Apple's 2nd Quarter Financial Conference Call

Note: Refresh this post to see updates. New comments added at the top. You have my sympathies if you have nothing better to do.

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OK, other responsibilities beckon, so I'm signing off, even as the conference call drones on.

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Clarification on iPhone inventories: more shortages in Apple stores, due to multiple unit buying; Europe not experiencing same level of shortages, and in fact are discounting iPhone prices

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Apple has acquired PA Semi, a small chip designer, but refuses to comment on the reason. (Some speculation is that Apple bought the company to get the employees, not their technology.)

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Refused to address question about gross margin for MacBook Air (company policy)

MacBook Air "near" a supply/demand balance now, recovering from early shortages.

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Carrier partners are free to price iPhones however they wish.

No comment on upcoming availability of 3G iPhones.

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iPhone 2.0 software will be provided for free to all iPhone owners, regardless of when they bought the phone.

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Apple not projecting continued free fall in DRAM and NAND prices, feeling that they're already priced near their cash cost. But, also not expecting significant price increases.

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Leopard sales: $210 million revenue during first two quarters ($170 million in previous quarter, $40 million this quarter), best selling OS in Apple history

Almost half of the new Apple Stores in 2008 will be international.

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Projecting $7.2 billion revenue in third quarter revenue, which is down slightly from Q2, but still up year over year.

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Refused to address overall economic climate and how it might affect future performance. Interestingly coy. Could Apple actually believe that its target market is immune?

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Apple has surpassed Dell in the portable higher ed market (unclear as to whether this is in units or $)

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Direct sales: 53%

400 Best Buy stores are now selling Apple computer products; roll-out continues

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Response to analyst question re: shortage of iPhones - Apple still projecting 10 million unit sales for full year; admits that iPhones remain in short supply; feeling is that many people are buying iPhones with the intent of "unlocking" them to run third part software

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NAND and DRAM pricing hit historic lows during quarter, contributing to higher than expected gross margin (32.9%); lower hard drive prices also helped

Negative impacts on gross margin: lowered iPod shuffle prices, increased iTunes sales

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iPhone 2.0 software package will be delivered late June (later than previously projected?)

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Generated $1 billion in cash during quarter, now has over $19 billion on-hand

3rd quarter profit projection: $1 earning per share

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Retail stores sold 67% more Macs, quarter vs quarter

$7 million per store, average quarterly revenue

Will soon open stores in Australia, Ireland, China

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1.7 million iPhones sold during the quarter; related revenue - $378 million

200,000 (!) developers have downloaded the SDK for iPhone applications

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iPod revenue grew 8% year over year. Not bad for a saturated market.

Share of US MP3 player market continues to be over 70%

iTunes sales surpassed Wal-Mart's; Apple is now largest music vendor

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Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, is reporting record earnings (over $1B) for the quarter, up 36% over last year.

US sales grew 40%; international 47% - year over year.

Apple Store sales grew 74%, year over year.

Education sales grew 35%, year over year, another record.

2.9 million Macs shipped, 51% growth, 3.5x overall PC growth rate

Desktop sales grew 37%; sales of portables grew 61%

36% of total revenue attributed to music business

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OK, we're underway. However, it seems that Jobs will not be participating. Bummer.

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The conference call was supposed to begin at 4:00 pm (CDT), but we're still listening to a piano concerto. I can only assume that Steve Jobs is still trying to decide between the black turtleneck and the, um, other black turtleneck.

Mac Worshiping

I was trying to clean-up the rat's nest known as my bookmarks and I ran across a link to the Christian Macintosh Users Group. I couldn't remember the last time I visited that site, and I was curious as to whether it was still active. Sure enough, it is, and it sports the graphic shown at right.

I'll ignore the temptation to repeat the old computer-related joke about how "Jesus saves," but I confess that this image is vaguely disturbing-yet-winsome. We Mac users have often been accused of elevating our computer choices to the level of a religion, and this photo seems to reinforce the anthropomorphism such a view implies.

On the other hand, I submit to you that there's never been a cuter or more expressive office machine than the desk lamp "mascot" that appears at the beginning of Pixar's movies. And we all know who is pulling the strings at Pixar, don't we?

In the final analysis, to the extent that one's choice of computers defines one – and also ignoring how sadly true that seems to be – this is an appropriate icon to represent those who know the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and not just from an operating system perspective.

Mac Tip: Reformatting a Windows External Hard Drive

This is a rather obscure topic that won't be of widespread interest, but for those who need it, it can be a time saver.

When my wife's laptop motherboard and hard drive crashed recently, we send the drive to a data recovery service (and I hope to write about that experience at some point). They were successful in retrieving her data and sent it back on a tiny Western Digital USB 80-gig hard drive. Unfortunately, the drive was formatted as NTFS, a Windows format that is read-only for Macs. We could copy the data from the drive, but we couldn't delete or add files to it (my wife took the opportunity to switch to a Mac, so we had no further need for a Windows hard drive).

I figured, no big deal; I'll just reformat the drive using Apple's Disk Utility application and we'll have a new Mac disk for backup. I connected the drive to my PowerBook, fired up Disk Utility...and was surprised to see that the drive was grayed out in the Erase tab of the program. There was no apparent way to reformat it.

I did a quick search on Apple's support site and found nothing of use, but a Google search led me to this post on MacOSXHints.com, where the secret was revealed. It's very simple, really; here's what you do...

"Eject" the hard drive by clicking the arrow next to its name in the Desktop sidebar, but leave it physically connected to your computer. The drive's icon will disappear from the Desktop, but the drive will be accessible to the Disk Utility application as an unmounted volume. Under the Erase tab of Disk Utility, you can select the drive to be reformatted, and also select the new format you wish to use. You can also rename the hard drive. Click the "Erase" button and after a brief time, you'll have yourself a brand spankin' new (more or less) drive ready to fill with Mac file goodness.

Again, this process reformats a Windows NTFS hard drive into a Mac (or Unix) format. If you wish to share the drive between a Mac and a Windows machine, this is NOT the way to do it. But, that's a whole other topic.

The Air That I Breathe

Apple announced today the "world's thinnest notebook computer": the MacBook Air.

The price is hardly airy, starting at $1,799, but as they say, you can never be too rich or too thin.

The optional 64 gig solid-state disk drive is where the future of notebook computing is heading: no more hard drive crashes.

Say...I just noticed that it's only six months until my birthday! ;-)

Bad Apple (Redux)

Last Tuesday, we visited the Apple Store located in The Domain, one of Austin's newest upscale commercial/residential developments, the kind that Midland's downtown development gang would undoubtedly give one of each redundant body part in exchange for a similar local installation*. Ironically, The Domain is managed by Simon Properties, same as our mall. That's all that the two endeavors have in common. But, I digress.

The concept of the Apple Stores is undeniably cool: at least one of every product made by Apple (although I didn't notice a server) is set out for hands-on use by prospective customers. You're free to tap keys and move mouses and scroll wheels to your heart's content, without interference from pushy employees.

Well, with one exception.

My wife and I were making a counterclockwise circuit of the store and we found ourselves near the Altar of the Lesser Mac Demi-gods (aka The Genius Bar) – the pretension in that part of the store is thick enough to cut with a Gucci penknife – and in front of a large table upon which rested nothing but a gleaming 24" iMac. There was no one around it, so we started, you know, tapping and mousing and scrolling.

Almost immediately we were accosted by an imperious woman who practically ran over from another table where she'd presumably been assisting some customers. "Don't TOUCH that! That's the CONCIERGE computer!" (Remember the reference to pretension?) She fluttered around the apparently sacred iMac, probably muttering incantations to exorcise whatever amateurish demons we'd unleased on it. We were too surprised to react by doing anything other than sheepishly moving quickly back into the flow of customers, but I immediately started a slow boil over what I considered to be an bad case of overreaction.

Had I been quicker on the uptake, I would have pointed out a few things to Ms. Concierge:

• The computer was accompanied by no signage, labeling, or other markings indicating that it was off limits to the unwashed masses. ("I'm sorry; my ESP has been on the blink lately. Do forgive me.")


• The icons on the computer's monitor were identical to those on every other screen in the joint, each of which is designed to invite interaction. (The concept of "attractive nuisance" comes to mind.)


• If the use of that particular computer is so all-fired critical, why isn't it secured? (Note to Ms. Concierge: Check into the concept of a password.)

I had intended to buy a copy of Leopard while I was there, but after that treatment, I changed my mind and left without purchasing anything. And, frankly, while I continue to love my Apple products, I'm not interested in visiting another Apple Store ever again.

*It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that this willingness would be shared by just about every other city in America with a population less than two million.

If you're wondering about the first "Bad Apple" post - and who isn't? - you can find it here.

Dear Santa,

I know this is a bit early, Santa, but I also know that you're a very busy guy, and also probably a bit strapped for cash this year, given the downturn in the North Pole real estate market and what must be astronomically high heating oil bills for your pad.

So, I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can start assembling the coin. All I want for Christmas is this humble little trinket. I've been a very good boy (don't listen to that person in Tyler who thinks I'm a big meanie), and I promise to use this present wisely and also to be kind to reindeers.

Thanks in advance.

Your pal,

You know who

What the iPod touch is missing

Here's a great rundown on the features that you'll find on the iPhone that are not carried over to the iPod touch (which many have erroneously described as an iPhone without the phone).

I was particularly intrigued by the perceived difference in picture quality (with the iPhone's screen being described as noticeably better than the iPod's). Given that one of the big selling points of the iPod is video/photo capability, I figured Apple would focus on feature parity in this regard.

Link via Daring Fireball (naturally)

Apple caves on iPhone price...or did it?

Steve Jobs announced in response to the backlash from iPhone buyers who were angry over yesterday's $200 price drop that Apple would issue $100 worth of "store credit" to all purchasers who paid full price for their phones.

Aside from being tempted to call for the waahm-bulance for these crybaby early adopters who knew very well that they were paying a premium to be the cool kidz on the block, I have to hand it to Jobs for making lemonade out of the lemons. Sure, this move will possibly take net cash out of Apple's (and AT&T's) pockets, but it could actually result in an incremental increase in sales revenue. There aren't a lot of products that go for under $100 in Apple's inventory, so in order to use the credit, some/many/most shoppers will have to pony up some additional cash.

In addition, there must be some percentage of iPhone buyers who wouldn't otherwise set foot or shop online in the Apple store (aka, "Windows users") who now will be forced to do so in order to use their credit. They don't have to buy an Apple product – the company does market a few third party goods – but they'll at least have to walk past them, and who knows what siren song will lure them to the fateful shores of Appledom?

I'm sure there are plenty of people ticked off about spending $200 more than they had to, but, as Jobs points out, it happens all the time. All the time. Apple's going out of its way to address the issue in a more than reasonable fashion, but I wouldn't hold my breath that it will ever happen again.

Unless, of course, they can figure out some way to increase market share or net income as a result. (And, really, that's the least they can do for their stockholders.)

There's probably fodder for a post on the Equity Theory of Satisfaction in here somewhere, addressing the issue of why we're content to pay a given price for something until we find out someone else got it for less, but I don't have the energy to ferret it out right now.

Update: Here's one theory as to why early purchasers were unhappy with the price drop. Via Daring Fireball

New iPods

Need to dispose of some spare cash? Apple will gladly take it and give you one of the updated iPods just announced this afternoon. Choose from:

• the iPod touch, which seems to be an iPhone without the phone; features the same cool/awful touchscreen navigation introduced on the 'phone. Oh, and did I mention wifi (802.11b & g) capability, with Safari pre-installed?


• the iPod classic, which connotes "old and busted" but with up to 160gb of space also lets you carry 40,000 songs* in your otherwise empty pocket.


• the nano now has video capability


• Even the shuffle gets a prettying-up, sporting different colors, including a red version that sends part of your money to fight AIDS in Africa. Bono thanks you, by the way.

I just checked and none of this is on Apple's website yet, by the way. Probably will be by the end of the day, though.

Our family (of two, or three if you count the dog) already has seven iPods. And all of our spare cash is already spoken for. But I'd still love to take the touch for a test-drive.

*Or one copy of MacArthur Park. Or, approximately 200 albums in uncompressed, CD-quality format, should you be so discriminating in your listening preferences.

So that would make Bill Gates...?

Wall Street Journalist Walt Mossberg interviewed Apple, Inc. chairman Steve Jobs during last week's WSJ-sponsored conference entitled "D: All Things Digital." During a discussion about about Apple's commitment to the Mac, Jobs reiterated that Apple is making "massive investments" in the computer platform. But, as Jobs might say, there's more...

Read the summary of Mossberg's interview via Macworld.

PC World's "Best of 2007" List

PC World has released its list of "The 100 Best Products of 2007" (despite our not being halfway through the year; perhaps they know something we don't about how the second half will unfold).

As a completely objective observer (ha) what caught my eye was the absence of one very prominent operating system (which won't be named here but it rhymes with "blista") and the presence of another one which was released in 2005 (Mac OS 10.4). Go figure.

#1 on the list? Google Apps (Premier Edition)

FWIW, Apple has more items (6) on the list than any other manufacturer, followed by Google (5) and Dell (4).

Mac Tip: Changing the default name for a new folder

The current issue of Macworld has a teaser reference to an OS X tip which allows you to change the name the system automatically applies to newly created folders from the illogical "Untitled Folder" to something more meaningful. The process involves about a dozen steps, but it's quite simple overall.

The step-by-step instructions are found here. Note that if you're running OS 10.3.x, the file referred to in the article as Localizable.strings will actually be named Localized.strings. Everything else is the same as shown in the article.

The benefit of changing the default name is that you can add a blank space (or another character) to ensure that any new folder will automatically sort to the beginning (or end) of your window listing. It's a minor thing, admittedly, but it's also fun to take control over such details.

[Try to resist playing around with the other variables in Localized.strings. There's no telling how much "fun" you could have with them!]

Quote of the Day

It's been awhile since I put a burr under the saddles of certain people (you know who you are), so I offer the following quote from Brother Steve Jobs's address during Apple's shareholder meeting today:

Hat tip to Macworld

No Beatles (yet), but no DRM, either...

Sorry for the string of iTunes and digital music posts, but that's just what's catching my attention nowadays. We'll soon return you to our regular Content Free™ posting as soon as I can...oh, look! A baby squirrel!

Steve Jobs big joint announcement with music company EMI did not include the hoped-for news that the Beatles' music catalog would be available via the iTunes Store, but it may be even more significant for those who purchase and download their music.

EMI has agreed to release its entire music and video catalog free of a Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme, meaning that the downloads can be played on any digital music player, and the purchaser can copy it to his or her heart's content. Even better, this new DRM-free content will be encoded (at least on the iTunes Store) at twice the bit-rate of regular DRM-protected music, meaning higher quality tunes. The downside will be larger files and a higher price -- $.30/song more -- but neither of those should be a significant factor for those who want better sounding music and more freedom to manage the music they've paid for.

On iTunes anyway, you'll still have the choice of purchasing the smaller, cheaper, DRM-saddled music whenever it's available in both formats.

That sound you're now hearing, in 256kbps non-protected AAC format, is the noise the DRM Wall makes as it begins to crumble, and Steve Jobs is swinging the biggest sledgehammer of them all.

Apple jumped gun on iPhone?

Despite reports to the contrary, it seems that Apple and Cisco Systems did not reach final agreement over the name "iPhone," for which Cisco holds the trademark. Cisco says that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple for trademark infringement.

Linksys, a division of Cisco, has an elaborate website dedicated to its version of iPhone, which is actually a suite of internet telephony-based products (think Skype and VoIP), some of which are also offered with landline capabilities. I didn't see anything that looks like a cell phone capability, not that that has anything to do with the issue at hand.

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog received some elaboration from a Cisco spokesman:

Apple is savvy enough that it must have had some reason to assume Cisco's cooperation before yesterday's announcement, so it will be interesting -- in a "he said, she said" kind of way -- to see its rebuttal to Cisco's claim.

Technorati tags: iPhone Lawsuit | Apple | Cisco

Apple's iPhone: One more thing...

Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering how Apple had the nerve to call its new cell phone the "iPhone," given that Cisco Systems has owned the trademark since 2000, the answer is simple: Steve Jobs has incriminating photos of Cisco's CEO.

OK, not really. As the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog reports, Apple simply bought the rights to the name from Cisco. Terms were not disclosed, although some report that a shredder was involved.

OK, not really. As far as I know, anyway.

Apple Computer No More

Steve Jobs, CEO and Chairman of Apple, made a number of announcements at today's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, including the much-hyped and undeniably cool iPhone and the fulfillment of "iTV" which will now be called Apple TV. Both of these products have the potential for making billions of dollars for the company.

But I was just as interested in what Jobs didn't introduce during his keynote speech: no new software or hardware related to the Mac. In fact, at the end of his speech (as reported by Macworld), he announced that Apple Computer was dropping "Computer" from its name and would henceforth be known as Apple Inc.

I suppose this was inevitable, and it seems to confirm what has become increasingly obvious over the past couple of years: Apple see its future as being one that is much less dependent upon personal computers, at least in their traditional forms.

I'm sure we'll continue to see the Mac platform evolve and advance, but the really exciting stuff will be coming from the other divisions of Apple. I can't argue with the wisdom of this approach. Now that Macs use Intel chips and can run Windows, the hardware portion of the "personal computer" has is becoming more and more like a commodity, with one platform essentially indistinguishable from the other. (The operating systems engender a different debate.)

The big question is whether Apple is responding to some kind of sea change in consumer electronics...or if it's driving it (as it did with the iPod). I'd like to think it's the latter. Given Apple's historical creativity and competence, its vision could be great news for all of us, Mac users or not.

Apple Cell Phone to be Announced Tomorrow?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple will introduce its own branded cellphone, and has partnered with Cingular to provide the wireless service.

Rumors about an Apple cell phone have been flying for many months, if not years. I admit that I'm underwhelmed at the prospect, although if Apple can bring its characteristic style and functionality to the product, it'll be worth considering. But I'm also not a Cingular customer and have no desire to be, at this point.

For their parts, both Apple and Cingular have declined to comment.

Software Review: DVD to iPod Converter

Note: This post originally began as a third installment of "New Things in Our House," with an emphasis on my new iPod, but it unfolded differently than I envisioned and it seems more appropriate to style it as a software review. I mention this only to demonstrate that, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, some actual conscious reasoning is occasionally applied to what gets posted here. However, I wouldn't advise getting used to it.

My wife gave me an 80 gigabyte iPod for Christmas, the model with video capability. It's been fun to browse through the various TV shows and movies that Apple offers via the iTunes Store, and I've even bought a couple of episodes of The Office that I missed earlier this season. But that's just child's play when compared to the end game: loading commercial DVDs I already own* onto the 'pod.

This is not an easy process, for reasons both technical and legal. Well, the technical part arises from the legal part, I think, as the copy protection (isn't it more accurate to call it "copy prevention"?) schemes used by the movie studios make the conversion of the DVD content to an iPod-compatible format somewhat challenging. I have to wonder why they bother, as it seems that everybody and their dog has come up with ways to circumvent those schemes.

I'm testing one right now, as a matter of fact. It goes by the unimaginative-but-Google-friendly name of "DVD to iPod Converter", created by a company with another unimaginative name, MP4 Converter. [Side note: Someone really should do a scholarly study of how the increased significance of search engines has affected the approach to the naming of companies and products.] The preceding product link goes to the Mac version but there's also a version for Windows.

This $29 program offers one-click conversion of commercial DVDs to MP4 format, the video flavor of choice for your typical vPod. I was hoping to give you a detailed review of the various options that the program provides, but among its flaws is the lack of a user guide. I emailed the company about that last night, and had a response within eight hours, which is pretty amazing in itself. Unfortunately, the response confirmed what I feared: there is no user guide at this point; the company is presumably working on one, but for now, you're flying the program by the seat of your pants. On the other hand, if their tech support continues to be this responsive, that may not be a huge drawback. And unless you want to push the envelope on what the program will do, the basic controls are fairly intuitive and the default values work well.

Even without instructions, I was able to convert a full-length movie (Serenity, if you must know) to MP4, import it to iTunes and then onto my new iPod, where it performed admirably. However, there are a few bumps in the road:

• Speed: The application's website promises speed...with a caveat: Speed without limits, conversion speed increases with the power of your system. Translation: Our program is as fast as your computer. My 17" PowerBook G4 is no speed demon, but I was still surprised that it took just over four hours to convert this two hour movie. Granted, I ripped the DVD at the highest video setting (the program labels the setting as "Excellent") and I'm sure that contributed to the slowness of the process. The program doesn't come in Universal Binary; there's a separate download for Intel Macs, and I would expect a significant speed boost in that version.
  
  I'm now re-ripping the DVD using the "Normal" quality setting (1200 Kbps vs. 2400 for the "Excellent" setting), and I can't perceive any difference in speed. We're at the 50% mark of the conversion and that's taken two hours.
  
  Update: The second conversion, using the "Normal" quality setting, took the same amount of time as using the "Excellent" setting. However, the resulting file was about 1.1gb, or 35% smaller than the file produced by the higher quality setting. Plus, I could discern absolutely no difference in video quality when viewed on my iPod.


• File size: The resulting video is 1.7 gigabytes. Again, that's a function of the quality setting, and the lower setting will produce a smaller file. However, I'll be interested to see how the quality differences play out on the iPod's teensy screen. I'm thinking that you don't really want to give up much quality considering how much detail you're foregoing to begin with due to the small screen size. In any event, at around 2 gig per movie, my iPod will hold "only" about 40 movies...but that assumes that I don't want to carry any music or photos. Thus far, I can do without the latter, but an iPod without tunes is like a day without rutabagas, IYKWIM.


• Weird stuff: The program split the movie into two segments which appear as separate movies when imported into iTunes. I tried pretending that I was watching a laser disc and the break was just the platter flipping, but I was unconvincing. This is where a user guide would have saved some frustration. As it turns out, there's an option in the "Advance" configuration settings that allows you to specify that the converted video be divided into segments, presumably for copying to CDs or other media with limited capacity. You can specify the segment size by time or storage space (in megabytes). There's also an "Infinite" setting that allows conversion into a single file. Strangely, the default value is a 1 gigabyte segment; you have to remember to select "Infinite" each time you rip a DVD. This is a lesson that should be quickly learned, especially if you have a system as slow as mine.

Actually, I don't hold out much hope for the user guide, when it finally appears. This program was either created by folks who aren't native English speakers, or they let their third graders compile the text not only for their website but also for various dialog boxes in the program. Here's a screen shot from one:

Despite all of these things, the video and audio quality of the resulting file is really quite good when played back via the iPod. You can also choose a conversion scheme that appears to create a file that's optimized for connecting your iPod to a TV (sure wish I had a user guide), although it's not intuitive to me what the difference would be. The "Advance" options appear to provide you with the ability to make the converted movie into "pan and scan" (vs. letterbox); you can also carry subtitles over to the converted file, but I don't see where the software company will reimburse your medical costs for the acute eyestrain that would surely accompany trying to read 'em on an iPod display. And, for you audio buffs, there's an option for retaining Dolby surround sound in the conversion.

Really, for $30 bucks, this is a great deal for anyone who wants a simple way to transfer their movies from DVD to iPod. I'll try to post a follow-up report after I've had time to test some of the options, but if you're looking for a quick and easy method of DVD conversion, you should consider this one. There are some free tools available (Handbrake and MacTheRipper come to mind) but I don't think they offer the same turnkey ease and completeness of this program.

You can download a demo version of DVD to iPod Converter, but it allows you to convert only 5 minutes of a movie. It occurs to me, however, that for some films -- anything starring Rob Schneider, for example -- that's more than enough.

*Don't steal movies. That's just wrong.

Technorati tags: DVD to iPod Converter | Ripping DVDs | Loading movies on an iPod

Too late for Christmas...unless you really hurry!

I just heard that Adobe released a Universal Binary version of Photoshop CS3 (in beta form) last Friday. According to early reviews, it's got the speed bumps those of us who were hesitant to upgrade to Intel Macs were waiting for.

The MacWorld reviewer says that CS3 is remarkably stable for a beta release, and those who want the speed but worry about stability might be comforted by the fact that you can continue to run CS2 on the same machine.

The beta is available as a free download to CS2 users, although at 750 megabytes you might want to set aside a hefty chunk of time for the retrieval.

I'm rapidly running out of excuses for not getting a new computer.

Raising the Bar for Futility

We made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Fort Stockton yesterday with the goal of getting my father-in-law's computer woes addressed and getting him back online. We succeeded only in redefining the term "dismal failure."

His problems began a couple of months ago when the local ISP succeeded in bringing down email for the entire town for an extended period of time while they did...something? Who knows what? In any event, his email never came back on. So he decided to take matters into his own hands, having decided that perhaps it was his computer that was causing the problem. Unfortunately, his solution began -- and ended -- by inserting the system installation disk. By the time he did whatever he did, not only did his email continue not to work, but neither did anything else.

All of his files were gone, some of his applications no longer started up or worked, and his internet connection was completely inoperable. To compound the problem, the administrator password was somehow reset, making it impossible to change many system settings.

To my chagrin and embarrassment, in three hours of trying everything I could think of, I succeeded only in finding a few of the missing files (mainly photos) and confirming that his internet connection was operable, which I did by connecting my laptop. However, I never was able to establish an internet connection for his computer. The fact that his computer would not automatically detect and connect is troubling, but I don't know if it indicates a problem with his system (software OR hardware) or if it's a problem involving the ISP's configuration.

Oh, did I mention that his computer is a Mac?

Admitting that a Mac is broken beyond my ability to repair it is bad enough, but what's worse is that my father-in-law must now submit himself to the $70 minimum service call from the ISP, the representative of which will come out, look at his computer and say "oh, we don't know anything about Macs. Here's your bill."

I suppose the moral of this story is that regardless of the kind of computer you own, it is possible to break it. The one advantage a Windows user has over a Mac user is that there are a lot more people who have experience in fixing a broken PC.

DLAM: Admit it, you know you want to

DLAM*: Dress Like A Mac.

Because being too cool is being just cool enough, and dressing cool is a great substitute for being cool. Or something.

Tip of the cap...oh, wait -- there is no cap. Rats. There goes my ensemblé. Anyway, thanks, Cult of Mac.

*This is, however, distressingly close to "Dress Like A Mac Enthusiast" or "D-LAME." Just figured I'd throw that out before you did.

Random Thursday

Let's put a technical spin on this week's edition of Random Thursday, shall we?

• Apple's "press event" slated for September 12 has created a huge buzz over the possibility that it will roll out a studio-to-set-top integrated solution for delivering digital video content. Translation? Streaming movies from the iTunes Music Store directly to your television or monitor...or revamped widescreen iPod. This could be the first move in an inevitable process that will do for full-length movies what iTunes and the iPod did for music.


• More from the wacky world of Apple - Jon Gruber, proprietor of Daring Fireball, has issued a challenge in response to an alleged security weakness in the new laptops: "hijack my new MacBook and it's yours." There's method in his apparent madness, but thus far, no takers.


• Joi Ito previews the mylo, a very small, very cool wifi digital-media thingamajig set to be released by Sony on September 15 and which may or may not be running Linux, is definitely running Opera, and probably won't be available outside of Japan, but you can pre-order it via Amazon, so who knows?


• Via Schneier on Security, this website that allows you to test your bomb-recognition acumen.


• While Apple may be conquering the known media universe, Google is laying claim to everything else, including your company's next intranet.


• And, finally, "tech" shouldn't necessarily imply "high tech," and some of our favorite things might be referred to as "retro-tech." Take mopeds, for example.

Geek out.

Mac Pro: Time for my own personal blogathon

I just popped over to the online Apple Store and configured a Mac Pro Quad Xeon with the following upgrades:

• 3GHz processors
• 16 gigabytes of RAM
• 2 terabytes internal hard drive storage via four 7200rpm Serial ATA 3gb/s drives
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 video card with 512MB of VRAM and Stereo 3D (2 x dual-link DVI)
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme wireless connectivity options

The total is just *cough* $12,128, plus sales tax and shipping.

Of course, if I'm going to get that NVIDIA card, I might as well spring for two 30" Apple Cinema Displays.

New total: $16,126.00.

Looks like I picked a bad day to close up the meth lab.

Apple Developer's Conference: Big News

I just checked in on MacWorld's live coverage of Steve Jobs keynote address at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, and even though this conference is not generally about product announcements , there's usually at least one big one thrown out by Jobs just for fun. This year's no exception, as Apple is rolling out its MacPro desktop box sporting two dual core Intel Xeon processors:

The new machines will support up to 16 gigabytes of RAM, and up to 2 terabytes of internal hard drives (via four snap-in enclosures). The standard configuration features two 2.66GHz dual-core Xeon processors, 1GB of 667MHz memory, 250GB storage, Nvidia GeForce 7300GT graphics with 256MB VRAM and a 16x SuperDrive optical drive, priced at $2,499. Upgrades are available to 3GHz processors, a heftier video card, and the previously mentioned maxed-out RAM and hard drive capacities.

The systems go on sale today; interestingly, Apple's website doesn't yet have an announcement, showing just how new this news is.

Hmm. Time to upgrade?

Technorati tags: Apple | Mac Pro

Batch File Renaming Software

Digital photography has opened up a whole world of creativity for many of us, but the downside is that we're faced with the daunting task of managing all of those files we create with our cameras. It doesn't help that most cameras give us few alternatives to meaningful files names like MVC100012 or JAME-1600. So we inevitably end up with a series of directories containing files with cryptic and often redundant names. Renaming them manually is a royal pain, so much so that we just elect to skip that step and hope that the keywords in our photo management software will help us find what we're seeking.

Renaming of files is also one of the biggest inefficiencies in my daily workflow. I have a number of clients who send scores and even hundreds of photos and I need to get them organized as quickly as possible. Again, manual renaming is time-consuming busy work that keeps me from doing more important -- and better paying -- tasks.

I finally found a solution for this problem, in the form of the awkwardly-named A Better Finder Rename, a shareware program for Mac (the Windows version is called Better File Rename) that does only one thing -- rename one or more files -- and does it extremely well.

I won't repeat the long list of ways this software can make your file renaming chores easier; they're clearly spelled out on the website. What I will tell you is that I recouped the $19.95 shareware fee many times over in the first couple of days after installing it. Even if you don't do file management as a part of your job, you'll be amazed at how it can help you get your digital photos organized.

I recommend it, and for you bleeding-edge Mac users, it's already in Universal Binary format so you can use it on your Intel machines.

Technorati tags: A Better Finder Rename | File Renaming Software

Awesome Apple Ads Astound And Amaze And, Ah...Attest

Man, I just can't get enough of those alliterative titles, can you?

Like James Lileks, from whence cometh this link tip, I enjoy the amusing little OS flame war every now and then, and so I greatly appreciate his pointing us to the latest barrage from Apple.

I have to admit that the sight of the Japanese camera girl pulling a photo print from her, um, backside, was a little disconcerting. But everything else -- everything -- is designed to ensure maximum apoplexiage from Windows-owning watchers.

OK, Windows-owning watchers who DON'T own a Mac with Boot Camp.

Bon appetite!

I have a birthday coming up in June...

Hint, hint...

One more Apple/Windows post

For those who remain skeptical about the reasons Apple introduced Boot Camp, I strongly advise taking ten minutes to read Jon Gruber's analysis over at Daring Fireball.

He'll explain, among other things, why Apple doesn't care whether [many] people think its computers are too expensive, why Microsoft has to pretend not to care about this move, why "dual boot" is likely to quickly make way for "concurrent operation," and why Apple's new Boot Camp logo is cool and a bit saucy, at least from a marketing perspective.

Technorati tag: Boot Camp

Wall Street Likes Boot Camp

I'm not the only one waxing a bit enthusiastic about the potential value in Apple's move to facilitate loading and running Windows on its Intel CPUs. Apple's stock was up almost 10% today after the announcement about Boot Camp. In more dramatic terms, Apple added $5 billion to its market capitalization today.

Got a little spare change to invest? The stock analysts interviewed by the Wall Street Journal today unanimously applauded Apple's move and have target prices ranging from $90-$103/share for its stock. It closed today at just over $67. Most of those analysts believe Apple's share of the personal computing market will start increasing as Intel Macs loaded with Boot Camp become more available.

Oh no! I'll bet this means more Mac viruses, and probably bankruptcy in less than six months! ;-)

Technorati tags: Boot Camp | Apple | Looking for the cloud in the silver lining

Boot Camp: Macs Officially Do Windows

This was inevitable, really, the news that Apple is not only not preventing users of its new Intel-powered Macs from installing and using Windows, but is actually facilitating those efforts.

Apple's new Boot Camp software, released in public beta today, drives home the ancient advice to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It's a smart move, in my opinion. Not only will it steal Windows computer sales (no more having to buy a cheap notebook or desktop just to run the occasional Windows-only app) but it effectively removes the last significant barrier to switching from Windows to the Mac OS (OK, next to the somewhat higher prices for the hardware).

This also seems to validate Apple's strategy of continuing to be both a hardware and a software/operating system manufacturer. Want an elegant box to run Windows? No problem. Want an elegant OS but need to occasionally use a, um, less elegant one? No problem. Apple's got you covered either way, and its bottom line benefits.

Potential problems? Yeah, there are a few. The ability for OS X and Windows to peacefully coexist on the Intel Macs might take the pressure off certain vendors *cough*Microsoft*cough*Adobe to release their flagship apps in Universal Binary format, as they reason that people that really want the software can now just buy the Windows version. There will also be inevitable (and, I suspect, significant) problems with Boot Camp playing nicely, with the potential for dragging the Mac OS's reputation through the mud.

But, overall, I have to commend Apple for reading the handwriting on the wall and deciding to take control of the class.

Technorati tags: Boot Camp | Apple | Windows XP

Universal Photoshop Slow in Coming: Short-Term Bad News for Apple

According to this report, Adobe is not fast-tracking the creation of a Universal Binary version of Photoshop that will run on Intel-powered Macs.

The report goes on to say that the new version of Photoshop might not be ready until April, 2007. This is terrible news for the multitude of Mac users who consider Photoshop to be one of the "must-have" applications, especially since Apple's non-universal-binary translator program, Rosetta, is reported to run the current version of Photoshop at only half the speed of current non-Intel Macs.

One could concoct all kinds of conspiracy theories as to why Adobe isn't rushing this conversion, but according to the above-referenced Adobe engineer, it's a simple matter of doing the job right. Rather than trying for a patchwork rebuild of Photoshop CS2, it appears that Adobe will bring CS3 out as a from-the-ground-up Universal Binary. The wait will seem like an eternity, but I suspect the result will be first class.

Tip o'the lens cap to The Online Photographer, a blog by professional photographer Mike Johnston that should be on the blogroll or RSS feed of anyone interested in photography (and related software, obviously).

Technorati tags: Universal Binary: Photoshop | Adobe | Apple

New iPod Volume Limit Setting

[Note: I've just discovered that the following update applies only to the iPod nano and the 5th generation series of 'pods. I don't know why the update was designed to work with all iPods; perhaps it's a firmware issue...]

If you own an iPod you should have received notice from Apple of a free software update that allows you to set a maximum volume for the mp3 player. Even better, it allows a parental control type of setting that permits you to set the maximum volume for your child's 'pod, complete with a password to prevent youthful overrides. Here's Apple's documentation of these new features, and here's the download page for the software update.

Given the potential for damaging young ears via the combination of loud music and earbuds, this volume setting is welcome news...sort of like a speed governor on a car. It should also make it more likely that an iPod-wearing child will have to stretch his or her acting abilities to claim that he or she didn't hear you when you issued your latest order to take out the trash.

Mac XP: A real world test

Last week I posted about a hack that allows the installation and use of Windows XP Pro on the new Macs with Intel chips.

An intrepid Macworld staffer set out to test this application and provides a blow-by-blow description of the 12-hour process to get XP up and running on his Intel-powered Mac mini.

Despite the pain of the installation and configuration process (which he says he now can complete in only one hour), he's contemplating leaving XP in place for those occasional times when he has to run Windows but doesn't want to fire up another computer.

I still contend that this is a sign of the impending Apocalypse.

Technorati tags: Windows XP on a Mac | Abomination Causing Desolation

Oh, this is SO not right...

Running Windows XP on Intel Macs

How many times must we repeat that just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should do that thing.

Perhaps it would be better to wait for Vista. And wait. And wait.

Mac OS X Virus...Not

Apparently tiring of the Cheney-as-shooter story, the "Media" is now hopping all over reports of a "virus" that affects <gasp> Macs running OS X. And, as usual, the reports of Apple's vulnerabilities are greatly exaggerated.

Oh, I suppose you could call this a worm or a trojan horse, but, really, the same description might well apply to any bit of malware that a user has to go to the trouble of installing, configuring and executing. It's much more likely that folks are going to do harm to their systems or their data by inadvertently dragging a file into the trash and emptying it.

And, as the folks over at Ambrosia Software are quick to point out, "It does not exploit any security holes; rather it uses "social engineering" to get the user to launch it on their system." This alludes to the use of Apple's iChat software to transmit the offending program, which shows up as a file named "latestpics.tgz."

Given the steps the user of the potentially-infected computer has to go through to actually activate this poorly written piece of code, this observation by one of the commenters on the linked thread seems appropriate: "This seems a bit more like an IQ test than a proper worm..."

Technorati tags: Mac OS Trojan | Oompa Loompa Worm | Apple

Mac Yin/Intel Yang

How will you know when your favorite Mac application will run on a new Intel chip powered model? Just look for the dual Mac/Universal logo, shown at right.

Apple has a new licensing program in place for developers wishing to display the Universal logo on their products.

According to this MacWorld article, there are at least 200 currently-shipping products that run natively on the Intel-powered Macs. However, this list shows only 40 (most of them minor utilities), MacInTouch's list has more but its format makes it more difficult to quantify the exact number, and Apple's Product Guide seems to be the most complete with over 300 items. Regardless, this is just a drop in the bucket, considering the thousands of applications currently compatible with OS X.

Technorati tags: Universal Logo Program | Apple | Intel Based Macs

Shiira: Safari on Steroids?

Shiira is a relatively new open-source browser for Mac OS X under development by a Japanese project team. The team's goals are lofty:

The browser has some intriguing features including a tabbed sidebar (at what point do we become "over-tabbed," I wonder?) and a "tab Exposé" feature that allows you to view simultaneous thumbnails of all tabbed pages similar to the window-viewing capability of OS X's Exposé (at what point will Apple's legal department squash the reference to Exposé in this project?). Shiira also takes advantage of the enhanced graphics capabilities of Tiger's Core Image, incorporating it into a "page transition" effect that allows you move between windows with an actual page turning effect. It's undeniably cool, although its practical application is iffy.

I'm going to download and install the browser, even though I'm not running Tiger, just to see how it stacks up to Firefox (I never use Safari). If you're a Mac user and have installed Tiger, Shiira looks to be worth checking out.

Tip of the hat to William over at the elegantly designed and executed seaSons.

Technorati tags: Shiira Project | Safari

"The Brain Transplant was a Success"

The Wall Street Journal's technology editor, Walter Mossberg, has spent the past week testing Apple's new Intel-based iMac and reports that "the best consumer desktop PC on the market" has just gotten better.

Mossberg has become an enthusiastic Mac evangelist over the past few years, but that doesn't mean that he's not objective or well-informed. His product testing tends to mimic the way you and I might use a computer in our day-to-day routines, rather than setting up elaborate and esoteric benchmarking schemes that favor a preconceived outcome.

Thus, when he says that Rosetta, Apple's translator software that allows PowerPC software to run on the Intel CPU, works well and with no apparent performance hit, that's significant feedback that might even be the tipping point for someone on the bubble about buying a new Mac. (Actually, his exact quote is this: ...and any slowdowns it [Rosetta] imposed were so slight as to be indiscernible.

Mossberg says that the 2-4 times speed advantage over the previously Macs touted by Apple CEO and Chief Reality Distorter Steve Jobs was not seen in his "real world" tests, something that will surprise absolutely no one. However, he did observe some signficant improved performance in those applications which have been optimized for the Intel chip:

Mossberg's review of the new iMac is the clearest signal to-date that Apple has indeed taken a significant step to ensure the competitiveness of its computers for years to come.

Technorati tags: Rosetta | Walter Mossberg | Apple

Apple Powerbook: The King is Dead; Long Live the King

It's official: Apple has announced the first shipping models of its Intel-powered computers, beginning with its newest top-of-the-line notebook, the MacBook Pro. I can't tell you how much I loathe that name, evocative as it is of golden arches, nor how badly I want one!

Think the "Megahertz Myth" was just a defensive marketing gimmick? Try this on for size. The new MacBooks are powered by a chip called the Intel Core Duo. It's clocked at an apparently pedestrian 1.83 GHz. But because of its architecture (essentially two processors on the same chip, plus ample amounts of cache, a speedy frontside bus and fast RAM), Apple's claiming a 400% increase in speed over it Motorola-powered G4 PowerBook running at 1.67 GHz.

There's too much about the new computer for me to grasp, let alone describe. The big question mark is, of course, will any of my programs run on it? The move to Intel chips requires some adjustments to software, and not all vendors have made those adjustments or even the commitment to make them. In the meantime, Apple is including an emulator called Rosetta which is supposed to allow PowerPC-optimized software to run on the Intel models, but I haven't seen any benchmarks as to how efficient this process is in real life.

Apple's taking orders for the new MacBook (as well as for an Intel iMac), but shipping isn't expected until next month.

As a not insignificant footnote, as far as I can tell from the photos on Apple's website, there is not an "Intel Inside" sticker on the machine.

Technorati tags: Apple | Intel | MacBook Pro

Christmas Toys

I scored an embarrassingly rich haul of Christmas gifts (again...our family has always gone overboard on gift-giving; but, I suppose that on the list of Regrettable Family Practices, this habit falls so far down as to be hardly worth mentioning), too many to list so I'll just stick with my usual practice of focusing on a couple of cool tech-toys.

The first is a pair of Sennheiser headphones (model PX100). I don't have the gift of earbudgetry and, frankly, I think those models gyrating wildly through the iPod commercials with earbuds intact have been surgically altered in some way that I really don't want to know about. I do like the convenience of the small size of earbuds, but the musical experience is hampered considerably when you're losing one or both of them at the slightest twitch, ear-related or not.

The Sennheisers are quite comfortable and secure, with their traditional over-the-head design, and they have an ingenious design that allows them to fold flat and fit into a hard plastic case about the size used for eyeglasses. The sound quality is quite good (the claimed frequency response is 15-27,000 Hz). You can also listen to music at a comfortable level without losing all external input, which might be viewed as a shortcoming by some but I rarely want to be completely isolated from the world. And at less than $50, the price is right. I'm very happy with them.

However, the second item has unexpectedly caused me to forego the headphones for more and more of my iPod listening. I mentioned the Belkin TuneStage a couple of weeks back as a hint for those shopping for the iPod fanatics in their lives, and someone must have decided I fell into that category. The TuneStage is undeniably cool, despite the hokey name. It allows you to play your iPod through your home stereo system using a Bluetooth wireless connection system that effectively turns the 'Pod into a remote control. In other words, instead of your iPod remaining stationary, affixed to the receiver, it can move with you (or stay beside you), and as long as you're within 30' feet of the stereo, the music continues.

The maximum range is supposed to be 33' but I was able to move slightly further away than that, and the music was still clear -- and that despite two intervening walls. Your mileage may vary, of course, but it's safe to say that within 20' of your home stereo, this jewel is bulletproof. I also haven't yet noticed any kind of interference with my 802.11 network or my cordless phone.

While the music quality is excellent and the device is for the most part unobtrusive, I wish Belkin had provided the option of a shorter cable for connecting to the stereo. The 7' miniplug-to-RCA plugs cable is much longer than I need. I'm also looking forward to the day when devices like this product's base station can be connected and powered via a USB or Firewire port, and those ports are standard on all home stereo receivers.

Note that the TuneStage is not compatible with the shuffle, nano nor the new so-called video iPods, as it requires the presence of the remote control connector which Apple has eliminated in the new models. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Belkin comes out with an alternative for those models.

At around $150, it's a bit pricey...and that's if you can find one at all. Belkin's website says it's temporarily sold out.

Technorati tags: Sennheiser PX100 | iPod | Belkin TuneStage

Public Domain Movies for iPodv

You're probably getting a new iPod for Christmas, the model that allows you to play back video, and so you'll be needing a source of movies to load up that bad boy. You could buy some lame TV shows from the iTunes Music Store, but why do that when you can download some truly righteous movies...for free? Not only that, it's completely legal, since these flicks are all in the public domain.

That's right, Public Domain Torrents has more than 500 public domain movies, shorts and serials available for download to your iPod. Among these "classics" are flicks like Ed Woods' Plan 9 From Outer Space, Attack of the Giant Leeches and Atom Age Vampires. But you can also grab non-B offerings like A Farewell to Arms, Angel and the Badman and Nosferatu.

Tip o'the cardboard 3D glasses to Cult of Mac

Technorati tags: iPod video | Public Domain Movies

Shopping hints for the iPod owner on your list

What? You haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet? Shame, shame, shame. If the problem is lack of money or time, you're out of luck; I have neither to spare. But if you're just out of ideas -- and the fortunate potential giftee happens to be an iPod owner (and who doesn't that cover nowadays?) -- I've got the answer you've been seeking.

Check out Playlist Magazine's Plays of the Year, the editors' picks for the best iPod-related products of 2005. Prices range from free (there; that solves another problem) to $1,600, and most price points in between. There's both hardware (speakers, FM transmitters, earbuds and headphones, docks, etc.) and software (for transferring songs from 'pod to computer, for loading commercial videos to the new 'pods -- not that we're advocating that, mind you, etc.).

My personal favorite of the bunch is Belkin's TuneStage, a device that facilitates connecting your iPod to your home stereo, incorporating Bluetooth that allows you to use the 'pod itself as "the ultimate remote control." At $180, it would make a great gift for your favorite blogger who has modeled his publication after a tiny-but-nasty arthropod.

Don't make me beg.

Backing Up or Reformating iTunes Music

One of the misconceptions I sometimes hear about music purchased via Apple's iTunes Music Store (ITMS) is that the songs cannot be converted to another format for back-up purposes, or for playing on your home or car stereo without using an iPod. The confusion arises because music purchased from iTMS is downloaded in MPEG-4 AAC format rather than the more familiar MP3, and it has DRM protection built into it, so that right out of the box, so to speak, it won't play on anything but iTunes or an iPod.

The fact is, however, that you can convert your purchased AAC music into regular old uncompressed AIFF files -- the same kind found on any commercial audio CD. In fact, iTunes itself provides you with the capability of doing this, and if you want to make a back-up copy of your purchased music (and also play it via non-Apple outlets), here's how to do that.

Note that the following instructions apply to the Mac version of iTMS, but they should be similar, if not identical, on the Windows version.

First, insert a blank CD, then open iTunes. Select the "Advanced" menu item under iTunes Preferences, and then click on the menu option labeled "Burning." Select the appropriate settings for your CD burner, but make sure the radio button labeled "Audio CD" is toggled on. You're going to make an audio CD, not a data or MP3 CD. Once you've made the appropriate selections, click "OK."

You should be back in the main iTunes window. If you haven't already done so, create a new Playlist containing the songs you want to backup to CD. Keep in mind that the songs being recorded to the new CD will be uncompressed and thus more than ten times larger than the originals. I recommend using total minutes rather than file size to determine how many tracks you can burn to the CD.

Once you've created your Playlist, click on it to highlight it and the "Burn Disc" icon in the upper right corner (see screenshot at right) of iTunes should be clickable. Click it to start the recording. The end result will be a CD containing the songs in AIFF format, and it should be usable in any car or home CD player.

There are some downsides to this approach. First, since you're working from a compressed source file, the quality of the resulting AIFF will be somewhat lower than if you'll find on the original CD of whatever music you're backing up. Whether you'll notice the difference in quality will depend on the sensitivity of your ears and your stereo system. I'm guessing that 95% of us won't be able to tell the difference, but your mileage may vary.

Second, you'll lose all identifying information for the tracks you backup: album name, artist, song name, album art. If this is important to you, you'll want to create a copy of the disk you just made and use the copying software to manually add that information.

Now, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. First, this is not intended to be a process whereby you bypass the DRM and make a bunch of copies of purchased music for your friends. We'll all be terribly disappointed if you do this. OTOH, I'm not your mother.

Second, this process is useful for another purpose and that's to edit purchased music. Why would you want to do this? Well, that's up to you, but here's one recent example of why I made a copy of a song. The original version of the song is about eight minutes in length, a nice catchy hip-hop tune with good lyrics...but the last two minutes contains a bizarre recording of a series of messages from an answering machine. I'm sure the artist's vision required that this be included, but I don't share his vision, and I certainly don't want to listen to those messages everytime the tune pops up on my 'pod. So I converted the song to AIFF, fired up Sound Studio, cropped the song at the point the music ends and the messages begin, added a tasteful five second fadeout, saved the new version to another AIFF, then imported it back into iTunes in AAC format. I not only saved two minutes on my 'pod, but I eliminated something I didn't want to listen to. (I did keep the original version intact.)

One last note. If all you want to do is make a back-up copy of your iTunes Library, you're much better off copying it to DVD. Use the same process as described above, but in the Preferences/Advanced/Burning panel, select "Data CD" (even if you're going to burn a DVD).

Can You Hear Me Now?

The latest entry in the category of "I'm sure I need this if only to annoy the neighbors" is the iPod Mega Helmet, in which a plain old Radio Shack megaphone enters into an unholy union with an iPod and the whole schmear is mounted to a motorcycle helmet using stylish duct tape. Not only will you then be able to project your voice but also the music* on your 'pod. As the construction instructions note, this device would be handy on the softball field for aggravating opposing batters.

I can also see some definite possibilities for mounting on a bicycle helmet. And, considering the bikes I ride, this might actually make me look less geeky.

*Or you could record a podcast using your own voice, then broadcast that via the megaphone. While this might be helpful for those who get tongue-tied in social situations, I suspect that in general it would just be weird. And lazy.

Bonk of the helmet to Cult of Mac

iPod VR

If you think the screen on the new iPods is simply too small to engage in any serious video viewing, you're simply not thinking outside the box...or inside the goggles. Here's how to hack your iPod into a virtual reality viewer.

Lest you think this is just a rowboat ride into the Bay of Geek, the author can actually envision (ha!) a legitimate business use for a [hopefully more elegant] version of this contraption:

Technorati tags: iPod | Virtual Reality | Splitting Headache With Eyestrain

Powerful Nostalgia

I ran across the following image while backing up some old DVD-RAMs (possibly the slowest optical medium every invented) to DVD-R. It brought back fond memories of the days of Power Computing and my old PowerTower Pro 180 (which, by the way, is still used daily by my dad...generally for playing solitaire, but still...).

Click on the image to see a bigger version.

One can argue that Apple's licensing of the Mac OS to third parties was a strategic mistake, but you've got to admit that Power brought a certain cocky feistiness to the table that was refreshing.

I've got three more Power Computing ads which I'll try to remember to share in the near future.

Technorati tags: Power Computing | Apple

Aperture: Lustworthy

I want very badly to get a copy of Apple's recently-announced program called Aperture. Spend a few minutes on the website, and you'll understand why.

Unfortunately, by my calculation, that $499 program would actually cost me right around $4,500, based on the need to buy a new dual-core dual-processor G5 (aka the G5 Quad) with the horsepower to run it and a digital SLR camera to justify its use. (And, really, a 30-inch HD Cinema Display becomes a necessity, so tack on another $2,500 just for good measure.)

Hmm. Maybe the time has come for a tip jar... ;-)

Technorati tags: Aperture | Apple | G5 Quad

Don't believe everything you hear.

What he said...

What he meant...

Tip o'the magnifying glass to Macworld, who fell like a lead balloon for the classic "Jobs Reality Distortion Field."

Apple Announcements: Between the Lines

If you're a True Believer® and have already pored over published reports of the multitude of announcements made today by Apple, you'll probably enjoy Jon Gruber's easy-to-read bullet point list of clarifications and amplifications and observations and cogitations.

Oh, and I just figured out why there's no announcement about a new product called the "video iPod" or "iPod video." That's because the video playback feature is simply a standard feature on the iPod (excluding shuffle and nano, of course). IOW, you can't buy a regular iPod without the video capability.

Technorati tags: Apple | Front Row | iPod

Video iPod: It's Official

The rumor mill was accurate this time, as Steve Jobs has just introduced an iPod capable of playing videos. From today's Wall Street Journal:

More details from Playlist:

If the new device has an "official" name, other than the rather bland "video iPod," I can't find it. Apple doesn't yet have anything on its website regarding the announcement (and judging by how slow the site is to load, everyone is checking).

The other unanswered questions are "why?" and "where can I find the money to get one, even though I have no use for it?"

Technorati tags: video iPod | Apple | Toy-Induced Bankruptcy

Mac vs Windows: TCO

I'm well beyond caring about this, but I know that some of you occasionally confront the question, "should I finally ditch that abomination known as Windows and switch to the OS From Heaven (aka Cupertino)?" and if you fall into that category, you might want to visit the Security Awareness Blog where the proprietor is providing a spreadsheet and detailed instructions for computing Total Cost of Ownership for the Mac and Windows OSes. If you're truly up in the air about switching, this might be a helpful tool to quantify the decision.

I should warn you that the author is a relatively new "switcher" and has nothing good to say about Windows, even in a corporate environment. But he's a security consultant so that's not unexpected.

Oh. That probably sounded tacky.

Technorati tag: Total Cost of Ownership

Don't hate me because I'm nano

OK, listen up. Please stand and step forward if you meet the following qualifications: your lovely wife just handed you a brand spankin' new iPod nano, black, 4gb, for no discernible reason except she knew you wanted one and would never get one for yourself.

Anybody? Anybody?

I feel kind of funny standing here by myself...but I'll get over it! ;-)

(Unless you've actually held one of these tiny jewels in your hand, you have no idea how truly cool it is.)

Somebody buy this guy a clue

Apparently still smarting over Apple's impending shift to Intel processors, Motorola CEO Ed Zander lashed out at a tiny inanimate object...

Who listens to 1,000 songs? Well, apparently, only those people who don't have the space to listen to 10,000 songs. And at last count, there were only about a bazillion of them. Which equates to a great many more than will buy Zander's underwhelming Rokr.

Intel is starting to look better all the time.

Tip of the earbuds to Macworld

Technorati tags: Ed Zander | iPod nano | Apple | Without a Clue

Droolworthy: iPod nano

Apple just introduced its newest iPod, the nano, a business-card sized, pencil-thin flash-memory-based model complete with color screen and click wheel. It comes in 2gb and 4gb flavors. And I really, really want one, even though I really, really don't need one.

This bad baby even includes the ability to rate songs and build playlists on the 'pod itself, rather than doing it via iTunes. It displays photos, does slideshows, and includes an audio equalizer. It also has the ability to store music in Apple Lossless format as well as AIFF, which the shuffle doesn't.

I just have one question for Apple: what are you going to name the next generation even-smaller model? The hyper-nano? The nano-nano?

Technorati tags: iPod nano | Apple | iPod

BBEdit ready for Intel

According to MacWorld, Bare Bones Software has released a new version of its ubër-text editor, BBEdit 8.2.3, complete with the "Universal Binary" code support necessary for it to run Mac OS X on an Intel chip, as well as on the current PowerPC chip.

Aside from being able to say that they've done it, I'm not sure what advantage having this version gives Bare Bones, or its customers, for that matter. OTOH, it's nice to know that software companies are already jumping on the new Mac/Intel bandwagon, and that conversion of key apps is apparently not an insurmountable problem.

One of the commenters on the Macworld story notes that the new release is "only" 7mb larger than the previous PowerPC-only version. I guess that's pretty good for a dual-platform program, but I can remember when entire applications were less than 7 meg (but that's another old codger story altogether, which I notice is being told through another comment thread on the article!).

Technorati tags: Universal Binary | BBEdit | Apple

iPods, Bluetooth & the Meaning of Life

As I've mentioned before, my morning bike rides provide a pleasant break from the daily fingers-to-the-keyboard grind. It's a time when I let my mind run free, and while my mind usually chooses to dwell upon unpronounceable words or erroneous conjugations of Spjavascript:editPlacements()anish verbs, every now and then it seizes upon a gem.

This morning was one of those rare occasions. I was pedaling down the 191 service road, just entering Steeple Row, when the most amazing thing sprang fully formed into my mind: an allegorical metaphor, incredibly multi-faceted and yet so simple that a child could comprehend it, even though it presented itself in the obscure alliterative onomatopoeiac form so favored by the early Phoenicians, and -- most wonderful of all -- pointing clearly to the key to the very meaning of life! My heart skipped a beat -- not a pleasant experience on a bike at 20 mph -- as I contemplated the implications of the gift I'd been bequeathed, and I turned it over and over in my mind, beholding its delicate beauty in awe, as one might examine a flawless jewel or, rarer still, a logical comment from Al Franken.

Unfortunately, I caught a glimpse of a mountain lion* and by the time I reached my turnaround point at the underpass, I'd completely lost every detail of the thought.

That's a darn shame, given how many people are making bad movies about the meaning of life. And thus, I make this appeal to Apple: give us a Bluetooth-capable iPod, and quickly. And then, to Dr. Bott or Kensington or Belkin: give us a wireless voice-activated headset microphone and receiver combination to mount on that iPod.

I don't think it's unjustified hyperbole to say that what's at stake is nothing less than the very meaning of life.

*OK, it wasn't really a mountain lion. But it was a baby squirrel**, and you know how attention-diverting they can be.

**OK...there was no baby squirrel, either. I just didn't think it was seemly to admit that I was distracted by my shorts riding up on me.

Making an ITMS "Wish List"

I love the iTunes Music Store (ITMS), but there's a lot about it I don't understand. Some things are just annoying, like Apple's decision to give us only 30 seconds to preview a song. Would it have killed them to double that, to a full 60 seconds?

But other things are just mysterious because they're undocumented, or I haven't taken the time to figure them out. If you're in that same boat, perhaps this newly-learned tip will be useful to you, as well.

If you spend much time following links through ITMS, you might find that you're identifying a lot of music that you might be interested in purchasing later on, but you've found no good way to keep track of it for future reference. Here's a great solution. Simply create a new playlist in iTunes (I named mine "Wishlist"). Then when you hear something that intrigues you in ITMS, drag the song name onto the playlist you just created. That's it. When you open the playlist, you'll see all the song samples you selected, and you'll even have the little arrows that allow you to see the other songs on the album, and other albums by the artist. And, of course, you'll have the all-important "Buy Song" button.

And, in anticipation of the logical question, the song samples do not update to your iPod.

Tip o'the earbuds to Macworld's Editor's Notes weblog for this tidbit. This entry also recognizes that you can use the ITMS Shopping Cart feature to achieve similar results, but not everyone is comfortable leaving merchandise in a shopping cart for extended periods.

Technorati tag: iTunes Music Store

Apple makes inroads on corporate desktops

According to this report from Macworld, Jupiter Research has just released a report showing that Apple's OS X is increasingly showing up on employee desktop's in some of the world's largest corporations:

Further, according to the article, "Microsoft’s Windows Server operating system saw a marginal decrease in installed base this year..."

This is sort of deja vu all over again, as my first encounter with a GUI on a desktop machine was at ARCO in 1986 when we got our first set of Apple SEs. Apple was the platform of choice for the company for several years, until some bad decisions by both Apple and Corporate IT forced a switch to Windows. I was always fascinated by the fact that the last corporate Mac holdout was also the company's biggest moneymaker: the Alaskan production unit. But by the time I left the industry, Macs were nowhere to be found in oil company offices, unless they were tucked away in executive suites.

Perhaps the pendulum is beginning to swing in the other di