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>> Postings for March 2007

Penryn isn’t a dragon

Fri, 30 Mar 2007

I remember a day when being a Mac user that’s up to date on processors meant being able to say a letter and increment a number (fun fact, I skipped the G5). Nowadays, it means keeping track of the bizarre and sometimes confusing Intel processor naming system. You know, Conroe, Merom, Woodcrest, Clovertown, and so on. Quick, without cheating, what’s the codename for the processor in your Intel Mac?

While I want to report how Penryn will arrive in Cupertino being ridden by Eragon, I’ll have to settle by telling the truth. Intel has announced Penryn chips will arrive this year. Imagine today’s Core 2 Duos and Xeon chips, only with clock speeds in excess of 3 GHz. They’ll start outsmarting us. That or Intel will reach a speed wall again, being forced to reengineer their product line again.

Derik DeLong | Read more...


Why Microsoft should fear Apple

Thu, 29 Mar 2007

Should Microsoft fear Apple's Macintosh? Maybe not quaking-in-your-boots scared, mind you, but Redmond should certainly be concerned.

I'll tell you why. Apple has grown smarter about how it competes with Microsoft. Clearly the underdog, Apple has to make moves that can be seen as both supportive of the Windows marketplace and good for Mac users at the same time.

Scot Finnie | Read more...


Apple, Gore, Greenpeace, and Mother Earth

Mon, 26 Mar 2007

Greenpeace is at it once again, urging Apple to both make their computers greener and implement some kind of recycling program. Only this time they’re employing a bit of a different method: Al Gore. Seeing as Al Gore sits on Apple’s board of directors and is widely known for his environmental advocacy, Greenpeace and over 70 other groups are urging Gore to urge Apple to up their environmental game.

Reportedly the Apple Board of Directors has two different proposals in front of it which would improve Apple’s environmental policies. As of right now, draft versions of board documents say that the board unanimously opposes these proposals. This is where environmental groups want Gore to step in and do some convincing to reverse the board recommendation. Ultimately this recommendation will be made to the shareholders who will vote on the proposals.

Scott Silverman | Read more...


Apple's 1984 ad remixed on YouTube

Tue, 20 Mar 2007

Video-sharing website YouTube has become the latest battleground for American politics, with the posting of an anti-Hilary Clinton video based on Apple's famous 1984 TV advert that launched the Macintosh computer.

Democratic presidential candidate Clinton is cast in the Big Brother role, originally meant for then Apple rival IBM.

Simon Jary | Read more...


Making music better

Tue, 20 Mar 2007

Can anything make music sound better than a pair of Shure earphones? The answer, it appears, is yes.

I’ve just taken possession of a Creative Labs Xmod.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


Please save the British Library

Mon, 19 Mar 2007

I'm annoyed. In a story that hasn't secured the level of attention it deserves, the UK government has revealed plans to slash funding for one of the world's most important cultural institutions, the British Library.

The Library is one of those resources you take for granted. It's heavily used by the world's leading researchers, academics, students, enthusiasts and journalists.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


Get this book

Fri, 16 Mar 2007

I was perusing the Macworld Bookshelf the other day when I discovered a previously unknown gem of a book called Jacqard’s Web: How a hand loom led to the birth of the information age.

Most books on the history of computing take you back to 1944 and the British secret Colosssus; if you’re lucky they go back a bit further to the Zuse Z3 and mention a few earlier 20th century inventions for good measure.

Mark Hattersley | Read more...


10.4.9 adds a time saving delay

Thu, 15 Mar 2007

We've already told you about some of the new features of OS X 10.4.9 (besides the ability to spawn heated discussions over version numbering). But here are a couple of changes that might actually impact your everyday Mac usage.

As of 10.4.9, pressing the Eject key no longer immediately results in a disc being ejected. You actually have to press and hold the Eject key for a moment. I'm thrilled; I can't count the number of times that I've been reaching for F12 or the Delete key on my MacBook and accidentally hit Eject instead. I don't usually have a disc in my notebook, but on the occasions where I do, it's annoying.

Dan Moren | Read more...


What's your iPhone excuse?

Tue, 13 Mar 2007

Everyone knows that the iPhone is a tempting device. It's so shiny and does almost everything. That's why if you don't want to burn $500 or more on an iPhone, it's essential that you have your own excuse (for the purpose of this article we'll call it a method of psychological self deception) for why not to buy an iPhone.

This little lie can be based in truth, for example: I simply don't have $500 laying around, it will scratch too easily, it's too big, or I already own a Palm Treo.

Scott Silverman | Read more...


20 cool Firefox extensions

Mon, 12 Mar 2007

A freshly installed copy of Firefox is a great software package, but what makes this open-source browser so special is the ability to customise it via extensions and themes to really make it yours.

The problem is, there are so many available add-ins, it's tough to know what's worth installing and what's just going to junk up your system.

Peter Smith | Read more...


Reality distortion: 100,000 songs in your pocket

Fri, 09 Mar 2007

I came across this report today which looks at future developments in hard drive technology.

It implies future generation iPods will let you carry 100,000 songs in your pocket.

Read more...


Photoshop to go online, who's next?

Fri, 09 Mar 2007

Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen says that the company will release a free, basic version of Photoshop as a Web-based application in the next six months. But as significant as that news is in and of itself, I think it's possible we'll look back at it as the beginning of one of technology's major sea changes.

For one thing, Photoshop will become the first big-name desktop application--or at least the first one that I can think of--to morph into a truly Web-based app. (Security software has been evolving in a service-oriented direction for awhile now, but there's still plenty of traditional client software involved.)

Harry McCracken | Read more...


A big thank you, or a jester's hat for Steve Jobs?

Thu, 08 Mar 2007

On April 1, Steve Jobs will either receive a big thank you or a jester’s hat for him to show off to his friends: that’s what the folks at Defective by Design will send him depending on whether he takes one the actions outlined in their open letter. They’re asking Apple’s CEO to prove his love for DRM-free media by doing at least one of the following:

  1. Dropping DRM on iTunes for independent artists
  2. Dropping DRM on iTunes for Disney movies and video
  3. Taking a public stand against DRM and legislation mandating DRM by funding a campaign to repeal the Digital Millenium Copyright Act’s (DMCA) prohibitions.

Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen | Read more...


Apple's awkward posturing

Wed, 07 Mar 2007

I did some traveling yesterday. At one point, I was waiting for a flight and tappity-tapping on my Powerbook 12”. A guy with a Windows laptop sat down next to me and asked if it was a MacBook or MacBook Pro. I told him it wasn’t and babbled on for several minutes about the fact that its form factor wasn’t available in Intel form.

You’d think that would have been enough to scare him away, but instead he told me about his experiences with a MacBook Pro. He loved the machine, but a very mandatory part of its functionality was compatibility with his work. He didn’t go into a lot of detail, but the software he used was Windows based. He put some effort into Parallels and Boot Camp. Now, keep in mind, I don’t know when he tried it, nor do I know if his issues could have been resolved with an update. However, in his experience, the USB support was buggy. Boot Camp was better, but required a reboot.

Derik DeLong | Read more...


What's new in iTunes 7.1

Wed, 07 Mar 2007

Using iTunes 7.1, you can now enjoy your favorite iTunes movies, TV shows, music, and more from the comfort of your living room with Apple TV. iTunes 7.1 also supports a new full screen Cover Flow and improved sorting options to let you decide how iTunes should sort your favorite artists, albums, and songs.

iTunes preferences have been slightly reorganized and a few new option, other than Apple TV, appear within. Inside the General preference you find that the Play Videos pop-up menu (which includes In the Main Window, In a Separate Window, Full Screen, and Full Screen With Visuals) has disappeared. It now appears in the Playback preference. In its place you find the Shared Name field, which was once in the Sharing preference.

Christopher Breen | Read more...


Who's who

Tue, 06 Mar 2007

Apple just keeps racking ‘em up. Just yesterday, the company hit #7 on the most admired companies list compiled by Fortune. Today, Steve Jobs hits #2 on the list of the 50 Most Important People on the Web compiled by our cousins over at PCWorld.

Though he comes in at #2, Steve-o is beat out by not one, but three people: Apple board member Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page—also known as the executive team of Google. As far as rivals go, you won’t find anybody from Dell or HP making the list, and the lone Microsoft rep is Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie at #22 (unless you count former MS mouthpiece Robert Scoble).

Dan Moren | Read more...


Reality Distortion: iPhone is thin client Mac

Fri, 02 Mar 2007

Google's doing it. Adobe's doing it. Soon we'll all be doing it - the age of hosted applications is upon us! And the iPhone is a nascent thin client Mac. Read on...

Adobe this week revealed plans to introduce a stripped-down free version of Photoshop. This entry-level service will offer some Photoshop features, will be ad-supported and is set to launch in just six months.

Jonny Evans | Read more...


UK websites doomed

Fri, 02 Mar 2007

If Scotland does break away from the United Kingdom and gains its independence after 300 years of English terror and billions of pounds of London pounds, what happens to all our .co.uk web addresses?

Wales is a principality rather than a kingdom so the UK will have to be dissolved (not literally, we'll leave that to climate change).

Simon Jary | Read more...


I want my Apple TV

Thu, 01 Mar 2007

By now we all now that the Apple TV has been delayed from mid February, to mid March. What we don’t know is why?

Apple TV

Mark Hattersley | Read more...