[MyAppleMenu] Feb 3, 2001

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

== AppleSurf (Top Stories) ==============

 OS X Discount For Some Public Beta Users (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/01/28/0202discount.html>
An Apple Computer spokesperson confirmed that the company is offering a $30 discount for Public Beta customers who preorder Mac OS X through the Apple Store, clarifying that it applies to those who provided feedback on the preview release.

== AppleSurf (News) ==============

 Laptops Trickling In, Dealers Say (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/01/28/0202pbookship.html>
Apple may be shipping its new PowerBook G4, but don't count on picking one up this weekend at your local Mac dealer, unless you've preordered. Several resellers contacted by MacWEEK said they've received enough units to fill only a small portion of their back orders. Others have only demonstration models, and some have yet to get their first shipment. All reported heavy demand for the laptops.

 Turn Your Mac Into A Recording Studio (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2001/02/imacaudio/>
Ever pictured having your very own recording studio at home, but didn’t have the money or the space to set it up? Well, thanks to Tascam and MOTU, if you’ve got a Macintosh with USB or FireWire connectivity, you can now get a studio up and running for less than $800.

 Apple Rattles Lawyers At DesktopX Over Aqua (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16579.html>
Apple's notorious legal eagles have moved on skinning outfit Stardock, whose DesktopX is deemed to be a little too close to MacOS X's Aqua. According to a Stardock newsgroup announcement made by company president Brad Wardell yesterday, Apple has asked for the removal of "anything that even remotely looks like Aqua.

 OS X Discount For Some Public Beta Users (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/01/28/0202discount.html>
An Apple Computer spokesperson confirmed that the company is offering a $30 discount for Public Beta customers who preorder Mac OS X through the Apple Store, clarifying that it applies to those who provided feedback on the preview release.

 The Readers Speak: A New OS X (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/01/28/0202rsosx.html>
Most MacWEEK readers are enthusiastic about Apple's upcoming release of Mac OS X. But many have suggestions about features they'd like to see, and despite the changes to the Aqua interface, some still see problems in the Dock.

 Beta Testers Get Refund On OS X (MacSlash)
<http://www.macslash.com/article.pl?sid=01/02/02/1641246&mode=thread>

 iMac DV+ 'Temporarily Unavailable' At Apple (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=2980>

 For February's TV Sweeps, "Friends" Pulls Out The Macs To Help (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/02/02.7.shtml>

== AppleSurf (Opinions) ==============

 New Macs: Thoughts And Reflections (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/archive/010202.html>
It was a big decision to make -- I had to choose the make, model, amount of RAM, hard drive size, etc.

 Are Macs Getting Too Cheap? (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/mooresviews/cheap.shtml>
If price reductions can be achieved through a technological advances and economies of scale, that's wonderful, and everyone benefits. However lower prices achieved by compromising quality are a dubious blessing. Let's hope that Macs never become too cheap.

 Reinventing Apple (Applelust.com)
<http://www.applelust.com/HTML/MacinThoughts/html/Archives/ceolaf008_reinventing.shtml>
For the first time, Apple is depending on its own application development as a critical part of its marketing and sales strategy.

== AppleSurf (Reviews) ==============

 TiBook: Day 2 (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/ibook/day2.html>
The TiBook is the right tool for the job, regardless of speed, price, or age. It has the screen size I need (just barely) for the way I work, it's portable, and to top it off, I'll be able to run OS X on it.

 Tranquility (MacSlash)
<http://www.macslash.com/article.pl?sid=01/02/02/2319219&mode=thread>
Every now and then comes a game that doesn’t merely refine the previous paradigm, but breaks through the glass ceiling into truly new territory. Tranquility is just such a game. I have yet to see a more esoteric, challenging, and truly fun game in my gaming career.

 PowerBook G4 Diary, Day Two: Wider Is Better (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2001/02/02/pbdiary.html>
It's amazing how little it takes to make a big difference, doesn't it?

== The Wintel Empire (Top Stories) ==============

 Microsoft Lost Its Antitrust Case By Defending Too Much Too Often (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/04/technology/04SOFT-BOOK.html>
Bill Gates, who started his company by outwitting I.B.M., learned a lesson from I.B.M.'s experience. It was the wrong lesson. ''The minute we start worrying too much about antitrust,'' Gates is reported to have said, ''we become I.B.M.'' In fact, Microsoft lost its edge -- it became, in this sense, I.B.M. -- by worrying too little about antitrust, about the power of the government and about the sort of conduct and intellectual honesty we expect from major corporations.

 MS Uses Office Registrations TO Enforce Licences, Steal Customers (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16619.html>
Microsoft's war on piracy never was a clear-cut struggle between good and evil (considering the dramatis personae, feel free to be unsurprised about this), but now it appears the company is using anti-piracy pitches to steal customers from its own resellers.

 Windows Software By Any Other Name? (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4694290-0.html?tag=cd_mh>
With its next-generation Windows and Office products, Microsoft is expected to adopt a new and untried naming convention, according to sources. The company is expected to announce the change next week.

== The Wintel Empire (News) ==============

 Microsoft Lost Its Antitrust Case By Defending Too Much Too Often (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/04/technology/04SOFT-BOOK.html>
Bill Gates, who started his company by outwitting I.B.M., learned a lesson from I.B.M.'s experience. It was the wrong lesson. ''The minute we start worrying too much about antitrust,'' Gates is reported to have said, ''we become I.B.M.'' In fact, Microsoft lost its edge -- it became, in this sense, I.B.M. -- by worrying too little about antitrust, about the power of the government and about the sort of conduct and intellectual honesty we expect from major corporations.

 Microsoft Ending MSN Rebate (Reuters)
<http://www.washtech.com/news/software/7240-1.html>
Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it would stop giving a $400 rebate to new subscribers of its MSN Internet access business, an offer the software giant said helped rapidly build its user base but that analysts say has hit it in the pocketbook.

 Intel's E-Commerce Experiment Fizzles (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4697351.html?tag=cd_pr>
Apparently, not even Keiko the lovable killer whale was strong enough to keep Intel afloat in the e-commerce hosting seas.

 MS Uses Office Registrations TO Enforce Licences, Steal Customers (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16619.html>
Microsoft's war on piracy never was a clear-cut struggle between good and evil (considering the dramatis personae, feel free to be unsurprised about this), but now it appears the company is using anti-piracy pitches to steal customers from its own resellers.

 Microsoft, Sun Agree On Preserving Java Portability (InformationWeek)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010202S0008>
Despite their legal dispute over Java, there's at least one thing Sun and Microsoft agree on: the need to help Java developers preserve some interoperability across platforms.

 Windows Software By Any Other Name? (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4694290-0.html?tag=cd_mh>
With its next-generation Windows and Office products, Microsoft is expected to adopt a new and untried naming convention, according to sources. The company is expected to announce the change next week.

== Breaking Barriers (News) ==============

 Microsoft Ending MSN Rebate (Reuters)
<http://www.washtech.com/news/software/7240-1.html>
Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it would stop giving a $400 rebate to new subscribers of its MSN Internet access business, an offer the software giant said helped rapidly build its user base but that analysts say has hit it in the pocketbook.

 Intel's E-Commerce Experiment Fizzles (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4697351.html?tag=cd_pr>
Apparently, not even Keiko the lovable killer whale was strong enough to keep Intel afloat in the e-commerce hosting seas.