Low End Mac Archive for February 16

February 16 in Apple and Low End Mac History

Pismo PowerBook G3 introduced at 400 and 500 MHz.
iBook Special Edition introduced in graphite at 366 MHz.
The new Macs, Mac News Today. Quick overview of iBook SE, Power Mac G4/500, and the new PowerBook G3.
Apple abandons Motorola, IBM, Anne Onymus, The Rumor Mill. Apple throws in the towel over G4/500 problems.

The end of the Mac as we know it, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. "OS X will change the way you work with your computer. OS X will act more like Windows...."
Windows XP vs. Mac OS X, Jake Sargent, iThings Considered. Microsoft again looks to Apple for inspiration, this time copying OS X features for Windows XP.
Fixing the trackpad, Paulo Rodrigues, Tangerine Fusion. How Apple could improve the trackpad - and a new alternative from Panasonic.
TiBook Report #7: Zap!, Dan Knight, The 'Book Page. Great laptop, but there's this pesky problem with static electricity....

Stepping up from a Beige G3 to Blue and White, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Why it was time to upgrade, benefits of the newer computer, and troubles caused by the Rev. 1 motherboard.
WallStreet kudos, new vs. used batteries, what's on my 'Book, best 'Books ever, and more, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Also thoughts on 'Book repairs, the Power Mac 6500, navigation software, OS 9 booting, iTunes libraries, and PCI audio cards.

The Apple IIGS, Apple's home computer for 1986, Jason Walsh, Apple Before the Mac. Believing Apple II users demanded color and would avoid the Macintosh, Apple created a 16-bit version of the popular Apple II computer.

Apple and the enterprise: Ignoring the market or biding their time?, Leaman Crews, Plays Well with Others. Mac OS X Server, Xserve, and Xserve RAID are incredible values, but Apple is putting the focus on the consumer market. Will that change when Xserve goes Intel?
What going Intel really means for Apple, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. ZDNet's Paul Murphy argues that going Intel is a disaster that cheapens the Mac brand while producing slower computers. Here's why he's wrong.
More Address Book foibles, tips, and add-ons, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User. Readers weigh in on Macintel, Apple's Address Book, and Yojimbo. Questions and tips on becoming a more efficient Mac user.
MacBook Pro: What's up with bumping the speed when Apple can't even meet demand?, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living. More speed for the same price is nice, but why not concentrate on meeting demand first? And what's with that $300 premium for the 2.16 GHz model?
Custom painted iPods, iPod nano scratch lawsuits, wireless and 'true video' iPods coming?, and more, iPod News Review. Also Microsoft to challenge iPod's dominance, RIAA says erase your iPod before you sell it, using the iPod's sleep timer, new software, and more.
MacBook Pro ships, graphics problems with Intel iMacs, future Intel CPUs, and more, The Macintel Report. Also USB 2.0 power management problems with Core Duo and Windows, OS X 10.4.4 hacked to run on Intel PCs, Windows virtualization on Macintel contest, and more.

When will flash memory replace hard drives?, getting the most from your 'Book's batttery, and more, The 'Book Review6. Also new cases and BookEndz for MacBook and MacBook Pro models, high capacity battery for MacBook, bargain 'Books from $200 to $2,299, and more.
Vista Home runs on Macs, Apple legacy manuals, upgrading a Mac mini or Mac Pro CPU, and more, Mac News Review. Also installing OS X on non-Apple hardware legal for developers, integrated graphics remains Mac mini's Achilles' heel, $20 slim keyboard, ATI's forthcoming R600 graphics processor, and more.

PowerPC architecture was not a failure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. CNET's Brooke Crothers calls PowerPC a failed architecture, but 12 years of PowerPC Macs, IBM's blade servers, and three game consoles tell a different story.
Is the Mac the Volkswagen of computers?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Apple has been called the BMW, Porsche, and Volvo of computers, but perhaps Volkswagen is a better parallel.
Low end Macs in an economic recession, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "If ever it was important for a website such as Low End Mac to exist, this worldwide recession is it."

Take off your glasses and enjoy the Web, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac. Whether it's aging eyes or the ever inceasing pixel density of new displays, Readability can make reading website content much easier.

Vintage Mac Workhorse: Quadra 840av with Mac OS 8.1, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple. The 40 MHz Quadra 840av was the ultimate 680x0 Mac and makes a great bridge between technologies.

Free Word Processing and Text Editing Options for Macs and iOS, Freeware Forum. Microsoft Word and BBEdit are top notch commercial apps, but there are some great freeware and shareware alternatives.
Pismo: In Many Ways, It Was the Best of PowerBooks, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum. Even years and years after its introduction, Pismo is a great Mac OS X 10.4 machine and surprisingly fast.
Pismo PowerBook Still Desirable 12 Years after Launch, Low End Mac Round Table. Many Mac lovers consider the PowerBook Pismo the high water mark us usability and expandability.

Too much focus means too few Mac expansion options, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. From too many models in the 1990s to too few at the turn of the millennium, Apple is still missing some niches.