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Widescreen Notebooks To Become The Mainstream In 1H 2006
Macintoshes Are 'Hot' Amid Slow April PC Sales
iMac G5 Parts You Can Install Yourself Updated
Macintosh Astronomy Workshop High School Student Competition
Yahoo strikes at Apple's core Internet Giant Will Offer Bargain Online Music Subscriptions, 79-cent downloads
Yahoo Low-Cost Music Service Hurts Rivals
Hitachi, Fujitsu Tout 100GB Notebook Drives
Apple UK shipments up 27 per cent - IDC
Mac OS X Freeware I Wouldn't Want To Be Without, and Free Tech Support for OS X
Cars Safe From Computer Viruses
Apple’s New Tablet Mac Isn’t What You Might Think
Mac Night Owl: The Tiger Report: I Come to Praise Tiger, Not to Bury It!
PC Mag: Wherefore Art Thou, Smart Homes?
ExtremeTech: Toshiba Develops 45-Gbyte HD DVD Disc
Publish: Adobe to Shut Down Digital Media Store
Channel Insider: VOIP Opportunities Still Pose Technical Problems
PC Mag: Ready to Rent Your Playlist?
Gene and Grayson Steinberg interview Jason Snell, Joe Kissell and Tiger Cache Cleaner author John Lowrey this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE
Widescreen Notebooks To Become The Mainstream In 1H 2006
DigiTimes.com's David Tzeng and Rodney Chan report:
"With brand-name PC vendors increasing their orders for widescreen notebooks, the segment is set to dominate the market by the first half of next year, according to sources with notebook makers in Taiwan.
"Widescreen models may account for 80-90% of the notebook market in the first half of 2006, up from 30-40% at present, the sources said.
"Dell, Hewlett Packard (HP), Acer, Apple and Asustek are increasing the proportion of widescreen models in their notebook lineups for 2006, the sources said....
"Widescreen notebook-use panels will become cheaper than standard-size panels by the first quarter of 2006, according to the panel makers."
For the full report, visit here:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20050511A1001.html
Macintoshes Are 'Hot' Amid Slow April PC Sales
Forbes reports:
"Merrill Lynch said April PC demand slowed ahead of sluggish summer months, but noted that Macintosh computers were "hot.".... Activity levels "remained extremely high" at Apple Computer retail stores Merrill visited."
For the full report, visit here.
iMac G5 Parts You Can Install Yourself Updated
A new Apple Knowledge Base Article says:
"Think you need a new part? You can replace many of your iMac G5 and iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor) computer's parts yourself.
"The iMac G5 computers are designed to make it easy for you to install replacement parts if you need to. The parts you can install yourself are:
• AirPort Extreme Card (original iMac G5 only)
• Memory - DDR 400 MHz (PC3200) SDRAM
• Hard drive
• Optical drive
• Power supply
• LCD display
• Inverter
• Upper fans
• Lower fan (17-inch iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor) only)
"The Mid-plane assembly for the original iMac G5 includes the main logic board, the G5 processor, modem card, lower fan, input/output ports, AirPort antenna, built-in Bluetooth module and antenna (if the computer has Bluetooth capability). If any of these parts require service, please see an Authorized Service Provider."
For more information, visit:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86812
Macintosh Astronomy Workshop High School Student Competition
The MAW I organizing committee and the Chicago Astronomical Society would like to announce a macintosh astronomy workshop (MAW I) to be held in conjunction with Astrofest. The astrofest site is best viewed with one of the Mozilla-family browsers (Camino). The workshop will be held in Chicago on Thursday, September 8th, 2005. Registrants can elect to coregister and attend Astrofest. Astrofest is one of the largest star parties in the country. This year over 800 people attended. We will have an area at Astrofest where mac-based demonstrations will be held.
The workshop will feature speakers describing and demoing the features of numerous mac-based astronomy programs. Featured areas will be Image Collection and Processing, Planetarium and Planning Programs, and Telescope Control Programs. While some of the programs are Mac-only, many have Windows versions as well. Much of what you will see is transferable to whatever type of control computer that you use. The image processing tips will be beneficial to all. The Mac mini is a very compact and inexpensive way to convert to the Macintosh way. Its compact size makes it easy to place under a telescope which should make cable knots a thing of the past.
While arrangements for The Macintosh Astronomy Workshop I are progressing, we still need more volunteers in order to ensure success. Please feel free to volunteer your time. Thank you and we hope to see you all at MAW I. More information about fees and registration will be forthcoming at this site.
Professor Richard Kron, the current director of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, has agreed to deliver the Keynote Address at the Macintosh Astronomy Workshop. Professor Kron will describe the survey and recent results. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey is the most ambitious astronomical survey project ever undertaken. The survey will map in detail one-quarter of the entire sky, determining the positions and absolute brightnesses of more than 100 million celestial objects. It will also measure the distances to more than a million galaxies and quasars. The Apache Point Observatory, site of the SDSS telescopes, is operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC).
Registration will be handled by the Illinois Institute of Technology. Unfortunately, their system requires double entry of the data (registration page and payment page) so make sure that you enter the same thing on both pages. The system will be up before the end of January. The registration fee for the workshop will be $75.00. You may choose to attend Astrofest at the following discounted rates, 3 days ($30), 2 days ($25), and 1 day ($20). You will also be able to register family members for Astrofest at the normal rates as well. Astrofest is free for anyone 14 years of age and under as long as they are accompanied by an adult. There names must be list and we have a spot on the registration form for them as well. Unfortunately, the MAW will have to charge for all attendees (Attendees 14 and under) unless a few more large sponsors are found.
For more information, visit:
http://mrmac.mr.aps.anl.gov/~macastroworkshop/
Yahoo strikes at Apple's core Internet Giant Will Offer Bargain Online Music Subscriptions, 79-cent downloads
The San Francisco Chronicle's Benny Evangelista reports:
"Internet heavyweight Yahoo Inc. is entering the online music ring today with a new subscription service that could challenge the current champion, Apple Computer.
"The Sunnyvale firm said Tuesday that it would release a test version of its new Yahoo Music Unlimited service and offer introductory subscriptions that sharply undercut direct competitors.
"Apple's iTunes Music Store, which only sells songs individually, controls about 70 percent of the online music market and has sold more than 400 million tunes worldwide. Rivals such as Napster and Rhapsody offer subscription services, in which consumers rent -- not own -- songs.
"But analysts say Yahoo -- an Internet powerhouse that reported a profit of $204.6 million and revenues of $1.17 billion last quarter -- could be a formidable contender to Apple, as long as Yahoo doesn't stumble rolling out its still unproven music service."
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/11/MNGDACNA0D1.DTL
Yahoo Low-Cost Music Service Hurts Rivals
AP Business Writer Michael Liedtke reports:
"Yahoo Inc.'s steeply discounted foray into online music subscriptions struck a sour note Wednesday with the shareholders of Napster Inc. and RealNetworks Inc. — the owners of the rival services that stand to lose the most from the new competitive threat.
"Napster's shares plunged $1.70, or 26.8 percent, to close at $4.65 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, where RealNetworks' shares fell $1.54, or 21.1 percent, to $5.76.
"Yahoo's entrance into the music downloading business even hurt Apple Computer Inc., which runs the dominant online music store with more than 400 million songs sold since it opened two years ago."
For the full report, visit here.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050511/ap_on_hi_te/online_music_war
Hitachi, Fujitsu Tout 100GB Notebook Drives
IDG News Service's Martyn Williams reports:
"Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Fujitsu have both begun shipping new notebook hard drives that offer more storage capacity and better performance over previous models, they said this week.
"Both drives, Hitachi's Travelstar 7K100 series and Fujitsu's MHV2100BH, are 2.5-inch types and are available with a maximum capacity of 100GB."
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120807,00.asp
Apple UK shipments up 27 per cent - IDC
Macworld UK's Jonny Evans reports:
"Apple UK has seen its overall UK Mac shipments climb 27 per cent year-on-year, an IDC UK analyst confirmed last night.
"IDC senior research analyst Ian Gibb told Macworld: "If Apple continues to shift units - which is very possible if demand for Mac minis remains sustained - then further market share gains could be made over the coming quarters." "
For the full report, visit here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=11550&Page=1&pagePos=1
Mac OS X Freeware I Wouldn't Want To Be Without, and Free Tech Support for OS X
Low End Mac's Beverly Woods says:
"Wow. A big thank you to all the very helpful, inventive, and knowledgeable readers who wrote in after my last Acoustic Mac column. Perhaps it's no surprise that the most popular category in OSĂ‚Â X freeware is utilities. The hands-down reader favorite in nominated freeware was (drum roll please) Carbon Copy Cloner.
"One big change between OS X and previous Mac operating systems is that in OSĂ‚Â X you cannot simply drag a System Folder onto another drive to create a bootable backup. Carbon Copy Cloner makes it possible to clone your hard drive to another drive and end up with a functional copy. Mike Bombich deserves many thanks (and donations, if you're so inclined) for this and other software he has written."
You can check it out at:
http://lowendmac.com/woods/05/0511.html
Cars Safe From Computer Viruses
The BBC reports:
"A security firm has proved that today's cars cannot catch computer viruses.
"After exhaustive testing Finnish security firm F-Secure has failed to make a virus leap from a mobile phone handset to a car's onboard communications system.
"F-Secure did the tests in response to rumours that some Lexus cars had been infected by a virus."
For the full report, visit here.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4536307.stm
Apple’s New Tablet Mac Isn’t What You Might Think
macnet2.com's Lisa Swanson says:
“In 2004 Apple applied for a patent that described what is essentially a Tablet Mac. That patent was granted this week, but is it actually coming to market? Let’s take a look at recent events and see if a Tablet Mac is really in Apple’s (and our) future.”
"Apple, like many other companies, applies for patents all the time. Much of the time an actual product never materializes. A lot of Apple fans are hoping that this time a Tablet Mac will become a reality, while many others point to the lackluster sales of the Tablet PC and think it would be a mistake for Apple to offer the same thing. But, unlike Tablet PC’s the new patent awarded to Apple point to something much different than what PC companies have offered so far."
For the full commentary, visit:
http://www.macnet2.com/more.php?id=595_0_10_0
Mac Night Owl: The Tiger Report: I Come to Praise Tiger, Not to Bury It!
After days and and days of glowing reviews, you had to expect that someone, somewhere, would criticize Tiger as something you should avoid. It all started with reports that Tiger had problems with VPN, the technique used by employees of larger firms to connect to their corporate networks. Not Apple's own tools, but third party software, which will apparently have to be modified to be compatible, due to deep down changes in 10.4.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#
PC Mag: Wherefore Art Thou, Smart Homes?
"I'm an optimist. For instance, I've always believed that the Red Sox would someday win the World Series, and I still remain hopeful that gas will again see $1.50 a gallon. This is how I remain confident that the smart home will one day be a reality. Of course, I felt this way 17 years ago.
Back then I was a cubby production editor at a small trade publication called Electrical Wholesaling. And in the late '80s, there was a brief stretch where electrical parts manufacturers and distributors envisioned a marketing and sales bonanza around the freshly minted "smart home" concept. The enthusiasm-a sort of irrational exuberance-was tied to the explosive growth of computing technology and the realization that all the stuff electrical distributors sold-lights, fixtures, louvers, switches, dimmers, etc.-could perhaps be controlled, intelligently and centrally, by a computer. Sure, it would take some additional R&D in chip technology, wiring, and control and command systems, but back then, the feeling was that we were thisclose to living in homes that could think for themselves.
Over the next decade and half, that enthusiasm grew and then collapsed, rose again and died quietly, until the cycle was repeated so often that no one really paid attention to "smart home" stories any more."
Read more at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,,1814588,00.asp
ExtremeTech: Toshiba Develops 45-Gbyte HD DVD Disc
"Memory-Tech Corp. and Toshiba said late Tuesday that they have developed plans for a three-layer, 45-Gbyte HD DVD disc.
The super-high-density HD disc is constructed from a double-layer disc attached to a single-layer disc, according to Memory-Tech. The two companies did not release a timetable for the disc's production."
Read more at:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,,1814759,00.asp
Publish: Adobe to Shut Down Digital Media Store
"Without any fanfare, the Adobe Digital Media Store, which was set up to showcase the versatility of the PDF format, will cease operations on June 3, 2005. According to its Web page, users no longer are able to purchase digital content, although they may download already purchased content and redeem gift certificates before the June closing date.
Tom Prehn, senior business development manager at Adobe Systems Inc. and the creator of its Digital Media Store, said that the store, which was launched Oct. 31, 2003, sold a wide range of content, from best-selling novels and popular magazines to scientific papers. According to Prehn, the store became unnecessary as vendors such as Amazon.com and eBooks.com increasingly offered a broad range of e-docs for purchase."
Read more at:
http://www.pdfzone.com/article2/0,,1814760,00.asp
Channel Insider: VOIP Opportunities Still Pose Technical Problems
"Despite what has been a long and inconsistent adoption curve, voice over IP, or VOIP, does have some big believers, especially in the channel, where it promises lucrative contracts and a shot at customers who have never been interested in traditional services. Zoltan Keve of Caleidoscope Communications Co. is one of those believers.
The Vermont-based VAR and his customers are finding, however, that the right switching and QOS (quality of service) products to be absolutely essentially for overcoming VOIP's vexations."
Read more at:
http://www.thechannelinsider.com/article2/0,,1814579,00.asp
PC Mag: Ready to Rent Your Playlist?
"The new Yahoo Music Unlimited service, now in beta testing, follows the latest trend in music downloading, giving you all the downloaded tunes you want for $6.99 per month or $59.88 per year with just one catch: You don't own any of them. You can load up your portable player with your downloaded tracks, but you can't burn them to disc and if you stop paying the fee, your music cache vanishes."
Read more at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,,1814830,00.asp
Gene and Grayson Steinberg interview Jason Snell, Joe Kissell and Tiger Cache Cleaner author John Lowrey this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE
This week Gene and Grayson will continue coverage of the latest Mac OS, Tiger, with Jason Snell, Editorial Director of <http://www.macworld.com/>Macworld, Joe Kissell, author of "Take Control of Upgrading to Tiger" and John Lowrey, developer of Tiger Cache Cleaner.
Special Notice: The Mac Night Owl LIVE is now The Tech Night Owl LIVE. And get a load of this: Contests are back. Learn how you can win a 1GB iPod shuffle on this week's show.
You can tune into the broadcast Thursday night from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern, at:
http://www.macradio.com/thursday
Charles W. Moore
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď
