Mac Musings

Mac Musings 2003 Archive

• Panther, low end Macs, and separation, 12.10. Mac OS X, two low-end 'Books, a new site update schedule, and other changes.
• Change can be good, even when it's hard, 11.21. Sometimes life just gets overwhelming, but if you face down the issues, things can get better.
• We're back, 11.06. Why Low End Mac hasn't been updated in days - and where we're going from here.
• A cult classic: The Colour Classic II, 10.31. Looking back at a legendary Mac on its tenth birthday.
• Panther at the low end, and what to do with Jaguar, 10.30. How much faster (or slower) is OS X 10.3 on an eMac, iBook, iMac, or PowerBook - and what should you do with your old copy of OS X?
• The new Mac value equation, 10.22. How the new iBook G4 models and reduced price eMacs impact Mac values across the line.
• POPmonitor 2: Kissing spam goodbye, 10.08. POPmonitor 2 unleashes the power of your Mac -- under OS 8, 9, or X - to detect and delete spam before you download it.
• Newtons, Palms, and Pocket PCs: Why Apple needs a PDA, 10.01. Mac users deserve better than Palms and Pocket PCs have to offer, something that works better both on its own and while connecting with a Mac.
• A million thanks to the Mac community, 08.18. The generous outpouring of support from the Macintosh community is overwhelming. Thank you for your support.
• Low End Mac's financial troubles, 08.14. Over two years after the dot-com bubble burst, we're still trying to recover from significant financial losses.
• Good enough or better yet?, 08.11. Consumerism preaches that newer is better, and it often is, but why upgrade if what you're using is good enough?
• The decline and fall of the iTunes Music Store, 08.04. Sales at the iTunes Music Store have been declining since the service was first launched. Is iTMS in trouble?
• Why David Coursey's OS X on Intel proposal just doesn't make sense, 07.22. Creating an OS X Mac around a Pentium just so it can run Windows well would be an absolute disaster.
• Guide to insecure computing, The Lite Side, 07.11. Helping Windows users understand how insecure their platform really is.
• Finding the best online software deals, 07.11. Using price tracker websites to try to find the best online software prices.
• The power of the G5 and the future of the Mac, 07.10. The steps Apple has taken to make the whole system as powerful as possible by eliminating one bottleneck after another.
• A week with an eMac finds it an excellent value, 07.09. Apple's lowest cost computer acquits itself very nicely in its first week on the job at Low End Mac.
• Three glitches in Safari 1.0, Dan Knight, 10 Forward, 07.07. Safari developer Dave Hyatt has asked for a Top 10 list of Safari problems. Try as I might, I can only come up with three.
• Beige G3 abandoned by Panther? Is it really inevitable?, 06.30. It looks like Apple may not support the beige G3 under Panther. Here's one way Apple could move ahead without abandoning so many users with older hardware.
• MP3 sharing isn't piracy - and it isn't legal, either, 06.27. The RIAA likes to use loaded words like theft and piracy, but file swapping is simply copyright violation - and that can cost you dearly.
• Blowout G4s or forthcoming G5s, which wins the value comparison?, 06.25. When we look at the end-of-life pricing on the Power Mac G4s and the value of the Power Mac G5s, two models stand apart from the pack as undisputed best buys.
• The Power Mac G5 value equation, 06.24. Apple has turned things on their head when the dual 2.0 GHz machine offers 2.5x the power of the 1.6 GHz model at just 50% more money.
• Back on the low-end TiBook, 06.19. A defective memory module has us temporarily abandoning the eMac for the 400 MHz PowerBook G4.
• First impressions of a low-end eMac, 06.18. Low End Mac steps up from a 400 MHz PowerBook G4 to a 700 MHz eMac. Early thoughts on the transition.
• Thinking too different: Why Mac users are slow to adopt OS X, 06.03. "...if Apple wants to gain converts, they need to make OS X as easy, as elegant, as simple, as powerful, as friendly, and as comfortable as the best OS these people have ever used - the classic Mac OS."
• Does building your own CoreCrib G4 make economic sense?, 05.14. The CoreCrib starts with a Power Mac G4 motherboard, power supply, and case for US$379. But is it a bargain once you build it into a full system?
• The 2002 vs. 2003 eMac value equation, 05.07. The new eMacs offer more power for the dollar then ever before, but with reduced prices on the 2002 models, which offers the most value?
• How to survive while your Mac is gone for repair, 04.18. AppleCare is wonderful, but how can you be productive when your Mac is gone for service for several days or more?
• iBox value and avoiding Apple legal complications, 04.09. How to market the iBox to Mac hobbyists and not have to worry about a "cease and desist" from Apple's legal team.
• Low End Mac: Six years on the Web, 04.07. From our humble beginnings to over 5,000 articles online today - and our plans for the future.
• We're back, 04.03. Why Low End Mac wasn't updated for almost two days yet again.
• A damaged hard drive can ruin your whole day - hooray for backups!, 03.28. Why Low End Mac wasn't updated for almost two days, and how multiple backups and some helpful software got us back on our feet.
• Jaguar today, Panther tomorrow, and another slap in the face?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 03.24. Why buy Jaguar today when Panther will probably ship in a few months with no discount to reward my loyalty?
• Recent and coming changes at Low End Mac, 03.10. A look at some recent design tweaks at Low End Mac - and projects we're working on for the near future.
• 1987: Apple introduces the Mac II and SE, 03.04. With the Mac II and SE, the closed box information appliance turned into something vastly more expandable.
• Not just hardware or software: Apple is a solutions company, 02.28. It's shortsighted to view Apple as primarily a hardware company or a software company; their integration makes Apple a solutions company.
• The Mac OS: Two out of three ain't bad, 02.24. Speed. Ease of use. Stability. Choose two of three, because you can't have it all.
• Claris Home Page 3.0: Still irreplaceable?, 02.19. Claris Home Page is five years old and doesn't support modern Web standards - can it sell be the best tool for the job?
• Ten years ago: Apple rolls out six new models at once, 02.17. What was Apple thinking introducing six new Macs in February 1993? Looking back at Apple's broadest product rollout ever.
• Cheerleading, misinformation, and moving ahead with Mac OS X, 02.10. "Apple doesn't have much of a home court advantage while 20 of 25 million Mac users continue to work with the classic Mac OS."
• The new iMac and eMac value equation, 02.05. Apple has improved the value equation with the new iMacs and new eMac pricing - but there's also one great value among the discontinued models.
• Apple has always been a significant player, 02.03. Despite its small market share, Apple has always been a significant player in the personal computer industry.
• Apple has always been a niche player, 01.31. "Despite the myths, Apple has never been a dominant player in the personal computer industry."
• The January 2003 Power Mac G4 value equation, 01.29. More performance. Less money. But where is the true value, with the newest Power Macs or the just replaced models?
• Fulfilling the promise of Aqua and the Quartz rendering engine, 01.27. How Apple could leverage the Quartz technology to make Web browsing, mail reading, and other applications even more flexible.
• The longer Apple sticks with Motorola, the behinder they get, 01.24, revised 01.28. Motorola's failure to keep up with the industry in boosting CPU speed provides the incentive Apple needs to adopt IBM's PowerPC 970 - not Intel or AMD.
• Extreme wireless for older Macs, 01.22. Apple's AirPort isn't the only game in town. Other vendors offer PC Cards and PCI cards that give older Macs access to 802.11g "extreme" wireless networking.
• What happened to the low end at Low End Mac?, 01.21. "Low End Mac has gone from being a site where all Macs were appreciated to a place where only the most recent, cutting edge systems are recognized and discussed."
• The Lisa legacy,, 01.20. On the Lisa's 20th anniversary, we should remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
• Deliver us from evil: Thoughts on computer self defense, 01.16. "Should you have the right to take active steps to stop a computerized attack on your computer system?"
• Don't buy the new 'Books quite yet, 01.14. Because the new aluminum PowerBooks won't boot the classic Mac OS, you may not be able to run your disk utilities should a problem occur.
• I switched (from OS 9 to OS X), 10 Forward, 01.13. A year with OS X, a week with Jaguar, and I've finally made the switch from the classic Mac OS to OS X.
• AirPort Extreme should drive full line overhaul at Apple, 01.09. AirPort Extreme is significant enough that Apple needs to overhaul its entire product line to support it.
• Impressions of Safari beta, 10 Forward, 01.09. A day with Safari finds a lot to like about Apple's beta Web browser.
• Big 'Book, little 'Book, 01.08. Thinking through the value of the new 17" and 12" PowerBook G4 models.
• Things I really like about Jaguar, 10 Forward, 01.08. Independent windows, the dock, PDF screen capture, faster finds, and better browsing are positive aspects of Mac OS X.
• Changes in Jaguar compared to 10.1.5, 10 Forward, 01.07. Some of the ways Jaguar is different from Mac OS X 10.1.x.
• Jaguar on a 400 MHz PowerBook G4, 10 Forward, 01.06. I upgraded to Jaguar last Friday. Will it be good enough to make OS X my primary operating system?
• iApps go from free to fee?, 01.06. Rumors are that Apple will charge for upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD. Does it make sense?
• The Best Reason for Mac OS X on Intel, 01.03. What better way to demonstrate that Apple has the best hardware than to release an optimized version of Mac OS X for Intel?
• Why we need anti-spam legislation, 01.02. "Unlike rain, sending spam is a human behavior which can and should be covered by law."

More Mac Musings in the archive: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010