Feeling a bit lost when you're using a Mac? Well you won't have to stay in the dark and struggle any longer because Apple has just recently launched an official website to help those who are still familiarizing themselves with the company's product. The site includes helpful tidbits of information to make things easier.

Details of the new site after the jump!

One of the selling points of Apple's new Leopard is that it can work on older machines, and that Mac fans who are holding on to their legacy Power Macs can have a reason to rejoice once the Leopard OS gets released into the market. However, can Leopard really live up to its promise and run on an 8-year-old Power Mac G4 with AGP Graphics? Engadget tried to install the newest iteration of the OS X, and here's the verdict.

To cut the long story short, Leopard DOES work on an 8-year-old Power Mac, using only 5.9GB of space upon installation (that's without all the extraneous stuff such as drivers, etc). The question now is, what are the Leopard applications that work on an old machine, and what doesn't?

The new File Stacks and fans user interface worked, as well as Coverflow, Youtube, Quick Look, and Spaces and Expose. However, the machine choked on equally-important stuff such as DVD Player and Front Row.

All in all, it was a decent performance on a fairly old machine, and gives people reason not to throw out their legacy machines... at least, not yet.

As former laptop market leader Dell continues to struggle, its rivals increase their momentum. Apple, in particular, has taken the initiative and is establishing itself as the likely new ruler of a growing industry.

Sales have continued to increase through the months as a 12 percent spike was noted in June. Reports from last month bring in more good news as a growth of 17 percent was observed.

"These results are great news for Apple, and they serve as powerful evidence that the 'halo effect' is indeed translating into real world Mac computer sales for Steve Jobs and company," says ChangeWare Research founder Tobin Smith.

In a survey of 3,665 respondents conducted by Smith's group, it was revealed that 28 percent of those who were planning to buy a PC within the next three months said that they'll get a Mac. Even more amazing is the fact that 23 percent said that they'll get a desktop Mac.

Smith says this spells a very bright future for Apple as it establishes itself as a more viable alternative to the PC. He also says that the iPhone can be a great tool to spruce up the "halo effect" that the company is enjoying.

In addition, the poll also showed that 86 percent of all people who purchased a Mac system in the past 90 days said that they were "very satisfied" with the product, in contrast to high dissatisfaction ratings for other manufacturers.

 

MacNN reports that QuickerTek's Quicky USB Transceiver can now be used with USB-enabled Macs. The Quicky is essentially a network boosting device that, according to QuickerTek, can deliver "up to 10 times more RF wireless power than a stock PowerMac desktop." The extended wireless operating distances can make more networks available to the desktop system, so you can connect to it even while you're in your neighbor's bathroom.

To use it, just clip the Quicky to the top of your Apple LCD screen. It also combines a networking transceiver with an external antenna. Setup requires no special computer skills, and no extra steps are required to utilize the Quicky transceiver.

The Quicky USB Transceiver works with Apple's latest PowerMacs as well as all 802.11 b, g, and n Wi-Fi equipment. This includes Apple's new AirPort and AirPort Extreme wireless devices. Double wireless range at full speed comes with a price though: the Quicky carries a pretty steep US$ 225 price tag.

It's a couple of days late, but we think it can still afford to be labeled important news. Now up for beta testing is the Gentoo PPC64 PS3 LiveCD, which will enable you to use a GNOME desktop environment on both the PS3 and the G5 Apple PowerMac.

If you don't know what GNOME is, it's a kind of open-source desktop environment that people have updated with open source versions of the software normally found in other operating systems. In other words, it's an alternative desktop choice that also has a big, supportive fanbase for newbie questions.

In addition to GNOME, the LiveCD also has Audacious, Evolution, Firefox 2-X (Bon Echo), Gaim, Gimp-2, and Xchat software included, which make it a pretty hefty package. You can find more information on the ins and outs of this new development at the source, and feel free to check the additional link for download mirrors. Just look for the "experimental/ppc64/livecd" directory in your respective mirror sites. Enjoy!

Offsite Link: [Gentoo Download Mirrors]

Now you can have LightScribe drives in your Mac. Announced by LaCie earlier today, their drives are now Mac-compatible, along with the release of its LightScribe Labeling software.

LightScribe is the software which allows you to create labels on your burned CDs or DVDs without the need for those printer or sticky label papers. The drive has a "direct-to-disc" label technology that etches it right on the disc itself. You can even make it funky by putting in an artwork or whatever design you may be so inclined to put. The announcement is particularly fantastic, because although there are already some Mac users who have had the LightScribe drives for a while now, it is only now that LaCie's software allowed for it to be Mac-compatible.

The drives are already available for just under US $100, while the software comes free with the drives. The LightScribe labeling software is also released for Linux.

Good news for Power Mac G4 users, you can now upgrade your CPU with your choice of single or dual processor with configurations up to 2.0GHz, thanks to Newer Technology (NewerTech).

NewerTech has released their new MAXPower for Power Mac G4 CPU upgrades. These new upgrades are available in single-processor 2.0GHz configuration (which sells for $399), dual processor 1.6GHz ($449), dual 1.7GHz for $529 and a dual 1.8GHz for $599.

The new MAXPower uses FreeScale PowerPC 7447 processors and are compatible with Â?SawtoothÂ?-era Power Mac G4s up to the Â?QuicksilverÂ? models. The upgrades are also compatible for use with all the current hardware and software that run on Mac OS 9.2.2 or Mac OS X v10.3.5 or higher.

As a result of the Sony Laptop battery scandal, Apple have recalled up to 1.1 million Laptop batteries that might be in Apple iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 Laptops sold October 2003 through to August 2006. Apple is voluntarily recalling the affected batteries and has initiated a worldwide exchange program to provide eligible customers with a new replacement battery, free of charge. The program is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC are known for calling this the"the biggest recall of electrical products in history", effecting Sony, Dell, Apple and many other brands of Laptop. Want to know if your Laptop is affected? Here's the lowdown straight from Apple:

Please use the chart below to identify the battery model and serial numbers that apply to your iBook or PowerBook. If the first 5 digits of your batteryÂ?s 12-digit serial number fall within the noted ranges, please order a replacement battery immediately.

To view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the battery, you must remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is printed in black or dark grey lettering beneath a barcode.

For more information, please visit Apple's Battery Exchange Program website, and don't hesitate to contact them if you have any questions about your laptop. And don't just think that your laptop will be okay if it has been effected. After all, you wouldn't want your laptop to end up like this Dell now would you?

The team at Bare Feats may never win a Nobel prize for this but if you're a consumer on the market for a new computer, we suggest you check out their findings. The team put the 2.66GHz Mac Pro mano-a-mano with the 2.5GHz G5 Quad-Core Power Mac through a series of CPU intensive tests that include running:

Non-Universal Binary Apps

• PhotoShop CS2
  
• After Effects 7.0

Universal Binary Apps

• iMovie HD6
• Final Cut Pro 5
• FileMaker Pro 8.5
• Cinebench 9.5

And the results are...drumroll please...

Quad-Core G5 Power Mac beats Mac Pro Xeon/2.66GHz when running Photoshop CS2 and After Effects 7. Between the 3.0GHz Mac Pro and the Quad Core G5 Power Mac, Mac Pro is 5% slower on the Photoshop but 8% faster on the After Effects test.

Both versions of the Mac Pro are faster than the G5 Power Mac running iMovie, Final Cut Pro, FileMaker and Cinebench with the Mac Pro 2.66GHz up to 62% faster than the 2.5 GHz Quad-Core G5 Power Mac. The Mac Pro 3.0GHz was even faster by as much as 85%.

The Bottomline: If money is a big issue and the machine will be used for non-UB pro apps (like Photoshop CS2), Quad-Core G5 Power Mac is a good choice. If the machine is destined for heavy Universal Binary apps (like Final Cut Pro 5.1) and cost is not a factor, go for the new Mac Pro plus the expensive memory (the team recommend at least 4GB). However, expect a 5-week wait for the optional Radeon X1900 XT and the scarcity of correct memory from upgrade sources.

Rumors circulated that Apple was going to introduce a new enclosure for its first Intel-based Mac Pro desktops. But according to AppleInsider, the Mac Pro will only sport a slightly modified casing from the Power Mac G5. People "in the know" claim the differences between the Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 casings is cosmetic - mainly the addition of a second optical disc drive slot on the face of the Mac Pro.

But the first Mac Pros will most probably ship with the additional optical disc drive slot and bay empty so users can choose to fit it with either a Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive. The other "cosmetic change" is that new Power Mac's power supply has been moved from the base of the unit to somewhere higher. At least that's what AppleInsider sources said.