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Apple.com | View information about Apple.com within our Technology Website Reviews section by reviewing this area of our website. We provide a wealth of information online to help our visitors become better informed about Computer Buzz. |
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Apple.com
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The personal computer revolution is just now getting to be three decades old. If it were a person, it would still be in the younger half of the US population.
Hands down, and without a shadow of a doubt, the one single most innovative, forward-looking, futuristic hardware and/or software company on this planet to date has been Apple Computer (recently renamed Apple, Inc.). The company has had its well publicized ups and downs, but ever since it introduced the very first functional personal computer for public consumption (the Apple II running Apple DOS) it has never been anything other than the technological and intellectual leader of the worldwide personal computer movement.
To be convinced of this, you only have to visit Apple's web site. Almost all of the techno-wonders you'll find there were conceived and invented in Apple's own labs. Come with us to the company's web site at its main campus in Cupertino, California.
Official Website: Apple.com
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iPhone: iDon't care what iT costs; iWant one!
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Apple has announced that its revolutionary iPhone will run applications created with Web 2.0 Internet standards. Developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and which can seamlessly access iPhone's services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps. Third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards can extend iPhone's capabilities without compromising its reliability or security.
"Developers and users alike are going to be very surprised and pleased at how great these applications look and work on iPhone," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Our innovative approach, using Web 2.0-based standards, lets developers create amazing new applications while keeping the iPhone secure and reliable."
Web 2.0-based applications are being embraced by leading developers because they're far more interactive and responsive than traditional web applications, and can be easily distributed over the Internet and painlessly updated by simply changing the code on the developers' own servers. The modern web standards also provide secure data access and transactions, like those used with Amazon.com or online banking.
Official Website: apple.com/iphone/
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Leopard: Mac OS X, version 10.5
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Tiger, Apple's version 10.4 of its Mac OS X operating system, has been a big hit for almost two years now, and it has drawn rave reviews from critics and users alike. But Tiger's days are numbered.
Mac OS 10.5, code named Leopard, is scheduled for release in September of this year, and Computer Buzz can't wait to review the initial release. It is being touted as the biggest and most comprehensive upgrade yet for OS X. One of the most impressive features of the new OS is multiple virtual desktops (although this is old news for UNIX and Linux, both of which have had virtual desktops for more than a decade)
Official Website: apple.com/macosx/leopard/.com
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Bonjour: network magic
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One of Apple's neatest innovations in recent years is a software-based local network service called Bonjour. Bonjour lets you create an instant network of computers and smart devices just by getting them connected to each other. The computers and devices take over from there, automatically broadcasting and discovering what services each is offering for the use of others. The network could be as simple as two AirPort-Extreme-equipped PowerBook users sitting in a hotel meeting room miles from the nearest AirPort Extreme Base Station with some large files they need to share.
Bonjour works over today's most popular standard connection technologies, including Ethernet and AirPort (802.11x). And it uses the standard, ubiquitous IP networking protocol for its connections, the same protocol that runs the internet itself. Indeed, all of the technologies driving Bonjour are open and part of the standards creation process of the IETF, as is Bonjour itself.
Safari, Apple's turbo-charged web browser, uses Bonjour to find any web addresses on your local network for printer, router or webcam setup and administration, for instance. With the help of Bonjour, iChat AV lets you see which people are available for chatting or video conferencing on your local network, and automatically removes them when they leave. iTunes and iPhoto also use Bonjour to facilitate sharing music and photos on local networks.
Since Apple introduced Bonjour technology in 2002, every major printer manufacturer has adopted the technology so you can add and remove such machines from networks without configuration. When you add your Mac to a network, Mac OS X will then automatically discover and connect to the available Bonjour-enabled printers and you're ready to print.
And now, anyone using a Windows PC can take advantage of the effortlessness of Bonjour for free. The Bonjour Setup Wizard makes setting up a printer under Windows as easy as Mac OS X. Bonjour for Windows includes a plug-in for Internet Explorer, so you can set up a Bonjour-enabled device without knowing its IP address. You can even print to printers connected over USB to an AirPort Extreme Base Station or AirPort Express.
Official Website: apple.com/macosx/features/bonjour/.com
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iPod + iTunes
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The whole world knows about Apple's iPod, the tiny little music player that sounds way better than it has any right to. More than 100,000,000 iPods have been sold, and sales are, if anything, accelerating.
Now that you can buy movies from the iTunes Store and sync them to your iPod, the whole world is your theater. With a 30 GB or 80 GB iPod in hand, those movies fit comfortably next to TV shows, new iPod games, podcasts, audiobooks, photo albums, and, of course, an entire library of music up to 20,000 songs, in fact.
Download iTunes 7 and make yourself at home. Buy music, movies, TV shows, and audiobooks, or download free podcasts from the iTunes Store 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Play everything on your Mac or PC. Then sync it to your iPod and take it with you wherever you like.
Imagine an entertainment superstore that's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and delivers anything you want, instantly. With the integrated iTunes Store, you can build a collection of digital music, movies, TV shows, iPod games, audiobooks, and podcasts from the comfort of your computer. Everything you buy, you own forever.
Turn your CDs into digital files by importing them into iTunes. Then organize your collection; including everything you've purchased from the iTunes Store into playlists perfect for burning. Since all your music and video lives on your computer, you can play it (or stream it to your home stereo) at the touch of a button.
The moment you connect your iPod to your computer, iTunes starts to sync your music and more, automatically. Once it does, you can get a closer look at the contents of your iPod, courtesy of a handy summary in iTunes.
Official Website: apple.com/itunes/.com
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Apple TV + YouTube
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Apple TV is a small set top box that allows you to play movies, TV shows, movie trailers, podcasts, photos, and YouTube videos from your computer on your TV wirelessly. Apple TV connects to your TV via an HDMI port or component video and audio ports. Its built-in, superfast 802.11n wi-fi wireless capability syncs your iTunes library from any Mac or PC in the house. In 40 GB and new 160 GB models starting at $299, Apple TV brings iTunes and more to the big screen.
Say you've downloaded your favorite movie from iTunes. Instead of watching it on your computer, wirelessly sync the flick to Apple TV. Then pull up a seat, put up your feet, and play your movie on your TV set.
Apple TV puts your iTunes library movies, TV shows, music, and podcasts on your TV. And your digital photos appear in high definition. You can have up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, or 25,000 photos at your command.
With Apple TV, you can watch theatrical trailers from Apple.com on your TV. And now you can browse and watch YouTube videos on the big screen, too. Search through thousands of free YouTube videos streaming directly from the Internet.
Official Website: apple.com/appletv/.com
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Safari browser: It's not just for Macs anymore.
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Safari is the proprietary browser developed by Apple for Mac OS X. Apple's web site claims that it is the fastest browser for any platform in the world. Our Computer Buzz labs have not been able to quantify that, but we can say that Safari feels like it's as fast as anything else we have test-driven lately. And, coming from Apple, you know that it's going to be full featured and state of the art.
Version 2 is currently the stable release of Safari. Apple has recently released a public beta version of Safari 3, and in doing so they have, for the first time ever, released a parallel beta version designed to run on Windows. Computer Buzz suspects that Safari for Windows is, at least in part, Apple's way of getting back at Microsoft for the indignity it suffered when MS killed off its Internet Explorer for Macintosh a couple of years ago. One good insult deserves another. We gotta love it.
Official Website: apple.com/safari/.com
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