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My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted
articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things
Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your
submission to Dan Knight
.
Being in the Navy, I find it hard to muster the financial strength
to go out and purchase new Apple products after they hit the showroom
floor. Most people will probably agree with me that Apple is the
flagship computer maker and can charge more because the quality and
longevity of their products is next to none. Still, Apple would
rather you purchase new units every few years. This brings me to a
sore spot: Apple support for older Macs.
Support for older Macs (pre-1998) is almost nonexistent, except
for downloads and the knowledge base. Most companies will charge you
for support of older units and get a pretty penny for that service.
Yes, support for old units is not a moneymaker for Apple. Pre-G3
machines are not even supported for Mac OS X. From a business
standpoint there is no real advantage to expending the finances to
support older equipment. Others must now bear the burden.
That is where Low End Mac comes
into play. LEM is taking over for the lack of support provided by the
manufacturer. It is a guiding light into the depths of Macintosh
through the ages.
If you are using a Compact or a pre-PPC Mac, do you really think
that Apple has the resources to help you if you are having problems
finding the right browser or would like to know what memory to use? I
don't think so; most PC users don't have to deal with machines 5-10
years old, because they were obsolete the day they were purchased,
and require frequent upgrades. So PC companies don't even think about
older unit support.
Mac users, on the other hand, can go on using the same machines
for years without ever having to upgrade. Apple having to support
older equipment is a financial burden and keeps them from their core
business of new unit sales and development. That is why Apple cannot
afford to keep support around for older units.
Dan Knight and the team at Cobweb
Publishing (the publisher of LEM) have filled the gap. They would
like to see that
Plus stay a usable computer
for whomever. There are people out there who would love nothing more
than to be given a Performa 630
CD. For a new user this might be the perfect machine. Without
guidance on what to do for upgrades, where to go with problems, or
just simple system facts about the computer, the new user might never
know what they can or can't do with their older machines. LEM has
taken over the job of tech support when others have stopped.
LEM currently gives away what other companies charge for. With the
information they provide you may no longer have to spend money having
others do your upgrades. With the assistance of LEM you can do the
job yourself for the most part. Whereas before you might have paid
labor fees in a computer shop to get your memory and hard drive
upgrades, you can do it yourself to avoid all of the extra costs that
you might incur due to labor.
Finding out what software works the best or what hardware is
compatible is another LEM specialty.
LEM has stated numerous times that ad income has fallen short in
these Internet hard times. I say that $2-5 a month would be a small
price to pay for a wealth of knowledge not given out anywhere else.
When the subscription charges start (if that is the route chosen), I
will be standing outside the door six hours early - like at a new OS
release. I want to keep a Mac user's "must" online and in
business.
I say great job, Dan and crew, and keep up the good work; we are
here for you.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 08.18.
When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 07.30.
Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: Centris 650, Feb. 1993 - The replacement for the Quadra 700 has room for an internal CD-ROM.
List of the Day: Old Mac MP covers 604-based multiprocessor Macs and clones.
September 7 in LEM history: 98: Banner exchanges - 00: Tips from the Mac manager - Getting a Mac job - 01: Apple and the gray market - Repositioning the 'Books - 04: Tray loading iMac a good choice for OS X? - Pismo CPU upgrades - 06: Mac mini value equation - Setting up a Mac Classic II - Putting the Intel transition in perspective - 07: Region free DVD viewing, - My Newton - Solving Mac disk and hardware problems - 2 apps every MacBook should have
Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05.
Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
Tomorrow's Solid State Drives and Notebooks, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 09.04.
Flash drives are great but have some shortcomings. Some thoughts on building better SSDs and notebooks to use them.
Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04.
Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03.
The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03.
Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03.
Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
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