PowerBook, iBook, iPod, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. iPod news is
covered in The iNews Review.
News, Reviews, and Commentary
New Products and Services
News, Reviews, and Commentary
Best Buy to Carry Mac mini
NEWS: CNET News.com's
Ina Fried reports:
"Apple Computer's Mac Mini
is finding its way to more store shelves, with Best Buy planning to
carry the $499 computer nationwide.
"Mac fans have noted that the diminutive desktop appeared on
some store shelves last weekend, and Merrill Lynch issued a
research note on Monday talking about the potential impact of such
a move. Apple confirmed the plans on Tuesday."
iMac G5 Earns First Annual Bottom Line
Design Award
NEWS: business2.com's
Monica Khemsurov says:
"One in five Americans under 30 now owns a portable MP3 player,
thanks largely to the success of the iPod. But 96 percent of
computer users still have PCs. Not wanting to squander a drop of
the iPod's power as a crossover product, Apple created a desktop
computer in the iPod's image that's likely to be seen by a much
wider audience. It then spoke to that audience by pointedly
marketing the flat-panel iMac G5
as 'from the creators of iPod,' capitalizing on the cool
factor...."
eMac Quality Slipping?
NEWS: Hardmac's Lionel
says:
"A reader who works in an Apple CMAA let us know that last week
he got no less than 5 almost brand new eMacs that had had a
breakdown. If those failures weren't all identical, the motherboard
of the 5 machines had to be changed...."
Consumer Reports Looks to See if Mac mini Lives
up to Hype
NEWS: Consumer Reports
says:
"With the introduction of the $499 Mac Mini, Apple is touting the 'most
affordable Mac ever,' so does the Mac Mini offer the same big
benefits of the Apple for much less? Consumer Reports checked it
out....
"Bottom line, Consumer Reports said, with certain limitations,
the Mac Mini offers a way into the Mac world at a lower price than
ever before."
Living Happily with a PC and a Mac mini
NEWS: pcworld.com's Tracey
Capen says:
"Being a reviews editor at PC World means putting my hands on a
lot of computer products, many of which I load onto my home PC,
where I can look at them during my spare time evenings and
weekends.
"With all of the loading and unloading software on the PC, it
occasionally chokes, sometimes so severely that I no longer have
access to essentials like e-mail and Photoshop. That made me wish
for a second PC. But with very limited work space, it would have to
be small, and share the keyboard, mouse, and LCD with my existing
tower.
"Inexpensive and charmingly small, the Mac Mini was just too
enticing to pass up. Yes, it's not running Windows, but that
actually made it even more attractive - it would be more resistant
to viruses and spyware, and I would be far less likely to junk it
up with test-ware. The really big question was: How well would it
cohabit with my Windows PC?"
Mac mini as Embedded Development Board
Alternative
NEWS: IBM Developerworks'
Peter Seebach says:
"The Mac Mini isn't just
competition for Shuttle computers and mini-tower PCs. It's also
competition for the much smaller embedded development boards that
many users are building custom applications around. Peter Seebach
takes a look at the Mac Mini as an embedded development
platform.
"A lot of early coverage of the Mac Mini compares it to desktop
PCs, or even micro-ATX cases and other small PCs. What it looks
like, though, is a high-end embedded development board. Comparing
it to other embedded systems, you'll find that it's not much
bigger, and it's smaller than some. It has a broader array of
connectors, a faster processor, support for a very large amount of
memory, and comes with self-hosted development tools. In short, if
you look at it as an embedded development platform, it's a
competitive one."
Bring on the Mac minis of Different Colors
NEWS: macsimumnews.com's
Dennis Sellers says:
"My daughter, Katie, made a suggestion the other day that's so
obvious, I'm surprised I hadn't already thought of it: make the
Mac mini available in different
colors. The iPod mini is offered in a half-dozen different hues, so
why not the Mac mini?
"One of the goals with the
diminutive Mac is to bring new users to the Mac platform, namely
those who have been drawn to the world of Apple thanks to the iPod.
For those who've bought the traditional iPod or an iPod shuffle,
the Mac mini could still be available in its current white
form.
"But those who have silver, green, pink, blue, etc., iPod minis
might prefer a Mac mini to match. I know my daughter loves the
petiteness of the small Mac, but would rather have a blue one.
(Sorry, Katie, but you'll have to live with your aging iBook for a
while.)"
Note: Colorware
already offers colored Mac minis.
Mini Media Mac: mini Speed Backup
NEWS: macmerc.com
says:
"Don't toss that old Mac or PC yet. Yes, I know you'd be hard
pressed to fit a slice of processed cheese in the tiny case of the
Mac mini, but expansion isn't
limited to the mini's tiny interior.
"In this tutorial, we'll take advantage of the speed and power
of FireWire to turn your mini in to a fast, powerful backup
machine. And we'll do it using hardware you didn't even realize you
had."
Mac mini a New Appliance
NEWS: dbatrium.blogspot.com's
Mac Thoughts says:
"So what defines an this appliance as an iHome device?
"What are the particular aspects of an object that define it as
an appliance and what do we consider an appliance actually is.
"My old circa 1950's Websters defines it clearly.
- definition: appliance, n 1. The act of applying; application;
as the appliance of a theory. 2. Pliability; compliance;
subservience, [obs]. 3. Something applied to a particular use; a
tool; an apparatus or instrument; as, a mechanical appliance; the
appliances of a trade. Syn,- Arrangement, contrivance, apparatus,
device, machine, tool....
"The Mac mini may be the
host for an iPod dock or a mobile phone sync and many peripherals
will come for it as they have for the iPod. And this core of many
modes may well redefine the scope of this mini appliance....
"I read what the tech. gurus are saying about the small form
mass produced low cost appliance call the Mac mini. Yes I am
convinced that this device is indeed a true Hi 5 plug and play
appliance which will enhance life styles and add uniquely to the
super appliance iHome."
Mac mini an iAppliance
NEWS: Mini Ture_MacJournal's
JJ says:
"What makes a Mac mini an
iAppliance?
"Well the connectability for one aspect and the ability to run
Unix and other environments which can host some Intelligent agency
software.
"The wireless capability of AirPort Extreme from Apple and this
type of device interconnectivity is based upon the 802.11g
specification and is certified, IEEE 802.11b. The option of
installing an internal Bluetooth module makes the plug and play
ability and interconnection with other iAppliances and devices like
my Moto e398 a iconnect possibility but for the time being I choose
to sync through a USB cable supplied by Moto that came with the
Phone. To have the facility of a Bluetooth attachment is a real
bonus."
GTi - MacMini
NEWS: tunertricks.com
reports:
"When the dimensions for the MacMini were announced, I
immediately got to work figuring out what the best way to integrate
one into my own car would be. If I was going to put a Mac in my
car, I wanted to make sure it had all of the functionality that it
would have in a home environment while still maintaining an
easy-to-operate interface so that distractions could be kept to a
minimum. So the researching, planning, sketching and disassembly of
my car's interior (to see what would fit where) began. After taking
the thought process to every extreme imaginable, I decided on the
following equipment list:
- 1.42 GHz MacMini with 512 MB RAM, SuperDrive, Bluetooth and
AirPort Extreme
- Xenarc 700tsv 7″ USB touchscreen monitor with VGA and
dual composite video inputs
- Cirque EasyCat USB trackpad
- Griffin PowerMate assignable USB control knob
- LaCie 8 in 1 USB flash card reader
- Belkin USB 7-port powered hub
- Belkin USB four-port bus-powered hub
- Belkin FireWire 6-port mini hub
- Alpine PXA-H701 Multimedia processor with RUX-C701
controller
- MonsterCable MCPI300 300 watt power inverter
- Female USB, Ethernet and FireWire ports
- 40 gig iPod dock
- Griffin RadioShark USB FM/AM tuner"
Get Acquainted with Altivec's Abilities,
Rivals, and Aliases
NEWS: ibm.com's
Peter Seebach says:
"AltiVec? Velocity Engine? VMX? If you've only been casually
following PowerPC development, you might be confused by the various
guises of this vector processing SIMD technology. In this first
installment of a three-part series, Peter Seebach gives you the
basics on what AltiVec is, what it does - and how it stacks up
against its competition.
"On August 31, 1999, Apple announced that it would begin selling
computers that were considered 'supercomputers' by the U.S.
government, and could thus not be exported to some countries. This
caused a lot of controversy at the time. Now, five years later,
lots of computers are faster. But what is still interesting is that
the technology that Apple used as the basis for this fairly
dramatic claim is still in use, and it's still of major interest to
developers trying to get the best performance out of certain kinds
of tasks.
"Motorola® AltiVec" is one of the names . . . for
a specific example of Single Instruction, Multiple Data, or SIMD,
execution. Normally, a single instruction to a computer does a
single thing. A single SIMD instruction will also generally do a
single thing - but it will do it to multiple pieces of data at
once, thus the fairly unimaginative (but at least pronounceable!)
name. The multiple pieces of data being operated on at once are
often called vectors, hence the name AltiVec. More traditional
supercomputer vector processors might well store fifty or more
pieces of data in a single vector register. AltiVec is a little
more conservative...."
"VMX was the original code name for this extension inside IBM.
That term isn't in widespread use, with generic terms like SIMD or
vector processor preferred in IBM documentation. AltiVec is
Motorola's trade name for this set of extensions, and the company
thoughtfully trademarked the term. That's why Apple uses the name
Velocity Engine, which is nicely generic and refers to either
company's implementation of the technology."
OWC Reduces Pricing on Mercury Extreme G4
Upgrades
PR: Other World Computing (OWC) has announced it has
reduced prices by as much as $40 on its popular OWC Mercury Extreme G4 processor
upgrades.
The updated pricing, effective immediately:
- Mercury Extreme G4/933 MHz-1.0 GHz, $195 (was $229.99),
- Mercury Extreme G4/1.0-1.2 GHz, $289 (was $299),
- Mercury Extreme G4/1.3-1.4 GHz, $349 (was $389)
- Mercury Extreme G4/1.4-1.5 GHz $429 (was $459.99).
"The OWC Mercury Extreme G4 line is one of our best sellers,"
said Larry O'Connor, president of OWC. "These easy-to-install,
plug-and-play processor upgrades are the easiest way to speed up
your Power Mac G4, and now they're an even better value."
Each Mercury Extreme G4 includes 256 KB of 1:1 L2 cache on-chip
and 2 MB of high-speed L3 cache, and is covered by OWC's
three-year limited warranty and 30-day 100 percent money-back
guarantee.
All models are compatible with Apple PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics
(Sawtooth), Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio and Quicksilver models,
and with Mac OS 9.2.1 or higher, all versions of OS X 10.0.4
and later including 10.3.x Panther versions.
Sonnet Drops Prices up to $50 on Processor
Upgrades, PCI Adapter Cards
PR: Sonnet Technologies has reduced pricing by $20 to $50
on several G3 and G4 processor upgrade cards and PCI adapter cards
for various PowerBook, Power Macintosh and Power Mac computers.
Prices are now as low as $199.95 MSRP for the Encore/ST G4 1.0 GHz,
marking the first time Sonnet has offered a 1.0 GHz upgrade for
under $200. These price reductions make upgrading a Mac with
quality Sonnet products more affordable than ever.
Sonnet's New Prices:
Crescendo/WS
G3 500 MHz now $199.95 (was $249.95). The Crescendo/WS is
compatible with the PowerBook Series 233, 250, 266, 292, 300 MHz
(Wallstreet)
Encore/ST
G4 1.0 GHz (Part No. SG4-1000-2M) now $199.95 (was $229.95).
Encore/ST G4 1.7 GHz (Part No. SG4-1700) now $449.95 (was $499.95).
These Encore/ST G4 upgrades are compatible with the Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics), (Gigabit Ethernet), (Digital Audio), (Quicksilver)
Encore/ST
G4 1.2 GHz (Part No. SG4-C1200) now $249.95 (was $299.95).
Encore/ST G4 1.7 GHz (Part No. SG4-C1700) now $449.95 (was
$499.95). These Encore/ST G4 upgrades are compatible with the
Power Mac G4 Cube.
Encore/ZIF
G4 700 MHz now $199.95 (was $249.95). The Encore/ZIF G4 700 MHz is
compatible with the Power Macintosh
G3 All-in-one, Desktop, Minitower, Blue & White, and Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics).
Tango 2.0
FireWire/USB Combo PCI Adapter Card now $49.95 (was
$69.95). The Tango 2.0 is compatible with almost all Power
Macintosh models.
Tempo
Serial ATA Host Controller PCI Adapter Card now $79.95 (was
$99.95). The Tempo Serial ATA is compatible with almost all Power
Macintosh models.
New Products
Giga Designs Announces 2.0 GHz G4 CPU
Upgrade
PR: Giga
Designs, a manufacturer of high performance processor
upgrades for Apple Macintosh computers, is now shipping the fastest
(2.0 GHz) G4 processor upgrade available for Apple AGP equipped G4
Power Macs. The new G-celerator™ AGP 7A series upgrade uses
the latest G4 (7447A) processor available from Freescale™
(formerly Motorola). The new 7447A processors feature a 512 KB on
chip L2 cache running at full processor speed.
All of the G-celerator AGP 7A series upgrades are proudly
assembled in the US and carry a three year limited warranty. They
include Giga Designs 47A Firmware Updater and the GigaMeter
OS X speed & processor ID extension.
The new 2.0 GHz AGP 7A series processor upgrade is in stock.
Model Number: 7A-1620U Description: AGP 7A 1.6 GHz tested at 2.0
GHz. MSRP: $499
Compatible Power Mac G4 models include:
System requirements: G-celerator AGP 7A series upgrades require
OS X 10.3.5 or later. The upgrades are OS 9.2.2 and OS X
dual boot configuration compatible. While these upgrades boot under
OS 9, Giga Designs does not test, warrant, or support third
party software operation under OS 9.
Guest PC 1.2 Virtual x86 Emulator
PR: Guest
PC is another computer inside your Mac. That computer is an
emulated x86 PC.
It is virtual, and it has no separate monitor, mouse, keyboard,
or hard drive. It is just a Mac OS X program that allows you
to install the Microsoft Windows operating system on your Mac and
use the software developed only for Windows compatible
computers.
Guest PC works just like a usual application and you can easily
switch between Windows and Mac OS X desktops at will.
New in this version:
- DR-DOS 7 hangs
- SLAX crash
- Some VisualBasic application crash
- 2x performance improvement on G5 processors
- Better stability and compatibility
- Windows Setup Assistant can use non-bootable Windows
Installation CDs
- DVD disk reading support
- Better Modem support
- Serial Port support for RS-232 and USB-to-Serial adapters
- VESA VBE 2.0 support
- Manual Modem selection enabled
- Manual Printer selection enabled
- Manual Serial Port selection enabled
- Support for .vfi, .flp, .144, .ima floppy images
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
Guest PC sells for $69.99.
QuickerTek Mac Mini AirPort Antenna up
to Triples Wireless Range
PR: QuickerTek has further
extended their line of wireless Macintosh products by announcing a
new omnidirectional antenna for the entire Mac mini line. The new
Mac Mini Antenna offers 5.5dBi of RF power, which means that
wireless networking distances can be as much a three times further
than when using the stock antenna. The suggested retail price is
$80.
A three-foot coax cable comes
with the antenna for easy mounting. It works with Mac OS 9 up
to and including Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger". The Mini Antenna is
equally at home in AirPort and AirPort Extreme networks. This new
design does not alter the case in any way and is styled to match
the Mac mini case.
"Ever since the mini exploded onto the market, we've been
cooking up antenna ideas for it. This new Mini Antenna makes sense
for both desktop and mobile mini users. Just because mini users
have the coolest small Mac available doesn't mean that they have to
be shortchanged on wireless networking range," stated Rick Estes,
president QuickerTek. "Our new Mini Antenna not only triples
wireless range, it also matches the mini case perfectly," he
continued. "We are very impressed with the mini and are planning
more enhancements," he stated.
"This new QuickerTek antenna for the Mac mini boosts the
versatility of Apple's latest engineering marvel while
significantly boosting the range of the Mac mini's wireless
connection. QuickerTek has paid attention to the attractive design
of the Mac mini with an externally mountable antenna that does not
mar the case and actually complements the stylish lines of the Mac
mini. Rick and his team of antenna wizards have come up with
another hit!" stated Don Mayer, CEO of Small Dog Electronics.
QuickerTek is a recognized leading innovator of antennas and RF
products for Apple desktop and portable computers. QuickerTek
products can be purchased at Mac dealers such as Small Dog
Electronics, TechnoWarehouse, PowerBook Medic, and many others.
International customers can order from AM Micro in the UK and
MacLand in Germany.
Que! M3 External FireWire/USB 2.0 Hard
Drive
PR: The
Que! M3 UltraSlim hard drives are housed in a sleek,
slim, and stackable case with fast FireWire or USB 2.0 connection.
Choose from a large variety of drive capacities at speeds up to
7,200 rpm for your best performance for audio, video, image, or
data storage. Simply connect the Que! M3 drive to any FireWire or
USB 2.0 enabled computer for convenient sharing and transportation
of large size critical information in a flash! For extra large
storage configurations simply daisy-chain FireWire devices or use
USB 2.0 rated hubs to connect multiple drives to a single connector
on your computer.
The Que! M3 offers all the advantages of true plug and play
FireWire or USB 2.0 interface with hot swappable connectivity so
you can grab it and go. Designed for the new age of the digital
recording and video real time editing, our Que! M3 drive solutions
will put you at the fore front of the digital revolution with the
versatility you need to work and play your way. The Que! M3
UltraSlim includes software for Macintosh.
Features
- M3 UltraSlim Hard Drive
- UltraSlim graphite case
- FireWire or USB 2.0 Connectors
- Large Capacity drives from 40 to 250 GB
- Stackable
- 7200 RPM spindle speed
- Transfer Rates from 20.9 MB/Sec
- Average seek 8.2 to 9 msec
- Buffer 2 MB to 8 MB
- Formatted Capacity
- USB 2.O
- QPM3HDU2120L 120 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HDU280L 80 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HDU240L 40 GB 7200 RPM
- FireWire
- QM3H250FL 250 GB 7200 RPM
- QM3H200FL 200 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HD72F160L 160 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HD72F120L 120 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HD72F80L 80 GB 7200 RPM
- QPM3HD72F60L 60 GB 7200 RPM
- Software for Mac
- FireWire or USB 2.0 Cable
- Power Supply
- Warranty 1 Year
Prices
- 80 GB Que! M3 External USB 2.0 Hard Drive, $89.99
- 120 GB Que! M3 External USB 2.0 Hard Drive, $119.99
- 160 GB Que! M3 USB 2.0 Hard Drive, $125
- 200 GB Que! M3 USB 2.0 Hard Drive, $159.99
- 250 GB 7200 RPM M5-ES IEEE-1394 FireWire 800 / USB 2.0, Hard
Drive, $259.99
XrackHosting Announces Mac mini Based
Hosting Service
PR: XrackHosting is pleased
to announce their new Mac mini dedicated hosting service! This
powerful little machine provides a perfect step up from shared
hosting without all the expense - and with the included Mac OS X
Server, you will have the most powerful Mac OS at your
fingertips!
Finally, a Mac OS X-based Web hosting provider that gives you
the platform you want without paying a high premium! Even better,
we are customer service driven - many say this, but few deliver.
This means that we truly appreciate your business, and will do
whatever we can to keep you happy.
Several hosting packages are offered, priced from $9.95 to
$49.95.
To celebrate the launch of our support of one of Apple's coolest
products, we're giving away another! Sign up for a dedicated Mac
mini by April 15th, and an iPod shuffle is yours for the
taking!
We are located directly inside of the Level 3 facility in
Orlando, Florida. No other Mac shared host can claim this kind of
connectivity... We offer unmatched reliability, performance and
redundancy! There are peering points with many major networks right
inside the building... this means quicker response times for users
of your site, no matter where on the globe they are coming in
from.
We're a Mac-based hosting provider, so why not use some of the
slick tools that Apple has given us? In addition to the live
support built in to the website, we are also offering iChat support
for our customers! We know it's not rocket science... but we were
the first! Sign Up now to take advantage!
Axentra Announces Net-Box Software
Edition for PCs and Mac mini
PR: With Net-Box Soft, consumers can turn virtually any
PC or Mac mini into a complete digital home server.
Axentra Corporation
has announced that it will release a software-only edition of its
award-winning Net-Box Home Server to power virtually any PC and Mac
mini.
Axentra's upcoming Net-Box Soft, is an all-in-one operating
environment and software suite that turns a PC or a Mac mini into a
dedicated digital home server appliance that incorporates unified
interface and universal remote access, central file storage and
sharing, backup and security, personal productivity and personal
hosting server capabilities in one single plug and play cross
platform device.
Net-Box Soft for PC and Mac mini is based on Axentra's Network
Appliance Operating Environment 3.0 software platform.
"Net-Box Soft, a complete digital home server on a CD, is a
revolution for the networked home" said Eid EID, CTO of Axentra
Corporation. "Our software-only solution empowers consumers to
choose their preferred hardware platform and configuration to
install a dedicated home server that easily integrates into
existing home network infrastructures while leveraging consumers'
computer network devices such as routers, wireless access points,
Windows and Macs computers, printers etc."
The Net-Box Software Edition for PCs and Mac minis will be
shipping in Q3 of 2005 and will retail for US$199.
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers every two
weeks:
For deals on laptops, see our Best PowerBook G4 Deals,
Best iBook G4 Deals,
and Best iBook G3
Deals. For deals on iPods, see our Best iPod Deals.
