Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. iPad, iPod,
iPhone, and Apple TV news is covered in The
iNews Review.
News & Opinion
Apple Updates
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
Apple Delays iMac Shipments Ahead of Next Week's
Refresh
9 to 5 Mac's Mark Gurman reports that all signs point to an iMac
refresh sometime next week.
Link: Apple Delays iMac Orders Ahead
of Next Week's Refresh with Thunderbolt I/O and Sandy Bridge
Processors
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Safari 5
(and Probably More)
Apple Just updated its Mac 101 tutorial on Safari 5 for Mac OS X
10.5 and 10.6.
This lengthy, thorough, detailed, illustrated guide will help you
learn the finer points of using Safari 5, as well as ways to
personalize your browsing experience.
Link: Mac 101: Using
Safari 5
Can My Mac Run OS X Lion?
Fairer Platform's Ron Carlson says:
"Is time to upgrade? When Apple's next-generation desktop operating
system arrives this Summer, OS X Lion will leave some Intel-based
Macs behind. Further . . . because the Rosetta PowerPC
emulation layer, which translates G3, G4 and AltiVec instructions, is
also going away, you won't be able to use legacy versions of many apps,
such as Photoshop CS 4 and Microsoft Office 2004, a double whammy."
Carlson has helpfully posted a list of OS X Lion compatible Macs
ordered by date of introduction and model identifier number:
- Mac mini (Mid 2007, Macmini2,1) and newer
- iMac (Late 2006, iMac5,2) and newer
- Mac Pro (all models)
- MacBook (Late 2006, MacBook2,1) and newer
- MacBook Air (all models)
- 13" MacBook Pro (all models)
- 15" MacBook Pro (October 2006, MacBookPro2,2) and newer
- 17" MacBook Pro (October 2006, MacBookPro2,1) and newer
- No Intel Core Solo, Core Duo, or PowerPC Macs are compatible
Carlson cites a Wikipedia entry saying that any Core 2 Duo Mac is
Lion compatible. However, if you try to install Lion on a Core Solo or
Core Duo Mac, it won't let you perform the installation. He notes
that's just an arbitrary roadblock that's probably easy to get around.
About that; even though they will be officially supported, the earliest
Core 2 Duo models listed above - especially Apple's consumer-grade,
low-performance Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Air - likely won't
perform well with Lion. And, as always, whatever you've got, more RAM
and a better graphic card are going to make Lion run more smoothly.
Link: Can My
Mac Run OS X Lion?
New in OS X Lion: Preview Enhanced with Digital
Signatures and Word Viewing
Fairer Platform's Ron Carlson says:
"If you open a PDF in Preview 5.5, the version that ships with OS X
Lion (Build 11A430e), one of the first things you'll notice is that the
Annotation tools are a permanent fixture of the toolbar. Therein,
there's now a Signature tool that allows the user to capture (via the
integrated iSight webcam) their John Hancock, as well as store/manage
signatures.
"And . . . it's easy to add a signature to a PDF document - pretty
sweet . . . [plus] a surprising new feature in Preview 5.5 is the
ability to view Microsoft Word and Excel documents. You will still need
iWork, Office or an open-source suite, such as NeoOffice, to actually
edit Word and Excel docs."
Link: New in OS
X Lion: Preview
Gone in Lion: Rosetta and Pre-Core 2 Duo
Support
Fairer Platform notes that they've expended a fair number of bits
talking about what's new in Apple's upcoming Mac operating system
rewrite. However, a number of features not only won't be updated but
are being dropped entirely, including support for Core Solo and Core
Duo Intel Macs, Apple's PowerPC software compatibility layer Rosetta
(rendering older production software like Office 2004 and older
Photoshop installations inoperable), and Adobe Flash and the Java
Runtime Environment (JRE) as default installs, although the latter two
will still be user-installable. Not so with Front Row, Apple's
not-so-long-ago marquee media center software for the Mac feature.
Link: Gone in OS X Lion: Rosetta,
Java Runtime, Flash, Samba, Front Row
Apple Updates
Hard Drive Firmware Update for Mid 2010 iMacs
Apple iMac Hard Drive Firmware Update 1.0 fixes a hard drive issue
that may prevent some iMac (21.5" and 27-inch, Mid 2010) systems from
booting properly.
System requirements:
- Intel, Mac OS X 10.6.7 or later
- iMac (21.5" and 27-inch, Mid 2010)
Link: iMac Hard Drive
Firmware Update 1.0
Products & Services
Kingston Launches HyperX High Performance Memory
with Sandy Bridge Ready Frequencies
PR: Kingston Technology Company, Inc. has announced the new
HyperX Plug and Play (PnP) series of high-performance enthusiast
memory. HyperX PnP are the first modules to scale the higher memory
heights that are a part of the second generation Intel Core i5 and i7
CPUs. The memory is programmed with faster frequencies and when plugged
into a system using the Sandy Bridge chipset, will automatically play
at either 1600 MHz or 1866 MHz in both desktop and notebook PCs.
The modules are programmed
using JEDEC-compliant settings, allowing 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz
frequency support. It is as simple as plugging in the memory and
turning on the machine, as the system automatically recognizes faster
memory speed with no further BIOS settings required. Users will notice
performance gains as overclocking is automatic with the HyperX Plug and
Play modules. In addition, the modules are backwards compatible with
previously released DDR3 systems on the market.
"The HyperX engineering team has been thoroughly innovative in
designing a memory module that automatically raises performance with no
overclocking steps required," says Mark Tekunoff, senior technology
manager, Kingston. "By using JEDEC-compliant settings to create
performance timings, enthusiasts can max out native frequencies on
current Sandy Bridge systems and older DDR3 machines."
HyperX Plug and Play is available through Kingston's channel of
authorized distributors, resellers, e-tailers, and retailers. Kingston
HyperX memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free 24/7 technical
support.
Link: HyperX
GainSaver Announces Business Class Sale on Used
Power Macs
PR: GainSaver, a California-based online reseller of used
Macintosh computers, has announced a special promotion on significant
numbers of preowned Power Mac desktop computers they have in stock
ready for immediate delivery.
Right now, for small and medium businesses needing to upgrade their
equipment while remaining within tight budgets. GainSaver offers a
solution in its Business Class pricing on all Power Mac computers in
stock. GainSaver has a wide selection of Power Mac models available in
a range of processor speeds, with both single and dual processors.
"Small businesses have not been able to afford equipment purchases
for a long time. GainSaver Business Class pricing makes high
performance Macintosh affordable for video production studios, design
houses, independent artists, web designers and others," says Steve
Harper, director of sales at GainSaver. "Students are taking advantage
of the lowest prices GainSaver has ever had on these systems."
While they last, GainSaver currently has these Power Mac models at
Business Class Pricing:
- Power Mac G4 800 MHz (M8705LL/A) Sale Price: $143.10
- Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8 GHz (M9454LL/A) Sale Price: $205.10
- Power Mac G5 Dual 2.0 GHz (M9455LL/A) Sale Price: $277.10
- Power Mac G5 1.6 GHz (M9020LL/A) Sale Price: $287.10
- Power Mac G5 1.8 GHz (M9031LL/A) Sale Price: $296.10
- Power Mac G5 Dual 2.3 GHz (M9748LL/A) Sale Price: $322.10
- Power Mac G5 Dual 2.5 GHz (M9457LL/A) Sale Price: $349.10
- Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7 GHz (M9749LL/A) Sale Price: $380.10
- Power Mac G5 Quad 2.5 GHz (M9592LL/A) Sale Price: $719.10
At the time of purchase, shoppers at the GainSaver website can
customize their Power Mac systems to their own requirements. Integrated
into the company's online shopping cart, the Configurator lets shoppers
select just the components they need from a range of hard drives,
optical drives, software programs and memory options. All components
are installed and tested before shipping at no extra charge.
The Certified Pre-Owned Macintosh computers sold by GainSaver have
been fully tested and certified by the company's trained Apple
technicians. Every major component is verified to be in 100% working
order before shipment. Certified Pre-Owned Macs from GainSaver come
ready to boot up and use with Apple OS X and Apple iLife installed.
For best selection, GainSaver is recommending that customers order
early while selection is greatest. Business Class pricing will continue
on all Power Mac models while supplies last.
Link: GainSaver
Software
TenFourFox 4.0.1 PowerPC Browser
PR: Version 4.0.1 of TenFourFox - FloodGap's PowerPC port of
Firefox 4 for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard - has been released.
(Mozilla.org dropped official support for OS X 10.5 after Firefox
3.6 and for PowerPC with the fourth beta of Firefox 4.)
TenFourFox uses almost all the same code as Firefox 4 and has nearly
all the same features, including faster JavaScript, WebM video, and
HTML 5 and CSS 3 support, as well as new and emerging Web features, but
with the code needed to keep your PowerPC Mac functional and fast.
Version 4.0.1 is a performance, security, and stability update
incorporating Mozilla's Firefox 4.0.1 plus AltiVec acceleration for
WebM and browser graphics, and G5 JavaScript acceleration.
TenFourFox comes in separate versions optimized for G3, G4, and G5
Macs and has been highly rated by Low End Mac's staff, especially those
on older, slower G4 machines - see TenFourFox: The Best Browser for PowerPC
Macs Running Tiger? and Leopard at 500 MHz: Good
Enough Most of the Time.
Link: TenFourFox
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
