Hot Mac News

[Panag]

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Anything on a 19-inch iMac? Or did I miss it? Any memory upgrades or processor upgrades to the iMacs?

Gatekeeper

hi ,

there is talk about joining the E and the I in to one model , one with 19 inch and one with 17 inch , .....

more later , macworld is big so there is a lot of news , but when the story is picked up you can find it here

have a nice MAC day

[Panag]

SAFARI , more the 500 000 people got it

hi ,

well , what do you expect , ......

have a nice mac day



Safari Downloads Top 500,000
MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO—January 10, 2003—Apple® today announced that users have downloaded more than 500,000 copies of its new Safari™ web browser since the free public beta was posted on Apple’s web site (www.apple.com) on Tuesday, January 7.

“Mac users have gone wild over Safari,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With its speed, innovative new features and ease of use, Safari is the Mac browser our users have been waiting for.”

Safari is the fastest browser ever created for the Mac, and one of the most innovative and easiest to use browsers on any platform. Safari’s highly-tuned rendering engine loads pages over three times faster than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for the Mac and runs Javascript over twice as fast. Safari’s innovative features include Google search capabilities integrated directly into the toolbar; SnapBack, a new way to instantly snap back up to search results or the top level of any website after browsing down one or more levels; a completely new way to name, organize and present bookmarks; and automatic “pop-up” ad blocking.

The Safari public beta is available immediately for free download at www.apple.com/safari, requires Mac® OS X version 10.2 “Jaguar” and is optimized for Mac OS X v10.2.3. Safari is a compact 3MB download that occupies only 7.1MB of hard drive space. The final version of Safari will be made available later in 2003.

Mac OS X v10.2 “Jaguar” requires a minimum of 128MB of memory and is designed to run on the following Apple products: eMac™, iMac®, iBook®, Power Macintosh® G3, Power Mac® G4 and any PowerBook® introduced after May 1998.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Press Contacts:
Cameron Craig
Apple
(408) 974-6281
cam@apple.com


Nicole Scott
Edelman
(650) 429-2764
nicole.scott@edelman.com


NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr/), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, QuickTime, eMac, iBook, iMac, Power Macintosh, Power Mac and PowerBook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.






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[Panag]

hi ,

two good new news links

https://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2003/01/mwsf/mwsf03audio/

https://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2003/01/mwsf/

have a nice day and enjoy

[Panag]

Make Mine Mac , great story

Make Mine Mac
By Michael J. Martinez
Lower prices and better software have made switching from a PC practical.
First, Apple appealed to the artistic and intuitive right half of our brain with iMacs rendered in Life Savers hues and endowed with floating flat-panel screens. Then its effortless, intuitive software was expanded to create movies and DVDs, manage music, and store photos. But our logical left half always got hung up on the bottom line -- until now. Apple's prices have fallen close to those of PCs.

So, we agree with Apple's ad campaign that it's time to consider making "the switch." But unlike what the campaign implies, you don't have to be a flake to appreciate a Mac.

Apple's traditional price premium has narrowed to the point that a basic iMac now runs $1,200 and has the power (roughly equivalent to a 1.5 gigahertz Pentium 4) and memory (128 megabytes) of a comparable PC -- say, for example, Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion 500 with a flat-panel monitor. But the gap widens between more expensive Macs and PCs. For example, an iMac with a 17-inch, flat-panel screen (versus 15 inches on the basic model) and a CD-RW/DVD-RW drive costs $2,000, while an HP Pavilion 700 with roughly the same features costs about $250 less with a $150 rebate from HP. Given that burning home movies onto DVD is far easier on an iMac than the HP, even a $250 premium may be worth the price. And the iMac takes up much less space -- and is prettier to boot.

Your real expense comes not in buying the box, but in emigrating from the PC world to the Mac world. You could find yourself spending a couple of hundred dollars (or more) for new software and hardware. But if you're serious about managing media simply and saving time, and you're ready to forsake the often-byzantine paths of the PC world, read on.

Ridiculously easy
Martinique Johns works at Northeastern Illinois University, in Chicago, where she helps the faculty use computers in the classroom. When a professor wanted to convert some interviews he had filmed to streaming video, the 35-year-old graduate student tried everything on the PC but couldn't get it to work. "Then," she says, "we remembered the Power Mac G4 that had been sitting unused in the corner for months. I got on there and did it in no time. It was ridiculously easy."

Johns now uses an Apple laptop at home, and she's addicted to her Apple iPod, the slick, little music player that also lets her move programs and data from one computer to another (prices run from $300 to $500).

When it comes to video, pictures and music, Apple's TV ads hold true: Getting a PC with Windows to deal with such media files is cumbersome and involves downloading and tinkering with software and drivers -- like dancing with an elephant, and the elephant is leading. But you'll feel like Fred taking Ginger for a whirl with Apple's multimedia software programs: iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto and iTunes. And that ease of use applies to using a Mac in general; the Mac OS operating system is far simpler than Windows.

Apple's iBook and PowerBook laptops have several advantages over Windows laptops. Macs have four to five hours of battery life, compared with two to three hours on a Windows laptop. And although you can load Wi-Fi, or high-speed wireless networks, on a Windows laptop, Apple was the first company to build in dependable, easy-to-use Wi-Fi software. John Hay, a real estate agent from Ocean City, N.J., uses his PowerBook's Wi-Fi when he travels to Manhattan, where most of the Starbucks cafŽs offer wireless Internet access. "The best part is it just works," says Hay. "No freezes, no hangs, no crashes."

Apple's laptops are competitively priced with PC notebooks. Although Dell's and Gateway's $1,000 models have more random access memory, or RAM, than a $1,000 Apple iBook (256 megabytes versus the iBook's 128 megabytes), the iBook beats Dell's and Gateway's models for portability. The iBook weighs in at 4.9 pounds, versus the Gateway Solo 1450 at 6.2 pounds. Apple's top-of-the line PowerBook (with a DVD-RW/CD-RW drive) costs $3,000; a comparable Sony Vaio NV200 costs about the same but, at 8.6 pounds, far outweighs the svelte 5.4-pound PowerBook.

Nuts and bolts
Of course, the devil is in the details. Here are three areas to consider before making the switch to Mac.

Peripherals. The first question is how well your printers, scanners and storage devices will work with a Mac. If they connect to your PC with a USB plug, you should have no problem: Macs recognize USB devices.

Today's Macs don't have parallel or serial ports, but for $25 to $30, you can get parallel-to-USB and serial-to-USB adapters at your computer store (or online at sites such as USBGear.com). For the simplest printers and scanners, that will be enough. But if you have a complex device, such as a combination printer-scanner-copier-fax, Mac-compatible software may not be available. Check a list of compatible peripherals.

Software. The good news is that Apple has persuaded major software makers to write Mac versions. The bad news is that the CD you used to install your PC software probably doesn't have the Mac version on it.

So, for example, if you rely on the software in the Microsoft Office Suite for Windows, you'll have to pay $200 for the Mac version -- and that's a special deal Apple is now offering through its Web site. Apple computers come with AppleWorks, Apple's preinstalled, lightweight suite of office-style programs, which Apple says can open files from Microsoft Office for Windows. But if you're an Office addict, buy the Mac version.

For the same $200, you could buy Connectix Virtual PC 5.0, a program that allows you to run Windows programs right on your Mac. But using Virtual PC will slow your Mac's performance considerably.

Moving files. If you have a CD burner on your PC, you can simply transfer files to a Mac using discs. You can also use an Ethernet cable ($9 at Radio Shack) and Mac's Rendezvous program to network the two computers, allowing you to make transfers. Or you can buy Detto Technologies' Move2Mac ($60), a program that will automatically move your PC files and place them in the right folders. It even comes with a USB cable that will let you hook up the two computers.

One caveat: If you regularly move files to and from your company's computer, and check your work e-mail from home or the road, make sure your company's network is compatible with Macs. Many aren't.

Also, as you shop for a Mac it may appear that the computer's speed--as measured in megahertz--is half that of a comparably priced PC. But as a rule of thumb, the speed of an Apple processor is roughly equivalent to a PC processor with twice the megahertz, so the speeds are about equal.

--Reporter: Matt Popowsky

[Panag]

from CCN money - Jaguar

News > Technology


Favorite tech stuff 2003

These are the kinds of gadgets that make technology fun.
January 15, 2003: 12:13 PM EST
By Brian Clark, CNN/Money Contributing Writer



NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Being a consumer technology writer isn't all fun and video games. Last year, I sat through more PowerPoint presentations than any mere mortal should be subjected to in order to offer my readers sage advice on how to spend their gadget budget -- the kind of things that really do make my job fun.

Here are my top picks from what I've seen in the past year. I selected them for different reasons: Some are products worth buying now, others will be. Some are driving technology in new directions, while others have the potential to do so. Here, without further ado, are my favorites.

Software
Apple's Jaguar OS ($129) -- It would have been easy to pick the new 17-inch iMac. But I had to ask myself, "Would I like it as much without Jaguar?" And the answer was a resounding "No." Quite simply, Jaguar is Unix for the masses -- a consumer version of the most stable operating system on the planet. Business users will love its ability to detect a wireless connection no matter where they roam. Consumers will be blown away by its simplicity and stability, as well as applications like iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie and iChat. Jaguar takes the operating system to a new level: It just works.

[Panag]

money results

Financial Statements
Data Summary
Apple Reports First Quarter Results
CUPERTINO, California—January 15, 2003—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2003 first quarter ended December 28, 2002. For the quarter, the Company posted a net loss of $8 million, or $.02 per share. These results compare to a net profit of $38 million, or $.11 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenues for the quarter were $1.47 billion, up 7 percent from the year-ago quarter, and gross margins were 27.6 percent, down from 30.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 43 percent of the quarter’s revenues.

The quarter’s results included a $17 million after-tax restructuring charge and a $2 million after-tax accounting transition adjustment. Excluding these non-recurring items, the Company’s net profit for the quarter would have been $11 million, or $.03 per share.

Apple shipped 743 thousand Macintosh® units during the quarter, about even with the year-ago quarter.

“We have a very strong new product pipeline for 2003, which we kicked off by introducing the two most advanced notebook computers in the industry last week at Macworld,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re going to keep investing through this downturn and continue to move our products and distribution channels ever further ahead of our competitors, so that when the economy rebounds we will be positioned for growth.”

“We were extremely pleased with our ability to achieve our revenue target for the first quarter while reducing channel inventories by 11 percent within the quarter,” said Fred Anderson, Apple’s CFO. “Continued strong asset management enabled us to increase cash to over $4.4 billion. Looking ahead to the second quarter of 2003, we expect revenue to be relatively flat with the December quarter, and expect a slight profit for the quarter.”

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2003 financial results conference call utilizing QuickTime™, Apple’s standards-based technology for live and on-demand audio and video streaming. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq103/ and will also be available for replay. The QuickTime player is available free for Macintosh and Windows users at www.apple.com/quicktime.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about future revenues, profit, products, and research and development. These statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ. Potential risks and uncertainties include continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; the effect competitive and economic factors and the Company’s reaction to them may have on consumer and business buying decisions with respect to the Company’s products; the ability of the Company to make timely delivery of new programs, products and successful technological innovations to the marketplace; the continued availability of certain components and services essential to the Company’s business currently obtained by the Company from sole or limited sources; possible disruption in commercial activities caused by terrorist activity and armed conflict, such as changes in logistics and security arrangements, and reduced end-user purchases relative to expectations; risks associated with the Company's retail initiative including significant investment cost, uncertain consumer acceptance and potential impact on existing reseller relationships; the effect that the Company’s dependency on manufacturing and logistics services provided by third-parties may have on the quality or quantity of products manufactured; and the ability of the Company to successfully evolve its operating system and attract sufficient Macintosh developers. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2002 and the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 28, 2002 to be filed with the SEC.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

With the new 17 and 12 inch, i think that we will see in increase in apple sales in Q2.

[Panag]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
With the new 17 and 12 inch, i think that we will see in increase in apple sales in Q2.

hi ,

definatly , only its sad that the economical growth is being limited because most people dont wanna spend money , .......


while its a fact that if more people buy , the product gets cheaper , ......

mass production leads to mass consumption , and mass consumption leads to mass production , the key in the american corner stone of living

have a nice MAC day

one 17 inch on the way , delivery should take place in about +- 6 weeks , results shall be posted here

[Gatekeeper]

Hmm ... looks like I'll have to pay a visit to the MacCentral Web site soon. They're pretty good w/coverage, too.

BTW, kudos to panag for all the cutting and pasting he's done recently in this thread.

Gatekeeper

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Apple should offer loans like with car companies along withlow APR, low interests rates, etc, to stimulate sales.

[Gatekeeper]

I think they already do, Lawrence. My latest edition of MacZone has a loan offer that either comes from them or directly from Apple; you can buy a machine with monthly payments ranging from $12 to $50, depending on the model and how many "extras" are included in it.

Gatekeeper

[Panag]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
Apple should offer loans like with car companies along withlow APR, low interests rates, etc, to stimulate sales.

hi ,

leasing and renting are in use

have a nice day

[Panag]

hi ,

a great site ; www.emagic.de/english/news/ , mostly about logic 6 , mp3 , etc , ....

have a nice mac day

[Panag]

I-POD

By SANDY McMURRAY
Special to Globe and Mail Update



Reviewed on: Windows
Also available for: Mac OS


The Good: Ease of use, great sound, long battery life, high-speed file transfers.
The Bad: Limited documentation, Musicmatch software less polished than iTunes, high price.
The Verdict: A best-of-breed digital music player.


REVIEW:

Here's a simple, non-technical review of the iPod for Windows: It's worth it. Go get one.

If you need a bit more information before spending several hundred dollars, please read on.

The iPod is a pocket-sized digital music player that sets a new standard for ease of use, quality, and performance. The iPod's tiny hard drive can hold up to 4,000 songs (depending on the model - capacities range from 5GB to 20GB).

The iPod for Windows uses a lithium polymer battery (Sony model UP325385) that provides nine to 10 hours of continuous playback. Although there's no easy access to the internal battery, it can be replaced if necessary. (Previous versions of the iPod embedded the rechargeable battery in the electronics, making them essentially disposable. Apple simply replaced units that had battery problems while still under warranty.)

Built-in memory (32MB) makes the iPod nearly skip-proof. It also prevents it from constantly accessing the hard drive (which, in turn, preserves battery life).

The iPod is not just a digital music player. It also functions as a portable hard drive, capable of holding up to 20GB of data (again, depending on the model). The iPod's built-in software also has several extras including an alarm clock and a basic contact manager and datebook that can be synchronized with your PC.

All this is wrapped in a sleek, sexy package about the size of a deck of cards. The player's shiny metal back and white plastic front are attractive and functional -- the strong outer case protects the expensive LCD display inside.

The iPod is controlled using a clever scroll wheel and select button that makes it easy to navigate menus. Dedicated buttons give quick access to Menu, Forward, Backward, and Play/Pause. A Hold switch deactivates all other controls, so you can't start or stop the iPod by accidentally pushing another button.


The device supports several file formats including MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 variable bit rate (VBR), WAV and AIFF. The iPod does not support Microsoft's Windows Media format (WMA), but its firmware is upgradable, so support for other file formats can be added.

Audiophiles may be interested to know that Apple designed the iPod around a dedicated MP3 decoder and controller chip from PortalPlayer. The iPod's frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz and its maximum output power is 60 mW rms (30 mW per channel).

HIGH SPEED TRANSFER

When the iPod first launched as a Mac-only product, one unique feature was its high-speed "Firewire" interface (also known as IEEE 1394 or "i.Link"). When you're downloading dozens or hundreds of songs at a time, or transferring large data files to an external hard drive, speed matters.

Firewire can move data more than 30 times faster than a standard USB connection. For example, it takes 10 to 15 seconds to download an entire CD to an iPod. The Firewire cable also provides power to the iPod, so you can recharge it while you're updating your music library. A handy adapter (provided) converts the Fireware cable into an AC plug-in for recharging from a wall socket, too.

Although new Windows PCs often ship with both Firewire and USB, older PCs may need to add a Firewire card (about $50) to use the iPod. The Windows iPod package includes an adapter that converts the standard six-pin Firewire plug to the four-pin plug often used on Windows laptops. (Note that you can't draw power for the iPod from a four-pin Firewire plug.)

SOFTWARE INTEGRATION

Apple's control of both hardware and software gives it a unique competitive advantage over PC makers who rely on Microsoft to provide their system software. The original iPod built on this advantage, providing tight integration with Apple's free music software, iTunes.

When you connect an iPod, a Mac computer automatically launches iTunes and "synchronizes" its music library and playlists with the iPod. Equalizer settings and "soundcheck" settings -- which equalizes the volume of songs in iTunes' music library -- are also transferred from iTunes to the iPod when you sync. Mac users can sync their calendar and contact information with an iPod using free Apple software.

Part of the challenge of bringing the iPod to Windows was the difficulty of providing this tight integration of hardware and software. Apple could have developed a version of iTunes for Windows, but chose instead to partner with Musicmatch, a company that makes a popular Windows music player. (Coincidentally, the Mac version of Musicmatch was recently discontinued by the company.)

The version of Musicmatch Plus bundled with the iPod adds a new "iPod Manager" that recognizes when an iPod is connected and automatically synchronizes its music and playlists.

Moving files is easy -- you can drag songs from the Musicmatch library to the iPod or "sync" with library when you connect (your choice of settings - sync or not). Musicmatch Plus is not quite as polished as iTunes, but it provides a similar user experience and matches some of the most useful features of iTunes.

The iPod for Windows has a basic contact manager that can 'sync' contacts and appointments from Palm Desktop or Outlook through Musicmatch. These features are a nice bonus, but the iPod is not a Palm or Pocket PC replacement.

COMPETITION

When Apple first launched the iPod, it had no equal; its Firewire connector and software integration made it unique and helped to justify its high price tag. These days, the iPod's closest competition in the Windows world is the Nomad Jukebox Zen player from Creative Labs. Zen features a similar compact design, a 20GB hard drive, and helpfully provides both USB and Firewire connectivity. It sells for about US$350 -- 30 per cent less than the 20GB iPod.

Despite the price differences, the iPod has some advantages. It has a removable rechargeable battery. (The Zen's is embedded, like the first crop of iPods.) The iPod has twice as much built-in memory (32 MB) and an instant-on hard drive. (Zen takes time to spin up, especially when you first turn it on.) The iPod also weighs less than the Zen (seven ounces versus 9.6 ounces) and has a bigger screen (both are backlit).

VALUE?

The basic 5GB iPod (capable of holding 1,000 songs) retails for $479 (Canadian dollars). The deluxe models, which come with a wired remote control, a carrying case and nicer earphones, sell for $629 (10GB) and $799 (20GB).

Why would anyone pay $800 for a music player? The price tag includes a hefty premium for portability. The tiny hard drive inside each iPod represents more than half the price of the unit (SmartDisk Corp. sells the same 20GB hard drive by itself for $330 U.S.).

You could also argue that the iPod, connected to a pair of good speakers, can take the place of a home CD player. With a cassette adapter, the iPod doubles as a car stereo.

Like most Apple products, iPod for Windows sets a high standard for quality and features and charges accordingly. I think it's worth the price. Go get one - I will leave further rationalizations as an exercise for the reader.



hi ,

, an "out" is missing on it , ....

have a nice i-pod day

[Panag]

1 million SAFARI downloads

Safari Downloads Top 1 Million
CUPERTINO, California—January 20, 2003—Apple® today announced that more than 1 million copies of its new Safari™ web browser have been downloaded since the free public beta was posted on Apple’s web site (www.apple.com) on January 7.

“Safari is a home run, with over a million downloads in less than two weeks,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Mac users have discovered that Safari beta release is already the fastest browser on the Mac and possibly the best browser in the world.”

Safari is the fastest browser ever created for the Mac®, and one of the most innovative and easiest to use browsers on any platform. Safari’s highly-tuned rendering engine loads pages over three times faster than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for the Mac and runs Javascript over twice as fast. Safari’s innovative features include Google search capabilities integrated directly into the toolbar; SnapBack, a new way to instantly snap back up to search results or the top level of any website after browsing down one or more levels; a completely new way to name, organize and present bookmarks; and automatic “pop-up” ad blocking.

The Safari public beta is available as a free download at www.apple.com/safari, requires Mac® OS X version 10.2 “Jaguar” and is optimized for Mac OS X v10.2.3. Safari is a compact 3MB download that occupies only 7.1MB of hard drive space. The final version of Safari will be made available later in 2003.

Mac OS X v10.2 “Jaguar” requires a minimum of 128MB of memory and is designed to run on the following Apple products: eMac™, iMac®, iBook®, Power Macintosh® G3, Power Mac® G4 and any PowerBook® introduced after May 1998.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.


hi ,

and then they say there are only a few of us out there , ....



Safari rocks , if you dont have it , get it

have a nice Safari day