mac

How does Apple's Macworld decision affect the faithful?

Apple's decision to make January's Macworld its last offers fodder for endless speculation. But another big question is how this will go down with the Mac faithful who have flocked to this annual event through good times and bad.

To be sure, there will be official Apple events in the future, like the Worldwide Developers Conference. But most fans--the civilians--likely won't be able to gain access to such events, which are usually reserved for press, analysts, VIPs, and developers.

So, as one colleague of mine put it, Macworld has long been the public carnival for Mac fans, … Read more

Samsung's svelte 14-inch X460 laptop

We recently reviewed the first handful of systems to come out of Samsung's new American arm, and one of the more interesting ones was the thin and stylish X460, a 14-inch laptop that clearly apes the MacBook Air vibe (a 13-inch version is also available). Unfortunately, even with the cool design, it's too expensive for what you get, and comparable (if boxier) 14-inch systems are as much as $600 less.

If you need the thinnest 14-inch possible, or just love the look, the Samsung X460 is an impressive piece of hardware, but others will find better value elsewhere. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 873: Drunk sexy lunch

Listen all the way to the end of the show in order to understand what this title is all about. Wow, it's been quite the week here at BOL. But in actual news, the latest IE zero-day exploit just keeps getting worse (use another browser, people), the iPhone 3G has been unlocked, and Twitter is making millions...for other companies. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 873

Major security alert for Microsoft Internet Explorer http://www.obsessable.com/news/2008/12/16/major-security-alert-for-microsoft-internet-explorer/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/16/AR2008121601022.html http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/16/1319217… Read more

Analyst predicts Apple will unveil Netbook

Macworld Rumor Week is now in full swing.

Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research anted up Tuesday with a research note predicting, but not reporting, that Apple will announce a low-cost "Netbook" style Mac in January at Macworld. He told Computerworld, "I don't have any inside information" but nonetheless believes that Apple will release a small low-cost laptop to get in on the Netbook craze and satisfy those calling for a cheaper Mac.

The Apple-doing-a-Netbook rumor has been around for several months, despite Apple's attempts to push it back down. As recently as October, … Read more

Survey: 68% of businesses to allow Macs as work systems

After years of snubbing enterprise IT buyers, Apple has recently started to market directly to that crowd in The Wall Street Journal.

But it's not Apple's marketing that is paying dividends with enterprise buyers, suggests Laura DiDio, an analyst at Information Technology Intelligence Corp., commenting on a survey ITIC recently published of 700 companies. According to CIO, 68 percent of the companies polled "said they will allow their end users to deploy Macs as their work systems in the next 12 months," twice the percentage eight months ago:

"And Apple hasn't done anything to … Read more

Why the Mac Mini is the best Mac on the market

Some may disagree with my sentiment that the Mac Mini is the best Apple computer on the market, but as an owner of practically every Mac known to man, I think I can say, without any reservation, that the MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro don't hold a candle to the small, yet versatile Mac Mini.

And that's exactly why I was extremely pleased to read the rumor that Apple may be updating the Mac Mini at Macworld next month.

Apple has not confirmed that rumor, and all reports are pure speculation, based on circumstantial evidence. But who cares? If Apple decides to keep the Mac Mini, it makes perfect sense for the company to update it at Macworld, since it hasn't seen a refresh in quite some time. And with the economy the way it is, I think Apple wants to make its cheapest Mac an even more attractive computer for those who are on a budget.

Besides pricing, the Mac Mini offers the best value of any Mac on the market. Say what you will about the power of the Mac Pro or the versatility of the MacBook, but I simply don't think any other Mac compares to the Mac Mini for the average consumer, who doesn't care about video editing but wants an extremely versatile machine that can double as a set-top box, media server, or a casual companion in the living room.… Read more

Report: Mac sales hit a slowdown

Apple has been something of a golden child among makers of computers and consumer electronics. But now it, too, is showing at least a hint that the good times can't last forever.

In November, says market researcher NPD Group, sales of the company's Mac products slipped 1 percent from the same month a year ago, even as industrywide PC sales were up 2 percent, according to a report in the online edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Apple has been the pacesetter amid overall PC sales for some time. And it does continue to hold those honors, at … Read more

Rumor has Apple updating Mac Mini

Apple will announce a long-overdue upgrade to its Mac Mini during the Macworld Expo next month, according to a Wired.com report.

The report was attributed to an alleged corporate employee at Apple who wished to remain anonymous--"to keep his job," Wired noted. While he was apparently comfortable disclosing that a new desktop would be announced in January, he balked at disclosing any other details.

Rumors have been circulating for more than a year that Apple was getting ready to kill the little cube, and Gizmodo speculated that the end was near when it reported in October … Read more

'MacHeads' film to debut at MacWorld

For the faithful planning to attend MacWorld 2009 next month in San Francisco, there's one more reason, beyond the usual iPhone, Mac and iPod news, to get excited.

That's because the producers of the Mac and Apple culture documentary, MacHeads, say they are going to debut the film at the show.

The film, which takes an in-depth look at the evolution of the so-called "cult of Mac," is scheduled to premiere on January 7, 2009, at Moscone Center's North Hall.

The producers noted that showing MacHeads for the first time at MacWorld is an appropriate … Read more

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.6

MobileMe syncing improvements and security fixes headline the list of changes unveiled with the release of Apple's Mac OS X 10.5.6 update Monday.

The file should be appearing in the Software Update window at any moment now, depending on how often you've set Software Update to check for new software. The sixth update to Leopard, originally released in October 2007, comes with the usual range of tweaks, bug fixes, and security improvements.

One update of note concerns MobileMe, which is now capable of pushing updates made to calendars or contact information from the Web or an … Read more