New and Noteworthy: Apple adds Radeon X850 XT as Power Mac G5 option; All iPods now sport color screens; more

Apple adds Radeon X850 XT as Power Mac G5 option Macworld reports that Apple has quietly added a new build-to-order option for its line of Power Mac G5 desktop computers ? the ATI Radeon X850 XT graphics card. "The option adds US$400 onto the cost of a Power Mac G5, unless it?s the high-end system clocked at 2.7GHz ? that system comes equipped with a slightly different graphics card, so it only costs US$350 to upgrade." More.

All iPods now sport color screens Apple has announced that its iPod and iPod photo lines are merging, creating a single line of white iPods that all feature color displays with the ability to view album artwork, photos and play slideshows in stunning color. A press release reads "The simplified iPod lineup features a 20GB model, holding up to 5,000 songs priced at just $299 and a 60GB model, holding up to 15,000 songs priced at $399. Also starting today, iPods will offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display Podcast artwork in color." More.

The iPod's dirty little secret An article in The Boston Globe describes how the iPod has changed the way people organize, choose and purchase music. "(The) iPod has changed the rules. Its storage capacity, up to 5,000 songs, allows consumers to mix whims and impulses with commitments. At 99 cents a track, everything is disposable, nothing has to matter. It is a jumble out there. Someone might order a slice of The Kinks' 'Picture Book' because they heard it in a Hewlett-Packard commercial, not because they wanted an introduction to Ray Davies, one of the 20th century's finest pop music composers." More.

Sun outlines plans for next two versions of Java In a JavaOne technical session about the future of Java, Sun Microsystems Inc. identified possible plans for the next couple of versions of the platform. eWeek reports "Graham Hamilton, a Sun fellow and vice president, said Java Standard Edition 7, code-named Dolphin, which is expected by early 2008, will likely feature some language changes, such as direct support for XML data types in the language, method references and friends for cross-package references." More.

Previously on MacFixIt:

• Mac OS X 10.4.x: Sound device issues
• Apple releases iTunes 4.9
• Apple releases iPod Updater 2005-06-26

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