Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Why Developers Prefer Macs
Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office
Safari 3.2 Update - Apple Fails To Shoot From Hip With Latest Browser
U.S. Postal Service's 'Shipping Assistant' excludes Apple Mac users
Apple Investors' Hope for the Holidays
Apple's Holiday Not Looking Great, Could Be Worse
Apple Flirting With Another Record Quarter For Mac Sales
Mac OS X 10.5.6 is nearly here!
Survey Finds Big Disconnect With High-tech Gadgets, Repairs
Associated Press 'Journalist' Smears Apple Mac
Soon A Revelution For The iMacs?
Take a Bite of the Apple with UCLA Extension
Canada Revenue Agency to focus on eBay sellers
PC Mag: Worst Tech Problem? 'The Internet's Down'
PC Mag: Outrageously Overpriced Tech
PC Mag: Intel's Core i7 Launches Today; PCs Ship
The Mac Night Owl: A Casual Look at Snow Leopard Versus Windows 7
The Tech Night Owl: The Printer Business - Not Much Has Changed
The Mac Night Owl: Can Apple Succeed in the Enterprise Without Compromise?
Why Developers Prefer Macs
Infoworld reports:
....the Mac's popularity among programmers continues rising. Apple's decision to move to Intel chips and embrace virtualization of other operating systems turned the platform into a very flexible tool for programmers. Macs let coders work with most of the software standards that live in boxes that range from the smallest smartphone to the biggest cluster of computers.
This newfound success has been evolving for some time. One team manager interviewed for this article said that his programmers started switching from Dells and ThinkPads at least three years ago. Now 80 percent of his group uses Apple laptops.....
Programmers who concentrate on enterprise development and server applications are often devoted to Apple's hardware, although they're usually able to cite several dozen glitches and incongruities that annoy them. Developers building code for the Unix-dominated world of servers naturally feel more at home on the Mac. Although the surface layer is dripping with consumer-friendly eye candy, the underpinnings are close to those of BSD. This makes OS X a kissing cousin to Sun's Solaris and many versions of Linux. If you're developing for Sun servers, a Mac laptop offers a portable environment that's comfortably familiar.
For the full report, visit:
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/infoworld/20081117/tc_infoworld/117425_5
Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office
Low End Mac's Simon Royal reports:
We Mac users have a bad reputation for being Microsoft haters, and while it sometimes is true, the reason we use an alternative operating system is because Mac OS X is so fantastic. It looks good, it works well, it is easy to use, and it is very reliable.
As with operating systems, Microsoft also has the market cornered for office suites. Microsoft Office has long been the de facto standard in offices across the world - and in homes too - probably because it follows having Windows.
There are good alternatives, for Mac users - and for Windows users too. One reason to consider an alternative might be a dislike of Microsoft products, another reason might be machine performance. A low-end computer may not cope well with the latest version of Microsoft Office. Or it might simply be price.
Whatever the reason, there are a lot of free alternatives that would suit the average user.
To read more, click here.
http://lowendmac.com/ed/royal/08sr/free-office-alternatives.html
Safari 3.2 Update - Apple Fails To Shoot From Hip With Latest Browser
The Register's Kelly Fiveash reports:
Mac fans have given the latest version of Apple's Safari browser a frosty reception after complaining that the update is causing frequent crashes.
Apple quietly released Safari 3.2 last week. It comes loaded with improved anti-phishing protection and the latest security updates.
For the full report, visit:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/17/safari_3_2_update_grumbles/
U.S. Postal Service's 'Shipping Assistant' excludes Apple Mac users
MacDailyNews's SteveJack reports:
The United States Postal Service, supported by customers and taxpayers via postage charges, federal appropriations, and even postage taxes in some states to the tune of roughly $75 billion annually, offers a "USPS Shipping Assistant" which is "free" software that combines all the functions you need to create labels (domestic, international, Merchandise Return and custom forms), ship packages, compare rates, calculate estimated delivery times, verify deliveries, request free Carrier Pickup, and much more.
"Free," meaning, of course, that you already bought it, if you bought stamps or paid U.S. and/or state taxes.
The USPS Shipping Assistant requires Microsoft's Windows 2000, 2003, XP Home or Professional, or Vista and Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 6.0, or higher.
In other words, in this case, Mac users need not apply, but keep buying stamps - and paying your taxes for nothing, of course.
For the full report, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/58wuez
Apple Investors' Hope for the Holidays
CNBC's Jim Goldman says:
No one knows for sure what the holiday shopping season will bring Apple, but it's looking increasingly like some good times.
I've spent some time talking about this on the air: the anecdotal scenarios I'm tracking from one Apple store to the next. Little elbow room, lots of foot traffic, lines at the cash registers, and a whole lot busy employees. Thousands of them, apparently, based on a recent Apple filing that highlighted a hiring surge for its retail operations.
For the full commentary, click here.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27774130?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS
Apple's Holiday Not Looking Great, Could Be Worse
CNET's Tom Krazit reports:
Even Apple may not be immune if consumers continue to sit on their wallets this holiday season.
Piper Jaffray, usually able to find the bright side of any Apple news, predicted Monday that iPhone and iPod sales are set to decline in the coming weeks amid what is expected to be the worst holiday season for the PC and consumer electronics industries in quite some time. Mac sales seem healthier thanks to Apple's latest crop of notebooks, but aren't growing as fast as they were last year....
Let's take a look at the numbers.....
For the full report, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/6fu76b
Apple Flirting With Another Record Quarter For Mac Sales
Appleinsider's Slash Lane reports:
After spending 25 hours counting sales of iPhones and Macs at Apple's US-based retail chain, investment bank Piper Jaffray said it believes the company this quarter could meet or beat last quarter's record 2.6 million Mac sales total while again selling more than 6 million iPhones.ch.
The firm's checks reveal the Cupertino-based company is selling an average of 28 iPhone 3Gs per day through each of its retail stores, down from 95 units per day in July, immediately following the handset's laun
For the full report, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/557l5x
Mac OS X 10.5.6 is nearly here!
ITWire's Stephen Withers reports:
The release of Mac OS X 10.5.6 could be just around the corner. The update is slated to deliver wide-ranging fixes to Apple's operating system.
Developer notes accompanying various seed versions of Mac OS X 10.5.6 have been leaked by Portuguese-language web site hmbt.org. Those purportedly accompanying build 9G38 say there are no known issues with the update.
For the full report, visit:
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/21735/1151/
Survey Finds Big Disconnect With High-tech Gadgets, Repairs
The Associated Press's Andrew Vanacore reports:
Gadget makers love to sell us on all the things their devices can do, whether it's letting us chat with distant friends at any time or watch movies on our commute. But can anyone fix this stuff when it breaks?
We love our high-tech gadgets, but getting them repaired when they break can be a real chore.
That's a question raised by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which discovered in a survey released Sunday that 15 percent of people who had some piece of technology break down in the previous year were never able to get it repaired.
The figure was even higher for certain products. Almost a quarter of cell phone users said they never managed to get their device fixed. And among those who did resolve an issue, a higher percentage either corrected the problem themselves or sought help from friends or relatives rather than call customer service.....
For the full report, visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/11/17/broken.gadgets.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us
Associated Press 'Journalist' Smears Apple Mac
MacDailyNews says:
"Gadget makers love to sell us on all the things their devices can do, whether it's letting us chat with distant friends at any time or watch movies on our commute. But can anyone fix this stuff when it breaks?" Andrew Vanacore asks for The Associated Press......
"Ask Avery Griffin, who switched to an Apple Inc. computer a few years ago for its audio recording software. The 24-year-old musician said his new machine wouldn't stop freezing up and crashing. But he said all he heard from Apple was, 'At least it's not a PC,'" Vanacore smears. "The PC he uses now works just fine, he said."
MacDailyNews Take: This is an example of a "journalist" inserting an anecdote into his "reporting" even though - and perhaps because - it flies directly in the face of fact..
For the full commentary, click here.
http://tinyurl.com/5rzbug
Soon A Revelution For The iMacs?
HardMac's Lionel reports:
A new rumour implies that Apple could make a small revolution with its next range of iMacs.
Currently, these machines are designed by the engineers at Apple to be like 'office portables', using many the components intended for the mobile machines. This allows them to be very thin, making them appear as being just a screen.
This rumour announced that Apple could give up this approach and use the Core i7 architecture of the desktop machines. Although we are skeptical on this change of direction, it does make sense in the current context....
For the full commentary, click here.
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2008-11-17/#9170
Take a Bite of the Apple with UCLA Extension
[Press 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.
Canada Revenue Agency to focus on eBay sellers
The Canadian Press reports:
EBay Canada says it expects to start releasing personal information on its so-called "power sellers" to the Canada Revenue Agency this week.
"While eBay strenuously objects to these requests made by the CRA, we are obliged to comply with the legal ruling," the company said in a recent letter sent out to affected customers.
Last April, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling ordering eBay Canada to provide the tax agency with the names and gross sales figures for power sellers - anyone who makes at least US$1,000 a month for three consecutive months through the website.
For the full report, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/6rmxnt
PC Mag: Worst Tech Problem? 'The Internet's Down'
Most of us have been plagued with a blue screen of death, a laptop that refuses to connect to a home wireless network, or a cell phone that just doesn't feel like making calls.
About 48 percent of technology users have encountered such problems with their devices in the last year, according to a Sunday report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. How do they deal with these technological meltdowns? Most turn to customer support or just tinker with the devices themselves.
Of the more than 2,000 people surveyed last year by Pew, about 38 percent of them said they contacted customer support for help with a bad Internet connection, computer, or cell phone, while 28 percent fixed the problem on their own.
About 15 percent asked friends or family for assistance, 2 percent found help online, and another 15 percent could not fix the problem at all.
What caused the most headaches? Internet connections. About 44 percent of home Internet users reported having their Web connection fail in the last year.
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334845,00.asp
PC Mag: Outrageously Overpriced Tech
Are you paying too much for your phone plan or GPS? PC Magazine reveals which products and services are way too costly.
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334775,00.asp
PC Mag: Intel's Core i7 Launches Today; PCs Ship
By the time you read this, PC systems with Intel's new Core i7 quad-core processor with hyperthreading should be on store shelves, or at least on the ordering page of your favorite online system manufacturer.
The new Core i7 "Nehalem" processor will formally launch at an event Monday night in San Francisco. Many of the details surrounding the new chip have already been released, including a rundown of the new Core i7s and their prices.
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334737,00.asp
The Mac Night Owl: A Casual Look at Snow Leopard Versus Windows 7
It's not unusual to think that there's never been a Mac OS feature that Microsoft didn't try to imitate. Of course, this is not to say that Apple is above cribbing a few features from others when it's appropriate.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://tinyurl.com/5l24fs
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: The Printer Business - Not Much Has Changed
I can't remember when there was a major new development in the printing business. I mean, printers are largely regarded as commodities, and it's a sure thing that the choices are ubiquitous, with little differentiation from one model to the next.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.macnightowl.com/newsletter/2008/11/newsletter-issue-468/#changed
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
The Mac Night Owl: Can Apple Succeed in the Enterprise Without Compromise?
One of the accepted factors about the PC is that it is infinitely customizable. While this may be a boon for business, it's a major pain for MIcrosoft, since they have to make sure that Windows works properly despite the hardware configuration. Indeed, that they succeed even partly might be a miracle, but it is one key reason why it takes so long to upgrade their operating system.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://tinyurl.com/6acfs4
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
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