mac

Is Apple the only company that can do no wrong?

Japan is investigating the possibility of overheating iPod Nanos, according to a report. The country's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is looking into three reports of overheating iPod Nanos starting fires and confirmed that Apple had two other cases of something similar occurring.

The iPod Nano overheating allegedly happened during 2005 and 2006 and so far, there haven't been any reports that the same issues persist.

It should also be noted that back in 2006, Apple was included in a long list of companies that had computer battery issues that were also sparking fires.

But Apple's problems have stretched far beyond battery problems. The company is facing trouble over its utterly crappy MobileMe, has dealt with concerns over faulty "first-generation" devices, and has consistently delivered less than what we're looking for in iPhones. All the while, Apple still thinks it's necessary to remove applications from its App Store with nary a mention as to why.

Amid all those problems (and many more that I didn't recount), Apple's satisfaction rating is the highest in the business, sales are stronger than ever, and there are no signs of either slowing down at any time.

So what's the deal? Why is Apple given a slap on the wrist, while other tech companies would pay dearly for similar offenses? If you ask me, it has nothing to do with the products and everything to do with Apple's marketing machine.… Read more

Microsoft gets paid twice as Vista users downgrade to XP

In a clear indictment of Microsoft's Windows strategy, new research suggests that up to a third of all new Windows Vista machines get downgraded to XP, either by the hardware vendors like Dell, or by customers.

That is a massive number. Ironically, it's a number that works to the short-term advantage of Microsoft's top and bottom lines, but it still represents a vote of "no confidence" in Microsoft's Windows strategy.

Microsoft's only hope at this point is that customers will forget Vista as rapidly as they did Millennium and ramp up anticipation for … Read more

MacBook Air to get new Intel chips?

Apple's MacBook Air could be getting a fresh new look--inside at least--in the coming weeks.

Rumors of new Apple notebooks have been all over the place this summer, given the length of time since the last redesign of the MacBook and Intel's new Montevina chips. But Phone News believes that the MacBook Air will also get a new Penryn chip that will improve performance at the cost of battery life.

The MacBook Air's performance doesn't really compare to that of the rest of the MacBook lineup, but it was designed to be thin and light, not … Read more

Apple's MobileMe suffers more downtime

Apple's MobileMe suite of Web services suffered another outage Monday that affected an unknown number of its users.

Of the included services, Mail was inaccessible for approximately two hours. Earlier in the day we had received scattered reports from users who were unable to access their mail. Those reports were later confirmed both through Apple's MobileMe status ticker and Twitter's real-time search tool. For those affected, all other aspects of MobileMe were reportedly up and running.

Monday's problems centered on a lack of access to Mail on three fronts: through the Web, on the iPhone, and … Read more

The Linux desktop, Macs, and barking dogs

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): "Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?" Holmes: "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." Gregory: "The dog did nothing in the night-time." Holmes: "That was the curious incident."

That comes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Silver Blaze, a Sherlock Holmes short story. I've been plowing through all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories over the past month and was struck by this famous dialogue last week, especially as it pertains to the Linux desktop.

There are, of course, the constant reports of how easy Linux is to install and use on the desktop. Then there are the more pragmatic posts like this one from Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, calling out a few things Linux needs to succeed on the desktop (device drivers, applications, and power management are his suggestions), despite its otherwise strong credentials.

And yet the dog isn't barking. Few are buying. Why?… Read more

Mac laptop prices steady as Windows prices fall

Speculation that Apple might be slashing Mac prices in the coming weeks could get a boost from new data released by The NPD Group.

Joe Wilcox at Apple Watch put together a chart of data from NPD showing the average selling prices of Windows PCs and Macs at retail stores in the U.S. As of June, the average Mac desktop retails for $1,543 while the average Mac notebook costs $1,515. On the Windows side, the average desktop costs $550 while the notebook costs $700.

Of course, Apple's decision to keep its Mac pricing for everything but … Read more

Apple needs to bring Mac prices down

eWeek has an interesting article up today detailing the difference in price currently being witnessed in the computing space, according to NPD. Based on the research firm's analysis, it estimates that the average Windows desktop is selling for about $550, compared to Apple's average desktop selling price of $1,543. The average Windows laptop in June was selling for $700, while Apple's laptops were going for a hefty $1,515.

After comparing comparably-equipped HP laptops with Mac notebooks, it became abundantly clear to me that Apple, although working hard to reduce prices on its computers, still has considerable work to do.

Right now, you can head over to HP's website and buy yourself a Pavilion dv7t sporting Windows Vista Home Premium, a 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, a 250GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS to display video on your 17-inch screen for just $1,217.99.

But if you chose the Mac, you'd be paying $2,799 for a MacBook Pro sporting a 2.5Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card, and a 250GB hard drive.

The list goes on. Mac Pros are substantially more expensive than comparably-equipped Dell machines, and aside from iMacs, which are far more competitively priced, you're not getting a bargain on any Apple product.… Read more

Ultralight notebooks may be cool but they still run Windows

I'm a big fan of tiny computers and I continue to follow the world of these "laptot" machines that pack a decent hardware punch into a very small form factor. The problem? They pretty much all run Windows. Some vendors have Linux options but I can't figure out why you would want to deal with the weight of Windows on a machine geared toward more casual use.

Wouldn't it make a lot more sense for the hardware guys to eschew Windows for these machines and move to some Linux distro? Today's multivendor announcement of … Read more

Psystar placing its trust in antitrust

Lawyers for Mac clone maker Psystar have confirmed they have hired the A-Team in order to battle Apple.

That's "A" as in antitrust, according to Computerworld. Psystar has retained Carr and Ferrell to fend off an Apple lawsuit over the Open Computer, and one lawyer for the firm sought to shift the focus away from copyright and trademark violations to software licensing agreements, or EULAs, and antitrust concerns.

If you've been paying attention to the Psystar saga, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Legal experts interviewed months ago told us that Psystar really has little … Read more

MacBook redesign leaked? Probably not

Are these really leaked pics of a redesigned MacBook, widely expected later this year? Probably not, as Apple has always done an excellent job of keeping its new designs under wraps. But the Interwebs are abuzz with this series of shots that generally fit in with the conventional wisdom--that the MacBook line is getting an aluminum makeover, to look more like the high-end MacBook Pro.

Mac accessories store AppleOwner.com and a Taiwanese site called apple.pro are both showing off the allegedly leaked shots, which don't offer much in the way of detail, besides an aluminum chassis with the MacBook name stamped into it. Check out the pics for yourself after the break and let us know if you think they're legit or fake.… Read more