Macintosh // Current

A Bong Fit for Mac Lovers

Honestly, we're surprised that this doesn't already exist: Tribudesign, a young... more

pjacobs51
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9 days ago
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42 comments

10 Days with Windows 7: A Mac Users Tale

Is this the OS PC users have been waiting for? Have you tried it yet? If you're a mac... more

VoteYourselfFree
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11 days ago
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2 comments

New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'

By Mark A. Kellner

Even though a computer mouse rightly can be thought of as one of the more peripheral of peripherals, a new one just arrived that can honestly claim the adjective "transformative."

Apple Inc.'s $69 Magic Mouse truly brings change this reviewer can believe in.

Until now, a mouse had a singular purpose, more or less: to move a cursor, or pointer, around the screen in a graphical environment such as Microsoft Windows or Apple's Macintosh operating systems. A "click" function would let you select from various menu options or open, close or move a program "window" or an on-screen "folder" of data. Stuff like that.

As computer environments became more graphical, however, other needs arose. Wouldn't it be nice, for example, to be able to enlarge part of a computer screen to read the type more easily or appreciate the detail in a photograph? What about scrolling up and down or from side to side in an application window? And wouldn't it be nice to have the functionality of left- and right-click buttons without some of the mechanics that could break or jam?

Enter the Magic Mouse, announced a few weeks back. Although it is a "normal" computer mouse in the sense of being able to move the cursor around, its clicking, scrolling and "sweeping" actions make it more like the latest notebook touch pads than the older mice this new device has rendered obsolete.

The firm calls it "the world's first Multi-Touch mouse" and is including it with the new iMac computers, also introduced recently. The rest of us have to shell out the simoleons to buy one. Believe me, it's really, really worth it.

Within minutes of installing the hardware and updating my copy of Mac OS X 10.6, I was computing with the same ease that users of those latest notebook touch pads have. Clicking was a simple press of the mouse — once on the left side for a left-click, once on the right for a right-click. Scrolling is now supereasy and very fast: The software controls for the Magic Mouse let you control the scroll rate.

But it's the very act of scrolling with the Magic Mouse that is, well, magical. Unlike using the scroll wheels on many (most?) of today's mice, the simple move of gliding one's fingers up and down the mouse feels more natural than I can describe in words. It just works better.

I would submit, though, that while such simple things as easier scrolling and clicking may seem beyond improvement, the changes the Magic Mouse brings to these operations will mean easier and better computing for me, which means some amount of time savings, which means happier computing. You can't really put a price tag on that, but if Apple wants to say it's worth $69, I won't fight them there.

This is the place where it's good to note that Apple says the Magic Mouse will work only on a Mac-based computer with a Bluetooth connection and the latest Wireless Mouse Software, which an Internet-connected Mac will seek out once the mouse has been "paired" with the device. It's powered by two AA batteries, and I don't have an estimate on how long those batteries will last. Apple says the device can work for southpaws as well as for right-handers, and the very comprehensive software lets you switch left- and right-click buttons to make a left-hander feel more comfortable.

Until a user spends a few minutes with the Magic Mouse, I fear that any description, no matter how enthusiastic, won't properly convey how good a product this is. After decades of using computer input devices, I think this is the finest mouse ever.By Mark A. Kellner Even though a computer mouse rightly can be thought of as one of... more

hpseaton
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14 days ago
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3 comments

Seinfeld Dumps Microsoft, Goes Back To Mac

Remember those Microsoft ads starring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates as buds? Trying on... more

hpseaton
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22 days ago
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1 comment

MacSupportCasts Launches New Video Tutorial Site

Long-time Mac users and industry experts Larry Pollock and Kevin Burns are excited to... more

Ray_Barber
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1 month ago
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0 comments

Fine Print Legal Investigation of Apple iTunes License

We know big business corporations make legalese and throw this into tiny print... more

Kaelos
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1 month ago
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0 comments

Apple to Unleash Snow Leopard on August 28th!

During a keynote today, Apple Senior Vice President of OSX Software Bertrand Serlet... more

abehammy
added this
3 months ago
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0 comments

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME COLOURED GADGETS !!!

This site has everything [to an extent] you can get a multi coloured macbook, iPhone,... more

AaronBruce
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3 months ago
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0 comments

Planet of the Aps

It's an app economy. iPhone apps could soon be bigger than YouTube. Who is making... more

Mr_Costello
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4 months ago
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0 comments

Apple.com in 1983?

In 1983 Apple launched Lisa, the Mac was still a year away, and I wasn't even born... more

saverio
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4 months ago
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8 comments

Apple Juicz powers your MacBook using solar cells

Goin’ green ain’t cheap. QuickerTek’s newest Apple Juicz product uses the sun to... more

lordsbassman
added this
7 months ago
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2 comments

Apple close to unveiling secretive Snow Leopard facelift

Apple OS Snow Leopard's set for Big changes. "While developers have been privy to... more

Mista_G
added this
8 months ago
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5 comments

BreakRoomLive.com: Pimp My Tech (iTunes, Movies)

http://breakroomlive.com Episode 2 of our new series. Today Sam talks to a young... more

BreakRoomLive
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9 months ago
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BreakRoomLive.com: Pimp My Tech w/Nate Westheimer

breakroomlive.com Ep. 1 in a new series from BRL: Pimp my tech. Today Sam talks to... more

BreakRoomLive
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9 months ago
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0 comments

MAC: Unsafe At Any [Connection] Speed

Every Mac owner needs to be just as concerned as a PC owner. If a Mac was not able to... more

Paisano1
added this
9 months ago
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0 comments

1983 Apple event Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

I'd pick the one on the right.

joshuaheller
added this
10 months ago
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0 comments

Apple to pay $22.5M to iPod nano owners in legal settlement

Apple lost the lawsuit filed after the iPod nano owners complained that the glossy... more

kcfoxie
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10 months ago
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2 comments

Happy 25th Birthday, Apple Macintosh!

Saturday January 24th marked one of the most important birthdays in the world: the 25th birthday of Apple Macintosh. Students, tech experts, and businessmen, among others, are all abuzz over the landmark occasion. Apple computers are as loved as they are hated: Nobody can deny that they have not only heard about Apple products but have an opinion about them.

For many, it seems like it was only yesterday that the first Macintosh computer was pushed onto the international stage. How could people forget the iconic 1984 commercials that ran during the Superbowl? How could people forget the image of Steven P. Jobs introducing the Macintosh Model M0001 to the world? Since its unveiling, the company has become a powerhouse not only with computers but also with technology in general.

"It has to do with Steve's values," said Andy Hertzfeld, a key member of the original Macintosh development team.

"Apple is a reflection of Steve and he doesn't want to celebrate the past. He always said the important work is that which you do today and tomorrow, not the work you did yesterday."

With 25 years under the company’s belt and new products being whispered about on a day to day basis, people can only guess what the company will do during their next 25 years. If the past is any indicator, Apple is sure to not only surprise the world again and again but is sure to unveil some of the most unique pieces of technology in the world.

Since Mac was born, the company has most definitely changed gears and update the products it offers. Today, the company is as well known for its iPods and iPhones as it is for the computers that made them famous. In fact, many people project that the future of the company is not so much with computers as it is with the iPods and iPhones and their future developments and models. In fact, sales back this up: Apple sold ten times as many iPods and iPhones in its first fiscal quarter than it did computers.

"It's amazing the Mac has lasted so long and had such a positive impact on the world," said Mr Hertzfeld speaking to the BBC.Saturday January 24th marked one of the most important birthdays in the world: the... more