PowerBook, iBook, MacBook, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. iPod, iPhone,
and Apple TV news is covered in The iNews
Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products
Software
News & Opinion
Windows Market Share Below 90%, Internet Explorer
Below 70% - Mac, Linux, Firefox, and Safari Growing
NetApplications HitsLink have posted Operating System Market Share
stats for November 2008, showing the Mac OS's market share gained more
than half a point during the month, its high-water mark for the 21st
Century. Windows dropped below 90%, and Linux's share gained more than
a point over the month, while the iPhone version of OS X was up
slightly.
Here's the Operating System Total Market
Share rundown of the significant players for November (October figures
in parentheses):
- Windows 89.62% (90.46%)
- Mac 8.87% (8.21%)
- Linux 0.83% ( 0.71%)
- iPhone 0.37% (0.33%)
Comparing longer term, at 89.62% Windows is down nearly five
percentage points since May 2006 (95.09%), while the Mac OS at 8.87%
has more than doubled its share over the same interval from 4.43% in
May 2006. Linux has also more than doubled its share from 0.40% to
0.83% percent.
In terms of versions:
Windows:
- Windows XP 66.31% (68.11%)
- Windows Vista 20.45% (19.29% )
- Windows 2000 1.56% (1.72%)
- Windows NT 0.77% (0.78%)
- Windows 98 0.29% ( 0.31%)
- Windows ME 0.17% (0.18%)
- Windows CE 0.05% (0.06%)
- Macintosh:
- Macintel 6.51% (5.94%)
- Mac OS (Classic) 2.35% (2.27%)
- iPhone 0.37% (0.31%)
- iPod 0.05% (0.04%)
- Linux 0.83% (0.71%)
Browser Share
Moving on to browsers, for the first time since Hitslink began
tracking, the Firefox browser has exceeded 20% share for a full month.
Firefox share jumped about eight tenths of a percent in November, which
is much higher than average. Hitslink attributes the gain to the US
election, Thanksgiving, and some extra weekend days.
Hitslink also posted the broader November Browser Market Share stats
on Monday, showing Internet Explorer dropping back again, Firefox up as
noted to 20.87 percent from 19.97 percent, and Safari also gaining
significant ground last month to 7.13% percent from 6.65 percent, with
Opera dropping back in to number five spot, bumped by newcomer
Chrome.
Browser Total Market Share:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - 69.77% (71.27%)
- Firefox - 20.78% (19.97% )
- Safari -7.13% ( 6.57% )
- Chrome - 0.83% (0.74%)
- Opera - 0.71% (0.75%)
- Netscape - 0.53% (0.45%)
- Mozilla - 0.08% (0.09% )
- Opera Mini - 0.06% (0.06%)
- Link:
Operating System Market Share, by Platform
- Link:
Operating System Market Share, by OS Version
- Link: Browser
Market Share
5 Reasons to Choose OS X
Softpedia's
Sergiu Gatlan says:
"People will always write articles about which operating system is
better. While making comparisons, let's say, between Windows and OS X,
will surely make you a target of fans of either the former or the
latter (depending on your approach), I think that stating the obvious
pros in regard to OS X will only make its fans give a 'yes, he's right'
kind of nod and the Windows fans just stop for a moment and think it
over.
"Would OS X actually be a viable alternative to Windows? Well let's
just see what its pros are and if they overcome those that Windows
users will put on the table."
Link:
Five Reasons to Choose OS X
12 More 'Unanswered Apple Questions'
AppleInsider
reports on Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's latest analysis of
Apple's prospects including the probability or otherwise of an Apple
netbook.
Munster deduces that the new aluminum MacBooks "are selling well,"
although he doesn't believe sales are exceeding Apple's own internal
estimates since stores have had ample supply throughout the launch. He
does note that in-store checks have revealed that the new aluminum
models "are vastly more popular" than the holdover $999 white plastic
model ($999), but that the latter is finding more success in the
Education market.
As for a Mac netbook, Munster observes that Steve Jobs has indicated
Apple "doesn't do cheap", and has not yet entered what he feels to be a
"nascent market" for low-cost laptops, but he expresses belief that
Apple could find success with a product in its lineup between the
iPhone and the MacBook, the the most likely candidate being an 11"
MacBook Air priced between $800 and $1,000, which could be released
some time in 2009, which, if an accurate assessment, will prove
disappointing to Mac fans pining after a small laptop of the sort
typified by the Asus EEE PC S101 and the MSI Wind.
Link:
Piper Jaffray Addresses 12 More 'Unanswered Apple Questions'
Do Surge Protectors Really Protect Your
Electronics?
SMH's Louisa Hearn
reports:
"Rick Mooney arrived home one day to discover the fried remains of
his MacBook Pro, two routers and Roku SoundBridge music system.
"Lightning had struck a phone line two doors down, and within
nanoseconds the current had ripped around the neighbourhood in the
remote Australian township of Nhulumbuy, destroying every device
connected to the network.
"'I got a big surge down my phone system, which caused a lot of
damage because my wireless network was down and everything was
connected to my Mac.'
"While a lightning strike to a power or phone line can do extensive
damage in a single hit, even on a normal sunny day surges and sags
might be bombarding your power supply, eating away at the health of
your hardware.
"But many people are content to try their luck when it comes to
protecting their home entertainment equipment, ignorant of the fact
that the biggest threat to their equipment does not always come out of
the sky.
"Sarath Perera, associate professor of electrical engineering at the
University of Wollongong says that continuous disturbances in the power
supply tend to happen without our knowledge, but can substantially
compromise sensitive equipment over time...."
Link: Do Surge
Protectors Really Protect Your Gadgets?
Logitech Ships Billionth Mouse
PR: Logitech has announced that it has shipped its billionth
mouse. A pioneer in the development of the computer mouse in the 1980s,
Logitech has enthusiastically driven nearly every major innovation in
mouse technology - persistently refining this ubiquitous interface
between people and their digital experiences. With more than a billion
people currently using computers worldwide and another billion expected
to begin using computers by 2014, according to a report by analyst firm
Gartner, Logitech continues to pursue compelling innovation to delight
users of the next billion mice and input devices of the future.
Founded in a farmhouse in Apples, Switzerland in 1981 and
shortly thereafter establishing strong ties in Silicon Valley, Logitech
introduced its first retail mouse in 1985 and reached the 100 millionth
mouse mark in 1996. Sales of Logitech mice topped 500 million seven
years later. Today, Logitech sells mice in more than 100 countries
worldwide and manufactures an average of 376,000 mice per day and 7.8
million every month.
"Since the first click of the Logitech P4 mouse in 1982, Logitech
mice have played an indispensable role in the evolution of the personal
computer," said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief
executive officer. "During the last few decades, the way people use
computers has changed dramatically - what was once strictly a business
tool has become highly integrated into our personal lives. Logitech has
continually pursued innovations to meet those changing conditions,
introducing - in the last five years alone - the world's first laser
mouse, hyperfast scrolling and the nano-receiver."
"Looking to the future, the gesture-based Logitech MX Air mouse and
the hybrid Logitech diNovo Mini palm-sized keyboard hint at what can be
expected from Logitech's next generation of innovations," said Rory
Dooley, Logitech senior vice president and general manager of the
Control Devices business unit. "While the traditional mouse and
keyboard still make the most sense for productivity, the emergence of
the digital home and new forms of entertainment are opening the doors
to new ways of interacting with the computer, whether it be voice,
touch or something entirely new."
As Logitech celebrates its milestone, many will be celebrating the
fortieth anniversary of the first public demonstration of the computer
mouse.
"What a wonderful coincidence that the leading mouse manufacturer
has announced such a significant milestone in the same month that we
celebrate Doug Engelbart's legendary public debut of the computer
mouse," said Curt Carlson, president and chief executive officer of SRI
International. "Logitech's product innovations support Engelbart's
vision of human-computer tools for interactive and collaborative
work."
In celebration of its billionth mouse, Logitech is launching a
contest that invites people to follow the travels of this notable mouse
- from the manufacturing line to its final destination - and to try to
figure out where in the world it will end up. The mouse's journey will
be chronicled on Logitech's blog, BLogitech.
Link: Logitech Ships
Billionth Mouse
Products
'Welcome to Macintosh' DVD on Sale for $19.84
PR: "Welcome to Macintosh - The documentary for the rest of
us" is now available on DVD. "Welcome to Macintosh" explores the
history, culture and worldwide impact of Apple Inc. and the Macintosh.
In addition to the film, the DVD includes over 3 hours of extra content
including extended interviews, a "making of" featurette, trailers,
photo journal, and more. The DVD goes far beyond the movie, exploring
in-depth the stories and experiences that made the Macintosh what it is
today with shipments beginning December 15th.
"Welcome to Macintosh" is the first documentary of its kind to
mix history, criticism, and an unapologetic revelry of all things Apple
into a movie experience. The film explores the early years of Apple,
the many challenges Apple has faced, and what the future may hold for
the company and it's products. Ex-Apple employees, engineers, and
community members offer insight on the company's innovations, failures,
cultural impact, and what the future may be like beyond the reign of
its cofounder Steve Jobs. Interviews include notable Apple
personalities Andy Hertzfeld, cocreator of the original Macintosh; Guy
Kawasaki, long time Mac evangelist; Leander Kahney, author of the book
"Cult of Mac"; Jim Reekes, creator of the Macintosh startup sound; and
Ron Wayne, original cofounder of the Apple Computer Company.
With acceptance in five international film festivals, "Welcome to
Macintosh" is reaching its goal of bringing the story of Apple and the
Macintosh to the new generation of iPhone and iPod users around the
world.
"Welcome to Macintosh is required viewing for any Mac user, new or
old," says James Savage, cohost of the RetroMacCast, a popular podcast
dedicated to classic Mac users.
"The film succeeds in chronicling the rich history of Apple through
firsthand accounts by the colorful personalities who were there. For
longtime Mac fans, it's a trip down memory lane with a few surprises
along the way. For new Mac users, they get an appreciation for those of
us who bleed in six colors," adds James.
"The DVD goes far beyond the movie, exploring in-depth the stories
and experiences that made the Macintosh what it is today," says Rob
Baca, codirector of the film. "There are so many great stories to hear,
we are very excited to have the opportunity to share them."
"There are millions of people around the world who are just now
learning about Apple through the iPhone or the iPod, and they are
interested, they want to know more," says Josh Rizzo, codirector. "We
worked hard to make the film entertaining and as nontechnical as
possible, but it does get a little nerd-friendly from time to
time."
"Welcome to Macintosh is an informative and entertaining film for
the computer illiterate and Mac geeks alike. From industry insiders to
hard-core Mac enthusiasts to eccentric Mac owners, Welcome to Macintosh
covers the spectrum of "Mac People" and shows why Apple is unique in
the industry," Jason Dean, The Capital Times, Madison WI.
The widescreen DVD is NTSC Region Free and includes over three hours
of extended interviews, a "making of" featurette, theatrical trailers,
behind the scenes photo journal, Mac symbiosis montage, interactive
menus and subtitles in English and Spanish.
The filmmakers have some exciting public events planned for the
coming months, all to be announced through their website and social
network.
Link: Welcome to
Macintosh (trailer on YouTube)
NewerTech Voyager, World's First 'Quad Interface'
SATA Hard Drive Docking Station
PR: Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) has announced
NewerTech Voyager, the world's first "Quad Interface" SATA I/II Hard
Drive Docking Station with support for four interfaces: FireWire
800/400, USB 2.0, and eSATA. NewerTech Voyager turns any 2.5" or 3.5"
Serial ATA (SATA) I/II hard drive up to 2.0 TB into a fully bootable
and hot-swappable external drive solution.
Easy
& Convenient to Use
Using Voyager is so simple: just insert any standard 2.5" or 3.5"
SATA I/II hard drive (up to 2.0 TB) into Voyager's compact docking base
and select the fastest of the four interfaces supported by your
computer for read/write data speeds of up to 3.0 Gb/s. There's nothing
else to install or configure. Voyager saves users the time and
inconvenience of installing a hard drive into a computer or using an
external hard drive enclosure with limited interfaces and slower
speeds.
Plug and Play Hot-Swap Ready
With the most interfaces available on the market, Voyager provides
Plug and Play ease of use for a fast external hard drive solution that
works with both Macs and PCs. In fact, Voyager is so easy to use, that
combined with today's low cost of hard drive storage, users can think
of a bare SATA I/II drive as being as convenient to use as a flash
memory card, with the same instant access benefits and the addition of
huge storage capacity gains. In addition, Voyager is completely
hot-swappable for consumers wanting to move multiple drives at will
while their computer is on and running. Its unique design and drive
eject button makes inserting, using, and removing SATA I/II hard drives
a safe and effortless procedure.
The ideal solution for storage archives, professional photographers,
videographers, and other hard drive storage archivers will no longer
need multiple drive enclosures and power supplies for every archived
hard drive. "Whether consumers want to re-task an older swapped-out
hard drive, need to access multiple drives, or want to add big
capacity, low cost external storage capacity to their desktop, Voyager
is able to travel any computer user's data universe needs with ease,"
said Grant Dahlke, NewerTech's Product Manager. "Its design and 'Quad
Interface' functionality offer high speed 'slide and swap' hard drive
read/write performance and convenience never before available."
NewerTech
Voyager Features:
- Supports all 2.5" and 3.5" SATA I/II hard drives up to 2.0 TB
- "Quad Interface" for maximum system compatibility and data transfer
rates
- Data transfer rates up to 3.0 Gb/s (300 MB/s)
- Push button drive eject for safe hard drive removal
- Hot-Swap functionality for fast access of multiple hard drives
- Weighted base and non skid rubber feet for stable operation
- 2-Color Status LED: left side blue for power on, right side
flashing red for disk activity
- Compact design: measures 5.28" x 3.70" x 2.68" inches and weighs
1.35 lb. without drive
- Whisper Quiet operation - no cooling fan needed
- Plug and Play with Macs and PCs
- All interface connection cables included
- RoHS Compliant
- One year warranty
NewerTech Voyager is priced at $99.95 MSRP and is available
immediately from NewerTech's exclusive distributor, Other World
Computing (OWC), at macsales.com , as well as through the retail
channel. Voyager includes all its supported interface connector cables
and an auto-switching power supply for worldwide compatibility.
Additionally, OWC has created five Voyager/Hard Drive
Bundles priced starting at $157.99 to offer consumers the ultimate
in convenience and economy.
Link: NewerTech
Voyager
Unlimited Colors and Designs Make morespace
Portable Hard Drive a Must Have Computer Accessory
PR: Hammer Storage, a division of Bell Microproducts
Inc., one of the world's largest value-added distributors of storage
and computing technology, today announced the release of its latest
storage solution: morespace Portable. Hammer's morespace Portable is a
compact, lightweight portable hard drive that allows users to instantly
add more space to both PCs and Macs. Complete with easy to use back-up
software, morespace Portable is available now. Priced below comparable
offerings, morespace Portable costs under 26¢ per gigabyte (GB) of
storage.
morespace Portable is very compact - allowing consumers to take data
with them wherever they go. With a skinnable face and compact design,
morespace Portable features a 2.5 inch drive, weighs just 5 ounces and
offers instant storage capacity for all types of data - all with no
external power source.
For
on-the-go consumers, the new morespace is small enough to fit into a
shirt pocket and offers users the ability to make their morespace
exclusively their own through the use of customizable skins, which will
also protect it from scratches. morespace Portable sets itself apart by
offering more than just the standard color choices available from its
major competitors. By simply visiting http://hammer-storage.com/skins/,
users can purchase completely custom skins that feature a favorite
photograph, color scheme, artwork, or other fashionable design. One
skin is included with the morespace Portable unit to get consumers
started, which can easily be removed and replaced with a custom skin of
the consumer's choice.
Joe Cousins, executive vice president, enterprise solutions for Bell
Microproducts, commented that, "Electronic devices have become such an
integral part of our every day lives, and Hammer Storage wanted to
provide a creative outlet for consumers to express their individuality
and uniqueness by giving them the ability to make morespace their own.
The only limit to skinning the morespace unit is one's imagination -
the possibilities are endless to make each morespace unique to its
owner."
Cousins continued, "Consumers are becoming more and more comfortable
making personal storage purchases. Familiarity with the options
available combined with the consolidation of suppliers of major
computer products is causing consumers to place more emphasis on the
look and feel of the products being offered."
With the
worldwide external and network storage market reaching 47 million units
sold in 2007, today's increasingly digital lifestyles and massive
amounts of data accumulated necessitate storage options that are
simple, reliable and affordable. In fact, consumers are demanding such
options. Hammer Storage is focused on simplifying data storage
solutions for home and office users who need to protect and share their
irreplaceable digital memories including treasured family photos, home
movies and music downloads. Additionally, the new morespace Portable is
very compact - allowing consumers to take this data with them wherever
they go.
morespace Portable follows in the successful footsteps of Hammer
Storage's initial morespace offering, morespace External, in providing
a simple storage solution for home and office users. With a skinnable
face and compact design, morespace Portable features a 2.5 inch drive,
weighs just 5 ounces and offers instant storage capacity for all types
of data - all with no external power source.
"morespace Portable is the perfect answer for consumers that need
more storage capacity immediately, and need to be able to take it with
them and access it in multiple locations. Hammer Storage is able to
break down cost barriers by utilizing Bell Micro's market leadership in
hard disk drives and storage, giving us the ability to offer morespace
Portable at the extremely competitive price point of less than 26 cents
per GB of storage," added Cousins.
morespace Portable is backed by a one-year warranty and the
support of Hammer Storage's data storage experts. Capacities currently
offered include 160 GB up to 500 GB, with 750 GB expected to be
available in early 2009. To learn more about morespace, please call
1-800-237-0840 or go to hammer-storage.com
morespace Portable is priced as follows:
- 160 GB = $59.99
- 250 GB = $79.99
- 320 GB = $89.99
- 400 GB = $119.99
- 500 GB = $139.99
Link: morespace
Portable
Software
Ohanaware Updates Funtastic Photos: Faster, Better,
and Cheaper
PR: Ohanaware, a company specializing in photo editing
software announced the immediate availability of an update to their
flagship product "Funtastic Photos". Funtastic Photos is an easy to use
photo editor for the Macintosh platform. This update (free to existing
customer) features over 20 improvements to Funtastic Photos and
strengthens Ohanaware's commitment to making Funtastic Photos one of
the best photo editors available.
Funtastic Photos is Ohanaware's amazingly easy to use photo editor
for Apple Macintosh computers. Funtastic Photos features some of the
most advanced photo editing technologies, such as Nondestructive Photo
Editing. This amazing technology allows nonpermanant manipulations to
made to a photo, these changes can then be altered or removed at any
time. The edited photo can easily be 'rewound' back to its original
state, regardless when or how much editing has taken place.
Funtastic Photos makes photo editing so simple with 1-Click Styles,
a single click can fix problems and enhance the photo in ways never
imagined. Funtastic Photos ships with 50+ 1-Click Styles which provide
some original, unique and cool photo effects. Printing photos at home
will never be the same. Funtastic Photos offers a range of inspiring
layout designs, including amazing picture collages (or photo mosaics to
some), addictive photo cubes and simple greeting cards.
Funtastic Photos is a combined Photo Editor and Photo Sharing tool.
Having the Photo Sharing built-in to Funtastic Photos makes it real
easy to quickly edit a photo and share it online using e-mail,
attractive Fun Cards, and direct uploads to the most popular photo
sharing sites such as Facebook, Picasa Web Albums, MobileMe &
Flickr. A trial version of Funtastic Photos can be downloaded from
Ohanaware's website.
The Funtastic Photos 1.0.2 update is the best release of Funtastic
Photos to date. 5 new 1-Click Styles and 2 more borders have been added
to Funtastic Photos, giving the user even more choice. Quite a few of
the existing 1-Click Styles and effect modules in Funtastic Photos are
now up to 330% faster, thanks largely to some serious optimization and
re-factoring of one of the slowest routines. Minor speed improvements
have been made to other areas such as image loading, but none as
dramatic as 330%! A new effect module was added, it replicates the old
Date & Stamp that featured on cameras in the 90s, it comes complete
with a retro style and customization features.
The iPhoto integration was improved, by adding the ability for
Funtastic Photos to find iPhoto libraries when they are not in the
default location. Several bugs were fixed with the MobileMe uploader,
including one that could prevent some MobileMe accounts from being
used. Photo Cubes now have assembly instructions printed in the white
space making it easier for everyone to assemble photo cubes. Other
improvements include adding a flash to the iSight Camera, fixing a
problem with the motion blur, improving the browser experience and
amongst other things, more options to the Fun Card Sender.
For the entire month of December Ohanaware are offering 20% off
everything in their online store. This includes Funtastic Photos Single
User, now $27.99 (USD and before tax). The family pack is now $57 (USD
and before tax). Ohanaware are also offering a 3 for 2 Gift Card Pack,
where you can get 3 gift cards for the price of 2, and then 20%
discount on top of that! Happy Holidays From Ohanaware. Funtastic
Photos 1.0.2 is a FREE update to all existing Funtastic Photos
customers. This new release can be downloaded from Ohanaware's
website.
System Requirements:
Funtastic Photos requires a Power Macintosh G4, G5 or Intel based
Macintosh computer, running Mac OS X v 10.4 or later. It is recommended
to have at least 512 MB of RAM.
Funtastic Photos is available today for the seasonal price of $27.99
(USD). A free unlimited trial can be downloaded from Ohanaware's web
site, during the trial Funtastic Photos will watermark any exported or
shared photos. Ohanaware provides a wallet friendly family pack, up to
5 people can install and use Funtastic Photos, for the great price of
$56.00 (USD).** Gift Vouchers are available, enabling anyone to give
the gift of Funtastic Photos, during December we're doing a special
gift voucher pack, 3 for the price of 2. For more information or to
download a free trial version, visit Ohanaware's website.
Link: Funtastic Photos
Songbird, a Free Mozilla-Based Web Media
Player
PR: Songbird is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox and
Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports extensions and skins
feathers. Like Firefox, it is built from Mozilla, cross-platform and
open source.
Discover Flickr photos, YouTube videos, last.fm biographies, Google
news (and more) for the currently playing artist.
- Last.fm Scrobbling - Integrated Last.fm support allows you to
scrobble, love, and ban your tracks.
- Concert Tickets - Discover upcoming shows in your area based on the
artists in your library. Event listings powered by Songkick.
- SHOUTcast Radio - Stream music using the integrated SHOUTcast Radio
directory.
- Customize with Add-ons - Enhance Songbird with community
contributed add-ons like MediaFlow or build one of your own.
Features
- Media Importing - Add media to Songbird by importing from your file
system or iTunes.
- Media Playback - Songbird supports MP3, FLAC, and Vorbis on all
platforms; WMA and WMA DRM on Windows; and AAC and FairPlay on Windows
and Mac.
- GStreamer - Songbird now uses GStreamer as our main media playback
system, across all platforms.
- Smart Playlists - Create dynamic playlists that automatically
update based on criteria you set.
- Web Browser - Songbird includes an integrated web browser with
features like bookmarking, tabbed browsing, and more.
- Cross Platform - Songbird runs on Windows, Linux and Mac.
- Multi-language Support - Over 25 completed, community-contributed
localizations and growing!
- Automatic Updates - Always stay up to date using Songbird's
built-in automatic updates.
- Setup Assistant - Quickly setup Songbird for the first time.
- Custom UI - Make Songbird your own by choosing from dozens of
different skins feathers.
- Library Management - Browse, organize, sort and search your
media.
- Developer Support - Songbird is getting better everyday thanks to
its open platform and growing developer community.
In Beta
- Device Support - Songbird's device support is limited. The Device
Support wiki has additional details about what's supported. Apple
iPhones, iPod touch, and Microsoft Zune devices are not yet
supported.
- Metadata Management - Songbird supports reading from and writing
metadata to many music file formats. We still need to support the
ability to fetch additional metadata from popular lookup services.
- Album Artwork - Display the currently playing track's album art and
write new artwork back to the file. We still need to support album art
fetching.
- Subscriptions - Subscribe to music blogs and download music
directly to your library. We're working on ways to improve this
feature.
- Performance & Stability - Improving the performance and
stability of Songbird is an ongoing focus. Each release we set aside
dedicated cycles to ensure we're making progress.
Coming Soon
- CD Rip - CD Rip and encoding are forthcoming. Check the roadmap for
details.
- Watch Folders - Automatically importing media from defined folders
is coming soon. Check the roadmap for details.
- Video - We're still nailing the music player experience, but can't
wait to properly integrate video! Check the roadmap for details.
New in version 1.0:
- Improved Audio/Playback Functionality
- Now usees GStreamer as main media playback system, across all
platforms - giving higher performance, better reliability, and a
platform for much more media-related functionality in the future.
- Songbird supports MP3, FLAC, and Vorbis on all platforms; WMA on
Windows; and AAC on Windows and Mac.
- UI Experience Improvements
- User experience improvements include these significant visual and
functional changes:
- Many new keyboard shortcuts added. The list of those supported per
platform can be viewed via "Keyboard Shortcuts" selection in the Help
menu.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
System support: Intel
Freeware
Link: Songbird
Acclivity Purchases MYOB US, Strengthens Mac
Product Development
PR: Acclivity, current US distributor of MYOB software,
announced it has acquired MYOB US Inc. and its Mac (and PC) development
team from MYOB Limited of Australia. Acclivity will now drive global
development of MYOB's Mac OS business management products - FirstEdge,
AccountEdge, and AccountEdge Network Edition.
Acclivity will continue to enhance and deliver these products to its
US customers. Acclivity will also develop the Mac OS products for MYOB,
who will be its exclusive republisher in Australia, New Zealand, and
Asia.
Additionally, Acclivity's new development team will continue to
develop the Windows product line for their US customer base.
"This deal delivers benefits to our customers on several fronts,"
said Scott Davisson, Acclivity Managing Partner. "First and foremost,
it allows us to author the product roadmap for our US customers on Mac
and Windows. We think they'll be thrilled with the product direction in
the coming years."
"We'll also be able to assert our Mac focus by building great
solutions for small businesses that use Macs; an often under-served
group," Davisson said.
"This deal also allows us the flexibility to enter markets outside
of the US," added Tom Nash, Acclivity Managing Partner. "We're now free
to explore how we will bring AccountEdge back to Canada. By popular
demand, I might add."
Current MYOB US customers, as well as Australian and New Zealand Mac
customers, will continue to use the same products and have access to
the same support resources to which they've grown accustomed. "There
will be no customer disruption," Nash said.
Link: MYOB
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
