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OWC Tips & Deals 8/31/2004
Intro: Where does the time go? Although it's August 31st now, it's going to be a brand new month that our latest newsletter makes it's way across the wires. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was doing this? No - that would be two weeks ago. The Olympics were just then starting (Way to Go teams USA & congrats to all the Olympians from every corner of this world!) and now that's done too. Well, greetings again from all your friends at OWC! The last couple weeks have certainly flashed by us here in a hurry, but that's not by some any local time/space aberration - it's all the exciting projects we're cranking away at. A friend of mine started me saying this, and it does apply - it's all good. "From the Creators of iPod - The new iMac G5" - yep - it's out and it is neat! And good for Apple, the iPod has been wildly successful and it's clear that their going after a whole new (non-Mac user) customer base with that tag line. The prices are amazing too, from $1299 to $1899 you get a snazzy flat panel display with a built in G5/1.6 or 1.8GHz single processor computer! However, with only 256MB in any of the base configs (come on Apple!), you definitely will be buying more memory and it can take up to 2 Gigs too and btw, buying that 2 Gigs from us saves you close to $700 vs. Apple. Get the great computer from them, and the great memory you'll need from us. :) Back on track - all in all, I think this is a fantastic computer for a wide range of uses but.... I'd not be too excited with it for home if you or your kids are going to be gaming. While true that the nVidia 5200FX is a vast improvement compared to the 4MX video that the last iMac G4s offered - it's still a very low end video display solution when today's games and technology are considered. Even so, this is going to be the hot ticket this holiday season - and if you've been sitting on the fence for a new iMac, well - get your order in to Apple quick - even an order placed today has a 3-4 week ETA quoted. I hope Apple's production line is running day and night - I know people are running to be in line for this totally hot new Mac! Here's a peak at the insides-can you find the SEVEN cooling fans? :) If you've been reading our last couple newsletters, then you've already been introduced to one of our hottest new products ever - the NewerTech 'RoadTrip!' FM Transmitter, a simple $20 solution for your iPod (or any audio device) designed to get those tunes jamming via your vehicle's FM Radio. Only costs $20 - and it really works? Totally, and it works GREAT! With that all said, it isn't the only product of this type or the only way for other available products to get that audio into your car's stereo - and WOW did Jamie put together a most totally awesome article covering various means! From our $20 product to Sonnet's $99 PodFreq to, well, something that costs just a tad bit more - Jamie has done a first class job with an objective look for ways to get it done. If you have used or currently use a product that just doesn't do the job you expect, you're going to enjoy this article since there are things that do work. From your iPod/Music Player to your Car's Stereo, online now - Enjoy! Talk about a 'hot' topic, how about your Apple PowerBook battery catching Fire! Apple has issued a recall for batteries included with or sold separately by Apple for Powerbook G4 15" Aluminums. Seems that a flaw in the affected Apple batteries may cause a short with catastrophic results. It's not the first time Apple's had a laptop battery recall, and Apple is not at all the only one to have a problem like this either. But, if your one of the roughly 28,000 people who has a battery needing to go back - that's rather moot. Maybe it's time for a 'New..er' battery.... And talk about timing - Our NewerTech Division is just now starting to accept orders for two new High-Capacity batteries designed for, you guessed it, the Apple PowerBook G4 15" Aluminum and they will begin shipping in quantity within just one week now. While the stock Apple Battery at its best only provides a 50 Watt Hour capacity, our 65 Watt Hour model for $129.99 boasts 30% more capacity and our 71 Watt Hour model for $139.99 provides a whopping 42% additional vs. Apple's own battery! In addition to the new AL 15" Batteries, we also recently began shipping our 7200mAh model (50% more capacity vs. stock Apple) for the PowerBook G3 Pismo & Lombard, and our new 71 Watt Hour (up to 42% more vs. stock Apple) battery for the PowerBook G4 Titanium. And it's more than just the run time capacity advantage that sets the NewerTech batteries apart.... While Apple subcontracts their battery manufacturing to producers overseas, all the NewerTech PowerBook Batteries are designed/engineered and manufactured right here in the United States! Further, we build with only premium made individual li-ion cells manufactured exclusively in either Japan or Canada. We certainly could reduce cost quite a bit with foreign manufacturing and lessor cells, but then it wouldn't be a NewerTech PowerBook battery. It's not just about building and selling you a battery, it's about providing the best battery on the market today! One new upgrade has finally shipped and finally stock available again on another... The Sonnet Duet G4/1.3GHz Dual is now a real shipping product that we have real stock on. Better late than never (3 months late in fact..) for this nicely built Dual G4 upgrade ready for most PowerMac G4 Sawtooth through Quicksilver models. Gotta PowerMac G3 model you'd like to speed up? Well, Powerlogix G3/1GHz ZIF upgrades are back in stock and now at the killer price of $259.95. Great for OS 9 and OS X, you can check out the benchmarks showing how it gives even the $398 Sonnet G4/1GHz ZIF a run for the money. I still haven't gotten it together on the AirTunes experience with the new Airport Express I've been enjoying at home - I will get it done. I can't say enough good things about Apple's new product and wanted to correct an error in my previous newsletter... The Airport Express CAN extend the range of certain non-Apple wireless routers, contrary to what I had said before. So, well, that just makes the Apple Airport Express even better yet. And the beat goes on... with options for Pioneer internal DVD/CDRW SuperDrives and Superdrive Value Bundles expanded very significantly today. We've got both Pioneer DVR-107 and the new DVR-108 now in stock from $99 + each available with either a Black or Beige Bezel. In addition to the bare drives, there are SIX Value bundles with various media and software available now too. It's never been easier or less expensive to start making movies :). And, if you want to start converting your VHS or other Video Tape library to DVD/Digital, don't forget about our killer ADS Instant DVD A/V Mpeg2 Capture device deal at just $119 for Tips n' Deals readers too! Modern technology, gotta love it. Wrapping this up with a bit of a lighter side... This month's annual Perseids meteor shower didn't go entirely un-noticed and this is a beautiful combined time lapse image of 6 hours worth of wide angle shots. On an entirely different plane - looking for more Apple Switch ammunition? Tell your friends with PCs that it's highly likely their system could be infected and performing some extra curriculars unbeknownst to them. Whether it be a new, virgin system connecting to the internet for the first time or an existing system connecting to get a Windows update - it's reportedly within an average of 20 minutes of internet online time that a worm has infected that PC. See, in the time being spent to download and install the Microsoft patch/fix to stop the worm - it may already be too late. Aren't you glad you use a Mac and don't have this stuff to worry about? :) If this already wasn't about the longest 'intro' of a recent newsletter, there's even more - but I'm saving for the next one now. Getting on with this, got a repeat/update Quick Tip for lowering G4 MDD Temperature, Roger's Music on the Mac piece, and some updated Reader Specials. A whole lot to digest and something for everyone. As always, thank you for being an OWC Tips n' Deals Reader! Some Quick Links Pay Less, Get More, Surf Faster with FasterMac.NET Nationwide 56K Dial up from $8/month, DSL from under $30 + 24/7 Toll Free Support, 10 Megs Web hosting, anti-Virus filtering, fully customizable Ant-Spam tools, and more - just for Macs. Get the most from your Pioneer Superdrive! Increase read and write speeds, install current firmware, and more! OWC's Jamie tells you how! Always bargains to be found on the OWC Clearance Page. PowerMac G3s from under $100 and a wide variety of newly posted limited supply, end of life, etc. goodies online with clearance pricing. See what a Processor Upgrade can do for your Mac and compare new Macs too. Our Benchmark Reporting System lets you compare stock Apple systems versus those systems with different upgrades and against new Mac models too! It's easy and informative to compare with OWC's exclusive BRS! Use Apple OS 9.2.2 & Apple OS X 10.3.x on Macs Apple doesn't support - OWC Supports you with OS 9 Helper and Xpostfacto!
Something the Government got right, the FTC's Do Not Call List puts a stop to annoying telemarketing calls! Quick Tip: Cool things down with CHUD This isn't the first time we've 'Quick Tipped' the CHUD utility. And no, not a reference to that 'Cannibalistic Humanoid Under Dwellers' (or something like that) B-Movie. We're talking about Macs here and in that frame of reference, CHUD = "Computer Hardware Understanding Development". In addition to offering a lot of information on your system hardware, it also allows specific models to enable a processor efficiency mode that keeps the processor ready when you need it, but in a reduced mode when you don't. Currently shipping Apple models have this feature enabled from the factory and this allows significantly reduced heat generation (and less fan operation) as well as power savings. The operation is transparent in terms operation, but woah - the reduction in fan utilization and heat generation does not go unnoticed. Now up to date tested and documented for use with the latest 10.3.5, you can read our article by Jamie online now. Especially for MDD-Mirrored Drive Door 'Mac furnace/wind tunnel' model owners - you'll be glad you checked this out. See past Quick Tip topics online in the Quick Tip Archive Great Buys and Featured Exclusive Specials for OWC E-Mail Subscribers: Find all the deals reserved just for Readers on your Tips n' Deals Exclusive Specials Page. What follows next is just a sampling of this week's highlights. Logitech RF Wireless Mouse Special Logitech RF Wireless 2 Button USB Mouse w/Scroll Wheel, only $12.99! I've been using mine for over a month - it's got the OWC Larry endorsement! Smooth operation and flawless wireless transmission. The accuracy of a regular mouse but without the cord. Power Backup for when the Power is Out Tripplite 525VA 6-Outlet Uninterruptable Power Supply/Surge Suppressor just $39.00 Peace of mind doesn't get much cheaper than this. Memory Specials & Price Trend Report: 8/31/2004 Memory 'Watch': Some down, some up - not a lot happening on average. In some years memory prices start to move up about this time - but in others, just the opposite has happened. My standard advice applies either way: You can have a fast Mac, but if it's not equipped with enough memory (OS X is night and day different going from under 512MB to over 512MBs, btw!) then it will run slower, potentially a lot slower, than it could with a simple memory upgrade. If you've not upgraded from stock, it's more likely than not that a memory upgrade will make all the difference. Regardless of what the memory market is doing, there's no time like the present to make sure your Mac has the memory it needs. 256MB SDRam for all PowerMac G3 Models and PowerMac G4 'Yikes PCI $37.50 PowerMac G5 1GB Upgrade Set, 2x512MB Matched PC3200 DDR400 now $179.00 512MB PC133 CL3/PC100 CL2 168 Pin SDRam Module for G4 Cube, eMacs, iMac G3/350-700MHz models, PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics(aka Sawtooth)/Gigabit Ethernet/Digital Audio/QuickSilver now $91.75 Mac 128MB 5V 168 Pin 60NS Dimms for 7300-9600 Models & Clones, $16.99 1GB Module for PowerBook G4 AL 12/15/17"; iMac G4/1.0GHz+, iBook G4s $199.00 Get a 1GB from OWC vs. what Apple charges to add just 512MB! Visit our Mac Memory Section to browse the full selection of memory we offer and/or use our online memory guide to get the right memory for the Mac(s) you have. An FM Transmitter for your iPod, Etc. - that WORKS! The NewerTech 'RoadTrip!' FM Transmitter really does the job for $19.99! Where products costing more, even significantly more just don't get it done, our simple to use 'RoadTrip!' is the trouble free solution that gets your music player on the FM Dial. :) The Best prices for Apple OS X EVER! Apple OS X 10.1.x Full Install Set $5.75 Apple OS X 10.2.x 'Jaguar' Full, stand alone, Installer Set $27.50 Apple OS X 10.2.x 'Jaguar' with Apple iLife '2003' Bundle $33.00 Have Apple OS X 10.2.x already? Get Apple 10.3.x 'Panther' Update $60.00 Apple OS X 10.3.x 'Panther' Full Install CD Set $79.00 Replace a Bad iPod Battery with a longer lasting new one NewerTech batteries are better quality, higher capacity, to last longer, and also play longer than the original Apple battery did at it's best! Install and replace the old battery with ease,iPod opening tool(s) included! 1600mAh iPod 1st/2nd Generation is $29.00, or $$35 with Leather iPod Case! 850mAh iPod 3rd Gen Battery is $25.00 Total Digital Media Control - Video, Music, Etc! El Gato's new 'EyeHome' lets you control your Mac to play Movies, Music, even Access the Internet via your home entertainment system. You Mac has the content, Eyehome puts it all where you want it. On special for $239, check it out. :)
That's just a small sample of the many deals you'll find on your Tips 'n Deals Reader Specials Page, check it out! Music on the Mac 8/31 - Avid buys M-Audio; Groove n' Produce Greetings from www.macsales.com/music Big news this week for Mac music enthusiasts! Avid, which owns Digidesign ( Pro Tools ) has announced that they have purchased digital audio powerhouse M-Audio for more than 80 million dollars. M-Audio makes a broad range of music products such as midi keyboard controllers, audio interfaces, speakers and more. They also distribute the popular Reason and Ableton Live applications. This pairing of Digidesign and M-Audio looks pretty good on paper...only time will tell how it impacts the consumer. Digidesign and M-Audio are reportedly going to continue as separate divisions of Avid. New Product alert! M-Audio has recently come out with a new hardware/software product called GrooveLab. Stay tuned for a full review in the coming weeks. A few of the included features: Ableton Live Delta groove remixing software, a collection of M-Audio Grooves (loops ), Transit hi-resolution audio interface, headset w/built-in mic for recording vocals. This looks to be somewhat similar to GarageBand from Apple. It is definitely a unique approach to creating music tracks and looks fun. The real test will be to see if it is intuitive ( and yet powerful ) as GarageBand. I also want to take the opportunity to share some highlights from our Mac Audio Forum at www.macsales.com/music. I receive many emails and postings on the Forum from you out there with questions about recording digital audio on your beloved Macs. The Forum is a good resource for those with questions on that broad topic. Questions such as "can I import an audio track into GarageBand" ( yes - just drag your stereo audio file onto the timeline) to questions on guitar midi to USB converters ( Roland GI-20 is the ticket! ) are frequent. Of course, many of you still want to import your old albums and tapes to iTunes files, etc. I am starting to get more questions on how to use a GarageBand track as an audio clip in iMovie ( save your finished GB track to iTunes first and then import it as a stereo audio track into iMovie). If you want answers, you have to keep your eyes and ears open for new info, products and ideas! That shouldn't be to tough for you creative types out there. Stay tuned for much more as the digital audio landscape continues to evolve! **** Roger Adler will be presenting a seminar on GarageBand at the Apple store on North Michigan Ave/Chicago on Tues. Oct. 19 at 6 PM. You are all invited and it is FREE! Hope to see some of our readers there! We encourage you to visit our Mac Music/Audio Forum at Also, visit our website to view all of Roger's other OWC Music on the Mac articles online! About our Music Guru: Roger Adler is a 4 time EMMY nominated composer/producer/performer. You may have heard his music in his role as Music Director for the A&E TV Series "The BEST of COMIC RELIEF" starring Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. He also appeared in and played on the soundtrack for the hit movie "GROUNDHOG DAY" starring Bill Murray and Andi MacDowell. He is the Music Director for the popular TV Series "WILD CHICAGO" now in it' s 15th season on WTTW in Chicago. In 2001, he travelled to Antwerp, Belgium to produce and perform in the annual meeting for Philips Electronics. He recently composed and performed two TV commercials for WRANGLER JEANS, currently airing on ESPN. Closing: I did start this newsletter on August 31st... So I am counting this as our third newsletter for August despite the September 1st send time. I just don't know where the month has gone - there is a ton happening. And it's not just busy at OWC, married life adds a whole new positive dimension as well where time is spent as it should be. Regardless, It's all good. :) And speaking of all good - I elected to give custom LASIK a shot last week and now would recommend it to anyone. Although I even going in I tried keep low expectations, just six days since having the procedure on both eyes - my vision is great! It was legal for driving just 24 hours after too. There are always risks and it's something to talk to a doctor about for individual advice, but so far I have only positives and highly recommend it if glasses or contacts are getting old. Hey - if your in our neck of the woods - Dr. Epstein is who took care of my sight, check out their website. I feel silly for saying this, but - if you do just happen to use them, let him know who sent ya. There's a Starbucks card in it for me and well, I'll be happy to share a cup of coffee with ya from that. I'm just really happy with the results. Time to look forward. Plenty more for the next newsletter planned and done already. Just so much stuff to cover, exciting times. Will try to get one out for the holiday weekend, but if it doesn't happen (seems like I blink and the todays become yesterdays) - have a great Labor Day! It looks like our summer that wasn't (the summer has been more like Fall, was even in the 50s last week, August!?!) is entering those final days for 2004. Make the best of it and as always, the best to you and yours! Thanks for being an OWC Tips n' Deals Reader! 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 with 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. If you would like to 'reprint' just a portion you may make a request by e-mail to: larry@macsales.com. All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2000-2004, Other World Computing - Since 1988 |