Low End Mac Archive for March 2

March 2 in Apple and Low End Mac History

1987: Mac SE
1987: Mac II
1987: System 4.1
2011: iPad 2. Regular and FaceTime cameras, a dual-core A5 CPU, one-third thinner, two 3G options, and more.

Apple introduces the Mac SE, the first compact Mac with an internal hard drive (alternatively, it could accept two internal floppies). The SE has a 68000 processor direct slot not used in any other Mac.
Apple introduces the Mac II, the first modular Mac. The Mac II has room for two 800K floppies, a 5.25" hard drive, two banks of memory, and six NuBus expansion slots.

Newton becomes history, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "The good news is that Apple will continue to address the handheld market, but with the tried-and-true Macintosh OS, not a completely separate Newton OS."

A promising new browser, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "iCab shows that some programmers think different about browsers."

Don Crabb, I truly never knew you, Rodney O. Lain, Things Macintosh. Crabb was "was arguably the seminal Mac columnist, the paragon of über journalism."

The gaming challenge, Jake Sargent, iThings Considered. How programmers try to make games challenging for all players.
That 70s iMac, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power look like refugees from the 70s, not iMacs for the 21st century.
Batteries for PB 3400 and Kanga, laptop bags, best RAM prices, and bargain 'Books, Charles Moore. Our new PowerBook & iBook roundup: bargain 'Books, best RAM prices, a battery deal, and a look at several carrying cases.

The April 2005 eMac: Where do we go from here?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. We'd be shocked if Apple didn't replace the current eMac in April, but will it be more of the same, a flat panel design, or just give way to the Mac mini?
Mac mini to lure Mac-phobic, Mac mini with plasma TV, Cell processor in Apple's future?, and more, Mac News Review. Getting the most from the Mac mini, free OS X tech support, Evolution TV turns Mac into DVR, MP3beamer, Big Tiki Drive, radioShark, and more.

Replacing your iPod's battery: A bit of work, a big money saver, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report. If you iPod's battery isn't holding much of a charge, you can easily replace it yourself for a lot less than Apple charges.
The Low End Mac Media Center, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence. The most important step in picking a media center Mac is choosing a computer that will do everything you need.
iPod takes Japan by storm, California wants greener iPods, Apple intros iPod Hi-Fi, an iPod necktie, and more, iPod News Review. Also Microsoft prepares Origami, Qualcomm CEO says wireless iPod makes sense, connecting color iPods to TVs, and more.
Mac mini gets Intel Core, Windows XP on Macintel, and OS X 10.4.5 cracked for generic Intel, The Macintel Report. The new Intel-based Mac mini changes more than just the CPU, VMware lets Intel Macs run Windows XP very comfortably, and the latest version of OS X for Intel has already been hacked.

The First Expandable Macs: Mac II and SE, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Until March 2, 1987, Macs were closed boxes with no internal expansion slots, no support for color, and no internal hard drives. The Mac II and SE changed all that.
$25 802.11g card for PCI Macs, drive support for 802.11n AirPort Extreme, Adtron ups flash disks, and more, Mac News Review. Also firmware update info for Intel Macs, washable medical mouse and keyboard, TechTool Protogo, and more.
12" PowerBook G4 the new Pismo?, recovering MacBook Pro wakeup failure, MacBook Pro noise, and more, The 'Book Review. Also why you should buy a MacBook Pro, Apple Store's inefficient RAM upgrade, PB/iBook lower RAM slot failure, bargain 'Books from $209 to $2,299, and more.

High def iPhone and iPod touch could make OS X the mobile OS to rule them all, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market. By introducing iPhone and iPod touch models with higher definition displays, Apple could also slash the price of existing models.
Good-bye PowerBook, hello Linux on a laptop, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing. Why shouldn't a cheap PC notebook with Linux be an adequate replacement for an old PowerBook?
Return of the best computer keyboard ever?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Unicomp uses IBM's legendary 'buckling spring' technology in its line of keyboards, which work with both PCs and Macs.

Handshoe Mouse a good ergonomic option, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. "If you suffer from mousing pain, they should prove well worth the price."
OS X on my Dell Mini 9: Success at last!, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows. Although last year's attempts to install OS X failed, new utilities made it easy to turn this Dell netbook into a Hackintosh.
Lenovo S10-2 is a great $300 netbook, Tommy Thomas, The Review Vault. If you're looking for a small, inexpensive, usable netbook, Lenovo's S10-2 may very well satisfy you.

iPad 2. Regular and FaceTime cameras, a dual-core A5 CPU, one-third thinner, two 3G options, and more.

25 Years Ago the Mac II and SE Changed the Face of the Mac, Low End Mac Round Table. Until March 2, 1987, Macs had no expansion slots or color displays. The Macintosh SE and II changed all that.
iPhone: Enable MMS on an Unsupported Carrier, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum. If you're using your iPhone with an unsupported carrier, you may not be able to text a photo. Here's a fix.
1/3 of Parents Willing to Buy iPads for Kids, iPad 3 Expected March 7, Navy Psalms App, and More, iNews Review. Also current iPad 2 trade-in value, Asus convertible Padfone, Photoshop Touch comes to iPad, Bluetooth conferencing dock for iPad 2, and more.
Apple Tops in Mobile PCs in 2011, 14" MacBook Air?, Late 2008 MacBook Pro Firmware Update, and More, The 'Book Review. Also new MacBooks will turn up pressure on Ultrabooks, Apple patents thinner keyboard, WiFi router designed "for the rest of us", and more.
Mac Sales to Business Up 51%, Dual Boot Your Mac, Free CCleaner Drive Cleaning Utility, and More, Mac News Review. Also has Apple lost its rebel rep?, tiny $35 and $199 ARM PCs, iMissal ported to OS X, and more.