Mac desktop news and reviews, including iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro

Apple may be exempt from China's Web filter mandate

Owen Fletcher — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:11:00 -0700

Apple's computers and other that do not use Windows appear to be exempt from China's mandate to package new computers with Web filtering software.

Bluelounge CableDrop

Dan Frakes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:52:00 -0700

Tired of losing your unconnected cables behind your desk, or trying to keep track of which cable goes where? Bluelounge's CableDrops may be the solution.

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac?

Roman Loyola — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:32:00 -0700

Can an SD card startup disk be used on any Mac? Roman Loyola does a little bit of testing, and finds the answer may be yes.

Macally intros wireless accessories and eco laptop stands

Dan Frakes — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:58:00 -0700

Macally has announced a line of new Mac accessories that include Bluetooth and RF wireless input devices as well as "eco-conscious" bamboo notebook stands.

Change color of BBEdit and TextWrangler 'invisibles' characters

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:35:00 -0700

Learn how to change the color of the special characters that BBEdit and TextWrangler use to display invisible characters, such as tabs and line breaks.

Intel's chip renaming strategy meets resistance

Agam Shah — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:01:00 -0700

Intel's strategy to rename its chips has seen some opposition from chip enthusiasts, who find the new naming convention even more confusing.

EU, US push computers, printers to be greener

Paul Meller — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:55:00 -0700

PCs and printers in the EU and US will have to become more energy-efficient to gain Energy Star approval, following an EU/US agreement signed Wednesday.

Opinion: Reassessing the 'Apple Tax'

Michael Scalisi — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:41:00 -0700

PC World's Michael Scalisi is rethinking the so-called Apple tax after Monday's changes to the Mac laptop lineup.

EVGA brings Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 graphics to Mac Pro

Peter Cohen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:09:00 -0700

EVGA has announced the release of its GeForce GTX 285 graphics card for the Mac Pro.

Review: NoteBook 3.0

Nathan Alderman — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Circus Ponies NoteBook 3.0 is a terrific notetaking program bursting with useful ways to organize your life.

Apple hits top spot in UK, European education sectors

Nick Spence — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:27:00 -0700

Gartner Research says that Apple is the top computer maker in the Western European education market for the first quarter of 2009, with a 26.4 percent market share.

Psystar's legal costs in Apple fight push it into bankruptcy

Gregg Keizer — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:56:00 -0700

Court documents show that the bulk of Psystar's outstanding debt is owed to the law firm representing the clone maker in its legal dispute with Apple.

Opinion: Apple has squandered the gift that was Vista

Michael Scalisi — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:45:00 -0700

PC World's Michael Scalisi thinks Apple missed an opportunity to win over converts put off by Microsoft Vista.

New company to start selling Mac clones

Dan Moren — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:01:00 -0700

A new Mac clone-maker, Quo Computer, plans to start selling Mac clones via the Internet and at a brick-and-mortar location in the LA area next month.

Intel's Nehalem EX to gain error correction technology

Agam Shah — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:56:00 -0700

Intel on Tuesday said the Nehalem server processor will include error correction features that ensure reliable server performance.

Apple kicks off annual Back to School promotion

Dan Moren — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:53:00 -0700

Apple's Back to School promotion is once again in full swing, with qualifying buyers eligible for a free iPod along with purchase of a Mac.

Make the most of the Genius Bar

Ted Landau — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:12:00 -0700

Prepare in advance for a trip to Apple's Genius Bar and you’ll likely go home smiling -- with a Mac that’s working again.

Maximizing your Mac mini

Dan Frakes — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:05:00 -0700

Dan Frakes takes a look at the process -- and the results -- of upgrading your Mac mini and finds you can top the performance of Apple's $799 model for a lower price tag.

FireWire saves an iMac from a failed 10.5.7 upgrade

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:21:00 -0700

Rob Griffiths explains how he brought an iMac back from the dead after the OS X 10.5.7 update process rendered it useless.

Mac OS X 10.5.7 adds Radeon HD 4870 support

Peter Cohen — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:21:00 -0700

Mac OS X 10.5.7 has drivers

EU fines Intel €1.06 billion in antitrust case

Paul Meller — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:12:00 -0700

EU levies record fine against Intel in antitrust case

Tekserve updates free Mac FAQ book

Peter Cohen — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:49:00 -0700

Tekserve has published the ninth edition of its Mac FAQ Book, a 58-page guide to solving common problems with Macs.

Apple breaks into UK Top 5 PC makers

Lexton Snol — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:35:00 -0700

Mac sales grew by 6.6 percent in the UK during the first quarter, allowing Apple to break into the top five of UK market share for the first time, according to Gartner.

Clearly, this SE is awesome

Scott McNulty — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:41:00 -0700

Think the iMac was the first Mac to feature a see-through case? Think again.

Apple updates firmware for iMacs with Radeon 4850 graphics

Peter Cohen — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:28:00 -0700

Apple has updated the firmware in iMacs that have ATI Radeon 4850 graphics chips.

Nvidia card will be a good thing for Mac Pro users

Peter Cohen — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:39:00 -0700

With the Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 graphics chip on its way to the Mac, things are looking up for Mac Pro owners. Peter Cohen explains.

Apple: The low-price leader?

Jason Snell — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:33:00 -0700

In a bad economy, should Apple slash prices or keep selling the high-quality, high-value products that have made it a success?

Bugs & Fixes: APC battery backups and Intel Macs with Leopard

Ted Landau — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:42:00 -0700

If you own an Intel-based Mac running a recent version of Mac OS X 10.5, battery backups from American Power Conversion could give you grief. Ted Landau has the details.

Report: Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 graphics card is Mac-bound

Peter Cohen — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:55:00 -0700

Nvidia and EVGA plan to release a GeForce GTX 285 graphics for the Mac Pro in June, according to a report.

Setting up a Mac mini media center

Christopher Breen — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:00:00 -0700

In this week’s Macworld Video, Chris Breen caps off a week of coverage with a video overview of what you can do to make your Mac mini a welcome member of the family AV center.

Mac mini media center: Is it worth it?

Christopher Breen — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:30:00 -0700

All week long, Christopher Breen has show you how to assemble a media center using a Mac mini as the centerpiece. Now he turns his attention to the Big Picture: Is it worth the hassle? And how does it compare to an Apple TV?

Controlling your Mac mini media center

Christopher Breen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:45:00 -0700

Once you've set up a Mac mini-based media center, you've got to come up with a way to control everything sans mouse and keyboard. Christopher Breen outlines some of the options, from iPhone software to universal remotes.

Tips for greener computing

Michael Gowan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:38:00 -0700

Save money while you help save the planet: Michael Gowan offers some tips on how to reduce the environmental impact of using your Mac.

Strong iPhone and iPod sales drive Apple profits to $1.21 billion

Jim Dalrymple — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:37:00 -0700

Apple reported its financial earnings on Wednesday, posting a profit of $1.21 billion.

Up close with the Mac media center

Christopher Breen — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:40:00 -0700

After devoting our last podcast episode to just about everything except the Macintosh, Chris Breen makes amends by discussing nothing but the Mac—specifically the Mac mini.

Getting content on your Mac mini media center

Christopher Breen — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:58:00 -0700

So you've upgraded your Mac mini to make it an effective media center. You've connected it to your AV components and even configured Apple's software. Now what about content? Christopher Breen shows you ways to get additional digital content and how to use third-party media applications to access it.

How green is Apple?

Jeff Bertolucci — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:10:00 -0700

Are Apple's products environmentally friendlier than its competitors’? Has the company reduced its overall environmental footprint? To find out, Jeff Bertolucci examines Apple’s product chain, from materials and manufacturing to distribution and recycling.

Opinion: Which is better for your business, a Mac or a PC?

Michael Schneider — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Michael Schneider is a recent convert to the Mac fold who offers some advice for those considering following in his foosteps.

Mac media center: Configuring Front Row

Christopher Breen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:14:00 -0700

Christopher Breen’s effort to turn a Mac mini into a media center continues, as he hooks up the computer to his AV system and configures the built-in media applications.

Turn your Mac mini into a media center

Christopher Breen — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0700

With the release of the new Mac mini as well as several intriguing new programs, it's time once again to investigate the possibility of using a Mac as the hub of your home digital-entertainment world.

Apple market share rises slightly as PC shipments fall

Jim Dalrymple — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:08:00 -0700

Apple's PC market share rose slightly, as overall PC shipments fell 7.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

Intel profits slump but future looks brighter, CEO says

Agam Shah — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:53:00 -0700

Intel on Tuesday reported a sharp drop in revenue and profit for the first quarter, but the company's CEO said the PC industry is showing signs of recovery.

Apple adds special 20-inch iMac for educational institutions

Jonathan Seff — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:34:00 -0700

Custom 20-inch model replaces 17-inch iMac as the entry-level all-in-one for education.

Make your glossy iMac screen matte

Roman Loyola — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:00:00 -0700

In this Macworld Video, senior editor Roman Loyola takes a look at an anti-glare film for iMac screens from Photodon. The film helps cut down glare and reflections from the iMac's glossy screen.

Benchmarks: 2.93GHz Xeon-based Mac Pros

James Galbraith — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Macworld Lab tested a couple of different Mac Pro configure-to-order systems and the results include our first Speedmark 5 score to top 400.

Benchmarks: Mac Pros, iMacs gaming performance

James Galbraith — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:45:00 -0700

Though our reviews of the new iMacs and Mac Pros have all posted, the work in the Macworld Lab is not done. We’ve received and tested a number of build-to-order (BTO) systems (as well as the standard configuration Macs) and ran them through some high-resolution game tests.