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December 2009
It’s getting late, but it’s not too late for some last-minute gift shopping.
There are those clever Mac vs. PC advertisements that Apple runs, but let’s talk about the big differences between computers.
2009 – My first Pismo PowerBook, acquired in October 2001 in an even trade for a six-month-old Power Mac G4 Cube, has gone through many transformations during the eight years and a bit that I’ve owned it.
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November 2009
Clinky-plink! That’s the sound of the precursor to the ever-popular, ever-clicky IBM Model M keyboard – the Model F. All that plinky-sounding goodness is being heard letter by letter as I write this article.
Those of you who wanted to spend good money on the Late 2009 27″ iMac should note that you can use Mini DisplayPort input to display a video signal on the iMac’s screen – a first for Apple. What you may or may not be aware of is the fact that the video signal must […]
These days many people have some or most of their music libraries on their computers, and that is often managed with Apple’s free iTunes software. It’s very nice to have such quick and easy access to your music library, but by default this plays back only in the room where the computer is located. Wouldn’t […]
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October 2009
The original polycarbonate Mac notebook got a design overhaul, the first since the original MacBookwas introduced in May 2006. Although it’s still white and appears to be made of plastic, the lower case uses a unibody design carved from aluminum – but covered with a rubbery white material. The Late 2009 MacBook has a 2.26 […]
The big news: Apple has introduced new screen sizes and a new display aspect ratio. The Late 2009 iMac comes in 21.5″ and 27″ sizes, and the displays have the same 16:9 aspect ratio as HDTV (the Early 2009 iMac had 20″ and 24″ 16:10 aspect ratio displays). The smaller iMac has the same 1920 […]
Mac OS X is a brilliant operating system. But what about the “Classic” Mac OS in the Age of Snow Leopard?
Just seven months after overhauling the Mac mini, Apple made some small improvements: The base speed is now 2.26 GHz, 2 GB of RAM is the norm, and the 160 GB hard drive holds more data than the 120 GB drive found in the previous version. And for power users, there’s now a server version […]
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September 2009
Blu-ray has clearly emerged as the winner in the high definition optical disc war, but why is there still no support for commercial Blu-ray playback in Mac OS X? Is this something we can ever expect to see?
Monday, September 28, 2009 marked my migration to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Yes, you read that right. Leopard, not Snow Leopard – since none of my Macs are Intel-based, Mac OS X 10.6 isn’t even an option.
Mac OS X comes with built-in integration to work seamlessly on a Mac Open Directory network or Microsoft Active Directory network. It is a fairly easy task to set it up to authenticate to a Unix/Linux OpenLDAP server. However, it is another matter to get it to read the home directory from OpenLDAP and mount […]
It was great to see Steve Jobs up and running around about as well as a man with a new liver can be expected to. But the big question for me was how would all the new changes to iTunes and the iPod touch affect me with my G3 Pismo PowerBook.
The 3G iPod touch is even more powerful than the 2G iPod touch, with a faster, more efficient processor, twice as much system memory, and improved graphics. In most respects, the 3G iPod touch hardware matches the iPhone 3GS. It was the last iPod touch with a 480 x 320 display. Hardware Overview Models Announced: 2009.09.09 at $299 […]
I got around to installing the Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard update on my MacBook over the long weekend. I figured that with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard now on the prowl, I should at least bring Leopard up to spec on my production workhorse.
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August 2009
The gradual marginalization of PowerPC Macs is bound to accelerate sharply with the release of Intel-only Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and one can anticipate that it may not be too long before PowerPC Mac owners begin to be confronted with the frustrating up-to-date browser issue that is one of the biggest problems for Classic […]
2009 – Despite my 867 MHz Titanium PowerBook G4 (TiBook) being introduced in November 2002, making it nearly seven years old, it is still an excellent machine. Being an 867 MHz model, it is the earliest Titanium model to officially support Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and it copes with it very well.
2009 – Apple is billing Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard as its first fully 64-bit operating system, but this isn’t the first time the Mac OS has changed it bitness.
Apple has been promoting three key advantages of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard that are hardware dependent: Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) OpenCL 64-bit operation
Since the early days of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, Apple has provided a wonderful utility – initially part of Setup Assistant and later (in OS X 10.4 Tiger) renamed Migration Assistant – to help move data between your old and new Macs. With this utility and a Mac booted into FireWire Target Disk Mode, or […]
2009 – Low End Mac colleague Simon Royal says he didn’t believe the rumors last year that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard would be Intel only. I have to say that at the early point when it was reported that alpha builds of Snow Leopard were being seeded to developers as Intel-only software, the proverbial […]
In late 2008, I wrote an article about the future of PowerPC Macs, The Future of PowerPC Macs and Software as Snow Leopard Approaches. Well, all the rumours have been put to bed: Apple have announced the next version of Mac OS X, and it isn’t looking good for PowerPC users.
Today I am going to look at a unique item in my collection. While it is not technically a computer, it does have an Apple logo – and all that Apple charm. Back in the early 1990s, Apple decided to branch out into peripherals and unique consumer electronic devices. Some of them, such as the W.A.L.T. […]
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was billed as primarily under-the-hood changes to OS X 10.5 Leopard, but it was much more significant than that. Snow Leopard was announced at the June 2008 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) and released on August 28, 2009. For the first time since Mac OS 8.5 was released in October 1998, […]
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July 2009
Everyone knows about the federal Cash for Clunkers program that’s done wonders for auto dealers, but we were taken by surprise to receive a press release from Microsoft about its Cash for Clunker Computers rebate program. We knew that Microsoft was in a world of hurt with declines of 6% to 11% in operating income, […]
Do you have Bluetooth devices and an older Mac with USB but without Bluetooth support? Want to add Bluetooth support for a song?
Classilla, a new browser for Mac OS 9 based on Mozilla/Firefox introduced to replace long-discontinued WaMCom project. Also using Safari with OS X 10.4 Tiger requires version 10.4.11.
Autofs is often used in enterprise environments to set up network-based home directories and other network mounts for users at login. It can also dynamically mount network shares on access. Mac OS X uses an autofs code stack based on Sun’s Solaris version of Unix. Many of the advanced features are not documented very well, […]
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June 2009
Anyone can easily find Universal Binary builds of Firefox and Camino that will simply install and run on their Mac, so why would you want to scrounge around for an optimized build?
Apple’s Time Capsule, building the equivalents of an AirPort Extreme router and either a 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive into a single unit, is a space-saving and easy-to-use way for users to combine a wireless base station and storage accessible over a home or small business network – and even across the Internet.
The iPhone 3G had been a step forward in some areas – especially in adding 3G data support – but in other areas it was no better than the original iPhone. With the iPhone 3GS, Apple took a few more steps forward with a faster processor, a better camera, video capability, and a 32 GB option. […]
Long before they invented personal computers, I was a math geek. My favorite book on the subject was the Mathematics volume in the Time-Life Science Library. I’d spend hours reading about magic squares, the Pythagorean theorem, different number systems, and more.
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger uses less memory than Leopard, supports Classic Mode on PowerPC Macs, and, unlike Leopard, is supported on G3 Macs, so there are good reasons to install or reinstall it on your old Macs.
The June 2009 update of the MacBook Air (MBA) gets faster CPUs (1.86 GHz and 2.13 GHz) and lower prices ($1,499 and $1,799). It used the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor, which uses 256 MB of system memory, as its predecessor. The MacBook Air supports wireless NetBoot, and the Remote Disc software that comes […]
Just 5 months after introducing the first 17″ Unibody MacBook Pro, Apple improved it by moving to a 2.8 GHz CPU – and making a 3.06 GHz CPU a build-to-order option. As before, 4 GB of RAM is standard, and it officially supports up to 8 GB of RAM. With the elimination of ExpressCard/34 on […]
The long-awaited replacement for the 12″ PowerBook has finally been delivered. The 13″ MacBook Pro takes the successful Unibody Aluminum MacBook, ups the speed a bit, and adds an SD Card slot and FireWire, a feature the Unibody MacBook lost (in this case, it’s FireWire 800). Following the example set by the Early 2009 17″ […]
For the first time in a long time, the 15″ MacBook Pro has become more affordable while adding an SD Card slot. The entry-level 2.53 GHz model doesn’t have the GeForce 9600GT M graphics chip found in the previous generation of 15″ MacBook Pros – and in the faster models in the current generation. Prices […]
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May 2009
Completely unheralded, Apple quietly updated the MacBook White in late May. The updated model has a 6.5% faster CPU at 2.13 GHz, uses faster RAM (800 MHz vs. 667 MHz), and has a larger hard drive (160 GB) – and for the first time on a MacBook, a 500 GB build-to-order hard drive option. It retains […]
2009 – My First Mac’s Chris Kerins says he’s been trying to get every last month out of his 6-year-old 17″ PowerBook G4, but it’s been not starting lately. He’s had power issues in the past, after he cracked the big PowerBook open to do a repair and broke a connector. Since then the power […]
A long time ago, in a time that seems like forever ago, computers were over-engineered to a high standard – especially in regards to computer keyboards. With a tactile feedback and a loud clicking sound, these were the well-oiled peripherals of yesteryear.
In 2005, I decided I needed a laptop computer. After using a Mac for a number of years, my first choice would have been an Apple laptop, but funds were tight, so I opted for a Windows machine. However, using Windows on a daily basis got the better of me, and I decided I had […]
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April 2009
Is it important to used matched memory? This question has intrigued me for a while. When cramming as much memory in a Mac as you can, should you use the same size and speed and brand to ensure maximum compatibility and stability?
I first started looking into alternatives to the Apple AirPort Card when a friend of mine had a slot-load iMac G3 and the original 802.11b AirPort Card was the only option to go wireless – other than USB dongles. Original AirPort Cards are expensive nowadays. Ever since Apple stopped selling them, there are less and less of them around […]
2009 – I have had so many arguments with people stating that Apple deliberately geared Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to perform much better on Intel machines so as to pull people away from the PowerPC platform. I thought it was about time this myth was laid to rest.
Is it worth maxing the RAM in older computers? This has been a long-asked question, one I see on mailing groups regularly.
Apple upgraded the Xserve to the same Nehalem CPUs found in the Mac Pro. Even though the clock speed of these chips is lower than on the 2008 Xserve, the efficiencies of the Nehalem architecture power it well past last year’s models. The Nehalem chips also support Hyperthreading, so each core can emulate two cores, […]
2009-04-07: Dan Knight, Low End Mac’s publisher, informs us that today marks 12 years since he first posted some old Mac profiles on his personal website and started building Low End Mac.
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March 2009
2009 – I had an email Monday from my daughter, who is the current custom users of our old WallStreet PowerBook, telling me that she had succeeded in getting OS X 10.4 .11 Tiger installed on the venerable ‘Book. This was particularly interesting, because I had myself failed in several attempts over the years that I […]
2009 – I finally switched to using my new Unibody Aluminum MacBook for production – just over five weeks after it touched down here. That isn’t how I had expected things to unfold, but I ran into some unanticipated snags in the transition from my long-established and highly evolved workflow on my previous Macs to […]
With the latest model announcement from Apple, it seems that people are thinking more about building a “Hackintosh” than ever before. I can’t say that I blame them.
This page covers CardBus WiFi hardware that is compatible with Mac OS X. CardBus uses a 32-bit data bus that’s faster than the 16-bit bus used by PCMCIA/PC Card devices, which are covered in WiFi PC Cards Compatible with PowerBooks Running Mac OS X.
This page covers PCMCIA/PC Card WiFi hardware that is compatible with Mac OS X. Some of these devices are also compatible with the Classic Mac OS; all of them are reported to work with OS X.
Older Macs may not have a slot for Apple’s AirPort Card – and even if they do, you may want higher throughput than 802.11b WiFi offers. 802.11g will give you nearly five times as much bandwidth.
This page covers PCMCIA/PC Card WiFi hardware that is compatible with the Classic Mac OS. A few of these devices are compatible with Mac OS 8.6; all of them are reported to work with Mac OS 9, and most also have drivers available for some versions of Mac OS X.
Older Macs may not have a slot for Apple’s AirPort Card, and even if yours does, you may want higher throughput than 802.11b WiFi offers – 802.11g will give you nearly five times as much bandwidth.
There is no shortage of GUI FTP programs, but kicking it old school on the command line allows you to easily automate uploads and downloads. The best part is, there is nothing to install. Everything you need waits patiently behind the warm glow of a Terminal session.
Apple updated the iMac with Nvidia graphics as a standard feature (Late 2008 iMacs used Radeon graphics). The low-end Early 2009 iMacs use the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU found in Early 2009 MacBooks and the Early 2009 Mac mini. Early 2009 iMacs have four USB 2.0 ports (one more than previous aluminum iMacs), FireWire 800 (but […]
Apple has updated the iMac with Nvidia graphics as a standard feature (the Early 2008 iMac used Radeon graphics, although there was an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS build-to-order option for the 24″ model). The low-end iMacs use the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU found in current MacBooks and the new Mac mini, while the high-end […]
It’s been 14 months since Apple introduced the 2008 Mac Pro, and the 2009 Mac Pro is a big step forward: every configuration uses quad-core Intel Xeon Nehalem CPUs for even more power. Each core has its own 256 KB Level 2 (L2) cache, and each quad-core CPU shares an 8 GB Level 3 (L3) […]
After over a year and a half without a change, Apple finally updated the Mac mini in March 2009. As widely anticipated, the new Mac mini adopts Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, the same GPU found in the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro – and it finally gets 802.11n WiFi as well (and 802.11a for […]
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February 2009
I’m a keen follower of Mac web browsers, so when Apple released a new version of Safari – even a beta – I had to try it. Most owners of low-end Macs know they are for basic uses and browsing the Web, so finding a good browser that performs at a reasonable speed is vital […]
In the previous Welcome to Macintosh article, I started a series called Classic Macintosh Veterans. It’s where we interview you, the Classic Macintosh user. Our first interview was with John Meshelany Jr. Today, I interview Scott Baret, who is also a member of the 68k Macintosh Liberation Army, where he’s also known as Scott Baret.
2009 – Two weeks after it arrived, progress with my new Aluminum Unibody MacBook is proceeding slowly. I had imagined that I would have switched over to it for production by now, but things have not gone as smoothly as I had hoped – not, I hasten to add, due to any problems with the […]
As we should remember from earlier episodes, I received a first generation (1G) iPod touch from my beloved wife. At the time, the only bummer was the fact that the second generation (2G) touch had the ability to use a microphone.
2009 – Others have published their thoughts on the Best Mac Ever, the 10 Best Macs, and the 25 Best Macs, but I’m taking a different approach. I want to identify the 25 most important Macs ever, clones included. (In some cases, I’ll lump together two or more models that were introduced simultaneously.)
2009 – Brooke Crothers of CNET News states that the “PowerPC platform never lived up to the hype” and “the PowerPC platform had really failed long before 2005.” The evidence: the fact that Apple switched to Intel in 2006 and that some of the first-generation dual-processor G4 Power Macs ran hot. I beg to differ.
The iMac DV ClockUp page was originally posted at <http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~t-imai/imacde1.html> and is no longer available there. We have adapted that information for the benefit of those who wish to overclock slot-loading iMacs.
Do I really need a netbook? I mean, I’ve got an iPod touch – and am I pleased with it!
The iMac ClockUp page was originally posted at <http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~t-imai/imace1.html> and is no longer available there. We have adapted that information for the benefit of those who wish to overclock tray-loading iMacs. The original author is not known to us.
2009 – My Apple Certified Refurbished (ACR) 13″ 2.0 GHz Late 2008 Aluminum MacBook arrived last Thursday afternoon, just a couple of hours short of a week after I ordered it, having been air-shuttled by FedEx back and forth across the continent twice, from Rancho Cordova, CA, to Memphis, TN, to Calgary, Alberta, to Halifax, […]
2009 – After equivocating for nearly three years about what hardware would become my vehicle for transitioning to the Macintel experience, I’ve finally made a decision. Last Thursday afternoon I ordered a 2.0 GHz Late 2008 Unibody Aluminum MacBook from Apple Canada – an Apple Certified Refurbished unit for Can$200 (14%) off the price of […]
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January 2009
The Macintosh officially turns 25 on January 24, 2009, the anniversary of the day Apple announced the original Macintosh to its Board of Directors and to the world- the world of personal computing has never been the same.
The Macintosh officially turned 25 on January 24, 2009, the anniversary of the day Apple announced the original Macintosh to its Board of Directors and to the world – and the world of personal computing has never been the same.
In an unexpected development, Apple quietly changed the specs of the MacBook White in mid-January. The updated model has the same 2.0 GHz CPU as the entry-level Aluminum Unibody MacBook – and also the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor. Best of all, it retains the FireWire 400 port present on all polycarbonate MacBooks. It […]
2009 – I recently left the G3 market and stepped up to having only G4s, and last year I wrote about whether G3s are still viable in the workplace (see Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac), but what about the G4?
There is a lot of rumour and speculation about Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard at the moment. Let’s looks at the future of Apple and Microsoft OS offering.
A lot of features in the Early 2009 17″ MacBook Pro were anticipated based on the Early 2008 17″ model and the Late 2008 15″ Unibody MacBook Pro: Unibody construction, dual GPUs, glass trackpad, glossy display standard, and 1920 x 1200 resolution – and losing the FireWire 400 port wasn’t unexpected. The first unknown was […]
The Macintosh officially turns 25 on January 24, 2009, the anniversary of Apple’s announcement of the original Macintosh.
