Tag Archives: Mac

Apple rumor site Think Secret shuts down

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Think Secret, the popular Apple rumor site that once ruined Steve Jobs Mac Mini surprise, is shutting down after coming to a settlement with the company. Apple claims Think Secret violated Apple’s trade secrets by leaking out news of upcoming products and sadly, a judge agreed with Apple two years ago when the ompany sued Nick Ciarelli, who runs Think Secret. Ciarelli says that under the settlement, *at least* he does not have to divulge his sources. At least. Yeah, at least he isn’t in prison getting his fingernails pulled out.

Apparently, bloggers like Ciarelli are not entitled to the same protection that journalists have under the California reporter’s shield law (which says journalists do not have to divulge their sources).

What does this mean for bloggers who do investigative reporting on corporate fraud or dangerous materials in the things that corporations sell, the environmental damage they do?

It’s a tragic day for freedom of the press and investigative reporting, but will anyone in Mac-obsessed Silicon Valley even notice?

Macs are really cheaper than PCs, resale value higher

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Farhad Manjoo, Salon’s tech columnist, did quite a bit of research and showed that Macs are indeed cheaper than PCs. Moreover, their eBay resale value is higher:

Even for computers, brand matters. This week I compared prices of several machines from Dell, Gateway and other PC vendors against Apple’s lineup of Macs. In most cases comparable Macs sold for within $100 more than the PCs. But the Apples had something extra: that logo, the design, the history . . .

I switched to the Mac in 2002 and I don’t understand why people still use Windows PCs.

The one upgrade I’m not going to make: Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac

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Ever since I’ve been using Microsoft Office, first on a PC and since 2002 on a Mac, I’ve bought every single upgrade from Microsoft. Not this time. Microsoft is selling the upgrade for $239.95.

Here are the reasons why I won’t be upgrading:

  • $239.95 is too much money to pay for – what? I use Word, Excel and Powerpoint but only its basic features. I do not use Entourage, the email client.
  • I have been using Google Docs and Spreadsheet to share documents with people. Those programs are free and integrate well with Gmail, which I also use. Gmail is also free.
  • Recently, I downloaded a trial copy of Apple’s iWork suite and have been using their new spreadsheet program called Numbers. I love it. I am thinking of buying iWork. I have already used Pages, their word processing program, and Keynote, which blows away Powerpoint. I like iWork very much and it’s only $79.
  • There are many other free alternatives to Microsoft Office, for example, Zoho which offers free online spreadsheet, word processor, customer relationship management system, chat, database creator, etc.