Low End Mac Archive for March 24

March 24 in Apple and Low End Mac History

Original Palm Pilot released. It's not an Apple product, but after Newton's demise it's probably became the most popular PDA for Mac users.

Still no floppy, Dan Knight, iMac Musings. Those still wed to the floppy are living in the past instead of prepared for the future.

Are 2 brains better than 1?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel. It sounds reasonable that two processors are better than one, but how much better is a dual processor Power Mac G4 than a single processor model?
Jaguar today, Panther tomorrow, and another slap in the face?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Why buy Jaguar today when Panther will probably ship in a few months with no discount to reward my loyalty?
Griffin iMate lets you use ADB devices with USB ports, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Griffin's compact, low-cost iMate lets you use most ADB mice, keyboards, and other peripherals with modern USB-equipped Macs.

Why are Mac users still surfing with Internet Explorer?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. With Safari, OmniWeb, Opera, iCab, and three Mozilla projects available, it's time to leave outdated IE behind.

Local Mac dealers offer something special: Their time, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Online ordering is impersonal, and Apple Stores are too busy, so if you want to talk Mac, your local dealer is probably your best bet.
Troubleshooting trackpads, flat rate screen replacement, new TiBook hinges, and more, Charles Moore, The 'Book Review. Also a high-capacity 14" iBook battery, new notebookstand with USB hub, 12" PowerBook screen replacement, bargain 'Books from $500 to $1,399, and more.
550 MHz G4 upgrade for G3 iMacs, add AirPort to Mac mini, Epson ditches Mac support at low end, and more, Mac News Review. Also OWC SuperDrives for most Macs, maximum wireless range for Power Macs, the illuminated Eclipes keyboard, and a FireWire cable port isolator.
Truth about iPod batteries, iPod upgrades, DecoDock, first iPod shuffle T-shirt, and more, iPod News Review. Also iPod as a storage cure-all, iPod addiction, classical music drawbacks, iPod drive formats, new iPod FireWire cables, Skittles' Star Wars iPod, and much more.

Happy 5th birthday OS X from a Jaguar user, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence. Apple's transition to OS X, officially begun five years ago today, has been a real success. So much so that the author hasn't seen any need to go beyond 10.2.x.
System 7.6.1 is perfect for many older Macs, John Martorana, That Old Mac Magic. Want the best speed from your old Mac? System 7.6.1 can give you that with a fairly small memory footprint - also helpful on older Macs.
Vista delay, WinXP on Macintel gives Apple an edge in 2006, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. With Microsoft Vista delayed until early 2007 and Windows XP now running on Intel Macs, Windows users have a viable alternative to buying a new Windows computer. And they'll get OS X in the bargain.
MagSafe up in flames, MacBook love, turn iBook into desktop, USB 2.0 faster on Macintel, and more, The 'Book Review. Lots of positive MacBook press, Apple sells 36,000 iBooks to Maine, DayStar's 1.92 GHz PowerBook G4 upgrade, 32 GB flash drive for 'books, bargain 'Books from $230 to $1,999, and more.
$699 Mac mini G4 blowout, Intel graphics substandard for gaming, Mac mini Core Solo lags, and more, Mac News Review. Also BusinessWeek wants feedback from Mac mini users, Mac mini Core Duo benchmarked against iMac Core Duo, a new research tool for students, and more.

5 things Apple is doing right in 2008 - and 5 it could do better, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac. Apple has made great strides in the past five years, but there are still a few areas that need to be addressed.
March Madness and a Macintosh Performa, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Pete Tiernan of Bracketscience uses a 1995 Mac Performa and FileMaker 2.0 to do some of the best playoff analysis out there.
After Windows and Linux, the Mac floored me, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh. Lee Farrell cut his teeth on the Apple II, moved to Windows, and later to Linux, but it was the Macintosh that blew him away.
Rolleiflex MiniDigi AF 5.0: A TLR for the digital age?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. The traditional Rolleiflex TLR design is back, but in a much smaller package with an LCD finder and a 5 megapixel
Stupid Pismo tricks, 2008 edition, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing. Six uses for the weight saving device and how to use the Pismo as a DVD player.

Is the computer you have the computer you need?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "There's a saying that the good is the enemy of the best. Maybe we should turn that on its head and proclaim that the best is the enemy of the comfortably adequate."
Getting settled in with the Unibody MacBook, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. Using a new Mac with dialup is made easier with the preview version of Opera Turbo.
Vertus Bling! It: Affordable image masking software for casual use, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Bling! It can be a useful tool for removing busy backgrounds from product photos used online or in print.

Faster Internet tools, Flash and JavaScript blocking, and Compact Flash for vintage Macs, Charles Moore, Charles Moore's Mailbag. Getting the most out of dial-up Internet, pros and cons of ad blocking, and a possible SCSI-Compact Flash solution.