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Apple-Focused Programing Highlights CNBC Lineup This Week

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Phil Poccia

CNBC My DVR will be working overtime this week as CNBC will be airing some great television programs for Apple fans.

“Welcome to Macintosh” is a 2008 documentary chronicling the history of Apple. Important figures in Apple’s past make appearances, including Guy Kawasaki, who was responsible for Macintosh marketing in 1984, as well as Andy Hertzfeld, who worked on the original Macintosh design team. Leander Kahney, the author of the popular Apple book “Cult of Mac,” is in the documentary also. “Welcome to Macintosh” will be airing on January 4th at 9:30 PM EST.

The 2009 documentary “MacHEADS” discusses Apple fans and the popularity of Apple products. There have not been any films in the past that have focused on the legions of fans that are devoted to Apple. “MacHEADS” will be airing January 5th at 10:00 PM EST.

“Planet of the Apps” discusses the phenomenon that is mobile phone apps. The popularity of these apps was fueled by Apple allowing third-party apps for sale for the iPhone and iPod touch starting in July 2008. Other companies have tried to mimic the App Store’s success by launching stores of their own, but have not been nearly as successful as Apple has. “Planet of the Apps” will be airing on January 7th at 10:00 PM EST.

I rarely watch movies so I have not seen either of the documentaries, but it will be exciting to watch them as well as “Planet of the Apps.”

Apple Improves Mac and Accessories Lineup

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Phil Poccia

Just in time for the holiday sales rush, Apple has updated much of their Mac line.

New iMacs

iMac
The iMac now have larger screen sizes and LED-backlit displays. The 20-inch model is now 21.5-inch, while the 24-inch is now 27-inch. While the 21.5-inch is only available as a dual-core, the 27-inch can be bought as a dual or quad-core. The aspect ratio has been changed to 16:9 which will be an improvement for multimedia viewing. The back is aluminum now instead of black. The black backing felt out of place on the previous iMacs. The 27-inch model is also VESA mount compatible as well as capable of accepting video input. All models are available now except for the quad-core iMac, which is coming in November. iMac prices begin at $1199.

Macbook
The entry level MacBook is still white and plastic, but is now unibody like the MacBook Pro. The unibody gives it a cleaner, more simplistic look. Just like the iMac, the MacBook has a LED-backlit display. The MacBook also includes a multi-touch glass trackpad and an all rubber bottom reminiscent of the Airport Extreme’s underside. The built-in battery seen on the Macbook Pros is now present in the Macbook. The 7-hour battery is not user removable. This is not that big of a deal as many users do not use multiple batteries and the battery life is very long. There are a few downsides to the updated MacBook. It lacks any FireWire ports, there is only one port for audio input/output, and it does not have a infrared receiver for accessories like the Apple Remote. These changes clearly cement this model as an entry-level product. Prices start at $999.

Mac Mini
Apple has not given the Mac Mini much love in the past. Rumors have circulated for some time that it would be axed, but the rumors are always proven untrue. The Mac Mini has been updated and now comes in the regular version and a new version that has Snow Leopard Server pre-installed. The optical drive has been replaced with a second hard drive. Both hard drives are 500 GB. An external SuperDrive can be used if an optical drive is still needed. There is only one configuration of the server Mac Mini and it costs $999. The regular Mac Mini base price is $599.

Mouse
The product I am most excited about is the new Bluetooth mouse from Apple, which is called the Magic Mouse. It is a multi-touch mouse which thankfully does away with the needs-to-be-cleaned-constantly scroll ball. Cosmetically, it has a sleeker look than the previous model. The top is clear white plastic. It does not have separate buttons for left and right click but it can be configured to be a one or two button mouse. The Magic Mouse is an inevitable evolution of an Apple branded mouse, as multi-touch has already found its way into the iPhone, iPod touch, and Mac notebooks. If you still want a corded mouse, the Mighty Mouse is still available, which is now called the Apple Mouse. The Magic Mouse comes with all new iMacs unless configured to include the Apple Mouse. It will be available late October and costs $69.

Apple Remote
Another product that received a new look is the Apple Remote. It is now all aluminum. This change was bound to happen because aluminum is Apple’s current style of the moment. It is also longer then the previous remote, looks more comfortable to hold, and is less difficult to lose. The play button has been moved near the menu button and the battery can now be removed easily from the back. According to Apple, the remote is “Compatible with Apple products introduced in 2005 or later that have a built-in infrared (IR) receiver” and “requires the iPod Universal Dock and any iPod with a dock connector or any iPhone.” The Apple Remote cost $19 and the Apple online store says it is shipping in 2-4 weeks.

Time Capsule/Airport Extreme
If you blinked, you might have missed the Time Capsule update. Not much in terms of specs, just that the backup speed is 60% faster than previous models (using Snow Leopard). Wireless networking performance was also improved in both the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme.

While the changes to the Mac and Accessories lineup are not revolutionary, they are welcomed improvements.

Save Money On AppleCare For Your Mac

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Kevin Fordham

If you’re a Mac loving pessimist who likes to save money, I’ve got good news for you. The piece of mind that is AppleCare, can be purchased for less than retail price. While this may not be news to some, it was to me.

For those that don’t know, AppleCare is basically an extended warranty with telephone technical support, web-based support resources, and some free diagnostic software. The complimentary coverage that you get when you purchase a Mac is 90 days of phone support and one year of service coverage (hardware repair). AppleCare extends both phone support and service coverage to three years. When you purchase AppleCare it does not extend your warranty three years, it extends your warranty to three years from your date of purchase.

I won’t go into the debate if AppleCare is worth the money or not. Any Mac user that’s had to use AppleCare though will likely tell you that it is worth the money. I’ve never bought an extended warranty for a computer but I’m going to purchase AppleCare for my Macbook Pro. My MBP travels a good deal, and with all that movement comes the chance that one day something might happen to it.

You can purchase AppleCare up to one year from the date of your Mac purchase. Once that one year mark passes, you can no longer purchase AppleCare. Amazon is currently (maybe always?) selling AppleCare for less than the Apple price. The Macbook Pro plan will set you back $300 ($50 less than retail). The Macbook plan costs $200 ($50 less than retail). The iMac and Mac Pro plans will set you back $150 ($20 less than retail) and $250 respectively. Oddly, the Mac Pro plan is the only Mac AppleCare plan that is not less than retail price. I guess if you can afford a Mac Pro you can afford AppleCare at retail price?

Macworld Gets A Makeover

Posted on December 19, 2007 by Kevin Fordham

I’m not sure when this happened (edit: some research leads to December 14th), but I noticed today that the Macworld website has received a refresh. Macworld was last redesigned in 2003, before Intel, iPhone, Tiger, Leopard, and more. As is fashionable recently, you’ll notice the word “Beta” in the new Macworld header image.

Old Design

Some of the new features include voting buttons on every story. The voting feature will float the most popular stories to the top of the “Top User Rated” tab on the home page. Also changed is that comments are now seen on the same page as the story. Previously the comments were kept in the forum which was tucked away from the story itself. The Playlist website has been folded back into Macworld as well.

New Design

I can’t be certain, but it looks like less content is displayed on the new home page. The new design is certainly in line with current design trends too. My first impression is to give it a thumbs up.

Is the Apple Sub-Portable Confirmed?

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Kevin Fordham

CNBC Logo

Citing sources in Asia, CNBC says (video link) Apple will release a sub-portable notebook at MacWorld in January. Though a little lite on details, CNBC reports the notebook will cost $1500, be 50% thinner than current notebooks, and be flash memory based. This would likely include the introduction of solid state drives (SSD) to the Apple lineup.

With the sub-portable 50% thinner than the current Macbook Pro, the device is likely to have no optical media drive and reduced USB/Firewire ports. So Apple is going to sell me a smaller screen, less features, and less storage for $1500? No thanks. I know some people have been salivating over this for some time, but I just don’t want a notebook with less features than the one I currently own. I love my Macbook Pro and couldn’t image using a computer smaller than the Macbook, which I previously owned. When did CNBC get on the Apple rumor mill too?

[Via Switch To A Mac]

Show Off Your Apple Themed Office On Apple Mac HQ

Posted on November 25, 2007 by Kevin Fordham

It’s no secret that we love Apple here at AMHQ. Part of the reason this website was started was to get all the great Apple, Inc information out to everyone on the interwebs. We’re trying to cover things that we ourselves would want to hear about and we hope you do too. As we bring you everything Apple, we are starting something new at Apple Mac HQ next month.

If you take pictures and put them online, changes are pretty good you’ve visited Flickr at some point. We started a new Flickr group recently and we want you to add your pictures to it. The group is called Apple Office, and it’s a place where we want you to put your Apple themed office pictures. Do you have a sweet picture of your office space showing off your 30″ Apple Cinema Display next to your Macbook Pro, right beside your new aluminum keyboard? Maybe you have an Apple logo neon sign right above your Mac Pro?

We want to feature one or two Apple themed offices each month here at Apple Mac HQ. Add your Apple themed office pictures to our Flickr group and you’re automatically entered to be featured on Apple Mac HQ. We’ll give you full credit for the picture and link to your website if you have one. We’ll pick our first office in a few weeks, so go ahead and add your picture to the Apple Office Flickr group!

Record TV On Your Mac For $75 with the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950

Posted on November 23, 2007 by Kevin Fordham

If you want to watch TV on your Mac, Amazon has an amazing deal going on right now. It looks like it’s one of the Black Friday special deals so take advantage of it while you can. For just $75 USD (after $30 rebate), you can pick up the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 from Amazon. The regular price is nearly $150 so you’re saving close to 50%.

The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 looks amazingly similar to the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid which I own and love (a review is coming soon). In fact, the WinTV-HVR-950 even comes with the EyeTV Lite software package. Included is software that will work with PC’s too. The Hauppaugge will receive HD ATSC (over the air) and analog cable TV signals. The WinTV-HVR-950 even comes with a portable TV antenna capable of receiving HD signals, the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid does not include a antenna. You’ll need a fairly recent Mac to use the WinTV-HVR-950, but if you want to watch TV cheaply on your Mac this is one of the best deals I’ve seen.

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