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TidBITS#962/26-Jan-09

What was the first Macintosh you owned? The computer for the rest of us turned 25, and although Apple isn’t marking the occasion, the TidBITS staff reminisces (for some, not very far) back to our first Macs, and Adam explains his potentially controversial choice for the best Mac ever. This week also brings some significant business news, starting with Apple’s best financial quarter thanks to $10.2 billion in revenue. Microsoft, however, announced layoffs – but as Glenn Fleishman points out, the numbers may not be as bad as reported. Glenn also notes that the SEC may be investigating Apple and Steve Jobs over how Jobs’s health issues have been disclosed to shareholders. In other news, Apple quietly updates the low-end white MacBook, Doug McLean roars about Growl, and Adam comments on why people affected by malicious Trojans in illegally downloaded copies of iWork ’09 and Photoshop CS4 really shouldn’t be surprised. In the TidBITS Watchlist, we note the releases of Default Folder X 4.1.1, QuickTime 7.6, Mellel 2.6, and Sandvox 1.5.4.

Mark H. Anbinder No comments

Apple Quietly Improves Low-End MacBook

Without fanfare, Apple has improved the specs of the white MacBook, the low-end $999 white polycarbonate laptop that remains in the product lineup alongside its shinier aluminum cousin. Most notably, the low-end laptop now features Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, a dramatic upgrade from the Intel integrated graphics of earlier models.

Doug McLean No comments

Growl Offers System-Wide Notifications

Want to know what's going on with the many programs running on your Mac without having to check in on each one individually? The system-wide notification manager Growl provides a centralized way of displaying notifications from a wide range of apps.

Adam Engst No comments

The Mac Turns 25: Best Mac Ever?

For Macworld's 25th anniversary issue, Adam was asked to write 100 words on what he thought was the best Mac of all time. He, along with John Gruber and John Siracusa, chose the SE/30. How could such an elderly Mac rank as the best Mac ever? Here's the answer.

TidBITS Staff No comments

The Mac Turns 25: Our First Macs

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, we've all taken a moment to think back to our first Macs, remembering what was good, what was bad, and just how cool it all was back then (although "back then" turns out to be a flexible concept).

TidBITS Staff No comments

ExtraBITS for 26-Jan-09

Read on for a collection of links to the most interesting articles and resources that the TidBITS staff discovered on the Web this week, ranging from news about the buggy Seagate drive firmware to articles related to the 25th anniversary of the Mac.

Jeff Carlson No comments

Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 26-Jan-09

This week's discussions focus on problems with the SugarSync online backup service, determining how many people are running Leopard, utilities to keep your monitor from dimming when viewing movies, specifying default views in the Finder, and conflicting advice from Apple's phone and in-person Apple Store support.