News - page 2367

James Wages is a man on a mission. Where you and I might see a tired old computer that’s not much use to anyone anymore, he sees a decent machine with plenty of potential.

The results of his tinkering are spectacular; this ancient SE/30 is in regular use by the Wages family, for writing things, drawing things, and (most impressively, I think) getting online.

This little puppy is as maxed out as an SE/30 can get. These machines originally appeared in 1989, running System 6 and costing only $6,500. Blimey. Now you can pick them up for nothing – or even cheaper – and if you’re prepared to put the work in, maybe you can get yours doing all the stuff James has got his doing.

This machine was built before the web was invented, but he’s got it surfing quite satisfactorily. How did he do it?

I asked him.

Apple introduced a trio of new notebook computers and a new 24″ LCD display monitor yesterday, and judging by reader reactions in the Apple blogosphere, the company kept alive its multiyear, unbroken streak of failing to be all things to all people.

Steve Jobs gave ample stage time to Apple design chief Jony Ive, who pulled back the curtain on the company’s design and manufacturing processes to try and impress the assembled media with Apple’s industry-leading, visionary thinking about laptop design and production.

Much of the discussion at the event centered around “under-the-hood” improvements to the new Macs’ graphic display processors (Nvidia GeForce 9400M and 9600M) and to the increasingly fine distinctions between Apple’s “Pro” line of MacBooks and those geared toward average consumers. In a nutshell, consumers are expected to make do with smaller display screens and no Firewire.

Toward the end of the event, Jobs showed an illustrative documentary about the new manufacturing and machining processes, which build the notebook cases out of solid blocks of “environmentally responsible” aluminum in a manner that VP of Product Design Dan Riccio described as “kinda like how you make pasta.”

In all, the presentation seemed designed to let people know, in Ive’s words, “how much we care.”

But do Apple’s customers care how much the company cares? Follow the jump for some choice user comments on the company’s latest offerings.

JPMorgan Wednesday upgraded Apple to Overweight from Neutral, arguing the company is protected from the cold winds of a consumer downturn.

“We think that Apple’s brand and market share momentum offer meaningful buffers” despite 70-75 percent of Cupertino’s sales relying on the consumer, analyst Mark Moskowitz told investors this morning.

Acknowledging even Apple won’t come away unscathed from the current slowdown in spending, Moskowitz wrote “Apple likely has a backstop beyond the first round.”

Apple’s share of the PC market reached nearly 10 percent during the third quarter. Although Cupertino retained the third position in U.S. shipments, Apple posted 29 percent growth, outstripped all other computer makers.

Gartner announced Apple controlled 9.5 percent of domestic PC sales, up from 7.7 percent a year ago. In stark contrast to Dell and HP which had 6 percent and 4 percent growth respectively, Apple had a more than 29 percent increase during the third quarter of 2008.

Apple sold 1.6 million Macs during the third quarter, up from 1.2 million shipped the previous year.

Tuesday, Apple unveiled a lower-priced entry MacBook onlookers saw as a response to concerns of slowing consumer spending. The company has set Oct. 21 to release third quarter sales figures.

You know what it’s like when you’re strolling around looking for networks. They’re all the same. They’re all called “belkin54” or “NETGEAR” or “BTHomeHub”. So generic. So default.

What we really need is networks with imaginative names. Names like “Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem”, as screenshotted here by Flickr user Ingridesign.

I’m now inspired to change my network name from the stupendously dull “16spring” to “The Network That Performs Somersaults”.

Is your network called something interesting? Something better than “Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem”? Do share.

Oh, and another thing: apparently someone announced some new laptops yesterday. You might want to look that up if you’re interested.

(Picture used with permission. Thanks to Ingrid!)

Designers really like the idea of plopping the ultra-thin MacBook Air into cases that look like envelopes.

Here’s Grantwood Technology’s rough and tumble version, made to mimic a manila envelope.

The MacVelope, in vinyl, with nylon lining and Velcro closure, has a cute red string tie, furthering the theme.

At $24.99, it’s a nice way to tell the world you’ve got mail.

Steve Jobs and company introduced us to a bevy of new products today, and though it’s not hard to find pictures of them all over the web and at the Apple website, for your convenience we’ve gathered some images here.

Click through the thumbnails for larger images.

Photo credit: Wired

Before the QA at Tuesday’s MacBook rollout, Steve Jobs said there’s a few things he wouldn’t talk about: Apple’s latest quarter, the global financial meltdown, and his health.

With that he put up a slide showing his blood pressure: a healthy 110/70.

“This is all I’m going to talk about on my health today,” he said.

New laptops weren’t the only thing Jobs unveiled today—Apple’s also finally provided a new external display. And it’s a strange one.

More information’s available at Apple’s website, but the gist of it is this: the 24″ display is super-thin, uses advanced LED technology, has integrated power with easy connectivity, and includes an iSight, microphone and speakers. All this for the same price as the existing, aging 23″ Cinema Display.

That sounds great until you dig and think a little more. $899 is hardly great value for a 24″ display these days. The display is gloss-only, which will make pros flee. And those that won’t had better have laptops, since unless I’m very much mistaken, this display requires one of Apple’s new laptops to work—it needs a machine with a Mini DisplayPort. So you guys who just dropped $2799 on a new Mac Pro had better look elsewhere.

Apple’s a great company, an innovator that goes where few others dare to tread. But flashes of the old sneak through now and again, and only Apple would dare release a nine-hundred dollar MacBook accessory in the middle of global economic turmoil.

The gathering of the tribe has begun at Apple HQ in Cupertino this morning, where, in 30 minutes or so, the company will turn the spotlight on its line of notebook computers. I’ll be updating this post with relevant details of the pronouncements from the Town Hall stage during the event, so refresh the post to keep in the news and check back later today for Cult of Mac reaction to and analysis of all the new gear.

The Apple Store has gone off-line in preparation for the stocking of new inventory; no doubt the company’s server array will get a workout in the next 24 hours.

Follow the news after the jump.

The LA Times, nothing if not the newspaper of hard knocks, offers this feature of best tunes for the economic blues, assuming you haven’t “pawned your iPod weeks ago.”

Picks include:
The Clash, “Career Opportunities”
Crystal Waters, “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)”
Bob Marley “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”

Still working out whether this is supposed to be funny. And wondering why “Working in a Coal Mine” (Devo’s version especially) and “Hard Candy Christmas” didn’t make the cut.

Buddy, can you spare a Shuffle?

After talking up the benefits of a sub-$1,000 notebook, the rumor mill is now soft-peddling the idea as everyone waits for Cupertino’s notebook event slated for 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. ET).

In a post claiming what will and won’t appear, Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber calls analyst speculation of $800 notebooks so much “jackassery” leading up to Tuesday’s unveiling.

Gruber and others are talking of Apple lowering to $999 the price of the 2.1 GHz MacBook which had cost $1,099. In addition, two new MacBook Pros and MacBooks will be introduced. Also rumored: a glass trackpad that also acts as a trackpad button and the replacement of Intel’s graphics chipset for NVIDIA.

“We would be surprised if they didn’t have a $999 MacBook option” for investors, Piper Jaffray Apple hardware analyst Andrew Murphy told Cult of Mac Tuesday.

“If not, (Apple) has some explaining to do,” Murphy said.

He bases his belief on Apple’s prior statements of a “product transition” prompting lower margins.

Monday, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimated Apple could gain up to 69 percent in potential revenue if a sub-$1,000 notebook is released.

The App Store just gets weirder with every passing day. To celebrate, consider this the first in an occasional series of posts looking at the weirder stuff that’s popping up there.

10 seconds ago is a strange audio widget that records the ambient sounds coming in through the mic, delays them by, um, ten seconds, and plays them out through the speaker. Or, as the app’s maker puts it:

“When you try, don’t you think your vision sometimes hinders your concentration on the sound? If so, then try this tiny app.”

Couldn’t have explained it better myself. (There’s a pro version too, sonic delay fans.)

Sometimes, when Macs die or are horribly injured, their displays turn into beautiful works of electronic art.

Sometimes, though, they just die ugly.

Maybe this one was upset by the number of files stored on the desktop. Whatever the cause, I think “DesktopImpazzito!” is the perfect reaction, even though I haven’t the faintest idea what it means.

(Image used under Creative Commons license. Thanks to Lozofun on Flickr.)

The creators of Where To, one of the more successful iPhone applications to appear in Apple’s AppStore since its launch in July, have decided to divide their company (tap tap tap) and its assets, and to continue on separate creative and business paths.

tap tap tap co-founder John Casasanta detailed circumstances underlying the split in a blog posting today, indicating the success of his venture with Sophia Teutschler had led to insurmountable differences between them about everything from advertising and marketing expenditures to design decisions.

Under the terms of their agreement to move forward, Teutschler will get the iPhone app Tipulator and two apps-in-progress, I’m Here and Groceries. She will publish the apps under her Sophiestication brand. Casasanta said, “[Sophia] is a good UI designer and I have faith that she’ll put out a great app even if the direction she takes it isn’t exactly where I would’ve gone with it.”

Casasanta will retain the tap tap tap brand with apps the company had in early development but had not yet announced. A previously assembled design team will remain with tap tap tap and Casasanta expects to name two new programmers to develop both current and future projects.

The fate of the drinking and dining guide whose success prefigured the split, Where To, remains up in the air. With gross sales of around $200,000 in the three months it was available on the App Store, according to Casasanta, he and Teutschler decided to pull it from the App Store pending resolution of their differences. Casasanta reports they will seek a buyer for Where To and its assets via sale by auction, and that he and Teutschler will split the proceeds of any sale.

“I’m going to put out a post in the next couple of days detailing our plans to sell it off,” Casasanta wrote in his blog posting today, saying, “full details will be coming soon along with complete financials for it including the marketing costs, etc.”

Wow, it doesn’t get much more thrilling than this: I’m announcing the winner of the first contest-with-Wine-Gums-as-a-prize ever here on the Cult, and probably on any other US-based Mac-centric blogs! Incredible!

We asked you to caption a funny picture of a G5 Mac on a street corner, and loads of you chipped in with witty responses. HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed, what a gorgeous bunch you are.

The winner of the packet of Wine Gums is…

Andy, with his caption: “I’m just waiting for the front side bus.”

Strong contenders for the prize were John Handelaar for “To avoid benzene hazard, keep in a well-ventilated area,” and El Vez for “Will compile for food”.

Giant discount chain Wal-Mart in November may become the second retailer to sell Apple’s iPhone, a report said Monday.

Wal-Mart, which already sells a huge number of iPods, could announce a deal Nov. 15, just two weeks before the retail sector’s “Black Monday,” according to the Boy Genius Report website.

In September, electronics retailer Best Buy began selling iPhones, making it the first third-party retailer to offer the Apple handset.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told Cult of Mac if the report is true, the addition of Wal-Mart with its 3,500 stores, would be a good move.

“Problem is that Wal-Mart shoppers are on budgets and the iPhone is expensive for them both in device cost and service,” Dulaney wrote in an e-mail.

As we await Apple’s Tuesday notebook announcement, one analyst says offering a sub-$1,000 notebook could increase Apple’s potential revenue by up to 69 percent.

If Apple unveils a $900 laptop, the move would increase Apple’s potential revenue by 50 percent, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi said in a Monday note to investors.

If rumors are true and the Cupertino, Calif. company rolls out an $800 laptop, the news could boost Apple revenue by 69 percent.

Things the “brick” is almost certainly not (but see note below):

• a redesigned Mac Mini
• a thing you stick your iPhone into
• a thing you stick your MacBook into
• a thing you watch TV on
• a thing of any sort
• or a manufacturing process
• or a new OS

Something the “brick” absolutely 100 per cent is not:

• a thing that the vast majority of people give a damn about
• worth posting about on Twitter
• going to be dull

(Note: Unless it is, of course)

Your guesses and predictions welcome below, but to make it more fun, you are not allowed to predict anything that’s been predicted before. Your rumor mongering must be strictly original and as creative as you like. After all, it’s not like any other blogs bother with facts these days.

(Image used under Creative Commons license. Thanks to m8f8 on Flickr.)

There were some good cameos in Adam Sandler’s guffaw-fest “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan,” like Charlotte Rae, (Mrs. Garrett in “Facts of Life”) as a superannuated, sexed-up hair salon client, but Mariah came through with a spot-on Mac endorsement.

Mariah plays herself in the movie. While she’s in her dressing room, Zohan comes in to fight nemesis Phantom there. The fight is interrupted when Zohan gets a phone call. The dialogue detours into product placement territory, starting with the make of his phone, then this gem, about two-thirds through the scene…

Mariah: “I can never figure that Bluetooth shit out though.”

Zohan: “Mariah, it’s very simple you stick it to your PowerBook. Go ahead, Phantom will tell you.”

Phantom: “Mac or PC?”

Mariah’s assistants, in unison: “Mac.”

Spotted a Mac in a movie or magazine? Let me know.

I met some Facebook developers at a campus recruiting event recently, and we had a long discussion about computers and Facebook’s development. Apparently, the majority of Facebook’s developers use Macs, both at home and at work.

This is interesting on its own, but when I found this video of Facebook hitting 100 million users, I’ve got to say I got excited. Every desk in the whole office has a Cinema display and the new keyboard! It looks like most of the displays are hooked up to MacBook Pros, but I like to imagine that there’s a hefty Mac Pro hidden under those desks, happily chugging away, a secret perfected Facebook interface hidden on its hard disks.

Looks like the Apple logo, clears the air around your desk. Not sure how clean it’ll really keep the five cubic meters that surround you, but maybe it makes a nice white noise to drown out your office mates.

$22 from Brando.

Via Geeky Gadgets

Pictures: Fantasic mockups by Miguel Surez

This is guesswork, but here’s the likely feature list of the new MacBooks due October 14:

* Penryn Core 2 Duo chips: 2.4GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.8GHz, and 3.06GHz.

* 2GB of RAM (MacBook); 4GB of RAM (MacBook Pro).

* Hard drives: 160GB — 320GB.

* Glossy widescreen TFT screens. On the MacBook: 13.3-inch (1,280×800 resolution); MacBook Pro: 13.8-inch (1,366×768).

* Integrated NVIDIA graphics system.

* New, all-aluminum enclosures, white, black and silver. (Would love to see multiple colors, but think its unlikely — it’s an inventory nightmare, especially for high-priced products).

* Enclosure is tapered: very thin at the sides, thicker inthe middle, like the iPhone 3G and MacBook Air.

* Magnetic lid latch on all models (replacing mechanical clasps on the MacBook Pro).

* All ports on left side — including FireWire 800.

* Slot-loading optical drive on right (no Blu-ray).

* Extra-large battery pack running full width of computer at the front, under the touchpad.

* Recessed keypad like MacBook Air. Keys are Chicklet style on MacBooks, black and backlight on Pros.

* Price: Starting at $800. This is the mysterious “product transition” that Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said in July would impact Apple’s gross margins.

“We will be delivering state-of-the-art new products that I cannot discuss today that our competitors will not be able to match,” Oppenheimer said during the Q308 conference call.

Your captions, please, for this lonely G5 as it sits watching the world go by in a quiet Danish street. According to Google Translate, the photo’s title on Flickr means “on the walk.”

Clean and funny please. Extra points for poetry, flowery language and use of puns. Lolspeak is banned.

Winner (as chosen by me) will be sent a small packet of Wine Gums. Deadline for entries is midnight (GMT) tomorrow (Friday 10th October 2008).

Photo used under Creative Commons license; thanks to Kofoed on Flickr

“The spotlight turns to notebooks.” So goes the just-released invite from Apple to an Oct. 14 media event. The e-mail to media appears to lend credence to a bevy of reports that Cupertino is set to launch a low-cost notebook computer.

Earlier this morning, a number of tech news sites, lead by the Inquisitir, reported an $800 laptop is among a price list that was released to Apple retailers.

The rumors were also backed up by a series of leaked photos published by a Taiwan website. Among the photos was a 13-inch aluminum Apple laptop.

Analysts have speculated Apple may “refresh” its hardware with a sub-$1,000 Mac. Long known for its pricey hardware, Apple has seen its sales impacted by the sluggish economy.