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Tuesday, January 21st 2003 09:43 CST

Apple Lowers SuperDrive Speed on 17" PowerBook

Several readers wrote to let us know that Apple has apparently corrected its technical specifications regarding the 17" PowerBook. It was widely reported with surprise that the new 17" PowerBook had a 2X write speed-capable SuperDrive installed, double the speed of the mechanism in the 15" and 12" PowerBooks with the SuperDrive.

However, according to the updated tech specs, the SuperDrive in the 17" model is in fact identical to the speeds produced in the 15" and 12" machines.

At least one reader was upset:

Having already ordered a new book I think this was very deceiving of apple. Could you please look into this and post some kind of notice on your website for the entire apple community.

New PowerBook Shipping Reports

Readers heeded our exhortations for shipping reports in great numbers:

I ordered my Powerbook 12" from Mac Zone and the status has changed from Call us to Reserve Yours. Alos noted is that Mac Connections is listing the following under the availability column for this item: Usually Ships 2-3 days

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I actually have orders in with two online resellers, to see who gets them in first. ClubMac as of today is saying Feb. 28 for a shipping time. MacConnection two days ago was saying Feb. 10. Looks like it's gonna be a while!

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I ordered the new 12" on 1/7/03 and I checked my status on Apple's web page and my order is due to ship "on or before 2/5/03". I was originally quoted 2-4 weeks.

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hi--i'm writing from the philippines, where more than a hundred hard-core mac addicts celebrated the announcement of the new powerbooks. some of us placed orders for them within days of the macworld keynote, as soon as we established what our options were. because i wanted a 12-inch BTO (640 mb ram, 60 gig drive, AP extreme, but just the combo drive), i placed my order online last january 14 with the US apple store for delivery to my sister in virginia. i've just checked the order status page, and i'm now being quoted an estimated shipping date of february 12--still within the 4-week range they mentioned earlier. interestingly enough, a local authorized reseller here in the philippines has told me that they expect their 12-inch albooks to arrive by the end of january (i wonder if they'll be coming straight from taiwan; i suspect they'll pass through singapore, which is some kind of regional hub), with the 17-inchers arriving early march. prices here are pretty much the same as US prices, minus the promo offers, and plus 10% VAT. no BTOs are available, but you can order a base-specs superdrive; no AP extreme cards are available at the moment.

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After reading about Mac Connection's free 512 RAM offer and great shipping rates, I ordered one as was told I am #76 on the list with an expected delivery before the third week of February. I am in Chicago and it is great to save the %8.75 tax here. Total was $3318.49 after shipping!

Linksys Debuts 802.11g Products

Reader Greg writes:

Linksys has announced its 802.11g solutions--Amazon has the 'base stations' for $130 and PC cards for $70. The PC cards look like they're standard PC for those older PB owners who just NEED to go extreme. They don't state that they're Mac compatible.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/423474/ref=ilm_rc_424229/002-2245520-5712865

Rendezvous Spreads

Reader Faris writes:

Just want to share a surprise I got a couple of weeks ago. Bought myself a HP LaserJet 4600DN (Duplex-Network Color Laser) and it comes with Rendezvous-enabled. However, it was not mentioned anywhere in its documentation or on the net.

Saturday, January 18th 2003 00:26 CST

Apple Hosts iCommune, the iTunes-library P2P Application the Company Silenced Earlier This Week, on its Own Servers!

On Wednesday of this week, Apple notified developer James Speth that his iTunes P2P plugin violated the terms of the company's end-user license agreement and that he'd immediately have to cease distributing the software.

So imagine our surprise to find that Apple continues to host the Beta 1 version of the plugin on its site here. This link is fully active as of 12:44 AM Saturday. We'll see how long it is before Apple's legal-eagles spot this and take down the software.

In the cease and desist letter sent to Speth, Apple said "The iTunes (software developer) materials are licensed only for the purpose of enabling the licensee's hardware device identified in the agreement to interoperate with iTunes." Apple added that iTunes "is not licensed for use in a software program for sharing of music over a network."

Specifically, Speth used the SDK (software development kit) provided to third party developers to add a software plugin to iTunes, while Apple only provided the SDK to hardware makers to make their devices compatible with iTunes.

Speth is attempting to develop a new version of iCommune that will not need Apple's intellectual property to function. For now, it needs both iTunes 3 and 10.2 to operate, so people who didn't get the software or Mac OS 9 users will be out of luck.

So irony rules the day as Apple hosts the software on its own servers. The last line of the read me file provided with iCommune says: "Oh yeah, don't steal music."

To read the full text of iCommune's read me, please click here where we've mirrored it.

Friday, January 17th 2003 14:00 CST

Just How EXTREME! is AirPort Extreme?

Reader Mike sent this in:

Hi guys. I noticed this on the AirPort Extreme Tech Specs page at Apple.com:

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Range
* 50-foot range from the base station in typical use at 54-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction) (2)
* 150-foot range from the base station in typical use at 11-Mbps data rate (range depends on building construction)

(2) Based on IEEE 802.11g draft specification. Data rates greater than 11 Mbps require an AirPort Extreme Base Station, an AirPort Extreme Card, and an AirPort Extreme-ready computer. To achieve maximum speed of 54 Mbps, all users must use AirPort Extreme Cards. Actual speed will vary based on range, connection rate, and other factors.

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Does this mean that--despite the faster transfer rates--you can only roam 50 feet away from the ABS using the 802.11g standard? That kinda sucks. I'm assuming that if you want to roam out to 150 feet using a new PowerBook and AirPort Extreme (sans antenna extension) you just need to switch to 802.11b. Is that right?

Frankly, we're surprised Apple was able to extend 54 Mbit throughput all the way out to 50 feet from the base station. Also, you don't need to "switch" to 802.11b when you walk more than 50 feet away from the station. The hardware/software will throttle you down automatically as you walk away.

If you're not satisfied by these numbers, you could always buy the base station model with the antenna port and buy one of Dr. Bott's omnidirectional antennas for increased performance.

First Shipping Reports for 17" PowerBook

No, this doesn't mean they're shipping just yet, it's just the first full report we've gotten from a reader regarding the status of his 17" order:

I imagine you're keeping track of PowerBook orders, promised ship dates, etc. I just ordered my 17" PB from MacConnection. They are offering a 512MB RAM upgrade with no installation charge, have no tax for shipping to California, and 2-day shipping is under $20. Their latest indication is 4 weeks from today, the latter part of the second week in February, for arrival of the first shipment of new PB's.

In contrast, Allied Computing, in Kalispell, Montana, is quoting January 28th for 1400 PB's to be delivered to their warehouse (hmmm), while MacMall told me February 28th for their first units to arrive.

Apple Market Share (Slightly) Increases

Apple's share of the US computer market increased from 2.9% to 3.0% in the fourth quarter, putting it at 5th place. HP took the top worldwide spot from Dell and overall industry shipments rose in 2002. US rankings were Dell, HP, Gateway, IBM, then Apple. Get the full skinny here.

Repair Tips

Smart Money has an article on what to do when you destroy the PowerBook you just bought and some cheap repair tips.

Thursday, January 16th 2003 14:18 CST

Keyspan Pushes USB Media Readers to "7," Releases USB Bluetooth Adapter

Keyspan sent the following press release regarding their "7-Way Media Reader" and their own brand of USB Bluetooth adapter:

Keyspan introduced its 7-Way Media Reader (MSRP $49) and USB BlueTooth Adapter (MSRP $59) during MacWorld Expo. Both products are shipping now.

Keyspan's 7-Way Media Reader allows any USB-equipped PC to read and write memory cards used by digital cameras, MP3 players, mobile phones and PDAs. The reader supports all major types of digital media including: Compact Flash I and II, MicroDrive, SmartMedia, MemoryStick, SD, and MultiMedia Card (MMC). Users simply plug the device into the USB port of any PC or Macintosh. No power adapter is required.

Keyspan's USB BlueTooth Adapter enables wireless connectivity with BlueTooth enabled mobile phones, PDAs, and other devices within a 50-ft. range. The adapter complies with both BlueTooth 1.1 and USB 1.1 industry standards and plugs into any USB port on a PC or Mac.

Just noticed Computer Geeks has some good deals on 6-in-1 flash memory readers. Of particular interest is the one for $19.95 at: http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=WR67U-6N-2ON There are some additional ones about halfway down on this page: http://www.compgeeks.com/products.asp?cat=CAM , including a 4-in-1 reader for $14.95. Not all list Mac OS compatibility, but I'm guessing OS X shouldn't have many problems with them.

Correction Re: Bluetooth PC Card

We'd like to correct a mistake we made on the site last week saying that the Belkin Bluetooth PC Card is currently compatible with Mac OS X. Only the USB adapters are currently compatible with X. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our audience. If anyone is aware of any 3rd party drivers or work-arounds for this issue, we'd love to hear them ASAP at info@pbzone.com.

17" PowerBook Icons

Reader Carlos wrote in with some creations for PowerBook 17" owners (or future owners, or wishful owners, as the case may be):

I've created some icons of the 17" PowerBook. I thought your readers might like to download them.

http://www.canyouhearmenow.com/apple/

60 GB 2.5" Notebook Drives Drop Below $190

In response to another company's price drop yesterday, GoogleGear.com dropped the price on the Toshiba SuperSlim 60 GB EIDE 9.5mm 4200 RPM 2.5" notebook disk drive. At $188, that's by far the cheapest 60 GB drive available (The best price for the IBM Travelstar 60GH is still $259 at our site sponsor Trans International). There's a Fujitsu drive available in the $220's (check PriceWatch), but this is obviously the lowest available. Shipping is 50 cents. Check the deal out here.