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First, I'd like to take a minute to mention the passing of the G3
iMac - yesterday, Apple quietly took it off the
Apple Store site, although it remains on the Education Apple
Store site.
To quote a Letterman, "We'll miss ya, buddy."
Okay, now on to this week's article.
Last Thursday, I ordered an AirPort card for my iBook in fears
that "old" AirPort cards might become scarce after the next iBook or
15" PowerBook revision (whether titanium or not). I ordered it from
the Education Apple Store, so I got a few bucks off the $80 price
tag. Apple sent it FedEx Ground (it was free for me), although it was
flown from Taiwan to Indianapolis and then delivered to me by
ground.
I received it on Monday and installed it that morning.
AirPort Not-So-Extreme
Ball State's campus will
be 100% wireless next year, and right now it's pretty close. They're
using 802.11b equipment, so AirPort Extreme wouldn't benefit me
unless I bought my own 802.11g base. Although I have ethernet in my
room, I can use AirPort to go outside or to other buildings where
ethernet is not available and surf the Web.
Installation
Installation was simple. In the tiny box, Apple included just what
I needed and nothing else (the special bracket/adapter to install the
card in iMacs and some Power Macs is an optional purchase now).
Besides a skimpy manual that pointed me in the direction of my iBook
owner's manual for installation information, there was a CD with
AirPort 3.0 (although 2.x seems to be all you can download). It was a
rather simple procedure - slide the card in place under the
keyboard, attach the wire that goes to the antenna(s), and install
the software.
Software
The software is easy to use and consistent with Apple's other
networking software.
Range
Although there's know way of knowing where the base stations are,
as they're hidden, I'm finding my range is better than some of my
friends have with Toshiba laptops with integrated WiFi. I'm guessing
it's the placement of the antennas in the computers.
So That This Isn't Just a Review
Enough of reviewing of it - AirPort of any variety is a great
invention, and it's easy to use. 802.11-anything, for that matter, is
a great technology. Many people do not order their computer with it,
nor do think it's for them.
When getting my iBook, I decided not to buy an AirPort card to
keep costs down; now I realize I should've had it from day one.
Many colleges, universities, libraries, and other public places
are installing WiFi access points and allow free (or next to free)
access. Not only does it allow people to carry less (just your laptop
- no more ethernet cables or anything like that), it ends the
fighting over a single ethernet port somewhere and eventually might
replace the wired form of ethernet.
Nobody provides a wireless solution as slick as Apple's, nor at
such a good price. Sure, Apple's base stations are rather costly, but
they are some of the best.
If you're debating whether or not to get a wireless system for
your laptop, see what's available (see Extreme
Wireless for Older Macs for an overview of 802.11g options), and
if you can use it where you are, go for it - it's worth every penny.
Mac of the Day: iMac G5 (iSight), Oct. 2005 -Apple built an iSight webcam into the last version of the G5 iMac.
List of the Day: Leopard List Low End Mac's email list covering Mac OS X 10.5.
October 12 in LEM history: 98: Beyond HFS+ nightmares - 99: iMacs for all - 00: The future of low-end gaming - 01: Tips on buying a new computer - 05: iMac G5 (iSight) - Simple backup strategies - 06: Bring back flexible, easy to upgrade 'Books - 07: Road Apple nominations - PB 150 boots from Compact Flash - Leopard to slow down PowerPC Macs?
Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09.
If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
Migrating My Law Office from Windows to Macintosh, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.08.
By switching to Leopard Server, everyone in the office will be able to move to a Mac - but which ones will best meet their needs?
Low End Mac Needs Help Moving to Joomla, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.08.
We've settled on Joomla as the content management system that should work very well for Low End Mac, but we're running stuck with templates.
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