Long long ago, when I had a lot more money than I do now, I owned a fairly expensive stereo system. The centerpiece was the Carver Amazing Platinum Mark IV speakers. In polished black, they were truly imposing, with a 60-inch tall ribbon driver and four 12-inch subwoofers in each unit. I placed the electronics, […]

Let me put this in perspective. Consumer Reports magazine, supposedly an incorruptible source of product reviews and advice, is often at odds with other product reviewers. CR more or less implies that they have the advantage over other publications by dint of the fact that they buy all the products they test, usually anonymously. That […]

The launch of the first Mac mini in 2005 came in response to the question of whether Apple would ever build a cheap Macintosh computer. During a quarterly conference call with financial analysts the previous October, Apple executives, asked that question, said that Apple doesn’t build junk. At $499, the first Mac mini, with a […]

From time to time, The Night Owl gets it right when predicting what Apple is going to do. Take OS X Mavericks. After Mountain Lion became available as a $19 upgrade in 2012, I suggested they might as well make it free, and they did the following year. Not that Apple necessarily listens to me, […]