Exclusive: Spy shot from behind closed doors at Canada’s newest Apple store.

Apple is normally very secretive about keeping the veil on Apple Stores until they are completed. Which makes this sneak peek a tasty tidbit. You may have already seen the floorplan, and you may have already seen the cloaked storefront but now… VistaSucks.WordPress.Com bring you the first spy shot of the interior of the new Apple Store Vancouver…

What laptop does Microsoft’s CEO use for his presentations?

A picture is worth a thousand words…

 

View the original on Flickr.Com

Popular Mechanics - Mac vs. PC: The Ultimate Lab Test

“…Simply put, Vista proved to be a more sluggish operating system than Leopard. Our PCs installed some software faster, but in general they were slower in our time trials. Plus, both PCs showed weaker performance on third-party benchmarks than the Macs. Our biggest surprise, however, was that PCs were not the relative bargains we expected them to be. The Asus M51sr costs the same as a MacBook, while the Gateway One actually costs $300 more than an iMac. That means for the price of the Gateway you could buy an iMac, boost its hard drive to match the Gateway’s, purchase a copy of Vista to boot-and still save $100. Read the full review on Popular Mechanics

Why ‘No Macs’ is no longer a defensible IT strategy

Once confined to marketing departments and media companies, the Mac is spilling over into a wider array of business environments, thanks to the confluence of a number of computing trends, not the least among them a rising tide of end-user affinity for the Apple experience.

 

Luckily for IT, many of those same trends are making it easier for tech departments to say yes to the Mac by facilitating IT’s ability to provide enterprise-grade Mac management and support.

“We’re seeing more requests outside of creative services to switch to Macs from PCs,” notes David Plavin, operations manager for Mac systems engineering at the U.S. IT division of Publicis Groupe, a global advertising conglomerate. There are so many requests that Plavin now supports 2,500 Macs across the U.S. — nearly a quarter of all Publicis’ U.S. PCs.

And Plavin is less of an anomaly than you might think. Buoyed by increased interest in the consumer arena, Macs are cropping up in more and more organizations, in large part because end-users are pushing for them. Read the full article on InfoWorld.Com

 

From Win32 to Cocoa: A Windows developer’s conversion to Mac OS X

“A couple of Gartner analysts have recently claimed that Windows is “collapsing”; that it’s too big, too sprawling, and too old to allow rapid development and significant new features. Although organizations like Gartner depend on trolling to drum up business, I think this time they could be onto something. “Collapsing” is over-dramatic-gradual decline is a more likely outcome-but the essence of what they’re saying-and why they’re saying it-rings true.

Windows is dying, Windows applications suck, and Microsoft is too blinkered to fix any of it-that’s the argument. The truth is that Windows is hampered by 25-year old design decisions. These decisions mean that it’s clunky to use and absolutely horrible to write applications for. The applications that people do write are almost universally terrible. They’re ugly, they’re inconsistent, they’re disorganized; there’s no finesse, no care lavished on them. Microsoft-surely the company with the greatest interest in making Windows and Windows applications exude quality-is, in fact, one of the worst perpetrators.” Read the full article on ArsTechnica.Com

 

IBM contemplating switching to Macs?

“IBM’s Research Information Services division is investigating the possibility of moving a significant number of employees to Apple’s Macintosh platform according to a report acquired by RoughlyDrafted.
“In line with IBM’s external strategy of offering a true ‘Open Client’ that may be Windows, Linux or a Mac,” the document noted, “[Research Information Services] is focusing on providing an IBM application stack on multiple Operating Systems, rather than be confined to one or the other.”
The first phase of the pilot program was conducted between October 2007 and January 2008. During this phase, 24 MacBook Pros were distributed to researchers and used as the primary notebook, with the employees’ existing ThinkPads acting as backups if needed.
Of the 22 of 24 who responded, 18 said that the Mac offered a “better or best experience” compared to their existing computer, one rated it “equal or good,” and three said the Mac offered a “worse experience.” Seven reported having no or marginal prior knowledge of using Macs, while 15 reported having moderate or expert knowledge of the platform.” Read the full story on RoughlyDrafted.Com found via MacRumors.Com

 

One Page Crash Course in Switching to the Mac

[Within] you’ll find the My First Mac guide on how to use your new Mac when all you know is Windows. Of course this topic can go deep and take months or even years of training, so we will stick to the top dozen or so issues that new Mac users run into that makes them want to throw their Mac through the window. Read the article on MyFirstMacCom

 

Former Mac hater reflects on his switch to Mac

“…While I am not a card carrying Mac fanboy (it does have issues like any piece of technology), I wanted to try and summarize why I like the Mac so much now that I’ve been using it heavily for the last two months.

I have been a Windows user and software developer since 1992, and a DOS user and developer since 1984. I used to hate Macs and as recently as 9 months ago my avatar on one of my forums was John Hodgman (the PC guy from the Mac ads).

Now I really enjoy using my Mac and am drifting away from Windows as a platform. Here’s why:

Read the full story on David Alison’s Blog found via SwitchingToMac.Com

Study finds businesses more satisfied with Mac OS than Vista

Corporate users of Apple Inc.’s Leopard operating system are more than five times more likely to say that they are “very satisfied” with the OS than business users of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Vista, a research firm said Wednesday.

In a February survey of 2,200 U.S. corporate computer users, 53% of those using Mac OS X 10.5 reported that they were very satisfied with their operating system. Of those using Windows XP or Windows Vista, however, 40% of the former and only 8% of the latter said they were very satisfied.”Apple continues to set the standard for corporate customer satisfaction,” said Paul Carton, director of research at ChangeWave Research. That, and the fact that corporate buying plans for Macs remain at historically high levels, indicate that users like what Apple’s doing, continued Carton. Read the full article on ComputerWorld.Com

Apple snags 14 percent of US-based PC retail sales in February

Apple’s computer sales in the US have grown considerably from last year - at 60-percent unit growth and 67-percent revenue growth - granting it 14-percent of all computers sold for February. According to AppleInsider, Apple’s laptop systems saw the largest growth, representing a 64-percent increase in units sold, and 67-percent increased revenue, suggesting strong acceptance of the company’s new ultra-portable, the MacBook Air. Read the full story on AppleInsider.Com

PC Magazine: “[Apple's Mac OS is] by far the best operating system ever written.”

“…After three months with Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard Version 10.5, I have three main things to say about it. First: Despite minor problems, it’s by far the best operating system ever written for the vast majority of consumers, with dozens of new features that have real practical value”

“ If you’re in the market for a new machine, it’s time to look seriously at a Mac, especially now that all Macs can run Windows along with OS X through the built-in Boot Camp feature that lets you install Windows and Leopard in separate partitions. Even better, third-party software from Parallels or VMware make it possible to run a Windows program in a window on the OS X desktop. It’s even possible to set up OS X so that Word documents automatically open in the Windows version of Microsoft Word.”

“I’ve found Vista to be a major disappointment that tends to look worse the more I use it. I still use Windows XP for getting serious work done in long, complicated documents. But OS X is easier to manage and maintain and I vastly prefer OS X to Windows for Web-browsing, mail, and especially for any task that involves graphics, music, or video. Leopard performs all such tasks even better than previous versions did—and Leopard is the only OS on the planet that works effortlessly and intuitively in today’s world of networked computers and peripherals. Leopard is far from perfect, but it’s better than any alternative, and it’s getting harder and harder to find good reasons to use anything else.” Read the full review on PCMag.Com

Mac customers 81% “Very Satisfied” compared to Vista Basic’s 15%.

The chart above says it all but you can still read the full story at BaltimoreSun.Com. Found via SwitchingToMac.Com

Legal IT Consultant: Vista = My Own Personal Hell

“…My conclusion is now that NO ONE who values their sanity, their time, their psyche and general sense of well-being should use Vista. At all. Under any circumstances. In fact, after giving it more than a fair shake over 11 months of daily use, I know think it deserves to be classified internationally as a Weapon of Mass Data Destruction. In fact, perhaps the best way to defeat Al Quaida or any other terrorist group would be to send them free copies of a particularly brain-dead version of Vista like “Home Basic” - it would stop them in their tracks, as it has done with me and so many others.”

“Vista is the #1 reason Apple has been so successful in the overnight turnaround of its Mac product line. The best feature of the Macbook and iMac series is they DON’T have Vista, not the fact they now have Leopard.” Read the full post on Rossipsa.Com

Best Buy focuses on selling more Macs this year.

“Leading U.S. electronics specialty retailer Best Buy said this week it plans to increase the number of stores carrying Apple Inc.’s Mac computer line twofold in the next several weeks, signaling robust demand for the Windows PC alternatives in the broader consumer market.The comments came courtesy of Best Buy executives who held a session at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where researchers from investment bank UBS were in attendance.

Following the meeting, analyst Ben Reitzes relayed a note to clients explaining that the executives were “very upbeat” about their ongoing relationship with Apple, adding that 500 of the company’s 900 electronics stores could be selling Macs come the end of February.

The plan would effectively double the number of Best Buy stores carrying Apple’s computer line at the end of 2007, where rough figures placed a healthy array of Macs in approximate 230 to 270 locations.” Read the full article on AppleInsider.Com

Hi, I’m a Programmer. I’m In love with my new Mac because…

“…I’m just like you, seriously! I’ve been using Microsoft stuff since 1992! That’s right, I’ve been a windows user most of my life. I remember 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, ME (fucking stupid, 2000 in a different box, right?), and then on to (OOooOOoo) Windows XP. Luckily for me, the buck stopped here.

It’s about here that I meet Jay Phillips. Jay, a fellow hacker, is the creator of a very successful Telephony application called Adhearsion. He will be the first to tell you owes some of his coder success to his MacBook. Honestly, Jay even looks like the Mac guy on the commercial (see right). Anyway I was in the mood to debunk this obviously misguided coder (because coders need TECH machines, not pretty toys, right?) and I can honestly say from the deepest techie place in my heart: I got PWWWWWWND. This is why: Read the full post on SiKaNrOnG.com (found via SwitchingToMac.Com)

US Army: We’re switching to Macs.

“…Wallington, a division chief in the Army’s office of enterprise information systems, says the military is quietly working to integrate Macintosh computers into its systems to make them harder to hack. That’s because fewer attacks have been designed to infiltrate Mac computers, and adding more Macs to the military’s computer mix makes it tougher to destabilize a group of military computers with a single attack, Wallington says.

This past year was a particularly tough one for military cybersecurity. Cyberspies infiltrated a Pentagon computer system in June and stole unknown quantities of e-mail data, according to a September report by the Financial Times. Later in September, industry sources told Forbes.com that major military contractors, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon had also been hacked.” Read the full story on Forbes.Com

Gauging Windows user’s reactions to Vista with Google

Ever wonder where I find some of the articles I post here? A lot of comes from being spotted in customized .RSS feeds from technology websites but a lot of it is also found with Google’s search. Thanks to the amazing “quotes” and “&” feature it’s always easy to find relevant information and/or an exact phrase. Here are some of my favorite Google Searches and the enlightening consumer consensus they reveal about Windows Vista…

USA Today: Thinking of switching to a Mac?

Most consumers seeking a new computer this holiday season will buy a Windows PC. And yet judging by the questions I get, many would-be buyers are considering a Macintosh for the first time, possibly because they’re smitten with the iPod, or because of Apple’s clever Mac guy/PC guy TV ads.

I’m a Mac guy, too, though not one who believes bashing Windows is a prerequisite. So consider this column a primer on switching to the Mac. Read the full article on USAToday.Com

School happy with switch to Intel Macs from PCs

“When visitors trooped into Iona College’s Ryan Library in the spring of 2007, they were amazed — and delighted — to see 52 sparkling new iMac computers ready for business. Since that first rollout the systems have seen nonstop usage, and requests for more Macs are springing up all over campus — remarkable, given that Iona had maintained a Windows-based computing environment for more than 20 years. With the availability of Boot Camp on Intel-powered iMac computers running Mac OS X Leopard, faculty, students, and all users have the best of all computing worlds.”

“When we started researching Boot Camp, we realized that we could give our faculty the advantages of Mac-based software while supporting our Windows-based environment all over campus.” Read the full article on Apple.Com

A thought from the author: Vista in retail.

I had an epiphany yesterday while I was in the local Best Buy on my lunch break picking up a purchase for myself. I suddenly found myself able to put into words what my gut has been telling me for months.

I was watching mid-day, week-day shoppers as they were browsing around the computer department eyeing desktops, and notebook computers. Most of them looked like Parents or Grandparents shopping for their kid’s school computers or getting a head start on Christmas shopping for the grand-children. As I watched these people toy about cluelessly with the Vista loaded hardware looking like they barely knew how to operate a trackpad, I felt that familiar sinking feeling that I’ve felt so many times before in the same situation.

Yahoo News: Mac OS X Leopard: A perfect 10

“…About eleven years ago, I wrote a column (in another publication) in response to letters I had received that called me to task for hailing the arrival of computers that were performance overkill for the majority of users. I wrote that the reason to look forward to the faster personal computer is that it would have the spare firepower and resources to look after itself, to stay out of the user’s way while being a microsecond away from answering any user demand, and to make sure that the user never has to do anything twice. That’s Leopard.” Read the full review on Yahoo News

Computer World: Mac OS X spanks Vista.

“Throughout the four years of the Vista development process, I tested and evaluated at least 15 different alphas and betas of the operating system, spending hundreds of hours evaluating the late prereleases and the final editions. Likewise, I spent countless hours testing Leopard, both in prerelease form and the final version now available to the public.”

“…it’s impossible to miss the refinement infused throughout Apple’s new operating system, whereas there are compromises in Vista that impinge upon the user experience without giving something back in return. Apple is focused on the user experience, while Microsoft appears to be focused on antipiracy, overengineered security protections, and digital rights management aimed at serving its prospective third-party partners. There’s really no contest. Tiger is a better OS than Vista, and there are no long-term downsides to Leopard. Vista doesn’t measure up.”

Picture of the day.

Click to enlarge.

Former Mac hater chronicles his 6 month trial switch to Mac.

“…I’ve been hating the Mac for a long time (hating the PC too, but for different reasons). But the calculus has changed.”

“…what I need is a really reliable, really easy to maintain machine that will allow me to quickly do what I need to do and then get back to the really important stuff: spending time with my daughter. Sure, I love that the PC is so open that I can customize and tweak until my computer is just perfect. But I don’t have those hours to spend on that crap anymore. What I want now is a machines that will be 98% of the way there out of the box.” Read about his adventure on his blog at SixMonthMac.Blogspot.Com

IT Pros: If Not Vista, Maybe Macs

Vista can’t seem to get a break. Yet another survey points to large numbers of businesses with no adoption plans. Oh yeah, Vista malaise may benefit Mac OS X.  44 percent of the IT professionals said that they had considered deploying a non-Windows operating system. Ninety percent of all respondents had concerns or reservations about Vista migration. Among those IT professionals considering alternatives, 9 percent had already started non-Windows deployments, with another 25 percent planning to do so within a year. Read the full article on Microsoft-Watch.Com

Hacker puts Mac’s OS X on Asus’ Windows Alternative PC.

This isn’t legal but apparantly that didn’t stop one hobbyist from loading Apple’s Mac OS on to the sub $500 Asus Eee PC.

Meant as a Windows Vista alternative for Best Buy shoppers it’s been converted into an inexpensive way to run OS X without the Apple hardware.  “…So, ever since I got the eeePC I’ve loved how easy it is to tinker with. Since I’m not a Linux guy, I dumped the Xandros preload and opted for Windows XP so I could [use] my EVDO USB datacard and blogging software easier, but I wondered could I install OSX on it? And, after trial and error - you can!” Read the full story on UneasySilence.Com (found via Gizmodo.Com)

Lifehacker.Com Editor Builds a “Mac” PC for under $800

Last October I reported on how hackers had found a way to install Apple’s Mac OS X on regular old cheap PC hardware which attracted a lot of attention. It seems the folks at the productivity tips site Lifehacker.Com were intrigued enough to give it a shot.

“…Building a DIY Mac requires some work on your part, so be ready to dedicate time to this project. To make things as easy as possible, I’m going to lay out how I built my Hackintosh from start to finish, from the hardware I used to the final patches I applied to the Leopard install. If you can build a Lego set and transcribe text, you’ve got all the basic skills required”

“…All of your hardware should work exactly as you’d expect. Your sound, networking, and video will all work off the bat. (I haven’t tested the motherboard’s built-in wireless yet, but it reportedly works.) Your iPods will sync flawlessly, and CDs and DVDs read and burn just as you’d expect. Mail, Address Book, iTunes, and everything else I’ve tried so far work flawlessly. Firefox is browsing, Quicksilver is doing it’s thing, Spaces are rocking, Stacks are stacking, Cover Flow is flowing, and Quick Look is previewing.” Read the full story over on Lifehacker.Com

In Japan: Mac OS X Sales Up, Windows Vista Sales Down

Microsoft’s has taken a bruising in the Japanese marketplace just as Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard was released, according to a new report by the country’s Business Computer News. The publication notes that while sales of Mac OS X increased dramatically between September and October, climbing from a rate of 15.5 percent year-over-year to 60.5 percent, Microsoft suffered from the reverse effect. Sales growth of Windows plummeted from 75.3 percent to 28.7 percent. Read the full article on Electronista.Com (found via MacObserver.Com)

Windows Compatibility Tool “VMware Fusion” updated.

Want a Mac but can’t bear the thought of not being able to run your favorite Windows applications? Haven’t you heard? Macs do Windows. (In some cases better than any PCs) There are several methods for getting Windows running on Mac. You could use “Bootcamp” (Which comes with the latest version of Mac’s operating system.) and allows you to pick which OS to run when you turn on your computer, or you could use virtualization software such as “Parallels” or “VMWare Fusion” which lets you run Windows programs within Mac’s OS.