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Monday, April 7th 2003 13:47 CDT
Rumor Site: iBook Speed Bumps Due Soon
Think Secret reports that 900 MHz iBooks are due soon, with no other major changes to the feature set of the consumer portable. It's been 152 days since the iBook was last updated.
Around the Mac Web
- MacBuyersGuide looks at the PowerBook SuperDrive in detail.
- AppleCare Knowledge Base-"PowerBook G4 (17-inch): About the FireWire Ports"
- AppleCare Knowledge Base-"PowerBook G4 (17-inch): Trackpad Is Too Responsive or Not Responsive Enough"
- AppleCare Knowledge Base-"PowerBook G4 (17-inch): Apple System Profiler Reports PCI 'Slot-B'"
- AppleCare Knowledge Base-"PowerBook G4 (17-inch): How the Ambient Light Sensor Works"
- Macuser UK reviews the 17" PowerBook
- DealMac reports that Target is blowing out its stock of 10 GB iPods, with some seen for as low as $280. You can find your nearest Target store here.
- .Mac is "on sale" with the purchase of a new Mac. You can get $30 off a subscription to Apple's premium online services with a mail in rebate.
SonyEricsson Clicker Updated to 1.5
SonyEricsson Clicker, the small utility that allows you to use your SE cellular phone to control your Mac via Bluetooth, has been updated to Version 1.5. The following are the changes and additions:
SE Clicker is $10 shareware.Enhanced action scripts for the following applications:
- iTunes: find track by name and artist, FF/REW, keypad mode and playlist menu;
- DVD Player: chapter menu, fast forward/rewind, and keypad mode;
- Keynote: first slide, last slide, toggle black screen, and keypad mode;
- PowerPoint: first slide, last slide, and keypad mode;
- System: mouse cursor, Screen Saver
Built-in functionality to download new and upgraded action scripts;
Refined use of AppleScript to build six different kinds of widgets in the phone's display;
Enhanced proximity sensor functionality;
"Visual" designer to allow users to easily create their own "keypad based" controls;
Easier installation of 3rd party action scripts by drag-and-drop; and
Support for simultaneous operation with Apple's Address Book
Wednesday, April 2nd 2003 09:00 CDT
April 1st
We're glad over 15,000 visitors came to enjoy our "19" PowerBook" yesterday. April Fools jokes used to be widespread on Mac news sites over the last few years, but there were only a few this year that were something other than "Apple declares bankruptcy."
Yes, we're aware that a 19" screen doesn't mean the PowerBook is physically 19" wide. It's a joke.
For those that want to peruse years-gone-by PBZone April Fool's jokes, we provide the following links for your enjoyment:
The Return of Mac Clones...Sort of...
Wired News reports on a 21-year-old engineer hoping to sell a bare-bones Macintosh for $250 to $350. It'll be made with older, off-the-shelf Apple-brand parts like the motherboard and powersupply put inside a custom "pizza box" style case. Customers can choose what processor and memory they'd like added at additional cost.
We'll see if this guy makes it past Apple Legal...
PB 17" Disassembly Photos
A Japanese user group site has posted a series of disassembly photos of the new 17" PowerBook.
Take Apart Guides
Speaking of disassembly guides, if you've looked for a simple instruction manual to opening up your older PowerBook, check out this Mac user's HomePage at .Mac. It's got English and German versions of detailed, photo-illustrated take aparts for the Pismo, Lombard, and Wallstreet.
Tuesday, April 1st 2003 09:00 CDT
BREAKING NEWS--Apple Announces Gigantic 19" PowerBook G4 Aluminum
Apple has announced the world's widest laptop with the gargantuan 19" PowerBook G4 Aluminum. The price and specifications of this premium semi-portable goliath are staggering and are clearly intended for a very, very small and wealthy audience. Here's the specs from the Apple press release:
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA--April 1, 2003--Apple today unveiled the 19-inch PowerBook G4, the world's first notebook computer with a 19-inch display, the largest ever in a notebook. Encased in a durable aluminum alloy enclosure, the new PowerBook measures only 1-inch thin and weighs just 8.6 pounds. The 19-inch PowerBook G4 marks the introduction of three "firsts" to portable computing: 1 GB of RAM standard, an 80 GB 7200 RPM disk drive, and the NVIDIA GeForce4 660 Go graphics processor.The rest of the specs remain the same as the 17" PowerBook, apparently. The PowerBook remains mired at 1 GHz with 1 MB of L3 cache, SuperDrive, Gigabit ethernet, FireWire 400/800, Bluetooth, and AirPort Extreme."Apple's taking yet another giant leap beyond PC notebooks with the world's first 19-inch notebook, miraculously engineered into an ultra-light aluminum alloy enclosure that's only 1-inch thin," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Many users are going to wonder why they even need a desktop computer anymore."
For adding two inches, two pounds, half a gig of RAM, 20 GB of disk space, and the fastest graphics processor to ever make it into a portable, Apple is charging an amazing $4,499 and is available only on the Apple Store online without any build to order options. If you have a current 17" PowerBook order pending, you can upgrade to the 19" PowerBook until May 1st for only $1,000 more, or $4,299.
The 19" PowerBook will ship "sometime in May," which we presume is May 31st, if the shipping situation with the 17" PowerBook is any lesson. More details on the new PowerBook are here on Apple's website. As we get more details on this monster machine throughout the day, we'll post it here, so check back frequently.
30 GB 2.5" Drive for $88
Site sponsor TransIntl has the best price we've yet seen for a 30 GB 2.5" laptop hard drive at $88. It's a IBM Travelstar 40GN model.
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