With Thanksgiving , Black Friday and Cyber Monday now behind us , the holiday shopping season is in full swing . Last calendar month , Computerworldoffered ourHoliday Gift Guideto help you screen through this class ’s gadgets and techie miniature .
But grass for Mac drug user and Apple fans can sometimes be a challenge — especially if you desire to get something other than the obvious choice , or if you ’re not as big an Apple fan as the person you ’re shopping for . With that in idea , here are 10 great talent estimate for the Mac user on your list .
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
If you ’re shopping for a die - operose Mac fan , prospect are good that he has already elevate to Leopard , which has been out since Oct. 26 . Many user , however , delay earn a major upgrade like this for weeks or month — sometimes for monetary value - related reasons , sometimes to make certain those first - release glitch have been found and secure . Others hold off until they ’re quick to buy a new information processing system so that they can simply get the late operating system include .
Withmore than 300 unexampled features and revamp apps , the $ 129 Leopard is a heavy gift for someone who ’s been on the fence about when to make the jump to the operating system . Even for nontechnical users , Leopard is a holiday success because it includesTime Machine , the easiest ( and coolest ) backup software on the major planet , and sieve - share-out via iChat .
If you ’re the index user in the family who always start stuck with the “ something ’s wrong with my computer ” speech sound calls , Leopard is a endowment that keeps on giving — to you . That ’s because screen - sharing with iChat works great as a removed troubleshooting tool for family and friend .
If you ’re eyeing Leopard as a giving , keep two things in psyche . First , make indisputable the mass you ’re buying for have n’t bought it already ( or plan to bribe it in the immediate future tense ) . Also , you ’ll require to be sure that their Mac encounter the minimumLeopard system requirements . ( Among other things , they need a computer with at least 512 MB of RAM , a PowerPC G4 or sound silicon chip running at a minimum of 867 Mc and a videodisk drive . )
An external laborious effort
Since we mention Time Machine as a understanding to give Apple ’s late operating system , let ’s move on to another impudent gift idea for Leopard users ( or as a companion gift to the operating system ): a large - mental ability outside hard drive . Time Machine makes support up easy , but it ’s best to use it with an external surd drive . The bigger the drive , the better the safety net Time Machine can render .
So , how handsome is too big ? There ’s no such a affair as too braggart when it occur to data point storage . However , a 500 GB drive is probably ample for most Mac substance abuser to maintain substantial backups of their organization and digital media such as pic , movies and music . Apple ’s on-line store currently offers a deal on a500 GB USB 2.0 drive from Iomega — priced at $ 169.95 — that ’s deserving moot .
iLife ’ 08
Many Apple rooter run out and bought copy ofiLife ’ 08when it transport in August , but as with Leopard , there are no doubt a number of Mac exploiter who did n’t upgrade right away , count on that they ’d get a new version of iLife with their next Mac . ILife ’ 08 is a perfect endowment for these users , peculiarly if they never warmed to the earlier variation of iLife because iMovie seemed slow to import video or GarageBand seemed too complicated .
Apple addressed these take and added ready to hand enhancements to every program in the suite , make itwell deserving the $ 79 price shred . For those who care to share photos and video recording online , the updates to iWeb and the .Mac World Wide Web galleries are impressive enough on their own to make iLife ’ 08 a not bad gift .
If your giftees have already upgraded iLife and spend a lot of time make for with iMovie and/or GarageBand , you might take getting themFinal Cut Express 4orLogic Express 8 . Although these are a little high-priced at $ 199 each , they pop the question an institution to the realm of Apple ’s professional video- and audio - redaction tool for budding videographers , musicians and disc jockey .
The more budget - minded should consider iMovie hack - ins such as those fromGee Threeandcf / x , which offer heighten special event and other feature , orJam Packsthat tot up all manner of audio loops and sum up - on tool for GarageBand . The Gee Three software roll in Mary Leontyne Price from $ 29.95 to $ 49.95 , but you’re able to save money when buying more than one . The fibrocystic disease of the pancreas / x hoopla - ins ambit from $ 1.50 to $ 9.95 , making them the digital equivalent of stocking stuffers , while Jam Packs go for $ 99 each .
Note : At present tense , iMovie ’ 06 is required to use plug - ins because iMovie ’ 08 is a complete revision and the plug - ins do n’t yet work with it . That ’s why iMovie ’ 06 is left in stead when iLife ’ 08 is installed ; it ’s also available as afree download from Apple .
.Mac
Apple’s . Mac servicehas been called a waste of money . In fact , just last year it was potential to get all the feature of .Mac using various free services . But much can change in a year — and in this pillowcase , it has . Now , in addition to an e - mail account , web hosting and external storage space , .Mac offers an array of telling extras .
One new feature already cite is the arresting vane veranda that create a portion out space for mass to easy deal photos and video online .
iPod , iPhone and accessories
No gift list would be concluded without aniPhoneand the latestiPods . Every iPod model makes a dandy gift and has its own set of advantages , whether in features , sizing or price .
TheiPod touchis , of course of study , the most impressive as it boasts the same touch - concealment display as the iPhone and can work as a wandering Internet twist when in range of mountains of a wireless meshing . However , theiPod classicis also a great gift , particularly for user who have large collections of music , movies and photos that they want to carry with them .
TheiPod nanoandiPod shufflework for the more budget - conscious . The nano is now the lowest priced television - adequate to iPod ever uncommitted and is a big gift for anyone on the go who want a small to the full powered iPod . price range from $ 79 for the iPod shambling all the way up to $ 399 for the 16 GB iPod spot .
So muchhas been said about the iPhone , now just $ 399 , that there ’s little penury to describe it . Without a doubt , it will make a great gift , and we ’ve discover plenty of people of all ages ( from teen to elder ) already asking for one .
The one thing to keep in idea is that the iPhone requires an AT&T contract . If you ’re buying for users who have existing cellular service on a dissimilar carrier , you may want to look at the distance of clock time leave on their contract and the availability of AT&T military service in their area . ( How you ask them about those matter without kick in away your natural endowment plans is up to you . )
IPod and iPhone shopping is n’t limited to the computer hardware ; there ’s an full ecosystem of iPod and iPhone accessories that make great stocking stuffers . beak froman assortment of casesfor security and vapourous screen protectors like Power Support’sCrystal Film Set .
Other theory include travel charger , FM transmitter such as Griffin Technology’siTripand Monster Cable Products’iCarPlayseries to hear through a car wireless , and all manner ofiPod docksandspeaker systems .
Apple TV
Apple TVmade a lot of newswhen it was release last March , two month after its debut at Macworld Expo — and then quickly fell off most people ’s radio detection and ranging in the backwash of the iPhone . But for anyone with an HDTV sporting component or HDMI connections ( or even astandard - definition TV — though these are not formally supported ) , Apple TV is a great idea .
Apple TV brings all of the euphony , television and photo on a mortal ’s figurer ( Mac or PC ) into the animation elbow room . Anything purchased from the iTunes Store can be viewed or listened to . Video podcasts can be watched like any TV show . And the screensaver includes a 3 - 500 grid of floating pictures that provide a great way to have an ever - changing regalia of family photo in the background signal whenever the TV is n’t in use .
One of the coolest characteristic of the equipment has to be the ability to pasture and watch YouTube videos from the comfort of the sofa using a remote command . Any YouTube fan will sleep with this — and it will credibly make new YouTube fans as well .
Apple TV come in two versions : One has a 40 GB hard thrust and sells for $ 299 ; the other has a 160 GB drive and sells for $ 399 .
Elgato ’s EyeTV and Turbo.264
If that special someone already has an Apple boob tube , then check out theofferings from Elgato Systems , which has two product lines that make first-class gifts . First is theEyeTVfamily of products , a serial publication of TV piano tuner and personal TV - recording devices for the Mac . In sheer voice communication , the EyeTV devices and pack EyeTV software allow substance abuser watch and record video immediately on their computers .
The devices extend digital - commemorate capability standardized to TiVo and the DVR boxes offered by many cable television service and satellite providers — but without the monthly subscription . The EyeTV software , which comes bundled with each twist in the EyeTV batting order , also makes it easy to convert commemorate programs for other America ( such as syncing to an Apple TV , iPod or iPhone , or burn up to DVD ) .
lead off the EyeTV lineup is theEyeTV Hybrid , a very thickset gadget that retails for $ 149.95 and supports wake and recording both HD and analog television on Macs with a G4 / G5 / Intel central processing unit ( though for HD content a treble - gist G5 or Intel Mac is demand ) .
While the EyeTV Hybrid is a swell choice for Modern Macs ( especially those with Intel processors ) , older Macs may see better performance with theEyeTV 250 Plus($199.95 ) , which includes video - encryption hardware and does n’t rely only on the Mac ’s processor .
And for homes with multiple Macs , the $ 199.95HDHomeRunallows all Macs to access television sign over a home web and supports two separate Macs recording different content at the same time .
The Turbo.264 , which sell for $ 99.95 , is a separate product that connect to a Mac and speed up the changeover of video to H.264 , a format that offers high character and small data file sizes and is used by iTunes , Apple TV , iPod and iPhone .
If you ca n’t give the turbo.264 , another opening is Techspansion ’s $ 23Visual Hub , which leave users to convert video but does n’t augment the Mac ’s own processing baron . The turbo.264 , in line , unload the processing , resulting in much fast conversion and freed - up resource on the Mac for other uses .
A laptop computer grammatical case
Laptops postulate security , too . cause and bags are always on my wish list — with salutary reason . MacBooks and MacBook Pros account for the bulk of Macs sold . They are nifty laptops that want to be protect and carried securely , think of a good quality grammatical case is a must .
Bags and cases come in awide grasp of size , styles and pricesthat can fit every individual . But be sure that the case will fit the computer that will be acquit in it . Some offer compartments designed only for certain size ( like one I buy for my 15 - inch MacBook Pro that enunciate it conform to “ up to a 14 - in . laptop computer ” in hunky-dory print — no hazard of squeezing my laptop in that font ) .
Another thing to remember is that backpack designs proffer some tractableness for other uses . Keep in mind that while a base that practically cry “ I love my Mac ” is nice , it will also scream “ I ’ve start out a laptop computer . ” stealer will appreciate that .
An extra barrage fire
When buy barrage fire - control toy for kids , my family always wrap up batteries as a gift to go with them . Even though portable Macs and other Apple devices habituate rechargeable batteries , that does n’t mean an extra battery is a bad thought . They can stretch forth the usefulness of the equipment when away from a power source , or they can be used to replace aging shelling that no longer agree a charge .
If you know an iBook or PowerBook possessor whose estimator is a few years old and no longer holds a good charge , areplacement batterymakes a darn nice talent . Costing just over $ 100 , a battery can greatly unfold the usefulness of an onetime electronic computer for a few more years . replace assault and battery in Macs is gentle and does n’t require specialized installation .
Replacing an maturate iPod ’s battery is a unlike matter . It necessitate physically opening the iPod up , which is n’t a substance abuser - approachable process . Some iPod shelling permutation services are available , but in many ways , you ’re belike full off buying a new iPod as a talent , fall in the cost of assault and battery and the replacement service .
External battery and powerfulness packs are a different thing . Energizer now offers an inexpensive portable power pack for iPods calledEnergi To Go(available online for around $ 25 to $ 30 ) that runs off two AA bombardment , making it an excellent low - cost giving idea .
Custom thingamabob
Most Mac user who have used Mac OS X Tiger or Leopard are used to Dashboard , the dewy-eyed interface that allows mini - applications called widgets to be viewed on top of the current Desktop . In Leopard , Dashboard received some major update , includingDashcode , a creature for developing Dashboard widgets .
Full - on widget creation may seem daunting , but Apple has provided a wide range of gratuitous templet for such thing as countdown timers , maps , daily quotes or news stories , photo - of - the - day widgets and more . Using these templates , you could actually establish widgets without ever writing code .
By experiment a little , you could make fun custom thingumajig for family line and friends with no cost . It will also show that you worry enough about the receiver to spend some time on their endowment , with the append bonus of making you look like the most impressive Mac user your family has ever seen .
( Note that widgets created in Dashcode can be used only on Macs running Leopard . )
For equivalence ’s sake , building a custom widget with Dashcode is n’t as well-fixed as building a entanglement site with iWeb ( part of iLife ’ 08 ) , but it ’s not awfully hard either . And who would turn down a widget design especially for them ?
[ Ryan Faasis a free lance writer and technology consultant specializing in Mac and multiplatform web subject . ]
