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Mac-Friendly ISP | Emulating Windows XP on a Mac ? | Dual OS on a Mac? | More on an Xmas Lost

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Mac-Friendly ISP

From Jennifer

Hi Charles,

It is finally time to move off AOL (I'm having too many issues trying to install it on my new MacPro). I seem to recall that you have done reviews of ISPs that are Mac-based or at least Mac-friendly. I can't find the article I remember reading via search on Applelinks. Could you send me a link or suggest a few companies for me to check out? Due to circumstances that won't change for several more months, I need to stay with dial-up. I seem to recall hearing something about FasterMac.net as a good option.

Thanks in advance,

Jennifer

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Hi Jennifer;

Perhaps you have a better memory than I do. I don't have any recollection of reviewing any ISPs, although I may have posted news about some from time to time.

Some time ago, Earthlink was named Best Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Mac Home Journal's annual Reader's Choice poll:
http://www.earthlink.net/about/press/pr_machome/

More info:
http://www.earthlink.net

Sorenson Services USA used to publish a list of Mac-friendly DSL providers, but say since those days, much has changed, and most DSL providers are now at least reasonably Mac friendly and the industry grew too quickly and too large for them to continue to track.

http://sorenson-usa.com/dsl-mac.html

You might also query Mac users you know about their experiences with ISPs in your area.

FasterMac.net is an ISP service offered by Mac specialist resellers Other World Computing, so you can expect them to be both Mac-savvy and Mac-friendly. They even have a picture of a G4 Power Mac prominant on their home page, so that's an indication For more information, visit: their orientation. They also offer "TurboMac Acceleration" which I expect is equivalent to the Dial-up Acceleration offered my my ISP here in Canada. To can read more about that click here.

For more information, visit:
http://www.fastermac.net/

Charles






Emulating Windows XP on a Mac ?

vektar posted to the Applelinks Discussion Forum:

Hi guys , I heard it's possible , and if yes I would like to know how stable it is , as some softwares are only available for Mac and others only for PC , it would be great if I can run XP on a Mac .

http://www.soundsnap.com/

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Hi vektar;

It's not only possible, it's now built into the Mac OS with the release of OS 10.5 Leopard (with 10.4 Tiger you needed free Apple software called "Boot Camp" or one of several third-party virtualization applications, like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop.

http://www.VMware.com/Mac

http://www.Parallels.com

Unlike the old PC emulation workarounds like Virtual PC, these contemporary solutions are eminently stable and don't exact a performance hit. XP should run as fast and reliably on a Mac as it would on a PC of equivalent hardware specs.

For more information on running XP on a Mac, visit: http://www.apple.com/getamac/windows.html

Charles






Dual OS on a Mac?

macbryan posted to the Applelinks Discussion Forum:

So I'm a relatively new Mac user. I bought my MacBook in late May of 07 and I love it. I know noting technical about Windows OS or Mac but I can find my way around pretty well on both. The only thing I don't like about Mac is I can't do certain things with my mac that I use to be able to with Windows OS. My friend Craig said I can run dual OS using Boot Camp.

This is great but there's one problem. 16 gigs is all the space I have left on my HDD. Recently I bought a 500 gig external, he told me I can boot off of that but I need to get a boot loader. Don't know what this is. How can I run 2 OS's on my Mac?

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Hi MacBryan;

'Course, there are lots of things you can do with a Mac that you can't do with Windows, but you can have the best of both worlds, so to speak, with Boot Camp (which is built into OS X 10.5 Leopard), or or one of third-party virtualization applications like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop.

If you only have 16 gigs. free on your HD, however, it might be time to consider upgrading to a larger-capacity drive. They're very easy to change in the MacBook.

If your 500 GB external drive is a FireWire unit, you can boot from it with no problem. Just install an operating system from your Software Restore DVD that came with your MacBook, choose the external drive as your boot volume using the Startup Disk system preference panel, and you're good to go.

However, if your external drive is a USB 2 unit, it's not bootable, at least without impractical hacking. (note that some external drives support both FireWire and USB 2).

If it's USB 2 only, an alternative would be to transfer some of the stuff from your internal drive to the external unit and use the space freed up to install Boot Camp and Windows.

Charles

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Thank you

From MacBryan

Charles

I just wanted to thank you for the insight, it's baby steps like this that will help me learn.

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My pleasure.

Charles






More on an Xmas Lost

From Terry

Hello Charles:

Just an update on the US/Can dollar issue.

I have been eying the Kodak 5300 (for it's duplex & ink saving) to replace an aging Epson. I visited a local Staples Canada last week. It was on sale for $225 down from a suggested retail of $250. On the package was a chart display ink saving and of course the usual disparity between Canadian (more) and US prices (less). I brought this to the attention of the store manager who just wrung her hands. I asked her to voice my concern to senior management e.g. the price should be 200 or less and there should be no price disparity for the ink.

The next day I visited a local Walmart. There was the model 5100 at the SAME price as the US Walmart website. ($120 which represents a discount off the US retail)! In addition, the ink while marked higher, was sold at the US retail price. When I asked if they were selling the model 5300 after several phone calls etc. I was advised that model was exclusive to another retailer (surprise - Staples).

I went on the US Kodak website and saw a Kodak store special $35 discount plus 3 paper pack offer. I would note most US retailers offered that discount on their sites or stores (less the paper.) When I went to the Canadian Kodak site, no Store, no offer, no way to link to dealers, and no phone number to contact Kodak! After some web searching I called a Canadian number that turned out to be a call centre in Manilla. They did not have the Canadian Kodak phone number, but gave me a link ( http://www.shopkodak.ca I believe) which listed about 6 sites for Ontario. None that had web sites sold the 5000 series printer.

I finally got the Kodak Canada corporate number and spoke with a corporate representative in corporate Toronto marketing. She was helpful and frank. For example, after some searching she advised that Canada's retail price was approximately 10% higher than US retail. It was just the cost of doing business in Canada. She admitted they did not have a warehouse in Canada (anymore) and so items were shipped (from China). She did not know who the idiot? was who put the Can/US pricing on the package but they were honoring the lower US price. (I wonder if they told Staples that?)

I then commented "was she aware, given the extent of recent cross border traffic, that Canadian retail was in danger (the next two weeks) of losing the 2007 Xmas season". She admitted that that very topic had been discussed in a senior marketing meeting earlier in the day! She admitted that she had been in Buffalo over the weekend, saw the Canadian 'plated' cars crowding the big box parking lots and had to endure a 3 1/2 hour delay at the border.

I doubt that Canadian retail will learn their lesson in the next two weeks. The are still playing games, such as lowering the cost of a Playstation 3 to retail but claiming it is a sale. (Sony has deemed price parity in North America! Thank you Sony but what about TV's, cameras, etc.)

Either way, it will be a lose-lose situation for retail. A significant portion of Canadians will buy the big ticket items south of the border. The Canadian stores will continue to inventory unsold overpriced items until January. They may first reduce the price to US retail and finally try to sell off at 'bargain basement' prices but Canadians will already have bought. The 'whoever is to blame for pricing' group (retail or distributor) will be negatively impacted equally. Distributors will continue to inventory unsold merchandise if they have warehouses. If they practice just-in-time China warehousing, they will not be moving product and there can be expected a major Canadian retail/manufacturer/distributor 'adjustment'.

The end result; a lost Canadian retail Xmas.

Terry

P.S. For my part I will be making a shopping expedition to Buffalo following 'Black Friday' to do my big ticket buying.

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More on an Xmas Lost

From Terry

Hello Charles:

Further to my earlier email I have been advised by the Kodak rep. that price parity will come to Kodak Canada around the 28th of November!

In answer to a recent Future Shop email on Canadian pricing I sent the following:

Hello....

Thanks for your assistance. I will be checking your store to see when the item arrives. But...

I just received a FS newsletter written by Moe Amirie discussing FS's response to Canadian pricing. While it is a positive development to see FS lowering it's pricing, unfortunately those reductions very often still exceed suggested US RETAIL prices. I would remind Moe that most US big box stores (including BEST BUY!) offer substantial discounts to their US customers. In addition, further discounts will occur next week during Black Friday.

As a result, while FS (and other major Canadian retailers) are lowering their prices IT IS NOT ENOUGH! They still gain by not offering US discounts, special offers, etc or take into account the Canadian dollar premium vis the US dollar.

FS and its Canadian parent BEST BUY must realize that the Canadian consumer is becoming educated. They are willing to spend the 2 to 3 hour wait at the border to realized significant savings on most items.

FS/Best Buy and most other Canadian retailers must realize that unless they react honestly to this problem within the NEXT TWO WEEKS they can expect to LOSE Xmas 2007!!!! Given FS/Best Buy's leadership position they must resolve this problem on an urgent basis.

Regarding the 'supplier excuse' I spoke with Shannon Mathews at Kodak Canada last week about price parity. She contacted me earlier this week and advised that Kodak Canada's price will be at parity at the end of November (28)! Since Kodak has no warehouse in Canada there should not be an existing inventory problem. I also would note that Sony has adopted a price parity postion with the PlayStation.

Yes FS/Best Buy may have to eat a loss for their existing inventory, but it will be offset by a saving of that potential lost Xmas. If FS/Best Buy chooses not to adopt this strategy it will be a lose-lose situation for them.

I would appreciate if you could forward this email to Moe. I would appreciate a reply. I have been forwarding price parity issues to the AppleLinks (a pioneering Canadian based Apple product oriented website formed by Charles Moore) and would like be able to forward a 'resolution' to this issue.

Terry

P.S. I will be making a trip to Buffalo NY on Black Friday. I can expect to purchase that new Mac Book for a $100 discount or 1199 US. (which at current dollar exchange will cover the exchange rate and NY sales tax.) The PST/GST will be calculated on a $400 allowance for being away for 48 hrs. Current FS price for that model will be $1449 plus the PST/GST on the full cost. A saving to me of $350. (Which will be diverted to the purchase of a Sony Play Station 3.) Of course, Best Buy US will be the recipient of that purchase.

Terry

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Hi Terry;

Thanks for the information and interesting analysis. I pretty much agree.

The points about Kodak inventory no longer being warehoused in Canada but shipped "just in time" driectly from China, and the fact that Canadian consumers are becoming better educated and less likey to accept being hosed are especially salient.

I have made the shipped from China argument regarding Apple systems as well. There is simply no reasonable justification now that the Canadian dollar is at par or higher for systems to be still selling at the same prices as they were when the dollar was at U.S. ninety cents. The arguments that the cost of doing business in Canada is higher due to higher Canadian taxation and less advantageous economies of scale hold some water, but not in a context where the cost of new inventory has effectively dropped by 10% - 15% since the summer, but retail prices are holding steady.

Oh yes; thanks for the plug, but just a slight correction; Applelinks is based in and served from New York, although I'm personally based in Atlantic Canada, and while I've been a news editor and columnist for Applelinks since 1999, I'm neither the site's founder nor its publisher.

Charles




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Charles W. Moore

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