Apple Archive
Jobs to Speak at Apple Expo in Paris
Rumors have been flying about new 15" Powerbooks, and now we learn that Steve Jobs will be giving a keynote speech at Apple Expo 2003 in Paris on September 16. Though I'm sure it's being saved for one of Steve's "and one more thing" zingers at the end of the speech, it's pretty likely that new 15" Powerbooks (still with a G4, but with illuminated keyboard) will be released.
Navy Buys Linux Powered X-Serves
"A company that specializes in running Linux on Macs said Wednesday that it has landed a deal to supply the U.S. Navy with 260 Apple Xserve servers.
Terra Soft Solutions said the machines will be used as part of a sonar imaging system that defense contractor Lockheed Martin is building for the Navy. Rather than using the Mac OS, the Apple servers will run Terra Soft's Yellow Dog Linux operating system." Read more at CNET News.com
Uncool “Switcher” Flirts Back With The PC
I'm 31 and an old school geek who started on computers with an Atari 800 as a kid. Growing up moved me into PC land until I became a "Switcher" before being a "Switcher" was cool. That's right - I got an original iMac when they first came out and I never looked back. I write software, and I bought the iMac thinking it was time to expand my horizons and maybe make a few more dollars by selling software on both platforms.
Apple’s “First 64bit Desktop Platform” Won’t Run a 64bit OS
Apple has confirmed to the Register Panther, aka Mac OS X 10.3, will not be a fully 64-bit operating system. Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware product marketing, this week admitted that Panther will be a 32-bit operating system tweaked to support 64-bit addressing. Joswiak himself says: "The important thing for us we didn't want to create a separate OS that is 64 bits. What is essential is that this OS and this hardware will run 32-bit applications with no recompiling - it will just run them."
Apple Seeds Panther build 7B21, new Xcode
Apple provided testers and developers with a new pre-release version of Mac OS X 10.3, code-named Panther. The update was marked build 7B21, the first "B" series Panther build to be seeded. A new version of Xcode Suite was also seeded, with "issues addressed in almost every component," according to the read me. Read more about it at ThinkSecret.
Apple Removes ‘Switch’ Ads
From the Mac news site MacMinute: It appears as though Apple has removed all of the "Switch" commercials from its web site. When trying to view the ads, which used to be available here, you are redirected to Apple's "Switching to Mac: Real Stories" page. In April, Apple removed the "Switch" tab graphic from the top of its web site navigation to make room for the "Music" tab, although all of the content remained at apple.com/switch. Several media outlets have recently claimed that the campaign was a failure, citing stagnant Apple market share numbers. Also, read our interview with a switcher here.
Coursey: Why I Want a Pentium Mac
ZDNet's David Coursey, now a switcher, writes an editorial about the need Apple has to create a cheap Intel box with OSX in it, as a way to tone up its PPC sales and grandually switch x86 users, more than switch PPC users to Intel. OSNews featured a similar editorial recently, but suggesting a G3 CPU.
Apple Worldwide Market Share Declines Year Over Year
As reported at the Mac news site Macminute: "Apple captured 2.3 percent of the worldwide market share in the second quarter of 2003, down from 2.7 percent a year ago, but slightly up from the 2 percent it had in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC."
Why Switch to Mac; Few Customers Switching from Windows
It has been a year, and the masses aren't switching to Macs. New ads haven't helped Apple gain market share, Mercury News report. "I can think of the following reasons why this is so" Steve Anglin, a consulting editor, expert witness, and writer specializing in Java and Web services, is presenting.
Apple Games: Leveraging Small Market Share
How many hardcore gamers do you know who are also avid Mac users? Probably not many. Windows users have thousands of titles to choose from, and cheap hardware to run their games on. Despite the many virtues of the Mac platform, it is not the first choice of serious gamers. Even the speedy new G5’s will not change that.
Bringing the Apple to the Masses — An Alternative Theory
A few days ago we published an editorial suggesting that Apple should be selling the eMac for 500 bucks or a bare-bones G3-based machine for $200-300 USD, in order to compete with the "cheap PCs" trend today. I was wrong. Creating such price differentation between the G5 and the G3 or eMac would cannibalize the sales of the high-end machines (where more margin for profit exists) and even worse, it would destroy the Apple brand name. But hey, you know me, I am as stubborn as it goes. I discussed the situation with some more people around me and we came up with an alternative plan, which in my opinion, makes more sense business-wise and it has some good potential.
Apple Attempts to Patent Fast User Switching
"Apple has filed for a patent that suggests the company is working on a new mobile device capable of supporting multiple users. Either that or it's cunningly trying to outflank Microsoft's lead on fast multi-user switching by retrospectively patenting the technique as its own. The application, number 0030107606, is entitled 'Multiple personas for a mobile device'. It describes how a computer system's settings can be immediately changed to reflect a new "persona" when the user chooses from a list of available personae using a graphical user interface displayed on the computer's screen." Read it at The Register. Elsewhere, Think Secret published the fourth installment of its "Inside Panther" series.
Adobe Pares Mac Support
Adobe Systems plans to announce new versions of its video-editing software Monday, including a Windows-only application that marks another high-profile defection from Apple Computer's Macintosh operating system, News.com says.
Two Polls: You and Macintoshes
The "Rise of the Machines" might be taking the cinemas by storm these days, but the Rise of the Apple lately also is taking the IT industry by storm with the introduction of the Power Mac G5 and Mac OS X Panther 10.3 last month. Let's see what the OSNews readers are thinking of the Macs. Come in and vote in our two Mac polls.
NASA Benchmarks Power Mac G5; More Apple News
NASA recently benchmarked Apple's dual 2GHz Power Mac G5 at its Langley Research Center in Virginia. The main purpose of the tests was to compare the G5 to the G4 for "computational fluid dynamics applications" however they also compare it to the Pentium 4.
Editorial: My Apple Switch – One Switcher, Two Times
Are you a long time Windows user curious about the Apple Switch campaign? Are you wondering if you should try it? Read below for my experience with the whole thing... twice. Just over a week ago I purchased a new 12" Apple PowerBook G4...
How Apple Spells Future: i-P-O-D
"Apple's future doesn't ride on the speed of its Macs. In fact, Apple's future doesn't ride with Macs at all anymore. No, I haven't been off in the desert downing peyote. What I saw from my sideline perch is that the Mac's day has come and gone." Read the interesting editorial at BusinessWeek. Elsewhere, Maccentral has a round-up article: "Developers, Analysts weigh in on the G5, Panther".
Analyzing Apple’s Market Position
I have to friendly argue about the OSNews article about Apple: "Could an eMac Strategy Bring More Market Share to Apple?" That article is written from the Computer enthusiast point of view rather from the business man point of view, which usually diverges from the hobbyist, because it considers things that nobody that is not in the Marketing business is aware of. I understand Marketing as defined by Kotler: the right mix of Price, Product, Place and Promotion.
Macintosh in the Land Behind the 64-bit Looking Glass
The Inquirer has an editorial about Macs, the 64-bit market and how they compare with AMD Opteron.