Those new, cheap iPhones? Read the fine print. Those new features? Might be just industry changing.
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Jun 9, 2008 - 246 comments

Recently, Psystar Corporation announced the Open Mac, now renamed "Open Computer," a $399.99 Mac clone. Besides violating Apple's EULA, and the license for the emulator that allows Leopard to run on commodity hardware, apparently the company itself seems a bit... shady. Metafilter's own Woz, on the other hand, says he might get one.
posted by MythMaker on Apr 18, 2008 - 42 comments

I'm not a computer programmer, but I love the thought and artistry that go into [computer] application design. [more inside]
posted by lonemantis on Jan 24, 2008 - 54 comments

Talking Moose lives.
posted by rxrfrx on Jun 29, 2007 - 27 comments

1986 Mac Plus vs. 2007 AMD Dual Core "When we compare strictly common, everyday, basic user tasks between the Mac Plus and the AMD we find remarkable similarities in overall speed, thus it can be stated that for the majority of simple office uses, the massive advances in technology in the past two decades have brought zero advance in productivity." Factor in the internet, and the technological advances have brought me negative productivity.
posted by jdroth on May 31, 2007 - 77 comments

Basement Mac collection via Cult of Mac. If you want to check out the tech specs on them Apples, go to The Macintosh Museum or the Low End Mac Museum. For more Mac history visit The Apple Museum or The Apple Museum.
posted by Kattullus on Jan 27, 2007 - 34 comments

Twenty years of Macintosh - a well done retrospect about the Apple Macintosh presented in a series of posters, annotated with excellent topical links for further reading.
posted by loquacious on Nov 6, 2006 - 32 comments

The Evolution of the Desktop 1984-2007
My oh my, how far we've come.
posted by fenriq on Aug 13, 2006 - 60 comments

Peanut Gallery: DIY MST3K for OS X. OMFG! Via DF.
posted by mcwetboy on Jun 14, 2006 - 12 comments

The Vintage Mac Museum – if there's anything you remember about working or playing on old black-and-white Macs, anything at all, there's probably an animated .gif screenshot of the program you used somewhere on this site. From MacPaint to Stuntcopter to Photoshop 1.0 to, no joke, Norton freaking Utilities, it's all been preserved on the internet. Go... internet.
posted by furiousthought on Jun 10, 2006 - 43 comments

Apple Computer 1984 Newsweek Advertising Insert :: a complete scan of Apple's 16-page advertising insert in Newsweek magazine, introducing the new and revolutionary Macintosh computer.
posted by anastasiav on Apr 26, 2006 - 55 comments

Focus on the family is looking for a Macintosh specialist...
"This position is responsible for overseeing the smooth performance of the Macintosh systems and network, serving the needs of the users, and implementing necessary changes. Responsibilities:
Is a consistent witness for Jesus Christ; maintains a courteous, Christ-like attitude in dealing with people within and outside of Focus; adheres to the Standard of Moral Conduct and Statement of Faith; upholds Focus on the Family's ministry in prayer. Demonstrates behaviors aligned with FOF core values."
[via Macintouch]
posted by jpburns on Apr 28, 2005 - 85 comments

The Human Condition. A Mac-based homage to Magritte. [via]
posted by Slithy_Tove on Mar 29, 2005 - 20 comments

Jeff Raskin, widely considered the father of the Macintosh computer, has died. Visit folklore.org for stories chronicling the birth of the computer Jef named after his favorite varietal (but misspelled in order to avoid confusion). Jef's contributions to the development of simple, intelligible, "humane" computing environments didn't end with the Mac; learn more here and here.
posted by killdevil on Feb 27, 2005 - 20 comments

Buy your mac a drink, she's 21 years old today. On january 24th 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh, and thanks to a bunch of German mac-geeks the public TV broadcast from that day with Steve Jobs is available on the web.
posted by dabitch on Jan 24, 2005 - 35 comments

The Macintosh case-mod movement has resulted in some interesting specimens. Learn how to do it yourself!
posted by BuddhaInABucket on Dec 15, 2004 - 12 comments

AppleFilter. There's a new iPod out, with a 60 gig harddrive, colour screen, and iPhoto compatibility. There's also a Super Keen Black iPod, with U2 on it or something.
posted by hughbot on Oct 26, 2004 - 57 comments

Alas, the new iMac cannot bow before the cross. "At best, it can only give a downward nod or an upward look, and that would just communicate half-hearted politeness rather than an attitude of worship." So says the editor of the Christian Macintosh Users Group. Love Jesus, but not Jobs? No problem - this list of Christian computer users groups has you covered. And hey - Neo/Luddites? Even if you've left the web behind, the web hasn't left you behind.

MeFites, when you're not bowing before the blue, what's your favorite site that melds the sacred with the techno-profane?
posted by stonerose on Sep 13, 2004 - 17 comments

Echelon is a Mac application that, if you try to register it with a pirated serial number, will delete your entire home directory. (Windows users: This is a very, very bad thing, second only to wiping the entire drive.) Is this a good way to fight piracy, and can it even be legal?
posted by jjg on Sep 9, 2004 - 42 comments

Why 2004 won't be like 1984. A phenomenal read detailing why Apple's reluctance to open up iPod is not the harbinger of doom that so many pundits claim it is. The horror! Apple may have learned from its mistakes with Macintosh 20 years ago and guess what? Macintosh's failure had little to do with licensing. That is, if you agree with the analysis over at daringfireball.net. This article points out why the media pundits are wrong about Apple's reluctance to open up iPod and shows why their position today is entirely different, and stronger, than 20 years ago. Let the flame wars begin!
posted by tgrundke on Aug 17, 2004 - 24 comments

Remember Mac System 6? If you do, then P.dro Classic™ is for you. Relive the glory days of 1 bit-per-pixel porn (it's almost life-like if you squint) and Pong-like games with the mouse! Hey, it's Friday and this is Flash. For me, it's the Startup Sound that makes this.
posted by tommasz on May 21, 2004 - 15 comments

Folklore.org "is a web site devoted to collective historical storytelling. It captures and presents sets of related stories that describe interesting events from multiple perspectives, allowing groups of people to recount their shared history in the form of interlinked anecdotes." [via Daring Fireball]
posted by kirkaracha on Jan 26, 2004 - 2 comments

"Crash Different" Well, I think this editor probably isn't going to continue using a Macintosh if he can help it. A decent spoof video, actually, on the "Think Different" / "Switch" campaigns. [via MemeStreams]
posted by djspicerack on Jan 10, 2004 - 43 comments

Glider PRO , a Macintosh game created by John Calhoun nearly ten years ago, was an innovative and one-of-a-kind title — a refreshing alternative to typical video games of warfare or board game translation. In the game, the player controls a small paper glider through a perilous household, catching updrafts from floor vents and gliding swiftly though the household collecting items, making sure never to touch the floor or the dangers abound. The long-time software publishers of Glider, Casady & Greene have recently folded, and have since returned the distribution rights to Glider back to Calhoun, who is now graciously offering the game as a download on his Web site, free of charge. The game remains as fun and unique as when it first appeared. (Mac only.)
posted by Down10 on Aug 9, 2003 - 24 comments

A study posted at Adobe's website describes how traditionally Mac-centric tasks (rendering using After Effects, Illustrator & Photoshop) are all faster on a PC. These kinds of studies are a dime a dozen; what's interesting isn't which platform is faster, but that Adobe would host a page proclaiming the PC is the "preferred" platform for such tasks. Given the notoriously fickle folks at Quark, I would have pegged Adobe as the biggest Mac boosters in the third party software market. Are times changing?
posted by jonson on Mar 26, 2003 - 49 comments

PerversionTracker "locates the very worst of Mac software. We search the web for 15 minutes a day -- so you don't have to!" [via Macintouch]
posted by kirkaracha on Feb 26, 2003 - 11 comments

Konfabulator For Mac users (OSX), desktop widgets of a cute and useful nature. Create your own if you're so inclined; they'll add it to the gallery. Keep track of weather, the latest Homeland Security Department alert level, sports scores, your iTunes status--all in a tiny little application.
posted by padraigin on Feb 20, 2003 - 16 comments

I don't know if you've been watching the keynote , but Steve Jobs has announced an array of new Apple products. Including updated iApps, a new browser (Safari) (which, by the way, is Open Source), Keynote (a presentation app), a 17-inch Powerbook and a 12-inch Powerbook.
posted by bshort on Jan 7, 2003 - 84 comments

A Mac user scorned is a dangerous thing... Gotta hand it to this guy: persistence pays off. After being scammed with $3000 in forged cashier checques in an eBay transaction, this seller took matters into his own hands. How secure do you feel making transaction over eBay and related services? What kinds of internet fraud have you faced or fear? And most interesting of all, to what extent have you gone to correct evils done to you?
posted by tgrundke on Dec 12, 2002 - 51 comments

The Apple rumor mill is buzzing... Tonight marks the expiration for many of their recent promos and rebates. The Apple Store has been closed for a few hours now for "updating." Is a new "insanely great" product about to be unleashed unto the Mac faithful ... or is it just wishful thinking?
posted by Fofer on Jun 29, 2002 - 14 comments

TiPaint is for Apple G4 Powerbook owners like me who have blemishes on thier baby's sleek exteriors. I dunno that the fact this product exsits is good or sad, but I know I just bought some and can't wait for it to show up. At least it's not terribly expensive.
posted by Dome-O-Rama on May 4, 2002 - 10 comments

Hell freezes over. MSN coming to the Mac this summer.
posted by donkeyschlong on Apr 8, 2002 - 20 comments

Apple Myths: Over the years, there have been more than a few misconceptions about Macs. Now Apple take's a look at some of the most popular ones.
posted by riffola on Jan 31, 2002 - 64 comments

If you're a fan of Interactive Fiction then you'll certainly be familiar with Andrew Plotkin the author of some of the best works in the genre, including Spider in Web and So Far. Only Macintosh users, however, will remember his phenomenol early-90s puzzle game, System's Twilight, "An Abstract Fairytale." I recently played it again, and am astounded that such an early piece of work contains such a fully realized fantasy world (literally, it's abstract) and such goddamn hard puzzles. Download it and experience some gaming history, and a damn good time.
posted by tweebiscuit on Aug 2, 2001 - 12 comments

What started out as a joke in the late eighties, has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry (of course, I'm exaggerating). Upgrade that aging Macintosh that's just collecting dust...or take a drive to your local dealer for the custom-built macquarium of your dreams. (And for those who hate the smell of fish food, there is always the macterrarium)
posted by samsara on Mar 19, 2001 - 12 comments

Jef Raskin, creator of the Macintosh project at Apple, says the windows-based interface is passé. "In my current interface designs, everything you need is laid out for you. You just zoom in, and as soon as you can read the text or see the graphic details, you can work on them. Then there's no need for windows, which you are forever opening, closing, moving or fooling with."
posted by tranquileye on Feb 14, 2001 - 33 comments

Truth in advertising. All you have to do is look at the URL to know what this guy's site is about. (It's actually quite good, with a great deal of humor and also a great deal of substance.)
posted by Steven Den Beste on Jan 6, 2001 - 6 comments

It feels like 1997 all over again. I guess Uncle Steve's Reality Distortion Field has a limited radius after all. How's everyone's favorite fruit company going to pull out of this one? I don't think OS X is going to be the new iMac. (Although the Cube looks like it's on track to become the next 20th Anniversary Mac...)
posted by darukaru on Dec 6, 2000 - 23 comments

MacOS X built for Oracle?! David Coursey's "top ten" reasons why MacOS X was built so that Larry Ellison could become more competitive with Bill Gates. Sounds good to me.
posted by Brilliantcrank on Nov 16, 2000 - 1 comment

Lord, thank you for this. Mac users our prayers are being answered. No longer will the plagues of type 11 errors and system freezes rule over the people. The writings is on the wall and it is time for us to reign.
posted by Brilliantcrank on Sep 18, 2000 - 12 comments

OS X had better kick ass. For me this is Apple's final curtain call. I have been a life-long, devoted follower of the Great Apple and now it is time my devotion paid off. Cool hardware is great Steve, now lets see the goods on the inside.
posted by Brilliantcrank on Sep 12, 2000 - 16 comments

This iMac would be cool in 10 or 15 years. Too bad nobody bidded on it.
posted by premiumpolar on Mar 8, 2000 - 1 comment

MSNBC is apparently blocking Mac access to Windows MediaPlayer files, claiming that 'Windows Media Player for Macintosh is not currently available.' Interesting, since you can actually download it from here. Oh well, at least CNN gives me a choice.
posted by grant on Nov 21, 1999 - 1 comment

Of course, I want one of these, but more exciting than that is the new wireless LAN. At work, we have a 1Mbps wireless than that cost thousands, but this looks 10x faster at 1/5 the cost.
posted by mathowie on Jul 21, 1999 - 1 comment