Some lessons of Apple history: Back in the mid-1990s, Apple suffered from a severe bout of model proliferation. The consumer-based Performa lineup was available in so many configurations, it was hard to tell one from the other without a cheat sheet. In some cases, a model number was customized for a specific dealer, meaning that […]

I do not choose what topics to write about based on anticipated reader reaction. I’m happy that some receive more comments than others, and sometimes I wonder why a few attract very little response. But that doesn’t change my choices. So when I wrote an article about whether Apple was giving OS X and Macs […]

The launch of Mac OS X as a Public Beta in the fall of 2000 signified a sea change for Mac users. Coming four years after the purchase of NeXT, it represented the vindication of that deal, which also meant the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. Here it was, the long-delayed industrial strength replacement for the […]

This column is very personal. The keyboards I use and find best for my needs are very much apt to disappoint many of you. In fact, I’m sure of it, but I hope you’ll look at the big picture. Once upon a time, my favorite keyboard was the Apple Extended Keyboard II. Introduced in 1990, […]