Today's News On One Page
October 19th, 1999
Style gets a new beta release to version 1.6.1b3, MacGrayLiner has been updated to version 2.1.2, and SoundDiver has been raised to version 2.0.9. These are the most recent updates listed at The Mac Observer's VersionMaster. You can find all the most recent updates with this service.
[5:00 PM] VersionMaster: Style, MacGrayLiner, And SoundDiver Are Latest Updates
[4:45 PM] OpenGraph Developers Asking For Feedback, Trading Free Advanced Features
VVI-DCS has announced an effort to get user feedback on OpenGraph and GraphBuilder. In return for that feedback in advance of an upcoming new release, the company will unlike advanced versions for licensees of current versions. According to VVI-DCS:
You can find more information on this offer at the company's web site. |
[4:45 PM] mp3voodoo Goes Final, Includes Internal Player
Three-2-One has released what they styled as the first final release of mp3voodoo, version 1.1. The new version includes its own internal mp3player. According to Three-2-One:
mp3voodoo is priced at US$25 as shareware. The update is free to registered users. You can find more information on mp3voodoo at the company's web site. |
The stock markets ended mixed on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers today, which came in right as expected at 0.4%. That represents an uptick in inflation from August but the gain was mostly driven by higher energy and tobacco prices. The markets soared in the morning but fell back by the end of the day. The Dow ended up 88.65 or 0.86% to close at 10204.93. The Nasdaq declined 0.91 or 0.04% to close at 2688.24. Apple opened down about $2 in sympathy with Dell's warnings that 3rd quarter's earnings will be weaker due to higher DRAM prices. Apple closed at its low, down $4.75 to $68.5 along with rivals Gateway, Compaq and Hewlett Packard, all of which got clobbered today. Dell and Gateway both received downgrades by Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff from attractive to buy. Micron also got a ratings cut from buy to a neutral from Salomon Smith Barney analyst Jonathan Joseph based on the DRAM price hike. Although the downgrade of Micron, a DRAM chip maker, may seem counter intuitive, Mr. Joseph believes that the higher DRAM prices will shortly lead to overproduction. Dell says that memory chip prices are about 25% higher due to the earthquake in Taiwan and is planning to install less memory in Dell computers. Most analysts see the DRAM price issue as a short-term problem, but one that hits the PC manufacturers hard because of their narrow profit margins. Apple's profit margins are the highest in the industry. In other news, IBM is pulling its ailing Aptiva computers off retail shelves and plans to market them exclusively via the Internet by Jan 1st. ThinkPad will still be sold in retail outlets. Apple related stocks Adobe, Symantec, and Macromedia were up, while Power PC partners IBM and Motorola both ended down hit by the same DRAM price fears as the PC vendors. 30-year Treasury bond rose 9/32 with the yield rising to 6.34% from 6.32% Monday. 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.
[3:30 PM] The Apple Stock Watch: A Bad DRAM Day for Computer Hardware
by Wes George
[2:45 PM] Fuse Drivers Updated With Mac OS 9 Support
Aurora Design has released new drivers for their Fuse video editing solution. The new drivers, 1.8.3, add Mac OS 9 capabilities and a couple of bug fixes. According to Aurora Design:
The drivers are a free download. |
[2:30 PM] PC MACLAN Updated With Major New Features
Miramar Systems, Inc. has announced a complete Windows NT to Mac networking package, PC MACLAN. As Mac OS based machines creep their way back into mainstream use, any application simplifying cross-platform connectivity is welcome. According to Miramar Systems:
PC MACLAN is available for US$199, with additional each additional license costing US$99. You can find more information at the Miramar Systems web site. |
[11:30 AM] Now Utilities' "Now Menus" Resurfaces As ACTION Menus At Last
Power On Software has released the next piece of Now Utilities in the form of ACTION Menus. Action MENUS is based on Now Menus from the Now Utilities Package. Like Power On's other offerings from the Now Utilities acquisition, they have taken the original app and made it much better. According to Power On Software:
ACTION Menus is priced at US$49.95, but Power On is offering a special offer of US$29.95 as an introductory price. The company also expects shrink-wrapped versions to be available in retail outlets for an ESP of US$39.95. Power On is also offering a demo version of the product. You can find more information on and screenshots of the product at the company's web site. The Mac Observer Spin: Now Utilites were a godsend in their day and many users lamented their passing. Hope sprung anew when Qualcomm acquired the package only to squashed as time went on. Since Power On bought the package, they have turned the basic utilities into very useful individual pacakages. We think that ACTION Menus will prove to be the most popular yet. |
[10:45 AM] MacTimes.com Up For Sale At eBay
Jason Pierce has placed MacTimes.com up for auction at eBay, marking the end of the site. Citing other business interests that were expanding, Mr. Pierce said it was time to move on. According Mr. Pierce:
The site is being auctioned with a starting bid of US$100,000. This does not include the MacTimes archives or other site structure, though that too is negotiable. According to the sale information posted at eBay:
Head over to eBay and check out the status of the auction! The Mac Observer Spin: We wish Jason and the rest of the staff at MacTimes the best of luck in their new ventures. MacTimes was a bright spot in the Mac community for a long time and it will surely be missed. In the meanwhile, it will be interesting to follow the auction. No bids have been placed yet, but the auction just started yesterday. At the price level Mr. Pierce has set, casual bidders are locked out. Should some big players get involved, this could get really interesting. |
[Column] Wasting Time With The Idiots - Hey, What Are You Doing? Playing With Your OS? |
[Column] On The Flip Side - Steve Jobs Is A Big Bad Meanie, So What? |
[8:00 AM] Need Those Missing Keys On Apple's USB Keyboards? Try Keyswapper
John Holder has released a potentially invaluable utility, Key Swapper 1.1. For those frustrated by the lack of certain keys on the new Macintosh keyboards, most noticably the forward delete key, KeySwapper allows unused keys to be set to function as any missing key. According to Mr. Holder:
KeySwapper is available as shareware for only US$5. You can find more information at the John Holder Software web site. |
[8:00 AM] BackJack Online Backup Service Lowers Price
Synectics Business Solutions, Inc., the company that runs the online data backup and recovery service, BackJack, has announced major pricing changes in their BackJack service. With more people having access to high bandwidth connections like cable and DSL, online data backup services have become more practical. According to Synectics:
BackJack monthly subscription start as low as US$9.95 for 40MB of storage. Other options are available. You can find more information at the BackJack web site. |
[8:00 AM] Black Cat Systems Updates Mac Ham Radio Utility
Black Cat Systems has updated their ham-radio assistant program, Mac Grayliner, to version 2.1.2. According to Black Cat Systems:
Mac Grayliner is available for US$15. You can find more information at the Black Cat Systems web site. |
[8:00 AM] New Utility Simplifies Access To Appearance Control Panel Features
Public Access Software has released a utility to simplify access to the Appearance control panel, Appearance Menu 1.0. According to Public Access:
Appearance Menu is available as shareware for US$5. You can find more information at the Public Access web site. |