apple news
OpenComputer from PsyStar
updated
Mac Clones are back. Psystar has come out with a PC called the Open Computer which is a PC which works like a Mac and comes with OS 10.5 installed. The base configuration is $399 and comes with a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD that can be upgraded to 400GB and an optional nVidia GeFroce 8600 graphics card. The computer was originally called the OpenMac, but the name was changed presumably because of pressure from Apple. A Psystar employee described Apple's End User License for software "monopolistic" and it may be hard for Apple to fight the company in court based on the EULA alone.
Apple may be able to "break" the OpenComputer in future OS updates in a manner similar to the way hacked iPhones were bricked. With Apple's increasing popularity and switch to Intel hardware, it was inevitable that someone else would try and make a cheap Mac. Ever since OS X for intel was released, people have been trying to hack it to work on generic PCs. The downside to this is that if the Mac OS becomes like Windows and is installed on a myriad of hardware configurations then the "Mac experience" may be impacted negatively. For example, if the OpenComputer or similar clone is someone's first experience with Mac OS 10, and the OS has problems because of non-standard hardware configurations which results in crashes, hangs, and non-functional applications then the user may think that the Mac OS is just like Windows or worse and switch back because of this negative experience.
Several Mac sites are covering a report done on this company, as it doesn't seem to have actually existed until the past few weeks. The companies address has also moved from a residential area to a more industrial area in just a few hours. More info can be found here.
Apple Updates Airport
Apple has released an update to the firmware that controls its AirPort Express Base Station, AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule networking devices. The update finally brings TimeMachine backup capability to Air Disk.
Apple GarageBand, Aperture Updates
3 Mar. Apple released a pair of updates today for GarageBand and Aperture. According to the release notes, the GarageBand update improves overall stability and addresses issues with the automation of software instrument parameters, FireWire and USB based audio devices and Magic GarageBand.
Aperture 2.0.1 addresses issues related to performance and overall stability. It also fixes a number of other minor issues. This update is recommended for all Aperture users.
OS 10.5.2 and Leopard Graphics Update
Apple released Mac OS 10.5.2 and a graphics update that should resolve some problems users have been experiencing. Still missing is the ability to use an external hard disk attached to an Airport base station with Time Machine.
Added is an option to turn Menu bar translucancy off, a way to add a Time Machine status icon to the menu bar, and improvements to the Dock and Stacks.
See the release notes on Apple's web site for more details.
iTunes 7.6.1
Apple has released an updated version of iTunes along with an iPhone software update. iTunes 7.6.1 should resolve some problems people were experiencing with iTunes and Apple TV 2.0
