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Why Switch to the Mac? Five Top Reasons
Switching to the Mac: Problems and Solutions
How to Switch Part Ten: Expectations and Mindset
UBS Starts Apple Coverage With Claims Of Ultraportable Mac Delay
Apple Poised For Special Event This September
Apple: Piper Sees Sept. Event With New Macs, New iPods
TSA to Allow Laptops in Approved Bags
iPods In Combat
Debunking Mac Myths Is Not the Way to Get Apple in the Enterprise
Mozilla Looks Beyond Firefox With Aurora Browser
Avengina Project puts gorgeous 3D worlds in your browser
Pioneer's 500GB Blu-ray disc
The Mac Night Owl: Memo to Steve Jobs: Don't Stop with MobileMe!
Why Switch to the Mac? Five Top Reasons
WebWorkerDaily's Samuel Dean says:
Although the types of tech writing that I do require me to spend the majority of my time on Windows PCs (and some on Linux systems), I also use a MacBook, and have accumulated a list of Windows-vs.-Mac gripes over the years. I know that a lot of readers of this blog use Macs, but quite a few use Windows machines, too. If you're considering switching to the Mac - and more people are than ever - here is my top five list of advantages the Mac offers.
An actual file system......
Much better video and graphics.....
Cooler looking machines.....
True plug-and-play....
More reliability......
Mac users, what would you add to this list?
For the full commentary visit here:
http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/08/05/why-switch-to-the-mac-five-top-reasons/
Switching to the Mac: Problems and Solutions
Blogger Shuman Ghosemajumder says:
After more than 20 years of being a PC user (including all versions of Windows and MS-DOS before that), I switched over to a MacBook Pro last October. It was not an easy adjustment, and I seriously considered going back to my ThinkPad. Fortunately, I made it past that stage, love it now, and can't imagine ever using Windows (which needed to meditate for two minutes before even turning off) as my primary operating system again. Nonetheless, the first few weeks were rough, and the switch pretty much killed my productivity during that time.
Here are some of the software and operating system challenges I experienced, as well as how they were resolved. Hopefully some of this might be helpful to those who have recently made the switch or are considering it.
For the full report visit here:
http://shumans.com/articles/switching-to-the-mac-problems.php
How to Switch Part Ten: Expectations and Mindset
switchtoamac says:
Potential switchers need to realize that Mac OS X although similar in some respects to Windows, works differently. At the most basic level Mac OS X and Windows are similar in that they offer users a graphical user interface (GUI), point and click with a mouse, folders, windows, applications/programs to perform essential tasks, and the ability to connect to peripherals.
Mac OS X is different
At an operational level however, Mac OS X is very different from its Windows counterpart. Not only does it look different but it also operates and is architected differently. These key operational differences directly filter down to how the two operating systems interact with the user. Many first time Mac users complain that it feels foreign and unnatural because they don't know how to accomplish tasks, or use an application. This is simply a byproduct of having used Windows for so many years. New Mac users will have to go through a learning curve, there's no way around this fact.
For the full report visit here:
http://switchtoamac.com/site/how-to-switch-part-ten-expectations-and-mindset.html
UBS Starts Apple Coverage With Claims Of Ultraportable Mac Delay
AppleInsider's Aidan Malley reports:
A relative newcomer to covering Apple's financial health, UBS Investment Research is beginning its examination of the electronics firm with a positive outlook on the 'stickiness' of the company's brands but also the assertion that it has had to delay shipping a new ultra-mobile Mac.
Analyst Maynard Um echoes analyst reports and leaks that anticipate new Macs (including a revamped MacBook line) and iPods in the second half of 2008 but cites industry checks which point to a "sub-notebook" originally intended for this year but which has allegedly been pushed back to a launch for the first half of 2009.
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6dr9gj
Apple Poised For Special Event This September
AppleInsider's Katie Marsal says:
Although it has not yet been announced, investment bank Piper Jaffray believes it's only a matter of time before Apple reveals plans to hold a special event next month to usher in a new array of iPods and Mac notebooks.
The Cupertino-based company has used a September gathering to launch new iPods for the past three years, analyst Gene Munster advised clients in a research report Wednesday.....
At this year's event, Munster is expecting Apple to refresh its iPod family through a number of "pricing and capacity changes."....
Sharing the stage with new iPods will be a complete overhaul of the company's mainstream notebook families, Munster believes. In particular, the analyst sees Apple unveiling new industrial designs for both the MacBook and MacBook Pro, and possibly re-entering the $999 price point on the MacBook as it once offered alongside the notebook's iBook predecessor.
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5kogs9
Apple: Piper Sees Sept. Event With New Macs, New iPods
Barrons' Eric Savitz reports:
Apple is likely to hold a special event in early September to unveil new iPods and redesigned Mac portables, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. In a research note, he points out that Apple has held a special event in early September in each of the last three years, in each case to launch new iPods.
Munster thinks Apple will unveil redesigned MacBooks, and possibly re-enter the $999 price point occupied by the original iBook models. He also expects a redesigned MacBok Pro....
As for iPods, he expects an increase in the capacity of the Shuffle and the Nano, but with no change in price points....
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/62hluq
TSA to Allow Laptops in Approved Bags
AP reports:
There's a new option for people annoyed at having to take their laptops out of their bags at airport security. The Transportation Security Administration will now allow travelers to leave their computers inside "checkpoint friendly" cases....
To qualify as "checkpoint friendly," a bag must have a designated laptop-only section that unfolds to lie flat on the X-ray machine belt and contains no metal snaps, zippers or buckles and no pockets.
Among the manufacturers selling TSA-approved laptop bags are Mobile Edge, Skooba Design and Targus Inc.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1829687,00.html?cnn=yes
Editor's note: we reported on the new Targus Checkpoint-Friendly Laptop Cases here on Applelinks last week.
To read it, click here.
iPods In Combat
The Strategy Page says:
The U.S. military went into Iraq with few troops able to speak Arabic. Now they can use their iPods to do the talking for them. A new software product, VCommunicator Mobile, and a speaker than plugs into where the ear buds go, enables troops to quickly access a library of phrases. There is also a set of protective covers for the iPod and speaker, with Velcro straps so that you can attach both to your arm.
If all this sounds very soldier-friendly, that's because the product was designed with the help of troops from the 10th Mountain division, who have been using 260 of these specially equipped iPods for the last year. This cost the army $800,000, and included language modules for Iraqi Arabic (it's a distinct dialect) and Kurdish (an Indo-European language spoken in the north). There are also modules for languages spoken in Afghanistan (Dari and Pushto). Over 700 troops are using the device in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The VCommunicator Mobile software and libraries takes up four gigabytes per language, so it can be used on the smaller, and more rugged, Nano iPods. The software displays graphics, showing either the phrase in Arabic, or a video of a soldier making the appropriate hand gesture (there are a lot of those in Arabic.) There are collections of phrases for specific situations, like checkpoint, raid or patrol.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20080806.aspx
Debunking Mac Myths Is Not the Way to Get Apple in the Enterprise
Low End Mac's Jason Packer says:
In a recent article at InformIT, author Ryan Faas took the time to go about debunking his top ten myths about Macs and why they're not suitable for the enterprise, by which he means large-scale business. I commend him for his work and generally agree - Macs are as ready as any other Unix workstation for the enterprise, be it in the server room, the engineer's workstation, or the secretary's desk.
Unfortunately, debunking these myths won't do a thing to help Macs become more integrated into the business world. No, those who come to understand the benefits of using Macs, regardless of what portion of the operation they would join, tend not to be the ones that you need to convince - and the ones who need to be convinced have different reasons for not choosing Macs.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/packer/08jp/mac-mythbusting.html
Mozilla Looks Beyond Firefox With Aurora Browser
PC Mag's Brian Heater and Chloe Albanesius report:
Firefox 3 still has that new browser smell, but that's not stopping the Mozilla Foundation from planning ahead for its next major move.
The organization on Wednesday unveiled Aurora, a concept video touting the future of Web browsing.
"Aurora is intended to serve as a springboard for an open discussion about how to evolve the user experience of the Web browser," according to Adaptive Path, a San Francisco-based design firm that is developing Aurora for Mozilla Labs.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2327333,00.asp
Avengina Project puts gorgeous 3D worlds in your browser
CNet's Josh Lowensohn reports:
No it won't run Crysis, but damn if the Avengina Project is not impressive. This Java-based graphics engine harnesses both the power of your Internet connection and your graphics card to run incredibly detailed 3D environments right inside the confines of your browser. It integrates lighting and graphics filters that can scale up depending on the hardware quality of your system.
For the full report visit here:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10008409-2.html
Pioneer's 500GB Blu-ray disc
The Register's James Sherwood reports:
Pioneer launched a 400GB Blu-ray disc just last month, but the firm's already smashed its own capacity ceiling by unveiling a 500GB successor.
The latest disc tops the 400GB disc's measly 16 layers by adding a further four layers, resulting in 20 layers each with a 25GB capacity.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/08/05/pioneer_500gb_bluray_disc
The Mac Night Owl: Memo to Steve Jobs: Don't Stop with MobileMe!
All right, we all know that Apple’s internal memo to employees, admitting the MobileMe launch failure has been quoted extensively. So much for such documents being regarded as confidential, although I doubt if Apple is going to go after the employees who leaked that letter, in which Steve Jobs promised MobileMe would become “a service we are all proud of by the end of this year.” I’m sure they knew it would be publicized; that was part of the plan.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/2008/08/memo-to-steve-jobs-dont-stop-with-mobileme/
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