All posts tagged apple

Screaming Fast, Like its 2004!

By | 20 February 2011 | General | 1 Comment

Due to the death of my good computers, I have found myself relegated to my PowerMac G5. Surprisingly this machine is stilling going strong. Fortunately, I had replaced the video card, and maxed the ram a few years ago.

But, the hard drive in this thing was so freaking loud that something had to be done. I debating getting a newer drive on the hope that it would be quieter, but decided to bite the bullet and just get a solid state drive. Now that I have run it for a couple of days, I have to say that this machine is running as fast as it possibly can. Which means it is actually quite useable. IO operations are pretty good, the age is really only noticeable on CPU intensive activities.

There is No PC like PowerPC

By | 16 February 2011 | General | 1 Comment

After the recent, untimely death of both my MacBook Pro, and Windows 7 Desktop, I find myself once again revisiting the loud, slow, and robust PowerMac G5. I think I may start judging the reliability of my electronics based upon their weight.

Apple Nerfs Stanza

By | 6 February 2010 | Rant | 5 Comments

In what initially appears to be an anticompetitive move, Apple forces Stanza to remove the ability to add books via USB. Apple claims that they are justified because Stanza has to use a private API to access the books because the iPhone is such a shitty platform that it won’t allow you to copy files to it without a work around.

I hope there is a good android phone out there by the time my contract expires. Apple is seriously starting to piss me off.

iFlop

By | 27 January 2010 | Rant | 6 Comments

Today Apple announced their new “iPad.” Unfortunately, it sounds like a feminine hygiene product. And, not surprisingly, we saw a dip in Apple stock during the announcement, with a subsequent rebound.

While I am glad that Apple is finally trying to hit reasonable price points, in this case, starting at $499. But, sadly this device is missing many fundamental features I would look for in a tablet:

  • Stylus support, I want to draw and write note damn it)
  • Full OS Support, seriously, who wants to be constantly constrained by a walled garden?
  • Flash, how can you release a device, and bill it as an “internet device” and not support flash. I hate flash, but it is everywhere. You cannot offer the full internet experience without it.

I would much rather pick up a “ModBook” from Axiotron, although they are way too expensive (almost $2,000).

How Not to Price Your Upgrades

By | 25 June 2009 | General, Technology | No comments

This year, both Microsoft and Apple plan on releasing new versions of their OS’. Both Windows 7, and Snow Leopards are essentially the same as the prior releases except the fix problems in the previous version, and do some optimization. So, since these are not revolutionary upgrades I would expect them to be offered at a discounted rate.

Early this month, Apple announced that owners of Leopard will be able to purchase Snow Leopard at a discounted rate of $29.99. That sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Today, Microsoft announced that owners of Vista will be able to purchase Vista 7 for a full blown $219.99. What a deal. To put this in perspective, the full version of Snow Leopard will be $129.99. Microsoft => FAIL.