mac

Will Intel's snub of Vista be the first of many?

Whatever happened to that chummy Wintel alliance? You know, the Microsoft Windows/Intel chip cartel that has long helped to cement Microsoft's hold on the industry?

In a significant snub, Intel has decided not to upgrade its 80,000 desktops from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

As an inside source put it:

This isn't a matter of dissing Microsoft, but Intel information technology staff just found no compelling case for adopting Vista.

Is Intel a sign of things to come for Microsoft? Will the rest of corporate America discover that Microsoft essentially stopped innovating long ago and has … Read more

Orbino design captures Air once again

Orbino is single-handedly trying to prove that there are better ways to design a MacBook Air case than the much-copied inter-office envelope look. Only a few months ago the Italian designer came out with its "Arista" series of bags for Apple's runway-model-thin laptop, and now it's introducing yet another case.

The "Aria" seeks to complement its beauty with brawn, made from both premium leather and "sculpted anodized aluminum frame." (There's apparently something about aircraft-grade aluminum that goes hand in hand with luxury products.)

It's a form-fitting case that hugs the … Read more

Linksys courts Mac users with a OS X version of its popular setup wizard

Linksys today announced its one-step-further support for Mac by releasing its OS X version of the Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA) setup wizard. LELA is a desktop application that helps take away the hassle and complexity of setting up a router by using easy-to-understand terminology and illustrations to guide consumers through the process.

This is great news for Mac users, especially those who are used to setting up routers using a desktop application rather than the Web-interface. I personally have met a lot of Mac users who somehow believe that Mac computers only work (well) with Apple's AirPort products because … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 753: RIAA killed the radio star

OK, now this is weird: the music industry is trying to undermine the way the music industry distributes and promotes music and has always distributed and promoted music. They're calling radio piracy. What has the world come to? Also, RIM totally biffs it with the BlackBerry Bold; hackers crack the London Tube and ride around for free; and Microsoft sets a date for Windows 7. Somebody reserve the church. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 753

Internet provider halts plan to track, sell users’ surfing data http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401033.html… Read more

Microsoft (finally) releases Mac Office converters

Finally.

Microsoft on Tuesday released the file format converters that allow Office 2004 for Mac to read the Open XML file formats that were introduced in Office 2007 for Windows. The converters were originally due to be available close to the launch of Office 2007, but have been delayed several times.

The delays meant that Office 2008, which supports the new formats, actually hit the market before the converters. Of course, since Microsoft makes money off new versions of Office and not off making the older product more compatible, perhaps that was part of the plan.

In any case, the … Read more

Microsoft staffing up Mac unit

Microsoft is hoping that better Windows products and marketing will eventually stem the market share gains that Apple has been making. In the meantime, the company is trying to make the best of things.

The software maker is growing its Mac Business Unit (MacBU), which just had another record year.

"The Mac BU at Microsoft is growing--we're launching our biggest hiring initiative since the inception of MacBU 11 years ago," general manager Craig Eisler said in a blog posting. "We are hard at work planning for products beyond Office 2008, and we are growing our team … Read more

Logitech announces Webcam for Macs

Logitech today announced a Webcam specifically tailored to Macs. The Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro is a spitting image in terms of both specs and design of the PC-friendly QuickCam Pro 9000 I reviewed (and very much liked) last year, but Logitech sees fit to charge the few Webcam-less Mac owners out there an additional $30. The QuickCam Vision Pro will cost you $130 when it's released next month; the QuickCam Pro 9000 can be had for $100 or less.

Like its PC doppelganger, the QuickCam Vision Pro features a 2-megapixel sensor, a Carl Zeiss lens, and Logitech's RightLight … Read more

Apple putting Snow Leopard on crash diet?

One of the "under the hood" improvements that Apple might be planning for Mac OS X Snow Leopard might involve a crash diet for key Mac applications.

Roughly Drafted reports, in a long list of features expected to appear in Snow Leopard, that Apple is working on reducing the footprint required by many of its key applications, such as iCal, Mail, and Preview. The report also says the size of the Utilities applications could be dramatically reduced, from 468MB to 111.6MB.

Smaller applications could make Snow Leopard more snappy and more stable, as Apple prunes out unnecessary … Read more

Psystar's Open Computer the alterna-Mac

After about a month with Psystar's Open Computer, as long as I ignore the big ugly box underneath my desk it's easy to forget that this isn't a Mac.

For about a week or so in April, Psystar dominated the tech headlines with the launch of its Open Computer, a relatively cheap desktop computer with one notable feature: Apple's Mac OS X Leopard preinstalled. That's technically a violation of Apple's end-user licensing agreement for its operating system, and requires Psystar to circumvent Apple's restrictions on Leopard's use by adding low-level software that … Read more