Laptop Uptimes,’Woz’ Misses Mark, Apple Zaps 16 Mac OS X Holes, PureTracks versus iTunes, Canadians
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Laptop Uptimes
Apple Co-Founder 'Woz' Misses Mark with GPS Device
Apple Zaps 16 Mac OS X Holes
PureTracks versus iTunes
iPod: How Long Will It Reign?
Canadians Get iTunes On The Cheap
No Sympathy for Pundit Bashing Macs in Schools
Viruses, Adware, Spyware, and Worse: The Best Reasons to Use a Mac
UK Govt Takes iTunes Gripe To Europe
Shawn Fanning's Snocap Touts Vision Of P2P Heaven
Apple iTunes 'Overcharging In UK'
Apple Most Likely To Grow Market Share - Analyst
IBM Plans To Exit PC Business
ExtremeiPod: iTunes Music Store Extends to Canada
PC Mag: Apple iPod Mini Review
eWeek: Apple Zaps 16 Security Holes
2005 O'Reilly Emerging Tech Conference Registration Opens
Olympus Unrobes m:robe
ExtremeiPod: Rio Outlines Plan to Dethrone iPod
PC Mag: IBM Rumored to Sell PC Business
Mac Night Owl: Caution: Microsoft Windows is Detrimental to Your Health!
Carr-Education Fine Arts Building To Get Computer Lab For Graphic Design Students
Mac Night Owl: A Paragraph Worth of Monday Rants
Mac Night Owl: This Week's Mac Night Owl LIVE Update[/url]
Laptop Uptimes
ie.suberic.net's Kevin Lyda says:
John Hegarty wrote:
I'm getting used to only rebooting after a kernel update on servers here but are there any users out there who use their Linux laptop in the manner described above? I support a number of Windows laptops here and such an uptime is unimaginable. Is uptime on a laptop important? - Nope, I don't think so but I'm curious to know how does Linux fares on this one.
"With few exceptions, Apple laptops have always been better put together than their PC counterparts. The power management features have been lightyears ahead of PC power management. That kind of uptime isn't surprising to me at all. particularly with their BSD OS core.
"People have gotten used to things with PC's and Windows they nevershould have. Crashing. Poorly designed hardware. Viruses. Spyware.
"if you really stop and think about it - how it's all evolved over thepast 10 years or so - it's insane."
Kevin
You can check it out at:
http://www.linux.ie/pipermail/ilug/2004-December/020663.html
Apple Co-Founder 'Woz' Misses Mark with GPS Device
eWEEK s David Coursey says:
"I hate to seem dense or out of the loop, but for the life of me I can't think of many really useful applications for the located-based encryption technology being touted by Steve Wozniak's company.
"It does, however, help me understand why the Apple co-founder is known as 'the other Steve,' the one who had his day in the sun and left.
"While Steve Jobs, generally considered the less charming (unless he really wants to be) of the two Apple boy geniuses, has bounced from success (Macintosh ) to success (Pixar) to success (iPod), Wozniak gets recent credit for things such as concerts and TV remote control devices. His new company grew out of—I swear—a desire to create a better invisible dog fence...."
You can check it out at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/zd/20041203/tc_zd/140343
Apple Zaps 16 Mac OS X Holes
eWEEK's Ryan Naraine reports:
"Apple Computer Inc. late Thursday rolled out a monster update to correct 16 potentially serious vulnerabilities in the Mac OS X operating system.
"According to an advisory from Apple, the update corrects flaws that could lead to security bypass, spoofing, exposure of sensitive data, privilege escalation, DoS (denial of service) attacks and unauthorized system access.
"Research firm Secunia has tagged the update as "highly critical."
You can check it out at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/zd/20041203/tc_zd/140332
PureTracks versus iTunes
The Globe and Mail's David Akin reports:
"Apple Computer Inc. launched its on-line music store in Canada yesterday, a late but much anticipated entrant into a market that already has some successful vendors.
"As it does in the United States and in some European countries, Apple's iTunes music store allows consumers to download digital singles or entire digital albums. Singles, Apple said, are 99 Canadian cents each.
"Albums are priced at different points but, as an example, the latest record from Irish group U2 was selling for $9.99 yesterday. By comparison, Toronto-area record stores are selling the album on compact disc for $15.99.
"One of iTunes major competitors in Canada will be a homegrown vendor, PureTracks, operated by privately held Moontaxi Media Inc. of Toronto.
"PureTracks, which launched just over a year ago in Canada and last month expanded into the U.S. market, also offers digital singles. PureTracks, though, offers some singles for 79 cents each while others cost as much as $1.39."
For the full report, visit here.
iPod: How Long Will It Reign?
BusinessWeek's Chris Burba says:
"S&P counsels caution on Apple's stock as its digital music player's dominance may be challenged by new devices from Sony and others
"You don't have to look around for long to see that Apple's iPod digital music player has made waves in pop culture. You've seen the TV ads: Silhouetted, plugged-in dancers whipping themselves into a frenzy to the sounds of iconic rock band U2. The two-story Apple store in downtown Manhattan looks more like a high-tech art gallery than a retail outlet and draws enviable crowds. The design of Sony Ericsson's new T630 mobile phone has iPod echoes. There's even the "iPod nod," a silent, cool-affirming exchange between strangers sporting the tell-tale white earbuds.
"The music player is also having an impact on Wall Street. Apple shares have more than tripled thus far in 2004 and received another boost on Nov. 22 from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who raised his $52 target price to $100.....
"Amid the hype, Standard & Poor's equity analyst Megan Graham-Hackett thinks there's reason for caution. "
For the full report, visit here:
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/investor/content/dec2004/pi2004123_1996_pi015.htm
Canadians Get iTunes On The Cheap
CNET News.com's Ina Fried reports:
"Although Canadians had to wait awhile to get access to the iTunes Music Store, they are getting a comparative bargain.
"Apple Computer, which opened the virtual doors on the Canadian store late Wednesday, is selling songs for 99 Canadian cents, which translates to about 83 U.S. cents, 16 percent less than those in the United States pay for their iTunes.
"It's an even bigger bargain when compared with Apple's European store, where most tracks cost 99 euro cents, which these days translates to $1.31 U.S. and a whopping $1.56 Canadian. Those in Britain pay even more, 79 pence ($1.52, or $1.81 Canadian)."
For the full report, visit here.
No Sympathy for Pundit Bashing Macs in Schools
Low End Mac's Jeff Adkins says:
"My response to The Mac attack: No sympathy here for teachers polishing Apples by Rich Brooks, an article published in the Sarasota [FL] Herald Tribune on Saturday, November 27, 2004.
"Dear Mr. Brooks,
"You know what this message is about. You're even now, as you skim over the opening lines of this message, trying to make a split second decision about whether to read the rest of it or delete it along with the dozens of other pro-Mac letters you've gotten. Some of them will be poorly written, riddled with personal attacks or insults, most centering on the whole "no-brainer" opening you left for them. Others will be thoughtful, listing dozens of studies and giving links to web sites such as John Droz's ( http://www.macvspc.info ) and Doug Gilliliand's ( http://honorsphysicalscience.com/ ), which you manage to mention without providing a Web address so we can read it for ourselves.
"So maybe you can respond to this message without reading it, since you've probably classified it already as one of those "fanatic" letters and had your incoming mail route it to a special folder where you can read it later when you're not writing important stuff....
"From your point of view, you won't need to read it. Your mind is made up; like all objective journalists and balanced editorial writers, you've seen both sides of the issue, thought about the opposing arguments, taken a stand, and stuck to it. Amazingly enough, you've done so without actually using a Mac, so my hat is off to you."
You can check it out at:
http://lowendmac.com/lab/04/1203.html
Viruses, Adware, Spyware, and Worse: The Best Reasons to Use a Mac
Low End Mac's Dan Knight says:
"If you've spent any time at all using a Windows PC connected to the Internet, you know the horror of malware -- viruses, spyware, adware, mailbots, and other programs that allow others to hijack your computer for their own purposes.
"I know, because I use Windows. I know, because pretty much every time I run Ad-Aware SE, Spybot - Search & Destroy, AntiVir, or Anti-Spy (part of the Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer on Windows PCs), these programs find new things to remove.
"It's become so bad that a recent report (see Unprotected PCs can be hijacked in minutes) found that Windows PCs would come under attack within minutes of being connected to the Internet. For that matter, so did Macs, the difference being that none of the attacks compromised the Macs.
"In fact, there were no successful compromises of the Mac OS, Linux, or Windows XP computers -- but only when ZoneAlarm was used on the XP machine. Firewalls are the best protection Windows PCs have against such attacks."
For the full report, visit here.
http://lowendmac.com/musings/04/1203.html
UK Govt Takes iTunes Gripe To Europe
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"The UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has reported Apple's iTunes Music Store to the European Commission (EC) on the grounds that the service may infringe European trade regulations.
"The reason for the move lies in Apple's refusal to allow buyers in one country to purchase music from another nation's iTunes store. While UK consumers pay 79p for songs, customers in France and Germany pay €0.99. At current exchange rates, that comes to 68p. Unfortunately, Apple prevents UK buyers from going to the French store and buying songs there, more cheaply than from the local iTunes store."
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/03/apple_itunes_euro_complaint/
Shawn Fanning's Snocap Touts Vision Of P2P Heaven
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Analysis Snocap, the company formed by Napster creator Shawn Fanning, today launched what it claims is the first music licensing platform that will allow music download services and P2P networks alike to allow any track to be delivered or shared in the knowledge that the copyright holder is taking their cut.
"The company's system essentially takes Napster's original centralised P2P architecture - the one that allowed the music industry to prevail over the company in its epic legal battle - and ditches the P2P client."
For the full report, visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/03/snocap_launch/
Apple iTunes 'Overcharging In UK'
The BBC reports:
"The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred Apple's iTunes service to the European Commission on grounds that it overcharges UK customers.
"The move follows a complaint from Which? that iTunes charges UK users 20% more than those in France and Germany.
"Which?, formerly the Consumer Association, also complained that the UK customers were barred from logging on to the French and German sites.
"The OFT is asking the European Commission to rule on the matter."
iTunes prices
UK - 79p
Germany & France - 99 cents (68p)
US - 99 cents (51p)
Canada - 99 cents (43p)
Price per one track download
For the full report, visit here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4065539.stm
Apple Most Likely To Grow Market Share - Analyst
Macworld UK's Karen Haslam reports:
"Despite lowering its unit-shipment growth forecasts due to caution about the PC market in 2005, Morgan Stanley has suggested that Apple stands the best chances of gaining market share in 2005."
For the full report, visit here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=10332
IBM Plans To Exit PC Business
Reuters reports:
"International Business Machines Corp. has put its personal computing business up for sale in a deal that could be worth as much as $2 billion, The New York Times reported Friday.
IBM , now the No. 3 PC manufacturer behind Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., is likely to include all of its desktop and laptop computers in the sale, which could bring $1 billion to $2 billion, people close to the negotiations told the newspaper."
For the full report, visit here.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/03/technology/ibm_pc.reut/index.htm
ExtremeiPod: iTunes Music Store Extends to Canada
"Canadians have at long last got access to their own iTunes Music Store - and are getting bargain songs in the process.
Songs on the Canadian iTunes Music Store are priced at 99 Canadian cents, which works out at around 83 U.S. cents - some 16% less than users pay in the U.S. Songs on the Canadian store work out as the cheapest in the world at present, as European customers pay 99 euro cents - roughly C$1.56 - while British customers pay even more, thanks to their price of 76 pence per track, around C$1.81.
A spokesman for Apple claimed the differences in pricing were down to varying costs imposed by record companies on Apple, which has to negotiate different deals for each region. The company also has to deal with different local tax rates."
Read more at:
http://www.extremeipod.com/article2/0,,1735263,00.asp
PC Mag: Apple iPod Mini Review
"The Apple iPod is the player by which all others are judged."
Read more at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,,1735309,00.asp
eWeek: Apple Zaps 16 Security Holes
"Apple Computer Inc. late Thursday rolled out a monster update to correct 16 potentially serious vulnerabilities in the Mac OS X operating system.
According to an advisory from Apple, the update corrects flaws that could lead to security bypass, spoofing, exposure of sensitive data, privilege escalation, DoS (denial of service) attacks and unauthorized system access.
Research firm Secunia has tagged the update as "highly critical.""
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1735409,00.asp
2005 O'Reilly Emerging Tech Conference Registration Opens
Registration has just opened for the next O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, aka ETech, happening March 14-17, 2005 in San Diego, California. Because new applications, services, and devices are simultaneously converging and morphing like never before, ETech 2005 explores the culture of "Remix." Hackers and other innovators have embraced the do-it-yourself renaissance, tweaking here, integrating there, and creating new tools for the rest of us to use. These unexpected combinations--and the opportunities they present--are the driving force behind ETech.
The O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference doesn't just bring together new technologies--it's also is a place for invaluable human interaction, particularly for developers, IT decision-makers, lead users, engineers, and researchers of every stripe. Just a few of the intriguing people and projects coming to the conference include:
- Law Professor Lawrence Lessig points the way to an open and remixable future
- Google's Peter Norvig takes us to the outer edge of search technology - Arthur van Hoff, principal engineer at TiVo, turns television into an
operating system on which to build applications and to which the next
level of video content can be delivered
- Writer and technologist Cory Doctorow sees the Internet as an ecosystem, parasites and all
- Analyst Clay Shirky espouses the value of semi-structured data in rescuing semantics from the Semantic Web
- Noted programmer Joel Spolsky infuses character and quality into online communities through software and design choices
- Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield opens up, embracing web services and network effects as a startup strategy
- Hardware hackers Tom Igoe and Raffi Krikorian build small, simple
microcontroller-based network objects
- Kathy Sierra brings the latest research in cognitive science, brain
chemistry, and psychology to bear on creating passionate users
- ETech program chair and O'Reilly CTO Rael Dornfest joins with founder
and CEO Tim O'Reilly to detail what's currently blipping on the "O'Reilly
Radar"
As in past years, ETech allows for maximum exposure to new ideas and technologies through roll-up-your-sleeves tutorials, meaty and to-the-point plenary presentations, real world focused breakout sessions, a relevant exhibit hall, and thought-provoking events. Conference program chair Rael Dornfest plans to add sessions up to the last minute, so that ETech participants have the opportunity to investigate late-breaking issues.
As Dornfest puts it, "The O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference celebrates the hands-on imperative of the hacker, champions an architecture of participation on which to build the future, and shines a light on the innovations coming from non-traditional sources in an effort to get them on to everybody's radar. What you touch at ETech, you'll be using in the products, applications, and services of tomorrow."
For complete conference details, visit:
http://conferences.oreilly.com/etech/
To request media credentials, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/36/press.html
Early registration prices end January 31, 2005. For details, see:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/36/register.html
Press coverage, blogs, photos, and news from the 2004 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference can be found at:
http://www.oreillynet.com/et2004
Olympus Unrobes m:robe
"The Olympus m:robeIt is certainly one of the more serious threats to Apple's iPod hegemony. Olympus, best known for its photographic products, this week in Tokyo announced its entry into the portable hard disk music player business with the introduction of two m:robe brand products.
"In contrast to most Japanese electronics manufacturers, Olympus has always ignored the audio business. That it now feels it must jump on the bandwagon is a clear indication that portable digital audio and video players are becoming a booming business. "We believe that because of some unique features we can compete with Apple," a spokesman told European reporters at a press conference at the International Forum in Tokyo."
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/03/olympus_mrobe/
ExtremeiPod: Rio Outlines Plan to Dethrone iPod
"The president of Rio has described the company's plans to usurp the iPod from its position as leading product in the music player market, claiming that its products are already taking away market share from Apple's device.
In a report in Business Week, Rio CEO Hugh Cooney claimed it intended to "design the right product at the right value, and then use any kind of buzz we can take advantage of."
Vice president for marketing Dan Torres claimed the company was already stealing away from of the iPod's share, which stands at around 60% of the entire digital music player market. Pointing to its new Carbon 5GB player, Torres said "it's a little hard for us to figure out what share we're taking from them, but we're competing with them directly. So far we think we're doing quite well, and we'll be taking share away from iPod mini.""
Read more at:
http://www.extremeipod.com/article2/0,,1735266,00.asp
PC Mag: IBM Rumored to Sell PC Business
"IBM, a cornerstone of the PC industry for over twenty years, is rumored to be putting its PC business up for sale.
The Armonk, NY, technology giant was one of the first companies to come out with the PC, and perhaps the strongest player to push computing into the corporate world. The rumored sale would include all desktops and notebooks, not a big moneymaker for IBM, which has been pushing and expanding its services business. IBM has been trailing leaders Dell and HP in marketshare for some time, ranking third in worldwide PC sales. The NY Times reports that IBM is in talks with Lenovo, China's largest PC maker."
Read more at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,,1735326,00.asp
Mac Night Owl: Caution: Microsoft Windows is Detrimental to Your Health!
But you knew that already.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#health
Carr-Education Fine Arts Building To Get Computer Lab For Graphic Design Students
asurampage.com's Brandy Ramirez reports:
"Preparations are underway this month for a new computer lab in the art department and will be ready for the Spring semester.
The new lab will be made up of Macintosh G5 computers and will be used for graphic design, said Wen-Shu Lai, assistant professor of art.
'For graphics, Mac is better,' she said.
"Lai said the new computers will have a dual processor and plenty of memory, which is necessary for graphic design majors in the professional world.
"The Carr Education-Fine Arts building, in particular the art department, has never had its own computer lab, Lai said.
"She said classes have to be taught in the Mathematics-Computer Science building on PCs.
"The software students used on the PCs will still be the same, but will be offered in the Macintosh version....."
You can check it out at:
http://www.asurampage.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/03/41afa2b672d99
Mac Night Owl: A Paragraph Worth of Monday Rants
Are Mac users about to gain the world and lose their souls?
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#rants
Mac Night Owl: This Week's Mac Night Owl LIVE Update
For December 2nd, we explored The Cult of Mac and once again entered the "David Biedny Zone."
Here's the URL for this week's update on the show:
http://www.macnightowl.com/newsletters/2004/12/262.htm#update
***
Charles W. Moore
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