A few months back , we poll a grouping ofMacworldreaders to line up out which Mac program they used on a regular cornerstone . I was shocked at the results : while old standby Microsoft Word came in third , the top two floater were taken by Apple ’s iTunes and Safari .

In hindsight , I suppose that this makes sense . Lots of us keep iTunes subject in the background signal all the time , play euphony while we do something else . ditto mark for Safari , which Iuse always ( although I intromit I ’ve enjoyed using Mozilla ’s Firefox and The Omni Group ’s OmniWeb , too ) . Seeing Safari position so mellow on the list of favored apps remind us that we should n’t underestimate the power of the Web just because it ’s so intimate .

It also started an interesting conversation among the editors here . We all surf the Web , but it ’s not always as easy to employ as we ’d like . Steve Jobs may arrogate that finding pages on the web is easier than finding files on your hard drive , but it ’s still not easy to wade through all those search results to find what youreallywant .

That ’s what we were recall as we develop our history “ unscramble the Web ” . Our end is to help you cursorily regain what you require on the Web . We ’ve also put together a bunch of Safari tip and a list of add - ons that will help you get more out of Apple ’s streamlined Web browser app . And we ’ve rounded up and equate the lead Safari alternatives . If you use the Web , I intend you ’ll encounter that the upshot are worth more than a casual browsing .

Gadgets and Gear

One of the first story I do work on upon arriving atMacworldin 1997 was a showcase of turn off - edge gadgets , from bright colored cordless phones to the original PalmPilot . I realized then , and still believe now , that Mac users have a taste for the hunky-dory thing in lifetime — in fact , that ’s a big ground we ’re Mac users in the first shoes . We are n’t spendthrift , but we have sex and appreciate ingenious bits of technology when we see them .

That ’s why we ’re once again showcasing more than 30 of the new , niftiest gadgets we could regain ( “ Macworld ’s Gear Guide , ” ) . Some of them are directly Mac related , supplement that ’ll make your Mac more utilitarian or capable . Others are slightly further afield — but they should still attract to the , ahem , refined tech sensibilities of Mac substance abuser .

As we approach the holiday season , we hope you give bestower out there will notice that this story is a useful start point for your natural endowment - leaning brainstorming . If you ’re on the receiving end , you ’ll see some nerveless items to put on your wishing listing . And if you ’re not the gifting character , fear not : once you see the intersection we ’ve singled out , you ’ll credibly regain at least one that you ’ll want to get for yourself .

Online Expansion

If you have n’t inflict Macworld.com or its sister site , MacCentral.com , lately , you should . We recently finish a redesign of the two sites that amalgamate them under a exclusive expression . We ’ve also introduced several new feature . I ’m excited about our Apple Hardware Guide , which order all the information about presently embark Mac hardware — includingMacworldmouse ratings , Speedmark test scores , and constantly update pricing — on one page .

plain , Microsoft has been listening . As this proceeds was going to press , Microsoft release the Mac Service Pack 1 , a collection of bug fixes and performance improvements for Office 2004 . you could download the free update fromMicrosoft ’s internet site . This update fix problems with stableness , surety , and more — including a few of the glitches that Rob mentions in his column . But it does n’t solve them all . So Robrevisited hisWorking Maccolumnto take care at which glitchesweren’taddressed by Microsoft ’s update .