Apple Archive

Apple announced on Monday network management software that will help administrators remotely control systems running Mac OS X--or the Windows or Linux operating systems.

Last week, Steve Jobs sat down with the Journal's Walter S. Mossberg for a rare onstage conversation at the second annual D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif. Excerpts: Steve Jobs talked about the success of iTunes, Mac's future, movie piracy.

From NMC: Speaking from the Wall Street Journal's D: "All Things Digital" conference last monday in Carlsbad, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a number of interesting statements. Most notably, Jobs confirmed that Apple had designed its own PDA device, but canned the project just prior to bringing it to market. Jobs also hinted that the company is not working on a hybrid PDA/phone device.

Apple announced three new dual-CPU Power Mac G5 configurations, with the fastest model topping out at 2.5GHz using liquid-cooling. The new high-end systems miss the 3GHz mark that Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company would achieve at last year's WWDC, but Tom Boger, Apple's Director of Power Mac Product Marketing said it came down to a technology challenge that was bigger than they expected. Boger also said today that users shouldn't expect to see a PowerBook G5 before the end of the year because of the challenges of putting the G5 in a small enclosure, and also hinted difficulties to put it on an iMac. Also, Apple discontinued the remaining G4 Power Macs while released iTunes 4.6.

It's all Waterloo-Maple's fault, really: if they had maintained a version of their computer algebra system for the Amiga, I wouldn't have found it necessary to switch to Mac. Or maybe it's Commodore's fault for mismanaging themselves into oblivion; I don't know. Either way, I became painfully aware three years ago that my little Amiga would no longer satisfy my computing needs. I needed a new home computer.

The Mac's commitment to standardization doesn't just have the effect of knowing what the main controls do in a rental car. It removes the need to focus on the interface from the process of learning to use the application. In other words, that Windows interface barrier is completely missing in the Apple world because the Mac OS transparently hosts the applications without imposing itself on the user's attention. Read the article here.

ThinkSecret reports some new details about Apple reorganization in two divisions (Macintosh and iPod). Longtime hardware developer Steve Sakoman, a former Palm and Be executive, had rejoined Apple Computer as a vice president and now he will lead iPod software development. Mr Sakoman was involved in the Mac II development and was the main guy behind the creation of the Newton. At Be, he designed the first generation H0bbit-based BeBox (the one that had 5 AT&T chips), back in the early days of Be. He later left and when he came back became Be's CTO and then PalmSource's exec.

Robert Cringely editorializes on the latest changes inside Apple with the shifts of the execs and the creation of the iPod division. He believes that Apple is exiting the Mac hardware business (maintaining it only until their margins are not met) and it is going to focus on the OS, apps and the music business.

Steve Jobs is delivering on the digital dream however he has never understood the use of computing in large companies. The minute he or Apple mentions "enterprise," run in the other direction." Read the editorial here by George Colony, chairman and chief executive officer of Forrester Research. Update: On other Mac news, Apple Computer has won a patent for the interface of its iTunes music software, underscoring the growing importance of the multimedia business for the company.

MacNewsWorld presents a rumble in the Silicon Jungle -- May 7th through May 14th -- a six-round Mac Death Match in which Mac Observer editor-in-chief Bryan Chaffin and the always-controversial industry analyst Rob Enderle square off on today's key Mac issues.

After reading the recent article by a user who has switched to a Mac I thought I'd write of my experience. I've was used a Mac from October 2002 to March 2004. It was provided to me when I started working for another PPC manufacturer but they are not really in the same market and in any case don't make laptops.

Is there no larger contingent of armchair corporate CEOs than Apple fanatics? Let's examine the so-called wealth of opinion out there and see how it measures up.

Most are aware of the success C# is enjoying in the Windows community, and we have been hearing about how the Open Source Community fears the technology in Longhorn enough to take the drastic step of co-opting Microsofts strategy and doing it first. But what about the Apple community? Turns out they have the same idea according to DrunkenBatman. Our past commentary is here.

Apple Computer on Wednesday celebrated the first birthday of its iTunes Music Store by unveiling more than a half-dozen new features for the popular online music service. More info on MacMinute.