Apple and Tech News Mash-ups Week 12.

Windows have invaded the Intel Macs. Last week, it was the Intel iMac that got violated. Now, there is a video of XP running in a Mac mini (shown in Mac Break) and a tutorial on how to dual boot Tiger and XP on a Macbook Pro. Mac On Intel now has a step-by-step procedure on how to install Windows on all Intel Macs. Also, check out the benchmarks. Rob Griffiths (Macworld) recalls his experiences while installing XP in a Mac Mini Core Duo. He offers advice and some caveats regarding dual-booting your Intel Mac. If you get queasy at the thought of dual-booting your Intel Mac with Mac OS X and *gasp!* Windows XP, you can try the free emulator, Q. A tutorial is available to help you through the process. Q is not as fast as Virtual PC but Virtual PC is not as cheap as Q.

Chris Howard of Apple Matters asks some of the important questions relating to XP on Mac hack. Apple Matters's Chris Siebold also looks into the top five mistakes Apple has done throughout the years. Notably two of these were due to John Sculley's fault.

France is one step away in approving a law that will force Apple and other companies to open up their DRM for interoperability. Analysts think the impact will be minimal and Apple would most likely pull out of France. Apple responded by saying that the law will lead to state-sponsored piracy, but Apple also thinks that iPod sales will increase as users will be able to freely upload music and videos to their iPods. Arik Hesseldahl explains what the repercussions and the options are for Apple and the other companies that will be affected by France's attempt to update copyright laws for the 21st century. Leander Kahney of Wired News sees the passage of the law as a means to protect the consumers and prevent Apple from becoming another Microsoft when it comes to digital media. The US Commerce Secretary sides with Apple, saying that the French law making cracking of DRM legal violates intellectual property rights.

No matter how secure a computer is, there's no protecting it from stupidity.

What? More rumors? You betcha! Haven't had enough of the 'true' video iPod? What about the iTablet? Well some analysts are convinced that there is a 75% chance of an iPhone by the end of 2006. Adding fuel to the iPhone rumor fire are other analysts who say Apple is in talks with some Taiwanese electronics company about the device (It turns out that the company is BenQ). Apple also had applied for a trademark for "iPhone" in the UK and Australia. Here is a gallery of iPhone patents. LoopRumors has an "exclusive" inside information on what Leopard, the next Mac OS, will feature. It's a four-part series and the links to the first three are at the bottom of the page. Forbes said Quanta Computer has been awarded the contract to manufacture "video" iPods by Apple. I'm not sure if they are talking about the 5G iPod when they say "video" iPod or the much rumored "real" video iPod.

Rob Griffiths of Macworld continues his tests on the Mac mini, the latest of which he examines the Mac mini's HD playback capabilities.

The new Intel Mac mini falls short of expectations due to its pricing and some problems according to the Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro.

Giles Turnbull complains about the noise and heat coming from the Macbook Pro. On the upside, he does list 10 good stuffs why he likes it.

What does 3,000 iBooks in one place look like? Jaron Brass shows you.

Getting the most sound from your iPod; from $9.95 to $299.

How to make the iPod as an effective teaching tool?

What the heck is HD Radio and why did more than 50% of people surveyed choose it over the iPod?

There are so many dissenting opinions about the iPod Hi-Fi. Some like it, some loathe it. Twincities.com belongs to the latter, calling it a "gorgeous gear... and it sounds sensational. On those grounds, it's the iPod speaker setup to beat". The Time Online tells a condensed version of Apple's history and how Steve Jobs broght the company back from the brink of failure. With Jonathan Ive on board, Steve Jobs have brought aesthetic excellence in both software and hardware to the consumers. Peter Lewis, Fortune's senior editor, says the iPod Hi-Fi as filling the gap between earbuds and high-end stereo systems but considers Bose's SoundDock as offering the best sound when it comes to portable speaker systems for the iPod.

More than four million Disney contents have been downloaded from iTunes.

Universal Pictures is going up against Apple's iTunes Music Store in UK. The download-to-own service will let users receive three copies of a movie: one copy for the PC, the other for the handheld, and the third is a DVD to be sent thru mail. Newer movies will cost more to download. The movies won't work with iTunes or the iPod since it's encoded in Microsoft's DRM.

Howstuffworks.com explains how iTunes works.

Apple's 30th anniversary is coming and writers and columnists can't help but write-up about the company and its dynamic co-founder. The San Francisco Chronicle lists the failed predictions about and by Steve Jobs. Kuo Design has a gallery of magazines featuring Steve Jobs on the cover.

UBS thinks there will be no new products on April 1. The Macbook and a wide-screen Macbook Pro will be released when Apple thinks that they are ready. The 'real' video iPod and other iPod models will be released this fall.

Ms. Baker's Top Ten Reasons why she loves her Macbook Pro.

Tale of yet another switcher.

Microsoft is working on a PSP- and iPod-killer but delays the release of Vista. Again. Microsoft said they the reason for the delay was to "improve overall quality, particularly in security". Vista is slated to be released January 2007. The delay made some Microsoft employees really pissed and is calling for heads to roll (from MDN). Enderle thinks Apple should strike while the iron is hot. The Fool stares at the big dumb cow. Guess what? There's a management shake-up at Microsoft. Really? Didn't see that one coming. Arik Hesseldahl proclaims Windows is inferior, annoying. Just say no, mac users.

Dell acquires Alienware, aiming to compete with Apple in the high-end PC market. Will Alienware give Jonathan Ives nightmares?

Such an irony. A Microsoft program manager for security criticizes Apple for not hiring a security consultant.

How to...
... control Expose with your voice, drag and drop between printers, and build smarter iPhoto albums. More here.
... create a video podcast.
... access your iPod's diagnostic menu.
... find out more about your Mac using its serial number.
... copy files to iTunes the 'better' way and use iTunes to back-up your music.
... master your passwords with Keychain.
... make your e-mail work for you.
... create your own abstract background.
... do 3D graphics.
... become a rock star programmer.
... tunnel SSH.
... use VoodooPad well.
... spread your seed. Torrent seed, that is.

Highlight quotes from SXSW. I especially like the one from Jason Fried of 37Signals: "Hire curious people. Even if they don't have the exact skill set you want, curious, passionate people can learn anything."

Apple Matters tells you to think twice before you reach for the mouse. Common sense is sometimes thrown out the window when there is too much technology around.

Generation M may find that multi-tasking isn't really good for them.

I can now watch Adult Swim and Beast Wars for free online. As soon as CSI and The Fairly Oddparents are available online, I'll be bidding adieu to cable.

Independent games awards features some Mac games.

GimmeSomeTune: a neat companion application with iTunes. Control iTunes and rate songs. TUAW.

AjaxWrite: Free web-based AJAX word processor. Looks like MS Word. Works best with Firefox.

Saft: the vital plug-in for Safari.

View slides fast with Phoenix Slides.

Organize your videos with Footlights 2.1.