Macking 50

Fifty! Half a century (in computer years) of columns. When I started writing this I had no idea it would go on so long, or that there would be so many changes in the Mac industry. For a while it looked like the Mac would go away, like the Amiga, or slowly evaporate into irrelevancy. Fortunately, Apple is back stronger than ever with good products, competitive prices, and leadership technology.

I just hope Apple doesn't screw it up again.

The iBook: I'm whelmed
Hasn't anyone at Apple been to Fry's lately? Someone needed to let the iBook design team out of the basement occasionally. What is going on in miniaturization of the laptops is just awe-inspiring.
Okay, the new consumer PowerBooks are cute, have good fast processors of course, and run the same MacOS as any other Mac. And sure, the AirPort (IEEE 802.11 wireless Ethernet) feature is a useful feature, but for $1600 I would expect a lot more considering that all the extras needed to take advantage of the AirPort will boost the unit to around $2 grand, especially if you add the maximum extra 128 megs memory.
When properly configured in a network environment, the $299 flying saucer-shaped AirPort base station will let up to ten of the local iBooks access the Internet via either a dialup using its internal 56K modem, or via an Ethernet cable to any dedicated net access device. When used this way the AirPort base station becomes an internet router providing DHCP and NAT services. In college dorms, two-story homes and some office environments, this will be a Very Good Thing.
When there is no AirPort base station around, two iBooks can be connected to each other using ad hoc networking, allowing one iBook to mount the hard drive of the other on the desktop for file copying with a 5.7 meg transfer taking about 24 seconds. This will be the most popular feature of AirPort that I can see.
The beast is as heavy as the earlier G3 PBs, but comes with a built-in handle. PowerBook cases usually add a couple of pounds anyway, so maybe the weight will be less noticable than even the lighter G3/bronze keyboard. Built-in 56K modem, but no PCMCIA slot! Screen the same size as the 1400c which was a lot lighter (and cost a lot more when new). But when you compare it to the new Sonys and Sharps, the cool-color factor seems pretty thin. Sure, the Wintel units cost $500 - $1000 more. They are not quite as fast (when slowed down by Windows - under Linux they scream) but anything that small that manages to include a good monitor and a respectable keyboard is a good example of next-century design.
I will grant that the screen is excellent. I stopped by Costco and CompUSA and saw that all similarly-priced Wintel laptops seriously scrimp on screen quality. And I accept that the projected six-hour maximum-use time demands a heavier battery.
Maybe my biggest disappointment is that I was expecting something more like the Newton eMate with some PowerBook features. We still need a Duo 2300 replacement and the iBook ain't it.
In a recent ZDNet column, poor old testosterone-starved John Dvorak whined that it looked like a makeup case and wondered what self-respecting male would be caught dead carrying one. Plenty of those males responded with "you're an idiot, John" messages right on the web page after his article.
There is actually a grand marketing opportunity here. Apple should license a "Barbie Edition" in official Pink & White. The sales to teenage girls (and Barbie collectors) would, I'm convinced, be quite significant. The original iMac came in only one color, becoming five; the iBook starts out with two. Maybe ten in the future?
Since Apple contracted out the case manufacturing, there should also be a market for empty iBook cases in a multitude of colors from that same manufacturer. Component swap would be an easy job for any Apple tech, without violating warranty. It wouldn't cost Apple a thing, and many people would probably pay $150 for a case and installation, in their favorite color scheme. Black and gold, anyone?
Even though my immediate impression was less than enthusiastic, I am open to revision when I actually get my mitts on one.

Wireless: PowerBooks can play too
Farallon SkyLINE will bring wireless networking to existing powerbooks. So will Lucent WaveLAN but using proprietary protocols not directly compatible with 802.11. Users of PowerBook 190, 1400 and 5300 will have to create separate startup extension sets because those units do not support multiple network cards.
Adding wireless networking to an existing wired network is simple: just plug an AirPort base station into your hub and configure the PowerBooks accordingly. An existing wired Ethernet network can be converted to completely wireless through third-party products. Small companies that are not yet networked might think about going directly to wireless and save tremendous wiring costs involved with burying Ethernet cabling in all the walls. Plus all computers would have Internet access via the base station without the need for a separate router.

Now Contact Lives!
Wonderful news: PowerOn Software has licensed Now Contact and Now Up-To-Date from Qualcomm, which had bought the two products from the defunct Now Software. Their attempt to create a single application (Eudora Planner) failed miserably and Qualcomm just gave up. Now the package is in the hands of a company with excellent products who plans to release 8.6-compatible versions very soon now, along with a new conduit to synch your contacts and calendar with your Palm Pilot. Action will be soon releasing a replacement for Now Menus (Action Menus) that lets you assign keyboard equivalents to any menu in any program with no fuss at all.
A lot of us had been struggling with the old version's problematic behavior under later versions of the OS, happy that it would work at all. This is very good news.

SCSI Card
Need a SCSI card for your B&W G3 or a Fast&Wide card for your older Mac? At PMUG last month members gave personal experiences with Initio Corp and said that not only were their cards excellent, the customer service was the best they had ever experienced. That was good enough for me; if I needed one that is where I would go first.

The Orb is Shipping
Read http://www.macintouch.com/orb.html for initial reports from users. If this link doesn't work, just check the Macintouch site because by the time you read this there will be a lot more information and it may be moved to a different place on the site. Early users report that it has the feel of a "Fisher-Price toy," but works quickly and appears reliable. Orb Tools do not come with it; you will need to download them from the Castlewood site, and should be available by now. Since this is the first month of release for a new technology; expect a few glitches. For only $179 - $199 for a drive that stores 2.2 gigabytes on $30 cartridges, it is worth a little experimentation. If I get one I'll report my own experience, but I use tape for my backups and seldom move giant files around. Those who do are gingerly nursing their Jaz drives along, and this is probably what they have been waiting for.
The Orb is an UltraSCSI device, so if you want the most performance you will need an UltraSCSI card and a $50 cable to connect them. (The whole package will still be cheaper than Jaz.) Then imagine copying an 875 MB folder from a G3 in about 25 seconds! If you have standard SCSI, it will work at lesser speed with the enclosed cable. They warn you not to put it on a chain with a scanner but others have and not had problems. Iomega also warns users not to share the chain with a scanner, too. It seems scanners generate all kinds of SCSI noise that can cause problems. Any questions why Apple is moving to USB and FireWire? Expect a FireWire version of the Orb by next year.
Reporters state that the unit does not run hot like Jaz drives do; this is the primary cause of cartridge failures on Jaz drives.

Cheap Tape backup
AIWA demonstrated a USB Travan-cartridge-tape backup unit at Macworld NY that they sell for only $249 including Retrospect (normally over a hundred $$ on its own). At this price, it becomes competitive with the Orb and requires less attention. Even if you have to buy a USB card for your older Mac, you still have a cheap, cheap 8 gigs of backup space with the hands-off simplicity of tape for well under $500. It even comes in Bondi blue for iMac and B/W G3 owners.
UPDATE: The directors of AIWA have decided, right after releasing this product, to get out of the computer peripheral business. They will honor the two-year warranty, and keep replacement parts available for five years as required by Federal law, but will not go out of their way to promote and sell this product. Two to five years is a good return on your investment, however, so don't be afraid to buy this now. There will be better devices when it comes time to replace it; just don't use it for long-term archive purposes!
Travan-based systems have been available for Wintel for years, usually using the far slower parallel port configurations, not adaptable to Macs. But the USB units are fast enough and are absolutely compatible. Only down side: the cartridges cost about twice what DAT tapes cost. But you have to go through a lot of tapes before that makes a difference.

Scan and fax
Finally: a feature long needed in scanners is coming via Epson's new all-in-one scanner/printers. The model 2000, 2500 and 2500 Pro will allow you to scan a sheet and fax it through the Mac's faxmodem, all with one click. Previously, one had to scan an image, save it, maybe open a page-layout program to add notes to the page and then fax from there. With the new units, nothing gets saved to your hard drive except a temporary file, unless you want to archive a copy of the sent fax. Because the scanners will not be able to receive faxes, Epson is bundling free fax receiving via email from eFax.com. This is, of course, a less than satisfactory solution compared to the fax software bundled with Global Village modems, but superior to the receiving software bundled with USRobotics and Supra modems.
The scanners are $349, $499 and $649 respectively. The latter two units have higher scan resolution and flatbed scanning capability (the 2000 is sheet-feed), and the Pro model is the same as the 2500 but with a 20-page auto-document feeder for multi-page faxes.
Some versions of UMAX scanners have a "scan to fax" option which works just as well. If yours doesn't, go to http://www.umax.com and make sure you have the lastest software.
(Thanks to Macintouch and MacOSRumors for information from the NY Macworld Expo.)

Regrettable Food
My favorite web site these days belongs to columnist James Lileks. I spent almost two hours compulsively clicking on every page, viewing every image. The Gallery of Regrettable Food will make you marvel at the swill that a properly conditioned '50s housewife was expected to serve her family. Many of you may have actually been confronted with these dishes. Then visit the Art of Art Frahm, "the most unnerving cheescake you'll ever see." Need a mascot for your web site or commercial product? His Orphanage of Cast-Off Mascots is filled with anthropomorphized objects and humanoids just begging for a home. And there is a motel in Wisconsin with your name on it. You will not regret the time you spend on this site.

No Microsoft products were used in the production of this column.

email mp at moonmac dot com. (I took out the mailto link because that's how the spammers find me.)