Low End Mac Archive for December 22

December 22 in Low End Mac History

Pismo and thin PowerBooks, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Pismo speculation, and another voice in favor of a still thinner PowerBook.
ViaVoice for Macintosh, Evan Kleiman, Mac Happens. Finally, good dictation software for the Macintosh.
Predictions for Macworld Expo, Dan Knight. How might Apple revise their product line at Macworld Expo?

Please, no CubeBook!, Dan Knight & Anne Onymus, RumorLog. If Apple can't find the Cube's market, what makes anyone think a PowerBook equivalent will find a market?
Why give a Mac?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. If you're giving someone a computer, here's why it should be a Mac instead of a Windows PC.
Buying a newer Mac, Evan Kleiman, Mac Daniel. How to buy a used, refurbished, or new Mac to replace your old one.

Why iTunes and the iPod will continue to dominate the market, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "Put simply, Apple can't repeat the mistakes of the past because the iPod situation is nothing like the Mac situation."
iPod sport, the SUV of digital music players, Anne Onymus, Rumor Mill. "...Apple will sell the iPod sport to people who aren't into sports, just like the auto industry sells SUVs to people who never take them off road."
Life intrudes, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Sometimes life intrudes, shattering our safety, forcing us to face our worst fears.

A scrounger's guide to equipping the Mac mini: Choices for the budget conscious, Hardy Menagh, Empowered. How to add a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and stereo sound to your Mac mini for little or no money.
1 GB nano coming?, iPod mini hot on eBay, $10 DIY iPod stand, iDrops iPod polish, iPod workouts, and more, iPod News Review. Also 'Godcasting' gaining followers, President Bush's iPod, new nano cases and covers, tiny all-in-one iPod speaker system, auto videos at iTMS, and more.
Will Apple market 'Intel Inside'?; 'Napa' platform popular, but will Apple use it?; and more, The Macintel Report. Also the pressure is on Apple to release the first Macintel hardware and NEC shows the first 'Yonah' notebook.

2007 wish list: iPhone, iTV, Leopard, and more independent software development, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User. Apple pulled of the Intel transtion in 2006. Here are four things we'd like to see in 2007.
Good-bye PowerPC and Classic mode, hello Intel and the road ahead, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh. After 22 years, Apple has retired the Classic Mac OS. After 12 years, Apple left the PowerPC behind. The future belongs to Intel and Mac OS X.
SoundApp an audio workhorse for PowerPC, 680x0 Macs, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence. For those using the classic Mac OS, SoundApp can convert tracks, play music, and look up CD tracks online.
9 million Macs in 2007, Docx Converter for Office 2007 files, frustrated Windows users eye Macs, and more, Mac News Review. Analyst projects 9 million Mac sales for 2007, frustrated Windows users are eying the Mac, the QuikDrive flash drive, higher capacity drives from Iomega, and conversion for the new MS Office 2007 docx files.
Core 2 'Books more reliable, top 10 apps for 'Book users, notebook security, and more, The 'Book Review. Also using iSight to photograph failed logins, rent a MacBook in France, safer laptop batteries, Core 2 MacBook "best budget laptop", MacBook handle, keyboard lockout, bargain 'Books from $209 to $1,999, and more.
Walking in a winter wonderland, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living. Report from Denver: Snow. Lots and lots of snow.

New MacBook trackpad takes some getting used to, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac. The large glass trackpad is a joy to use in many ways, but it can be frustrating for longtime notebook users and has issues with Boot Camp.
Pixelmator 1.3.2 gains some cool enhancements, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. "Pixelmator works so well now that I've been finding myself using it more and more instead of Photoshop Elements 6."
Practical iMac G3 applications and upgrades, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Used G3 iMacs are going for a song these days, but are they worth spending money on, let along upgrading?

Microsoft is not an unstoppable juggernaut, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Firefox passed Internet Explorer in Germany, and now Firefox 3.5 has passed IE 7 as the most popular browser version.
State of the fleet: 2009 has been an eventful year, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. Two iBooks died, a Unibody MacBook joined the fleet, the 17" PowerBook changed hands, and the Pismos are as reliable as ever.

It's a good time to buy a used Mac, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming. Prices on late model G4 PowerBooks are better than ever, and there are some real bargains on Core Duo Intel models as well.