Problem: I updated to QuickTime 6 on Monday, but I couldn't connect
to either the QuickTime feed or the MPEG-4 feed. Had to boot into
OS X and use good old QuickTime 5 to watch the keynote. Of course,
running QuickTime while typing this into Claris Home Page works much
better under OS X than it ever did under the classic Mac OS.
QuickTime doesn't even notice when I save.
Switch is a huge success - and 60% of the visitors to Apple's Switch
pages are using Windows PCs.
Apple is opening their first store in New York City. The SoHo store
opens Thursday in the old Station A Post Office.
2.5 million Mac users are running Mac OS X, and Apple expects to
grow that to 5 million by the end of 2002. Apple's studies show that
77% of all new Mac buyers are using OS X as their OS of
choice.
About 20% of installed base already using Mac OS X. Based on
Apple's projections, that should reach 35-40% by the end of the year.
(Good enough for you, Microsoft?)
RealPlayer for OS X is available in beta form today.
Jaguar
Mac OS X v10.2 officially announced today with over 150 new features
- and Apple is the #1 Unix supplier in the world.
Spring loaded folders now part of Mac OS X. Audience very
appreciative.
Jaguar Finder includes search capabilities - no more need to launch
Sherlock to find a file.
Apple plans to release OS X v10.1 on August 24 for $129.
QuickTime 6
Apple released QuickTime 6 two days ago and has already have a
million downloads. Half of the online viewers are using MPEG-4 and
QuickTime 6.
AACE codec "the best" music codec in existence, and creates files
one-tenth the size of MP3 with the same quality.
MPEG-4 offers comparable quality to older formats with one-third the
data stream.
Instant on streaming means no more 5-10 second delay while QuickTime
prebuffers data. I wish I was able to use QuickTime 6. I'll have to
install it on the X side of my TiBook after the keynote.
Sherlock 3
Sherlock has been recreated to better integrate with Internet
services. "Internet services for the rest of us."
Looks like we'll have more reasons to use Sherlock and less to use
Internet Explorer.
Inkwell
Newton style handwriting recognition for the Mac OS.
Rendezvouz
Rendezvouz lets the Mac automatically discover devices on any
IP-based network with zero configuration. For instance, iTunes users
will be able to share playlists across a network (with a future version
of iTunes) via streaming, not copying files. (What will the RIAA
say?)
Best of all, this is a totally open standard, not something Apple is
keeping to itself. Epson, HP, and Lexmark will incorporate Rendezvous
into future network printers. This sounds like an updated version of
AppleTalk, where devices announce their presence on a network.
Mail
Apple's email client has been dramatically improved to handle global
searches and better handling of multiple email accounts. It also tracks
threads on email lists.
Adaptive Latent Semantic Analysis analyzes your incoming mail and
attempts to catch junk email by content - and you can train it.
Address Book
The Address Book is a unified system-wide place to track information
about people - email addresses, phone numbers, home page, etc. And if
you have a Bluetooth phone and have a Bluetooth device on your Mac, the
Address Book can actually dial the phone for you. And the Address Book
can ID incoming calls - very cool.
iChat
Instant messaging is fully integrated into the OS and ties directly
into AOL's instant messaging service. iChat also works with Rendezvous
to find "buddies" on your local network.
Been having real problems with dropouts in the feed. :-(
Downloading the QuickTime 6 installer. Maybe that will improve things.
Hope I can install and update without rebooting - no such luck. I'm so
tired of installers that require a reboot.
iTools
Going to have to watch the keynote later - major drops in audio
here.
iCal
Apple includes calendaring with Mac OS X, and it's explicitly
designed to handle multiple calendars - work, personal, vacation, kids,
etc. And it can detect conflicts between your various calendars.
You can automatically publish your calendar on the Web - and
subscribe to other calendars on the Web. And the calendars are
integrated with iChat, email, and any browser. Very powerful.
iCal will be a free download available in September.
Digital Hub
Apple has distributed 4 million copies of iPhoto - remarkable
considering there are only 2.5 million people using OS X, and
iPhoto only runs under OS X.
14 million copies of iTunes distributed. iTunes 3, available today, adds music
ratings and play counts. New "sound check" feature makes sure all your
music plays at the same volume. Smart playlists sort music
automatically for you, such as "most played" or "60s music."
Completely lost access to keynote here - installing QT6. Back soon
(I hope).
Following comments based on notes on The Mac Observer, MacCentral,
Macworld UK, OSX Zone, MacNN, Apple Dumplings, MacMinute, and other
live updates. I am unable to restore a QuickTime feed with any Mac in
the house, new or old, classic or X, QuickTime 5 or 6. All above sites
linked on MacSurfer.
iPod
The iPod is a huge hit, and Apple announced a price trim of $100
today, bringing the 5 GB iPod to $299 and the 10 GB model to $399. A
new 20 GB iPod sells for $499.
Apple will also make the iPod available for Windows through a
partnership with MusicMatch.
iSync
No, not named for the way AAPL stock is sinking this morning. iSync
works with Bluetooth and USB to sync your Palm, cell phone, iPod, etc.
with your Mac's apps like iCal and the Address Book.
Sony, Cingular, and Erricson have teamed up with Apple to make
phones part of the digital hub.
One More Thing....
We know how Steve always ends his keynotes. This time he announces
the 17" flat panel iMac
G4 - and a $100 price cut on the 15" G4 iMac, back to its original
price of $1,799. (Remember when they raised prices $100?)
New iMac has 1440 x 900 pixel widescreen display, GeForce 4
graphics, $1,999 price.
Keynote finished. Will be reviewing this article and keynote video
as time allows.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Recent Content on Low End Mac
PowerBook 165c: 19 Years of Color to Go, Chris Carson, Building Bridges, 2012.02.14.
Until 1993, all of Apple's notebook computers had black and white displays. The 165c gave us a color PowerBook for the first time.
Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10.
Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed
price quotes and advertising information, please
contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number
is for advertising only.
