Items tagged with Macs
Unless you perform high level calculations on an abacus, chances are high that yes, you are affected by the recently disclosed Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. Between the two, practically every modern processor is vulnerable, including Intel CPUs dating back more than a decade, along with AMD and ARM chips. And yes, if you are entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, you too are affected by all this. But don't just take our word for it—in case there remains any question, Apple confirmed that its platforms are not immune. "Security researchers have recently uncovered security issues known by two names, Meltdown and Spectre. These issues apply to all modern processors and affect nearly all...
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You would think that companies would have learned their lesson after the Superfish debacle, but I guess it should be no surprise that money talks. Windows users that install Java on their machines have attempted to dodge the installation of the Ask.com toolbar for years. Oracle bundles the adware with its Java package and counts on unsuspecting or simply inattentive users to allow the installation of the Ask.com toolbar. Mac users that chose to install Java were immune to such trickery; that it is until now. Unfortunately, Oracle has doubled down on its Ask.com “deliveries” by adding the adware to the Java 8 Update 40 installer for Macs. ZDNet’s Ed Bott reports that as with Windows installations...
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The best thing about USB drives is their portability. The worst thing can be the lack of security for your data on there.EncryptStick comes either pre-loaded on a USB flash drive or as software you can download onto the drive yourself and the new Version 4.1 has dual support for Macintosh and Windows operating systems.It's touted as a digital safe - one with several individual vaults the user can create, each potentially with its own password. So if you use your USB drive to keep a file that contains all your passwords, make sure you password-protect it.The software can also be used on your computer, any removable device (such as a server or portable hard drive) or on writeable media, such as...
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We knew that Microsoft was going to open its own retail stores this fall, some of them (they say) right next to Apple retail outlets. They even hired David Porter (a former 25-year veteran Wal-Mart executive) to be Corporate Vice President of Retail Stores. That's experience, and they're not stopping there; they're apparently hiring away Apple retail store managers, too. The Loop cited anonymous sources, reporting that Microsoft has contacted "a number of Apple's retail store managers" to attract them to the new Microsoft stores. Additionally, they offered the managers “significant raises,” and in some cases, moving expenses. This might not be the best move on Microsoft's part however. ifoAppleStore...
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Following Tuesday's press conference where Steve Jobs announced the new MacBooks, Jobs assembled the press corps and fielded a few questions. When the topic came around to why Apple still doesn't offer Blu-ray drives as an option for Mac, this was what he had to say:"BluRay is a bag of hurt... The licensing of the technology is so complex that we’re just waiting until things settle down and waiting until BluRay really takes off in the marketplace before we burden our customers with the cost of the licensing and the drives." Credit: AMEX DigitalMany might argue that customers are already paying a premium for iMacs and MacBooks, so what's another couple of hundred dollars tacked onto...
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Market research mavens NPD went computer shopping, and came back with some info we've all suspected for a long time: Desktop or laptop, a Macintosh computer costs more than double a roughly comparable Windows PC machine. Since they compiled prices for three years running, they also saw which way the trend line was going. Average selling prices for Macs either went up or stayed the same, depending on whether it's a desktop or laptop, while Windows machine prices either held steady, like desktops, or in the case of laptops --plunged. Joe Wilcox of Applewatch noticed the same thing while pricing laptops:On Saturday, Aug. 2, I got to wondering about Mac versus Windows PC pricing after seeing...
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IBM is allegedly interested in adopting OS X according to internal documents.“In line with IBM’s external strategy of offering a true ‘Open Client’ that may be Windows, Linux or a Mac,” the document noted, “Research IS is focusing on providing an IBM application stack on multiple Operating Systems, rather than be confined to one or the other.”It certainly seems that Windows Vista’s slip in the corporate sector has allowed the Cupertino-based company to catch up. Who would have thought that Macs would ever find a home on the desks at IBM, who once set up operations with the direct intent of crushing Apple’s burgeoning PC business....
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Less than a decade ago Apple was in serious trouble, and even after Steve Jobs retuning to the helm, the company still wasn't out of the woods until the iPod phenomenon hit. They were losing ground to windows on all fronts, and one of the most important might have turned out to be schools. While this is all old news to most of us, not everyone has taken a close look at the ramifications of the success of the iPod.“...students who are used to Apple products grow up, get jobs, and make money. They will then buy more Macs, and will also make Apple products more "mainstream" and become more common in the workforce.”It may still take a while before the adoption of Macs hits critical mass,...
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Selling Macs at a limited number of Best Buy locations seems to have turned out to be a good idea for both companies. That's why Best Buy executives have leaked word of a new plan that would test the waters in other markets.“The plan would effectively double the number of Best Buy stores carrying Apple's computer line at the end of 2007, where rough figures placed a healthy array of Macs in approximate 230 to 270 locations."Even with prospects for a slowing economy, we believe Mac demand can keep going strong given new products," Reitzes wrote in his note to clients. "The key question into Apple’s earnings is whether Best Buy and new Mac products can help drive upside while iPod demand...
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We've covered the story of the freezing aluminum iMacs and the subsequent patch, but still users seem to be having difficulties. Feel free to insert your own favorite 'mac users' joke here.So far the only way many users have found to resolve graphics freezing issues is to have Apple replace hardware. Lending credence to the numerous complaints strewn about various Apple-related web sites is the following:“AppleInsider itself can attest to the symptoms, which first manifested in a review unit weeks after the August release. A sure sign that the system is near a freeze are very brief white streaks that dart across the screen -- a behavior witnessed with high-end video cards running...
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A computer, or rather, and operating system that freezes? Perhaps not a BSOD, but it still sounds vaguely Microsoft-ian doesn't it? It's not. It appears, through a series of support forum threads, that some new iMac users are experiencing "issues."A growing number of users have reported that Apple's aluminum all-in-one computers suffer from a flaw that locks up the interface, rendering the system all but inert until a reboot.The issue appears to be related to the ATI Radeon HD graphics hardware and its drivers, but has proven unpredictable. While some customers have said they can reliably trigger the freeze by running games, iTunes, or other programs that push the video chipset,...
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Unfortunately, MHz makes a difference. Changes to the system requirements for the next Apple operating system could exclude those systems with 800 MHz CPUs.The increase in system requirements would exclude a number of Mac systems from running Leopard, such as the 800MHz PowerBook G4 (Titanium), 800MHz PowerMac G4 (Quicksilver), 800MHz iMac G4, 800MHz iBook G4 and 800MHz eMac. All the systems affected are at least four years old. Four years old? Shoot, those systems are archaic ... not. But seriously, you wouldn't expect a four year old system to run Vista? Or would you?...
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That was fast. Only a day after introducing their new line of aluminum and glass iMacs, Apple has released updates for them. The updates were only vaguely identified as providing "important bug fixes." Owners of the day-old 20-in. and 24-in. iMacs should install iMac Software Update 1.0, Apple said in a terse message accompanying the 5.1MB download, but it didn't spell out the exact fixes. Some users on various Apple-oriented message forums claimed updated ATI video drivers were among the changes, but Apple did not respond when queried for details.As is the norm after a hardware refresh, Apple also posted a new version of Boot Camp, the free-of-charge dual boot utility that's still...
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Apple has been working long and hard on a complete iMac overhaul, and we should be seeing the fruits of those labors soon. While there are very little facts about the new iMacs, there are plenty of rumors. The latest rumor is that of a potential price drop for the entire family of iMacs. The new low-end 20” iMac will likely sell for $1,199. There's no word on exactly what that configuration includes, but if it proves to be similar to the last generation iMac, it would be logical to assume some form of integrated graphics and at least 512MB of RAM. Current rumors would suggest that: The 20” model will be the new “small” iMac The 24” model will remain...
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