Monday, January 17, 2005
") document.writeln("News
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Mac Beautification")
document.writeln(" by Francois Joseph de Kermadec, O'Reilly Network")
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As much as I love the interface, I was stuck in my quest for the perfect screen backgrouund.
")
document.writeln("The Portable Mac OS X Geek")
document.writeln(" by Leander Kahney, Wired News")
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Who says you can't run Mac OS X on a Pocket PC?
") document.writeln("Audio Abounds At Macworld Expo") document.writeln(" by Barry Willis, Stereophile") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Mac Users Mark 20 Years")
document.writeln(" by Theresa Hogue, Corvallis Gazette-Times")
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Twenty years ago, a group of dedicated Macintosh computer users came together to share a particular passion for their platform of choice.
")
document.writeln("Laptop Tryout Pleases Schools")
document.writeln(" by Chris Kenning, Courier-Journal")
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Five months after a controversial $5 million experiment first put $1,200 Apple iBooks in the hands of nearly 3,000 students and teachers at four underperforming schools, Jefferson County Public Schools administrators say learning has increased and misuse has been minimal.
")
document.writeln("Mac Mini May Chip Away At Windows")
document.writeln(" by Todd Bishop, Seattle Post-Intelligencer")
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The low-price Mac Mini could enhance the halo effect.
") document.writeln("iMovie HD To Be Offered Separately For $10?") document.writeln(" by MacMinute") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("iRiver CEO 'Surprised' At Apple's iPod Shuffle")
document.writeln(" by Martyn Williams, IDG News Service")
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"In a sense it's not a competitor to an iRiver product because we have more features and focus on the premium area. Maybe there is a certain group of users who don't care about searching (for songs) and displays."
") document.writeln("Mac Mini Arrives Next Month") document.writeln(" by Reuben Schwarz, New Zealand Stuff") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("Opinion
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document.writeln("Small, Cheap, And Without A Display")
document.writeln(" by John Gruber, Daring Fireball")
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With millions of happy iPod users new to the Apple brand, and millions of unhappy Windows users fed up with crapware security issues, there's never been a better time for Apple to make a move into the low end of the market.
")
document.writeln("Is Apple Thinking About Mac TV?")
document.writeln(" by John Markoff, New York Times")
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Why did Steve Jobs spend so much time talking about HDTV at this week's Apple announcement?
Sidetrack
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Rain, From Far Away") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
Have you checked out the new MyAppleMenu podcast already? :-)
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("A Sad Story...") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
"Dear Ellie: Last week was my son's 12th birthday, and all he wanted was a Sony iPod... They were nowhere [at stores]. So I looked on eBay. I outbid several people and had the owner rush delivery for my son's birthday... Turns out I got him a Sony Walkman instead of iPod."
This story is so sad on many levels... but the saddest part is the following:
"He opened [the gift], frowned, pounded his hand on the table, and snapped it in half like a spoiled kid as everyone looked on in horror."
"How could I teach him a lesson and give him a gift without being walked over?"
") document.writeln("Wintel
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Longhorn: One Version Or Many?") document.writeln(" by Gregg Keizer, TechWeb") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("Sunday, January 16, 2005
") document.writeln("News
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Do Tiny Music Players Drown Out Real Life?") document.writeln(" by Andrew Shain, Charlotte Observer") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Apple's Baby To Shake Computer Market To Core") document.writeln(" by Perry Gourley, Scotsman") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Aqua OpenOffice.org 2.0 Cancelled") document.writeln(" by MacSlash") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("One iPod, Many Uses")
document.writeln(" by Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times")
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Scientists use it. Deejays use it. Why, even thieves use it. Apple's iPod, it appears, is not just an accessory for playing music.
")
document.writeln("Just For Kicks")
document.writeln(" by Straits Times")
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Ever since fitness instructor Haley Wong started using her iPod to provide music for her aerobics classes, she has shed more than 4kg. From her backpack, that is.
")
document.writeln("Homework Porter")
document.writeln(" by Straits Times")
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Previously, Rachel Yeo would burn her projects onto CDs to be taken home. Now she just plugs her iPod into one of the Macs at school and downloads her work directly onto the portable hard drive.
")
document.writeln("A Music Spinner")
document.writeln(" by Straits Times")
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When master of ceremonies Jeffrey Low needs some background music for an event, more often than not, he turns to his 20GB iPod rather than his stack of CDs.
")
document.writeln("Band's Best Friend")
document.writeln(" by Straits Times")
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Musician Jack Ho find sthe iPod indispensable when his band EIC rehearses.
")
document.writeln("Frills And Thrills")
document.writeln(" by Straits Times")
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New little add-ons for the iPod seem to show up almost every week.
") document.writeln("Mac Mini AppleCare Is Apple's Cheapest") document.writeln(" by MacMinute") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("Opinion
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Geeks Aside, Apple Is Gospel Of Simplicity")
document.writeln(" by Miek Thomas, Orlando Sentinel")
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I cried — not out of sentimentality, but because at long last, a computer finally had listened to me.
")
document.writeln("iPod Shuffles Hard To Get? Blame Word-Of-Mouth Networks")
document.writeln(" by Robert Scoble, Scobleizer")
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Here's a company selling a flash-based MP3 player that's very similar to tons that have been out there for months, if not years. But, notice how fast word has spread that Apple had a hot new product...
") document.writeln("Apple's Inspirational Marketing") document.writeln(" by Joe Wilcox, Jupiter Research") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Why The iPod Is Music To Apple's Ears")
document.writeln(" by Richard Siklos, Telegraph")
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Apple's stellar results are a truly remarkable milestone for the company: they are also a wake up call to its rivals.
")
document.writeln("iPod Shuffle Fashions")
document.writeln(" by Scott Artt, My Cummerbund Fell In The Toilet")
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The only way for Apple to compete [in the smaller-cheaper player market] is to use Apple's design experience and move the Shuffle into becoming a fashion necklace, a piece of jewelry or a branded clothing accessory.
")
document.writeln("Thinking May Not Be All It's Thought To Be")
document.writeln(" by John Schwartz, New York Times")
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Feel the ripple in the zeitgeist? Two new slogans are busily burrowing their way into popular culture. Steven P. Jobs introduced one last week: "Life is random."
")
document.writeln("After 20 Years, Finally Capitalizing On Cool")
document.writeln(" by Randall Stross, New York Times")
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Apple is well positioned for the future. When consumers open their wallets to buy things that have machine intelligence, or provide digital entertainment, or link to the Internet — that is, just about everything in a household that is not edible — they are likely to be drawn to the company with cachet, offering the best-designed, best-engineered, easiest-to-use products, priced affordably thanks to Mr. Moore's old law and Mr. Jobs's new pragmatism. They'll turn to the company that best knows how to meld hardware and software, the company embodied int he ecstatically happy hipster silhouette. The company that is, in a word, cool.
Review
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document.writeln("Shuffle: Music Or Podcasts?")
document.writeln(" by Russell Beattie, Notebook")
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Chalk one up for Apple, once again they've thought wholistically and it shows.
Sidetrack
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("What Is The Opposite Of Microsoft?") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
Microsoft wanted everyone in the world to use Windows Media Player. How did they try? By going to all the media companies and convince them to use Windows Media format so that you and I have no choice but to subscribe to Microsoft's vision in order to watch, listen, and read.
Apple didn't try to out-license Microsoft. Instead, Apple went the other way: by making the coolest and most useful platform, so that you and I will choose the platform and embrace Apple's vision. No content from the big media companies? Doesn't matter. Apple will create the music store, and the users will fill in the rest with MP3s and podcasts. Who needs Windows Media Player and Microsoft?
Joe Wilcox: Rather than watch Sonic X [on] Saturday morning, [my 10-year-old daughter] is making her own entertainment.
") document.writeln("Saturday, January 15, 2005
") document.writeln("Top Stories
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("We're In The Era Of Jobs II")
document.writeln(" by David Akin, Globe And Mail")
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Apple already rivals Dell in manufacturing efficiency, and is poised to beat it on profit margins, earnings and revenue growth. On new product innovation, analysts say, Apple is unrivalled.
Announcement
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("The Natives Are Restless") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
MyAppleMenu Shuffle, a new podcast from me, is up and running. Please e-mail me should you encounter any problems. Life is random.
") document.writeln("News
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("The Desk Set")
document.writeln(" by Philip Michaels, Macworld")
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Here are some eye-catching desks I spotted at Expo that you will be able to get your hands on — once they start shipping, that is.
")
document.writeln("The Macworld Unknown Best Of Show")
document.writeln(" by Alan Graham, O'Reilly Network")
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There are a number of products on the show floor that might interest you, but don't necessarily get picked up by the mainstream press. Here's my list of the 5 best Mac/non-Mac items of Macworld 2005.
")
document.writeln("Monster Fueled By Caffeine")
document.writeln(" by Leander Kahney, Wired News")
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Delicious Monster is the Mac software company behind the hit Delicious Library, a program for cataloging collections of books, movies and games. The software is elling like hot cakes and has garnered rave reviews and awards, yet the company's headquarters is a Seattle coffee house.
")
document.writeln("New Apps At Macworld Lure Print Professionals")
document.writeln(" by Daniel Drew Turner, eWeek")
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Though this year's Macworld Expo here had a definite focus on consumer hardware, many third-party developers used the occasion to show off applications designed for print professionals on the Mac OS X platform.
")
document.writeln("How Big Will The Mini Be?")
document.writeln(" by Ina Fried, CNET News.com")
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Windows developer Alex Gorbatchev just bought his first Mac.
")
document.writeln("Little iPod Looms Large In American Culture")
document.writeln(" by Dan Buccino, Baltimore Sun")
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The iPod is the perfection of mass customization. Everybody gets the same thing yet everybody thinks his or hers is hipper than anyone else's.
") document.writeln("iPod Extravaganza, Part II: Macworld Expo") document.writeln(" by Dan Frakes, Playlist") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Little Things Are Big At Macworld SF 05")
document.writeln(" by Daniel H. Steinberg, O'Reilly Network")
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While Windows users struggle with viruses and pop-up ads, Macintosh users don't feel their machine is in the way of what they want to do.
")
document.writeln("Analyst: iPod Reaching iconic Status")
document.writeln(" by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral")
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"[Apple] just have incredible brand momentum at this point."
Opinion
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Macworld Expo And Web Standards: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly")
document.writeln(" by Dori Smith, Backup Brain")
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Apple's newly-annouunced Pages application looks like a wonderful little lightweight page layout program... and a terrible disaster as a HTML editor.
") document.writeln("Less Is More") document.writeln(" by Steve Gillmor, ZDNet") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Thinking About The Mac Mini / The Mac Sweet Spot") document.writeln(" by Joey deVilla, The Farm") document.writeln("
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("The Joy Of Travel In The Digital Age")
document.writeln(" by Rob Griffiths, Kirkville")
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Travelling has become a much more complex endeavor than it used to be.
")
document.writeln("Like Podcasts? Pass On The iPod Shuffle")
document.writeln(" by Shel Holtz, A Shel Of My Former Self")
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Podcasting is gaining steam and will go mainstream this year. Somebody will be well-served to offer a device that accommodates them.
")
document.writeln("Podcasters: Curb Your Whining About The Shuffle And Taking A Podcast-Centric View Of The World")
document.writeln(" by Les Posen, CyberPsych Blog")
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This is an iPod with training wheels, so young folk in particularly can learn to use iTunes and the iTunes Music Store.
")
document.writeln("Whither iFlicks? Or Should I Say, "iFlix?"")
document.writeln(" by Fluid Imagination")
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The notice above is similar to one that appeared for an application named "SoundJam MP" a few years ago.
Review
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Apple Mac OS X Tiger: A First Look")
document.writeln(" by Daniel Drew Turner, ZDNet UK")
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Due in mid-2005, Apple's new Mac OS X 10.4 promises more than 200 features.
Sidetrack
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Mini And Cube: Happy Together") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
Madsenblog.tk: Hmmm... looks like there's room for about 4 Mac Mini's in the cabinet from a Cube.
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Rumor Today: Apple G5 Notebooks Coming In Second Quarter 2005?") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
Ars Technica: According to Taiwan-based DigiTimes, Apple will start receiving shipments of G5-based notebooks in the second quarter of this year.
") document.writeln("") document.writeln("Rumor Today: HP Halts Orders For Apple's iPod Music Players") document.writeln(" by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu") document.writeln("
HP and Apple is in dispute, according to AppleInsider, over the lack of price protection offered by Apple.
") document.writeln("Wintel
") document.writeln("")
document.writeln("Does Microsoft Find Excuse For Their Security Woes In Mythology?")
document.writeln(" by Uche Ogbuji, O'Reilly Network")
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If mythology helps to fuel Microsoft's lagging response, I hope I can do what I can to help debunk the sily myths.
")
document.writeln("Microsoft: No Flaw In Media Player")
document.writeln(" by Dan Ilett and John Borland, CNET News.com")
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A set of video files available on peer-to-peer networks is piggybacking on Microsoft's antipiracy tools to trick viewers into downloading adware and spyware, security experts have warned.
Powered by MyAppleMenu
")