Apple

Windows iMac runs Photoshop faster than on OS X

One of the biggest hang-ups with the Intel Macs is that there's still software, notably Adobe Photoshop, whose Apple-specific code has not yet been converted to run on Intel-based hardware. Apple's answer was emulation, but the performance in intense content creation apps like Photoshop and Sorensen Squeeze for video editing is ugly. But here in the post-Boot Camp world, Intel-based Apple owners can now have it both ways.

With Windows XP Pro running on a 2.0GHz iMac Core Duo, we ran our Photoshop test in less than half the time it took than with the same … Read more

Apple moves into concert promotion

Apple Computer has begun promoting rock concerts as part of a partnership with Ticketmaster and Warner Bros. Records.

Fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers who pre-order the band's new album will receive a code that can be used to buy tickets to see the group live in concert, the companies announced Tuesday.

Tickets to the band's upcoming North American concert tour, as well as the $19.90, album go on sale May 9.

The general public won't be able to buy concert tickets until May 13.

Apple, which turned 30 on April 1, continues to flex … Read more

iPod bike mount triggers safety debate

The release of Strata's new iBikeMount has led to some online debate about safety issues related to wearing headphones while biking.

Strata System's mount for the iPod Nano costs $30, and is aimed at keeping the music player "safely in plain site and within reach," instead of having to dig it out of a pocket, armband or from a hanging lanyard, according to the company.

The iBikeMount site includes a section about listening responsibly, but some wonder if there is ever a time when it's safe to bike with headphones on.

One reader of The Unofficial Apple Weblog … Read more

An iPod case that winks at you

With all the iPod cases on the market, it's getting harder and harder to create a case that's truly unique. Zofunk Products out of Seattle differentiated itself by creating a sleek little case called Winks.

Warning: This case is not for the paranoid! The Winks cases sport an oval design, making it look like the iPod click button is an eyeball staring back at you. Maybe it really is watching you...

The Winks cases are designed only for Nanos, but there is a another line of cases, called Zen, for the iPod video. The Winks come in three … Read more

Apple releases 10.4.6 update to Tiger

Apple Computer has released an upgrade to the Tiger operating system that fixes some bugs and offers some modest performance enhancements.

Apple said in an e-mail message on Monday that the updates to Tiger (the new version is called 10.4.6) fix problems with printing to wireless printers, quotations in the Mail application, and exporting image data in Aperture.

The update is available for both Intel and PowerPC-based Macintoshes.

Comedy Central takes on the iPod

Anything as ubiquitous as the iPod is practically begging to be made fun of. "Saturday Night Live" alum David Spade took on the task with aplomb, doing a hilarious little riff on the music player during the latest episode of his Comedy Central show, "The Showbiz Show with David Spade."

"I'm getting a little tired of how everyone loves their iPod," he said, "how it's the future of entertainment, how they couldn't live without it. Do you really need to carry around the complete box set of Jethro Tull?" … Read more

Apple joins Windows-benchmarking group?

GearLog reported on Wednesday that Apple has joined Bapco, an industry consortium that develops benchmarks for comparing PC performance. Bapco, short for Business Application Performance Corporation, counts Microsoft, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and CNET Networks (publisher of News.com) among its members.

A representative of Bapco said all inquiries regarding the consortium and Apple had to be directed through an Apple representative, who did not return a phone call and an e-mail Wednesday morning seeking confirmation.

The report set off usual speculation about Apple's motives. Some fear that Apple might dump the Macintosh operating system in favor … Read more

Apple's influence already felt at Intel

Apple Computer's switch to Intel chips has obviously had a huge impact on the Mac community. But Apple's way of looking at the world is making Intel "think different" about its own business.

"That's really what's interesting about Apple, is they look at our technology in a very Apple way," said Deborah Conrad, vice president and director of Team Apple at Intel, speaking to a group of CNET editors and reporters Thursday at Intel's Santa Clara campus. Conrad's team is helping Apple make the transition to Intel's chips, and … Read more

Microsoft blogger critiques Apple security

Apple Computer might think it has all its security ducks in a row, but the truth is far from it, at least according to Stephen Toulouse, a program manager in Microsoft's Security Response Center.

In several postings on his personal blog, Toulouse critiques Apple's security coordination and communications. He compares it with Microsoft's efforts, of which he is a major part.

"Apple needs a public face of security to communicate guidance," Toulouse writes. He cites a Business Week article in which an Apple representative says everybody at the company cares about security, so there is … Read more

Apple could replace high-end iPod, analyst says

Reports persist that Apple is planning to launch a widescreen version of the video iPod.

In a research note Tuesday, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said that Apple has told distributors "that its high-end 60 GB vPod is 'at risk' until the end of April, meaning it could be discontinued and/or replaced."

It may still be a ways off, however. "Timing is not certain to us, but we believe a new widescreen vPod with Bluetooth headphones could be ready as early as the June quarter," Wu wrote.