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News & Opinion
iPad Not Cutting into Mac Sales
The Register's Tony Smith says:
"Apple's other product line - you remember the Mac, don't you? - is
apparently doing rather well, despite the fact that the iPad and iPhone 4 are getting all the
attention at the moment."
"...Mac sales through US retail outlets are up 37 per cent year on
year for the three months to the end of May."
The iPad began shipping at the start of April.
Link: iPad Not
Hindering Mac Sales
Operating System Market Shares for June
Here's the Net Marketshare Operating System Total Market Share
rundown of the significant players for June 2010 (May figures in
parentheses) tracking changes over the the past month. Analysis summary
is simple. Windows, Android, and iPad gained some ground. Everybody
else lost share or stayed static, including Macs.
- Windows: 91.46 (91.28%)
- Mac: 5.16% (5.27%)
- Linux: 1.07% (1.13%)
- JavaME: 0.65% (0.73)
- iPhone: 0.59% (0.60%)
- Symbian: 0.25% (0.26%)
- iPad: 0.17% (0.08%)
- Android: 0.14% (0.11%)
- iPod touch: 0.12% (0.12%)
- BlackBerry: 0.07% 0.07%)
- Windows Mobile: 0.04% (0.05%)
- Playstation: 0.03% (0.04%)
- FreeBSD: 0.01% (0.01% )
- SunOS: 0.01% (0.01%)
Specific OS Versions
For Windows, it was a Windows 7 show, with all other versions
dropping back percentage-wise, although XP and Vista are still in front
in raw numbers of users. Nearly four years after Vista was introduced,
Windows XP still has more of the Windows market than all other versions
combined.
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was the most prolific Mac OS version
prowling for a third month, roughly quadrupling OS X 10.4 Tiger's
receding user share (only receding by two-tenths of a point last month)
- a contrast with Windows, whose 10.4 contemporary Windows XP remains
the most prolific version in the Windows space.
- Windows
- Windows XP: 62.49% (63.53%)
- Windows Vista: 14.68% (15.26%)
- Windows 7: 13.70% (12.67%)
- Windows 2000: 0.45% (0.50)
- Windows NT: 0.11% (0.17% )
- Windows 98: 0.06% (0.07%)
- Windows ME: 0.03% (0.03%)
- Macintosh
- MacOS X 10.6: 2.47% (2.34%)
- Mac OS X 10.5: 1.90 (1.96%)
- Mac OS X 10.4: 0.66% (0.66%)
- iPhone: 0.59% (0.60)
- Mac OS X (no version reported): 0.12% (0.14)
- iPod: 0.12% (0.12%)
- iPad: 0.17 (Not rated in May stats)
- Mac OS X Mach-O: 0.03% (0.05
Link:
Operating System Market Share
Link:
Operating System Market Share by Version
Browser Market Shares for June
Turning to browsers, Chrome was the biggest gainer again in June
among the major browsers. Internet Explorer is up a bit and Firefox
down again marginally for the second month in a row (most likely due to
Chrome). Safari and Opera both lost ground, as did Opera Mini, although
the latter held on to 6th place in its own right.
Browser Total Market Share (May 2010 figures in parentheses)
- Microsoft Internet Explorer: 60.32% (59.69%)
- Firefox: 23.81% (24.35%)
- Chrome: 7.34% (7.05%)
- Safari: 4.65% (4.77%)
- Opera: 2.27% (2.43%)
- Opera Mini: - 0.66% (0.74%)
- Netscape: 0.56% (0.46%)
- Mozilla: 0.03% (0.17%)
- Flock: 0.06% (0.07%)
Link: Browser
Market Share
Technology: What a Waste
ATPM's Mark Tennent says:
"In the past seven years we have been through: six new desktop Macs,
three laptops, two scanners, four printers, eight operating system
upgrades, twenty hard disks, and seven cell phones. All of which, when
shared between two of us, is at least fifteen grand each.
"Then there are the six iPods (only two of which are mine), six
monitors (CRT and LCD), a menagerie of mice, three routers, one
switching hub, six TV capture devices, and four colour TVs. Plus
upgrades to various pieces of software....
"...this profligacy is not something we are proud of, but at least
we have recycled as much as possible by selling or giving kit away -
the computers themselves being most easily sold. Macs at three or four
years old may be obsolete compared with the latest computers, but they
are still capable machines with a high resale value."
"On the other hand, we have only had three vehicles, two Hondas and
a beaten-up, sixteen-year-old Toyota pick-up . . . Cars are
supposed to be the most complicated consumer products and the easiest
to use. In our experience they are the most long-lasting, too.
"Sound familiar?"
Editor's note: Tennent doesn't explain why he and his wife have gone
through so many Macs, but it is heartening to know that the old one
have remained in use. While we'd love to have the latest and greatest
from Apple - or even the recently discontinued 2009 Mac mini - finances
don't make that possible here.
At Low End Mac, our production machines are a dual 1 GHz Power Mac G4
(introduced seven years ago) running OS X 10.4 Tiger with Classic Mode
and a Digital Audio
Power Mac G4 (introduced January 2001) with a dual 1.6 GHz CPU
upgrade and OS X 10.5
Leopard. Both machines have newer, faster hard drives and lots of
RAM (2 GB and 1.25 GB respectively), and they meet our needs. Our
newest Mac is a 2004 1.25 GHz
eMac, and it's single processor give it a back seat to our older,
dual-processor G4s. No waste here - but then, this is Low End
Mac, and we really do believe in using your Macs as long as practical.
dk
Link: What
a Waste
Don't Let Your Computer Ruin Your Eyes
Cnet's Dennis O'Reilly reports that if you spend more than two hours
a day peering at a computer display, you have at least a 50-50 chance
of experiencing vision problems or other physical ailments related to
your PC use, according to Dr. Wendy Strouse Watt, O.D., in an article
entitled "Computer
Vision Syndrome and Computer Glasses" (2003), O'Reilly notes that
the almost comprehensive shift to flat panel displays since Watt's
article was first published may have minimized the risk somewhat, but
also that most office workers now spend more time each day at a
computer than they did at the time of the study, with a survey of
optometrists estimating that 10 million "primary" eye examines occur
annually in the US due in large part to use of computer displays.
Editor's note: Dr. Watt strongly recommends computer glasses, which
are designed to accommodate your typical working distance and put less
stress on your eyes. I've been using them for years and find it a huge
improvement over trying to do my work with bifocals - even the computer
optimized ones without lines. (Watt's recommends against bifocals when
working at your computer.) dk
Link: Don't Let Your PC
Wear Out Your Eyes
Installing and Running OS X on an External Drive Is
Easy
MacFixIt's Topher Kessler says:
"One of the advantages OS X has over Windows is the easy ability to
install OS X on practically any supported local volume, meaning that
regardless of the hardware, if the volume can be mounted locally (as
opposed to a network share) you should be able to install a copy of
OS X to that volume and boot to it....
"Installing OS X to an external drive can be convenient for
troubleshooting and being able to quickly move your whole OS
installation around if needed; however, it does come with a few
drawbacks...."
Kessler also lists some benefits.
Editor's note: We're huge fans of external drives, particularly for
creating a bootable backup of your current configuration in case the
internal drive fails. We've used SuperDuper for years ($28 demoware), and
Carbon Copy Cloner
(donationware) is an excellent alternative.
Two advantaged of external drives for those of us using older Macs
are that FireWire drives don't suffer from the 128 GB limitation experienced by all G3
and most G4 Macs, and external drives may also be a lot faster than the
drive inside your G3 or G4 Mac. For instance, our dual 500 MHz Power
Mac G4 is set up as a server using OS X 10.5 Leopard, and it has a
240 GB external drive attached - with a 210 GB partition set aside for
Time Machine backups (see Time Machine Can Now
Backup to a Shared Hard Drive for details). This Mac is limited to
128 GB on the internal bus. dk
Link: Installing OS
X on an External Drive: What to Expect
2010 Mac mini HDMI Port: What You Need to Know
Fairer Platform says:
"Apple has posted the Mac
mini (Mid 2010): Frequently asked questions about HDMI, which
covers the basics about the high-definition video out port built into
the company's new, living-room-ready, super quiet, efficient and
definitely Blu-ray free desktop (or entertainment center) computer.
Here are a few of the points I found the most edifying...."
Link: 2010 Mac mini HDMI Port: What
You Need to Know
Add Magical Mouse Gestures to Your Mac with
Quicksilver
App Storm's Joshua Johnson says:
"Remember Quicksilver?
OS X's ultimate but long-dormant launcher has quietly been updated to
work on OS 10.6 and above. I thought I d take the opportunity to dredge
up an old but useful trick to boost your productivity.
"Below I'll show you how to setup Abracdabra with Quicksilver and
add magical mouse gestures to activate any standard QS action. It's a
relatively simple trick, but gives your mouse a power you've never
known before!
"If you re not familiar with QS, you'll definitely want to read our
Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Quicksilver. It's both one of the simplest
and most complicated apps you'll come across and you'll get way more
functionality out of it if you do your homework."
Link: Add Magical Mouse Gestures to
Your Mac with Quicksilver
Reviews
2010 Mac mini: 'Environmentally Friendly Design and
Efficiency'
AppleInsider's Daniel Eran Dilger reports:
"Apple's newest entry-level Mac recently received a full hardware
makeover, with a wider but flatter aluminum unibody shell, integrated
power supply, built in HDMI for home theater applications, and a
greener more efficient design....
"In terms of performance, the standard Mac mini is built with the same
general architecture as the entry level 2010 MacBooks....
"The server version ships with a slightly faster 2.66 GHz 'P8800'
Intel Core 2 Duo and the same graphics hardware; the standard version
can also be upgraded to that same CPU for $150 more."
Editor's note: The only difference between the 2.53 GHz P8600 and
the 2.66 GHz P8800 is clock speed. dk
Link: Review: Apple's Aluminum Mac
mini and Mac mini Server (2010)
Products & Services
Hitachi LifeStudio Redefines Backup of Digital
Content
PR: Meet the hard drive evolved: the Hitachi LifeStudio
external hard drive family. During the last decade, external hard
drives have offered little beyond design changes and simple storage and
backup. With the new LifeStudio family by Hitachi Global Storage
Technologies (Hitachi GST), the company is breaking through the
long-established confines of the category and delivering an external
drive that combines highly reliable storage and new levels of data
protection with content organization, management, socialization, and
navigation for both local and online content.
The LifeStudio family, offered in both portable and
desktop models, creates an unprecedented solution that seamlessly pulls
in, organizes, and protects consumers' priceless stored digital content
- photos, videos, music, and documents- and unifies them with online
digital content from social networks, such as Facebook and photo sites
such as Flickr and Picasa Web Albums. These important digital memories
are laid out on a stunning 3D visual wall, instead of in random and
hard-to-find files and folders, creating a comprehensive and organized
catalog of the user's digital life. Redefining backup, consumers
receive the benefits of both local and cloud backup within one single
application, making it easy to view, download, and share protected
cloud content from any web browser, anywhere.
"Our LifeStudio drive starts where others stop," says Mike Williams,
vice president and general manager, Branded Business for Hitachi GST.
"These drives aren't just about interfaces and capacity, or backup.
While these elements are important in an external storage solution, the
value comes in creating lifestyle solutions that become part of the way
we organize and relive digital memories. Our LifeStudio solution
connects consumers to their online and local content in a more intimate
way than ever before. For the first time, consumers truly have an
integrated experience one solution to find, view, protect and relive
their digital memories. This is a huge milestone for our category."
"Personal storage solutions have become an integral part of a
consumer's digital life in terms of providing simple storage and
backup," says Liz Conner, senior research analyst at IDC. "Pushing
these boundaries, Hitachi's new LifeStudio drive brings an innovative
approach to the market, addressing how consumers organize, navigate and
relive digital memories, seamlessly across multiple digital devices and
online sites. Coupled with Hitachi's local and cloud backup strategy,
end users truly have an all-in-one solution to help manage their
digital life."
Automatic Organization and Easy Sharing on a Stunning 3D Wall
Today it's not just early adopters using external drives to store
and protect their digital lives; it's a huge segment of the population
that are deeply connected to the content they create, collect, and
share. Hitachi research has shown that organization is one of the most
frustrating components of a consumer's digital life. Often hectic
lifestyles lead to a lack of time spent organizing the growing amount
of digital content received daily. What's left is a random storage
process, which multiplies a user's frustration when trying to backup,
share, find and relieve memories. Additionally, much of what consumers
value from a content perspective is online and socialized on dozens or
hundreds of sites. Hitachi is cleaning up the digital mess with the
LifeStudio family of drives because, in the end, it's about content
protecting it, reliving it and sharing it.
After a quick install of the software, the drive's innovative
technology instantly kicks in. Your content photos, videos, music and
documents stored on your computer, any connected USB storage device or
online sites such as Facebook, Flickr and Picasa Web Albums
automatically begins to appear in chronological order on your stunning
3D wall. Music is organized by artist or album. Now all of your most
precious digital content is easily available at your finger tips. No
more searching through files and folders.
Breakthrough Backup
Revolutionizing the way consumers protect their content, the Hitachi
LifeStudio drive is the first to provide local and online cloud backup
integrated into one single solution, within one install process. The
LifeStudio application gives users multiple ways to easily protect
their digital content on site or in the cloud. Every customer receives
3 GB of online storage for free, and for more storage there is an
option to upgrade to a quarter of a terabyte (250 GB) for only $49 per
year, which includes multiple computer protection.
Hitachi Backup™ is simple and easy-to-use with default options
that cover virtually every Mac or PC users backup needs. When using
Hitachi's cloud service, all content is stored in its natural format
(no proprietary formatting), so files are protected and easy to view,
download, and share from any web browser, anywhere, even from an iPhone
and iPad. Backup runs every 30 minutes or can be scheduled at one's
convenience.
LifeStudio Plus Drives with Integrated USB Keys
Hitachi understands the need to fit into consumers fast-paced,
increasingly digital lifestyles. The LifeStudio products move beyond a
hard drive in a box, into a category all their own. The patent-pending
design of the LifeStudio Plus family provides the ultimate in
flexibility with an integrated 4 GB USB key drive, which provides
a quick way to sync important files and folders for grab and go
ease.
With the LifeStudio Plus family, the drive's content management
software conveniently allows you to select specific files or folders to
sync to the USB key. As a result, users can simply remove the key and
take what they need, while leaving the rest of their content safely
stored at home. On return, the key docks on the drive to automatically
sync everything back together.
Industry Firsts/Product Highlights:
- Automatic Organization and Easy Sharing: First drive in the
industry that automatically pulls together and organizes your photos,
videos, music and documents from your computer, any connected USB
device or your social media outlets; making them easier to access, view
and share. Easily upload, view and interact with photos on Facebook,
Flickr, and Picasa Web Albums without leaving the app.
- Stunning 3D Navigation: The only external drive that
effortlessly displays all your favorite memories on a 3D wall so you no
longer need to dig through folders and files to find them.
- Backup Redefined: Hitachi LifeStudio drives take data
protection to the next level, offering both local and online cloud
backup in one integrated solution, within one interface no more
downloading and installing two separate programs. All online content is
stored in its natural format, so files are available from any Internet
browser anywhere in the world, and even from an iPhone and iPad.
- Access to Favorite Premium Content: For the first time
within an external drive, users can search, filter, watch or subscribe
to millions of titles from online content providers. Catch the latest
news, TV shows and music videos, or even play online games all from
within the LifeStudio app.
- Grab n Go Flexibility: Pushing design boundaries beyond a
hard drive in a box, LifeStudio Plus external drives are the first in
the industry that feature an integrated USB key for ultimate
flexibility. The USB key easily synchs content for grab n go
convenience.
Designed for both Mac and PC users, the LifeStudio USB 2.0 external
drive family comes in both mobile and desktop solutions. Each comes
preloaded with the Hitachi LifeStudio content management app and
Hitachi Backup software. Hitachi LifeStudio external drives will be
available at retail and online stores in mid-July.
The drives will be available in capacities ranging from 250 GB to 1
TB, and priced from $79.99 to $219.99.
Check out the LifeStudio social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Link: Hitachi
LifeStudio
Software
USB Backup: A Backup Utility for USB Flash
Drives
PR: USB Backup allows you to backup your removable devices
(and other partitions if you like) automatically so that you never have
to worry about loosing your data again. The system works in just one
single step: Plug in your USB pen, and USB Backup will do the rest; you
don't have to do anything. Should your data ever get erased, you can
then restore all your data using this nifty little app. The utility
creates a backup of your USB pen(s) when you connect them to your Mac,
allowing you to keep several versions of the files that were on the
pen; should the memory pen ever get corrupted, you can just
double-click the backup file and all your data will be restored.
System requirements:
- An Apple Mac with an Intel Processor.
- Mac Snow Leopard 10.6 or higher required.
- At least 30 MB free RAM, however 40 MB is recommended.
- 1 MB Hard Drive Space.
System Support: Intel (This is a 64 Bit Native Application)
£6.95 (app. $7.50) demoware
Link: USB
Backup
App to Disable & Enable the Dashboard
PR: While the Dashboard in Mac OS X is a neat utility, the
developer of Disable & Enable Dashboard Utility says he basically
stopped using it after the novelty wore off (as did your humble
editor).
Preferring not to have unused applications running and taking up
memory, he tracked down
this Mac OS X hint to disable & enable the dashboard. It's been
commented elsewhere that running the Terminal command killall
dock and never launching the Dashboard has the same effect, but
many would prefer to disable the Dashboard altogether to prevent
accidentally starting it up (requiring a logout & login to get
Dashboard out of memory).
Using ScriptGUI Disable & Enable Dashboard Utility packages both
scripts into an executable that can be placed on the Desktop or in your
Applications or Utilities folder. Running Disable Dashboard removes it
from memory and disables F12 and the Dashboard icon. Running Enable
Dashboard restores it (with the previously running widgets still in
place).
Note: As a user at Mac OS X hints pointed out: It's probably also a
good idea (that if you've disabled Dashboard and/or Spotlight), to
remember that you've disabled them and re-enable them (just in case)
before applying any system updates. I remember reading that some were
having problems with the 10.4.1 update because they had disabled
Spotlight beforehand.
Link: Disable/Enable
Dashboard
The DisableDashboard Widget
PR: The only widget you'll ever need! :p Someone
jokingly commented that I should make a widget out of the
DisableEnableDashboard utility. Actually, it's not that crazy an idea
as it sounds. I rarely use the Dashboard, there are maybe one or two
widgets I use once a week, so it would be handy to be able to launch
the EnableDashboard utility, popup Dashboard, use a widget, and then
hit the Disable Dashboard button in the DisableDashboard-widget - and
voilà, no trace of Dashboard in memory.
Included is the EnableDashboard utility to re-enable the Dashboard
(obviously not a widget).
Editor's note: As someone who hardly ever touches Dashboard, this is
a brilliant way to get rid of it when I'm done using it. It won't save
a lot of memory or CPU resources, but it certainly can't hurt.
dk
Link: DisableDashboard
Widget
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