Tagged: Mac & OS X

Rant: The annoying year that was 2011

Like any other year, 2011 brought a lot of highs and lows in my tech life. Unlike any other year though, 2011 was filled with situations and trends that just wouldn’t change to my liking.

Social

2011 was just too much sharing for my taste

There were lots of great things happening in tech this year, too many to talk about here. But I have put together a list of things that managed to annoy me to no end. (more…)

Firefox 4 arrives!

Firefox 4 released

Firefox 4 for the Mac is now available

If you’re a Firefox browser user, you’ll be happy to know that while they haven’t officially announced it, Firefox 4 for the Mac is already available for download.

Firefox 4 brings a wealth of updates, including faster launch times, faster JavaScript engine, account syncing (for those with multiple Macs that want to keep their bookmarks and prefs in sync), tabs on top and tab pinning, and a host of under-the-hood updates.

News portals for Mac users

Mac NewsKeeping up with Mac-related news can be a daunting task. Apple has never been so popular, so news portal sites that offer Apple/Mac-related news can be a great way to keep up with the latest goings-on.

Below are a few of the sites I tend to go to when I’m looking for news on any particular Apple/Mac related news. The Mac Observer is a daily visit for me, and MacNews is a favorite forum hangout.

Apple / Mac-related news portals

Apple / Mac-related news portals keep you up-to-date

Mac.Alltop

Alltop is a site which allows you to view the latest topics on virtually any subject you wish with a customized MyAlltop page. Mac news is pulled from numerous sites, including some more obscure places that even I didn’t know about.

The Mac Observer

The Mac Observer, a site that’s been around for many, many years is one of the best Mac news portals out there. They have an extensive list of sites they pull news from. Generally speaking, if there’s news about Apple, The Mac Observer has you covered.

MacNews

MacNews, part of the AppleCentral group of sites, brings together top headlines from a variety of RSS feeds. The site also offers a great group of discussion forums.

Addict-O-Mattic

Addict-O-Matic provides the latest headlines on topics such as entertainment, politics, shopping, sports, and of course, Apple. You get all the feeds from the best sources in each category. And like your search results dashboard, you can personalize the layout of the headline boxes, delete ones you don’t like and bookmark your personalized page. I love the clean layout of this site.

MacDailyNews

MacDailyNews is great because you’re presented with a long list of headlines and one-line summaries of the articles, making it quite easy to find what you’re looking for.

MacNN

MacNN offers a news portal page, collection all the latest headlines for you. I’m not a huge fan of the site, but it has been around for many years and offers plenty to read.

AppleLinks

If you’re looking for volume, AppleLinks is the place to visit. Over 2,000 pages of Mac news awaits you. They also have an interesting way of presenting the news that you really have to see because it’s difficult to describe.

TechMeme

Techmeme pulls together tech news of all sorts, but features quite a bit of Apple news at any given time. I like the site because it gives a great overview of all the hottest geek news, regardless of what OS you prefer.

If you have a favorite Mac and Apple-related news site, feel free to share it in the comments.

Thoughts on an Apple Netbook

Mac netbookApple Announces Netbook! That’s the headline you wanted to see, right? That’s the headline that industry analysts and so-called experts believe Apple must have in order to remain relevant in today’s economic climate. That’s also the headline you’re not likely to come across unless it happens to be April 1st. The truth is, Apple already has a netbook on the market, which they’ve been selling for quite a while now. It’s called the MacBook Air. In MacBook Air is the Apple Netbook, I discuss why I believe Apple isn’t offering a netbook, and why we’re not likely to see one any time soon.

Rant: Stupid Apple, You Suck!

Apple Sucks It’s time for another rant here at The Graphic Mac. Back in February, I went off on Apple’s utterly stupid lack of menu bar customization. Today, just one day after Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), I have a whole new dump truck to unload on you… (more…)

A look at 25 years of Macintosh computers

Webdesigner Depot has a great look at the past 25 years of Apple design. The visual list of famous Apple products, both good and bad, can take old-timers back with fond memories, and provide a bit of a history lesson to Mac users who’ve just recently jumped on board. The article is loaded with large images (some used above) from Wikipedia, and covers All-In-Ones, laptops, desktops, monitors, keyboards, mice, and of course, the iPod.

Quick tip: Easily enable OSX Dock magnification temporarily

If you’re like me, you don’t particularly care for OSX’s Dock magnification feature. I just don’t like trying to hit a moving target, especially when I’m dragging files to drop on an icon on the Dock! But every once in a while, I do have the desire to have the feature enabled. You can quickly enable Dock magnification, without turning it on in your System Preferences by holding down Control + Shift while hovering your mouse over the Dock. When you release the keys, Dock magnification is turned off.

Which Mac to buy if you’re a designer or content creator

Which Mac should I buy? It’s a question I see constantly in forum discussions across the Web. If you’re an average consumer who needs Web, email, word processing and little more, the choices are easy. You can go with what your pocketbook allows and be satisfied. Deciding which new Mac to get if you’re in the content creation business, however, is like trying to decide what milk to buy at the grocery store when you don’t normally do the shopping in the household. You’ve got the choice between 1%, 2%, whole milk, low-fat, skim, no freakin fat whatsoever, the list goes on and on. It’s enough to drive you crazy just looking at the options. Here is my (very opinionated) advice to those who find themselves faced with such an expensive dilemma as to which Mac to buy. You’re on your own with the milk though. (more…)