< a href="http://www.apple.com">Apple Computer has updated the Hot Deals pages for PowerMax at the Macintosh Product Guide. The Mac Product Guide is a list of Mac compatible hardware and software products on the market. The Hot Deals section of the Product Guide features several Mac retailers and special offers that one can only get, at…
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Running OPENSTEP on Your Intel Mac
OPENSTEP is the version of NeXTis NEXTSTEP designed to run on non-NeXT hardware, specifically Intel-based hardware in this case. NEXTSTEP itself is the foundation for what became Mac OS X, which was acquired by Apple in the mid-1990s when Apple was looking for a way to replace what we now call Classic Mac OS. OPENSTEP…
Apple Exec: "We're Seeing a High Level of Interest in Boot Camp"
Boot Camp allows users to boot into either Mac OS X or Windows XP on Intel-powered Macintosh systems, and Apple execs repeated the company line that the software was released in response to customer interest in that ability. “You know, the response has been written about a lot,” said Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer. “We did…
Burst.com Files Patent Infringement (Counter)Suit Against Apple
Burst.com, Inc. announced Monday that it had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple Computer, saying that Apple’s iTunes Music Store, iTunes software, the iPod devices, and Apple’s QuickTime Streaming products all infringed on patents owned by Burst.com. The suit comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Apple in January of 2006 seeking to…
Apple Sets Up Invest Firm in Tax-Free Nevada
Apple Computer has gone to Nevada , but not on an iPod-funded gambling spree in Las Vegas; BusinessWeek reported this week that Apple has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to manage its investments in Nevada. According to the story, Braeburn Capital was incorporated October 5th, 2005 in Reno Nevada — about 3 hours from Cupertino…
Massive 1.10 Update Adds Major Features to World of Warcraft
Some of the specifics of the update: New high-level armor sets: Blizzard has introduced entire new "rare" armor sets for all of the character classes. These armor classes are a combination of rare and epic-quality items, and are largely better than the "Dungeon Set 1" sets (i.e. Wildheart, Beaststalker, Shadowcraft, etc.) previously available. The new…
The Back Page - John C. Dvorak: Apple Plans Move to Windows
John C. Dvorak, the master cage-rattler, is at again, and this time his whip-up-the-Mac-masses angle is that Apple is going to dump Mac OS X, and move to Windows. This is one of his clumsier arguments, but it bears mentioning (and debunking) mainly because there are some folks worried about this very issue. Accordingly, let’s…
Apple Updates Mac OS X to Version 10.4.5
Appleis update notes: The 10.4.5 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies: iChat video conferencing Safari rendering of web pages usability of Dashboard and widgets viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall printing to some Epson printer models…
Report: Microsoft Mulls Making Its iPod Competitor, but With Games
covered this on Thursday, but todayis coverage includes a Spin that looks at what Microsoft might be missing.] Microsoft is contemplating making its own digital media device to directly compete with Appleis iPod, according to a report from BusinessWeek. Writing for the magazine, Jay Greene reported that the company is considering its own device as…
Disney Buys Pixar for $7.4 Billion; Jobs on Disney Board [Update]
Pixar president Ed Catmull will be the president of the newly formed Pixar and Disney animation studios, and creative mastermind John Lasseter will be the Chief Creative Officer of the animation studios. "Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders," said Steve…
Peachpit Offers Free iWork '06 Guide at Macworld Booth
The free, full-color guide includes: iWork i06: Tables with calculations, three-dimensional charts, advanced image-editing, and more. Pages 2: New Apple-designed templates, mail merge with Address Book, and more. Keynote 3: New cinematic transitions, Apple-designed HD themes, iLife export, and more. The guide is also serving as a teaser for Mr. Harringtonis upcoming book, Apple Training…
Apple Hot Deals Update for J&R, Sweetwater Sound, & Publishing Perfection
The new J&R Hot Deals page has offers on World of Warcraft, Call of Duty Deluxe, a multifunction printer, cameras, Palm devices, several software titles, and more. The new Sweetwater Sound Hot Deals page has offers on an iPod DJ mixer, a guitar recording bundle, external storage, a portable recording device, a USB studio microphone,…
Apple Developer Connection Spotlights Mac OS X Success
"The ease with which the customer can set up a Macintosh network, the ease with which a Macintosh computer can find and connect to hardware on the network," Salon Transcripts Chief Technology Officer Aaron Conti said in the article, "those aspects are critical to customers in the beauty industry. Most salon owners donit have an…
Apple Launches "iPod 101: Master Your Music & More"
Apple Computer has launched a new iPod feature at the company’s Web site: “iPod 101: Master Your Music and More.” As the name implies, it’s a collection of tips for making the most of your iPod, though some obvious advertising of Apple products and services is also included. The tips include instructional videos, written instructions,…
BackBeat Media Launches Podcast Network
BackBeat Media announced Wednesday the launch of the BackBeat Media Podcast Network, a network of three tech, music, and whatnot podcasts. The three podcasts include Coverville, The Evil Genius Chronicles, and The Mac Observer’s own Mac Geek Gab. The network will be providing advertising, infrastructure, and business support, similar to the kind of support BackBeat…
Analyst: Apple to Face Harder Battle to Dominate Digital Video
Apple Computer is is going to have a harder time dominating digital video than it did conquering the digital audio market, according to a Wall Street analyst. David C. Bailey of Goldman, Sachs & Co. said that the news of CBS and NBC offering TV shows for US$0.99 per episode through video-on-demand services is an…
Apple Updates Tiger to Version 10.4.3
The 10.4.3 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for: AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS and FTP network file services AirPort and Bluetooth wireless access Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, and RAW camera support disc recording when creating and burning media .Mac…
Print Your Own Steve Jobs/Darth Vader Halloween Mask
Forbesi Steve-Jobs-as-Darth-Vader mask
Apple Introduces Pro Photo Editing Tool Aperture [UPDATE]
“Aperture is to professional photography what Final Cut Pro is to filmmaking,” said Rob Schoeben, Appleis vice president of Applications Marketing. “Finally, an innovative post production tool that revolutionizes the pro photo workflow from compare and select to retouching to output.” RAW The RAW image format offers the clearest and most-detailed digital images, and it…
Apple Updates QuickTime to 7.0.3 w/Bug Fixes & iPod Features
The update also gives QuickTime 7 Pro users the ability to "create video and audio files that can be played back on compatible iPods." The update notes in Software Update also specify that it will disable QuickTime Pro functionality in prior versions of QuickTime (i.e. QuickTime 5 or QuickTime 6). You can find the update…
The Back Page - Bryan's Notes from the "One More Thing..." Media Event
As you probably know by now, Apple told incoming journalists that blogging and live updates from the "One more thing…" media event were VERBOTEN! Why in the world Apple would want us not giving people live updates is beyond me (Think Control), but it was moot anyway, as I had zero cell-phone signal inside the…
Apple Confirms More iPods to Come for Holidays
“Over a year ago, we set out to create revolutionary updates to our core iPod line-up and last quarter was the final quarter for the older products,” said Mr. Cook. “We think we did rather well with the prior line-up and believe we will do even bet we are the new line-up we have for…
Japan Record Labels Want iPod Tax
Like its American counterpart, the Japanese recording industry wants a share of Apple’s iPod pie. The New York Times reported Monday on efforts by recording trade groups to have a fee assessed to iPods and other digital media devices as recompense for theoretical piracy, and even just as extra money for the privilege of having…
Maine Newspaper Examines iBook Program
The program put an iBook into the hands of every 7th and 8th student, along with their teachers, in the state of Maine. Championed by then-governor Angus King, the program was the first such to try and put a computer in the hands of every child across an entire state. Apple has worked with other…