Here’s a good question: If Microsoft’s R&D budget is 12 times what Apple’s is, why do they continuously crank out crap?
They’re doing the best they can?
Drew Page - 27 July 2005 03:04 PM
When they start pumping out Intel based Macs, people will flock to Macs in droves (if Apple markets it properly).
Meaning that the MacIntels will be competitively priced? I like Macs in principle without ever having used one. I like the 17” PowerBook, even though I hear constant complaints from the Mac community about its ancient CPU and leisurely speed. It uses 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 and comes standard with only 512MB DDR333 SDRAM. Yet it sells for a whopping $2,700 and competes with Wintel notebooks with better graphics, double the RAM while selling for $1,000 less. The Mac customer is either one for whom $1,000 doesn’t mean much or one who has developed such a fondness for Mac OS that he considers the grand to be a reasonable price to pay for incomparable excellence. Please understand, however, that 90% of potential Mac customers have no Mac experience. And 90% of that 90% (wild guess) have to live on a budget that doesn’t list $1,000 in the Miscellaneous Expenses category. Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public decide they need a computer. Forget sophisticated. As Ms. Hambi pointed out in a separate thread, many people who use computers for a living don’t know about their mouse’s right-click. Think how much less informed the Public family might be. Now, does Mr. Public go to Costco and pick up a Toshiba notebook for $1,700 or does he move upscale to a PowerBook with half the RAM of the Toshiba, running much slower than the Toshiba, but costing a set of corrective dental braces, a bicycle and a month of groceries more than the Toshiba? In order for Apple to lure customers from their competition, they have to have a superior product at a competitive price or the only “droves” you’ll see are the same ones that are staying away from Apple computers right now.
When they start pumping out Intel based Macs, people will flock to Macs in droves (if Apple markets it properly).
Meaning that the MacIntels will be competitively priced? I like Macs in principle without ever having used one. I like the 17” PowerBook, even though I hear constant complaints from the Mac community about its ancient CPU and leisurely speed. It uses 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 and comes standard with only 512MB DDR333 SDRAM. Yet it sells for a whopping $2,700 and competes with Wintel notebooks with better graphics, double the RAM while selling for $1,000 less. The Mac customer is either one for whom $1,000 doesn’t mean much or one who has developed such a fondness for Mac OS that he considers the grand to be a reasonable price to pay for incomparable excellence. Please understand, however, that 90% of potential Mac customers have no Mac experience. And 90% of that 90% (wild guess) have to live on a budget that doesn’t list $1,000 in the Miscellaneous Expenses category. Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public decide they need a computer. Forget sophisticated. As Ms. Hambi pointed out in a separate thread, many people who use computers for a living don’t know about their mouse’s right-click. Think how much less informed the Public family might be. Now, does Mr. Public go to Costco and pick up a Toshiba notebook for $1,700 or does he move upscale to a PowerBook with half the RAM of the Toshiba, running much slower than the Toshiba, but costing a set of corrective dental braces, a bicycle and a month of groceries more than the Toshiba? In order for Apple to lure customers from their competition, they have to have a superior product at a competitive price or the only “droves” you’ll see are the same ones that are staying away from Apple computers right now.
Somewhere in all that I hear someone say, “You get what you pay for.“
Check some prices on a 17-inch Dell and make sure the specs are the same as the 17-inch PowerBook. More than likely, you canNOT upgrade the Dell to the same specs as the PowerBook. I tried. Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Gigabit ethernet, DualLink DVI, et al. The cost difference is likely to be nominal (nominal defined as the price of an iPod).
Plus, what you listed was hardware, not software. Remarkably, it’s the software that people use, so OS X Tiger, iLife, et al, have to count for something.
John Q Public and Sons are exactly the folks that buy those $1,000 laptops. Every 18 months. My aluminum PowerBook’s almost three years old. Oh, the 1 ghz CPU must be awfully pokey, no? No. It actually runs faster on Tiger than it did on Panther. And it ran faster on Panther than it did on Jaguar.
To play the price comparison game, it’s best to compare ALL the components. Are there laptops and PCs cheaper than Macs? Yeah. So, what’s the point. If cheap is all a user wants, that’s all a user will get.
I’m not expecting Macs to crush Dell any time soon in the marketplace. Growing at 30% is decent for a company that was written off over twenty eleven times.
How smart is John Q Public and Sons? Look at all the red states.
Somewhere in all that I hear someone say, “You get what you pay for.“
In a sense, Ms. Hambi, that’s true. But is it really what you want?
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
Check some prices on a 17-inch Dell and make sure the specs are the same as the 17-inch PowerBook. More than likely, you canNOT upgrade the Dell to the same specs as the PowerBook.
No argument. I don’t know squat about Dell.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
I tried. Firewire 400, Firewire 800…
Don’t know what I’d use it for.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
Gigabit ethernet
Sorry, I have a 100 Mbit router in my home. Why would I want Gigabit? Future-proofing? Do you have a Gigabit router in your home?
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
DualLink DVI
For use, I take it, when the LCD monitor that came with your PowerBook just isn’t good enough.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
Plus, what you listed was hardware, not software. Remarkably, it’s the software that people use, so OS X Tiger, iLife, et al, have to count for something.
I understand exactly where you’re coming from and I’m not trying to be the tiniest bit confrontational. We’re in opposite corners of the same side here. You bring a wealth of Mac knowledge, skill and experience to the forums and I’m probably one of your biggest fans because of it. One thing you’re clearly not, and haven’t been for some time, is one of the Great Unwashed who must browse the ether or try to be digitally creative without the aid of Tiger, Jaguar or any of the other helpful Cupertino jungle cats. If you want a little insight into the mind of a Mac virgin—aka the other 90%—you have a chance right here. I’m an expert. What’s more, I doubt that my thinking strays too far from the mainstream of my fellow 90%ers. When I buy a car, I want roomy and fast. I don’t buy a Greyhound bus and I don’t consider a Ferrari because they don’t suit my needs at a price I can afford. (In fact, neither would suit my needs at any price.) Maybe a DualLink DVI is necessary for some type of professional. I know I could plug one of those into my HDTV. What the heck would I do with the other one? (Don’t tell me. I probably wouldn’t like the answer.) If a professional needs a DualLink DVI, then he must buy a computer that has it. I wouldn’t talk a transport company out of buying their big bus, either. But I’m not a professional. I’m just John Q. Public. I don’t drive a bus.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
John Q Public and Sons are exactly the folks that buy those $1,000 laptops. Every 18 months.
You may be reciting gospel here, but it doesn’t match my anecdotal experience. I know that Apple notebooks tend to hold their value much better than average. So does IBM (and they’re not inexpensive, either).
My aluminum PowerBook’s almost three years old. Oh, the 1 ghz CPU must be awfully pokey, no? No. It actually runs faster on Tiger than it did on Panther. And it ran faster on Panther than it did on Jaguar.
You’ve got me there, Ms. Hambi. Until this minute I’d never heard of any notebook computer that got faster with age. Not even Centrino can match that. Hang onto your PowerBook!
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
To play the price comparison game, it’s best to compare ALL the components. Are there laptops and PCs cheaper than Macs? Yeah. So, what’s the point. If cheap is all a user wants, that’s all a user will get.
I don’t remember writing “cheap is all a user wants.“ If I did, I was in error. I meant to say that affordability and good value are of prime importance to most folks. And as much as good people might want their next notebook computer to be a PowerBook, few will be able to justify the expense when so many less expensive alternatives exist. Deja vu… I heard this conversation less than a month ago, though I wasn’t part of it. Fellow in a Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera talking to his buddy. Apparently his companion just heard the purchase price of the Carrera and exclaimed, “That’s outrageous!“ The Porsche owner smiled and replied, “Yes it is, but you get what you pay for.“ And I suppose that’s a pretty fair summary of my point. You have to see good value in your purchases, especially major ones. If I were to take Mrs. Jebedee’s minivan (which she adores) and trade it in for a new Turbo Carrera that’s selling for half price—what a terrific bargain!—Mrs. Jebedee would poison my coffee. I hope that I would have sense enough to drink it quickly. Mrs. Jebedee would undoubtedly not see the value of our purchase. “Where do you suggest I put our groceries, Jack? Your PowerBook is taking up all the trunk space!“ Truly, though, I couldn’t get what I paid for if I were to buy a Turbo Carrera, which is why I haven’t bought one. Nor have the other 90%... if you catch my drift.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
I’m not expecting Macs to crush Dell any time soon in the marketplace. Growing at 30% is decent for a company that was written off over twenty eleven times.
I thought iPods accounted for all the growth. You’re telling me that the desktop/notebook computer side of the company is growing at the rate of 30% per annum? I’m impressed! The unfortunate fact of the Mac appeal is reflected often in comments in these forums. It’s not that people want to run toward Mac so much as they want to run away from Windows. I prefer posts here that sing Mac OS praises to those that recite Microsoft faults.
Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:41 AM
How smart is John Q Public and Sons? Look at all the red states.
You waited until the end to make my point for me? Yes, look at all the red states and learn where Microsoft and Dell and Mac are getting their money… or not. I should probably add that I had my iMac 20” 2GHz Fund built up to a point where I was ready to order. Then, on a return trip from the beach, the transmision in Mrs. Jebedee’s beloved minivan gave up the ghost. My iMac 20” 2GHz Fund suddenly vanished. I had almost restored the iMac 20” 2GHz Fund to its former fatness when the MacIntel announcement arrived. So did an immediate case of cold Jebedee feet. It’s not that I don’t find Mac laptops appealing. I’m just having a hard time getting over the sticker shock. The iMac, for me, seemed like much better value than the PowerBooks.
Here’s a good question: If Microsoft’s R&D budget is 12 times what Apple’s is, why do they continuously crank out crap? Dvorak changes opinions like underware. I wouldn’t take anything he says with a grain of salt. I think Microsoft will always be a huge player, but in 10-15 years they will not enjoy the popularity they do now. Apple is evening the playing field bit by bit. When they start pumping out Intel based Macs, people will flock to Macs in droves (if Apple markets it properly).
It’s a fairly well known fact that programming effort does not scale with workforce. Ie., 100 programmers cannot generally do in one month what 25 programmers can do in 4. Organizing large programming projects is quite a challenge for managers.
Re the Apple laptops: I too have a 1Ghz Alu from the first generation. It has served me well, and for all but the newest games it is generally fast. Unfortunately, using CS 2, it is also a bottleneck in all but the least complex projects. It also does not perform well for Applications such as FCP, Motion, and does not support Core Image/Core Video.
Apple has had strong sales up until this last quarter of PowerBooks; and I suspect the drop has come as folks such as myself looking to upgrade just don’t quite see $3000 in added value to upgrading our current machines. If, as I suspect, Apple releases 90nm 7448 G4 based PowerBooks, that will tip the scale for me. Between the 800mhz frequency increase, similar if not better power characteristics, 1MB CPU-speed L2 cache instead of the slower/higher latency 1MB L3, faster GPU, and marginally faster FSB the new PowerBooks should more than halve time for processor intensive tasks. We shall see, but until then I’m sitting on my PowerBook.
In regard to iMac vs Powerbook, it’s all in where you’re going to use it, Jeb. My wife didn’t want a laptop until the house was wireless and she ended up using mine all the time. Mine has replaced my desktop as my main machine, leaving the Dual G4 500 to do background tasks (video encoding, downloads, etc). My brother, the unix systems engineer, loves having his G5 iMac at the office and totes his 12” iBook to a fro from uni. His dual G4 does mudane duty at home and the his Cube sits headless in the closet as a file server. Different form factors allow for different duties. I see more and more people prefering to “take their desktop with them” now though (myself one of them).
AFA Powerbooks: it sounds like you wouldn’t use the extra features of a Powerbook, so why not look into the considerably less expensive iBooks? Or is it just that gigantic 17” screen that’s wooing you? I thought the 17” looked really cool too, until I actully used one and figured portability wasn’t nearly as good as I thought it would be.
The Mac OS experience is just that - an experience. I find it very hard to explain to someone why I like it better. This is why I have two loaner G3’s that are usually checked out to someone I know who’s interested in switching. I have them try turning off the PC for a week and start using the Mac as their main machine (email, web, etc) to see what the Mac OS experience is all about. The ones who make it usually end up buying a Mac of their own.
Re the Apple laptops: I too have a 1Ghz Alu from the first generation. It has served me well, and for all but the newest games it is generally fast. Unfortunately, using CS 2, it is also a bottleneck in all but the least complex projects. It also does not perform well for Applications such as FCP, Motion, and does not support Core Image/Core Video.
Is that the case? Wow. What’s the minimum CPU for Core Image/Core Video? I’ve run FCP Studio (new version) on my 17” aluminum PowerBook (1 ghz w/ 1 gig RAM) with no problems. Full rendering is obviously slower than my dual 2.5gHz PowerMac.
Chevalier - 28 July 2005 12:16 PM
Apple has had strong sales up until this last quarter of PowerBooks; and I suspect the drop has come as folks such as myself looking to upgrade just don’t quite see $3000 in added value to upgrading our current machines. If, as I suspect, Apple releases 90nm 7448 G4 based PowerBooks, that will tip the scale for me. Between the 800mhz frequency increase, similar if not better power characteristics, 1MB CPU-speed L2 cache instead of the slower/higher latency 1MB L3, faster GPU, and marginally faster FSB the new PowerBooks should more than halve time for processor intensive tasks. We shall see, but until then I’m sitting on my PowerBook.
Agreed. Apple needs the ‘bump’ from that CPU to bridge the gap between now and Intel-based PowerBooks. In the meantime, I’m adding a new HD to my PowerBook to ride out the drought.
In regard to iMac vs Powerbook, it’s all in where you’re going to use it, Jeb.
Quite right, mcdermd. I have an office at home, my sanctuary, where I do my keyboarding. Occasionally my employer sends me to school in Norman, OK where the company hotel provides Internet access points in every room. I’d like to be able to take a computer with me. I have been looking around for a computer that would primarily do desktop service, but be portable, too. The closest I found to what I wanted was a SFF Shuttle with a portable LCD monitor. (Huge $$) Then, while browsing the Internet, I saw an ad for a machine that looked like the shuttle monitor but without the CPU box. And it starts at $1,299. Spend more and you can get it in a 20” flavor! The clouds parted, beams of sunlight shone on my head. I heard children laughing and choirs of angels singing. Ta-da! And a deep, quiet voice spoke from overhead and behind me, “This is it, Jack. I have led you to the promised land. The rest is up to you.“ Then I scrolled down a bit and found that this wonderful system was made by… Apple? Whooda thunkit? That’s where my journey started. My immediate thought was, “Damn! Incompatible!“ But then I started digging a bit deeper. That’s why I came here to Mac360. What would it take to run this beast? I’m finding out that the OS X liability may really be a huge asset.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
My wife didn’t want a laptop until the house was wireless and she ended up using mine all the time.
Wireless is terrific, though I haven’t found a need to go that route. We bought our house when it was a year old (two years ago) from a couple of Intel executives. There are at least two RJ45 jacks in every room except bathrooms. Some rooms have two sets of two jacks. The den has 10 jacks. There are a pair of jacks on the high planter shelves in the living room. What’s that for? It’s for a wireless router. The high placement increases coverage, said the previous owners. Jeez… Maybe I’ll do wireless someday and use a notebook computer in the back yard. As it is, my needs don’t require batteries. However… If Ms. Patricks points me in the direction of public school sales (Apple notebooks going for a song), you can be sure that I’ll be in line to buy one… or two.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
I see more and more people prefering to “take their desktop with them” now though (myself one of them).
Okay, there’s one cool thing about battery notebooks that tickle me: Internet hot spots. I know Starbucks has T-Mobile hot spots, though I don’t know how those work. Do you rent time on them? Several places in Metro Portland advertise free hot spots. I think one of those is in Pioneer Square. Bring a notebook and log onto the Internet at no charge while watching kids play with their hackey sacks. Now, I don’t know what I’d actually DO with a notebook computer in Pioneer Square that would be the least bit useful, but it’s nice to know that the service is available for those with more imagination than I have.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
AFA Powerbooks: it sounds like you wouldn’t use the extra features of a Powerbook, so why not look into the considerably less expensive iBooks? Or is it just that gigantic 17” screen that’s wooing you?
Guilty as charged. Yes, it’s the wide screen that blows my dress up.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
I thought the 17” looked really cool too, until I actully used one and figured portability wasn’t nearly as good as I thought it would be.
Hey, you’re writing to a former owner of a Commodore SX64. That thing was about as portable as an iMac… or less. But it had the essentials of what I desire. (No, not a 5” CRT.) My portability requirements concern movement from one desk to another, sometimes via commercial airline. At the moment, I don’t foresee a need for battery power. In fact, my main concern with batteries is what damage I might do to them by having a notebook computer plugged in constantly.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
The Mac OS experience is just that - an experience. I find it very hard to explain to someone why I like it better.
Ms. Hambi, taking a more technical and circuitous route in another thread, has been conveying similar thoughts. Some of them have actually gotten through. I admire her patience… when she has it. I understand what you’re writing without having knowledge of what you’re writing about. It’s the lack of exposure, certainly. I would have the same trouble describing ice cream to Amazonian natives.
mcdermd - 28 July 2005 12:43 PM
This is why I have two loaner G3’s that are usually checked out to someone I know who’s interested in switching. I have them try turning off the PC for a week and start using the Mac as their main machine (email, web, etc) to see what the Mac OS experience is all about. The ones who make it usually end up buying a Mac of their own.
What a terrific idea! It’s also very generous of you. There must be a dozen good reasons that Windows users don’t switch. “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t” is one of them. Perceived compatibility with the rest of the world is another. Your approach, “Here, take a taste of this. It’s called ‘ice cream.‘“ gives any Amazonian native a little of what he needs to know about Macs to learn whether they taste good to him. Which OS does the G3 run?
Is that the case? Wow. What’s the minimum CPU for Core Image/Core Video? I’ve run FCP Studio (new version) on my 17” aluminum PowerBook (1 ghz w/ 1 gig RAM) with no problems. Full rendering is obviously slower than my dual 2.5gHz PowerMac.
It’s not the CPU it’s the GPU; our 17”‘s have GeForceGo440’s, esssentially a mobile NVidia MX4. Minimum for Core Image/Core Video and Quartz Extreme is the inclusion of a certain level of Pixel Shader functionality, Radeon 95xx/96xx and up, NVidia 6800. This is also the same reason the latest version of FCP’s live rendering functionality and Motion doesn’t work on these older PowerBooks.
Here’s lobbying for mini-PCI-E video cards become a standard once PCI-E is more common so we can upgrade our GPU’s. Or maybe add a PPU.
Is that the case? Wow. What’s the minimum CPU for Core Image/Core Video? I’ve run FCP Studio (new version) on my 17” aluminum PowerBook (1 ghz w/ 1 gig RAM) with no problems. Full rendering is obviously slower than my dual 2.5gHz PowerMac.
It’s not the CPU it’s the GPU; our 17”‘s have GeForceGo440’s, esssentially a mobile NVidia MX4. Minimum for Core Image/Core Video and Quartz Extreme is the inclusion of a certain level of Pixel Shader functionality, Radeon 95xx/96xx and up, NVidia 6800. This is also the same reason the latest version of FCP’s live rendering functionality and Motion doesn’t work on these older PowerBooks.
Here’s lobbying for mini-PCI-E video cards become a standard once PCI-E is more common so we can upgrade our GPU’s. Or maybe add a PPU.
So, what you’re saying is that even the video RAM may not matter when dealing with Core Image/Core Video. It has to be a specific video card. I know Tera’s 17” PowerBook has 64 megs video RAM, but may not have a video card on the list.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly these things become obsolete? Now, if I could just get a battery for my Newton…
Exactly. Traditionally GPU’s have been very strictly specialized DSP chips. The CPU would send the GPU information about the geometry and textures in a scene, and the GPU would translate that information directly into images for display following set procedures. Even the Transform & Lighting (T&L) functionality added really only allowed for the GPU to do additional procedural calculations, without stylistic variation.
What is being called “Pixel Shaders” is actually the introduction of programmable functionality to the GPU. Programmers on modern GPUs can now create their own procedures to suit the desired visual/rendering style; the most obvious example is cell-style shading that has appeared in some video games. The idea was to give game developers more flexibility in the look of their games, and the flexibility of the pixel shaders has increased through several versions. Core Image/Core Video’s GPU specific functionality is Apple’s leverage of the GPU’s newfound programmability to offload tasks traditionally only the CPU was capable of.
If I remember correctly Apple has set the bar for Core Image/Core Video/Quartz Extreme compatibility at version 3.0 of the pixel shader specification.
Other examples in games include bump mapping, motion blurs, and simulated depth of field. Ironically a lot of the functionality of Pixel Shaders breaks visually when used in an SLI configuration.
Several places in Metro Portland advertise free hot spots. I think one of those is in Pioneer Square. Bring a notebook and log onto the Internet at no charge while watching kids play with their hackey sacks. Now, I don’t know what I’d actually DO with a notebook computer in Pioneer Square that would be the least bit useful, but it’s nice to know that the service is available for those with more imagination than I have.
That’s really it. There’s lots of free hotspots all over. I like to be able to pass a half hour by opening up the ‘book at the local coffee pad, pizza shop, library, etc. The ‘net and ‘net-based apps make up half of what I do on my computer - maybe more. There’s a website devoted to cataloging hotspots: http://www.jiwire.com/ - there’s a Dashboard widget for that site also.
I even heard a snippet on OPB/NPR’s “Oregon Considered” yesterday about Portland’s attempt to bring wireless to the entire city as a city govenment provided service. In addition, TriMet would use it to automatically track busses and trains and update arrival estimations on bus stop readerboards.
Speaking of Pioneer Square, Pioneer Place has a new Apple Store. You should go do some test driving.
Jebedee - 28 July 2005 02:18 PM
At the moment, I don’t foresee a need for battery power. In fact, my main concern with batteries is what damage I might do to them by having a notebook computer plugged in constantly.
If you’re not going to be using the battery for a long while (days, not hours), just remove it and leave the ‘book plugged into the wall.
Jebedee - 28 July 2005 02:18 PM
Which OS does the G3 run?
10.4.2 Tiger on the 400mhz G3/768mb RAM/64mb Radeon 7000 machine and 10.3.9 Panther on the 400mhz G3/640mb/32mb Rage128 (weird, huh? I thought they were all 16mb’s) machine.
I wasn’t a switch-backer until OS X. I kind of skipped System 7 through OS 9. But after getting back into Macintosh, I ended up amassing a small collection of older equipment, mostly free, and going back to learn the older OSes.
My aluminum PowerBook’s almost three years old. Oh, the 1 ghz CPU must be awfully pokey, no? No. It actually runs faster on Tiger than it did on Panther. And it ran faster on Panther than it did on Jaguar.
You’ve got me there, Ms. Hambi. Until this minute I’d never heard of any notebook computer that got faster with age. Not even Centrino can match that. Hang onto your PowerBook!
Many Mac users have experienced the same thing. Me, too. My iBook became ‘faster’ using Panther over Jaguar. Same with Tiger over Panther. No, the CPU still runs at the same speed. It’s just that certain aspects of applications became notably ‘snappier.‘
I’ve heard it said that there’s got to be at least a 10% change for most users to notice any effects, faster or slower. Apple’s managed to pull that off with many older machines.
Maybe earlier versions of OS X were just slow and we didn’t care much because nothing crashed so we got used to it.
That’s really it. There’s lots of free hotspots all over. I like to be able to pass a half hour by opening up the ‘book at the local coffee pad, pizza shop, library, etc. The ‘net and ‘net-based apps make up half of what I do on my computer - maybe more. There’s a website devoted to cataloging hotspots: http://www.jiwire.com/ - there’s a Dashboard widget for that site also.
Just went there. Amazing! Revising thinking… I see folks at the airport with their laps full of laptops. I used to think, “Poor bastards! They can’t get away from work. Even when they have a few minutes to themselves, they have to use it completing some report or otherwise working off the clock because they can’t get their jobs done in 8 hours.“ Now I see from jiwire.com that those miscreants aren’t working at all. PDX is a free hotspot. They’re surfing the net and probably using corporate hardware to do it! I even checked my own ZIP Code. Brewed Awakenings, the independent coffee shop down the street, hosts a free hotspot. Who knew?
mcdermd - 29 July 2005 11:34 AM
I even heard a snippet on OPB/NPR’s “Oregon Considered” yesterday about Portland’s attempt to bring wireless to the entire city as a city govenment provided service. In addition, TriMet would use it to automatically track busses and trains and update arrival estimations on bus stop readerboards.
There was a story in Willamette week more than a year ago about some Portland business installing neighborhood WiFi access, but it wasn’t called WiFi. It’s like a wireless router on steroids, put in a high place. I’m not a fan of paying taxes for wants rather than needs, but wirelessly connecting an entire city seems much less frivolous than some other civil services. If Portland becomes a free, wireless ISP, there’s going to be a lot of revenue that the cable and phone companies won’t see. Off-topic, but I just got an update from IBM. They’re now starting testing in 50 Texas homes of network connectivity through power lines. Using the same techology, they will automatically read electric meters.
mcdermd - 29 July 2005 11:34 AM
Speaking of Pioneer Square, Pioneer Place has a new Apple Store. You should go do some test driving.
No way! Wait… I just connected. Way! Until Pioneer Place, the only Apple Store in the Metro area was in Washington Square in Beaverton. Downtown is much more convenient. There are a few Apple resellers in Town—most active is the PowerMacPac in NE Portland—but their prices are a little higher than the Apple Store and they don’t give the Apple Store’s software discounts for education and government employees. Yes, I’ll take your good advice very soon.
mcdermd - 29 July 2005 11:34 AM
If you’re not going to be using the battery for a long while (days, not hours), just remove it and leave the ‘book plugged into the wall.
Got it. No problems leaving it always on?
mcdermd - 29 July 2005 11:34 AM
10.4.2 Tiger on the 400mhz G3/768mb RAM/64mb Radeon 7000 machine and 10.3.9 Panther on the 400mhz G3/640mb/32mb Rage128 (weird, huh? I thought they were all 16mb’s) machine.
Didn’t know G3s ran Tiger. So Tiger must sense the CPU and shift to 32-bit mode. Could you have bought the Tiger Family Pack and used the same OS on all machines? Is it possible to upgrade the hard drive on a G3? If so, what’s the size limit? Thanks very much for sharing the light, mcdermd.
