OWC Tips & Deals 12/21/2004

Intro:

Season's Greetings from all of us at OWC. Christmas comes in just four days, then it's six more before the first day of a brand new year. How quick these days pass. The best of times always do and certainly tis the season. Warmest wishes and appreciation to our Troops who won't be home for the holidays. For our part, it's a time to spread joy to those where we can. A time to realize the joy in the generosity of giving and the difference it makes no matter what the season is. When all the hustle and bustle is done, it's the time we spend with our family and friends that truly sets this season apart. Safe and Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us at OWC.

Processor Upgrade News:
Just a taste of what's to come, available now is Sonnet's new 7447 G4@1.7GHz Upgrade. For $499 you can give a nice boost to any PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver or Cube. While this upgrade boasts the fastest clock speed of any available, it's isn't necessarily the fastest with only a 512K L2 and no 2MB L3 to support. Still not a bad upgrade, but I highly recommend comparing its test results to some others using our Benchmark Reporting System. Depending on your needs, a G4 @ 1.4GHz 2MB L3 equipped upgrade can give you better actual performance and for a better price too.

We have just entered a Support and Distribution agreement with PowerLogix. Soon there will be several new PowerLogix upgrade lines introduced and these as well as prior and currently existing products now have the backing of OWC's support. Any PowerLogix product purchased from OWC will have a 2 Year PowerLogix Warranty fulfilled and backed by OWC as if it were our own. We look forward to expanding the choices you'll have to make your Mac a FasterMac and that these choices can be purchased with confidence as well.

iPod News:
We're always about making things better and upgrading our 1600mAh iPod Battery model to 1800mAh does just that. The price stays the same, so now you can get 46% more capacity for your Apple 1st/2nd Generation iPod at just $29.95. We also have our 2100mAh 1st/2nd Gen battery giving 70% more capacity for $39.95 and our 3rd Gen iPod battery with 30% more capacity at $29.95. These batteries have garnered top reviews with the latest being a 'Highly Recommended' by iPodLounge. Easy to install with our clear instructions and non-scratch tools, you can't go wrong replacing the ailing battery you have now with one that's far better than the old battery had been at its best. When it was new, 7-9 hours of runtime was pretty good - .. with a Newer Battery, you can enjoy run times that exceed even 20 hours!

NEW IPOD FLASH MODEL! If reports are true, we'll be seeing the introduction of a new 256MB to 1GB Flash iPod player. A indication that this is for real has been Apple's apparently angry response to the leak of this product news. Fingers crossed that there will be user swappable flash memory used. Cost effective and with the flexibility of having your songs on interchangeable flash modules (like you might use now for your digital camera) in a super small, pocket size device. Expected to be the release at Macworld SF next month, so we'll see what we see.

OWC News:
We are proud to say that Bizrate has named OWC a 2004 Circle of Excellence Award Gold Honoree. Out of the thousands that Bizrate tracks, OWC is 1 of only 46 stores to receive this award. Along with the hard work of the OWC Team, this was only possible thanks to your loyalty and support. It's the comments you make that helped us evolve to be the OWC you know today and continue to help make an even better OWC for tomorrow.

A new site Search Feature is now online. If you're looking for gift ideas or have a certain dollar amount burning a hole in your pocket, check out our new 'Search by Price Range' feature to find all those items matching the price range you select. Results display with the number of items available each category with a match, then click a category to see the items themselves.

Intro Closing: With so much happening this time of the year, I wish there was more time to get every aspect covered. The shortest day of year will pass today, at least they get longer from here - sort of at least. :) The pieces are coming together and we'll get a lot more shared in the weeks ahead. For now and onward, Happy Holidays and the very best to you and yours.

Check out our latest Quick Tip, New Reader Exclusive Specials, and Roger's Music on the Mac which follow these 'special messages from our sponsor':

Quick Links
A better Apple/Macintosh ISP at a better price - FasterMac.Net
From $8 a month, get nationwide dial up or DSL just for Mac Users - that includes 24/7 1-800 support, anti-virus blocking, powerfully effective and fully customizable anti-spam tools, web space, 5 e-mail accounts, and more. You get more and pay less with FasterMac.Net.

Just what does OWC do with trade-ins, open box items, discontinued goods, etc.? We put 'em up on our Clearance Deals Page. Goodies added all the time, first come-first served.

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: Holiday Shipping

Better late than never - still has time to apply....

With only four days left until Christmas, if you're still ordering to get something in time for this weekend, definitely need to ship smart. These same tips will apply to next week for any goodies looking to have in time for the New Year's Weekend as well.

Ground services are not guaranteed during the holiday season. You might normally be one day from a place and it could take an extra day or even days. If you got to have it at a certain time, you gotta go with an Air service like 2nd Day or Overnight.

If you want a product delivered on Friday Christmas Eve or Friday New Year's Eve - it must go by an Air Service. Even if it got to your local carrier's station, there will be no GROUND delivers on either of the next two Fridays. Look at the shipping cut off times for where you are ordering from and consider the appropriate choice to ensure the delivery time you want.

It's always a good idea to consider giving even the air services an extra day. If UPS or FedEx or Airborne deliver your Air shipment a day late, sure they'll credit back your shipping - but they can't make up for the weekend your package missed. We've seen EXCELLENT on time deliveries with both UPS and FedEx during the season (UPS especially) and highly recommend either of those two carriers. Airborne/DHL has been OK, but seems more subject to local station issues - consider your own past experiences with the different carriers to choose which method for a holiday delivery.

For our part, in stock items order by 5PM CST will ship that same day. This has been the case all through out the season and in general, it will continue to be the case. Happy Holidays and thanks!

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.

Upgrade to the latest Apple Cat - OS X Panther 10.3.x for just $49.00!
Apple Panther 10.3.x complete DVD Install Set w/Manual & License $49.00
Apple OS X 10.3.x 'Panther' with Apple iLife '2004' Bundle $79.00
Apple OS X 10.2.x 'Jaguar' $27.50
More OS X and OS X Applications too at: OS X Software

Holiday Specials Page
See Holiday Special highlights on our special Holidays Page

Processor Upgrades
Mercury G4 Extreme for all PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, and Quicksilver models. 30 Day Money Back + 3 Year OWC Warranty
Extreme @ 1.0GHz, $225.00
Extreme @ 1.2GHz, $295.00
Extreme @ 1.4GHz, $379.00
Extreme @ 1.5GHz $475.00

Video Card Deals
Faster, for less than money than the Radeon 9000 - Fast enough for Apple's new Motion software (never mind great for games and general), we have a great deal on these Apple OEM ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Mac AGP cards we've made available for PowerMac G4 Digital Audio, G4 Quicksilver, and G5 Models.
ATI Radeon 9600 MacEdition 64MB DDR AGP 8X Enabled for any PowerMac G5 $99.00
Same, modified for G4 Digital Audio, QuickSilver, and MDD models $119.00

As a fast 2D/3D primary display card for a Mac without an AGP slot and/or to add more display capabilities to any PowerMac, Radeon 9200 PCI MacEdition is the Ticket! The first Mac PCI Video card tested to beat any AGP Card! In stock, $129.00

Logitech RF Wireless Mouse, Mouse + KB Special
I have been using the mouse happily since August. And have heard great feedback on the Mouse and Keyboard wireless combo to. Logitech Wireless Freedom for an unbeatable price:

Logitech RF Wireless 2 Button USB Mouse w/Scroll Wheel, only $12.99!
Logitech Freedom RF Wireless Keyboard + Mouse Combo is just $23.95

FireWire 250GB Deal Time
Our 250GB 8MB Cache models have been the rave lately and volume on that size is helping us make some fantastic deals for our FireWire 250GB Models. All OWC Neptune and Mercury FireWire drives include Dantz Retrospect Backup, Intech Speedtools, all connecting cables, preformatted and pretested for Macs, PC compatible as well. Elites Feature a 2yr Warranty, 1yr Warranty for Neptune.

OWC Neptune 250GB 7200RPM FW400 Solution $195.00
OWC Mercury Elite 7200RPM FW400/USB2 Combo $219.00
OWC Mercury Elite 7200RPM FW800/400 Solution $239.00
OWC Mercury Elite 7200RPM FW800/400+USB2 Combo $265.00

Visit www.macsales.com/FireWire to see our full line + Lacie/Ezquest too!

Listen good, listen longer with longest lasting iPod Battery + FM
NewerTech internal battery for 1st and 2nd Generation Apple iPods:
1800mAh version, 46% more capacity - $29.95; 2100mAh for over 70% more $39.95
NewerTech internal battery for 3rd Generation Apple iPods:
850mAh version with over 30% More capacity vs. Apple's - $25.99

Plug and Play simplicity for listening to that iPod (or nearly anything with an audio out) in your Car. Get the NewerTech 'RoadTrip!' FM Transmitter, holiday special for $15.00 - no other purchase required! Plug it in, tune your Radio to 107.7, and start that tunes! :)

Genuine Apple Superdrives from $75.00
Get the Apple Genuine Pioneer DVR-106 up to 4X DVD, up to 16X CD Burner for $75, Pioneer DVR-108 Dual Layer up to 16X DVD, up to 32X CD Burner from $91.95. Value Bundles with DVD Media, CD Media, and/or Software start from just $79.95 to save you even more! Check out our SuperDrive DVD Section.

Those above install internally - but you can go external FireWire/USB from just $119.99.

Memory Specials & Price Trend Report:
12/21/2004 update: It's been relatively boring in the memory market, and without a crystal ball I'm almost hesitant to repeat that which I've been hearing. Memory prices are the same or even a tad lower than they were a month ago, no 'holiday season' price surge - which remains good news for all of us. Indications are that prices are going to start creeping up, but have had those indications before without result. Memory is always a good buy when you need it and if you have less than 1GB and are running OS X, you might not even know what your Mac could do given just a bit more.

256MB SDRam for all PowerMac G3 Models and PowerMac G4 'Yikes PCI $25.00

256MB PC133 CL3/PC100 CL2 SDRam for PowerMac G4s AGP Models 350-1GHz & Cube $30.75
Or, top things off with 512MB Modules at $81.00

1GB PC3200 DDR Upgrade Kit (2x512MB) for all PowerMac G5 & iMac G5 Models $165.00
Really hungry for memory? 2GB PC3200 Kits (2x1GB Module) special $399.00
For that 1GB set, that's over $50 less than Apple charges just to change from 256MB to 1GB. And for the 2GB Set, the same 256MB to 2GB from Apple is over $700 more. Get your Mac from Apple and your memory from OWC. Oh, and you'll also have that extra Apple 256MB to spare too. :)

1GB Module for PowerBook G4 AL 12/15/17"; iMac G4/1.0GHz+, iBook G4s $235.00
Get a 1GB from OWC vs. what Apple charges to add just 512MB!

Mac 128MB 5V 168 Pin 60NS Dimms for 7300-9600 Models & Clones, $15.75

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.

You'll find more great deals, updated regularly on your Tips 'n Deals Reader Specials Page, check it out!
Music on the Mac 12/21 - Instant Music

Greetings from www.macsales.com/music

This week we have a new USB/audio interface from ADS Tech called Instant Music. This cool little box sells for under $50 and is a great and very inexpensive way to get audio into your computer. It would be a very easy solution for all of you GarageBand users too!

It features stereo line inputs with rca jacks and also digital S/PDIF optical input/output. This is a class compliant device and no drivers are needed for use with OS 10.2.8 and higher. I plugged it in to my Powerbook and started the computer. I wanted to use it with GarageBand and I went to my Audio/Midi setup utility page and selected this device for both input and output. I plugged my powered speakers into the back of the Instant Music box and I was ready to go. I think it's worth mentioning here that you should probably drag the icon for your Audio/Midi setup page to your dock. It is found in applications/utilities directory. It seems that if you are doing recording with your Mac that you should be very familiar with this page. It's easy to work with and having it available in your dock is handy!

I opened GarageBand and played a track through Instant Music. It sounded clean and clear. Next, I fired up iTunes and it also worked flawlessly. The Instant Music hardware comes with some bundled software called Nero. This software is for PCs only, not Mac. It is a simple utility that makes it easy to record tracks off of your old records and tapes. ADS Tech recommends that Mac users use Instant Music with GarageBand and/or Sound Studio ( an inexpensive recording app for Macs ). This device does not have a "mic" input. You would have to use a mixer and plug the mic in there and then take the outputs from there to the line inputs. While this is a limitation, it's only fair to point out that no audio interface in this price range includes a mic preamp input. You would have to go to the next level price wise and purchase a Fast Track interface by M-Audio (reviewed here recently). That is about $100.

The Instant Music hardware works well and is at a fantastic price point. There are quite a few audio interfaces on the market and this one sounds great and fills the under $50 niche well. If you don't need a mic input, this is a great way to go!

We encourage you to visit our Mac Music/Audio Forum for all your musical needs and to share your questions and info with all!

Check out a Sample from Roger's upcoming GarageBand produced music album!

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 traveled 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 sure didn't mean for it to already be Christmas before another newsletter got out, but the time just flies. It's an incredible challenge keeping up on all the activities here at OWC this time of the year and balance with family as well. On top of it the holidays just being busy in general, we're also knee deep in our final preparations for next month's Macworld SF Expo too.

Most of this is a lot of fun or I don't think we'd be able to do it, but even so, what a relief January the 15th will be after the holidays an the Expo 'season' are passed and expectantly off without a hitch.

Have a great holiday weekend and may it be spent time with the people you love and care for. Remember and thank those who've sacrificed their own holiday time present or past as well.

We Support our Troops
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