Low End Mac Archive for September 20

September 20 in Low End Mac History

Macintosh IIci replaces IIcx. At 25 MHz, it's the fastest Mac to date. Onboard video eliminates the need for a NuBus video card. This was also the first Mac with "clean" ROMs to support 32-bit addressing.
Macintosh Portable introduced. Fast 16 MHz 68000 processor, up to 9 MB of RAM, very crisp active matrix display, and 10 hour battery life - if only it hadn't weighed 16 pounds.

What about that new 7200 upgrade?, Michel Munger, Mac Daniel. Sonnet has a G3 upgrade for the 7200, but is it a good value?
Apple, Chiat/Day, and rumors, Dan Knight and Anne Onymus, RumorLog. "Just to insure that Apple never tries to exert their influence on our site through ad dollars...."

Is OS X ready for me?, Eric Schwarz, Power of Mac. OS X 10.0.4 isn't quite ready for prime time. Ten ways to improve it.
Astronomy Software Review: TheSky, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report. A real workhorse program for serious amateur astronomers that has much to offer beginners.

TiBook crashpad, 40 GB drive deal, G3 for 2400, Hubzilla, lighted G4 keyboard, and more, Charles Moore, The 'Book Review. Also FireWire CardBus card, laptop surge protection, FireXpress drives, new Tom Bihn cases, and bargain 'Books.
Wireless Internet on a low-end PowerBook, Jim Williams, My Turn. Cellular modems can let you use most PowerBooks with PCMCIA and PC Card slots anywhere your cell phone works.
Taking back the schools, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. To hold on to Mac schools and win over PC ones, Apple needs to convince school systems that Macs are the better value.

Extreme networking: Why 802.11g is for you, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel. Wireless networking is fast, affordable, and easy (once you know the basics). Sometimes it even makes sense for desktop computers.
Problems with cable modems and home built Windows PCs, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. The joys of losing your Internet connection - and of getting Windows PCs to work as you want them to.
More on Pismo upgrades, dead pixels, price comparisons, combo drives, The Message, and a digital Rolleiflex, Charles W Moore, Moore's Mailbag. Reader feedback on CPU upgrades, a dead pixel software, Mac vs. PC comparisons, third-party combo drives, and more.

Macintel transition on track, but what about Classic?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. There's a lot to look forward to with Intel-based Macs, but what are long-time Mac users going to do with their Classic applications?

How iTV will become Apple's 'next big thing', Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Just as the iPod began as an expensive device with a limited audience and grew to dominate the field, Apple's iTV will become the dominant computer-TV interface as television goes digital.

The ultimate writing machine: Quiet and free of interruptions, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job. For creative writing, turn off messaging, use a quiet computer, and reduce clutter on your screen. An old computer may be your best choice.
iPhone features missing in iPod touch, $100 iPhone credit, DVR would benefit Apple TV, and much more, iNews Review. Also new iPods now work with Linux, reviews of 2007 iPods, another iPhone unlocker, PowerPoint support for the iPhone, 3 new FM transmitters for iPods, several new iPod cases and covers, and more.

iPod 'most prized possession', cross-country Texting Kills tour, iPad here to stay, and more, iNews Review. Also Adobe back with Flash converter for iOS, Parallels Mobile gives iOS users access to Windows, Apple Peel 520 turns iPod touch into a smartphone, and more.

The beginning of the end for Netflix, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Spinning off its disk-by-mail service to a completely separate company is the dumbest thing Netflix has ever done.
A cloud of my own, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing. With Apple changing MobileMe to iCloud, it makes sense to set up your own cloud server, such as Pogoplug.
Camino a great browser for Tiger, Snow Leopard virtualized on Lion-only Macs, and more, Charles Moore, Charles Moore's Mailbag. Also Windows 8 could make Lion look good, loving Lion's Launchpad, and installing Rosetta for Snow Leopard.