Low End Mac: Lasting Value

Welcome to Low End Mac

We believe in the long term value of your Apple computers and devices. You should be able to use your equipment for as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your daily needs, upgrading it as necessary or eventually looking for a replacement. Our goal is to help you maximize the life of your Apple gear.

Featured Link: Saying Good-bye to Inkjet Printers, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.18. Apple has discontinued its $100 printer rebates, but even a free inkjet printer is false economy.

Retina Macs Soon a Reality?, Does the World Need an iOS Laptop?, Fixing Keyboard Backlight, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.01.27: Also firmware updates for 2010 MacBook and 13" MacBook Pro, Kingston high performance SSDNow, app displays battery status of wireless devices, and more.
Windows User Finds OS X Means Working Quicker, Will iOS Kill the Mac?, Gmail Backup, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.01.27: Also interview with HackintoshUK, Apple expected to adopt 802.11ac WiFi this year, firware update for 2010 Mac mini, and more.
My Intel Mac Big Bang, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming, 2012.01.27: Over the past month, Dan Bashur has moved from G4 Macs to a Core i7 MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt and OS X Lion.
2 Years of Apple's iPad, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.01.27: As much as the iPad has changed the face of computing, it's hard to believe it's only two years old.
January 28 in LEM history: 2002: Quicksilver 2002 - New Power Mac value equation - Recording audio on your Mac - Video board victory - My Performa and my iMac - 2003: Power Mac G4 (FireWire 800) - ThinkFree Office not ready for prime time - 2005: iBook hard drive upgrades - 2008: iCab 4 - Panther on an 8600 - MacBook Air the new Cube? - Liberals, conservatives, and Mac users - Explosive Mac sales
Is This RIM's Macintosh Moment?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2012.01.25: In 1996, Apple was in dire straits, but Steve Jobs redefined the company. Now it's do or die time for RIM.
Happy 28th Birthday, Macintosh!, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.01.24: The computer that changed it all was introduced in January 24, 1984, making graphical computing affordable for the first time.; More links in our editorial archive.

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Opinion: 7 Days Living with . . . the Other Computer (Apple Mac OS X), v, Pocketlint, 2012.01.24. Longtime Windows user after one week using a Mac: "Nothing really feels weird or different anymore, it just feels easier."
Opinion: Our Time Is Now, Stephen Hackett, 512 Pixels, 2012.01.25. "In this new world, we are not the weird hippies holding on to our obscure computers and even more obscure software titles. Talking about iPad apps in line at Starbucks isn't weird anymore."
Analysis: Apple's Massive Numbers and Some Context, MG Siegler, TechCrunch, 2012.01.24. "Apple's profit of $13.1 billion was equal to their revenue in Q4 2010 . . . To be clear, that was just a year and a quarter ago. That's how quickly Apple is growing."
History: Old Mac of the Month: The PowerMac 8100/100 AV, Erik Schmidt, 512 Pixels, 2012.01.19. "...the springboard for my entry into the world of professional web development. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment."
Advice: Copy a Bootable Mac OS 9 Install Disc, PPC Luddite, 2012.01.18. Most tools won't burn a bootable CD from your Mac OS 9 install, but good old Toast will.
Advice: Going Google-Free: The Best Alternatives to Google Services on the Web, Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker, 2012.01.17. "What you may not realize is that, despite the quality of Google's products, someone else is doing it better - and placing all your eggs in Google's basket isn't necessarily the best thing."
Analysis: Hand-me-down iPhones good for both carriers and Apple, study finds, Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider, 2012.01.17. Half of iPhone users pass along their old iPhone when upgrading, adding a second tier of new iPhone users.
Software: Mozilla slows pace of Firefox 9 upgrades, Gregg Keizer, Macworld, 2012.01.17. "Firefox 9's slow upgrade appears to conflict with Mozilla's rapid-release schedule that ships a new version every six weeks."
Opinion: The Woz: Android Has Some Advantages Over iPhone, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 2012.01.17. No, Steve Wozniak did not say Android is better than iPhone, only that it does some things better - and vice versa.
Advocacy: Phones Need Performance Mode for Silence, Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS, 2012.01.15. Last week's iPhone alarm interruption of the New York Philharmonic (the iPhone had been set to silent mode) shows the need for a "silence everything" setting.
Analysis: NPD's Top Three Smartphones Are iPhones, Matt Drance, Apple Outsider, 2012.01.09. "There are currently three iPhone models available - iPhone 4S ($199), iPhone 4 ($99), and iPhone 3GS (free) - and they occupy the top three slots in that order."
Advice: Four Great OS X Services You Don't Know About, Kirk McElhearn, Macworld, 2012.01.11. He's right - I've never heard of any of these free third-party services for OS X. If you write, check out WordService.
Analysis: Does MacBook Air Hit the Sweet Spot Between Laptop Power and iPad Portability?, Charles W. Moore, The 'Book Mystique, MacPrices, 2012.01.11. After years and years as a 'Book user and less than a year with an iPad, Moore muses that the MacBook Air could be the perfect next computer.
News: Delivering a Mozilla Firefox Extended Support Release, Mozilla, 2012.01.10. So many have complained about the Firefox rapid release schedule that they are developing a one-upgrade-a-year alternative.
Advice: How to Use the OS X Character Viewer, Topher Kessler, MacFixIt, 2012.01.05. Want to use math symbols, smileys, stars, hearts, and other non-keyboard symbols? The system preference lets you do it.

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