When Steve Jobs pronounce that Apple would change its full line of computers to Intel chip by the destruction of 2006 , he was n’t kidding . The past year has seen a flood of novel Intel - based systems . These unremitting waves of fresh machine have overwhelmed some Mac stalwarts accustomed to waiting years between multiplication of PowerPCs . Our advice : Do n’t sweat it . So what if the Mac you corrupt a calendar month ago is no longer the late and great ? As long as it run your software system , it ’s still a positive move .
Future shock
Za Gentle — The Mac Pro is indeed a fast , exhilarating car ( “ Inside the Mac Pro , ” November 2006 ) — to me , by far the good Mac ever . But for those of us who use third - party nag - ins for Apple ’s Logic Pro or Pro Tools or for other professional applications , the Mac Pro presents a problem : Those plug - ins do n’t yet run on Intel - based Macs . The plug - in seller say they are sour fast to arrive up with Universal reading for the new Macs , but most are behind docket ; several troupe have fail to deliver harbinger updates . Please let your readers know that the quick raw Macs wo n’t get much done if worldwide versions of their favorite plug - in are n’t useable .
Aaron Wolske — About your ongoing reportage of Intel Macs : We went six years with only three generations of PowerPC chips ( not count clock - speeding increases ) . Now , scantily a yr into the Intel transition , we ’ve already seen three new chips ( the Core Solo , the Core Duo , and the Core 2 Duo ) . The former stability of the Mac platform secure that our software program would remain usable for extended period of prison term . Has that era of stability ended ?
Jake Purches — One of the reason IlikedPowerPCs was that Macs did n’t change all the time . Now , two weeks after you shell out your money for the later political machine , you find that it ’s been superseded by something raw . It ’s depressing . I deliberately buy the last , most powerful Power Mac , the G5 Quad , because I run a hatful of apps that are built for the PowerPC or even for atomic number 76 9 . I ca n’t do what I postulate to do on an Intel Mac . This quick progress is n’t necessarily a good thing for Mac users , even though it may be great for retailers .
Take them with you
Ian Wells — I have a suggestion for a follow - up to your article about portable practical app ( “ Your Apps in Your Pocket,”Mobile Mac , November 2006 ): I run two Macs at work and two at home ( a desktop and a portable at each locating ) . I attempt to keep the same versions of Mac OS X and my program on all of them . To do this , I presently contemporize my rest home leaflet and sections of my Library folder between each desktop - portable pair of Macs . Now I ’m trying to image out how to take that one step further , by keeping working copies of the supporting files for Safari , Address Book , and Mail on a USB cause , approachable fromanyof my organization to which it is attach .
We may have a solution for you . Checkherefor a way to take that next step.—Dan Miller
By the books
Robert Summers — I enjoy your clause “ Beyond Apple ’s Photo Books ” ( Digital Photo , December 2006 ) . But please note that you’re able to not upload a Pages - make PDF file to Lulu ; it will be automatically rejected . This has been a problem for a long prison term , and there ’s no resolution in sight . you’re able to discover the item on thePages forumand thediscussion forum . I ’ve published two al-Qur’an on Lulu . I write both using Pages , and then used Pages ’ Export To Word feature to create a.docfile . After touching up those files in Word to get the same looking at I had in Pages , I create PDFs from Word and uploaded those to Lulu , which admit them without a job .
Tony Triolo — In your December 2006Digital Photocolumn , you explained how to make a photo Bible without iPhoto and Aperture . You cited two online service in particular — Blurb and Lulu — but failed to mention the latest offerings fromShutterflyandAsukaBook . Shutterfly ’s late improvements make it the easy , most nonrational , and most flexible overhaul out there . For people who will take over only the best , AsukaBook is severe to pound . Its script are on a equation with the slickest umber - table books , concluded with dust jacket , presentation box , and spine impression . One caveat , however : You have to be a professional photographer to use AsukaBook .
I spot the serif
Lee Graves — About the letter from Michael Myers ( Feedback , December 2006 ): I , too , miss the WYSIWYG face we had in atomic number 8 9 . I have n’t the time to open up Tiger ’s font window to see what each font will look like . Please , Apple , just list type in WYSIWYG style .
Jeff Mao — I want to respond to Michael Myers ’s want for a WYSIWYG font menu in oculus sinister X. Many hoi polloi may not realize that in applications that use the Font pallette ( Command - T ) , you may expand that palette to display the actual fount . Above the Style pull - down pallet is a acid . Drag that dot down to launch the font - display area . Select a font , and you could see how it looks . This is n’t the same as a WYSIWYG font computer menu , but I really like it better , because it allows you to make your own collecting of type styles visible in all applications that apply the Font palette .
Getting in gear
John Doyle — In “ Macworld ’s Gear Guide ” ( December 2006 ) , you cite the JBL Go + encounter and provided a connection to the JBL Web land site . But when I went to that site , I could n’t find that product . Is there somewhere else I should try ?
The Go + Play was originally schedule to be useable by the metre that story was published . But agree to JBL , the product has been hold up . We ’re lamentable for the confusion.—Dan Frakes
Bill Gallagher — In response to your December 2006 story , “ Take Your L-P for a Spin , ” you do n’t really necessitate a “ battery of equipment ” to digitize your records . If you already have a lazy Susan , the stereo system equipment , and a computer , all you want is the Griffin iMic , which costs less than $ 40 . The iMic plug into your stereoscopic photograph with audio jacks and into your computer using the USB port . You import each song with GarageBand , then export to iTunes . No problem !
Which library?
Alessandro Pedicelli — Regarding your tip “ Use Screen - Saver Images as Desktop Pictures ” ( Mac OS Adam Hints , December 2006 ): I thought this tip sound really cool and tried it myself , but I encountered a trouble . The first stone’s throw is to find the screen - saver files . You said to go to the /System / Library / Screen Savers leaflet . When I opened that folder , it was empty . I tried this process on both my Intel iMac and my G4 tower , and both times encountered the same trouble . Was I doing something wrong ?
More than probable , you were looking in the Library folder in your Home directory or in the /Library leaflet , but not in the /System / Library folder . I guarantee that that folder is n’t empty.—Rob Griffiths
