Archives: August 2004
Tue Aug 31, 2004
Minimalism in Apple's new iMac
A flat-panel display with built in processor and drives on top of a sleek pedestal. With the Apple continues with their minimalist approach to design that has made them the engineering envy of many other hardware companies.
Two sizes or the iMac are currently available starting at $1,299. A 17-inch and a 20-inch version are ready for your taking, in mid September. This new design looks like a 2-inch thick monitor with everything you need hidden inside...
More...
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MPG Welcomes Nathan Bolek
Hi!! I am Nathan Bolek; you can call me Nate, Nathan or Alpha9; all is good. I am a 15 year old mac user and n00b to this part of the internet, so be gentle.
Click "Full Story" for my full introduction More...
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New products announced at Apple Expo Paris (Updated)
New products were announced by several companies during the Apple Expo Paris. We have provided descriptions and links for each of these products... More...
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Mon Aug 30, 2004
Live Apple Expo Keynote Coverage
The Expo was pretty uneventful. The iMac was a big announcement but not what we all expected. We missed Steve but Phil did a good job none the less. Other than the uneventul Tiger demo, it was a great keynote and went smoothly except for the "We Want Steve!" yelled out during the iChat AV demo. Click "Full Story" for the completed article.
Keynote begins Tuesday morning 4AM EDT
Our Forum Thread is available Here
More...
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Sun Aug 29, 2004
Apple Expo Starts August 31st
August 17th: Apple Expo is a once-a-year expo in France with Conference tracks and a huge lineup of exhibitors. Apple will be doing a keynote, as they have, but in Steve Jobs' Absence Phill Schiller (VP of Worldwide Marketing) will be in his place. The Expo takes place from August 31st to September 4th. Find out more at
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Thu Aug 26, 2004
MPG Owner Celebrates Birthday (UPDATED)
August 24th: Although two days away, we will go ahead and announce his birthday and wish him a happy one. We won't disclose his age, although for those who know, you are welcome to post it in comments. He will be celebrating this weekend but will not have a party. You are welcome to send emails via or post wishes in our comments area of this entry. We wish him a safe birthday and let's look forward to this same post on August 26th of next year.
For Updated Text click "Full Story" More...
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Fourth Generation iPod Cases Review Ideas
August 26th: So far we have...
Speck Products
Radtech
Marware
iSkin
As more 4th gen cases come out will try to line them up for a review appearing on our site between September 20th and October 15th. We want to review every case possible. If there are any companies that have released 4th generation cases that we are unaware of, please send us an email at or comment in here.
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Apple store botches Motion presentation
Over the last several weeks Mac enthusiast George Hazelwood received two direct mail cards and countless emails about a presentation on Motion at the Apple Aspen Grove store in Littleton, Colorado. I went along with George along with a possible switcher to the presentation. I have been very interested in Motion and was thinking about upgrading my poor-mans Mac to a G5. Potential buyers were hanging onto this presentation.... More...
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Tue Aug 24, 2004
Where are the 30" Displays and more?
According to the Apple Store online the 30" cinema display should be ready to ship on or before September 17th. They came out at the end of June. The new dual 2.5 gigahertz G5's came out at the same time and they are expected in October. Though I have seen a few. I mean come on Apple cant you guys actually make your deadline.
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Spymac: In The News
August 24th: Spymac, home of free and paid services for Windows and Mac users and home to the largest community on the internet has issued a press release this week with big news. One, the company will be sharing a booth with Apacabar, France's largest Apple distributor and selling their Spymac gear. Spymac will be running demos of their internet services, including Wheel. They will be at booth A83. Paris Expo is August 31st - September 4th. The second bit of news is Spymac's Wheel software will be released with a French localized version so more users can enjoy its power and ease of use. We at MPG hope this is the beginning of localized versions in other languages from all over the world including Klingon and Pig Latin. Hey we can dream, right? For more info visit http://spymac.com
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Thu Aug 19, 2004
Legal file sharing?
According to California's 9th Circuit Court legal file sharing will continue. The court rule in favor of The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) who argued on behalf of Streamcast, the creator of the Morpheus software, that software developers were not liable for any copyright infringement committed by people using their products. The decision is available in PDF from the California's 9th Circuit Court website.
Click "Full Story" for more info. More...
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Wed Aug 18, 2004
Petition against Apple backfires
RealNetworks created a petition as part of its war against Apple. Real cracked Apple's FairPlay code in July. Now songs bought from the RealPlayer Music Store can be played on the iPod. Apple responded stating that it is investigating the implications of Reals software strategy under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and other laws.
Reals next move was to drop the price of their songs down to 49-cents for a limited time, far below the price of Apple and claiming this to be the biggest online music sale in history. Of course this is incorrect. Music Rebellion offered their music for several days at the launch of their online site for the price of 5-cents per song.
The final step from Real, which has proven to be another mistake on their part, a petition for music fans to sign and post comments about Reals open stance. The majority of responses on Reals "Freedom of Music Choice" site came from pro Apple users signed with obscenities and anti-Real postings.
Real has now removed the option of adding comments to signatures. They even went as far as hiding all previous comments. The petition has reached over 1000 signatures.
Of course, in retaliation, Apple fans have created their own petition against Reals petition. Here the comments are viewable for all to see. This petition has already received over 2500 signatures.
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Tue Aug 17, 2004
More Email Space For Comcast Users.
This may be old news though its news to me! According to Comcast that each email account that a user has been upgraded to 250 MBs. A user can have up to seven accounts making a grand total of 1.75 GBs of webspace. This is only available to its users that are paying for High Speed Internet access. Though the maximum size of an email is still only 10 MBs.
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Mon Aug 16, 2004
More Free iPods! ( New Link )
FreeiPods.com is actually giving away free iPods click below to get yours !
August 3rd: Well, we have a new link to our free iPods.com page. The old one was not working for some and tuned up some errors. Please make a note of the new link by clicking here. Our old link may still work by clicking here.
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Marware first with 4g iPod Cases
August 16th: Marware has introduced the first set of fourth generation iPod cases. They have always had the best cases for your iPod from the 1st generation iPods up to the new click wheel versions. The redesigned Sportsuit Convertible looks great and we wil review it soon in our Super iPod Case Review Pt. 3 with the next line of 4g iPod cases from other companies. Stay tuned and check out the new cases from Marware, today.
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Sat Aug 14, 2004
Still Alive !!!!!
Well its official me and Adam are both alive and the hurricane officialy sucked, i mean it was windy for about 4 hours here in St. Augustine , it totaly missed us , there is like leaves and dirt on the ground, thats about it. It didnt even bring in any water or anything. Its kind of funny cause everyone in town bought like 3 weeks worths of groceries and flashlites and like baricaded their houses for nothing. Well I just wanted to let you guys know that me and Adam both survived and im pretty sure Adam will be posting something soon.
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Fri Aug 13, 2004
Apple Board of Directors Looking for New CEO?
August 13th: My reliable source on the Kerry Campaign and that has close-knit ties with Apple Execs and some of its special groups has gotten insider info that in Steve's abscense, they are throwing around candidates to replace Mr. Jobs. We all know Steve leaves and Apple's stock goes down and the company may go down with it. We say that two weeks ago when news of Steve's cancer surgery hit the wire and Apple's stock opened much less than expected. On top of that, if Apple's new CEO fails to keep the company on is current track, if they do ask steve back, hey may decide not to come back and the dark ages will succumb Apple again.
Click "Full Story". More...
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Blog: Hurricane Charlie (UPDATED)
August: 13th-15th: We are going to cover the hurricane heading north through florida for the entire weekend. It will be updated at least twice a day. Click the "Full Story" Link for our blog entries in order... More...
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Last Day of My Life? (updated)
Well, this very well may be the last you will hear from me, Charlie (the hurricane) is passing directly along side of our little town of St. Augustine. By our I mean me and Adams home town. its pouring down, theres not much wind right now but the night is young. We went to Arbys to get our last meal. I mean your last meal should be something great. I got a chicken wrap, curly fries and a coke, the All-American meal. Yumm! :)
On another subject, i find it sad that people need something as extreme as a hurricane to come together, I mean it was really amazing how everyone at the gym totaly woke up and started working togeter, me and Adam were the same fun loving goofballs we always are, cause we are already down to earth people and dont need an extreme situation to bring out the inner potential of every human being. Well me and Adan went our seperate ways to tend to our families, so if we die, please remember us fondly peace out , and have a fun hurricane even if you are dying , have fun doing it, you know , go out with a bang!
Click "Full Story" for the Update More...
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Thu Aug 12, 2004
Competing with iTunes
A European brick and mortar music store has set its aim on Apple's iTunes. Free Record Shop Holding NV, a Dutch record company has launched a Web site offering 250,000 tracks from five major record labels. The site is already being called successful with over 500,000 hits in the first 24 hours. The company boasts that their success will be based on the fact that they can offer both physical copies and digital copies of the music.
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Wed Aug 11, 2004
OmniWeb 5 Hits the Block
August 11th: Omniweb 5(announced at Macworld San Francisco in January) has finally gone to a full version. It has had many changes since its introduction eight months ago on the 6th. You can find out more from our partner, Macupdate.com or go straight to The Omni Group. If you can't wait click the "Full Story" link to get a full feature list and a link to download the free demo. You can purchase Omni Web 5 for $29.95. More...
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Apple News Digest
August 10th: Apple had so much news today we have to do a digest.
iSync 1.5
...adds support for more devices such as the latest Sony Ericsson and Motorola phones. For more information about supported devices and connectivity requirements, visit
Before you install iSync 1.5, you must install iCal 1.5.2 or later. To download the latest version of iCal, visit or use Software Update (in System Preferences) to install the latest version.
If you are using Mac OS X version 10.3 and plan to synchronize a Bluetooth mobile phone, you need to have Bluetooth version 1.5 or later installed. To download the latest version, use Software Update (in System Preferences). If you have an earlier version of Mac OS X, visit to download the appropriate Bluetooth version.
Java 1.4.2 Update 1
...provides support for JDK 1.4.2_05, improved behavior for applets in Safari, and increased stability for desktop Java applications.
The system will be updated to Java 1.4.2 Update 1. If the system currently has Java 1.4.1, it will be removed.
For more details on this update, please visit:
Pro Application Support 2.1
...update provides improvements for Apple's professional applications, and is strongly recommended for all users of Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, Compressor, LiveType, Soundtrack, and DVD Studio Pro. This update improves general user interface appearance and reliability and is required to receive future updates for these applications.
After installing, please run Software Update again as additional updates may be enabled.
Shake Qmaster Service Tools 1.2.1
...increases stability when using Shake Qmaster for extended periods of time on dual-processor Power Mac or Xserve systems.
Upgrading to Shake Qmaster 1.2.1 is highly recommended for all users of Shake Qmaster 1.2 or earlier.
Note: Customers using Compressor on the same system as Shake Qmaster 1.2.1 should upgrade to Compressor 1.2.1 using Software Update.
Production Suite
...Combining Apples industry-leading Final Cut Pro HD, DVD Studio Pro 3 and Motion, Production Suite offers the most comprehensive collection of professional graphics, video, audio and DVD authoring applications to deliver real-time interactivity on a desktop or notebook computer. With common user interface elements shared across all the applications, Production Suite provides a seamless, intuitive and integrated workflow for film and video production. [url=http://apple.com/productionsuite
Motion 1.0 Shipping
...motion graphic design and production application lets you explore new creative territory using self-propelled behavior animation, character-by-character title animation and a powerful new interface. Motion integrates seamlessly with Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro 3, making it quicker and easier than ever to create motion graphics for film, video and DVDs.
iTune's Catalog Tops 1 Millino Songs
...the iTunes® Music Store now has over one million songs available for download in the US, becoming the first and only online digital music service to offer consumers a million song catalog. The iTunes Music Store features music from all five major record labels and over 600 leading independent labels from around the world. With more than 100 million songs downloaded and more than 70 percent market share of legal downloads for singles and albums, the iTunes Music Store is the worlds number one online music service.
Compressor for DVD Studio Pro 1.2.1
If you are upgrading from Compressor 1.2, the Compressor 1.2.1 update includes the following features:
Improved application stability
Improved Preview window performance
Apple DVD Studio Pro 3.0.1
...update is strongly recommended for all users of DVD Studio Pro 3. In addition to improving general stability, this update improves compiling when using long MPEG-1 video clips, as well as compiling tracks with a transition on a still image at the end of the track. Additionally, burned DVDs will mount successfully on Mac OS 9, no longer requiring Command-Option-I.
http://macupdate.com/download.php/8650/download [/i]
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.5
...Includes many of the same enhancements as the client version of 10.3.5
http://macupdate.com/dev.php?id=7609 [/i]
Apple CHUD Tools 4.0b6
...many new enhancements. Visit the link below for the full information.
http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/8506[/i]
I think that covers it.
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Tue Aug 10, 2004
My Newton2000 Adventures
I recently found a Newton 2000 in the back of my house. As most u know this is the second last Newton before they discontinued them. It's really a piece of history our boss and my friend adam offered me a whole 20 $, for it but its really worth around 300$ . I do pretty much all my work on it but its incredibuly hard to find new attachments for it . Adam and I spent over an hour looking for the cord to allow you to go online , nowhere to be found. If any of you guys know a good Newton supplier please let me know.
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Mon Aug 09, 2004
Use a Sega Dreamcast on Broadband (With a bit of help from a Mac!)
I bought a used Sega Dreamcast at my local EBGames recently. One awesome thing about the Dreamcast, it was the first console system with online capabilities. However, if you have DSL (like I do) and you don't have a Dreamcast Broadband Adaptor (and trust me, you will never find one), you're a bit out of luck... or are you? [UPDATE INSIDE] More...
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Mac OS X: 10.3.5 Update Released{update}
August 9th: Apple has released 10.3.5 into the wild today. This is rumored to be a large and important update. At 43 megabytes it should fix many issues users are having.
Key enhancements include:
improved support for NTFS formatted volumes
improves reliability for user logins and mounting of home directories in a networked environment
updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
improved Bluetooth compatibility for Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and Bluetooth phones
additional FireWire and USB device compatibility
improved font management
updated Mail and Image Capture applications
improved compatibility for third party applications
previous standalone security updates
For more info visit, You can download this update from Apple's website or the software update panel.
Cosmonaut from Spymac stated, "It was only a 22.9 MB download for me. " although in the SW update app, it states differently. We will keep you updated.
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Fri Aug 06, 2004
Less Job Growth
The job growth for July was less than expected. According to the department of labor that only 32,000 jobs were added. Economists were expecting that there would be over 200,000 jobs. Many democratics blame this due to the outsourcing of jobs, due to the Bush's administration high tax cuts. As well as outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries.
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An Alternative to Ichat AV
I know what your thinking: "Neal, Ichat AV is by far the cream of the crop when it comes to video conferencing!" I may agree with that statement but I've also come to the conclusion that Ichat AV doesn't work for everyone. Most of the mac community know about the Ivisit's of the world, but not too many have heard of Sight Speed Video Messenger. For those that have you already are aware that where Sightspeed lacks the overall community feel, it shows promise with the fact that it has a support staff willing and able to assist you with any questions you may have. I know that won't come as a shock to those that read this but Apple still lacks in the online tech support market. For those of you that get the ever famous "Did Not Respond" in a Audio or Video chat with another person whom you know responded SightSpeed may be the answer to your problems. More...
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Tue Aug 03, 2004
MPG added to MacRoundup.com
August 3rd: MPG has been added to the site directory of Mac Roundup. This website uses RSS technology to summarize news stories in the mac web. What a great use of RSS!
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Mon Aug 02, 2004
New iSight (Two Weeks) [UPDATED]
August 2nd: We don't post rumors but when a guy at Apple tells you there is one coming and has never been wrong in the past, you just can't help but post it. He does not have any details yet but here is some quotes from our conversation.
"Apple very soon with have an updated iSight"
"It has not really been publicly or internally any other info but more or less there WILL BE a revised iSight in the next few week"
"I know.. I have been working hard as I can trying to find out.. Because in the retail portion they are constrained and nothing really going on.. I have a feeling it will have support for the H.264"
We hope there will be additions like an auto closing lens after a few minutes of inactivity, a smaller form factor but using the same CCD and hopefully an SightLight type of addition like the one from Griffin Technology to light up your area. And of course we always hope for an updated firmware for current iSight users so they can get th bug fixes and ehances the new iSights have. Our contact has said, "I will keep you posted".
Spidermac from Spymac.com has posted something he found on Apple's new pages for their new line of displays stating the following...
"Magnetic Personality:
To attach your iSight to the new displays, Apple now offers a magnetic mounting solution. This stand is available in new iSight boxes this summer, and included in the iSight Accessory Kit.
its just an updated package. they're going to throw in new mounts, maybe drop the price, but i doubt anything else will change. and that was the same old iSight that steve was using to demo the h.264 stuff. the support for h.264 is already in the firmware. don't believe me? get yourself a copy of tiger and try it out..."
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The 2nd Of the iPod Lexuses : Shouldnt Your iPod Ride in a Lexus ?
Piel Frama the great people that have been bringing you high quality leather gear for years have recently sent me something new for the iPod user . The 30G Ipod case is truly the Lexus of iPod cases . It is 100% fine crocodile or ostrich leather , it is the top of the line. Click "full sotry" to well, see the full story. ;) More...
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Relive part of 1984
August 2nd: You can now relive part of 1984 with a Puzzle Desktop Accessory clone i made for Mac OS 8, 9 and X. Puzzle 1.0 clones the original Puzzle found in the earlier Macintosh systems dating back from the 80s by Andy Hertzfield. Goto My Website for more information. Thanks and enjoy reliving that small part of 1984!
Not an endorsement just part of our community ad program
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Sun Aug 01, 2004
Apple's CEO undergoing surgery today! [UPDATED]
August 1st: A credible source or ours told us that Steve Jobs is/ has undergone pancreatic cancer surgery today. We wish him best of luck and hope him a quick and healthy recovery.
From the Email:
"Team,
I have some personal news that I need to share with you, and I wanted you to hear it directly from me.
This weekend I underwent a successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from my pancreas. I had a very rare form of pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which represents about 1 percent of the total cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed each year, and can be cured by surgical removal if diagnosed in time (mine was). I will not require any chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
The far more common form of pancreatic cancer is called adenocarcinoma, which is currently not curable and usually carries a life expectancy of around one year after diagnosis. I mention this because when one hears "pancreatic cancer" (or Googles it), one immediately encounters this far more common and deadly form, which, thank god, is not what I had.
I will be recuperating during the month of August, and expect to return to work in September. While I'm out, I've asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day to day operations, so we shouldn't miss a beat. I'm sure I'll be calling some of you way too much in August, and I look forward to seeing you in September.
Steve
PS: I'm sending this from my hospital bed using my 17-inch PowerBook and an Airport Express."
Also, we are not a rumor site and don't post rumors of this nature. This is an exclusive.
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