One more cool cat

October 30, 2003

Among the many improvements chief executive Steve Jobs has brought to Apple Computer Inc. since his return in 1997 has been consistent major operating system releases, particularly those of Mac OS X.

iTunes for Windows

October 23, 2003

Apple is serious about selling music.

Tangles in the Mac Web

October 16, 2003

As a veteran surfer of the Mac Web, I've grown accustomed to the almost ubiquitous requests for donations and/or subscriptions.

Taking the digital hub to the next level

October 9, 2003

Much of the consumer technology world was abuzz last week as Microsoft unveiled its Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 software, a fancy name for a version of Windows that enables a computer to serve as both PC and digital entertainment center.

Into the VoIP

October 2, 2003

Imagine dumping your long-distance telephone provider because now your Mac can make all your long-distance calls.

Foreign matter

September 25, 2003

When Apple Computer Inc. said that Steve Jobs would deliver a keynote address at the Apple Expo in Paris last month, many European Mac enthusiasts raised their expectations.

Government issue

September 18, 2003

The headaches caused by two significant computer virus outbreaks this summer, the SoBig and Blaster worms, have forced technology gurus in the public and private sectors to re-examine the issue of cyber security.

Dot Mac revisited

September 11, 2003

After converting its free iTools Internet-based set of services into the $100-per-year .Mac a little more than a year ago, Apple Computer Inc. offered users an assortment of carrots to lure them into signing up.

Backlash

August 28, 2003

Writing a column containing debatable comments from security experts is nearly as good at filling up your e-mail inbox as the SoBig virus.

What, me worry?

August 21, 2003

As the latest Microsoft Windows infection spread across the Internet last week, knocking out thousands of PCs in homes and businesses, Macintosh users did what they usually do during a computer virus outbreak -- they continued working.

More power to you

August 14, 2003

Putting aside the debate over whether Apple Computer Inc.'s Power Mac G5 is "the world's fastest personal computer" as the company claims, the machine blows away any previous Mac.

Pictures and sound

July 31, 2003

While the recording industry was grabbing the headlines last week with its subpoenas of folks caught illegally file sharing -- including college students, parents of teen-agers, even grandparents -- the film industry quietly began its own anti-piracy campaign.

Apple's music lessons

July 24, 2003

Over the past few years, Apple Computer Inc. has flummoxed its critics and thrilled its user base by venturing into new territory with products like the iPod and its .Mac online service and chain of mall-based retail stores.

More than just talk

July 17, 2003

With the introduction of its iChat AV software and iSight Web camera, Apple Computer Inc. has applied its characteristic magic touch to the realm of video chat. And though it may not be perfect, Apple's incarnation of video over the Internet makes most of the competition look crude.

Two Apples aren't better than one

July 10, 2003

Woe to the technology scribe who writes ill of Apple Computer, Inc.

G5 breaks Apple's speed limit

June 26, 2003

That loud crashing sound you heard on Monday was the sound of thousands of Mac users smashing their piggy banks needed to pre-order Apple Computer Inc.'s new Power Mac G5 towers.

MSN joins the crowd

June 19, 2003

Though Mac support among Internet Service Providers over the past decade has frequently been poor, Mac users always have had plenty of options.

Wozniak looks back

June 12, 2003

Last of two parts

A conversation with Steve Wozniak

June 5, 2003

First of two parts

Hackers bite Apple in its iTunes

May 22, 2003

Until last week, it appeared that Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store had solved the problem of how to sell music over the Internet with just enough digital security to satisfy nervous record labels but not so much as to deter consumers from using it.

Pirates and pioneers

May 15, 2003

Everybody steals from Apple Computer Inc.

Apple's OS 9 overstays its welcome

May 8, 2003

The almost universal praise showered upon AppleComputer Inc.'s new music service has obscured a rather daunting reality: the majority of Macintosh users cannot access it!

New Apple music service hits the right note

May 1, 2003

Although I've had only a short time to experiment with Apple Computer Inc.'s new online music service, one thing rapidly became clear: you don't need to be under CEO Steve Jobs' spell to see that this service trumps everything else out there, and is almost sure to be a hit.

Getting a little help from your (Mac) friends

April 24, 2003

Macintosh machines may be easier to use compared with Windows PCs, but the complexities inherent to computer technology mean that there are times when, yes, even Mac users have problems that need solving or questions that need answering.

Apple's Universal gambit goes for broke

April 17, 2003

For the second time in a little more than a month, reports of a music-related initiative by Apple Computer Inc. have touched off a flurry of speculation.

Sherlock or Watson? It's elementary

April 10, 2003

Persuading people to change the way they're accustomed to doing something is almost always a tough sell.

Apple rethinks trade show circuit

April 3, 2003

This summer, for the first time since Steve Jobs returned to Apple Computer Inc., the chief executive will not deliver a keynote at the Macworld New York industry show.

Al Gore: Asset or liability?

March 27, 2003

Few additions to a company's board cause even the barest ripple of reaction from shareholders, never mind customers.

Wireless hits the (hot) spot

March 20, 2003

Sooner or later, you'll go wireless.

Whose song will Apple sing?

March 13, 2003

Recently I stumbled upon a rock group called The Donnas, a foursome that combines the power of mid-1980s metal bands with the party-hearty punk sound of the Ramones.

Keynote takes on PowerPoint

March 6, 2003

Like Windows users, Mac users who need to make computer-based presentations have had little choice in recent years but to use Microsoft Corp.'s PowerPoint. It's become the industry standard, with no practical alternative available for either platform.

Whither virtual PC?

February 27, 2003

The news broke like a thunderclap across the Mac community: Microsoft Corp. said last week that it had purchased the "virtual machine solutions" of Connectix Corp.

For better -- or for worse

February 20, 2003

Over the past six months several pricing decisions by Apple Computer Inc. have tested the loyalty of its customers.

Checking out iLife

February 13, 2003

For the past couple of years, one of the best reasons for an average consumer to buy an Apple Macintosh over a Windows PC has been the included set of multimedia software -- iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto and iDVD.

Apple's cozy niche

February 6, 2003

Perhaps the greatest fear of the Macintosh enthusiast is that someday, the predictions of Apple Computer Inc.'s detractors will come true.

Taming Mac OS X

January 30, 2003

Most longtime users of Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh machines know their way around its venerable operating system, OS 9, pretty well.

Apple's Office politics

January 23, 2003

Given Microsoft Corp.'s storied reputation as an intimidating competitor, few companies dare risk its wrath.

Apple's Safari hunts Explorer users

January 16, 2003

With the introduction of Safari at the Macworld San Francisco trade show last week, Apple Computer Inc. boldly entered "the browser wars."

A real January surprise?

January 9, 2003

As Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs began yet another keynote speech Tuesday morning at the Macworld trade show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, he told the assembled faithful that he had “enough for two Macworlds.”

What's up Apple's sleeve for '03?

January 2, 2003

For those that closely follow Apple Computer Inc., true satisfaction comes rarely -- the focus instead always is on when chief executive Steve Jobs will introduce the company’s next product.

Mac OS 9: Never say 'never'

December 19, 2002

Uncharacteristically bowing to the needs of its customers, Apple Computer Inc. last week changed its mind on a policy announced in September declaring that as of Jan. 1, all new Macs would boot into only Apple's OS X software.

For that perfect gift ...

December 12, 2002

As the mad dash to find gifts for everyone on your list reaches its peak, here are some suggestions for what may be the right gift this holiday season.

Will Apple be expelled from school?

December 5, 2002

A recent marketing research survey confirmed yet again what this sort of survey always confirms: Apple Computer Inc. lost its position of dominance in the kindergarten-through-12th grade education market long ago, and is struggling to hang onto what it has left.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 28, 2002

Weathering the 'switch'

November 21, 2002

Five months ago, Apple Computer Inc. launched its "Switch" advertising campaign, designed to lure Windows users over to Macs. It features real-life PC users, ranging from students to information-technology professionals, voicing frustrations with Windows that drove them to the Mac.

Microsoft's Tablet PC: A hard pill to swallow?

November 14, 2002

When Microsoft Corp. Chairman William H. Gates III introduced the Tablet PC on Nov. 7, he declared it the future of computing.

ThinkFree steps into the fray

November 7, 2002

Despite the overwhelming dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows in the computing realm, it can be avoided with such alternatives as the open-source Linux operating system and, of course, Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh.

Mouse musings

October 31, 2002

One mouse does not fit all.

1 button, 2 or 3?

October 24, 2002

Of all the differences between a Mac and a PC, few are as obvious as the mouse.

Silencing the 'megahertz myth'

October 17, 2002

When IBM Corp. said this week that it will have a new 64-bit version of the PowerPC processor in production later next year, Macintosh users felt a rush of excitement: Could this be the magic bullet that reverses the Mac’s reputation as the speed laggard of the computing world?

A Mac showplace in Towson

October 10, 2002

Stanley Bailey stopped by the new Apple Store in Towson Town Center last Saturday afternoon to investigate the possibility of buying a new Macintosh computer.

Do you really need a calendar?

October 3, 2002

Historically, calendar programs for the Mac never have been in short supply, ranging from commercial software like "Now Up-to-Date & Contact" to freeware programs like "Right on Time."

Sizing up the .Mac Internet service

September 24, 2002

When Steve Jobs said at the Macworld New York show in July that the formerly free iTools Internet service would be upgraded, renamed .Mac and would cost $99.95 a year, my first thought was, "No, thanks."

The Mac user: Loyalty über alles

September 19, 2002

Daring to be an Apple Computer Inc. devotee in a world dominated by Microsoft Corp.’s Windows may seem quixotic, but just about any Macintosh user will tell you that despite some disadvantages, they’d never turn to the "dark side."