Apple has issued a firmware update to address display issues affecting many brand new 27-inch iMacs.
The update, labeled 27-inch iMac Graphics Firmware Update 1.0, is 683KB large and requires Mac OS X 10.6.2. Installation instructions are available at Apple’s website.
Customers complained in support forums about display and performance issues with the 27-inch iMac shortly after its Oct. 20 release.
Our readers have submitted thousands of screenshots of their best desktop configurations, and over the year we’ve featured some truly impressive and unique desktops with you. Here’s a look back at some of the best this year had to offer.
Just like the most popular desktops in 2008, this list is comprised by the popularity of the post in 2009. You can click through to the original post for details regarding how each user put together his/her killer desktop. So check out the top 13 featured desktops below, including Enigma, the one that started off the year with a bang.
The Reader rykennedyan’s Starlight desktop was far and away the most popular single desktop of 2009, and with a beautiful wallpaper like that, it’s not hard to understand what drew readers in—but the theme had much more going on, with an entire set of launchers and system information in a bar at the bottom of the screen.
Barely a week went by after the amazing Starlight desktop before rykennedyan blew us all away again by transforming his desktop into an impressive recreation of the popular Halo 3 first-person shooter, complete with system stats and information blended into the screen.
Reader zackshackleton’s desktop took a comic book panel and blended the system stats right into the conversation bubbles, making one of the most fun desktops we’ve seen all year—and sparking a wave of desktops with stats integrated directly into unlikely background images.
Reader Painkilla05’s stylish desktop was inspired from a Microsoft research video showing what computer interfaces might look like in the year 2019, with system stats and information wrapped around the sides of the screen—just like they might be on a futuristic tablet.
Reader Chaebi69 took the Enigma desktop customization, transformed it with an artistic wallpaper, and blended the whole thing together into one of the first great looking desktops of the year—and it didn’t hurt that he included the Hulk.
What desktop nerd-fest would be complete without at least one LCARS desktop? Reader momoses answered the call for one of the most often-requested customizations and turned his Mac into a lookalike for the computer display in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Reader chaebi69 continued his artistic flair with this stunning display of useful information blended perfectly into a simple wallpaper. Between the vertical calendar, customized dock, and Century Gothic font, it was an amazing theme that fit together extremely well.
If there was a prize for the nerdiest desktop, there’s no question at all that reader Andreas would win, and while it’s not the most beautiful desktop in the world, the incredible amount of information that he was able to pack into one screen is simply amazing.
Reader нawk went an entirely different route—instead of overloading the screen with loads of information, he stuck with a simple wallpaper and just the important system stats, ending up with a clean, minimalistic look that sparked a wave of minimal desktops.
The Gaia desktop suite transformed reader Sweetshop Union’s Windows 7 desktop with widgets, wallpaper, Rainmeter, and a visual style to match, resulting in a polished, unique, and beautiful overall look.
Reader Cody took the Enigma desktop customization and combined it with a retro vector wallpaper to make a slick, colorful, and completely awesome theme.
Reader TDuck’s OS X desktop was all about the beautiful wallpaper image, but if you look closely you’ll see that he blended circular system information graphs right into the slick overall theme.
Have a favorite featured desktop from 2009 that wasn’t featured here? Let’s hear about it in the comments.
Intel’s Arrandale chips haven’t been the best-kept secret around, and today Chipzilla made ’em official: the Core i3 and mobile Core i5 will launch on January 7, and we’d guess a bunch of new machines come along for the ride. Although the desktop Lynnfield Core i5 is a quad-core, both the new Core i3 and mobile Core i5 are dual-core — and in a first for Intel, both of the new chips have an integrated GPU core that’s being branded “Intel HD Graphics.” The new GPU is supposedly good enough for “high-end” HTPC use, but manufacturers can add switchable discrete GPUs, so don’t fret too much. Both Arrandale chips have Intel’s latest hyperthreading tech, and the mobile i5 also has the Turbo Boost core-overclocking feature found in the desktop i5 and i7, which redirects power to a single core to boost performance when needed.
We got to see a few Core i3 and i5 laptops and desktops in action at Intel’s pre-CES briefing today, although we didn’t get to run any tests. The mobile Core i5 systems on display were doing a fine job running Call of Duty 4, while the scaled-down Core i3 rigs were playing Blu-ray movies and World of Warcraft — not a bad demo, but we’ll let you know when we see some real numbers.
Windows only: If you want a little extra eye-candy in your Windows management, T3Desk is an alt-tab alternative that gives you 3D windows arrangement and more.
Click on the image above for a closer look.
T3Desk works on all versions of Windows but it really shines in Vista and above where it can take advantage of Aero. After installing T3Desk you can use keyboard shortcuts to minimize and maximize windows to the edges of your monitor, arranging them in a pseudo-3D fashion. T3Desk can be tweaked in a variety of ways including how the windows are angled, animated, their level of transparency, the apparent distance from the viewer, and how they transition from the virtual desktop back into use.
You can drag windows and dock them to the four sides of the monitor, use Aero Peek to see which windows are on the virtual desktop, and set an always include/exclude list for applications to easily exclude applications from the effects of T3Desk.
Some caveats about T3Desk: the biggest issue is that it won’t work with multiple monitors. All 3D windows are pushed onto the primary monitor. Another minor issue is the inability to customize the application’s hot keys. Those complaints aside, it works as promised and provides a novel way to arrange and view open applications.
T3Desk is free and Windows only. Have a favorite application for tweaking the appearance of Windows and managing your applications? Let’s hear about it in the comments.
Apple on Tuesday afternoon won a permanent injunction against Psystar, a Florida-based Mac cloner. The ruling prohibits the startup from selling hardware hacked to run Mac OS X.
US. District Judge William Alsup issued the ruling, banning Psystar from the following:
Infringing Apple’s copyrights in Mac OS X .
Circumventing any technological measure used by Apple to prevent unauthorized copying of Mac OS X on non-Apple computers.
Creating or selling a product intended to circumvent Apple’s methods for preventing Mac OS X to be installed on non-Apple hardware.
Aiding or abetting any other person or entity to infringe Apple’s copyrighted Mac OS X software.
Doing anything to circumvent the rights held by Apple under the Copyright Act with respect to Mac OS X.
In short, that means Psystar can no longer ship generic hardware that’s running Mac OS X. And the cloner can’t sell goods that assist consumers in creating Hackintoshes. Psystar must comply no later than Dec. 31, 2009.
However, it doesn’t spell a complete end to Psystar’s Rebel EFI software, a $50 downloadable utility that enables consumers to create Hackintoshes of their own — even though the ruling about circumvention applies to DIY solutions. Psystar argued Rebel EFI was not explicitly covered in this case and thus should not be included in the injunction. Alsup said Rebel EFI was not covered in the injunction, but the startup could continue to sell its software “at its own peril.”
“What is certain, however, is that until such a motion is brought, Psystar will be selling Rebel EFI at its peril, and risks finding itself held in contempt if its new venture falls within the scope of the injunction,” the final judgment states.
Long story short, even though Rebel EFI was not explicitly mentioned in the case, its functionality is banned by this injunction. So although technically Rebel EFI can be sold, it would be a very, very bad idea.
Psystar opened its business selling Mac clones in April 2008. Apple filed a lawsuit three months later against Psystar, alleging copyright, trademark and shrink-wrap licensing infringements.
Apple on Sunday apologized to customers for shipping delays of its new high-end iMac. Incidentally, many consumers have reported issues with Apple’s latest iMac, which some have speculated to be the cause of the delay.
Apple’s online store lists estimated shipping times of two weeks for both 27-inch iMac models. Delivery time for the two 21-inch iMacs is within 24 hours.
“The new iMac has been a huge hit and we are working hard to fulfill orders as quickly as possible,” an Apple spokesperson told CNET. “We apologize for any inconvenience or delay this may cause our customers.”
CNET’s Jim Dalrymple points out that customers have started a thread in Apple’s support forums which has surpassed 81 pages worth of comments and complaints about issues with the iMac’s display. Many report that their screens appear to be flickering.
Consumer reports of problems with the 27-inch iMac surfaced in late October. Dozens reported performance issues ranging from sluggish Flash playback to erratic hard-drive behavior.
Apple has not acknowledged issues with its latest iMac.
Have a problem with your iMac? Computerworld started a new website to track the 27-inch iMac’s problems. Report them there.
No heart-stopping new revelations here, but it’s always good to get an official indication of a company’s plans for the forthcoming year. Samsung, it appears, is firmly set on building and selling a tablet of some sort, whether it be a Joojoo-like buttonless wonder or a more conventional keyboard-equipped device. There’s also a note on multitouch and 3D, with Sammy promising to introduce more mainstream displays with support for them, as well as converting all its laptop and desktop screens to LED backlighting from the middle of 2010 onwards. We’re happy to see CCFL consigned to the annals of history, but Mr. Samsung, if you really want to excite us good and proper, you’d add an O to the front of that monitor technology and stick to the same schedule.
In a partial settlement, Florida startup Psystar has agreed to stop selling Mac clones and pay about $2.7 million to Apple. But the fight is far from over, and Apple won’t see a dime for some time to come.
Apple won’t be able to collect until the appeals run is complete, and sometimes this process can take years. Psystar has said it will appeal to Judge William Alsup’s ruling, which found Psystar guilty of violating Apple’s copyrights.
“We think that Judge Alsup got it wrong,” said Psystar’s chief attorney K.A.D. Camera, in an interview with ComputerWorld late Tuesday. “The effect [of the settlement] is to allow the case to be heard by the Ninth Circuit,” he continued, characterizing the settlement as “extremely favorable” to Psystar.
In addition, Psystar argued to exclude Rebel EFI, a $50 piece of software that the company started selling in October, from any potential injunction. Rebel EFI is downloadable software that enables owners of some Intel PCs to install Mac OS X onto their systems. If Alsup were to allow Psystar to continue selling Rebel EFI, Psystar could simply sell generic PCs and bundle them with Rebel EFI — thus, keep selling Mac clones.
These types of workarounds, however, don’t often work.
“I seriously doubt the court will see any difference between what Psystar has just agreed it did and what it proposes to do in the future with Rebel EFI,” wrote legal blog Groklaw. “Note that this is a contract issue, not a copyright infringement issue. I don’t understand Psystar arguing that there is no DMCA violation if there is an equally untenable contract breach still on the table.”
Also, even though providing a DIY solution would be shifting responsibility onto consumers, it could still be considered contributory infringement, intellectual property lawyer Carole Handler told Wired.com.
“Making the user instead of the company the perpetrator of any violation will not avoid the issue of a new company’s contributory infringement and/or vicarious liability for what it facilitates and enables the user to undertake,” Handler said in an earlier e-mail interview. “This kind of workaround is not a bar to Apple bringing contributory infringement or vicarious liability claims.”
Though Apple and Psystar have agreed to a settlement, it’s still too early to tell what sort of legal precedent this case will set since we await the outcome of the appeals process.
Mac cloner Psystar claims it has entered a partial settlement with Apple, which will prevent Psystar from selling PCs preinstalled with the Mac operating system. However, Psystar isn’t completely surrendering.
As part of the settlement, the Mac cloner said it will pay Apple an amount of damages that has yet to be specified. In the Monday filing, Psystar argued to exclude Rebel EFI, a $50 piece of software that the company started selling in October, from any potential injunction. Rebel EFI is a program that enables owners of some Intel PCs to install Mac OS X onto their systems.
An excerpt from the court document [pdf] filed Monday by Psystar follows:
Psystar and Apple today entered into a partial settlement that is embodied in a stipulation that will be filed with the Court tomorrow. Psystar has agreed on certain amounts to be awarded as statutory damages on Apple’s copyright claims in exchange for Apple’s agreement not to execute on these awards until all appeals in this matter have been concluded. Moreover, Apple has agreed to voluntarily dismiss all its trademark, trade-dress, and state-law claims. This partial settlement eliminates the need for a trial and reduces the issues before this Court to the scope of any permanent injunction on Apple’s copyright claims.
….
The summary judgment in this case turned on the manner in which Psystar assembled its Open Computers. It turned on such things as the use of the Psystar imaging station and what this Court found to be the creation of multiple copies and derivative works of Mac OS X along the way…. None of these same facts is involved in Rebel EFI. Rebel EFI is entirely a software product. It does not involve the assembly by Psystar of any computers…. Nor does Rebel EFI contain or include Mac OS X. A Mac OS X DVD does not even accompany sales of Rebel EFI. Rebel EFI consists solely of Psystar software available for sale and download through Psystar’s website. In particular, whether sales of Rebel EFI are lawful or not depends on whether Psystar’s end users have a defense under 17 U.S.C. § 117. This issue has not been litigated in this case at all. Psystar’s end users do not engage in commercial use of Mac OS X and their use would qualify as use for “internal purposes” even under the standards articulated by Apple in its summary-judgment briefing. If Psystar’s end users are protected by § 117, then Psystar cannot be violating the DMCA by selling Rebel EFI because Rebel EFI, as used by the end users, does not facilitate infringement.
In short, Psystar wishes to continue providing a DIY solution for owners to make their own Mac clones, thereby shifting the responsibility (i.e., breaking Apple’s End User License Agreement) onto the consumer.
However, it’s unlikely this workaround will pan out for Psytar. In 2008, Wired.com reported on a company called Open Tech, which said it would sell PCs bundled with instruction kits for consumers to install Mac OS X themselves. However, Carole Handler, an intellectual property lawyer with Wildman Harrold, told Wired.com that Open Tech would be subjecting itself to contributory infringement of Apple’s end-user agreement.
“Making the user instead of the company the perpetrator of any violation will not avoid the issue of a new company’s contributory infringement and/or vicarious liability for what it facilitates and enables the user to undertake,” Handler said in an e-mail interview. “This kind of workaround is not a bar to Apple bringing contributory infringement or vicarious liability claims.”
Though slightly different, Psystar’s solution could also be considering aiding the consumer to break Apple’s EULA, which reads, “You agree not to install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-labeled computer, or to enable others to do so.”
Psystar, a company based in Florida, opened its Mac clone business in April 2008. Three months later, Apple filed a lawsuit alleging Psystar was committing copyright, trademark and shrink-wrap license infringement. Judge William Alsup in November ruled that by selling PCs hacked to run Mac OS X, Psystar had violated Apple’s copyrights.
Additional details regarding the settlement will be filed today, according to Psystar.
The story keeps getting worse for Psystar, a small Florida-based startup that was selling Mac clones. In its court battle with Apple, a judge recently found Psystar guilty of violating Apple’s copyrights. What’s more, the payoff for being a rebel was meager for Psystar: the startup sold only 768 systems, according to an economist Apple hired to analyze Psystar’s business records.
On top of that, Psystar told investors that it projected it would sell between 1.45 million and 12 million machines in 2011. The small company opened shop in April 2008; Apple sued three months later. 12 million units? Talk about absurdly optimistic.
768 shipments is a puny number, but I’m not all that surprised. Back when I worked as an editor at Macworld, I remember how difficult it was for us to order a Psystar desktop for lab testing. Only after numerous attempts did our order go through; the process felt shady from start to finish. Also, I would imagine that the people who are nerdy enough to desire — and put up with — a PC hacked to run Mac OS X would take it upon themselves to build a Hackintosh of their own (like Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel and I did with our netbooks).
Plus, I can’t imagine many would opt to throw money at a company that’s battling Apple’s legal sharks. That circumstance brought the longevity of Psystar, and its ability to provide customer support, into question. Psystar’s spin for investors is even more bizarre: Psystar argued that its legal battle with Apple would frighten off other potential competitors, thus insulating its success. However, plenty of businesses offering Hackintosh solutions have emerged throughout the course of Psystar’s fight with Apple.
ComputerWorld, the first to report this story, happened upon a slide presentation containing the shipment projections, which Psystar showed to venture capitalists in 2008. Get the full story there.
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Our readers have submitted thousands of screenshots of their best desktop configurations, and over the year we’ve featured some truly impressive and unique desktops with you. Here’s a look back at some of the best this year had to offer.
The story keeps getting worse for Psystar, a small Florida-based startup that was selling Mac clones. In its court battle with Apple, a 