< A href="http://www.aspyr.com/">Aspyr Media announced Monday the long-awaited released of Doom 3 for the Mac. A continuation of the original Doom series, Doom 3 is a first person shooter (FPS) that was built on an entirely new 3D engine developed by id Software. "DOOM 3 has instantly become a must have title for any game…
Mac
Linux Creator Switches to Mac, Sort Of
D onit call it a Mac, because it runs Linux exclusively, but Linus Torvalds has switched to Apple hardware for his main desktop computer. The creator of the Linux operating system said in a Linux mailing list that he was no longer using an x86 (Intel processor) machine, and ZDNetis Australian branch took the opportunity…
Jef Raskin, Father of the Macintosh, Dies at 61
Jef Raskin, Apple employee #31 and father of the Macintosh, died Saturday at age 61. Mr. Raskin died at his home in Pacifica, Calif. A family statement said he had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A professor turned consultant, Mr. Raskin wrote the BASIC manual for the Apple II in 1976 and joined the…
Top 100 Gadgets, Octavo, Online Taxes on Inside Mac
The show, hosted by Scott Sheppard, has a feature by Ken Ray on Mobile PCis “Top 100 Gadgets of All Time.” In addition, there is an interview with Octavo CEO Chet Crycz about its rare book collection on CD. This episode also features the popular Podcasters Dawn and Drew who join Sam Levin and Laura…
Just a Thought - Mac Backer
"Honey Cake, the Johnsons are coming over and I want to show them our 2006 Montana vacation pictures. Are they up on the Mini yet?" "Why yes, they are Sugar Plum. I loaded them up a couple of days ago, before that big storm knocked out the power. Wanna take a look?" "Absolutely Baby Toes!"…
Apple Developer Connection Posts "Using the .Mac SDK"
T he Apple Developer Connection has published a how-to article for developers to tap into the .Mac SDK. The .Mac SDK is a set of programming hooks that allow third-party developers to integrate their applications with .Mac, and the article serves as an introduction to actually applying the SDK. “Weill cover the components of the…
ZDNet Asks if Mac mini Could Lead to Mini PCs
Z DNetis John Spooner has asked if Appleis new Mac mini could lead to a wave of similarly tiny computers in the Wintel world. Mr. Spooner addressed the question from the standpoint of such issues as people looking for smaller units as second or third computers in the household, and products that came along before…
A Linux User Writes About Embracing the Mac
E xtremeTech has published the aptly named "A Linux Geek Embraces Mac OS X," a 13 page article by a Linux and Windows useris first dive into the Mac world. The Switcher in question, Jim Lynch, dove in head first with a dual 1.85GHz Power Mac G5, and the story he tells offers a nice…
PC World Recommends Mac mini as Starter System
P C World is recommending Appleis new Mac mini as starter system for new computer users. In a first look at the newest Mac, Rebecca Freed put the Mac mini through consumer-oriented tasks, focusing on how the Mac mini performed. Ms. Freed tested the unit by opening up a half dozen programs at one time,…
iPontificate: Hello, New iMac Over Here!
I just made my New Year’s Resolution and so far I am doing great. I recently got a new 20 inch iMac G5 and I resolved to not rub it in other peoples’ faces. That’s right, I got a new iMac, son! What do you have, a Commodore 64, or maybe a Timex Sinclair with…
Analyst: Mac mini + Apple Stores = "Match Made in Heaven"
< A href="http://www.needhamco.com/">Needham & Co. analyst Charlie Wolf issued a research note to his clients Wednesday that called the Mac mini and Appleis retail stores a "match made in heaven." Noting that the lack of a low-cost entry-level Mac was a "major barrier to iPod-toting Windows users whoive contemplated switching to a Mac," he said…
First on TMO - Apple VP: PowerBook G5 "the Mother of All Thermal Challenges"
When Rob Steerum of Fulcrum Global Partners asked Tim Cook, Apple’s VP of Worldwide Sales and Operations, about the chances of a G5-based PowerBook anytime soon, Mr. Cook admitted Wednesday such a project “would be the mother of all thermal challenges.” When asked if he meant there will never be a G5-powered PowerBook, Mr. Cook…
Pack Your PowerMac G5 with 5TB of Storage with G5Jam+
PowerMac G5 with G5Jam+ According to James Wiebe, CEO of WiebeTech, with the recent introduction of a 500GB SATA drive from Hitachi, a PowerMac G5 using G5Jam+ can support a maximum of 3TB (6 x 500 GB) of internal storage, and 2TB (4 x 500GB) of external storage. G5Jam+ ships with a replacement air baffle…
Just a Thought - Econo-Mac Revisited
It’s a brand new year; 2005, that means it’s time for a fresh round of speculation about what our good friend and Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, will show off at the San Francisco Macworld Expo. Last May I wrote a piece that examined the likelihood of Apple popping out what I called an Econo-Mac; this…
Blinkx Desktop Search Engine Mac-bound on Monday
will introduce a version of its desktop-search software for the Macintosh next Monday, the company has announced, beating Apple to market with a similar product, which will be built into the next version of Mac OS X to be released later this year. Blinkx automatically lets users search their hard drive as well as Web…
The Back Page - IBM: The NeXT Mac Cloner?
AudioGoGo.com has published its predictions for 2005, where, as we have seen with other tech media outlets, Apple figured prominently. The magazine had five major predictions concerning Apple, including Apple having a big year for the Mac, Apple losing iPod market share, Apple upgrading the audio quality of the iTunes Music Store, and the Sony…
Computing with Bifocals - MacFamilyTree: Recommended Genealogy Software
Anyone interested in serious genealogy research, or anyone who just wants to create a good family tree, may be interested in checking out an application called MacFamilyTree. This particular application has three things going for it: It was created for the Mac platform, it is relatively inexpensive, and it is fairly easy for a beginner…
The Back Page - Dvorak: Mac Platform Stagnant; Cheap Mac Needed
John C. Dvorak has a new column about Apple in which he said "the Mac platform is essentially stagnant." The problem, according to Mr. Dvorak, is "Apple’s inability to make the Mac a commodity computer by pricing it to compete with PCs made inexpensively in China and selling with razor-thin margins." In other words, Mr.…
Computing with Bifocals - Get a New Mac? Erase Your Old One!
If you got a new Mac for Christmas or Chanukah, you better hang on to this. Everyone knows how well-built our Macs are and how long they last. Well, OK, everyone who uses a Mac knows. Anyhow, those of us "in the know" know that when we get a new Mac, we have left a…
Analyst: iTunes Motorola Phone Demo a MacExpo Possibility; Ship by July
analyst Shaw Wu told clients in a commentary released Thursday. “We believe that Apple and Motorola are ready to demo a yet-to-be released new cell phone with iTunes software client,” Mr. Wu wrote in his report, obtained by The Mac Observer. “we believe Steve Jobs may give an update on its progress during his keynote…
eMac Makes PC Magazine's "10 Worst Products of the Year"
The end of the year inevitably brings with it scores of “Best of” lists from a variety of sources. Such lists from this year frequently have Apple’s iPod at or near the top, but Apple also made another kind of list this year: PC Magazine’s “Worst Products of the Year” list, where the eMac was…
MacWireless Releases Keychain WiFi Finder
War Driving just got easier: MacWireless has released a keychain-sized WiFi finder called MacWireless WiFinder. WiFi finders can detect open WiFi networks, and MacWireless says that its unit can "distinguish between a wireless network and other devices that produce the same frequency, such as a cordless phone or a microwave oven." In addition, the device’s…
Frameline - Filmmaker Craig Knapp on Mac's Role in Feature Film Production
Local Austin Filmmaker and Canadian National Craig Knapp just recently finished post-production on a DV film he directed titled; "The Sum of Jobe". I took a few moments to ask Craig a few questions about the project, and how the Mac was instrumental in the film’s production. TMO: So tell us about the story and…
First on TMO - Firefox For Mac Downloads Top 170K in 2 Days; "Polished" Version in March
The open-source Web browser Firefox 1.0 for Mac was downloaded over 170,000 times in the first two days, The Mozilla Foundation told The Mac Observer Thursday, making it one of the most successful launches of a shareware product in recent memory. Of the over two million total downloads of Firefox 1.0, 8.2% were downloads of…