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My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted
articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things
Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your
submission to Dan Knight
.
Okay, I admit it, I am a PC user who has fallen in love with
Macintosh computers thanks to OS X. My PC, running Windows 98,
has always been a fast and stable machine. It works, but OS X
works better. I already have an iBook, and my next computer
will be a Power Mac dual G4.
Over the course of several years, I have custom sculpted my PC
into a very nice multimedia and content creation machine. When
someone asks me what's the most important, best, or most useful piece
of equipment in my PC, without hesitation I answer: "My ATI
All In Wonder video card. It does everything."
Like all ATI video cards, my three year old AIW offers superior
DVD playback.
Some friends of mine spent close to $400 to buy a TiVo. I spent
about $120 on my All In Wonder (AIW). I can do everything they can
do, and the setup is a snap.
I used to have the TV in my office turned on to CNN so I could
listen to the news as I surfed the Web or did other tasks on my
computer. No more. I use the cable TV jack and have CNN running in
the background (as my screen saver no less - wicked keen!) while I
work.
Using the capture feature, I've screen captured pictures from
several of my favorite TV shows, and not only have I used them to
help "convert" friends to watching these shows, I've also dropped
them into Photoshop and had fun teaching myself some photo
manipulation techniques.
The built in FireWire on Macs is a fantastic thing, but in my
house, the camcorder is not digital. Because of the breakout box that
comes with my AIW, I can easily import analog home videos for editing
and later burning to video CDs. I can also export my final movies to
video tape for those members of my family who do not have
computers.
About two years ago, Maximum PC magazine designed and built
a PC designed to replace all the equipment in a typical living room
entertainment center. The AIW made that machine possible by replacing
the VCR, DVD, TiVo, and the game console.
But when I use a Mac, I lose all of that. I will have to buy
different (non-ATI) products to get the same functionality my AIW
gives my PC. I think there's a USB widget that will let me turn a
Power Mac into a TiVo, but I just don't trust USB to have the
bandwidth for good video capture. My other options are capturing on
my PC and networking it to the Mac, or a blood curdlingly expensive
Matrox professional video capture card. Grrr.
The Macintosh has traditionally been a powerhouse multimedia and
content creation machine. The best "prosumer" content creation
machine and the ultimate consumer multimedia and content creation
card belong together. It's a match made in heaven - and could put
millions of dollars in ATI's pocket.
If nothing else, get a move on it before the folks at nVidia wake
up and realize that with one product they could kick ATI out of the
Mac market forever.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
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When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
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Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: 14" iBook G3/600 MHz, Jan. 2002 - The first 14" iBook ran at a comfortable 600 MHz.
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December 1 in LEM history: 99: Monitor dot pitch - 00: Macs for new users - Everybody wants to use iMacs - Career options - 03: Pfinder: Panther-like Finder for legacy Macs - 04: Why I use an eMac, iBook, and Power Mac - ThinkFree Office - MacLink Plus 15 - 05: PowerBook 190 still a great laptop - Eudora, the Mac's most powerful email client - 06: Core 2 'Books cooler and faster
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Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01.
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It just doesn't make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won't support Macs sold less than three years ago.
Apple Retail Will Break Records This Christmas, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 11.26.
"Despite all the economic problems, Apple Retail can look forward to another successful quarter with sales maybe breaking through $2 billion...."
Old Macs in the New Economy, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.25.
"We are the kings of making our computers last, last, and last some more."
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VirtualBox is aimed at a different audience than Fusion and Parallels. While it works well, the typical desktop user will probably prefer Fusion.
Software to Keep Your MacBook Cool, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 11.25.
Heat is the enemy of long hardware life. Two programs to keep your MacBook running cooler.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01.
Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
Best MacBook Deals, 11.26.
Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
Best iPod touch Deals, 11.26.
Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; refurb 32, $319; new, $340; 2G/8 GB, $219; 16, $289; 32, $379.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 11.26.
Used 1.6 GHz single, $450; 1.8, $499; dual, $600, 2.0, $800; 2.3, $816; dual-core, $1,000; 2.5 dual, $1,000; 2.7, $1,050; 2.5 Quad, $1,400.
Best MacBook Deals, 11.26.
Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
Best Mac mini Deals, 11.25.
Used 1.42 GHz G4 Combo, $429; 1.66 GHz Core Duo, $449; 1.83, SuperDrive $629; new 1.83 Core 2 Combo, $570 shipped; 2.0 SD, $760 shipped.
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