Today's News On One Page
November 16th, 1999
[4:30 PM] Madden NFL 2000 Released At Last! by Staff Long anticipated, Madden NFL 2000 has been released. Madden NFL 200 is a 3D football simulator that has been a huge hit in the PC world. Aspyr Media, an Austin, Tx. firm, ported the game to the Mac for Electronic Arts. According to Aspyr:
Madden NFL 2000 is priced at US$49.95. MAC-O-RAMA is listing the title for US$46 and there are doubtless other specials on the Internet. You can find more information at Aspyr's web site. The Mac Observer Spin: Ported for Electronic Arts by Aspyr Media, Madden NFL 2000 was originally going to be a simultaneous Mac/PC release. Problems that allegedly centered around OpenGL delayed the Mac version despite Aspyr's hard work, much to the chagrin of the Mac gaming community that was looking forward to the high profile simultaneous release. If Mac gamers would like to see more games like this come to the Mac quickly, and despite the delays this game did indeed come to the Mac more quickly than most, then they should go out and buy it. In the battle to make the Mac a better gaming platform, the power of money speaks volumes. If Electronic Arts makes a hefty profit from the Mac release of this game, then they will be pleased as punch to bring more such releases to the Mac. |
[4:20 PM] New Facility Center Opens Up At Apple Market Center in Atlanta by Staff Sterling Ledet and Associates have announced with Apple that they will be opening a new training facility in the Apple MArket Center in Atlanta. The facility will offer the opportunity for users to check out some of the latest Mac hardware from Apple, ICE, and other manufacturers. According to Sterling Ledet and Associates:
You can find more information on the event, including registration information, at Apple's web site. Alternately, you can call 1.800.895.4853. The Mac Observer Spin: This is a great direction for Apple to move in. There has long been a lack of Mac training facilities and training courses around the country. In fact, the mere fact that one has to be trained to use Windows 9x and Windows NT seems to have actually increased the desirability of using those systems. As backwards as it seems, Apple can only benefit by having more high-profile training facilities. The only negative is that Apple has very few Market Centers and only in the largest metropolitan areas. Hopefully Apple will work with companies like Sterling Ledet and Associates to open up other training centers in other areas. |
A cautious Federal Reserve raised Fed fund and discount rates 25 basis points and adopted a neutral stance. Interest rate hikes are usually not good news on Wall Street, but this bull market responded with a strong continuation of the ongoing rally. The Fed also warned, "the economy is growing at an unsustainable rate." The Nasdaq roared to a new all time high, up 73.53 points (2.28%) to close at 3293.07 on another record volume day with 1.39 billion shares traded. The Nasdaq is now up 50% year to date. The Dow advanced by 171.58 points (1.59%) to close at 10932.33 The S&P 500 also hit a new record high today, up 25.64 points (1.84%) to close at 1420.03. On Wednesday, Wall Street will be watching for the new housing starts number and the important Consumer Price Index for October. Apple received a boost today from ABN AMRO analyst Jonathan Ross who initiated coverage on Apple with an outperform rating and a one year price target of $155. Mr. Ross said, "We believe no PC maker is better positioned with consumers to take advantage of large opportunities in the emerging device and home networking markets." Apple rose 1 3/4 to close at 91 3/16 on less than half the normal volume. Tomorrow, Hewlett Packard announces 4th quarter earnings after the bell. Analyst will be looking for $0.73 per share with a 9% revenue growth. Apple related stocks, Adobe, Symantec, and Akamai rode the wave higher, while Macromedia declined fractionally. Apple's Power PC partners, IBM and Motorola, both ended the day higher. Dell, Microsoft, Intel, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard all closed higher. Gateway was the only major PC manufacturer to close in negative territory. For full quotes on all the companies mentioned in this article, we have assembled this set of quotes at Yahoo! for your reference. We also have many of these same quotes reported live (20 minute delay) on our home page. For other stories regarding Apple's stock activity, visit our Apple Stock Watch Special Report. The Mac Observer Spin: Go figure, the Fed raises rates and stocks close at all time highs. Analysts have speculated that many traders were just relieved that the rate hike was no longer an unknown issue.
[3:45 PM] The Apple Stock Watch: Stocks Soar After The Fed Hikes Interest Rates, Apple Rises to 91 3/16
by Wes George
[3:00 PM] Audit Your Mac For Y2K Compliant Apps by Staff Pedagoguery Software has updated the Millennium checker utility, Y2K Software Audit, to version 1.33. The program functions by comparing software installed on your system with a list of Y2K compatible applications. According to Pedagoguery Software:
Y2K Software Audit is available as shareware for US$38. A limited trial package is available. You can find more information at the Pedagoguery Software web site. |
[3:00 PM] Put Your Web Pages On Phen-Phen With Mizer Update by Staff Antimony Software has updated the web code optimization tool, Mizer, to version 1.8. Mizer helps "shrink" web code and images, allowing for faster upload and download times. According to Antimony Software:
Mizer is available for US$69.95. You can find more information at the Antimony Software web site. |
[2:30 PM] HyperGames For Hyper People by Staff HyperInfo Canada Inc. has updated their HyperCard stack of games and utilities, HyperGames, to version 2.2. According to HyperInfo Canada:
HyperGames is available as shareware for US$10. You can find more information at the HyperInfo Canada web site. |
[1:45 PM] Knock-Knock - Who's There? DoorStop Final by Staff Opon Door Networks, Inc. has released DoorStop Personal 1.0. DoorStop Personal is a software based firewall for the Mac OS. According to Open Door:
DoorStop is available for US$59 for a single user license, and US$1299 for a 50 user site license. Educational discounts are available. You can find more information at the Open Door Networks web site. |
[1:00 PM] Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, Version 1.0.8 by Staff Objective Software has updated the utility, DockZone, to version 1.0.8. The new version fixes a bug related to Mac OS 9. DockZone provides an area on the right side of your screen that is set aside for icon storage. According to Objective Software:
DockZone is available as shareware for US$10. You can find more information at the Objective Software web site. The Mac Observer Spin: This is another great example of the great Mac shareware market. This is a very handy utility for those who like to use a socking concept. |
[Column] On The Flip Side - Your Mac Looks Terrible, Admit It |
[Column] Wasting Time With The Idiots - Cyber Idiocy: The Idiots Preview GameRanger |
[11:30 AM] Aladdin Ships Mac OS 9 Compatible Stuffit Deluxe Update & Brand New Version by Staff Aladdin Systems has shipped two new versions of Stuffit Deluxe, both of which include Mac OS 9 compatibility. The company has released an update for Stuffit Deluxe 5.1, and an entirely new 5.5 version. According to Aladdin Systems:
The 5.1.5 updater is free to registered owners of version 5.x. You can find more information and download links for the update at the company's web site. The company has priced version 5.5 at US$79.95. Upgrade pricing is complex:
You can find more information on upgrading at the company's web site. The Mac Observer Spin: Kudos to Aladdin Systems for not taking the low path of only offering Mac OS 9 compatibility through the new 5.5 version. |
[8:30 AM] VideoScript Update Adds Several New Features by Staff VideoScript, Inc. has announced the release of another update to VideoScript. As the name implies, VideoScript is a scripting language designed to automate and simplify the digital video editing process. The new version, 1.8.2, adds several new features and other improvements. According to VideoScript, Inc.:
VideoScript is available in two versions. VideoScript Lite is free. VideoScript Professional is US$295.00. You can find more information on the product at the company's web site. |
[8:30 AM] Consolidation Of Mac MP3 Market Begins With Proteron Acquisition by Staff Proteron Software has announced the acquisition of MPecker from @Soft, thus beginning the first round of consolidation in the Mac MP3 market. Proteron will market the product as MPegger until it is consolidated with their MP3 flagship, N2MP3. According to Proteron:
MPegger will be priced at US$24.95. The company has more information on the product at their web site. The Mac Observer Spin: The Mac MP3 market is far more crowded and robust than the much larger Windows MP3 market which is dominated by WinAMP, a free product. While the Mac has several commercial MP3 products available, the competition is fairly fierce due to the smaller nature of that market. Consolidation in one form or another is fairly inevitable and we think that this will be seen as one of the first moves. |