Other Sites
The Book Of MacBook
Late-2008 MacBooks: More On Freeze-on-wake, Wireless Problems, Trackpad Issues
The Future of PowerPC Macs and Software as 'Snow Leopard' Approaches
Netbooks: Notebooks Not to be Taken Lightly
Will Disney or Apple Buy Yahoo Before Microsoft Does?
What If Apple Built A Search Engine?
Will Apple's MacBook Air Eventually Levitate?
Why Steve Jobs Should Run General Motors
BLU makers expect LED prices to drop 40-50% next year
DRAM Output To Shrink Further In 1Q09
Max Out Your Mac Mini
Apple improving Mobile Me synching in Mac OS X 10.5.6
IBM Hypes Apple In New iPod Chief Papers
UCLA Extension Offers Apple Pro Courses
PC Mag: Is a Monochrome Laster Printer Right for You?
The Mac Night Owl: Is Apple Auditioning Successors for Steve Jobs?
The Book Of MacBook
MacUser's Dan Moren has posted a long but interesting dissertation of his observations and thoughts on Apple's latest (and greatest?) consumer portable:
People keep asking me about my new MacBook. The machines came out about a month ago, but that clearly hasn't been enough time for people to get their fill of Apple's latest portable lineup. I have to remind myself that these are, for the most part, civilians: people who don't eat, drink, breathe, and immerse themselves in all things Apple. Still, I've fended off envious looks and an assortment of questions, ranging from whether the performance is a huge improvement to whether the screen is too reflective.
In the week that I've been using the new MacBook, it's been my full-time all-purpose computer, just like its predecessor, and I've had to learn its ins and outs, collecting observations the whole while. What follows is a catalog of my assorted thoughts and musings on the experience. There are a lot of them. Like, "brew a cup of coffee and settle in a for a long winter read" lot. You have been warned....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.macworld.com/article/136793/2008/11/book_of_macbook.html
Late-2008 MacBooks: More On Freeze-on-wake, Wireless Problems, Trackpad Issues
MacFixIt reports:
Users continue to report a bevy of issues with the new Late-2008 (unibody) MacBooks and
MacBook Pros. Most pervasive is an issue we've reported upon extensively in the past few days in which the system refuses to properly wake from sleep, displaying only a blank screen while the keyboard illuminates or freezing upon wake......
If you are experiencing similar issues, peruse our tutorial on wireless troubleshooting. If any of thee fixes work, please drop us a line at http://www.macfixit.com/contact.....
....Meanwhile, users continue to report trackpad issues.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20081112225241734
The Future of PowerPC Macs and Software as 'Snow Leopard' Approaches
Low End Mac's Simon Royal says:
The future of PowerPC Macs has been in question since Apple moved to Intel processors in 2006. Prior to switching to Intel chips, Apple had used PowerPC processors since 1994, starting with the Power Mac 6100, 7100, and 8100. Prior to that, Macs used Motorola 680x0 chips.....
When Apple first announced it was moving to Intel chips, the Mac world was turned upside down. Was this the end of the PowerPC? Would this be as big a change as the move from Mac OS 9 to OS X? Would older software work on the new chips? If so, how well?....
How long will Apple and other developers support the PowerPC platform?....
With Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard", announced for delivery in early 2009, Apple is planning to drop PowerPC support altogether, leaving 10.5 "Leopard" as the last version for PowerPC Macs. How long after that will developers keep producing Universal Binary programs to support PowerPC Macs?....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/royal/08sr/future-of-powerpc.html
Netbooks: Notebooks Not to be Taken Lightly
"Netbooks are cheap and easy to tote, but will they replace notebooks? asks PCMag's Dan Costa:
....can the netbook replace the notebook? Here at PC Magazine, we learn by doing, so I hit the road with netbook in tow. My test Mini 1000 weighed in at 2.5 pounds with a 10.2-inch screen and a 60GB hard drive. ....Most netbooks run on Intel's 1.6-GHz Atom processor. When compared with traditional notebook processors, Atom is a lightweight but is fine for basic productivity apps. I had no problem running OpenOffice Writer or Calc, or browsing the Web with Firefox. Photoshop, however? Not an option.
HP isn't the only player in the netbook space; everyone wants a piece......
Where does the netbook fit into the market?....
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334612,00.asp
Will Disney or Apple Buy Yahoo Before Microsoft Does?
searchenginejournal.com's Loren Baker says:
Well, I started a little speculation this morning that Apple might be buying Yahoo, which was piggybacked off of TechCrunch's rumor that Apple may develop its own search engine. Now the Motley Fool is sticking their fingers in the Yahoo pie, especially since Yahoo Stock has dipped below $10, saying that despite some analyst predictions, Disney will not buy Yahoo.
OK, let me start of by saying this, Disney buying Yahoo is much more hairbrained of an idea than Apple buying Yahoo. I mean, I already named reasons why Yahoo would be a good acquisition target for Apple, but for those of you who missed my post, I'll restate them here....
You can check it out at:
http://tinyurl.com/5kew66
What If Apple Built A Search Engine?
CNET's Don Reisinger says:
TechCrunch is reporting today that it has heard some rumblings about the possibility of Apple developing a search engine to compete with Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. According to the publication, it believes that Apple's reason for doing so is its desire to find another avenue of monetization for all the traffic it can capture through its Safari browser and elsewhere across the Web.
But after some digging, TechCrunch found that the chances of Apple working on a search engine in secret right now are relatively low and the Silicon Valley has heard little about the possibility of Apple turning to another sector in the industry.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6ngary
Will Apple's MacBook Air Eventually Levitate?
The Channel Wire's Kevin McLaughlin
Apple may be considering using carbon fiber parts in the MacBook Air in a bid to reduce the notebook's weight, according to a Tuesday post to the AppleInsider blog. ....
But John Strikwerda, retail manager at Carbon Computing, a Kitchener, Ontario-based Apple reseller, says the MacBook Air is already light enough for most customers; what they'd like to see is a lighter price tag. "There currently is a fair bit of a premium to get the lightweight and small size of the MacBook Air," he said....
Another theory, this one as yet unsubstantiated, is that Apple will one day shock the industry by making the MacBook Air so light that it actually floats in mid-air, thus living up to its name in a way that no one could ever have imagined when the product was launched. Just imagine the buzz at MacWorld the year that's announced. ......
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.crn.com/hardware/212002245
Why Steve Jobs Should Run General Motors
Computerworld's Preston Gralla reports:
General Motors is looking for tens of billions of bailout dollars from the Feds to stave off bankruptcy. Here's a simpler solution: Get Steve Jobs to take over the top slot at GM. So says the New York Times' Thomas Friedman, and despite my dislike of Jobs, I think Friedman is right.....
.....somebody ought to call Steve Jobs, who doesn't need to be bribed to do innovation, and ask him if he'd like to do national service and run a car company for a year. I'd bet it wouldn't take him much longer than that to come up with the G.M. iCar.
While I dislike Jobs for his arrogance, his vindictiveness, and the way he uses attack-dog lawyers to muzzle any criticism or dissent, he's probably one of the few people who could turn around G.M. He's a great innovator and designer, and understands what consumers are looking for. He did a brilliant job of turning around Apple. He might be able to do the same for G.M.....
But not Steve Ballmer, please. We've had madmen running the auto industry for long enough, and look what they've done....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153805/steve_jobs_gm.html?tk=rss_news
BLU makers expect LED prices to drop 40-50% next year
DIGITIMES' Siu Han and Yvonne Yu report:
While major notebook vendors continue to introduce models with LED backlighting into the market, prices for LEDs are estimated to drop by 40-50% in 2009 as clients will be in a better position to negotiate prices, according to backlight unit (BLU) makers....
According to BLU makers, LED backlit notebooks only had a penetration rate of 5-6% in the first three quarters this year. But the penetration rate is expected to reach 25% in the fourth quarter this year, and 30-40% in 2009.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20081113PD210.html
DRAM Output To Shrink Further In 1Q09
DIGITIMES's Hans Wu and Jessie Shen report:
DRAM makers have been cutting back their production since September 2008, and a new round of major reduction in their output is expected to kick off at the beginning of next year, according to industry sources.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20081113PD204.html
Max Out Your Mac Mini
Personal Computer World's Chris Wiles says:
Although most PCW readers are good at eking out the lifespan of their PCs, there eventually comes a time when you must admit defeat, regardless of how careful you are to keep the hardware up to date with judicious upgrades.....
However, in this short feature we're going to show you how to use an old Mac Mini as a streaming audio server that can stream music to any hi-fi system in your home, all controlled remotely via an iPod, iPhone or even a smartphone.....
You can check it out at:
http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2230443/max-mac-mini
Apple improving Mobile Me synching in Mac OS X 10.5.6
AppleInsider reports:
One of the primary focuses of Apple's upcoming Mac OS X 10.5.6 Update will be to improve the reliability of data syncing between the company's MobileMe Internet service and users on notebook computers or slower networks.
"Please help test MobileMe automatic syncing," Apple told developers in release notes accompanying Mac OS X 10.5.6 build 9G35, a copy of which has been plastered online by HMBT. "We are particularly interested in testing automatic sync on portable computers and on networks with medium to high latency and or constrained bandwidth."
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6mwoo7
IBM Hypes Apple In New iPod Chief Papers
The Register's Chris Mellor reports:
Mark Papermaster is a Power microprocessor God - a Powermaster, if you will - and must not enter Apple's paradise. He could make miracles happen there and screw IBM's competitive positioning.
That's the gist of an IBMer's filing in the IBM-Papermaster lawsuit in which IBM is trying to have Papermaster's move to Apple stopped.
Mark Papermaster is a long-term IBM staffer who was recently recruited by Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (as he saw it) involving more or less taking charge of Apple's technical direction and advising Apple CEO Steve Jobs directly.....
IBM sued him for breaking the non-compete agreement and filed various documents to support its case with a hearing scheduled for November 18th....
What this filing tells us is that IBM has a terrific amount of respect for Apple's engineering smarts. IBM, capitalised at $104.7bn, thinks that Apple, capitalised at $79.3bn, could be even stronger competition, and that one man, this Powermaster, could make a huge difference to Apple's prospects. IBM wants to prevent this happening.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/ibm_adkins_papermaster_filing/
UCLA Extension Offers Apple Pro Courses
[Presws Release]
This winter, become an Apple post-production expert with a series of workshops offered by UCLA Extension and taught by Apple-certified trainers and industry professionals.
All courses are held in UCLA Extension's 1010 Westwood Center Apple Pro Mac Lab, Room B06, 1010 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles' Westwood neighborhood.
Final Cut Pro Overview: A One-Day Seminar. Led by television producer, film and television editor and colorist, and Apple-certified instructor Robert Scheid. Saturday, March 7, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; $245. Equivalent to Apple course FCP 100: Introducing Final Cut Pro.
Editing with Final Cut Pro: An Introductory Workshop. Led by Avid- and Apple-certified editor Stephen Kanter, technical editor for much of the Apple Pro Training Series. Sundays, Jan. 4-25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $999. Equivalent to Apple course FCP 101: An Introduction to Final Cut Pro.
Editing with Final Cut Pro: An Advanced Workshop. Led by award-winning producer and editor Apple Master Trainer Jonathan Blake Huer. Sundays, Feb. 1-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $999. Equivalent to Apple course FCP 300: Advanced Editing Techniques in Final Cut Pro.
An Overview of Final Cut Server. Led by Stephen Kanter. Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; $245.
Introduction to Logic Pro. Led by composer Jay Asher, who has written songs recorded by Julio Iglesias and Whitney Houston. Mondays, Jan. 5-Feb. 23, 6-10 p.m.; $999. Equivalent to Apple course Logic 101: An Introduction to Logic Express and Logic Pro.
Introduction to Pro Tools. Led by Golden Reel Award-winning music editor Steven A. Saltzman. Saturdays, Jan. 10-31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $999.
Audio Editing and Sound Design with Soundtrack Pro. Led by Stephen Kanter. Sundays, March 1-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $999.
For more information email or call 310-825-9064. Visit http://www.uclaextension.edu/entertainmentstudies for complete course descriptions and to enroll online.
PC Mag: Is a Monochrome Laster Printer Right for You?
Not everyone needs color: Cheaper than color lasers and faster than inkjets, monochrome lasers are ideal if you're most interested in printing great-looking text.
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334589,00.asp
The Mac Night Owl: Is Apple Auditioning Successors for Steve Jobs?
In a recent article published by Fortune, they profiled Apple's Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook. Now he's not a household name by any means, certainly in comparison to Steve Jobs, but he's also considered a genius when it comes to making the company run smoothly and efficiently.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/2008/11/is-apple-auditioning-successors-for-steve-jobs/
Notes: You can also access our new RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/rss
Or our new Atom feed at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/atom
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď
