I personally can’t watch all those surgery shows on Discovery Health Channel. Seeing human innards makes my stomach turn. Seeing this is almost worse. The folks over at Other World Computing (OWC) have already performed surgery on a new 15″ MacBook Pro. It’s cool to see, but at the same time a bit horrifying. The good news is I already read on MacDevCenter that this model is easier to dissect than the current PowerBook. That should make things like future hard drive upgrades a bit nicer. I just hope the folks at OWC got this one put back together and working.

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MC20060221.mp3 [16.5mb 00:36:02 64kbps]

A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 122. Dvorak predicts Apple switch to Windows?!!. Apple lawyers and the OSX86 Project. Details emerge on Apple OS X Leap-A Worm. Second OS X worm discovered by F-Secure but is non-threat. Rumors of a 17″ MacBook Pro by the Apple World Wide Developer Conference in June. Apple and NBC offer free pilot episode of Conviction, maybe? Follow up: Grants.gov does offer Mac support, sort of. New iWeb update allows duplicate page names between sites. Apps and hardware to help you remote control for your Mac and use FrontRow with buying a new Mac.

New music, Broken In all the Right Places by I am Jen

Promo from The HogCast

Everybody needs money. That’s why they call it money.

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Message from Adam: Listener Stephen sent me this email with some great observations about the effect additional memory has on Rosetta performance in the new Intel systems.

Well, I’ve had my 17-inch iMac Core Duo, for 15 days now. I’ve used in 512 MB, 1 GB, and 1.5 GB memory configurations.

I purchased this machine as pretty much a tower. I always knew I wanted to get an intel Mac as soon as they were released. I had hoped that that would mean I could replace my 12-inch Powerbook 1.5GHZ G4 with something like a 13-inch Mac Book Pro. Of course, Apple did not make a sub-15 pro notebook and may not ever again. Because of this I decided to keep my Powerbook, for I don’t need more power than the 1.5GHZ G4, when not at my desk. Furthermore, at my desk I always have it connected to my Apple Cinema Display, so I have a desktop experience.

Continue Reading »

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20060216.mp3 [17.7mb 00:38:35 64kbps]

A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 121. Apple upgrades MacBook Pros and starts shipping. Mac OS 10.4.5 released. iLife ’06 updates. Government grant application system excludes Macs. Hacker succeeds in getting Intel 10.4.4 to run on PC. First Mac OS X Virus? Over 700 Universal apps now available. Tivo on Mac follow-up. How to sync iWeb sites with Backup 3.1 Control iTunes with CoverBuddy and Clutter.

New music, Wasting My Time by Matthew Ebel

Promo from Couch Potato Illustrated

Someday it will be like we already lived.

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I just grabbed and installed the 10.4.5 update off Software Update and it seems like the faster processor upgrades from Apple are not just for Mac Book Pro buyers. I may be imagining things, but my G4 iBook/933 seems to have a new lease on life. All of my applications are launching a lot faster. This is especially true on the second launch. I am not an expert, but to me Apple seems to have tweaked the caching a bit. Here is an example of what I noticed… on the first launch of Safari after the update it launched after 4-5 dock bounces, not a big deal. On subsequent launches however, it was up in running in under 2 bounces. AWESOME! The Dashboard exhibits similar behaviour. On the first hit of F12 it still takes a little time for my Widgets to initalize (but they do so about 3 times faster than before) and then on the second hit… BOOM they are there almost instantly. My scrolling everywhere is “like butter”, Expose does its swooshing acrobatics like a jet fighter, iPhoto screams and Spotlight searches are truly instant. It’s like I have a brand new iBook. Can everyone please tell me I am not dreaming. Am I just imagining things? Did Steve give me a virtual processor upgrade? Did some of those OS X for Intel optimization creep over into the PowerPC code? If anyone can enlighten us I would love to hear it, but for now I think this update to Tiger is the best ever.

Well the big news from Apple on V-day is that they will be giving more power to the MacBook Pro buyers. I am sure for many of those who pre-ordered a MacBook Pro this is a nicer present than those chalky candy hearts. Apple upgraded the Intel Core Duo processor in the 1.67 GHz model to 1.83 GHz and the 1.83GHz model up to 2.0GHz. They also added a 2.16GHz Core Duo as an optional build to order upgrade. The new option does make me wonder how many people will cancel their 2.0GHz orders and pick up one of the new faster ones. Come to think of it, this may be a ploy by Apple to free up availability of the 2.0 GHz processors and sell more MacBook Pros (those sly devils). Many listeners immediately called Apple to make sure their pre-ordered models would be the upgraded units and Apple confrimed they would be. I guess it is just Apple way of saying, “We love you to the Core”.

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20060213.mp3 [18.7mb 00:40:53 64kbps]

A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 120. Apple looking into Intel iMac FrontRow video issues. Touchscreen video iPod rumors. Rumor of WiFi and Bluetooth being added to future iPods. Manhattan Apple store to be first 24/7 location. Some EXEs running on Intel Macs using WINE. Design change to protect screen on new Nano? Mac Roundtable Promo. Correction on volume differences as they relate to dB levels. Using Tivo with Macs, Galleon Tivo Media Server. Tip: How to direct link to .Mac Photos. Keeping your Mac secure. Giving Apple feedback. Vote at Podcastalley.

New music, Empty by Derek Clegg

Promos from the The Half Show, Podcaster Confessions and The Open Mic Podcast

You appear intelligent, but when you open your mouth the effect is spoiled.

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Listen to today’s show here!
MC20060208.mp3 [20.4mb 00:44:36 64kbps]

A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 119. Apples “gesture” touch-screen patent. Apples roller-coaster stock pricing. Apple Special Event on Feb 22nd. Airport Express Video? Apple counts down to 1 Billion songs. Apple adds new 1GB Nano, cuts Shuffle pricing. Was Intel switch a bad move? IBM reveals next gen chips. Showtime content added to iTunes. Apple has sold 12 million videos via iTunes. Apple Store Irvine Spectrum opens Saturday. MacCast One Minute Tip #11: Finder Toolbar. The European Apple pricing debate continues. A couple of warnings and a tip about iWeb files. 100dB vs 104dB can be a big deal. More OS X project management software recommendations. MacCast Widget now available.

New music, Deeper by Keith Varon

Promos:
An Evening with Whitney Steele
Mac Tips Daily
British Mac

I didn’t jump to conclusions. I took a small step, and conclusions there were.

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Just to prove my point that iPods docks are everywhere, I am going to be trying to post stories on all the ways companies are integrating iPods into their products. From cars, to toilets, to clothing, iPod docks are everywhere. Todays dock is one from a New Zealand bed maker and is being billed as “The Worlds Most Comfortable iPod Dock”. This bed is made from New Zealand Rimu with aluminum detailing and is called the Pause. Made by Design Mobel, this bed is completely customizable and features traditional options like side lamps and storage trays, but what makes it totally unique is its ability to accommodate an universal iPod dock and BOSE speaker system. How’s that for true Mac geek comfort?

The Pause Bed with iPod integration (more info and images)

Thanks to listener Howard for sending this one in.

An interview I did recently for the iSwitch podcast is now available on their web site. iSwitch is part of the Teen Podcast Network and as their name suggests they cover Mac topics for Switchers. In our conversation we discuss MacWorld, the new Mac line up, Mac hardware and software, podcasting and more. The interview was recorded using iChat and the new GarageBand 3 from iLife ’06 and runs about 45 minutes. Enjoy.

[ MacCast/ iSwitch Interview ]