Sandy McMurray is a long-time technology journalist whose work has appeared in Time, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Sun, Report on Business, Profit, and other sources. Between 1995 - 2002, Sandy wrote a weekly column about technology for the Toronto Sun, and served as Technology Editor for five Sun Media newspapers. He has been publishing on the Web since 1996. Contact:readme@mac.com
The invitation to next week's Apple event (pictured here) has given just enough clues to build a big buzz about whatever the company plans to announce.
The story that's taken hold is that Apple and Motorola will introduce the long-rumored iTunes phone next week. Some also expect to see a new iPod with 4 GB of flash memory storage. (This could be a replacement for the current iPod mini or an addition to the iPod shuffle line. Or the iTunes phone could have 4 GB of storage space. Or..?)
Could a new telephone handset really have the same market disrupting potential as the original iPod? We'll see.
Another Apple event, another rumor storm. Here we go again.
Rumor: Apple's plan to move to Intel chips may be in trouble.
Anatomy of a rumor:
1. Apple announces move to Intel microprocessors.
2. Timeline announced for transition to Intel: "by end of 2007."
3. Apple SEC filing shows purchase agreement with Freescale.
4. Agreement permits Apple to order non-Intel processors until December 31, 2008.
5. Conclusion-related leaping begins.
Less-than-exciting reality behind the rumor:
1. Macs on sale today use non-Intel microprocessors.
2. Three year warranty is available on new Macs.
3. Replacement parts may be needed three years from now.
According to the New York Post, Microsoft is "on the prowl" for retail space in Times Square.
"The move would be the software giant's first big stab at retail and may be an attempt to play catch-up with archrival Apple, which has hit a home run with its own branded stores, including its New York City flagship in SoHo. Microsoft is looking for a large space to create a 'branding experience' a la Apple's showroom and information center."
If the retail rumor is true, I bet it's for an Xbox store. "Microsoft retail store" is a straight line, not a strategy. For example:
Top 10 things overheard at the Microsoft retail store:
• "Please check all torches and pitchforks at the door."
• "You can browse, but you must use Internet Explorer."
• "It does work. You just need the patch."
• "We don't support that. Try the [partner name] store."
• "Very funny. No, we don't sell copies of Monopoly."
• "Please see the officer at the Authentication Bar."
• "The next version of the Microsoft Store should have that."
• "I'll give you an Xbox if you stop crying."
• "What other choice do you have?"
• "Beep. You seem to be shopping for an iPod. Can I help?"
I'm discouraged by the fact that Matt Henderson's backup strategy is linked all over the place on Mac sites this week. I'm not knocking Matt's plan - it's fine, except that it requires a pretty high level of technical setup skill.
My informal lazyweb wish for Backups for the rest of us was one part Tiger feature suggestion, one part shout-out to anyone who has a cheap and simple backup strategy for Mac OS X. (Anyone?)
I doubt that many people will use Matt's solution without Matt's help. It's not that it's a bad solution. It's just too complicated. You would have to be very frustrated or really motivated (i.e. recently suffered a hard drive crash) to work though the steps he's taken.
There has to be a better way. We need something easier and more idiot-proof.
I spent some time playing with the Pandora music service this week, and was very impressed. It's one of the most fun and useful Web services I've seen.
Pandora starts with the name of a song or artist you provide and builds a personal radio "station" using similar music. On the surface, it's dead simple, but the system is built on years of music analysis and research (the Music Genome Project).
I think Pandora's imminent launch has enormous implications for Apple and for anyone else who wants to sell digital music. The player already has "Buy This" links to both Amazon and the iTunes store, but those appear to be informal, maybe affiliate links.
Check it out. The Pandora preview is invitation-only, but you can request an invite and they respond pretty quickly.
Tim O'Reillyresponds to accusations that O'Reilly sites are funded by search engine spammers, and reviews some of the challenges currently facing ad-supported Web sites:
I do recognize that Google's preferred form of advertising -- context-relevant ads via Adwords -- is a real advance in making ads useful and targeted. However, at least so far, our experience has been that Adwords revenue will not even remotely make up for the other forms of advertising we carry on our sites. So our alternatives are to: a) convert the sites from advertising to subscription, b) continue to support them via advertising, or c) shut them down.
Simply put, we pay O'Reilly Network contributors for content, and we pay our staff to develop and maintain the sites. The money to pay those people comes from advertisers. Readers get the content for free, and advertisers pay for the chance to get those readers' attention. It's expensive to create a quality website with original technology content--many O'Reilly Network competitors have gone by the wayside in the past few years. I can assure you that we're not merely "a publishing empire trying to bring in a few more bucks," as one person commenting on Phil's blog claimed. Offering ad-supported content is not a hugely profitable business, and we're just as much "someone literally trying to pay a bill" as the small guys who Phil's commenter gave a free pass to on this issue.
While catching up on Scoble the other day, I followed a link to Rory Blyth. Rory suggests that the Virtual Folders feature in Windows Vista needs a new name.
Unfortunately for the Vista team, the problem goes deeper than the name. The Virtual Folders feature could easily cause people to accidentally erase or overlook important files.
And -- bad news for smug Mac users -- the Smart Folders feature in Mac OS X is only slightly less confusing and just as dangerous.
This week's big news is Google Talk, Google's entry into the instant message and voice over IP markets.
Download Squad reports that Google Talk works with Jabber-compatible chat software. Although there is no Mac client yet, TUAW confirms that it works with iChat.
Yesterday's lengthy Engadget 1985 entry combines nostalgia, tongue-in-cheek humor and clever self-parody. It also reminds us how much tech has changed in twenty plus years.
The Apple item in the list notes the discontinuation of the Macintosh XL (formerly "Lisa") and says the Apple II line is "the only real hope for the future of this company." (That's about as accurate as any prediction anyone has made about Apple in the past two decades.)
If the cell phone items in Engadget 1985 don't make you laugh out loud, check out the "portable" Panasonic system with its built-in turntable. Yikes.
Now, where can I get a Commodore 64 and a working copy of M.U.L.E.?
According to this Reuters article, some in the music industry would like to see Apple knocked down a peg or two. The market dominance of iPod + iTunes permits Apple to call some of the shots, and that's making some music execs uncomfortable.
The first generation of all-in-one iMac G5 computers had some video and power issues. Apple has announced a repair program for customers who bought affected units.
Spotlight: How to re-index files and folders
1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. Click Spotlight.
3. Click the Privacy tab.
4. Drag a file, a folder, even a hard drive to the list.
5. Remove the item or volume you just added.
Done! Spotlight will re-index the item you added and removed.
"More than 1,000 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting their hands on one of the 4-year-old Apple iBooks, which retail for between $999 and $1,299. The Henrico County school system was selling 1,000 of the computers to county residents.
"Officials opened the gates at 7 a.m., but some already had been waiting for hours in line. When the gates opened, it became a terrifying mob scene.
"People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A little girl's stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to drive his way through the crowd."
The invitation to next week's Apple event (pictured here) has given just enough clues to build a big buzz about whatever the company plans to announce.
I'm discouraged by the fact that 
Tim O'Reilly 
While catching up on 
This week's big news is 
The first generation of all-in-one 
How much would you expect to pay for a 
