Sybex Release Mastering Mac OS X (Panther) Third Edition; This "Brick" Rocks!

With 900+pages, nice price and a super chapter on OSX (Panther) Troubleshooting; this "Brick" Rocks.
Should be on evey Mac user A+ List.
Editor offer a great companion web site to the book:
www.mac-upgrade.com/macosx/

Will become a classic.
The Creme of the OSX How To Books.

Mastering Mac OS X (Panther) by Todd Stauffer and Kirk McElhearn
Sybex ISBN 0-7821-4283-4
www.sybex.com

Read a Full Review in our Next Digital Dispatch.

Sony Withdraws from DVD Writer Market

Sony will withdraw from the DVD burner market over the next few months, Digitimes reports. Instead, the company will seek a Taiwanese OEM to manufacture units.

Sony supplies Apple with Power Mac G5 DVD-R units, as well as some iMac DVD writers. According to the article, Sony will phase out its 8x units and then source its requirements from OEMs.

Steve Jobs among Winners of 2003

Steve Jobs is among CBS MarketWatch's Winners of 2003: "At a time when legit music downloads were catching on about as quickly as, well, Apple computers, Steve Jobs came along and did it right with ITunes. Still, the most successful online music-seller isn't profitable, but its intent has always been to drive sales of IPod music players. With nearly 20 million songs sold since its April launch, not only has the cult of Apple concept has also sent competitors like Dell and Microsoft scurrying to get their own music services up and running.

Apple releases Security, MPEG-2 playback updates

Apple has released Security Update 2003-12-19, which it says delivers a number of security enhancements, including several updated components: AFP Server, ASN.1 Decoding for PKI, cd9660.util, Directory Services, fetchmail, fs_usage, rsync, and System Initialization. The update was expected to be released on Thursday. Apple also made available a recommended update to the QuickTime 6 MPEG-2 Playback Component, which restores MPEG-2 playback on affected systems (due the date expiry bug noted earlier this week and patched for some via a download at the Apple Store). Both are available via the Mac OS X Software Update.

RealNetworks Files Suit Against Microsoft

ZDNet reports that RealNetworks filed suit against Microsoft on antitrust charges alleging that Microsoft "pursued a broad course of predatory conduct over a period of years...resulting in substantial lost revenue and business for RealNetworks".

The complaint is reminiscent of Microsoft's previous antitrust lawsuit which found that Microsoft abused its monopoly position and control of the operating system to unfairly promote its browser over competitors. Similarly, RealNetworks' lawsuit alleges a similar pattern with respect to digital media players.

Rumours: Next Generation iPod (Video) Product?

Apple continues to work on their "next generation iPod" products as evidenced by this Job Listing at Apple for a Playback Firmware Engineer. Apple is "seeking a highly motivated engineer to develop next generation iPod product. Must have experience in overall system design of audio and video products.

Seems the next generation iPod developer will also have to be familiar with both audio and video codecs/compression standards

Wal-Mart Sells Music Online

In its usual strategy to 'out-cheap' the competition,several sources are reporting that Wal-Mart is selling individual songs for 88¢." The fact that it's WMA only will rule out any Mac User, not to mention the user experience on the site itself is roughly akin to using a belt sander on one's own nipples, I think we can let this one fall by the wayside. While Wal-Mart is likely a contender in the industry, simply because they will continue to chop prices until they're nearly free, they're not the ideal situation.

Mac OS X 10.3.2 Update available

Apple has released the Mac OS X 10.3.2 Update , a 38.2MB download available via Software Update. According to Apple: 'The 10.3.2 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" and is recommended for all users. Key enhancements include: Improved file sharing and directory services for mixed Mac and PC networks, more robust printing to PostScript printers, improved font management, updated Mail and Address Book applications, new ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers, FileVault, FireWire 800, WebDAV and USB Printing. Improvements from Update 10.3.1 previous standalone security updates."Also, Apple released Battery Update 1.1 for some of the newer portable Macs.

Updates: iTunes 4.2 and QuickTime 6.5

iTunes 4.2 and QuickTime 6.5 were released today,
available by Apple's Site and Software Update (respectively).
The firts one ease transition to AOL, the other will bring QT to
Cell Phones.

The First And Only Broadcast Macintosh Radio Show

Inside Mac Radio (The premiere Macintosh Broadcast Radio Show) today announced the addition of new outlets for its audio program. The Inside Mac Show is now included in Macworld
magazine and the Macworld UK magazine monthly cover CDs which are
distributed throughout the US, UK and other parts of Europe. This totals
more the 150,000 additional listeners per month. The Inside Mac Show is also
now available on Audible.com and Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

Power Mac G5: 500,000 and Counting

Apple has sold more than half a million Power Mac G5s since release, AppleInsider reports. Of the 500,000, the dual-processor 2GHz model has been the biggest seller in the holiday season. The DP 1.8GHz model is a close second, while the base 1.6GHz edition trails the field, the article says. Apple's superseded G4 Power Macs - retained largely for their OS 9 boot capability - have virtually disappeared off the sales chart. The article states the PM G5 could exceed 300,000 sales for the quarter, a tremendous boost to Apple's bottom line. In previous quarters, G4 Power Mac shipments only barely broken the 100,000 mark. Apple has only exceeded 300,000 PM units once in the last three years.

QuickTime MPEG-2 Component to Expire?

QuickTime's MPEG-2 playback component - a commercial QuickTime addition utilized heavily by professional users - may have been set to expire on December 15, 2003, according to a report at MacBidouille. There appears to be no explanation for this oversight and, if the expiration story proves correct, Apple has not announced the problem or a patch.

Adobe launches Adobe Digital Media Store for PDF docs

Adobe today opened the Adobe Digital Media Store, an online retail site that offers a wide variety of PF digital content. The Adobe Digital Media Store has thousands of titles for immediate download, including Adobe PDF eBooks, links to digital magazines and newspapers, maps, research reports, and other documents.

Adobe says it is working with its technology partner OverDrive as well as leading publishers, such as HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Time Warner, John Wiley, McGraw-Hill as well as independent authors and small publishers. Popular newspapers and magazines available through Adobe partners on the site include BusinessWeek, Popular Science, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, and USA Today.

"The Adobe Digital Media Store showcases the huge amount of compelling content now available in Adobe PDF format and provides publishers and producers of digital content with a vital, innovative new distribution channel through Adobe Reader," said James Heeger, senior vice president of Creative Professional Products at Adobe. "There are thousands of titles available on our site, making the store a must-visit destination for anyone who is interested in viewing outstanding published works on their PC or PDA."

Apple Changing iPod Battery Technology?

A ComputerWorkd.dk article (Danish)reports that Apple has dropped one of their iPod battery suppliers -- a Danish company called Danionics.

Danionics supplied polymer lithium-ion batteries for the current Apple iPod, but according to Niels Kryger Anderson, Danionics' managing director, Apple has now chosen a prismatic (fluid based) lithium-ion battery for upcoming iPods.

Implications/advantages of changing from polymer to fluid based Lithium ion based batteries is unclear.

Danionics was not the only supplier of iPod batteries, and in light of the recent iPod battery controversy, they note that Danionics iPod batteries should still perform at 80% of full capacity even after three years of extensive use.

Give your iSkin a Tattoo

iSkin Inc. today also launched its iSkin Tattoo Service. Organizations,
businesses and institutions can now order iSkin products with their
logotype, web site address or company message printed on it to create a unique, functional branding solution.

The service currently offers custom printed iSkin eXo2 iPod protectors and the newly released ProTouch PB keyboard protectors.

For additional information about our Tattoo Service, please visit
http://www.iSkin.com/tattoo/

SubRosaSoft announced two new major product releases: Cypher Disk and CD Restore

CipherDisk - create password protected - strong encrypted - hard drives, CDs, and DVDs
For more information please visit
http://www.subrosasoft.com/thestore/product_info.php?products_id=424

CDRestore - recovers info from scratched or damaged data CD/DVDs
For more information please visit
http://www.subrosasoft.com/thestore/product_info.php?products_id=425

O'Reilly Releases "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition

What's so ubiquitous in the Mac world that the term "missing" scarcely applies to it any more? You won't find it in the box with the computer or shrink-wrapped with the system CDs, but it's the one item that's least likely to be missing from any Mac user's desk. In fact, no new release of Mac OS X would be complete without it--the latest
addition to the Missing Manual series. Panther users will be glad to know that David Pogue has come through once again with "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition".

The latest update of David Pogue's best-selling title offers a wealth of
detail on the all of the changes in Apple's Mac OS X 10.3, a.k.a.
"Panther." Written with humor and technical insight characteristic of the
series, the new edition covers everything from the all-new Finder to iChat AV--Apple's exciting tool for video conferencing. The book also deals with features under the hood, such as the Terminal and networking tools. Pogue, the renowned "New York Times" computer columnist, tackles his subject with scrupulous objectivity--revealing which new features work well and which do not.

Panther is loaded with 150 new features, many of them quite compelling, according to Pogue, but one of Panther's chief features is that it is the un-Windows. That is, it accentuates all the characteristics of the Mac that have been driving people crazy in Windows lately. For example, Pogue notes that Mac OS X is, and always has been, virus free. Furthermore, it never pops up with annoying nags to sign up for this or that database, never bugs you to clean up your desktop, or do anything else for that matter. "And particularly in Panther," says Pogue,

As with the previous two editions, "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition" is designed to help beginning to intermediate Mac fans--or Windows switchers--discover the joys of Mac OS X. New in this edition are mini-manuals on iMovie, iPhoto, iChat, iTunes, Safari, and other programs included with the system. Readers of previous editions will find changes on nearly every page reflecting the newer, more streamlined design of the System Preferences settings program; reassigned keystrokes for efficiency fans; the overhauled Preview program for reading PDF files, graphic files, and incoming faxes; the updated Mail program, and much more. As with its predecessors, this
manual is certain to be found wherever Macs are.

Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
David Pogue
ISBN 0-596-00615-2, 782 pages
order@oreilly.com

Safe Place 1.3 Beta Testing

A new version of Safe Place is currently under development. If you're interested in helping us beta test it, you can download it here:

http://www.mere-mortal-software.com/files/SafePlace130b9.dmg

Apple Panther Pro App Runtime v1.1

Apple has released a massive update for all of their Pro Apps running under OSX 10.3. "This update provides improvements for Apple's professional applications, and is strongly recommended for all users of Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, Compressor, LiveType, Soundtrack, and DVD Studio Pro. This update improves general user interface appearance and reliability and is required to receive future updates for these applications." Currently, this update is only available through Software Update.

MacUpdate Will No Longer Be Free

As announced, MacUpdate will begin to charge a $20/yr subscription fee in January 2004. New features will include the ability to turn off ads and use a desktop application that will scan your hard drive for applications and notify you of updates. These new features place MacUpdate next to VersionTracker Pro, which currently has a $49.95/yr price tag.

AppleInsider: 10.3.2 Close to Release?

A screenshot of the Read Me screen shows that key enhancements have been made to Postscript printing, file sharing between Macs and PCs and directory services, font management, ATI and NVIDIA drivers, WebDAV, USB printing, FileVault and FireWire 800.

The release notes also state that existing security releases have been rolled into the update.

AppleInsider's sources indicate that the update could be released as soon as this coming week.

Is Digital the Future of Cinema?

Digital Video has arguably enabled lots of budding film-makers an opportunity to produce their own dramas on little or no budgets. The results of which can be seen across a multitutde of websites featuring short films. In some cases, you can even see feature films and documentary's that were shot digitally, then mastered chemically for cinema presentation. In the next few years film productions will focus on HDTV which will keep the chemical process out of the loop- supposedly- forever. Is the 'digital' future so promising in cinema?

Read the rest at: www.stage4.co.uk/full_story.php?newsID=294

24K Gold iPod!

Seen recently; User post on a forum pointing us to a German eBay auction for an iPod with a 24K gold backplate! The backplate of the iPod in question is coated with a 3µ layer of 24K gold, blemish free. Not something you see every day!

Apple revamping support discussions format

Apple is currently beta testing a new interface for its support discussions. The update is expected to be unveiled late this week, and it includes a number of changes to the layout and the working of the discussions. The new interface seems to do away with the 'Helper program' -- which involved privileges for users that were considered knowledgeable by Apple -- in favor of an overall voting system. Former 'Helpers' were informed of this change only during the beta testing process last week.(Source MacNN)

Apple and Reprise Record To Market Blank Lords of the Rings CD

Apple and Time Warner's Reprise Records label today will begin marketing blank "Lord of the Rings"-themed CDsdesigned for fans to purchase the CD and use it to store a digital copy of the film soundtrack bought online, according to The LA Times: "As part of the promotion, the label will sell three different blank CDs outfitted with images from Time Warner's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' film. Apple's iTunes Music Store will offer the recordable CDs, which will sell for $5, exclusively today through Jan. 5....Label executives are pitching the blank CD as a collectible item. Reprise will press 1,000 copies of each of the three discs, and each will be numbered." (source MacNN)

Canadian 'MP3 Player' Tax

The Canadian Copyright Board approved a new tax to be added to MP3 devices imported and manufactured in Canada. The new fees are based on a sliding scale with $1.50/unit for devices up to 1 GB, $11.25 for 1-10GB, and $19 for devices more than 10GB.

The new fees are intended to offset copyright infringement losses presumably by users of such devices. However, concerns are raised in the article about the industry "double-dipping" by gaining these fees as well as earnings from legitimate download services (such as Apple's iTunes Music Store) which support the same devices. Also in progress in Canada is Supreme Court case in which arguments are being heard over whether or not Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should start paying tariffs for (illegally) downloaded music.

The new ruling legalizes P2P music downloading in Canada.

Toshiba Creates World's Smallest Hard Drive

NikkeiBP reportsthat Toshiba has developed the"world's smallest hard-disk drive" at 0.85 inches in diameter. Previously, Hitatchi's 1-inch hard drive held the record. The upcoming Toshiba drive will have a storage capacity of 2-3GB and is expected to cost around 30,000 yen (~$278 US dollars) initially, but dropping down to 10,000 (~$92) yen in a few years.

The drive is also not expected to reach full production until early 2005. This, combined with the cost of each unit, seems to make this drive an unlikely candidate for the rumored "low end" iPods.

Rumours: Apple Trademarks 'iWrite'

As noted briefly on ThinkSecret, Apple appears to have trademarked a new name... "iWrite" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. "iWrite" was filed for trademark on September 12, 2003 and is categorized under "Computer hardware; computer software".

Interestingly, the trademark is registered under "Appple Computer, Inc." (with an extra 'p') so will not come up on a routine search for "Apple Computer". The Attorney of Record, however, is consistent with an attorney that has filed previous trademarks for Apple. "iWrite" is also a pending trademark under the Australian trademark office and European Union (and listed properly under "Apple Computer").

There have been many long-standing rumors of a new Apple-branded word processor and office suite. Earlier rumors have labeled the word processing component as "Document".

Perhaps the most intriguing past information, however was Apple'srecruitment of three developers from Gobe Software. Gobe developed an innovative office suite for Windows, Linux and BeOS, and -- after a brief disappearance -- seems to havereturned. Add to this recent reliable rumors of a new Apple application due as early as January. Any connection, however, is simply speculative. "iWrite" may not be a word processor at all. Readers should also remember that Apple has trademarked a number of terms in the past, not all resulting in shipping products.

G5: Apple release firmware update

"Apple has released a new firmware update for the Power Mac G5 computers. The new update is named Power Mac G5 Firmware Update 5.1.4 and it has this description:
This firmware update provides changes for initializing and running your Power Mac G5. It provides some performance improvements for some PCI-X configurations, patches a security hole and improves fan behavior in Open Firmware."

iTunes Music Store Named Product of The Year

Time Magazine calling the iTunes Music Store the Invention Of The Year, Fortune Magazine has come along and proclaimed iTunes Music Store as the Product Of The Year. "With the success of its iTunes Music Store, Apple is almost single-handedly dragging the music industry, kicking and screaming, toward a better future.'" Also, Fortune named the G5 one of the 25 Best Products of the Year for Design.

NEW PANTHER-COMPATIBLE STUFFIT UPDATE

The 8.0.2 Update Is Free And Now Works With PhotoShop Elements

Aladdin Systems, Inc., announced that it has released StuffIt Deluxe(r) 8.0.2, a new update to its popular suite. The 8.0.2 version, available as a free update to existing StuffIt Deluxe 8.0 and 8.0.1 customers, provides full support for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther," includes a new version of StuffIt Archive Via Rename(tm), and plus new options to allow users to determine whether UNIX file permissions are set when files are expanded from non-UNIX-compatible file formats. The update is available at: http://www.stuffit.com/mac/deluxe/updates.html. StuffIt Standard 8.0.2 is also available.

StuffIt Deluxe, the complete compression solution, makes it easy to compress, backup, access, and share important information. StuffIt Deluxe includes easy to use Drag and Drop tools, such as DropStuff and StuffIt expander, and also includes powerful applications that allow browsing and updating the contents the of an archive. StuffIt Deluxe integrates into the Finder's menu bar, allowing users to Compress and send an email with a single click, integrates into Mac OS X's command line environment, and even allows users to compress and decompress information simply by changing file names in the Finder. StuffIt 8.0.2 allows users to schedule backups and burn to CD/DVD with Archive Assistant(tm), adds plug-ins for Adobe's Photoshop(r) and Illustrator(r) and makes archives faster than ever. StuffIt Deluxe 8.0.2 features Aladdin's exclusive StuffIt X archive file format that offers users unparalleled security by using 512bit RC4 encryption. Users can also choose to create "self-repairing" archives, using the redundancy feature, which can rebuild data that is lost or damaged due to transfer errors or bad media.