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The North Coast Mac Users Group is holding its 20th Annual Mac Computer Expo at the Santa Rosa Junior College Campus in Santa Rosa, CA -- 9:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 18th. It is open to the public and there is no charge for entrance. Dozens of vendors will be present, including 4D, Inc., Adobe, Apple, Avondale Media, Circus Ponies, CompUSA, MicroMat, SoftRAID, Wacom, and more ... ncmug.org
No matter what computer you use wouldn't it be nice to get rid of that ugly CPU and heavy monitor setting on the desktop? The new G5 iMac (Yes, it will run Windows, folks!) revolutionizes the world of computing again by eliminating the CPU. Yup, that's right, the fastest personal desktop computer in the world now sits in a single 17" or 20" flat-panel LCD screen. No CPU. It's 2-inches thick and weighs in at only 18 pounds. Picture ... The new G5 iMac
Apple Perspectives is a low frequency discussion list for observations and opinions on the world of Apple. Some weeks go by with no posts at all. Yet when people post, it's almost always interesting and a step above the typical 'public' discussion lists on Apple products. The list is available under Apple's sanctioned lists or you can subscribe by simply sending an email to apple-perspectives-list-info@sparky.listmoms.net
PDF users are gearing up for the 9th Annual PDF Conference in Baltimore, MD at the Baltimore Convention Center September 13-14. In addition to looking forward to the comprehensive PDF Conference sessions and Conference Expo, Baltimore attendees can look forward to the chance to win valuable prizes from key industry vendors like activePDF, Adobe, nCipher, FormSoft -- including two FujiFilm FinePix A330 3.2 Megapixel digital cameras. For registration, call (877) 278-2131 or complete the online registration form at ... pdfconference.com
Jeremy Brown and Russell Lewis are just two of the capable officers of the University of Delaware Macintosh Users Group (UDMUG) in Newark, DE. The group serves as a focal point for the Macintosh community offering forums for solving a variety of issues, home brewed articles covering how to most efficiently use your Macintosh with the University of Delaware's resources, and discounts from third party venders. Check them out at ... UDMUG.org
Soon, you'll be able to buy the new coffee table book from Leander Kahney that brings the Mac community to life. Explore the quirky world of serious Mac fans through 376 pages and over 500 original photos, most never published before. Steve Wozniak says: "The Macintosh is more than a computer, it's a way of life. This book is about what it is to be a Macintosh person." Read more...
A number of news purveyors have reported on this weekend's Newton convention in Paris. You'll remember, we reported on former Apple CEO John Sculley getting named Honorary President of the Worldwide Newton Association last July. (You remember, Sculley took Apple revenue from $600 million to $8 billion while he was in office.) Now the Worldwide Newton Association has held its first conference to determine the future of the platform.
According to Newton evangelist Adam Tow "The Newton never dies, it just gets new batteries."
Picture. See the Association page; Read the best coverage by Leander Kahney, "Fans Keep Newton in Motion"
Okay, so iTunes is the biggest thing in the music industry since the microphone. Now your web site can get a commission on every iTune you sell using Apple's new (Amazon-style) affiliate program. Become an iTunes Affiliate between now and September 15th and you could win an iPod mini. Sheesh what will these guys think of next? Read more...
iPods have become the device of choice for most savvy Apple and Windows users for transporting huge volumes of data along with their favorite tunes. They've also become an easy target for criminals. If you use your iPod to transport sensitive files check into Pod Secret. Install it onto removable media such as an iPod or thumb drive and its encryption will keep your data safe. It's shareware and only costs $29.95. A 7-day trial is available. (MacOS X & Windows) OS X download; Windows installer or, jump on over to ... Pariahware.com
Aquatint is an image manipulation tool for Mac OS X giving you the ability to make glossy, "liquid" icons, buttons and logos more easily than you ever imagined possible. Now you no longer have to read Scott Kelby's "Gel" button tutorial for the 100th time. Here's a picture. Try before you buy for only fifteen bucks. (Note that Stick Software also makes the "must have" freeware utility "Jiggler" for all OS X users!) ... Read more...
"Remix" the Future at the 2005 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference Call for Participation Is Open; Proposals Due September 27, 2004. Submit a proposal, or for complete conference details go to ... conferences.oreilly.com
Today, virtually every new cell phone sold has a camera feature. These wildly successful devices can only be described as a cultural phenomenon, and the way people think about their camera phones can only be described as an obsession. This new book from Paraglyph Press is the first to delve into the culture of camera phones ... Read more...
If you've ever been frustrated by Microsoft Word's quirks and limitations--including its price tag--and longed for a practical alternative, then perhaps the time has come to break free. OpenOffice.org has excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, it runs on Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X computers -- and it's FREE! Now O'Reilly has published a manual ... Read more...
Well known software engineer and author of six best-selling books and writer of several hundred articles on the subject has ended the endless upgrade path of Microsoft -- opting rather a "Microsoft-free computing environment." His new 17" Apple PowerBook G4 is his new companion ... Read more...
Xeni Jardin reports on Microsoft'slong-anticipated MSN Music service. The service is accessible by web browser or through Microsoft's new version 10 of Windows Media Player -- also released last week -- which includes a new form of digital rights management, or DRM, technology code-named Janus. Of the library of more than 1 million songs licensed for the service, 500,000 are available for online purchase now, and the remaining 500,000 will be released in weeks to come. But some critics wonder if the MSN Music service will foster a widening rift in digital music security standards ... Read more...
CNET News.com reports that Microsoft offers a more diverse range of (music) services... "Gates stressed that Microsoft's approach is to offer a variety of music services and digital players, but noted there is probably room in the market for both Apple and Microsoft-based products ... Read more...
DragThing, the popular alternative dock application for Mac OS X has been updated adding updated contextual menus that now display application specific commands such as "Play/Pause" for iTunes, and "Get New Mail" for mail apps. Many users adopted DragThing after migrating to X from OS 9. Picture ... dragthing.com
Norton Utilities and Norton SystemWorks are now ready for the latest Macs. NUM 8.0.2 and NSW 3.0.1 CDs are now updated to boot on Macs with OS X 10.3 Panther pre-installed. You'll want 'Release 2' of either CD if you have a valid serial number ... Read more...
In my humble opinion, the G5 iMac is the most exciting development in computers in a long time. The flat-panel iMacs were "innovation" in disguise. New package, little innovation.
The new iMac G5, on other hand, is what I consider to be a true, consumer-oriented industry innovation. Eliminating the CPU all together is innovative thinking (IMHO).
Looking back: Another real innovation was the "Pad" ... a laptop with a screen that would pivot around and nest on the top to become a "writing pad" ... except they flopped. Whether is was due to poor product manufacture (some said), or to poor advertising and marketing (which others said), it was a flop. Great idea, bad consumer acceptance.
Fast forward: Now, the G5 iMac picks up on that "Pad" cue. So it didn't fly as a laptop. How about replacing the desktop with basically the same thing. It's interesting to ask "why didn't they think of this before now?"
Consider how many years they've had laptops. What a great idea to merely mount the LCD in the top, eliminate the keyboard, stand it up and call it a new iMac. Why didn't they do that back in 1999 instead of the huge, ugly, "Girly-man" original iMacs.
How easy would it have been to do this with the Ti PowerBook? So many people have already adopted the PowerBook as their "desktop" adding a keyboard and mouse. There are even desktop stands available to hold the PowerBook in a 'desktop' position.
G5 iMac: The difference here is Apple's undeniable (and courageous) propensity toward cool product design. THAT makes the new G5 iMac truly news worthy.
I was on a flight out to New Mexico recently, then on to Las Vegas, San Francisco and back to Dulles. As I walked down the isles of the planes I noted all the laptops in use.
I got fooled dozens of times thinking they were using PowerBooks. A few did, however most of them were PowerBook look-alikes. Some so convincing I had to look twice, to be sure. Testament to Apple's product design savvy -- to be immitated.
Too bad the new G5 iMac *concept* is not patentable. If it were, Apple would rule - EVERYONE will want one.
And, if Apple plays their cards right -- and markets it for its true consumer value, it will be a smash success. It will be profitable too. Think of the savings in packaging, handling, warehousing and shipping alone! They'll be able to skid 8-times as many units as big CPUs... and NO monitors. Smashing!
Now all we need is a G5 PowerBook with a monitor that swivels all the way around to the back and stands up on the desktop. Add keyboard and mouse and you've got the best of BOTH worlds. Laptop and desktop in one.
Will I buy one? Whether or not it works well is yet to be discovered. There's always a risk involved when buying the first new product out of the starting gates. However my initial reaction is the G5 iMac is the most exciting thing from Apple in a long, long time. BRAVO.
At long last I could clear my desks of the G3 and G4 tower CPUs and both monitors -- and replace them with a single "monitor." To me, that's cool. Very cool.
Now I'm trying to figure out to buy all my kids, my mother, and a couple of cousins a new G5 iMac for Christmas.
Thanks for reading
Fred
"Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work."
- William Arthur Ward (MUG Mantra?)
Have a great week...
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