Site-4-the-Day: Cult of Mac

The Cult of Mac is my 'Site-4-the-Day' not only because it happens to be one of the best Mac web sites out there bar none, but also because it just happens to be one of my personal favorites as well. From it's clean modern look, to the quality of the posts, this is one site that your bound to fall in love with.

Cult of Mac owes it's success, naturally, to it's fine stable of great writers which, among others, include: Leander Kahney, Pet Mortensen, Craig grannell and Leigh McMullen. Leaner Kahney is the author of several great Mac related books, Cult of Mac and the very excellent, Inside Steve's Brain. 

In the "About Us" section of this great Mac site, the writers personally introduce themselves as:

Leander Kahney

I’m the News Editor at Wired.com, and the author of the New York Times best seller, Inside Steve’s Brain, about Apple’s unique CEO, Steve Jobs. I’m also author of two award-winning books about technology culture: Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod. Before becoming an editor, I was as a senior reporter at Wired News specializing in Apple and the Mac community, as well internet culture and emerging technologies. I’ve covered computers and technology for more than a dozen years. I was a senior reporter at MacWeek, and have written for Wired magazine, Scientific American, The Observer in London and many other publications. I worked as a newspaper reporter in Great Britain for several years, covering, among other things, the war in former Yugoslavia.I live and work in San Francisco.

Pete Mortensen

Pete Mortensen is a blogger, journalist and consultant based in San Francisco. I am the communications lead for innovation strategy firm Jump Associates, and a frequent lecturer at conferences on technology and design. A journalist by training, I’ve written for, and edited, numerous monthly, weekly, and daily publications, including Spin Magazine, nyou, the Holland Sentinel, the Windsor Times, and Wired.com. I’ve covered a wide variety of technology, design, and cultural topics, from urban redevelopment to Rock Paper Scissor tournaments. In addition to Cult of Mac, I’m the editor of two innovation blogs: Better Than New (contemporary) and Pattern Linguist (historical). I hold a dual bachelor’s degree in journalism and English literature from Northwestern University. Though raised in Michigan, it is widely believed that I was discovered as a foundling, floating in a basket in Stevens Creek outside Cupertino.

Craig Grannell

I’m a writer and designer for my company Snub Communications, which is based in a town you’ll never have heard of that’s just down the road from London. I’ve worked with and owned Macs for well over a decade, and regularly write for various publications, including MacFormat, Computer Arts, and .net/Practical Web Design, along with penning the odd web design book whenever my sanity nips out for a quick coffee break. I’m also a keen gamer, but mostly concentrate on retro titles, because new-fangled controllers confuse my poor, addled brain. When I’m not writing articles, designing, or swearing loudly at Zoo Keeper, I can usually be found making music for Project Noise, or being all ‘ranty’ on my blog, Revert to Saved.

Leigh McMullen

I’m a Vice President at Sogeti, the local professional services division of Big-5 firm, Capgemini, where I lead the Advisory Services and Strategy practices. I’m the author of a number of insomnia-curing books and methodologies in the IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture space with such eye popping titles as: Architecture Design for Enterprise Information Systems.  My passion (in addition to working out ways for incredibly large multinational corporations to become larger and more profitable) is writing satire. I live in Dallas, Texas, with my wife, 2.3 kids (literally) and a rottweiler named Daisy.

With a stable of such great writers, you can plainly see why the Cult of Mac is such a fabulous site and why you should, if you haven't already, make this a daily reading regiment. If your an avid Apple or Mac fan, then my best advice is to immediately: Subscribe to Cult of Mac (RSS) as soon possible! 

Some of Cult of Mac's recent posts include:

iPhone 3G Hardware Reviewed?

Paragon Releases Dual Boot Partition Utility

It’s a Dirty Job, But Someone Has to Do It

Can Apple and the Mac mini learn from Dell’s Studio Hybrid?

Of course, these are just a sampling of the great posts that await you at Cult of Mac, and that it brings it's lucky readers on a regular and daily basis. If you visit this terrific site, then please remember to checkout some of their own favorites such as, Woz Teaches Segway Polo and Unboxing a Mint Apple //c 20 Years Later, which also happens to be a favorite of mine as well. This one is simply amazing!

All-in-all, if your an Apple, iPod, iPhone or Macintosh fan then you can't possibly go wrong by visiting this most excellent Mac site. It's clean, extremely well written, professional, informative, well designed and fun to boot. I give Cult of Mac a 5 out of 5  in my 'Site-4-the-Day's' very first, "The Best-Damn Cool, Yummy, Yummy and Super Duper Delicious Site Award!" *

Congratulations Cult of Mac for a site well done!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 29 , 2008.

Logo Image: Cult of Mac

* Site-4-the-Day award's  name subject to change?

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Will the Upcoming Macbook Touch Be The Most Revolutionary Notebook Ever?

We don't know exactly what they will look like, or exactly all that they will contain, but one thing that we do know - new MacBooks and MacBook Pro's, are definitely on their way and soon.

We also know that according to statements made recently by sources from within Apple, such as Peter Oppenheimer, Apple is about to raise the bar with new products that it's competitor's simply won't be able to match and MacBooks and MacBook Pro's should be the first ones in line to benefit.

There have been numerous hints of what is coming, such as all new aluminum bodies with more rounded and gentler corners as seen in the MacBook Air. Some rumors even hint that these sturdy and light weight bodies will be molded in one piece, but the biggest and most persistent rumor is that Apple is about to include and extend multi-touch in a much bigger way than ever before and will soon introduce what many are already calling  - the MacBook Touch.

We already know that Apple has applied for several interesting multi-touch patents that could take multi-touch far beyond the capabilities of the current iPhone. As Gizmodo stated in a recent post, "Apple's Multi-Touch Gesture Patent Has So Many Combinations It's a Shocker." Indeed, and by glancing at the patent, one quickly can see why multi-touch is about to play a much bigger role in future Apple devices.

Naturally, some are predicting that the upcoming MacBook Touch will include a touch screen, much as does the new Smart Touch PC by HP, but only more advance. Even though I would love to see such a touch screen, it really isn't necessary at all, because I firmly believe Apple that is about to revolutionize multi-touch not by using large and expensive touch screens, but simply by advancing what they have been doing all along - by advancing the track pad!

Not only did Apple first introduce track pads as a standard feature, they have been slowly adapting it with multi-touch capabilities, as included with the MacBook Air and Pro. Already you can 'pinch' to reduce and enlarge, as well rotate objects with two fingers. You can right click, or do just about anything else that you can do with with either a mouse or a touch screen. With upgraded multi-touch enhanced versions of OS X and specialized chips, you should not only be able to do some pretty amazing things, but things that other laptops simply won't be able to come close to offering. Now we know why Apple bought that nifty chip company a little while back.  I firmly believe that this is one acquisition that should produce a lot of dividends and unique advantages for Apple's upcoming future product line, both near term and long term.

Multi-touch track pads are much better than large touch screens in several aspects. For one, they don't dirty or smudge up your screen with one's greasy fingers, and, much more importantly,  as I personally discovered, it's a lot healthier. I'm not kidding, after playing with an HP Touch Smart, I discovered that after only a few minutes of use that both my wrist and arm were beginning to hurt! At first, I thought that it was just me, but no, my friend also quickly discovered the same thing. I'm not sure if it was some type of Carpel-Tunnel Syndrome or what, but whatever it was .... it hurt!

It's also being rumored that the enhanced multi-track pad for the upcoming MacBook Touch will be made of glass and will include haptic feed back. Apple has been known to have been in contact with at least one haptic provider. As the concept MacBook Touch drawing illustrates, Apple could be including a glass, multi-touch track pad that would function not only as a track pad, but also as a miniature version of the main screen as well! How cool is that? Well, for one, it means that you could control the entire main screen with a few small gestures - no need to smudge and dirty up that big, bright LED screen of yours, and, most, importantly... no worry of any possible wrist and arm pain as my friend and I both experienced after using the 22" Smart Touch screen!

It's a lot easier and quicker to run your finger across a miniature screen than that of a larger one too. This doesn't mean that Apple couldn't or shouldn't also include one as well. There are certainly some advantages to having a large touch screen, but just not for any kind of prolong use. As far as simple and occasional input goes, large touch screens are great, but actually being able to do everything on a smaller version is even better. Also, with haptic feed back, not only could Apple include a glass track pad, but if they wished and, as I saw on earlier concept drawings, the entire surface that now includes the keyboard, track pad and speaker areas of the MacBook could become one large multi-touch screen that would include the functionality of the keyboard and the track pad all rolled up into one! However, unlike having to stretch and hold up your arms up in the air, as with a large touch screen like the HP Smart Touch, the large screen were talking about would have your arms resting as they do now. I'm not sure, I'm not a doctor, but it could be that constantly holding your arms up high may also end up resulting in poor circulation and, in turn, resulting in the pain that I spoke of earlier?

There are many advantages to having such  a secondary touch screen including the fact that keyboards themselves could be instantly changed to accommodate the language of the user! You could also enlarge or shrink the size of the individual keys to accommodate different size fingers. As well, you could simply drag the track pad to either the left, right, bottom, or where ever you wished. Also, such a large secondary multi-touch could easily be converted into a drawing tablet when ever needed!  Of course, there have already been enough complaints with the iPhone keyboard, so a multi-touch keyboard for a Macbook is going to take a lot of convincing on Appe's part. Haptic feed back, however, should go a long way in answering such concerns.

Not only based on current rumors, but also based on what Apple has itself already stated, Apple is not only on the verge of introducing new MacBooks, but ones that will forever change how all laptops will look and function in the future! The upcoming MacBooks will be more than just an upgrade - they may very well be a revolution, and the MacBook Touch itself may become the most revolutionary notebook ever created!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, July 30 , 2008.

Laptop image via: Gizmodo

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A Visual Look At The Mac vs Windows Debate

Due to medical appointments, I will only have time to post the above cartoon that I found via DIGG, which I thought that you all might enjoy. It generated a lot of comments on DIGG, some 1265 of them at last count, and, as well, generated some 4758 diggs!

As you can see above, it was a very popular posting which was picked up by several blogs which now, of course, includes mine. The illustration is by a Daniel Bozet and was titled, on one particular Digg page as, " Mac VS. Pc - The truth illustrated," and it captures very nicely the difference that separates the two rival OS's. Apparently, the truth can be quite funny at times.

The nicely done drawing shows two cars, one a broken down clunker which represented a Windows machine, and the other, a sleek, sexy sport car representing the Mac. The Windows car features a frustrated looking driver working hard to simply get the car to work! In stark contrast, the Mac car, on the other hand, features a smiling and contented driver who's car was not only beautiful to look at, but one that 'just worked,' much like that of a Mac computer.

One site updated the cartoon by adding Linux to mix, which was represented by a monster truck. Like the original cartoon, it too has an element of truth to it. Just as monster trucks are powerful, so too is Linux. But, also, just as monster trucks are hard and difficult and unpractical to use in daily life, so too is Linux still difficult, hard to use and unpractical for the average consumer, which helps explain why Linux commands such a tiny (.80 %) portion of the desktop market!




Both cartoons are true in ways, but, of course, like all cartoons, they are just an exaggerated look at something, and in this case, the long standing Windows vs a Mac rivalry, with Linux thrown in for good measure.

Personally, I love and use all three OS's, but, still, at the end of the day, in all honesty, I still much prefer to use OS X rather than either Windows or Linux, including Ubuntu. They each have their strengths and their weakness's, but regardless of which OS you may prefer to use, all three OS's still have their quirks and annoyances and they all equally make good targets to poke fun at.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 29 , 2008.


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Wearable High-Tech Clothing: EroGear's LED Display Jackets!

Truly, it's an incredible age that we find ourselves living in these days. No doubt about it, with space craft and satellites circling our heads, powerful computers, sophisticated medical equipment, electron microscopes, high definition displays, why the list is virtually endless, and, now, on top of all of these, you can now add, believe-it-or-not - wearable high-tech clothing.

No, this definitely ain't your father's clothes, or your grandfathers clothes, for that matter, that we're talking about here. No way, because, as you can plainly see in the YouTube video above, this is the age of high-tech, and a world that would have been virtually unthinkable just a few short years ago. Yes, now thanks to high-tech, we actually can not only have clothes that can actually clean themselves while your still wearing them, as I have already reported on previously , but now we can have clothes that also display crisp, bright LED video messages to help you get off your chest whatever you have to say!

That's right, now thanks to a company called, EroGear, you now can wear what's ever on your mind  -  on your chest and your back!  EroGear manufactures custom made-to-order LED video display clothing that can make you the life of any party. I know,  you might be thinking, but why - but I answer - why not? If you ever wanted to stand out in a crowd or make any kind of statement without the need for opening your mouth, well EroGear will definitely have you covered!

According to EroGear, their wearable clothing line features a very powerful 8-bit processor that is capable of displaying a 256 grayscale video messages at some 30 frames per second. The enclosed rechargeable battery works for up to 3 hours, but don't worry, you can still freak people out for much longer than that by simply dropping in an extra battery for even longer high-tech fun!

Thanks to it's ability to quickly and easily update contents via a SD card and reader, you are good to go! As well, you can also quickly update text and video messages by using it's built-in USB port, and, as they say, "The sky is the limit!" 

In their web site's Frequently Asked Section,  EroGear's says that for now, their attention getting garments are only available in a 256 grey scale version.  But rest assured, they are working hard and hope to offer a full-color version of their LED video garments soon. Oh goody gumdrops!

Also, in their Frequently Asked Section, they point out that you may also further and easily apply text strings by simply pre-rendering them with programs such as Apple's Motion 3 or Adobe After Effects, in addition to using their own controller console. You can expect approximately one week after ordering before receiving your new video garment (just jackets at the moment) which, as you can also imagine, don't exactly come cheap.  Presently, EroGear's video LED clothing only works with Windows based computers, but they assure us that they are also hard at work on a newer version that is completely platform agnostic. Oh more goody gumdrops!

The cost of the wearable display is approximately $900 which makes it much too expensive, at this early point, for most people, myself included. However, that is more-or-less for a large front to back display. I can see EroGear, in the future, possibly stitching out newer garments with smaller displays - let's say only on a portion of the upper right side of a garment for considerably less money. However, this is all new technology and thus we can naturally expect to see a lot of experimenting going on. However, like all technology, high prices eventually soon give way to lower ones as the popularity and manufacturing bugs are eventually worked out.

Personally, I'm not that interested in such attention grabbing garments, but I can certainly see the practical side of such clothing as well. For example, people who flag aircraft landings and take offs on aircraft carriers might find some benefits with such video jackets in addition to the traditional methods, since EroGear assures us that their garments are "Absurdly" bright. Also, workers in toxic and dangerous situations could have flashing emergency messages warning people to stay back, stop or go, etc., since I am also assuming that the "Absurdly" bright displays can be seen from a much greater and safer distance than traditional clothing with just plain printing on them.

Presently, EroGear's high-tech clothing is more of a novelty, but who knows, as the technology progress's and becomes more popular, not only will it become cheaper, but also the various use's for such high-tech clothing should also grow as well.

In conclusion, even though I'm not that interested in video garments, I will say that if you have a message to get across and you can afford the price of admission, then EroGear's cool, high-tech LED display clothing is virtually guaranteed to help you make your point, and, as well, help make you the center of attention no matter where you wear it! I can just see advertiser's climbing all over this one, and who knows, maybe if you agree to host a cool video ad of theirs on your hot new high-tech video clothing, well, maybe they will then even help subsidize or pay entirely the cost of your video jacket as well? 

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, July 28 , 2008.


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YouTube and the Funnier Side of All Things Apple!

Apple is one company that acts like a virtual lighting rod when it comes to generating publicity. It really doesn't matter what it does, or what it doesn't do, it's every action, or lack there of, will elicit an outpouring of comment and analysis from the traditional main press to that of  a million bloggers the world over. So, for this last post of the week, I thought that I would take a look at the funnier side of Apple, so go ahead and enjoy the funnier side of Apple via the world of YouTube.

My first take is a funny look about the not so funny state of Steve Job's health. It doesn't really matter if Steve, or anyone else for that matter, assures us that he is healthy, people for what ever reasons, will publish just about anything that they can use to prove that he is not. But as Macenstein recently pointed out, and as you can plainly see, the YouTube video below proves, absolutely beyond any reason of a doubt, that Steve is in fact as healthy as they come.



Also, sometime ago, you may have remember this video from YouTube of Steve and Bill battling it out with their iPhone and Zune light sabers - well, h...e...l...l...o....... now, not only can you view the video below again, you can now also play along as well, thanks to this post that I recently spotted on Gizmodo.



A lot of television shows like to do parodies on Apple and Steve Jobs and here we see a parody about Mac fan boys as Steve demos the iPhone. This brilliant YouTube video really shows off the wacky and creative genius of the Mad TV crew. Very well done.



Stephen Colbert is not one to shy away from making challenges as the next YouTube video shows. I don't know about you, but I think that Stephen looks even more handsome and charming as puppet in this clip then he doe's in person! But, then again, that's just my personal opinion on this clip of this wonderful and creative comedic genius.



Below, we have yet another Mad TV parody of Steve as he introduces the iRack, which is absolutely one of my favorite Mad TV sketches of all time. If you haven't already seen this comic bit of wackiness, then your in for a real treat. Even if you have, like me, I'm sure that you'll enjoy seeing it yet again, and again.



Mad TV and Stephen Collbert are not the only famous television shows to have done parodies on Apple and it's famous CEO. Below, we find yet find another parody of one of Apple's famous ads, this time from the David Letterman show. Enjoy.



Here we have a parody, below, of an Apple ad that has a protestant pitted against a Catholic. This YouTube video is entitled, 'iTruth,' and that's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about this funny clip. Enjoy.



And for you Star Wars fans, you can't afford to miss this next YouTube clip that features Han Solo explaining the differences between using one of the older Intel machines vs one of the older G4 Mac's. Quite funny.



Below we find an amusing parody of the famous Feist iPod TV ad. Here we see a Mad TV clip that has got to be one of the best that they have ever done! I just love it! Especially the catchy song and the rewritten lyrics... it's a hoot!



Here, in our last video, we find a funny South Park parody of a PC vs a Mac ad. This little gem is very well done.



If you still want even more on the funnier side of Apple, then I can heartedly recommend that you take a gander on over to the:  Joy of Tech website. This entertaining site is very well done, the cartoons are nicely drawn,  and the writing is very, very funny and well done as well. When it comes to Apple humor, no one does it better than the geeks at the Joy of Tech. Highly recommended.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, July 25 , 2008.

Images: Gizmodo. and the Joy of Tech.

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Tablet PC: The Coming MacBook Touch - The Ultimate Tablet PC?

Wired recently did a piece on a possible upcoming Mac Tablet that has been rumored to be in the works for sometime now. As you can see, in Wire's imaginary concept seen above, it looks rather cool, but is a Mac tablet really a good, let alone, viable idea? Will Apple succeed where the PC world has so far failed?

Well, I suppose that a Mac tablet, or as I prefer - iTablet, might be a real possibility, but still, like many, I have my doubts. After all, they haven't exactly been flying off the shelves as of lately. I'm not sure Job's would be crazy about investing in a market, that at the present time, seems to be going absolutely nowhere. Then again, the mpg 3 market was absolutely going no where until after Apple entered with the iPod - and we all know what happened then, don't we?

But how would any new Mac tablet specifications compare, and ,more importantly, differ from any and all of the existing pc tablet's out there? Wire describes a tip given to MacWeek from an anonymous source that suggests that a Mac tablet would consist of:

"Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch," the anonymous source told MDN. "Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion's haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at 'low' price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest."

Well, that certainly sounds interesting and especially the part about it coming by October at the latest. In the meantime, what this anonymous tipster is describing is essentially an iPhone G3 on steroids! This isn't saying that such a Mac tablet would have any kind of mobile phone functionality built into the device itself, but it sure would be cool and would extend the functionality of the device. With a great blu-tooth wireless headset this might just be the one perfect business device that I could think of.

One of the reasons I'm not sure that I like the idea of Apple producing a Mac tablet is simply because of the current crop of tablet pc's that I have seen and tried thus far. They have all simply failed to excite me, and apparently, also a lot of other folks judging by their poor sales.

The other really big sticking point for me, regarding today's current crop of pc tablets, is their input aspect. Today's crop (or should I say, crap?) hardly makes them a joy to use. Most of them use some type of stylist, something that never really appealed to me. Stylists, among other things, are just too easy to lose, and especially when your as dumb as I. No, what pc tablet's really need is a decent multi-touch interface like that of the iPhone, but only better. Some pc tablets have touch screens, but they are very limited in what they can do. Most require a stylist it seems because their touch screen capabilities are a little bit too touchy for much finger input, at least for me and my big fingers.

I may not be that crazy about the idea of a Mac tablet, but, I have to admit, that if anybody could make it work, it would have to be Apple. We already know that they have great multi-touch already on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. But as great as these are, a pc tablet would need to have an even a more capable set of multi-touch features than either of them. Apple, however, has already taken out patents for such a powerful multi-touch system, who's advance features just happen to be perfectly suited for a tablet pc, so maybe the idea of a Mac tablet isn't as bad as I originally thought?

In Wire's conceptual Mac Tablet illustration, you probably already noticed someone playing a virtual piano. Now that pic got me thinking for a minute, and thinking that a Mac tablet might just be a good idea after all. For example, imagine, if you will, if that Mac tablet, via blu-tooth or what have you, was also able to connect that virtual piano to a great set of wireless speakers! Not little, dinky, winky baby speakers either, mind you, but, big, big, big speakers - and presto - you would then have a virtual instrument that was pretty much as capable as any real instrument!

Professional musicians, for one thing, could travel around the country carrying only Mac tablets and some very big and powerful, but slim speakers! Think of the cost saved on gas, on space and on time spent lugging everything around? Personally, though not a musician in any sense of the word, I think that the whole thing sounds pretty sweet. Instead of having to carry many instruments around, only Mac Tablet's and speakers would be needed, because one Mac Tablet could be any instrument that one wanted it to be!

Already Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, hinted at several potential new mystery gadgets that it's competitor's wouldn't be able to match, and speculation is now high that one of those will be a Mac tablet. If, in fact, Apple does do a Mac tablet, I suspect that it will be a lot more than just what we see on the pc tablets of today - it would have to be in order to succeed. Today's pc tablets may look good on paper and on the shelves, but their functionality has so far been fairly limited to a few special areas in specific industries. For the average individual, however, the current crop of crappy tablet pc's has been a very slow go.

A multi-touch Mac tablet, however, might just change all of that, and the more I think of the idea of those virtual instruments connecting to those powerful wireless speakers, you know, the less doubtful I am about the idea of a Mac tablet after all!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, July 24 , 2008.


Image via: Wired

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Another Mac Cloner Enters the Ring: Open Tech vs Apple, Who Will Win?

Ever since Apple moved to the Intel platform, some have predicted that Apple would eventually end up having to do battle with the scourge of potential future Mac clones, something which has already now come to pass with two company's now in the ring. 

It's now  a case of Apple vs the cloner's, but who will eventually end up winning this legal battle. Does it even matter who wins, and what does it mean for the average Mac user anyway?

Psystar was the first company to legally risk doing battle with Apple for what it perceives as it's right to build Mac Clones, but it's now no longer the only company that is offering it's customers the option of running OS X on it's own brand of cheap computing boxes. Open Tech has now joined Psystar by advertising the option of running OS X on it's own bargain priced systems as well.

Open Tech, however, will not be directly installing or supplying their own hacked copies of OS X as does Psystar, but rather will simply be passing the buck on to their customers by letting them do it themselves with a little help from a supplied mystery "do-it-yourself kit." By allowing and helping it's customers to directly install OS X themselves, Open Tech believes that they can avoid all of the legal ramifications that now threatens to put Psystar out of business.

Apparently, Open Tech feels pretty confident that they can avoid the legal pitfalls that Psystar is facing, but as AppleInsider points out:

"The consequences for Psystar should it lose the trial are also more serious than first thought and would serve as a warning sign for Open Tech and other firms. Besides asking for a permanent halt to sales of any of Psystar's Open Computers preloaded with Mac OS X Leopard, Apple's lawsuit also demands that the court force a recall of any systems already in customers' hands, as they 'dilute' the Apple brand by presenting it in a less than ideal way that has included breakdowns and imperfect software patches."

I'm not sure which, but obviously both companies either must feel pretty confident that the law will vindicate them, or two - they are both totally insane and suicidal. Personally, from what I have already read and know, both Psystar and Open Tech are on pretty shaky ground. Psystar believes that Apple is at fault and is guilty of restriction of trade. Open Step, on the other hand, believes that by passing the buck to it's customers, it is also passing on the legal risks to them as well and, thus away from themselves. But are they really? I don't think so.

Apple's EULA clearly states that not only is OS X installation restricted to Apple's own branded machines, but also that companies and individuals are restricted in helping to install or guide others in doing so as well. Open Tech is hoping, no doubt, that Psystar will win, but I think that is a long shot - a very, very long shot. The consequences for Open Tech if Psystar loses is obvious. 

Open Tech itself seems to be somewhat of a mystery as iTwire points out:

"Open Tech itself is a bit of a mystery. The company's web site provides no contact details beyond email addresses, so we have no idea of which country the business operates from or where it is incorporated. (There's no indication that it is the Open Tech of Blacksburg, Virginia, which develops virtual reality software for scientific visualisation.) Furthermore, the site runs on a free hosting service and uses a .tk domain name."

I'm neither a corporate lawyer or a judge in such cases, but it seems rather plain that both companies are in the wrong and will eventually lose in the courts. It's beyond me why anyone in their right mind would even consider going up against a gargantuan international corporation, such as Apple, with it's billions of dollars and the muscle and high caliber of it's legal team, but stranger things have happened.

The big picture here is that there is a huge demand for OS X , which translates into lots of big bucks to be made, and it is those big bucks that, just like flies to you-know-what,  is attracting companies like Psystar and Open Tech to risk illegally offering OS X. But believe me, if Psystar and Open Tech can get away with offering OS X on cheap generic computers, then we will be hearing from a lot more from these and other would be Mac cloners, and they're going to be coming out of the woodwork like maggots streaming out of a carcass on a hot and steamy day.

If Apple doesn't stop the wannabe Mac cloners now, they will indeed spread like maggots, and like maggots they will suck the life blood out of Apple's profits and cheapen the whole Mac platform in the process. Maggots, as I personally and recently found out, spread like wildfires, and so too will the number of these cheap and illegal OS X providers. For sure, without the profits that Apple derives from it's Mac and OS X division, Apple will no longer have the ability or the desire to further push and advance the Mac platform forward. 

So, what if anything can Apple do to combat this problem? Well, in addition to legally trying to crush them, one first must understand why these type of financial leech's do what they do in the first place, and why people are willing to also buy from them in the first place as well. Of course, money, money is the answer to both of these questions. For companies like Open Tech and Psystar, its the money to be made by selling Mac clones; with the clone buyers it is all about the money that can save. It's as simple as 1-2-3.

When it comes to the cloners, the first and only benefit that any these Mac wannabe's could possibly offer anyone, over that of a genuine Apple Mac, is a lower price point and that's it's - period. They certainly don't offer better designed machines, nor can they offer quite the same seamless integration and functionality that only Apple can, because they actually design and build both the software and hardware from the ground up which helps makes a Mac what it is - the best computer platform of all time.

So, in addition to bringing legal charges against these maggot like unauthorized Mac providers, is there anything else that Apple can do that could be effective in stopping these Mac leech's? Yes, and Apple hinted at that solution in it's recent quarterly financial report! Mr. Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, hinted that they would soon be offering:

"state of the art new products that our competitors just aren't going to be able to match."

Also, Mr. Oppenheimer has stated that it will be lowering it's profit margins, which has a lot of people speculating that Apple is about to go after market share in a very big way by drastically lowering Mac prices!  In other words, Apple is about to make it hard for it's competitor's by removing the Mac's biggest obstacle - high prices! Also, in other words, Apple is about to remove the only reason that Mac cloners can offer - cheap prices! Without the price advantage why would anyone want an ugly inferior clone when for around the same price they could have a better designed, more compatible and genuine Mac computer? And without the lower and cheaper price advantage, well, there would simply no advantage for the likes of Open Tech and Psystar, etc., to even exist.

Not only would such a move suddenly make it next to impossible for companies like Open Tech, etc. to make a profit as cloners, it would also suddenly remove the main reason why millions of Windows users have have not already switched as well! This is not only a win for Apple and the Mac platform, but for all of  it's users as well, as increased market share also means increased software development for the Mac.

In the end, I firmly believe that if the cloners were to win, not only would Apple lose, but even more so would the millions of Mac users lose.  The Mac experience is unrivaled and unique because Apple is the only company that is able to control the whole computing experience from every facet - from the software to the hardware, and it is precisely this tight integration of hardware and software that no other computer platform can match. This helps makes the Mac experience what it is - fast, powerful, convenient, easy to use and just down right fun and pleasurable to use. 

If the cloners are allowed to win, then not only Apple, but we it's users will lose. If Apple wins, then the cloners will naturally lose, but, along with Apple, each and every Mac user will win!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this hot, muggy July 23, 2008

Image via: RegHardware

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The Rise of the Mac and Apple's Big, Big Quarter Blowout

Apple is on a roll these days with exploding iPhone, iPod and Mac sales. This has resulted in Apple just posting it's best third quarter in it's entire 30 year history! Yet, despite all of the good news, bad news resulted as Apple stock plummeted by a whopping 10 percent, because it issued a soft guidance for the next quarter. In addition, doubts about Steve Jobs health also weighed heavily on investor's minds, further driving the stock lower.

Regarding Steve Job's health, Apple's CFO, Oppenheimer stated that, "He has no plan to leave Apple, and that, "Steve's health is a private matter." None-the-less, despite this assurance, others are still continuing to question Mr. Job's health for the simple reason that he is so intertwined with the company and also because there seems to be no real succession plan in place should Mr. Jobs were to suddenly be forced to leave the company.

Regarding Apple's blow-out quarter, Mr. Oppenheimer stated that, "The quarter was a home run," but even more interestingly, he also teased reporters by saying that Apple had, "state of the art new products that our competitors just aren't going to be able to match.... ", which, no doubt, will further stoke ever higher the rumor flames from the many Apple rumor sites. I must admit, that, I, for one, am certainly curious as to what they might include. Unfortunately, since Mr. Oppenheimer wasn't at liberty to divulge any more info on the matter, I guess people like myself will just have to keep on guessing. Hopefully, however, we shall not have to wait too long to find out exactly what those new products are. New laptops are certainly hotly anticipated, but, I also think that by the sound of it, it will include more than just new laptops. How about multi-touch Macs?

Personally, I'm at a complete loss to understand the reasoning behind Wall Street's reaction to Apple's great quarter. Apple sold more Mac's in the past quarter than at any other time in it's history, and yet the stock nose dives. The same happened recently to other companies such as Microsoft and Google which, at one point, was down more than $100 dollars or so per share after announcing great results! If great financial news is really bad news to Wall Street, what on earth would actually happen if Apple actually posted bad news? I shudder to even think of the consequences of that scenario!

Back to the Mac, the fact that some 2.5 million Mac's were sold in the last quarter is significant, especially when considering that approximately one half of those numbers were Windows switchers. Not only are more Window users switching over to the Mac, some of them happen to be long time Window experts like Scot Finnie, Chris Pirillo and still others, like one of the former chief architects of Windows 95,  Satoshi Nakajima ! After purchasing a new Mac two years ago out of curiosity, Mr. Nakajima was so impressed with it that he recently started a new Mac software company called, Big Canvas, in April to start developing new software for the OS X based iPhone.

Despite the crazy reaction of Wall Street, Apple's recent blow out quarter was absolutely amazing and indicates that the Mac, the iPhone and iPod platforms all remain fundamentally solid and should, barring a major recession or worse, continued to grow and pick up steam in the days ahead. The Mac's side of the equation is especially interesting because it clearly shows that the Mac's growing market share is coming at the expense of Windows.  I found it especially interesting to note that the growth rate for desktop Mac's was actually higher than that on the portable side, some 49 percent for desktops, versus 47 percent for laptops! Recently, laptops on all platforms, Windows, Linux and the Mac, were generally growing significantly faster for laptops. Is this a reversal, I don't know, but it is certainly interesting to see.

So, again, in conclusion, let me congratulate Apple on a quarter well done, and let me add that I believe that the Mac's continuing growth in sales and market share is just a harbinger of  better things coming regarding the Mac's future market share, and this should be especially true if next year's Windows 7 turns out to be anything like last years Vista roll out.

With Mr. Oppenheimer's tease about upcoming Apple products, one's that it's competitor's simply won't be able to match, I also predict that Apple's next quarter could and should be even far bigger than the one that just passed. 


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 18 , 2008.


Image of Apple's Head Quarter # 1 Infinite Loop, via: Wikipedia

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HP's iMac Killer: The Touch Smart PC

Another day, and yet another iMac wannabe copy cat computer emerges. This time its from one of the world's most leading and successful high tech companies, HP, who recently unveiled it's second version of their Touch Smart PC.

The first Touch Smart PC was, in comparison, an ugly duckling. The second version, however, has matured into a very elegant and beautiful swan and it now joins a crowded and ever growing list of all-in-one machines that have been inspired to mimic and kill off Apple's hugely successful iMac. 

The HP stands out, however, in one particular and noticeable area - touch screen technology! Not even the iMac itself can presently boast of such capabilities.

I've played with the new Touch Smart and I must say that it is, without a doubt, probably the best all-in-one, iMac inspired, PC that I have yet seen to date. It's high-definition 22" inch screen is big, bright, colorful and pleasant to work with. Unfortunately, what really helps to make the screen so beautiful - the glass - is also extremely reflective.  All such glass screens, the iMac's included, have this same problem, but for some reason, for me at least, the HP model seems to be even more reflective than most of the others.

In addition to that big, bright screen, the Touch Smart comes with an impressive 4 GB of ram, a Dual Core processor and integrated graphics. The black body is certainly sexy, but, again, it is, as I earlier stated, the touch screen capabilities that really set the Touch Smart apart from the rest of the pack.

But is the HP Touch Smart PC, with it's touch screen, really good enough to kill off the iMac? Is this finally the iMac killer that some have long hoped for?

Nope! It comes close and it's certainly a very nice attempt, but it's most unique feature - it's touch screen - seems to be somewhat rather limited in scope and functionality, at least for the moment. However, I must admit, that it is certainly very fun and cool to be able to simply swipe your fingers and presto... you can see your photos, music, videos, etc., go spinning across the screen, as it does in the Touch Smart's 'fan' mode. It's nice to watch, but I found when actually using it for some time, it didn't take me too long before my arms and wrists, not only got tired, but actually started to ache as I repeatedly swiped the large expanse of the screen. Clearly, this is not the machine for you if you suffer from arthritis. Clearly too, as some have said, touch screens, for the most part, are probably better off being utilized on smaller devices like the iPhone, laptops, or tablet pc's where there are less risks of repetitive injury of some kind. Sore arms and wrists were not something that I was expecting! 

In the performance department, some have reported that the Touch Smart is just a tad bit too slow, which is not surprising considering it's integrated graphic support. Personally, I found the Touch Smart to be quite spiffy, but then again, I didn't run any intensive apps, such as high end games, on the machine.  As far as I'm concerned, integrated graphics are ok for a secondary machine, like a laptop, but if your going to use it as your primary machine than your going to be much better served with a machine with a dedicated graphic card - even one of the cheaper ones. For surfing the net, email, etc. the Touch Smart should handle most of your needs effortlessly.  Video, on the other hand, is something I didn't really get a chance to explore much, but with an integrated graphic chip, this might be a real concern for you if your into video.

Over all, even though the HP Touch Smart was clearly inspired by the iMac, it clearly isn't the iMac killer some would like it to be. I really love the design of this machine however.  I especially loved the big, colorful and bright HD screen, other than the fact that it's a tad too reflective for my taste. The iMac inspired keyboard was also a very nice touch. The touch capabilities, even though it wore off for me rather quickly, is still very cool and fun and it clearly sets the Touch Smart apart from all of the other iMac inspired clones, and, for that matter - the iMac itself. 

Sadly, what would have really made the Touch Smart PC the iMac killer that HP would have hoped for, would have been if Apple itself licensed OS X to HP!  Yes, the missing ingredient that all of the would be iMac killers, including the Touch Smart, really need inorder to topple the iMac is the iMac's software itself - OS X!  HP and others might be able to match or even exceed the iMac in hardware offerings, but without OS X and it's ease of use, I think that it will be hard for anyone to build an iMac killer. I'm not saying that it can't ever happen, but even with the novelity of a touch screen, without OS X,  all other all-in-one PC's will hard time killing off the iMac. Besides, when it comes to touch screens, Apple already has a much better version running on OS X via the iPhone, and one that could be easily added to the iMac.  As impressive as the Touch Smart is, and even without a multi-touch screen on the iMac itself, the OS X factor is what, for me,  still makes the iMac a much better offering than HP's new touch baby.

When it comes to computer touch capabilities, I believe that the iMac should soon surpass HP's new wonder, simply because not only are Apple's multi-touch capabilities more powerful than the Touch Smart, but I believe that instead, or in addition to touch screens, Apple will be incorporating it's multi-touch track pad capabilities into future Macs. 

Multi-touch track pads not only would allow you do everything a large touch screen can, but also do it without the risk of repetitive wrist or arm injury, something that prolong use with a large screen can pose, and as I can personally attest to. And, in addition, multi-touch track pads, unlike touch screens, can do everything without the nuisance of getting all of  those greasy finger prints all over your screen! Yuck... like who needs that?

Even though I don't think that the Touch Smart quite measures up to the iMac, I do, none-the-less, think that it's a great and worthy machine. The Touch Smart is sexy and unique and, if your in the market for a Windows alternative to the iMac, then, by all means, the HP Smart Touch is probably one of the very best - if not the best, Windows all-in-one's that you will find anywhere. 

So, in conclusion, if your basic Windows and computer needs don't require high-end computer graphics, then the HP Touch Smart should suite your needs for casual computing very nicely and I highly recommend this machine. Though I would prefer a Mac, this is one Windows based machine that actually impressed me to lust over and want to buy- a very rare case for me indeed!  

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, July 21 , 2008.


Image via:  HP

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Future MacBooks Soon?

Many are now speculating that Apple is about to refresh their aging line of MacBooks, including the Pro, any day now. With the release of Intel's new Centrino 2 line of processor's, an increase of 20% in orders from Apple for new circuit boards, leaked photos of the underbelly of a new MacPro (already confirmed by one source), it is now beginning to appear that new laptop models are indeed forthcoming.

For a lot of people, myself included, it is about time. The current crop of Apple laptops are certainly wonderful products, but their designs (especially the MacBook Pro) haven't been significantly upgraded in what seems now like ages. Rumors are that the plastic bodies of the MacBooks will soon be replaced by newer metallic bodies - just like the Air and Pro. Concerning bodies, the Pro hasn't been significantly upgraded for over five years now, a virtual eternity in the world of high-tech, and long, long over due as far as I'm concerned.

With so many factors coming to a head, it looks like the next crop of Apple's laptops could be the one that I was eagerly waiting for. These machines should be sporting a lot more than just new exterior designs, but, as well, should also be sporting newer and significantly more powerful innards' as well. 

Gizmodo recently did a post on the Centrino 2, which features more than just a new processor, but also the support structures that are necessary to give it a real kick-in-the-pants performance capability as well. Centrino 2's are naturally to be expected in any new Apple laptop and for good reasons - they simply blow the current Centrino's out of the water!

 According to Gizmodo:

"Here's some more in-depth goods on what Montevina offers. The processor soul is the 45nm Penryn—while last year it mainly offered a battery boost, thanks to Montevina's faster 1066 front-side bus, you'll see some real performance gains this time around. (Intel says up to 50 percent). In that same vein, not only are Intel's integrated graphics faster with the new GMA 4500MHD, it'll let you switch between integrated and discrete graphics (like a card from ATI or Nvidia) on the fly, so you can pick performance when you need it and save juice when you don't. Sony and Lenovo are the first to have notebooks with this tech. On the wireless front, it makes wireless N standard with its new WiFi Link 5000 modules. WiMax is optional, and you'll see that in Centrino 2 notebooks later this year. Finally, it (and Penryn) are totally engineered to simply sip power, like an anorexic model with a venti skim half-decaf no-whip mocha (really, check out Lenovo's X200's retardedly awesome battery life)."

Montevina, by the way, is the code name for the Centrino 2 platform, and according to Gizmodo, this upgraded chip platform should, "..... blow last year's away." And indeed it will and I can hardly wait to see them up and running in the new MacBooks.

One of the other signs that new MacBooks are coming, was hinted at when Apple recently, but silently, knocked off a whopping $500 from the SSD version of the MacBook Air.  Apple is obviously clearing inventory for newer models, or so you would think. However, what really has me excited about any new MacBooks is the speculation that Apple may be offering new 256 GB SSD's! For me, at least, the paltry 80 GB hard drive and the even more paltry 64 GB SSD, is the Air's real weak link. In addition to higher density SSD's, companies like Samsung have begun sampling SSD's with read and write times that are more than doubled the ones on the current models. Now that is what I call.... S...W...E...E...T!  Really, really sweet! This is exactly what the Air, or the rest of Apple's lineup, really needs.

Then again, with HP introducing it's second version of it's Touch Computer, can Apple be that far behind?  Clearly this is an attempt by HP to better Apple with it's hot selling iMac computer. Mind you, I still don't think that it's as good as the current iMac, but a lot of people will be fooled by the wizardry of the touch screen. The best place for such a screen is on a tablet or laptop, but I actually don't expect to see this on the day that Apple introduces it's next laptops, but rather, more likely, than not, this will happen sometime after Apple releases Snow Leopard next year.

I can only hope, like many people, that these rumors of imminent MacBooks replacements are indeed more than just rumors. This is especially so for the Pro version. I have been wanting a MacBook Pro for a long time now, but I want one with a new design, not the old one, no matter how great it is. Buying a new computer with an old case simply seems rather a little ridiculous to me. I not only want a new computer, but I want one that looks new too.

All-in-all, the stars seem to be lining up for what soon could not only be new MacBooks and MacBook Pro's, but models that should be considerably more advanced, powerful, faster and just down right cooler than any of the MacBook's that have gone before!

Well, at least I sure hope so.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, July 18 , 2008.

Image via: AppleInsider

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Apple's Growing Market Muscle: Now High Will It Go?

The big Apple (Apple Inc., not the city) is getting a lot bigger these days. According to various sources, Apple is steadily and rapidly growing at the expense of Microsoft. ZDNet  is now reporting that:

"Apple's operating system is gaining ground on Microsoft Windows, with second-quarter results showing the company inching close to a 10 percent market share in the US."

Of course, as they have also pointed out, Microsoft still dominates the OS desktop charts, but one is increasingly tempted to ask, 'for just how much longer?'

The Headline from today's Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog's post simply reads:

"Reports: Apple is No. 3 PC maker in U.S., No 6 worldwide."

That particular headline, more-or-less, pretty much says it all - Apple is not only becoming a much bigger player in the market, but also a much bigger problem for Microsoft's and it's attempts to hold onto that market. The question now also is: how will Microsoft respond to Apple's increasing market share and muscle? 

Again, according to ZDNet:

"Microsoft is working on a multiyear, megamillion-dollar marketing push for Windows and, as the numbers show, it can't come soon enough. Apple's gains on Windows are particularly painful given that US computer shipments only grew 4.2 percent, again according to Gartner."

Microsoft will be spending big bucks to counter the Mac's spectacular rise in the market, but it's going to take a lot more than merely throwing buckets of cash out for a big advertising campaign to counter Apple's increasing presence and muscle. It's a start, but Microsoft will have to go farther than that - a lot further. 

First and foremost, Microsoft is going to have to spend a lot more money, time and effort on actually building Windows into a desirable and stable OS, rather than just spit out propaganda in hopes of masking it's flaws. Building 'just good enough' software, as in the past, simply isn't' going to cut it anymore. The public has had it up to here with  just, 'it's good enough' versions of Windows. Vista as been an embarrassing and utter failure for Microsoft marketing wise, and countering that with a big ad campaign won't stop the Mac's momentum. 

People, like Paul Thurott, can try all they want to twist the facts with articles on how Vista's 355 % growth leaves the Mac's choking in the dust, but don't let that fool you for one bitty, itty second! No, the fact is, that Vista's growth rate is coming not because of it's popularity or superiority, but rather it's coming because Microsoft is forcing computer manufacturers to simply cram it down their customers throats, at the expense of XP, each and every time they buy a new computer! 

Regardless of how Windows shills like to point out Vista 355% growth rate - it's still is all a shame, because the simple fact still remains true: The combined Windows share, after you bunch all versions of Windows, XP, 2000, 98 and Vista, etc., the total  combined Windows market share has actually dropped by several percentage points in the past year.  OS X,  and to a lesser extent, Linux, has been slowly diminishing Windows overall market share, and I expect that not only to continue, but to even pick up speed. It is expected, sometime this year, that Windows combined market share will, for the first time, fall below the 90% mark, from it's once high 99% share..

InfoWorld points out that when it comes to one of the most important ingredients necessary in a company achieving market share, namely - 'mind share' - the Mac's mind share itself has never been higher.  Quoting Gartner Inc., they report:

"The mindshare that company is significant. Not only among consumers, but small-to-medium businesses and even enterprises are looking at Apple hardware."

Not only is the Mac's mind share a positive factor  in driving it's growth, but, likewise,  so is the negative impression that Vista has left in the minds of millions of frustrated users. This has, in combination, given the Mac an even greater acceptance and bigger share of the market.

The Mac's renewed muscle in the market is also reinforced in a report from AppleInsider, that indicates that Apple may have recently shipped a record number of Mac's for the past quarter - some 2.5 million plus! Maybe if your Dell or HP, that may not seem like much, but for Apple it certainly is indeed.

The Mac is definitely on a roll, one that is seeing it increasingly pick up market share by completely steamrolling over Microsoft's cash cow, Windows. The question is:   will the present growth of Mac's continue, or is this just some sort of temporary anomaly? That is going to depend, of course, on a lot on what not only Apple does in the near future, but also on what Microsoft does as well.

Apple, for it's part, has to continue to do what they have been doing so well  - out innovating the rest of the industry. They also must keep in check something that sadly they are quite famous for - their arrogance. Yes, if there is anything that worries me about Apple, it is that they have been known for being a little too smug at times, something that people on the Windows side, and the Linux side as well, just love to point out.

In other words, I hope that Apple's recent success's won't go straight to it's head, thereby making them  oblivious to the needs for it's continued success. Apple, in it's arrogance, simply can't brush off serious and growing security threats that this same success also invites. Apple can't be allow to have a casual attitude  that could  hinder the great  progress that it has made and that it has worked and striven so hard for all these years.

The other thing that could hurt, if not kill, Apple's growing success would be if Microsoft, also well known for it's smug and arrogant attitudes, also started to changed it's ways and starts to put out great products, other than the 'it's good enough' type products that it's known for. If, Microsoft wants to really slow or stop Apple's progress in it's tracks, then it desperately needs to avoid another 'Vista' like rollout. Windows 7, or what ever it's eventually named, is going to have to be one very spectacular and well constructed piece of code. Anything less simply won't do.  Another Vista disaster would most likely drive the final nail in the coffin for Microsoft, and only expedite the Mac's growing success all the more.

I'm no prophet, but my personal wish and view is that we will further continue to see the Mac's market share to continue to grow, and at a much faster clip, and possibly, along with that of Ubuntu or some other Linux distro. This success will all come at the expense of Windows, which I predict will continue to slowly lose even more market share.

How low, or how high Apple and Microsoft may eventually go, I can't possibly say or know. I do know, however, that the current market landscape is entering a sea of change. How well Apple navigates through these choppy waters, only God knows for sure, but my hunch is that with captain, Steve Jobs, at the helm, and the crew he is grooming to replace him,  we should see the Mac entering calmer seas and a brighter future - one that will give it immensely more market share than it currently enjoys, and who knows, maybe even the biggest share of that market.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, July 17 , 2008.


Chat via: AppleInsider

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Apple Sue's Psystar: Is This the End for Psystar?

After several months of deafening silence, Apple has finally acted by taking legal action against Florida based Psystar, who have been selling unauthorized Mac clones for the past several months. It was only this past April when Psystar announced that it would be selling a Mac clone, originally called the OpenMac. The name, for legal reasons, was quickly changed to OpenComputer, but now the question is for how much longer?

Psyster's first Mac clone sold for $399, but that didn't include OS X, as that was an additional $155 option. In addition, the OpenComputer could also be ordered with either  Linux or Windows Vista installed in place of OS X.  Recently, Psystar has even been emboldened to begin offering clones of Apple's Xserve rack mounted computers, something that may have further prompted Apple take the action that it did.

There has been much speculation on why Apple decided to take so long in bringing legal action against Psystar, which clearly was in violation of Apple's EULA , one that plainly stipulated that OS X could only be used on genuine Apple Mac computers. Your guess is as good as mine on that, but something tells me that it won't be too long before this thing is over, now that the legal machinery is in place.

Even though, understandably,  many people loved the idea that someone, like Psystar, could offer them a choice in Mac based systems and at lower prices, it's really not a question of whether they could, but rather whether they should be allowed to offer them in the first place. The answer, of course, is obvious - it was and still is illegal. The desire to be able to buy a cheaper Mac's  from someone other than Apple doesn't give Psystar or anybody else the right  to just come along and do what ever they wish with somebody else's property, in this case, OS X. Besides, if somebody wants  the option to buy a cheaper based system, than what Apple offers, well, they already have that in the form of buying either a Linux or Windows based system. Nobody, after all, is forcing anybody to buy a system from Apple that I know of.

Despite what others may think, no one, and I mean no one, be it Psystar or anyone else, should be allowed to think that they can  make a profit by unauthorized use of others people's intellectual property. In a way, I wish Apple would legally license OS X to other OEM's, but until or unless Apple does, Psystar and others have absolutely no right to abuse the rights of other people's property. The fact that Psystar was legally buying OS X, at full retail, doesn't  justify their unauthorized cloning anymore than legally purchasing a gun meant that one could use it anyway they wished - including using it in a robbery!

With Apple's deep pockets, pockets that only Microsoft could hope to match, Psystar's hopes are slim at best and their legal battle with Apple may now be over before it even begins. For anyone wishing that Psystar could get away with selling cheap unauthorized Mac clones, well, your dream of  having the option of buying a Mac from someone other than Apple just got a lot slimmer.

So, in conclusion, now that it has been reported that Apple is out for Psystar's blood, I am predicting that the next news that we are most likely to be reading concerning Psystar's,  will probably read something like this:

Pystar -  2008 - R.I.P


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, July 16 , 2008.


UPDATE:  http://www.psystar.com/ was offline earlier in the day, but is now back up and running as usual!

Image:  ArsTechnica

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Site-4-the-Day: Cool OS X Apps.Net

Cool OS X Apps  is a Mac specific site that offers a great list and description of some really cool and useful OS X applications. It's also my 'Site-4-the-Day' feature, and I suggest that if your hunting for some really cool Mac applications, then, by all means, this is one site that you will definitely want to book mark.

Cool OS X Apps offers a growing  list of great software that you can download and start enjoying immediately. They feature cool software that ranges anywhere from cool widgets, cool productivity apps,  cool OS X system resources, to cool OS X games and just about every other cool OS X app that you could possibly think of.

Oxidizer  is just one of these many cool OS X  apps featured. Cool OS X Apps describes this program as:

"Oxidizer 0.5.2 is an excellent free application for OS X that allows you to generate beautiful fractal flame designs. It can read and write the flam3 file format used by the Electric Sheep screen saver. To help you learn how to utilize the features of the application, you can find an excellent online tutorial".

You can find more info on this cool app via the link above. As cool as this program is, there are many, many more to be discovered on this great site. One program that I personally really appreciated learning about, thanks to Cool OS X Apps. net., was a app called  SuperDocker. Cool OS X Apps. net says that:

"SuperDocker 2.4.4 is an excellent free application for Leopard, that allows you to customize or change a large number of features very easily. It is currently available in English, French, German and Italian."

And I have to agree, SuperDocker is all of that and more. The one problem, however, that I do have with Cool OS X Apps.net,  is that they offer so many cool apps, on such a regular basis, that I'm completely at a loss to pick one out to highlight. When it comes to cool OS X apps, this wonderful resource is one of the best that you'll will find anywhere. The site is visually very appealing and welcomes you to explore the ever expanding world of great and ever so cool OS X software. Trust me, this is one site that I'm sure that you will visit time and time again.

Even though Cool OS X Apps.net is a free resource, they have now become so popular that they are having trouble serving their 30,000 plus daily users - their hardware can barely keep up! They desperately need to upgrade their equipment, so any financial help that we could all give to help keep this great Mac resource going and growing,  would be greatly appreciated. This is one Mac resource, if ever there was one, that deserves our support. I have found it a great and convenient source for every type of cool software imaginable, and software that I may have never discovered otherwise. So, if you can help out, then please do. We will all benefit as a result.

So, in conclusion, I am proud to present Cool OS X Apps. Net as my 'Site-4-the-Day.' This super cool site is a virtual treasure trove of really, really cool and useful OS X software. Software that is not only cool, but in more cases than not, also really fun and practical at the same time. So, do yourself a favor and check out this extremely cool site today, and, at the same time, if you can, lend your support, by donating what you can in helping make this Mac resource an even better one for the future.


And that's my 2 cents 4 , on this great Mac resource, 4 this Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

Image via: Cool OS X Apps. Net

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The Incredible Success of the iPhone G3

Wow! It's absolutely incredible, but the new iPhone G3 introduction, over the weekend, has not only been a smashing success, it has sold approximately an incredible four times as many phones over the weekend - a scant three days, as did the original iPhone did last year! 

According to Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs:

 "iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend."

But just how stunning has it been? Well, according to a report by AppleInsider, Apple sold as many as a million plus iPhone G3's over the weekend. The first gen iPhone, which was an amazing run away success, took almost two and one-half months to accomplish the same. I would say that was indeed a stunning achievement, and as AppleInsinder also reported:

"The three day sales total is sure to send a shriver down the spines of rival handset makers...."

In an other report they pointed out that in spite of all of the problems, that people had getting their new iPhone activated, Apple's new App Store still reported an equally amazing number of downloads for the same period - some ten million of them! Truly, the App Store is just as big as a success as the iPhone is itself.

I plan to personally, God willing, pick up a 16 gigabyte model soon. I must say that after playing with an 8 gigabyter, I was extremely impressed by the new iPhone's over all form factor, ease of use, functionality and it's amazing speed. The screen, well, what can I say...... it's absolutely fabulous! It's so big,  so bright,  so clear and sharp that I have yet to see anything quite like it. Clearly, I can see why so many people out there lust after the iPhone G3, because frankly, there simply is nothing quite like it.

Sadly, for me, Rogers was completely sold out of the 16 GB models. They had a few of the white 8 GB models left, but I know I would only kick myself later if I went with it. I can wait a wee bit longer to pick up a black 16 GB iPhone.... after all, I have, like so many others, been waiting for well over a year already, so what's another week or so?

As reported both here and elsewhere, the iPhone is now being predicted, by several analysts, to be on it's way of becoming not only a platform in and of itself, but one that could even eclipse that of the personal computer platform. Now that would be big - really big. The iPhone certainly isn't perfect, but as others have pointed out, it's probably the closet thing out there in the tech world that is.

Of course, it's not all been rosy for Apple's latest and greatest product launch. The activation woes that plagued the weekend's launch of the 3G iPhone has been well reported on. Apple had the same problems last year and I would expect that like last year, these problems will soon be sorted out. However, MacWorld is even reporting that some people are demanding refunds for lost time on their new MobileMe accounts.

As to be expected, any product or service that is anywhere as big and as complex as the iPhone and it's supporting structure is, problems are bound to happen. Eventually, however, they always seem to get solved and sorted out, and I'm sure this will be the case here. In the meantime, the huge and astounding first few days of the new iPhone G3 is a very, very impressive thing to see and it should give Apple's iPhone, for the meantime, a very real chance of becoming the number one smart phone of all time. 

Will we see even more success for the iPhone? Or is the iPhone just a temporary fad, as claimed by many of it's competitor's? Will the iPhone make it to the top of the smart phone heap, or will other competitor's such as long time giants Nokia, RIM and Palm, as well as others, eventually out class and out perform the iPhone in the near future, relegating it to just a footnote in the annals of tech history ?

That's hard to say, of course, but if Apple keeps on innovating the way they have been doing, well, then it doesn't look too good for Apple's competitor's. That could always change, of course. The iPhone's incredible success has inspired an never ending series of competing iPhone clones. Every day, it seems, both large and small competitor's are coming out with iPhone 'killer' phones. Some of these iClone's, if not as good as the iPhone, are certainly great phones, and they point out that the competition isn't going to just sit back and let Apple take away their long and hard fought place in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, even though I have yet to see any other iPhone 'killer' quite equal the over all value of the iPhone itself, they are working hard and are getting better and better as time goes one. The LG Dare, the Instinct and the various other copy cat phones are bound to improve to the point that they may indeed, at some point, pose a serious threat to the iPhone. But that day has yet to come -  today it's the iPhone's time to bask in the sun.

Just how much longer the iPhone can continue to remain as the most lust after device ever created remains yet to be seen. But thanks to the App Store and the incredible buzz associated with the iPhone, the marketing genius's at Apple may not have to worry for sometime yet, but they will certainly have to remain vigilant and on their toes and have to continue to innovate and evolve the iPhone, if they wish to remain on top of the competition.

Personally, I'm convince that both Apple and the iPhone best days still lay yet ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing just how much and how far the iPhone will advance in both technology and, and, as well, in the marketplace.



And that's my 2 cents, 4 this Monday, July 14 , 2008.

Image via: Apple

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Will Multi-Touch Soon Be Coming to OS X?

Today is the big day for all of you wanting to finally get your hands on a shiny new iPhone 3G, but it is also a big day for anyone wondering if Apple is ever going to add multi-touch to it's line of desktop Macs. Thats because new Apple patents have emerged that indicated that Apple is at least considering such a move.  AppleInsider has a post that not only indicates that such a move to multi-touch is probably coming, but one that could also lead to a revolution in new and unique software.

Regarding the newly emerged patent filings, AppleInsider points out:

"Despite the skew towards media apps, however, the filing also makes clear that Apple is devising methods to control its entire Mac operating system through multi-touch rather than a mouse and keyboard.

On a basic level, finger input could be used to select icons in the Dock or to tap individual menu items. Apple's described methods, however, would replace the two-finger trackpad scrolling of today with controls on the screen proper: an interface could either recognize two fingers on the screen itself and pan along with the user, or else turn to an on-screen directional pad that permits four-way scrolling with single finger presses.

The Mac maker's inventor has also developed a unique way of registering a right-click equivalent on an icon or list item. Placing two fingers on an item and then tapping the right finger would open a context-sensitive menu that would allow copying, shortcut creation, and other functions frequently off-limits to touch displays."

Since multi-touch for OS X already exists - it runs on the iPhone now, it doesn't take much of a stretch to envision it eventually being applied to the  Mac desktop as well. Of course, what we are talking about here is more than just what we find on the iPhone today, much more in fact.



As you can see demonstrated in the above video, a program, such as Google Earth, can be easily manipulated via multi-touch. Simply by flipping your fingers, you can easily set the earth spinning on it's axis, or by double tapping you can zoom in on any part of the globe for a much more detail look.

Not only does multi-touch make navigating such a program a breeze, it also makes it a lot more fun and interesting, but such a demonstration is only the tip of the iceberg.  As Apple's patent drawings clearly show, one can easily apply multi-touch to set not only globes spinning, but recording discs, as used by dj's the world over, and everything else. Multi-touch is limitless and is about to change forever how we interact with computers and other devices, be it stoves, televisions, cars, or what have you.

As AppleInsider also pointed out, such patents don't actually mean that what we see coming off the drawing table today, is a guarantee that we will see it coming off the assembly line tomorrow, but rather it simply indicates what might happen. Personally, however, I'm convinced that Apple is more than just entertaining the idea of multi-touch for it's desktops, laptops, or any possible rumored tablet like device. There are two key reasons why I think that we soon see multi-touch coming to OS X based desktop and laptops soon, besides those both already found on the iPhone and iPod.

These two are:

- Windows 7. Yes, Microsoft has already outlined that it is coming to Vista's successor and possibly as soon as late next year. Will Apple allow Windows 7 to get the jump on Snow Leopard? I doubt it.

Even though Snow Leopard, Leopard's replacement, also scheduled for next year, will be more about adding speed, security and creating other under-the-hood enhancements rather than adding features such as multi-touch, I still believe that the odds are good that Apple will sneak it in. I'm convinced that Apple always intended for multi-touch to be a part of OS X, and now that Windows 7 will be getting it, it will only hasten OS X getting it too.  

In other words - OS X will be getting multi-touch, and much sooner than later.

These under-the-hood improvements will be much more important than multi-touch all by itself, I believe.  However, I also firmly believe, that in the end, it is these very enhancements that should also make multi-touch a much faster and more pleasant experience to use in OS X than that of Windows 7.  Multi-touch, after all, is not that impressive if its slow, quirky and cumbersome to use.

- Another reason why I believe multi-touch is coming to OS X, is simply because multi-touch is already running successfully on OS X via the iPhone and iPod Touch. The iPhone has proven, once-and-for-all, that multi-touch not only works, but works immensely well. Multi-touch enhances the navigation and the usability of a product, and it clearly demonstrates by the overwhelming acceptance of the iPhone, that multi-touch is a feature that is very much in demand. So, naturally, since multi-touch is already running quite successfully on the OS X based iPod Touch and iPhone, and because customers desperately love and want it, it should be mere child's play and natural for Apple to add it to the OS X desktop as well. 

Of course, there are downsides to multi-touch as well.  Some like to point out that all of that touching will naturally translate into a lot unsightly, greasy finger marks. Who wants to dirty up their screen with such finger smudges and possible scratches? Not me, for one.

Then again, multi-touch means more than just dirty, smudged or scratched up screens - it also means newer and more expensive ones to boot! Unfortunately, unless some genius out there can figure out how to apply multi-touch to the current crop of screens, multi-touch is going to require entirely new and expensive replacements. If there is one thing that people love more than a multi-touch computer - it's not having to pay more for it! As impressive as both the iPod Touch and iPhone screens are, they are small in comparison, so the cost is not that noticeable. Large multi-touch screens, on the other hand, is another thing entirely. 

Even though we still have to wait for multi-touch equipped desktops and laptops, the wait, I firmly believe, will be a short one. Coming soon, whether it be on a Windows 7, or a OS X based computer (and possibly Linux as well), multi-touch will soon be a part of our day-to-day computing experience. Multi-touch will make using computers more intuitive and natural to use, and should promote newer and more unique ways of using our computers and software. But most of all, I believe - multi- touch will make them  a lot more interesting and  fun to use.

I can barely wait.



And that's my 2 cents, 4 this Friday, July 1 , 2008.

Image via: AppleInsider 

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