MacHELP

Quicktime 7 is now available as a download for Mac OS X 10.3.

Apple today updated the Power Mac G5 line of systems:

– Dual 2.0 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
– 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (4GB maximum);
– 160GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
– AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
– ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR SDRAM;
– 3 PCI slots (64-bit 33MHz); and
– 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-R/CD-RW).
– Suggested retail price $1,999

– Dual 2.3 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
– 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (8GB maximum);
– 250GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
– AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
– ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR SDRAM;
– 3 PCI-X slots (one 64-bit 133 MHz, two 64-bit 100 MHz); and
– 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-R/CD-RW).
– Suggested retail price: $2,499

– Dual 2.7 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
– 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (8GB maximum);
– 250GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
– AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
– ATI Radeon 9650 with 256MB DDR SDRAM and support for one 30-inch Apple
Cinema HD Display;
– 3 PCI-X slots (one 64-bit 133 MHz, two 64-bit 100 MHz); and
– 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-R/CD-RW).
– Suggested retail price: $2,999

All of the new G5 systems are shipping with OS X 10.4 “Tiger” and will be available this week.

Apple announced major software updates at NAB 2005.

Final Cut Studio was announced (for $1299), consisting of Final Cut Pro 5, Soundtrack Pro, Motion 2, and DVD Studio Pro 4. All four products are still available separately. Shake 4 was released as well.

Mac OS X 10.3.9 is available via Software Update or as standalone delta (for 10.3.8) or combo (for 10.1-1.3.8) installers. Improvements include:

- network volumes are now available in the Finder sidebar and Desktop for convenient access
- file sharing and directory services reliability for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PC (SMB/CIFS), PPTP, and wireless networks
- support for NTFS formatted volumes
- reliability of user logins, mounting of home directories in a networked environment, and launch of network applications
- updated PostScript and USB printing
- updated font management
- reliable disc burning and recording functionality
- Bluetooth compatibility for Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and Bluetooth phones.
- iPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSync
- updated Open GL technology and ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- updated Address Book, Calculator, Disk Utility, DVD Player, Image Capture, Mail, Preview, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications
- compatibility for third party applications and devices
- additional support for FireWire and USB devices
- FileVault, FireWire 800 and WebDAV improvements from Update 10.3.1
- previous standalone security updates and Bluetooth Update 1.5.1

Apple has announced their second-quarter 2005 financial results.

For the fiscal 2005 second quarter ending March 26th, the Company posted a net profit of $290 million, or $.34 per diluted share. These results compare to a net profit of $46 million, or $.06 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue for the quarter was $3.24 billion, up 70 percent from the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 29.8 percent, up from 27.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue. Apple shipped 1,070,000 Macintosh® units and 5,311,000 iPods during the quarter, representing a 43 percent increase in CPU units and a 558 percent increase in iPods over the year-ago quarter.

Apple has officially announced Mac OS X version 10.4, also known as “Tiger”. The next version of the operating system will be available on Friday, April 29th, for $129.