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Mitchell Ashley
Apple iPad - The Netbook/Tablet PC/Low End Laptop Killer
Written on Wed, 01/27/10 - 8:03pm
Well, I'm impressed with what Apple's put in the new iPad. My view on the iPad? It will be a big hit. iPad is a Kindle, netbook, tablet PC and (to some degree) low end laptop killer. The iPad is also a viable alternative to laptop use in many situations. I consider the Apple iPad a "lifestyle" version...
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7 Apple iTablet/iSlate/iPad Rumors That Will Live Or Die
Written on Wed, 01/27/10 - 9:55am
Wow, there's nearly as much interest in today's Apple iTablet/iSlate/iPad announcement as there was back with the original Macintosh. The amount of rumors and wild speculation, including product mockups and videos... it's simply amazing. All of this drama is leading up to some hefty expectations for...
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How To Run Windows 7 Virtualized on Mac OS X
Written on Tue, 12/08/09 - 2:12pm
Windows 7 is my primary desktop but lately the amount of iPhone work I've been doing has prompted me to swap hardware so I could have my Mac Xcode development environment with me when I'm mobile. Thus, came the need to figure out: 1) what would it take to set up a MacBook Pro with Windows as a virtualized...
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Can You Work On A Virtualized Windows Desktop?
Written on Mon, 12/07/09 - 4:20am
I’m using a Macbook Pro laptop running OS X and I have Windows 7 installed on the Bootcamp partition. Normally this kind of setup only lets you boot up either Mac OS X or Windows, but with VMware Fusion 3 for Mac OS X I can run the bootcamp partition (Windows 7) as a virtualized guest operating...
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Productivity Hazards of Windows Updates
Written on Mon, 11/30/09 - 10:22am
Patch Tuesday. Windows updates. Microsoft Office updates. It's a necessary evil, making sure your Windows computers are up to date with the latest vulnerability patches. Patch "whatever day" for Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and others are now simply part of our normal IT process. Next to anti-malware and...
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Chrome OS Gets Grade of C-
Written on Tue, 11/24/09 - 10:29am
You either see Chrome OS's all browser OS approach as revolutionizing the PC industry or then next "technology solution looking for a problem" doomed to fail. Google's approach with Chrome OS is certainly radically different from the Windows, Mac OS and Linux approach we've used since the birth of the...
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5 Reasons Macs Can't Claim They're Better than Windows 7
Written on Wed, 08/19/09 - 11:18am
I regularly use both Windows and Mac PCs, so any comments that I've never used a Mac are bunk. I've been using Windows 7 since before its public beta release at the first of this year. I use my Mac for video editing, iPhone development, etc. I love all of my computers equally -- my Windows...
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Apple Tablet - Expensive Netbook or iTouch on Steroids?
Written on Wed, 07/29/09 - 10:27am
The rumors about the Apple $800 tablet have been circulating long enough now that everyone's starting to mentally reverse engineer what this device might be. Is the Apple Tablet a netbook? Its supposed $800 price tag would technically disqualify it as a netbook by many definitions (sub $399 devices)....
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Firefox Stays In The Game With Firefox 3.5
Written on Wed, 07/01/09 - 2:37pm
Firefox released their 3.5 version update for download today and so far it seems to be a pretty good release, including some new additions and some catch up features. Probably the biggest change, though not classified as a new feature, is Firefox 3.5's use of the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine. Whether...
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Windows 7 Upgrade Pricing Means Mixed IT Shops For A Long Time
Written on Fri, 06/26/09 - 5:13am
So which is it? Are we going to have aggressive pricing for Windows 7 so we can finally move on from Vista and XP, or will we see the Microsoft of old, overcharging for Windows upgrades, this time starting at $120 for entry level Windows 7 versions. Well, for two weeks we'll see both; the aggressive...
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Apple's Window To Gain PC Market Share Is Narrowing
Written on Wed, 06/17/09 - 4:14am
My recent blog post about the new Apple OS X Snow Leopard release not being enough to “beat” Windows 7 sparked quite a response from many Apple users. I understand that, when users are passionate about a product, brand and/or a company, as so many Apple users are. Apple’s always been successful...
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Snow Leopard's Reliance On Fundamentals Isn't Enough To Beat Windows 7
Written on Tue, 06/09/09 - 4:07am
Though yesterday's Apple WWDC announcements were largely about the iPhone OS 3.0 and iPhone 3GS model, Apple also rolled out Snow Leopard, the next in line Mac OS X upgrade to do battle against Windows on desktops. The iPhone OS and 3GS phone were all about features, features, features, plus better...
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Windows 7 Will Not Sway XP Users
Written on Thu, 01/29/09 - 11:06am
The chances of Windows 7 suddenly winning over Windows XP users in droves are slim to none. Windows 7 is a better Vista but doesn't deliver enough advantages or differentiation from Windows XP to woo XP users from their stable, reliable and functional desktop OS. Windows 7 successes will come...
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Windows & Macs Need Side Impact Crash Testing
Written on Wed, 12/03/08 - 5:33pm
So what is it, do you need anti-virus sofware on a Mac or not? First Apple said yes, now they saying not necessarily... that it may add “additional protection.” (See these Network World articles about the orginal note and it being taken down this week.) The original note does contradict Apple’s...
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PDC 2008: Top Windows 7 Rumors
Written on Mon, 10/27/08 - 5:56pm
At the Microsoft PDC 2008 show you hear a lot of rumors about tomorrows Windows pre-beta bits we're supposed to receive. One thing's not a rumor - PDC 2008 attendees get all the software Microsoft's handing out on a free 160MB portable drive. Nice. Here are the rumors I'm hearing about...
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Apple Drops Security Mantra, Bashes Vista
Written on Fri, 05/30/08 - 3:05am
Apple Computer can no longer play the "security card". 40 Mac OS X security patches this month, preceded by 90 security patches last month. Guess it's a lot easier to p00n a Mac than Apple wants us to believe. "With great power comes great responsibility", Peter Parker's...
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Apple Amazingly Silent About SaaS
Written on Tue, 05/06/08 - 2:35am
Apple is AWOL from the world of software-as-a-service, on demand software, cloud computing and storage, and virtualization. So just what are Apple's plans to thrive, or maybe just survive, in the quickly emerging ecosystems of SaaS and utility services? Does Apple have a plan, or are iPods and...
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SaaScon 2008 - Day 2: Message Bus & Virtualization
Written on Fri, 03/28/08 - 4:22am
Welcome to day 2 of the SaaScon 2008 conference blog report. I took a bit of a different tact on interviews on Wednesday by talking to message bus/SOA/web services and virtualization companies focusing on serving the SaaS marketplace, represented by Boomi and Parallels. Once again though, no Microsoft...
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Apple Fixes Open Source Vulnerabilities
Written on Thu, 03/20/08 - 2:48am
At first blush, Microsoft hounds might want to pounce on Apple's release of over 80 vulnerability fixes this week. But before anyone bears that red M tattooed on their chest, you should take another look at Apple's updates. Though Apple may not be very friendly to security researchers who plan...
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Kidaro Acquisition Shot Across The Bow At Citrix Xen
Written on Thu, 03/13/08 - 3:50am
Microsoft's announced acquisition of desktop virtualization software vendor Kidaro is a direct shot across the bow at the Citrix Xen acquisition. Clearly, Microsoft's learned some lessons watching Macintosh users use Parallels to run both Windows operating systems and Mac OS X, and figured...
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About Converging on Microsoft
Mitchell Ashley has a diverse background in software development, network engineering, information security, mobility, collaborative technologies, and IT management and operations. An early adopter of social media in business, he began blogging about security and information technologies in 2006 at theconvergingnetwork.com. Mitchell is VP of Information Technology at CableLabs in Louisville, CO, and previously held positions as CIO, CTO and VP Engineering at prior companies.
 

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