Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2003.09.05
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.
Laptops Continue to Gain Market Share; Apple
Back in Fifth Place Domestically
Cnet's John G. Spooner reported
this week that:
- "Statistics published Tuesday by IDC show that industrywide
notebook shipments rose by 22.4 percent globally on a
year-over-year basis during the second quarter and grew by 1.5
percent from the first quarter. Meanwhile, shipments in the United
States grew by 18 percent year over year and by 8 percent
sequentially, IDC said."
The article notes that Apple has regained fifth place in the US
portable market with 7 percent of domestic laptop sales.
Spooner notes:
- "...laptops are expected to continue to gain ground. Notebooks
represented nearly 27 percent of all PCs sold both worldwide and in
the United States during the second quarter, up from about 25
percent for both markets during the first quarter. Thanks to sales
seen of late, the portable PC category is well on its way to
eclipsing the 30 percent mark and should reach 35 percent of PC
sales in the U.S. market by 2007, IDC said."
Sprucing Up an Old WallStreet's
Appearance
The G3
WallStreet PowerBook is still a way cool computer, but they're
getting along in years and tend to get scratched up.
The rubberized back of the WallStreet is an appliqué in
aluminum plate, so with about 45 minutes of work with a Dremel
tool, you can drastically alter the appearance of a scruffy
WallStreet.
You can find a tutorial on
how to make your WallStreet look like this.
Upgrade Your Clamshell iBook to an Internal
CD-RW
Sick of hauling an external floppy drive around just to get data
off your clamshell iBook? What if you could just burn your data on
CDs instead?
Wegener
Media can do the install and upgrade of your iBook. It
looks a little different, but you get all the functionality
of your iBook plus the capability of a CD-RW. Simply ship your
machine in, and Wegener Media will install the drive, set it up,
and ship it back to you within 24 hours.
They can also upgrade RAM & hard drives for you at the same
time to save shipping costs.
CD-RW Retrofit Features:
- Bootable, hold "C" to start with CD
- Supports OS 8.6-9.2.2 and OS X
- 4x4x24x & 8x8x24x versions
Note that if you have a DVD iBook, you will lose DVD capability
in this upgrade.
- 4x4x CD-RW version complete installation, with 3 day airborne
shipping of your iBook, installation, testing, software
installation, and return shipping. $210.
- Complete installation, with overnight airborne shipping of your
iBook, installation, testing, software installation, and return
shipping. When you purchase this, you will receive an airbill and
shipping instructions by email, which you can use for immediate
shipment. $235.
- Purchase the drive, then return your old mechanism. Please
note: this is not for the timid, or average home PowerBook
aficionado-it is highly technical. This requires the return of your
old drive mechanism core, with a deposit of $95. Core unit should
be returned for a refund by PayPal. $145 + deposit
BatteryStatsX 1.1 Shows Detailed Stats on Your
PowerBook or iBook Battery
BatteryStatsX
is a little utility that gathers detailed information about your
'Book's battery. The program only runs on a PowerBook or iBook in
Mac OS X 10.1 and higher. BatteryStatsX works by using the
shell command ioreg. ioreg provides information about various parts
of the computer.
BatteryStatsX gives you the following information:
- Voltage
- "Flags" (whether the computer is running from the charger or
battery)
- Amperage
- Maximum Capacity
- Current Charge
New in this version:
- Completely remade in Cocoa.
- Gives more detail than previous versions in new log
- New background client logs data every x seconds, completely
independent of the application.
- Bug fixes
Tip for prolonging battery life: Zap the PRAM several times
(hold cmd-opt-p-r as soon as you turn on the computer). If zapping
the PRAM doesn't help try:
- restart the computer
- go into open firmware (hold cmd-opt-o-f as soon as you start up
the computer)
- type reset-nvram and then hit return
- type reset-all and then hit return
- finally type mac-boot to continue regular startup
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.1 or higher
- PowerBook or iBook
BatteryStatsX is freeware.
MacResQ Mini AC Adapter for PowerBook G4 &
White iBook
The MacResQ Mini AC
Adapter's slim and light design makes it easy and
convenient to carry around with your PowerBook G4 or iBook. The
package includes a Velcro strap to safely bind the cord together.
The exterior is specifically designed so that you can simply wrap
the cord around the adapter. Small enough to carry with you and
affordable enough to buy for multiple locations.
Specs:
- Mobile AC adapter for PB G4 & iBook (Dual USB)
- UL, FCC, and CE approved
- Slim and light design
- Easy to wrap cord around case
- Input: AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz 100 VA
- Output: DC 24V 2.7A 64.8W
- W: 43 mm (1.6") H: 105 mm (4.1") D: 29 mm( 1.0")
- Weight: 190g (6.9 oz)
- One year Warranty
System requirements: PowerBook G4 or White iBook (Dual USB)
ScreenLock 1.0 Security Software to Prevent
Access
Do you want to have some more protection of your data and
machine while your away from your desk? Is your PowerBook often
sitting on your desk unobserved and virtually anybody could get
access to it? Then you need ScreenLock.
ScreenLock works simply: Every time your computer wakes from
sleep, it denies any access to your data and applications unless
you enter your password. It's this very same functionality that
came with Mac OS 9 on portable Macs.
System requirements: MacOS X 10.2 or higher
ScreenLock is $5 shareware.
Apple Cuts Price on 17" PowerBook G4 in
Europe
The German Apple news site MacGadget
reported last week that Apple cut the price on the 17" PowerBook G4
in Germany, Austria, and the Switzerland. In Germany, the price of
the 17" PowerBook G4 was cut by 300 to 3710.84 Euro. In Austria,
the new price for the 17" PowerBook G4 is 3838.80 Euro (formerly
4198.80 Euro). In Switzerland, Apple cut the price by 200 Franken
to 5199 Franken.
The price cut leads to the expectation that Apple is clearing
inventory in preparation for new PowerBook models.
1 GB PC2100 DDR Modules Arrive for
PowerBooks
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
- "Owners of Apple's 12in PowerBook G4 will at last be able to
bust the 640 MB memory limit on their machines without breaking the
bank.
"US Mac specialist Trans International today launched a 1 GB
PC2100 SO-DIMM compatible with the notebook. With the 128 MB
soldered on to the PowerBook's motherboard, users can now equip
themselves with just over 1.1 GB of RAM."
With the previous 512 MB memory upgrades, the 12" PowerBook was
limited to a maximum of 640 MB. TransIntl's 1 GB RAM upgrade sells
for $499, which seems pricey when you consider that 512 MB SO-DIMM
currently cost about $100, but if you need the extra memory
capacity, it's available.
WiebeTech Reduces Prices on Many FireWire and
USB2 Storage Products
WiebeTech has
announced price reductions of up to 37% on many of its most popular
storage products.
The amount of the reductions vary by product. For example, the
popular MicroGB+ pocket drive with a 40 GB, 5400 RPM, 8 MB
cache drive has been reduced $40, from $269.95 to $229.95. At the
top end of the scale, the price of the 1.2 Terabyte Quad BayDock
FireWire storage system has been cut from $3995 to $2539.
More than 35 different product configurations have been
permanently reduced in price.
A listing of price reductions can be found on the WiebeTech
website by clicking on the "Prices" tab. All price changes are
noted there.
"This price reduction comes as a result of the strong response
to our recent Summer Sale," said James Wiebe, CEO of WiebeTech.
"Consumers are clearly telling us they will buy our product in ever
increasing volumes. We are responding to the demand spike by
providing substantially greater value for the price.
"We've also simplified our product line by culling out some of
our product configurations," continued Wiebe. "In addition, we are
bundling all of our BayDocks storage systems with an extra tray
insert. This allows users of the removable BayDocks to always have
the ability to store or swap an extra drive, which is a common
requirement."
Dealers may purchase WiebeTech products from WiebeTech's
distributor In the U.S. and Canada, Dr. Bott, or from dealers. All
configurations are in stock and available directly from WiebeTech.
Canadian resellers may purchase products from EMJ.
ProClip Offers Automotive Mounts for the
iPod
ProClip USA
offers automotive mounts for the Apple iPod to securely hold the
portable digital music players in cars, trucks and SUVs.
"Securely mounting accessories like the Apple iPod, without
damaging a car or truck's interior, is what we do best," says Bjorn
Spilling, president of ProClip USA. "We offer mounts and holders
that are custom designed for virtually every car make and model and
for every communication accessory in the marketplace."
ProClip mounting brackets are clip-on devices that attach to the
car or truck's dashboard or console and can be self-installed in
seconds. Once the bracket is in place, a custom designed holder is
attached to provide a perfect fit for the Apple iPod.
ProClip products are available for purchase on the Internet from
ProClip USA or by calling toll-free 800-296-3212 and through a
number of wireless communication retail stores and outlets.
KMremoteControl for Windows and OS X
Derman Enterprises
has announced KMremoteControl
1.00, a cross-platform program that lets you use one
system's keyboard and mouse to operate all the PCs and Macs on your
desk:
- use your favorite keyboard and mouse for all your work
- recover your desk space - hide the extra keyboards, mice, and
mousepads
- control your PC via your Mac - or vice versa
- avoid buying that KVM switch
- great for laptop users
- can use ClipCommControl to synchronize Clipboards (Mac
only)
System requirements: KMremoteControl requires Windows 2000,
Windows XP, or Mac OS X 10.2 or newer
A trial version is available, and a license can be purchased at
an introductory $15.95 for a 2-license Starter Pak.
Laptop Fuel Cells Ready Soon?
Reuters' Elinor Mills Abreu
reports:
- Fuel cells that can run laptops for 10 hours or more without
plug power have captured the imagination of computer junkies. But
first, backers must prove that they are as safe to fly with as a
cigarette lighter or a duty-free bottle of vodka.
Japanese companies are pushing ahead with prototypes of
miniaturized fuel cell technology that use methanol to create
power, even though experts say limited-life batteries are here to
stay for several more years.
Fuel cell-powered laptop prototypes have been developed by Toshiba
(6502.T) and NEC (6701.T), who plan to start selling them as
full-fledged products next year. Casio (6952.T), Sony (6758.T) and
Hitachi (6501.T) and Samsung (00830.KS) of Korea are also working
on micro fuel cell technology."
Bargain 'Books
There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233
MHz, the cacheless MainStreet
version and the later Series II
with a level 2 cache. It's not always possible to determine from
the vendor's listing which is being offered, so we've included
links within this paragraph to the two models. The same goes for
the PowerBook G4/667 (Gigabit
Ethernet/2001) and G4/667
(DVI).
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals
and Best iBook Deals.
