By this stage, anyone following this column should have collected a Mac or two and some software. This week we’re looking at obtaining a flatbed scanner. All of the information here intended as nothing more than examples – and hopefully an aid to understanding scanners, rather than an inducement to purchase a machine from a […]
In last week’s edition of The Low End Designer, we took a quick detour from hardware to look at the issue of Quark XPress. This week we’re focusing on software, and Quark will once again rear its head.
Last week you had the rant; this week you get the information. Jason Walsh examines the options when it comes to choosing inexpensive Macs for design work.
In this series of articles, Jason Walsh takes a look at how to run a design studio on low-end Macs. Whether you want to get off the upgrade treadmill, are just out of art school and want to set up shop on a budget, or just want to pick up a few tips and tricks, […]
The fourth generation (4G) iPod introduced the click wheel that we’re all familiar with today. Rather than 4 buttons surrounding the scrollwheel or a row of buttons above the scrollwheel, these functions are now controlled on the scrollwheel itself, a feature that had arrived with the iPod mini in January 2004.
How long should a laptop last?
2004: My trusty PowerBook had its very first hardware failure yesterday. I must admit that I’m surprised and disappointed by this event. This PowerBook is only a little over two-and-a-half years old.
This page contains some of the most useful information on the limitations of Personal File Sharing and AppleShare File Server for the Classic Mac OS. It vanished from Apple’s servers circa 2010 and is shared here as a public service to those still using the Classic Mac OS.
2004: As poor cousins, we Canucks are used to waiting a tad longer for some of the wonderful goods introduced south of the border. It’s been some time since the iTunes Music Store made its appearance in the States, and, well, we’re still waiting.
Less than a year after unveiling the original Power Mac G5, Apple released a new line of G5 models, each with dual processors and an 8x SuperDrive. As before, the entry level model uses 64-bit PCI slots and only supports up to 4 GB of RAM vs. PCI-X slots and an 8 GB RAM ceiling in the […]
Have you ever wanted to plug a low-cost PC keyboard into your Mac’s USB port, only to find that a few minutes of trying to type is driving you crazy? Or have you ever wanted to pick up an inexpensive USB keyboard for your ‘Book so you can have all those extra keys or be […]
2004: If your head’s been buried in the sand, you may have missed the fact that Mac OS X finally made it to Intel hardware. It’s dog slow and buggy as, well, as Windows, but we can’t blame that on x86 architecture because this is just an emulator called PearPC.
2004: It’s been some time since I’ve used Windows with any regularity. I can’t say I’ve missed it terribly. About the only time I need to go near Windows is when my Dad needs a hand with his machine.
2004: Seems there’s more hand-wringing regarding Apple’s computer market share. Andrew Neff, a Bear Stearns analyst, calls Apple’s market share loss “worrying.”
2004 – If June is approaching, Intel must be preparing a newly improved and faster than ever before version of the erstwhile Pentium 4 processor.
In April 2004, the 12″ iBook jumped from 800 MHz to 1 GHz, while the 14″ iBook was available at 1.07 GHz (nominally 1.0 GHz) and 1.2 GHz speeds.
For the first time, Apple offered a SuperDrive as an option on the iBook, making the 14″ 1.0 GHz model (actually 1.07 GHz) a very affordable, very portable way to burn DVDs.
In addition to a 33% speed boost over the 800 MHz Late 2003 model, the 2004 iBook uses a 1.07 GHz G4 processor with a 512 MB level 2 cache – twice as big as on the previous iBook G4. Another improvement is 256 MB of RAM on the system board (twice as much as […]
After seven months at 1.33 GHz, the 17″ PowerBook G4 received a performance boost to 1.5 GHz and moved to the Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics processor.
The same size and weight its 1.0 and 1.25 GHz predecessors, the 2004 15″ PowerBook G4 runs faster (at 1.33 and 1.5 GHz) and moves to the Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics processor.
After seven months at 1 GHz, Apple speed bumped the little AlBook by 33% to 1.33 GHz and upgraded video memory from 32 MB to 64 MB. The new model supports ATA/100 hard drives, so drives over 120 GB are now supported, and uses a 167 MHz system bus.
With Intego’s announcement of the new “virus” for Mac OS X on April 8, 2004, for a while it seemed as if there was a bit of a panic through the Mac community. What do you mean there’s a virus for OS X?
2004: The small form-factor PC finally makes its debut. Apple is, without a doubt, the computing industry trendsetter. Most computer users admire Apple’s stylish hardware designs. Even if people don’t want to use a Mac, they’re hard-pressed to find a problem with how they look.
Incremental improvement were the name of the game for the 2004 eMac. This edition gets a 25% speed boost for both the CPU and the memory bus compared with the 1 GHz 2003 eMac. The G4 CPU used in this model also has a larger level 2 cache (512 KB vs. 256 KB), which further improves performance.
Based on the 1.25 GHz 2004 eMac, the education-only model includes a 1 GHz G4 CPU that was available either with a CD-ROM drive or no optical drive at all. The education eMac also lacks the built-in modem of the consumer model.
2004: Apple has been doing well, as usual. Or has it? If I turn one way, I see a great number of reports that indicate that Apple, which by most accounts looks good, is slowly but surely losing the battle to remain relevant.
2004: I heard the most interesting Mac comment the other day. It goes like this: “There are two types of Macs. Those that have crashed and those that are going to crash.”
2004: The more I look at the iTunes Music Store, the more I feel that there could be some improvements to the system.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build a small classroom planetarium at our school, we have opted not to go with a package deal from a single vendor and instead assemble components from different vendors.
2004: I generally stay far away from speculating on new products. There are simply too many variables at work for one person to come up with a reasonable prediction. For example, the original iMac was doomed to fail because it didn’t have a floppy drive and wasn’t expandable. PC pundits trashed the little machine, while […]
2004: There’s a bit of outrage regarding Apple and Pepsi using kids that have been targeted by the RIAA in their Super Bowl ad. Whether they really are the kids being targeted or simply actors is beside the point.
2004: Few would argue that much of Apple’s success over the past six years can be attributed to Steve Jobs. He gave Apple a strong mandate, pared down the product line, and really helped focus the company on delivering Mac OS X. Without these three things, it’s entirely possible that Apple wouldn’t be in as good […]
2004: By all accounts, the goodies unveiled at Macworld Expo will satisfy most Mac user’s cravings for new and better hardware and software. The new iPod mini should maintain – if not extend – Apple’s dominance of the portable music player market. Updated iLife applications have finally arrived. The G5 Xserve will bring more power […]
Apple introduced the compact iPod mini at Macworld Expo in January 2004. The iPod mini incorporates a click wheel, which eliminated the need for 4 separate control buttons and allowed Apple to make a more compact music player.
Nearly a year after the Xserve G4 hit 1.33 GHz, Apple unveiled the Xserve G5 with single or dual 2.0 GHz G5 CPUs and a 1.0 GHz system bus (vs. 167 MHz on the G4), providing over 40% more overall processing power.
