Other Sites
ExtremeTech: How to Build an Intel Mac
A Dim View Of Spotlight - I Second The Motion
Korea's Samsung To Sign Major NAND Flash Supply Contract With Apple -report
New Apple Store in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, November 19, 2005
Intel-based Macs at Macworld SF?
New Intel Apple To Arrive In January
Whitebox Notebooks
Iceland Review Multimedia Now Supports The Mac
Music Biz Sues 2,100 'Digital Shoplifters' In 16 Countries
US Govt. Plea In BlackBerry Case - Hands off!
.Mac and Apple ID Passwords Cannot Accept Some Characters
Mac OS X: About the Archive and Install feature
iPod, Nano Strong In Retail Though Shuffle Stumbles
Sony BMG's Futile Fight Against Apple's iPod Hurts Us All, And Our Computers
eWeek: Dell CFO Says iPod Helped Turn Around Apple
eWeek: Sony's 'Rootkit' Is On 500,000 Systems, Experts Say
The Mac Night Owl: Memo to People Who Want to Open Up Apple's Closed Ecosystem
The Mac Night Owl: The Speculation Report: Getting Ready for Macworld Expo San Francisco
eWeek: Vista's Graphics Problems Are Transparent
eWeek: CrossOver Puts Windows Programs on Linux OS
ExtremeTech: How to Build an Intel Mac
"Building a Mac seems like a crazy enough idea. Throw in Intel hardware and the men in white suits should be rounding the corner. Yet the unfortunate leak of an early developer build let anyone do just that-anyone willing to risk the wrath of Apple's famous lawyers, that is. We risk it for you, and weigh the new platform's pros and cons....
Whatever you make of Apple's decision, it's definitely a sea change, especially after more than 20 years of using dedicated hardware in their Macintosh line. Three years ago, this would have been considered unfathomable. After all that Intel bashing over the years, it's enough to make your eyes cross. Heck, back in 1996, Power Computing even invoked the Sluggo character from the comic strip Nancy, saying "Let's Kick Intel's Ass!" So much for that, right?
So if OS X will already run on the Intel platform, and all Intel-compatible stuff is more or less interchangeable, doesn't that mean you could get an early build of it running right now on a PC? You'd want to separate it from your main PC, of course, but the potential is certainly there. There's only so many times you can set up a dual-boot Linux system before it gets boring, so why not try something different? Besides, OS X looks sooo cool. Not so fast, Sluggo.....
Judging by what we've seen while putting together this story, we think Apple's transition will go over really well. OS X already runs great, and we're still more than half a year away from Intel Macs.....
Read more at:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,,1886868,00.asp
A Dim View Of Spotlight - I Second The Motion
Macworld's Rob Griffiths says:
When Mac OS X 10.4 was in its preview stages, Spotlight was one of its most-discussed features. This new technology would make it simple to find anything anywhere on your system. No more hunting for lost files, or for words that you vaguely recall reading within some file; Spotlight would quickly show you exactly what you were looking for. "Find anything, anywhere, fast," as Apple describes it. When I first heard about the technology, I was quite excited, as today's ever-larger hard drives mean an ever-increasing collection of stuff one must dig through to find things.
Once Tiger hit the streets, however, I was less than impressed with the real-world usability of Spotlight....
Rob's criticisms of Spotlight include, in brief:
• Finding something by name in the Finder is now much harder than it used to be.... Apple should make "search by filename as a default" an option within Spotlight.
• If you have the Spotlight Results window open, why doesn't it show up in the Command-Tab switcher?.....
• In the Spotlight Results window, Page Up and Page Down won't work until you click somewhere in the left-half of the window......
• Why isn't there a path bar in the Spotlight Results window?.....
• Spotlight has a really bad interface for creating advanced searches....
• If you're looking at the results of a kind:images search in the Spotlight Results window, the only way you can use the 'image preview' view (icon view) is with Group By set to Kind......
• Spotlight excludes a large number of folders from indexing.....
• There's no way to turn the contents of the Spotlight Results window into a Smart Folder.....
• Why are Smart Folders only savable to the Desktop, home folder, or Saved Searches folder?.....
• How to exit the Finder's Spotlight Search interface isn't necessarily obvious......
• Spotlight doesn't really belong in the System Preferences panel......
• Spotlight's poor performance on my machine, especially with searches that return a large number of results (kind:images, for instance). Unfortunately....running searches in the Spotlight window (not as much so in the Finder) can be painfully slow. [and Rob has a powerful desktop G5 PowerMac; on my 700 MHz G3 iBook Spotlight searches can slow to the speed of continental drift! CM]
• No Match This Phrase Feature
• Spotty Symbol Searches
• Flawed Find-As-You Type The more I use it, the less I like Spotlight's find-as-you-type feature. [Me too! CM]
• Unconstructive Comments
• There's no easy way to save a search setup
I agree with this critique unreservedly. I use Spotlight because it is there, and it provides a useful, if considerably crippled function, but I find it frustrating, and I frequently wish for the simple and quick Find utility from OS 10.3 Panther. In general, I still end up relying on third party disk search utilities like SpeedSearch, EasyFind, and a new one I just discovered called Mac HelpMate much of the time.
Rob suggests as remedial measures:
1. Bring back a super-simple 'find by name' setting that could be enabled as the default for Finder searches.....
2. Get rid of on-the-fly searching, or at least let it be easily disabled.....
3. Support phrase searches....
4. Provide an advanced search interface that les the user build boolean searches.....
5. Improve Spotlight's speed.....
Also agreed on all five issues. You can read Rob's complete elaboration of his points here:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/11/15/spotlightanlaysis/index.php
Korea's Samsung To Sign Major NAND Flash Supply Contract With Apple -report
AFX News Limited via Forbes reports:
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is expected to sign a long-term contract worth 'several hundred million US dollars' with Apple Computer Co by the end of this month to supply NAND flash chips, Internet news provider edaily reported.
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/11/15/afx2336583.html
New Apple Store in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, November 19, 2005
Public Grand Opening
What:
Apple Store The Gateway grand opening for the public
When:
Saturday, November 19, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. MST
Where:
Apple Store The Gateway
10 South Rio Grande
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
For more information, visit:
http://www.apple.com/retail
Best Mac Word Processor Ever?
mac360.com's Carol Mary Miller says:
There's email, browsers, and word processors; the most personal of major applications on the Mac. For most, Microsoft Word is the top dog word processor, because it's got every feature 12 committees could think of.
Those who actually write for a living have a different opinion. Enter Mellel II, which really may be the word processor for the rest of us who write for a living.
Mellel took forever to go from version 1.0 to version. The wait was worth it.
This is not your father's word processor. It's obvious after about an hour of use that people who actually write took the time to develop Mellel.
For the full review, visit here.
Intel-based Macs at Macworld SF?
arstechnica.com's Eric Bangeman says:
When Steve Jobs announced the Big Switch at the Worldwide Developers Conference last summer, he promised that there would Intel-based Macs available by the time he took the stage for the 2006 WWDC keynote. June 2006 may have been a worst-case scenario, and it's starting to look like we may see Intel-based Macs introduced at MacWorld San Francisco.
The debut of x86 Macs is likely to happen faster for a handful of reasons. While sales since the announcement have been strong, Apple fears that may change as we move into 2006. That is due in no small part to the tendency of Mac users to put off purchases when they believe updates are imminent. In the past, waiting might gain you an extra 200MHz of CPU speed and a better graphics card. At this point, putting off your purchase will get you a whole different architecture, one that Apple is banking the future of its computing platform on.
For the full commentary, visit:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051115-5572.html
New Intel Apple To Arrive In January
theinquirer.net's Nick Farrell says:
The latest prediction, from those who claim to know, is that the entertainment gear maker Apple will make a surprise announcement in January that it is releasing the new Apple Mac with Intel on board earlier in the New Year than expected.
Apparently Apple is preparing a surprise announcement at MacWorld this January and all the Wall Street analysts and Macperts say the safe money is on an early launch of the Mac.
Apple has so far suggested that the IntelMac will hit the shops in June, but MacWorld has been chatting to the supply chain and the world on the street is that the new Apples will be flogged long before June.
For the full commentary, visit:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27695
Whitebox Notebooks
Logic LLC's Thai Tan says:
If you own a desktop computer, chances are you've upgraded at least one component before -- maybe a new video card to play the latest 3D game, or added a second hard drive to store those extra music files. Laptop computers on the other hand are a different story when it comes to user-upgradeability; for years internal components were not widely available to consumers and in most cases were too pricey. Lastly, laptop computers are less upgradeable than desktop computers due to the proprietary nature of their internal components. Consumers were limited with the selecting specific hardware components. One would have to purchase a pre-configured notebook and select particular models that contain the features with the user desired.....
But what if you wanted to go beyond the limits the manufacturer was offering and wanted a wider range (brand, specification, model) of processors, hard drive and RAM? Now you can within the initial design goal of the motherboard inside a barebone notebook, also known as a Whitebox notebook.
You can check it out at:
http://www.laptoplogic.com/resources/detail.php?id=22&page=1
Iceland Review Multimedia Now Supports The Mac
Iceland Review is an English language magazine on Iceland. It features a wide variety of subjects that range from art, music and fashion to business, politics and news as well as featuring photographer Pall Stefansson's stunning nature photography....
Iceland Review's multimedia section has suffered some technical probelms recently. Staff have fixed the problem and music and news should now be available to both Macintosh and PC users.
You can check it out at:
http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=166681
Music Biz Sues 2,100 'Digital Shoplifters' In 16 Countries
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
The BPI, Britain's answer to the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), today said it had filed lawsuits against 65 more UK residents for allegedly sharing music without the permission of the copyright owner.
The new lawsuits take the total number of file-sharers accused by the BPI of music piracy - a group the organisation characterises as "digital shoplifters" - to more than 150. Of that number, 70 have agreed to pay up to Ă‚ÂŁ6,500 to settle their cases out of court, the organisation said. Five more currently have court cases pending against them.
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/15/music_biz_sues_2100/
US Govt. Plea In BlackBerry Case - Hands off!
OUT-LAW.com reports:
The US Justice Department has stepped into the ongoing patent infringement suit against BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM), asking the court to ensure that any injunction on the use of US BlackBerrys will not affect Government workers.
The Justice Department has filed a "statement of interest" with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking a 90-day delay so that government agencies can compile a list of workers who would be affected by a BlackBerry shutdown, the Washington Post reports. These workers, says the Department, should then be exempted from any service cut-off imposed by the court.
For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/15/us_gov_wants_blackberry_exemption/
.Mac and Apple ID Passwords Cannot Accept Some Characters
A new Apple Knowledge Base Article says:
Just because you can type various characters on your keyboard, it doesn't mean that you can use any of them as part of your .Mac or Apple ID password. Apple's servers do not recognize certain characters. If you use any of these unsupported characters in your password, .Mac will tell you "Your password is invalid" and you will be unable to save the new password.
To prevent this from happening, only use characters that are supported by Apple's servers when you create a password..... It's also a good idea to use a combination of character types so that your password will be more difficult to guess.....
For a table showing all Apple server-supported characters, visit:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300439
Mac OS X: About the Archive and Install feature
An Apple Knowledge Base Article says:
This document discusses the Archive and Install feature of the Mac OS X Installer....
Available in Mac OS X 10.2 and later, an Archive and Install installation automatically moves existing system files to a folder named Previous System, then installs Mac OS X again. (See tip 3.) You cannot start up your computer using a Previous System folder, nor can you "re-bless" the Previous System folder. (See tip 1.)
You can choose to preserve your user and network settings before installing. This option automatically imports existing users, Home directories, and network settings. This also skips the Setup Assistant after installation.
If Mac OS X is not already present, you cannot select Archive and Install. You must Install or Erase and Install instead.
For more information, visit:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
iPod, Nano Strong In Retail Though Shuffle Stumbles
Forbes' Maya Roney reports:
Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray maintained an "outperform" rating and $68 price target on Apple Computer after surveying MP3 player sales representatives at 50 U.S. retail stores about what portable digital audio devices they recommend to customers and why.
The percentage of sales reps recommending purchase of an Apple iPod or iPod nano (versus any other high-end portable audio device) increased to 68% in November from 63% in June 2005, when the last survey was taken, while the percentage recommending an iPod shuffle fell to 38% from 52% in the same time period.
For the full report, visit here.
Sony BMG's Futile Fight Against Apple's iPod Hurts Us All, And Our Computers
The Daily Utah Chronicle's Marshal Hogan says:
Apparently, Sony BMG didn't get the memo: Apple's iPod has taken over the music world.
With annual sales of roughly $13 million, the iPod is the weapon of choice among music lovers.
Nevertheless, in a futile challenge against Steve Jobs' digital music superpower players, Sony has begun encoding many of its CDs... with anti-piracy software for PCs. This encryption limits the number of copies listeners can make of the disc, and most irritatingly, interferes with iTunes compatibility...
And if that weren't bad enough...
An article published Thursday, Nov. 10 in The Washington Post warns that difficulties with iTunes importation could be the least of your problems when dealing with Sony-encrypted discs.
Failing to realize that they've lost the battle in digital music, Sony BMG may actually stand to lose a bigger war by harming the music industry at large.
For the full commentary, visit here.
eWeek: Dell CFO Says iPod Helped Turn Around Apple
"BOSTON (Reuters)-A senior Dell Inc. executive on Tuesday said that his company is far behind rival Apple Computer Inc. in digital music, adding that the phenomenal success of Apple's iPod music players have reinvigorated sales of Apple's Mac computers.
"We're obviously not competing very well," with the iPod, Dell Chief Financial Officer Jim Schneider said at a Raymond James investor conference in New York that was broadcast on the Internet.
"Apple has come out with a nice product and I think it's really turned their company around," he said, responding to analysts' questions about Dell's recent earnings disappointments."
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1887108,00.asp
eWeek: Sony's 'Rootkit' Is On 500,000 Systems, Experts Say
"Sony BMG will have a big job ahead of it as it tries to replace all copies of controversial copy protection software, according to a computer security expert, who says that he has evidence there are more than 500,000 versions of the program installed worldwide.
Dan Kaminsky, an independent security researcher, discovered evidence that so-called "rootkit" style stealth programs developed by U.K. firm First 4 Internet Ltd. and used by Sony while conducting an audit of the DNS (Domain Name System) infrastructure. Sony BMG has declined past requests to comment on the number of systems that run the software, known as XCP. However, Kaminsky's figures, if true, suggest that the software, which shipped on CDs by just 20 Sony BMG artists, has already been distributed and installed widely around the world."
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1887181,00.asp
The Mac Night Owl: Memo to People Who Want to Open Up Apple's Closed Ecosystem
I'm a free market person through and through and I do not like monopolies of any kind. I am happy, for example, that Microsoft's share of the browser and operating system market appears to be eroding, if only a tiny bit. At the same time, it's fair to say Apple has a monopoly of its own with the iPod. It will only mate with iTunes for downloads. If you want to use another music service, well, that's just too bad.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/news/2005/11/week3.htm#ecosystem
Note: You can also access our RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.xml
The Mac Night Owl: The Speculation Report: Getting Ready for Macworld Expo San Francisco
As the only remaining Mac trade show in North America, you can expect a tremendous focus over the coming weeks on just what Steve Jobs has lying in wait for us in January at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Predicting what Apple is up to is no longer the exclusive right of Mac-oriented sites, and fodder for those who deal in rumors. The mainstream press has already begun to talk about what you and I can expect and the results will make headlines across the planet.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/news/2005/11/week3.htm#francisco
Note: You can also access our RSS feed, available at:
http:// http://www.macnightowl.com/index.xml
eWeek: Vista's Graphics Problems Are Transparent
Opinion: Vista's graphic requirements may just price it right out of the business market, and Aero Glass is anything but the future of PC graphics.
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1886887,00.asp
eWeek: CrossOver Puts Windows Programs on Linux OS
Analysis: If you're moving to Linux, CodeWeaver's CrossOver Office lets you take many of your favorite Windows programs with you.
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1886920,00.asp
Charles W. Moore
Tags: News ď Tech-Industry ď
