Low End Mac Archive for January 26

January 26 in Low End Mac History

1983: Lotus 1-2-3 released for the IBM PC, quickly displacing Visicalc as the dominant spreadsheet - yet it never caught on with Mac users when Lotus finally ported it over.

The legacy Power Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. How Apple could improve backward compatibility while moving forward.

Getting on the Net with an older Mac, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. "Yes, it is possible to get on the Internet with an older Mac."
Make mine optical, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Until I used an optical mouse, I was content with traditional mice. That's no longer the case.
Upgrading the StarMax 3000, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. The upgrade potential of the Motorola StarMax 3000 and 4000.
Review: Kensington Mouse-in-a-Box Optical, Dan Knight, MacUSB. A nice mouse at a very nice price.

iceKey redivivus: Bringing a liquid-damaged keyboard back to life, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Just because you spilled your drink into your keyboard doesn't mean all is lost.
The miniPod and the HiPod, Jeff Adkins, The Lite Side. Both Apple and HP blew it when it came to naming their new products. Apple's should be the miniPod, and HP's the HiPod.

Make a bootable OS X emergency CD with BootCD, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Donationware app makes it easy to create a bootable OS X CD with your favorite Mac utility software.
The New Standard Keyboard: What were they thinking?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "Despite the garish color scheme and the bizarre choice to put keys in alphabetical order, the New Standard Keyboard is innovative."

Replacing Entourage: Mac Address Book integrates nicely with non-Apple apps and services, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User6. You can have Address Book sync with Pages 2.0, iPhoto 6, an Exchange server, other Macs (without using .mac), and online services.
Mac sales off: Why Macintel and PowerPC are hard to sell today, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Between Apple's extravagant claims for Intel-based Macs and their failure to reduce prices of PowerPC models, it's no surprise Apple is falling short of sales projections.
Voices of a Distant Star: A brisk, breathtaking anime film made on a Power Mac, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence. A good story well told by Makoto Shinkai - and produced on a 400 MHz Power Mac G4.
Intel anticipation slowed Mac sales, Rosetta RAM hungry, 34 known problems in Core Duo, and more, The Macintel Report. Also component cost of the new iMac, no Classic support on Macintel, Intel stuns market by missing sales target, and more.
'Best of Show' iSee 360i records video to iPod, measure iPod battery life, covers with character, and more, iPod News Review. Also Monster's FM transmitter for iPods, iSongBook iPod music system, and Ollie's iPod Extractor puts your tracks back on your Mac.

Preparing images for better reproduction on laser printers and photocopiers, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report. Simply printing or photocopying a color image can lead to a contrasty image with a lot of lost detail. Here's how to prepare images for better output.
DST change next Y2K?, Blu-ray for Macs, USB turntable, digital TV receiver, and more, Mac News Review. Also PhonoPreAmp iVinyl converts LPs and tapes to digital, Gibson intros computer peripherals, Quicky USB gains LEDs, and iStat pro system monitoring widget.
Apple's $2 802.11n enabler, two new battery technologies, digital TV tuner for MacBook Pro, and more, The 'Book Review. Also LED backlighting may be too costly for 2007 MacBooks, black MacBook not a great value, 17" MacBook Pro lightest and thinnest in class, bargain 'Books from $209 to $2,299, and more.

Plastic or aluminum: What's the better MacBook now?, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. Last week Apple updated the polycarbonate MacBook with the same graphics processor as the Unibody MacBook. Which is more compelling?
StealthMac: 2 hardware solutions for Mac OS X on Windows PCs, Anne Onymus, Rumor Mill. Apple has been working on hardware to put a Mac inside a Windows PC for over a decade. The latest developments, according to our MacMole.

Record Mac sales culminate five years of growth, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Mac unit sales have tripled since 2005, led by MacBooks - but don't count out desktops just yet.

Back to Mac OS 9 because it's all I need, Sebastian M. Patting, My Turn. Sebastian Patting sold his Intel Macs and went back to PowerPC Macs and Mac OS 9. Here's why.
AppleCare pros and cons, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. To AppleCare or Not to AppleCare? That is the question facing anyone buying a new or certified refurbished Mac.