I'd hoped to post a mailbag column last Friday, but we woke up to
find our cable modem wasn't working. Spending three days with a shared
dialup connection was a tedious experience, and the problem was
further compounded by Claris Home Page refusing to upload page changes
via the shared connection. We're all very glad that things are back to
normal today.
iTunes, Safari on PC, IBM
Alvin writes:
What do you think is Steve Jobs' strategy on porting iTunes and
possibly Safari to the PC when they can use Musicbox instead of iTunes?
Is this a smooth way to switch to Intel and AMD but what about IBM's
planned chips for Apple? Is distributing songs and possibly video a
means to get the must deserved 50% or more market share hopefully (and
finally)?
It would be nice for the Mac people to know what is going on from
very reliable source for analysis like LEM :)
It's a well known fact that Apple has been seeking a programmer to
port iTunes over to Windows. I'd guess that Apple would rather control
the whole user experience with the iPod and iTunes Music Store rather
than leave it to Musicbox. It's also very likely that Musicbox doesn't
support the AAC files Apple provides via the iTunes Music Store and
doesn't support Apple's copy restriction scheme.
A way to switch to Intel or AMD? I doubt it. It's a way to market the
iPod and the iTunes Music Store to about 30x as many potential
customers (OS X installed base <3% of total market while
Windows over 90%). Apple is evolving beyond hardware and software to
become a media/digital hub company - QuickTime, iTunes, the iPod,
iPhoto, iMovie, etc.
I don't think porting iTunes to Windows says anything about Apple
moving away from the PowerPC architecture. FileMaker Pro, Claris/AppleWorks, and
even the long discontinued Claris Home Page have been available for
Windows for ages. If you have a good solution, why restrict it to users
of a single hardware platform? This is especially true if you want to
position your computer as the better cross platform machine; you don't
want people to object that even your own software isn't cross
platform.
As for the IBM PowerPC 970, I think it's a done deal. There are rumors
that Apple already has PPC 970-based Power Macs ready to ship, and if
IBM has been able to produce several thousand CPUs, I wouldn't be at
all surprised if Apple has thousands of developer systems ready to go -
as well as hundreds of machines to demo at the Word Wide Developer's
Conference.
Fifty percent market share? You're dreaming. The computing market is
very fragmented, a lot of people will never switch from what they know
(whether Windows or the classic Mac OS), and there are better ways to
make money. Better to sell iPods and 99¢ tunes to Windows users
than seek a market share that nobody in the history of the industry has
ever had.
The iPod is already the #1 MP3 player, and iTunes for Windows could
make Apple the clear cut top dog in the online music field. And if that
helps sell some Macs along the way, that's good too.
Flashing the Radeon 7000
Teg Bains writes:
The Radeon 7000 instructions are at:
http://www.cubeowner.com/forums//
index.php?s=0395ae4607609e97da1128e14d9788e1
&act=ST&f=1&t=1063&hl=radeon&st=30
and the ROM is at:
http://138.190.133.115/radeon7000.zip
Also, the instructions are for a Radeon 7000 PCI. I actually flashed
an AGP Radeon 7000, and it works. I get Quartz Extreme and DVD
Playback. The only problem I have on my Dual 450 is with deep sleep:
I get screen artifacts upon wake up that only clear with a restart.
1394b CardBus
Looker writes:
1394b requires a 64 bit/33 MHz bus to function
CardBus is a 32 bit bus
If you look at the 1394b spec, you will see that if you place a
1394b card into a 32 bit bus, it will automatically down step to 1394a
speeds.
If used in a 33-MHz/32-bit PCI slot, FireWire 400 speed will be
maximum attainable.
FireWire is a serial protocol; the width of the computer's bus is
irrelevant. The only critical factor is that the computer's bus be
capable of handling the 400 Mbps of the original FireWire standard or
the 800 Mbps of the FireWire 800 standard.
To process 800 Mbps of data on a 32-bit bus, the bus would have to run
at 25 MHz. The 33 MHz 32-bit PCI bus is able to do that.
But on the Mac, it doesn't have to. Ever since the blue & white Power Mac G3,
Apple has been using 64-bit PCI slots in the Power Mac. That provides
plenty of overhead and would allow the use of more than one 1394b
card.
I don't have the CardBus specification available right now (our
Internet connection is down), but I believe it's the same 33 MHz 32-bit
bus as PCI, so there's no reason a 1394b card wouldn't be able to
provide the full speed the specification allows.
Of course, the other factor is drives. To the best of my knowledge,
unless you're using a RAID array, there are no drives available that
come anywhere close to moving data at 800 Mbps. FireWire 800 is a
high-end protocol that's designed for servers and the future. The
average user today has no use for it, but that will undoubtedly change
over time.
Review of Original PB G3
Eric Schneck writes:
Just a few comments on your review
of the 3500:
...this 'Book really could be a desktop replacement.
I am a professional programmer and consultant, and it has been my
only computer at home since I bought it in '98.
Kanga was a fairly rare beast, since it was only in production for
six months and very, very expensive.
$5,700 new. The third-most expensive Mac ever, AFAIK. I got mine for
$3,000 when the Series came out.
The hard drive can be replaced with a standard 2.5" IDE hard drive,
so it should be no problem to upgrade from 5 GB to 60 GB if you so
desire.
Mine has an IBM 20 GB drive installed.
Kanga's biggest drawback is probably the 160 MB memory
ceiling.
Never noticed it as a problem. I added the 128 MB memory the week I
got the machine.
All things considered, Mac OS 8.1 and 8.6 are probably your best
bets on Kanga.
Why? 9.1 runs great, and 9.2 can be hacked to run if you are so
inclined.
Kanga is the only PowerBook G3 not officially supported under Mac
OS X....
No, it's the only Apple G3 not officially supported under Mac
OS X.
With the classic Mac OS and ClarisWorks, MS Word 5.1a, or something
similar, it would be a great writing machine.
You are not serious, are you? I run Office 98, and my wife, a PC
nut, has never had any complaints about it. I upgraded the PC card
slots to CardBus and use the machine to edit digital video with iMovie
1. I have done serious programming on it in CodeWarrior and REALbasic,
and I can edit dozens of pictures at a time in Photoshop. And the
latest IE and Netscape run great.
Maybe you should try to get your hands on one of these machines.
They are as ugly as they come, but it is still a workhorse six years
later.
That article was part of a four-part series evaluating four
different G3 PowerBooks to determine which provided the best value both
under the classic Mac OS and as OS X machines. The 160 MB memory
ceiling is not terribly important under the classic Mac OS, but it's a
huge drawback under OS X, which can be installed using XPostFacto.
So is the 800 x 600 display, for that matter.
Under the classic Mac OS, Kanga was a wonderful successor to the
3400 - and the great little
PowerBook 1400 before it. It's
got plenty of power for word processing, spreadsheets, database work,
and light Photoshop work (not the kind of industrial strength stuff
graphics professionals do with 100 MB files). It's a decent performer
on the Web at 250 MHz.
I have no experience with Office 98; I gave up on Microsoft bloat when
they introduced Word 6 for the Mac. Microsoft Word 5.1a
is arguable the best version of MS Word ever created - fast, small
memory footprint, even comfortable on a Mac Plus. For a writer who
wants a responsive word processor, that or ClarisWorks (before version
5) is a great choice. These programs don't get in the way.
Ditto for the Mac OS. Although Kanga and WallStreet can run Mac OS 9.x,
the smaller footprint and sprightlier responsiveness of Mac OS 8.1 make
it an excellent choice, especially for those who don't have a lot of
RAM installed.
But we were comparing Kanga
to WallStreet,
Lombard, and Pismo. For someone buying a
used G3 PowerBook today, Kanga pales in comparison. WallStreet offers a
768 MB memory ceiling, a faster data bus, the availability of 1024 x
768 displays (beware the 13"), allows for two batteries, and is
supported under OS X. There are some drawbacks when comparing
WallStreet to Lombard, but it offers a lot more than Kanga and is
readily available on the used market, while Kanga is a rare
beast.
In short, if you were buying a 250-300 MHz PowerBook G3 on the used
market today, I'd suggest you look at the PowerBook G3 Series instead
of Kanga.
Replacement slot-load DVD drive
Richard Aronson wonders:
I found your site through Google, and I was wondering if you
know where I can buy a replacement DVD or CD-RW slot-load for my 600
MHz iMac?
I was able to get it out, but I don't know where to start looking.
Can you help?
Baucom
Computers has DVD drives for $73 and CD-RW for $225. Other World Computing has DVD
drives for $38. MacResQ
has the DVD drive for $59.99. I'm sure there are other sources as
well.
Flash Memory Question
Paul Ord writes:
I have a personal question for you with reference to the article you
wrote entitled Flash Memory Improves
PowerBook published on November 14th, 2002. Would you happen to
have a list of Compact Flash PCMCIA Adapters which are compatible with
the PowerBook 1400, 2400 & 3400 families?
To the best of my knowledge, all PCMCIA (PC Card) Compact Flash
adapters will work. PCMCIA is directly related to the IDE bus, and so
are Compact Flash cards. When I bought such a card for my 'Book, it was
simply a matter of plugging it in and using it - no additional drivers
necessary.
Hinky Apple keyboard
After reading my
letter posted on Applelinks, Sanford Lung comments:
I read your post to Chas Moore's column at Applelinks regarding your
problems with copy and pasting.
FWIW I had a similar problem which turned out to be a defective
keyboard. I complained to AppleCare at their 800 number and they sent
me a new keyboard which has resolved the sometimes hinky keyboard
response, or lack thereof. It hasn't totally solved the problem, but it
occurs less frequently.
You might want to try switching keyboards.
Thanks for the suggestion, but it's not an Apple keyboard. I use
the Logitech Cordless Elite Duo, and it
works just perfectly under OS 9 and in every other respect under
OS X. If I had another USB keyboard, I might give it a try, but I
simply can't stand working with the
pathetic little keyboard Apple supplied with the iMac, and that's
the only other Mac USB keyboard I have available here.
I could try using the keyboard built into my PowerBook G4, but I've become
very accustomed to having a full keyboard and to having my laptop
display at a much more comfortable height (on a 5.5" riser).
PowerBook Static
After reading PowerBooks and
Static, Brian Mastenbrook writes:
Regarding the question about PowerBook static issues in the latest
LEM mailbag:
I had one of the second-generation PowerBook G4 machines (667 MHz, Gigabit Ethernet),
and it should have been honorarily code named "Zap!". I got my machine
shortly after introduction at the beginning of winter, and I quickly
learned to ground myself before touching the machine - and that didn't
always help. Nearly every time I touched the machine, I would be
greeted with an electrical discharge. Though it never seemed to crash
the machine (as your report suggests happened with a first-generation
under OS 9), I was never completely comfortable about routinely
zapping my machine like that.
A fiasco with AppleCare and a faulty lid sensor caused Apple to
replace my PowerBook with a 667 MHz DVI machine, and the
static issues are vastly improved, though still not completely perfect.
I certainly wouldn't consider it a detrimental issue anymore, as just
grounding yourself before touching the computer should prevent all
shocks with the latest line.
I don't know anything about the aluminum 'Books, but I would only
think that the problem would stay fixed.
Regards & keep up the good work!
Thanks for your feedback. I had a chance to go to CompUSA with the
boys this past weekend and spent some time with the current Macs. The
Power Macs look far less cool than most Windows PCs these days - that
side of the industry has really turned its attention to design.
The eMac looks great, and it's especially sharp at up to 1152 x 870.
The 1280 x 960 resolution isn't bad, but it's not quite as crisp. I'd
definitely consider getting one of these as my primary work
machine.
In looking at the aluminum PowerBooks, I was at first struck by the
color of the keys. Not white, like the iBook, and not dark gray, like
the titanium PowerBook. They matched the aluminum case and had black
letters on them. The keyboard is also the best I've put my hands to
since the WallStreet. Nice. Very nice - and one more reason to want to
replace my 400 MHz PowerBook G4 with a newer model, although neither
the 12" nor 17" models quite meet my needs.
Some day Apple will release an aluminum 15" PowerBook.
Glad to hear the static problems have been minimized on the DVD models,
although switching to an external keyboard has made static a non-issue
for me.
Power Mac 5200/6200 G3/400 upgrade
Eby writes:
I found this site who sells upgrade kit for 5200/6200 Power
Macs.
G3 400 MHz 1 MB L2 & 128 MB Ram
http://welovemacs.com/bg34001mwmb.html
It costs $275+shipping, they say upgrade is from Sonnet, but I
couldn't find this information at www.sonnettech.com. I'm not sure
about the performance (400 MHz G3 on a 37 MHz system bus, can be worse
than Power Mac 6300 160 MHz) and
an used G3/300 or 350 will cost more than $300, I like beige models
because of SCSI, serial ports, keyboard, mouse & design.
They haven't mentioned any details about maximum RAM, which board is
used, etc. Any advice?
If this is a very good upgrade or useful one you should list Power
Mac 5200/6200 section.
This isn't a single upgrade. If you read the description, you'll
discover that it's a motherboard upgrade (to a 5400) combined with a G3/400
processor upgrade. That gives you a 40 MHz system bus and eliminates
all of the architectural problems of the
x200 motherboard. When you add in PCI expansion, improved video,
and a higher memory ceiling, you've turned the Road Apple 5200 or 6200
into a whole new computer simply by replacing the motherboard.
When you add to that a 400 MHz G3 with a 1 MB level 2 cache, which
helps offset the slower system bus, you've got a lot of machine for a
$275 investment. The card appears to be the Sonnet Crescendo G3 L2;
Small Dog
Electronics has one in stock for $189 this morning. They also
list the same thing with a 500 MHz processor for $239.
With a whole Performa 5400 computer selling for $50 or less on
eBay and 128 MB memory sticks going for $20 on ramseeker, it might be
more economical to simply buy a 5400, G3 upgrade, and memory stick and
leave your 5200 intact.
Sleep on Blue & White G3 with OS X
In response to A Question about
B&W G3s, Peter Lindsay says:
I have a heavily upgraded B&W G3 running OS X (500/G4
processor, Ultra Wide SCSI RAID, ATI Radeon, 1 GB RAM, Internal
Zip, Sony CD-RW, etc.). I run both OS X (10.2.6) as well as
OS 9. The machine does sleep normally as it always has. The drives
spin down - all 4 of them, including the SCSI RAID - but it does not
enter deep sleep (the fans do not spin down or slow down). I don't
recall that it ever has. The behavior is the same on both OS X as
well as OS 9.
Thanks for the feedback. Have you noticed the same thing as Chris
Kilner : the power button showing amber when sleeping in OS 9 but
staying green in OS X?
Dan Knight has been publishing Low
End Mac since April 1997. Mailbag columns come from email responses to his Mac Musings, Mac Daniel, Online Tech Journal, and other columns on the site.
