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Friday, June 19, 1998
By Jeff Valvano
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News Index 1)iMac Modem Correction |
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| The iMac's Hidden Secrets |
The 56K Modem Issue
"Pat, I'd like to try and solve the puzzle". "The iMac modem ordeal is two faced!", cries the lonely stockroom worker, who earns a living tracking inventory at the Apple's Laguna West plant; the same plant that will be churning out iMacs faster than our buddy Gates on a roller coaster ride to the the underworld.
"Get a hold of yourself Leroy." replies Pat, "Take a deep breath or two, and slowly explain to me what you are trying to say.". With a frown and sigh Leroy slowly begins to elaborate; "It's not what you think, you're wrong, the media is wrong." ("not that they are ever right", he mumbles to himself) . Turning to his right, in the direction of the stock shelves, Leroy sticks out his hands, palms up, and thrusts them aimlessly in the direction of the cluttered shelves. "It's the inventory, don't you see man! Don't you see?", "It's not the extra costs. Apple can get those 56K's dirt cheap, especially in the bulk required to meet this demand, but then what the hell are they going to do with these?", again motioning towards the stock shelves which appear to be filled with endless quantities of internal 33.6K modems. "They've been looking to move these things for months now, and the iMac was the perfect opportunity.". "I see...", says Pat, scratching his head."Hmm, well what about the consumer demand for the 56K, and what happens when the backlog of inventory of those 33.6Ks are finally exhausted?" Pat asks the now preoccupied stock-worker. "Well... I'll tell you right now, they haven't caved into consumer demand yet...", flipping through his clipboard now, "Assuming they don't cave, it would only seem logical that once these (33.6K modems) are gone, they'd call in the 56Ks for the second round of production". "Wouldn't that cause some unrest in the minds of the initial iMac customers?" asks Pat. "Oh, sure. I mean, wouldn't it bother you? But why else would every iMac pre-order form read 'Technical specifications, price, and availability are all subject to change by the manufacturer'? They'll live."
"Interesting..." says Pat, "Thanks for the insight. I best be getting along now, Vanna only knows how to turn the letters, she can't spin the wheel.". "I hear you my man. Take care." sympathizes Leroy, who has returned to his stock sheets. Pat walks towards the rear exit of the plant..."Oh, and Pat..." cries Leroy. "Yes Leroy?". "That information doesn't leave this building". "Oh, I wouldn't ever...." remarks Pat, who walks through the steel doors sporting the most unorthodox facade.
Colors, Otherwise Everything Else Would Be Black & White
In other iMac news, and boy is there a lot of it, rumors are flying high about the possibility of an external customization option available for the iMac, possibly through the Apple Store. What exactly is an 'external customization option'? Well the color of the translucent plastics, of course. A reader informed us of hints at custom colored iMacs, coming from the mouth of an Apple representative at a recent Apple Roadshow.
This may sound like a stride too far into the wilderness, without knowledge of its inhabitants, and it probably is. However, and there is always a 'However', Jonathan Ive hinted at these color options himself, during the WWDC, with his slide show. For those of you who don't know who Jonathan Ive is, shame on you. He's only the man who leads the most outrageous Industrial Design Studio on the face of the planet; Apple's. Mr. Wallstreet, Mr. iMac, Mr. Artemis, Mr. Studio Display.
Hey, even snow cones come in three flavors.
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| Mac OS X Hardware Support: The Latest Word |
Mac OS X Hardware Support: The Latest Word
In our quest to obtain answers to the most commonly asked questions about Mac OS X hardware support, we've come across a reader who attended an Apple Roadshow in Sydney Australia that enabled him to pass on the latest clues in the Mac OS X hardware support mystery.
A new term has made its way into the midst of the confusion; 'Certified'. According to this source, Apple will only certify Mac OS X for the G3 processor, in order to preserve finances that would otherwise be spent to develop and test the OS on numerous 603 and 604 based systems. Certified is a better term to describe the relationship between MacOS X and the G3 processor, as opposed to 'supported'. Apple will not pull the drivers which allow Rhapsody to run on these earlier machines, but they apparently leave it at that. No further work emphasis will be placed on supporting these machines or further development of the support drivers.
When asked about which machines would MacOS X run on the Apple Engineer
said it would run only on G3s. He had this qualified by the another of the
Apple Engineers there as MacOS X will be certified only for the G3
systems (to save costs for Apple due to the large number of machines to be
tested). It can be assumed from this that any machine that runs Rhapsody
will run MacOS X, albeit being 'unsupported'.
-Apple RoadshowAnd 'No', this is not the same thing as Rhapsody. 603 and 604 based machines were being 'Supported' under Rhapsody, and they would have been 'Certified' to run the OS. With Mac OS X, these systems will not be supported, and therefore they are not certified to run Mac OS X. However, they should boot and run Mac OS X fine, but Apple will make no guarantees and they will not support the machines in any technical fashion, so we hear. Most importantly, under the 'Requirements' on the Mac OS X retail box, it will state 'PowerMacintosh G3'.
G3 Upgraded 604 Based Systems
This has been the number one question, and with the latest information, the way we see it is as follows; as long as the original system (motherboard) was supported under Rhapsody, Mac OS X should boot and run fine, but the system will fall under the 'unsupported/non-certified' category. However, as we stated previously, Mac OS X on systems such as the 5300 will not be such a pleasurable experience.
In essence, this is precisely what we have been hinting at, though not so clearly. The final word has changed slightly, from "Mac OS X will only support PowerMacintosh G3 systems." to "Mac OS X will only be certified for PowerMacintosh G3 systems." This is the latest word. Though everything is subject to change. Bob Hope was mistakenly pronounced dead, why not the 604....
If you have any further information on this subject, please inform us.
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| Themes in Mac OS 8.5 Will Not Ship As Standard? |
Themes in Mac OS 8.5 Will Not Ship As Standard?
Recently, it seems as if some light has been shed on the fact that in the latest alpha version of Allegro, the Gizmo and Hi-Tech themes were no longer included within the 'Appearance' system sub-folder, but rather in a separate 'Themes' folder elsewhere on the disk image.
According to sources, who would prefer to remain anonymous, Apple will ship Mac OS 8.5 with Apple Platinum as the single, exclusive appearance format. Several variations of the Platinum format will be available to the user through the Appearance control panel. These variations are actually the 'Themes'.
The Gizmo and Hi-Tech appearance files will reportedly be custom features which can be found in the 'Apple Extras' folder and manually installed within the system folder. Each of course will have a number of 'Themes' or variations. The reasoning behind such a decision would be to the benefit of network administrators, and those who manage a large install base of Macintoshes, (and of course, those who just don't want them). Trying to manage a large number of machines, each with a different appearance theme could become quite a hassle. Installing the themes into the 'Apple Extras' folder will also allow for instant deletion of the files over the network, if needed.
Appearance Savvy Applications?
In other appearance related news, when Mac OS 8.5 finally ships, users will notice that in many third party applications, certain menus and other controls will not be Mac OS 8.5 appearance savvy, and instead will retain a flat look and feel. Apple is leaving it up to the developers to take the time to upgrade their applications using the new Appearance API set, which is significantly better than patching the system.
iMac and Mac OS 8.5
While several media outlets have stated that the iMac will ship with Mac OS 8.5, we find this to be a false assumption, unfortunately. While Apple would love for the system update to be in shipping form by late August, it has already been stated that the update is not scheduled for release, until some time in September.
If you have any further information on this subject, please inform us.
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Tuesday, June 16, 1998
| More On Apple's Internet Strategy Leading to Mac OS X |
WebObjects
WebObjects 4.0, which will make its debut in the fall, will run on Rhapsody and Macintosh hardware. Apparently it will function on Mac OS X through the YellowBox, and will not be written for Carbon to run under the Sonata Mac OS suit which is due to be delivered within the same time frame.
WebObjects 4.0, in addition to running on Apple Hardware, will feature a handful of impressive enhancements including integration with QuickTime and AppleScript. WebObjects 4.0 will also feature improved application server performance, with a number of Apple representatives claiming performance increases on specific operations of up to several hundred times faster than previously. Real world apps are said to be up to 3 times faster.
In addition, the new version of WebObjects will feature Multithreading for request handling, which will serve long running requests much better. Apple will also be building a set of development tools for distributed Java application development, as well as cleaning up the already present WebObjects tool set.
Security : The Keychain is Back
On the security front, Apple is working on a new set of cryptographic services and they have brought back the keychain, which some might remember from PowerTalk. The new Keychain Manager will provide users with a secure repository for all of their passwords. It will also provide a single login for users. The Keychain Access application on the user end will provide the common Mac OS interface we've all come to know and love. The Keychain Manager will also be fully exportable with strong 128bit encryption.
Developers will apparently have to alter their applications to take advantage of the Keychain, but Apple assures it is a simplistic process; with a single call for adding a password and a single call to find a password.
Network Services Location
Apple has also been hard at working developing an NSL (Network Services Location), which will allow users to browse and select IP and network services. NSL will be built on a set of industry standard APIs (Application Programming Interface) as well as some evolving protocols such as SLP (Service Location Protocol). NSL 1.0 will ship with Mac OS 8.5 and will include plug-ins for DNS and SLP.
With NSL, Apple is aiming to make Internet use as easy as local AppleTalk usage. Developers can develop additional plug-ins for further custom network services or those that Apple does not currently support. A GM (Golden Master) of NSL 1.0 should be available to developers some time this month.
URL Access
URL access is a high level API under development by Apple which will provide developers with a way to move information in and out of your computer through the network (Internet), and in turn will benefit users tremendously.
URL access currently supports File, FTP and HTTP/S URLs. However, developers will be able to write plug-ins for custom URLs or those which Apple does not support. Developers will be able to tell their applications to access data from anywhere and save it to the Internet directly. Developers will also be able to use URL Access to transparently update the users application via the Internet (like the Pointcast Network client).
If you have any further information on this subject, please inform us.
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| Industrial Design to Hit Apple's Desktop Line? |
Industrial Design to hit the Desktop Line?
The latest rumor emerging from the newly constructed, two foot thick, cinder block walls surrounding the Cupertino based Apple Computer, once again involve the likes of Jonathan Ive, who heads Apple's Industrial Design Studio. Ive and his team are the crew responsible for the lavishly designed PowerBook G3 Series, and the Jetson like consumer iMac predicted to strike the industry by storm.
Several sources have hinted that with the PowerBook G3 Series out of the way, as well as the iMac, the design team has moved on, this time to the desktop line, specifically, the high-end models. Apparently, Ive and the design team are far from satisfied with the way the current desktop models look. Their goal is to make the personal computer something of a fashion statement, even when it isn't turned on. And boy, have they done this with the PowerBook G3 Series.
The eMate. What's Next?Unconfirmed reports suggest that once again, curves, outstanding design smoothness, and surface appearance variations lie in the future of Apple's hi-end desktop line. Like with the PowerBook G3, the designs are being kept extremely confidential, according to a second source.
While sources have given mixed dates for the introduction of the machines which will feature these new enclosures, all clues are in sync with Apple's new logic board architecture, the Gossamer II, and the Copper based G3 chip, which are also in the works.
Consumer Portable Design
The consumer/education portable promised for the first quarter of 1999, currently deemed the 'eMac', will also be enclosed inside a work of art. Described by sources as a dark 'Batman/Batcave' like design, the eMac is said to take after its cousin the eMate, which was victim of a homicide a few months back. Unlike the eMate, however, the eMac, as previously mentioned, is said to feature a larger color screen.
If you have any further information on this subject, please inform us.
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| The Future Of Apple's Game Sprockets |
The Future Of Apple's Game Sprockets
As many may already know, development on Apple's individual Game Sprockets are slowly winding down as they begin to be incorporated into the general Mac OS System Software. In the meantime, word has it that a number of impressive features are in the works for both the Draw and Input Sprockets.
DrawSprocket
On the DrawSprocket front, a sprocket which allows developers to easily utilize multiple buffering on the Macintosh for smooth display of graphic images, and also enables configuration of display resolution or color depth without leaving the game environment as well as screen sizing/blanking, the sprocket team will reportedly add AltiVec acceleration for blitting, scaling, and interpolation.
InputSprocket
In preparation for the iMac, and Apple's future hardware architecture, the InputSprocket, a sprocket which provides a compact API through which games can communicate with drivers for analog or digital joysticks and other game-oriented
input devices in a plug and play fashion, is set to receive USB and CFM-68K support.
The sprocket team headed by Chris De Salvo, is also open suggestions for any further support at sprockets@adr.apple.com... which brings us to our next topic.
Apple's Game SprocketsGameSprockets and RAVE in Mac OS X?
The word coming out of the WWDC last month, has it that both Apple Game Sprockets and RAVE are 'tentatively' scheduled for inclusion in Mac OS X, however, Apple is leaving it up to developer feedback.
Apple is requesting that developers send feedback on why they need and want sprockets in Mac OS X, including who you are, your product name, the sprockets you use and anything else of importance, to carbon@apple.com.
Developers who use and want the RAVE Hardware Abstraction Layer to be supported in Mac OS X are asked to send their feedback to 3dfeedback@apple.com, specifying who you are, what your product is, and what 3D support you want.
Developers, this feedback is crucial to the Macintosh Gaming industry. Lets not even think about what will become of the Macintosh Gaming market if we lose GameSprockets and RAVE support. Take a minute, ensure that these key technologies are included with Apple's next generation OS.
If you have any further information on this subject, please inform us.
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| Major Changes In The Works For Reality |
Major Changes In The Works For Reality
With the break of summer, Reality will be undergoing a major revision, both visually, and in the way we publish content on the net. We aim only to increase the quality of the publication, and we hope that the revisions in the works will accomplish this task.
In the meantime, it's your turn to complain. We have all ears on you guys, and we want to know what you like, what you hate, and what you would like to see changed at Reality. We are up for new ideas as well (but please, lets stay in the ballpark). If Steve has a rubber chicken named Larry, we don't want to know about it.
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