Blogs

Apple 'to force you to watch adverts'

November 17, 2009

AppleAnd now, a word from our sponsor. True story: last year, Apple filed for a patent on technology that would force you to watch advertisements, no matter how hard you tried to avoid it.

First made public back in October, the concept is getting more attention thanks to an essay in Saturday's New York Times by Randall Stross, who has picked a few bones with Apple in the past.

Robert X Cringely | Read more...


Apple's 12 biggest failures

November 12, 2009

AppleApple has developed a reputation over the years that's almost on the level of religious faith: if Apple builds it, they say, it will be a success. But that isn't always the case...

While Mac OS X, the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone and many other Apple releases have set the standard, the firm's successes don't cover the whole story. Apple's's periodic failings of arrogance, in-fighting and shortsightedness have also played a key role in the company's long and complex history.

Galen Gruman | Read more...


Windows 7 and Mac bigots: get a life

October 15, 2009

AppleDespite what some have claimed, the upcoming release of Windows 7 won't change the world of computing overnight. Windows will still be Windows, Mac will still be Mac, and fans of the two sides will continue to snipe at one another.

Does it really matter how the pending release of Windows 7 affects Macintosh sales? Only a little. Does Microsoft have a lot of corporate ego tied up in 'beating' Apple? Only a little.

David Coursey | Read more...


Study: 85 percent of Mac owners have Windows PC

October 7, 2009

AppleIt used to be that no self-respecting Mac owner would admit to owning a Windows PC. But a study has found that a Windows PC can be found in the homes of a massive 85 percent of Mac owners.

What happened to Windows-hating Mac users? I suppose they still exist, but as Macintosh has grown in market share, true devotees seem harder to find. Obviously, society is in decline.

David Coursey | Read more...


5 of Apple's bonkers logo disputes

October 6, 2009

AppleApple is taking on the Australian Woolworths supermarket chain over a logo. Apple claims the stylised "W" formed into an apple-like shape is too similar to its own apple symbol. The similarities, as you'll see below, are debatable, but this isn't the most unlikely legal logo wrangle Apple's been involved in.

Here are five other Apple trademark tiffs.

JR Raphael | Read more...


Time to face facts: Apple isn't infallible

September 12, 2009

AppleThe phrase "Everything just works with a Mac" is a tag Apple has been repeating for a long time to argue that its products are superior to competitors like Microsoft.

But judging by recent events, Apple might want to reconsider revising its mantra to something like: "Everything mostly works with a Mac".

Ian Paul | Read more...


Snow in August

August 28, 2009

AppleIt was in 2001 that Apple and Microsoft unveiled their respective new pride-and-joys - each had shiny new operating systems. In the one corner was Mac OS X 10.0, an amalgamation of FreeBSD Unix and the classic Mac OS; in the other corner, Windows XP, a reskinned version of Windows 2000, itself based on Microsoft Windows NT.

In the intervening years, we've seen Win XP soldier on with three Service Packs to patch the code, punctuated by Microsoft's fanfare of Windows Vista in 2006 as the great XP replacement. It didn't take long for the world to turn its collective nose up at a system that was slower and even more cumbersome than what had gone before.

Andrew Harrison | Read more...


What can we expect from Apple's autumn event?

August 19, 2009

AppleSpeculation is mounting over Apple's autumn event, where the firm is expected to unveil a revamped iPod line and other product news. The Apple tablet may not make an appearance at the event, which is likely to take place on September 9, but rumours include the debut of a new social feature for iTunes 9.0 and an appearance by Steve Jobs, according to All Things D.

Speculation that Apple iTunes could jump into social networking emerged last week, and was deemed pretty dubious at the time. Seven days and another rumour later, they don't seem so silly.

Ian Paul | Read more...


The return of the 'floppy'. Thanks, Apple!

July 11, 2009

Apple logoIs it the end for optical discs now that Apple is favouring something that looks remarkably like a tiny floppy disk? And is Apple plotting a strategic storage shift for its MacBook laptops?

Last month, most of Apple's MacBooks were upgraded with SD card slots. The most popular 13- and 15in MacBook Pros both now have card readers. Apple even explains how to build a bootable SD card. Why on earth would Apple go through the trouble of explaining how to create a boot disk from an SD card? That seems way out in left field. They never did that for USB key drives.

Seth Weintraub | Read more...


Microsoft Bing: 'Get a Mac'

June 12, 2009

AppleAsk Microsoft whether you ought to buy a Mac or a PC, and its answer will probably be inclined in favour of the latter. Microsoft folks will tell you that a PC is cheaper, is used by the majority of the world, and is endorsed by tiny tots and Jerry Seinfeld alike.

Ask Microsoft's search engine Bing the same question, though, and it will give you the honest answer straight up: Get a Mac. So far, I've found nothing in Bing that could entice me to even consider it as a secondary search engine should Google ever fail me, but boy, it sure is good to know that it's not swayed by Microsoft's advertising.

Aayush Arya | Read more...


The MacBook turns Pro

June 10, 2009

LaptopsApple updated its 13in MacBook a few weeks back, giving the company's least expensive laptop better performance than the more expensive aluminium unibody models. This was a pretty strong hint that the aluminium models were due for a refresh.

Sure enough, just 12 days later, Apple announced updates to nearly the entire MacBook line. The MacBook Air gains faster processors; the 17in MacBook Pro gets a faster processor and a larger hard drive; and the 15in MacBook Pro comes with faster processors, higher RAM capacity, a solid-state drive option, a longer-life battery, an improved display and an SD card slot (replacing the ExpressCard slot found on the previous version). All of these changes are accompanied by lower prices.

Dan Frakes | Read more...


Why Steve Jobs will be back this summer

May 15, 2009

Wouldn't it be great if, a few weeks after next month's WWDC, Apple maximum leader Steve Jobs returned - tanned, rested, healthy, and brandishing next-generation iPhones and other toys?

Dream on. As much as I would love to see this scenario play out, I have to side with my friend Robert Scoble.

David Coursey | Read more...


Apple sued over alleged MagSafe fire hazard

May 7, 2009

Don't look now, but Apple's got itself tied up in another lawsuit. This time, the fuss is over Apple's much-hyped MagSafe adaptor, which is allegedly prone to fraying, sparking and creating a fire hazard.

Apple's MagSafe adaptor has kept many a MacBook from flying off of tables when clumsy (or, um, otherwise impaired) people trip over the power cords. According to this lawsuit, while the MagSafe might keep your MacBook safe from your intoxicated roommate, it won't keep you or your property safe from a fiery meltdown.

David Dahlquist | Read more...


Apple can't even spell MacBook correctly

March 19, 2009

Are standards at Apple really slipping fast now that visionary CEO Steve Jobs isn't at the helm? It appears so.

Where once there was nary a mistake to be found on anything with the Apple logo on it, there's now even a spelling mistake right on the Apple home page.

Lexton Snol | Read more...


Apple iCard petition nears 1,000 mark

February 13, 2009

Oh, no, gasps the man as he spots the envelope leant up against the vase holding a single rose.

I forgot last year, and I've forgotten again this year. She never forgets.

Lexton Snol | Read more...


BBC's brainless Mac vs PC test

January 23, 2009

What was the point of the BBC asking a Microsoft employee to test a Mac Plus against a modern-day Windows PC?

This rather silly experiment was undertaken by MSN technology editor Jane Douglas as part of the BBC's celebration of the Macintosh computer's 25th anniversary.

Simon Jary | Read more...


SEC: Did Apple lie about Steve Jobs' health?

January 21, 2009

Reports suggest that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Apple's recent statements regarding CEO Steve Jobs' health, or otherwise.

While companies are free to engage in PR spin as much as they want when talking about the health and well-being of their corporate head, one of the few places that companies are forced to be honest is in their Security and Exchange Commission filings. Specifically, that means the company's 10-K, or annual report.

Cyrus Farivar | Read more...


Steve Jobs is irreplaceable at Apple

January 15, 2009

It's official: Steve Jobs is stepping down - temporarily - from his post at Apple, taking a medical leave of absence to deal with a health problem that has turned out to be "more complex" than the celebrity CEO had originally disclosed prior to the Macworld Expo event earlier this month.

On a personal level, I can't help but have a great deal of sympathy for Jobs and his family at this undoubtedly difficult time. But as a longtime Apple observer, Mac user, and general technology wonk, I can't help wondering what might come of Apple if and, inevitably one day, when Jobs eventually retires permanently from his role as the company's spiritual and temporal leader.

Robert Strohmeyer | Read more...


Expo better off without Apple

January 7, 2009

Here's to future Macworld Expos featuring keynote speakers who don't have to walk eggshells to avoid alienating Apple.

Vendors rarely issue public statements announcing what they won't be doing, but Apple, which loves to set trends, sent out a press release praising Macworld Expo before ditching it. No kidding; Apple is blowing off the world's only trade show devoted to celebrating that computer which is not a PC, along with the businesses whose success is tied to Apple's own, and, incidentally, vice versa. It's a bit like not attending an expensive and love-laden birthday party thrown by your best friend.

Tom Yager | Read more...


Could Phil Schiller actually be more fun than Steve Jobs?

January 6, 2009

Just how used the world is to the idea of a Jobless Macworld keynote and an Apple-less Macworld Expo next year and forever more should become apparent today as Macworld Expo springs to life/death.

Visitors turning up for their show badges are already being bombarded with Macworld Expo 2010 promotion, under the rather optimistic statement "The start of a new era".

Simon Jary | Read more...


top | older >>

Google

Search blogs

Search

Recent reviews

Reviews index


Top news

News index


Blogs available...

New Products
PC Advisor Blog

You can have the latest blog entries delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog feed or click on RSS previously to get more information on RSS.

 New Products
 PC Advisor Blog

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now