi security to businesses without a full time IT staff.
Do you like to know what’s going on “under the hood†of your Mac (stuff like your CPU usage, disk activity, memory usage - you know, total geek stuff)? If you do, you can keep an eye on things right from within the dock using Mac OS X’s Activity Monitor.
GlowWorm FW Lite is a neat looking application that can help you protect your privacy by enabling you to control your computer at the network level. It works through a simple system of rules and gives you a possibility of easily defining acceptable behaviour for a particular application, host/ip address, port number, and any combination thereof.
On a recent road trip, I wanted to entertain the rear passengers with movies and shows during the 3-hour trip. But, I also didn't want to permanently install the Mac mini or the 7" LCD touch screen since I use them for other purposes when we're not on a road trip. Hence the following little project.
Apple is once again facing a problem that it has become all too familiar with - not enough supply of its most popular products to meet growing demand. In particular, the company this month is reportedly struggling to fill orders for its consumer-oriented MacBook notebooks, which are arguably its most popular new product of the year.
Apple has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property damage. No serious injuries were reported. The recalled lithium-ion batteries were used with the following computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4. Consumers should remove the battery from the computer to view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the unit. Detailed information is available here.
Apple leads all other PC makers in customer satisfaction, but the reason for its lead may not be very satisfying. Simply put, it's not that Apple is a dazzling performer in terms of customer care, but that the other computer manufacturers are almost uniformly dismal in that realm, according to customers surveyed by the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index team. The research demonstrates that Apple is more effective at customer service than Dell, HP and others.
Without much fanfare, Apple has added the new Xserve to the AppleStore: Introducing the new Xserve - Quad Xeon 64-bit server.
Specifications are, as one would expect, very similar to the MacPro ones, with 2.0, 2.66 and 3.0GHz models, and even a built-in Radeon X1300; but the default model is a powered by two 2GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon 5100 processors instead of 2.66GHz Xeon for the MacPro.
Tom Yager writes: "It took an attack on a Windows production server, not devotion to Apple, to put that provocative title on this entry. The attack I encountered occasioned a re-examination of a common question: Is Windows more vulnerable to malware than OS X? I've encountered no clearer or more definitive proof point than this attack. To set the stage, I'll describe the malware's methods."
At least five employees of Apple's retail stores have been fired after downloading copies of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard from the Internet that were distributed to developers at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference two weeks ago.
Who said you can’t use Mac OS 9 because you have an Intel Mac? It is completely possible with a little bit of tinkering, and a really cool universal application called Sheep Shaver. Sheep Shaver is a full speed ‘Classic’ emulator for Windows, Linux, and Intel based Macs, that runs older Mac OS’s at shockingly full speed!
This software list is geared towards software most college students can benefit from. With the exception of one item, everything can be found online for free.
Macworld Lab’s 3GHz Mac Pro arrived at their offices, and, as expected, the desktop equipped with the fastest Xeon currently available to Mac users outpaced the 2.66GHz Mac Pro. If you remember, that standard offering of Apple’s new desktop tallied the best score ever in their Speedmark test. That record didn’t stand for long, as the 3GHz machine posted a score of 313, setting a new standard for their system performance test suite.
The Google Notifier is an application that shows you alerts in your menu bar, so you can see when you have new Gmail messages or upcoming Google Calendar events without having to open a web browser. Please note that some have reported slight problems with this applications since in some instances it requires them to login multiple times.
SecureWorks did a demo at the recent Black Hat conference, showing how it could hack into a MacBook. Now, the company posted a disclaimer on its site to make it clear that MacBook was modified.
A new patent filing reveals that Apple is working to streamline the interface on its products and make them more intuitive for users, while shrinking the device itself and maximizing the space available for visual output.
The Mac Pros look like terrific machines, but they clearly weren’t much of a surprise. One downside to Apple’s switch to Intel is that it’s going to be clear from here on out what type of CPUs are going to be available in the next upcoming hardware revisions from Apple, because Intel’s (and AMD’s) CPU roadmaps are available far in advance. Apple can, of course, still surprise us with brand-new hardware enclosure designs, but they’re not likely to ever again offer a big surprise at the system architecture level, like they did with the original Power Mac G5 announcement at WWDC 2003.
A file purporting to be a preview version of Apple's next Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" operating system showed up on file sharing sites over the weekend. The file claimed to be the preview edition of Leopard given to attendees at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, held in San Francisco last week.
Did you know you can use the application switcher after starting a drag operation? Start your drag, press Command-Tab, and there’s the switcher. Why might you want to do this? Say you want to drag and drop something into a TextEdit document, but you’ve hidden TextEdit, so you can’t see its windows. No problem; drag the object you wish to drop, activate the switcher, and then Tab over to TextEdit (still keeping the mouse key depressed, so as to not cancel your drag operation). Release Command-Tab when TextEdit is highlighted, and it will activate and unhide. Now you can complete your drag operation, dropping your dragged item into the TextEdit window.
Let's say you are designing or documenting a Web site and you want to take a screen shot of a Web page. That's no problem if the page fits comfortably within the confines of your browser's window. Just snap the shot using the traditional tools at your disposal and you're done. But what if—as is often the case—the Web page is taller or wider than the browser window? Here are some solutions.
Jochen Wolters writes: "The addition of to-do’s and notes to Mail may indicate that Apple has some useful ideas for enhancing a “non-glamourous†application like Mail beyond just beautiful eye candy. It would be great if they would move further along this path by adding real workflows to Mail."
The Bridge works with Harmon Kardon's iPod friendly AVR 40 Series receivers (AVR 740, 340, 240, 140 models). Included in The Bridge kit are various docking connectors, making it compatible with 3G or higher iPods, including the video models (note that video and photos will not be displayed onscreen). Simply connect the single plug into the back of the "DMP - The Bridge" input on the receiver and you're ready to go.
Cyberduck is a very popular open source FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser with an easy to use interface, integration with external editors and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Spotlight, Bonjour, the Keychain and AppleScript. Version 2.6.1 is an important bug fix release, you can download it here.
Jeff Smykil writes: "If you recently ordered your Mac Pro and decided that 1GB of RAM just wasn't going to cut it in your new age of computing, you probably decided not to pay Apple's premiums and order from Crucial. Well if you headed over at the right time you were able to order the RAM through Crucial's Memory Advisor; at the wrong time and there was no Mac Pro RAM to be found. So what gives?"
Jacqui Cheng writes: "First, we review the problems that either Apple has copped to or that we believe are real issues even though Apple has not publicly addressed them. After that, we'll talk briefly about other happenings at Apple, and then finish by assessing what we've learned in the process."
For the people who create Mac software, there's nothing quite as exciting as a Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that previews the features slated to appear in an upcoming OS X overhaul. And there's nothing as terrifying for those same developers as waiting to see if those new features do similar things to the software they're already selling.
Is switching a good idea? The answer, as always, depends on the needs and preferences of the user. Apple’s move to Intel processors has made it easier to run Windows on Intel-based Macs, and thus any software a switcher may want to continue using. But even with that ability, there are pluses and minuses to consider.
The Retouch tool in iPhoto 6 has more capability than most people realize. The default mode is a frustratingly blunt cross hairs that provides very little control. You can, however, enable an advanced mode that lets you set the diameter of the brush for more precise retouching.
Apple has done something really different with the Mac Pro, and it's taken a few days to put it all in perspective. Instead of three different models with several build-to-order options, Apple has a single model with a host of build-to-order options. With so many options - Apple says there are millions of possible configurations - it's not easy to come up with a simple value equation for the Mac Pro.
Christopher Breen writes: "Leopard’s VoiceOver will support Grade 2 contracted Braille devices. Such devices include displays that communicate through a silicone ribbon or pad that changes shape to mimic traditional braille characters as well as note-takers, devices that include special braille keyboards. Plug one of these Grade 2 devices into the USB port of a Mac running Leopard, and it should work out of the box, allowing both braille input and output. The “Wow†feature for most users will be the inclusion of Apple’s new Alex voice, a synthesized English voice that sounds far more natural than what Apple has offered previously."
Christopher Forsythe, the developer behind the Growl notification system and project manager of Adium, the multi-protocol chat application for Mac OS X answers a few questions for OSNews.
With Yojimbo, a seasoned Mac development team took a fresh look and found the Mac platform provided the support it needed to finally create a product that had long been on the drawing board. The result combined several innovations in a product that is easy to learn and use.
When Apple announced that it was moving Mac OS X to the Intel platform, one thing that didn't get much attention was that Apple would not be open-sourcing the Intel Darwin kernel. Now, Apple has reversed its course and has quietly announced that it will open-source the kernel after all.
Interface Builder 3.0 lets you drag and drop even more luscious behaviors into your application. Want to imitate the iChat sliding list view? It’s a matter of minutes, not days. Or add Keynote-like transitions to make your applications drag and stun.
But enhancements aren’t all about pretty faces, Interface Builder 3.0 makes localization and diffing easier. And you can include your NIBs in global refactoring tasks. Make beautiful applications, elegantly and easily with Interface Builder 3.0. Get all the juicy info on Xcode 3.0 here.
Apple today previewed Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard, the sixth major version of Mac OS X, to its third party developers. Leopard, scheduled to ship in spring 2007, extends Apple’s leadership in software innovation with groundbreaking new features, including Time Machine, a revolutionary new way to automatically back up and restore everything on your Mac, and Spaces, an entirely new way to instantly switch between groups of applications required for various tasks.
Leopard also includes industry-first advancements in Mail and iChat, including Stationery, Notes and To Dos in Mail; and Photo Booth-style effects, the ability to “place†yourself in any photo or video as the backdrop for your chat, and live presentations of iPhoto slideshows, Keynote presentations and videos in iChat.
“Breakthrough features like Time Machine and Spaces are good examples of how Mac OS X leads the industry in operating system innovation,†said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While Microsoft tries to copy the version of OS X we shipped a few years ago, we’re leaping ahead again with Leopard.â€
With its unique ability to let users travel back in time to find deleted files, applications, photos or other digital media, Time Machine is a revolutionary way to protect a consumer’s digital life. Time Machine automatically backs up everything on the Mac to an external hard drive or Mac OS X Server. In the event a file is lost, users can search back through time using an intuitive time-based visual display to find and then instantly restore the file. With one click, Time Machine can restore anything from a single file or photo to everything on a Mac.
Spaces is an intuitive new way to group applications required for a given task into a “space,†then instantly switch between different spaces to bring up the specific applications required for that given task. Users can get a bird’s eye view of all their Spaces and choose where they want to go next with just one keystroke or click of a mouse.
With Leopard’s iChat, Apple takes communicating with friends, family and colleagues to an entirely new level. iChat now makes video chats more fun with the ability to use Photo Booth effects and put images and videos in the background. iChat Screen Sharing enables users to share their desktops with others to work together in real time on an activity, such as editing an iPhoto book, or helping a buddy get the most out of their Mac. With iChat Theater, users can share an iPhoto slide show, a QuickTime® movie or a Keynote presentation within an iChat window.
Leopard’s Mail includes breakthrough new features that have never been seen before in a Mail application. Mail Stationery includes more than 30 customizable stationery designs to create stunning emails enriched with beautiful photos and graphics. Templates include photo collections, invitations, birthday cards and other greetings that look great when received on either a Mac or a PC. With Mail Notes, users can quickly jot down thoughts and ideas, add graphics and attachments and use the familiar Mail application to manage them like an email message. In addition, To Dos can be created from any email message or note and viewed in iCal or sent to friends and colleagues. RSS news feeds now appear in Mail, allowing users to receive news in their inboxes, receive notifications when new stories appear and use Smart Mailboxes to organize news about the same topic in one place.
Additional features in Leopard include:
Just an hour ago, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, the world came to know the Mac Pro. Powered by the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor - at speeds up to 3GHz - Mac Pro runs up to 2x faster than the Power Mac G5 Quad, answering your dreams for world-class performance, workstation graphics, and (with more than 4 million possible configurations) outstanding opportunities for future expandability. Visit this page for the full technical specifications. The price starts at $2,499.
“Apple has successfully completed the transition to using Intel processors in just seven months—210 days to be exact,†said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And what better product to complete it with than the new Mac Pro, the workstation Mac users have been dreaming about.â€
The new Mac Pro features the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 series processor based on the revolutionary Intel Core microarchitecture, delivering breakthrough performance and power efficiency. The new Mac Pro is up to twice as fast as the Power Mac G5 Quad running industry standard benchmarks and features two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz, each with 4MB of shared L2 cache and independent 1.33 GHz front-side buses. With 667 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered memory, the Mac Pro also boasts a 256-bit wide memory architecture for amazing bandwidth.
With more than 4.9 million possible configurations, the Mac Pro delivers unprecedented customization to meet even the most demanding performance, expansion and storage needs. The newly redesigned Mac Pro features an all new, direct attach storage solution for cable free, snap in installation of up to four 500GB Serial ATA hard drives for a total of 2TB of internal storage—the most ever on a Mac—and support for two optical drives to simultaneously read and/or write to CDs and DVDs. Every Mac Pro includes three full-length PCI Express expansion slots and one double-wide PCI Express graphics slot to support high-powered, double-wide graphics cards without sacrificing multiple slots. Providing quick and convenient access to connect the most popular external devices, the front panel of the Mac Pro includes a FireWire 800 port, a FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports with additional FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports on the back panel. Mac Pro also includes dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, optical digital input and output, analog audio input and output, and optional built-in support for AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
Every Mac Pro comes standard with the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 256MB of video memory, providing built-in support for dual-displays and Apple’s 30-inch Cinema HD Display. The ATI Radeon X1900 XT and the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500, both with 512MB of video memory, are available as build to order options and provide built-in support for up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays. The Quadro FX 4500 also includes a stereo 3D port to connect goggles for stereo-in-a-window applications and is ideal for the most demanding animation, special effects and scientific visualization applications. The Mac Pro supports up to four PCI Express graphics cards to drive up to eight displays at once for advanced visualization and large display walls.
Virtual machine developer VMware is scheduled to make an appearance at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference this Monday in San Francisco. What is VMware doing at the Mac event? The obvious conclusion is that the company will introduce a version of its software for OS X and/or OS X Server.
TubeSock grabs YouTube videos from the web and copies them to your video iPod, Mac, or PlayStation Portable. TubeSock knows how to convert the video using the codecs and bitrates best for each device. It can even add the video to iTunes for you.
If you want to grab the attention of a roomful of hackers, one sure fire way to do it is to show them a new method for remotely circumventing the security of an Apple Macbook computer to seize total control over the machine. That's exactly what hackers Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch and David Maynor plan to show today in their Black Hat presentation on hacking the low-level computer code that powers many internal and external wireless cards on the market today.
Apple's iPod line has gone months without an update. It's been nearly a year since the portable music player added new capabilities, such as the ability to play video, or appeared in a new form factor, like the slimmed-down nano. In the rapid-fire world of technology toys, that's usually the sign of a product line that's gotten long in the tooth. And yet, iPods continue to fly off the shelves just as fast as Apple can make them.
Security Update 2006-004 can be downloaded and installed using Software Update, or from Apple Downloads. It is recommended for all users and improves the security of a myriad of components, check this page for all the details.
Apple Computer has replied to criticism of its iTunes digital rights management policy, meeting a deadline set by consumer agencies in Scandinavia, an advisor at Norway's Consumer Council said on Tuesday. The Norwegian council is still reviewing the letter, which arrived on Tuesday morning, and hasn't yet released it to the public, said Torgeir Waterhouse, senior advisor to the Consumer Council of Norway.
Tim Gaden writes: "With the SwiftMail Dashboard widget, you can quickly dash off an email using your Gmail, .Mac, Yahoo or AOL email account. It offers a quick username and password setup or the option of entering detailed server information."
In the digital age, outages are just a part of life. While occasionally, they leave you in the position of having to hastily scarf all the ice cream in the office before it melts, more typically, they leave you guzzling your pain-killer of choice in a futile attempt to quell a massive headache brought on by frustration. And while we all know not to believe advertisers, .Mac subscribers this past week got an extra heaping of frustration as a long outage made a mockery of Apple's "It just works." campaign.
Peter Borg recently released version 2.0 of Smultron, his excellent open source text editor. So what’s new? Well, among other things…
By reducing the resolution in the Display pane of Displays preferences, you can make everything appear larger at the expense of the amount of information that can be displayed simultaneously. If you’re unwilling to sacrifice the pixels you’ve paid for, you might be able to get away with selectively enlarging only the troublesome items. To do so, you must explore the magnification options and font size preferences available in the programs you use. Here are details on how to adjust various popular programs.
