Apple Archive
was a weekly Low End Mac columnist from 2000 through 2007. Adam loves older Macs, newer Macs, and OS X. He has also used Windows, which provided a lot of points for comparison. Adam ran his own consulting service until late 2009 and is now a Trainer at the Stampford, CT, Apple Store.
- iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 2007.12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
- Options for replacing your older iPod, 2007.11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
- Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 2007.11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
- Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 2007.11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
- Motorola, LG, Macs, and the iPhone, 2007.10.26. So many mobile phones get some things right and some glaringly wrong. No wonder Apple saw an opportunity and created the iPhone.
- Back into the fold with a MacBook Pro, 2007.10.17. After five months with an Acer Aspire notebook and Windows XP, it was a treat to come back to Apple hardware, Mac OS X, and nearly five-hour battery life.
- Windows Vista 'a compelling reason' to buy a new PC, 2007.03.30. After 3 weeks with Vista, that author finds it a viable alternative to Mac OS X - at least on recent hardware.
- The $900 notebook: Where is Apple?, 2007.03.06. With cheap Windows laptops starting below $500 and good ones in the $800 range, Apple should introduce a MacBook that sells for less than $1,100.
- The Mac dilemma: Low cost and limited expansion or high cost with great upgrade potential?, 2007.02.20. Apple gives us two choices: A very expandable, upgradable Mac Pro or a far less expandable, less costly consumer Mac.
- Microsoft Office 2007: More Mac-like than ever, 2007.02.09. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and Office 2007 shows that Microsoft knows how to build user-friendly software.
- Why I recommend Macs to amost everyone, 2007.02.05. While no current Mac meets the author's needs, for most users, Macintosh is the way to go.
- Going Windows because no Mac meets my needs?, 2007.01.25. The MacBook screen is too small, the MacBook Pro isn't rugged enough, the Mac mini and iMac aren't expandable enough, and the Mac Pro costs too much.
- Is the iPhone too limited to launch a smartphone revolution?, 2007.01.19. As revolutionary as the iPhone is, it lags behind the smartphone competition in several important areas.
- Intel inside Macs paves the way for affordable CPU upgrades, 2006.11.10. By adopting industry standards, Apple has made it much easier for Mac owners to add memory, expansion cards, and faster CPUs to their computers.
- Gmail and Hotmail are nice, but isn't it time for Apple to offer free webmail again?, 2006.11.02. Internet users love their free Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other webmail. Maybe it's time for Apple to rejoin the game with their new dot-mac webmail interface.
- Firefox at 2.0: A very good browser gets even better, 2006.10.26. Firefox 2.0 is faster, includes spell checking, and helps you avoid phishing whether you use Windows, Linux, or a Mac.
- MacBook Plus: Adding flexibility and easy upgrades to Apple's notebook line, 2006.10.20. Apple's current 'Books have limited expansion options. A MacBook with a device bay that accepted a second battery could be a big success.
- Apple, please bring back flexible, easy to upgrade 'Books, 2006.10.12. G3 PowerBooks had drive bays, PC Card slots, and upgradable CPUs in addition to today's RAM and hard drive upgrade options.
- Facebook and the social networking controversy, 2006.10.02. Facebook discovered how quickly it could alienate its users - and how quickly they could address the problem they created. But will members continue to trust Facebook?
- iTunes 7 improves organization, adds new browsing modes, 2006.09.22. Apple has streamlined content organization with iTunes 7 and added a couple of great new browsing modes for your music collection.
- iTV will succeed because it lets you watch video on your TV, 2006.09.15. Apple realizes that we'd rather watch our TV show and movie downloads on our television sets, not our computer monitors or iPods.
- Setting up a titanium PowerBook for video editing, 2006.09.01. Working with a limited budget, a 867 MHz TiBook should be sufficient for basic video editing.
- Writely, Google's free word processor: What's the catch?, 2006.08.25. Writely isn't going to replace Microsoft Word for high-end word processing, but for most users most of the time, this free program should be plenty good enough.
- A $25 iMac! It's a steal, but what to do with it?, 2006.07.28. A $25 iMac (less mouse and keyboard) from the local thrift shop was a great find, but what would be the best way to put it to use?
- iMovie a great tool for getting started with video editing, putting your movies on DVD, 2006.07.14. If you've got old videos you want to put on DVD, you can pay someone else to do simple dubs, or you can invest a little of your own time, add titles, delete unwanted scenes, and make a much better DVD yourself.
- MacBook replaces Dell laptop, can outperform Power Mac G5/2.7 GHz dual, 2006.06.30. After two years, the Dell was on its last legs, and Apple's bundled apps made the MacBook a compelling choice. But what's really impressive is the performance of universal apps.
- 10 of the most important Macs ever, Apple Archive, 2006.06.16. Time to pare back the old Mac collection. Which models to keep, and which ones to add later on.
- Sometimes an extended warranty can be a real lifesaver, 2006.06.02. Desktop computers tend to just keep on working, but when it comes to items you use "in the field", an extended warranty could be just what the doctor ordered.
- Album art and liner notes: An iTunes disadvantage, 2006.05.26. Some music buyers prefer to buy the CD instead of an online download because they get the album art and liner notes that way. How Apple could tap into that market.
- Smart design and easy drive replacement will make the MacBook a winner, 2006.05.19. Although the graphics processor is far from state-of-the-art and the screen is very reflective, everything else about MacBook points to it becoming a huge success.
- The future of PowerPC Macs in the Intel era, 2006.05.12. There are a few reasons why you might not want to go Intel right now - and why you may want to keep a PowerPC Mac around for years to come.
- Front Row, Apple's digital hub, needs TV support, 2006.05.05. Apple pioneered the digital hub, but they are missing the boat when it comes to recording and viewing TV programs.
- Heavily used 12" PowerBook on last legs, but what next?, 2006.04.13. After three years of heavy use, this PowerBook is worn and feels sluggish. But what would make the best replacement in 2006?
- DOS cards, x86 emulation, Boot Camp, and the future of Windows on Macs, 2006.04.07. Macs have had DOS compatibility since 1987, and software emulators followed in a few years. With Boot Camp, Intel Macs can now run Windows XP. Where next?
- Vista delay, WinXP on Macintel gives Apple an edge in 2006, 2006.03.24. With Microsoft Vista delayed until early 2007 and Windows XP now running on Intel Macs, Windows users have a viable alternative to buying a new Windows computer. And they'll get OS X in the bargain.
- SiteShuffle turns your browser into a website launcher, 2006.03.10. The new SiteShuffle service lets you create a personalized page with launch buttons for all of your favorite websites. There is some room for improvement.
- 7 iPod speaker systems for less than Apple's $350 iPod Hi-Fi, 2006.03.03. Whether you're hoping to save money, want something smaller, or need features Apple doesn't offer, here are 7 popular speaker choices for your iPod.
- FM transmitters: How good a choice for listening to your iPod on your car stereo?, 2006.02.24. An FM transmitter makes your iPod compatible with any car stereo, but how good is reception? How good is sound quality?
- How Apple could extend music sharing to your iPod and your stereo, 2006.02.10. iTunes makes it easy to share music with other iTunes users. Why not expand the idea so iPod users can share or so you can access your iTunes library from your stereo?
- Microsoft's monopoly makes it slow and vulnerable, which Apple, Google, and AOL love, 2006.02.03. Internet Explorer 7 beta security bug found the first day, Windows Vista delayed again and again, also-ran search and messaging give others an opportunity to chip away at the Microsoft monopoply.
- Video iPod or PlayStation Portable? Each has its merits, 2006.01.27. The iPod is smaller and has a lot more storage capacity, but the PSP has a bigger screen and does things the iPod can't. And both sync well with the Mac.
- iTunes 'mini-store' shares your music data with Apple, 2006.01.20. The iTunes 6.0.2 update adds a 'mini-store' that recommends music based on your listening habits - and that means it tells Apple who you are and what you're listening to.
- Converting video and adding album art for your iPod, 2006.01.17. Tips on converting and installing video for the 5G iPod and for locating and adding album art for color iPods.
- iPod changes: Add video, subtract accessories, beware scratches, 2006.01.06. The newest iPods add video and seem more delicate than earlier models. Also, cost cutting has eliminated the Dock, FireWire cable, and AC adapter.
- older articles in the 2000-2001 archive, 2002 archive, 2003 archive, 2004 archive, and 2005 archive.
Also see the Best of Apple Archive
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