In a strong economic climate, Apple has been able to dictate its vision and sell customers on the constraints imposed on them by Hollywood. We get that. However, it may be shrewd of Apple to also start thinking about giving customers what they crave and need instead of forcing them into a corner.

....I think I am seeing a trend by Apple, derived from just a little bit of arrogance....

The more Apple works with the entertainment industry, the more the constraints are felt. Back when Apple was Apple Computer, they had total control of their platform and were beholden to no one. As a result, we got nice surprises at Macworld, and we got hardware that served us. That generated a lot of loyalty to Apple.

Nowadays, Apple is increasingly constrained by not only its own partners but by its own internally imposed constraints in a company that's growing very rapidly....

As Apple increases its customer base, it will find it harder and harder to shoehorn all its customers into the same mold....

This developer note gives a technical description of the Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Air computer introduced in January 2008. The purpose of this note is to provide information about the computer's internal design, input-output features, and expansion capabilities to help developers design products compatible with the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air is designed for portability and a completely wireless experience. One of the reasons why the design is so thin, is that it does not include an optical drive. To load software, the MacBook Air can access the optical drive of another Mac or PC using the Remote Disc feature. For complete instructions on using Remote Disc, refer to the MacBook Air User Guide that shipped with the computer.

The system requirements for using Remote Disc with the MacBook Air are Mac OS 10.4.10 or later or the latest version of Windows XP or Vista.

Developers of KDE, the popular Linux desktop environment, are targeting Windows and enhanced Macintosh support.

With release 4 of KDE, also known as the K Desktop Environment, officially announced Jan. 11, the developers of the free software environment said support for Windows and deep support for Mac OS X are on the horizon, with some pieces ready for evaluation now and others to be available by the summer....

Benjamin Reed, a KDE developer.... said of the libraries and applications KDE will port to the Mac OS.

When it comes to storage, the newly unveiled MacBook Air offers an 80GB, 4,200-rpm Parallel ATA hard drive as part of its standard configuration. However, that's not the only option - would-be MacBook Air buyers can also order the laptop with a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD).

The price for that downgrade in storage capacity: $999 on top of the $1,799 asking price for the standard MacBook Air. So why would you pay so much more for less?

Because, for some mobile users, solid-state storage is a compelling alternative to traditional hard drives......

Now that the week-long frenzy of Macworld Expo is in the rear-view mirror, Macworld Lab can turn its attention back to what we were working on prior to the annual Mac trade show - Speedmark results for the new Mac Pro systems announced the first week of January.

The Friday before Expo began, we posted our test results for Apple's "recommended" configuration—an eight-core 2.8GHz system. The $2,799 system ships with 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and an ATI 2600 graphics card with 256MB of video memory. We found that the 2.8GHz eight-core model easily out-paced its four-core, 2.6GHz predecessor while coming close to matching the speed of a previous-generation eight-core 3GHz Mac Pro.

• Get to know the ins and outs of your MacBook.


• Discussions forums


• Seek help from other MacBook users.


• Software Update


• Having issues? First update your software.


• Downloads


• Manuals


• Specifications


• Get Started


• Portables Fast Start: New User's Guide


• How to


• Install memory in your MacBook


• Identify a MacBook (13-inch Late 2007)


• Remove or install the battery


• Maximize your Notebook battery charge


• Tips for inserting discs into the disc drive


• Startup key combinations for Intel Macs


• Clean the plastics on your Mac


• Disconnect the MagSafe power adapter


• Use your MacBook with the display closed and a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse


• Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard installation disk for MacBook (Late 2007)


• Firmware updates for Intel-based Macs


• External ports and connectors


• MagSafe Airline Power Adapter is not compatible with automobile power ports


• Care, Use and Safety information


• Reducing cable strain on your MagSafe power adapter


• User Discussions

• If you need information about fixing an issue, try these Apple articles.


• Resetting the Power Management Unit (SMC)


• My MacBook shuts down intermittently


• Battery not recognized after being fully drained


• Battery not recognized or "X" icon appears on menu bar


• My MacBook that won't turn on


• Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime


• Troubleshooting the CD or DVD disc drive


• My trackpad is behaving unexpectedly


• About white MacBooks' palmrest area


• MacBook may run warm because rear vent is blocked


• Operating temperatures for Apple Notebooks


• Processor speed reduced when battery is removed while operating from an A/C adaptor

A 2005 study by the Motion Picture Association of America claimed that illegal downloads from college students accounted for an enormous 44 per cent of the industry's domestic losses.

Now the MPAA admits the figure was inflated just a wee bit as result of "isolated error" in the methodology. College kids are actually only responsible for about...15 per cent of lost revenue, according to its upcoming report.

"We take this error very seriously and have taken strong and immediate action to both investigate the root cause of this problem as well as to substantiate the accuracy of the latest report," said the organization in a statement today. (PDF warning)

Let's be fair: the number "4" is only single button down from the "1" on a keypad. And the "5" is immediately to its right....

With all of the articles popping up about the new MacBook Air, I thought that I, a longtime user and proponent of ultraportable laptops should chime in. Like most people writing about Apple's new silver sliver, I don't own one. However, unlike most of those complaining about its specs (or lack thereof), I have owned and lived ultraportables before and always own at least one (my current small machine is a used 1.0 GHz 12" PowerBook that was priced too low to ignore).

First, I'll say a few words about most other people's words on the MacBook Air: They don't get it!....

Will I buy the MacBook Air? Soon, but not yet. I got badly burned with three successive defective Rev. A MacBooks, and after that experience, I will never again buy Rev. A of anything until its been on the market for at least six months....

From the nicotine-beige Macintosh 128K to today's sleek glass-and-aluminum iMac, the Macintosh has come a long way since its debut on Jan. 24, 1984. What hasn't changed is Apple's ability to make devices that have broad appeal. But lest we forget, the road to success has often been bumpy for Apple, and the company has had its fair share of duds over the years.

So to help celebrate 24 years of Mac, we revisit some of Apple's products (not all of them Macs) that just didn't live up to consumer expectations and market demands....

Apple has the world's most advanced operating system, Mac OS X, which combines a powerful core foundation with a compelling user interface called Aqua. With advanced features and an aesthetically refined use of color, transparency, and animation, Mac OS X makes computing even easier for new users, while providing the productivity that professional users have come to expect of the Macintosh. The user interface features, behaviors, and appearances deliver a well-organized and cohesive user experience available to all applications developed for Mac OS X.

• These guidelines are designed to assist you in developing products that provide Mac OS X users with a consistent visual and behavioral experience across applications and the operating system. Following the guidelines is to your advantage because:


• Users will learn your application faster if the interface looks and behaves like applications they're already familiar with.


• Users can accomplish their tasks quickly, because well-designed applications don't get in the user's way.


• Users with special needs will find your product more accessible.


• Your application will have the same modern, elegant appearance as other Mac OS X applications.


• Your application will be easier to document, because an intuitive interface and standard behaviors don't require as much explanation.


• Customer support calls will be reduced (for the reasons cited above).


• Your application will be easier to localize, because Apple has worked through many localization issues in the Aqua design process.


• Media reviews of your product will be more positive; reviewers easily target software that doesn't look or behave the way "true" Macintosh applications do.

The implementation of Apple's human interface principles make the Macintosh what it is: intuitive, friendly, elegant, and powerful.

It's the Apple Macintosh's 20th birthday today, 24 January 1984. I'll wait for Jack to call me an Apple fanboy for mentioning it. ; )

The first Macintosh, the Macintosh 128k (that's 128k as in RAM) moved along at 8Mhz and came with a single 3.5-inch floppy drive and a 9-inch black-and-white monitor and sold for $2,500. It was under-powered and didn't really have enough memory to run much more than the OS.....

Today, GUIs are the norm, but in 1984, most people used the command line of MS-DOS. I first used a Mac in 1990. After someone explained how to point-and-click to open folders and documents and to launch programmes, I was away and using it in 10 minutes. I could hardly say that of MS-DOS computers, even though I had used them for years.

The Macintosh 128K hit the market two days after it was announced to the world in the now-legendary commercial aired during Super Bowl XVIII.

If the spot, directed by Ridley Scott, was a minor masterpiece of commercial zeitgeist, the computer itself was a product of its time - underpowered and not very easy to use. But it did represent a sea change, a paradigm shift, whichever late-20th century business cliché you care to use.

It was the first to feature a graphical user interface that could be called user-friendly and was the first, with the advent of the LaserWriter printer and Aldus PageMaker, to make desktop publishing a reality.

With an innovative design that was meant to grab your attention, the original clamshell iBook from Apple generated almost as much buzz in the IT world as the more recent iPhone. In 1999, personal computer users were generally stuck with the familiar black rectangle laptop, but the iBook came in blueberry and orange and was shaped like a clamshell (toilet seat?). But what was the iBook like on the inside? We find out in this TechRepublic 'Cracking Open' gallery.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the performance of the new Mac Pros. Unfortunately I only had Geekbench 2 results for the eight-core 2.8GHz Mac Pro. I thought I'd follow up on that post with Geekbench 2 results for all three eight-core Mac Pros.

Setup
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Two quad-core Intel Xeons @ 2.8GHz, 3.0GHz, or 3.2GHz
2.00 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Mac OS X 10.5.1 (Build 9B2117)

I know. You are going to think that I'm just playing my own game here, to get lots of hits with a lurid title, but I'm perfectly serious. If you examine Apple's usual public relations ploys in handling new product announcements and other matters, you might even agree with me.

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