Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2005.09.16
PowerBook, iBook, iPod, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. News about Apple's
transition to Intel CPUs and other Intel developments is covered in
The Macintel Report. iPod news is
covered in The iNews Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products and Services
News & Opinion
Missing from the Mac mini
MacDevCenter's Derrick Story says:
"This week's retracted Mac
mini test drive [article dated Sept. 1] offer brings to mind a
few things I've been wondering about Apple's affordable computer.
My hunch is that the mini might be a tad too Spartan for
everyone.
"You see, the
thing I like about Macs is that I order one, it arrives, I turn it
on, it works. I'm a huge PowerBook fan for that very reason. I have
everything I need in that single stylish box. It's like dining at a
four star restaurant where attention is paid to every detail.
"The mini is experience is more like a church potluck. You can
join the party, but you have to bring your own keyboard and
monitor. And let's face it, you're not bringing sirloin steaks.
"The mini misses on the very thing that Apple is good at - the
total satisfying experience. Who wants to plug a crappy VGA monitor
in to a brand new mini work of art? I don't. Instead, I want a mini
kit."
iMac G5 Is Hot - Too Hot
Newsday's
Richard J. Dalton Jr. says:
"The iMac G5's small size
makes it difficult to dissipate the heat, said Bradley Dichter, a
Mac consultant in Islandia, NY, who has had numerous clients with
iMac G5 problems. Dichter said users shouldn't place the computer
in a cubicle where it's enclosed too tightly, and the room should
be below 95 degrees.
"When Apple unveiled the sleek iMac G5 just barely over a year
ago, Mac enthusiasts embraced it as one of the hottest new
computers. It turns out they may have been onto something.
"In its September issue, Popular Mechanics magazine ran an
article titled 'Is the iMac G5 Running Hot?' The story said many
iMacs in the magazine's editorial offices overheated and died and
that the magazine had to send 40 percent of its G5s to Apple for
repair or replacement."
Macs Mostly Don't Break
Consumer reports has posted a char indicating the percentage of
five-year-old products with and without a warranty that have ever
been repaired or had a serious problem. They've also listed a
sampling of brands that have been especially reliable over the past
few years, along with brands that are among the more likely to have
needed repair. In computers, the especially reliable brands
are:
- Desktop PC: Apple, Dell, Sony
- Laptop or notebook PC: Apple, Toshiba
- Link:
What Breaks, What Doesn't
Power Mac Towers Heading into Sunset
Apple Matters' Chris Seibold says:
"...Soon to join the club of once semi common and suddenly gone
is the PowerMac tower form
factor. Unlike the mammoths in this case we won't have to puzzle
over the causes for the demise of the hulking aluminum enclosure;
we are seeing the causes for the tower's inevitable demise before
our very eyes."
Apple Is a Media Company - and That's Good for
Macs
silicon.com's Seb Janecek says:
"It's been a paradigm-shifting few years in Cupertino....
"With the launch of the iPod, iTunes and the Mac mini, Apple has
begun the evolution from hardware and software maker to digital
media mogul. While some Mac enthusiasts moan about the changes, Seb
Janecek says it's all for the best.
"Long-time Mac users who may have taken a wholly pastoral
sojourn in the last 18 months would likely return to the technology
landscape, take a quick look around and wonder just what the hell
happened in 2004 and 2005....
"So what role does the Mac play in Apple's plans? Many Mac users
have become frustrated as the iPod and the iTunes music business
rose to the ascendancy and computers seemed to become increasingly
marginalised. However, Apple is one of the few computer makers
making ground in a tough market."
OS X vs. Linux on G5 - Part 2
AnandTech says:
"A little bit more than a month ago, AnandTech published 'No
more mysteries: Apple's G5 versus x86, Mac OS X versus Linux' with
the ambitious goal of finding out how the Apple platform compares,
performance-wise, to the x86 PC platform. The objective was to find
out how much faster or slower the Apple machines were compared to
their PC alternatives in a variety of server and workstation
applications.
"Some of the results were very surprising and caught the
attention of millions of AnandTech readers. We found out that the
Apple platform was a winner when it came to workstation
applications, but there were serious performance problems when you
run server applications such as MySQL (Relational Database) or
Apache (Webserver). The MySQL database running on Mac OS X and the
Dual G5 was up to 10 times slower than on the Dual Opteron running
Linux.
"...That is what we'll be doing in this article: we will shed
more light on the whole Apple versus x86 PC, IBM G5 versus Intel
CPU discussion by showing you what the G5 is capable of when
running Linux. This gives us insight on the strength and weakness
of Mac OS X, as we compare Linux and Mac OS X on the same
machine."
Mac mini Inside a Lotus Roadster
123Macmini.com says:
"Beep beep! It's been a while since we have seen an interesting
Mac mini auto installation. Mini dock of Japan has posted some
pictures of a Mac mini installed into a classic Lotus roadster.
Mini dock is the company we wrote about back in June that sells a
custom automotive docking station for the Mac mini."
Products and Services
PowerLogix Reduces Prices on G4 Upgrades
[PR] PowerLogix has reduced prices on many of its single
and dual processor PowerForce 7447 Series of upgrade cards.
The new pricing available immediately from Other World
Computing, master distributor for PowerLogix, is:
- PowerForce47 G4/1.6 GHz Single from $269 (was $299)
- PowerForce47 G4/1.8 GHz Single $329 (was from $339)
- PowerForce47 G4/2.0 GHz Single $369 (was $399)
- PowerForce47 G4/1.2 GHz Dual $399 (was from $419)
- PowerForce47 G4/1.6 GHz Dual from $459 (was $499)
- PowerForce47 G4/1.7 GHz Dual from $549 (was from $599)
- PowerForce47 G4/1.8 GHz Dual from $599 (was from $649)
All PowerLogix PowerForce 7447 Series upgrades feature 512K of
high-speed L2 cache per processor operating at the same speed as
the processor as well as onboard thermal sensor and real-time
thermal monitoring. The cards also support PowerLogix' exclusive
Dynamic Frequency Switching (DFS) management.
DFS efficiently manages power utilization and reduces heat with
intelligent management. This is not unlike the power management
features included with current Apple computer models, but unique to
PowerLogix because this feature allows for a processor upgrade to
an older Mac.
CPU Director, PowerLogix' proprietary software utility, ships
with all PowerLogix processor upgrades. This software constantly
monitors the processor for proper and safe operation, and allows
the user to view operational temperature.
PowerForce 7447 upgrades are available for PowerMac G4 AGP
Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver and
G4 Cube Models. Upgrades are compatible with all existing hardware
and software running under Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS X 10.3.5 and
higher including OS X Tiger 10.4.x (Mac OS X 10.3.9 or
higher is required for thermal monitoring and DFS features).
The full line of PowerLogix products is available immediately
through Other World Computing via its website.
OWC is master distributor for PowerLogix and provides all
product and warranty support for their products.
Maxelerate: a Faster, More Flexible Drive for
Your Mac mini
[PR] It's nothing short of revolutionary in design and
function, but many users need more from their Mac mini.
Enter
WiebeTech's Maxelerate!
Faster Boot Drive: Maxelerate boasts a disk read and write
performance that is 30 percent faster than the drive that comes
inside of the Mac mini. And because it's bootable, use it as a
startup disk, taking full advantage of FireWire technology.
Thermally Engineered: Continuing WiebeTech's tradition of using
intelligent metal design, Maxelerate is thermally engineered with
heat issues in mind. Its aluminum design with integral internal die
cast heat sink and fan allows for excellent cooling.
Store more stuff: Maxelerate holds drives up to 500 GB. That's
up to 12 times the 40 GB or 6 times the 80 GB internal storage that
comes in a Mac mini. It gives you perfect growing room to edit more
home movies, take more pictures, and listen to more music.
Connect more stuff: Maxelerate sports daisy-chainable ports:
three USB 2.0 ports and three FireWire ports, making it an ideal
central station for more hard drives, digital cameras or many other
computer peripherals.
Free more space: Best of all, you can achieve this speed,
storage and all of the new ports in a space no bigger than the Mac
mini itself. Beautifully designed out of aluminum to complement
Apple's design, Maxelerate fits perfectly underneath any Mac
mini.
Features
- Three USB 2.0 ports and three FireWire 400 ports; daisy
chainable
- Supports Hi-Speed USB data transfer speed of up to 480 Mbps,
and IEEE 1394a data transfer speed of up to 400 Mbps
- Supports 3.5" IDE drives
- Delivers bus power from host for USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices/hub
and FireWire 400 repeater
- Allows daisy-chaining of USB 1.1/2.0 and/or FireWire 400
devices
- Built-in power switch
Compatibility
- Mac OS 9.x or higher
- Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP
Pricing
- 0 GB, supports drive to 500 GB, accepts parallel IDE drives,
$119.95
- 160 GB, 7200 rpm, 8 MB cache, $199.95
- 250 GB, 7200 rpm, 8 MB cache, $269.95
- 400 GB, 7200 rpm, 8 MB cache, $499.95
- 500 GB, 7200 rpm, 16 MB cache, $689.95
- Link: Maxelerate
Plextor Ships External 16x DVD Burner
[PR] Plextor Corp. has announced the immediate
availability of the PX-740UF DVD-R/RW drive. The stylish black
external drive is aimed at mainstream PC users who want reliable,
lightning fast performance but don't require professional recording
features.
The concept behind the PX-740 Series drives is
simple: give customers the very fast recording speed and high level
of reliability for which Plextor is known, without professional
features they don't need. Now customers can choose between the
internal PX-740A and external PX-740UF versions, with both models
delivering the same industry leading performance and quality.
A dual interface supports both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and full-speed
compliant IEEE-1394 FireWire®, enabling Plextor customers to
easily share a single external high-performance DVD/CD recorder
among multiple Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows-based personal
computer systems. Burst data transfer rates of 480 Mbps (USB) or
400 Mbps (FireWire) allow a user to burn a 4.7 GB DVD+R disc in
approximately six minutes.
The PX-740UF delivers state-of-the-art recording speeds of 16x
DVD-R on recommended single-layer DVD media. Users also can burn up
to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2/DVD video on a single 8.5 GB
disk using 8x DVD+R on Double-Layer (DL) DVD media and 4x DVD-R on
Dual Layer (DL) DVD media.
The Plextor PX-740UF Series drive is a highly versatile 10-in-1
DVD/CD burner that supports 8x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, and 16x DVD-R
Writing; 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW Rewriting; and 16x max
DVD-Reading; as well as high-speed 48x CD-R Writing, 32x CD-RW
Rewriting, and 48x max CD-Reading.
The PX-740UF drive has a 2 MB buffer and features Buffer
Underrun Proof Technology to prevent buffer underrun errors and
allow multitasking. Lossless Linking/Zero Link technology enables
users to perform basic editing tasks directly on the DVD disc. The
PX-740UF also supports DVD+RW background format, which eliminates
the need to format a DVD+RW disc manually, thus reducing the total
time it takes to write data to a disc.
Plextor's bundled software package offers ease-of-use and
extensive functionality for Windows platforms. The PX-740UF drive
ships with the award-winning Nero 6 software suite for burning
video, music, photos, and data to DVD or CD. The Plextor bundle
includes Nero Express 6 for CD & DVD recording; NeroVision
Express 2 SE for DVD video editing and authoring; Nero PhotoShow
Express for photo management and editing; InCD 4.2 for drag &
drop packet writing; Nero Showtime for video playback; and Nero
Toolkit for drive test and speed control.
The Plextor PX-740UF drive will ship to distributors in North
and South America in September 2005 with a Manufacturer's Suggested
Retail Price (MSRP) of $179. All retail packages include one-year
full warranty.
Apple Updates Xserve RAID
[PR] Apple has updated its Xserve RAID storage system, a
3U high-availability, rack storage system to deliver a massive 7
terabytes (TB) of storage capacity at the industry's most
aggressive price of just $1.86 per GB. Apple also upgraded its
Xserve 1U rack optimized server with up to three 500 GB drives,
achieving a groundbreaking 1.5 TB of storage. Prices for Xserve
still start at just $2,999 and prices for Xserve RAID at just
$5,999.
"Apple has shipped an impressive 76 petabytes of Xserve RAID
storage in the last two years," said Philip Schiller, Apple's
senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "We are now
offering our users more capacity at an even lower price per
gigabyte."
The unique architecture of Xserve RAID delivers massive storage
density and incredible performance. Designed with 14 independent
500 GB Ultra ATA drive channels, Xserve RAID provides up to
7 TB of storage capacity with pricing as low as $1.86 per GB,
while the dual independent RAID controllers with 512 MB cache per
controller offer sustained throughput of over 385 MBps - high
enough to support the most demanding media production environments
using protected RAID level 5. Xserve RAID is certified to run in
Mac OS® X, Windows, NetWare, SUSE and Red Hat Linux
environments.
The Xserve 1U rack optimized server can now hold up to three 500
GB drives to achieve a groundbreaking 1.5 TB of hot-plug storage.
With dual 64-bit 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 processors that deliver over 35
gigaflops of processing power per system and the industry's fastest
front side 1U server system bus, running at up to 1.15 GHz with up
to 9.2 GBps of bandwidth per processor and Mac OS X Server version
10.4 "Tiger" installed, it is the ideal server for everything from
file and print serving to computational clusters.
Xserve RAID connects easily to any Xserve server or Power
Mac® desktop system using the dual-channel 2 GB Apple Fibre
Channel PCI-X card sold separately at an industry breakthrough
price of $499 and works seamlessly with Xsan, Apple's 64-bit
cluster file system for Mac OS X to deliver a powerful,
easy-to-manage, enterprise class SAN solution at a breakthrough low
price that enables organizations to consolidate storage resources
and provide multiple computers with concurrent file-level
read/write access to shared volumes over Fibre Channel.
Apple offers a choice of world-class services and support
programs for Xserve RAID including 4-hour on-site response, 24x7
technical support, AppleCare Service Parts Kits and the AppleCare
Professional SupportLine and Tools program.
The new Xserve RAID is available today through the Apple Store
and Apple Authorized Resellers. Xserve RAID comes in three standard
configurations, or can be fully customized to meet specific
customer requirements. Build-to-order options can include
additional Apple Drive Modules and cache battery modules.
Xserve RAID with a suggested retail price of $5,999
includes:
- 1 TB RAID 0 total available storage;
- dual independent RAID controllers with 512 MB cache per
controller;
- dual 2 GB Fibre Channel SFP ports with 200 MBps throughput per
channel;
- four 250 GB ATA Apple Drive Modules; and
- 8 MB on-drive cache.
Xserve RAID with a suggested retail price of $8,499 (US)
includes:
- 3.5 TB RAID 0 total available storage;
- dual independent RAID controllers with 512 MB cache per
controller;
- dual 2 GB Fibre Channel SFP ports with 200 MBps throughput per
channel;
- seven 500 GB ATA Apple Drive Modules; and
- 8 MB on-drive cache.
Xserve RAID with a suggested retail price of $12,999 (US)
includes:
- 7 TB RAID 0 total available storage;
- dual independent RAID controllers with 512 MB cache per
controller;
- dual 2 GB Fibre Channel SFP ports with 200 MBps throughput per
channel;
- fourteen 500 GB ATA Apple Drive Modules; and
- 8 MB on-drive cache.
- Link:
Apple Store
Avocent Delivers Multimedia KVM Switches
for SOHO PC and Mac Desktop
[PR] Avocent Corporation today announced its new line of
SwitchView multimedia keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) switches.
These switches enable desktop users to share peripherals such as
keyboards, monitor, mouse, scanners, speakers, microphones,
printers, cameras, PDAs and other USB peripherals with up to four
PC and/or Mac computers.
Avocent has been the leading innovator in KVM switching since
the '80s. Since then the company has focused attention on
developing the high-end data center market as well as small and
medium sized businesses. Avocent technology appears in virtually
every major data center around the globe. The technology used to
control mission critical corporate applications has now been
adopted in an affordable line of KVM desktop switches.
"Although we've done well selling entry-level two and four port
switches in the past, our focus has been on the mid-market and
higher," said Michael Helms, desktop KVM product manager. "These
new products provide many high quality features at exceptional
values."
The Avocent SwitchView KVM switch line features a built-in USB
hub which enables the switching of KVM audio and USB hub ports
independently or jointly. For example, users can utilize the
peripherals activated from one PC while working on another. The
SwitchView PC, SwitchView MM1, SwitchView MM2, and SwitchView DVI
KVM switches provide varying features depending on users'
needs.
The SwitchView PC Switch allows users to control up to four PS/2
computers from one keyboard, monitor and mouse - retaining valuable
desktop space for other peripherals.
The SwitchView MM1 Switch allows users to switch between USB or
PS/2 systems, sharing USB devices and controlling multimedia
applications. The SwitchView MM1 model provides independent
switching for KVM and two USB 1.1 hub ports With the SwitchView
multimedia KVM switch you can use one compact device to control
multiple PCs and share access to your USB devices, digital camera,
CD- ROM, PDA, scanner or printer.
The SwitchView MM2 Switch provides independent switching for KVM
and two USB 2.0 hub ports. This model will support users who would
benefit from the faster speed associated with the USB 2.0 standard.
The MM2 also provides hotkey switching and supports the multimedia
keys found on some USB keyboards.
The SwitchView DVI Switch easily manages two USB DVI (digital
visual interface) computers from a single USB keyboard, mouse and
DVI monitor. With video resolutions up to 1600 x 1200, the
SwitchView DVI switch delivers crisp images for today's high-end
displays, making it an ideal management tool for the video
enthusiast. Audio, microphone and a built in two port USB 2.0 hub
are added benefits.
SwitchView KVM switches are backed by the Avocent two-year
warranty and technical support. Avocent SwitchView products are
available at leading resellers.
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Deals
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