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OWC Tips & Deals 2/09/2007
Intro: Greetings from Woodstock! We've been back from Macworld and been spending as much time, in this below zero F weather, indoors where it's warm. Funny that it was warmer in Woodstock than in San Fran the week of Macworld Expo. Certainly hasn't been so these last couple weeks of deep freeze. And yes, again, back from the Macworld 'computer' Expo. Half the fun of writing after Macworld is writing about the cool new Mac products/systems/software from Apple. Cool new Apple products for sure - but more a challenge writing the 'Mac' part of that. Apple iPhone - Macworld Best of Show 2007 The undisputed hit of Macworld was Apple's new iPhone. Here's your music player, video viewer, photo shower, internet browser, and mobile telephone all in one sweet package with a widescreen touch display. At $499 for the 4GB and $599 for the 8GB model, definitely on the pricey side - but the value does add up. It will be June before this ships, at least can start saving the pennies today. David Pogue had some hands on time and with Mr. Jobs and you can read thatreview/commentary online now. And no doubt you noticed.... despite Cisco's iPhone trademark and recently released iPhone product line introduction, Apple still stuck with the name iPhone. Apparently, negotiations were underway into the 11th hour prior to the Tuesday keynote introduction. Seeing how Cisco filed a lawsuit following that keynote, the outcome of said negotiations pretty obvious. Further reading online here and here. AppleTV - Macworld Best of Show 2007 We knew it was coming since its 'pre-introduction' last summer and now (or at least sometime this month) you can buy your very own AppleTV for $299.00. Whatever is in your iTunes library you can play wirelessly to your WideScreen TV with the AppleTV. From what I can gather, it will essentially play all your iTunes content (purchased from Apple or ripped from your own collection) + brings you the latest high-definition movie trailers right off the internet. If iTunes won't play it, neither will the AppleTV though. When we get one to test - will be able to give more detail. New Apple Extreme Base Station and 802.11n Wireless Networking First off - a quick bit on the new 802.11n wireless. Apple touts their 802.11n implantation to provide up to twice the range and five times the performance vs. 802.11g 'Airport Extreme' wireless. With support for up to 50 simultaneous wireless users, the extra bandwidth really comes in handy. That bandwidth is also quite useful for network backups or large file transfers between computers 802.11n equipped. Most everyone, of course, will appreciate the increased range 802.11n provides. As part of the new 802.11n support, Apple has a brand new Airport Extreme Base Station . The new model adds the 802.11n support, has a brand new 'Mac mini' footprint profile, and lets you plug in a USB 2.0 Drive that can then be accessed as NAS (Network Attached Storage). The new base station's NAS feature is pretty cool and how convenient that our NewerTech miniStack USB 2.0 solution happens to be the perfect fit too. Just in case wondering, the new Airport Extreme Base Station is fully backwards compatible for supporting 802.11a/b/g in addition to that new 802.11n support. This is is really a nice step up from the prior 802.11g model. The better 802.11n performance/range, the more practical footprint/profile, and now you get NAS capability too -Very Nice! You may have heard about a software upgrade to enable 802.11n on previously shipped Macs. All iMacs (except 1.83GHz entry level version), MacBooks, MacBook Pros with Core 2 Duo; all Mac Pro Quad Xeon Models can be upgraded via an Apple Software enabler update. This update is include free with the purchase of Apple's new base station or can be purchased separately for $1.99. One quick note - at least for the time being, the $99.00 Airport Express compact base stations with Airtunes remain 802.11b/g only. I'd expect Apple will be doing an upgrade to this model soon, but do not expect existing units to be upgradeable. As 802.11n equipped bases/computers are backwards compatible - they of course still do integrate just fine, even if only up to the 802.11g level. OWC/Axiotron ModBook 'Tablet Mac' - Macworld Best of Show 2007 OWC had the distinct pleasure of introducing the Axiotron ModBook at Macworld last month. The actual Axiotron ModBook is the kit with which we utilize to convert an Apple MacBook into the world's 'First and Only Tablet Mac Solution'. This OWC/Axiotron ModBook solution starts from $2279. Aside from being the ONLY Tablet solution to run Apple OS X (standard version, no special software/hacks) - it it's feature set and value is extremely competitive vs. Windows based Tablets + it is the only Tablet (and only Mac) to my knowledge to offer a built in GPS Module. I could spend an entire newsletter expounding on all the fantastic features of this solution, but in summary - all the features standard on the stock Apple MacBook sans Keyboard and Track pad are provided in this first Mac Tablet solution. For more information - or to order - check it out right online. New orders being placed now are expected to the end of April. Apple Computer, Inc. is now just Apple, Inc. Seeing how Apple and Steve Jobs didn't introduce one TRUE Apple/Mac product at Macworld this year, I suppose it's the icing on the cake (or the kick in the tail) that Jobs chose to use the Apple Keynote at the Macworld Computer Expo to tell the world that 'Apple Computer, Inc.' has been renamed to 'Apple, Inc.' This change of name reflective of Apple's ever growing consumer products presence that go beyond the scope of just computers. Personally, I have no real issue with this... I think it would have been a nice gesture to have done this at an event other than the computer expo. It was also a bit disappointing not to see any new Macs, existing model speed bumps, new iLife suite, or another Leopard preview at the show. Jobs did say he'd be back with more really soon, but he's not been 'back' yet. I love what Jobs has done and continues to do at Apple. At the same time, a lot of people come to Macworld to see new, just released Mac stuff from Apple. The iPhone and AppleTV really did rock the show, but people who came there to see Apple's latest and greatest Mac stuff seemed to leave a bit disappointed on that particular front. No doubt Jobs will have a special presentation soon enough that includes new Mac stuff to drool over. I just thought it'd have already happened by now. Best price ever on 500GB Hard Drive - $133.99 If you've been looking to add some SATA or eSATA storage to you Mac, we've got some pretty nice deals running right now. With a limit of 5 per customer/household, you can get yourself Maxtor's Quickview 500GB 7200RPM SATA I/II 16MB Cache HD for $133.99. This drive is perfect for any PowerMac G5, iMac G5, iMac Intel, or Mac Pro Quad Xeon as is. It's perfect for just about any PowerMac G4 via our $50 SATA Controller Card. These 500GB Deals, the controller card, and other offerings are online now. I am pleased to put my personal endorsement behind these drives. Priced right with excellent performance and reliability. Note - these are 5 Year Warranty (now fulfilled by Seagate) Enterprise rated drives. A deal on leading drives like this comes only once in a blue moon... it's not every day that one hard drive company merges with another (Seagate purchased Maxtor mid last year). For Fun and of interest Sounds like Apple's ads are really getting to Bill Gates. In this recent Newsweek interview, Gate's actually claims that Windows is solid and that Macs get taken over every day via various security exploits. The exact quote "Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally." That's actually rather ambiguous wording when you read it. Technically you could write code, install it with your ADMIN password, and 'take over' your Mac - but that's not quite the same as what's being implied. It's millions of PCs worldwide (no Macs at all) that have succumbed to trojans that take over Windows systems (usually unknown to the owner) to send spam, steal personal data, and reek general havoc on the internet. I'd say that's a very carefully worded low blow by Mr. Gates there. FWIW, Vista does have what appears to be very iron clad security - but OMG - how does one get any work done with it enabled? Apple's latest 'Get a Mac' rip on Vista commercial is so spot on and hilarious at the same time. Enjoy. :) This is serious Apple Computer collection both set up for use and used/built/integrated as what I am assuming is an expression of modern decor. Interesting. Extreme Apple for sure. Intro Closing: Plenty more to talk about next time, but that covers a bit. Honestly, was waiting for that 'Apple Special Event' and 'One More Thing' to happen after the Macworld show... Timing is everything, perhaps that's the coming Tuesday surprise. Either way - the lull before the storm? Intel Quad Core Xeons are readily available and work in the Mac Pros, the Mac mini is still only with 32 bit Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo, it's still iLife 2006, etc.... Other than the Tablet Mac 'rumor', all of the other computer rumors fell through at Macworld. Then - it is Apple, Inc. now. As always, the show was a ton of fun and nothing beats the face to face with those of you we get to see year to year and for first time too. Anyways, thanks for reading and always the best! Still ahead and not to miss:Quick Tip: Turn that iPod, Flash Drive, etc - into a great utility tool, updated Reader Specials, and Roger's Music on the Mac follow right after these 'messages from our sponsor': Quick Links A better Apple/Macintosh ISP at a better price - FasterMac.Net Super competitive rates, Toll Free Tech Support, and a brand new level of Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam protection coming on line - you'll be amazed at how much you get for less at FasterMac.Net. Even just for e-mail, FasterMac.Net makes the hassle of Spam effectively no hassle at all. Just what does OWC do with trade-ins, open box items, discontinued goods, etc.? We put 'em up on our Clearance Deals Page. New goodies recently added! Upgrade the Mac you have or get a new one? OWC's exclusive Benchmark Reporting System helps you answer your own question. Compare various stock Macs vs. New Macs vs. Upgrades - you pick the Macs to compare and from up to 15 different tests we've completed. Use Apple OS 9.2.2 & Apple OS X on Macs Apple doesn't support because OWC does with OS 9 Helper and Xpostfacto! Quick Tip: iPod, Flash Drive, etc. to Bootable Utility Tool Odds are that you probably have an extra iPod, USB Flash Drive, etc. that you'd love to have additional use out of. Or, to rephrase, would take advantage an expanded purposing. While we will be doing an extended, detailed tip on this - this is enough to get you started. DasBoot is a Freeware utility by SubRosaSoft which allows you to create a bootable utility volume on various pocket devices. Your Mac must be able to boot from the interface type of the device of course, but with that part covered - this makes it easy to have a handy, bootable diagnostic tool at the ready. Not only does this give you a solution that boots far faster than a CD - you can also put whatever utilities you have on the one device to be at your disposal should the need arise. The programmers at SubRosaSoft have long been writing for the Mac and are actually the party behind some of the most popular commercial retail utility applications available today. While you may not know them, you've likely heard of the award software they've written for another company. More recently and in addition to the other non-named applications they support, SubRosaSof began offering their own titled utilities that are first rate and powerful too. Our guys have been playing with DasBoot and it rocks. It's the perfect tool to make use of an old iPod lying around or to easily configure up a portable hard drive, flash drive, etc with all those utilities to be at your disposal. The only competing product out there costs $135 to do the same thing. SubRosaSoft knows you already pay good money for those utilities, and it's a fantastic service of them to provide DasBoot for even greater use of them. :) Watch for our full review of this useful utility in a future newsletter. By the way - if you have a USB bootable Mac or any Mac with USB and would like a nice USB flash drive, we've got a great price on these Techworks High-Speed Flash Drives. 1GB for $14.95 and $24.95 for 2GB. Enjoy while they last. :) Check out our Quick Tips Archive, Hardware/Software Review articles, and more - all in the OWC Product Reviews and Editorial center. Great Buys and Featured Exclusive Specials for OWC E-Mail Subscribers: A much larger selection of regularly updated Tips n' Deals reader discounted specials can be found on the Tips n' Deals Specials Page, which is updated just for - well - readers like you! These are just some samples of what you'll find on the aforementioned web page: Memory - 1.0GB for as low as $85.00; 2GB Sets from $169.00! Market update Feb 9th: Either it's the lull before the storm or Microsoft Vista isn't going to be the big seller predicted. Regardless of the why, memory prices have taken a HUGE dive since the beginning of the year - only becoming stable again earlier this week. The various factors being said to contribute include unloading prior the the Chinese New Year (which starts next week affecting Asia for 2-3 weeks), high stock availability, and relatively weak demand. While this is bad news for the semiconductor manufacturers, this is great news for the rest of us. We're looking at the lowest costs in years for various memory types and, well, while there's never a better time to upgrade than when you can use more memory - there's hardly been a better time to need it. More memory = Faster OS X and Application Performance. More memory from OWC means getting the right, top quality memory for your Mac that's backed by our Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty. Upgrade MacBook, MacBook Pro Models (Core 2 Duo & Core Duo) For all speed/models of MacBook and MacBook Pro All models have 2 slots - upgrade one at a time or with a set. 1.0GB PC5300 DDR2 now $112.50; Upgrade with a 2.0GB Set $195.00 See other up to 3.0GB Memory and Hard Drive Upgrades online. Add up to 16.0GBs to Apple Mac Pro Quad Xeon Max the Apple Mac Pro Quad Xeon with up to 16GBs of Top Quality Memory Apple Qualified with Apple Approved Heat Spreader for Optimal Reliability Mac Pro has 8 Slots, Memory must be installed in Matched Pairs. 512MB x 2, 1GB x 2, and 2GB x 2 Module Sets now starting from $170 Per GIG! Upgrade iMac Intel, Mac mini Intel Models (ALL) Both Systems have 2 Slots, May be upgraded one module at a time or pairs. 1.0GB PC5300 DDR2 now $112.50; Upgrade with a 2.0GB Set $195.00 See other up to 3.0GB Memory and Hard Drive Upgrades online. Upgrade your PowerMac G5 and iMac G5 with PC3200 iMac G5 1.6GHz, 1.8GHz, and 2.0GHz; all PowerMac G5 Models with PCI-X Slots (all PowerMac G5s prior to the PCI-Express 'October 2005' models) PowerMac requires Matched Pairs, iMac allows one at a time. 2.0GB Matched Pair PC3200 DDR 184 Pin DIMMs - $179.00 1.0GB PC3200 DDR 184 Pin DIMM Module - $85.00 512MB PC3200 DDR 184 Pin DIMM Module - $43.00 Click for All Memory Options. More Memory for iMac G5/1.9GHz & 2.1GHz Models, PowerMac G5 'Oct 2005' PC4200 Memory for Late 2005 Model iMacs; PowerMac G5 PCI-Express PowerMac requires Matched Pairs, iMac allows one at a time. 1.0GB PC4200 DDR2 240 Pin DIMM Module - $107.00 1.0GB PC4200 DDR2 Matched Pair 512MB x 2 Matched Set - $94.00 2.0GB PC4200 DDR2 Matched Pair 1GB x 2 Matched Set - $209.00 Click for All Memory Options. Upgrade PowerBook G4 Aluminum 12"/15"/17"; iBook G4 12" & 14" PC2700 for all iBook G4 Models, All 'Pre-Oct 2005' PowerBook G4 Aluminums PowerBook has two slots, iBook only 1 slot - no advantage to matched pairs. 512MB PC2700 DDR SO-DIMM 200 Pin - $48.50 1.0GB PC2700 DDR SO-DIMM 200 Pin - $115.00 Click for All Memory Options. Upgrade PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver models Three or Four total slots, up to 512MB per Slot - Each slot independent with no advantage to matched sets. 256MB PC133 CL3/PC100 CL2 SDRAM DIMM 168 Pin - $28.50 512MB PC133 CL3/PC100 CL2 SDRAM DIMM 168 Pin - $65.00 Click for All Memory Options. OWC stocks top quality, fully tested - Apple Spec Memory for nearly every Mac made If you don't see your model listed and/or are not sure what your system needs, use our 'MyOWC' compatibility guide will list out just options are correct for your Mac. Storage - 500GB $133.99; 800GB FireWire 800/400 RAID $335.00 500GB Maxtor QuickView SATA I/II 16MB 7200RPM HD for $133.99 *WOW* Optimized for Audio/Video, Great for all General Data too! Special: Same 500GB HD Bundle w/Prosoft DataBackup II($59.95 Retail Value) $145.00. OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 800GB RAID FireWire 800/400 Solution for $335.00 Includes all cables, Intech HD Speedtools, DataBackup, 2yr+ Warranty & More Seagate 400GB 7200RPM Barracuda 7200.10 16MB Cache Hard Drives $119.00 5 Year Warranty - Same price for offered both SATA and ATA models! 250GB Seagate Barracuda SATA I/II 16MB Cache 7200RPM HD for $71.00 OWC Mercury Elite-AL 'Quad' FW800/400+USB2+eSATA Enclosure Kit $107.50 Flexible interface, performance solution - just add SATA I/II HD 250GB Seagate Barracuda IDE/ATA 16MB Cache 7200RPM HD for $72.50 320GB Seagate Barracuda IDE/ATA 16MB Cache 7200RPM HD for $94.50 NewerTech miniStack FireWire/USB2 Enclosure+FW-USB Hub Kit - $67 OWC Mercury Elite-AL Oxford912 FW800/400 Kit for IDE/ATA HDs $67.99, 20% off 250GB NewerTech miniStack FW/USB2 Complete Solution for $142.50! Limited supplies of various Mac AGP & PCI Video Cards from $49 The supply of ATI Mac Video Cards has been pretty much nil since end of November. Just recently though, things have started getting better + we've got a few non retail card options in the stock mix too. The full line of video cards is listed in our online video card section. The following is a highlight of what's available: For G5 AGP Models: ATI Radeon x800 256MB Mac G5 Edition In stock for $369.99 Apple Genuine Nvidia 6800 Ultra DLL $339.99; 6800GT $299.00 both in stock Special purchase - these nVidia cards support up to two 30" Displays For G4 & G5 Models; PCI for older PowerMacs too: ATI Radeon 9600 256MB Mac G4 & G5 Edition (see compatibility) $219.00 Apple /ATI Radeon 7000 PCI 32MB VGA - $49.00; Radeon 32MB DVI/VGA - $99.00 The above are in stock or supply is rolling in good on them. Apple genuine cards are special purchase and limited supply. We continue to have good supply on the ATI X1900 G5 PCI-Express Video Cards. We currently expect the other ATI video cards also listed at the link given to have solid availability by early March. About once every 18-24 months ATI has had this extended availability gap. Hopefully it's nothing to do with AMD now owning ATI. Anyway, we've got some of the hard to find video cards in stock and maybe what you've been needing. Techworks USB 2.0 High-Speed Flash Drives (Pen size) While they last, got some handy high-speed Techworks USB 2.0 Flash Drives. 1.0GB for $14.95 and 2.0GB version for $24.95 A great way to take up to 2.0GBs of data between different machines and places. These weigh like an ounce! PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics / Gigabit Ethernet Model Processor Upgrade OWC/PowerLogix G4/1.2GHz 7455 with 256K L2 & 2MB L3 Upgrade $165.00 30 Day Money Back + backed by 2 Year OWC Warranty NewerTech G4/2.0GHz 7447 with 512K 1:1 Performance Cache $359.00 That's 10% off norm! 30 Day Money Back, 3yr NewerTech Warranty Again, deals like these and more - reserved just for Readers - found on your regularly updated Tips n' Deals Exclusive Specials Page. Music on the Mac: Exporting GarageBand Tracks Greetings from the macsales.com Music Department! Another MacWorld Expo come and gone! Attendance was up and this year's event was no disappointment. Apple's big news, of course, was the much anticipated iPhone. It looks to be a winner and Apple TV was also a big move towards a "media center" approach. Closer to home, we at OWC were thrilled to announce our role in the exciting new product called the ModBook. Best in Show honors for a very unique product that seems to have found its niche already. On the music front, no iLife 07 yet...coming later this year. I am sure there will be added features and enhancements to GarageBand in the package to look forward to. I recently had to find a way to take some tracks created in GarageBand and import them into M-Audio's Pro Tools M-Powered. There is a way for it to be accomplished via a protocol called Rewire. Another very simple way to do it is to save an individual "part" in your GarageBand track to your desktop and then use the Import audio feature in Pro Tools. Many beginners ask how you can save just 1 track at a time from a GarageBand song. The answer is simple. Just "solo" the track so it is the only one playing and then send it to your iTunes library by clicking -Share- -send to Itunes-. The individual "part" will be sent to your library and you can then import it into your Pro Tools project. Take care to note the tempo of your GarageBand song and set your Pro Tools track to the same tempo. There are many issues involved, but this is a simple way of doing things for the sake of this article. I hope you find this tip useful and that you are enjoying the new year! Please find the "right stuff" at great prices here and use our audio forum to ask any questions you may have or simply share your experiences with others! Thanks! Get our entertaining new Widget called Daily Guitar Jam. For all your audio/music needs, www.macsales.com/music online. Browse and read other 'Music on the Mac' articles by Roger posted online. See how Roger created The Garage Album CD at The Garage Album website. Interact with Roger and other Apple Music/Audio users in our online music and audio forums. About our Music Guru: Roger Adler is a four-time Emmy nominated composer, producer, and performer. He is an endorser and clinician for the iGuitar by Brian Moore Guitars and his work is recognizable in over 1000 television commercials. Adler performed at the Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C. as recently as 2005 and his recordings include appearances on the Groundhog Day feature film soundtrack and The Garage Album. He is widely recognized for his role as Music director for the A&E television series "The Best of Comic Relief" starring Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg and for 16 years as Music Director for the popular series "Wild Chicago." Adler is the owner of two recording studios serving the professional entertainment industry, i^3 audio at North Pier in Chicago and studioA at Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake, IL. In addition to facilitating the Daily Guitar Jam Widget, Adler produces the popular Podcast Show "Rock Your Computer" which broadcasts to an international audience via Apple's iTunes Music Store. Closing: Well, time to get this wrapped up. Not a bad way to wrap up a Friday. In addition to the daily norms, we also had the 'Blood Mobile' here today and pleased to say that filled the roster and our group (me too) donated to 31 units of blood. Fears overcome and hearts in the right place, it's neat that our donation may very well save someone's life. Anyway... feel like I've said this before... but, we'll back on a more normal newsletter schedule again as we go forward. Have plenty of stuff to write about - regardless of what/when new stuff comes out of Apple. Plenty of goings on, and plenty of deals we'll certainly come up with too. Have a great weekend - or hope it was great if you're reading this Monday. And till the next time, hope you're staying warm or lucky enough to be where the weather is warm on its own. :) We Support our Troops The 'fine print': Contact Information+ ++++++++++++++++++++ Sales: sales@macsales.com or 800-275-4576, International 815-338-8685 Customer Service: custserv@macsales.com or 800-275-4576 / 815-338-8685 Tech Support: Online Tech Center or 815-338-8685 Please feel free to e-mail any comments or suggestions to:suggestions@macsales.com You may ALWAYS reply to our OWC Tips and Deals e-mail at owc@macsales.com with any questions or comments as well - PLEASE change the subject to reflect your e-mail question/comment to ensure a speedy reply! Other World Computing div. of New Concepts Development Corp. 1004 Courtaulds Drive Woodstock, IL 60098 815-338-8685 This is an free subscribed E-Mail Newsletter that can be joined via or website. This e-mail is only received if you have joined our list. Notification is e-mailed to your address when you join as well as if you choose to cancel, which you may do at anytime, no hard feelings. :) To change, remove, or add an e-mail address for our newsletter, you can visit our online subscriber page anytime. If you'd just like to unsubscribe, that can also quickly be done by clicking the link at the end of this e-mail. Prices & availability subject to change without notice. New specials go up and old specials updated everyday. We Apologize for typographical errors. This e-mail may be freely distributed in its original form, complete and without any modification, alteration, insertion, or anything else that would make this different from the original intent. 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