Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2006.02.03
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
News & Opinion
Apple Prunes 20" iMac G5 Price
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Apple has knocked $200 off the price of its iMac G5 in the US,
while reducing the UK price by £150. The machine now costs
$1499 and £1049 in the two territories. The price of the 17in
model remains unchanged at $1299 and £899, respectively."
- Link:
Apple Prunes iMac G5 Pricing
Apple Cuts Old 20" iMac Price
TechWeb News's Gregg Keizer reports:
"Apple Computer reduced the price of its once top-end iMac by
$200, signs that it wants to move inventory of the older
PowerPC-equipped systems after switching the line last month to
Intel's Core Duo processors.
"The 20-inch iMac G5's new price is $1,499, $200 less than
before and only $200 more than the 17-inch PowerPC model....
"The price of the 17-inch iMac G5 remained at $1,299, the same
price as the similar-sized Intel iMac."
- Link:
Apple Cuts Old iMac Price
Intel-based iMac Off to a Promising Start
AP's Matthew Fordahl says:
"Normally, a speedier computer that appears to be carbon copy of
the one it replaced isn't worthy of much attention.
"Not so, with the new iMac from Apple Computer Inc., the first
with silicon brains from Intel Corp.
"The new iMacs remain visually stunning, with the entire
computer squeezed into the frame of a 17-inch or 20-inch flat-panel
display. They still have built-in video cameras. They run most of
the same software titles. And they cost the same ($1,299 or $1,699)
as the last generation of iMacs, which ran IBM's PowerPC chips.
"Given all that could have gone wrong in the historic chip
switch, all this similitude is significant."
- Link:
Apple's Intel-based iMac Off to a Promising Start
Test-driving the New iMacs
The San Francisco Chronicle's Matthew Yi reports:
"Years from now, the Macintosh faithful will look back on
January 2006 as a pivotal time for Apple Computer Inc.
"That's when Apple started selling its first batch of computers
using microprocessors from former rival Intel Corp. In Apple's
nearly 30-year history, this is only the second time that the
Cupertino company has switched the brains of its Macintosh
computers.
"Inserting a new microprocessor is no easy task. Perhaps the
biggest challenge is retooling all the software to run on the new
computer. Not only does Apple have to rewrite its software - like
its Mac OS X operating system - but everyone else who makes
software for Macintosh PCs has to rewrite their software,
too...
"So, let's take a closer look at the new iMacs that use Intel's
Core Duo chips."
- Link:
Test-driving the New iMacs
Universal Binary the Future of Mac Apps
The Mac Observer reports:
"Don't expect to see developers writing Universal Binary
applications ten years from now. Odds are that they will be writing
Intel-only versions by that point. Although we may go through some
rough patches now, things will smooth out once we all have shiny,
new, faster and more powerful Intel-based Macs sitting on our
desks.
"Just like Apple's transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X required
new versions of the applications we use every day, the transition
to Intel-based Macs is forcing developers to update their code once
again.
"Apple is doing its best to make that transition as painless as
possible for developers and end users alike through a new type of
application type called Universal Binary (UB). A UB application
contains the necessary code to run natively on a PowerPC-based Mac
as well as an Intel-based Mac, like the new iMac or MacBook
Pro."
- Link: The Future of Mac
Apps: Universal Binary
Widescreen Trend Just Getting Started
Mercury News's Mike Langberg says:
"Computer screens are sliding into a kind of middle-aged spread,
becoming both bigger and wider.
"While mostly a good thing, the change is driven more by the
needs of manufacturers than the demands of consumers. Big
widescreen monitors can make it easier to do several things at
once, but they also can put an unnecessary dent in the wallet.
"The full extent of this shape-shifting transformation hit me in
early January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
- Link:
Widescreen Trend Is Just Getting Started
Adios Internet Explorer 5 for Mac
A notice on Microsoft's site informs us:
"Internet Explorer for Mac no longer available for
download
"In June 2003, the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit announced
that Internet Explorer for Mac would undergo no further
development, and support would cease in 2005. In accordance with
published support lifecycle policies, Microsoft ended support for
Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31st, 2005, and is not
providing any further security or performance updates. Accordingly,
as of January 31st, 2006, Internet Explorer for the Mac is no
longer available for download from Microsoft. It is recommended
that Macintosh users migrate to more recent web browsing
technologies such as Apple's Safari."
- Link:
Internet Explorer for Mac
Products
One Keyboard/Mouse to Rule Them All with
KMremoteControl
PR: Derman Enterprises announces an update to
KMremoteControl, the cross-platform program that lets you use one
system's keyboard/mouse to operate all the PCs and Macs on your
desk:
- control all your PCs and Macs via your favorite Mac or PC
- avoid buying that KVM switch . . . add a cheap LCD
monitor, instead
- great for laptop users
- use with ClipCommControl to synchronize Clipboards (Mac
only)
Version 1.52 (Mac) adds the following:
- fixes a problem returning to the correct foreground
application
- updates LicenseControl to 2.11 with significantly improved
capabilities
System requirements:
KMremoteControl requires Mac OS X 10.2 or newer or Windows
2000/XP. A trial version can be downloaded and operates in trial
mode until a license is purchased ($24.95 for a 2-license Starter
Pak).
- Link: KMremoteControl
One
Sonnet Releases 1.8 GHz Encore/ST G4 Duet,
Drops Some Prices
PR: Sonnet Technologies announces the immediate
availability of its new top-of-the-line dual processor upgrade -
the Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.8 GHz (Part No. SG4D-1800) - for most
"Sawtooth" Power Mac G4 systems, including AGP Graphics, Gigabit
Ethernet, Digital Audio, and Quicksilver models. This product
represents a new high point in performance and value in Sonnet's
most popular line of processor upgrades; it is priced the same as
the 1.7 GHz dual processor upgrade it replaces.
This upgrade, using the latest and fastest PowerPC G4 7447A
processors from Freescale Semiconductor, features 512K of SRAM
on-chip L2 cache and is compatible with Mac OS 9.2, and Mac OS X
Version 10.3.5 and higher. The Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.8 GHz fits
seamlessly into all supported systems, and auto-configures to its
host without the need for switches or jumpers. Like all Sonnet
processor upgrades, this new Encore/ST G4 Duet model carries a
three-year warranty and includes free technical support.
Pricing & Availability
The Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.8 GHz (Part No. SG4D-1800) is available
now with an MSRP of $599.95.
Prices for the rest of Sonnet's Encore/ST G4 line of single
processor upgrades are as follows:
- Encore/ST G4 1.8 GHz, $399.95
- Encore/ST G4 1.4 GHz, $299.95 (price drop from $349.95)
- Encore/ST G4 1.33 GHz, $259.95 (price drop from $299.95)
- Encore/ST G4 1.2 GHz,t $239.95
- Encore/ST G4 1.0 GHz, $199.95
Compatibility
The Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.8 GHz is compatible with the following
Power Mac G4 models:
*Some AGP Graphics systems will not support the Encore/ST G4
Duet. For complete details, please visit the web site at http://www.sonnettech.com/support/techtips/duet_tt04.html
Mac OS Requirements and Compatibility
The Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.8 GHz requires Mac OS 9.2 for software
installation and firmware updating. Mac OS X compatibility requires
Mac OS X Version 10.3.5 or later.
Western Digital Ships 500 GB Desktop Hard
Drive
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Western Digital (WD) has upped the capacity of its Caviar
Serial ATA desktop hard drive range to 500 GB, pitching not only
the part's storage but also its low power consumption and low
operational noise level - features it also highlighted for its new
120 GB Scorpio 2.5in notebook drive."
iListen Works with Intel Macs Using
Rosetta, Native Version Coming
PR: MacSpeech, Inc. Chief Evangelist Chuck Rogers
says:
Our most frequently asked questions these days is "will iListen
work on the new Intel-based Macs?" and "when will iListen be
native?" The good news is that iListen works fine on the new
Intel-based Macs, running under the built-in Rosetta emulation.
Performance is about the same as you would get on a new G5. We are
also working on a native version of iListen for later this year. It
will be released as soon as development and testing are
complete.
- Link: MacSpeech
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers every two
weeks:
For more deals on current, recently discontinued, and older
notebooks, see our MacBook Pro
deals, 12" PowerBook G4
deals, 15" aluminum PowerBook G4
deals, 17" PowerBook G4
deals, titanium PowerBook G4
deals, iBook G4 deals,
PowerBook G3 deals, and iBook G3 deals.
