news of 2004-07-30



eWeek about Xandros Linux

... as a means to ditch Windows, but not completely. But honestly, if you read through the article and how it's 'almost like Windows' but without the security issues, the author makes it read as if it was simple and transparent at the beginning. You then learn that Xandros uses Crossover and Win4Lin. And that he sometimes uses IE via Crossover and sometimes on Win98 in Win4Lin... Wouldn't it be just much easier to either use Windows XP (applying all the patches when they're available) or, to get rid of it, use a Mac? (Read this article for more about UN*X on the Desktop at macnews.net.tc...)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-30 at 11:09 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-29



TS looks at Safari 2.0

With still no new Tiger builds available after WWDC 2004, ThinkSecret takes another look at the WWDC build's Safari release. With pictures.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-29 at 22:35 CET ]
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Apple responds to Harmony

Apple warns Real and its users that future software upgrades (and future iPods) might not play Real's songs. Apple also said: "We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the DMCA and other laws."

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-29 at 16:09 CET ]
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That curious time.com remark about 4G iPod

The article is here. And the important (?) quote: "But you should know that internally the new iPod is a ground-up reconstruction, and its really compelling applications - the ones that very well might get the goat of anyone unable or unwilling to upgrade - are still secret. All that Apple is saying is that there's more to this than what's being publicized." - It certainly sounds as if time.com heard a hint at features not publicized yet. However, we doubt that. Would certainly be cool if it actually were a colour screen, just not using them with current firmware, eh? ;-)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-29 at 15:33 CET ]
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PowerPC G4 Extended?

AppleInsider rumours that a next PowerBook revision could make use of the so-called 'PPC G4 Extended' by Motorola, running at up to 2.0 GHz. Our own sources, however, point out that Motorola is set to release the MPC 7458 and 7448 at speeds of up to 1.8 Ghz 'soon' (earlier 7448 rumours). If Apple is doing one more G4 round of PowerBooks, we're expecting them not to reach 2.0 GHz, sadly. The first PowerBooks with 2 GHz are expected to be based on a low-power G5 processor by IBM - but certainly not this year. We also recently talked about PowerBooks here (Radeon Mobility 9800) and here (no competition, really).

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-29 at 14:01 CET ]
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iPod mini 2G: 6 GB drive?

MacBidouille reports that Hitachi will unveil a 6 GB version of their microdrive later this year. While not a massive jump, a version with more space of the iPod mini would certainly be appreciated by customers. In somewhat related news: Switzerland sees the first pink iPod minis (seems they're the worst sellers in other parts of the world, then...) at Heiniger AG's online shop.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-29 at 13:42 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-28



Apple releases WebObjects 5.2 Developer Evaluation

... to ADC Select members. So if you've got ADC Select access and want to take a closer look at WebObjects, this is the time for it.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-28 at 22:01 CET ]
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Mac OS X 10.3.5 7M28

Apple has just seeded build 7M28 of Mac OS X 10.3.5.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-28 at 03:49 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-27



Bluetooth headsets with CD-quality

You can read more about them in German here on heise.de or directly (in English) on Zeevo's site. Zeevo is offering the ZV4301 chip for device makers. This could, basically, enable future Bluetooth-iPods to stream music wirelessly to a stereo headset. But there are, of course, other uses for this technology, too. For example iChat, or simply listening to music wirelessly from your PowerBook.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-27 at 18:45 CET ]
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ATi introduces Radeon Mobility 9800

And we can quite safely assume that this chip will be used in future PowerBooks. Currently, we expect Apple to ship new PowerBooks (still based on G4) in the last quarter of 2004 (Oct-Dec), unless a G5 version can be delivered by January 2005, which is still in discussion.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-27 at 18:41 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-26



iSync 1.5 soon?

ThinkSecret is hinting at Apple's iSync feedback page, where version 1.5 can already be selected as the version used. Current beta builds of Mac OS X 10.3.5 still sport iSync 1.4, so iSync 1.5 is probably developed separately at Apple.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-26 at 18:39 CET ]
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Real's Harmony implications

Reading some articles around the web about Real's Harmony technology (for example this one), I can't help but notice that 'they' (the article writers) get something wrong. They seem to think that Real's approach might harm Apple. Sure, some iPod owners might consider (also) using Real's store instead of just iTMS. But what rather will happen is that users of the Real Online Music Store will consider the iPod as a viable digital music player now.

For Apple, the money lies in iPod sales rather than music sales (as has been covered very widely in the past), and Real's Harmony, which bypasses iTunes and probably puts an 'Apple MP4 wrapper' around Real's AAC files, will help extend iPod sales. People who buy iPods are very likely to also try iTMS (if available in the respective country) and might end up leaving Real's store altogether. We all know that Apple currently has the leading digital music player iPod and the leading online music store iTMS. So don't fear, dear readers, as this is actually good news, whatever those column-writers might want to tell you. Mostly because this time, Apple is in the position of Goliath.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-26 at 16:40 CET ]
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Real's Harmony technology: iPod compatible

Real announces that their technology dubbed 'Harmony' will let iPod users buy, download and use songs from the RealPlayer Music Store. This after Apple turned down Real's plea to support the Real AAC format on the iPod directly. Real's effort to support the iPod certainly shows how important the iPod is in the digital music market - and how the iPod's position of being the one most important digital music player will eventually be a real winner for Apple, with other players adopting the technology Apple uses instead of the other way 'round. It's just not necessary for Apple to support WMA or Real.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-26 at 10:39 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-23



VPC 7 in October

says AppleInsider. Isn't this a bit, well, late?
If the real reason for delaying VPC 7 now is really Windows XP's SP2, I say: Release it already! SP2 is an update that'll come. And users could still choose to buy the upgrade when the update's ready... Or is Microsoft just trying to hurt Apple's G5 sales a bit?

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-23 at 11:15 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-22



Birth of iPod

WIRED takes a look at the birth of the iPod.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-22 at 13:09 CET ]
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Tiger's System/Finder

ThinkSecret brings us another instance of their Tiger reports. This time about the Finder and System changes, which aren't so many (yet), as testers of the WWDC build have confirmed.

Coverage of Tiger has slowed to a crawl throughout the rumours and news pages, mostly because the single build that's come out of Apple does not yet contain the juicy changes we're all waiting for (aka the 'lickable' menu bar). Spotlight is certainly the most important change so far, but this will change your life only if you start to actually use Tiger as primary system, which not many testers have done yet, as our reports show. This will probably happen with the next few builds. And then, more and more 'spicy' information will become available.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-22 at 13:08 CET ]
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iTMS Europe adds 3 indie labels

"Apple(R) today announced that it has signed licensing agreements with three of the largest European independent music labels, Beggars Group, Sanctuary Records Group and V2, adding tens of thousands of additional independent tracks from leading artists to the iTunes(R) Music Store in the UK, France and Germany. With three of the most influential independent record labels on board, iTunes Music Store customers in Europe now have access to an impressive catalog of independent artists including Basement Jaxx, The Crystal Method, Interpol, The Libertines, Morrissey, the Pixies, Prodigy, Stereophonics, Paul Weller and The White Stripes." - Full press release here. So, basically, all's well in the best online music store of Europe. Now let's have _all_ European countries up and running as soon as possible, please... ;-)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-22 at 12:53 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-20



Is there a competitor? At all?

Today I was talking with a colleague. About how some luxury cars are different from others. I won't tell what each of our favourite was, because I don't want to start a flame about luxury cars. However: We both agreed that once you enter a certain segment of luxury, the product starts to feel finished, complete yet simple and - of course - beautiful.

Now you might wonder what this has to do with macnews.net.tc, and we'll get straight to that. I took out my 15" PowerBook when we hit that point in our talk. Now, we all know that product design is a strength at Apple. However, we often forget how incredibly good these people are. And although my colleague is actually using some Dell notebook and doesn't like Mac OS X very much, we could both agree that Apple has done this (the finished, complete yet simple and - of course - beautiful look & feel) right.

We then thought about the other notebook makers. Dell, Toshiba, IBM, Sony... Yet we couldn't find one (!) notebook that could match the aluminum PowerBook(s). Not at any price, really. They might feel like a nice car with every bit of technical mumbo-jumbo that's fab this decade, but that's exactly how they fail the 'complete but simple' approach.
Apple does this very well, we have to admit, but it could also easily be copied. The main features, we think, that give this 'luxury car' feeling: No description of features on the notebook (we both hate the Intel inside, WiFi/Bluetooth enabled, DVD-R stickers that other brands can't seem to get rid of, Apple simply 'has' those things, and of course the user knows it), no additional (and never even used) application buttons, no LEDs other than the one indicating the sleep function (and the charging LEDs are on the power cable), no optical drive trays, no fancy design experiments but 'simply beautiful'.

Now my question to you, dear readers, is a strange one - as I know you love Macs like I do. Still, I think it's an interesting one: Is there another brand of notebooks that does manage?

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-20 at 12:31 CET ]
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60 GB drive speculation around the web

With Apple _not_ releasing a 60 GB iPod today, people are currently driving crazy, it seems, around the web. Apple's inofficial statement: No 60 GB iPod. There are several possibilities now. The most probable one: The 60 GB iPod will come, but later on (Apple Expo Paris?). The less probable ones include video iPods and a more simple 'PowerPod' (aluminum) with additional 'professional' features like 'home on iPod'.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-20 at 01:04 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-19



hPod: September

HP's iPod is coming in September. And it's going to be based on the 4G iPod now.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-19 at 15:39 CET ]
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And one thought about iPod's UI

I'm very glad that Apple has now gone back to the initial design of the scroll wheel with the four buttons around it for both the iPod mini and the 4G iPod. The 3G iPod's line of four buttons was a clear step away from the simplicity of the original iPod (and the 2G iPod, of course).



I'm probably in for a 20 GB model now. My music library has gone from 6.0 to 9.4 GB in the past two years, so that 2G 10 GB model does seem a bit small nowadays (and I hate removing songs, even if they're not that good...)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-19 at 14:57 CET ]
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As anticipated: New iPods

Pricing and everything was correct, too. 299 USD for the 20 GB model, 399 USD for the 40 GB model. The 'highend' spot of 499 USD is now free for the 60 GB model, which Apple will reportedly release in a few weeks. Info about the new iPods and here's the link to the Apple Online Store...

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-19 at 14:47 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-18



That newsweek article online

It's three pages of iPod glorification. Granted, the iPod's worth the glorification, but that comes from an Apple fan, doesn't it. ;) Right now, the article seems to be down, though... But the cover of the magazine, which is the really important part, has been copied throughout the web already (even to less-rumoury sites such as MacCentral).

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-18 at 11:52 CET ]
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Newsweek cover shows new iPod



And it's still whiteish, with a silverish hue around the wheel. Or so it looks on that cover.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-18 at 04:40 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-17



Quite an extensive Sendo X review

... to be found here at TheRegister. The author uses a PowerBook 12", so he's a fine guy, anyway. ;-) ... We've been talking about the Sendo X over and over again (search for 'sendo'), but the smartphone based on the Series 60 platform just isn't available yet here in Switzerland (and most other European countries), but I'm told it should be available 'this Summer' (if _that_ ever comes, although today was nice and hot).
Nokia has used the time the X didn't ship and introduced the Nokia 6600 (which I'm using) and the 7610 - but both seem to fall short in a few areas where the X should shine. So: Bring it on, Sendo. (Do Sendo phones ever come out in Switzerland at all?)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-17 at 22:31 CET ]
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New iPods on Monday

And they're confirmed. They're going to be slightly smaller (slightly, really) and will resemble the iPod mini in design of the scrollwheel (buttons inside), which is good. Whether they're going to come in mulitple colours or only aluminum remains to be seen, though.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-17 at 21:22 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-16



Apple seeds Mac OS X 10.3.5 7M20

After seeding 7M18, Apple has now given ADC Select and Premiere members this new build. The 41 MB sized file is an update for 10.3.4, actually, and not a combined updater. While it may still contain debug information that will be removed from a final version, it'll anyway be quite a big update. The seed note does not contain any changes from 7M18 according to our sources.
Key enhancements planned for the 10.3.5 update are:
- improved support for NTFS formatted volumes
- improves reliability for user logins and mounting of home directories in a networked environment
- updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- improved Bluetooth compatibility for Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and Bluetooth phones
- additional FireWire and USB device compatibility
- improved font management
- updated Mail and Image Capture applications
- improved compatibility for third party applications
- previous standalone security updates

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-16 at 12:33 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-15



SonyEricsson unveils P910 smartphone

The new version of SE's highend smartphone includes a thumbboard that makes SMS and E-Mail handling easier. The basic featureset stays the same, but memory is up to 64 MB (from 16) and the included memory stick is 32 MB (up from 16). More info and pictures can be found at infoSync.no.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-15 at 14:12 CET ]
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Apple's 3rd fiscal quarter: Good.

... and the new iMacs are going to be based on the G5 processor. A happy day for Apple and Mac users alike, it seems. Also mentioned by rumour site ThinkSecret: New iPods soon, with smaller form factor and in several colours instead of white. Well, I hope they'll still make a white one or a silver one, since I wanna buy one soon... ;-)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-15 at 01:35 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-14



Tiger Detail: Fast Logout & Autosave

We're going to bring you several tidbits about Tiger in the coming weeks and months. The first of these is a treat by Apple, really. We're going to like this... For example, if you start typing an e-mail message in Mail.app in Tiger and then choose 'Logout' from the Apple menu, Mail.app has already saved your draft ("Autosave") and the logout can happen really fast ("Fast Logout"). Whether this will be implemented or not in the applications you use is of course on the developer's side. But it's a good thing that Apple defines such things for Tiger.

On a sidenote: We have installed a little PayPal link on the upper right of the default layout of macnews.net.tc. So if you enjoy our site and can spare a little money: Send it our way! We don't depend on it, but it makes it easier to pay the bills for the server.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-14 at 19:29 CET ]
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ADC members receive their Tiger seed

As we anticipated on 2004-07-09, ADC Select and Premier members have been shipped the Tiger Preview by snail mail. There are, however, no newer builds available on ADC so far.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-14 at 15:03 CET ]
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About Tiger's Windows integration

... or the lack of talk about it. This three page eWeek article talks about how Apple still seems to forget about how important this is for Apple's business appeal. My note on this, however is: The industry seems to be begging Apple for a business strategy. And Apple stays as mum as it has been before. It doesn't seem to want into the business sector, or it would speak out, wouldn't it?

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-14 at 13:09 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-13



Gmail

I've been testing my gmail-account in the past few weeks now and can only say: I'm impressed. They're going down the right path with this one, it seems. There still are some glitches (which they know about), but they're probably going to be fixed soon. The interface is one of the best web-application interfaces I've seen so far - and certainly the best web-mail interface I've seen.

There are things I'd want in a final version. IMAP access would be nice, of course, but I guess Google doesn't want to allow this, since it'd prevent their ads to work, unless they'd translate every message into an HTML-message that included the ads... Doesn't sound right, somehow.
A different approach could be: A Google Gmail Client Application. Sure, it wouldn't be Mail.app, but it'd work offline, too, which is my main gripe with web-based e-mail. (I want to be able to organise and prepare e-mail messages when offline...)

Currently, the service is in beta, and only a few (hundred, thousand?) accounts are 'live'. The only way to get an account right now is on invitation from another account-holder, and not all account-holders get invitations to send. I almost wish Google would keep it that way forever, as it makes the service somewhat more exclusive...

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-13 at 13:48 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-12



Apple seeds Xcode 1.5 7K560

to ADC Select & Premier members. The new code is called 'Beta 2'. In other news, Jaguar is running a competition for a black iPod. They seem to have forgotten to also colour the buttons black, though. And: Currently, the linked site is not available.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-12 at 20:33 CET ]
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I hope I can share this the right way... [off-topic!]

I had quite some fun reading the comments to this osNews article about computer annoyances. One of the annoyances is boot time, and one Windows XP user answers that like this: "I am happy using hibernation. If XP begins to feel buggy, then I reboot." - The problem with this, of course, is that XP begins to feel buggy as soon as anyone's actually using it, which would result in an endless loop of reboots... :P - And btw. it's nice to read so many comments about how the Mac awakes from sleep in 1 second. That's really one of the big achievements Mac OS X has made over previous (and all other) operating systems.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-12 at 12:51 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-10



palmOne and the Mac

So they've got their new Mac Centre. And they stop supporting the Mac soon. Which one's true now? Palm has been supporting and skipping support for the Mac throughout the years, and it's always been a game of hide and seek for Mac users. Then Apple made a big step by introducing Palm support with iSync - but didn't quite succeed. Also, that solution still needs Palm's desktop software, so it won't support models that don't come with basic Mac support. The one solution out of this misery I see: Get a smartphone from Nokia or SonyEricsson that works with the Mac out of the box through iSync - and forget about Palm and PDAs, as they're not necessary any longer.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-10 at 13:02 CET ]
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Yet another "plan how to save Apple"

You'll find it here at BusinessWeek. Alex Salkever talks about his "six-step plan for Apple".
I want to add my own six points here:
First, Apple should bring out those new iMacs as soon as possible. The iMac should be again what it initially was: A self-seller. A cheap Mac for everyone. A 20" iMac? Hell, that just doesn't make sense. Why buy a computer that is old half a year later when the display's still new? Give it a 15" widescreen and a 17" widescreen and make it cheap.
Second: Now that the 'middle seat' is empty again, we need a 'consumer desktop' machine. A 'cheap G5', so to speak. Make it a single processor 1.8 GHz machine, for example. And make it well cheaper than the duals.
Third: Start to win with the iPod. Sure, it's already a success, but imagine how many you'd sell by lowering the price on a 15 GB model instead of introducing higher-end models that replace the current ones. Or: Do both. Introduce 'new' 40 and 60 GB models and keep a 15 GB model at a MUCH lower price.
Fourth: Release new PowerBooks faster. Give them 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 GHz over time. Two-month schedule would be fine. The G5 will be the big surprise, but enhancing the G4 steadily will keep the sales up until then.
Fifth: Embrace the home even more. AirPort Express is nice, but what the users really want is a home cinema component that handles all types of media, i.e. video, photos, sound.
Sixth: That 12" PowerBook is too close to the iBooks. Make it different. Make it widescreen 13" or even widescreen 12". Real small, real powerful, real PowerBook.
Or: Scrap all that (and also the linked article above) and just go on with your own plans, Apple. They've been good over the past few years, haven't they. ;-)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-10 at 12:57 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-09



ADC Select Members get Tiger on 2004-07-12

ADC Select members got a note that they'll get access to Tiger Preview on 12th of July. We're expecting newer builds of Tiger shortly after that.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-09 at 16:00 CET ]
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SIPphone to introduce Mac client

Interested in VoIP? Go to SIPphone's website later today (Friday). It sounds interesting, although I think this'd be for US customers mainly?

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-09 at 10:22 CET ]
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Apple seeds Mac OS X 10.3.5 7M18

Major areas of change: Audio/Sound, Bluetooth, Firewire, Graphics, OpenGL, Mail, Safari, Networking. We'll know more in the future about the quality of this build. Right now, this is all the info we've got.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-09 at 10:15 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-08



ThinkSecret about Tiger's Spotlight

You'll find their article here. While it doesn't add much more information to what has already been said before, it kinda 'covers it all' again and is food for the hungry rumour mouths. Apple has yet to seed another build after the WWDC Preview, which will - hopefully - bring the GUI advances Steve Jobs' build at WWDC obviously had over the build that was handed out.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-08 at 09:42 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-07



Is UN*X ready for the Desktop?

I've chosen this day to make some fun of the linux geeks. Sorry, if you happen to be one and feel a bit irky after reading this...

Ever since I first read about (and tried) the most important UN*X desktop environments of today - i.e. KDE, Gnome and Aqua - I wondered whether an industry-strength UN*X could be my operating system of choice for my notebook(s). I've tried all of them on several occasions and finally came to the conclusion that UN*X is in fact ready for the desktop. It'll have to be a Mac, though, and the operating system of choice would be Mac OS X 10.2 or higher with the Aqua UI. The Mac's UN*X gives the user a very comfortable desktop environment and a flood of applications and utilities to boot. But it doesn't end there. There are native versions of several industry-leading software packages available for Mac OS X additionally to all the great open source replacement options, for example Microsoft Office 2004 :mac (which is, to some extent, better than the Windows native version), Adobe CS or Macromedia Studio as well as Maya (soon also the unlimited version).

So whenever you hear someone say that this or that UN*X derivate is now almost really ready for the desktop: Remind them of the fact that there already is a trusted and tested version of UN*X for the desktop: Mac OS X. ;-)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-07 at 13:15 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-06



iPods are security threat for companies

... says Gartner Group. Because you can use the iPod as an external harddrive, which allows malicious code to be brought into the company and intellectual property outside of the company. Of course, that should then read 'external harddrives' instead of 'iPods', eh? We asked a security specialist (my mom is a secretary) about the subject, and she said: "They should also ban fax machines, as these are much more likely to be used for bringing confidential information to the outside. Oh, and, yeah: That lady who brings the coffee. So we have three main issues at hand: iPods, fax machines and the lady who brings the coffee."

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-06 at 18:49 CET ]
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THE switcher's column

Or something like that. Fun to read, although I think he's pushing the limits of his ability to write on some of his EIGHT pages switching column. (From an Acer notebook to an iBook G4 12".)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-06 at 01:21 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-05



MacRumors' 2.5/2.0 GHz benchmark comparison flawed

As you can read here at MacBidouille (if you understand French), MacRumors is comparing apples and oranges (although both machines are by Apple) when showing a dual 2.5 GHz's Cinebench numbers (using a beta optimised for the G5) vs. a dual 2.0 GHz's numbers (using a non-optimised version). The 2.5's numbers are okay. But the 2.0 would do better using the same code.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-05 at 15:21 CET ]
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2005: The Year of Movies?

Now let's see. DVD quality video, encoded with H.264. A 90 minute movie fits onto a CD-R if encoded by H.264. Including 3 language and 5 subtitle tracks. With broadband connections, such movies can be downloaded in acceptable amounts of time. Apple has the technology (QuickTime, iTMS) and the connections (Akamai for networking, Pixar for the movie industry) to do this. Will we buy H.264 (MP4 would make a good name for those) flicks for 10 USD (or 9.99 for marketing reasons) a piece in 2005?

Some people argue (even Steven P. Jobs) that while people want to buy music, they want to rent movies. While that might be a very generalising truth, there are also a lot of people who actually buy movies. A whole industry has been built around DVD sales. I'm pretty sure that licensing issues would be huge (well, at least as difficult as the music industry), but the music industry is just learning that 'the internet' is not only a danger (which it already also is for movies, not just music!) but also a means of cheap sales (i.e. no packaging required). And it's not as if the movie industry was made of entirely different people/companies, either...

So... I hope we'll see a convergence here. Let iTunes and iPhoto become iMedia (and give it a better name), let it handle your photos, your songs, your movies (iMovie!) - let it also be the player and store, of course - and voilà: Apple is your one-stop media shop and entertainment center. Will it happen? I don't expect an answer from you or myself. I expect one from Apple, though, one day.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-05 at 10:32 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-04



Apple seeds .Mac SDK

From the notes: "The purpose of the DotMacKit and its contained classes is to give developers allof the tools that they would require to tightly integrate the Internet-based services offered by Apple in its .Mac product with their own." And: "The .Mac Kit will allow you to build applications with networked features to leverage .Mac's 24/7 service and over one half million paying membersÑall without any network programming. It will also cover the new .Mac-enhanced features in Tiger such as syncing to .Mac with SyncServices as well as the new dynamic DNS capabilities of Rendezvous."

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-04 at 11:16 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-03



Another rant? Yet again? Yes.

And I still hate to rant. Really. This time this is about a formerly very, very good website: PowerPage.org. They seem unable to control their content for quality. A recent article titled "Iraqi Security Forces use PowerBooks" shows the following picture. Are PowerPage's editors blind?



These are quite clearly no PowerBooks. It's a pity.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-03 at 16:35 CET ]
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WIRED: "Searching for the perfect OS"

This WIRED article talks about the reasons and consequences of Spotlight in Tiger. A quote: "If it's implemented well, Spotlight may become an extremely interesting technology. It's obvious that with the growing amount of data that's stored on today's computers, it becomes more and more important to have the means to search this plethora of information in an efficient manner." That's right. However, Tiger's still about a year away - and until then, Objective Development has part of the answer with LaunchBar 4 (currently in public beta).

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-03 at 16:05 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-02



Some Safari 2.0 (Tiger) details

AppleInsider reports on Safari 2.0 Beta in Tiger. They also state that "Apple didn't recreate the web" since Safari's first beta. However, Dave Hyatt's newest blurb about Dashboard tells a different story about WebKit. Interesting stuff - and a good approach by Apple.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-02 at 18:03 CET ]
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iMac: -1.20 EUR!

Seems like a nice error. ;-)



(macosx.com thread where the picture can be found here.)

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-02 at 16:38 CET ]
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Slimmer PowerBooks?

The PowerPage.org is rumouring Apple's investment in slimmer, thinner harddrives and optical drives for next generation PowerBooks. The limiting factor: The PowerPC G5.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-02 at 12:06 CET ]
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news of 2004-07-01



New iMac: September

Source: Apple. Yes, you've read right. The Apple Store says that Apple planned to empty the stock on 'old' iMacs for the time when the new one would be ready, that now they're basically out of iMacs and the new one would be announced and released in September. G5? You bet.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-07-01 at 23:55 CET ]
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