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OWC Tips & Deals 7/30/2007
Intro: Hello again from your friends at Other World Computing. So far so good this summer. Nice weather and nice stuff happening for Apple too. Over the last couple months, all the MacBook and MacBook Pro models got nice updates... we thought that would happen the same for the iMacs and Mac mini in July, but looks like have to wait just a little longer. Jobs did say that Apple's new product pipeline was loaded, so perhaps more than just some updated models in store very soon. For now, if a new Mac is in your future, no need to wait on the MacBook, MacBook Pro, or Mac Pro(updated in April) models... but for any of the iMacs or Mac minis - if you can hold out a little longer, no doubts there be a new generation near release. And can't wait to be talking about them too. :) Apple hits a Home Run - iPhone, Earnings, etc. I have to say, I was a bit skeptical with all the hype on the iPhone. Such skepticism ended on July 6th, after I got to try one. The wife and I had taken the train for a rare dinner in Chicago and there happened to be time enough to stop at the Apple Store. My intention was to just give it a try and leave being able to talk intelligently from some first hand experience on it. After 10 minutes with the iPhone, the plastic was out and I was not leaving without one. For all my love of tech, a basic cell phone had been plenty enough in the pocket size. While I have played with Blackberry/Treo devices and liked the idea of the functions they offer, they just weren't for me. The functions were fine, it was how they functioned which didn't excite. Part of it too was maybe that I didn't really want to take the time to learn those products and sort through their thick manuals. I've got to wonder how many people have those things and only use them to a small part of their capability with that in mind. And then there is the Apple iPhone... the manual is practically non-existent because you don't need one. It's got an awesome display. The touch screen interface is easy to use and highly intuitive. Instead of a keyboard with tiny little keys, got a great dynamic digital keyboard which changes for the key inputs different situations call for - I can't barely describe how awesome it is. It sells itself - no need to wait around for someone to explain it, you just pick it up and start using it. The iPhone is awesome and will only get better as Apple continues to push updates that add features and new abilities. Apple actually does 'subscription based accounting' for their iPhone sales, taking the revenue (and cost) of the device over a 24 month period. I am not sure what happens after those 24 months, but for the first 24 months you get a 'subscription' entitling you to the free updates Apple provides. On this note, while Apple reported 270,000 iPhones sold in the last two days of their prior quarter - only 1/24th of the sale, cost, and income was counted in that quarter's report. Macs and iPods made the quarter.. but getting a little ahead of myself now. There is one significant let down with the iPhone so far... That's the AT&T data network. Rumor has it that Verizon actually turned Apple away and that's a bummer since AT&T is definitely a lot slower in my experience. It's still quite adequate for doing e-mail, light web browsing, checking the weather, etc... and when you've got an 802.11b/g network available - it'll switch to that to take advantage of the full speed such available network has to offer. I must not forget, it's also got full iPod function built in. Oh, and it's great for calls too... and the 'visual voicemail', which lets you touch and play vm in any order you choose, that's huge - especially for someone like me who hates voice mail. I could continue to ramble on, but rather recommend visiting an AT&T or Apple Store and giving one a try. Seeing is believing, such form with intuitive and usable function. A product that I believe has truly lived up to the hype. Once you try one out, leaving without one can become difficult indeed. My only disappointment comes to the network. I'm glad it connects to my home wireless when available for the data services as AT&T's network isn't all that for the data. With all the features provided and a network that is able enough for my e-mail and light web needs (when I'm not supposed to be working anyway), still have to call this a huge winner. So I warn, be careful about trying one out - trying this thing is a huge step towards buying, it's just that good. -- Talk about an incredible quarter, this last one set new records for Apple Income and marked yet another quarter of huge growth in Mac computers. With a reported 36% growth in Mac sales compared to the same quarter a year ago, Apple's market share continues to grow nicely. According to IDC estimates, Apple remains 4th ranked with a US market share up to 5.6% (vs. 4.8% a year ago) + is extremely near to overtaking GateWay to be in the 3rd ranked position. Dell and HP, fwiw, are the #1 and #2 ranked. More Macs out there is always a good thing. Good for us with the development and support it garners in terms of software and hardware goodies. Good for Apple for the enabling of ongoing R&D to bring us more of the best. The future looks pretty bright, even more so with Leopard officially just a couple more months away. More Memory for a faster Mac, can't stop talking about it It's one of those things we've stated for years, personally experienced and confirmed, but only recently went through the great lengths to explain and illustrate with test results to make ever so more clear. One of the best ways to improve the performance of your Mac is by adding memory. It's not the only thing you can do, but if you've not already brought your machine to a memory sweet spot, or the max it can handle (with OS X, there is something to be gained of overall significance for each step up until around 3GB... which is more than many systems Max to) - you're new Mac could very well be the Mac you have, just with more memory added. Our journey began with Apple MacBook 13.3" memory testing. First - while seeking to explain why pairs were needed in the MacBook we actually proved that pairs are absolutely not needed with better results having more memory vs. upgrading with a pair of a lower amount. Continued testing then confirmed you could use our 2GB modules to bring the MacBook 13.3" up to 3.0GB and with significant performance gain (20%+ w/real-world apps) even though Apple lists it as being 2.0GB Max memory. That was the Macbook 13.3" testing. Our memory testing series now include results for both the MacBook Pro 15.4" and MacBook Pro 17" Models. With the latest MacBook Pro models able to utilize 4.0GBs of memory, for the most part testing showed 3.0GBs to be the value spot with little more to be gained with normal usage for going to 4.0GB. Note - you must have a Core 2 Duo equipped model to use more than 2.0GB. After memory, what else? Apple OS X, among others things, uses additional available memory to enhance it's operating efficiency. A lot of that has to do with caching more data and thus reducing dependence of disk access. What that also means, is in lieu of or combined with more memory - having a faster main boot hard drive results in a boost in performance as well. In pretty much ANY Mac, desktop - tower - laptop - all-in-one, you can replace the original hard drive not just to get more storage capacity, but also to reap real gains in performance. Memory is always faster than a physical hard drive, but today's hard drives are up to 2-3 times faster than drives made only 3 years ago and in closing that performance gap - it is a totally noticeably difference you benefit with a new drive. We're not just talking about copying files here, talking about how your applications perform. If you look at the MacBook Pro 15.4" results, you'll notice our testing with the new Hitachi 200GB 7K200 7200RPM drive vs. Apple stock. This put a current 5400RPM HD up against the latest 7200RPM. The benefit of the faster drive diminished somewhat with 3.0GB and up, but especially relevant to those limited to 2.0GB of memory or who need additional storage capacity and that's what that budget allows for now, having a faster hard drive does really make a difference. Although we don't have benchmarks published to show it (yet), the difference of upgrading to a new current drive - even with the same RPM - from a drive 3+ years old is even more striking. It's easy and exciting to be buying a new Mac. Just make sure you've gotten the most out of the Mac you've already got. When more memory and a faster hard drive can nearly double an existing Mac's performance, it's a win-win to upgrade to the max and save money at the same time vs. buying a new base config of potentially slower real performance even despite a faster processor inside. And processor upgrades - we've still got those galore for the PowerMac G4s and a such a good case for them there. Being able to make PowerMac G4s 10X or more faster + all the benefits of the PowerPC software you already own, just running at light speed vs. the stock processor - really worth checking into.... once memory and HD is up to speed too. Getting a new Mac is great, just remember that the Mac you've got is great with potential too. If you have questions or need help, remember too we're just a phone call away at 800-275-4576 + can Live Chat or E-mail us online too. :) OWC NASPerform - Network Storage made Easy Network drives have been offered in a lot of flavors, but we're pretty pleased to introduce the OWC NASPerform line featuring NDAS technology. Instead of having to deal with file sharing, TCP/IP settings, and other stuff that leaves many entry level NAS solutions disappointing - the NDAS technology utilized on the OWC NASPerform makes it all plug and play simple. Unlike normal NAS drives, the NASPerform with NDAS actually mounts on your desktop just like a normal hard drive volume and is an ideal device for network backup, central multimedia access point, etc. It's also priced really nice with solutions of 250GB to 750GB available from $127.99 or an 'add your own drive' 0GB model for $59.99. If you've been looking for an easy to use, reliable, and secure network storage solution - you definitely want to check out the OWC NASPerform. Reviews of OWC and NewerTech products It's pretty much the norm for me to be talking up our various products. It's pretty easy for me to do as I know first hand what makes them better than competition out there. Anyway... :)..... We very lucky to have a lot of interest in our products with reviews that follow and found it a great suggestion that we share some of these independent reviews in our newsletter. And with that, here are some of the recent ones: MacLife just today published their review of the NewerTech 7448/2.0GHz Upgrade in which it received a calls it 'GREAT!' 4 out of 5 rating. A nice quote from their bottom line..."if you're upgrading a G4 with a slower processor, the MAXPower can give that system another year or more of daily use." MacObserver reviews NewerTech Guardian MAXimus FW800/400+USB2 RAID 1 Mirror Solution with an 'Outstanding' 5/5 rating. To quote: "In summary, I give a very strong recommendation to the Guardian MAXimus." American Photo just awarded the NewerTech Maximus with a 2007 Editor's Choice Award calling it "convenient and reasonably priced." We also received an Editor's Choice Award from American Photo for our new high-capacity Blu-Ray FireWire/USB2 Burner Solutions. :) Geek.com very favorably talks about our Mercury On-The-Go portable 2.5" enclosures vs. comparably priced, but lesser quality enclosure options in this online review posting. MyMac did a full review on our Mercury On-The-Go portable solution and gave it a glowing 4.5 out of 5 review rating. In conclusion, they considered it a "really great deal" with it's features and included software. MyMac.com gives our PowerBook SuperDrive Internal Upgrade Kits a 4.5 out of 5 as "fast, reliable, supports all CD/DVD media including DVD-RAM." Do note we've got SuperDrive Solutions from $39.99 for just about every Mac! Macenstein reviewed our latest model 1.0TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 'Quad Interface' FW800+FW400+USB2+eSATA solution with a 9 out of 10. Very pro on the cables, software and utilities we included as well as its performance. They also concluded quite nicely that among other things, the Elite-AL is "an excellent choice for video pros". Macenstein also recently reviewed the NewerTech eSATA 2-Port Extender for Apple Mac Pro. They actually used this product to test the eSATA performance of our Elite-Pro in the above mentioned review. This product is a little more for those comfortable with opening up their system, but at $24.95 - is a great way to get use of 2 additional SATA Channels via eSATA on your Mac Pro - for a total of 6 + without taking up PCI-Express lanes. Can't hardly complain about an 8 out of 10 review rating. And that's just a few of the recent ones. It's easy for me to toot my own horn, so to speak... but it's nice to have the ongoing flow of outside reviews that do the same. The best part is that comments from customers with these products well mirror what the reviewers have to say. It's about delivering the best stuff that gets the job done for you and we really appreciate the opportunity to do just that. For Fun and of interest So just how long has Steve Jobs had the iPhone on his mind? If this story is to be believed, the iPhone is about 25 years in the making! Obviously a little different concept back then with the pen interface and as part of a corded phone set... but still, pretty neat if for real. One thing for sure, I recognize that Apple early 80s style in the concept photo shown... reminds me of the Apple IIC and the casing later used on 3.5" floppy drives. Memories. :) Intro Closing: Another month of Summer just about wrapped up. What's normally a really hot few weeks for us has actually been pretty mild with most of the highs topping in the low 80s. It's also been one of the wettest July months I can remember for our neck of the woods. In any event, just five months left for 2008 and a lot yet to come out of Apple this year. Enjoy the summer and then be ready for 'what's next'. :) As always, hope you've enjoyed and thanks for reading. The best always to you and yours. Still in this newsletter we have Our site for tips, answers, and more, this week's Reader Specials Highlights, and Roger's Music on the Mac following some 'messages from our sponsor'. Quick Links Online Installation Videos, PDF Docs, FAQ & more in OWC Tech Center: From installing memory to ipod batteries, installing processor upgrades to Optical Drive you'll find help with OWC's Installation Videos. Tips on setting up hard drives, creating raids, proper memory handling, network setup, basic trouble shooting, and just a whole lot more. There is a lot of experience here and we're happy to share that with you. 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! 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: Find Answers at OWC This week's tip directs you to check out our site. Not just a place you'll find the products we sell, but a place with lots of great information too. First, it's worth checking out ourcollection of past Quick Tips that might have missed. The tips go wide and far and you can review them conveniently online and at your leisure. There a lot of neat and easy things you can do for enhancing your Mac experience and those we've come across we share with our quick tips. Another significant resource on our site would be the OWC Tech Center. Here you can check out installation videos for memory, hard drives, optical drives, and ipods. We've got PDF manuals for many products. A page with contact information for different manufacturers product is offered from. Tips for networking, basic Mac Troubleshooting, and a whole lot more. We're always adding to this section and a lot of it comes from things experienced real-world helping out our customers. A lot of experience and useful information to be derived from this section and it's there with strings attached. :) And of course, we've got real people here happy to help with our products as well. That's before, during, and after the sale too. You can call during our hours to 800-275-4576, send an e-mail, or even use our live chat! The team knows Mac and is happy to help, is here to ensure you get what you need and up and running with it. So there ya go. 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! Highlights: End of Month Garage Sale/Clearance Goodies it's about this time, the month end, when we update all sorts of goodies to our clearance section. New items returned that are A-OK and discounted now as open box, refurbished items, some used stuff, end of life, one of a kinds and more are what you'll find on our clearance page. Some of it's even hard to find too, all of it is priced to move. The latest listing deals include: 1.0GB Apple Genuine Memory MacBook/Pro, iMac Intel, Mac mini Intel $39.75ea 512MB Apple Genuine Memory MacBook/Pro, iMac Intel, Mac mini Intel $15.00ea 1.0GB Apple Genuine FB-DIMM Kits (512MBx2) for Mac Pro Quad Xeons $92.50ea OWC IDE/ATA to USB 2.0 Adapters for easy access to bare drives from $4.50 Apple Logo 2.5" SATA HDs MacBook/MacBook Pro/Mac mini Intel from $32.50 Various 3.5" IDE/ATA HDs 40GB to 320GB from $40.00, 250GB from $64.50 PowerMac G4/G5 PCI SATA HD Controller Cards from $42.75 PowerMac G5 'Dual-core'/Mac Pro PCI-Express SATA Controllers from $85.00 FireWire Hard Drive enclosure kits from $20.00 FireWire + USB2 Combo enclosures from $34.00 USB 2.0 Enclosures from $13.50 Special Clearance of brand new OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire 800/400 RAID Solutions - while supplies last: 160GB $185, 500GB $245, 640GB $285, 800GB $315, 1.5TB $550.00. New, complete, with full 2yr OWC Warranty! Lacie 500GB D2 FireWire 800/400 External Hard Drive - Brand New - $179.00 Apple G4 processor cards from $75 for 733MHz, G4s up to 1.8GHz offered Some hard to find Video Cards and options Apple CDRW/DVD-Roms from $12.75, SuperDrive DVD/CD Burners from $15.00 Mac Video Games like MacPlay 'Alien vs. Predator' from $12.50 And plenty of other gems you'll find online. Visit the OWC Garage Sale Page to check things out. Availability limited to actual quantities on hand and site reduces/disables item listings as sales complete in a first completed first out fashion to help prevent oversells. Big Storage for your Apple Laptop - 120GB $75; 160GB $95 MacBook and MacBook Pro 2.5" SATA Internal Hard Drive Upgrades: 80GB and up to 200GB 7200RPM by Hitachi & Seagate from $94.95, 160GB $187.99 120.0GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB with 3yr Warranty $73.75 160.0GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB with 3yr Warranty **$95.00 ** 250.0GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB with 3yr Warranty $215.00 PowerBook & iBook G3/G4 Internal IDE/ATA 2.5" Hard Drive Upgrades: *Special - WD Scorpio 5400RPM 60GB, 80GB, 100GB - $44.99, $49.99, $57.99! 100.0GB Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 7200RPM 8MB with 3yr Warranty $114.99 160.0GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB with 3yr Warranty $98.99 Use and/or transfer data from the 'old' drive externally: SATA 2.5" Portable HD Enclosure Kits for MacBook/MacBook Pro Hard Drives OWC Mercury On-The-Go FireWire 800(+400)/USB2 SATA 2.5" Enclosure Kit $80.00 OWC Mercury On-The-Go USB 2.0 SATA 2.5" Enclosure Kit - $34.99 For IDE/ATA 2.5" from PowerBook or iBook: OWC Mercury On-The-Go FireWire 400 IDE/ATA 2.5" Enclosure Kit - $55.00 OWC Mercury On-The-Go USB 2.0 IDE/ATA 2.5" Enclosure Kit - $29.95 Transfer/Access Data from Drives easily with Universal Adapter NewerTech 2.5/3.5/5.25" IDE/ATA/ATAPI/SATA I&II to USB 2.0 Adapter $25.00 The Swiss Army Knife of Data Accessibility, all cables included. Desktop/Tower/External HDs - 500GB SATA $99.00; FireWire 500GB $170 & More 500GB Maxtor MaxLine Pro Enterprise Class 7200RPM SATA II now $99.00 This is one of the fastest, most reliable drives you can get. Not just a standard fare drive, this model is Enterprise 'Nearline' rated for mission critical data storage needs and backed by a 5 year Seagate/Maxtor Factory Warranty. Get that SAME drive bundled with ProSoft DataBackup III for $117.50 That's $18.50 more to get the $59.95 Retail Value Prosoft Backup App. 300GB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7200RPM FW800/400,USB2,eSATA Solution - $167.50 Includes all cables, Intech HD Speedtools, DataBackup, 2yr+ Warranty & More 500GB OWC Neptune FireWire 400 Complete 7200RPM 16MB Cache Solution $169.99 500GB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7200RPM Firewire 400 + USB2 Solution - $185.00 Includes all cables, Intech HD Speedtools, DataBackup, 2yr+ Warranty & More 500GB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7200RPM FW800/400,USB2,eSATA Solution - $225.00 Includes all cables, Intech HD Speedtools, DataBackup, 2yr+ Warranty & More 1.0TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire 7200RPM 800/400+USB2 RAID - $345.00 Includes all cables, Intech HD Speedtools, DataBackup, 2yr+ Warranty & More Awarding Winning Prosoft Utility Specials - DataRescue II $55 If ever you've got an issue with data on one of your hard drives, the award winning DataRescue II is an application you want in your arsenal and ready to deploy. Be it data corruption or accidentally deleted files, DataRescue has saved the day for many. Prosoft DataRescue II normal retail $99, Super Reader Special - $55.00 Also check out Prosoft Drive Genius - this is the same utility Apple uses for the system maintenance they charge you for at the Genius Bar which you can buy and thus be doing that maintenance yourself. :) Normal $99, $67.50 for you. Memory is still a 'great deal' for making your Mac faster Memory update 7/30/2007: As was suggested as possible a month ago, memory prices have actually been rising a little - at least the DDR2 stuff for the latest Intel Macs. It's still way low though, still costing a fraction of it's cost six months ago. Even if today's prices doubled, that would be the case - so without hesitation I say that memory is a great deal for the real performance more of it can bring your Mac. As we move into the School and the Christmas buying seasons, watch for memory to pressure up some as demand on supply increases. OWC Memory is meets or exceeds Apple Qualified Specifications and is guaranteed for a lifetime of reliable, trouble-free operation and our Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty stands behind it. 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 $49.75; Upgrade with a 2.0GB Set $99.00 Add a 2.0GB Module to any Core 2 Duo Model for $107.50 or 3.0GB Memory Set (2.0GB + 1.0GB Modules) for $159.00! See other up to 4.0GB Memory and Hard Drive Upgrades options 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 about $84.37 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 $49.75; Upgrade with a 2.0GB Set $99.00 Add a 2.0GB Module to any Core 2 Duo Model for $107.50 or 3.0GB Memory Set (2.0GB + 1.0GB Modules) for $159.00! 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 - $119.00 1.0GB PC3200 DDR 184 Pin DIMM Module - $61.50 512MB PC3200 DDR 184 Pin DIMM Module - $30.00 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 - $47.50 2.0GB PC4200 DDR2 Matched Pair 1GB x 2 Matched Set - $92.50 Click for All Memory Options including 2.0GB modules/4GB kits from $1115 per 2GB! 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 - $32.00 1.0GB PC2700 DDR SO-DIMM 200 Pin - $95.00 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 - $25.00 512MB PC133 CL3/PC100 CL2 SDRAM DIMM 168 Pin - $59.00 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. See your home's power usage real-time, reduce power bill Few of us like to see our monthly power bill, any bill for that matter... but when it comes to our power usage, that's usually when we think about it. Enter the Blue Line Innovations PowerCost Monitor - this nifty device works with pretty much any type of power meter, is allowed/legal (in fact power utility companies are starting to promote this product), and lets you see you're power consumption in real time. I put one on my meter and while have always tried to be energy conservantional, this gives that extra reminder and even challenge to make sure lights, tv, etc, computer, etc - is shut off when not in use. For those with variable rate plans (different power cost for peak vs. non-peak), it's easily programmable and helpful for shifting power intensive activities (doing laundry, etc) to those non-peak hours. When you have it displayed front and center how much the power is costing you real-time, it's quite motivating to make that number as low as can go. The Blue Line PowerCost Monitor is available for our readers discounted to $119 and I can tell you first hand, it definitely is an investment that will pay for itself. It's also nice no longer being surprised when the power bill shows up. :) 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: DigiDesign 003 Rack, Ozonic MultiFunction Greetings from the macsales.com Music Department! Introducing the new Digidesign 003 Rack audio interface! Everything you need to compose, perform, record, edit, mix, and master audio for music and desktop post production projects - with truly professional results. Following on the heels of their highly successful 002 family of interfaces, Digidesign has now upped the ante with a solid upgrade to their audio hardware. The new 003 Rack is designed to work with the Pro Tools LE software which is a very mature and full featured offering. It is certainly no light weight version of Pro Tools and it is widely used by professionals and semi pros in every corner of the world. The mere fact that Pro Tools is so widely used is a great reason to get into the Pro Tools camp. Let's look at this new interface and see what it offers! This standard 19 inch rack mount unit features 18 simultaneous channels of input and output. High speed FireWire connection and high resolution 24bit/96 kHz specifications which equals high quality professional audio. You get 8 analog inputs/outputs, 4 high quality mic preamps and 8 channels of ADAT optical input/output. With ADAT optical you can, for instance, add additional mic preamps so you can record with many mics at one time. .......perfect if you need to record a drum kit, some horns and vocals all at once. You also have midi in and out and BNC Word Clock to sync to other digital devices in your studio which is necessary if you have more than one digital device in your setup (such as a digital mixer or keyboard with digital output). All of this connectivity makes the 003 Rack the perfect "hub" of your studio setup. You can connect virtually all of your studio gear at once including mics, monitors, keyboards, guitars and effects and have it all waiting for your moment of creative inspiration. Using Pro Tools LE software, you can also create a template of your typical session, with audio, instrument, midi and master fader tracks ready to go when you start a new session. I suppose one could make a comparison to Apple's multi featured GarageBand application, but Pro Tools operates on a much deeper level. This package also includes over 60 plug-ins that are essential tools in modern music production. The plug-ins range from Reverbs to Chorus to Delay to Virtual Instruments . You also get Pitch Shift, Compression, several types of EQ, Gate, Ping Pong delay and many more. There is also a very long list of 3rd party developers who are constantly creating new, exciting and useful plug-ins for Pro Tools users. The long list of features and capabilities would correctly suggest that this is a setup for the power user, the semi-pro and pro. It would certainly make the perfect "step up" for someone who has been working with GarageBand. With GarageBand, one can see the value of a system that has everything for music production in place. Pro Tools and the 003 Rack is just the next logical step up in music production. With a system with this much creative power, there certainly is a learning curve to consider. There are some helpful and free tutorial videos at digidesign.com that show Pro Tools in action. If you want to get in on that action with professional results, Pro Tools and the 003 Rack are a guaranteed winning combination. -- Ozonic-what is it? We are constantly featuring individual products here that add productivity to your musical life. Sometimes, there is an "all-in-one" solution that does several things well. The M-Audio Ozonic fits that description perfectly. It's not just a 37 key midi/USB keyboard, it's also a FireWire audio interface and midi controller in one slick package. Add this to your laptop or desktop and you can easily record vocals via the built in mic input, guitar or bass with the instrument input and play virtual keyboard sounds with the 37 key midi keyboard. You can also use a whole host of sliders, knobs, buttons and a joystick controller to adjust and tweak the on screen parameters of your software instruments. In the "heat of the creative moment", its so nice to be able to grab a control and adjust the sound you are working with instead of having to "mouse around" to find it and then adjust it ! Heck, it even has a transport control surface so you can control the start/stop and record status of your software such as Pro Tools M-Powered. You can check out this great visual overview right on our site. The details are important so let's take a look at the Ozonic up close. It has a synth action keyboard with 37 full size keys. M-Audio is noted for their quality keyboards that players seem to like. One thing to look for are keys that feel solid and do not rock back and forth from side to side. Any rocking back and forth should be done by the player anyway! With its plethora of buttons, sliders, rotary knobs and joystick, you can freely assign all of these to get hands on control of your software instruments. This is standard stuff for keyboard players these days and Ozonic is fully equipped. As an audio interface, it happens to feature a mic input WITH phantom power for your high quality studio mics. Plugging in a guitar, bass or using the line inputs for plugging in external devices is also provided for. Those external devices could be midi keyboards that have sounds in them you want to record or tape machines, DAT players, CD players, etc. You may be doing something as simple as trying to play the virtual guitar amp/effect sounds in GarageBand. Ozonic covers all the bases!. Just plug your guitar into Ozonic, create a track for it in GarageBand and rock out! Of course, the Ozonic works flawlessly with industry leading Pro Tools M-Powered software too. This is a FireWire audio interface capable of high resolution audio...24 bit, 96 kHz audio quality. In lay-person's terms, this is double the sample rate of so-called CD quality audio. That translates into crystal clear, full frequency audio. A friend of mine has an Ozonic with her as a music major at Columbia College in Chicago. She uses it in her room, in a classroom "jam" setting and brings it to sessions at outside studios to record her music on a regular basis. This hardware has worked flawlessly in all situations and has proven to be convenient, portable and dependable. This type of music technology is supposed to make our lives more productive and streamline the creative process. The well designed Ozonic by M-Audio certainly does! Add-ons: The M-Audio Nova Condenser mic is a fabulous companion to the Ozonic. This very popular mic sounds great on everything from vocals to sax to piano and at $99, it performs like a mic costing many times it's price. Our music dept. also has top quality Mogami mic cables at great prices. The mic cable has a definite impact on sound quality, never settle for low quality cable! Don't forget about our Audio/Music Forum. We want to be your resource for answers to your questions...and let you share your experience with others too. Please find the "right stuff" at great prices here. Get our entertaining Widget called Daily Guitar Jam. 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. 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: Another newsletter I know draw to a close just as the passage of time counts yet another month about to do the same. Funny how fast it can go. My first son is already two years old and our latest addition is already at four months. All the events that seem like yesterday have ever more days separated from them. Then then they seem like yesterday because of the positive intensities surrounding all those events now passed. Maybe that's a big part of how time seems to fly faster as we've had more time here. When were younger, there is less stored up there in the gray matter to offer that context on time. As the store builds, just more moments throughout that still burn bright - yet fall further back into time past. How can you judge how far you've traveled without reference to where you started. Anyways, got some current pictures of little Larry and Julia. I love those kids and God willing, we'll be adding one or two more to the mix. Regardless of what the future brings, each day I am very aware of how blessed and lucky my Wife and I are with the two we have now. Ok - as fast as time seems to fly these days, no doubt it will be like tomorrow that the first college bills start to roll in. In that thought, well, so long as we've got the goods and stuff to talk about - I'll keep these newsletters churning out. That's, of course, with a most important part, you being out there and reading what we've got to share. I thank you very much reading and being a subscriber. I expect a virtual explosion of Apple products including and beyond Leopard come the near future, so lots more to soon start coming. So, I hope today was a happy Monday and wish you well for the week ahead and well beyond. Thank you again for reading and being a Tips n' Deals subscriber! 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