Other Sites
Why Steve Jobs is buying PA Semiconductor
The Coming Convergence
Apple Gets Into Mine-sweeping, Missiles And Storage
Microsoft's Elephant In The OS Room: Apple
An Apple User Tries Ubuntu
REALITY CHECK: Does Corsair's Low Latency Memory Really Make Your Mac Go Faster?
Everybody Mocks My Windows Computer!
Apple Earnings: The World Is Going Macintosh
Apple's Dramatic Risks and Ambitions
How to Manage Bookmarks on Multiple Mac Browsers
Apple blocks cheaper UK iPod sales
The Works: Take Note On Spellings (British English On The Mac)
Scanning World's Every Book Means Turning Many, Many Pages
Gadgets Can Cause Allergies Too
Analysis: How To Build An OS X-free, Expandable Mac
Tennessee Considers "iPod Tax"
The iPod Firm Makes Computers, Too? That's Amazing
The Mac Night Owl: Apple Goes Up, Microsoft Goes Down
The Tech Night Owl: Return With Us Now to the Ministry of Silly Decisions
Why Steve Jobs is buying PA Semiconductor
Robert X. Cringely says:
If Apple eventually dumps Intel as its CPU supplier, will it matter to you as a consumer?....
Apple this week bought a fabless chip company called PA Semiconductor and pundits far and wide are trying to explain the deal with broadly varying ideas, some of which are close but none seem to really understand what the deal is about. In the short term this acquisition means precisely nothing to Apple users. In the long term it could be quite significant, however, and gives a number of tantalizing hints about Apple's hardware strategy.
Why would Apple, having already jumped from PowerPC to Intel, spend $278 million to buy a company that is best known for designing PowerPC chips? Are they preparing to dump Intel? No. Does it have anything to do with Intel? Yes.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2008/pulpit_20080425_004775.html
The Coming Convergence
Forbes' Sramana Mitra says:
This week, Apple shocked the semiconductor industry by acquiring P.A. Semi, a 150-person chip design company, as first reported by my colleagues at Forbes.com.
Opinions differ on why Steve Jobs chose to take this additional risk of vertical integration when every chip vendor on the planet is falling all over itself to sell its wares to Apple.
My belief: The computer industry is heading back toward vertical integration.
For the full report click here. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/04/24/mitra-apple-pasemi-tech-enter-cx_sm_0425mitra.html
Apple Gets Into Mine-sweeping, Missiles And Storage
The Register's Ashlee Vance says:
Apple CEO Steve Jobs may need to order up a camouflage version of that infamous mock turtleneck.
His company bought chip start-up PA Semi this week - a move which results in Apple inheriting a business that stretches from storage systems to missiles. PA Semi's version of the PowerPC processor became popular for such an eclectic array of kit thanks to its low-power, high-performance attributes. It's a marvel of sorts for companies working in the appliance and embedded systems markets.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/25/apple_pasemi_missiles_storage/
Microsoft's Elephant In The OS Room: Apple
ZNet's Larry Dignan says:
Are all of those Apple OS X vs. Vista commercials making an impact? Microsoft's client revenue - Vista and XP came in below expectations–and the company cited three primary reasons: A tough comparison from year ago levels, OEM inventory build and piracy....
But let's dig deeper: Could it be that the real elephant in the room was Apple? Let's be real: Apple isn't taking over operating system dominance, but it is growing fast enough to take away a few incremental dollars from Microsoft......
Meanwhile, Apple activity has been picking up on our sister site TechRepublic, a community of IT professionals. Consider the following:
Between 2000 and 2005, TR members made 97 forum posts that contained "Apple"....
One sample response from an IT exec:
I started out as a Windows/Novell man, but now I advocate for Mac purchases and make them as much as I can. Two main reasons I do this: 1) on the whole, they require less time to support, much less time, actually, because the OS runs better and there are fewer malware concerns; 2) I practice the philosophy of keeping it simple. Mac software is easy to use and, more importantly, easy to teach to my IT employees.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8614
An Apple User Tries Ubuntu
intranetjournal.com's James Maguire reports:
I'm an Apple user. Long time, pure bred, never owned anything else. Oh sure, I've used Windows machines, but it's never crossed my mind to use one daily.
I mean, Windows? Like most Apple users, the very idea makes me vaguely anxious. When you're an Apple user, you're a snob. You feel - no, you know - that your OS is superior. The machines are fast and secure, and they're gorgeous, too.
The Macintosh is, without a doubt, one of my favorite things....
I reveal my Apple snobbery because I want you to know where I was coming from when I sat down to try Ubuntu, the Linux distro. I think reviewers should always disclose their preconceptions....
In short, my expectations for Ubuntu were modest. In fact, they were pretty low.
Enough with the Prejudice: What's the Reality?...
First off, immediately, before anything: the rotating desktop. Damn, that is totally cool. You click an icon in the screen's lower right, and the desktop rotates to a fresh view. Remarkably, you can have up to 16 different desktops.....
It was so neat I did some research and, yes, it's available for Mac. It's called You Control Desktops. (Of course it costs $29.95, whereas it's free for Ubuntu.).......
....It turns out the command line is completely optional. If you don’t want to mess with it, Ubuntu lets you use point and click for everything. Major relief.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.intranetjournal.com/articles/200804/ij_04_25_08a.html
REALITY CHECK: Does Corsair's Low Latency Memory Really Make Your Mac Go Faster?
Bare Feats' rob-ART morgan reports:
Corsair's press release and "white paper" made a big splash in the news. They claimed as much as a 19% gain in Photoshop performance when a 4GB kit of CAS 5 memory was replaced with their 4GB kit of CAS 4 memory. We were skeptical so we tested the Corsair modules against various brands of "normal" latency SODIMM memory kits in our "Penryn" MacBook Pro 2.6GHz laptop.....
We saw nothing close to the 19% gain in Corsair's Photoshop test published in their "White Paper" PDF when they compared a CAS 5 four gig kit with a CAS 4 four gig kit. I think somebody in their lab either goofed or moved a decimal point.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.barefeats.com/mbpp03.html
Everybody Mocks My Windows Computer!
adaptistration.com blogger Jason Heath says:
As a blogger, podcaster, and all-around new media guy, I have found that most people assume that I am on a Mac. I frequently have people ask me if I've installed Leopard yet, how to perform a specific task in iMovie, or tips on assembling podcasts in GarageBand. This is a pretty reasonable assumption - a majority of mew media types seem to be on a Mac these days, and for good reason! Integrating audio, video, pictures, and blogging into one's workflow is just...well, easier on a Mac.
Look out... here comes the Acer!
People's eyes frequently widen with surprise and a little amusement when I pull out my massive Acer laptop running Windows XP. Big and ugly, black and gray, with a broken webcam and funky optical drive, clicking and whirring as it lurches to life, it is the antithesis of cool.
I'm living proof that one doesn't have to be using the latest and greatest computer to create a podcast or run an interactive blog. This laptop is the technological equivalent of an El Camino. It may get the job done, but it sure ain't pretty!
Why on Earth would I be using an Acer and Windows XP?
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.adaptistration.com/artsaddict/2008/04/everybody-mocks.html
Apple Earnings: The World Is Going Macintosh
SeekingAlpha's Jason Kelly reports:
The Kelly Letter owns shares of Apple, and we were very pleased with the company's results on Wednesday.
I sent the following to subscribers last weekend:
We have two reasons for owning Apple:
The iPhone has the potential to be the world's first device that keeps people connected at all times, and third party software development will help it become the de-facto standard as the network effect cements it on top.
With more work moving from the hard drive to the internet, fewer people will care what operating system they're using, which will provide many customers the freedom to choose Macs over PCs for the first time ever. Most will conclude that Mac is the better experience.
For the full commentary visit here: http://seekingalpha.com/article/74071-apple-earnings-the-world-is-going-macintosh
Apple's Dramatic Risks and Ambitions
SeekingAlpha says:
News from Apple is often big news. Apple released its second quarter results on Wednesday. Revenue was $7.51 billion, down 22% q-o-q and up 42% y-o-y driven by strong demand for Macs and the ever-popular iPhone. Net income was $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, up 36% y-o-y. International sales, which were 44% of the revenue, grew 47% and U.S. sales grew 40%.
....Our household now boasts a beautiful, large-screen iMac on which we're playing with photos and music to create iMovie clips of our travels, horse, and such. We still have two Vista laptops, which are a source of continuous annoyance. Those two are probably on their way out....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/74030-apples-dramatic-risks-and-ambitions
How to Manage Bookmarks on Multiple Mac Browsers
pixobebo.coMay reports:
I have a confession to make. I use browsers other than Apple's Safari. Firefox has extensions. Flock has extra user features. How do I manage my bookmarks across seven different Mac browsers, and a PC?
Bookit.
It's a simple request, really. I want the same bookmarks on all the browsers on my Mac. Bookit gives me what I want.
For the full report visit here:
http://pixobebo.com/index.php/pixonomy/articles/how_to_manage_bookmarks_on_multiple_mac_browsers/
Apple blocks cheaper UK iPod sales
The Register's Kelly Fiveash reports:
Apple is threatening legal action against 11 UK e-tailers unless they stop selling iPods imported from outside the UK.
The computer giant has complained to a number of well-known online retailers which were buying iPods in the US – where they sell for Ł15 less than the UK– and then selling them at a knocked-down price to customers in Blighty.
The undertakings issued by London law firm Bird & Bird and seen by The Register, demand e-tailers stop selling what it described as "Grey iPods" anywhere in Europe.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/04/25/apple_grey_ipods_etailer/
The Works: Take Note On Spellings (British English On The Mac)
MacUser's Howard Oakley says:
Putting language differences to the fore, surely it's time that Apple gave in to our demands for a British English version of Mac OS X....
It took the English state and its institutions years to understand the importance of the lingua franca in an expanding empire. Even when they did, none could agree who should become the guardian of the mother tongue....
I was therefore unsurprised when The Works' mailbox was only slightly less than inundated with your expressions of concern and frustration over this deep flaw in Mac OS X - its lack of core support for British English. Just when the cognoscenti have grokked how to get Mail to meet those pesky Californians in mid-Atlantic entente, the not-so-cordiale Pages ambushes us and destroys Johnson's great legacy in one fell dialogue/dialog.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/macuser/columns/189513/the-works-take-note-on-spellings.html
Scanning World's Every Book Means Turning Many, Many Pages
The New York Times reports:
In a dimly lit back room on the second level of the University of Michigan library's book-shelving department, Courtney Mitchel helped a giant desktop machine digest a rare, centuries-old Bible.
Mitchel is among hundreds of librarians from Minnesota to England making digital versions of the most fragile of the books to be included in Google Inc.'s Book Search, a portal that will eventually lead users to all the estimated 50 million to 100 million books in the world.
The manual scanning - at up to 600 pages a day - is much slower than Google's regular process.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Google-Book-Search.html
Gadgets Can Cause Allergies Too
i4u.com's Shane McGlaun reports:
Allergy suffers have to fear more than pollen this spring according to Dr. Todd Rosengart of Vitals. The gadgets and gizmos that technology fans use on a daily basis like iPods, cell phones and other items can also be sources of allergic reaction.
"In addition to the typical pollen-producing allergies that are rampant during the months of spring, technophiles should take caution that some of their favorite gadgets may be the culprit of certain allergy symptoms," said Dr. Todd Rosengart, Chief Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stony Brook University Medical Hospital and Chief Medical Advisor of MDX Medical, which created Vitals.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.i4u.com/article16694.html
Analysis: How To Build An OS X-free, Expandable Mac
PC Advisor's Rob Griffiths reports:
Ever thought about building a Mac to your exact requirements? Don't pick up your screwdriver until you've read about our attempt to build a Mac - and the pitfalls we encountered.
A US company called Psystar claims that it's selling a 'generic Mac' for $549 (Ł225) or $399 (Ł200) without OS X. While such a move seems to violate Apple's end-user licence agreement, it indicates just how the age-old topic of running the Mac OS on non-Apple hardware has mutated in this modern, Intel-Mac age.
I'm not going to advocate that Apple's users rush out and configure a faux Mac of their very own, but the reality is that Apple's computers are now Intel-based PCs through and through....
Note that I'm not planning on diving into the technical details of building your own Mac. Rather, for this article, I'm focusing on the parts I used to make my own computer, the end result of my operations, and how the machine performs. Think of it as me building an off-brand Mac so that you don't have to.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=12823
Tennessee Considers "iPod Tax"
iPod Observer's Jeff Gamet reports:
Tennessee is considering supplementing its revenue shortfall with a tax on digital downloads. The state's Digital Products/iPod Tax, which is part of the "Technical Corrections" bill, is still in preliminary stages and plans to include nearly any type of digital media download.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/35656
The iPod Firm Makes Computers, Too? That's Amazing
The Guardian's John Naughton says:
Wall Street made an interesting discovery last week. Apple, the iPod and mobile phone company, also makes computers! Shock! Horror! This elementary fact had hitherto escaped the notice of investment analysts, hypnotised as they were by the glamour of the iPod, the implosion of the music industry and the belief - ably fostered by Dell & Co - that making computers was a low-end, commoditised business.
What prompted the discovery was the release of Apple's latest results, which showed soaring revenue, sales and net profit. For the quarter ending 31 March, the company reported revenues of $4.36bn and a net profit of $410m. The comparable figures for the same quarter last year were $3.24bn and $290m respectively. Yet the market rewarded Apple's sterling performance by marking down its shares by 3.4 per cent (though they finished the day up by 1.7 per cent, at $162.89).
Perhaps the initial decline was triggered by the discovery that much of Apple's buoyancy was provided not by iPods or iPhones, but by boring old computers. Well, boring new computers, actually. It turns out that Apple sold 2.29 million laptops and desktops during the quarter, which represents a 51 per cent rise on the same quarter last year. And this is just a continuation of an older story.
To read more, click here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/27/ipod.apple?gusrc=rss&feed=business
The Mac Night Owl: Apple Goes Up, Microsoft Goes Down
Although couched in an expected and extremely positive spin about future earnings, Microsoft didn’t have an awful lot to crow about this past quarter. Income from Windows was rather lackluster, even though sales of new PCs are on the increase around the world.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://macnightowl.com/2008/04/newsletter-439-preview-apple-goes-up-microsoft-goes-down/
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
The Tech Night Owl: Return With Us Now to the Ministry of Silly Decisions
In the past, before I bought an iPhone, any time I wanted to recharge my wireless phone, I had to hunt through a drawer stuffed with incompatible charging devices to ferret out the correct power brick. The power needs of these phones are family similar, yet it never seemed to occur to these companies to simply establish a single standard for a power adapter.
Here's the link to the story:
http://macnightowl.com/newsletter/2008/04/newsletter-issue-439/#decisions
Notes: You can also access our RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/newsletter/rss
Or our Atom feed at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/newsletter/atom
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď
