Apple’s iMac personal computer has been a huge success so far for the company. By incorporating Intel processors, and having the capability to run Windows operating system, Apple has achieved a near perfect blend of functionality, versatility and let’s not forget, high style (after all, it is still an Apple).
PC Magazine is reporting that Apple is about to update the popular line, rolling out several new versions of the iMac featuring Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and standard 2 GB onboard memory. The new iMacs will also feature the most advanced graphics card available so far in the line, with NVIDEA GeForce 8800 GS graphics, which will be available on some models.
With a beginning price around $1200, the new iMacs boast a 24 inch high-definition screen, and a variety of innovative features including built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet support. In addition, the new iMacs will include USB 2.0 support, both FireWire 400 and 800 ports, and the built-in Apple iSight video camera.
The all-in-one design of the iMac has been incredibly popular. As well as taking up less space at home or in the office, the sleek aluminum and glass design of the iMac is as beautiful as it is functional. The minimalist, Scandinavian-like design of the iMac also makes it easy to move around.
Moving a Windows PC from your home office into the living room can be a cumbersome affair, with lots of chords to detach and reattach, and extra peripherals to move and plug-in. But moving an iMac from one room to another is a simple as unplugging it — carrying it to its new location — and simply plugging it back in.
This simplicity is one of the most attractive features of the iMac, and it is helping Apple win over new users at an astonishing rate. And there is also the widespread perception that Apple computers are more reliable than Windows PCs, and that Macs are not nearly as likely to be vulnerable to computer viruses, spyware and other malicious software.
Theoretically, Macs — including the iMac — can be infected with computer viruses and other malware. In reality though, it is extremely rare for a Mac user to experience this issue, as there are very few computer viruses designed to infect the Mac operating system. The same is true of Trojans, spyware and other Web “nasties.” It’s not that a Mac computer is impervious to these things — but simply that there aren’t very many of them that target the Mac operating system.
All of these benefits, combined with Apple’s ongoing research and development, suggest that the company will continue to gain market share over Microsoft. The new and more powerful iMacs are definitely a step in the right direction, and are sure to help Apple to keep the pressure on Microsoft.
The MacWorld trade show introduced a new Apple personal computer that is less than 1 inch thick. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new MacBook Air notebook computer, which is the company’s first ultra-thin laptop, featuring a multi-touch track-pad and an internal 80 GB hard drive.
The new MacBook Air is only .76″ thick, and will fit comfortably inside a standard A4 envelope. The new notebook does not come within an inbuilt disk drive, but does have extensive wireless capabilities and can stream both CDs and DVDs from another Mac, as well as initiate live data backups to the Apple Time Capsule, the company’s new wireless hard drive.
Jobs claims that the “Air” is the world’s thinnest notebook computer, and weighing in at approximately 3 pounds, it will have the smallest “footprint” of any Mac or Windows PC laptop.
The price of the new MacBook Air, however, is anything but small. The notebook will go on sale later this month at a retail price of $1799. And though the new notebook does not include a CD or DVD player, Jobs is convinced that users “won’t miss it.” The concept of the “Air” is to be a wireless device which bridges the gap between personal devices such as the iPhone, and more fully featured desktop and laptop computers.
With that in mind, the new notebook won’t be able to play standard DVDs, but it will have easy access to online movie rentals via Apple’s iTunes store. iTunes has recently partnered with all of the major film studios, including 20th Century Fox, Sony, Paramount, Universal, MGM and others to offer instant download movie rentals from the iTunes web site.
Prices for the downloadable movie rentals are reasonable: $2.99 for older films, or $3.99 for new releases. High-definition downloads will also be available for many films for an extra dollar. Apple says that by the end of February more than 1000 different film titles will be available.
And though Apple has been quite successful at teaming up with film studios, they’ve had a bit more difficulty getting network television companies on board. For example, NBC recently pulled out of an agreement with iTunes after a lengthy dispute over program pricing.
20th Century Fox also pulled television programming from the iTunes site, and both NBC and 20th Century Fox have opted to license their programs to start up digital media distributor “Hulu,” a would be contender to iTunes online media throne.
Despite the release of the new MacBook Air and the addition of a new film studios to the iTunes catalog, Wall Street remained unimpressed with the new Apple offerings. Shares of Apple Inc. fell by more than 6% following the MacWorld trade show.
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If you’re reading this, the latest operating system that came out of Apple is already released. The new version, called Leopard, has been getting great reviews lately from various tech blogs. Leopard has been seen as a very good competition for Microsoft’s Vista. Unfortunately, Vista hasn’t had any great things coming in except frustration from users. Personally, I think Microsoft’s security is quite outrageous. We all understand the importance of security but it doesn’t mean that we have to cripple and even disable some of the services. The only good thing so far about Microsoft’s Vista is their cool interface.
Going back to Leopard, this latest edition of Apple is priced at $199.00 for family edition (up to five users) and $129.00 for a single lisence. We checked out their website, the blogs and webcasts to see the cool things about this latest OS offering from Apple. So far, there are four features that seemed to stand out.
Web Clips – imagine being able to access your favorite video websites without having to launch any web browser. Using your Safari browser (Apple’s personal favorite), you can create widgets linking you to your favorite video websites. Once you’ve selected your site, you can easily access video sites an check out the latest videos.
RSS on E-mail – for news and updates junkies, this is the perfect feature of Leopard. You can now subscribe to various RSS feeds and send them directly to your e-mail. That seemed to be a little simple but try considering this feature when you’re offline. The RSS feed will not only access the online information but downloads the whole document. As long as the e-mail has received the feed, you’ll be able to read the document offline. You can also send the document to your friends and other contacts.
Web History – my personal favorite. I have trouble memorizing a good website I usually visit so I often look it up at my web history. That may still be confusing and not convenient. But with Leopard, all you need to do is type in a word and your computer searches for the latest matches. It doesn’t only take a look at the title or the tags in the site but it also looks at the specific words found in them. So even if you remember only a single word, you’ll be sure to find them easily.
Integration of Wikipedia and Dictionary – in your installed OS, you’ll be able to check on the dictionary and Wikipedia even without the internet connection. All the information you need is already in Leopard. Since Wikipedia is so big, entries in Wikipedia are shortened and presented in a way it’s being presented like a dictionary. Your OS just got a little bit smarter with this tool.
Of course there are other cool features that come with the new Leopard but when it comes to productivity, these features are a standout. If you’re a Mac user, Leopard is definitely worth the second look.
The operating system debate goes back about as far as the platforms they come from. With some interesting new changes to Windows Vista, is Microsoft catching on to the trendy user interface that Mac has become famous for? Security issues have always been a big issue to Microsoft’s operating systems but many people believe that with improved security and an enhanced user interface, Microsoft may be catching up to the popular Mac OS X.
Security problems have haunted Microsoft for a long time. Windows XP faced much criticism for its ability to be easily hacked. With the new release of Vista, Microsoft has made user security a higher priority. Vista features additional User Account Controls which will prevent software from making any changes to your PC. If a piece of software attempts to make a change, Vista will warn you that these changes could be hazardous to your PC . To be fully protected, after your initial set up of Vista, you will need additional products to make your operating system more secure. Windows Defender, Vista’s main protection, must be updated every week to get new updates. Vista can be better protected than previous versions of Microsoft’s operating systems but it will come at a greater expense and your own time. Mac’s operating system options make it more secure due to all communication ports being closed. If safety is your main concern, Apple PC’s with Mac OS X is your best bet.
Mac has always struggled in the performance arena due to subpar processors. PC’s have always strongly favored the Intel processors which are known for their top performance. With a PC and Windows Vista, you also have the availability of Intel Core and Core 2 Duo CPU’s long before Apple will ever get a hold of them. PC’s have always been the first to get access to the latest technology including high definition DVD drives like HD DVD and Blu-ray. High speed wireless Internet was also available to PC users long before Mac users. Mac OS X is known for its multimedia capabilities with video, music and pictures but the majority of PC users benefit more by the general technology advantage that Vista has available with its PC platform. For the average user, Vista will definitely be sufficient for their music and movies but PC’s and Vista have much better gaming abilities and access to the best video and sound cards.
The biggest different between Microsoft operating systems and Mac operating system have always been their usability and interface controls. Vista has definitely improved its look with a trendy new make-over that has its similarities to Mac OS X but some of the new features prove to slow down simple processes that had no issues in previous operating systems. Overall, it is a much more stable operating system than XP ever was, but the programs still have their issues with freeze ups and crashes. Mac’s OS X has the advantage with a very contemporary look but with this trendy look comes some disadvantages. Their desire to make everything look cool has an impact on its usability like the resize buttons and other minor inconveniences.
Mac OS X has lost its edge on Microsoft’s old, out of date appearance. With a new interface make over and improved security options, Microsoft Vista is the best operating system available. Of course, different users have different needs and thus requiring different operating systems but for the majority of computer users, Microsoft Vista is the king which shows with more software, game and help support options available.
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