[MyAppleMenu] Sep 9, 2004

Thu Sep 9 13:15:00 EDT 2004

MyAppleMenu Newsletter
Thursday, September 9, 2004

MyAppleMenu
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/index.html>
Mac News for Mac Users

[News]

*** Apple Faces Supply Constraints
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=9596>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK
Apple's new iMac may not ship in volume until early October.

*** A Woz Q&A
<http://www.g4techtv.com/screensavers/features/47943/A_Woz_QA.html>
by David Prager, G4techTV
"I don't have a new iMac and don't consider it especially attractive."

*** SAD 54 Working Out Kinks In New School Lunch System
<http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/964908.shtml>
by Alan Crowell, Morning Sentinel
The debut of a new "PowerLunch" system, in which students use debit cards to pay for their food, did not impress.

*** Where's The Video iPod?
<http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/entertainment/apple-ipod-media-player-36454.html>
by Blane Warrene, MacNewsWorld
Gartner's Michael McGuire thinks the "portable media center" already exists. He calls it a notebook.

*** MSN Music 'IPod' Help Page Updated Again
<http://daringfireball.net/2004/09/msn_music_ipod_update>
by John Gruber, Daring Fireball
The MSN Music help page regarding iPod support has been rewritten yet again, this time, sans propaganda.

*** Steve Jobs Back At Apple
<http://news.com.com/Steve+Jobs+back+at+Apple/2100-1003_3-5356853.html?part=rss&tag=5356853&subj=news.1003.10>
by Dawn Kawamoto, CNET News.com
Steve Jobs, who underwent successful surgery to remove cancer from his pancreas, is attending some company meetings and plans to return to full-time work later this month, Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton said.

[Opinion]

*** Is It Time For Apple To Share The FairPlay Love?
<http://arstechnica.com/etc/mac/index.html>
by Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
Apple needs to make some smart strategic decisions about to whom they should license FairPlay and thus ensure their continued dominance in online music.

*** How Not To Do Public Relations
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/5557>
by Brian D Foy, O'Reilly Network
For a couple minutes I ponder if I should hate this company, and that's not what a real public relations person wants anyone to think after a meeting.

*** An Apple A Day Keeps Napster Away
<http://www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/08/413e68c135c82>
by Cornell Daily Sun
The major problem is that Napster is currently incompatible with Macs. Perhaps even more troubling is that the most popular portable MP3 player, Apple's iPod, also does not work with Napster.

[Review]

*** Apple iBook G4 12in
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10665579%5E15308%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html>
by Chris Jenkins, The Australian
The iBook is not designed to match the more expensive PowerBook range for processing grunt, but it is adequate for normal home use.

*** iPod Battery Swap Surprising Easy
<http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/08/ipod_battery_swap_su.html>
by Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing
If you're as fumbled fingered as I am and have been afraid to open your iPod, I hope this gives you the courage to take action.

*** Future Mobile Sounds -- Beemer With An iPod
<http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/08/xeni_on_npr_future_m.html>
by Xeni Jardin, Boing Boing
Super-fly car, and a fun first edition of a system that needs a few finishing touches to live up to feature demands of discriminating geeks.

[Wintel]

*** Longhorn To Put Squeeze On Gadgets
<http://news.com.com/Longhorn+to+put+squeeze+on+gadgets/2100-1016_3-5356485.html?part=rss&tag=5356485&subj=news.1016.20>
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
In the next version of Windows, Microsoft will give big companies an easy way to block use of devices such as iPods and other portable storage devices.

*** Microsoft Challenges Apple's iTunes Store, But It Isn't There Yet
<http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20040902.html>
by Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal
MSN Musi is not match for iTunes -- yet.

*** Fingerprint Recognition A First In Biometric Field For Microsoft
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002029422_microsoft09.html>
by Kim Peterson, Seattle Times
Microsoft is announcing today its first hardware products to use fingerprint recognition, a technology that has made inroads in the office environment but is rarely existent for home users.

*** The Tablet PC Takes Its Place In The Classroom
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/technology/circuits/09jott.html?ex=1252382400&#38;en=2839605c6c4e7997&#38;ei=5088&#38;partner=rssnyt>
by Thomas J. Fitzgerald, New York Times
While tablet PCs have not proved to be the revolutionary change agents that they were billed as in November 2002, they are starting to carve a niche for themselves in certain corners of the digital world.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/tomorrow/index.html>
Emerging Technology. Innovative Applications. New Economy.

[News]

*** At Your Service (Or Wits' End)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/technology/circuits/09voic.html?ex=1252468800&#38;en=c56034b7d7f77ab5&#38;ei=5088&#38;partner=rssnyt>
by Katie Hafner, New York Times
Speech recognition has come a long way in the last few years, particularly in relatively straightforward customer-service use. But teaching machines to hold their own through the twists and turns of most actual conversations is still a challenge.

*** Colleges Weigh New Prerequisite: A Laptop In Every Backpack
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0909/p01s04-stct.html>
by Sara B. Miller, Chirstian Science Monitor
The laptop requirement by some state colleges in Massachusetts has renewed debate about the reach of technology, sparking both excitement and incertitude across the country.

*** Cramming Features Into Phones
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4950-2004Sep8.html?nav=rss_technology>
by Cynthia L. Webb, Washington Post
The cell phone industry keeps banking on bells and whistles to help boost sales.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/reader/index.html>
The other things in life

[Tech & Science]

*** The Evolution Will Be Mechanized
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/view.html?pg=4?tw=wn_tophead_7>
by Bruce Sterling, Wired
Inside the unfathomable superhuman future after the "singularity."

SingaporeSurf
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/index.html>
Life in the city

[Opinion]

*** Is Singapore's Recovery A Joyless One?
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,271638,00.html?>
by Alvin Pang, Straits Times
No one should be content to be the only joyless ones in a genuine recovery.