" http://www.macplay.com/downloads/giants-mp-beta.zip

Fixes in this patch:

• Multiplayer Support Added.
  
• Mouse config stays constant after exiting on 10.1.x systems.
• Powerbook G4 Titanium incompatibilities remedied.

Known Issues:

• Multiplayer Game Lobby does not display text properly in 640 x 480 resolution.

this patch ("build 5") is officially "unsupported." "

" Mike,
Quick FYI while at Mac World. The superdrive in the new iMac is a pioneer DVR-104. With 24X8x8x2x burn speeds. I'll keep you updated with any other specs.
Aloha, Rick "

The Tower and retail superdrives are DVR-103's (retail box models are called DVR-A03's but also are really DVR-103's) with 8x (CDR) 4x (CDRW) 2x (DVD-R) speeds.

The reader's email listed "Superdrive" in the subject line - I totally missed that the comments note "CDRW" - not superdrive. So the update is not for Superdrive owners based on the name at least - even though several superdrive owners said it appeared in SW updates and ran. (However none noted that the firmware version actually changed - the "revision" in ASP would show this comparing it before and after the 'update')

It would be nice if Apple noted what mechanisms this update is for, since they often use more than one brand of CDRW mechanism. (Unless the update has firmware for several brands of drives in one update.)

Subject: News: New Superdrive firmware?
[ email subject says Superdrive, but text below notes "CDRW"-Mike]
Hi Mike,
I have a DP 800 MHz G4 (purchased last August) and I recently ran Software Update in OS 9,

"G4 CD-RW Firmware Updater" came up as an update. I clicked to install it, it downloaded, and seemed to install... But there was no restart, no "updater application," no nothing... almost seems like it didn't do anything. I forgot to check the firmware before the install but currently it states 1.49

Mac OS 9 Software Update log states:
<LOG>
<DATE>-1201644677</DATE>
<NAME>PowerMac G4 CD-RW Drive Firmware Update</NAME>
<VERSION>1.1</VERSION>
<STATUS>Updated Successfully</STATUS> </LOG>

Have you heard about this? Any news?
Thanks,
Leo"

Leo later said he had a Superdrive (Pioneer DVR-103). However no superdrive owner yet has noted this "CDRW update" really updated the firmware revision. From the "CDRW" name, I would not expect it to do so. (But still curious as to what drives it's for.)

" Hi Mike !
I have tried Toast Titanium 5.1 [see direct download link below in today's earlier news post-Mike] with my Toshiba SD-R1102 Drive. As known, older Toast versions burned at 4x speeds, even 8x selected. Now I can say it works now really at 8x with Toast 5.1 under OS 9 and X !!! The only problem under OS X, there is no possibility to select the BurnProof ?!? Should it be default without the possibility to turn off ?
Nice greetings from germany !
Thomas"

There's been comments in the drive database that the drive may not really have burn-proof despite what Toast 5 (OS 9) reported. (PC sites noted this I think in the past) I assume Thomas actually timed the burns and they were at 8x rates, since before it would show 8x as the selected burn rate, but timed tests showed it was really only burning at about 4x rates.

Here's a clip from the press releases:

• The RADEON 8500 AGP retail graphics board for the Mac platform, featuring a core clock speed of 250 MHz and a memory clock speed of 275 MHz, as well as 64 MB of DDR memory, will power users through graphics intensive business applications or the most challenging games on the market. The RADEON 8500 Mac Edition delivers up to 25 percent higher performance than the nearest competitive product (1). [Based on internal Quake 3 benchmarks comparing RADEON 8500 Mac Edition and Nvidia GeForce 3, using identically configured Power Mac G4 800DP systems running Mac OS X version 10.1.2 at 1600x1200 resolution]
  It also features multiple display capability, supporting a variety of combinations of output through DVI-I, VGA and TV-out connectors. Available in February, it has a suggested retail price of (US) $299.
  
  
• The Radeon 7000 PCI Mac Edition features 32MB of DDR memory and ATI's PIXEL TAPESTRY(tm) and HYPER Z(tm) technologies, the RADEON 7000 MAC EDITION delivers excellent 2D and 3D performance. Additional ATI features such as VIDEO IMMERSION(tm) and hardware acceleration of OpenGL(r) and QuickTime(r) under Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, ensure that the RADEON 7000 MAC EDITION delivers excellent value for its price range, and meets the evolving needs of the mainstream PCI Mac market.
  With a manufacturers' suggested retail price of (US) $129, the RADEON 7000 MAC EDITION graphics card offers more features and value than any other graphics card in its price range. It will begin shipping today to distributors and retailers and will be on shelves next week.

I believe the 8500 will ship with FSAA enabled drivers (for apps/games that have options to enable FSAA, such as Red Faction 1.2.)

ATI has 8500 Mac Edition and 7000 Mac Edition product pages with more info.

" This Updater updates the full version of Hard Disk ToolKit 4.5 or 4.5.1 to a full version of Hard Disk ToolKit 4.5.2. This Updater addresses a number of problems, adds features, and has many additional devices supported. Please refer to the Read Me file in the Updater for specifics.
This updater will update only RETAIL versions of Hard Disk ToolKit 4.5 or 4.5.1. These versions use one of the following serial number series:
RF4nnnnnnnn
1. BZ4nnnnnnnn
2. RZ4nnnnnnnn
3. JZ4nnnnnnnn

Get it at http://www.fwb.com/dc/hdt/hdt4.5to4.5.2updater.html.

" Just a quick FYI that you might want to share: the CD-RW/DVD combo drives in the 14-inch $1799 and 12-inch $1499 ibooks are not identical. While the apple online store specifies drive capability it fails to mention speed. According to the ibook spec sheet (http://www.apple.com/ibook/specs.html) the 14 inch model has a 8x8x8x24x-speed combo drive (writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at 8x speed; reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x speed; reads CD-ROM discs at 24x speed) while the 12 inch $1499 model has a 4x4x6x24x-speed combo drive (writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at a blistering 4x speed; reads DVD-ROM discs at 6x speed; reads CD-ROM discs at 24x speed).

I don't know why the drives are different (enclosure size perhaps?), but I do know this: 4x CD writing is slooooooooow. Just one more thing to consider when pricing out the different models, especially considering that 24x firewire burners can be found for under $200.
-Jack"

DVD-R Drive Reports
• IDE Pioneer DVR-A03 in G4/AGP (OS 9.2)
  (some problems noted)
  
  CD-ROM Drive Reports
• IDE Acer CD656A 56X in Beige G3 (OS 9.2)
  
  SCSI CDRW Drive Reports
• Yamaha 6416 6x4x16x in Dual G4 (OS X)
  (using El Gato drivers)
  
  Firewire Hard Drive Reports
• Western Digital 100GB in FW case used w/Dual G4 (OS 9.2)

You can find full owner reports by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches).
For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. [If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.]

• Apple G4/350 ZIF in Beige G3 (rated 8)
• Other World Computing G4/500 in Beige G3 (rated 9)
• Other World Computing G3/333 in Beige G3 (rated 10)
• Sonnet G4/500 in Beige G3 (rated 10)
• Sonnet G3/350 in 4400 (rated 8)
• B&W G3/300 OC report
• G4/AGP 2001 (Quicksilver) G4/733 OC report

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

Software Updates:
• Windows Media Player 7.1
• Hard Disk ToolKit 4.5 or 4.5.1 to 4.5.2 Updater
  
  OS X Specific Software
• iPhoto Scripts
• Shuttle Pro Posting later today!
• Media 100 1
• Retrospect 5.0 - Mac OS X Preview
• Windows Media Player for Mac OS X
• OmniPage Pro X
• DeBabelizer 5.0
• KeyStrokes Lite
• ATTO ExpressStripe for Mac OS X
• Vectorworks 9.5
• Office Test Drive
• New FireNet for Mac OS X 10.x
• Contacts>iPod
• Boris RED 2.1

Mac/PowerPC Related News:
(Note: Rehashing of press releases, repeated news, etc. not listed)

• Is Apple Out of the Running in the Operating Systems War? Not in Some Countries, According to WebSideStory's StatMarket (yahoo)
• PluggedIn: Apple's pricey music player wins following (yahoo)
• CMS Introduces Industry's First Line of Automatic Backup Solutions for Mac Users at MacWorld; Portable ABS Supports Mac OS X and FireWire (businesswire)
• Pixion Announces Macintosh OS X Compatible Version of its Acclaimed Web Conferencing Solution at Macworld (businesswire)
• ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro X for Mac Raises The Bar For Digital Document Productivity (scansoft)
• ATTO at Macworld (atto)
• HP Scanjet Scanner - Support for Mac OS X [Now Spring 02] (hp)
• Motorola Cuts Execs By 20 Percent (NYTimes)
• Phil Schiller: iMac a breakthrough product (maccentral)
• We had iMac Rev. A-D, and then Rev. 2, so here's Rev2D2 (kan.org)

Gaming Related:
• Giants multiplayer patch (see main news page)
• NCsoft Announces Lineage For the Mac; Most Popular Online Game in the World Running On Mac OS X At Macworld Expo (businesswire)
• Mac Users of All Ages Can Now Experience the Best In Online Entertainment at station.com (yahoo)
• Harry Potter 1.0
  [repeat from yesterday]

Misc. Hardware Related:
• Sonic Blue Announces Mac/PC Compat. 20GB Rio Riot MP3 $399 player. [Rio Riot Product Page has photos] (sonic blue)
• ABS PLUS for MacIntosh Computers (valuesites)
• Fire-i Digital Camera (unibrain)
• FireNAS

Other Net News:
• Gates 'Hitting Apple Where It Hurts' (newsfactor)
• Shockwave gets its very own virus (the register)
• New OS for broadband Net access (macuser uk)
• Microsoft debuts new device (cnn)

• 1 year ago today
• 2 years ago today
• 3 years ago today