Apple Everywhere
was born in 1990,
on Desert Storm day (August 7). He grew up
in Stratford, Iowa - a small Swedish-American community of 700 people.
As a child, Austin grew up using Windows 3.1 and 95, but he'd loved
Macs early on. One fond experience as a seven-year-old - using a paint
application on a school-owned Power Mac G3 All-in-One - moved
him to buy his first Mac in 2006, a used PowerBook Duo 230.
Since then, Austin has owned an iBook G3 clamshell (mmm,
tangerine-flavored), a never-say-die PowerBook G3 Pismo, and a
15" iMac G4. All four of these
Macs (including the Duo) are still running - a testament to their
toughness, as Austin has four younger siblings, all of whom are home
educated. Austin's latest Apple computer is an iPad Wi-Fi, which, along with an Apple Wireless
Keyboard, replaced the Pismo as his workhorse.
Austin enjoys Macintosh because it makes his job easier as the
family IT guy, and because he feels computing should be less about
taking care of the OS and more about actually using it as a productive
tool.
Austin is currently attending Des
Moines Area Community College, where he is a staff member of his
college paper, the Banner News. He writes a column, takes
pictures, and serves as the local Mac IT for his paper, which employs
fourteen Intel iMacs, a Mac Pro, and a Power Mac G5. The rest of the
campus is PC-oriented.
His favorite laptop Mac is the PowerBook G3 Pismo - its long battery
life and usability after ten years turned a few heads at his
predominantly PC college. His favorite Mac desktop is the iMac G4,
because he rarely has to help his family use it - they quickly figure
it out for themselves.
- Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu 12.04 on a 2005 ThinkPad, 2012.07.09.
Windows eats up more memory and has more consistent frame rates, while free Ubuntu is less memory hungry and easy to use.
- Keep Your PC Cool by Replacing Its Thermal Compound, 2012.06.15.
Over time, thermal paste dries out and becomes less effective. Replacing it keeps you computer cool, thus increasing its life.
- Swapless: Disabling Virtual Memory in Ubuntu, 2012.05.14.
A slow hard drive slows virtual memory, and virtual memory can reduce the life of flash memory, so you may want to turn it off.
- ThinkPad X41 Revived, 2012.05.09.
The ThinkPad X41 converts from a laptop to a tablet. More memory and Compact Flash gave this one a new lease on life.
- Brenthaven Prostyle Satchel Is Perfect for the iPad, 2012.03.13.
If you're looking for a case for your iPad and iPad accessories, look no further than the Brenthaven Prostyle Satchel.
- Show Some Love for Apple's Round USB Puck Mouse, 2011.09.09.
It wasn't the worst mouse ever, and some people really love it. The key is holding it correctly.
- Low-End Macs: The Perfect Computers for Kids, 2011.09.06.
Older Macs running the Classic Mac OS could be the best solution for introducing children to computing.
- Apple and the Accessibility Factor, 2011.08.22.
Although you might think otherwise, Macs and iPads go a long ways in helping blind and deaf users work and communicate.
- Already Addicted to OS X Lion, 2011.07.21.
After just a few hours use, iPad user Austin Leeds says there's a lot to love with OS X 10.7 Lion on his MacBook Pro.
- Resurrecting a Pismo PowerBook, Episode 1, 2011.07.07.
Bringing the 2000 PowerBook as far forward as it will go.
- Resurrecting a Clamshell iBook, Episode 5, 2011.06.27.
Using the right kind of flash memory and running OS X 10.4 Tiger on the original clamshell iBook.
- Resurrecting a Clamshell iBook, Episode 4, 2011.06.21.
Some benchmark results and real world experience running the iBook from Compact Flash.
- Resurrecting a Clamshell iBook, Episode 3, 2011.06.14.
With a new battery, the old Clamshell is better than evern - and getting 9 hours of battery life.
- Resurrecting a Clamshell iBook, Episode 2, 2011.06.03.
Replacing the original 6 GB hard drive with Compact Flash turns the iBook into a speed demon.
- Resurrecting a Performa 410, 2011.06.01.
Bringing an 18-year-old hand-me-down Mac back to life and getting it on the Internet.
- Resurrecting a Clamshell iBook, Episode 1, 2011.05.25.
After 12 years, the power adapter was shot and the battery was no longer taking a charge.
- TeamViewer for iPad and Mac Makes Remote Desktop Easy, 2011.05.12.
The latest version of TeamViewer makes it quick and easy to view and control a Mac or PC from your iPad.
- Planetary for iPad: A Whole New Way to Play Your Music, 2011.05.10.
Planetary uses a fresh new paradigm for accessing your iTunes library, one that you may find more intuitive and fun.
- With iOS 4.3, I Don't Need to Upgrade to an iPad 2 (Yet), 2011.03.15.
The iPad 2 is tempting, but iOS 4.3 has made the original iPad work so well that a new iPad can wait.
- The Other Side of the Road: Ubuntu Linux, 2011.01.25.
The old Pentium III PC was crashing and locking up under Windows Me, but Ubuntu gave it a new lease on life.
- I Love Ubuntu 10.10 on Older Macs, 2011.01.04.
For older, slower G3 Macs, Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat has it all over Mac OS X 10.4.
- The Gloves Are Coming Off: The New Platform War, 2010.10.21.
Microsoft won the PC Platform War but is now losing share. Apple has the lead in the Tablet Platform War, but can it hold it against Google?
- iPad on Campus: Semester One of the Tablet Era, 2010.09.28.
eTextbooks saves 50% on textbooks, iWork 1.2 is wonderful, and TeamViewer is a great remote access app.
- No Apple Blu-ray: It's a Good Thing, 2010.08.09.
The Windows world has already embraced Blu-ray, but Apple has good reasons not to adopt it for Macs.
- Jailbreaking the iPad, a Sleepy Power Mac G5, and Lego iPad Stands, 2010.08.05.
Web-based jailbreak bricks iPad, a Power Mac G5 that randomly goes to sleep, and two iPad stands made of Lego.
- On the Road with a Pismo and an iPad, Part 3, 2010.07.16.
The iPad continues to work reliably. Too bad it can't sync with the old Pismo PowerBook.
- On the Road with a Pismo and an iPad, Part 2, 2010.07.12.
The Pismo PowerBook, iPad, and MiFi remain useful, along with free WiFi - and one motel still using ethernet for Web access.
- On the Road with a Pismo and an iPad, 2010.07.08.
How useful are a Pismo PowerBook, Apple iPad, and Virgin Mobile MiFi on a family road trip? Well, coverage is spotty.
- PowerBook 180 Still Useful at Nearly 18 Years Old, 2010.07.06.
This late 1992 PowerBook has a great keyboard, crisp display, plenty of upgrade options, and sufficient power for writing.
- The Next iMac: Touchscreen, Tablet Style, 3D, or What?, 2010.06.28.
Apple is working on touchscreen desktops, 3D displays, and who knows what other technologies. What can we expect in the next iMac?
- 2 Months with the iPad: Mature, Powerful, and Very Useful, 2010.06.11.
Although the iPad can replace a notebook, it lets you do new things in new ways and new places where a laptop is a poor solution.
- Apple, AMD, and the Potential for New Mac Clones, 2010.06.04.
It's a revolutionary dream, but what if Apple were to adopt AMD for some models and selectively license OS X on some third-party hardware?
- 'Can I Try It?', 2010.05.25.
Back in 1991, PC users wanted to try out the PowerBook 100. 19 years later, Apple's iPad intrigues them.
- Apple Rights and Wrongs, 2010.05.18.
Does Apple have the right to control App Store content, limit OS X to its hardware, steal technology, and keep trade secrets?
- iPad's Greatest Threat May Come from Left Field, 2010.05.13.
Apple's iPad may find its greatest threat coming from the tablet being developed by the One Laptop Per Child program.
- Resurrecting Apple's PowerBook Duo, 2010.05.05.
Found at Goodwill, the 1992 PowerBook Duo 230 looked pretty nice, but at home, Austin Leeds discovered that the keyboard didn't work.
- The iPad Is Here to Stay, 2010.04.27.
Austin's iPad replaced his Pismo PowerBook a month ago, and he has no regrets from making the switch.
