Stories by Ken Mingis

  • Five reasons not to make the jump to Leopard -- yet

    Put down the credit card. Turn away from the Apple Store. Of course you want to jump on the latest Apple bandwagon and upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5, better known as Leopard. It has been almost two and a half years since its predecessor, Version 10.4 Tiger arrived, and the new operating system offers a slew of changes, including a revamped user interface, new apps, tweaks to older programs and numerous under-the-hood changes.

  • Apple updates MacBooks with Core 2 Duo chips

    Apple Computer Wednesday announced upgraded MacBooks featuring a new generation of Intel processors that promise faster performance in the company's popular line of consumer-oriented laptops.

  • Apple adds new Core 2 Duo chips to pro laptop line

    Apple Computer onTuesday unveiled upgraded MacBook Pro laptops that now feature Intel's new Core 2 Duo processors and hard drives offering up to 200GB of space. Apple officials said the new MacBook Pros are up to 39 percent faster than the models they replace, largely because of underlying changes to the architecture of the new processor.

  • Apple revamps iMac line, Mac minis

    Apple Computer Wednesday unveiled a revamped line-up of its all-in-one iMac desktop computers, including a new US$1,999 top-end version that sports a 24-inch LCD screen. All of the new iMacs now use Intel's recently-released Core 2 Duo dual-core processors, code-named Merom -- with two build-to-order models available at chip speeds of 2.33GHz.

  • Gates to scale back Microsoft role in 2008

    Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates plans to move away from overseeing his company's day-to-day operations in July 2008 to spend more time working with his foundation.

  • Apple's new MacBook arrives

    Apple Computer has unveiled the successor to its highly popular iBook line of entry-level laptops, taking the wraps off three versions of its newly renamed MacBook.

  • First look: Apple's new Mactel machine

    Quick Mac riddle: What looks like an iMac G5, sounds like an iMac G5 when it starts up, and feels faster than a Power Mac G5? Answer: The new Intel-based iMac that arrived recently from Apple so I could get some hands-on time with the company's first Mactel machine.

  • Apple unveils multibutton mouse -- without the buttons

    Apple Computer today unveiled a new computer mouse that offers four-button functionality, but because it's touch-sensitive, it acts like the traditional one-button mouse the company has long favored. It also offers a small scroll ball that allows a user to scroll in any direction through documents and photos.

  • Apple bumps Power Mac line, cuts LCD prices

    Apple Computer has refreshed its line of desktop computers, offering a new top-end Power Mac that sports dual 2.7GHz G5 processors, a new graphics card from ATI and a new 16x SuperDrive that can burn data to double-layer DVDs. Apple also unveiled a new dual 2.3GHz G5 model as its midrange dual-processor desktop computer and continues to sell two models it had offered before: a single 1.8GHz G5 Power Mac for $US1499, and the dual 2GHz G5 model, which now sells for $US1999 - a $US500 price reduction for that version.

  • Oracle: PeopleSoft to reject its 'final' offer

    Oracle has announced that PeopleSoft's board of directors will reject its latest $US24-per-share "best and final offer" in its ongoing takeover bid for the company, leaving the fate of its plans in the hands of PeopleSoft's shareholders.