Wednesday, October 31, 2007

[OSX News] INSTALLING LEOPARD IN YOUR TREE..ERR MAC

I’ll start off by saying that while we’re still in the process of testing odd configurations, none of this is really set in stone…

We know many folks out there have already installed the newest OS, but for those of you who are still waiting, and unsure if you can, we’ve got some information for you. After checking out many of our different systems, we did find something that was a bit odd. For those folks who’ve got their systems set up a specific way, yet meet the system requirements, Leopard will refuse to install.

So, we’ve found two of these configurations…at two processor speeds that are common out there. If you’re running 1.8 GHz with a bus speed of 100MHz or 1.4 GHz with a bus speed of 133MHz…your Apple profiler can show you what the problem is. If you haven’t, open it up. You’ll see that these two configurations cause an issue with the profiler, because it will list your clock speed at ZERO. Leopard will see this and think to itself, “Wow…not only is this computer not new, it’s apparently missing a pulse!” and then refuse to install on it.

Now this issue has only appeared on the Giga Designs CPUs that we have here, but can easily be corrected by manipulating the dipswitches on the card to change your bus speed. We’re not going to list instructions on how to do that here, but will ask you to reference your owner’s manual for the CPU upgrade and see how the configurations can be inputted. Once Leopard is installed, you can easily change the setup back to what it was prior to the install with no visible effect on Leopard (that we’ve seen).

Also, for those of you using the Giga Meter application that helps to fix this issue for you on your system…there’s an issue you need to be aware of as well. Giga Meter is an extension…so when you boot up the Leopard disc, it’s not going to be active on your system…and therefore won’t be correcting the issue that causes the Apple profiler to misread what your clock speed is.

So, based on this, it seems that Leopard is reading the clock speed as it’s judge of if it can install on a system, not the hardware specifically…and it only checks during the installation. After installing it on these systems we were able to pull the processors from them, and reinstall their older ones (a 450MHz and a 533MHz machine). Yes, Leopard is VERY slow on them, but it can be installed on them with a bit of work.

Lastly, we heard from a Japanese customer of ours the other day who told us that he managed to install Leopard on a machine under 867MHz by utilizing Target Disc Mode. To do this, you’d need a machine that meets the requirements and can then recognize the under 876MHz machine as an optical HD. I also found this note over on Cubeowner.com about it.

And I’ll say again…while we’re still in the process of testing odd configurations, none of this is really set in stone…but it is interesting, yes?


-Mike Leader
----------------
Listening to: Alan Parsons Project - Eye In The Sky
via FoxyTunes

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

[OSX news] LEOPARD'S SUCCESSFUL LEAP

A lot of folks don't understand that I live in two worlds. At work I use Macs exclusively...and have at different jobs for years. At home I have my gaming PC...even my old laptop is a Thinkpad (looking to be replaced as soon as I can save the money). I however am a big fan of the Apple OS. I know that in my work environment, I can count on it to get done everything I need to get done...and make life a bit easier while doing so. (That and using a windows PC at a place called "YourMacStore" would be silly. ;) ) In my opinion, Leopard helps to further ensure that Apple's desktops can be used in an office environment and do what jobs need to get done, with it's creative ways of doing them. From all of the news items I've seen, and general consensus from the sites I visit, Leopard seems to be a success just after it's release. I do know there are some minor tweaks that are needed, but I'm sure the folks at Apple will be on top of those posthaste.

When we got our copy of Leopard in on Friday morning (at 9am in fact!), we were very excited to test it out, and so began our testing. The first round of testing was to ensure to our many Cube-using customers could install it without worry...and what upgrades would do best for them. We can thoroughly recommend that our beloved Cube-fanatics (Cube-heads, Cube-lovers...what ARE they calling themselves?) upgrade their Cubes with the GigaDesigns G4 1.4GHz with the 256KB L2 Cache and 2MB L3 cache. This is normally a hard to find item...but we've got quite a bit of them at $289.95 each!

Just remember that as long as you're meeting the basic requirements of Leopard that Apple has set down, you should be fine. However, if you've been modifying your Mac, you may want to take a close look at what the other fansites out there are saying before diving it. (Some of us like to dive headfirst, and others feet-first...)

If we come across any wacky setups that we have here that may affect some of you out there, we'll make sure to let everyone know through this blog. If YOU have an issue with Leopard and your configuration, you're welcome to post information here in replies, and we'll take a look at it when we're able to. :)

Hasta La Vista!

-Mike Leader

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

[OSX news] LEOPARD POUNCES ON OCT 26! (for some folks...)

Greetings True Apple Believers!

As I am sure nearly all of you have heard, Apple announced yesterday (October 16) that the newest version of OS X, Leopard, will ship on October 26. I know that many of us are happy about this (we're all ecstatic here at the YMS offices), but some harsh reality will be coming down on some Mac users with the advent of Leopard.

"What do you mean, uncle Mike?" (I'm a real uncle now so I can call myself that!) I mean that there are quite a few Mac users out there who'd probably like to upgrade to Leopard, but they don't meet the requirements for the new system. The new requirements are as follows:

An Intel Mac, Power PC G5 or a Power PC G4 with an 867MHz processor or higher, 512MB RAM and a DVD drive for installation

Now I'm sure that there are plenty of Intel Macs and G5s out there to fully utilize the new OS...but what about those folks who are running G4s? They're going to need to upgrade their processors to get on board with Leopard...and we here at YourMacStore are going to do our best to help y'all who need to upgrade. As soon as our software arrives here at the offices, we're going to be testing configurations on different Mac setups to let you all know exactly what you'll need to best perform with Leopard on your G4. So, stick around and check back with us next week when we'll have more answers for Leopard!

Hasta la Vista!

-Mike Leader

Thursday, October 11, 2007

[iPhone] iPhone Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the iPhone Hackers

Ok, so you'd think that we'd all be able to get along, right? I mean, all of the bickering, whining, posturing, and fit-throwing aside, the iPhone is a great little device. It's definitely a gateway product, not only into Apple's fold of products, but a gateway leading into the future of handheld computers.

Granted, consumers should feel entitled to be able to use the items and devices they buy...but when you go out of your way to use them in a way that they weren't intended to, or to violate any use agreement you agreed to when purchasing the product...you the consumer are the only one to blame. Is it fair that Apple had to go with what some would consider a second-rate provider? Is Apple illegally forcing those who purchase the iPhones from them (or AT&T) to only use their programs? I'd say No on both counts.

Apple should have known that out the gate this item would be a hit. However, I think they played very cautious with the iPhone, and shopped it around to get the best deal they could find. In the end you always get what you pay for...they wanted a cheaper contract that made them more money in the long run...so they got that...at the expense of their customers. Apple IS a business however, and it's point is to make money...and they looked at their bottom line and likely said, "Well in 5 years we'll have enough people hooked that when we open it up to other networks, we'll do even better." (Wait...forward planning? Say it ain't so, superman!)

As for the legality of the anti-trust lawsuit currently being issued against them...I can't roll my eyes enough. It's bad enough that our over-litigious society will sue over every little thing...but honestly (and I'm no law expert) this doesn't come across as them forcing anyone to use their software...yet. The item was just released, and when it was released they were telling everyone that they had no plans at the moment for third-party applications on the iPhone because of security issues. They were more concerned about the device being secured than multi-functional to start. Now with talk about them opening things up to their software developers, we'll see how far these lawsuits go. I don't think it'll be further than the distance of the whines of those instigated it could be heard.

Honestly, I'd like to wait until after the release of Leopard at the end of this month to see how things progress. Maybe if people learned to be patient than reactive, this would would be a better place. Hrmph...world is full of flamers, Apple's & Microsoft's fans all need to take a chill pill, don't you think? (I recommend that you take a read of the Macalope's blog. Almost always funny, always informative.)

[YMS News] YOURMACSTORE.COM LOWERS SHIPPING COSTS!

Greetings!

We're happy to say that starting on Wednesday October 17, we here at YourMacStore will be removing the flat handling fee we've been charging for some time now. Due to some great pricing we have been offered on our shipping materials, we are happy to remove that $1.99 fee starting on that date.

If there are any questions, please feel free to contact us via our Contact Page over on our website. :)

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

[Product Information] TRAFFIC JAM??

We’ve had a couple of customers have some issues with the NewerTechnology Trafficjamz FM transmitter/car charger lately, and it dawned on me that I should post a notice here on our blog about it.

Apparently the plug-end for the card adapter has a screw-on cap that holds the replaceable fuse inside. This screw is made of plastic, and plastic screws can never hold something tight for very long. So, the ends of this item eventually will unscrew themselves off. If this happens, and you’re not paying attention to it, the top will come right off, and the fuse will fall out. Without these items, the product ceases to work, and all of a sudden, you’re out $30!

So, please take my advice if you own one of these Trafficjamz transmitters…check the screwcap on the end after each use. If it’s loose, just tighten it manually a little bit. Save yourself money by not having to replace something that could have been prevented.

-Mike Leader

Friday, September 21, 2007

SUMMER LOVIN'

I guess it can be said that it’s been an interesting year for Apple so far…but really, they completely owned the media this whole summer. My hat is off to their marketing team who really has had a sense of who they’re marketing to, and how to get the message out about their products to those who aren’t already buying them. Now, they’re not perfect (am I the only one who finds the new iMac commercial annoying?) in a lot of ways…nobody can reasonably expect them to be that way. However, I don't think a night of television goes by without seeing an iPhone or an iPod ad pop up in a random slot…and that’s always great to see.

So, the Summer of Apple it was. The iPhone announcement gripped not only the Apple fanatics, but managed to reach out into the average joe’s consciousness and bring more people on board. Is it a perfect piece of technology? No. Is it going to be amazingly better in the next 2-3 years? You betcha. The technology that spawned the iPhone has already crossed over into the iPod Touch, and will likely be driving things forward over the course of the next year.

I say that we all can’t wait for October and the launch of Leopard! I can also say that Apple can’t wait for the Holiday sales to roll in…and roll they shall.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

[Apple News] "...AND THE BEAT GOES ON, THE BEAT GOES ON."

Spring is here and Leeds play Chelsea tomorrow and Ringo and John
and George and Paul are alive and well and full of hope.
The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you.
When the spinning stops — that'll be the time to worry, not before.
Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the beat goes on, the beat goes on.

— Final Beatles press release, April 10, 1970

I know that growing up, my life was filled with the Beatles. They were long gone before I could appreciate their music, but because of my father's love of them, I grew to love them too. Their music inspired a generation to dream and succeed...and in turn helped inspire me through all of my life. Their music has been with me through my ups ("When I'm sixty-four") and my downs ("For No One"), but most of all helped to teach me to get over a speech impediment when I was young. Their music was easy to learn the words to, and sing along with...and through them, I conquered that issue. When I'm frustrated even now, I still turn to their music to calm me down.

Why all of the reminiscing about a band that's come and gone? Why, because for people like me, what looks like will be announced next week on September 5th by Apple is related. Related? Oh yes, my friends, yes it is related. When Apple sent out their invitations to the press for this event on September 5th, it was a really nice piece of art showing the coverflow look that we all know from iTunes. But the statement on the form "The Beat Goes On"...it stuck in my craw...I couldn't get my head around it...where had I heard it before? Then, at 4am on Tuesday morning this week, I woke up and said to myself, "That was the last thing the Beatles said before they broke up!"

What does that mean? Well, true believers, to me that says that while we may be getting some cool new iPods next week...and those are all well and good...I believe that the Beatles are finally coming to iTunes. It was nice to know that others made the same jump that I did, and I wish I had the time to post it when I thought of it...but alas it had to wait til today. With Apple's recently settled issues with Apple Corps, I honestly feel as this will be part of the announcements on the 5th. With John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo careers all over iTunes now, it only could have been a short time until this happened. While many of you know that I'm still a CD kind of guy...I guarantee I'll be buying the whole catalog from Apple this go around. Heck, I hope it's even DRM-free...I think John could have appreciated that.

So while now people speculate about what cool new things on the iPod we'll see...whether it be OS X, coverflow, touch screens, hi-def movies and movie rentals...I think what the coolest new thing for me will be...to bounce along on my way to and fro, everyday, listening to the band that made music what it truly is. It's a great gift...one that I hope even newer generations can appreciate.

-Mike Leader

Monday, August 27, 2007

[Tech/Mod] IF NEW PROCESSOR, THEN UPDATE FIRMWARE?

As many of you can understand, one of the more popular items we sell here at YourMacStore is are many different processor upgrades. Of the people that purchase them, there are rare problems here and there...but nearly anything can be fixed. However, in many of the reported that come in to us, the error is something that the average user who wants to upgrade doesn’t know about…updating their firmware. Now not everyone needs to update their firmware with a processor upgrade, but for those of you who are looking to purchase a 7447 or 7448 CPU upgrade, then that is something you will need to do. (Those of you interested in a 7455 CPU upgrade, you won’t need to upgrade your firmware.)

While updating your processor isn’t for your newbie computer user, anyone can do it, they just need proper direction. It isn’t simply a matter of pulling out the old one and jamming the new one in there, there is actually a dance that has to go on to prepare your computer to have the part of it that works so hard yanked out and replaced. What you do to install the firmware depends on what company produced that processor, and I’ll try to detail that for you here as best as possible.

For Powerlogix and Newer Tech processors:

1) Make sure your computer is powered on, the OS X desktop is up and no other programs are running.
2) Insert the firmware disc into the dvd/cd-rom drive.
3) Shutdown your computer.
4) Hold down the programmer button, and press the power button. Hold the programmer button in until after the special long tone sounds.
5) Hold down “C” and boot from the CD.
6) This opens a special Firmware area. Just select from the list presented “Apply All Patches” and let that run.
7) Exit the special Firmware area. Once you see the “Completed Successfully” message, you can shutdown your computer and physically install the new processor.

For GigaDesigns processors:

1) Make sure your computer is powered on, the OS X desktop is up and no other programs are running.
2) Insert the firmware disc into the dvd/cd-rom drive.
3) Open the installer file on the disc and run the installer file.
4) Shutdown the computer
5) Hold down the programmer button, and press the power button. Hold the programmer button in until after the special long tone sounds.
6) Make sure all patches are applied.
7) Reboot the computer.
8) Shutdown the computer and physically install the new processor.

For Sonnet processors:

1) Make sure your computer is powered on, the OS X desktop is up and no other programs are running.
2) Insert the firmware disc into the dvd/cd-rom drive.
3) Open the installer file on the disc and run the installer file.
4) Shutdown the computer
5) Hold down the programmer button, and press the power button. Hold the programmer button in until after the special long tone sounds.
6) Make sure all patches are applied.
7) Reboot the computer.
8) Shutdown the computer and physically install the new processor.

It is our hope that these reminders will help all of you who are upgrading their processors for the first time. While not always the easiest upgrade, it can be worthwhile and allow you to keep your older computer around a bit longer than it was designed to.

-Mike Leader

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

[Apple Harware] The NEW Keyboard

As some of you know, I had an expressed interest in going down to the local Apple store and trying out the new Apple keyboard that premiered with the brand new iMacs. However, real life intruded (as it always does), and by Monday of this week, I hadn’t made it down to the local store. Monday started and I was going through my standard routine here at the offices, when our owner, Hideki, came in and handed me one of the new keyboards! While it wasn’t mine to have, I was allowed to use it for a day to see what I thought about it.

The new Apple keyboard that was first shown with the brand new iMacs is, in all honesty, a thing of beauty. Thin and light, it felt like no other keyboard I had used. Excited to try it out, I flung my standard keyboard off to the side, and quickly set it up.

The Pros:

Quiet: Talk about quiet! It made the office a very creepy environment (my coworker I share my office with uses a laptop, so it’s quiet) without any typing sounds. I can see the benefit of this in an office environment…but other than that, it was just interesting.

Ease of Typing: I found that typing was not as difficult as I thought it might be. In fact, using my pinky to type became dramatically easier! Stretching it and reaching a key usually requires a bit of effort…not with this keyboard!

Construction: Very lightweight and seemingly durable, the keyboard did hold up to my “meathooks” and the banging on the keyboard I normally do throughout the day.

Feel: I was worried that the keyboard would feel like rubber keys. Nice to know I was wrong, and that it felt solid and supportive of my fingers, without being too stiff or too rubbery.

The Cons:

Pain: My wrists and forearms ached after using it for several hours of work. The angle did not feel right while typing, and I was reminded of my former bouts with carpal tunnel.

Feel: The overall feel of the keyboard seemed a bit off. It was like typing on a laptop, and that confused my poor brain, which knew I didn’t use a laptop when at the office. It made it hard to get used to…but that could be overlooked.

Typing errors: I’m a good typist, and my error count is usually pretty low. However, I was on a bad roll when I started to use this new keyboard. Because the keys were easy to press, my meathook fingers kept slamming into multiple keys. I felt like fat Homer Simpson trying to dial the phone…I needed a dialing wand.


Overall, it’s a great keyboard, and I’m sure that if I continued to use it, I could get used to the minor issues I was having with it.

-Mike Leader

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

[Apple News] APPLE'S NEWEST REVEAL: part 2

Back again, true believers! :)

Ok, on with this. The second rumor that was answered true, was an update to the .Mac site. Many people have been saying for ages that the $99 a year was a waste for the space (or lack of) that was provided. Well, our friends at Apple took the available space per account from 1GB to 10GB, and have now integrated .Mac and iPhoto to where putting your photos online is a breeze. Not only can you share them at .Mac, but even your friends on their PCs can link to them without a real issue. So it's still up to you, Apple users, if you're willing to shell out that kind of money for .Mac. Some claim it's worth it, others claim it's not. I'd say that for the features they're now offering (and the 60 day trial being offered at Apple.com), it is something to be considered.

Next up were iLife & iWork updates, and while they were minor updates to iLife in general, the coolest thing there was the new spreadsheet program for iWork, Numbers. I have one word so far...NICE. I've long been a user of Excel, and I think that while this will not break Excel's Cobra Clutch on the spreadsheet market, it does offer a nice breath of fresh air as an alternative. Besides, now it's a spreadsheet program that looks like it is made by Apple for Macs...and not by Microsoft for people they don't really care too much about. I would expect plenty of support and goodness for Numbers in the months to come. (Did I not mention it can save as and read Excel files? :D)

All in all, once again this was a great update from the folks at Apple. The new iMacs are something to write home about... .Mac is looking much better...and I can't wait to get my hands on the new iLife! Woo! What a good week this is shaping up to be!!!

Alrighty folks, have a great rest of your week, and I'll be posting to y'all soon. :)

-Mike Leader

[Apple News] APPLE'S NEWEST REVEAL

(AKA how keyboards have come to scare me)

On Tuesday morning, August 7, all of the apple-ites' eyes were on Cupertino, CA as Apple was going to make some new product announcements...Well? Did you watch it? I know I did!

There were many rumors flying about, the most predominant ones being new iMacs, a new video iPhone-like iPod, to new Mac minis...etc etc. Well rumors are rumors but it looked that that in many cases a lot of them were true (sorry iPod users, no go for y'all)

Well brand new iMacs, and wow are they cool...and decently priced! The 20" iMac for $1199 is a bargain for what you're purchasing, and should be very easy to upgrade if you're that kind of person. In fact, from what I've heard, you just need to remove one screw to add memory in...how cool is that? :) Personally, I am not terribly keen on the aluminum & black look, but it seems to be something that one could get used to. However, what I am not happy with (and quite a few others I've spoken with) are the new keyboards. The whole new layout gets the hackles up on the "grumpy old man" inside me who doesn't like change. The lack of a number pad on the little bluetooth one likely strikes that one out for me, and changing the keys we've known for years doesn't make me too happy with the larger, wired keyboard. However, that is just the look of the keyboard...I plan on making a trip down to the local Apple store this weekend to see what they feel like to type on. That is the most important thing. If they feel right to type on, then I could let go of the changes in style.

I'll post this for now...look for part 2 this afternoon. :)

-M. Leader

Thursday, August 2, 2007

[News] YOURMACSTORE & APPLE UPDATE!

Hi there folks!

Well it's been awhile, and with all that's been going on, time to blog has been a little lacking, but I wanted to make sure that I had time today to discuss a couple of things with you all. The first thing I have to ask is, what do you think of the new website? Is this meeting all of your purchasing needs? Are the colors good? Do your eyes hurt while looking at it? We would like to hear your feedback on it...and while we know sometimes it has issues (what new software doesn't?), we know it is a vast improvement over our previous website and system. Post a comment or email us with your thoughts!

Next up, something we know every mac-lover out there is talking about...the possible new hardware announcement coming next week. While nothing has been said about what it will be about the "Mac Focused Presentation" (besides Macs), there of course is a ton of speculation. Apple has become one of the best companies that I know of when it comes to creating anticipation for new products with events like these. No information going in...but the entire world is watching...ok not the whole world, but you get the idea. ;) Some believe it is new touch screen iPods (ooooh fun)...or the new iMac desktops (ooooh shiny)...and there are a myriad of other ideas. Personally, I'd like to see new iPods, even though mine is not ready to be shelved (2.2 yrs and counting).

Lastly in further Mac-related news, Microsoft announced a delay for the release of Office 2008 for Mac. It was originally scheduled to release in the middle of 2007, but citing quality evaluations and that they want to ship it in December so it will be ready to go in January during Macworld. So, all of you Office-heads are going to have to wait another 5 months to get your fix...sorry!

Well that's all for this week...yes, it's Thursday for all of you, but Friday for me! Well, I'm off to a wedding for the weekend, and I'll catch y'all next week! :)

-Mike Leader

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

[YourMacStore News] We're Back!

Greetings everyone! I am sorry it has been so long since our last entry. Things have been very hectic here during the month of July for us, and with new things going on all the time, my time to write has diminished greatly. However, I wanted to make sure that our great customers and friends do get the attention that they deserve, because you all rule! :)

Ok, just a couple of things...

* YourMacStore has a new eBay store located here. We're going to be using it for special promotions and other cool items on sale, so check it out...you never know what you can find there!

* We have seen a HUGE interest in the iPhone from customers in Japan, so I think that they (along with all of the US customers) are going to be hoping that someone finds a way to crack open that system soon.

* We have posted a poll on the right side of the page, because we want to know what y'all want to see on this blog. Go ahead and select one of the answers...they should cover most everything. If not, just drop us an email and let us know!

That's all for now, have a great day!

Monday, July 2, 2007

[iPhone] YourMacStore's FIRST IPHONE VIDEO

Hi there folks! I'm back from a long weekend of no computers...just card games. I'd have posted this to you over the weekend had I been home or near my laptop. The owner of our company, Hideki Muto, sent me a video he made of opening and turning on his new iPhone, and I thought I'd share it with y'all.

YourMacStore's First iPhone

I'm sure everyone here has likely seen many videos of the same thing, but we're proud of it...and looking forward to getting some of these to needy customers overseas, who HAVE to have them. (There are more than you think, Apple!)

I'll have some more commentary today before I leave the office...Talk to y'all then!

-Mike Leader

Friday, June 29, 2007

[iPhone] IPHONE FREAKY FRIDAY!

Hello true believers! Today is the day that the iPhone is released from AT&T stores and Apple stores...how exciting, eh? I've purposely been avoiding posting news bits about it all week, just because the whole net is FLOODED with stuff about the iPhone. Instead, like many of you, I've been keeping abreast of what is going on without trying to read the same junk over and over again.

With lines forming all across the country for this cool new device, there are plenty of questions about what it can and can't do. One of the prevalent discussions is about the iPhone using the EDGE network over the 3G one. This morning, I read an interview that Steve Jobs and AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson gave to the Wall Street Journal, that addressed a couple of key questions, including the one about the 3G/EDGE networks. The primary concern of a lot of folks is that the EDGE network is way too slow to handle full internet applications, even if it is great at handling maps and email. According to Jobs, they knew that going into this whole iPhone deal...and that is why they integrated Wi-Fi into the device. Now it can piggyback nearly everywhere there is an open Wi-Fi source...granting it great speeds for internet easily. The best part about that, the device is configured to just find the Wi-Fi automatically...no having to find it yourself.

Of course this could lead to more people actually turning on security for their wireless networks...I had this discussion with my girlfriend's parents...as they never turned any kind of security on for their network...and I'm willing to bet half their neighborhood is piggybacking their Wi-Fi. Anyway, I digress. According to the article, T-Mobile just launched a service that allows cellphone calls to roam onto wi-fi networks...supposedly to help users get better coverage and save a little on their cell bills each month. We could likely see more use of Wi-Fi in years to come, and less of the 3G, especially with things like the import ban on items with 3G chips.

We'll have a lot to see about in the coming weeks and months after the release.

What say all of you, dear readers?

-Mike Leader

Friday, June 22, 2007

[Tech] A NEW APPLE UPDATE, AND UPDATE TROUBLES...

Hi folks. Sorry, I wasn't feeling up to a creative title today. Lack of sleep this week is stripping away my creativity, so I apologize in advance for anything I post today that might be considered boring. ;)

So with the release of OS X 10.4.10 ("Tiger Ten" sounds like a cooler nickname than "Delta", doesn't it?) there are a whole host of folks updating...and as of late I've noticed quite a bit of concern about updating the Mac OS, due to unrecoverable crashes after the install. This happened back during the past couple of updates, and thanks to one of the best posters over at cubeowner.com (good post Fangy!), this article was pointed out to me from back in March of this year.

Basically it is written by someone who feels there is a huge bug in the Apple Software Update system. This "bug" occurs during the "Optimizing System Performance" stage...in which he recommends that you do NOTHING while your computer does this. Because it is running update_prebinding, if you launch an application that accesses the libraries not yet "prebound", it can cause a whole host of errors in the system.

Recovering from something like this can be extremely difficult, if not impossible if you do not have a backup. (BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER! That can never be said enough.) If it is really bad, you'll have to boot into FireWire Target Disk Mode and hope that you can run the combo updater from another machine.

One should always be careful when doing the Apple Software Update. Not because the OS is buggy or bad...but the nature of the update program can cause problems with your system if you're working while it's working. Do it at night when you're about to go to bed, so it can handle it all while you count sheep.

Great...now I've got an odd craving for a lamb curry. :P

-Mike Leader

Thursday, June 21, 2007

[YMS News] A PACKAGE TO CALL YOUR OWN...

Who doesn't love opening a package that is meant for them? Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, anniversaries, etcetera...they all have packages for us to open. While we can't send everyone a special thank you package for being such great customers, we did think of something. Now, in honor of the YourMacStore.com 8th Anniversary, we are debuting "packages" for you to purchase!

Now these aren't going to be covered in wrapping paper and a bright red bow (or any other color bow for that matter), but they will help you get the upgrades you want for your computer easily, and with a bit of a discount on them as well. We have some great Macbook pro packages, and some really cool ones for the Cube. If we get some feedback on them, we're likely to create more...so let us know via email or by commenting here on this site!

-Mike Leader

[iPhone] A QUICK JEST FROM THOSE AT THE ONION...

Because it's funny...and I'm a bit busy at the moment for a full post...

Apple's untold iPhone functions!

For example:

* When moved from hand to ear, makes Lightsaber sound effects


heheh

-Mike Leader

Friday, June 15, 2007

[YourMacStore News] HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MEANS WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS!

Greetings everyone and happy Friday! While I know that many of our readers do enjoy the commentary and news we provide, we also appreciate that many of you would like to see price updates and new item updates from our store as well. So to really kick off that aspect of the blog, we have this entry.

So without further ado...


YOURMACSTORE.COM ANNOUNCES ITS 8TH ANNIVERSARY!

That's right everyone, our company is 8 years old today, hooray! In honor of this day, from June 15 - July 15, we're going to be offering a flat 10% discount on all orders of $200 or more. This discount will be automatic, so there's no coupon to enter. This is our thank you to all of you for your patronage over the years. If you have any questions, just email yms@vintagecomp.com and we'll be happy to answer them for you.

Thank you very much!

-Mike Leader

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

[update] SAFARI ON MY PC...

Well, I promised everyone yesterday a little update on this. I didn't get much of a chance to use it last night after work and before work this morning...but it did seem to not give me much trouble at all for a beta. The interface really doesn't match how my XP looks at home though...unless I have iTunes running. But hey, eventually I'll have an iPhone and I'll need them all to synch up on that computer too. :)

Since I use Firefox extensively on the home computer and it's what I need there...I do plan on putting Safari 3 onto my older PC laptop to see how that goes. Since I use it mostly for just web browsing, it might not be bad for that. Firefox seems to give it trouble sometimes, and I don't need all of what it has while I'm on the go.

Well that IS until I get my new Macbook Pro. :)

-ML

[Product Review] APIOTEK AND THE READER...

Once upon a time...in the land of Aisatsea, the pretty cool APIOTEK 18-in-1 Card Reader was born. The folks across the seas in Eporue and Acirema had not seen this amazing little gadget yet and were sure to be happy with it...

Apparently my children will fall asleep after the first 2 sentences of that fairy tale...I'll have to write more for future use. Anyway, one of the fun things that we do here at YourMacStore.com is to import new and interesting accessories and hardware from manufacturers that we trust in Asia. APIOTEK is one of our newer partners, and when we happened across their 18-in-1 card reader, we were quite excited. Not only is it just a card reader, but it's designed for your Macbook! You can see by the picture in the previous link that it's designed to slide right into the port designed for it on your Macbook, and be flush with the computer. The only part that would stick out away from the unit itself would be the card that is inserted into the card reader.

Now, the 18-in-1 lives up to it's name (you can see from the links provided), but what it does above and beyond that is pretty cool. Right now, it handles pretty much all of the flash memory cards available on the market, but it is already ready to handle 16GB and 32GB cards when they become more available. Nothing like being ready for future items, so you don't have to update to handle the newest product!

As show in prior links, YourMacStore.com is currently carrying this product at $28.95

-Mike Leader

Monday, June 11, 2007

WWDC Wrap-Up & Evaluation

Well, pundits can go on and on and on about this and that over what Steve Jobs presented at the WWDC Keynote today...Oh wait, that's my job. ;)

Now for those of you who want to see the full Keynote, you'll be able to download it from the Apple website later...but please be aware...it could take a long time to download. Just be advised. :) (For those of you who can't wait, you can peep a clip over at C/net News - Thanks MHC!)

I think out of everything that really excited me as an end user (not a developer), was the design additions and changes to the Desktop. Now for those of you who really know me, you know that my home computer's desktop is always a mess...it never looks organized. But with Stacks enabling me to keep things organized into groups in the dock, it'll be great for home use. However, the work application is great too! No more "where did I put that sales file from 2003 at?" You move from Stacks over to the new Finder (thank you!) and the Coverflow feature...it's a great way to look at any file, BUT combine that with the QuickView function, and you can quickly view any file's contents in the finder window, or even expand them to full screen size.

The explanation of the folks at EA getting on board with Mac really is lost to me, unfortunately. I don't feel the need to play Madden on my Mac, or Need For Speed either. Now if they'd just get those folks over at Cryptic to get City of Heroes on the Mac, I'd be happy. ;) But this isn't about me. So that news from EA is good to hear...but I don't really think that it'll bring in a lot of new people. Also changes to iChat...oh good...maybe I'll actually use it now! ;) Cool background features and things to play with aren't too bad. They'll make making home movies more fun...who wouldn't want to be the Star Wars hologram? I can think of tons of uses for that!

Now, as I'm about ready to head home for the day, I'll be downloading Safari for my PC to see how that goes. (YES, I have a PC...I can go both ways if I want to...wait that came out wrong. :P) I've heard good things so far from friends...but will my stupid PC be able to manage it? Stay tuned for a report tomorrow on that.

Well, have a good night and a better tomorrow folks...Keep on talking about this...it's all we're getting until the next Macworld. Excelsior!

-Mike Leader



oooh oooh! Widgettttttttttttttsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss....

WWDC UPDATE #7

- iPhone -

June 29th, 6pm. All hell breaks loose! (ok I said that.)

They've been trying to come up with a solution for developers...and they have a sweet one. Since the iPhone has the Safari software, it gives them the capability with web 2.0 and AJAX apps. You can write apps for web 2.0 that will work on the iPhone and integrate with iPhone services. Instant distribution, easy to update, very secure (just like transactions with a bank or Amazon). NO SDK NEEDED.

He's now going through different apps...email, maps, yada yada. There you have it! That's it for the Keynote Address!

I'll keep my ears to the internet for further updates today...right now, I'm going to take a break and have some lunch! :P (Thanks to the folks at applegazette.com, Gizmodo and macrumors.com!)

-Mike Leader

WWDC UPDATE #6

Feature #10...

TIME MACHINE!

Jobs points out that almost NO ONE backs up automatically, and that we're all "walking time bombs". Time Machine makes it easy to use with a 1 click setup, automatically backs up everything on your computer...to a serve or external drive as well...even wirelessly! With Time Machine, you can look back at files individually, with Quick Look, and restore specific files, or an entire computer. Looks quite nice. "Our goal was to make it so simple that people would use it." Looks like old excuses aren't going to work...we might all have to go back to "umm the dog ate it!" ;)

that's just 10 of 300 features. I hope he's not going to go on...I may die of exhaustion if it's taken an hour to document 10 of them! Basic version is going to be $129...and that Premium version? It's $129. :) To quote...

"Leopard shipping in October. Basic version, $129. Premium version, $129. Business version, $129, Enterprise version $129. Ultimate version, $129"

Ohh...one last thing...

Safari...

18 million users. Marketshare has climbed up to 4.9%. IE has 78%, Firefox 15%, others 2% Dreaming big means...SAFARI ON WINDOWS! Safari 3 on Leopard, now runs on XP/Vista. Will contain all of the Safari innovations. Jobs has called Safari the fastest browser on Windows...with Google/Yahoo search built in. Apparently public beta tests are available today!

New features include removable tabs. Allows a user to drag a tab around in the window structure, or pull it out and make it it's own window. Oooh...Jobs is demoing iBench with Safari vs. IE. At 6.64 seconds vs. 13.56 seconds. iBench shows Safari to be twice as fast as IE. 500,000 downloads of Firefox a day. Over 1,000,000 downloads of iTunes a day. Over 500M downloads of iTunes to Windows machines.

What there's more! next up...


IPHONE!

WWDC UPDATE #5

DASHBOARD! (we all love widgets!)

Jobs is very happy with the over 3000 widgets designed for the OS. Since developers and fans write their own so often, Apple is going to be doing their best to keep up. (He demos a Movie Times one that helps select a movie and order the tickets through Fandango. - Woot! Steve likes Pirates 3! I knew he was a pirate!) Apparently you'll be able to use Safari to create a widget from a webpage. Oh wow...he saw something on Yahoo he liked, clipped it out with "scissors" and now it's a widget. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn! (someone just mentioned that he previewed this last year...but NOW it works! cool!!!) All widgets are live and will update automatically. This "Dash Code" is available NOW, but it ships with Leopard automatically.

Feature #9 - iChat

Looks like parts of Photo Booth are coming to iChat, and Jobs goes on to tell some heartwarming stories about families keeping in touch with it. So we're looking at better Audio for it (AAC-Low Delay), Tabbed Chats, and Photo Booth effects. It will also apparently allow you to create Backdrops and there is an iChat Theater to share chats. Oh wow...anything that works with Quick Look will work with iChat Theater! He's sharing an Excel file with Phil Schiller. They're now making jokes using the Backdrop features...Phil's mouth is now on Steve Ballmer's (CEO of Microsoft) face...too funny.

more to come...

WWDC UPDATE #4

CORE ANIMATION! WOOO! (shush, I think it's cool!)

Designed for designers, but is easy to use. Utilizing flashy animation inside an application that is handled by the OS, not the application. Automatic Animation, Text, images, video, open GL. Offering higher production values to developers for their applications. This is going to be fun.

Next up, Boot Camp!

Boot Camp is going to be built in to Leopard, allowing you to run XP & Vista at native speed. Should be used as a compliment to Parallels and VMWare. Jobs explains how happy they are to have Parallels and VMWare to help with giving their users more options.

Next up, Spaces!

Group applications in Spaces, and you can easily transition from one to the other. His example shows a game in one, and Safari & Mail in another. This helps to work with multiple desktops running on the same computer. Audio only comes through on a space if it is active...so you can quickly shut off that music when taking a call! ;)

WWDC Update #3

Ok. For .Mac users, it's now also going to be used as a HUB between your computers...no matter where they are. That's the quick way to say it...

Next, Quick Look. Let's you instantly preview files without opening applications for them. Works with all popular file types and plug-in modules will be available for developers. The demo looks like the movie/album viewer in iTunes. To demo how it works, Jobs found a pdf, selected it, hit the space bar, and a preview window opened without launching the application. Cool! It expands out from all finder views, windows, lists or Cover Flow.

(Crud, my audio from the conference just died! Well back to text updates...)

Feature # 4 - Leopard is 64-bit from top to bottom. This makes it the first OS to go 64-bit. One version of Leopard runs 32-bit and 64-bit applications side by side! Demo shows that a 32-bit system is having issues uploading a 4GB photo. The 64-bit version took 28 seconds, 32-bit version took 81 seconds to run filters on the 4GB photo.

next, feature #5 - CORE ANIMATION!

WWDC Update #2

Ok now we're on to the OS! Some stats quoted by Jobs:

*Tiger - most successful Apple release
* 22 million active OSX users, 67% use Tiger, 23% use Panther, and 10% use older versions

More items:
300 features in Leopard and we'll see 10 today.
New Desktop (Dock is narrower, new menu bar, consistent window look, prominent active window)
Utilizing "Stacks" to keep desktop clean - downloads have stack in the Dock, and all stacks either stay in dock, or on a grid. Stacks are using Core Animation!) First note of Jobs saying "BOOM!" :)

Woo! New finder! Sidebar has search function built in that has "smart searches" that are customized. Finder now works like iTunes...view it in ANY way, and has Cover Flow. The sidebar is also the place where you will see the shared items from the local network. Cover Flow will allow to browse a computer like browsing a PDF. Over a network too. You can play video with it as well.


Looks like .Mac subscribers will have new goodies as well...more on that next.

WWDC Update #1

Ok folks here we go...

First thing is a new Mac/PC video. PC impersonating Jobs, talking about shutting down Apple, now that Vista has sold "tens of dozens of copies" and that the ipod killer Zune is out. He's admonished by Mac. Hooray!

Steve then presents an award to the Intel team for all their hard work last year. Yada Yada.

Bing Gordon, Chief Creative officer for EA Games, comes out on stage for an announcement. (EA? weird.) Well it looks like Command & Conquer 3, Battlefield 2142, NFS Carbon, Madden 08 & Tiger Woods 08, and Harry Potter & the order of the phoenix will be on OSX this year and next.

"The only thing better than living on a mac, is living at Hogwarts" - Bing Gordon

[WWDC] UPDATES FOR TODAY...

Ok folks, I'm going to keep this simple. While I'm not at the conference, I will be blogging throughout the day as I get updates. Keep checking back. :D

-Mike L.

Friday, June 8, 2007

[Op./Ed.] APPLE PULLS A SEAGULL ON THE SUMMER...

Now let me first explain myself. This is one of those expressions that you and your friends come up with after seeing something in a movie that you liked. Who didn't love the seagulls from Finding Nemo? "Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine." This is what pulling a seagull means...and I honestly think Apple is doing this over the summer.

Let's take a look at the BLITZ that has hit the media and internet over the past couple months. Here it is...stream of consciousness...

First was the announcement of the delay of Leopard...people were upset...but yay, the iPhone is on target for June...Next thing we know...whammo!..The macbook pros are gone from retailers, and a whole new setup has been released...Woo, another way to spend money on Apple!..The speculation about the iPhone is at an an all time high (some even claim it's going to be pay as you go)...the WWDC is just about to it, everything is at a fever pitch...Sun leaks info on the new file system...there's something about Core Animation...

And we're still waiting...oh brother, Monday is going to be hectic. I'll do my best to cover the WWDC on Monday morning and provide input and thought for all of our great readers...but it's likely going to be a lot of information.

Now back to my Seagull point. All of the tech talk lately has been about Apple...they've done a successful job of keeping their name in the spotlight without taking any huge hits. Oh there have been hits, but nothing that they can't weather. Now that attention is going to start paying off...with their name in constant speak (hey it's funny), and the good hype built around the forthcoming release of the iPhone, Leopard, and now the current release of the Santa Rosa chips in the Macbook Pros. (miiiiine...my precious!)

All in all, it looks to be like a great summer, and rest of the year for Apple. I think we'll all know this for certain come June 29 when lines form for the new iPhone. While they won't be around the block, they'll be there!

[Tech Post] REMEMBER WHEN YOUR G4 WAS COOL...

Ok, no remembering here really...'Twas a ruse...a diversion. I bring this up because copies of ATI Radeon product for the G4 have disappeared off of retailer shelves, and the folks at ATI do not look like they're planning on making any more of that design. Sad I know. It's always tough when your computer feels like it's being left behind and can't compete...but hey, that's what we're for here at YourMacStore...to help you modify and upgrade your Mac so it can compete!

What's that? Yes, we have a solution, and it doesn't involve some kind of inferior card. It involves the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB ADC/DVI for Power Mac G5, and a bit of tinkering on our part. Our awesome techs here have taken that card for the Power Mac G5, and modified it so it can work on a G4...in two instances. We have one model that will handle Quicksilver/Digital Audio and another that will handle MDD.

While these items are not the ideal solution (the only ideal one would come from the folks at ATI), they work and work well. We've tried to keep the price low on them, and we've given them our own Warranty, so you can purchase without a real worry. See! Here's the YourMacStore.com Team working to help customers like you stay on top of things with their G4s! :D

Thursday, June 7, 2007

[YMS News] PRICE UPDATES

Hi folks! I had planned today to do some good blogging, but I've decided to take the time, starting today, to go through the YMS catalog and update our prices. I really want to see if we can continue to bring you good prices and good service on all of the Mac products we offer, and to do that, I have to wade into the catalog like Rambo into a squad of communist soldiers. So while I may not be posting much today, at least know I'm thinking of all of you! :)

If any big news breaks, y'all know how to get in touch with me. (especially you Mac-Forums.com folks who know how to instant message me!)


-Mike Leader

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

[Tech] ANYONE FOR SOME CORE IMAGE?

One of the cooler items we have in stock here at YourMacStore is the ATI Radeon 9600 family of video cards. However, the primary one that's available on the market right now is the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB ADC/DVI for Power Mac G5...not much right now for the G4. The card I just linked to is ONLY for the Power Mac G5, because it uses an AGP 8X slot. If you tried to insert this into a G4 slot, you'd get nothing, not even power. They're just made that way.

Now with the unavailability as of late of the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and ATI Radeon 9600 Pro cards, we've been trying to come up with a solution on our end for our valued customers. There's plenty of demand for the 9800 and the 9600 for G4s, but nothing from the manufacturer if the line is discontinued...just no product available. (Even the Radeon 9000 Pro has disappeared from the market...maybe ATI will get around to making an announcement about this in the near future.) To remedy this, we here at YourMacStore decided to take the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB ADC/DVI for Power Mac G5 card and modify it so it could be used with a G4. With this in mind, we went to work on the card for the G5s, and we now offer two of these modified cards for G4 users. One is for MDD/FW800, and the other one is for QuickSilver/Digital Audio. While they no longer carry a manufacturer's warranty, we do warranty them as used parts from our company. This modified Radeon 9600 Pro supports Dual monitor, Quartz Extreme, and Core Image...


and it's much cheaper than Retail upgrades!

-Mike Leader

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

[Apple News] MACBOOK PRO'S ROAD TRIP...TO SANTA ROSA!

The web is a flurry of Apple Activity (or should I say iActivity - I swear I'm TMing that, Apple! In the immortal words of the seagulls from Finding Nemo, "mine mine mine mine!") because of the announcement early this morning of the update to the Macbook Pro line of Apple laptops. Reports of oceans rising (from fanboys like myself all drooling) soon followed Apple fans finding out that the new Santa Rosa line of processors from Intel are now included in the newest Macbook Pro update.

The new "Santa Rosa" (the newest Core 2 Duo chip) processors are going to really push the Macbook Pro laptop to the forefront of that product type globally. With processor speeds of 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz, the new Macbook Pros will also have a 4MB L2 Cache. This
"Smart Cache" that will be shared between the two core as each needs it. They will also see the addition of the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics controller, for some really good 2d & 3d graphics work. But one of the two true kickers for this update...is that the new Macbook Pros will be able to utilize 4GB of RAM (667MHz DDR2)! Now the extra 2GB of RAM is a tad expensive to add on...but I am sure you can find it elsewhere quite soon! (We at YMS are working out a new deal with a GOOD memory manufacturer to bring you lower prices and better quality memory...stay tuned!)

Oh yes, I mentioned a second kicker didn't I? Say goodbye to the old fluorescent (CCFL) displays of the past...and say hello to LED displays! That's right, in keeping with Apple's greener policies, they have switched their laptops to mercury-free, LED displays. Now while I haven't seen one of these up close and personal yet, there is talk that these new displays are better for the eyes, AND can add 30% more life to a battery, because they use even less power. Apple, my eyes thank you already. :)

Now, who wants to give me $3,000 so I can get one right now?* :)

-Mike Leader

*TOTALLY WORTH THE PRICE

Edit: Just because y'all asked...the stats posted on the Apple site -

The 2.2 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440-by-900 LCD display;
* 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
* Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
* the infrared Apple Remote; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440-by-900 LCD display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
* Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
* the infrared Apple Remote; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

* 17-inch widescreen 1680-by-1050 LCD display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
* Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
* the infrared Apple Remote; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

Monday, June 4, 2007

[Apple News] iPHONE'S RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED! (and other iPhone stuff)

Wooohoo! June 29th is the release date! Well, Steve Jobs did promise that it would be out before the end of June...and well the 29th is cutting it close, but it works. The announcement came on Sunday (I was sleeping in that day...come on, who makes important announcements on Sundays outside of some religions?), and was heralded in by three different TV spots about the iPhone. The spots are available over at the Apple website.

On the cool side of this announcement we've got solid news on the product's release, and that's always good for consumer confidence. On the bad side of this announcement, there's always some "insider" knowledge that is going to be said just to get a website some attention. (Note my post from awhile back about the death of the Mac mini.) Over at Gizmodo, there's an unfounded rumor (since the author there didn't backtrack his information and make it available for others to read, I had to dig up his resource's article, and then verify that HIS source was a completely unverifiable rumor) that there Apple will unveil plans for 3rd party iPhone applications at the WWDC. Anyone remember playing "telephone" as kids? When someone says that he heard someone else mention that something is going to happen...it doesn't mean it's true. Put the rumors to rest and learn to live a factual world, PLEASE. (You know I've also heard from someone who knows someone who lives with a guy who's ex-girlfriend's uncle's brother-in-law who was in a car accident with a guy who used to clean the bathrooms at Apple's head office and he heard that the iPhone can predict the New Zealand lottery numbers...I can't roll my eyes enough, can you?)

Anyway, we're all happy that the iPhone releases in a couple weeks...aren't you?

---

In other Apple News, over at the iTunes store in the podcasts section, Apple has made available an audio file and a video file of the D5 conference from last week. So you've heard about the Gates/Jobs co-interview, now you can see it and hear it. Totally worth the free download...heck, I'm listening to it now. :)

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

[Apple News/Op-Ed] D5: All Things Digital - REPORT!


Apple, Inc. CEO Steve Jobs holds up an iPhone at the D: All Things Digital Conference in Carlsbad today.



Apple TV is a "DVD Player for the Internet" proclaimed Steve Jobs today at the D: All Things Digital conference. All in all, he gave a great interview (when doesn't he really?) and there was a lot said about Apple, it's products and the future. I'll try to break down a lot of what was said, and we can discuss together.

First, he spoke about the growth of the company and it's products since they got on board with Intel...5 times the typical amount of market growth here in the United States. Very very nice for Apple...I wish I made enough extra money to own stock in them! When asked if he felt that by changing the company's name to Apple, Inc. from Apple Computers, they may have given the impression that they were dropping out of the personal computers market. Steve told them no, and went on to talk briefly about the upcoming release of the Leopard OS.

So Apple is doing well...that's always good news, and hey it means they'll be around for awhile. While the world trends to more and more laptop and portable computers and less and less desktop computers, as long as Apple tries to stay at the forefront, they'll be alive and kicking long after Jobs has gone to the great orchard in the sky. :)

Walt Mossberg then jokes about the iPhone shipping in late June "Like the last day in June?" Steve followed through with the quip, "Yeah probably." Smartass CEO...great...let's not hurt the confidence in the iPhone before it releases by making jokes about the release date. Just make it happen when it's supposed to happen. That's all anyone can ask of a big company like Apple.

In one of my favorite bites here about the iPhone, Walt asks Jobs why there isn't one on the iPhone, when the folks at Palm have shown there is a desire for one. To which Jobs fired back, "No. … Once you learn to trust the keyboard, it’s a better keyboard. I’ll bet you dinner that you’ll love it." I'm really hoping he bets me dinner, because I am really sure my fat fingers won't like the keyboard on the iPhone. :P

Steve goes on to say that iPhone runs “real OS X, real Safari, real desktop email.”
Woohoo! Now this is cool...and likely stems from the fact that Apple owns their own browser and can modify it as they need to for the iPhone...and this goes for other similar programs. However Jobs did state further that not all OSX programs can run on the iPhone.

Now you remember earlier when I mentioned the part about the Apple TV? Well here's the kicker...Apple now has a done deal with the folks at YouTube to provide streaming content for the Apple TV! Come next month (June for y'all not on the Gregorian Calendar), a special download update will be available for the Apple TV owners to allow them to stream content from the folks at YouTube. Pretty cool stuff there! Walt Mossberg then noted that iTunes is one of the more ubiquitous pieces of software out right now, with it being used on quite a lot of Windows machines. Jobs, who always seems to be able to give out great quotable responses fielded that with, "That’s right. It’s like offering a glass of ice water to people in hell."

Lastly, during the Q&A session, Jobs was asked about why the iPhone is a closed platform currently. In reality, his answer makes complete sense in the way Apple has always done things...Apple wants a closed system to protect the security of the phone itself. Jobs even stated that he doesn't want the iPhone to be "one of those phones that crashes a few times a day." He asked for our patience with this, and he's likely to get it.

All in all, it was a lot of information, and a good interview...I wish I could have been there to see it live. ;)

Input from y'all? Discussion? Questions?

-Mike Leader

[Apple News] ITUNES PLUS ARRIVES!

Well, today Apple launched iTunes Plus, their newest addition to the iTunes catalog. This update heralds the arrival of DRM-Free files from the EMI music catalog. These special files are high quality 256 kbps AAC files, that Apple claims are almost identical to the original recordings...and only $1.29 per song. The iTunes Plus catalog launches with EMI's digital catalog made up of both new and classic artsts, running the gamut of The Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd to Coldplay.

If you have already downloaded any of the songs on the updated catalog, all you have to do is pay an additional $.30 per song (about $3.00 per album), and iTunes will automatically update your songs with the DRM-Free ones. So, with these new songs from EMI being DRM-Free, you'll be able to listen to them for as many times as you want on any computer or type of music player. According to


iTunes today also debuts iTunesU, a free content area of the iTunes store that contains lectures and educational content from top US colleges. You can now take school on the go with you as you need to. Now, if I could only earn that degree for free while listening to lectures on my iPod! ;)

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

[Apple News] AT&T Chats about the iPhone

Over at the Seattle Times today (I'm starting to read a lot of different newspapers from around the US and Globally lately, even if I live in a tiny surf-town in Southern California), Brier Dudley posted in his blog today about a discussion he had with Glenn Lurie. Lurie is the AT&T's president of national distribution for the iPhone, and he offered some interesting insights into the marketing of the device.

A couple of points made:

1) The iPhone will not have a subscription service for music. You'll have to synch it from your computer.

2) The price for the iPhone isn't unreasonable. He pointed out that an iPod Nano is $200, and that blackberry you're carrying is another $200...and then there's your cellphone which is another $50 or so, plus its subscription rate. That's close to $500 right there. :)

3) He really gets into how happy they are to work with Apple because of their outlooks on the customer experience.

Now, let's be honest, I've never found AT&T to be the best with customer service (15 days to get my phone line up, and I had to fight to get those 15 days prorated)...so his statement about being on the level with Apple was interesting...I'm personally not confident in AT&T's customer service and customer experience. He avoided any discussion about subsidizing the cost of the iPhone, which was also interesting.

What I can agree with is their outlook about being the first to change the phone industry. Motorola did it 11 years ago with tiny flip phones, and now Apple and AT&T are about to give it a swift kick in the creativity sacs with the iPhone.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

[Apple News/RUMOR] Apple Insider calls the Death of the Mac mini...

Over at Apple Insider, one of their writers today decided to call the Mac mini a dead product line. In an industry that is always full of wild predictions, they decided to call it now, so that in whatever time allotted by Apple for the product's lifespan, they can say that they said it first. Honestly that's all it feels like. But then I'm the kind of guy who REALLY dislikes folks like this...what I like to call "Chicken Littlers"...who find ways to call the demise of a product or person just to see if they can make an impact. (Like that faulty iPhone "insider" post I mentioned last week.)

While they like to point out that the Apple TV is taking over the Mac mini slot in Apple's retinue, there's no general proof of that. They also assert that the Mac mini hasn't seen regular upgrades, because Apple doesn't really care about the sub$800 computer market. That Apple ONLY made the Mac mini to appease shareholders who cried out for a that could compete in that "tiny" market. I'm with the majority of folks I've spoken to about this in believing that thttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhe Apple TV and the Mac mini will likely merge into something together. Heck, pull the DVD drive out of it...more HDD space! It's all possible.

I honestly beg to differ...as do many others I speak with daily. The Mac mini is a great computer (lord knows our office runs on them...I'm on a 2.33GHz intel core 2 duo with 2Gigs of memory) that doesn't need a ton of support and revisions. I honestly believe that it was conceived as a computer that they wouldn't need to continually update. Ever since I first encountered the Mac mini in 2005, I was impressed...brings back memories...

"THAT is your computer?" I exclaimed at my friend/co-worker Kevin. "Yeah," he said. "Everything I could ever need in something smaller than my toaster." He proceeded to turn it off in seconds, unhook everything attached, and then show me how it fit into his shoulder bag. "All I need is a monitor/keyboard setup both here at the office and at home...and I'm cool."

I was amazed that day...and to this day appreciate everything the Mac mini has to offer. Simplicity, frugality, small-in-stature-but-strong-on-delivery...and hey, who doesn't almost always have an extra monitor around to plug it into? Honestly, I'm in agreement with the folks over at Ars Technica, when I think it's not the death of the sub$800 market...it's a declination in desktops. People are purchasing laptops at a frightening rate, and they may be considered the wave of the future. (Great, just what I need, some jerk on the bus next to me playing WoW.)

Anything is possible...however let's all not spend our times telling each other "I told you so!" We're better than that. :)

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

[Op/Ed.] MAC EVOLUTION/REVOLUTION:
Part 2 - A Well-Made Mistake...

Well, in the end, we all can make mistakes. Like we're always told, if we learn from those mistakes, we can grow and not repeat them...or in the case of really good people, get into the same situation and conquer that problem without making that same mistake again. Apple isn't a perfect company...who is? Even they have made some stinkers, but they've gone on and learned from their mistakes and improved their products because of that. This shows the true growth of the company as a whole...but let's show some of their failures and how they were learned from...

The Newton
- Now some of you are going to start shouting at me "The Newton was cool! It changed everything!" Right. I understand that, however financially it really was a big failure. Big blocky thing, bad handwriting recognition program, etc etc...but where has the Newton got Apple to today? Why the iPhone of course! Now what they wanted originally can be set up in the iPhone with smaller and more efficient technologies.

The Macintosh TV - Wow...Looking at that picture brings back memories. The world just wasn't ready for TV on a computer back in 1993...but also it had a pretty shoddy graphical performance, and the computer couldn't playback TV on the computer's desktop. However, Apple is back now with Apple TV, bringing iTunes content to TV screens across the nation.

The Macintosh Portable
- Holy smokes this thing is heavy! Bulky, 16 pounds, and practically useless by today's standards, the Mac Portable definately led the way with innovative design. The nice slim laptops/notebooks we have today from Apple and other manufacturers were born out of finding out that people couldn't carry a 15 pound portable computer!

You see, we all can make mistakes...and it's ok for companies to do that (Anime fans, ask me about the Initial D ccg sometime)...as long as they learn from it and grow a better products from that lesson.

Friday, May 18, 2007

[Op/Ed.] MAC EVOLUTION/REVOLUTION:
Part 1 - It's Getting Better All The Time...

It is interesting to look back and see the evolution of Apple and Mac over the years. Far too many people come into the offices here at YourMacStore and marvel at the history of Apple products we have in our display area. Some have never even heard of the Apple II, or the Lisa 2, or even have seen the first Macintosh portable (it’s 15.8 pounds!). It goes to show that for those of us who have been a part of the computer revolution since it’s early days in the late ‘70s that we have seen so many changes in how computers act, what they do, how they are used, and how they look…and in reality, Apple’s products really have shown the most dramatic (and possibly with the most showmanship) changes.

Look back at those early cases…the Lisa…the first computer with a graphical user interface built in. The Apple IIc with the tiny body (and built in handle) that was maybe 1/3 of the weight of the Apple II. Younger people today who weren’t very old or even around when these things came into being really can’t appreciate the revolution behind them. I remember helping my mother bring home her PC from work so she could do work on the weekends back in the mid 1980s…it was a 50 pound beastie, and that was just the computer, the monitor was a whole other deal! Apple pushed and pushed to make computers more accessible to the average person, and really did a good job of making items smaller, simpler, and more useful to the average person. Computers came out of the workplace and into classrooms and homes because of their ability to think and produce what anyone could use.

Macworld listed it’s top 30 innovative Mac products, and at the top of the list was the Macintosh 128K…blocky mouse and all. I remember when these and the later models began to hit the schools I was going to, and how educators were singing the praise of Apple for making these computers available for practically a song and a dance. Not only was it good PR, but darn good marketing…those kids who used them in junior high and high school…they used them in college…and beyond. While they weren’t the first to try and tackle “cradle to grave” marketing…they have done a good job of it over the years.


-Mike Leader

Thursday, May 17, 2007

[Apple News] FACT CHECKING 101: Don't Always Trust Your Source 100%

While every journalist, pseudo-journalist, blogger and ambulance chaser out there always dreams of having the perfect inside source, it's not always true. The folks over at Engadget yesterday managed to not completely fact check something that a "trustworthy" source from Apple gave them...and managed to commit a major reporting faux pas: posting unsubstantiated "news".

They claimed to have received information from a trustworthy person inside Apple, who shared with them an internal memo email that stated that Apple was going to delay the iPhone until October, and Leopard until January 2008. Then what was thought to be the unthinkable happened...Apple's stock dropped 5 points. Some of you may say..."uhh what's 5 points to Apple?" Try about 4 billion dollars, bucko. So it makes me wonder how seriously people take the information they get from sites like Engadget and the like that supposedly have insider information and leak said information all of the time. It's an unhealthy obsession that Americans have in general with "having to know first" and even if it's a wild rumor, most folks want to know first so they can look smart and say "I told ya so" before anyone else did.

So, the questions I think a lot of us have now are: "Did Apple do this on purpose to ferret out people breaking NDA and supplying insider info to websites?" and "Will Apple seek out a judgement against Engadget for reporting false news that damaged their company's profits?" While I'm not a legal expert, there seems to be some merit to that kind of case, with slander laws being how they are. Now if you check the link in this paragraph, you'll see that Apple's gone down this route before...and since they have already gone that route, it is not likely that they'll pursue it. However, that leads me to believe that they may have just done it to suss out the leaks. It's like putting dye into your water to see exactly where in the pipes the water is dripping from...or a tiny radioactive isotope into the body to see where it goes when it's digested. When I used to handle people with NDAs at a previous employer, I would do this kind of thing at least 1-2 times a year to check the security of people who were considered "trusted" just to be absolutely sure. After the first one of these gets through, there's rarely a second one for quite awhile.

What do all of you readers think? Post some comments and let us know!

Monday, May 14, 2007

[Apple News] AT&T IPHONE SALES BRIEF LEAKED...

Well, the actual sales brief sheet to AT&T Employees was leaked over at The Boy Genius Report, and it puts some interesting things out there.

The document pretty much tells AT&T employees that they aren't allowed to speculate on pricing or the release date (other than sometime in June), or talk about anything outside of what is being mentioned on both AT&T's iPhone website or over at Apple's iPhone website. They are, however, reminded sternly that the iPhone is going to be available on a first-come-first-served basis. They aren't going to be allowed to take pre-orders, or call lists for customers who are interested in purchasing one.

I know there are two camps in retail management about the idea of pre-orders, with it pretty much even up as to whom is on what side. There are those who feel that pre-orders and call lists are unfair, and there are those (like me) who feel that they are a necessity. I used to manage a video store for a major chain (not that ugly blue & gold one), and upper management never seemed to like that I would take names and phone numbers, and call customers when certain rentals came in. It's not like they would have a permanent hold on the item, but because they had the foresight to ask if we could let them know when it came in, I gave them the courtesy of doing so. They had 30 minutes if I spoke with them or got an answering machine, to come pick it up. If they didn't, back into population it went. I honestly don't see why some kind of similar system couldn't be worked out by AT&T for their iPhone sales.

However, if one thinks about the point that is made in the document that there is to be no speculation over the price points ($499 & $599), there might be something interesting there. By encouraging their employees to do that, there's a high chance that it means they'll be lowering the cost of the phone based on the service contract for X amount of time. Because when they announce that on the iPhone's release date, it'll help reduce the sticker shock that some people are going through right now when they hear about it. Cell service providers do this all the time with other cellphones, why not with the iPhone? Think about it, would they want a single sale of $500...or a single sale of $395 + a 2 yr service contract? They could possibly pull down another $1900 from someone for the service contract. So yea...expect the price to go down on the phone...also expect the service contract to make your wallet cry "UNCLE!".

[Apple News] ITUNES HAS A BAND ON THE RUN...

Hiya folks!

Today's UK MacWorld has a confirmation from EMI that Paul McCartney will have his entire solo catalog released on iTunes later this year. This will likely include all of his albums after he left the Beatles, solo projects and releases with Wings.

Check the original article here: Click Me

I'm a big Beatles fan and a Paul McCartney fan. It'll be good to see his music get more exposure to younger people, and with some luck they'll be able to see his genius like I was when I was 12 years old.

-Mike Leader

Friday, May 11, 2007

[Product Review] I THINK WE NEED A BIGGER BOAT...

When it was first explained to me that we were going to be carrying a brand new accessory item, I was surprised, as we normally don’t carry a wide variety of accessories here at YourMacStore. However, I was more surprised when shown the Radio Shark 2 package. We all listened to radio at one time or another…heck, growing up in the 1980s and before, everyone listened to radio. Nowadays, the airwaves in major cities are filled with talk shows, sports shows, shock jocks , and every type of music from A-Z….and radio is unfortunately being left behind a little bit with the advancing computer age. With all the internet radio stations out there, it’s got to be hard to keep up…but the Radio Shark 2 helps to bring broadcast radio right into the digital age, cheaply and efficiently. This item is a great piece of work from top to bottom, so let me go over what it can do for you.

First, for Mac OS X 10.4.9 users (like me) you’ll need to download the software update from the Griffin website, as there are some compatibility issues with Tiger….but it takes seconds and is necessary for the software to fully function. (Otherwise you’ll have to change stations by closing the program and reopening it.) The unit itself is small and the weight is negligible…and since it’s designed to look like a shark fin, it looks pretty cool sitting on top of your computer/monitor/desk/windowsill/catbox/whatever. It plugs into any USB port and is powered by that connection. The package comes with a USB extender cord as well, and a radio antenna extender too. After the software is installed, the interface is easily used. You can type in station numbers (1-0-0-.-3 for example), use your scroll wheel to scan up and down the stations, or even set & select favorites. After playing with just listening to the radio broadcasts from my favorite local stations here in Los Angeles (95.5, 93.1, 98.7, and 106.7 to name a few), I then discovered the “Time-Shift” feature. For you TIVO fans out there, you’ll like this. It allows you to pause a live radio transmission for up to 10 minutes, and it will record the broadcast while you step away. Alternatively, you can just drag the slider back and listen to that same song again! That 10 minute auto-record is always on for your convenience of use…no more will you say “what was that word in that song?” You can just “Time-Shift” back and hear it again…and again…and again til you get it right!

Now the “Time-Shift” recordings can be saved right to your hard drive for later listening, or you can actually schedule the Radio Shark 2 to record radio shows during a specific time slot and for a set time…for months in advance! Missing a talk show because of a meeting or special event? Not a problem for the Radio Shark 2…it’ll record it for you later. Now these recordings are automatically saved to your Mac as an AAC or AIFF file, which leads into one of the other cool things about this device, its interaction with iTunes. The setup can be placed to where it automatically creates a playlist in your iTunes with everything that it saves, and those playlists can…you guessed it…be exported right to your iPod. So, are you missing Jim Ladd’s show on KLOS every night because you have to be up early? No problem. Schedule it to be recorded, and then downloaded to your iPod and you can listen while on your way to work in the morning. It’s as simple as that. Lastly, the software update from Griffin comes with a widget for you to use with the OS X dashboard…just in case you wanted to listen to the radio without having the Radio Shark software open.

All in all, I'm personally jazzed with this product, and look forward to taking it home this weekend and seeing what I can do with it. Oh yes, and stay tuned for our next review…the iKareoke. ;)

-Mike Leader