by Ron Miller

How Does Apple Avoid the Commodity Trap?

Apple has been criticized for not lowering prices during a recession. Yet what is their motivation to drive down their own prices? It would only force them toward the commodity trap that they have so successfully avoided and why would they do that?

Read the full post on DaniWeb.

Photo by Zak Greant on Flickr - Used Under Creative Common License

My 5 Favorite Free iPhone Apps

Image via Wikipedia

I love the free apps in the iPhone App Store. I recently downloaded 5 new ones that have quickly become favorites.

Read my list on DaniWeb.

If Windows, Linux and OSX Opened Cafes...

After learning that Microsoft opened a Win7-themed cafe, it got me wondering what a cafe would like if it ran in the same style of the OS it was named for...

Full Story on DaniWeb.

Photo by Marfis75 on Flickr. Used under the Creative Commons License.

Microsoft and Apple: A Tale of Two Earnings Statements

In a week full of news from Apple and Microsoft, one thing that stood out was the contrast between the two company's earnings reports with Apple having a quarter for the ages, while Microsoft's wasn't as *bad* as analysts expected  -- faint praise indeed...

Full Story on DaniWeb.

Photo by Ryumu on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

A Black Eye for Cloud Computing

While it's easy to dismiss the fears of cloud computing naysayers, it was a startling bad week for cloud computing as Microsoft lost data and Apple might have leaked some.

Full Story on DaniWeb.

Photo by Dion Gillard on Flickr

The Myth of the Apple Fan Boy

Just because you like buying Apple hardware and gadgets doesn't mean you are a blind supporter of everything the company does. The term "Fan boy" is mostly used as a means of ending discussion.

Read the full story on DaniWeb.

Photo by StewieD on Flickr

How to Upgrade RAM on a Mac Book Pro

Yesterday, after months of thinking about it, I finally took the time to load more memory on Mac Book Pro. Up until then, I was constantly pushing my resources to the limit and the 2 GB I had on there were definitely not making it.

I was often seeing the beach ball (the equivalent of the Windows hour glass). Memory hogs like Firefox often pushed my meager 2 gigs to the limit, especially if I had Windows open in Parallels running a few programs. So on Monday, I finally ordered 4 GB of memory from Mac Connection. It cost me under $100 delivered and it was well worth it.

Yesterday after it arrived, I ran Time Machine and backed up my computer before doing anything. Better to be safe then sorry.

Then I watched the video from Chris Pirillo above, which gives you a great overview of what to expect.

Before you start, you're going to need a jeweler's screw driver to remove the protective plate that covers the memory slot. You can buy a jeweler's screw driver kit at Radio Shack (at least that's where I found mine).

To install the memory:

1. Unplug your machine.
2. Make sure you're grounded by touching metal before you start.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Using a jeweler's phillips screw driver with a very small head, remove the teeny tiny screws that hold the memory protector plate in place. These screws are really, really small. I suggest you have a little bowl to hold them while you replace the memory.
5. Once the plate is off, gently push the memory levers on either side of the memory card until it pops up, then very gently pull it from its slot.
6. Repeat this for the lower card.
7. Place the lower card at an angle as described by Pirillo in the video. You will hear it click into place, then lower it gently into place and repeat this for the upper card.
8. Replace the protective plate being extremely careful not lose the teeny tiny screws.
9. Replace your battery and power cord and turn the machine on. If you don't see the start up screen (as happened to me the first couple of times, don't panic). Just repeat the steps and make sure you have seated the memory correctly. It took me a few shots to get it right.

Note if you want to avoid messing with the teeny tiny screws more than once, you can test the machine before replacing the battery and the memory protector plate. Just turn your machine over, connect the power cord and turn it on. If it doesn't work correctly, try again until it does.

The end result is that I now have 4 GB of memory. I have plenty of resources to run everything I want and it was was well worth the investment. Makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

Microsoft Ads Mess with Fuzzy Zune HD Feelings

Microsoft's Zune HD might not be a serious iPod Touch challenger, but it's a huge leap forward from the original Zunes. That's why including pre-roll ads in front of their free apps makes so little sense.

Read the full story on DaniWeb.

Picture courtesy of Microsoft Press Pass

Maybe Apple's Onto Something with the FM Radio

Image via Wikipedia

"BFD," I hear you say, "so the Nano has a radio. Whooptydoo," which is to be honest, is what I thought until a conversation convinced me that perhaps Apple is onto something a bit deeper.

Read why the FM radio could be an important addition to the iPod on DaniWeb.

Apple Rumor Mill Comes Up Empty Again

You would think we would learn by now to dismiss the rumors we hear before every Apple Keynote, yet each time somehow we believe and end up disappointed. Yesterday was no different.

Read the full story on DaniWeb.

Photo on Flicker by Tomas Fano