ComputerWorld
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The Internet Archive now has better scans of Computerworld magazine
The Internet Archive announced that it has made ComputerWorld’s print issues from 1967-2014 available online in better quality than ever.
'Computerworld' ends its print run, becomes a digital-only magazine
After nearly half a century Computerworld is ending its existence as a print magazine. Next Monday the final issue of the stalwart publication will be circulated on processed wood pulp. Computerworld won't be going away completely, however, an online version will continue to exist. It's a story that is becoming increasingly familiar. Countless magazines and newspapers have closed up shop as print has suffered what can only be described as a long and slow death spiral. But plenty have carried on as digital versions, as publications try to breathe new life into their struggling properties. In addition to the website, Computerworld will launch a digital magazine on August 1st that will be optimized for tablets and desktop PCs. Oddly, it seems the initial version will neglect truly mobile formats. Now all that remains to be seen is if one of the oldest computer magazines in the world can survive the continued evolution of the publishing world.
"Apple is looking old and stale"
In my post-Apple-WWDC-keynote haze, I did what I usually do after a big Apple event: I read anything and everything I could regarding the event. Analysis, rundowns, roundups, and galleries are all fair game, and to my surprise the general consensus -- even from the notoriously pessimistic Wall Street crowd -- was extremely positive. This was surprising to me not because I think the announcements were disappointing, but simply because without a handful of new physical products to show off, Apple's events are usually met with plenty of ignorant eye-rolling. I went from glowing analysis to glowing analysis thinking somehow things had changed... and then I stumbled upon this piece by Computerworld's Preston Gralla, and I knew everything was once again in balance. The following are quotes from Gralla's "WWDC shows it's Microsoft, not Apple, who's got the mojo": And [sic] has been usual in recent years, Apple's announcements were not particularly ground-breaking. It's just one more example of why Microsoft -- yes Microsoft -- has got the mojo these days, and Apple is looking old and stale. There's certainly nothing earth-shattering. Without Steve Jobs, Apple is turning into just another technology company. If you want to look for startling moves these days, you have to look to Microsoft. Well, beyond today's garden-variety announcements, it's buying Beats Music for $3 billion. Analysts are mixed whether the move is a good one, but that's almost beside the point. It should have owned streaming music, and not be playing catch-up. Instead, it's spending $3 billion to buy its way in. Will the trend of a resurgent Microsoft and a static Apple continue? There's no way to know. But right now, Microsoft's got the mojo, and Apple doesn't.
Apple, Chinese environmental group will audit factory for pollution concerns
ComputerWorld notes that Apple and a Chinese environmental group plan to jointly audit one of its factories in China. The audit, which is just a pilot project for the time being, will be completed by the end of April. It will be done at one of the factories that manufacture printed circuit boards for the company. The goal of the audit is to identify and pollution concerns. The joint audit will be done by Apple and The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), a Beijing environmental group. The IPE told ComputerWorld that Apple held talks with the organization last year after it criticized the company's suppliers and their effects on the environment. Apple has come under pressure in recent years to help make its suppliers' factories as environmentally friendly as possible. The company recently overhauled the Environmental section of its website and began publishing environment reports for the sake of transparency.
iPad more readily available in-store than online
Want to get an iPad as soon as possible without having to wait weeks for it to arrive? According to a ComputerWorld report, your best bet is take a trip to your local Apple Store. The publication surveyed a handful of Apple stores and found that all the stores it called had at least one iPad model in stock. Online sales of the iPad, however, still have a delay of one to two weeks. Apple said last month that it sold three million iPad units between March 16 and March 19.
Computerworld releases long version of 1995 Steve Jobs interview
Computerworld has a piece of Apple history that Apple fans should watch. In 1995, a then 40-year-old Steve Jobs sat down with Computerworld's Daniel Morrow for a 75-minute interview. The one-on-one talk was recorded as part of an oral history project organized by the Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation. At this point in time, Jobs was still at NeXT and involved with Pixar. It was before he returned to Apple and took the technology world by storm with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. The interview is available as a single 75-minute clip for registered Computerworld users and as several shorter clips for those who don't have a free Computerworld login. The video interview discusses the early days of Steve Jobs's career -- his Silicon Valley roots, his removal from Apple and his time at NeXT and Pixar.
Apple's latest iMac receives glowing review from Computerworld
Apple's iMac is a popular and speedy desktop all-in-one computer, and Mac aficionados have been in love with them since 1998. The latest edition was introduced on May 3, 2011, with Intel's Sandy Bridge processor and lightning-fast Thunderbolt I/O. Now Computerworld has weighed in with a review of the new iMac that is absolutely glowing. Computerworld writer Michael deAgonia was impressed with the speed of the new iMac, noting that a complex 50-minute iMovie project he uses as an informal benchmark took an hour and eight minutes to render on the previous top-of-the-line iMac, and is now done in just 48 minutes. deAgonia recommends that potential buyers go for all of the HD capacity they can, since Apple is now using a proprietary hard drive in the iMac that can only be upgraded by Apple-certified techs. He also makes a recommendation that I thoroughly agree with -- if you're about to purchase one of the new iMacs, get a Magic Trackpad instead of the more traditional Magic Mouse. Why? The soon-to-be-released Mac OS X Lion makes use of many gestures that make your day to day computing a snap. deAgonia also had nothing but good things to say about Thunderbolt, although he had no access to Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals during his testing. The review is a good read for the holiday, and for anyone who is on the bubble about purchasing an iMac, it's highly recommended.
Safari and IE8 get shamed at Pwn2Own, Chrome still safe... for now
Ahead of the most recent Pwn2Own, Google made a rather proud challenge: it'd pay $20,000 to any team or individual who could successfully hack Chrome. Two takers signed up for that challenge -- and then both backed down. One individual didn't show up and a second entry, known as Team Anon, decided to focus their efforts elsewhere. There's still time left for someone to come out of the woodwork and scrape off that polish, but as of now no brave souls have registered intent. Meanwhile, IE8 was taken down by Stephen Fewer, who used three separate vulnerabilities to get out of Protected Mode and crack that browser's best locks. Safari running on a MacBook Air got shamed again, cracked in just five seconds. Not exactly an improvement compared to how it fared in 2008.
Computerworld on Blizzard's Warden at work
We've covered the topic of Warden in the past, and you've probably already got an opinion on what it does to your computer system. Blizzard runs the Warden program alongside your WoW client, and while it runs it examines what else is running on your system -- if there are any third party programs (either hacks or cheat programs) interfering with the client, it lets Blizzard know, and shuts down the client. The obvious privacy concern here, of course, is that Warden is basically watching what you do outside of the game. And while Blizzard has maintained that the program is simply meant to check for hacks and cheats (they also say that no personally identifiable information is sent back to them, though IPs and other network information definitely are), there's always a chance that Warden could see you doing something you don't want it to. Computerworld's Security section has a nice long article on all of the implications of Warden, especially in one of the more sensitive areas of security: the workplace. While most of us probably won't ever play World of Warcraft at work, there are certainly companies where installing and playing the game at certain times is appropriate. And it's probably in those situations where Warden could be its most dangerous. If you trust Blizzard with your information, then you'll have nothing to worry about. But if you don't know what Warden is sending back, there's always a chance that it could be something more sensitive than you'd like. Of course, there is a hard and fast solution to this: don't play World of Warcraft on computers that have anything you wouldn't want shared with Blizzard or anyone else. As Computerworld concludes, it's a choice-and-consequences kind of thing. Warden is up and running every time you play WoW, for better or worse -- if you don't want it watching what you're doing, the only guaranteed way out is to not play World of Warcraft.
Could Apple be eyeballing CES? Probably not
After news of Apple's decision to pull out of Macworld, many tech writers are wondering if Apple isn't considering participation in the Consumer Electronics Show, typically held around the same time as Macworld, in Las Vegas. Most seem to be asking vague questions about what would happen if Apple decided to attend. Even so, most of the pundit crowd seems to be leaning toward it probably won't happen, but it might. Maybe. Someday. Kind of. If it does happen, they'll claim they called it; If it doesn't they're still right. As Apple produces more consumer electronics devices (like the iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV), BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl sees a place for Apple at CES. "Could a new re-imagined Stevenote at CES in Las Vegas starting in 2010, become the de-facto headline event at CES and thus push Microsoft's presence out of the limelight? It certainly could." "It probably won't happen, but it certainly could," he writes. The heat death of the universe probably won't happen tomorrow, too, but it certainly could.
Apple's call to ARM
Computerworld's Seth Weintraub speculates that Apple will choose ARM processors for a rumored upcoming tablet or netbook, versus an Intel processor of the same caliber. He cites several reasons, including the acquisition of PA Semi, cost, size, and power efficiency as evidence of the likelihood that Apple will use an ARM processor over an Intel one. ARM processors, he argues, are getting powerful enough to rival their Intel counterparts as Intel chips become more efficient to rival their ARM counterparts. Weintraub spoke with Bob Morris, director of platform enablement for ARM's mobile processor group, who said that two ARM-powered netbooks will hit store shelves in 2009, both probably running the Android operating system. Since we know OS X already works with the ARM architecture, it raises the question: What will this device be, a netbook or a tablet? Analyst Ezra Gottheil from Technology Business Research says Apple can't afford to ignore consumer clamor for dropping prices, and expects Apple to release a $600 netbook in the first half of next year. We'll see. How about you? What would you prefer? Take our poll in the 2nd half of this post. [Via MacDailyNews and O'Grady's PowerPage.]
Consumer Reports pans Safari's lack of phishing protection
Consumer Reports, in its annual internet security survey, recommended that Mac users avoid Safari because of its lack of phishing protection. Instead, they recommend users install Firefox 3 or Opera 9.5 as their default browsers, since both will warn users before displaying the contents of sites known to be source of scams and personal information theft. Jeff Fox, technology editor at Consumer Reports, noted that "e-mail is the weak vector on the Mac," meaning that most successful phishing attacks on Mac users arrive via email. "Windows users are used to being paranoid about not clicking [links in phishing emails]," he said. "Mac users aren't, even though they say, 'Antivirus software, who needs it?'" As we've mentioned before, 1Password does a great job of adding phishing protection to Safari. Also, always be extra-wary of clicking links in emails from people you don't know. [Via Computerworld.]
Apple pulls out of proposed Black Hat talk
Though I'm far too dumb to understand what they're talking about, I like the Black Hat hacker guys. Most of the Internet is all "New Vegas" now; all (supposedly) family friendly and glamorous and glitzy. But those guys are back on Fremont Street, gambling with everything they've got and shoulder to shoulder with the dregs of society. Unfortunately, Apple's marketing department doesn't share my feelings. Computerworld says they've put the kibosh on a speaking engagement they were supposed to have at the conference next week in Sin City. In fact, they can't even say they were asked to pass -- everyone involved in organizing the panel, which was set up early last month and "abruptly canceled" late last month, spoke on condition of anonymity.Which is a shame -- organizers of the conference say the panel was supposed to be all about how serious security is at Apple and how they're committed to keeping users secure. And it wasn't even supposed to be a Q&A, which is why the organizers thought it would easily be approved by marketing.That, however, wasn't the case -- while the panel wasn't yet approved by the conference folks, the request to have the panel was pulled. We're sure the Black Hat guys will still have fun (it is Vegas, after all), but it's a shame we couldn't get that look inside Apple's security team.
Learning your leadership skills from World of Warcraft
We've covered the IBM/Seriosity study before -- that's the one that said players who are able to organize and lead guilds can use those same skills to succeed in the workplace. Just recently, Computerworld sat down to chat with Seriosity co-founder Byron Reeves, who's since used his research to actually develop ways for companies to use MMO-style gameplay in the workplace, including creating a currency system to develop and manage interactions between employees.It's very interesting stuff. Reeves says that MMO games and the leaders in them are a prime example of the environment creating the leader, not necessarily the talents of the person themselves -- when a game gives you the tools and influences necessary to have you leading a guild, you'll do a good job at it. He also says that the speed of online games can be a huge benefit to workers -- when you need to organize groups fast ingame, those skills will directly translate to running groups in real life.Not everything is the same -- Reeves admits that the risks are much smaller when running around a virtual world (no one loses their livelihood if you don't down a boss), and there's a lot more transparency in games -- you can know characters' levels and specs, but you can't really know exactly how much experience your employees have or what they're really good at just by looking them up in the Armory. The interview is definitely an interesting read for anyone who's ever lead a guild or a workplace -- it's becoming more and more apparently that there are many lessons to be learned across both.
ComputerWorld crowns iPhone as 2nd most innovative product of 2007
ComputerWorld has created another end of the year list: the 25 most innovative products of 2007. An Apple product isn't on the top of the list, that place goes to Google Gears, but the iPhone does clock in at the number 2 spot which isn't too shabby. The biggest innovation, according to CW, is the touch screen display. I'm going to disagree with that, because I've used devices before the iPhone that had touch screens and they weren't as much fun, or as easy to use, as the iPhone. The real innovation of the iPhone is that the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. The software and hardware work together to make using this device a pleasure. Here's hoping that in a few years other handset makers will figure out what Apple has done with the iPhone and emulate it, of course by then Apple will be on the 3 or 4th revision of the iPhone. The mind boggles as to what that future iPhone will do.Oh, and ComputerWorld, how about innovating a little bit with your website and not splitting up a relatively short article into 5 separate webpages? That'd be awesome.
Scot Finnie on Mac vs. PC pricing
Here at TUAW, we welcome all those yearning to breathe free of Windows, especially high-profile technology columnists like ComputerWorld's Scot Finnie. Longtime PC writer Finnie made a public switch to the Mac in February after a 3-month trial, and he's not looking back. This week, in an article posted on his site and adapted in ComputerWorld, he takes on the accepted wisdom that Macs are more expensive than PCs. Guess what he discovered? Feature for feature, if you match up Apple's constrained model selections with mainstream/premium vendors like Dell or Sony, the MacBook Pro and iMac come out ahead on pricing. In fact, getting a Dell laptop to match the 17" MBP config resulted in a laptop $650 more expensive and almost two pounds heavier. Finnie's original analysis came out before this week's revisions to the MBPs, so it's worth checking for yourself to see that it's hard to get laptops with the latest Intel chips anywhere near Apple's price/spec lineup.In light of Apple's record results over the past couple of quarters, it's worth reading Finnie's March 28 Computerworld essay, "Why Microsoft Should Fear Apple." Marketing mojo and technical sophistication aside, Finnie zeroes in on the real competitive advantage Apple is gaining: public buzz. (We're doing what we can to help. :-)[via Ars Technica]
Network World and Computerworld: Mac OS X love in IT/SMB markets
Last week was a good week for Mac press in the IT weekly trades. Over at ComputerWorld, Ryan Fass chimed in with an opinion piece on how OS X is ideal for small business.Meanwhile, John Fontana in Network World had a long article about how IT pros are beginning to "discover Mac platforms that are being transformed into realistic alternatives to Windows and Linux." With the Intel platform switch, Boot Camp and virtualization options, a Mac purchase is more flexible and futureproof than ever before.Sure, it's not news to us, but as the costs associated with this upgrade cycle to Vista are coming into clearer focus, it's an opportunity for Apple (and for Linux vendors) to make inroads with an alternative to Microsoft Everywhere. Obstacles to this vision of happiness? Well, aside from FUD and inertia, both writers point out that Apple's support and sales infrastructures are not really oriented towards the needs of the enterprise... yet.[via MacFixit]
Computerworld on 15 things Apple should change in Mac OS X
Two of Macworld's top OS gurus - Scot Finnie and Ken Mingis - put their heads together to develop a list of 15 things they feel Apple should consider fixing or changing with the upcoming release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, due sometime in Spring 2007. The interesting thing here is that these editors sit on two different sides of the OS fence; one is a Mac OS X guru, while the other knows all things Windows. The two have put together quite an interesting list, ranging from the basic necessities all the way up to UI inconsistencies and fundamentals that can sometimes derail an otherwise pleasant Mac OS X experience. It's a good read, though a bit long. Also, as a sidenote, Computerworld loses 10 points for employing the lame technique of spanning articles across pages to boost page views and ad impressions. [via Slashdot]
Census employee discusses the HTC smartphone deployment
While there was certainly celebrating to be done in Taipei, Redmond, and Melbourne, FL upon the Census Bureau's announcement that Harris Corp. had won a contract to supply its pollsters with half a million Windows Mobile-powered HTC smartphones, some regular taxpayers were likely left wondering why it was necessary to add $600 million to a 2010 census budget that already tops $11 billion. Luckily for the majority of us who were kept out of the loop during this decision-making process, Computerworld has an interview with the Bureau's field data collection project manager, Edwin B. Wagner Jr., who sheds a little bit of light (though not much) on the rationale behind equipping data collectors, who already sport Blackberries, with yet another device. Wagner claims that the smartphones will save the Bureau both time (keeping workers abreast of mailed-in returns so they don't go on unnecessary home visits) and money (due to the amount of paper saved, although last time we checked, you could get a whole ream of the white stuff for less than the lowest-end HTC product), along with providing more accurate census results by reducing the number of times data needs to be manually transferred. He also goes into a bit of detail (though again, not much) on why they went with WinMo over other OSes, and hints that the phones may be enabled for limited voice use after all, so hit the Read link for the full scoop.
