Winds of Change

written by Charles DeVore

from Mouse Tracks February 2001

Macworld has come and gone. Faster machines, new PowerBooks, new programs to go with them. Apple is ahead in the DVD recording game, offering a top of the line Power Mac with 733 Mhz processor and built-in DVD recorder and software for under $3800. To the average user this may sound like a very high priced deal, but this is like getting the computer for free. Only a month ago the going price for the Pioneer DVD recorder was $4000 with no Macintosh software. I'm not sure what kind of deal Apple signed with Pioneer to get this kind of volume pricing, but it must have been a lot of units. The software was developed by Asarte (Apple purchased Astarte about a year ago). In case you don't know Asarte, they are the people who wrote Toast then sold it to Adaptec. They also wrote CD Copy, a program that I use to backup my purchased CDs. The prices for this unit make it a must buy for anyone who wants to create DVD media. Apple has even set up the DVD recording software to go online and order your blank disks (at under $10 each!) Please note that these disks used to sell for around $40 each. There is also a DVD Studio Pro version of the DVD burning software that, like Final Cut Pro, costs $999 and has all the bells and whistles for the future TV program producers.

So what's the change in the lesser machines? Apple has added CD-RW drives to all the new G4 desktop machines and boosted the lowest Mhz speed to 466. Due to a shortage of processors, the G4 Macs with dual processors are only offered as build-to-order. All the machines come with a 133 Mhz system bus for faster data throughput, and Mac OS 9.1 software. In addition to the AGP 4X slot for the graphics card, there are now four PCI slots for the customer to fill.

The new PowerBook kind of grows on you - it's small, good looking and has a large screen that is to die for. At 5.3 pounds with built-in DVD ROM player you have everything in one small package. For those of you who had VIAO owners beating their chests about how great and small their units are, ask them where their DVD-ROM player is. All in all the new PowerBook took care of the question of whose lightweight notebook is the top dog. Or dogcow as the case may be. All the big requests that Apple had been getting have been answered. There is S-video out (may most often be used for showing DVDs on an external screen), and a VGA port for an extra monitor (you can use just the external monitor with the lid closed or leave it open for mirrored or separate work spaces). The monitor is the biggest one ever put in an Apple portable. There are also two USB ports, one FireWire port, one audio port, one PCMCIA card slot, Ethernet, and a 56K modem. In case you're wondering how the Airport can get its signal into a titanium shielded case, the designers put in two oval windows of material that the signals will pass through; these are located on the sides near the front and are colorized to match the case. All in all, it's the best deal for the money. Now you know why Apple was blowing out all its older models, as they are not going to sell very many after the announcement. There are two versions of this new PowerBook. The low model is a G4 as well as the top of the line, so the big choice you make is how fast you want it to go and what size the hard drive is.

iTunes is a new product from Apple that creates and manages MP3 files. If you have any of the new G4 desktop units, you can create your favorite mix of songs and then with one click you can record a CD to play in your MP3 player or on your computer. The best part is that the program is free to download from Apple's web site. However you will need System 9.0.4 or above to use it.

Some of the biggest crowds at this MacWorld were at the Palm and the Handspring (Visor) booths. Both seem to be trying very hard to get the biggest audience and offer the best prizes. Both booths were giving away handheld products and software including their color models. This caused large volumes of people to overflow into other booths and walkways.

Iomega, the Zip folks, introduced all kinds of new products with cool cases. The new Predator CD-RW recorder is very stylish and will be offered in both USB and Firewire. Also shown was the MP3 Hip Zip system allowing you to take hundreds of hours of music with you in a very small space. Fotoshow is a device you connect to your TV, then insert a Zip disk with photos and show off your photos using the TV as the viewing device. And Peerless is the new removable cartridge system with your choice of 5, 10 or 20 gigabytes of storage at a time. They also have a 250 meg Zip drive powered by USB or Firewire bus. This means no packing around that brick of a power supply. Iomega had the most Broadway style production - dancers were doing their routine every half hour.

Many of the new products that were introduced seemed to be aimed at getting music or video into or out of your computer. We also went to demos of recently released products such as Photoshop 6.0 and FileMaker Mobile (easily move your FileMaker Pro database information to your Palm or Visor handheld.)

Hype! It's everywhere at Macworld! Much of what people buy into today is the hype that better, faster, more powerful is really what you need. It may indeed be what you want, but what you need is another story. Many users can get by with a PowerMac 7500 or better machine. In fact, most users only use a fraction of the power the computer offers them. You really don't need that G4 to do word processing or email. Of course we would all like to think we need that kind of power but it's just not so. The really funny part of this is the PC vendors stress Mhz speed rather than a standard timed application function. This still seems to be the case even after all these years. Clock speed is not the sole speed measurement that a machine should be judged by. It is indeed one of them but not the only one. Other factors such as the type of processor, the bus speed and sometimes even the hard drive speed affects the outcome of performance tests. So the best test of speed is to have your eyes open and ask lots of questions about what was tested, when it was tested and by whom. Let's face it; anyone doing a test of their product against another product is going to favor the product they want to win. So buy that new machine with care.

You can reach me at charles@cdevsol.com.

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