Today’s Mac-using professionals are getting mighty fond of the convenient tech solutions Apple, Inc. keeps pumping out year after year, and they want to be kept in the loop on the latest developments. To help toward this end, Alvina Lopez has compiled a top 10 go-to list of online resources that she visits on a regular basis to stay abreast of all things Mac. I expect that many of the Mac enthusiasts that visit this blog will be familiar with many of these sites, but I also suppose some will find it useful to see them all in one place for easy reference, and perhaps add a few to their queue.
- Apple.com :: In a world of tech rumors, sometimes it’s just more helpful to get the information you need straight from the horse’s mouth. They have a tab titled "Hot News" where you can skim headlines for topics you might be interested in. Hot News will re-route you to updates about their products and provides links to mainstream news articles about their successes (as you might expect, they don’t typically link to articles criticizing their products, so you’ll need to set up Google Alerts with keywords "Mac" and "Apple" if you want to access positive and negative news articles about Apple products.)
- MacWorld.com :: This is the website that accompanies the niche magazine. The website closely follows trends, applications, and capabilities of Mac desktops and laptops, as well as the iPad, iPod and iPhone. What I find most useful are the reviews of products and applications. The Mac tips, tricks and how-tos are useful as well.
- MacRumors.com :: If you’re interested in the rumors, scuttlebutt and leaks of new Apple products (like I am), than this site is for you. There’s also a forum, where you can connect with like-minded folks who are on the edge of their seats waiting for the next product, version or update.
- Wired.com :: This site accompanies the popular tech magazine, which I skim for Mac-related articles. The great thing about this site is the number of bloggers involved, which provides a good deal of less newsy, anecdotal information pertaining to Macs and other Apple products. The How-To tab is also occasionally useful for snags you run into with your Macs.
- BusinessWeek’s Apple blog :: This blog is titled "Byte of the Apple" and is co-written by a senior tech writer and senior writer at BusinessWeek who have followed Apple for a long time. They have interesting, mature perspectives on the company and its products.
- AppleInsider.com :: This is a simple site which compiles a great deal of Apple-related news (and rumors) in one place. These sites are helpful for picking up tidbits you may have missed in a mass Mac news search.
- MacLife.com :: This is the website for the magazine tailored specifically for "today’s passionate Mac users." Aside from the hard tech news I can’t get enough of, the site has reviews, how-tos, blogs and forums.
- CultofMac.com :: As the name suggests, this site is suitable for the ultra Mac-obsessed. Today I shook my head when I saw a piece on a "rare MacBook Pro with THREE command keys." Even so, it does have useful Mac news and rumors. The site is run by the guy who wrote a book called Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
- Mac.AppStorm.net :: AppStorm is a blog that reviews and discusses Mac applications. You never really know what you’re going to get on this site, and that’s part of its draw.
- Mac-Forums.com :: Last but not least is a discussion forum that you can join to talk to people who speak Mac. They might not go by their real names, but they can help you with your Mac questions in a snap.
This guest post is contributed by Alvina Lopez, who writes on the topics of accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email alvina.lopez@gmail.com.