When Gaddis Rathel needed to learn Spanish for his job, his boss gave him an unusual tool to help: a black video Apple iPod, preloaded with language lessons.
Last month, Mr. Rathel's employer -- ACG Texas LP, a Plano, Texas, franchisee of the pancake-house chain IHOP Corp. -- started testing Apple Computer Inc.'s digital media player on a few employees to save money on Spanish-language classes. Now, rather than sit in a class on company time or read a textbook, Mr. Rathel uses the iPod for audio training in his spare time. "I've used it in several scenarios around the house and in the car," says Mr. Rathel, 45 years old, who, as a manager of field training, spends a lot of time on the road. He also uses it while waiting to pick up his daughter from soccer practice.
People used to hide their iPods from their bosses, if they used them in the office at all. Now the bosses are passing them out to their employees. Companies from health-care suppliers to fast-food chains are handing out free iPods so that employees can download audio and video files of CEO announcements, training courses and sales seminars.
The trend, which follows the widespread adoption of the BlackBerry, threatens to further blur the increasingly fuzzy line between work and leisure time.
Last summer, National Semiconductor Corp., a chip manufacturer in Santa Clara, Calif., spent $2.5 million on video iPods for its 8,500 employees, including those overseas, for training purposes and company announcements. At Capital One Financial Corp., a financial-services company based in McLean, Va., more than 3,000 employees have received iPods since the company began using them in supplementary training classes.Siemens AG unit Siemens Medical Solutions, a health-care supplier based in Malvern, Pa., purchased about 100 iPods for its molecular-imaging group last year for training and sales support. Other divisions within Siemens are now considering giving iPods to their employees.
The content available for download varies. At Pal's Sudden Service, a restaurant chain based in Kingsport, Tenn., new employees listen to audio files teaching them how to prepare food while they are in the kitchen, enabling them to physically act out the steps. At National Semiconductor, one of the video files available for downloading off the company's intranet Web site features a senior-ranking engineer illustrating the history of the company by dressing up in costumes from different decades, such as hippie clothing from the 1960s.
While buying iPods en masse may seem costly, Apple offers bulk discounts, and employers say the device enables them to cut down on training costs. Siemens says it was able to reduce the number of training sessions it held for its molecular-imaging group to two per year from four. Each training session cost the unit $125,000, which includes the cost of food and lodging. The price of 100 iPods: $30,000.
Getting a free iPod is undoubtedly a perk. But as employers adopt new technologies to boost worker productivity, it is getting harder to separate life and work.
"The boundaries blur quite dramatically," says Paul Sanchez, global director of employee research at Mercer Human Resource Consulting. "That blurring in some instances is welcomed and not noticed by people generally in younger cohorts." But for employees who are 50 or older, the thought of having to use an unfamiliar device can be exasperating, he says.
At Siemens, older employees were skeptical of the iPod at first. "We got a mixed reaction," says Mike Rittman, a product manager for the molecular-imaging group. "We did get a lot who were like, 'What the heck is this?' They had no idea what it was."
For employees of any age, the idea of your boss encouraging you to put on your headphones can be perplexing. "It was weird," says ACG Texas's Mr. Rathel, who was learning Spanish so that he could use it while training new employees. "I didn't carry it around often at first. As I got more used to navigating it, it was easier."
Some employees say they prefer using the iPod to complete work-related tasks on the go, as opposed to spending additional time at their desk. Sue Sonday, 39, a project manager at Capital One, took a company-sponsored leadership and management course and listened to the materials a few times a week while on the elliptical machine at the gym. Instead of tuning in to National Public Radio, her usual fare, she would listen to the materials in the car by connecting the iPod to her car stereo.
Robert Brait, 55, a sales executive in the molecular-imaging group at Siemens, says he uses his iPod to familiarize himself with product information before he meets with customers. "It does give me the opportunity to use it in the evening or in the morning when you normally wouldn't be at work," says Mr. Brait, of North Andover, Mass. He says he sometimes wakes up extra early to put on his headphones to listen to work-related material.
Different employers have different rules governing the use of a company iPod. While many don't mind if you use it to download and listen to music on your own time, they tend to discourage illegal downloads at home, even though there's no way to monitor it. Capital One employees, for example, sign a user agreement stating they will not store or distribute content in a manner that violates copyright laws.
Employees at National Semiconductor learned recently that their iPod wasn't a gift. When the company laid off 35 workers in its Arlington, Texas, plant in June, it asked them to hand in their digital media players at the door.
National Semiconductor, like many other employers, had required the employees to sign a document saying they would give their iPods back if they left, similar to what they are required to do for personal digital assistants and cellphones. Still, the move drew a heated reaction from technology bloggers, many of whom encouraged the laid-off employees to keep the iPods in defiance.
"Some people were disgruntled about it," says David Kirjassoff, the director of National Semiconductor University, the internal training school for employees. "We might have been able to be more clear in our communications."
The company clarified its policy after the ruckus: Employees who leave National Semiconductor can purchase their iPods at a discounted price. --Wall Street Journal
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Steve Jobs Tops ComputerWeekly Greatest IT People
Top 10 Greatest IT People:
1. Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive of Apple Computer, topped the Computer Weekly 40th anniversary poll due to the devoted following he has generated through his pioneering work in personal computing and product design.
2. Tim Berners-Lee
3. Bill Gates
4. James Gosling
5. Linus Torvalds
6. Richard Stallman
7. Arthur C Clark
8. Ted Codd
9. Steve Shirley
10. Martha Lane Fox
--MacDailyNews.com
1. Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive of Apple Computer, topped the Computer Weekly 40th anniversary poll due to the devoted following he has generated through his pioneering work in personal computing and product design.
2. Tim Berners-Lee
3. Bill Gates
4. James Gosling
5. Linus Torvalds
6. Richard Stallman
7. Arthur C Clark
8. Ted Codd
9. Steve Shirley
10. Martha Lane Fox
--MacDailyNews.com
New Xserve With Intel Dual-Core Processors
I recently got a walk-through from Apple officials of the company's new Intel-based Xserve, and then -- again, courtesy of Apple -- I got to actually take one for a test-drive. I can say from the start that this stylish piece of hardware represents a significant improvement over its predecessor, which itself offered amazing value and high-powered performance. Apple went to great pains to deliver design and performance improvements that are evident on first look and use and will be welcomed by data center managers.
Overview
The new Xserve base model sports two 64-bit dual-core Xeon "Woodcrest" processors running at 2 GHz; 1GB of 667-MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM; a single 80GB 3Gbit/sec. Serial ATA (SATA) Apple Drive Module; onboard dual Ethernet; a Combo drive; single power supply; no expansion cards; a built-in ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express graphics card with 64MB of GDDR3 synchronous dynamic RAM; and Mac OS X Server unlimited client software. Base Price: $2,999. That's quite a punch at such a low price.
The OS X server software included is a 100% native, 64-bit unified operating system with many of the included applications -- like MySQL and Java Application server -- also bumped up to take advantage of the 64-bit processors. As in previous versions, the Xserve motherboard is held in place by captive thumbscrews that require no special tools to open.
The model I tested is a bit more robust than the standard configuration, and I had it optimized for streaming media. This particular model has two dual-core Xeon processors running at 3.0 GHz; 8GB of RAM (4x2GB 667-MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMMs); a single 73GB, 15,000-rpm Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drive, plus two 750GB 7,200-rpm SATA drives; the built-in Radeon X1300 graphics card; dual power supplies; a dual-layer SuperDrive; a 2Gbit/sec. dual-channel Fibre Channel card; a dual-port Gigabit Ethernet card; and the Mac OS X Server unlimited client.
Pricing is still a bit lower than what you would expect for such a loaded machine, but it's not cheap: As equipped, the Xserve would cost $9,971.
Remember, Leopard server is expected to be out in early 2007, so when buying a new Xserve be sure to get the operating system maintenance plan to guarantee you'll get the new server operating system at no additional charge when it emerges from its lair. The plan costs $999 for 36 months
Now that we've covered the basic configuration, cost and my first impressions, let's take a deeper look inside.
Processors and fans
Removing the two captive thumbscrews that hold the cover on, and then taking out the five Phillips screws to expose the fan assembly yields this view of the Xserve's internal hardware.
The processors are 64-bit with a 256-bit-wide bus and will use a four-channel data path to the FB-DIMMS. And RAM heat sinks -- which can cut down on heat and the constant use of cooling fans -- weren't used as they are in the Mac Pro, where acoustic performance is important. More important, the overall bandwidth of the processor system is up to a blistering 20.1GB/sec. or three times faster than the G5 Xserve.
In a nod to maximizing efficiency while balancing power consumption and heat management, the Xserve's seven fans are controlled individually by a microprocessor. If necessary, each one can spin at a different speed so that it cools only the area served by that fan.
Storage
With the new Xserve, Apple is the first vendor to offer both SAS and SATA drives in the same machine. Each technology has a particular benefit in server applications and by allowing for any combination to be used, Apple is offering its customers maximum flexibility.For example, SCSI drives are substantially faster than SATA, so for transactional applications that require quick disk access (like operating system and database operations) a SAS drive is ideal. To illustrate the difference: a SATA drive has a seek time of about 8ms, whereas the 15,000-rpm SAS drive has a seek time of only 3.5ms. The trade-off for that speed is price; SAS drives offer less storage and cost nearly twice as much SATA drives, so they should be used only as needed.
In my configuration, I used the 73GB SAS drive as my boot and Web service drive, and then had two 750GB perpendicular reading SATA drives for media serving. The high transactional nature of the OS and Web server made sense for the SAS drive, and for storing huge media files that the Web app would serve up, I used the SATA drives.
Another item of note: Drives are user-installable, so as larger capacities become available, newer drives can be swapped in without needing to replace the drive bays.
Moving to the back of the machine, the Xserve comes standard with two FireWire 800 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a DB9 serial port for console access.
Inside, the built-in ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express graphics (with 64MB of GDDR3 SDRAM) sits on a daughter card of the PCI bus, meaning a slot does not have to be given up for video. A mini video adaptor is included so you can attach a display.
Apple said it uses the mini video adapter for two reasons: to keep space requirements to a minimum and to allow for greater air flow. On reflection, it occurred to me that using the adaptor allows a user to choose either a DVI or VGA monitor. The 64MB of video RAM is enough to drive a 23-in. Apple Cinema Display.
When doing a custom order of the Xserve, the left PCI slot can be configured as a PCI-X slot for customers who have existing investments in specialty cards that use the PCI-X format.
New and awesome
Two of the major gripes that data center managers had about earlier Xserve models involved power redundancy and lights-out management capabilities. "Apple listened closely to its customer requests and delivered on the most-requested features," said Doug Brooks, product manager for server hardware at Apple. The dual power supplies are load-sharing and hot-swappable, and a second power supply is included in the Xserve emergency parts kit in case it's needed.
As for the lights-out management, it's for real this time.
Apple has incorporated the IPMI standard into its management interface, which allows the CPU to be monitored and controlled remotely by any IPMI-compliant device and software package, such as HP OpenView. The management card has its own IP address and account, but setup is simple and added to the OS build. Initially, the system management account is used to provision the card. Here's a more detailed look at IPMI.
Best of all, Apple offers something small, seemingly insignificant to anyone who has not had to do inventory or determine a MAC address in the dark. Included in every Xserve is a pull-out plastic card that remains connected to the machine. It has room for an asset management tag of standard thickness, with the Xserve's serial number, configuration data and MAC addresses of the NICs all in white -- yes, white -- lettering.
In summary, I think the new Xserve should deliver on all of the performance improvements expected in Apple's move to an Intel Xeon dual-core processor, plus some incredible storage options. Data center managers will be pleased to know that they can integrate the Xserve into their standard monitoring packages and be confident of reliability with redundant power supplies. The hands-on server folk will appreciate the new quick rack feature, which simplifies rack mounting and eliminates cage nuts forever. And if they're like me, they will love that pull out ID card!
Coming next: A look at Apple's Leopard Server. Did I miss anything? Have feedback? Send your questions, comments and curses to y.kossovsky@ieee.org. --computerworld.com
Overview
The new Xserve base model sports two 64-bit dual-core Xeon "Woodcrest" processors running at 2 GHz; 1GB of 667-MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM; a single 80GB 3Gbit/sec. Serial ATA (SATA) Apple Drive Module; onboard dual Ethernet; a Combo drive; single power supply; no expansion cards; a built-in ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express graphics card with 64MB of GDDR3 synchronous dynamic RAM; and Mac OS X Server unlimited client software. Base Price: $2,999. That's quite a punch at such a low price.
The OS X server software included is a 100% native, 64-bit unified operating system with many of the included applications -- like MySQL and Java Application server -- also bumped up to take advantage of the 64-bit processors. As in previous versions, the Xserve motherboard is held in place by captive thumbscrews that require no special tools to open.
The model I tested is a bit more robust than the standard configuration, and I had it optimized for streaming media. This particular model has two dual-core Xeon processors running at 3.0 GHz; 8GB of RAM (4x2GB 667-MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMMs); a single 73GB, 15,000-rpm Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drive, plus two 750GB 7,200-rpm SATA drives; the built-in Radeon X1300 graphics card; dual power supplies; a dual-layer SuperDrive; a 2Gbit/sec. dual-channel Fibre Channel card; a dual-port Gigabit Ethernet card; and the Mac OS X Server unlimited client.
Pricing is still a bit lower than what you would expect for such a loaded machine, but it's not cheap: As equipped, the Xserve would cost $9,971.
Remember, Leopard server is expected to be out in early 2007, so when buying a new Xserve be sure to get the operating system maintenance plan to guarantee you'll get the new server operating system at no additional charge when it emerges from its lair. The plan costs $999 for 36 months
Now that we've covered the basic configuration, cost and my first impressions, let's take a deeper look inside.
Processors and fans
Removing the two captive thumbscrews that hold the cover on, and then taking out the five Phillips screws to expose the fan assembly yields this view of the Xserve's internal hardware.
The processors are 64-bit with a 256-bit-wide bus and will use a four-channel data path to the FB-DIMMS. And RAM heat sinks -- which can cut down on heat and the constant use of cooling fans -- weren't used as they are in the Mac Pro, where acoustic performance is important. More important, the overall bandwidth of the processor system is up to a blistering 20.1GB/sec. or three times faster than the G5 Xserve.
In a nod to maximizing efficiency while balancing power consumption and heat management, the Xserve's seven fans are controlled individually by a microprocessor. If necessary, each one can spin at a different speed so that it cools only the area served by that fan.
Storage
With the new Xserve, Apple is the first vendor to offer both SAS and SATA drives in the same machine. Each technology has a particular benefit in server applications and by allowing for any combination to be used, Apple is offering its customers maximum flexibility.For example, SCSI drives are substantially faster than SATA, so for transactional applications that require quick disk access (like operating system and database operations) a SAS drive is ideal. To illustrate the difference: a SATA drive has a seek time of about 8ms, whereas the 15,000-rpm SAS drive has a seek time of only 3.5ms. The trade-off for that speed is price; SAS drives offer less storage and cost nearly twice as much SATA drives, so they should be used only as needed.
In my configuration, I used the 73GB SAS drive as my boot and Web service drive, and then had two 750GB perpendicular reading SATA drives for media serving. The high transactional nature of the OS and Web server made sense for the SAS drive, and for storing huge media files that the Web app would serve up, I used the SATA drives.
Another item of note: Drives are user-installable, so as larger capacities become available, newer drives can be swapped in without needing to replace the drive bays.
Moving to the back of the machine, the Xserve comes standard with two FireWire 800 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a DB9 serial port for console access.
Inside, the built-in ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express graphics (with 64MB of GDDR3 SDRAM) sits on a daughter card of the PCI bus, meaning a slot does not have to be given up for video. A mini video adaptor is included so you can attach a display.
Apple said it uses the mini video adapter for two reasons: to keep space requirements to a minimum and to allow for greater air flow. On reflection, it occurred to me that using the adaptor allows a user to choose either a DVI or VGA monitor. The 64MB of video RAM is enough to drive a 23-in. Apple Cinema Display.
When doing a custom order of the Xserve, the left PCI slot can be configured as a PCI-X slot for customers who have existing investments in specialty cards that use the PCI-X format.
New and awesome
Two of the major gripes that data center managers had about earlier Xserve models involved power redundancy and lights-out management capabilities. "Apple listened closely to its customer requests and delivered on the most-requested features," said Doug Brooks, product manager for server hardware at Apple. The dual power supplies are load-sharing and hot-swappable, and a second power supply is included in the Xserve emergency parts kit in case it's needed.
As for the lights-out management, it's for real this time.
Apple has incorporated the IPMI standard into its management interface, which allows the CPU to be monitored and controlled remotely by any IPMI-compliant device and software package, such as HP OpenView. The management card has its own IP address and account, but setup is simple and added to the OS build. Initially, the system management account is used to provision the card. Here's a more detailed look at IPMI.
Best of all, Apple offers something small, seemingly insignificant to anyone who has not had to do inventory or determine a MAC address in the dark. Included in every Xserve is a pull-out plastic card that remains connected to the machine. It has room for an asset management tag of standard thickness, with the Xserve's serial number, configuration data and MAC addresses of the NICs all in white -- yes, white -- lettering.
In summary, I think the new Xserve should deliver on all of the performance improvements expected in Apple's move to an Intel Xeon dual-core processor, plus some incredible storage options. Data center managers will be pleased to know that they can integrate the Xserve into their standard monitoring packages and be confident of reliability with redundant power supplies. The hands-on server folk will appreciate the new quick rack feature, which simplifies rack mounting and eliminates cage nuts forever. And if they're like me, they will love that pull out ID card!
Coming next: A look at Apple's Leopard Server. Did I miss anything? Have feedback? Send your questions, comments and curses to y.kossovsky@ieee.org. --computerworld.com
Thursday, October 26, 2006
New Cooling System Developed By IBM
Using a technique based on the human circulatory system, IBM researchers today presented an approach for improving the cooling of computer chips.
Delivered at the BroadGroup Power and Cooling Summit in London, IBM researchers discussed the technique, called a “high thermal conductivity interface technology,” that they claim allows a twofold improvement in heat removal over current methods.
The technique is one of several being explored by scientists from the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory to address the problem of excessive heat brought on as performance continues to progress according to Moore’s Law.
“Electronic products are capable of amazing things, largely because of the more powerful chips at their heart, said Bruno Michel, manager of the Advanced Thermal Packaging research group at IBM’s Zurich lab, in a statement this morning. “We want to help electronics makers keep the innovations coming. Our chip-cooling technology is just one tool at our disposal to help them do that.
The approach used by IBM addresses the connection point between the hot chip and the various cooling components used to draw the heat away, including heat sinks. Currently, special particle-filled viscous pastes are typically applied to this interface to guarantee that chips can expand and contract with the thermal cycling. This paste is kept as thin as possible in order to transport heat from chip to the cooling components efficiently. However, IBM warned, squeezing these pastes too thin between the cooling components and chip would damage or even crack the chip if the conventional technologies are used.
To alter that, IBM researchers developed a chip cap with a network of tree-like branched channels on its surface. The pattern is designed such that when pressure is applied, the paste spreads much more evenly and the pressure remains uniform across the chip, allowing the right uniformity to be obtained with nearly two-times less pressure, and a 10-times better heat transport through the interface, according to IBM. IBM credited the design’s idea to biology, where systems of hierarchical channels can be found manifold in nature or the human circulatory system. --edn.com
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
DVD Jon hacks the iPod Code: FairPlay. . . Supposedly
A hacker who as a teen cracked the encryption on DVDs has found a way to unlock the code that prevents iPod users from playing songs from download music stores other than Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes, his company said on Tuesday. However there has been no confirmation on this story, so we'll just have to wait a little bit longer.
Jon Lech Johansen, a 22-year-old Norway native who lives in San Francisco, cracked Apple's FairPlay copy-protection technology, said Monique Farantzos, managing director at DoubleTwist, the company that plans to license the code to businesses.
"What he did was basically reverse-engineer FairPlay," she said. "This allows other companies to offer content for the iPod."
At the moment, Apple aims to keep music bought from its iTunes online music store only available for Apple products, while songs bought from other online stores typically do not work on iPods. But Johansen's technology could help rivals sell competing products that play music from iTunes and offer songs for download that work on iPods as they seek to take a bite out of Apple's dominance of digital music.
ITunes commands an 88 percent share of legal song downloads in the United States, while the iPod dominates digital music player sales with more than 60 percent of the market. Cupertino, California-based Apple, whose profits have soared in recent years on the strength of the iPod, declined to comment.
Johansen, known as DVD Jon, gained fame when at the age of 15 he wrote and distributed a program that cracked the encryption codes on DVDs. This allowed DVDs to be copied and played back on any device.
His latest feat could help companies such as Microsoft Corp., Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., which have all announced plans over the past few months for music download services combined with new devices to challenge Apple. --www.eitb24.com
Jon Lech Johansen, a 22-year-old Norway native who lives in San Francisco, cracked Apple's FairPlay copy-protection technology, said Monique Farantzos, managing director at DoubleTwist, the company that plans to license the code to businesses.
"What he did was basically reverse-engineer FairPlay," she said. "This allows other companies to offer content for the iPod."
At the moment, Apple aims to keep music bought from its iTunes online music store only available for Apple products, while songs bought from other online stores typically do not work on iPods. But Johansen's technology could help rivals sell competing products that play music from iTunes and offer songs for download that work on iPods as they seek to take a bite out of Apple's dominance of digital music.
ITunes commands an 88 percent share of legal song downloads in the United States, while the iPod dominates digital music player sales with more than 60 percent of the market. Cupertino, California-based Apple, whose profits have soared in recent years on the strength of the iPod, declined to comment.
Johansen, known as DVD Jon, gained fame when at the age of 15 he wrote and distributed a program that cracked the encryption codes on DVDs. This allowed DVDs to be copied and played back on any device.
His latest feat could help companies such as Microsoft Corp., Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., which have all announced plans over the past few months for music download services combined with new devices to challenge Apple. --www.eitb24.com
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Apple upgrades the MacBook
A 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Up to 39% faster than its predecessor.(1) A built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Now available in 15- and 17-inch models starting at just $1999. Start your engines.
Performance squared
MacBook Pro is built on the revolutionary Intel Core 2 Duo — which packs the power of two processor cores (up to 2.33GHz) inside a single chip. It provides 4MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared between the cores as needed. It delivers higher performance in 2D and 3D graphics, video editing, and music encoding. But the new engine is only part of the story. MacBook Pro supports hard drives up to 200GB and up to 3GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory. And now every MacBook Pro boasts both a FireWire 800 port and a double-layer burning SuperDrive. Ultimate speed, performance, and connectivity. To go. That’s MacBook Pro.
iSight to behold
Sit down. Click someone’s iChat icon. Video conference from anywhere in the world. Though you can barely see it, there’s an iSight camera built into the thin bezel just above the display. So now you can conference with associates during the day and chat with the kids at night. iChat AV lets you video chat with up to three other people simultaneously. And when you go head to head, you’ll see your colleagues clearly, at VGA resolution.
Packs power, not pounds
What makes MacBook Pro so mobile? Performance in a portable package. Only one inch thin and 5.6 and 6.8 pounds, respectively, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros are amongst the thinnest, lightest notebooks in their display class.
Road show
MacBook Pro delivers the Front Row media experience, making it easy (and rather spectacular) to showcase your latest creations. Whether you’re at the client’s office, on location, or back at your hotel room, just use the Apple Remote to control your videos, music, movies, and more. Front Row lets you quickly navigate through your work and play from anywhere in the room. You can even use the Apple Remote to navigate through Keynote presentations.
MagSafe airline adapter
Out of power in flight? Plug your MacBook Pro into the optional MagSafe Airline Adapter and get back to work (or play).
AirPort Express
MacBook Pro offers built-in wireless capability, and you can create your own wireless network with an AirPort Express.
Built-in Bluetooth
Connect wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled peripherals or connect to the Internet via your mobile phone.
Display
You can extend your desktop by connecting your MacBook Pro to a larger display or an HDTV via the DVI port or an optional video adapter.
Complete specs…
15 inch
15.4 or 17-inch Display
2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
5.6 pounds
6x double-layer-burning SuperDrive
One FireWire 400
One FireWire 800
Two USB
ExpressCard/34
Up to 200GB hard drive
Gigabit Ethernet
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
Built-in AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Illuminated keyboard
Scrolling trackpad
MagSafe Power Adapter
--Apple.com
Performance squared
MacBook Pro is built on the revolutionary Intel Core 2 Duo — which packs the power of two processor cores (up to 2.33GHz) inside a single chip. It provides 4MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared between the cores as needed. It delivers higher performance in 2D and 3D graphics, video editing, and music encoding. But the new engine is only part of the story. MacBook Pro supports hard drives up to 200GB and up to 3GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory. And now every MacBook Pro boasts both a FireWire 800 port and a double-layer burning SuperDrive. Ultimate speed, performance, and connectivity. To go. That’s MacBook Pro.
iSight to behold
Sit down. Click someone’s iChat icon. Video conference from anywhere in the world. Though you can barely see it, there’s an iSight camera built into the thin bezel just above the display. So now you can conference with associates during the day and chat with the kids at night. iChat AV lets you video chat with up to three other people simultaneously. And when you go head to head, you’ll see your colleagues clearly, at VGA resolution.
Packs power, not pounds
What makes MacBook Pro so mobile? Performance in a portable package. Only one inch thin and 5.6 and 6.8 pounds, respectively, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros are amongst the thinnest, lightest notebooks in their display class.
Road show
MacBook Pro delivers the Front Row media experience, making it easy (and rather spectacular) to showcase your latest creations. Whether you’re at the client’s office, on location, or back at your hotel room, just use the Apple Remote to control your videos, music, movies, and more. Front Row lets you quickly navigate through your work and play from anywhere in the room. You can even use the Apple Remote to navigate through Keynote presentations.
MagSafe airline adapter
Out of power in flight? Plug your MacBook Pro into the optional MagSafe Airline Adapter and get back to work (or play).
AirPort Express
MacBook Pro offers built-in wireless capability, and you can create your own wireless network with an AirPort Express.
Built-in Bluetooth
Connect wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled peripherals or connect to the Internet via your mobile phone.
Display
You can extend your desktop by connecting your MacBook Pro to a larger display or an HDTV via the DVI port or an optional video adapter.
Complete specs…
15 inch
15.4 or 17-inch Display
2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
5.6 pounds
6x double-layer-burning SuperDrive
One FireWire 400
One FireWire 800
Two USB
ExpressCard/34
Up to 200GB hard drive
Gigabit Ethernet
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
Built-in AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Illuminated keyboard
Scrolling trackpad
MagSafe Power Adapter
--Apple.com
Monday, October 23, 2006
Apple Possibly Creating New Red iMacs and Red iBooks
We're not so sure whether we should believe ThinkSecret or not, given that we've found the site's predictions to be about 57% accurate, but anyway, here's one that seems logical and could actually happen: sources report that Steve Jobs and Bono have discussed bringing a red iMac and iBook to market part of its purchase price going to aid AIDS victims in Africa, to follow its red iPod that made such a splash last week.
Believe that above scuttlebutt with all due trepidation. But we've taken a liking to this idea of donating 10% $10 of the purchase price of techno-gear to charity, and hope other manufacturers will follow suit. This is a fad that could actually make a real difference in this world. Bravo. – Charlie White -- gizmodo.com
Time to Celebrate the iPod's Fifth Birthday
Oct. 23, 2006 — The big news on iPod's fifth birthday is, well, the iPod.
Buzz continues to surround Apple's slick line of hand-held media players as talk of the long-awaited iPhone — an iPod that also doubles as a cell phone — and a video iPod with a bigger screen and touch-screen controls persist.
With 70 percent of the market in Apple's hands and more than 65 million iPods in consumers' hands, there seems to be nothing even close to threatening the player's dominance — even with major players like Microsoft trying desperately to pump up the hype on its forthcoming player and download store, Zune.
"They [Apple] simply have a tremendous ability to refresh their product line and continue to win the hearts and minds of consumers," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director for Jupiter Research.
"It's not going to be a simple thing for Microsoft to come in and challenge Apple in the short term," Gartenberg said.
Every time it seems as though Apple's great white hope might be unseated, the company reinvents it by adding new features like a color display, more storage space, or bright and expressive colors.
When the iPod was released in 2001, CEO Steve Jobs said that, "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."
Boy, he wasn't kidding.
It's Not Technology
"The reason the iPod is so successful is that the brilliance behind the technology is not in your face," said Adam Goins, a 25-year-old iPod owner living in New York. "The brilliance of the technology is that you don't think of it as technology."
Goins says the reason the iPod makes the competition appear invisible is that the company isn't selling a high-tech geek accessory, but an idea.
The TV and print commercials for the device barely show it in action.
Instead, they sell viewers an image: This product is fun, it's easy to use, and it's cool.
"When you see Microsoft coming out with a device, and they're taking it from a technological standpoint, to a certain extent that matters," he said. "But on the level of a consumer, you get the iPod because it's very stylish, because they've taken it to the level of being about fashion. The technology becomes almost irrelevant."
All that style comes with a big price tag, but as with any fashion accessory, Goins says that if you want to stay hip and on the edge of popular culture, you have to be willing to part with a few bucks.
"As anyone is well aware, the price means nothing when it comes to fashion," he said. "If they really want it, the cost doesn't matter."
While Goins may represent why the iPod has consumed 70 percent of the market and shows no signs of slowing, he may also be an example of why that market is limited to just 30 percent of Americans.
While Apple has done an admirable job of marketing the iPod to young, urban hipsters, the company has had a harder time broadening the market considering the cost of entry, despite a variety of iPods at varying prices.
iPod 101: The Perfect Digital Storm
Though many credit Apple's iPod and the iTunes download store for starting the whole digital-music craze, the real glory belongs to a music filing sharing program created in a dorm room at Northeastern University in 1999.
Created by Shawn Fanning, Napster was a software program that allowed people to view and download music files from other participants' computers via an Internet connection.
Though it's best known for kick-starting the debate about copyrighted music in the digital age, it also set up the playing field that allowed the iPod to rise to ubiquity.
"The question is: 'What company profited the most from Napster?' The answer is probably Apple," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group.
The popularity of Napster gave users a lot of music they didn't know how to get out of their computer except on CDs, which were limited in terms of how much they could hold.
When Apple came along with the iPod — far from the first player of its kind — the market was ripe for a product that was easy to use and made sense of the whole digital-music thing.
The iPod plugged right into a computer's USB port, and the software needed to make it run was relatively idiot-proof.
The introduction of the iTunes music store, where tens of thousands of songs were available for download for 99 cents a piece, completed the circle, as evidenced by the more than 1 billion downloads the service has sold.
With about 70 percent of Americans still undecided in the digital media player space, there's a lot of potential for a competitor to sneak in and take a bite out of Apple.
But if iPod can maintain its "cool factor" and the company can continue to make meaningful changes to the product line to keep it fresh and relevant, there's no telling how many birthday candles iPod could earn.--abc.com
Buzz continues to surround Apple's slick line of hand-held media players as talk of the long-awaited iPhone — an iPod that also doubles as a cell phone — and a video iPod with a bigger screen and touch-screen controls persist.
With 70 percent of the market in Apple's hands and more than 65 million iPods in consumers' hands, there seems to be nothing even close to threatening the player's dominance — even with major players like Microsoft trying desperately to pump up the hype on its forthcoming player and download store, Zune.
"They [Apple] simply have a tremendous ability to refresh their product line and continue to win the hearts and minds of consumers," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director for Jupiter Research.
"It's not going to be a simple thing for Microsoft to come in and challenge Apple in the short term," Gartenberg said.
Every time it seems as though Apple's great white hope might be unseated, the company reinvents it by adding new features like a color display, more storage space, or bright and expressive colors.
When the iPod was released in 2001, CEO Steve Jobs said that, "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."
Boy, he wasn't kidding.
It's Not Technology
"The reason the iPod is so successful is that the brilliance behind the technology is not in your face," said Adam Goins, a 25-year-old iPod owner living in New York. "The brilliance of the technology is that you don't think of it as technology."
Goins says the reason the iPod makes the competition appear invisible is that the company isn't selling a high-tech geek accessory, but an idea.
The TV and print commercials for the device barely show it in action.
Instead, they sell viewers an image: This product is fun, it's easy to use, and it's cool.
"When you see Microsoft coming out with a device, and they're taking it from a technological standpoint, to a certain extent that matters," he said. "But on the level of a consumer, you get the iPod because it's very stylish, because they've taken it to the level of being about fashion. The technology becomes almost irrelevant."
All that style comes with a big price tag, but as with any fashion accessory, Goins says that if you want to stay hip and on the edge of popular culture, you have to be willing to part with a few bucks.
"As anyone is well aware, the price means nothing when it comes to fashion," he said. "If they really want it, the cost doesn't matter."
While Goins may represent why the iPod has consumed 70 percent of the market and shows no signs of slowing, he may also be an example of why that market is limited to just 30 percent of Americans.
While Apple has done an admirable job of marketing the iPod to young, urban hipsters, the company has had a harder time broadening the market considering the cost of entry, despite a variety of iPods at varying prices.
iPod 101: The Perfect Digital Storm
Though many credit Apple's iPod and the iTunes download store for starting the whole digital-music craze, the real glory belongs to a music filing sharing program created in a dorm room at Northeastern University in 1999.
Created by Shawn Fanning, Napster was a software program that allowed people to view and download music files from other participants' computers via an Internet connection.
Though it's best known for kick-starting the debate about copyrighted music in the digital age, it also set up the playing field that allowed the iPod to rise to ubiquity.
"The question is: 'What company profited the most from Napster?' The answer is probably Apple," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group.
The popularity of Napster gave users a lot of music they didn't know how to get out of their computer except on CDs, which were limited in terms of how much they could hold.
When Apple came along with the iPod — far from the first player of its kind — the market was ripe for a product that was easy to use and made sense of the whole digital-music thing.
The iPod plugged right into a computer's USB port, and the software needed to make it run was relatively idiot-proof.
The introduction of the iTunes music store, where tens of thousands of songs were available for download for 99 cents a piece, completed the circle, as evidenced by the more than 1 billion downloads the service has sold.
With about 70 percent of Americans still undecided in the digital media player space, there's a lot of potential for a competitor to sneak in and take a bite out of Apple.
But if iPod can maintain its "cool factor" and the company can continue to make meaningful changes to the product line to keep it fresh and relevant, there's no telling how many birthday candles iPod could earn.--abc.com
Sunday, October 22, 2006
iRecord PVR Now Available for the iPod and PSP
iRecord is a digital video recorder that directly records onto connected Sony PSP consoles and Apple iPods without a PC.
iRecord uses H.264/AVC for video encoding and AAC for audio encoding. Music only recording is supported by MP3 audio compression.
The main difference from the iRecord device to the Neuros Sony PSP PVR is that it connects directly via USB to the portable devices. The Neuros stores videos on memory cards.--i4u.com
This PVR will support memory cards and USB. It will sell for $199 on the iRecord site which is http://irecord.com/index.html.
iRecord uses H.264/AVC for video encoding and AAC for audio encoding. Music only recording is supported by MP3 audio compression.
The main difference from the iRecord device to the Neuros Sony PSP PVR is that it connects directly via USB to the portable devices. The Neuros stores videos on memory cards.--i4u.com
This PVR will support memory cards and USB. It will sell for $199 on the iRecord site which is http://irecord.com/index.html.
Apple Applies for a Trademark on the iPhone
According to a research note from Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, both phones will also be iTunes music players and one will have video capability. Tortora believes that Apple may launch the new iPhones at the San Francisco MacWorld conference in January 2007.
Problems with battery life, given the plethora of functions, are reported to be a possible concern. Mobile phone users are used to batteries that last for days without a recharge but music and especially video use can be a drain on power dramatically cutting time between recharges.
Some market watchers also question Apple's ability to bring something fresh to a market that is already bursting with innovation from established players in both the smartphone and regular mobile phone space.
However, with close to 60 million iPod users and the successful iTunes music store, Apple will be doing its best to make a case for convincing users that they can replace two devices with one.
If the iPhone is a hit, the sky is the limit for Apple. There are 2 billion mobile phones on the planet and a large percentage are "given" to users as part of carrier mobile phone plans. Apple has already been talking to potential carrier partners, who may well "give away" iPhones as part of mobile phone subscriber plans.--itwire.com
Problems with battery life, given the plethora of functions, are reported to be a possible concern. Mobile phone users are used to batteries that last for days without a recharge but music and especially video use can be a drain on power dramatically cutting time between recharges.
Some market watchers also question Apple's ability to bring something fresh to a market that is already bursting with innovation from established players in both the smartphone and regular mobile phone space.
However, with close to 60 million iPod users and the successful iTunes music store, Apple will be doing its best to make a case for convincing users that they can replace two devices with one.
If the iPhone is a hit, the sky is the limit for Apple. There are 2 billion mobile phones on the planet and a large percentage are "given" to users as part of carrier mobile phone plans. Apple has already been talking to potential carrier partners, who may well "give away" iPhones as part of mobile phone subscriber plans.--itwire.com
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Apple Releases Fourth Quarter Results
CUPERTINO, California—October 18, 2006—Apple® today announced preliminary financial results for its fiscal 2006 fourth quarter ended September 30, 2006. These preliminary results may be subject to significant adjustment as a result of a likely restatement of historical results.
The Company posted revenue of $4.84 billion and net quarterly profit of $546 million, or $.62 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $3.68 billion and net profit of $430 million, or $.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 29.2 percent, up from 28.1 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple shipped 1,610,000 Macintosh® computers and 8,729,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 30 percent growth in Macs and 35 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
“This strong quarter caps an extraordinary year for Apple. Selling more than 39 million iPods and 5.3 million Macs while performing an incredibly complex architecture transition is something we are all very proud of,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Looking forward, 2007 is likely to be one of the most exciting new product years in Apple’s history.”
“We are pleased to have finished the year with over $10 billion in cash and to have increased annual revenue by $11 billion in the last two years,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2007, we expect revenue of $6.0 to $6.2 billion and earnings per diluted share of $.70 to $.73.”
The Company posted revenue of $4.84 billion and net quarterly profit of $546 million, or $.62 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $3.68 billion and net profit of $430 million, or $.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 29.2 percent, up from 28.1 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple shipped 1,610,000 Macintosh® computers and 8,729,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 30 percent growth in Macs and 35 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
“This strong quarter caps an extraordinary year for Apple. Selling more than 39 million iPods and 5.3 million Macs while performing an incredibly complex architecture transition is something we are all very proud of,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Looking forward, 2007 is likely to be one of the most exciting new product years in Apple’s history.”
“We are pleased to have finished the year with over $10 billion in cash and to have increased annual revenue by $11 billion in the last two years,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2007, we expect revenue of $6.0 to $6.2 billion and earnings per diluted share of $.70 to $.73.”
Apple Creates the new iPod Red
Previously, the options for the iPod nano were green, blue, silver, pink, and black. However, now they have created a new red iPod nano. This is part of a whole line of red products that help to raise funds for aids in Africa. At no extra cost to you, apple will donate 10 dollars to this fund for every red iPod nano sold. If you want to learn more about this aids fund go to joinred.com.
Apple vs. Windows
Apple vs. Windows, The age old battle.
For years, there has been a computer war going on between Mac OS and Windows. For a while windows and Mac were neck and neck until apple started to lose ground until over 90% of the market was owned by Windows. However, recently apple has begun a comeback which was sparked by the iPod. Now the two companies are once again fighting it out for the top spot in computers. I have researched the two products and I have come up with a guide to the pluses and minuses to the two systems.
Price: With little accessories, windows computers are usually cheapest. However once you get into mid and high-range computers, Apple takes over with an average of $200 less spent on the computer.
Hardware: Windows is the most widely used OS therefore, has the most hardware made for it, but not that much more than you think. Also, Most cheap windows computers start out with a single core processor, small amounts of memory, and a small hard drive. Apple makes their own computers, which start out with industry leading dual core processors. Their most popular computer, the iMac starts with a large 160 GB hard drive and can be upgraded to a 250 GB hard drive for 75 dollars. The upper level computers, the MacPros, have great multimedia capabilities. They can be upgraded to have 16 GB of fully buffered memory, 2TB of hard drive space, 2 Dual core 3Ghz processors, 2 Displays, 2 16x superdrives, and up to four graphics cards.
Operating System: Windows users, for years have had to worry about viruses and upgrade their os constantly because widows software offers little backwards compatibility. However, Mac OS users have had little virus problems and other problems due to the quality writing of the operating system. Mac OS is constantly checked for bugs and is not released until the problems are found and fixed. However, Windows does little alpha testing and sends it to you with as many problems as a beta version. Also windows vista plans to check software for pirating, and if you have registered your software improperly you may have to pay up or lose your precious computer.
Software: Windows for a long time has had the better software. It had Microsoft office and much more games than the Macs, however recently games have been written for Mac and windows and also companies like aspyr are translating windows to Mac code so apple users can play windows games. Also Microsoft office is now one of the many programs that are used on Macs.
For years, there has been a computer war going on between Mac OS and Windows. For a while windows and Mac were neck and neck until apple started to lose ground until over 90% of the market was owned by Windows. However, recently apple has begun a comeback which was sparked by the iPod. Now the two companies are once again fighting it out for the top spot in computers. I have researched the two products and I have come up with a guide to the pluses and minuses to the two systems.
Price: With little accessories, windows computers are usually cheapest. However once you get into mid and high-range computers, Apple takes over with an average of $200 less spent on the computer.
Hardware: Windows is the most widely used OS therefore, has the most hardware made for it, but not that much more than you think. Also, Most cheap windows computers start out with a single core processor, small amounts of memory, and a small hard drive. Apple makes their own computers, which start out with industry leading dual core processors. Their most popular computer, the iMac starts with a large 160 GB hard drive and can be upgraded to a 250 GB hard drive for 75 dollars. The upper level computers, the MacPros, have great multimedia capabilities. They can be upgraded to have 16 GB of fully buffered memory, 2TB of hard drive space, 2 Dual core 3Ghz processors, 2 Displays, 2 16x superdrives, and up to four graphics cards.
Operating System: Windows users, for years have had to worry about viruses and upgrade their os constantly because widows software offers little backwards compatibility. However, Mac OS users have had little virus problems and other problems due to the quality writing of the operating system. Mac OS is constantly checked for bugs and is not released until the problems are found and fixed. However, Windows does little alpha testing and sends it to you with as many problems as a beta version. Also windows vista plans to check software for pirating, and if you have registered your software improperly you may have to pay up or lose your precious computer.
Software: Windows for a long time has had the better software. It had Microsoft office and much more games than the Macs, however recently games have been written for Mac and windows and also companies like aspyr are translating windows to Mac code so apple users can play windows games. Also Microsoft office is now one of the many programs that are used on Macs.
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