A Mac User Tries Out Windows 8

There has been a lot of buzz around Windows 8. About a year ago I was given a half-built PC tower, which I finished off building and gave to my kids. I decided to take advantage of cheap Windows 8 upgrade offer from Microsoft – but is it an upgrade?

Writing in WordPress

WordPress is a widely-used content management system (CMS) used by many blogs and websites, and it’s the CMS we’ve implemented at Low End Mac. After nearly 16 years of writing, editing, creating HTML pages, and uploading them from my Macs, everything is much more automated with WordPress.

Welcome to WordPress

After nearly 16 years of writing and editing site pages on my Macs, uploading HTML files to a server, and doing most site updates manually, Low End Mac is moving to WordPress. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is often used for blogging, but I want to make it clear that we are […]

Maximizing a 2006 Mac Pro

Now that Apple has kicked the first version of the Mac Pro out of the family, I think it’s safe to say that it’s now part of our family – a low-end Mac – yet one with extraordinary power waiting to be uncorked.

Your Mac’s Text to Speech Is Great for Proofreading

I have been a writer for over ten years. Before writing for Low End Mac, I was a professional business journalist writing for both UK and international magazines. There is nothing more annoying than putting together an article, writing it up, correcting it until you are blue in the face, dropping it into an amazing […]

4th Generation iPad

Apple promoted the 4G iPad as having twice the performance, faster WiFi, and a new FaceTime HD camera. It was the first iPad with a Lightning connector, introduced with the iPhone 5 earlier in the year, and had improved 4G LTE support compared to the 3G iPad.

The Late 2012 iMac Value Equation

Let’s get the gripes out of the way first: The iMac has always involved some compromises and forced some changes on Mac users. Back in 1998, it meant giving up ADB mice and keyboards and SCSI peripherals for something new called USB, and it meant no built-in floppy drive. But until now, every iMac has […]

Apple’s Real Problem with Samsung

Apple is a secretive company that keeps information out of the hands of the media, but more importantly away from the competition. Now if two close partners, like Samsung and Google, switch to become competitors, your control of information happens in a leaky bucket. How can Apple design and build the next iPhone using Samsung […]

The 13″ Retina MacBook Pro Value Equation

2012 – When Apple introduced the 13.3″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display last week, we learned that the 13.3″ MacBook Pro (MBP) is Apple’s best selling Mac. That’s quite an accomplishment for an $1,199 laptop, especially since it isn’t Apple least expensive notebook computer. (That honor goes to the $999 11.6″ MacBook Air (MBA), and […]

Which Is Apple’s Biggest Threat, Microsoft or Google?

Much has been said about the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft. I agree with those who said that Microsoft has used its monopoly power to kill off competition. But times change; Apple and Microsoft no longer want or need to defeat the other. They have become dependent in strange ways. The biggest changes are the threat of regulation and […]

The Late 2012 Mac mini Value Equation

The littlest Mac has become a powerhouse. Apple updated the Mac mini last week, and while the entry-level 2.5 GHz dual-core i5 model is only about 5% faster than last year’s “better” Mac mini, the $200 more expensive model has made the leap from a 2.5 GHz dual-core i5 to a 2.3 GHz quad-core i7.

Remembering the Hi-Res PowerBook G4

A little over seven years ago, on October 19, 2005, Apple introduced the Hi-Res PowerBook G4. These 15″ and 17″ notebooks were the last Macs that would don the PowerBook moniker. 15″ and 17″ hi-res PowerBook G4 The biggest thing I remember about them is how they flew in a bit under the radar, since […]

Mac mini Server (Late 2012)

The 2011 Mac mini Server was a normal Mac mini with two hard drives, a quad-core i7 CPU (vs. dual-core CPUs in regular Minis), and OS X Server installed. The 2012 Server is essentially the same as the top-end consumer model, but with OS X Server installed and two hard drives instead of one. You […]

Mac mini (Late 2012)

“Way more power” is Apple’s claim for the Late 2012 Mac mini, and that’s certainly true for the top-end quad-core i7-based model. It has the highest Geekbench score yet for a Mini at 10642 (vs. 6741 for last year’s 2.7 GHz dual-core i7 model), which is an impressive 58% better. However, at the entry level, […]

iMac (Late 2012)

Slimmer than ever, the Late 2012 iMac is the first iMac ever not to include a built-in optical drive. Apple has also managed to make the iMac’s glossy screen 75% less reflective than before.