#macintosh Articles



Ink Services update? What does it mean?

Some of us know that Apple has had what it calls "Ink Services" for the Macintosh since 10.2 at least. Ink Services is handwriting recognition for graphics tablet users. Now, Apple announced today that they've updated the documentation to provide an API for customization. This is their first documentation …

Live (sort of) from MacWorld

Well, we stood in line for 1.5 hours and we are stuck in the overflow seating area for the Stevenote. Click through for details. iPod tuner/remote combo - small and allows you listen to FM on your iPod for $49. premier of new iTunes/iPod ad 14M iPods sold …

Mac Mini "big ideas"

Apple's posted a page called Big Ideas highlighting the use of Macintosh Minis in a variety of interesting places, including automobiles, hosting centers, and a new arts venue in Scotland. Have you got a unique use for a mini? Tell Apple about it.

Apple's Airport wins PC Mag's Reader's Choice

Apple's Airport is the best home router out there, according to the PC Magazine Reader's Choice for Home Routers. Of particular note: the Airport's win marks the first time in the survey that a wireless router has won the prize. Also if interest, one amusing comment on why the Airport …

Apple goes Quad, requires reading glasses

I'm sure you're thinking "Wow! sure took Gaige long enough to write about Wednesday's Apple announcements". You're right... it did. However, Apple definitely is sending the PowerPC out with a bang. (Thanks for the phrasing, Amanda) I have no good excuse, but here's the wrap up: Gone are the Dual-processor …

Secrets of the new iMac

Cool new features included in the iMac and not played up by the media are numerous. I know that people are talking about the two new programs and the built in iSight camera (and some the lack of a built-in modem), but there are some other changes under the hood …

Apple's 4Q Mac shipments up 48%

Apple's financial climb upwards is continuing apace, with the company landing a $3.68B revenue quarter. The computer maker also announced (more importantly by my standards) that unit shipments in the Macintosh line are up 48% from the same quarter last year to 1,236,000 units. [CORRECTION below] This …

Everything's a circle

You can't get away from cycles, they're everywhere. Today I'm going to focus on what I believe is a great cycle in software development – the return to meaningful software development. When I started programming in (gulp) 1979, the world was unencumbered by GUIs. Most interfaces were text-based unless you were …

Transitive CEO talks about Macs on Intel

Wired has a short interview with Bob Wiederhold of Transitive, the makers of Apple's Rosetta technology that allows you to run old PowerPC software (built for OS X, not Classic) on an Intel-based Macintosh. Not lengthy, but some interesting commentary, especially in the end about the need to innovate.

Why should you be a Mac programmer

Not one of my diatribes... one from somebody else. Wil Shipley (now CEO of Delicious Monster and former member of the OMNI Group) gave a presentation to a group of 300 or so people who were brought to the Apple WWDC on scholarship. He's now posted his talk on his …

PowerPC still looking good for supercomputing

Although Apple is moving away from IBM's PowerPC CPUs for desktop and laptops in the future, IBM is still sitting pretty on the most recent Top 500 list (Just 2005) of the fastest supercomputers. An explosion in clustered computing leaves IBM in the 1,2,5,6,8, and 9th …

Picture postage for Mac

Stamps.com has been offering picture postage for Windows for quite some time now, but Endicia (pretty much the only people doing postage service for the Mac) are now offering it for the Macintosh and the software to create it is definitely cool. Check out the software and info on …

10.3 to 10.4 server upgrade and mirrors

The transition from 10.3 to 10.4 in our location has been both easy and hard. For everything except our master server, the transition has been a breeze. Here are some things to do and a couple of things to avoid. Note: this is only for OS X Server …


Apple announces move to Intel chips

So much for being pretty sure that Apple wasn't going to roll this one out today. According to everybody's press releases, reports, etc. and what I heard sitting in the Keynote (now available via QuickTime), Apple will begin shipping Macintoshes that are based on the Intel CPU architecture by June …

Rampant speculation over PPC->Intel switch at Apple

CNet is again reporting that they have heard strong rumblings that Apple will announce on Monday a switch to Intel-based CPUs in the Macintosh line. I'm skeptical, but we were all skeptical when people discussed the switch to the PowerPC from the 68xxx architecture in the early 1990's, so we'll …


Symantec keeps its word on SecurityFocus

I gotta hand it to Symantec. Despite their blunderous and fearmongering assessment of the pending onset of tragic and multiple Macintosh viruses (no doubt aimed at rescuing flagging sales of their Macintosh products), they seem to be keeping their word on leaving the SecurityFocus free to editorialize as they wish …