Peter Cohen over at Macworld continues his sideline analysis of Apple's gaming chances with a post about how the brand new faster iMacs are indeed faster, but still not fast enough for gamers. And to a certain extent, he's right -- gaming on the Mac is like that old beat-up, "someday I'll fix it up" convertible your father's had in the garage covered with a tarp since you were a kid. Getting it out and putting a new engine in it might help it run better, but it's still not going to turn it into a car that anyone wants to drive around.
But (and we talked about this extensively on the Talkcast a few weeks ago with Brian Akaka from Freeverse) it's a step. A faster video card, even if it isn't blazing, will run games better than before, and it'll do a little to bring not only gaming customers but developers back to the Mac. Cohen is right -- that old convertible needs an actual mechanic to take a look at it, and it needs the seats to be reupholstered, and sooner or later it's going to need a new can of paint (not that, like your Dad's actual convertible, these things aren't ever going to happen -- we continue to hear rumblings that Apple is aiming for gamers).
But something is something -- the very fact that Apple is offering faster video cards is a sign that they're interested. And, other than simple profiles of games on their website and cameos by game execs at keynotes, that's more than we've had in a while.
PC Magazine has been reviewing Mac for awhile now, but it still strikes me as rather novel when they recommend a Mac. That's just what they did for Apple's latest iMac. PC Mag doesn't find anything too groundbreaking on this new model, but the speed improvements are welcome.
But why mess with success? The current design of the iMac is serving it well, and similar computers from other companies still haven't caught up with the iMac in terms of looks.
However, not everything is rosy in iMac land. PC Mag disses the Mighty Mouse (I usually toss the included Mighty Mouse aside myself), and would like to see an integrated media card reader.
It was ten years ago today that Steve Jobs mounted the Flint Center auditorium near Apple's campus and revealed the product that would save Apple, and become the best selling computer of all time: the iMac. It is hard to believe that this cute little guy is ten years old, but it is true.
The original iMac came stocked with a 233MHz G3, 32MB of SDRAM (though you could bump it up to a whopping 128MB), a 4 gig harddrive, 2 USB ports, a CD-ROM drive (not a CD burner, Apple was late to that party), and an IrDA port. These specs might not make your heart skip a beat nowadays, but the iMac is the product that started Apple's amazing turn around. It was the first mainstream computer to break with the past and offer only USB ports, no legacy connectors here. And it is worth noting that the iMac can also be attributed as the killer of the floppy disk.
I recall the howls from the tech community about the iMac's lack of a floppy drive. 'People love their floppies!' 'This is nothing more than an expensive toy!' All charges leveled against the iMac, but the decision actually helped create a market for USB accessories as most people bought their iMac and a USB floppy drive (I know I did. I used that floppy drive twice: once to make sure it worked, and another time to copy a file).
The iMac wasn't available for purchase until August of 1998 (for the base price of $1299), but today is a date that should be circled in Bondi Blue for any true Mac fan.
Check out our gallery of screenshots that show Apple's website the day after the iMac announcement. All screenshots was taken using the Wayback Machine.
You all know that Apple revved their popular all in one computer, the iMac (have you heard of it?) the other day. Keeping with tradition, Apple has also released an updated developer note for the bumped iMac.
There are no startling revelations in the document, but it is worth a read for people looking to create some iMac add-ons (someone out there must be thinking of doing something along those lines).
Our friends over at Engadget got their hands on one of the newly released iMacs (the 3.06GHz model, to be exact) and they have put it through its paces. Using XBench, and running Leopard, they compare the new iMac to a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, and a previous gen iMac. The new iMac bests the rest of the competition in almost all categories. Check out the post for the full results, and scope out the unboxing pictures while you're at it.
Apple just released an update for iMacs sporting either a ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or a ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card. According to Apple, the update will "improve system stability" by installing a firmware upgrade on the graphics cards. This does affect the newly released iMacs.
After this update is installed, you should see ROM version: 113-B2250L-259. You can download the update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) on the affected system, or by downloading the installer package directly from Apple.
Apple also notes: To complete the firmware update process, please follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/iMac ATI Radeon HD Graphics Firmware Update.app). The updater will launch automatically when the Installer closes.
The online Apple Store was down for a time today, and returned with speedier iMacs.
The two 20" models are at 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz, respectively. The former features 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive, 8x double-layer SuperDrive and a ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory, while the later bumps the standard memory to 2GB, the drive to 320GB and the video card to a ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory (priced at $1199US and $1499US). You can also get a 750GB hard drive as an option on the higher-end 20" model (the entry-level maxes out with a 500GB BTO drive).
Here's where it actually gets interesting. The top-of-the-line 24" model features a 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB memory standard, a 500GB hard drive, an 8x double-layer SuperDrive and a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB memory.
RAM maxes out at 4GB on that machine, and additional hard drive options (for both 24" models) are 750GB and 1TB. The starting price is $2199US.
Its slightly less brawny sibling offers a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB memory standard, 320GB hard drive (500/750/1TB options), 8x double-layer SuperDrive and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory for $1799US. All models include both a FireWire 400 and 800 port standard and 3 USB ports.
If you've been holding off on buying an iMac, now is the time to flip the switch.
With threeothersoftware updates out the door today already, you could have forgiven Apple for not providing a fourth. However, Apple has also released an updated Firmware Restoration CD (version 1.6) for for a number of Mac models:
Xserve (Early 2008)
MacBook (13-inch Late 2007)
iMac (20-inch Mid 2007)
iMac (24-inch Mid 2007)
The Firmware Restoration CD is used to bring the firmware on an Intel-based Macintosh back to factory condition in case of an emergency (such as an interrupted firmware install). Apple makes a note that you cannot use this CD to restore the firmware that has already been successfully applied to your system; this is used only for systems that did not successfully get a firmware update applied.
You can download this update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple's support website.
Please note: To complete the firmware update process, please follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/iMac EFI Firmware Update.app). The updater will launch automatically when the Installer closes.
Mac lovers traveling to the UK may be able to leave their computers at home -- as long as they stay at a City Inn hotel.
Guests will find a shiny iMac in each room, with full access to the internet, iLife and Office apps. Plus, the hotel will let you use the iMac as a TV, internet radio and media player (DVDs and CDs).
"But will the hotel keep a history of what I do with that machine?" you ask. The answer is "No." They use Faronics Deep Freeze software to restore each machine to its factory settings every 24 hours, so you're safe (that also means you shouldn't save the article you're writing on the iMac's hard drive).
This isn't the first time we've seen hotels offer Apple products to guests. In 2004, several W hotels gave away iMacs, iPods and music on "iTunes Days," and just last year Pod Hotels offered an iPod dock in each room.
Our good friends over at WoW Insider (disclaimer: I'm a lead over there) have unlocked one of the first secrets about 10.5.2 (which dropped today in Software Update): it'll make World of Warcraft play faster.
After hearing that the patch made reader Jason's Mac play faster, WoW Insider's Adam Holisky saw his FPS jump from 30 to 50 on his first-gen Intel iMac (he also has 2gb of RAM, and installed the graphics update with 10.5.2). The picture on the upper right was a test under 10.5.1, and on the lower right was after the update.
Pretty slick. I'd imagine that this would probably affect most 3D games (although who knows how EA's games will work on the Mac at any given moment). The only note that might document this in the update itself is just a "general stability" fix for "third-party applications,' but if you see your 3D go faster after 10.5.2 let us know. Azeroth has never looked so good.
TUAW reader Kim, who runs the Danish blog Kinablog,dk, sent us this piece he wrote about what he calls the world's biggest Apple USB mouse (a.k.a. the iMac mouse, a.k.a. the hockey puck). It's actually a building in China that houses the National Centre for the Performing Arts, with room for 6,500 people in three halls inside 2,000 square meters, designed by Paul Adreu. And he's right-- it bears a striking (though not quite exact) resemblance to the round little early iMac peripheral. Considering that construction started on the building in 2001, and the mouse was released before that, it's a little less of a stretch (though still a stretch) to think that one inspired the other.
But Kim is thinking even bigger-- not only does he dare us to imagine the sound of a click on a mouse that big, but he asks what an iMac that size would look like. Stop bending my mind like that, man! Apple is going thinner, not bigger.
The LowKey Stand looks like a very cool concept, judging from the rendering above. It is a stand that you can perch your iMac or Cinema Display on, and slide your new Apple Keyboard underneath. It doesn't stop there, dear reader! The stand also sports an integrated 4 port USB 2.0 hub so you don't have to go fishing around on the back of your Mac for a port.
The LowKey Stand ships on February 15th, and will cost you $59.99.
Apple began airing a new "Get A Mac" ad during this weekend's NFL playoff games, and it was posted to Apple.com earlier this evening. This time around, PC has hired a referee to ensure that Mac's boasting about Leopard isn't unfounded.
The ref peers into the replay booth, then declares:
"After further review, the ruling stands. Leopard is better and faster than Vista."
PC gets flustered and is eventually "ejected." It's not the funniest ad, but certainly timely. Check it out.
MacNN is reporting on a patent filed by Apple that describes a laptop docking station that looks a lot like a hollow iMac. According to images filed with the patent, a laptop is slid into a compartment on the side of the dock, leaving the laptop's ports accessible.
There's no indication as to how the display works. Perhaps the docking station itself has a display that's powered by the laptop, though it seems silly to have two displays. It could be that the laptop in question is actually a tablet that docks with its own display facing the user.
The patent also mentions liquid cooling and a "telephonic handset." It's all interesting, but who knows if any of this will come to fruition. Perhaps we'll see next week.
Peter Cohen over at Macworld continues his sideline analysis of Apple's gaming chances with a post about how the brand new faster iMacs are indeed faster, but still not fast enough for gamers. And to a certain extent, he's right -- gaming on the Mac is like that old beat-up, "someday I'll fix it up" convertible your father's had in the garage covered with a tarp since you were a kid. Getting it out and putting a new engine in it might help it run better, but it's still not going to turn it into a car that anyone wants to drive around.
PC Magazine has been reviewing Mac for awhile now, but it still strikes me as rather novel when they recommend a Mac. That's just what they did for Apple's 
It was ten years ago today that Steve Jobs mounted the Flint Center auditorium near Apple's campus and revealed the product that would save Apple, and become the best selling computer of all time: the iMac. It is hard to believe that this cute little guy is ten years old, but it is true.
You all know that Apple 
Apple just released an update for iMacs sporting either a ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or a ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card. According to Apple, the update will "improve system stability" by installing a firmware upgrade on the graphics cards. This does affect the 
With 
Mac lovers traveling to the UK may be able to leave their computers at home -- as long as they stay at a 
Our good friends 
Apple began airing a new "Get A Mac" ad during this weekend's NFL playoff games, and it was posted to Apple.com earlier this evening. 
