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June 30, 2008

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.4

On Monday June 30, 2008 Apple release the fourth update to Mac OS X Leopard.  The update can be obtained via Mac OS X Software Update or downloaded directly from Apple.

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June 10, 2008

Snow Leopard press release proves that Apple WILL NOT license Mac OS X

It's time to bury the OS X licensing speculation.  Prior to this year's WWDC people speculated that Apple may begin to license Mac OS X due to banners failing to mention 'Mac'.  The omission of 'Mac' from the banners generated a slew of buzz as many people began to speculate that Apple was thinking about licensing their operating system.

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Apple previews 'Snow Leopard' the next version of Mac OS X - streamlined, improved performance, will set new standard for quality and innovation

At WWDC 2008, Apple provided developers with a preview of 'Snow Leopard', the next major version of the Mac OS X operating system. Instead of focusing on new features, Apple states that Snow Leopard will enhance the performance of OS X, set a new standard for quality and lay the foundation for future OS X innovation.  Snow Leopard "dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X" thus, making it more efficient.

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May 29, 2008

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.3

On Wednesday May 28, 2008, Apple released the third update to the Mac OS X Leopard operating system that takes the version to 10.5.3.  Client and Server versions of the update are available.  The update is recommended for all users running Leopard and includes general operating system fixes, security fixes,  as well as fixes for the following:

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May 02, 2008

Apple now worth $158.66 Billion - 4 times as much as Dell

Take that Michael Dell.  Following the close of the US Stock Market on Thursday May 1, 2008 the market cap of Apple is now four times that of Dell.  Apple is worth $158.66 billion vs Dell's measly $38.97 billion.

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April 07, 2008

Apple endorses anitvirus and security software on Macs

Things that make you go hmmm.  Mac users are quick to argue that Macs are not subject to virus infection.  Apple even touts this fact in numerous ways including on their web site and in their "Viruses" Get a Mac ad.  If that's the case, why is the Apple store selling antivirus software for the Mac? Is Apple endorsing antivirus software for the Mac?

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February 21, 2008

PC Magazine reviews Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2: ‘by far the best operating system ever written’

In a February 20, 2008 review, Edward Mendelson states that Apple's Mac OS X Leopard version is "by far the best operating system ever written for the vast majority of consumers".

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February 20, 2008

InfoWorld asks if it is 'Time to dump Windows?'

In a February 17, 2008 article posted at InfoWorld, Galen Gruman discusses if it's time to leave Windows for Mac OS X or Linux.

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PC Magazine reviews Mac OS X Leopard and says the latest update 'makes the strongest case yet for PC users to switch from Windows'

In his review following the latest update of Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5.2), Edward Mendelson makes a compelling reason why the Mac operating system gives Windows users the strongest reason to make the switch.  His review starts out by stating that Leopard is the best operating system available:

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January 15, 2008

2008 will be the Year of the Mac

It's now 2008 and the latest installment of the annual Macworld Expo is upon us.  As we look back on the prior year, it's clear that 2007 was the year of the iPhone.  Apple shook the core of the wireless handset industry when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at last year's Macworld keynote.  Macworld 2008 will give us the first insight into Apple's strategy for the upcoming year and beyond.  Rest assured that Apple will place a major emphasis on the Mac.  It's my view that 2008 will be the Year of the Mac.

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December 04, 2007

OS Wars - 81% of Windows market share loss went to Mac OS X

Net Applications' operating system data for November 2007 demonstrates that Apple's Mac OS X hit a new all-time high with 6.80% market share.  A more telling story can be seen when the numbers are analyzed.  More than 81% of the lost Windows market share has been picked up by Apple's Mac OS X.

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November 28, 2007

Apple reminds customers about Tiger Boot Camp expiration

On Wednesday November 28, 2006, Apple sent a note thanking users for their help in testing Tiger Boot Camp beta, the free software provided by Apple that allows Intel based Macs boot both Mac OS X and Windows.  The note also contained a reminder that the trial ends on December 31, 2007.

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October 31, 2007

Leopard first weekend sales off the charts - 2 million sold

Since releasing Mac OS X Leopard on Friday October 26, Apple sold (or delivered, in the case of maintenance agreements) more than 2 million copies of Mac OS X Leopard during its first weekend on sale.  Leopard's initial sales far outpaced the first weekend sales of Mac OS X Tiger, the prior version of Mac OS X.

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October 22, 2007

Leopard pre-sales off the charts?

Reports circulating around the web state that several solution providers indicate that Mac OS X Leopard pre-orders are outpacing those of Tiger, the prior update to Mac OS X. Leopard sales have been indicated to more than double that of Tiger's pre-orders in early 2005. The drivers could be more distributon outlets for Leopard but are more likely the result of new features and overall dissatisfaction with Microsoft Vista.

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October 18, 2007

Featured Guide: Upgrading to Mac OS X Leopard

We've posted a new guide in the Switch To A Mac Guides titled Upgrading to Mac OS X Leopard.

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October 16, 2007

Apple Announces Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

On October 16, 2007 Apple Inc. announced that the company's new operating system Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) will go on sale on Friday, October 26th at 6 p.m. at Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.  Apple's online store has is now accepting pre-orders.

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August 03, 2007

Recent Software Updates - Mac OS X, Safari 3, iTunes

Over the past few days, Apple has released several software updates.  A comprehensive security update for Mac OS X, an update for the Safari 3 beta web browser, and iTunes.  This post summarizes those updates.

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July 31, 2007

Enterprise Mac: Leopard gets UNIX 03 certification

Great news for the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard operating system.  In a July 30, 2007 post to the Enterprise Mac blog at InfoWorld, Tom Yager details that Mac OS X has attained UNIX 03 certification.

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June 27, 2007

San Jose Mercury News: Apple's Leopard may outpace Vista

In a June 12, 2007 article Dean Takahashi of the San Jose Mercury News asks if the differences between Leopard, the next version of Mac OS X, and Windows Vista will be enough to get people to make the switch.

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June 11, 2007

WWDC 2007 begins today - Steve Jobs to deliver keynote presentation - Switcher Features in Leopard?

It's finally here, Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference.  Apple CEO Steve Jobs will kick off the event with a 10:00 a.m. keynote presentation at San Francisco’s Moscone West conference center.

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May 08, 2007

Computerworld: Mac share of surfers doubles in 8 months

In a May 8, 2007 article titled "Mac share of surfers doubles in 8 months" with a subtitle "Apple is eroding Microsoft's online market share, says analyst", Computerworld demonstrates that the number of people surfing the Web with Macs has grown substantially in the past eight months.  Furthermore, the article states that the Mac audience should not be ignored by Web application developers.

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May 03, 2007

Sun Microsystems: Mac use on the rise - joins porting effort for OpenOffice for Mac

In a May 3, 2007 blog post, Philipp Lohmann of Sun Microsystems states that Sun engineering will add it's support to the ongoing Mac/Aqua porting effort currently underway for OpenOffice.

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May 01, 2007

Steve Jobs to kick off WWDC 2007 with a keynote presentation

In a May 1, 2007 press release titled "Steve Jobs to Kick Off Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2007", Apple confirmed that its CEO Steve Jobs will initiate the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address starting at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 11, 2007 at San Francisco’s Moscone West conference center.

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April 13, 2007

Apple Delays Leopard Release until October 2007

On Thursday April 12, 2007 Apple Inc. released a statement announcing the delay of the company's next generation operating system Mac OS X Leopard until October 2007.  From the statement:

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March 19, 2007

Network World: Macintosh surge

In a March 15, 2007 article posted at Network World James E. Gaskin provides three reasons why "people are moving to Macs"

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USA Today: Windows, Macs co-exist

Edward C. Baig states that you don't have to hold back on making the switch.  His column starts off with the following statement:

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March 15, 2007

Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 - a May 2007 release?

As a followup to yesterday's post about the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update, we indicated that we would put forth our prediction of when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard would likely be released by Apple.  This post provides a prediction

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March 14, 2007

10.4.9 - the longest wait for any Mac OS X update - 165 days

When Apple released the highly anticipated Mac OS X 10.4.9 update on March 13, 2007, it marked the longest time between any Mac OS X version.  It took Apple 165 days to release the update, or in other words, five months and thirteen days.  Version 10.4.8 was released on September 29, 2006.  See the following chart detailing all Mac OS X version release dates and number of days between versions.

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Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.9 Update Released

On Tuesday March 13, 2007, Apple Computer released the ninth update to the Mac OS X Tiger operating system that takes Tiger to version 10.4.9.  Client and Server updates are available.  The update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes as well as fixes for the following:

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March 07, 2007

Computerworld: Apple exec disses Vista as no threat to Leopard

In an speech at at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco, Computerworld details comments made by Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, "We believe we have the superior OS".  Computerworld begins the March 7, 2007 article with the following paragraph:

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March 03, 2007

U.S Department of Tranportation bans Windows Vista, Explorer 7, and Office 2007 - Macs considered as an Alternative

Paul McDougall, writing for InformationWeek highlights internal memos sent  by the CIO (Daniel Mintz) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that forbids upgrades to latest versions of Windows, Internet Explorer, and Office.  There's also a mention that Apple Macs are to be given consideration.

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March 02, 2007

Computerworld: Mac OS X an ideal platform for Small Business

In a March 1, 2007 post titled "Opinion: Mac OS X 'an ideal platform' for SMBs", Computerworld states that Apple's upcoming Mac OS X Leopard Server operating system "could be a boon for smaller firms"

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February 27, 2007

Microsoft: No Vista virtualization with some versions

Brian Bergstein, AP Technology Writer reports that Microsoft is imposing restrictions on the ability of running the Home Basic and Home Premium versions of Vista with virtualization software.

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February 25, 2007

Computerworld: Apple building the most flexible compatible computers on the planet

Richard Hoffmann, in his Computerworld article titled, "Virtual realities: All the world on a Mac", provides an excellent overview of virtualization options on today's Macs.

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December 12, 2006

Gartner: OS X More Appealing Than Desktop Linux

In a December 8, 2006 article at ZDNet Australia, Munir Kotadia writes about a recent Gartner research report titled "Enterprise Mac Clients Remain Limited, but Apple's Appeal is Growing".

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October 24, 2006

Mac OS X Tiger Now Enhanced for Intel Core 2 Duo

In their October 24, 2006 Press Release announcing the revised MacBook Pro line of professional notebook computers, Apple Computer mentions that the company's operating system, Mac OS X Tiger has been enhanced for the Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

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September 30, 2006

Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.8 Update Released

On Friday September 29, Apple Computer released the eighth upgrade to Mac OS X Tiger.  The update takes Tiger to version 10.4.8.  The update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes as well as fixes for the following:

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August 07, 2006

Steve Jobs WWDC 2006 Keynote - It's All Here - Includes Leopard Preview

At the 2006 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at San Francisco's Moscone West, Apple Computer's CEO Steve Jobs kicked off the event with his usual keynote.  Jobs touched on numerous topics such as tid bits on the conference, Apple Retail Store data, and new Hardware announcements.   Most of the attention, however, was on the OS X 10.5 Leopard preview that Apple demonstrated to the public for the first time.  Jobs stated that the public release of Leoaprd is targeted for Spring 2007.  Developers attednding the conference will be provided with a developer preview copy of Leopard that includes all technologies and features shown during the demo.  Of note, there was no "One More Thing" announcement from Jobs.

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August 04, 2006

O'Grady's PowerPage: Exclusive Leopard Feature Set Leaked

The site claims to have obtained an unconfirmed copy of the features and screenshots from Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.  The claim states that the major updates will include:

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July 19, 2006

Key Mac OS X Security Features

Computer users who are looking for a secure operating system need not look further than Mac OS X.  In a prior post, I described the Key Isolation Features in Mac OS X.  In this post I'll describe how Apple ships every Mac with default out-of-the-box security.  I will then outline some hardening tasks one can undertake to a make a Mac more secure.  The goal of this post is to describe to those not familiar with OS X how secure a Mac is and can be.  For those tired of viruses, spyware, malware, and security vulnerabilities, the inherent security features in Mac OS X could be reason enough to provoke the decision to make the switch.

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July 14, 2006

Symantec: No Viruses Exist For Mac OS X

In a blog post on July 13, 2006 at Symantec's website, Symantec states the following:

"Let’s start with the hot-button issue of Mac OS X viruses. Simply put, at the time of writing this article, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X"

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July 07, 2006

Desired Feature in Leopard: Windows Migration Assistant

Wouldn't it be grand if Apple included a Windows Migration Assistant in Leopard that could intelligently facilitate the switch and make it so easy that Windows users wouldn't have difficulty moving their files over to a Mac?

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June 27, 2006

User Account Types in Mac OS X

Although Apple released the desktop version of Mac OS X (10.0) in March 2001, the under pinning of the OS X operating system are over 30 years old.  In simplistic terms, Mac OS X is based on the BSD implementation of the UNIX operating system.  BSD in turn is a derivative of the original UNIX created by AT&T which was originally created in the 1960's and 1970's.  This article will describe the user account types as they are implemented in Mac OS X.

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June 23, 2006

PCAuthority.com.au - Tutorial: Triple-boot Win XP Linux and OS X on an Intel Mac

Interested in taking it one step beyond dual booting?  How does Triple Booting sound? If for some reason you need to run Linux in addition to OS X and Windows, you'll want to check out the following tutorial.

May 16, 2006

Analysis: CEO of Symantec Recommends Macs

Most Windows users are familiar with Symantec in some shape or form.  Symantec sells the popular Norton line of products that includes Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal Firewall, and Norton Inter