MacVillage.net

Apple today refreshed the PowerBook line of laptops. The new PowerBook now offers a processor up to 1.67 GHz, and 5400 RPM Hard Drives, in addition to 8X SuperDrive ™.

Scrolling Trackpad

A new feature known as a �scrolling TrackPad� allows the user to scroll by using 2 fingers on the trackpad. According to Apple�s promotional materials it�s similar to the scroll wheel found on a typical 3rd party mouse.

Standard Features

Also interesting is 512 MB RAM (1/2 GB) is standard on all PowerBooks. Integrated AirPort 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, and the new TrackPad are also standard. According to Apple the new Bluetooth 2.0 is capable of up to 3X faster performance, and is backwards compatible with older Bluetooth products. All Hard Drives now feature a “Sudden Motion Sensor”, which will help prevent damage and the loss of data in the even that the laptop is dropped.

The new “Top of the Line”

The highest model will run the consumer $2,699. Which includes the following specs:
* 512MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM, with one open slot, expandable up to 2GB;
* a 100GB (5400 rpm) Ultra ATA/100 hard drive and Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics with 128MB video memory;
* DVI (Dual Link for 30-inch support), VGA, S-video and composite video support;
* AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g WiFi fast wireless networking and internal Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T) and 56K V.92 modem;
* two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire® 400 and 800;
* optical digital audio input and output;
* a scrolling TrackPad; and
* Illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor.

Ordering

The new PowerBooks start at $1,499. For Education customers, and college students, the above PowerBook will set you back $2,399.00. The 12� 1.5 GHz PowerBook will run $1,399.00. These are signifigant discounts for educators, college students, and educational institutions that qualify.

The Apple Store is already taking orders, and according to the website it will ship in 1-3 days. You can Order the new PowerBook from the Apple Store now.

This week�s security update is very obvious; it�s a Mac OS X Security update. While it doesn�t really provide features or any new toys, it�s an important one for any Mac user to install right away. It will take a few minutes and require a restart. Keeping a computer�s software up to date is a very easy way to prevent serious problems later.

Most users will find auto-update will prompt them to update their computers, for those who donâ��t (for either personal preference, or firewall issues) you can download the update here. Select the Mac OS X version you have installed. If you don’t know what version your computer is running go to the Apple Menu and select “About this Mac”. The version number is available on that window. The easiest way to update is with auto-update, if you aren’t using it, you should consider doing so.

Mac OS X 10.2.8
Mac OS X 10.3.7
Mac OS X Server 10.3.7
Mac OS X Server 10.2.8

The VideoLAN website describes their product really well:

The VideoLAN project targets multimedia streaming of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DivX files, DVDs, digital satellite channels, digital terrestial television channels and live videos on a high-bandwidth IPv4 or IPv6 network in unicast or multicast under many OSes. VideoLAN also features a cross-platform multimedia player, VLC, which can be used to read the stream from the network or display video read locally on the computer under all GNU/Linux flavours, all BSD flavours, Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, Solaris, QNX, Familiar Linux…

It does exactly that. It�s a beautiful free media player. Think of it as QuickTime on steroids. For no cost, you can get a really good quality media player, great for watching video on your Mac.

What�s so special about VLC is that it�s capable of playing so many different things, it�s list of features is rather extensive.

It�s available on all platforms, so even your Windows buddies can use this cool media player. It�s already pretty good in terms of Aquafication, and it�s getting better.

There�s no good reason to be without this great little product. It�s capable of turning your Mac from a good media device to a great media device.

And did we mention it�s FREE?

So if you haven’t downloaded it yet, get with the program and download VLC Media Player.

Download (www.videolan.org)

It�s long been known Apple hardware is rather expensive. You can get to $3,000 if you want a top of the line G5, and there�s still room to expand for another several hundred dollars. Apple hardware is long known for quality, and performance. It�s also known for cost.

The Mac Mini is the first of a new category of computers for Apple. While some feel it�s a reincarnation of the G4 Cube, and others see it a stripped down eMac, it�s a whole new beast, at least from a business point of view.

The Mac Mini symbolizes the first true economy PC Apple has marketed to date. Not only does it carry the tradition of Apple engineering, but it has an affordable price tag. One that some Slashdot readers find hard to beat. Another example of this new economy idea is the iPod Shuffle, a cheaper iPod.

Is this a freak in the product line? Or the beginning of a trend? According to some sources, the eMac (in addition to PowerBooks) have now entered �End of Life� status. The eMac has long been criticized for it�s lack of power, flexibility, and overall selling potential. Most recently by PC Magazine. This is the previous low-end Apple computer, and current 2nd place. Now that the eMac is at End of Life status, Apple has a chance to revamp the line. Apple could easily take the approach of a lower cost offshoot of the new iMac. Another option is to think outside the box. Keep the same design, but upgrade the CPU, Graphics Card, and add DVD-R capabilities for all models. What Apple needs to be careful of is making sure it doesn�t cost substantially more than the Mac Mini. Any more than it would to hook up a CRT display to the Mac Mini will mean a flop.

Apple has a low end Educational market. That�s what the eMac was intended for. And that�s who mainly has been buying it. Apple can�t afford to loose any more of a foothold in this market, as it�s long been a haven of Macs. While not dominant anymore, there is still value in education.

Apple needs a cheap education product. And unlike the mini, it needs to include more. Keyboard, Mouse, and Display. Educational users aren�t quite as concerned about size and appearance, though they do prefer things slightly bigger than a mini for security reasons (easier to steal small things). If Apple can deliver to this market, and keep this new found low-cost attitude, Apple may start making strides towards a whole new market.

Apple�s new market provides a whole new outlet for their products. An audience who always viewed Apple products as �expensive� and �out of reach� can now experience the Mac OS, and the simplicity and style of Apple hardware and software.

Products Mentioned

Mac Mini (Free)

Mac Mini (G4 1.25GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD)
Mac Mini (G4 1.42GHz, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB HD)

1 GB iPod Shuffle
512 MB iPod Shuffle

eMac (1.25 GHz G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB HD, SuperDrive)
eMac (1.25 GHz G4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD)

Its official, during the Superbowl Apple and Pepsi will be doing a promotion. Not only will there be free iTunes, but iPod Mini�s.

Here�s my quick interpretation of the rules (disclaimer: read them yourself, this is informational only)
According to the rules on the Apple website, there will be specially-marked 20 oz and 1 liter bottles of: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Wild Cherry, Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red and Sierra Mist containing game pieces underneath the cap. They will also be under the rim of specially-marked 32 oz. and 44 oz. fountain cups available at participating locations.

The promotion should run until April 11, 2005 or until supplies of �specially-marked packages exhaust�.

They will be giving away 200,000,000 songs, and says the odds of winning are 1 in 3. But that�s not all.

When you enter the code on the game piece to redeem a song, you will be entered into a sweepstakes to win an Silver iPod mini (with the Pepsi logo). The drawings will take place daily between February 1, 2005 - April 11, 2005, and once on May 2, 2005. The deadline for the sweepstakes is 11:59:59 p.m. (PST) the day before the drawing, and April 30, 2005 for the May 2, 2005. If you don�t win, you�re automatically entered for the next one (so you have more than one chance).

You can signup here to be notified about the promotion.

MacVillage.net is still finishing up the new start page, but there is a temporary page for anyone looking for a simplified Mac-Centric start page. Announcing MacVillage Search:

http://macvillage.net/search

Still in beta, this new page provides easy access to Macintosh information. From news, software updates, and search. Top iTunes are available on the Music page. It’s light design provides for quick loading.

MacVillage.net will soon relaunch it’s customizable start page for members. The feature available to all MacVillage.net Members will contain customizable headlines, features right on the start page.

Comments and suggestions on this free service can be sent via our comments page. The service is still in beta, giving the MacVillage.net community a chance to give their feedback on how it can be improved.

As reported by News.com earlier, European Mac Users have started a petition
to complain about the Mac Mini�s pricing. At the time of this article it�s approaching 4,000 signatures.

This isn�t a new issue for European Mac users. For quite some time they have felt that they are paying more for the same product, simply because they live on the other side of the Atlantic. On signature�s comment reads:

I would already have bought a Mac Mini if it wasn’t for the price (exchange rate) difference. (I just imported a 20G ipod from the US, it’s cheaper paying transport + import tax than buying one in a shop in Spain)

This comes just a few weeks after Apple�s high profile opening of it�s Regent Street (UK) Store. For many the store�s opening signified a renewed commitment towards European customers.

The strong support for the petition shows that European customers are far from satisfied by Apple’s pricing of it’s new economy model.

According to MacSlash, OpenOffice will not be Aquafied as previously announced.

While the Mac never had huge penetration the business sector, it does however hold a role in quite a few businesses, even if it�s just limited to the creative few. The Mac also has a large userbase in education, and home use. All of these users take advantage of business software (the most popular being Microsoft Office).

While Microsoft Office for Mac OS X isn�t a bad product, it�s far from cheap, and it�s not guaranteed to be developed forever. Internet Explorer for Mac died last summer, as Microsoft cited Safari as being the browser of choice for Macintosh customers. Will Microsoft stay in the game? Apple sure hopes so.

If Microsoft were to find that Office for Mac OS X wasn�t worth perusing, this would leave Apple in a tough situation. Apple�s own products, while fine for small projects, and home use don�t have the interoperability that Microsoft�s Office products have. Apple would need to ensure there�s an equivalent product for Mac OS X to keep it�s customers.

OpenOffice is an open source project that has remarkably good compatibility with Microsoft Office, and reproduces most common features. Odds are only a handful would find something they use missing. OpenOffice is available on Linux, Solaris, and Windows. Mac OS X is only available through X11.

An option Apple of course has is to work with OpenOffice like it did with KDE. KDE�s Konqueror browser is the basis for Safari. Apple could take OpenOffice, and rework a Mac port to compete. But the project wouldn�t be an overnight process. It would be a long term development process as the work needed is rather signifigant.