MontagsMac0rama

Heute unter anderem:
• Nachlese des Apple Analyst Call bei Mac.Ars
• NYT über Apples Präsenz auf der SC2003
• LinuxMagazin testet G5
• MS Plan mit IBMs PowerPC
• Neue Bilder vom Apple Store Tokyo
Das und mehr beim Weiterlesen...

Bei Mac.Ars widmet sich Eric Bangeman einer ausführlichen Nachlese von Apples jährlichem Analyst call:

"One more thing while on the topic of money: Apple has a cool US$4.6 billion sitting in the bank right now. When Apple's stock price was bottoming out in the US$12-13 range, that giant wad of dough actually could have made them an inviting takeover target — put US$1 billion down, finance the rest, pay off the loan with the cash reserves, and part out the company ("dibs on the OS if you decide to part out the company!"). Now the stock price is back up over US$20 (and UBS has initiated coverage of AAPL with a target price set at US$23), and a takeover is not really a possibility.

During the conference call Jobs and the gang were asked about any plans for the cash reserves. Apple plans to continue the conservative investing which has helped grow the reserves, but they also have some of it earmarked for what they term "strategic acquisitions." Examples of recent strategic acquisitions have included Logic andShake which have helped Apple make further inroads into the audio and video compositing markets, respectively. While it's not readily apparent which companies or segments might be in Apple's sights at this point, don't be surprised to see them snap up some smaller companies in the next several months."

Zusätzlich gibt es noch eine nette GebrauchtMac-Kaufberatung.
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Aus dem Bericht der NYT über die SC2003:

"For the first time, Microsoft was an exhibitor. Apple Computer, which in the past had only a tiny presence, was also a new force on the strength of a surprisingly powerful homebuilt supercomputer recently assembled by researchers and students at Virginia Tech from 1,100 new Apple G5 desktop computers.
The achievement was viewed here both as a vindication for I.B.M., whose microprocessor is at the heart of the new Apple computer, and as an indication that the action in computer design is shifting from the PC world and back to the makers of powerful machines."
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Auch bei NewsForge, Online Magazin für Linux und OpenSource, testet man den PowerMac G5, allerdings ein inzwischen obsoletes Single 1,8 GHz Modell:

"Apple's new 64-bit Power Macintosh G5 is aptly named: it has power to burn. Mac and *NIX users who can afford these machines will find them to be much faster than the Power Mac G4s they replace and at least as fast as any PC you can buy or build today."
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Bei Red Herring wird in Microsofts Wahl eines PowerPC Chipsatzes für die kommende Xbox ein weitergehender Versuch der Linux-Verdrängung gesehen:

"He believes that by working with IBM’s PowerPC platform, Microsoft will be able to finally make inroads into embedded computing – or software that is hard wired onto consumer electronics motherboards. Mr. Mantion believes Microsoft may be able to tweak its Windows XP Embedded operating system by leveraging expertise gained from the Xbox."
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Interview mit Cultured Pearls in der Netzeitung:

"Andererseits glaube ich wird es die CD sowieso nicht mehr all zu lange geben. Bald hat jeder einen Server zuhause und so etwas wie einen iPod, und dann wird es einige Majorfirmen wahrscheinlich nicht mehr geben..."
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Computerkaufberatung in der Washington Post:

"If you just want a machine to get on the Internet, just about any hardware sold today will do. The software on any given machine, however, is another issue. Far too many Windows users have been victimized by viruses, worms and spyware for me to pretend that Windows or Mac OS X are equally suited for general Internet use. They are not. Forget about aesthetic preferences or initial hardware costs; life is just easier on the Mac side and will remain so until Microsoft makes overdue repairs to Windows."
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Ebenfalls in der Washington Post eine iMac Kurzbesprechung:

"Throughout, this model lived up to Apple's ease-of-use pitch. It was eerie: Everything just worked, an experience that has eluded me in several years of reviewing desktop PCs."
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In Tokyo wird bald der erste Apple Store außerhalb der USA eröffnet und bei den MacGuardians finden sich zwei neue Bilder der Außenansicht.
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Im US Apple Store lassen sich nun auch Gift Certificates für den iTMS kaufen und per Post oder mail verschicken.
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Gerüchte über ein weiteres iPod Mic, diesmal von Griffin.
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Außerdem (Halb-)Wissenswertes aus dem Terminal - heute:
11/24 Lee Harvey Oswald killed by Jack Ruby, 1963
(So einfach ist das).