My previous article, A Stinky Old iBook that Smells Like Sweat, prompted a fair bit of email. Low End Mac’s publisher, Dan Knight, had requested that owners of stinky iBooks contact him with the specifics of their ‘Books so he could provide some meaningful consumer data. Six readers checked in, and he compiled what data he […]
Last time, I discussed my purchase of a used Dual USB G3 iBook (see eBay No Longer Your Best Source for Low-end Macs). When the iBook arrived, I unpacked it from its tight bubble wrap cocoon, pushed the latch button, and opened it. Immediately, my olfactory sense was stimulated in an astonishingly negative way.
Low End Mac contributor Tom Hormby posted an article on OSnews examining Apple’s Worst Business Decisions. Hormby’s histories are some of the most popular pieces we’ve ever published, but I’m have to question some of his analysis.
Ask just about any college student what Facebook is, and not only will they tell you, but they’ll probably also recount some of the site’s recent actions.
VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet, was one of the key products that helped bring the microcomputer from the hobbyist’s desk into the office. Before the release of this groundbreaking software, microcomputers were thought of as toys; VisiCalc changed that.
Microsoft has done some stupid things in the past, and we’ve taken our pot shots at their PlaysForSure initiative. Microsoft is a big, easy target. But now they’ve taken the next step and created an MP3 player that’s not compatible with their own PlaysForSure standard or DRM protected WMA and WMV files (see Microsoft’s Zune Won’t Play […]
In July, I posted a column, Installing OS X 10.4 Tiger on DVD-Challenged Macs Using FireWire Target Disk Mode, describing how I had installed OS X 10.4 Tiger on my CD-ROM equipped iBook G3 by mounting it as an external hard drive from my DVD drive-equipped Pismo PowerBook via FireWire Target Disk Mode and choosing the […]
2006 – A while back, I wrote an article about making your Mac’s DVD player region free. Much has changed with the introduction of Intel Macs, enough that an update is in order.
The truth is out there. Or perhaps in there is a better way of putting it, at least as far as batteries for laptop computers are concerned. The truth is that those expensive (and sometimes exploding) batteries are little more than repackaged Li-Ion* AA cells. And generally not the high capacity ones at that.
2006 – It’s hard to believe that’s its been over a year since Steve Jobs dropped the Intel bombshell at WWDC 2005. The announcement sent shock waves throughout the industry, and as soon as Steve Jobs walked off the stage, speculation was rife as to how the Mac line would be altered.
We’ve been predicting it for weeks, and Apple updated both the iMac and the Mac mini today. Because the iMac has a bigger change in features, size, and performance, we’re looking at it today. Come back tomorrow for a look at the updated Mac mini.
When Apple made the switch from PowerPC CPUs to Intel in 2006, the state-of-the-art CPU was Intel’s Core Duo processor, which was based on Intel’s 32-bit Pentium M architecture, which was originally designed for mobile use. The Core Duo was Intel’s first dual-core mobile processor, and it was used in all first generation Intel Macs […]
We’ve been predicting it for weeks, and Apple updated both the iMac and the Mac mini today. Because the iMac has a bigger change in features, size, and performance, we’re looking at it today. Come back tomorrow when we’ll look at the updated Mac mini.
Today I was looking at my Lisa 2 (see First Impressions of a Newly Acquired Apple Lisa). It has been sitting on my dresser unused for quite some time because of a vertical hold problem.
Microsoft was deeply involved in the development of the Macintosh. Microsoft had been the first outside developer to get a Macintosh prototype. The prototype was promptly nicknamed SAND (Steve’s Amazing New Device) by Bill Gates and Charles Simonyi. Microsoft developed productivity software that the Macintosh desperately needed to make the Macintosh a contender in corporate […]
I’d been away in New Hampshire with no Internet access, and I recently returned to the world of modern conveniences. One thing I noticed while I was offline was how much we depend on the Internet for access to many of the resources that we use on our Macs, such as games and photo management […]
2006 – Here I am, writing another article about PowerPC processors vs. Intel processors (my previous one was PowerPC vs. Intel: Has Apple Been Lying to Us?) – but this article touches on another subject, one that really impacts our elementary schools.
2006 – Was it all a lie? The Mac Pro is the newest, coolest, fastest, and best Mac ever – or so Apple says. Apparently, it’s up to twice as fast as it’s immediate predecessor, the Power Mac G5 Quad.
August 12, 1981 marks the birth of the IBM PC, the computer that single-handedly turned personal computing to the business market. IBM’s success forced Apple and others to change their focus, and most personal computer companies from the pre-IBM era have become historical footnotes. By 2006, even Apple Computer had followed IBM’s lead and adopted […]
Apple has done something really different with the Mac Pro, and it’s taken a few days to put it all in perspective.
The Mac Pro group is for those using Mac Pro computers. The group was begun on 2006.08.08.
2006 – While browsing a local thrift shop the other day, I decided to take a look at the computer section. Not that I was expecting to find anything good, as most of what they tend to carry are 10-year-old PCs. Surprisingly, amidst 10-15 beige box PCs sat a single iMac – with a $25 price […]
The new MacBook Pros and MacBooks run hot – almost hot enough to fry eggs. Indeed, Apple no longer advertises its portable computers as laptops, presumably fearing product liability lawsuits should someone singe their thighs.
2006 – Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger ships on DVD media, which is great if you have a Mac equipped with a DVD drive (as most of us do these days), since the entire set of installer files can be contained on one disc, eliminating the necessity of disc-swapping in the middle of the process. […]
2006: One common recommendation for the use of System 6 is word processing and creative writing. I’ve tested three System 6 machines against a typical modern computer – and the results may surprise you!
TopXNotes is Tropical Software’s solution for creating, working with, and managing text-based notes – another entry in the increasingly crowded field of Classic Mac OS Note Pad replacements for OS X. The program supports to-do lists, Web account information, software serial numbers, and just about anything else you need to store – another spin on the theme […]
This article is taken from MacFacts 95. Scott Baret wrote and drew the original work in 1995 at the age of eight and began revising it a year ago. For more about this document’s history and Baret’s experiences with Macs through his school years, see About This Article at the end of the page.
2006 – There is one laptop upgrade that gives no performance benefit, but it adds a long-desired feature of frequent travelers, which is a swap of the built-in Combo or SuperDrive for a different model, because Apple’s PowerBooks and MacBooks use Matsushita (Panasonic) optical drives, and it’s, impossible to flash firmware on these drives.
2006 – Over the past few years, I’ve been cutting back on some of the old Macs lying around the house. At one point I had an example of just about every Mac made until the late 1990s. As software is updated and time goes on, most of these computers become less and less useful […]
2006: Classic Mac audio software: Free and low-cost ways for vintage and classic Macs to perform in the studio.
Ted Hodges’ recent article, The Sun Has Set on the G4, brought to light one mostly overlooked facts about the MacBook’s introduction: The G4 is now out of Apple’s lineup.
2006 – “The clueless shall inherit the earth, because there are so many of them.” The latest example of that truism comes from Mike Langberg in his Monday column in the Mercury News. In Apple’s iTunes Solo Act Is Getting Competition (free subscription required), he explains both the Windows monopoly monoculture and the closed iPod/iTMS system.
Everyone already knows that Mac OS X is a Unix variant and that it can run Unix software. Many just leave it at that, assuming that Unix software means things that run in the Terminal – but there’s also a whole wide world of graphical apps in the Unix world that run in what’s known […]
May 2006: Back when I was 13 years old, I wrote an article for Low End Mac called Guide to P1 Features (1999.02.24). The article was just me being excited about the rumored Apple iBook (codenamed P1), and I talked about what I thought Apple might release.
2006 – This installment of our ongoing digital audio jukebox series will take a moment to deal with errata from past installments (things I mistakenly omitted or just flat out got wrong) and also follow a detour into my distaste for DRM-laden media.
