Thursday, December 31, 2009
at
12:01 PM
Posted by
zxmacman
In a few hours we will usher in a brand new year. For Apple technology watchers, 2010 is shaping up to be a very interesting year indeed.
It now appears very likely that Apple will introduce its long-awaited tablet computer. Rumored names for the device range from iTablet (which I think is unlikely), to iPad (possible, but probably unlikely too), to iSlate, which I think sounds more like a name Steve Jobs would like.
Apple has fueled rumors by announcing a special event in late January. Many now speculate Apple will announce the device then and make it available later in the year. So do I.
Anyway, here's an interesting article by Business Week's Ben Kunz, titled "Five Ways Apple's Tablet May Change the World." Below is an excerpt:
"The timing makes sense. The iPhone is three years old, the U.S. economy is rebounding, and gadget demand is pent up among Americans who held off on toy upgrades during the recession. By spring we'll no doubt be past the holiday sales of the black-and-white e-readers that still look vaguely like medical prostate screening devices."
Apple fans tend to get nostalgic at the sight of any old Mac from the mid-80’s and early 90’s. But if you really want to go back in time, take a look at this eBay auction for an original motherboard from the Apple I - which was released all the way back in 1976 for the eery price of $666.66. The motherboard isn’t in working condition, but it does come with a host of other goodies including:
The original Apple invoice for the device, presumably signed by Steve Jobs
The original packaging and shipping box that came with the Apple 1. And how cool is this - the return address on the shipping box is Steve Jobs’ parents house
A letter signed by Steve Jobs explaining how to connect a keyboard and monitor to the machine
A “BASIC” cassette tape
The original manual, which as you’ll note, displays the first ever corporate Apple logo, starring Isaac Newton himself
An original glossy Apple advertisement
And how much will this piece of Apple history set you back? A cool $50,000 - and that’s just the starting bid. Fifty large is a huge sum of money to ask for, even for the most die-hard Apple fan or historian, and coupled with the fact that the first auction was inaccessible to buyers overseas, it’s not too surprising that there were no takers the first go around. But the seller recently re-listed the item for the same asking price, and the auction is now accepting bids from anywhere. So if you happen to have 50 gz lying around, get your checkbook ready because this auction is scheduled to end on November 22.
You can check out photos of the items up for auction after the break.
The original shipping box…
The original manual. Check out the logo.
An original invoice for the Apple I. Check out the $666.66 price tag!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
at
9:14 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
With the news of Steve Jobs returning to Apple - at least part time, Gizmodo has published an interesting piece called "The Life of Steve Jobs - So Far."
Check it out here. Direct link: http://gizmodo.com/5301470/the-life-of-steve-jobs-+-so-far/gallery/?skyline=true&s=i
Thursday, June 18, 2009
at
10:41 PM
Posted by
zxmacman
Here is a portion of one of a multitude of articles on the new iPhone 3GS. It looks like Apple has another hit on it's hands! This is from USA Today. Read the entire article here.
Upgrade makes great iPhone even better
Top Stories | Updated 8h 2m ago By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
In the nearly two years since the iPhone burst onto the scene, the competition for handheld computers has grown fierce.
Apple crushes all comers when it comes to third-party applications — the iPhone App Store has 50,000-plus applications and counting, all the more remarkable because it just opened in July. But though the iPhone broke ground with visual voice mail, smart sensors, multitouch display, true-to-life Web browser and more, it was a laggard in other respects. You couldn't record video, dial by voice (without a third-party app), send MMS messages, copy and paste text, or easily search across the device.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
at
7:09 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
Here's a good overview from Smoking Apples of what's out there to help keep your beloved Mac humming along! Check it out here. Direct link: http://smokingapples.com/software/reviews/7-tools-to-keep-your-mac-healthy/
About a year ago when Apple CEO Steve Jobs was asked how the company was planning to respond with a product to compete with the growing netbook category, his response was along the lines of, "Essentially, the iPhone is a netbook."
As an owner of an iPhone, I scoffed at the notion my cell phone cradled in my hand could be thought of as a netbook. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my iPhone. It is one of he most revolutionary computer devices I have ever owned. But it took me purchasing a netbook to convince me that Jobs might just have a point.
The Dell Mini 10 I purchased had a nice build and didn't seem to be cheap at all. It came loaded with Windows XP and Microsoft Works, which seemed adequate for light duty web surfing, word processing and such.
However, after a week of testing, installing software, configuring and re-configuring, I was pretty much a frustrated netbook user. XP is clunky at best, and I had constant problems with the small keyboard. I boxed it up and returned it to the store.
Now I think I understand what Jobs meant. If a netbook is designed to provide a user a highly mobile device that’s always accessible, he’s right on. What’s more, I found the small keyboard on the Dell Mini hard to used and made lots of typing errors on it. While the “virtual” keyboard on my iPhone has its challenges as well, I must admit it compares well with the cramped "physical" keyboard on the Mini.
And here’s an important point. My iPhone has something that most netbooks don’t possess…always on email and Internet access. That’s huge. In the end, returned to my 15-inch work-issued MacBook Pro and having mostly gotten the “netbook fever” out of my system.
When I need something highly portable for light word processing or to make a “to do” list or look up something on Google, I don’t have to packet anything additional. I just reach in my pocket for my iPhone. No netbook today has that feature.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
at
9:14 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
I am typing on arguably the one of the best Netbooks ever manufactured by Apple prior to the release of the MacBook Air. Yes, Apple once did manufacture a Netbook.
It runs Mac OS 10.5, has 1 gigabyte of ram and a 160 gigabyte hard drive. It is a 12-inch PowerBook G4 circa 2003. Read more about it here. Like
many Apple products, it was before its time and definitely before the Netbook idea of recent years.
It has a CD-DVD burner that current Netbooks don't have, but it lacks a dedicated webcam that many Netbooks have. For most Internet tasks its 867 MHz processor does just fine. However,
it chokes on streaming Internet media files. It plays DVDs and other media just fine, making it an excellent device for watching a movie in bed or on a plane.
Here is a photo comparing an PowerBook 12-inch, a Netbook and a 15-inch MacBook Pro:
Obviously, the footprint of the Netbook is much smaller compared to either machine. A big plus of the PowerBook 12-inch is a full-size keyboard which Netbooks do not have.
Overall, I am happy using the PowerBook as a Netbook, but I am exploring the possibility of purchasing a version of Dell's Mini 9 and installing the Mac OS.
Friday, March 13, 2009
at
11:48 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
Well, it looks like a "netbook" like product may well be on the way from Apple. However, I agree with most observers Apple's netbook will be radically different from the current fare of low cost -- and admittedly cheaply made -- netbooks.
The device I'm looking for from Apple will have a touch screen, and therefore a "virtual" keyboard like the iPhone, only larger. I suspect unlike the iPhone there will be an option for an external keyboard.We possibly could get a preview of the product then Apple holds its iPhone 3.0 software preview next week. Let's hope.
Here are what others are speculating about Apple's netbook:
Apple May Enlarge IPod Touch Screen to Broaden Appeal (Bloomberg) article link
Apple Netbook Will Fill Newspaper Void (Seeking Alpha) article link
Tricky choices face Apple engineers working on netbook/touch device (Baltimore Sun) article link
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
at
8:21 PM
Posted by
zxmacman
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, made this his first — and probably his last — foray into competitive ballroom dancing, doing a cha-cha to “You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet” with a wide showman’s grin and pink feathered boa, on the Dancing with the Stars TV show. Check it out below:
Thursday, February 26, 2009
at
7:35 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
Steve Wozinak discusses the health of Steve Jobs and how it impacts Apple on Bay Area News TV. It was announced yesterday that Jobs still expects to return from his medical leave at the end of June, according to an Apple director who responded to an investor at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
at
6:12 PM
Posted by
zxmacman
The Mac is still in many ways as revolutionary as it was went introduced in 1984. Here's a look back at the Mac from www.ReadWriteWeb.com. Also includes a video of Steve Jobs introducing the Macintosh.
Monday, January 12, 2009
at
7:48 PM
Posted by
zxmacman
What did the computer market look like when the Apple Macintosh was introduced in 1984. Here's a great look at the year that ushered in a revolution in computing by Low End Mac. Enjoy! Read article.
Monday, January 5, 2009
at
9:19 AM
Posted by
zxmacman
Chief Executive Steve Jobs revealed Monday that a hormone imbalance is at the root of weight loss that has prompted rumors about his health. Following is the full text of his statement:
Dear Apple Community,
For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.
Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.
I've decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.
As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.
Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause -- a hormone imbalance that has been "robbing" me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.
The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment. But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery.
I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continueto fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.
So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.
This is an insightful article into some of the internal workings at Apple. Here's a sample:
What's it like working inside Apple when the MacWorld announcements are made? The man who set up many of its email systems and worked there 17 years explains the inside story of the preparation, the unveiling – and why it's sometimes best to avoid Steve Jobs.
MacDoor started life as The Macintosh Observer column published in AppleJAC, the official newsletter of the Jefferson City/Columbia, Missouri, Macintosh User's Group. Later, it was renamed The Macintosh User and later, MacDoor. Tim Yarbrough of Atlanta is the writer and editor. He may be reached by email at zxmac8384@yahoo.com. While the column is no longer written regularly, this site contains archives of past articles and includes occasional posts and links to interesting Mac stuff.
As an owner of an iPhone, I scoffed at the notion my cell phone cradled in my hand could be thought of as a netbook. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my iPhone. It is one of he most revolutionary computer devices I have ever owned. But it took me purchasing a netbook to convince me that Jobs might just have a point.
