POWERWATCH NEWS POWERWATCH VIEWS POWERWATCH SYSTEMS POWER TECH POWERWATCH FILES ABOUT POWERWATCH POWERWATCH LINKS JEFF'S LOSTWORLD		November 97 Power News Archive (Up to December Archive)   Thursday, November 27 Somehow, the news for yesterday never got posted. But, here's your holiday weekend reading. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! -- Jeff (my plane was two hours late to SFO last night...) Austin American-Statesman article about Power's woes SF Chronicle article along the same lines News.Com story also about Power   Monday, November 24 Feeling ill, exhausted, but very satisfied with our work, Delane and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of the Digital Camera Resource Page! It's taken hundreds of hours between the two of us, but if you have ANY interest in the field, then check us out at http://www.dcresource.com! Several readers have confirmed that Power no longer is selling PC's, and that they're basically closing out all remaining MacOS systems to employees for dirt cheap. It's sad to see a company rise and fall so quickly, especially from my perspective here. AllMac has extended their special price of $479 on new Power 17" monitors to PowerWatch readers. The number to call to place orders is 888-707-MACS, press 2 for sales. 1 year warranty is included from the manufacturer.   Friday, November 21 Newer Technologies yesterday announced an $1000 MaxPowr Pro/250 card for Powerbases, following in the footsteps of PowerLogix R&D. I have lots of fixes to add to the Upgrades section, but that will have to wait (see below.) The card will ship in January. PowerWatch will be getting remodeled over my winter break, and will hopefully be ready by the new year. PW Views will be expanded, the news will wind down, and upgrades will be up-to-date. If you can think of a good slogan to reflect our openness to ALL MacOS users, let me know. The Digital Camera Page is coming along well. Hopefully it will be ready for its Monday debut (if it is, thank me; if not, blame Delane ;-) I will be FINALLY get to use my new camera this weekend at Disneyland (first trip since August-- who said I'm obsessed?)   Thursday, November 20 Power today announced that customer support will be handled by DecisionOne, who will get $2million worth of PowerCC parts. Your phone call will first go through Apple, and DecisionOne will handle the actual labor if there's a hardware problem. Power's Chris Heatherly adds: Beginning in early December, Apple will begin to provide telephone technical support for the entire Power Computing line of Mac OS products. DecisionOne will provide hardware service for these products. All existing warranties and extended service agreements purchased from Power Computing will be honored by DecisionOne. DecisionOne will continue to offer service parts for our Mac OS products for at least the next seven years. In related news, a reader reported that a friend who tried to order a PowerTrip laptop was told that Power has discontinued both their Mac and PC line. We have no confirmation of this, but it sounds like Power is taking on water quickly. (Last week was the last big fold-out ad in the front of MacWeek-- this week, it was an ad for Retrospect.)   Monday, November 17 I'm going to be taking a break from PowerWatch for the next week, to work on completing the Digital Camera page, and also to hopefully get a little rest after 3 very stressful weeks at school. Of course, if news breaks, I'll post it. Macs Only! has a review of a PowerLogix PowerForce G3/250 in a Powerbase 180. The results so far are pleasing. I've got lots of ad space available, ranging from 50,000 impressions on the home page, to an exclusive ad on all the PW Views page getting even more! Prices start at $250/month! E-Mail Jeff for more information.   Friday, November 15 Ric Ford mentions that, as we posted last week, the best way to reach Power tech support is through their TechTalk page. In a few weeks, it will all be migrated over to Apple, where you will eventually call for support (by the end of the year).   Thursday, November 13 In today's MacInTouch, Ric mentions that he has also received many letters regarding troubling support problems with Power Computing. We covered this a week or so ago, and I must say things have quieted down a lot-- many users have received their machines, but there are still occasional horror stories I receive (missing parts especially.) However, some users have been pleased to see they have received a 8mb video card instead of a 2mb or 4mb card, and for some users, that made up for the long lead times. If you have any more problems, I'd love to hear about them-- we'll see what we can do to help. On this cold and rainy morning here in San Diego (well, cold relatively speaking), we have some more G3 card specials, this time from MacCPU. The offer originally made to Evangelist readers is now for us, too ;-) You can get a Newer MAXpowr Pro 250 for $1199, or a PowerLogix PowerForce G3/250 for $1999. Do you have a digital camera? Delane and I would appreciate if you could write a review and provide some sample photos! See the DCRP sample page for more, then e-mail them to reviews@dcresource.com. Thanks!   Wednesday, November 12 I have confirmed that Power is indeed not selling anything direct anymore (their ad even implies that this includes those Powerbase upgrades mentioned a few days ago). Their ad has an inset that reads "I think we were just too different... Thanks to everyone who joined us in the fast lane." Remaining prodution will be "made available through our partners: MacWarehouse (800-255-6227) and MacMall (800-222-2808)."   Tuesday, November 11 MacNN quotes PowerComputing's Bill Goins as saying that Power will stop selling direct today, leaving it up to the resellers to clear out their inventory. Our days are numbered, folks. A few users have asked where they can get the PowerBase upgrades mentioned yesterday. Well, while I'munclear about how this direct channel closing will effect ordering these, you can call Power direct at 800-555-9823. A few general words of advice if you have technical questions. I get a lot of e-mail. I've had over 6,600 since the page started, and I can't answer every e-mail. I'm also not an expert on all technical issues. My advice? Go to PowerWatch Views, find the appropriate section, and post your question there. A reader can surely help!   Monday, November 10 I must have missed the news that Steve said would be "on the cover of every newspaper the next day." Maybe because as PowerComputing users, we already had all the new things Mr. Jobs introduced today...) If you want to talk about this, you can use our PowerWatch Views message boards to discuss today's events. If you're not a PW Views user (we have over 6,200 users!), you're missing the most important part of PowerWatch! PowerLogix has announced two lower priced models of their PowerForce G3 line: PowerForce G3 250/125/1Mb benchmarks ~963, yet only costs $1399. PowerForce G3 233/117/512kb scores ~880 and costs $999! PowerLogix says these new models should ship in three weeks-- I guess that makes my "PowerBase + G3 card plan" that much less expensive. (These cards work in all Power models except the Power80/100/120 series.) A very clever PowerWatch reader (Thanks Russ!) noticed a little addition to the 11.03.97 issue of MacWeek (I confirmed it tonight): Upgrades for Powerbase! 240MHz 603e for Powerbase: $499 225MHz 604e for PowerTower, PowerTower Pro, PowerWave, PowerCenter: $699 (ouch) Two excellent sites for those of you looking to comparison shop for computers and upgrades: Mike Breeden's Accelerate your Mac! page and David Engstrom's Mac and Mac Clone Performance Comparison Page should not be missed! We will be having some pretty significant ad space opening up in about a week. If you want your ad prominently displayed on PowerWatch, please contact Jeff.   Sunday, November 9 Allan Landwer has a review on the PowerLogix PowerForce G3/275 he installed on his PowerTower Pro 250 (see Friday for more.) I decided to take a few sample pictures on my D-600L camera for you all (eventually all this discussion will move to the DCRP, in about 2 weeks.) I just setup some props on our table, sat down in front (no tripod, no extra lights) and used the flash. I'm not going for artistic value, folks. However you can see the three different resolutions: SHQ (1280x1024, lower compression), HQ (1280x1024, higher compression), and SQ (640x512). Also, if you're in Southern California and you noticed anything strange in the sky, here's a picture of that. With the exception of this last photo, none of these has been edited. (What you're looking for that's weird is the horizontal glowing trail in the sky, above the apartments across the street. It turns out this was a rocket launch from Vanderberg AFB, which is 200+ miles away!) So far I've received stories of unsuccessful attempts with the MacWorks 604e/233 card (both were PowerCenter users.)   Friday, November 7 Were you one of the many people who sent their comments about long wait times for Power systems? Be sure to tell me when you finally get your machine! A PowerTower Pro user successfully got a PowerLogix Powerforce G3/275 running at an unbelieveable 314MHz with the 1:1 cache ratio intact! Some benchmarks: CPU 1213 FPU 1014 It should be noted that Apple's new Gossamer systems bench below even the cheap Newer card-- so before you run out and buy these new PowerMac G3's, your Power system may still be useful ;-) And speaking of upgrades, if you successfully get one of the Apple 604e/233 cards working in your Power system (which is not advised but you can try) then let me know. (One PowerCenter user reported that it did NOT work.) My new digital camera was delivered today-- I'll play around and post a review on the DCRP site (which should officially debut in about 2 weeks.)   Thursday, November 6 While I usually don't plug games, you've GOT to grab Bungie's new network slaughterfest, Myth. The demo is out-- go get it! Maybe we should get a PW team?! In an interesting development, the anti-trust investigation of Microsoft has put the Apple-Power buyout on hold for the time being. "It appears that they're fishing for something more than our transaction with Apple," [Power Computing's corporate counsel John] Teets said. "It appears to pertain to their ongoing investigation of Microsoft." Read the Austin American-Statesman story for more. You heard it here first!   Wednesday, November 5 Many users have written in wondering if that $299 Apple 604e/233 daughtercard being offered by MacWorks will work in their system. Power's Chris Heatherly provides some info on using these cards: There's a lot of controversy on this issue. The last thing I heard was [...] that the cards are generally interoperable with the exception of the PowerBase. I wouldn't recommend anyone using a card that wasn't tested for their system though. The best answer is maybe. The bottom line is what happens if you install something that doesn't work and does damage. If you're in a position to be buying a CPU card, it safe to say that you are probably out-of-warranty but don't want to buy a new computer. Putting untested cards into the machine is essentially gambling. If you win, you get increased performance. If you loose, you have a dead computer and upgrade card. The other thing is that there's really no reason to buy an untested card because there are options. Newer, PowerLogix, and others have tested their cards for use in Power machines. By saying their card supports our machines, that means that they are willing to get sued if you're machine blows up. If you do take your chances -- and it works-- let Jeff know. As part of PW's continuing efforts to find good deals on upgrades for you all, I've found two from Bottom Line: Newer MAXpowr Pro 250 only $1159 PowerLogix PowerForce G3/250 (works in all models, including PBase!) for $1899 (remember to put the price in the comments field!)   Tuesday, November 4 Well, I (literally) bought the big one today, and ordered that Olympus D-600L SLR digital camera. It should be here later this week, and I will undoubtably put it online on the new DCRP, which is now online at http://www.dcresource.com (the site isn't even close to ready though). MacGurus' has announced that they are now shipping the PowerLogix G3 cards in quantity; Also, they have some good RAM deals right now check'em out. MacNN has a super price on refurbished Power 17" monitors from AllMac. They cost $379 and come with a 90 day PowerCC warranty. These monitors seem to be pretty well liked by PowerWatch readers. Click here for more. Want the cheapest possible way to get high end G3 power? Consider this: Take one low cost PowerBase (under $1000) and add a PowerLogix PowerForce G3 card to get a G3 system for $3000 or less! Indeed, PowerLogix (a sponsor of this page) has said that their G3 cards are fully Powerbase compatible-- and that a lower cost (presumably closer in price to the cheaper MAXpowr card) will be coming soon too. (There's also a contest where you can win one!) Look for a review of the card real soon! The upgrade section will be updated later with this info.   Monday, November 3 A check today on Newer Technologies page says that their MAXpowr Pro G3 cards work in both Catalyst and Tsunami architeture-- meaning PowerTower, PowerCurve, PowerCenter, PowerCenter Pro, PowerWave, and PowerTower Pro users can now use their cards! Be sure to grab version 1.3 of their software though! News on a special RAM promotion for PowerWatch readers! Coming soon! I need your help! Please take a look at our new Digital Camera Resource Page! Comments on the design and ideas for features should be sent to Jeff. Thanks! (We'll soon be up at http://www.dcresource.com!)   Sunday, November 2 PowerWatch Upgrades is up! What it needs now is YOU to fill in the blanks! See a place where I need a review? Send one in! Remember, I can't review everything in every machine, but together we can! I have updated PowerWatch Files, updating Clockometer to version 2.0.1, and SpeedControl to version 2.1. Clockometer will correctly tell you your machine's bus speed and processor speed, while SpeedControl tells you the processor speed and how much L2 cache you have. I probably get a mail or two a week asking me if "Power ripped me off, because Techtool says I only have a 195MHz processor." Well, most of those programs are wrong, and only the two above are correct, so use those before you get too worried.   Saturday, November 1 Power is no longer selling either Macs or PCs via their online store. While I don't know the exact reason for this, my guess is that they are trying to cut down on order volume. You may still call 1-800-375-7693 to order.   (Down to October News Archive)