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News & Opinion
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
Macintosh: Quality and Enduring Value
Salon's David Sirota suggests that Apple's soaring profits are
another sign that consumers may be looking for more than just a bargain
these days, noting that Apple is in many respects the antithesis of
typical multinationals that are quite willing to sacrifice
craftsmanship and customer service in pursuit of a lower selling price,
while Apple does the diametrical opposite. Sirota cites market research
data from NPD pegging the average Macintosh computer selling price at
double that of a typical size and performance equivalent Windows PC,
and Forrester Research finds Apple far outpacing its PC competitors in
customer satisfaction, presumably because Apple products and support
are consistently the most reliable and intuitive in the industry.
And contra the discount big box store marketing motif, Apple's
strategy is paying off, generating big returns for shareholders and
confounding the allure of up front lowball pricing in favor of enduring
value in selling machines that may well ultimately have a lower cost of
ownership because they last longer, waste less time, and require little
support attention.
Sirota goes on to outline his thesis that Apple is a bellwether in a
consumer flight to quality across many sectors and general market
demand for better-performing and longer-lasting products.
Link: Consumer Flight to
Quality Benefiting Apple?
Apple Leads in Customer Satisfaction, Beats Dell
and HP
PR: Apple beat Dell and HP in customer satisfaction with
phone-based technical support, according to the latest study conducted
by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews
conducted with 1,147 consumers immediately following a support call,
58% of Apple customers reported they were "Very Satisfied" with the
call, compared to only 46% of Dell customers and 43% of HP
customers.
This
independent research is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs on an
ongoing basis to benchmark industry trends in phone-based customer
service. Results are for the year ending May 31, 2009.
The study found that customers from each company are generally
satisfied with hold times, ease of reaching an agent and agent
professionalism. In contrast, there was a significant difference in the
percentage of customers who reported their problem was solved: 53% of
Apple customers reported their problem had been resolved on the call,
while 45% of Dell customers and only 39% of HP customers reported they
were able to resolve their problem on the call.
"Electronics are among the most complicated and expensive products
consumers buy, and technical support is an important part of the total
package," says Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. "This consumer survey
reveals that there is a real difference in consumer satisfaction with
the support provided by leading providers."
An Executive Summary can be downloaded by visiting the link
below.
The full data set, including survey responses and phone recordings,
are available to Vocalabs clients. Contact Vocalabs at
inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 206.
Vocalabs' Service Quality Tracker compares the customer service
quality for different companies in the same industry, using survey data
and call statistics from the companies' customers. Current research
covers computer technical support and mobile phone customer
service.
Methodology
Consumers participated in the survey by calling an alternate
toll-free phone number to reach a company's technical support.
Immediately after the end of the call, selected consumers are called by
a Vocalabs interviewer and complete a survey about the support
experience.
Link: Apple
Continues to Lead in Call Satisfaction, Sees Decline in Problem
Resolution and IVR Satisfaction
Intel Identifies Sandy Bridge Design Error,
Implements Solution
PR: As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation
has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the
Intel 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon
fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may
degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or
functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD
drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second
Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has
stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel
has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new
version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy
Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected
by this issue.
The company expects to begin delivering the updated version of the
chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery
in April. Intel stands behind its products and is committed to product
quality. For computer makers and other Intel customers that have bought
potentially affected chipsets or systems, Intel will work with its OEM
partners to accept the return of the affected chipsets, and plans to
support modifications or replacements needed on motherboards or
systems.
The systems with the affected support chips have only been shipping
since January 9th and the company believes that relatively few
consumers are impacted by this issue. The only systems sold to an end
customer potentially impacted are Second Generation Core i5 and Core i7
quad-core based systems. Intel believes that consumers can continue to
use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer
manufacturer for a permanent solution. For further information
consumers should contact Intel at intel.com on the support page or
contact their OEM manufacturer.
Link: Chipset
Circuit Design Issue Identified
Sandy Bridge Flaw Could
Delay Next iMac
AppleInsider reports that Intel's Monday announcement that it has
identified and corrected a design error in the chipset that supports
its latest Sandy Bridge Core processors could potentially impact the
roll-out schedule of several mainstream desktop designs like Apple's
next-generation iMacs with second generation Core i5 and Core i7 quad
core chips, and that since Intel does not expect "full volume recovery"
until April, it's now unlikely that iMacs featuring the new chipset
will be released for at least another two months.
Link: Intel Admits
Design Error in Chipset Likely Bound for Apple's Next iMacs
Google's Chrome Browser Market Share Hits 10%
Mark
The Register's Kelly Fiveash notes that in January Google's Chrome
browser broke the 10% market share threshold for the first time,
according to Net
Applications, while Microsoft's Internet Explorer continued its
decline, although still accounting for 56% of the overall browser
market.
Over the past 10 months, Firefox has declined from 24.5% to 22.75%
market share, while Apple's Safari browser has grown from 4.65% to
6.3%.
Link: Google's Chrome
Browser Market Share Hits 10% Mark
15 Free Alternatives to Better Known Mac
Software
AppStorm's Henry Bennett says:
"There's a huge range of amazing paid software out there, but more
often than not there is some form of free alternative. For those of us
who can't afford to spend up on every great app we desire, gathered
here are 15 great free pieces of software that achieve much the same
purpose of a popular but paid application."
Bennett's list:
- Seashore
instead of Photoshop
- AppCleaner
instead of AppZapper
- VirtualBox instead of
Parallels or Fusion
- Colloquy instead of
Linkinus
- Cyberduck instead of
Transmit
- Isolator
instead of Concentrate
- Scribus instead
of InDesign (see Scribus: Another
Alternative to Quark, InDesign and Scribus: Free DTP on the Mac on Low End
Mac)
- OpenOffice.org instead of
Pages
-
Album Artwork Assistant instead of CoverScout
- Bowtie instead of
CoverSutra
- IceClean
instead of MainMenu
- DiskWave instead of
DaisyDisk
- Inkscape instead of
Illustrator
- TextWrangler
instead of TextMate
- Aptana Studio
instead of Coda
Publisher's note: Some of these are pretty geeky, and I can't
understand why Bennett would label them all as "popular" - how many
people need an FTP client, want to see how their hard drive space is
being used, or use IRC for chat (I recommend Adium, which supports AIM, Microsoft, Yahoo,
Google Talk, Twitter, Facebook, IRC, Mobile Me, and several other
protocols).
It's also hard to take seriously someone who recommends
OpenOffice.org (OOo) as an alternative to Pages. OOo, NeoOffice, and LibreOffice are big, bloated,
slow-to-load office suites. If you want a great free alternative to
Pages and Microsoft Word, look no further than Bean. dk
Link: 15 Free
Alternatives to Popular Mac Software
Products & Services
MyService Offers 3 TB iMac and Mac Pro Hard Drive
Upgrade
PR: MyService today announces a new 3 TB hard drive
upgrade for the iMac and Mac Pro. These new 3.5" Deskstar drives by
Hitachi are the largest desktop drives available. MyService has these
drives in stock and the complete upgrade service is $299. The price
includes the new 3 TB drive, professional installation, and data
transfer.
Your old hard drive is returned to you and can be used for backups.
Since MyService is an Apple Authorized Service Provider, the 3 TB
upgrade will not void your Apple warranty.
The new Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 3 TB hard drive comes with 7200
RPM performance, 64 MB data buffer, and uses the new 6 Gb/s SATA
interface.* This configuration shows an improvement of up to 27% over
previous generation products. Leveraging eighth-generation power
management technology, including power-saving innovations like HiVERTTM
technology, this drive delivers excellent power efficiency and thermal
emissions to help lower energy use and extend drive life. Bottom line -
these drives are big, fast and efficient.
MyService makes the upgrade process fast and easy. No phone trees,
no appointments, just awesome service. Most hard drive upgrades are
completed the same day. After the service is complete, your Mac is
cleaned, tested and returned back to you along with your old drive.
MyService is located in Santa Clara, California and open Monday
through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information visit the MyService
website or call 408-855-0010 or 877-622-3473.
Link: 3 TB iMac Upgrade
Link: 3 TB Mac Pro
Upgrade
Software
iTunes 10.1.2 Released
iTunes 10.1.2 provides a number of important bug fixes,
including:
- AirPlay to instantly and wirelessly stream videos from iTunes to
the all-new Apple TV.
- Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 4.2. For
information on the security content of this update, please visit
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
iTunes 10.1 came with several new features and improvements,
including:
- Use AirPlay to instantly and wirelessly stream videos from iTunes
to the all-new Apple TV.
- Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 4.2.
- Provides a number of important stability and performance
improvements.
Download ID: DL1103
File Size: 90.43 MB (Mac) 78.29 MB (Win 32) 79.16 MB (Win 64)
System Requirements
Software:
- Mac OS X version 10.5 or later
- QuickTime 7.6 or later
- Support for HE-AAC requires QuickTime 7.6.4 or later
- Safari 4.0.3 or later
- 200 MB of available disk space
- HD TV episodes can only be rented in the United States
- Ping is available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg,
Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands,
United Kingdom, and United States
Hardware:
- Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 processor
- 1.0 GHz PowerPC G4 or faster processor is required to play Standard
Definition video from the iTunes Store
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or faster processor is required to play HD
video, an iTunes LP, or iTunes Extras from the iTunes Store
- 512 MB of RAM; 1GB is required to play HD video, an iTunes LP, or
iTunes Extras
- Screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or greater; 1280 x 800 or greater
is required to play an iTunes LP or iTunes Extras
- Playing videos also requires at least 16 MB of video RAM
- Broadband Internet connection to use the iTunes Store
- Apple combo drive or SuperDrive to create audio, MP3, or back-up
CDs; some non-Apple CD-RW recorders may also work.
- Apple SuperDrive to back up your library to DVDs; some non-Apple
DVD-RW drives may also work.
Link: iTunes
10.1.2
NovaBench 1.0 Free All-in-One System Benchmarking
Tool
PR: NovaBench is offering its all-in-one system benchmarking
utility for free in both Mac and Windows versions.
With this software you can test and compare your system's hardware
and graphics capabilities:
- Test - Test your system; benchmark CPU, RAM, hard disks, and 3D
graphics
- Compare - Compare your computer's score and system component
results to others
- Share - Share and submit your verified scores on your profile and
social networks
Testing generally takes only 1-2 minutes and produces detailed
information and an overall system score including:
- Floating Point Test - Tests CPU's floating point arithmetic
speed
- Integer Test - Tests CPU's integer arithmetic speed
- MD5 Hashing Speed - General CPU test
- 3D Graphics Test - Tests GPU with a heavily shader dependent 3D
scene
- RAM Speed - Tests RAM read and write speed
- Disk Write Speed - Test write speed of primary or selected storage
device
Results can be submitted to NovaBench.com for comparison with other
systems. All submitted results are verified for authenticity.
You can build a profile of your NovaBench results and link it easily
on social networks or create an image for your forum signature, blog,
or website.
NovaBench 1.0 is 100% freeware.
Mac OS X System requirements:
- Requires Mac OS X v10.5 or Higher
- Requires Intel-based Mac
- No Mac App Store? Direct Download
Windows System requirements:
- Requires Windows XP or Higher
- Requires .NET Framework 2.0
- Requires DirectX 9.0c or Higher
Link: NovaBench
(Mac App
Store download link)
Run Windows Apps on Your Intel Mac with CrossOver
10.0
PR: CrossOver Mac allows you to install many popular Windows
applications on your Intel Mac. You can think of it as an emulator, but
it's different, because there's no Windows OS license required. Your
applications integrate seamlessly in OS X; just click and run. No
rebooting, no switching to a virtual machine, and no Windows Operating
System license required.
Adding new Windows software is easy. Just place your install CD in
your Mac, and CrossOver will recognize it and offer to install it. Once
installed, CrossOver will configure your application to run on your
Mac. That's all there is to it.
Two Different Versions: Standard and Professional
CrossOver Mac Standard provides individual users with the ability to
run a wide variety of Windows software cleanly and economically.
CrossOver Mac Professional provides corporate users with the enhanced
deployability and manageability features their environments demand.
If you're the kind of customer that likes a one-shot deal to make
just one particular Windows application run, Standard is for you. But
if you like staying under support, and receiving a steady stream of
updates, Pro is a better value. You'll get a better level of support,
longer support, and a lower price over the long haul.
New in version 10.0:
Platform support:
- CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Games Mac no longer run on OS X 10.4
Tiger.
- The Mac product now uses modern (Leopard-era) GUI tools, which
should improve the look and feel of quite a few things.
- Added localizations: German, Czech, Chinese (PRC), Brazilian
Portuguese.
CrossTie integration:
- .c4p files are renamed to .tie files (a.k.a. 'CrossTies').
- The complete set of supported .tie profiles can now be
automatically refreshed in the product.
- A disambiguation tool (cxtie on Linux and the 'CrossOver CrossTie
Launcher' on the Mac) has been added to properly direct .tie files to
an appropriate product (CrossOver or CrossOver Games).
- Secure signing of .tie files is now supported.
- Active rejection of malicious .tie files is now supported.
- Many differences between the web-based .tie files and the .tie
files that ship with CrossOver have been resolved.
- Installation profiles are now smarter about locating appropriate
install media.
- The behavior of the installer assistant should generally be
smoother, smarter, and more straightforward.
- CrossOver now supports 'required patches' which are applied to an
application automatically after installation.
- The Mac product now responds to a custom URI that should greatly
improve autoplay of CrossTie files from the website.
- CrossTie profiles respect bottle groups.
GUI and System integration:
- The installer no longer accidentally grabs files from $HOME.
- Trace flags are functioning properly.
- Long CrossTie errors are cleaned up.
- Mac Menu Items are removed after uninstall of applications.
- Restored the 'Use Native Browser' option that was present in
CrossOver 8.x.
- Made several changes to the layout and graphical design.
- The 'Force Quit' button in the bottle manager should work
better.
- Fixed quite a few minor behavioral bugs.
CrossOver Mac System Requirements
Requirements:
- Intel-based Macintosh system running Mac OS X (note: CrossOver will
not run on PowerPC systems)
- 120 MB of free disk space
- CrossOver 10.x or higher no longer support OS X Tiger
(10.4.x).
- CrossOver Releases older than 8.0 will not function on Snow Leopard
(10.6.x).
- Leopard (10.5.x) requires CrossOver 6.2 or later.
Crossover Mac sells for $39.95. The $69.95 Professional edition
includes Crossover Games and multi-user support.
Link: CrossOver
VLC Media Player 1.1.7
PR: VLC Media Player is one of the coolest applications you
can have on your Mac. This free and open source cross-platform
multimedia player and framework supports a wide variety of audio and
video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, MP3, Ogg, etc.) as well as
DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols, and can also be used as a
server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a
high-bandwidth network.
VLC is simple to use, yet very powerful and extendable.
New in version 1.1.7:
- VideoLAN and the VLC development team present VLC 1.1.7, a small
security update on 1.1.6. Small new features, many bugfixes, updated
translations and security issues were making the 1.1.6 release. Notable
improvements include codecs, demuxers, Audio-CD support, subtitles,
visualization and platform integration.
System requirements:
- Intel and PowerPC versions
- Mac OS X 10.5 or later
- Quartz Extreme capable Mac
The last version compatible with OS X 10.4 Tiger is 0.9.10.
Link: VideoLAN
Dragon Dictate 2.0.2 Update Released
PR: An update for the Dragon Dictate Speech Recognition
Software has been released to address an issue that caused random
transposition of characters in dictation transcription, especially when
dictating directly into third-party applications.
Dragon Dictate lets you use your spoken voice instead of a keyboard
to produce text, and can be up to three times faster than typing as
well as a lot easier on your hands, wrists, and arms.
You can also control your Mac by voice with Dictate. Instead of
using your keyboard and mouse, just speak commands to launch and
control applications and move the cursor or click anywhere on screen by
voice.
New in version 2.0.2:
- Fixed issue that could cause transposed characters in dictation
results
System requirements:
- Intel
- Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later.
- Internet connection required for product registration.
- MacSpeech-certified noise-cancelling microphone (included with new
purchase).
Dragon Dictate sells for $199 and includes a high-quality USB
microphone for Mac as the standard headset with new purchases.
Bluetooth microphone option is available.
If you own MacSpeech Dictate v1.x, you're entitled to upgrade to
Dragon Dictate for Mac at a reduced price.
The version 2.0.2 update is free for registered version 2.0
users.
Also see Charles W. Moore's recent Applelinks review of Dragon Dictate 2.0.
Link: Dragon Dictate
Accordance Releases Halley's Bible Handbook for
Mac and iOS at Special Introductory Price
PR: Accordance has announced the release of Halley's
Bible Handbook for Mac and iOS at a special introductory price of $20
for this month only.
Treasured by generations of Bible readers for its clarity, insight,
and usefulness, the expanded 25th edition is packed with information
and illustrations. Halley is ideal for the beginner, and a great
resource for every reader of the Bible.
Henry Hampton Halley was a traveling preacher in the early
twentieth century who would recite large portions of the Bible from
memory, often giving a brief introduction to each book of the Bible
from which he recited. His audiences found these introductions so
helpful to their own understanding of the Bible that Halley eventually
wrote and distributed a 16-page pamphlet containing that information.
This Bible Handbook was expanded throughout Halley's lifetime and now
comprises a large full-color volume published by Zondervan Publishing
House. Through its ongoing partnership with Zondervan, Accordance is
now able to offer this Christian classic in a fully-searchable ebook
which can be used on a computer, iPad, or iPhone.
The
Accordance edition of Halley's Bible Handbook integrates seamlessly
with Accordance's extensive library of Bibles, commentaries, and other
study aids. It includes hundreds of high-resolution color photographs
and dozens of helpful maps and charts. It can also be scrolled in
parallel with the text of the Bible so that Halley's Handbook can be
used like a study Bible.
Halley's Bible Handbook is a concise, user-friendly guide to the
text of the Bible and the world in which it was written. We highly
recommend it to anyone who needs help understanding why the various
books of the Bible were written and how they all fit together.
This month only, download Halley's Handbook for $20
Link: Halley's
Bible Handbook
Desktop Mac Deals
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
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