Mac Scope

Low End Mac published Mac Scope by Stephen Van Esch from April 2000 through July 2004. Steve is the founder and president of the E-learning Foundry, an online training resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual, since he's also fluent in Windows and French.

• Connecting with the broader Macintosh community, 2007.04.06. "But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community."
• Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 2004.07.09. Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
• Still waiting for iTunes Music Store Canada, sort of, 2004.06.23. While the pay-per-tune model makes sense, Apple's post-purchase copy management flies in the face of Canadian copyright law.
• PearPC's slow Mac emulation - What's the point?, 2004.05.26. "For all those Windows folks who are gussying up Windows to look like OS X and getting excited over PearPC, please just buy a Mac."
• Windows stability: Nothing really changes, 2004.05.12. How come a brand new Dell with a brand new copy of Windows has so many more problems than a two-year-old PowerBook?
• Analyzing the analyst's analysis, 2004.04.28. When the operate from false premises, they may reach unwarranted conclusions.
• Small and stylish PCs are hot, so bring back the Cube, 2004.04.14. Yet again it looks like the good folks at Apple were just slightly ahead of their time.
• Is Apple up or down these days?, 2004.03.31. There's a real mix of good news and bad news about Apple these days. Should we be encouraged?
• Average Joe still in the dark about Macs, 2004.03.17. The average Joe is in the dark regarding the Mac and its performance improvements over the last few years.
• Is iTunes best for artists?, 2004.03.03. Apple's iTunes Music Store is good for Apple, record companies, and consumers, but is it best for the artists?
• iPod mini a success despite pundits, 2004.02.18. Experts declared the iPod mini overpriced, but consumers seem to understand the "small is beautiful" value.
• Pepsi's free iTunes, digital rights management, and the Super Bowl ad, 2004.02.04. How the iTunes Music Store has helped change the face of the music industry.
• Apple's success and Jobs' succession, 2004.01.21. It's hard to imagine Apple without Steve Jobs at the helm, but someone had better be planning ahead.
• Still waiting for the tipping point, 2004.01.07. Apple remains innovative and profitable, but what's it going to take to increase market share?
• Macworld Expo: Christmas for Macheads, 2003.12.24. For Mac lovers, Christmas really comes when Steve Jobs gives his keynote address at Macworld Expo.
• It's getting bigger: The online music bubble, 2003.12.10. Why do so many companies want to get into the no-profit online music business?
• Enjoyed the music appetizer? Try the OS main course, 2003.11.12. iPods and iTunes for Windows: Are they enough to whet the appetite of Windows users for the whole Macintosh experience?
• Proteron: Tilting at windmills, 2003.10.29. "Far from being the 'original application switcher,' there are several examples of application switching on the Mac."
• Microsoft's holding pattern, 2003.10.15. Development of Internet Explorer and Windows seems stuck while Apple keeps improving Safari and OS X.
• Winds of change may benefit Apple, 2003.10.02. As governments and businesses look for alternatives to Windows, Apple has a chance to grow their market.
• Rooting for Microsoft?, 2003.09.17. If Microsoft loses the Eolas case, every individual and every business using the Web could be negatively impacted.
• The Microsoft monopoly and the harm it causes, 2003.09.03. "Microsoft's recent problems reflect the rot that happens when a single company becomes too powerful."
• BuyMusic vs. the iTunes Music Store, two weeks of disasters, 2003.08.06. If any publicity is good publicity, BuyMusic.com must be thrilled with all the bad press it's received in recent weeks.
• The good, the bad, the stupid of BuyMusic.com, 2003.07.23. BuyMusic.com is directly targeting Apple's iTunes Music Store, but their service could end up driving customers to Apple once iTunes for Windows is ready.
• Treading the line: Are Apple's applications helping or hurting?, 2003.07.09. Apple's Final Cut drove Adobe Premiere from the Mac market. How are Apple's other apps impacting the rest of the software market.
• Is the G5 enough to entice switchers?, 2003.06.25. The Power Mac G5 eliminates the speed difference, but is that enough to bring Windows users to the Mac?
• Apple and Amazon or Apple vs. Amazon?, 2003.06.11. As others prepare to copy the iTunes Music Store, is Apple better of going it alone or finding strategic partners?
• The point of no return?, 2003.05.28. Has the iTunes Music Store reached the point of no return - or will the record companies pull their support?
• Where are the doomsayers?, 2003.05.14. If Apple is destined to fail, as so many "experts" have predicted, why do they all love the iTunes Music Store?
• Macs cheaper than PCs? It's not hard to prove, 2003.04.30. When you look at all the factors, Macs are much less expensive to own and operate than Windows PCs.
• Mac myths and the Apple challenge, 2003.04.16. Apple needs to aggressively attack the myths surrounding the Macintosh.
• Apple not on the leading edge of everything; analysts worry, 2003.04.03. Has Apple missed the boat on Tablet PCs, or is this another case where Apple can do no right?
• Intel to join Apple in debunking the megahertz myth?, 2003.03.19. Intel's new 1.6 GHz Centrino matches their 2.4 GHz mobile Pentium. Educating the consumer that MHz isn't everything can only help Apple.
• Mac users to be test case for legit music downloads, 2003.03.05. "I personally don't have any doubts that Apple will provide a great music buying experience."
• Macs in schools: A personal horror story, 2003.02.19. Is the IT department really this clueless, or are they deliberately sabotaging the second graders' Macs?
• Waiting for a real speed bump, 2003.02.05. Every speed bump seems to be a reminder that we've lost the MHz War, no longer a reason for rejoicing.
• Who's taking a beating, Apple or Quark?, 2003.01.22. Quark users may postpone upgrading to new Mac waiting for an OS X version of XPress - or Quark may lose them completely to InDesign.
• Risk and safety at Macworld, 2003.01.08. Apple seems to have hit just the right balance between risk and safety with their new releases.
• Time to take off the switcher gloves, 2002.12.18. How Apple could use the Internet to maximize the potential of their Switch campaign.
• Who are you calling a masochist?, 2002.12.04. Mac users masochists? It seems like Windows users are more deserving of the label.
• Komando strikes again, 2002.11.20. Kim Komanda continues to provide inaccurate information about the Mac to her audience.
• Microsoft's near slap on the wrist, 2002.11.06. Buy, lie, and get by - the three truths of the Microsoft antitrust settlement.
• Bloggers, Macs, and the OS X blues, 2002.10.23. Mac using bloggers can create a lot of good buzz for Apple - or the opposite.
• Switchers mean Apple must work harder, 2002.10.09. After convincing people to switch, Apple must do their best to keep them from switching back.
• Kommando's bias skews iMac evaluation, 2002.09.25. "...I often find that the criticisms towards the Mac are the result of poor testing, lack of comprehensive fact checking, and a less than thorough research."
• Leaving the past behind, 2002.09.12. "OS 9 will not be a boot option in 2003 Macs. While this is a reason to rejoice, when you move forward, you always leave something behind."
• Think smarter? Just the advice Gateway needs, 2002.08.28. "Simplistic tests, misleading comparisons, and skewed pricing information all point to the fact that the iMac is a better deal."
• Is Apple looking for a smack in the head?, 2002.08.14. "Apple's monopoly position in the Mac market gives it the same power Microsoft enjoys."
• Fear and loathing in Redmond, 2002.07.31. How StarOffice for OS X could strengthen Apple and Sun while reducing dependence on Microsoft.
• Apple should follow Microsoft's suggestion, 2002.07.17. "Microsoft has pretty much given Apple carte blanche to promote the living heck out of OS X."
• Turning the tables, one software company at time, 2002.07.03. Will acquiring Emagic bring Windows users into the fold or drive them to another solution?
• Undoing years of Mac evangelism?, 2002.06.19. Is the "Real People" campaign undermining years of Mac evangelism or a step in the right direction?
• XServe and the improved iBooks, 2002.06.05. XServe should attract some IT types, and the improved iBooks further improve their value."
• Left behind, the new computer game, 2002.05.01. Buy now and be left behind in a few months - or wait for the next product introduction?
• Waiting for the Knockoffs, 2002.04.03. It's inevitable that someone will try to copy the flat panel iMac, but there will be a lot of technical hurdles to getting it right.
• Playing the game of hype, 2002.03.27. Resellers shouldn't have to pay the price for Apple's roll out mistakes.
• Bring back the Cube, 2002.03.06. If any Mac could look at home in the living room and work as a digital hub, it's the Cube.
• Apple's digital hub disadvantage, 2002.02.21. The iMac is at a disadvantage in the living room compared to Xbox, Playstation, and other digital hubs.
• Apple gaining respect of the press, 2002.02.06. Time, Fortune, Business Week, ZDNet, and others are singing Apple's praises.
• Myth mongering still a popular pastime, 2002.01.23. Debunking the myth that Macs don't work on Windows networks.
• Redefining Apple's market, 2002.01.09. By redefining itself as a digital hub company, Apple can have a 100% market share.

Mac Scope 2000-2001 Archive

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