Other Sites
Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac
Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle
Recycling a Mac mini
Jonathan Ive Reveals Apple Design Secrets
Methods For Shutting Down Or Restarting Your Mac
The Register Reviews The New MacBook Pro 15in
Apple SD Cards Fuel (More) Mac Tablet Chatter
Tips On Moving Files From Old Mac
Firefox 3.5 - It's Not A 'Web Upgrade'
The Ultimate Mac Setup for Photographers (50 Apps)
Asustek Lowers Prices To Clear Stocks Of 7-, 8.9-Inch Eee PCs
Acer Leaps From Unknown to PC Phenomenon
Independent Developer Pavilion Launches at Macworld 2010
The Mac Night Owl: The Snow Leopard Report: Ready for Greatness or Boredom?
Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac
Low End Mac's Dan Knight reports:
Anyone can easily find Universal Binary builds of Firefox and Camino that will simply install and run on their Mac, so why would you want to scrounge around for an optimized build?
Where the normal build of these programs runs on all compatible Macs regardless of processor - from a 1997 Beige Power Mac G3 through the latest quad-core Intel Core 2 and Xeon CPUs - an optimized build is tweaked to run best on one family of processors. In the case of OS X Macs, those families are G3, G5, Intel (sometimes with separate Core Duo and Core 2 Duo builds), and two flavors of G4 (the PowerPC 7400 and 7450 families - see Which Build Do I Choose? for help choosing the right build for your G4 Mac, and if you've got an upgrade CPU, make sure you use the version optimized for the upgrade CPU).
Because these programs are open source, anyone can download the code, compile it as they see fit, and make it available. By using different compiler settings, the code can be optimized for a specific processor family, which leaves out the extra code necessary to support both PowerPC and Intel architectures. The optimized build results in a program that is smaller, faster loading, and perhaps a bit faster.
To read more, click here.
http://lowendmac.com/tech/optimized-builds.html
Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle
Low End Mac's Dan Knight says:
An interesting thing has happened since Apple transition to Intel CPUs: Consumer notebooks have moved backward in raw CPU speed yet offer better overall performance...
As processor architecture has improved, as the level 2 (L2) cache has changed size, and as the memory bus has increased in speed, scores have risen to the point where today's 13" 2.23 GHz MacBook Pro (more prosumer than pro or consumer) offers the same level of performance as the Late 2008 2.4 GHz Unibody MacBook despite a 9% difference in CPU speed.
To read more, click here.
http://lowendmac.com/musings/09mm/cpu-efficiency.html
Recycling a Mac mini
Schwartxtech's Eric Schwarz reports:
As many of our regular readers know, a G4-based Mac mini was my primary computer from March 2005 until August 2008. A few months after I got my MacBook Pro, I decided it was time to put the Mac mini out to pasture. Although many would regard it as a low-end model, I put in quite a few hours editing video on Final Cut Express and doing everyday computing tasks....
Actually, I stopped using it once I got my data transferred off of it, and it sat unused for most of the last year (in my defense, things were a bit busy and I didn t have time to tinker). About 4 months ago I decided to take it out of its box (yeah, I saved everything) and give it a new lease on life.....
To read more, click here.
http://schwarztech.us/articles/recycling-a-mac-mini#
Jonathan Ive Reveals Apple Design Secrets
"I can't draw, hate focus groups, love prototypes," Apple's senior vice president of industrial design Jonathan Ive affirmed, according to a report by MacWorld UK's Simon Jary. Ive was in his native country at a special Innovation Night event held at London's Royal College of Arts (RCA) to receive an honorary doctorate.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/procreative/news/index.cfm?newsid=26461
Methods For Shutting Down Or Restarting Your Mac
MacFixIt says:
This may sound like a rather trivial issue, but shutting down or restarting your Mac can be a problem at times. Knowing various ways to shut down or restart your Mac can help prevent you from having to take drastic measures in the event of software hangs and crashes.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20090630133030254
The Register Reviews The New MacBook Pro 15in
The Register's Stephen Dean has posted a review of the mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro revision, noting that there's more to this latest model than a simple tweak to the processor speed and a price cut. The discrete GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor twinned with a GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor is gone on the entry-leverl model, leaving just the (9400M chipset, and the standard hard disk capacity has been downgraded to 250 GB from 320 GB. Also gone is the previous model's ExpressCard slot, replaced bu a Secure Digital (SD) card slot, and the the new built-in battery can't be swapped out
Dean reports that Apple claims fewer than one per cent of MacBook Pro users actually used the ExpressCard interface in previous models, and it's possible to boot the machine from an SD card, which will be handy for on-the-road troubleshooting.
For the full review visit here:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/30/review_laptop_apple_macbook_pro_15in/
Apple SD Cards Fuel (More) Mac Tablet Chatter
The Register's Chris Mellor reports:
A SanDisk investment commentator, blogging as Savolainen, reckons Apple is going to introduce a tablet or netbook-type Mac. Yes, you've heard this before. But this time, the evidence lies with the SD Card adoption by MacBook Pros.
To read more, click here.
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/30/apple_sdcard_sandisk/
Tips On Moving Files From Old Mac
The Star Tribune's Steve Alexander says:
My e-mail in the past two weeks has included several suggestions for a reader who was facing problems with his 1994 Macintosh computer. Readers rushed to the aid of Rob Swart of Mankato, trying to back up files from his 1994 Macintosh Performa 636 to a friend's computer. He ran into trouble because he was using an outdated ClarisWorks file format and storing files on now-rare floppy disks.
I suggested Swart e-mail files to his friend, or buy a newer Mac with AppleWorks, compatible with his ClarisWorks file format. But readers suggested alternatives....
To read more, click here.
http://www.startribune.com/science/49534732.html
Firefox 3.5 - It's Not A 'Web Upgrade'
The Register's Tim Anderson reports:
"This isn't just an upgrade of the browser. It's also an upgrade for the web", says Mike Beltzner, Firefox product director, in his What's New in 3.5 video.
Hyperbole for sure, but it highlights the most interesting aspect of the browser wars, which is how each player is trying to influence the direction of web development.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/30/firefox_3point5_review/
The Ultimate Mac Setup for Photographers (50 Apps)
AppStorm's David Appleyard says:
OS X is a popular platform for professional photographers, and offers a huge range of software which can help to take better photos, streamline post-processing, sell images, and publish them for others to view. Whether you re a complete amateur or a seasoned pro, this roundup will have something new to show you.
We ll be covering 50 fantastic applications for various areas of photography: organizing, post-processing, geo-tagging, panoramas, HDR images, uploading/sharing images, and more.
You can check it out at:
http://tinyurl.com/lnfsym
Asustek Lowers Prices To Clear Stocks Of 7-, 8.9-Inch Eee PCs
DIGITIMES' Monica Chen, Yen-Shyang Hwang, and Joseph Tsai report that Asustek Computer has reduce retail prices of its 7-inch and 8.9-inch Eee PCs in an attempt to clear inventory, lowering wholesale prices per unit to as little as $153.
You can check it out at:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090630PD210.html
Acer Leaps From Unknown to PC Phenomenon
The New York Times' Ashlee Vance reports:
...Acer appears poised to overtake Dell this year as the world's second-largest seller of personal computers, which would put a real dent in one of America's favorite business stories.
If that happens, Acer will trail only Hewlett-Packard; no computer company based outside the United States has ever climbed so high.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=132008OBKZAO
Independent Developer Pavilion Launches at Macworld 2010
[Press Release]
The Independent Developer Pavilion, a show floor area dedicated exclusively to independent Mac software developers, is launching at Macworld 2010, IDG World Expo announced today. Companies participating in this new Pavilion have the opportunity to play a featured role at Macworld by taking part in a branded show floor area that drives interest in their latest innovations. The Independent Developer Pavilion helps developers boost their businesses by raising their visibility with key audiences like media, retailers, consumers and potential investors, at the annual event focused exclusively on Apple products.
"The new Macworld 2010 Independent Developer Pavilion presents the world of innovation that Indie Developers are creating for Apple product users," said Paul Kent, Macworld General Manager and Vice President at IDG World Expo, producer of the event. "The number one reason attendees tell us they come to Macworld is to discover new products, so we're pleased to offer developers a new efficient, turnkey opportunity to come to Macworld and get in front of the largest and most influential audience of Apple product users to showcase their solutions."
For 25 years, Macworld has been the premier platform for new companies to showcase their products and a forum for up-and-coming developers to introduce their products to the most enthusiastic audience of Apple product users in the world. Macworld is the only technology industry event to offer developers the opportunity for maximum attention in an environment focused on their core audience the Apple user community. Macworld is the world's premier event focused solely on the Apple products platform and is scheduled to take place February 9 - 13, 2010, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
To be a part of the Independent Developer Pavilion, visit:
http://macworldexpo.com/indie
Spaces are now available online and all packages include a turnkey kiosk with customizable branding. Please note that space is limited and availability is on a first come, first served basis.
Macworld 2010 is a five-day event that educates, entertains and immerses attendees in the Apple products community. A comprehensive expo hall offers access to hundreds of Mac products and services, paired with expert advice, demonstrations and instruction. Macworld conference programs feature industry leading minds, presenting cutting edge product training on the topics attendees most want to see. From Mac Power Users to creative professionals to first-time users to Enterprise computing professionals, Macworld has the conference content, special presentations and exhibit hall attractions that create what has been called "Mecca for Mac Users".
The Mac Night Owl: The Snow Leopard Report: Ready for Greatness or Boredom?
I find it interesting that so few of you are complaining because Snow Leopard pretty much signals the end of the PowerPC. Maybe thats not a bad thing, because that venerable processor family seldom realized its full potential, particularly in the latter days.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://tinyurl.com/mk486z
Notes: You can also access our new RSS feed, available at:
http:// http://www.macnightowl.com/rss
Or our new Atom feed at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/atom
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď
