Low End Mac
Search LEM 
Donate · Amazon.com · MacResQ · Advertise
Other Cobweb sites: Low End Living · Reformed.net
Quicklinks: · Power Macs · 'Books · Early Macs · Week's Best Deals · Best Buys · OS Downloads

The Rumor Mill

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

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.

OWC: NewerTech NuPower Batteries for iBook and PowerBooks Designed+Built in USA to run longer, LAST LONGER TOO! Free Battery Recycling Return Label; Quality High-Capacity from $99.95

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

AirSurf Rumors

6/15/2K: One of our anonymous field operatives sent in this report. Thanks, KT!

Apple has registered AirSurf as a trademark. That's all most people know so far, but I've got inside sources spilling the guts on this development.

Turns out this innovation goes hand in hand with another rumored product, one that was actually denied by Apple. Apple and Palm Computing have been developing an Apple branded Palm device.

The new product will come in two configurations, one for consumers and one for professionals, making a new row on Apple's product grid. Sources very close to the operation report seeing the names iPad and PowerPad printed on prototypes, which would also adhere to Apple's product naming scheme. The iPad will be a Palm III, but in a much more colorful casing. It will be available in two colors, tangerine and blueberry, the same as the iBook. The PowerPad will build off the Palm VII and be cased with the graphite color scheme. This is where AirSurf comes into play.

Instead of the cellular modem used in the Palm VII, the PowerPad will have an AirPort card, allowing it to communicate wirelessly with any Airport network,and letting it surf the Internet. The iPad will have the AirPort card as an option, not a standard feature.

Now that's not too amazing. In fact, it's what one would expect from Apple. This is what will shock you: the AirPort card inside of the PowerPad is not an ordinary AirPort card. It's an AirSurf modem base station! Insiders at Lucent Technologies confirm that the AirSurf modem is a modified AirPort Base Station with a wireless modem connection. This means a PowerPad could allow other Macs (equipped with AirPort) to surf the Internet through the wireless AirSurf modem connection without another AirPort base station present. The connection speed would be limited to 56K, but imagine the possibilities. The PowerPad will be the first product to receive the AirSurf modem. In the next few years, expect to see them installed in iBooks and PowerBooks

Prices for the iPad will be within the Palm III's range, somewhere around $150 to $180. The PowerPad will be priced much higher due to AirSurf, in the range of $500 to $750, but it will be worth every penny. (Remember, Apple already charges $299 for the AirPort Base Station.)

That's not all - the AirSurf modem, in addition to being installed in the PowerPad, may be offered separately. If so, it wouldn't look much different than the AirPort Base Station, except for having no wire connections whatsoever. Internet connections could then be made for groups of Macs where there are no phone lines. This would be extremely useful on school field trips or family vacations.

With AirSurf, the possibilities will be endless.

 - Anne Onymus

Recent Rumor Mills

Links for the Day

  • Mac of the Day: Power Mac G3, Nov. 1997 - The first G3 Power Mac and the last Mac in a beige enclosure.
  • List of the Day: Mac OS 9 List covers Mac OS 9 as both a freestanding OS and as Classic mode in OS X.
  • October 16 in LEM history: 97: Digital camera idea - 00: Sold on Mac for 10 years - 01: 600 MHz iBook - PowerBook G4/550 & 667 - Web presence on a shoestring - The therapeutic Mac - 03: Using iDisk in the classroom - 06: Driverless USB webcam - The EVDO superhighway - 07: 350 MHz iMac G - Faster flash memory makes a big difference

Recent Content on Low End Mac

  • The October 2008 MacBook Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.15. Apple changed the entire MacBook lineup on Tuesday. How do close-out prices compare to the new ones?
  • G3 and Low End G4 Mac Performance Comparison, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.15. Factors that impact performance are the version of CPU, the size and speed of the Level 2 cache, and how much RAM is installed.
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Apple Design, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Apple has produced some beautiful computers and iPods over the years, but also a few of the ugliest and most ungainly computers ever seen.
  • 3 Reasons to Use a Mac, and Pismo Troubleshooting, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Why one Windows user is also a Mac user, a Pismo that can't see its AirPort card, and sources of kernel panics.
  • Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.4, $1,049; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,175 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r.
  • Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 2.0 GHz Core Duo, $1,000; 2.16, $1,100; refurb, 2.4, $1,349; new, $1,444 after rebate; refurb 2.5, $1,499; new, $1,644 a/r; refurb 2.6, $1,799; new, $2,594 a/r.
  • Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15. Used 1.6 80 HD, $1,200; refurb, $1,349; new, $1,549; 1.8 120, $1,999; 1.6 128 SSD, $2,299; used 1.8 64 SSD, $1,800; new, $2,100.
  • MacBook (Unibody), 10.14. The MacBook gets the same aluminum treatment as the MacBook Pro - and dedicated GeForce 9400M graphics.
  • 15" MacBook Pro (Unibody), 10.14. The new MacBook Pro's case is carved from a block of aluminum for increased strength.
  • MacBook White, 10.14. Entry-level white MacBook gets a SuperDrive, retail price reduced to US$999.
  • MacBook Air (GeForce), 10.14. More storage, a video port, and GeForce 9400M graphics improve the MacBook Air.
  • Death of the iPod 'Way Off in the Future', Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.14. Someday Apple will decide that the iPod is no longer profitable and discontinue it, "but that day looks to be way off in the future."
  • Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 20" 1.83 GHz, $599; 2.0, $730; 2.16, $800; 24", $950; refurb 17" 1.83, $699; 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
  • Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 DVD, $200; CD-RW, $240; 700 Combo, $250; 900, $369; 14" 600, $230; 900, $449.
  • Best Classic iPod Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14. Used 60 GB color, $150; used 30 video, $140; 80, $170; refurb 80 classic, $169; new 120 GB, $240; refurb 160 GB, $249; new, $280. New & refurb include shipping.
  • Will Apple's Rumored $800 Notebook Be a Netbook?, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 10.13. Netbooks are hot, and with the economy in turmoil, Apple needs to offer a netbook for the OS X crowd.
  • Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used 667 MHz Combo, $480; 867 MHz, $530; 1 GHz, $590; SuperDrive, $900.
  • Best Classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
  • Best Xserve Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used G4/1 GHz, $999; G5/2 GHz, $1,499; new 2.0 4-core Xeon, $1,900; refurb 3.0 4-core, $2,299; 2.8 GHz, $2,599; 3.0 8-core, $3,499; 3.2, $3,699.
  • More links in our archive.

Channels
 Power Macs
 iMac Channel
 iBook/PowerBook
 MacInSchool
Computer Profiles
 iMac
 Power Mac
 PowerBook/iBook
 Performas
 Mac Clones
 Older Macs
 LisaNeXT
Editorial Archive
Mac Daniel's Advice
Email Lists
LEMchat (uses AIM)
Online Tech Journal
Consumer
 advice, reviews
 guides, deals
Software
Apple History
Best of the Web
 Best of the Mac Web surveys
Miscellaneous Links
 Best Used Mac Buys
 Used Mac Dealers
 Video Cards
 Mac OS X
 Mac Linux
 Macspeak
 RAM Upgrades
About Low End Mac
Site Contacts

Open Link

Support LEM

Affiliates

The Apple Store
.mac
iTunes Store
Club Mac
MacMall
MacResQ
ExperCom
eBay
Amazon.com
PayPal
PCMall
PC Zone
Crucial Memory

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.

The Rumor Mill is part of Low End Mac. This site has no affiliation, actual or implied, with Apple Computer, Inc. The site exists to provide an alternative to real rumor sites. Any logos, slogans, names, or representations used or made are done so in the above context. All information on The Rumor Mill (and the rest of Low End Mac) is copyright ©1999-2007 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted, and may not be reproduced in any form without prior consent. All Rights Reserved.

LINK POLICY: This site allows and encourages links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page.

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Computer, Inc. Apple and the Apple Logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. If you still think this is serious business, read About The Rumor Mill.