bioneural.net » apple

I don't want any Safari!

Bruce — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:50:05 +0000

Installation of software you didn't actively choose to install is malware. I'm referring to Apple's recent decision to force Safari 3.1 on hapless Windows users via Software Update. How can you "update" a product that isn't installed? Wife: Have you got anything without Safari? This is bad form Apple. At least Ars consider this browser a much-improved and stable "true competitor".

The MacBook Air in a nutshell

Bruce — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:21:13 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

MacBook Air has the good looks but function doesn't follow form. Ars Technica told me exactly what I was thinking (although I wasn't clever enough to come up with the "iPod touch Extreme" analogy): One way to look at the MacBook Air is as the largest and most capable iPod in Apple's line—think of it as an iPod touch Extreme with a built-in keyboard. It is not meant to be your only or main computer—rather, it's a secondary (or even tertiary) computer. It has to be, because it depends on the presence of at least one other computer in order to install anything from an optical drive, unless you buy an external optical drive. Because of this, the MacBook Air is more an extension of your computing life than an entity of its own.

Mac-friendly alternatives to Apple's 1G iPhone

Bruce — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:04:28 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

The iPhone has arrived in the US. Even if it were available in New Zealand I still wouldn't buy one. I'm happy to wait for the large beta-test program (i.e. 1 in 5 US adults) to refine the product first. That said, I've been looking for a way to converge my mobile devices (phone, PDA, iPod) for some time. Sadly the 1st generation iPhone does not look like the device to fill this need. Relative to other Mac-friendly alternatives it comes up uniquely short in a number of areas on my feature wish-list. But of course I haven't seen or held it in the "flesh", and it is only a 1G device—so I can't be overly critical. Or can I? Most of the pre-launch focus has been on iPhone's interface (not unimportant), but what about comparative features? It's clear that while the iPhone offers few unique features (iTMS DRM playback, bookmark syncing) it's also immediately apparent that, relative to comparable products, the iPhone has the most limitations. I've been a Palm user since 1999, owning a Palm V, an m505, and (currently) a Tungsten T3: I also use an ageing Sony Ericsson T610 and an iPod (1G deceased; currently an iPod Photo). It would be nice to carry around one device instead of three (ditto on the chargers); I had hoped that device might be the iPhone: So the iPhone has arrived. I posted on the perfect PDA + phone back in 2005—it still hasn't arrived. With Palm OS so obviously stagnating ...

Apple Boot Camp

Bruce — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:17:40 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Apple Boot Camp: Install Windows XP without moving your Mac data. Burns a CD of all the required drivers for Windows. At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. Requires Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6, Intel Mac with latest firmware, installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP with SP2.

DOF Calculator MacOS X Widget

Bruce — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 12:46:36 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Depth of Field Calculator MacOS X Widget: This Widget from Norbert Fuerst is a handy calculator for DoF, no matter what camera you've got. It is the perfect companion for the Apple PowerBook or iBook you probably carry to store and touch-up your digital images.

Apple .Mac membership looking less attractive

Bruce — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 06:53:01 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Once, long ago, being a member of Apple's .Mac seemed like a good idea—even value-for-money. Following the recent Macworld in San Francisco (Jan 2006) I'm left wondering what I'm getting for my money. I use Gmail instead of .Mac for e-mail, because I find it more flexible in use for mail forwarding to and from my domain. I used to make use of Virex, until Apple killed support in recognition that it caused some users more problems than it solved (I now use ClamXav). The .Mac membership area used to make software freebies available (including iBlog); this habit has long since dried up. Occasionally the Pulbic folder on my iDisk sees use as a drop-box, but the only .Mac feature I use regularly is HomePage integration with iPhoto for sharing holiday snaps (although there are excellent free alternatives, such as Galerie). When Mac OS X Tiger was released .Mac users were promised "exclusive" widgets; they never materialised. And now Apple has released iLife 06, together with iWeb, the icing on the cake of disappointment. Apple promotes iWeb as if it's some kind of benefit of a .Mac membership—but it's not. It's not included. whereas it used to cost £70 for a .Mac membership, if you want to enjoy all the features Apple trumpets, it now costs £125 (£70 for .Mac plus £55 for iLife 06). Add your ISP costs to that and you have a fair bit of cash to spend on a more transparent and competitive hosting service. A couple of "first impression" ...

SkypeOut + Cyberphone K VoIP phone

Bruce — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:18:46 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

After a recent run of rants, it's about time I found something to rave about. Enter "a low cost way to make calls from Skype to friends who still use those traditional landlines or mobile phones. That means calling anyone, anywhere in the world at local rates" (q.v. SkypeOut). Add to this a USB phone that does VoIP (voice over IP) and integrates with Skype (q.v. VoIPVoice Cyberphone K). We have family and friends in Germany and New Zealand and international calls contribute to most of our £80-90 per quarter phone bill. If you're serious about reducing BT's profit margin, you might want to check out this pairing. SkypeOut I've looked at Skype before, here. Until recently I used it for Mac to PC Internet telephony, but have been disappointed with the call quality (especially to my parents in NZ who use a dial-up modem, but also to family in Germany who are on broadband like us). Such calls are routed from computer to computer over the Internet, and thus require the remote end to be online (shame Skype's online status indicator seems a bit flakey). SkypeOut means you can use your computer (with or without accessories) to call someone on their landline or mobile phone. This time the call is routed over the Internet for some of the time, then gets passed on to the public telephone or mobile network. The most important implication of doing this is that you aren't paying for an international call, but for a local one! Calling ...

The Mactel transition

Bruce — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:50:44 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Wow, what a historic day. Steve Jobs has today (06.06.05) announced that future Macs will have "Intel Inside". PowerPC is dead (in Macs), phased out come late 2007. Long live PowerPC! Wintel (Windows + Intel) platform users and the Mac faithful have up untill now been fed stories that PowerPC chips were better. It would seem that we were misled. Apparently Apple has been secretly running OS X on Intel chips for the last 5 years: was it merely being prudent, or hiding a long-standing lack of confidence in it's own product? The following claim, still on Apple's website after the announcement, has somehow lost it's ability to convince: And of course, there was that Apple advertising campaign that portrayed the 32-bit Pentium as a snail with a chip on its back: My first Mac (a PowerBook 100) had a 68000 Motorola processor. I then progressed through a 68040, to a PowerPC G3, and currently use a G4. But that PowerBook G5 I've been waiting for will never come. I paid to upgrade my "Classic" applications to native Mac OS X ones—and now I'll have to pay again to make them run natively (no emulation) on the x86 architecture. Perhaps I am not alone in having mixed feelings about this announcement? So why is this happening? Jobs says it's all down to a four letter word.... watts. Intel promises 70 units of performance per watt, whereas PowerPC looks set to provide only 15. "Units of performance"? Sounds a bit like this is in the ...

iPod battery settlement for US only

Bruce — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 21:54:13 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

They have finally reached a settlement in the long-running class action against Apple who, by settling, must feel some guilt for exaggerating the battery life of earlier iPods. Typically the compensation offered only applies to US citizens and resident entities, and loyal customers in the rest of the world are given the cold shoulder. Americans and inter-dimensional aliens before second-class humans please, ladies and gentlemen... The battery in my first generation iPod became next to useless—outside the warrantee period of course. I eventually replaced it with a third party battery that has given it new life. What does this discrimination say about Apple's valuation of its non-US customer base? A lot probably. But Apple desn't stand alone in not treating all customers with fairness and equality: I've recently commented on the disparity in the pricing of Adode's products in and outside of the US. What is most annoying is the lack of any official explanation as to why such differences exist. Perhaps as consumers we just have to accept that any commercial entity is by default more likely to screw you than "do the right thing". But Apple claims we should "Think Different". Obviously not paying attention to its own slogans then, is it?

Apple vs. Real: the pot calling the kettle black

Bruce — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 08:51:39 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Real have hacked Apple's Fairplay digital rights management technology, as used to lock songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store into iTunes player and iPod hardware. They cite "freedom of choice" as their motivation—but are they willing to open up their own proprietary media formats? It doesn't look like it... From: "Real Customer Support" <rnmusic@mailca.custhelp.com> Date: 21 August 2004 09:32:02 BST To: Subject: [Incident: 040820-001332] Reply-To: "Real Customer Support" <rnmusic@mailca.custhelp.com> Response (Shashidhar J) 08/21/2004 01:32 AM Thank you for contacting RealNetworks Technical Support. As I understand from reading your e-mail, you would like to play RealAudio and RealVideo files using a different media player. Kindly note that, RealAudio and RealVideo files are proprietory of RealNetworks and can be played only using RealPlayer. These files cannot be played in any other applications. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. Please let me know if you need further assistance. Regards, Shashidhar B2K Corp. RealNetworks Authorized Support Provider Customer (Bruce McKenzie) 08/20/2004 11:53 AM I support freedom of choice. Can you tell me what software I can use on Mac OS X to play RealAudio and RealVideo files, without installing RealPlayer? I would like to use QuickTime: if this isn't possible, could you explain why? Thanks, Bruce