Low End Mac Editorial Archive

June 2009

Checking out Safari 4 on an old PowerBook, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 06.30. Safari 4 is the fastest it's ever been, but it's not without some frustrating drawbacks.
Optimized software builds bring out the best in your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac's Online Tech Journal, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
Is Steve Jobs' health essential to Apple's future?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.30. Steve Jobs' health is an important thing, but Apple has demonstrated that it can be profitable without him.
Intel's promise fulfilled: More processing power per processor cycle, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
Things you must know to when connecting a USB hard drive to AirPort Extreme, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 06.29. There are several steps you must take to make sure the drive is properly formatted, visible on the network, and available for backup with Time Machine.
Bravo to Apple for pulling the plug on porn, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.29. Last week the developers of 'Hottest Girls' moved from lingerie and bikinis to topless images, so Apple pulled the plug.
Low-end mac & cheese, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.26. Windows PCs are like macaroni and cheese you buy from the store. Macs are like homemade macaroni and cheese.
1 million iPhone 3GS sold, iPhone 3.0 feature compendium, iPhone 3GS teardowns, and more, iNews Review, 06.26. Also iPhone 3.0 excels with WiFi, iPhone 3G vs. 3GS value, 'The Love Dare' app, wireless charging, iPhone vs. BlackBerry and Nokia, and more.
'Slow' SATA in new MacBook Pros fixed, MacBook Pro display issues, Macs hold their value, and more, The 'Book Review, 06.26. Also Apple acknowledges some MacBooks lack 'ignore trackpad' option, business card USB flash drive fits wallet, gigabit Powerline, bargain 'Books from $179 to $2,150, and more.
OS X 10.5.7 causing freezes?, half of IT professionals consider dumping Windows, and more, Mac News Review, 06.26. Also when to fix permissions and clean caches, Intel's new chip branding structure, USB market to take off with USB 3, and more.
More blackout workaround strategies, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 06.25. With climate change, power outages are more common than ever. Two tools to keep you powered when the lights go out.
Importance of FireWire, replacement battery advice, RAM for WallStreet PowerBooks, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.24. Also what is IrDA good for? And reflections on Kodachrome, digital photography, and medium format cameras.
An affectionate farewell to Kodachrome, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.23. After 74 years on the market, Kodak has discontinued its most famous brand of transparency film.
Avoiding dead and stuck pixels on your LCD screen, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 06.22. While CRT monitors would sometimes develop burn-in, LCD monitors may ship with or develop bad pixels.
Smultron: A fast, free text editor that's great for organizing information, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.22. NotePad Deluxe didn't fully survive the switch to an Intel Mac, and Smultron became the replacement of choice.
iPhone 3G S info, multicore ARM chips coming for iPhone, MLB At-Bat adds live streaming, and more, iNews Review, 06.19. Also no more greasy iPhone screens, tether your iPhone, TweetDeck for iPhone, clever grocery list app, and more.
Snow Leopard Up-to-Date, 13 Mac browsers, run Windows 7 on your Intel Mac for free, and more, Mac News Review, 06.19. Also Mac sales steady in May, Apple vs. low-bandwidth users, Opera Unite turns browser into a personal server, and more.
'Missing' MacBook Pro ports, FireWire back but ExpressCard gone, say no to glossy displays, and more, The 'Book Review, 06.19. Also slower SATA in new 13" and 15" MacBook Pro, 5 things still missing from MacBook Pro, WD SiliconDrive III SSDs, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,199, and more.
Lombard PowerBook: Almost a Pismo for less, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 06.18. Although Pismo has the huge following, Lombard provides comparable performance of often sells for quite a bit less.
Multicore strategy: Microsoft vs. Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.18. Microsoft puts the focus on tweaking multicore support in the operating system, while Apple is going out of its way to make multicore support available to programmers.
Palm Pre: Chronicle of a death foretold, part 2, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 06.18. The Pre has had launch problems, production problems, and needs to carve a niche against established competitors. Don't hold your breath.
Google making Gmail more secure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.17. Gmail is free, fast, spacious, and already offers a secure access option, and now Google is preparing to test secure email by default.
Broadband growth, phantom traffic jams, and psychohistory, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.17. Mathematics has always fascinated me, and I love deconstructing research to try to determine what's really going on.
You might be a computer geek if..., John Hatchett, The Lite Side, 06.17. 20 signs that you just might possibly be a computer geek.
Death of a Pismo, end of G4 upgrades, 13" MacBook Pro assessment, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.17. Also ATA100 drives working reliably in Pismos and Eudora 6.2.4 functioning perfectly with Leopard and broadband.
Fresh Air: Why a MacBook Air is my newest notebook, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 06.16. In the end, the light weight and close-out pricing made the MacBook Air the right complement to my ThinkPad T400.
More power to go: Snow Leopard, Safari 4, the iPhone, and the Internet, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 06.16. Last week's WWDC points to a future that is smaller and leaves behind Apple's legacy PowerPC hardware.
Low-end MacBook Pros: SD Card and FireWire in, ExpressCard out, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 06.16. The new 13" and 15" MacBook Pro have FireWire 800 and SD Card slots, but ExpressCard is gone, left for the 17" MacBook Pro.
13" MacBook Pro a practically perfect replacement for the 12" PowerBook, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 06.15. Except for being an inch wider, the 13" MacBook Pro surpasses the 12" PowerBook G4 in every respect.
4 years later: Looking back at Apple's switch to Intel, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.15. "Apple survived with its unique hardware platform for over 20 years, but it since transitioning to Intel it has reached a broader market than ever before."
Low End Mac's Safe Sleep FAQ, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 06.15. What is Safe Sleep mode? Which Macs support it? How can you enable or disable it? And more.
The 'Safe Sleep' mailbag, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.15. Safe Sleep mode is enabled by default on modern MacBooks. How it works, and how to change how it works.
Fire sale on end of life 'Books, pros of SD Card support, 13" MacBook Pro an editor's choice, and more, The 'Book Review, 06.12. Also 13" MacBook Pro teardown, ExpressCard missing from new 15" MacBook Pro, Virgin Mobile intros 3G broadband service, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,199, and more.
iPhone 3G S and Palm Pre teardowns, AutoStitch panoramas on iPhone, Big Ben app, and more, iNews Review, 06.12. Also the 3 MP camera in the new iPhone, backup to iPhone or iTouch, streaming radio app, bezel scratch remover, 80s-inspired cases, and more.
OS X user base triples, 'Snow Leopard' divorces PowerPC, MailForge 1.0 released, and more, Mac News Review, 06.12. Also reassessing the 'Apple tax', pro-Mac T-shirts, modular USB 2.0 Mac keyboard with Cherry keyswitches, and more.
The May 2009 MacBook value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.11. The 2.13 GHz MacBook White is worth the difference in price vs. the close-out 2.0 GHz model, but the best value is in used MacBooks.
The June 2009 13" MacBook Pro value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.11. The new 13" MacBook Pro has a lot to offer over the discontinued Unibody MacBook, but where's the best value?
The June 2009 15" MacBook Pro value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.11. With an entry-level 15" MacBook Pro selling for $1,699, the midrange MacBook Pro line seems poised to take off.
The June 2009 17" MacBook Pro value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.11. The new model is a bit faster, but are older models better values?
The June 2009 MacBook Air value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.11. The updated MacBook Air is faster and less expensive, but close-outs and refurbs are priced competitively.
Eudora 8 beta 6 ready for everyday use, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 06.11. The Eudora-ized version of Thunderbird finally has the features, familiarity, and reliability users of Classic Eudora expect.
Tips for installing or reinstalling Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger', Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 06.10. Mac OS X 10.4 uses less memory than Leopard, supports Classic Mode on PowerPC Macs, and, unlike Leopard, is supported on G3 Macs.
Apple comes through, resolving overheating iMac problem, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 06.10. After frustration with the local Apple Store, customer service came through by authorizing a repair - and then a replacement when the problem persisted.
Apple updates MacBook Pro line, 2.16 GHz MacBook White benchmarks, lower Modbook pricing, and more, The 'Book Review, 06.10. Also Apple extends coverage for GeForce 8600M GT defect, requiem for a BlackBook, SMP Firmware Update 1.3, Dell axes Inspiron Mini 9, and more.
Snow Leopard announced, most intriguing Macs, Safari 4 released, Opera 10 beta, and more, Mac News Review, 06.10. Also how to reformat an external hard drive, AirPort Utility 5.4.2, new troubleshooting ebooks from TidBITS, and more.
iPhone 3G S, iPhone OS 3, DSLR Remote, ZoomSafer takes on distracted driving, and more, iNews Review, 06.10. Also using the iPhone for work, New Yorker covers boosts Brushes sales, Palm Pre review, Archie Comics from app store, and more.