" The Crescendo G3/PB replaces the original 117, 133, or 166 MHz 603e processor card with G3 card running at 333 MHz with 512K backside cache. The Sonnet card uses a  specially-configured, low-power copper IBM G3 processor which can extend the battery life of the PowerBook 1400 by up to 25%.  "This is win-win for the customer," said Sonnet President Robert Farnsworth. "We are providing a dramatic increase in performance and a significant extension of battery life too."

The Crescendo G3/PB 333/512 has an estimated U.S. street price of $399 and will be available in February. "

There was one more CPU upgrade surprise that I expected at MWSF, but it's not appeared yet.

3Dfx (Retail) Mac Support is mentioned in this (seemingly) premature Apple press release titled "3Dfx Announces Strategy to Deliver Voodoo Directly to the Mac Market" The 3dfx pressweb site had no additional information (yet) as of tonight. They are planning an announcement at Macworld tomorrow.

Due to continuing mail server problems at my ISP, I'm just getting mail sent earlier today. If you had mail returned please resend it.

CNN had an exclusive interview with Steve Jobs tonight at 7:30 PM. Jobs discussed their new internet strategy and unique iTools software. It's great to see Apple finally getting the recognition they deserve. Apple's profits are up 375% since Jobs came back on board. Apple's Macworld Expo event was a welcome contrast to the reports of bad financial news from Gateway and Amazon.com in tonight's Moneyline.

Apple MacOS X Web Site: Greg Kelly wrote to make sure everyone checks out Apple's new Mac OS X site. If you missed the keynote or didn't have a fast connection (like me) - visit the 'Theatre' page for QT movies of the new interface. See the earlier notes today on the keynote OS X demo. The interface was out of this world. Bill Chin, a friend and OS X server guru wrote with a few tidbits on OS X and the new Apple OS X pages:

"...Steve only scratched the surface with his keynote. While many of the features have been public for some time, there are interesting nuggets on the web site that confirms some rumors and establishes more features. Of particular interest to me in the CoreOS part:

* specifically talks about SMP
* states full support for USB and Firewire
* next generation IPv6 Internel Protocol support
* PPP support (which means some sort of modem support)
* IPsec!! ...Built in Virtual Private Networking. That would be very, very cool...

Also, Mac OS X Server G4's are now available through the Apple Store and an Apple Store rep quoted me 15 days for delivery. That means an update to Mac OS X Server for G4 compatibility must be available Real Soon Now. Hopefully.
Bill Chin "

If you missed the keynote, one of the faster servers seemed to be ZD/TV. They should have an archive available there soon.

XLR8 announces Interview 2.0, Cuts Prices: InterView 2.0 features additional Internet capabilities including Quicktime streaming and webcasting and boasts file sizes that that are 1/5 the size of normal QuickTime files according to XLR8. InterView 2.0 also includes a new XLR8 exclusive, 'XLR8 Theater' that allows any USB PowerMac or iMac to play full screen video direct from any VCR, DVD, or Satellite tuner. For more details including upgrade pricing see their press release.

XLR8 also has a press release on lower pricing on their with reductions of up to 22% on specific upgrades. The original CarrierZIF card list price has been cut to $139. For many articles and reviews on the CarrierZIF, see my CPU Upgrades page.

OS X's Stunning Interface: Jobs' demo of OS X's GUI blew everyone away. A Macromedia rep. said it left him 'speechless'. It's even got me craving OS X, where in the past I've dreaded upgrading all my software for OS X native versions (since the MacOS emulator will likely run them slower than OS 8 or 9). 100 developers including Adobe and Microsoft said they are committed to supporting OS X. Microsoft expects it to ship with IE 5. John Carmack of ID software also commented (via video) that he was very pleased with OS X and "didn't plan on looking back". (Carmack was getting married today BTW.) The core of OS X will finally show the full potential of the PowerPC on a completely modern OS. It's going to be a very interesting year.

Jobs also announced he's now the 'official' CEO, dropping the 'interim' title. A huge round of applause followed. He still likes the 'iCEO' title.

During the keynote, Jobs made a very good point on the Apple advantage - by controlling both the OS and systems hardware they can innovate without having to get 20 companies to agree on a design. He really hit the nail on the head on that one, as I can tell you from personal experience that the mix of drivers, systems hardware/addons, OS versions, etc. is a major reason for problems on the PC platform and often leads to frustrating end user experiences. I could write a book on the subject based on many years of large scale PC system/user support.

Apple's really on a roll and I'm constantly impressed at how well they are executing on so many different areas. Granted there were no new hardware announcements, but with their new OS and Internet strategies I haven't been this pumped since my Lion's Den demo of a PB G3 at a PC show in 1998. Apple's new software and internet features will attract more buyers which means a larger installed base - and that helps attract more software and hardware developers to produce products for all of us.

Unless I missed it, no new systems were announced, despite the intense rumors of a new PB G3 and the comments that all systems would be 'Airport-Ready'. That comment must mean a new PB design is due soon. (The latest rumor mill says retail stock by the end of January/early Feb.) In the bigger picture (expanding user/customer base), today's announcements were far more important than a simple new Mac model, which will happen regularly as a matter of course.

Keynote Summary: Some highlights of Jobs' keynote (updated as I get more info):

• Mac sold every 6 seconds (1.35 million last quarter - most in Apple history).
• All new computers to be Airport ready so this must mean a new PB G3 model.
• Raves for IBM ViaVoice
• IE 5 to be 50% faster than previous versions with improved interface
• 100GB VST Firewire Raid demo (portable? accepts PB battery) Jobs held it in his hand (something fell out and hit the floor my friend said, to the laughter of the crowd).
• Appleworks 6 to ship next month w/100+ new features
• Solar USB Microscope
• Canon USB powered scanner (tiny)
• Comments on iMovie popularity
• OS 9 multiuser features highlighted, over 1M copies sold
• Apple site to have product review links and site ratings
  (I wonder if the review ratings will affect if you make the list )
• Apple profiting from QT/streaming media deals
• New OS 9 specific internet software called iTools with Kidsafe and iDisk (secure 20MB net storage) features.
• Free email service for Mac owners coming.
• E-Z web site creation with Homepage demo.
• Apple partnering with Earthlink ISP.
• OS X said to go on sale this summer, featuring ease of use and 'ultimate power' for 3d/video/multimedia.

More updates later...

Webstar 4.2 Adds Altivec Support: As a new owner of Webstar (to be used in the new server coming soon) I was pleased to see Starnine add G4/Altivec support in their 4.2 release of Webstar Server Suite. For more information see their updated Webstar page.

Rainbow 6 Column Issue #3: Simon Purll sent Issue #3 of our new Mac Rainbow Six column covering multi-team assault tactics and a strategy guide/walkthru for the Operation Angel Wire mission.

MW Expo Updates: I'll be in contact with a friend on the MW Expo show floor later today when the show opens and should be able to report on new products announced there in news updates. He's also going to take photos for posting here tonight. I'm most interested in reports on any new Apple products, Creative Labs, 3dfx and some possible CPU upgrade surprises for owners of 'closed boxes' (if my sources are correct). Check back for updates from the show floor.

PowerForce Dual G4 Upgrades: It must be a year for G4 MP, as XLR8's CarrierZIF 2.0 card announced yesterday indicated G4 MP capability and Powerlogix has just officially announced the first dual G4 PowerForce card. Here's a clip from their press release (I bolded certain parts of the press release for emphasis):

"PowerForce Dual G4 includes all the same features and functionality as the award-winning PowerForce G3 and G4 processor cards, including independently variable bus speed and bus ratio, accelerated bus speed, and reduced form factor. Also included is software for controlling backside cache, speculative addressing, Altivec support, and MP support. The Dual G4 features proprietary SMP firmware, active cooling, up to two megabytes of backside cache and the processor slot version includes twin low-noise linear power supplies.

"Power users that demand the ultimate in performance will demand the PowerForce Dual G4. Altivec performance approaches twice the throughput of a single G4 processor, making it ideal for graphic applications such as rendering, 3D graphics, QuickTime encoding, Photoshop, and After Effects. Because it works with second-generation and newer PowerMacs, it's the best way to get absolute top performance for the least possible cost," said Robert Jagitsch, President of PowerLogix R&D.

Initially, models will include PowerForce Dual G4 350 and PowerForce Dual G4 400 with 1Mb of backside cache. Faster models will be introduced as faster G4s become available from Motorola and IBM. The PowerForce Dual G4 will be compatible with the standard set of Apple PowerMacs from the 7300 to the 9600; Power Computing PowerWave and PowerTower Pro; UMAX S900 and J700; Daystar Genesis and Millenium; beige & B&W PowerMac G3s, and Yosemite-based G4s. (Power Computing PowerTower, PowerCenter, PowerCenter Pro and PowerBase are not supported.) Future PowerForce Dual models will support Sawtooth-based Apple G4 machines.

Orders are being accepted for shipment in February at a suggested retail of $1199 for the PowerForce Dual G4 350 and $1599 for the Dual G4 400. "

Looks like it's going to be a very interesting year ahead. Watch Powerlogix's press release page for an update with more information.

After Effects 4.1 Altivec Plugin Reports: I received several reader comments on the A.E. 'Velocity Engine' (Altivec) plugin performance:

This reader notes an important tip as well as performance test results:

"Hi Mike
A warning for all AE4.1 users.....
If you are going to install the Altivec plug in for AE4.1 make sure you restart your machine after putting it in the plug-ins folder. The read me file does not make this clear it just says to restart AE. By not restarting my machine I got this message after opening a project and attempting to start a render:

"internal structure damaged, can't continue". I then got the option to re-save the project under a different name after which the program quit. However after a restart it came good. Here's a render speed comparison for you.

Test System:
B&W G3 350Mhz REV.2, OS8.6, AE4.1, QT4, IBM 7200rpm Ultra ATA drive.

Project:
260 frames containing 3 scaling and 4 motion blur elements, plus 4 fast blurs, 7 layers in all, rendered to Fuse MJEG codec at 4.5 mb/sec, dimensions 768x576 PAL pixels, 25fps, with 44.1khz stereo audio.

Without the plug in: 7 minutes 33 seconds
With the plug in: 7 minutes 14 seconds

Whoo Hoo, a whole 19 seconds saved! Mind you over a long project that could make a bit of of a difference I guess.....
Cheers
Matt Bisson "

Another owner reports little to no gain from the plugin in his work:

"The AE 4.1 Altivec plugin doesn't have any effect with my PowerMacintosh G4 and AE 4.1. I made a project tailored with functions that are supposedly enhanced..no effect. I've heard of similiar finidings from Apple hardware engineers also. Please let me know if anybody reports a speed gain.. thanks.
Neal Desai "

Here's the info from the readme file with the plugin on what the enhancements are:

"This plug-in accelerates several of After Effects' core features, including the following:

- Rotation
- Scaling
- Subpixel-positioning
- Motion Blur
- Blending Modes, such as Normal, Color Dodge, Color Burn, Difference, Hard Light, Multiply, Overlay, Screen, Lighten, Darken, Add, Exclusion, and Stencil Alpha
- Silhouette Alpha
- Mask modes

On non-G4 Macintosh computers, this plug-in enhances rotation, scaling, motion blur, and subpixel-positioning."

Thanks to Mike Andre for sending the readme file.

I welcome other owner reports on the plug-in's benefits.

On a related subject, this AE 4.1 owner reports after upgrading he's seeing some odd behavior: [Update - he later indicated this may be related to Norton Utilities extensions.]

"Hi Mike
I think I have found a bug in After Effects 4.1. Since upgrading I get this very weird effect when the safe area generator is switched on. Various on screen menus go pink and/or green and dialogue boxes go blank. The program still works underneath all this (if you know what you are saying yes to!). So far it hasn't actually locked up the machine. I have been able to save my work then quit After Effects. This then fixes the problem. All my other programs start up fine and do not exhibit this behaviour. I can only conclude that there is some kind of compatibility problem between version 4.1 and the graphics card.

I am using a rev2 B&W G3 350mhz with the 128y Rage card. My monitor is a LaCie Electron Blue 19. Has anyone else encountered this?
Matt Bisson "

I don't v4.1 (still at 3.1 here) be welcome any other v4.1 owner reports if this is common.

Nintendo 64 Emulator Feedback/3dfx Card Tips: Here's some reader comments on the N64 Emulator noted in yesterday's news:

"hey Mike
I already posted on the 3dfx forums that Mac1964 works well but so far only with Super Mario 64. The speed was incredible on my G4/400 at work w/Rage 128 - at least when compared with Mac TrueReality. I've heard Mario Kart, Waverave 64 and maybe Starfox 64 should work but have not tried them yet. Most of my ROM collection is at home where I have a Voodoo 3 card so I'll try that out tonight too.

Somebody already followed up to my post with how to get it working on a Voodoo card: "In the debug set Ignore errors. And in the Options menu choose Video Settings and enable everything there."
-will "

Another report from a Voodoo2 card user:

"Hi Mike, I have a G3 233 MT, OCed to 297mhz, 160ram, voodoo2, pci usb card and ati xlclaim vr 128. Mario 64 runs pretty good on the mac 1964 with about 15fps with lots of guys on the screen. mario kart and waverace wont load though.
Sandy"

An iMac rev B (RagePro chip) owner wrote:

"I have an iMac revision B with 96 megabytes of memory, and running MacOS 9. The emulation speed is quite slow--fast enough to play around with it awhile, but definitely not fast enough to actually play a game. Compatibility is a big issue. I only got one commercial game to work (I tried many), but it's too slow to play. If you want to play a Nintendo 64 game, this compares poorly to the Nintendo 64 console. However, this version is a big improvement over earlier releases, so I'm sure future releases will continue to get better.
Charles Miller "

Perhaps the RagePro chip is one reason for lower performance. Faster video card owners in general raved about performance. Get N1964 at http://mac1964.gerrit.net/. If you've tried it I'd like to know how well it works with ATI and 3Dfx cards. Contact me with your system details and comments.

SoundJam MP 1.6 has just been released. I hope this fixes the problems I had with 1.5.1 which would lock up on every G4 upgrade card I tried. [Note: it doesn't help - both brands of G4 cards I tried both lock the system hard after a few seconds of mp3 converting. The 604ex card works fine.] The demo version (1.1.1) ran fine but expired so I installed a full version, updated to 1.5.1 and had 100% system lockups after about 5 seconds of encoding MP3 from CDs. This happened with several brands of G4 cards in my 9600. Get the 1.6 update at www.soundjam.com. A reader also noted the 1.6 update fixed a problem he had with his non-Apple CDrom drive.

USB 1.3.5 Performance Hit: This mail is typical of several reader reports on lower performance with the USB 1.3.5 drivers. It's common for older macs with USB PCI cards to also lose a bit of performance (a few fps in games, etc.).

"Hi Mike,
I've isolated a seemingly unnecessary drag that affects those who use PCI cards for USB connectivity. On a Beige G3 @ 266 MHz running MacOS9, reverting to USB Card Support 1.2 increases MacBench CPU score by 15%. I do not know if a stock MacOS9 performs that poorly since I had "upgraded" to USB Card Support 1.3.5. after installing MacOS9. The file that appears to create the slowdown is USB Support v. 1.3.5. The older version can be downloaded from Apple web site and provides all the functionality of v.1.3.5.
Eric Archambault"

One reader said the latest dev. version of the drivers also improves performance over v1.3.5 (dev drivers must be hacked with resedit for the 1984 resource to allow use with PCI cards). The Resedit hack used to be in the FAQ's USB section but may have been removed after the release of final versions that didn't need the resedit hack.

OS 9 on older Macs: Last night I had another reminder of how sluggish OS 9 feels on older Macs. My 9600/350 has two drives, one with OS 8.1 (onboard SCSI OEM drive) and one with OS 9 (U2 SCSI HD/PCI Card). The difference between the Finder's responsiveness (even with a G4 upgrade) is dramatic - OS 8.1 feels lightning fast compared to OS 9. For owners of older Macs, think hard before upgrading to OS 9. Unless you really need some feature it offers, the money would be better spent on RAM or some other upgrade. And that's not even counting issues of software and driver compatibility. If you own a Mac clone with non-apple disk and cdrom drivers, then you'll likely have to update these drivers for OS 9 compatibility as well. As soon as I finish testing the G4 cards I intend to wipe OS 9 off the Cheetah U2 disk and reinstall OS 8.1 or perhaps 8.6 on it. OS 8.6 or later is required for Altivec suppport.

iMac DV Audio Delay Report: This just in from a reader:

"Two things about the Audio quality of the DV SE:

1: Due to the new digital audio circuitry, there is a slight delay between Audio Input and Output. Most users will not notice this, but as a musician, it's almost impossible to record this way. Apple is aware of this:

"The new iMac is based on a new motherboard architecture. That architecture no longer has analog playthrough connections like the older systems. The input is actually recorded digitally and the played back out the default output device. This is required if you want your audio input to go out other audio devices like USB. This recording and playback of the audio will introduce a small delay. The delay is currently longer than it should be because of various issues with the current Sound Manager/Quicktime.

Believe me, we are aware of the issue and it's already logged as a bug."

2: The Spatializer surround sound feature cannot be turned off. Hopefully this will be fixed in the next OS update. Again, this is not an issue for most users, but it's very annoying if you do Audio production.

Regards,
Hens "

RamDoubler 9 (Confirmed): [Phil Bogart later sent a link to Connectix's RD9 page that noted free updates for RD8 owners to be posted on the 10th.] RedCell wrote to say I should watch the Connectix website for a RamDoubler9 to be introduced at MacWorld. No info on their site this morning however. There may be a free update for RD8 owners he speculated. I've never been a big fan of Ramdoubler like utilities, but some folks swear by them. There's no substitute for real ram, and last I heard RD8 caused some performance loss.

Prosoft wrote to say they'd be showing their latest advances in NetWare for the Macintosh Operating system. The NetWare Client 5.13 and the NetWare 5 Services for AppleShare. See them at Booth #3559 on the show floor.

HP8110 IDE CDR/ZIP Drive Problem A reader posted in my G4 Forum that he can't boot from the CDR if the ZIP drive is connected.

" I have a Yikes G4/400 running OS 9 with an Iomega Zip 250 IDE internal and a new HP 9110i CD-RW installed. With the stock Apple (Matsuhita) 32X CD drive I was able to boot from either an OS 8.6 or OS 9 CD. With the new HP drive I am only able to boot from an OS CD when I disconnect the IDE data cable from the Zip drive (the CD and Zip are on the same IDE channel). I have the CD configured as the master and Zip drive as the slave device on this IDE channel. I'm currently using the Apple CD driver and have tried IntechUSA's as well as FWB's (don't recommend, doesn't support many IDE drives). However I believe this to be a hardware conflict not software. Any ideas on how I can make the HP CD drive bootable with the Zip still connected?
Craig Haskins "

I asked if he had tried the Toast CDR reader extension. Another reply to his post noted the fancy raised moulding on the HP CDR faceplate prevents the Apple CD bezel door from closing flush with the case as well.

Mac QuakeIII CD Key Problems Fixed?: From a post in my 3dfx Forums:

"A post by id Software's Graeme Devine to the Quake3World.com seems to indicate that Mac Quake III Arena CD key authentication issues should be a thing of the past (thanks Matthew Riddle). Here's the poop:

Hey.
As of today there should be no more issues with the Mac authentication process. You do not have to download a patch.
If anyone is still having a Macintosh CD key problem please email me at zaphod@idsoftware.com and I'll do my best to get things resolved.
Graeme. "

OWC CPU Upgrade Sale: Other World Computing cuts prices again.

"New Prices effective 1/4/2000

OWC Mercury G3 ZIF Upgrades:

Z333APL Mercury G3/333mhz IBM Copper 8X ZIF with 1024 2:1 Cache - $149 In Stock
Z350APL Mercury G3/350mhz Motorola 8X ZIF with 1024k 2:1 Cache - $179 In Stock
Z400APL Mercury G3/400mhz Motorola 8X ZIF with 1024k 2:1 Cache - $225 In Stock
Z450APL Mercury G3/450mhz Motorola 8X ZIF with 1024k 2:1 Cache - $259 (avail by 1/15)
Z450MA Mercury G3/450mhz IBM Copper 8X ZIF with 1024 2:1 Cache - $285 In Stock

XLR8 ZIF Carrier v1 & OWC Mercury Bundles

XGZM333 Zif Carrier w/Z333APL - $289 In Stock
XGZM350 Zif Carrier w/Z350APL - $319 In Stock
XGZM400 Zif Carrier w/Z400APL - $365 In Stock

The versatility of an upgradable upgrade for less than the cost of most fixed upgrade cards!
Best Regards,
Larry O'Connor
Other World Computing, Inc. "

See my Rate Your CPU upgrade searchable database for owner reports (remember to search for XLR8 CarrierZIF or Powerlogix Z-Force in addition to OWC as the card brand to see reports of OWC ZIFs when used in ZIF socket cards/pre-G3 Mac models).

More on Lotus CC:Mail Y2K Issues: Several readers responded to the post in yesterday's news indicating the product is not Y2K compatible and that upgrading to Notes is the only fix. This reader sent some info on his experience with the transition:

"Hi Mike -
this is in reference to Kevin's cc:Mobile Y2K issue. As far as I know, there is no fix other than to upgrade to Lotus Notes.

My company just finished this transition with the most horrendous results, most users lost their e-mails in the database conversion and to make matters worse, The Lotus Notes Client for Mac is a HOG. No less than 3 active background tasks with a demand for upwards of 32mb of ram. I was actually forced to use the web version, which uses an equally poor Java interface (not that Java is bad, Lotus' implementation looks as though it was never tested on a Mac and was probably compiled by a Microsoft product)

If you do graphic work or rely on your system for speed and stability, Notes will hinder your system big time. I've run it on G4s, B&Ws and iMacs will equally poor results (Notes replaces the Appearance control panel with a dated version, which renders it useless for all except Lotus).

It just a matter of the lesser of two evils - but I would stick with cc:Mobile, 'cause Notes will be expensive and involve a mass conversion of data. ...
russ"

Apple OT Update: Yesterday Apple released an Open Transport 2.6 Update that fixes the DHCP issues/security problem noted earlier. Another reader originally thought the update helped his PPP connection problems, but later said they reappeared. I've seen that issue here many times, where the remote side doesn't respond properly (timeouts).

Latest Forum Topics: A small sample of the latest discussions going on in the message boards:

G4 Forum:

• Dual G4's are out... are there Dual G3's?
• 3rd Party DVD drives and VGS???
• Dual G4 is out
• Speculative Addressing ?
• Mouse/keyboard freeze with Yikes! 400
• Yikes G4 & HP CD-RW
• SCSI Macs - any luck with SCSI DVD drives?
• Specualtion on CarrierZIF 2.0
  and hundreds of other messages/threads

3dfx Forums:

• V3 2000, does it work well with OpenGL?
• No More Q3 CD Key Issues
• Odd Quake III errors
• midiman2044
• 3dfx VD3 3000 vs. Myth 2
• appearance control panel...
• Adding a third drive
  and hundreds of other messages/threads

For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.

Tuesday's News Summary

• After Effects 4.1 Altivec Plugin released
• Nintendo 64 Emulator
• Powerlogix page on MWSF Expo
• CarrierZIF 2.0 Announced
• Formac Exodus?
• $180 27GB Maxtor Drive
• Toshiba 6X DVD Report
• Quickmail Y2K Bug and Fix
• Lotus cc:Mail Mobile Y2K Bug
• Emailer/AOL Date Fix
• DVD Movies and VR128 TV Out
• New Sonnet L2 G3 Upgrades/PCI Video Card Report
• Mac vs PC Quake 3 TeamDM
• Latest topics in the G4 and 3Dfx Forums

Monday's News Summary

• XLR8 whistle and win Macworld giveaways
• $199.97 Maxtor 27GB DiamondMax Plus HD
• Acer 8X/4X/32X IDE CDRs for $249.95
• Mac Software Y2K Issues Reported (emailer/AOL and nubus mac reports)
• Orange Micro Combo Firewire/USB Card Report
• Sonnet L2 Cache Slot G3/400 Cards - New Revision?
• CharisMac Product News (Audioscribe and MWSF giveways)
• Rainbow 6 Column Issue #2
• Free DSL Service?
• Latest topics in the G4 and 3Dfx Forums
• Macsonly review of PF G4/350 upgrades
• G4 vs Athlon CPU design article

Weekend's News Summary

• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated with new entries.
• Apple Site Year 2000 Date Glitch
• Reminder on ZIF Heatsink Clip Orientation (important for cooling/stability)
• Memorex $100 DVD ROM Drive
• More Wired4DVD/Pioneer 10X DVD ROM Feedback
• Pioneer DVD ROM Driver Tips
• Beige G3 w/Pioneer 10X IDE Drive Report
• TombRaider II Update Boon for Voodoo3 Owners
• Other Software Updates (Communicator, Fax STF Pro, Hash Animation Master 2000)
• Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

Friday's News Summary

• Audio Column Update: Issue 51 has comments on Creative's Soundblaster Live! and more
• Notes on emails and site resources for answers to questions
• Y2K comments and reports from around the world
• Creative DVD-RAM in Macs: two reader reports on using the drive.
• Pioneer DVD Drive/Wired4DVD Tips
• Possible Mac Glaze3D? Bitboy's say they're considering mac support
• OT Tuner Update Tip
• Reasons for DVD Audio Playback Issues
• Voodoo3 Image Quality Tip
• Mac Quake3 (Retail) Shipping
• Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

For links to older news pages see the Archives page.

The recent features page has a lists reviews/articles you may have missed.

For a guide to finding answers to questions - see my Site Guide page.

Considering a CPU Upgrade? Check the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. Readers post new entries daily and the database is updated several times a week. The current database has more than 2,800 reports and growing.

-Freq Asked Questions

Check Apple's Software Updates
(especially their Recent Updates)

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Apple Forums