February 6 - 9:30am EST   Apple is ending most or all of its support for a host of older Macs, according to a memo issued to Apple Authorized Service Providers this week. Headlining the bulletin is a range of "obsolete" products, which Apple classifies as hardware that was discontinued over seven years ago; these include the PowerBook G4, and digital audio or Quicksilver models of the PowerMac G4 and Macintosh Server G4. As of March 17th, no support of any kind will be available for the obsolete systems, including replacement parts. [full story]

January 23 - 5:00pm EST   January 24th will mark the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, Apple's flagship product. The computer was the first commercially successful system to include a mouse and a graphical interface, and is widely seen as having made personal computers accessible to the general public, rather than just people with technical expertise. Apple would continue to expand the technology over the coming years, and adopt a number of different names, such as Performa, PowerBook, iMac and Mac Pro. [full story]

November 3 - 4:20pm EST   Apple artificially limited the scope of a repair program for defective PowerBooks, a new class-action lawsuit alleges. Filed by Giorgio Gometsky via northern California, the suit makes reference to a problem with the PowerBook G4, in which memory added to the computer went unrecognized, thereby depriving people of performance or generating additional problems. "Unfortunately for consumers," the suit notes, "because both memory slots are hardwired to the PowerBook's motherboard, consumers who choose to repair the defect can incur costs of more than $500 in parts and labor." [full story]

October 2 - 10:35am EDT   The list of eligible claimants in the settlement of a lawsuit against Apple has expanded, according to an administrative firm. Rosenthal & Co. has issued notices in the wake of Gordon v. Apple, which alleged that power adapters shipped with iBooks and PowerBooks could fray and spark, or simply fail to work. Although Apple has denied any fault in the matter, it is said to have agreed to a settlement in order to avoid expenses. [full story]

August 21 - 4:05pm EDT   Newertech today announced new additions to its line of computer accessories, and lower prices on some of its established products. New items include NuPower iBook batteries; a 4400mAh battery for PowerBooks, said to boost capacity by 37 percent over its OEM counterpart; and a 4400mAh version for the 14-inch iBook G3, which boosts lifespan by 18 percent. [full story]

May 16 - 3:20pm EDT   Accessory and peripheral maker FastMac has announced a new external battery charger for Mac notebooks, the U-Charge. The unit is a 45W adapter that bridges from an AC outlet directly to a battery's terminals, eliminating the need to have the notebook itself present. As a result the U-Charge also consumes less energy than some adapters, having no need to power the computer at the same time. Indicator LEDs mimic those of Apple's, and safeguards are installed against overcharging, overheating and power surges. [full story]

May 9 - 3:30pm EDT   Apple on Friday announced it would refund between $25 and $80 to as many as 2.3 million iBook and PowerBook owners, after a significant number of adapters went defective, fraying and sparking. The Los Angeles Times reports that US District Court Judge James Ware granted preliminary approval on March 24th on the 2006 class action filing. The agreement makes Apple responsible for paying for a portion of replacement power adapters for the portables. [full story]

April 7 - 3:50pm EDT   Both the consumer MacBook and the performance-minded MacBook Pro will receive a major overhaul with their next updates, say sources speaking with AppleInsider. Either design has remained largely unchanged but will now allegedly receive visual cues from the aluminum iMac and MacBook Air, including an all-aluminum design, traces of black, and more tapered edges. The trackpad is also likely to switch to the extra-large design found in the Air, though whether the 13-inch MacBook will gain multi-touch is unknown. [full story]