Dear Friends,

The big news this week is a complete refresh of Apple’s Macintosh desktop computers. iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Pros were all upgraded this week and new versions of the Apple Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme Base Station were released. We will review this new products in this issue of Kibbles & Bytes and should have most of these new products in stock next week.

Apple reduced prices and increased the features of these new desktop Macs and now, more than ever, the value of a Mac transcends the advantages of the Mac operating system, ease of use and reliability. With the ability to run both Mac OS and Windows, the value of a Mac becomes more absolute. Apple desktops are simply the most versatile and best value in desktop personal computers. One recent analysis compared the new $1499 24-inch iMac to all-in-one offerings from Dell and HP. The iMac was less expensive, had a faster processor and RAM, had a bigger hard drive and faster video. With bundled iLife and Mac OS X Leopard the value is striking.

I organized a selection of my photos from Tanzania. If you are interested in taking a look you can surf over to my personal website at:

Donmayer.org/Don_Mayer/Tanzania.html

It was Town Meeting week here in Vermont. Each town held meetings, schools were closed and towns voted on their budgets, elected town officials and voted on numerous resolutions. About 40 towns in Vermont had resolutions regarding our aging nuclear plant in Vernon. All but a couple passed resolutions urging the legislature to not permit the relicensing of the plant for another 20 years beyond its design life.

I am also pleased to announce that Small Dog Electronics has received two prestigious awards. We were selected as one of ten companies as The Best Places to Work in Vermont. The rankings will come out in a couple of weeks, but we are very honored to be included. In addition, I learned yesterday that the Vermont Retail Association has selected us as one of two companies for their Greentailer of the Year award. This annual award recognizes the Vermont retailer that best exemplifies overall environmental excellence in its business practices.