You can watch this and other Get a Mac ads by visiting the Apple Get a Mac site.
Thanks to Steve and Ton for the tip!
Posts with tag PC
Apple posts long version of "Sad Song" ad
You can watch this and other Get a Mac ads by visiting the Apple Get a Mac site.
Thanks to Steve and Ton for the tip!
New Get a Mac ad: Sad Song
PC Safari use triples despite backlash
Despite the recent uproar over Apple's debatably dubious tactic of installing Safari on PCs via Software Update, as an "upgrade" to software users didn't have, the tactic seems to have worked. Usage of the Windows version of the browser has tripled since the 3.1 update, per Apple 2.0's report, growing from 0.07% to 0.21% during March and April.
We're hoping that Safari usage continues to expand, but perhaps without the Software Update shenanigans (and the UI for updates on the Windows side has been revised to reduce the likelihood of accidental Safariage). CSS compatibility and speed put Safari in a class to compete with Firefox on both Mac and PC platforms. Of course, those all-important features don't determine marketshare; being bundled with Windows installs seems to do the trick, though (see Internet Explorer). We have our doubts that Microsoft is going to incorporate Safari into its bundling plans any time soon.
[via MacNN]
iPhone as a touchpad
Telekinesis is still awesome, but this app basically turns your iPhone into a remote for your whole computer. Anything you can do by moving and clicking a mouse around, you can do with this. Very neat. It is too bad that it requires Installer.app, and that it has to be done unofficially, but the official SDK is still (hopefully) just around the corner. I remain amazed at how much programmers like Jahanzeb and the vnsea guys (and anyone else working on the iPhone) are able to do unofficially.
Installing Leopard on a PC
OS X and Macs are like chocolate and peanut butter, two great tastes that taste great together. However, nowadays OS X is designed to run on Intel processors, which power most of the world's non-Apple make hardware, so it isn't odd that some folks might want to get Leopard running on a PC that Apple didn't make. If you are one of those people this link is for you.The guys at Dailyapps have figured out how to install Leopard on a PC, and it only takes three steps. They also list all the things you'll need to get this going. This isn't a supported configuration, obviously, so some things might not work. You're on your own if you want to run Leopard on a PC, but Apple is more than willing to sell you a Mac with Leopard pre-installed.
[via Laughing Squid]
Video: Unity, the game dev tool for Macs
We've covered Unity before, but video speaks louder than words, so we were happy to have a demo of some incredible features in the latest version. Unity is a game dev tool, only for Macintosh, that allows you to create Mac games, Dashboard widget games, PC games, web games embedded on a page and (eventually) Wii games. What's really impressive about Unity is the ease-of-use. The FPS you'll see in the video was created by a 15-year-old with no previous programming experience-- using an eMac. Also, be sure to stay tuned on Monday for another video with team Unity as they unveil some amazing new features.
Again, here's the .mov version for everyone to enjoy in stutter-free format.
Apple posts three new Get a Mac ads
Apple has posted, in glorious QuickTime, three new Get a Mac ads (one of which we covered previously). The three ads are:
- Surgery - Featured in the Stevenote, this ad finds PC making ready for an upgrade to Vista
- Sabotage - The image above is from sabotage. The PC gets someone else to stand in for the Mac, extolling the virtues of the PC.
- Tech Support - The PC gets a webcam for serious business video conferencing
Justin Long in Live Free or Die Hard
Mac: "Hello, I'm a Mac"
PC: "Hello, I'm a PC"
Mac: "Run!!!!!!"
Fans of the "I'm a Mac" "I'm a PC" campaign will be delighted to learn that Justin Long (aka "Mac") will appear in the upcoming Bruce Willis blockbuster "Live Free Die Hard" in which, we presume, he will be reprising his role as "Mac" opposite Bruce Willis's grizzled Windows Vista-based PC. Per previous installments in this now venerable series, you can expect a lot of explosions, screaming and reasoned discourses on the philosophical basis of end-user empowerment. Now that's what we call an operating system shootout.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
An AppleScript to enable Windows keyboards to control a Mac
Someone by the name of UNIXGEEK posted an AppleScript a while ago at Mac Geekery that changes Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger's keyboard layout to play nicely with a Windows keyboard. To be specific: the Command and Option keys are switched on a Windows keyboard (as the Windows key and Alt, respectively), so this script simply changes the layout on Tiger so your non-Apple keyboard still feels like home (sorry pre-Tiger users, Apple only introduced the ability to tinker with keyboard layouts in 10.4). If you aren't a fan of Apple's stock Pro keyboard or the MacBook/Pro 'boards, this script is for you. However, the script at Mac Geekery has a few errors in it, and Engadget's Ryan Block trudged through the post's discussions to make the proper edits to the script, and posted a fixed copy for everyone's benefit (download it from us, not Ryan. We don't wanna hit him with the TUAW effect).As a side note, I think it's funny how attached people can get to one keyboard or another. I'm slowly getting used to this MacBook keyboard, though I've been a die-hard lover of the PowerBook/MacBook Pro's tight and low-travel keys since I've owned one for the last 4 years. Ultimately though, I dislike most keyboards because I used to own an ergonomic - y'know the funny looking split ones? - and that was absolutely killer for both teaching myself better typing habits and making sure I don't get carpal tunnel. The only ergonomic keyboards I can find in stores (since you gotta get your hands on those to really get a feel for 'em) these days are Microsoft's and, while I love their Intellimouse Explorers, their ergonomic keyboards' construction just doesn't feel up to par, and there's far too much needless travel in their keys.
But I digress (a lot) - if you're using a non-Apple keyboard on a Mac, enjoy this script for easily swapping the keyboard layout for your Mac computing pleasure.
Where are the Mac OS X portable applications?
I just bought a 2GB SanDisk Cruzer micro drive from Best Buy (on a killer $45 sale this week, at least in CO by the way), and it offers support for 'portable applications' for Windows (and I'm sure Linux too, though I admittedly don't follow the big penguin that closely). In case you aren't familiar: portable applications, in this context, mean that an app (again, on Windows) can be installed on one of these mobile drives as well as run from it, including preference files and the like (the actual spec is called U3, and SanDisk has a hand in it, in case you're curious). For example: one could install a copy of Firefox on this drive and run it on a public or work PC, with all browser history, preferences and bookmarks saved on the drive - not on the host PC (these applications all have to be custom-built, and the U3 board has to approve them into the fold). Setting aside any obligatory discussion about security, this is an absolutely killer ability for the mobile nerd in many of us.Now I know most Mac OS X applications can run fine from one of these drives; heck, I run a few myself, including utilities for my iPod which I simply store right on the iPod (yes, it can do that, as long as you turn on disk use from iTunes). But why hasn't the second half of this 'portable applications' concept caught on with the Mac OS Xiverse? This concept and these apps could rock everyone's world, from the mobile student to freelancers and even the techies who are supporting Macs for businesses big and small.
So where are they?
Is the Mac OS X community simply not as worried about leaving their Firefox browsing history lying around on public machines? I doubt it. Are developers just not interested? Not likely. Could this be an example of the Mac community lying down while a truly useful innovation is dangling in our faces? Instead of throwing down my speculation, I'd rather open this up for discussion. What say you, TUAW readers?
Bryce 5 free until September 6th
DAZ Productions is the latest software company to have been struck by the 'let's give it away for free!' bug, as they have placed a $0 price tag on Bryce 5 for both Mac and PC - but only until Sept. 6th. For those who are scratching their heads over this 'Bryce' business: it's a 3D design app which specializes in modeling landscapes and animations, and in the grand scheme of 3D apps, it's pretty simple to use. A number of content packages that offer pre-built models of things like scenery and people are available, including a free starter set in tandem with this offer.
Snagging a free copy is fairly simple: head over to DAZ Production's page which offers download links for either the Mac or PC version. Now before you ask: yes, this page states that Bryce 5.0 won't run under Tiger, however: the actual version of the Mac download is 5.0.3. I've tested this out myself already, having gone through the registration process, and it runs just fine. In fact, it's still a PowerPC app, but it zips along on my MacBook Pro (2.0 Ghz, 2GB RAM - YMMV); so much so that I had to use Scott's TUAW Tip to check whether it's Universal to be sure. Anyway, the first time you start Bryce 5 it will prompt you to log in and register (for free) the app at their site. You'll probably have to create a new, free account like I did, but once you're logged in, the registration link Bryce gives you will create your extra-lengthy registration code. After that, you're all set for having a grand ol' time in the world of 3D.
Snagging Bryce 5 is a $70 value, but if you're itching for the latest and greatest, Bryce 5.5 can be had for a mere $20 upgrade. Scroll down on the initial Bryce 5 for Free page, as there are details for signing up with their ArtZone community (which I believe is also free) and scoring the cheap upgrade. There may be a lot of signing up for free accounts and unchecking opt-in newsletter and 'special offer' emails, but these are small prices to pay for a free 3D app. Enjoy.
Tim Bray back on Mac
Remember all that hubbub about Mac geeks switching to Ubuntu? Well, Tim Bray (one of those geeks) is back on the Mac and he thinks that it beats Ubuntu, though just barely. He lists a number of interesting reasons for why one would choose OS X or some other Linux distro, all of which seem very reasonable. He has decided to keep his data in non-proprietary formats, which means that any OS can open up his stuff which, in turn, means that he can choose whatever OS he wants. We could all learn a little something from Tim's attitude towards computers.
[via Daring Fireball]
Microsoft issues style guide to PC manufacturers for Vista launch
Inspired by Apple encroaching on their turf with the Mac's newfound ability to be the only PC one would ever need, Microsoft has issued a PC case style guide to manufacturers in an effort to help get customers excited about the ambiguous day in the future when Vista launches (apparently, Vista's having trouble stirring excitement on its own). Dubbed the "Windows Vista Industrial Design Toolkit", its purpose is to give the likes of HP and Gateway (certainly two of the worst style offenders) a few ideas on how to stop beating their case designs "with the fugly stick", as Engadget puts it so lightly.
All joking aside though, this could ultimately be a good thing for the PC case design industry as a whole (yes, Macs included). The real question, as the Business Week report which broke this story states, is: will the industry bite? Ultimately, as the old adage goes: more competition is good for the consumer.
Dell CEO jabs at Apple, forgets how to count
Michael Dell, amidst lackluster growth reports and a dismal earnings warning, has fired a couple more potshots across Apple's bow. During a recent Q&A, Dell's CEO cited MTV's new URGE music service as one reason why he is skeptical of the iTMS market dominance over the next ten to twenty years. I guess we'll have to see how well Microsoft irons out their Going further, Mr. Dell also bragged about Dell's market share statistics, stating that Apple isn't a threat because they haven't broken into the list of top five market share holders. All debates as to whether Apple is trying to, or even should, dominate the world with their shiny computers aside, Michael is only half right: Apple's market share in the U.S. has actually jumped high enough to rank them 4th in PC manufacturers (again, in the U.S.).
How many times do we have to tell you this, Mr. Dell? Insulting Apple won't make them open up OS X for you.
[via MacNN]
VH1's Best Week Ever spoofs the new Mac ads
Hooray for music television stations that do anything but these days: VH1's 'Best Week Ever' has spoofed the new Mac ads, and we have to say: they're pretty darn funny. They might not be safe for work (mild language), but they did a good job of capturing the somewhat pretentious and put-off attitude of 'the Mac'. Enjoy.
