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MacMinute Executive Briefing: September 20
September 20, 2003 - 06:00 PDT
MacMinute's Executive Briefing for September 20, 2003 -- a recap of all the news we have posted over the past week -- is now available. If you think you may have missed something, here is your chance to catch up. New to the Briefing this week is the MacFixIt Weekly Troubleshooting Recap, which offers a roundup of the most important issues currently surrounding the Macintosh platform according to the experts at MacFixIt.
Week in Review - 09/15/03-09/19/03
Apple News
At Apple Expo in Paris on Tuesday, Apple introduced a new aluminum 15-inch PowerBook G4 in speeds of up to 1.25GHz with 512KB on-chip level 2 cache, ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 with 64MB DDR RAM, support for up to 2GB of DDR 333 MHz SDRAM and a 60 or 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive. The new laptop also sports a backlit keyboard, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. The 1GHz 15-inch PowerBook with Combo drive is priced at $1,999, while the 1.25GHz model with SuperDrive will sell for $2,599. Apple also upgraded the 17-inch PowerBook to 1.33GHz and dropped the price to US$2,999. In addition, the 12-inch PowerBook, which is now priced at $1,599 and $1,799, received a speed boost to 1GHz and gained a Digital Video Interface (DVI) port for connection to any of Apple's flat panel displays. All of the PowerBooks come pre-installed with Mac OS X 10.2.7. The new 15- and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models are available immediately, and the 12-inch PowerBook is expected to be available later this month.
Apple also introduced the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse, new Bluetooth-based peripherals that "provide reliable performance at up to 30 feet and offer secure 128-bit, over-the-air encryption keeping sensitive information safe as it is being typed." The company says it is the first to deliver Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) software which eliminates interference between Bluetooth devices and other wireless networks and devices, enabling the peripherals to perform reliably in home, office, school and lab settings where other wireless devices and networks may be in use. The mouse features one-button and is the same basic design as the current wired model. The Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse are expected to be available in two weeks for a suggested retail price of US$69 each. Both the keyboard and mouse require Mac OS X version 10.2.6 or later.
During his keynote at Apple Expo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not give a firm ship date for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther (announced in June), only reaffirming that it would ship before the end of the year. Jobs also reiterated that the Power Mac G5 would reach speeds of 3GHz before the end of next summer. In addition, he mentioned that 500,000 copies of iChat AV have been downloaded since the software debuted, and that Apple is gunning for 10 million daily Mac OS X users (currently 7 million).
Jobs also said that Apple's iTunes Music Store would not be launched in Europe this year. "We're clearly working on it (but) I think we'll do it next year," he told journalists at Apple Expo in Paris. Jobs also reiterated that Apple would release iTunes for Microsoft's Windows operating system before the end of the year. "We're very much on track to execute iTunes for Windows," he said.
In other Jobs news, Apple's chief moved up 44 places to be ranked 78th on the 21st annual Forbes 400 list, with his net worth climbing to $2.3 billion in 2003. The top three spots went to Microsoft's Bill Gates ($46 billion), investor Warren Buffett (36 billion), and Microsoft's Paul Allen ($22 billion). In addition, Jobs is one of America's best-dressed billionaires, according to fashion critic Joan Rivers, who, with the help of daughter Melissa, judged Forbes' annual best- and worst-dressed billionaires list.
Apple said it will open a new retail store at the University Village Mall in Seattle, Washington on Friday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m. The new store is located near the University of Washington campus, at 2656 NE University Village Street. This will be the second Seattle-area Apple Store -- a Bellevue Square Mall location opened in May.
Apple announced that customers who purchase any new Mac together with Keynote, the company's presentation software, can save US$50 through an instant rebate at the time of purchase. This offer is available to customers worldwide starting today through December 27, 2003, although the closing date of the rebate may vary by country.
Hardware News
Wacom on Monday unveiled its new Graphire3 pen tablet lineup. The new tablets, which are now available in either 4" x 5" or 6" x 8" sizes, come with a pressure-sensitive pen and an ambidextrous mouse that are both cordless and battery-free. They come in a choice of three colors: Sapphire Blue, Pearl White and Graphite Gray. The included pen features 512-levels of pressure sensitivity, built-in eraser, and takes advantage of the handwriting capabilities included with Mac OS X's Inkwell technology. The Graphire3 mouse (with no ball or optical parts) sports an all-new design for improved comfort, finish and feel. Wacom Graphire3 4x5 ($99.95) and 6x8 ($199.95) tablets will be available in mid-September. Bundled software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements, Painter Classic by Corel and penPalette LE by nik multimedia. Wacom also announced that it has dropped the price of its popular Intuos2 Platinum 6x8 professional pen tablet to $299 (previously $349).
Daimler Chrysler's European Smart division introduced the i-move, a limited edition car that comes complete with a 3G (third-generation) iPod and an integrated holder/dock for the device. The dock, found just above the gear shift, takes advantage of the new iPod's bottom connector and appears to be connected directly to the car's audio system, allowing you to control volume and tracks from the head unit. The new Smart i-move goes one step further than Volkswagen's current "Pods Unite" promotion, which also offers a free iPod, but uses a cup holder and tape adapter. Pricing and availability is unclear at this time, as Smart's Web site is currently only offering details in French.
LaCie announced its new Mobile Hard Drive line designed by F.A. Porsche. The "durable and stylish" drives are offered in capacities of 20GB to 80GB and sport either USB 2.0 or FireWire interfaces. Pricing ranges from $129 to $349. LaCie also today introduced the Slim DVD±RW Drive, a lightweight, ultra-portable DVD±RW drive that combines DVD-RW and DVD+RW technologies. It comes equipped with USB 2.0 or FireWire connections and is available at prices starting at $349. Also available is the LaCie Slim Combo CD-RW Drive with USB 2.0 and 24x write speed for $159. All of the new mobile products will ship before the end of September.
Newer Technology and Other World Computing (OWC) introduced a new line of high-capacity batteries designed for Apple's PowerBook G4 and G3 models. The NuPower line of Lithium Ion batteries offer up to 30 percent more capacity than stock batteries standard with the PowerBooks and at prices starting from $139.99. Details on specific models and pricing information is available in the press release.
Samsung introduced the SyncMaster 243T, a new 24-inch LCD monitor targeted at high-end graphics professionals. The Mac-compatible display features a 1920 x 1200 maximum resolution, analog and Digital Video Interface (DVI) inputs, an ultra-narrow bezel (0.73" wide), and a built-in swivel base design allowing it to be rotated 90-degrees. It also offers an extra-wide 170-degree viewing angle, a high brightness rate of 300cd/m, a 500:1 contrast ratio, and a response time of less than 25 milliseconds. The SyncMaster 243T will ship in October for $3,029.
Software News
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, delivered a keynote speech last week at the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam, Holland as part of this year's International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Schiller highlighted Apple's professional applications and previewed a pre-release version of Final Cut Pro 4 that had been optimized for use with the Power Mac G5.
Frank Casanova, Apple’s director of QuickTime product marketing, has criticized Microsoft’s move to transform its proprietary Windows Media 9 multimedia software into a standard. "When you are part of a standards organization you don't develop it behind closed doors, you do it in complete conjunction with all the companies involved in that standard," Casanova told Macworld UK. "That's how a standard is born, not by one company, but with dozens working together. That's not the way Microsoft is working, and it will be interesting to see if this tactic will be successful for it in the long run if it does not work that way." Earlier this month, Microsoft submitted its Windows Media 9 codec to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers for review and ratification of the software as a standard.
Software Updates:
MacFixIt Weekly Troubleshooting Recap
In this week's round up, the folks at MacFixIt report on Symantec's plans to deliver an updated version of Norton Utilities that eliminates a file number limitation; QuarkXpress 6.0's licensing situation; the Exchange-enabled Entourage FAQ; and Mac OS X print driver deficiences.
Symantec planning to fix Norton Utilities file limitation in next release
Symantec officials have confirmed that the developer will remove a limitation in Norton Utilities 8.0 that disallows scanning or repair of disks with too many files. The software currently delivers an error in Speed Disk when optimizing a disk with more than 250,000 - 500,000 files. Symantec representative Cary Kwok told us "Symantec is aware of Norton Utilities 8.0 for Mac's limitations on optimizing large files. The issue will be fixed in the next inline, which will be available to customer via LiveUpdate in a few months."
What's up with QuarkXpress 6.0 licensing?
Quark has taken a controversial tact in its licensing scheme for Xpress 6.0, requiring that each machine where the software is being installed carry its own specific license. This means that, technically, if you want to use Quark Xpress 6.0 on both your desktop and laptop, you will have to buy two separate licenses at around US$900 each.
Glen Turpin, Director of Communications for Quark, gave us the official word on what the company is doing to resolve cutomer qualms: "The license for a single-user copy of QuarkXPress permits use on one computer, as it always has. We are currently in the pilot phase of a new program that will allow our customers to purchase a second "mobile" license for non-concurrent use at a nominal fee. We'll launch the program as soon as we are confident that our infrastructure will support it."
Some developers, like Macromedia, offer a license agreement to allow individual users to install a secondary license for non-concurrent use.
Full Exchange-enabled Entourage FAQ
The Microsoft MacBU has provided us with the entire FAQ for the Exchange-enabled version of Entourage (included in Office v.X 10.1.5), which is still not available on the Microsoft support site. Issues addressed include support for MAPI and public folders, as well as the possibility of developing a version of Outlook for Mac OS X - at this time not a planned objective.
Mac OS X print driver deficiences
Since the inception of Mac OS X, one of the biggest bottlenecks for mid-level designers and home users was the lack of custom page sizes in a number of printer drivers. The problem persists in part because of early bottlenecks in Mac OS X 10.0.0 and 10.1.x and lack of interest from current driver developers. One user suggests an awkward workaround for printing custom page sizes (one of the most requested capabilities) - saving the file you are working with as a PDF (standard functionality from the Print window in Mac OS X), and then printing the file through Mac OS 9.
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