The latest iBooks have several new features that used to be available only in the PowerBook line. The Scrolling Trackpad and the Sudden Motion Sensor that were added to PowerBooks earlier this year are now standard equipment on iBooks, along with built-in Airport (Wi-Fi) and Bluetooth wireless. So why buy a PowerBook?
The new and improved 14" iBook G4 costs $200 less than the entry-level 12" PowerBook, but it has a bigger screen and a better optical drive (SuperDrive vs Combo). For consumers who are used to evaluating computers based on easily measured metrics like processor speed and screen size, this is a bit confusing.
Why buy the 12" PowerBook when the 14" iBook G4 appears to be a better deal? The answer is in the little things: video memory, bus speed, faster hard drive and more A/V input/output options.
Get the details here: iBook vs. PowerBook
Posted by Sandy
The new .Mac Sync feature in OS X "Tiger" makes it easy to keep two or more computers in sync with each other. Mail messages, Address Book entries, Safari bookmarks and other important settings are synchronized with .Mac servers, so your home and work computers (for example) can share the same up-to-date information at all times.
During my recent IT support contract, I relied on this feature to keep my office and home in sync. I also made frequent use of the iDisk feature of .Mac to share files between locations.
.Mac Sync in Tiger is better than iSync in at least two ways:
1. It has more options to sync data from Apple-built applications.
2. Sync services can be used by other Mac software developers.
The second point is a big deal. I already use .Mac Sync to synchronize RSS subscriptions in NetNewsWire and FTP favorites in Transmit. It's a powerful tool that's going to become more useful as more developers adopt it.
The catch, of course, is that .Mac Sync requires a .Mac subscription, which costs US$99 per year (US$179 per year for the Family Pack).
I think it's safe to assume that Apple's goals for .Mac include user loyalty (or "lock-in") as well as long-term annual revenue. To make this work, the service should continue to improve and offer value for the annual subscription fee.
How can .Mac be improved? I think backups are the key.
...continue reading.
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