1. See for Yourself 2. Homing in on Multihoming 3. Making iMac Feel Secure 4. When I Grow Up... 5. Get Yourself a Tax Cut 6. Just Ask 7. Technically Speaking 8. Quick Takes
You can read today's issue online at:
http://www.apple.com/enews/2002/02/21enews2.html
1. See for Yourself
If images seem to jump right off the screen, don't blame your eyes. Or your nerves.
The improved graphics performance of the new iMac gets all the credit.
Not only does the flat-panel display offer twice the brightness, twice the sharpness, and twice the contrast of a conventional CRT display, but the images iMac displays are digital from the get-go. And no digital-to-analog conversion means that no data (or image quality) gets lost along the way.
And then there's the NVIDIA GeForce2 MX graphics processor. Featuring 32MB of Double Date Rate (DDR) video memory, it transfers video data at twice the speed of traditional graphics memory, resulting in stunning 3D graphics and significant frame rate improvements in games. Testing the new iMac against a 400-MHz G3-based iMac, for example, we saw more than a 300% improvement, the new iMac delivering 47 frames per second (fps) while the G3 iMac delivered just 15 fps.
That's an improvement you can see for yourself.
http://www.apple.com/imac/graphics.html
2. Homing in on Multihoming
How do you get on the Internet? If you have an iBook or PowerBook, your answer may be "it depends."
At the office, it's probably an Ethernet connection. At home, it may be DSL. On the road, your internal modem may get you online. Or at any of the above, you may connect wirelessly via AirPort.
So, as you move from place to place, do you have to switch back and forth among your various connection methods?
Not if you're running Mac OS X, where choosing the best connection is done automatically via a protocol called "Multihoming." What is multihoming?
In this excerpt from his fabulous new book, "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual," David Pogue tells us what multihoming is and how best to take advantage of it. Enjoy.
Even if your new iMac works in a place that gets a lot of foot traffic, you don't have to worry that it's suddenly going to develop legs.
Take a walk around its posterior and you'll notice that we built in a measure of security.
See the first slot on the left? That's the Kensington Security Slot--the one with the "padlock K" icon above it. Attach a Kensington MicroSaver Security System--it takes just seconds to install--and you can secure the new iMac to the desk it's sitting on.
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
4. When I Grow Up...
Fascinated by the mystique of media as a child, inspired by documentaries in college, Melissa Regan dreamed of making her own documentary films.
And now she has. Using iMovie, she created a 24-minute documentary called "No Dumb Questions," a funny and touching film that "tells the story of how three little girls--aged 6, 9, and 11--deal with the news that their Uncle Bill will soon become their Aunt Barbara."
Why iMovie? "I was able to learn it in about five minutes and loved it," she responds. "The interface is extremely intuitive, which allowed me to focus on figuring out how to tell my story without getting bogged down in software details."
Regan's film has already won five awards, including, most recently, Honorable Mention for Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival.
We know how you can get tax tips from recognized experts, advice about increasing your tax refund, and help completing your paperwork. All for a mere $24.95.
Sound too good to be true? Perhaps you haven't met H&R Block's newest tax consultant: TaxCut Deluxe 2001. This robust Mac OS X software package asks a series of simple questions and uses your answers to prepare the appropriate forms.
TaxCut knows the latest changes to the tax laws and double-checks your returns for missing deductions. When it's done, TaxCut submits the forms electronically (if you'd like), so you'll receive your refund faster.
Don't procrastinate about doing your taxes this year. Let TaxCut do the hard work.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/taxcut/
6. Just Ask
In Mac OS X, the built-in screen saver provides a beautiful and full-featured experience. In fact, Screen Saver (you'll find it in System Preferences) not only offers you several "programs" to choose from--Aqua Icons, Forest, and Beach, to name just a few--but also lets you use your own digital photos to create a custom show.
And while it's fun, Screen Saver also serves a quite useful purpose, allowing you to password-protect your system when you step away from your computer.
Want to find out how you can take advantage of Screen Saver? In the Finder, pull down the Help menu, choose Mac Help, type "screen saver" in the text box, and click Ask.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/
7. Technically Speaking
Like to see how easy it is to install memory or an AirPort Card in our new flat-panel iMac computers?
Before grabbing that Philips screwdriver--the only tool you'll need--take a few minutes to read a pair of articles recently added to our Knowledge Base: "Installing or Replacing the AirPort Card" and "Installing or Replacing Memory." Fully illustrated, the articles offer step-by-step instructions for a safe and successful installation.
iMac, swoons USA Today columnist (and "Pentium-based Dell PC" user) Edward C. Baig, "represents the kind of dramatic design breakthrough that only further solidifies Apple's reputation as a radically impressive innovator."
"If you're a Mac lover," writes Tobey Grumet in Popular Mechanics, "life just got a little sweeter. And crisper. The iPod MP3 player is Apple's latest coup. Weighing only 6.5 ounces but packing an enormous drive in its designer casing, the iPod is the Mac must-have accessory of the year."
iPhoto "is absolutely the easiest, fastest and most intuitive way I've seen to import pictures from my camera and then organize, display, share, print and distribute them by e-mail," says Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press.
Thanks for reading today's issue of iMac Update. Expect your next issue on Thursday, March 7.
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Copyright 2002 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple permits reproduction of the contents of Apple eNews for publicity and promotional purposes. Apple, iMac, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks, and AirPort, Aqua, Finder, iBook, iMovie, iPod, PowerBook, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither a recommendation nor an endorsement.
