Jun 27
I opened my door this evening to find that UPS had dropped off a large cardboard box; inside was a nicely configured PowerMac G4 450Mhz DP system. There’s no note or anything in the box, just the system unit and lots of packing peanuts.
Update: Since originally posting this, the mystery has been solved. Thanks to B.D. for the PowerMac G4!
This now makes two machines that people have donated in order to help me support people still running OSX 10.1 through 10.4. J.G. in Sunnyvale sent me a “Blue & White” G3 system, and the UPS label indicates that the G4 came from Chicago.
Jun 09
Today at WWDC ‘08, Apple announced the iPhone 3G.
Available on July 11th at a price of $199 for an 8G model and $299 for the 16G, the new iPhone features 3G data (twice as fast as EDGE), built-in true GPS, and enterprise support. Battery life is improved, with 300 hours of standby time, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G talk time, 5-6 hours of 3G browsing, 7 hours of video, or 24 hours of audio.
The new iPhone has a black plastic back and solid metal buttons (for the 8G model) or an available white back on the 16G model. The display and camera are the same, with the headphone jack now being flush with the top of the phone, and audio is improved.
Update: The WWDC Keynote Speech is now online.
May 26
The class action lawsuit Gordon v. Apple Computer, Inc. has now been settled:
The purpose of this website is to inform purchasers of replacement power adapters for certain Apple PowerBook or iBook computers of a class action settlement. The settlement will provide a cash payment if you purchased certain model Apple PowerBook or iBook computers, the power adapter failed within the first three years following the initial retail purchase of the computer, and you purchased a replacement adapter.
May 06
As detailed in this TUAW post, the iMac was announced ten years ago today:
The original iMac came stocked with a 233MHz G3, 32MD of SDRAM (though you could bump it up to a whopping 128MB), a 4 gig harddrive, 2 USB ports, a CD-ROM drive (not a CD burner, Apple was late to that party), and an IrDA port.
I’ve owned G3, G5, and Core Duo versions of the iMac, but finally “upgraded” to a Core2Duo-based Mac Mini with a separate screen a couple of months ago. While the quality of the flat panels used in the iMac series has always been good, their $800-per-panel repair cost was a bit extreme compared to the price of a standalone LCD display (using the same model of panel) from a vendor such as Dell in my opinion.
Mar 29
I’m in need of a G4 or G5 system so that I can dual-boot Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 in order to troubleshoot and help people running those older versions of the operating system (both of my personal systems are Intel-based and run 10.5). If someone has an older system available and would like to donate it to the cause, please email and let me know.
I run MacHELP as a non-profit hobby; it makes no income. I usually answer between five and ten questions a day and have helped more than 1200 people with their Macintosh and Mac OS X problems since April of 2007.
Feb 28
Apple has released new models of the MacBook and MacBook Pro portable systems.
The new MacBook is available in three models including faster processors and larger hard drives; white 2.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz models with 120GB or 160GB 5400 rpm hard drives and a black 2.4 GHz model with a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive. The 2.4 GHz MacBook models ship with 2GB of memory standard, with all models expandable to 4GB. Prices are unchanged, starting at $1099.
The new MacBook Pro has up to a 2.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache; up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory and up to a 300GB hard drive, plus NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory. New hardware features including a trackpad with Multi-Touch gesture support, an illuminated keyboard, and an ambient light sensor. Prices start at $1999.
Feb 05
Apple has released an updated iPhone available with 16G of onboard storage as well as a new iPod Touch available with 32G.
Both new products retail for $499. The older 8G iPhone and 16G iPod Touch are still available for purchase.
Jan 15
Apple announced new products and updates at MacWorld San Francisco today:
Apple TV is now $229, with a forthcoming software update that will let you rent movies from the iTunes Store in “standalone” mode without a host Mac system. Movie rentals (from every major studio) are $2.99 for older releases and $3.99 for new releases, with prices for HD versions at $3.99/4.99.
Time Capsule combines the Airport Extreme wired and wireless router/print server with an integrated 500G or 1TB hard drive that supports wireless operation of the Time Machine backup software. The 500G model retails for $299 while the 1TB model costs $499.
iPhone firmware version 1.1.3 adds Google Maps location finding, multiple-recipient text messages, Web Clip bookmarking, home screen customization, and the ability to play movies rented from the iTunes Store. This is a free software upgrade for iPhone owners. A $20 firmware upgrade for iPod Touch owners will add Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather, Notes, and iTunes Movie Rental capability.
MacBook Air is the world’s thinnest notebook. It’s less than an inch tall (from 0.76 to 0.16 of an inch), it can fit into a manilla envelope. The screen is 13.3″ with LED backlighting, and the system features a backlit full size keyboard, iSight camera, and multi-touch trackpad. The processor is a 1.6 or 1.8Ghz Core 2 Duo, with 2G memory standard (non-upgradeable), 802.11n and Bluetooth wireless, and an 80G hard drive. A 64G solid-state disk is available as an option. Ethernet networking and an external SuperDrive are possible via the system’s single USB port. The MacBook Air starts at $1799.
Jan 08
Apple has announced new versions of the XServe and Mac Pro at CES.
