Liveblog

9:13 am PT: Quite a scene here this morning; the queue for media credentials is nearly as long as some of the iPhone 3G launch lines I saw a few years back. Moments ago, an Apple PR rep slipped through the doors of the Yerba Buena Center to ask that the press waiting outside take two big steps back. The last time that happened to me, I was at a Jesus Lizard show.

9:54 am: The doors open and the press enters the event hall. Initially, at least, the scene is pretty crazy. “This is like the subway in New York,” an attendee behind me jokes. More like the subway in Tokyo, I think to myself.

A Bob Dylan soundtrack plays as media and guests file in. It’s momentarily interrupted by a “please take your seats, our event is about to begin” announcement.

10:00 am: Interesting stage set-up today: Instead of an empty stage or a simple table, there are a black leather chair and side-table. Lights are dimming….

And Steve Jobs takes the stage to a standing ovation.

“We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical product, but first a few updates….A few weeks ago we sold our 250 millionth iPod…I didn’t want to let that moment pass without recognizing it.”

10:05 am: Jobs offers a quick overview of Apple’s retail operations and some of the new stores it has opened recently before moving on to the iTunes App Store. “A few weeks ago we announced that three billion applications had been downloaded from the App Store–that’s in 18 months…amazing.”
He notes, as he did in the company’s earnings release the other day, that Apple is now a $50 billion company.

Apple is a mobile devices company, says Jobs, “the largest mobile devices company in the world now. Larger than Sony’s mobile device business, larger than Samsung’s and, astonishingly, Nokia’s as well.”

10:07 am: A quick historical overview now. Jobs touches on the first PowerBook, introduced in 1991. He moves on to the MacBook and then the iPhone.

“All of us use laptops and smartphones, now. And the question has arisen lately: Is there room for a device in the middle?…We’ve pondered this question as well.”

This “middle” device, says Jobs, must be better at doing certain tasks than either the laptop or smartphone. If there’s going to be a third-device category, it must be better at browsing the Web, video, photos, music, etc.

“Some folks say this device is a netbook…. The problem is, netbooks aren’t better at anything.”

10:10 am: But we have something that is, says Jobs, “and it’s called the iPad.”

Photos of the device appear on the giant screens. Very thin. Very slick. “IPad offers the best Web browsing experience there is–way better than laptops.” There is no camera that I can see. That’s not going to go over well with folks hoping for a device that supports video iChat.

10:13 am: Further details: The “iPad is a dream to type on,” Jobs says, pointing out its life-sized onscreen keyboard. It’s also an awesome way to enjoy media. iTunes, iTunes University and YouTube HD support are built in.

10:14 am: Jobs sits down to demo the device: “Using this thing is remarkable. It’s so much more intimate and capable than the laptop.” He loads Safari and surfs over to the New York Times (NYT). The iPad loads quickly and Jobs is able to easily navigate the page, loading stories and zooming in on articles.

10:15 am: Demonstrating landscape and portrait now. “This device adapts to the way I want to use it.”

Definitely an impressive browsing experience. Fast and elegant.

Now, an overview of Mail. Also elegant. Nice split-screen presentation. Hit compose, and a nice onscreen keyboard pops up. Jobs types out a message to his colleagues at Apple. Seems relatively easy.

10:19 am: Moving on to iPad’s photo capabilities. It supports iPhoto’s Events, Faces and Places features. It also offers built-in slideshows complete with soundtracks and transitions.

Running a slideshow demo, Jobs pauses and looks out at the audience with a Chesire Cat-wide grin. He’s clearly relishing this moment.

10:22 am:: The iTunes experience on iPad is much as you would expect. Similar, if not identical, to what the software currently offers. Calendar and Contacts apps are also nice and, again, similar to what you’d find on a MacBook or iPhone.

10:24 am: Demoing Google Maps now. The iPad supports Google Street View and the implementation is very slick.

10:25 am: Moving on to video. Jobs calls up an HD clip from Google’s (GOOG) YouTube and displays it in both portrait and landscape. That finished, he fires up iTunes and loads “Star Trek” to demo the device’s video features, scrubbing, etc. Then he shows us a clip from Pixar’s “Up.” Tap to go full-screen. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

10:27 am: Watching that is nothing like actually having one in your hands, says Jobs.

• iPad is one-half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds, and comes with 9.7 inch IPS display–“very high-quality display”
• Full capacitive multitouch
• 16GB-64GB flash storage
• iPad is powered by our Apple’s custom silicon–“We did it inhouse and it just screams,” says Jobs.
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, accelerometer, compass.
• Battery life: 10 hours.

“And in addition to 10 hours of battery life, iPad offers a full month of standby time,” Jobs notes. “It’s also a good environmental citizen,” he adds, noting that it’s a very green device.

10:31 am: Jobs invites Scott Forestall to the stage to talk about apps on the device.

“We built the iPad to run virtually every app in the App Store right out of the box,” Forestall says.

Evidently, a built-in pixel-doubling feature automatically scales iPhone apps to full-screen iPad apps.

10:35 am: Forestall runs an unmodified racing game from the App Store. He first demos it in the screen size of an iPhone. Then, using the pixel-doubling feature, he blows it out to full screen. Very slick.

“So you can buy the iPad, take it home, hook it up and download all your iPhone apps and run them with no problem at all,” he says.

Forestall announces a new iPhone software development kit specifically geared to the iPad. He notes that iPad-specific applications will be featured “front and center” in the App Store.
He then invites Gameloft’s Mark Hickey to the stage to demo some new games the company has developed using the new SDK.

Hickey notes that the iPad’s additional screen space is a boon for developers, particularly those building games. He demos a first-person shooter that showcases this. “We’re now able to interact with the game world in ways that we weren’t able to before.”

10:40 am: Next up, the New York Times. Martin Nisenholtz takes the stage to talk about its iPad effort.

After talking up the Times iPhone app, Nisenholtz segues to the the paper’s new iPad app: “We think we’ve captured the experience and essence of reading the newspaper.”

The app is largely what you’d expect. Tap to resize text, zoom, breaking news updates, video. “This is everything you love about the paper and everything you love about the Web.”

10:44 am: Now, a painting application called Brushes that was famously used to create a New Yorker cover.
The app is impressive enough on iPhone; it’s even more so on the iPad. It supports “playback” of paintings, and as the presenter notes, brings us one step closer to a real virtual painting studio.

10:46 am: EA’s Travis Boatman take’s the stage. The topic of his presentation: Need For Speed.

“Building for the iPad is a little bit like holding a high-def TV screen a few inches from your face,” he says.

The iPad version of Need for Speed boasts a number of touch-activated enhancements: Tap on the car to view its interior, tap on the rear-view mirror to look behind you.

10:52 am: Up next: MLB.com’s Chad Evans. He demos the outfit’s iPad-optimized app, which uses the device’s additional screen space to display video excerpts and MLB TV.

MLB TV can be streamed like and enhanced with onscreen stats and data. “This big display really allows us to create a much more immersive experience,” Evans says.

10:52 am: Forestall returns to the stage to make another brief plug for the SDK before Jobs takes over for him.
“Let me show you another one of our apps that we’re very excited about,” Jobs says. “An e-book reader.”

Behind him a photo of Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle appears. “Amazon did a great job with their reader and we’re standing on their shoulders here….Today we’re announcing the iBooks store,” says Jobs, adding that it will be supported initially by Penguin, Simon & Schuster and a number of other big publishers.

The iBooks Store interface begins with a simple bookshelf view. Tap the screen and it loads a more iTunes-like view. Purchase a book and it’s added to your bookshelf with a slick little animation.

The reading experience seems very appealing. Much more book-like. From where I sit, the pages look like they’re written on paper.

“We use the e-pub format, the most popular open-book format in the world,” says Jobs. “We think iPad is going to be a very popular e-reader not just for bestsellers, but for textbooks as well.”

10:58 am: And here’s another new product announcement: A new version of iWork tweaked for use on the iPad. Jobs invites Phil Schiller on stage to demo it.

“We have a completely new version of Keynote, a completely new version of Pages and a completely new version of Numbers–all optimized for multitouch.

Schiller demos Keynote first. Creating presentations appears intuitive and simple–a slide navigator on the left, tap to load individual slides in the main window, drag to rearrange.

Nice use of multitouch gestures to enhance the app. Pinch to resize photos, tap to insert animations and transitions. These are all fairly advanced techniques and the device seems to handle them well.

11:05 am: Moving on to Pages now. Also impressive, though creating a written document on a tablet device like the iPad seems like it might be a drag. A nice tool for editing, though. Simple controls.

11:07 am: Moving on to Numbers. This application also makes good use of multitouch gestures and boasts a data-entry keyboard along with some 250 built-in functions. The software’s gesture capabilities makes Excel look antediluvian.
Powerful and fast.

So what’s Apple going to charge for iWork? $9.99 each, says Schiller, who notes that all three applications are compatible with their Mac versions.

Jobs returns to the stage, grinning. “Isn’t that great?” he asks for what’s easily the 10th time. iPad, he says, will synch to Mac or PC via USB.

11:14 am: Evidently, there will be two iPad models–one with Wi-Fi-only and one with Wi-Fi and 3G. The 3G device will come with two plans: 250 MB per month for $14.99, unlimited data for $29.99.

And who’s the carrier? AT&T.

A small groan ripples through the audience.

Jobs allows that AT&T is also throwing in free Wi-Fi at its hotspots. He follows that up by noting that there are no contracts for the iPad. You can cancel at anytime.

All iPad 3G models are unlocked and they use new GSM micro SIMS, so chances are they will just work, Jobs says, after noting that Apple hasn’t yet worked out international carrier deals.

11:16 am: Now a quick overview as a wrap-up. Jobs touts the overall tablet experience along with the new iBook app and iBook Store. “This is an amazing product with tremendous breadth. What should we charge for it?…When we set out to develop the iPad we not only had aggressive UI goals, we had aggressive price goals, because we wanted to put this in the hands of as many people as possible….IPad pricing starts not at $999, but $499,” Jobs says to a huge round of applause.

$499 for 16GB base model.
32GB for $599.
64GB for $699.
Adding 3G requires an additional fee.

Apple will ship Wi-Fi models in 60 days and 3G models in 90.

11:20 am: Apple has created new accessories for the iPad: A standard dock and a second dock with a keyboard attached to it. “Keep one of these in your den and you can write the next “War and Peace” on it.” The final accessory, a new case that doubles as a stand.

Running a video now. It features a number of Apple execs enthusiastically talking up the iPad.

11:25 am: Let me circle back here for a moment to pricing. Adding 3G to iPad requires an additional $130. So we’re talking $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB and $829 for the 64GB version.

Designer Jon Ives on the iPad: “In many ways iPad defines our vision, our sense of what’s next.”

11:32 am: Jobs returns to the stage and recalls the “middle device” scenario he mentioned earlier today. “Can we create this new category? The bar is set pretty high, but we think we’ve got the goods.”

“This is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” he adds. “The reason the iPad is going to be so great is because Apple has always strived to be at the junction of technology and liberal arts.”

And with that he concludes. Lights go up and Dylan begins playing over the speakers again.

View the slideshow

PREVIOUSLY:

• Apple’s Tablet: A $2.8 Billion Business?
• Apple’s Tablet: MacBook Airbus?
• Apple Announces Jan. 27 Special Event: “Come See Our Latest Creation”
• Major Apple Product Announcement Set for Wednesday, Jan. 27
• Apple Pitching Tablet to Publishing Industry; Spring Launch Expected
• Time (Finally) for the Tablet? Apple Developers Supersizing Their Apps for January Event.
• The Apple Tablet Is Delayed? So What?
• $1.9 Billion in Capex? What’s Apple Planning?
• Apple’s Tablet: Read Different?
• Imaginary Demand for Mythical Apple Tablet Exceeds All Estimates
• Apple Tablet Coming to AT&T?
• New From Piper Jaffray Analyst Gene Munster: The Apple iPad
• Rumored Apple Netbook Actually an E-Book?
• iTablet: Apple’s Killer App for Higher Ed
• iFugly

The refresh may happen yet, however. Apple (AAPL) has on many occasions uncrated new products on the heels of Macworld. In February of 2008, the company announced new iPhone & iPod touch models. In February of 2006 it debuted the Intel Mac mini and iPod Hi-Fi. In January 2005 it uncrated new PowerBooks and a month later, it announced a new iPod mini and an update to iPod photo.

Clearly there’s quite a precedent for post-Macworld announcements, and in all likelihood this year will see a few as well. Certainly, an Apple desktop event later this month or in early February would be an elegant way for the company to dovetail the official release of iLife ’09 with some new desktop hardware, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh and prove once and for all that it doesn’t need Macworld to publicize new product releases.

Apple is rapidly becoming a minor player in the computer business and may be swallowed up by Sun Microsystems Inc. or another rival.”

–BusinessWeek, February 1996

In the movie “Independence Day,” a PowerBook saves the Earth from destruction. Now it’s time to return the favor. Unfortunately, even devoted Mac addicts must admit that you look a little beleaguered these days: a confusing product line, little inspiration from the top, software developers fleeing.”

–“101 Ways to Save Apple,” Wired, June 1997

In 1997, shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Dell’s founder and chairman, Michael S. Dell, was asked at the Gartner Symposium and ITxpo97 how he would fix Apple, then deeply troubled financially. “What would I do?” Dell said. “I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

Little did he know he’d be eating those words a few years later when Apple’s market capitalization surpassed not just Dell’s, but IBM’s as well (as some observers have been predicting for a while now). After the record-breaking quarter it posted yesterday, Apple is today the most valuable computer-maker in the world. Its market capitalization now stands at nearly $162 billion, $6 billion more than that of industry heavyweight IBM. In fact, its market cap is the fourth largest among technology companies, lagging behind only Cisco ($189 billion), Google ($208 billion) and Microsoft ($290 billion). Which is obviously great news for Apple shareholders, as John Murrell notes over at my old stomping grounds, Good Morning Silicon Valley: “… while Google-watchers go gaga over its soaring share price, note that an investor who bought Apple on the same day Google stock debuted in 2004 would have, as of the close of market yesterday, made 40 percent more than if the same money had been put into the search sovereign’s shares.

Apple is rapidly becoming a minor player in the computer business and may be swallowed up by Sun Microsystems Inc. or another rival.”

–BusinessWeek, February 1996

In the movie “Independence Day,” a PowerBook saves the Earth from destruction. Now it’s time to return the favor. Unfortunately, even devoted Mac addicts must admit that you look a little beleaguered these days: a confusing product line, little inspiration from the top, software developers fleeing.”

–“101 Ways to Save Apple,” Wired, June 1997

In 1997, shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Dell’s founder and chairman, Michael S. Dell, was asked at the Gartner Symposium and ITxpo97 how he would fix Apple, then deeply troubled financially. “What would I do?” Dell said. “I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

Little did he know he’d be eating those words a few years later when Apple’s market capitalization surpassed not just Dell’s, but IBM’s as well (as some observers have been predicting for a while now). After the record-breaking quarter it posted yesterday, Apple is today the most valuable computer-maker in the world. Its market capitalization now stands at nearly $162 billion, $6 billion more than that of industry heavyweight IBM. In fact, its market cap is the fourth largest among technology companies, lagging behind only Cisco ($189 billion), Google ($208 billion) and Microsoft ($290 billion). Which is obviously great news for Apple shareholders, as John Murrell notes over at my old stomping grounds, Good Morning Silicon Valley: “… while Google-watchers go gaga over its soaring share price, note that an investor who bought Apple on the same day Google stock debuted in 2004 would have, as of the close of market yesterday, made 40 percent more than if the same money had been put into the search sovereign’s shares.

On the high end are two versions of the MacBook Pro, which replaces the PowerBook. And for more price-conscious consumers, Apple has just added the MacBook, to replace the iBook.

I reviewed the MacBook Pro earlier this year, and lately I’ve been testing the new MacBook, a handsome machine that packs a very good screen and keyboard into a fairly thin enclosure and is surprisingly inexpensive.

There’s a lot to like about the MacBook. It’s a very good choice for anyone considering a Mac and operating on a tight budget. Like the other Intel-based Macs, it can even run Windows alongside Apple’s own Mac OS X operating system. But it is missing some key features that are standard on Windows-based laptops, and it is heavy compared with its closest Windows competitor.

The first thing you notice about the MacBook is its sharp, vivid 13.3-inch screen, which is larger than the 12.1-inch displays in the latest rash of relatively small Windows laptops. The MacBook screen is glossy, which makes for sharper contrast. Such screens can be subject to annoying reflections, but I didn’t find that to be a problem.

Another striking feature is the keyboard, which uses widely spaced keys that have flat tops, instead of the usual curved surfaces. It looks great, but I worried it would make typing clumsier. Again, that wasn’t a problem.

The MacBook also has a built-in camera, a built-in slot-loading DVD drive, and Intel’s new Core Duo processor, which packs the equivalent of two chips into one. There are three basic configurations, ranging from $1,099 to $1,499, and you can configure each to your specifications. Two of the configurations come in a white case. The top version is black and costs $150 more than a comparably equipped white model.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the MacBook is its price. Despite Apple’s reputation for charging more, the MacBook is actually less expensive than its closest major Windows competitor. That would be the Sony Vaio VGN-SZ240, which also has a 13.3-inch screen with the same resolution, includes a built-in camera, and is available with the same processor and the same memory and hard-disk capacity as the MacBook.

When configured to match the major specs of the base model of the MacBook, the Sony costs $1,629, over 60% more than the MacBook’s $1,099 base price. But the MacBook is much heavier than the Sony. It weighs 5.2 pounds, 37% more than the Sony’s 3.8 pounds.

In my tests, the MacBook proved to be very snappy. Internet performance over my Wi-Fi network was excellent. Microsoft Office ran very well, as did the Firefox Web browser, Adobe Reader and everything else I tested.

On my tough battery test, where I turn off all power-saving features and keep the hard disk spinning and the screen at maximum brightness, the MacBook lasted three hours and 47 minutes. That suggests you could get nearly five hours with power-saving on and a more normal usage pattern. A high-end model of the much costlier Sony, which I tested in April, lasted only three hours and two minutes.

And like all Macs, the MacBook is vastly superior to Windows machines in terms of bundled software and security. Apple’s operating system is better designed, more stable and more modern than Windows XP. Its built-in iLife suite of multimedia software can’t be matched on Windows. And it has — so far — been attacked by only two viruses, compared with the more than 100,000 viruses and spyware programs that plague Windows. Those qualities are worth hundreds of dollars, in my view.

Like all Mac laptops, the MacBook lacks a right-click button, even though Apple’s own software displays right-click menus. To emulate a right click, Mac users typically must hold down the Control key while clicking the sole button. But the MacBook has a new way to do this that’s simpler: Place two fingers on the touch pad and click with a third. It works well. The MacBook also has Apple’s very cool scrolling feature, which allows you to scroll any screen by moving two fingers over the touch pad. It’s better than any Windows laptop scrolling feature I’ve seen.

But the MacBook lacks two important hardware features that are nearly ubiquitous on Windows laptops. It has no slots for the flash memory cards used in digital cameras, smart phones and other devices. And it lacks a card slot for the adapters that can provide laptops with many add-on features, including flash memory sockets and cellphone data modems.

The lack of the card slot is particularly nettlesome. Among Apple laptops, only the costlier MacBook Pro has one. Every computer maker seeks to differentiate its low-priced and high-priced products. But withholding a near-universal industry-standard feature from a consumer machine is a bad way to do this. Even Dell’s $499 laptop has a card slot. So if you buy a MacBook, you’ll need to connect your camera with a cable, and to do without some add-on features that require a card slot.

Despite these drawbacks, the MacBook is a solid machine at a great price.

• Email me at mossberg@wsj.com.

Starting in January, six months earlier than promised, Apple began switching the Mac to the very latest Intel processors-allowing higher speeds at lower temperatures compared with the previous IBM chips. Apple’s sleek, slim computers can run faster without bulking up for extra fans or heat-dispersion space.

That change, in turn, enabled Apple to stun the world in April when it announced a free utility that permits the Intel-based Macs to run Windows as a complement to the Mac operating system. With this new software, called Boot Camp, a Mac user can start up the computer either as a Mac or as a Windows machine. That means people who resisted switching to the Mac because they need to run one or two programs available only in Windows can now convert without hesitation.

America’s slimmest brand-name desktop, the dazzling white iMac, now runs faster with Intel chips yet retains its slender form. So does the thin, aluminum-clad 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop, a renamed version of the PowerBook. Like its Mac siblings, the tiny Mac Mini desktop now includes an Intel processor that incorporates two “cores,” the equivalent of two processors in one.

These Intel models are Macs through and through because they still run Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, Tiger — which is so far ahead of Windows that it already contains the key features Microsoft is promising for its much-delayed new version of Windows, Vista, due in January.

But now Macs can run Windows as well. Apple’s other models should be converted to Intel by late 2006. They include the 17-inch-screen version of the MacBook Pro laptop, the thinnest and lightest portable available; the entry-level MacBook laptop, formerly called the iBook; and the top-of-the-line PowerMac towers.

The new Mac lineup doesn’t include some categories of computers offered by the likes of Dell and HP. For instance, Apple lacks an ultralight laptop like the 2.5- to 3.5-pound Windows models from Sony and Toshiba. It doesn’t offer gaming-specific desktop towers or big laptops, like those from Alienware and Dell. And it doesn’t offer models with built-in TV tuners and TiVo-like digital video recorders, like those available from most PC makers.

Also, while Macs now use standard ports and connectors, which can accommodate most any printer or scanner, they omit a couple of common features found on many Windows machines. They’re not equipped with readers for camera memory cards, and the laptops don’t have built-in receivers for the new, high-speed cell phone data networks. You can add both of these features as external add-ons, at extra cost.

On the other hand, Macs running the OS X operating system aren’t susceptible to the many thousands of viruses and spyware programs that plague Windows computers; most Mac users don’t bother to run antivirus and antispyware software.

Then there’s price. Years ago Macs cost much more than Windows PCs. That’s no longer true. The iMac is priced comparably to identically equipped Windows machines, though no similar Windows desktop is as slim. Mac laptops can run a few hundred dollars more than Windows models, though comparable Windows laptops tend to be thicker and heavier, with lower-quality screens.

But Apple has no offerings cheaper than its $599 base Mac Mini, which lacks a keyboard, monitor and mouse. It doesn’t play in the market’s bargain-basement segment, where Dell, HP and others have stripped-down models that sell for under $400.

Here’s a quick guide to the fresh Mac models, and to their new ability to run Windows.

DESKTOPS

The iMac. This is Apple’s flagship product, its main consumer desktop and, in my view, the best available consumer desktop. At first glance, it looks like just a sexy, white, flat-panel monitor. But there’s a powerful computer packed behind the screen, which can also run Windows. The iMac also has a built-in video and still camera, plus a special operating mode called Front Row that allows you to play music, videos, DVDs and photo slide shows from across a room, using an included remote control. The iMac starts at $1,299, complete with a built-in flat-panel screen.

The Mac Mini. The smallest desktop computer I’ve ever tested, at 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high. Yet it’s a full-fledged Mac, complete with the latest Intel chips, that can also run Windows. Starting at $599, the Mini includes Front Row with remote control and is often bought for connecting to a TV as a media hub.

The Power Mac. This is a heavy-duty tower, favored by graphic artists, musical composers, video producers and scientists. It has yet to be upgraded to Intel processors, but currently can be ordered with as many as four IBM G5 cores. For most consumers, it’s overkill. It starts at $1,999, without a monitor.

LAPTOPS

The MacBook Pro. Apple’s top laptop, a renamed, reengineered version of its famous PowerBook that looks and works pretty much the same-only faster. Though currently available only with a 15-inch screen, for $1,999, a 17-inch model may roll out. It’s not clear if the 12-inch PowerBook, which remains on sale at $1,499, will also be replaced.

The main difference between MacBook Pros and PowerBooks? The former use the new Intel processors, have built-in video cameras, and feature Front Row and the remote control. Oh, and they can run Windows. The MacBook.This is the rumored name for a new entry-level Intel-based laptop that will soon replace the iBook. It should be much faster and also be able to run Windows. Meanwhile, the iBook remains on sale, starting at $999. It uses the older IBM G4 processor.

WINDOWS ON A MAC

The new Intel-based Macs can run Windows via Boot Camp, a free Apple utility that overcomes some subtle hardware differences between the Intel-based Macs and standard Windows computers.

After you run Boot Camp, you simply buy a copy of Windows XP (Apple won’t sell or support Windows) and install it as you would on any regular Windows computer. You must use a full, nonupgrade copy of Windows that includes the update Microsoft calls “SP2.” These versions of Windows cost $200 to $300.

Once Windows is installed on a Mac, each time you start up you can choose whether to run the Mac OS or Windows. Only one operating system can be used at a time, and each controls its own walled-off section of the Mac’s hard disk.

In my tests, an Intel iMac running Windows performed like a fast, normal Windows computer and ran every Windows program and hardware device I threw at it.

Apple isn’t abandoning its operating system or switching to Windows. It’s making it easy to run Windows on a Mac in hopes of tempting potential switchers who would use the Mac OS most of the time, but need to shift to Windows periodically to run programs that don’t have Mac equivalents.

Macs aren’t for everyone. But they are superior computers, and with the new Intel chips and Windows capability, they are more attractive than ever.

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about Apple’s new software, Boot Camp, that allows users to run Windows on a Mac.

If you have a question, send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg’s Mailbox.

Now that Apple has made it easy to run Windows on a Mac, does this mean the opposite is possible? Can I also run the Macintosh operating system on a Dell or H-P or any other Windows machine? If not now, when?

No. Apple is happy to allow Windows on Macs because the company believes adding the Windows capability will sell more Macs. But it is opposed to allowing its OS X Tiger operating system to run on other companies’ computers, because it believes this will reduce Mac sales. Unlike Microsoft, Apple is in the computer business, not the business of selling the operating system by itself. It has rejected requests from other PC makers to license OS X, and has designed the Intel version of OS X to run only on Apple hardware.

Some hackers have claimed they got OS X running on Windows PCs, but not in any way that provides complete functionality or which is replicable by average, nontechie users.

If anyone does come up with an easy method, Apple is likely to alter OS X to defeat it. Of course, the company has changed course before, so anything is possible. But, for now, OS X works only on Apple hardware.

I know that with Apple’s Boot Camp, the Mac and Windows operating systems occupy their own distinct “partitions” on the machine’s hard disk. But can they view and use each other’s data files?

A: Yes, but it takes careful setup plus add-on software. Here’s how to do it.

When you run Boot Camp, you should make sure that the Windows partition you create on your hard disk is under 32 gigabytes. Then, when you install Windows, you should choose to format the Windows partition as “FAT32,” not “NTFS.” The FAT32 choice will allow your Mac to read and write to the Windows portion of the hard disk.

If you pick NTFS, the Mac will be able to read Windows files, but not write them. Note: You can’t choose FAT32 if the Windows segment of your hard disk exceeds 32 gigabytes.

After that, when you start up in Mac OS X, you’ll see the Windows drive and be able to access it from the Mac side. But, when you boot up in Windows, you won’t see, and can’t access, the Mac drive.

After the whole system is running fine, you should install a product called MacDrive on the Windows side. MacDrive, which costs $50 from a company called Mediafour, allows Windows PCs to access Mac disks.

The company says that MacDrive works on Boot Camp-equipped Macs. For more information, see: www.mediafour.com/bootcamp.

Will Boot Camp work on my iMac G5, or my PowerBook G4?

No, it works only on the very latest crop of Mac models, which began appearing this year, including the newest iMac and Mac Mini and the new MacBook Pro.

They are powered by Intel processors. If your Mac was bought before January 2006, or if its name includes the words G4, G5, iBook or PowerBook, it won’t work with Boot Camp.

Can I upgrade my older Mac to the Intel chips so I can run Windows on it?

No. Apple hasn’t made this kind of upgrade available. And, even if another company did, it would likely involve replacing most of the computer’s guts, not just one chip, and would likely cost almost as much as buying a new computer.

After I run Boot Camp, can I install my copy of Windows 2000? Can I use a copy of Windows I got with my Dell, or that I got from work?

No. Boot Camp works only with fresh copies of Windows XP, purchased at retail, that include the “SP2″ update from Microsoft in the box. It won’t work with upgrade versions of XP, or with copies that came with another PC, or that you got from friends or the office. And it won’t work with Windows 2000, or any other pre-XP version of Windows. You also can’t use Windows XP and then add the SP2 update later.

Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about Microsoft’s Media Center software, Apple laptops for college freshmen and computer monitors.

If you have a question, send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg’s Mailbox.

I am considering purchasing a Dell Windows Media Center PC. Its primary use would be for entertainment, but I would also likely use it for some business use. Will a PC with Media Center run Office [and other] software like a regular XP machine?

Yes. Microsoft’s Media Center software is a special version of Windows XP. It has a remote-controllable interface that can be used for playing media from across a room. But this interface need not be used all the time. When it isn’t in use, Media Center reverts to Windows XP, Professional edition. So, Media Center computers can be used like any other XP Pro machines. They can run all Windows programs, including Microsoft Office.

By the way, this is the last year Microsoft will be selling the Media Center Edition of Windows, but the functions of Media Center aren’t being discontinued. They are being folded into some of the versions of the new Windows Vista operating system, which will be available in January.

My grandson wants an Apple laptop for college. Does it make sense to go all the way with the new MacBook Pro, or would the 12-inch PowerBook G4 likely be good enough?

The MacBook Pro is a high-end laptop that costs $2,000 and up. It’s probably overkill for a college freshman, unless he or she will be taking a heavy dose of engineering or graphics classes. For most freshmen, the 12-inch PowerBook ($1,499), or even the iBook G4 ($999) would be a fine choice. Be prepared to spend a little extra for either model, as you’ll need to buy a copy of the Mac version of Microsoft Office, which costs $150 for students.

Unfortunately, I am among the small percentage of the population that can actually perceive light fluctuations at 60 hertz — or cycles per second — the rate at which many monitors redraw their screens. This means a standard computer monitor looks like a strobe light to me, and gives me a whopping headache, if I spend a couple of hours in front of one. Is there a solution?

Yes. Most monitors offer settings that allow them to operate at higher rates — say 75 Hz — which cycle faster and thus offer less visible flickering. This setting is called the “refresh rate.” It is adjustable from both Windows and Macintosh computers. You may be able to end your problem just by changing this setting to a higher refresh rate. It’s a good idea to use the highest refresh rate that your monitor can handle.

In Windows, you can find this setting in the Display control panel, which is in the Appearance and Themes group. In the Display control panel, click on the Settings tab. Then click on Advanced, and then Monitor, to find the available refresh rates.

On a Mac, just launch System Preferences, select Displays, and Click on the Display button to see the Refresh Rate choices.

If you have a question, send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg’s Mailbox.

Do you know when Apple will introduce the G5 PowerBook? Is this likely within the next year, hot on the heels of the Intel switchover?

I have no information on Apple’s release schedule for any new PowerBook laptops it may be developing. However, I doubt there ever will be an Apple laptop powered by the G5 processor. The G5, Apple’s top-of-the-line desktop processor today, is believed to run too hot for use in a laptop that’s slim enough to meet Apple’s taste for edgy design. That is one of the main reasons the company is switching from IBM-made processors such as the G5 to future processors from Intel.

So, I presume the next major processor change in Apple’s laptop line will be from the current IBM G4 chip to Intel processors, next year or in 2007. If that’s true, then the G5 will never show up in an Apple laptop.

How can I download those “extension modules” for the Firefox Web browser that you’ve mentioned in your articles?

A: The easiest way to get extensions, which enhance the functionality of Firefox, is to follow a link that’s built into the browser itself. Here’s how:

Click on the “Tools” menu in Firefox, then click on the item “Extensions,” which lists all the extensions you already are running. At the bottom right of this list, there’s a Web link that reads “Get More Extensions.” Clicking on this link will open a Web site where you can download more than 500 extensions.

You recently wrote that the Treo 650 from Sprint can be used as a modem for a laptop, using a wireless Bluetooth connection. I thought this wasn’t possible. How can it be done?

Sprint has just issued a software patch that will finally allow this, though the company warns that you will need a new, presumably costlier, calling plan to use your Treo in this manner. Cellphone companies customarily charge more for data plans for laptop modems than for similar plans for cellphones, because they assume laptop users will consume much more network bandwidth by downloading much more data.

The software patch is available at www.palmone.com/us/support/downloads/treo650updater/sprint.html.

* * *

Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

If you have a question, send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg’s Mailbox.

In last week’s column, you covered Web browsers that featured tabbed browsing and the ability to read syndicated news feeds. But you omitted the Opera browser, which has had these features for awhile. Why did you leave out Opera? Do you hate it?

Not at all. It was mainly a space issue — I didn’t have room in the column to delve into every browser. Opera, which runs on Windows, Macintosh and Linux, is a very good, speedy, full-featured Web browser that pioneered many of the key features of newer browsers like Firefox and Safari.

In the past, I have felt that Opera suffered from an overly complicated user interface, and that it was aimed more at techies and tinkerers than at the mainstream, nontechie users who are my main audience. But the latest version, Opera 8 — available for Windows and Linux and coming soon for the Mac — has a much cleaner look and feel and hides most of the options that might overwhelm average users. The new version also features a security-notification system that helps users judge whether a financial site is genuine or a possible scam; and an impressive ability to resize Web pages to fit screens of almost any size without scrambling the page layout.

In my limited tests, Opera 8 looks very good. The only downside of Opera is that, unlike Firefox, it isn’t exactly free. There is a no-charge version, but it displays ads in its toolbar. To get a version without ads, you have to pay $39.

I have pictures taken with a three- and four-megapixel camera. How do I easily email them without having to reduce the size of each picture?

In Windows XP, just go to the folder where the picture files are stored and select the ones you want to email. Then, either click on “E-mail the selected items” from the command list on the left of the window, or the “Send To” command on the File menu at the top of the window, or on the menu that pops up when you right-click on the file icons. You will be given a choice of making the pictures smaller, or emailing them at their original size.

On the Macintosh, the easiest way to do this is in the iPhoto program, which comes with every Mac. You just select the pictures you want to email, click the Email icon, and the program will give you a choice of sending the picture at its original size, or at a variety of smaller sizes.

I am trying to decide between purchasing an IBM ThinkPad and an Apple PowerBook. In order to do a realistic price comparison, I am wondering if there is a suite of music, photo and video editing software, on par with Apple’s iLife suite, that you would recommend for the ThinkPad.

I don’t know of a multimedia suite for Windows (handling photos, music, videos and DVD authoring) that is anywhere near as well integrated and easy to use as the iLife suite that Apple includes with all new Macs. There are individual programs, some of them free, that do parts of the job, such as Picasa or Adobe Photoshop Album for photos. But, in a complete suite, the closest candidate on Windows is probably Roxio Easy Media Creator, which sells for about $85.

Why isn’t there an “RSS” news feed that would allow users to read summaries of your columns in news reader software?

There is such a feed of my three weekly columns, as well as feeds for other articles from The Wall Street Journal. All use the RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, system and can be viewed from most news-reader programs and Web browsers that support the RSS standard.

In addition to the feed for my columns, there are feeds available for Journal news and business headlines, the paper’s editorials and its technology stories. These feeds of headlines and story summaries are available free to anyone, but the actual stories behind them are viewable only by readers who have a paid subscription. There is one exception: a news feed for a selection of free stories made available each day.

To get the Journal’s RSS feeds, go to wsj.com, and click on the entry called “RSS Feeds” toward the bottom of the menu at the left of the home page. Or, to get the feed for my column, just paste the following address into a news reader or RSS-capable Web browser: online.wsj.com/xml/rss/0,, 3_7071,00.xml. To get the feed for each day’s free stories, paste in this address: online.wsj.com/xml/rss/0,,3_7077,00.xml.

* * *

Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com

If you have a question, send it to me at mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg’s Mailbox.

I am thinking of switching from my Windows notebook to an Apple PowerBook. My question is whether my years of Word, PowerPoint and PDF files really will work seamlessly on the Mac. Apple says they will, but I wonder if you have any experience in this matter.

In my experience, your Word and PowerPoint files (as well as Excel files) will work fine on a Mac, if you buy the Macintosh version of Microsoft Office. The Mac version uses the exact same file formats as the Windows version, and it can read files created in the Windows version without requiring any conversion or translation. Files you create in the Mac version can be read by the Windows version just as well.

Some complex Word and PowerPoint files don’t carry over perfectly. Depending on how the file was created, graphics may not be aligned correctly and some fonts may not be the same. But, in my experience, these issues are rare for typical documents created most of the time by most users.

As for Adobe’s PDF files, they are truly cross-platform. There are Mac versions of Adobe’s free Reader program and its full Acrobat program, for creating and handling PDF files, and they are essentially identical to the Windows versions. But you don’t even need Adobe software to handle PDF files on a Mac. Out of the box, every Mac can read — and even create — PDF files, using built-in software provided by Apple.

I switch between Windows PCs and Macs all day, every day, and find these file-compatibility problems to be nonexistent. Sometimes, I start a column on a Windows PC using Word for Windows, then email the partial draft to myself, and open it on a Mac and finish it in Word for the Mac. It’s just no problem. I get Word, PowerPoint, PDF and Excel files as email attachments all the time, and they open equally well on PCs and Macs.

By the way, in addition to Microsoft Office files, and Adobe PDF files, many other common file types carry over perfectly from the Windows platform to the Mac, and vice versa. These include JPG picture files, MP3 music files, and HTML files created for the Web. None need conversion or translation.

I have a digital camera and a camcorder, but hate to carry both on business trips, vacations or family visits, since they require different chargers, extra batteries, different types of memory cards, etc. I wondered if there was a combo digital camera that could take both decent still pictures and long videos.

Actually, in the digital era, the consumer still camera and video camera are slowly merging. Most digital still cameras can take short movies, and some can take movies that last as long as the capacity of their memory cards will allow. Also, a new class of “tapeless” video cameras has emerged. These small models save their videos to memory cards instead of tapes, and also function as digital still cameras.

The best-known camera in this new combo category is the Panasonic D-Snap. Sony makes one called the DSC-M1. But the category isn’t mature yet, and doesn’t offer a complete balance between the two modes. For instance, the Sony is really a still camera with video capability, and lacks the complete set of features you might want in a video camera. (Sony sells it as a still camera.) The Panasonic is more of a video camera with still capability. Its still pictures are only two megapixels in resolution.

So, you may still be stuck carrying two cameras, unless you can content yourself with the simple videos available on still cameras, or the limited still pictures available on video cameras.

Is there a small device that I can use to download Web pages from my home computer to read on my commute? I am thinking of an e-book type device that I can use to read the Web version of the paper.

I know of nothing that works in that way. However, you could buy a Palm or Pocket PC-based PDA, with Wi-Fi or another wireless capability, and download the Web pages directly to the device, using its built-in Web browser.

Or, even with a PDA that lacks wireless capability, you could subscribe to a service called AvantGo, which allows you to download news and other content from a PC to the PDA for later reading. AvantGo doesn’t place actual Web sites on the PDA. Instead, it loads the device with “channels” containing news, weather, sports, stock quotes, maps, movie listings, and more. These channels come from name-brand sources such as MarketWatch, Rolling Stone, Reuters, Wired and USA Today. MarketWatch is owned by Dow Jones & Co., publisher of this newspaper.

* * *

Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com