It’s not only the numbers that show it. Even in everyday life you see the Mac gaining popularity. I’ve been seeing more and more glowing Apple logos in coffee shops, schools and offices here in Manila. Sales of Macs are up as evidenced by more and more stores selling Apple stuff.

The strength of Mac OS X coupled with the blunder that is Vista is making people really think about getting Macs.

Check out the full story here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mac Sales Sky Rocketing

Macs are gaining market share and it has nowhere else to go but up. Macs actually represented the strongest revenue stream for Apple ahead of iPod and iPhone sales.

These facts aren’t just imaginary. I’m experiencing it first hand. I know 8 people who bought new Macs this month alone. Some of them are already Mac users and there are also new Mac users. That’s 8 people I know personally or family members of people I know. That’s saying a lot.

As time goes by more and more people are drawn to Macs because of the simplicity of OS X. It’s just easier for most people to use. Plus the cost of ownership is indeed going down.

I don’t see this as slowing down anytime soon. For the rest of the year I see that more and more people will be switching to the Mac.

Read the complete earnings press release here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mac Sales Up

Guy and Michele have been using Macs together with Photoshop and other software to create inspiring tatoo designs. Using the internet to do research on possible designs, they then transfer it to Photoshop where they can manipulate and visualize how their tatoos would come out.

Quoting from their interview at Apple…

“Our Macs are indispensable,” Aitchison agrees. “We do plenty of analog projects, from painting to sculpting, but at some point it all gets funneled through the digital world. The ability to function smoothly between multiple creative applications makes it very easy to move between different media, and between the digital and analog worlds.”

Read the full interview here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mac and Tatoos

Well, well, well… It seems that the Mac Pro isn’t a big enough item to deserve being introduced at MacWorld. Apple just released the New Mac Pros.

The new Mac Pro now comes with 8 cores as standard. Based on Intel’s new Quad-Core Xeon “Harpertown” processors, the Mac Pro is one of the first desktop computers to make use of these new chips. Topping out at 3.2 Ghz, these new chips also feature the 45-nm architecture thus delivering blistering speeds without using too much power. Each processor has a massive 12MB L2 cache and 1600MHz frontside buses.

Expansion is a snap. It features the faster PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot. 4 drive bays that will total up to 4TB of storage. 8 DIMM slots are also available allowing you to install a 32GB 800MHz DIMM memory.

I/O ports feature a Firewire 800 port, Firewire 400, 2 USB 2.0, headphone minijack all in front. At the back you get 3 USB 2.0, 1 FireWire 800, 1 FireWire 400, optical audio in and out, analog in and out and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports. Enough expansion for all your peripherals.

So.. this news at least proves that one of the items of the supposedly leaked transcripts are false.

Steve then says that “sometimes bigger is better,” and brings up the Mac Pro, lauding it as the “best workstation on the market.” Steve then introduces the new Penryn chipset, praising Intel for its innovation. He then introduces a redesigned Mac Pro. (There is no “final image” present in this draft Keynote). Steve brags that the Mac Pro was the first mainstream computer to feature eight cores, and says its time to bring that into everyone’s hands.

The new Mac Pro comes with dual 2.8 GHz Penryn Xeons standard, with build-to-order options for 3.0 GHz and 3.2 GHz. Standard RAM is bumped to 2 GB, standard hard drive to 320 GB. Standard graphics card is now 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT, with other graphics cards build-to-order.

Steve then reveals a final new feature: the Mac Pro is the first Mac to feature a high-definition optical drive, a Blu-ray drive for $400, BTO.

Check out the complete specs here.

Post from: EveryJoe

New Mac Pros Out

Admittedly it was the picture above that got my attention. I love a clean workspace. Well because mine is a bit messy. I want a clean workspace but I can’t seem to keep it that way. Anyway, a clean workspace is even better when it has a 30″ Cinema Display on it and powered by a Mac Pro.

This is exactly what Glenn Wolsey has. Who’s Glenn? Honestly I thought he was some 30 year old computer nut who does programming or a 30 something web/graphic designer. I based this just on the looks of his workspace. I was wrong. He’s a teenager who lives in New Zealand. He also happens to love Apple. Read his profile here.

Basically he’s all praises for the Mac Pro. It was a choice between this or a 24″ iMac. He suggests that the extra dough is worth it because he can upgrade it. It will last him a longer time.  Read his full review here.  He also has a comparison between the iMac and Mac Pro and why he chose the Mac Pro. Read it here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Review: Mac Pro 2.66 Ghz

I’m a new MacBook Pro user (thank God!). I love my machine. But seriously, the power adapter is almost as big as my 17″ MBP. Well ok, that’s a bit of a stretch. But seriously, it’s huge. It’s not fun bringing it around.

Luckily, Apple has just released a smaller MagSafe adapter. What took you guys so long? This should have been the original size of the darn thing. Well better late than never.. Almost. With the 79 dollar price tag, I’m having second thoughts about getting one.

If you wrecked your original adapter then it would make sense to get this one, or if you travel a lot, or if you just have a lot of dough to blow. Otherwise… stick with your brick. It’s a bit bulky but at least you’re not shelling out 80 bucks.

Post from: EveryJoe

New, Smaller 85W MagSafe Adapter for MacBook Pro

Most of the results are pretty much what is to be expected. The new ones are faster. Except for the Unreal Tournament 2004 test which the latest Macbook Pro faired poorly against the previous and a Mac Pro, all the other test showed that it flies.

So check out the initial benchmarks and see for yourself if this is the machine for you.

Post from: EveryJoe

Latest MacBook Pro Benchmarks

Just in time for Adobe CS3, Apple launches the 8 core Mac Pro. Inside the Mac Pro is Intel’s “Clovertown” chip. A 64 bit quad-core Xeon Processor clocking in at 3Ghz. The 8 core Mac Pro has 2 of these babies inside it. Each processor has an 8MB L2 cache combining for 16MB L2 cache. Other features of the processor are 64 bit data paths and registers, 1.33GHz, 64-bit dual independent frontside buses and 128-bit SSE3 vector engine.

For those who don’t need the monster power that the 8 core Mac Pro provides you can still opt for a pair of 64 bit Dual-Core Intel Xeon “Woodcrest” processors. It comes in 2.0Ghz, 2.66Ghz and 3.0Ghz speeds.

Apple still only has one standard configuration and it’s the 2.66Ghz Quad-Core chip that’s inside it. You can upgrade this to your hearts content with the build-to-order options. According to Apple there’s 33 million different ways you can configure this baby.

Check out the 8 Core Mac Pro here.

Post from: EveryJoe

8 Core Mac Pros Out Now. Yes. 8.

For those who don’t watch Apple everyday like me or for those who don’t really keep track of the release dates, news and rumors, MacRumors has graciously put together a buying guide to aide us in our buying decisions. If you’re in the market for a new Mac, check it out. It might just save you the heartache when you buy a Mac and a few weeks later it has been replaced by a newer model.

Thanks MacRumors! I guess I’ll wait a few more months… Well I have no choice.

Post from: EveryJoe

MacRumors Buyers Guide

Ed Eubanks Jr., from Low End Mac has a great article titled “11 Ways to Optimize Your Macs Performance“. This article is not exclusive to PowerPC users. Most Mac users will be able to benefit from this article but probably not all in the same degree.

I’ve done most of these things such as clean my start-up items, shut of all widgets I really don’t need and to a certain extent clean up my hard drive. I also use Onyx from time to time.

So go ahead and read the article and see how much more performance you can get out of your Mac.

Post from: EveryJoe

Optimize Your Mac