Author: mactech

Houston Chronicle columnist Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus recaps Apple’s recent World Wide Developer Conference announcements in his most recent column, including: Mac OS X being pre-installed, Apple’s 17″ LCD, Mac OS X Server 2.0, new G4 servers, and WebObjects 5.

Microsoft, which yesterday began shipping Office XP for Windows, may find it difficult to market and sell its most profitable software, according to an Upside article. The article notes that only about 20 percent of Office customers use Office 2000 (for Windows), stating that Microsoft is a victim of its own success by having perfected the software years ago to meet the needs of most.

A Register article discusses the Nite-Surfer keyboard, a conceptual, illuminated keyboard that uses a “state of the art material” to illuminate the keys of the keyboard without the use of LEDs or other light sources that can cause glare on the computer screen. If the keyboard is produced — distributors are currently being courted — the company expects the device will sell for US$50 to $150.

A brief ON24 report discusses Apple’s new iBook, describing the improvements that it offers over its predecessor. The article also notes that sluggish sales of the previous iBook contributed to Apple’s revenue shortfall last quarter, and IdeaAdvisor expects the new iBook will do little to boost Apple’s bottom line this quarter. IdeaAdvisor remains neutral on Apple, but expects shares to climb to US$22 over the next 1-2 weeks. Apple closed at just under $20 yesterday.

Handspring plans to release the Smartcom, a springboard module for its Visor PDAs, in as early as October. Similar to the VisorPhone released in the US late last year, the Smartcom will combine both wireless connectivity and add cell phone support to the Visor. Handspring hopes to move 100,000 of the units per year, which it anticipates will sell for 10,000 to 15,000 yen, or US$84 to $126.