Welcome to the October issue of About This Particular Macintosh! Summer has given way to fall, and as the leaves change color we’re taking this issue to change the normal structure of our monthly Welcome.

ATPM has been in continuous publication since early 1995. This is the fourth presidential election cycle the publication has witnessed, the third CEO of Apple, and the fall and rise of the company has occurred during our watch. In that time more than one-half dozen distinct processor classes have entered and exited Macintosh computers, and our editorial span has encompassed the demise of the Newton and the ascent of the iPod and iPhone as both personal digital devices and cultural phenomena.

At the moment our first issue was distributed, the Resolution Trust Company was still mopping up from the last major financial crisis to beset our nation from shore to shore. As much as things change, many things have also remained the same. Technologies will change, but the human desire for information, entertainment, and the occasional diversion from the challenges of life remains as a constant.

ATPM is intended to be always relevant but often irreverent. We make no apologies, and we enjoy what we do. This publication is written and distributed with you in mind. When the headlines turn ugly and the news seems grim, just remember we’ve all been here before. This time around some of the more interesting technologies are just a bit different and the occasional diversions a bit more fun.

In this month’s issue we begin our iPhone app roundup. The writer of this column has a newfound favorite in Shazam, a free iPhone app that will find the song names and artists for music one enjoys, sourced from the sound coming from one’s car radio or home stereo. Shazam listens to the music, checks the music against a database, and reports back the song name and artist.

Please enjoy our October issue. No matter the news and the serious nature of the current political debates, ATPM is here today and will be with you tomorrow to celebrate the personal computing experience.

Our October issue includes: