Word up! calling all mac using musicians. Get yourself to the Sound on Sound Music seminar at Lock 17 (the old Dingwalls) Camden Lock, London. See here for details.

Roll up, roll up get your iPods fixed here. 24hr battery replacement service. £75 sterling to you. Visit or call PlugStore 020 8487 9249

AppleInsider has been given 'inside' information about the new line of iBooks. There will be four in the range and the top-end 14 incher will boast a superdrive and 1.2GHz G4 processor as standard (before it was only available as BTO).

Mac OS X Update 10.3.4
"The 10.3.4 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 'Panther' and is recommended for all users.
Key enhancements include:
- improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PPTP, and wireless networks
- improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- improved disc burning and recording functionality
- iPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSync
- additional FireWire audio and USB device compatibility
- updated Address Book, Mail, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications
- improved compatibility for third party applications
- previous standalone security updates."

Picture: ©Apple

The G4 PowerBook range took home a silver last night at the D&AD Awards 2004. A yellow pencil also went to the 'Office in a Bucket' in the Products for Work or Industry category.

Check out the new look Macworld UK website.

Apple are up for another pencil in the D&AD Awards. This year the the PowerBook range has been nominated in the Product Design Category. Also the silouhette posters for the iPod have been nominated for Art Direction. The Awards night is this Wednesday. I'll be there, so come back on Thursday morning to find out if they come up smelling of roses.

SHOCK ADVERTISING?
I received this image today from a friend.
The line reads '10,000 volts in your pocket, guilty or innocent.'
Not sure how Pro-War Apple are, but i'm sure they won't approve of their wonderful iPod ads being spoofed in such a tasteless way. Tisk, tisk!

Want to look like a ghost on iChat?
Then try this...

The Griffin Sightlight is supposed to enhance the picture quality of the iSight by fitting over the lense, but in reality it's actually too powerful.
The effect you get is an over exposed look, equalling that of what Casper the Ghost wakes up to every morning. Or does he never sleep? Anyway, if you have an iSight my suggestion is to experiment using a cheap ikea desk lamp (which no doubt cost less than £25!)



Picture © Griffin 2004

Think Secret has unearthed a recent Apple document describing how iPod mini colors may vary in shade. So don't buy a couple expecting them to match exactly. Only read the above link if you carry a book of Pantone swatches around with you.

Security Update 2004-05-24 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components: HelpViewer.
It that it?! HelpViewer?! Pathetic.

Picture: ©Apple

Gwyneth and Chris Martin have just named their new-born daughter Apple. Let's hope she doesn't follow her father into the music industry, Apple Corps will sue her ass. Mmmm. Perhaps I could get away with naming my next sibling after my favourite computer company. Surely my wife wouldn't see through my suggestion. After all, she did suggest Betsie Muffin the other day. If we produced a boy next Mac would be the first choice. Max could be a good compromise. Hang on. There's buckets full. Lisa (Macintosh XL)... err, I just check MacTracker for other Apple code names... Ivory, Pismo, Mecury, Hooper, Nautilus, Yeager, Escher, Ansel, Bob (W), Cinnamon, Dartanian, Tim, Monet, Jedi (no chance), Asahi, Rosebud, Malibu (well it would match the name of my soon-to-be niece, Talulla), and that's just the PowerBooks. Generally Apple's code names get better the further you go back. Elsie (Macintosh LC), Becks or Paris (Mac II), Mr T? (Mac Plus), Spartacus (20th Anniversary Mac), Carl Sagan (PM 7100), Pheonix (PM5500), Trinity or Rubican (Cube), Mystic (PM G4), Tessera (TFT iMac), Elroy (original iMac), Lindy (Message Pad 110) or Venus (Quicktake 100). The good lady wife must fall for one of these without seeing through my ploy. Surely.

Java Update 1.4.2. Those coffee cup plug-ins should work better now because "in addition to providing support for Sun’s Java 1.4.2 APIs, this release includes enhancements to drawing performance and stability for both Java applications and Java applets." It's 28MBs. Not that I care now I've finally got broadband at home (Ooh! La-di-dah!) I took those lazy bastards at BT three weeks to convert my line though.

Apple Overhauls .Mac. New features include Free Norton Parental Control (good if you've got kids- hence the name), many HomePage templates, a new downloads page, new iCards (intergrated with Address Book) and the option to build and maintain .Mac websites using Windows XP. Now I hope that I can upload iPhoto albums without it messing up my HomePage index page. MacWorld reckons it's faster to load, too. What a treat!

GarageBand 1.1 Update addresses isolated performance and stability issues, allows per-track Echo settings similar to other effects, supports loop libraries in other disk locations, supports importing unprotected AAC audio files in addition to AIF and MP3 files, and addresses issues with ReWire support, moving GarageBand songs between different computers, Help support, fixing the timing of individual notes (as well as entire regions), and dragging entire tracks in the timeline.

Picture: ©Apple

Dension Audio Systems Ltd. have launched the ultimate iPoddery in-car accessory: the ice>Link. Well, it's not quite as cool as the Smart Car intergrated iPod console, but it'll do.

Backup 2.0.2 Update "adds performance and stability improvements to scheduled backups and is recommended for all Backup 2.0 users". It's 2.4 Megs.

Picture: ©Apple

Apple are running a new TV Ad called Wild Postings in the States. It takes the familiar sihouette 'rotoscope' theme and brings it alive in the real world. Some indie-rock dude is listening to Ride by The Vines on his iPod and when he passes some bill posters they begin to dance 'through the magic of picture'. It's a good job The Neistat Brothers had just defaced them with iPods Dirty Secret slogans. Even though the styling is 'so of the times', it's quite a nice idea. Well done.

There's been a report on Macworld stating that five major music labels have bullied Apple into raising the price of their most popular iTunes downloads to $1.25 per track. Also, EMI has been pushing for some of their artists' albums to not be available as single tracks.
To date, Apple have declined to comment. So that means it's true.
The labels, Universal, Sony, BMG, EMI and Warners don't seem to get it, do they? Why would anyone buy a download when it's virtually identical in price to buying it on CD. Remember, the quality of a CD is higher than that of iTunes AAC file and think how much the labels are saving in CD and packaging production. iTunes and it's competitors are the future of mass music distribution. The sooner they wake up to this fact, the sooner they will stop shooting themselves in the foot. Silly buggers! All of them!!

The Apple Support Pages now include info on how to access your iDisk files from a Web browser (you only have an iDisk is you've got a .Mac account). To get hold of files in your iDisc's Music, Movies, Pictures, Public (and of course Sites) folders, all you have to do is type http://homepage.mac.com/member_name/.[foldername]/[filename]. Go to the support page for more gumph.

iBook Graphics Driver Update. Owners of 12" 1GHz and 14" 1.2GHz G4 iBooks should download the Graphics Update 1.0. It fixes a compatability problem when running OpenGL. The file is 12MB.

Picture: ©Apple

You're a TIGER! ROAR!! Apple have reported that Steve Jobs is to preview Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" at WWDC. Everyone's tight-lipped about what this new version will include, but it will cost another £100 for sure. Interestingly, Apple trademarked the names Lynx, Cougar and Leopard last year. Previous 'big cat' code names include Puma (10.0), Cheetah (10.1) and of course Jaguar (10.2) - pronounced 'Jagwar' by Steve Jobs during its unveiling. What a freak.