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The Low End Mac Link Archive, September 1999
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
External news links are listed below by the date of publication
with the most recent articles listed at the top, older ones below
them. Other monthly archive indexes are linked on the right. Links
were correct when originally posted. However, we cannot guarantee
that these links are still active.
Rumor: Yikes to be phased out
in December, MOSR, 9/30. Apple expected to discontinue G4/400
once Sawtooth motherboard, faster G4 available in quantity.
News: Dr. Bott
announces MoniSwitch USB, 9/29. The original supported ADB and
Mac monitors; the new one is for USB and VGA monitors (see our
review of the
original).
Analysis: Do photos portray
new iMac?, MacWeek, 9/29. "Apple's threat of legal action over
publication of the photographs seem to suggest that they are indeed
genuine images...."
News: Drive recall
touches Power Mac G4, MacWeek, 9/29. "...Western Digital Corp.
announced this week that it is recalling about 400,000 of its WD
Caviar hard drives - some of which shipped as original equipment in
Apple's new Power Mac G4 systems.
News: The eOne
is back, MacCentral, 9/29. New silver version replaces
too-close-to-iMac blue and white design. Color looks like a match
for silver on the Power Mac G4.
Opinion: FileMaker Pro 5
reader reports, MacInTouch. "What this absurd policy of
crippling FMPro will do in my case is cause me not to upgrade at
all."
Opinion: FileMaker
5 Product Announcement, A FileMaker Affliction, 9/27. "...only
time will tell if FileMaker 5 is a dessert topping, a floor wax or
both."
Advice: Ask Dr.
Mac #28, MacCentral, 9/25. Adding USB to a PCI Mac, digital
video, more.
News: No
AirPort for France, Liberation, 9/24 (French). According to
Slashdot, the 2.4 GHz frequency
is reserved by the French military, so IEEE 802.11 devised may be
completely illegal in France.
AAPL: When
the market doesn't work quite right, John Deke, Mac Junkie,
9/24. "So why the big price drop? Well, in the face of bad news
there's a tendency for some people to panic and sell...."
Opinion: How
the Mac changed the world, Del Miller, 9/24. "From the rainbow
logo, to the cheerful optimism that a computer could change the
world, everything about Apple said that there was room to make
things better."
Opinion: The
Mac is a business machine, Deborah Shadovitz, Puget Sound
Computer User, 9/99 [Mac
Observer]. "Truth is, everything you need to run a small
business or home office efficiently is available for the Mac."
News: Life imitates
art for Apple, Jim Davis, c|net, 9/24 [MacSurfer]. "Despite the lifting of
the restrictions, Apple said other red tape still limits its
ability to export the G4 to numerous countries."
Rumor:Specs for new iMac, Mac Observer, 9/24. Three iMacs: 350
MHz economy iMac, 400 MHz DVD edition, and premium version.
Opinion:
Apple missing out on a powerful weapon, Bryan Chaffin, Mac
Observer, 9/24. "...Apple should Think Different and pursue a
policy of engagement with the online Mac community."
Web:
Team Mac Observer needs your help, Mac Observer. Join the Mac
Observer SETI@home team to look for extraterrestrial life and
promote the number crunching abilities of the Macintosh.
Opinion: The case for multiple iMac models, The iMac,
9/24.
AAPL: Apple
stock tumbles nearly 10%, MacCentral, 9/24. Stock closed
Thursday at 63 5/16, down 21% from high of 80 1/8 on Monday,
9/20.
Rumor: Kihei
iMac industrial design details, AppleInsider, 9/24. "The most
recent word on the street is that Kihei has officially been
finalized, both internally and externally, with production
beginning in limited quantities as of this past Wednesday."
Rumor: Apple
seeds OS 9 final candidate 4, AppleInsider, 9/24. "...it
appears that Final Candidate 5 will be the most likely candidate to
be selected as Golden Master."
Rumor: C2 "Kihei" iMacs due
shortly, MOSR, 9/23. "...dealers are being told . . . to clear
out their existing 333MHz iMac inventories and prepare to place
orders for new models in 2-3 weeks."
Opinion: Which
PowerBook makes the ideal desktop replacement?, Charles Moore,
Mac Opinion, 9/23. "... I find that most people who get their hands
on a PowerBook for a few days would just as soon never go back to
their desktop machines."
Connectivity:
Earthlink, MindSpring to merge, Yeahoo/Reuters, 9/23 [Slashdot]. "The combined company would
form the second largest Internet service provider in the U.S. with
more than three million members...."
Review: Power Mac
G4/400, Macworld, 12/99 issue. "Something old, something new,
something borrowed, but no longer blue."
Analysis: The
G4 processor: under the hood, Thresh's FiringSquad, 9/22
[MacSurfer]. "If properly
utilized, AltiVec can quadruple the speed of certain
applications."
Opinion:
There's no worm in this Apple, Slate, 9/21. "The obvious point
here is that if you're going to have a problem, it's better to have
one that's the result of too much demand rather than too
little."
OS: Mac
OS X Server, sent by Dagwood?, Todd Stauffer, MacCentral, 9/21.
"Mac OS X Server is the coolest, most svelte, most interesting
installation of Un*x I've ever seen."
Analysis: G4
vs. Athlon, Philip Machanick, Mac Opinion, 9/21.
News: Taiwan
earthquake and Apple portable production, PowerBook Zone, 9/21.
Quanta, builder of the PowerBook G3, and AlphaTop, manufacturer of
the iBook, are located in Taiwan. Both expect production to resume
shortly.
Analysis: Behind Apple's
projections, Robert Morgan, MacWeek, 9/20. "Anderson stated
that Apple expected flat to lower sequential earnings growth in 4Q
but also asserted that the company expected year-over-year growth
for the quarter and the year."
Rumor: Apple to
offer Carbon libraries for pre-OS 9 systems, AppleInsider,
9/20. "...once applications have been updated to the new Carbon API
set, they will not run on the current Mac OS 8.x architecture
without the help of a custom set of Carbon Libraries."
News: Apple
warns of Q4 shortfall, ZDNet, 9/20. Motorola can't make G4 CPUs
fast enough to meet the market's demand for Apple's new
powerhouse.
News: Macs in
peril in Gettysburgh High, Mac Mania. "The technical drawing
teacher wants to eliminate Macs in the graphic arts area because,
'The graphic arts industry simply doesn't use macs.'"
Opinion: Glory
days of Apple portables, Don Crabb, ZDNet, 9/17. "...for the
first times since the mid-1990s, Apple once again makes the best
notebook computers you can buy."
Opinion: Did Apple
sabotage your G3?, Loose Cannons, Applelinks. "...there is code
in that particular ROM Update that says, in effect, 'If G4 card
found, don't boot.'"
Opinion:
Setting world on FireWire, Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe, 9/16.
"...Apple's decision to put FireWire on its G3s, and eventually on
all its machines, is my pick for Apple's smartest move yet."
Opinion: Fall of the
sub-$500 PC, Think Secret, 9/15. Will Sega Dreamcast kill of
the sub-$500 PC?
Review: Formac
Proformance III with 3D glasses, Accelerate Your Mac!, 9/14.
Optional 3D glasses provide a true 3D look, not just 3D flattened
onto a 2D screen.
Y2K: 01/01/00,
Macworld, 10/99. "...even the oldest Macs can deal with dates from
January 1, 1904, through February 6, 2040, so there's no
fundamental year-2000 disaster lurking inside your Macintosh."
Y2K: Proceed
with caution, Macworld, 10/99. Some Mac software not Y2K
compliant - check this list.
Review: Meet the
iBook, David Pogue, Macworld, 10/99. "Apple's iBook is much
more than just a portable iMac; it's a long list of surprising
delights."
Rumor: Power
Mac G4 report updated, MacFixIt. Apple may fix G4 block with OS
9, G4 may be faster than even Apple believes, and Newer Tech says
there is no power supply problem with an upgraded Blue G3.
Analysis: Is
G4 as promised?, Philip Machanick, Mac Opinion, 9/14. "For the
Mac, AltiVec will speed some applications enormously; I will be
surprised though if all applications will see a significant
speedup."
Analysis: Why
geek geniuses lack social graces, Norman Doidge, National Post.
"Ten years ago, Dr. David Forrest . . . turned his research
attention to those who are designated 'nerds,' 'geeks,' and
'space-cadets.'"
Review: Power Mac G4/400,
Ric Ford, MacInTouch. "Jumping in now with the G4/400 is reasonable
if you have no window to wait and you need its extra performance
immediately."
Advocacy:
Macintosh mistruths, Chris Davies, MacNerds, 9/13. "When Macs
are compared to PCs often I notice the same old lies and mistruths
and myths bandied about...."
Advice: Ten
ways to keep your Mac happy, Michael Greifenkamp, MacNerds,
9/13. "...ten great ways to keep your Macintosh happy and running
smoothly."
Gaming: PlayStation
2 unveiled, Gaming Age, 9/13 [Slashdot]. 128-bit Emotion Engine CPU
runs at 295 MHz, includes 4x DVD-ROM drive, due for sale in Japan
on March 4, 2000 - and it runs all current PlayStation games.
Rumor: OS X Client $99?
G4/400 cut by year's end?, MOSR, 9/10. Apple aiming for $99
price and January delivery of OS X Client. "Yikes" G4 may be
discontinued shortly after Sawtooth ships.
Opinion: Upgrades and
Macs, David K. Every, MacKiDo, 9/10. "They say they didn't
promise that G3's were upgradable - but they didn't say they were
going to be intentionally crippled either."
Hands On: iBook in-depth part 4, The iMac, 9/10. "To upgrade
the iBook, you simply pull two latches at the top of the iBook's
keyboard...."
News:
iBook has no backup battery, Apple TIL, 9/9 [MacFixIt]. Small capacitor maintains
PRAM contents for only 20 seconds with battery disconnected.
Opinion: An
open-and-shut case, Don Crabb, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/9. "The
iBook is the first really innovative notebook computer to hit the
lower price points in years."
Opinion: Apple's
new iBook offers much, WallStreet Journal, 9/9. "On the three
qualities crucial to every laptop - the keyboard, the screen and
the battery - the iBook acquits itself very well."
Analysis:
Windows 2000 adoption to cost a pretty penny, Infoworld, 9/9.
"According to the Gartner Group's numbers, it will cost between
$1,250 and $2,050 per desktop to migrate from Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 to Windows 2000 Professional. The cost of moving
from Windows 9x to Windows 2000 will be even higher, according to
the report - between $2,015 and $3,100 per PC."
Consumer: Panasonic
announces SuperDisk digital camera, Insanely Great Mac, 9/9.
"In high resolution, (1280 x 960 pixels), this disk will hold
approximately 450 Super Fine images."
Opinion: Ruminations
on computer aesthetics, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, 9/9. "It
will remain to be seen how the iBook's color and styling wears
aesthetically."
News: Update on b&w
ROM G4 CPU check, Accelerate Your Mac!, 9/8. "...there were
reports of improved PCI performance and compatibility with the ROM
update."
News: Lucent's
high-speed Stinger, Wired News, 9/7. Stinger handles voice and
high speed data connections over standard phone lines.
Analysis: G4 trashed by mainstream media, The iMac, 9/7.
Tidbit: four 400 MHz Intel CPUs = 1 GFLOPS, but one G4/500 can
reach 4 GFLOPS.
Rumor: Apple to fix G4 ROM
block, Mac OS Rumors, 9/7. "...the company is planning to
include fix for the G4 upgrade block installed with the latest Blue
G3 Firmware."
Analysis: PC or Mac?
Both give great service, Roanoke Times. "We also find that
Macintosh computers last longer and retain their value
longer."
Opinion: Look, Ma, no wires!, Ceolaf, PowerBook Source.
"Wireless Ethernet used to be expensive. And slow."
Opinion: The G4 and
Apple's second coming, Jon Katz, Slashdot. "If there's an
ideology at the heart of computing, it's to be forever on the
lookout for the coolest, fastest, most powerful thing. The G4
clearly, is it."
Analysis: G4
vs. PIII, Athlon, Architosh, 9/7. "Compared to rival Wintel
processors by Intel and AMD, the G4 smokes them all (even at much
lower clock speeds), except for the new AMD Athlon chip."
Opinion: Is
G4/400 a good value?, Charles Moore, Applelinks. "...the
Mac/Wintel 'which is faster' debate should be effectively silenced
for the foreseeable future."
Opinion: OS X: The
last step to world domination, Paul Yap, osOpinion. "If MacOS X
Client delivers on its' promises, then the G4 will have an OS
worthy of it."
Software: iCab
preview 1.7 available [Macs
Only!]. Alternative to Netscape, IE. Download still under 1 MB.
German, English, and Japanese versions available. Now supports some
Microsoft and Netscape tags not part of HTML 4.0. Can bookmark
frames. Still no Javascript, CSS. Lots more.
Web: 50
greatest comic books, Mitchell Brown. Excellent fan site with
good ranking of most significant titles.
Hands On: iBook in-depth part 3, The iMac, 9/6. "...the
battery's life is probably less than the theoretical limit;
specifically 4 to 5 hours depending upon how you are using the
iBook."
Hands On: iBook in-depth part 2, The iMac, 9/6. "...the 3D
graphics produced by the Rage Mobility is pretty awesome for a
little consumer based notebook computer, which means that it's a
wonderful option for gamers."
Opinion:
eOne takes on iMac - and wins, Bill Machrone, PC Magazine, 9/3.
"...in many ways, the eOne improves on the iMac design, offering a
floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM drive with external controls,
video-input hardware, and a home network adapter."
Opinion: Think
different about upgrading, Wired, 9/3. "Apple's recent line of
Power Mac G3s can't be upgraded to Motorola's new G4 chip, and
according to hardware manufacturers, the engineering was
intentional."
Analysis: On the G4 and
Altivec: Promises of gold, Mac OS Rumors, 9/3. "...the G4's
vector engine can accelerate almost any large calculation, not just
multimedia."
Opinion:
Apple's new TV campaign targets Intel, CNBC, 9/2. "...few PC
buyers are likely to be swayed by the tough new Power Mac G4 TV
ads, which ridicule Intel's Pentium III chip."
News:
Experts question Apple, SF Gate, 9/2. Government may classify
G4 as a supercomputer, but real supercomputers are in the
terraflops range!
Opinion: One
supercomputer coming to an Apple dealer near you, Gene
Steinberg, Arizona Central, 9/2. "So the speed gap didn't widen a
lot, except for PowerBooks, where Apple's laptop is the
overwhelming winner against Intel's best efforts."
Review:
$50 Logitech USB QuickCam Express, ZDNet. Too bad there's no
Mac support, but QuickCam VC supports USB equipped Macs. (QuickCam
VC, $69.95 shipped from Outpost.com)
Internet@30: Internet
just leaving its stone age, Yahoo/Reuters. "...the Internet is
about 20 percent invented, and we have about 80 percent to
go."
Performance: G4 upgrade tested
in B&W G3, Accelerate Your Mac!, 9/2. Author discovers
updated ROM prevents startup.
Consumer: Nintendo
announces GameBoy 2, Nintendojo, 9/1. Uses 32-bit ARM CPU
(remember Newton?), 16-bit 240x160 display. Due August 2000.
Opinion: Look, Ma, no
wires!, Jason O'Grady, MacWeek, 9/1. "The inclusion of the
AirPort technology in the G4s is nothing short of mastery by
Apple...."
Hands On: iBook in-depth, The iMac, 9/1. "...it is every bit as
cool as it first appeared at MacWorld Expo 3 weeks ago."
Internet@30: Pioneers
recall internet's first steps, Yahoo/ZDNet, 9/1. "Thirty years
ago, it seemed like a pretty crazy idea: a worldwide network of
computers that would let people swap information at lightning
speed."
Opinion: G4:
The amazing gaming machine - and supercomputer, Ben Apple, Mac
Junkie, 9/1. "What do you get when you add up a 128-bit graphics
card, a 2x AGP slot, a graphics-enhancing Velocity Engine and a
128-bit 500 MHz G4 processor?"
Opinion: Apple turns
on the juice with introduction of G4, LA Times, 9/1. Includes a
comment from Intel: "We think Intel processors deliver the best
performance for a wide variety of users." Duh!
9/24 [