Pros and Cons of iPad Ownership and OS X Lion
From Alex:
Uh oh. I knew it was coming. Once you boarded the iPad bandwagon, I
had to jump on it too, and God found someone who was desperate for a
full blown (even if older) Intel Mac. So I gave them the old Early 2008 White MacBook
with some key software, and got an original
iPad (but like yours, it's a 16 GB WiFi only model), but since the
original you could get in any color you wanted "as long as it's black",
I wound up with a black one. It's handling iOS 4.3.3 remarkably well
(in regards to both speed and overheating, which I expected iOS 4.3.3
to be remarkably guilty of.
I find that an iPad was something I wanted (or should iSay iWanted
iT) every bit as much as you needed it. I hope to get quite a long time
out of it, but you and Apple's sudden insane drive for a Post-PC Era
(and supposedly post-Mac too) that, from what I've seen, belies three
years of "Get a Mac" advertisements lasting from the tail end of the
Tiger era all the way through the snout end of the Snow Leopard era
that, when combined with the iOS 1 to 3.1/3.2 Apple iDevice paradigm,
was the best combination of car and truck computing I have ever
seen.
Apple had me in the palm of their hand during the Leopard era and
would have had me for Tiger had processor, RAM, hard drive space,
optical drive, and build quality requirements been met. Then they
listened to rich and/or ignorant hotheads and lost me.
I want what I had in 2010, just with this 1G iPad integrated into
the mix. Not all this iCloud/Lion/iOS 5 car computing for the future
stuff. In 2010, the future was most bright. In 2011, the bottom seems
to be falling out.
Sincerely,
Alex Harris (the last major iPad holdout)
Hi Alex,
I wish I didn't agree with you as much as I do. Now a
month into iPad ownership, I'm no more optimistic about an iOS future
than I had been. It's a clever little device of limited usefulness
compared with a real computer like a Mac or (dare I say it?) even a
Windows 7 rig.
I have to say I'm apprehensive about the future, or
for that matter the imminent present what with Lion being download-only
- probably the tip of a very nasty iceberg.
Nor will Windows 8 be much of a foil against this
touchscreen, fullscreen onslaught by appearances. Will Linux survive as
a real personal computer OS?
Charles
I love the way an iPad 1 works, which Apple positioned as a
supplementary device instead of the computer replacement the iPad 2 is touted to be. 10.7 for my Intel Macs
is a no go, as it replaces the foreign language support dating back to
the first Macintosh
128K systems with the impossible for me to do right iOS
method, so if I upgrade, there goes the justification for my Intel Macs
even being here, and I have gotten far too used to having useful for
school Intel Macs that work just the way I need and want (except in
regards to the iTunes Store's annoying restrictions). So does the iPad,
when you don't put truck computing expectations on it. I would never
have an iPad if I hadn't gotten to the point I could trade a truck
computer that I wanted to replace anyway for one.
My Aunt Freddie got an iPad 1 in late summer 2010, one of the
Verizon MiFi bundled models, and at that point I had to go check one
out in the stores, and once I did I knew the iPad wouldn't replace a
MacBook Pro for the foreign language studies in college (nor would an
OS X 10.7 Lion 2011 13" MacBook Pro low-end model due to the
aforementioned 10.7 foreign language usability downgrade to be fair),
but for everything else my iPad 1 16 GB WiFi only giant iPod touch
model has surpassed my every expectation when used even remotely as
intended. I can only imagine what a dual-core iOS 5 iPad 2 could
do.
Of course, iOS 5 will probably require 10.7, so I may just not have
to worry about it.
Sincere kind wishes (and truck computing is still king for full
usability),
Alex
Hi Alex,
I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying your iPad. I'm
sure your realistic/low expectations help with that.
I expect there are many ramifications of the Rosetta
dump from Lion, like your foreign language support, that will be deal
breakers for many. I'm definitely going to keep a bootable Snow Leopard
partition on my HDD for the foreseeable future. The crunch will come
when it's time to upgrade hardware. Presumably anyone buying a new Mac
model that is released after the Lion release, probably including the
refreshed MacBook Airs, will be stuck with Lion and up only. That
thought is making a refurbished 13" MacBook Pro look enticing.
Charles
Thunderbolt Makes G4 Cube Resurrection Less Likely
than Ever
From Dan Bashur in response to
Looking Back at the Power
Mac G4 Cube Ten Years On:
Charles:
My late father and entrepreneur in graphic design and publication,
George Bashur, was also a proud Cube owner. After five years of
service, it was replaced with a 2006 Core Duo Mac mini.
Unfortunately, both machines are now sitting idle after failed logic
boards. Someday I plan on resurrecting both machines to become part of
an Apple/Mac Museum that has now spanned over thus decades thus far
(80s-00s).
The Cube
was certainly a piece of Apple history we will never forget. I, for
one, always envisioned the Cube coming back as something between a Mini
and a Mac Pro in this Intel era. I even had an article on this very
subject published in 2009, Re-imagining the Mac Cube for the
Intel Era.
Now, with the advent of Thunderbolt, such a machine is looking less
and less likely. Graphics upgrades, additional storage, and other
devices will be contained within external housings. This will give next
generation Mac mini owners even faster performance than the 6.0 GBps
performance of SATA, yet with expansion possibilities, and not the
processing power overkill (at least for the average user) of a Mac Pro.
- Dan Bashur
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the comments. I agree with you about the
portent of Thunderbolt on the future of desktop (and, to some degree,
laptop as well) Mac development.
Charles
EMF Protection
From Anu:
Hello,
I am very sensitive to EMF exposure and wonder if you have
suggestions for my home office - working in my office for very long I
do notice the effects of EMFs and want to reduce my exposure if
possible. Equipment I need and use is: a flat screen desktop Mac, also
a cordless landline phone, a printer, a portable heater - all in a
small room. Any suggestions for shields or other types of protection
for any of my equipment?
Thanks so much,
Anu
Hi Anu,
I'm only an interested and somewhat informed layman on
this topic, but my inference is that we're fighting a losing battle as
the computing and communications worlds go more and more wireless.
Since you need a desktop Mac, I'd suggest that as a
rule of thumb - the smaller the better, so a Mac mini would be the best
available choice. Use a hard wired USB mouse and keyboard.
Do you absolutely need a cordless landline phone? We
have one here in the house, but whenever possible I use a corded model.
The printer shouldn't be a problem, as it probably connects by USB and
can be turned off most of the time.
Not sure about the heater. Probably one of the
oil-filled radiator type units would have the lowest EMF profile.
Try to position your wireless router in a less
frequently occupied part of the house if that's possible.
The best way to vet this sort of issue out is to get a
gaussmeter to determine how much EMF you're being exposed to and test
workarounds. You can get one for as little as $24.95.
Charles
Hi Charles,
Thank you so much! The info you shared is all very helpful to me and
I'm going to get a gaussmeter - great website!
Sincerely,
Anu
Hi Anu,
Delighted that I was of some assistance.
Charles
Model Garage
From Tim:
Heavens Charles,
I thought I was reading from Gus and the Model Garage*, until you
mentioned those sliding door
Bedford vans.
There was a particularly vicious subspecies in London used by the
Evening Standard to deliver the papers. Crewed by east-Enders
they warranted giving a wide berth.
I am in mourning: Ay 10-yr old Alfa 147 - with only 35k on the clock
- self-immolated itself. For its age it was in excellent condition.
Anything else of that age had 80k, 120k, and the rest
. . . Helas.
I still check in to Low End Mac, but - like you have an Alu MacBook
- and iPad 2: very good deal here in London with three - £200 for
a 24m contract and then £15/m for 15GB/month. Pretty well all you
can eat.
I was worried a while back - Couldn't close the MacBook battery bay
easily. Found the battery was swollen; took it in to the Westfield
Apple Store; got a Genius appt. and, no quibble, even though it was
well out of warranty got a new battery. It had only done 197 charge
cycles. (You do know of Coconut Battery?)
Moral of story: Do not be led down the garden path of hooking MacBook
to LED Cinema Display and just leaving it on mains power.
Best wishes - Tim
* You have found the anthologies of stories on the Web?
Hi Tim,
I do fondly remember the Gus Wilson's Model Garage
short fiction stories in Popular Science, but I hadn't thought
about them for years until I got your email. I have now found the
anthologies. :-)
I doubt that Gus (or, more accurately, his author(s))
would have encountered any Bedford vans. I don't think any significant
number were imported to the US, although they were a modestly
successful seller here in Canada - popular for urban delivery because
of the sliding door feature.
Condolences on the Alfa tragedy.
Thanks for the tip about MacBook batteries and
external monitors, and I do use Coconut Battery. Your experience, and
relative ease of rectifying it, reinforces my dislike for non-swappable
batteries in laptops.
Charles
If Tablets Are Cars, Smartphones Are
Motorcycles
From Guilherme:
Hello Charles,
Thanks for your reply on my
previous email regarding Xcode 4. In fact, I've read lately that
the reason Apple is charging for Xcode 4 is the same reason behind
the previous charge to unlock 802.11n on certain devices, only to have
the update shipped for free with a new AirPort Base, apparently
something related to the accounting practices, which I'm completely
ignorant about. So it's likely that Xcode will be shipped free with
Lion, however, I highly doubt it'll be able to compile PowerPC binaries
or even Intel binaries supporting anything older than 10.5. One more
nail on the PPC coffin.
Regarding your excellent Of Cars and
Trucks, iPads and Macs article, while not everybody needs a truck,
everybody has been in a situation when a truck is needed. To be honest,
I had the opportunity to try an iPad at a department store lately, and
I still haven't found enough reason to purchase one, given the fact
that most of my mobile computing needs are nicely served by an Android
smartphone, and the remaining ones wouldn't be served by an iPad
either. So I guess if computers are trucks and tablets are cars, a
smartphone might be a motorcycle as well.
To finish it off, since I've upgraded my Mid 2010 13" MacBook
Pro to 10.6.8, it doesn't go to sleep anymore when I close the lid
and also when I choose Sleep via the keyboard shortcut or after
pressing the power button, it stays unresponsive for about a minute
before the screen turns off and the case LED starts pulsating. I wonder
if any other fellow LEM readers are facing the same problems; I've
never had any issues after updating Mac OS or firmware in any of my
Macs, and I've always updated via Software Update, except when I
formatted a Pismo and
downloaded the 10.4.10 Combo Update on my Mac mini to save time.
Guilherme
Hi Guilherme,
I like your smartphones/motorcycles analogy. Makes
logical sense.
I'm enjoying my iPad more, especially since I've
discovered how well the
Dragon Dictation app works. However, now in my fourth week of iPad
ownership, I still don't perceive it as a gotta-have-it device in the
way that laptops are for me. I doubt that it ever will be.
As for OS X 10.6.8, it's turning out to be so buggy in
a whole spectrum of ways that some experts are recommending sticking
with 10.6.7 until just before it's time to upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion. I'm still running
10.6.7, and at this point have no intention of upgrading to 10.6.8
until there is an intractable compatibility issue.
I do hope (unfortunately it's not a terribly lively
hope) that Apple will issue another Snow Leopard bugfix update to stand
as the definitive version going forward for those of us disinclined or
unable to upgrade to Lion.
Charles
Mac OS Performance Historically
From Simon Royal:
Charles,
I was there for the transition from classic Mac to Mac OS X, and
early versions of OS X were terrible. OS X 10.3 was faster than
10.2, and 10.2 was faster
than 10.1
Tiger (10.4) was a massive
break through for OS X. It was a massive improvement over 10.3 in terms
of features, stability, and speed. It was even faster than 10.3 on
machines that didn't officially support 10.4. I ran it on two Lombard PowerBook G3s - a 333 MHz
and 400 MHz - and they ran Tiger better than Panther.
Leopard (10.5), however,
wasn't faster. I benched it on a number of machines at 4% slower than
Tiger on the same machines, but the extra features such as QuickLook
made up for this. (see Is Tiger or Leopard
Better for Sub-867 MHz G4 Macs?)
I haven't much experience with Snow Leopard, but being Intel only
and supposedly streamlined. I can't see Lion and its new features being
much of a memory hog, after all it will require a Core 2 Duo
anyway.
Simon
500 MHz Titanium PowerBook
G4 running Mac OS X 10.5.8, 10.4.11 & Mac OS 9.2.2. -
iPhone 3G running 4.2.1
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the insights. You have lots of company in
your experience of Tiger being faster than Panther.
I love Tiger, but personally I don't recall being
blown away by a dramatic speed boost when I moved up from Panther,
although there were plenty of things that did impress me.
Leopard works well on my wife's 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4.
Charles
Sounds of Silence with OS X 10.5.8 Leopard
From Bill:
Greetings Charles,
I've been perplexed by a vexing problem with intermittent sound on
my 1 GHz PPC TiBook
under 10.5.8 and been trying to get to the bottom of it for nearly six
months to no avail.
Hoping fervently that you and/or the readership can supply the magic
bullet which Internet searches and laborious testing have failed to
produce.
Sound cuts in and out at apparently random intervals and has kept me
from upgrading my (83-year-old) father's identical machine from
10.4.11
My findings thus far:
1. Internet search does get (older) hits; typical "remedies"
recommend e.g.:
- resetting PRAM
- correcting permissions
- sticking a toothpick into the headphone jack (!)
- reinstalling QuickTime
- deleting "AppleDallasDriver.kext"
Some of these "solutions" provide transient relief; none are
permanent [and note: the sound issue is not present under 10.4, 10.3,
or 9.2.2, each of which exist on separate partitions of both our
TiBooks.],
2. Empirically, I have observed the following (chronologically over
a month or more):
- Turning off "Folder Actions" seemed to alleviate frequency
of occurrence
- "com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist" gets altered at shutdown
time (not upon "Restart"), which predisposes the machine to dropped
audio at next start [this after flawless performance, sometimes for
days on end)
- Navigating to certain Internet content (e.g. YouTube) fairly
reliably can then resurrect sound; occasionally navigating to a "bad"
site will cause it to fail again.
Suggesting that my Dad navigate to some such "restorative" site (as
I now do) is just a bit too obtuse. He really needs to be on 10.5 to
stay in the game on this architecture. This is the first major CPU
issue I have been unable to resolve and I can't believe it isn't
documented somewhere.
Lest I come across as a Luddite: We also own a MacBook Air under
10.6 (and SheepShaver is
providing quite good classic access on both PPC and Intel).
Soundless I remain.
Grateful for your time and consideration & hopeful of ultimate
resolution!
Bill
Hi Bill,
I wish I had some light to shed, but I haven't
experienced this issue on our old 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 running
OS X 10.5.8, although occasionally the volume control slider will
turn itself down to full mute. I don't think that used to happen when
that machine was running OS X 10.4 Tiger, but I can't say for
sure.
Charles
Upgrading My Power Mac G3 to G4
From Levi:
Hello,
I was wondering if you could help me out a little. I've got a
Blue & White Power Mac
G3 that is nearly a bare bones machine. I was looking around on
eBay for a processor upgrade when I
noticed the logicboard out of what I believe to be a Sawtooth G4. I was wondering
if it was possible to put a Sawtooth logicboard in the G3's case to
replace the original board? This would be a great upgrade, in my
opinion, as it would give me a whole range of new opportunities that a
Rev. 1 G3 can't satisfy.
Hi Levi,
Unfortunately, it's
reported that this is not a viable swap.
Charles
Webcam, Pismo & Skype Still a No Go
From Jerry:
Last February I asked you
about information for using a Pismo, webcam, and Skype for a
sister-in-law. I'm reporting on the progress (or lack of) in the
case.
The iCubie,
even with a USB 2.0 port, doesn't seem to work with Skype, though the
Mac recognized it (Skype did not however).
Nor iSight (requires a G4), nor Macally's
IceCam (a USB 1.0 webcam). I suppose there may be some new webcams
that work, but not the above three!
The good news is Skype 2.6 seems to run okay, just no video
possible. It makes me wonder if there are any free phone
Internet applications one can use overseas in any case!
I'm still investigating what will work....
Jerry
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for the report.
I'm wondering if the Pismo puts enough power through a
USB 2 adapter for the liking of some peripherals. Have you tried the
USB 1.0 IceCam directly in a USB 1 port?
Charles
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