The New PowerBooks, iLife, and Pros and Cons of Safari
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- 2003.01.10
You've probably read about what was released at Macworld Expo. I
wasn't really expecting any of this. I was expecting an updated
iMac and some sort of new iPod. I think, however, what we ended up
getting is better.
12" PowerBook
The 12.1" PowerBook is fabulous. This is exactly what I - and
probably many others - have been hoping Apple would produce. Something small and
light, yet with all the power of the G4 processor. This is a great
computer for college students who need power and portability. It's
also nice that Apple offers this without the SuperDrive by default,
since I suspect most users won't need it.
17" PowerBook
This one puzzles me. The idea is nice, but I think that a 17"
screen in a laptop is a bit impractical. This seems to be a "keeping up with the
Joneses" sort of product - now that PC laptops have 16" screens,
Apple has to have a 17" screen on theirs. I do think that this
model has some other great features, though. The automatic sensor
for screen brightness and the keyboard backlight are excellent
ideas. Recent IBMs include a light that shines on the keyboard to
illuminate it, but I think Apple's solution is better - and
definitely much more elegant. The faster FireWire is nice to have,
too.
iLife
Apparently Apple has a thing for charging its customers for
software that was once free. Of course, I'm not complaining too
much about this one. It's only $49, and you not only
get an updated version of iMovie (which used to cost that much by
itself), but iDVD also as well as iPhoto and iTunes on the same
disc. The only iApp I really use is iTunes, and that's still a free
download, so I don't think I'll be buying this bundle. But for
someone who makes extensive use of iMovie and/or iDVD, I think it's
not a bad deal.
Safari
This is the last thing I expected from Apple. It's been a while
since I've used an Apple browser (the last one was the failed
Cyberdog), and this one's got some potential. There are some bugs
that need to be fixed first, however.
The toolbar buttons are too small, and the back and forward
buttons too close to the window controls. I've closed or
miniaturized the window by accident several times when attempting
to click the back button. Apple needs to offer an option in
preferences to make the size of the buttons larger. Text labels
would also be nice.
The other complaint: I can't import bookmarks from OmniWeb or
Netscape. This is a big issue for me, since I have several hundred
bookmarks all sorted into folders in OmniWeb, and I'm not about to
go and enter them all manually into Safari.
The speed claims are also exaggerated. Yes, it's faster than IE,
but not by too much. It just loads pages differently. IE often
loads pages by displaying them as it loads, Safari loads it and
displays the finished page, more like the way Netscape works.
Safari also has issues displaying some sites properly. For
example, the BBC News
page (screen captures below) looks awful if you try to scroll down.
Why? It has scrolling text at the top of the page that seems to
stay on the screen as you move the page down.

Notice LATEST: Man in court.... in
below image

Safari may be the fastest Mac browser, but I find that IE on
Windows is almost twice as fast. I think that Safari really has
potential and am looking forward to using the final version when it
comes out. I am also looking forward to see what Microsoft will
release in response, now that it has some serious competition on
the Mac platform.
Overall the Macworld announcements were pretty pleasing. I'm
especially anxious to see the sales figures on that 12" PowerBook.
I have a feeling it's really going to do well.
The only thing that disappointed me is that there were no
PowerBook speed bumps. Now, I know that Apple isn't going to want
to increase the speed on their laptop when their desktops top off
at 1.25 GHz, but PC notebooks are getting faster and faster - and
Apple is definitely behind in the speed game.
Unfortunately, the days of Apple having the fastest laptop on
the planet (3400) are over, but the
G4's other features offer some compelling reasons to buy it instead
of a PC notebook.
Recent Apple Archive articles- iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 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, 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?, 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, 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.
- More in the Apple Archive index.
Links for the Day- Mac of the Day: iMac G5 (iSight), Oct. 2005 -Apple built an iSight webcam into the last version of the G5 iMac.
- List of the Day: Leopard List Low End Mac's email list covering Mac OS X 10.5.
- October 12 in LEM history: 98: Beyond HFS+ nightmares - 99: iMacs for all - 00: The future of low-end gaming - 01: Tips on buying a new computer - 05: iMac G5 (iSight) - Simple backup strategies - 06: Bring back flexible, easy to upgrade 'Books - 07: Road Apple nominations - PB 150 boots from Compact Flash - Leopard to slow down PowerPC Macs?
Recent Content on Low End Mac- TruePower Battery Can Run WallStreet PowerBook Past the 5 Hour Mark, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.10.
If you have a rugged old PowerBook but its battery is losing capacity, TruePower can give you plenty of time in the field.
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Also photo reveals more about MacBook Pro, comparing 16:9 and 16:10 displays, Apple settles suit over faulty iBook and PowerBook adapters, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- 30% of iPhone 3G Buyers Switched Carriers, EU Battery Rule May Force iPhone Redesign, and More, iNews Review, 10.10.
Also iPhone 3G greatest consumer electronics device ever, track presidential polls on your iPhone, Talking English Dictionary, waterproof armbands, several new iPhone apps, and more.
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Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
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Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
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If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
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If Apple does release an $800 entry-level MacBook next week, the $600 Mac mini is going to look very overpriced.
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- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
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- Will Apple's iPhone/App Store Tornado Blow Away the Competition?, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.08.
The iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Store paved the way for the success of the iPhone and the App Store - and nobody can match that.
- More links in our archive.
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©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha.
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