In the beginning, I was starved for iPod accessories to review in my columns and books. Weeks could go by without my receiving a single iPod add-on. These days it seems barely a day goes by when a new (or new and improved) iPod peripheral doesn’t land on my doorstep. It’s gotten so I call…
Fine-tuning Mac Keyboard Illumination
Controlling your keyboard brightness from the menu bar.
Analyst: Europe Slow to Upgrade to Intel Macs, Have Strong Interest in 'iPhone'
Half of the 56% who havenit upgraded to Intel Macs yet plan to do so in the next six months. “Several Apple customers that are waiting to upgrade to Intel Macs indicated that they are waiting for Adobeis fully optimized Creative Suite before they will upgrade their hardware,” Mr. Munster explained. “We had expected that…
Hidden Dimensions - Apple's Magic Sauce for Home Theater
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” — Albert Einstein There you have it. Apple has thrown down the gauntlet with the iTunes Store, movies and the code-named “iTV.” Even so, a lot of analysts and competitors still seem confused about Apple’s prospects in the movie download business. From…
Podcast - Weekly Roundup: Viral Video Goes Vroom
Direct Link: MP3 Version This week, amid a mash of news, both Google Video and YouTube made the headlines. In this week’s Context Machine: Ricky Spero and Jeff Gamet take a close look at Viral Video’s dirty secrets, then take off on a discussion about where it’s headed. Here’s a hint: iTV is involved, and…
Apple's iPod Hi-Fi Places Fourth on Sales List
Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi speakers are fourth in their category with 7.8% market share, behind Bose, Logitech, and i-Fusion, according to John Fortt’s Business 2.0 blog. He received those numbers from NPD Group analyst Steve Baker, who also told him that the US$349 iPod Hi-Fi has 14.5% of the revenue share in its category, which is…
TMO Quick Tip - Mac OS X Shortcuts for Sleep and Shutdown
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts can go a long way towards improving your productivity since they reduce how much time you spend mousing instead of typing. Once place people don’t think about using keyboard shortcuts, however, is shutting down or putting your Mac to sleep. Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use when it’s…
Analysis: Lack of Video in 2G iPod nano a Surprise
A teardown analysis of a 4GB second-generation iPod nano reveals a US$72.24 bill of materials (BOM) cost, less than the $89.97 cost for a first-generation 2Gb iPod nano, according to a report issued by iSuppli on Wednesday. In a press release, the research firm noted surprise that the new Samsung system-on-chip, which replaced the previous…
Fox May Go After Google For Illegal Videos
Video clips from The Simpsons, Family Guy and other Fox TV shows appearing on Google Video could cause problems for the network’s deal between its News Corp. and Google for the right to supply search features and advertising to MySpace, which is owned by News Corp. A Fox spokeswoman told MarketWatch: “What you see on…
Analyst: Rise in Digital HD Demand Helps Apple
He found that 70% of pros are doing some editing in HD, with 28% of their work, on average, performed that way, up from 22% last year. At Aprilis NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) trade show in Las Vegas, 25-35% of respondentsi work was being done in HD. In addition, 83% of IBC interviewees expect…
Analysts: Apple Focuses on iPod Margins, But Market Share Could Suffer
Apple’s refreshed iPod nano and iPod shuffle have been well-received, but Gartner analysts Joseph Unsworth and Jon Erensen said in a report issued Monday that they believe “the company is looking for better profit margins, not gaining market share,” according to an IDG News Service article. Looking at the cost of the materials going into…
Greenpeace Hazardous Material Report Slams Apple
The environmental activist group, Greenpeace, released a report on Monday titled Toxic Chemicals In Your Laptop that attempts to list the percentages of toxic chemicals found in several different laptop computer models, including Apple’s MacBook Pro. Greenpeace tested the computers for compliance with The European Union’s RoHS directive – a set of voluntary guidelines that…
Podcast - Weekly Roundup: Unbox vs. iTunes (sort of...)
Direct Link: MP3 Version It was supposed to be a show about Amazon vs. Apple, but how much of a comparison can you draw when only Apple has the full package? For the full story on Apple’s full package, listen in to TMO’s Bryan Chaffin, Jeff Gamet, and Ricky Spero in this week’s Context Machine.…
Improving AirPort Network Connection Time
Launch System Preferences. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Select the Network Preference Pane. Choose AirPort from the Show pop-up menu. Click the AirPort tab. Choose Preferred Networks from the By default, join pop-up menu. You should see a list of the wireless networks you have connected to. Select the networks you want to remove,…
Apple Hot Deals Update For ClubMac, MacMall
The new ClubMac Hot Deals page has offers on the 250GB Edge DiskGo 3.5-inch portable hard drive, Kensingtonis USB 2.0 Bluetooth adapter, the Belkin Wireless G Universal range extender, Specktoneis Retro Speaker with built-in iPod dock, the Planar PQ1710M 17-inch LCD dual input display, an Extensis Suitcase Fusion/Portfolio 8 Bundle, Epsonis Stylus Photo 1280 inkjet…
Microsoft Announces Zune Specs
Microsoft officially revealed the specifications for its first Zune media player on Thursday. It didn’t, however, reveal the unit’s price, or exactly when it will be on store shelves – only that it will be available “this holiday season.” The first Zune will include a 30GB hard drive, 3-inch color LCD screen, a built-in FM…
Just a Thought - Apple's New Cards: Aces and Kings?
So Apple showed its cards on Tuesday, and it wasn’t a bad hand at all: A nice pair of aces with the new iPod nano and Shuffle, and a pair of kings with the announcement of iTV and the newly refurbished iTunes Store — no longer the iTunes Music Store, I guess it isn’t just…
Analyst: Apple's Gross Margins on New iPod nano Pushing 50%
Mr. Bergeris analysis of the nanois contents also revealed that, as expected, PortalPlayer no longer provides the system-on-a-chip inside the device, which he said was “consistent with managementis iproduct transition setbacki announcement from last spring.” In addition, three chips inside the device are simply marked “Apple” and are of unknown design origin, a marked change…
Apple Waiting on 802.11n to Deliver iTV?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs broke tradition on Tuesday when he discussed an upcoming product, code-named iTV, months before its release, leading some to speculate why it isn’t ready now. After all, it was on display after the event at Yerba Buena Gardens, although no information was given out beyond the basic specs Mr. Jobs covered…
Analyst: New iPods Strengthen Apple's Lead
The new US$249 price point for the 30GB video capable iPod may also force Microsoft to rethink its Zune pricing and strategy. The iPod now sports a brighter, higher resolution display, and an updated interface – all features that help distance Apple even more from its competition. Longer battery life is also key in the…
Podcast - Mac Geek Gab #69: Mailbag Querys and Tips... Listener Feedback Answered and Shared
Show notes for TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab For September 11th, 2006 Direct Links: MP3 Version or AAC Enhanced Version (courtesy of Michael, aka Computernap!). For this week’s episode, John and Dave answer your questions and share your tips that have been filling up the mailbag as of late. Covering topics such as Automator,…
Prepping a Battery to Return to Apple
One of the easiest ways Iive found to drain the charge from a laptop battery is by playing a DVD movie in your computer. Disc 1 from The Fellowship of the Ring always does the trick for me. Of course, be sure that your Macis charger cord is not plugged in. You also need to…
Podcast - Weekly Roundup: The 64-Bit Mac Smackdown
Direct Link: MP3 Version Apple off-handedly upgraded its iMacs with 64-Bit processors, and the MacBooks aren’t far behind. In this week’s Context Machine: how 64-bit Macs today will rocket past Windows Vista tomorrow. The Weekly Roundup will be included in TMO’s main RSS feed, and also in its own feed if you’d like to add…
