wednesday 17 may 2006

Dear All -

It's been a little while since my last note to you all, partly because there have been no major announcements from Apple 
(until yesterday), and partly because I've been busy. I'm pleased to report that this mailing now goes out to over 250 people,
and I'm also pleased to welcome a number of new clients since the previous mailing.

As always, this mailing goes out to a wide readership - some parts will be of interest to you, some will be irrelevant. 
Skips the meaningless-to-you bits, and call me or email me with ANY questions.


Now to the news:

1. New laptop - the MacBook

Yesterday Apple announced the next machine in the move to Intel chips. (The iMac, the mini Mac, and the professional laptop 
series (15" MacBook Pro) have already moved to Intel). Yesterday Apple announced the MacBook - the "consumer" level laptop. 
One screen size so far - 13.3 inch of 1280x800 resolution. Base model is 1.83 GHz Intel processor, 512 MBytes RAM, 60 GByte 
hard drive, "Combo" optical drive (reads and writes CDs, reads DVDs), available in white for £750. Other models (with faster 
processors, bigger hard drives, and "Super" optical drives (that also write/burn DVDs)) and one machine available in black 
cost £900 and £1030.

These machines also have the new magnetic catch for the power adapter (very neat - pulls apart rather than pulling the machine 
off the desk when you catch the wire with your foot!), internal video camera, remote control for watching films, listening to 
music etc).


2. Large screen MacBook Pro (17")

Late in april Apple announced the 17" MacBook Pro laptop computer (and I quote): "featuring the Intel Core Duo 
processor and an all new system architecture that delivers up to five times the performance of the PowerBook G4, 
the company says. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features an aluminum enclosure just one inch thin, weighs 6.8 pounds, 
includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, and the Front Row media system with Apple 
Remote. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro also features a MagSafe Power Adapter. The new MacBook pro is priced at £1900 - 
and comes with everything!


New "tower" machines are currently rumoured for release in the autumn, to complete the lineup.


3. Viruses and other malware

This subject has come up again in the two months since my last posting.

There continue to be: a) no viruses that can attack the Macintosh computer; b) continued attempts that fail; 
c) continued attempts from the sellers of anti-virus software to spread fear about the possibility of virus attacks.

the Mac Doctor says: "We have a very secure operating system on our machines that has defied ALL virus attacks 
for the last five years. One day a virus may get through. In the meantime Windows users suffer several attacks 
every day with existing and new viruses out there. I don't run anti-virus software on my machines. Anti-virus 
software for the Macintosh has a record at present of causing problems on the machines they run on."

Apple continue to make small releases with patches for operating system points of possible weakness as they become 
aware of them.


4. Updates

There have been a number of software updates for machines since my last posting including firmware, security 
updates, iLife product updates, QuickTime, and an OS X Tiger update (10.4.6).

For those of you on broadband and System OS X 10.4 or 10.3, go to the blue Apple menu (top left hand corner); 
select the menu item "Software Update" and find out what Apple thinks your machine needs. Then call me with 
any questions if you are unsure about what to download. (System 10.2 users need to go to the System Preferences 
and select Software Update there).

For those of you on dial-up, connect to the internet first. Some of these updates (especially the operating 
system) are VERY large, and will take a long time to download.

Or call me and I'll come and install the updates for you.

System 9 users - no changes for you!


5. Web browsers

I use four of them, Safari 90% of the time, Firefox 9% of the time and Opera 1% of the time. I have a copy of 
Internet Explorer which is occasionally the only thing that a poorly implemented website can understand. I try 
not to go to that site again. As announced in an earlier mailing, Microsoft have thrown in the towel with 
respect to Internet Explorer on the Macintosh - admitting that there are better web browsers available. However, 
Internet Explorer still works and you can still use it.


6. My own website work and address.

I have registered the internet domain "themacdoc.co.uk", and use that for my Mac Doctor work. Please adjust 
your email address for me to: hugh@themacdoc.co.uk. The old "orison.org" address will continue to reach me 
but I want to use it for something else. This is because I have created a website for my Mac Doctor work at 
www.themacdoc.co.uk. (Newsletters like this one will be posted on the website after a month or so.)

I have started creating simple websites for myself and clients. "Simple" is the key word! - there are "real" 
website designers out there for more complicated, more professional looking, more advanced work - use them 
not me for that work! Simple is what I have done here:






7. Items for sale, or just looking for a new home.

As many of you know I sometimes take machines away from you (not because you are mis-treating them!) but 
usually because you are upgrading to a more modern machine. Also I buy stock in and sometimes it doesn't 
get used - a client changes his/her mind, or I get something that doesn't work in a particular circumstance.
And sometimes you ask for things I can't easily find. On my website at  
are a number of items for sale or donation. Some are brand new, some are second hand, some are free at my 
garage door!


8. For my North American clients

Apple's latest flagship store opens on Fifth Avenue on friday - that'll be local shopping for at least one of you!


Lastly, in the long running legal saga between Apple Computer Inc., and Apple Corps (owned by the surviving 
Beatles, and their estates), Apple Corps failed to convince the judge in the UK that Apple Computer were 
breaking the terms of the 1991 agreement (in which, in essence, Apple Corps agreed not to make computers, 
and Apple Computer agreed not to make music) in putting the Apple symbol on the iTunes Music Store. The 
judge agreed with Apple Computer that the Music Store is a retail device to sell music, and that no-one 
would think that Apple Computer were actually making music.

The ruling means iPods and iTunes will still be able to carry the Apple name and logo. Apple Corps have 
said that they will appeal.

Full BBC report at: 



OK! that's it for today.

Any questions? Let me know! Anything you'd like me to write a note on? Let me know!

Best wishes to you all, and thanks for being Mac users

hugh