Yes, according to Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer speaking at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans. During his speech he recounted a call he claimed to be from Apple Legal. According to the transcript:
And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something.
Is Turner telling the truth about this? I can’t say for sure, but it’s instructive to note that in the same transcript he says this about the Laptop Hunter ads (emphasis mine)… Read the rest of this entry »
The latest release of iTunes (8.2.1) puts an end to the Palm Pre’s syncing with iTunes. Some have expressed surprise, but it was an obvious and proper move on Apple’s part.
I wrote about this issue on two separate occasions, and believed it was clear that Apple needed to address the exposure Palm was taking advantage of.
In the first article I pointed out that:
it has everything to do with denying Palm a seat at the table to which they’re not entitled. Let the Pre use the old iTunes API, if possible, as others have, but not appear as an iPod. I don’t see why Apple should stand idly by while a third party walks in and acts as an equal member of the iPod/iTunes system… Read the rest of this entry »
You pretty much handled all the I/O and error correction yourself. It’s why I say that to truly appreciate an operating system you have to have been one.
Viewsonic has announced the availability of their first PC. An All-in-One model with an 18.5″ screen called the VPC100. Resolution is tiny for such a large screen (1366 x 768), but what’s really surprising is that the specs are all essentially that of a netbook:
Atom processor (not even the N280, it’s the older N270)
Intel integrated graphics
1GB RAM
XP Home
160 GB drive
Sure, it has a few more ports than a netbook but, really, this thing is just a netbook with a bigger keyboard and a screen that’s overkill for the resolution. And at $600 it’s much more expensive and not even portable. Huh? … Read the rest of this entry »
I came out to the local Apple store to get a case for the new iPhone since the one for the original model feels loose.
I get there, and am stopped at the door. I have to wait in the line even though I don’t want an iPhone. Bummer.
The line was maybe only 10 people, but I don’t know how fast it was moving, and it just didn’t seem worth it for a case. So instead of a nice leather case I got a cheap vinyl one from one of the mall’s “sidewalk vendors”. It’ll do for now.
Mission accomplished, I’m sitting with a cup of Go Juice and posting this via the WordPress iPhone app.
AT&T delivered my new iphone 3G S on June 19th as promised. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to activate it (should I swap the SIM card from the old phone?) and it didn’t come with any documentation to that effect. Ultimately, since there was a sticker on the box with my phone number, I assumed AT&T did what they needed to do, so SIM-swapping was unnecessary.
I plugged it into iTunes, and saw the (common) message that it needed activation and that could take a while. I’d read this could take up to two days, so I kind of expecetd it. No biggie, since I could still sync it, put it on WiFI, etc.
I took the option to restore it from the latest backup (of my current iPhone). This worked great, with all my apps brought over, including all my settings and their positions on the various home screens. Connecting it to my home WiFi network, my Microsoft Exchange account asked for a password, and it was all set. MobileMe did as well, but it claimed it could not get a secure connection to the server. The Inbox worked, but I could not see or interact with any other folders in my account. Read the rest of this entry »
Robert Scoble is apparently drooling all over a new… (wait for it) Dell! It’s called the Z, and he’s very excited:
this is the first Dell that has me slobbering in a very long time.
And with that ringing endorsement he also says he’ll be “dumping” his Mac. OK.
From the photo it seems like a nice looking machine, in that black MacBook sort of way (which is a nice looking machine).
But isn’t that kind of a “been there, done that” design? And it still runs Windows, right? I couldn’t help but notice it has the requisite PC stickers on it. Further, was Scoble only interested in Macs for their hardware/design? The Mac OS meant nothing?
You can see more about the new Latitude Z here. Meanwhile, don’t dump your Mac, Robert, sell it. Or send it to me.
Nice review of the iPhone 3G S by David Pogue at the NYT. It’s a good review, and I was struck by a statement he made in his conclusion:
At this point, the usual list of 10 rational objections to the iPhone have been whittled down to about three: no physical keyboard, no way to swap the battery yourself and no way to avoid using AT&T as your cell company.
Here are my comments on the three remaining reason he gives:
No physical keyboard. I’ve written about the difference between software and hardware keyboards elsewhere. I believe the universal landscape keyboard in iPhone OS 3.0 addresses some of the complaints people had re: needing a hardware keyboard in terms of two-handed typing.
No swappable battery. This is a non-starter in my opinion. Some people still think the iPod needs one. In any case, the new iPhone has increased battery life pretty significantly; the more battery life, the less need to swap it.
AT&T only. Valid, but valid for anyone no matter what. In other words, if you don’t live in an area with AT&T service than you can’t consider the iPhone. Besides, without that exclusivity we wouldn’t have the iPhone as we know it.
To me, unless you’re outside AT&T coverage it’s really come down to people who will always find a reason to ding the iPhone.
Jason Kelly at Seeking Alpha writes a great article about the Apple retail experience that accompanied his switch to the Mac after 20+ years as a PC user.
Just a couple of highlights from the article:
Such a store shows a great deal of confidence in the products, which gives me confidence as a buyer. I’m not being rushed out the door with a flimsy piece of paper saying I have tech support for a year if I need it — just call this number in India, but don’t under any circumstances bother us here — but am instead given all the time and freedom to arrive at about the only conclusion anybody can: I want one.
When my tally was finished, he added up the retail prices and then reduced each of them in front of me to get me a greater than 10% discount. Mind you, this was after I’d agreed to buy, so it was just a smart form of customer service. What a way to leave me even happier. They didn’t entice me with lowball prices. They sold me on quality products, and then offered me savings as a form of thanks for the business. Very classy.
You really should read the whole thing. It’s an excellent example of Apple excelling in something that can’t be just chalked up to great marketing or alleged “fanbois” buying anything with the Apple logo. If nothing else, perhaps it shows how these so-called fanbois are created in the first place.
There is already a lot of noise over this all around the ‘net. Owners of the iPhone 3G saying they’re getting ripped off, or not being treated like “loyal customers,” because they’re not being offered the fully subsidized price for the new iPhone 3G S. In reality the AT&T upgrade pricing is pretty much like all phone subsidies in the U.S. (and, for that matter, many other parts of the world). Actually, it’s a little better…
Harry McCracken at Technologizer wrote a nice piece about the virtues of hardware keyboards on smartphones.
I think one reason a keyboard argument even exists is because when competing in a given market you have to tag a competitor’s hot product with a “missing feature,” and then provide that feature. (How many manufacturers claimed FM radio and replaceable batteries were glaring omissions from the iPod, only to find adding it to their devices made no difference?)…
After years of touting that Mac OS X “just works”, I guess Microsoft finally decided to hang along for the ride. A reader sent in a page scan from marketing materials in their Microsoft Action Pack subscription, and look what we have here:
After years of touting that Apple’s products are “Designed by Apple in California”, I guess Palm decided to go along for the ride. According to jkOnTheRun, the new Palm Pre packaging has “a clear plastic card with the manual that says “inspired by and designed in California””.
Oh well. If you’re gonna copy, copy from the best.
Dave Winer published a piece explaining his views on netbooks, and he brings up Apple because a) he uses Macs and b) Apple has publicly stated its disinterest in getting in the netbook game. (I’m setting aside whether Apple really isn’t getting in the game.)
He also mentions there’s “more sniffing from people who love Macs about how inadequate the current crop are.”…
Another WWDC is upon us, and amidst all the speculation of possible new iPhones — and even wilder speculation about Mac tablets — there’s something we should not forget: Software demos.
Yes, it’s a developer conference and that’s the place for them, so prepare for some “down” time during the keynote as the latest iPhone apps are demoed on stage for your enjoyment. All you can do is pray the presenters have an actual personality, and applaud politely as you mutter all the while something like “Yeah, that’s great, where’s the #$%^! hardware!”
James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun have posted a “tag team” article with their first impressions of the Palm Pres they purchased today. It’s well worth a read.
The upshot of their impressions so far indicate that the early reviews were pretty much right on the mark. It would appear that the biggest drawbacks of the device may only be those one might reasonably expect from 1.0 versions of hardware and soffware.
Barring any major flaw or issues that arise in, say, the next 30 days, it seems to me Palm engineering has pulled off a very impressive feat. This is all the more impressive, in my opinion, because outside of engineering the rest of Palm has done little more than a floundering, bumbling series of mis-steps.
Palm’s been working hard to mastermind the Pre launch this Saturday, but I think they’re getting it all wrong. Now Sprint has joined in. It’s reached the point where they look like a couple of companies seriously in need of some business acumen.
Early reviews of the Pre are promising, yet I wonder if the bumbling, stumbling, Three Stooges approach Palm and its partners have used from the Pre’s introduction to its launch aren’t enough to ruin it anyway…
You’ve got to give Microsoft credit. Having failed at making the Zune an “iPod killer,” they’ve given up and are trying to make it an “iPod touch killer.” Why go after big brother when little brother has kicked your butt for two years? Beats me; you’d have to ask Microsoft. All I can do is look at the Zune HD and see what it’s about…
Another Laptop Hunter ad is upon us, and with five of these babies under our belt it’s time to step back and see what, if anything, works, and what doesn’t.
It’s not hard to see the predicament Microsoft is in. It wants to push Windows machines yet is hamstrung by the following…
The latest Laptop Hunter ad is out, and it went where it had no business going. The first ad featured Lauren, and setting aside that she was cute, the best thing about her was that she was enthusiastic and a non-techie. Her purchase was as much emotional as anything else. While I’d disagree with that kind of computer purchasing logic, there’s a certain truth to it.
Giampaulo: Technically Impaired
The star of the new ad, Giampaulo, claims to be “technically savvy,” and then spends the rest of ad proving he’s not. Apparently, his (and Microsoft’s) definition of “technically savvy” means buying a machine with Windows on it. By that definition, Lauren was “technically savvy” as well…
Have you seen the ad yet? Lauren only has to find a laptop computer with a 17-inch screen for under a grand and she gets to keep it.
Lauren is a redhead. Long, thick, curly, lovely red hair. Did I mention redheads rule? Well, they do. Curse you, Microsoft, for using Lauren in this ad. Her engaging personality and infectious enthusiasm blinded me, and I eagerly sought the HP web site to pick up that great 17-inch laptop. After all, if it’s good enough for Lauren…
I’ve had my new iPod shuffle for two days and thought I’d post my thoughts on it. We’ve already covered the out-of-the-box and setup experience elsewhere, so I won’t repeat them here…
Those aren’t my words (thank heavens), but rather Dell’s own. Check out this video. It’s OK to admit it, I almost threw up too.
All this talk about the “love of industrial design” and “exceptional materials” coming from Dell is rather odd. And could they copy Apple any more in terms of their design discussions? Let’s see…
There’s a story going around that some of what Apple may announce today for the iPhone 3.0 OS will be to counter Palm’s Pre. Kevin Rose mentioned this, and it’s covered in a few places, including right here.
Personally, I think such discussion is Pre-mature…
I bought it online since shipping and engraving are free. I lose the instant gratification of the Apple Store, but I gain the personalization of engraving. (Though I admit it was challenging to come up with an engraving because there’s a small limit on letters.) Shortly after ordering, I got a confirmation email saying it would ship in three to five business days. So far, so good, now all I can do is wait.
Yes, the headline is an exaggeration, but as I read more and more about the reaction to this thing I’m really struck by some of it.
“If I lose my headphones then I can’t use the device!” Well, if you lose your headphones now what do you do? Hold the thing up to your ear and crank the volume? You need to get headphones in either case. And third parties will provide more options.
The interface gets lots of flack. Apparently the click, double-click and triple-click is just too much. No one can use it. Grandma will be helpless…
Apple released the 3G iPod shuffle today. That’s “3G” as in third generation, not 3G as in the communications protocol used by the iPhone 3G. See? It’s as clear as the dirt on the floor. But I digress…
Naturally, Digg Nation has weighed in on Apple’s latest move. Since we all know every tech reader on Digg is a would-be genius — and as a group they clearly have their pulse on the market. Their approval and support of the new device is critical to the success of— oh, forget it. Who am I kidding?
Truth is, it’s more like comic relief to read Digg comments, especially about all things Apple…
Even the Mac mini updates included the above. These were obvious and well-known. Where Apple departed from the Mac mini updates, however, was in the rest of the package…
Seems nearly everybody believes therumored Mac Miniis fake. At least, that’s what I see in most of the comments to the published rumors.
Predicting what Apple will do next is nearly impossible, and I usually don’t bother going there. But today, what the heck. I think these rumors are valid. My issue with a lot of the comments saying “Fake!” are that they don’t pass any reasonable test I apply to them…
I think they’re both right (yes, life is good sitting on top of this fence).
I don’t disagree with Charles’ friend that width is a big factor, and here the new MacBook is much bigger than the 12.” However, I would suggest that depth is the more critical (for use on a table, airline tray table, etc.) and here the new model is only slightly bigger. Further, weight is a big factor and the two are pretty much identical.
So you need to consider just what you’re getting for those extra couple inches of width…
So Apple is finally awarded their multi-touch patent, and the hue and cry from the Apple Bashers is pretty loud. But not only Apple Bashers are worried, Daring Fireball had this to say:
Very broad language – taken at face value, Apple effectively owns the IP rights to multi-touch in the U.S. This sucks.
DF’s major beef is with the patent office awarding the patent in the first place due to its broad language. However, what other type of language does one use for the concept being patented? We’re talking a whole new UI here. The implication seems to be that the patent is short on specifics, yet it’s 358 pages! When you’re patenting a new UI, I’m thinking you’re going to have to brush with broad strokes lest you forget a corner of the canvas that a competitor uses to white out your picture.
In promoting his upcoming film, Objectified, a documentary maker published a photo (above) of Jony Ive from “inside Apple’s design facilities.”
Naturally, tech bloggers the world over will examine the photo in detail in the hope that Apple slipped up and left something in the photograph that reveals their next “sooper seekrit” product. Rumors and speculation will run rampant. After all, if every Chinese newspaper or two-bit tech pundit or analyst publishing nonsensical information becomes grist for the rumor mill, then certainly an actual photograph of “mad scientist” Ive’s lair should give us material for months.
I’m getting ahead of the curve to reveal that, after close inspection of the photograph, I can report on Apple’s latest cool new device…
For quite a while (heck, pretty much forever), the knock on Apple has been that it’s overpriced, that the same thing can be had for much less elsewhere.
A much more recent complaint is that somehow Apple never gets any critical reviews, it’s all just shoddy reporting. A couple of big hitters on the other side have jumped on this latest argument. I’ll leave it for others to attack the attackers, so to speak, but I believe it gives the topic more credibility than it deserves, and leads down a path that neither side can possibly “win” anyway.
What’s especially funny is that the day after Paul Thurrot’s screed he published a two-part review of Microsoft’s Windows Live Essentials proclaiming it to be “awesome” and “excellent.” These are just the mail, chat, etc. apps recently unbundled from Windows. I’ve been running them for a few months now. They’re OK, but there’s nothing particularly special here. If they’re “awesome,” then their Mac equivalents must be super duper, fantastic, magical, and other-worldly. It’s funny how Paul railed against “bad reporting” and a company having “too many friends in the media,” yet then provided examples of both in a review that gave four stars to what’s essentially the old Outlook Express app with a facelift and botox. Bad reporting, indeed.
Today the 17 inch MacBook Pro joined its younger siblings with a unibody construction. While many of the improvements were expected — based on the existing unibody models — and there are some worthwhile performance enhancements, Apple also had a couple of nice surprises in store. Let’s take a look…
In General on Wednesday, 17 December 2008 at 14:12
With all the hoopla surrounding Psystar these days, a few other companies have jumped on board the Mac clone bandwagon. In some cases they’re using somewhat, shall we say, unique, methods. Still, the intent is clear: skirt Apple’s EULA and sell a solution that allows Mac OS X to run on generic PC hardware. In other words, swipe Apple’s IP.
Seems everyone’s talking about netbooks these days. So I will, too since I’ve seen so much punditry of late that says Apple can’t charge their usual prices anymore, the economy is in the dumps, netbooks rule, Apple can’t ignore the market, etc.
Now that recent rumors of a $99 iPhone seem to have been settled — Wal-Mart will sell the 8GB model for $197 — we can get back to the broader discussion of just what an eventual $99 iPhone could mean to Apple.
I believe the answer to the question depends on just what a $99 iPhone is. Prior to the latest rumors, it was usually discussed as some sort of “iPhone nano.” Maybe a flip phone, and generally acknowledged to be much more limited than the current iPhone. I’m sure these rumors will creep up again soon.
In General on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 at 22:14
I was surprised when I first learned that the Blackberry Storm would not have Wi-Fi. This was especially surprising to me since the other recent new Blackbery, the Bold, does have Wi-Fi.
It seems more and more of the upper-tier smartphones include this feature, and it got me wondering if it should be a feature a potential user should insist on. For me it definitely is.
Keep in mind that if you think Wi-Fi as just a high-speed data pipe, then I believe you’re underrating what Wi-Fi can do for your device. Here is why I’d insist on Wi-Fi in what, let’s face it, are hand-held computers that happen to make phone calls.
There have been a lot of reviews lately regarding the new Blackberry Storm. I summarized a few myself, but things haven’t improved much. While there are some bright spots, the overall tone of the reviews is that the Storm is a disappointment.
Still, as a Blackberry on the Verizon network I suspect it’ll do fine regardless. Instead of dwelling on the reviews, I want to disagree with comments I’ve read that say RIM should be cut some slack because it’s a 1.0 product, which makes it the same as the iPhone’s initial release.
The Blackberry Storm will be available on 11/21 in the U.S. It’s getting some early reviews and they’re a mixed bag. Will this be an “iPhone killer”, will it have similar problems that the Bold encountered, or at the end of the day is it just another Blackberry (not that that’s a bad thing)?
A couple of things I’ve gathered so far that are worth emphasizing:
Everyone talks about it costing $200 in the U.S. with a two-year Verizon contract, but the real cost is $250. That’s what they’ll take from you, that’s what you’ll see coming out of your bank account, and that’s what’s gonna be on your receipt. Afterwards, if you tackle the paperwork and wait a month or two, they’ll send you a $50 debit card in the mail.
Data/Voice plans appear on a par with AT&T and others (around $70/month), but keep in mind the visual voice mail Verizon offers is an additional $3 a month.
Turn by turn directions are available, but that’s another $10 a month.
For Mac users, there’s no updated MacMediaCenter app available yet to move media to the device.
No Wi-Fi. Verizon says it would just eat up battery life, but that’s wrong; Wi-Fi uses lessjuice than 3G.
Ars Technica wrote an article about Macs and Blu-ray drives. That’s fine, but they did so under a misguided premise:
In the third quarter earnings call in July, Apple warned investors about an upcoming product transition that would eat away at the company’s cushy margins. However, in the intermediate, no new or updated products have surfaced that look like they could be responsible for significantly reduced margins.
The article then dismisses the new “unibodies” for the MacBook and MacBook Pros, instead suggesting a “mystery margin-reducing product or feature” must have been intended. It goes on to postulate that Blu-ray was supposed to be that mystery feature, but that Apple decided against it.
One of the more innovative items coming out of Apple’s new laptop announcements last week was their development of a new trackpad for these portables. This new trackpad has several interesting features:
Made out of glass
No visible button or button area
Multi-touch for numerous gestures
While the multi-touch capability was introduced in the MacBook Air (and, later, in revisions to the Pro models), some new ones have been added with the new laptops. The first two items are completely new.
In utilizing the new trackpad, there are some observations I’d like to make that may interest those who have yet to try it.
Or words to that affect. That’s what I’m seeing on blogs and in a boatload of forum comments. Geez, people. Why is it every time Apple makes a move there’s a pile of people to step in and claim how stupid Apple is, or how they don’t care about their customers, etc.? As if Apple’s not nailing almost all of their decisions lately (and by “lately” I mean over the last 10 years).
Based on reported preliminary figures from Gartner, Apple is set to show incredible PC growth in the US compared to the industry.
I’m not so concerned with the figures themselves so much as my belief that to properly calculate Apple’s growth compared to the industry you must remove their figures from the industry totals and then compare the growth rates side by side.
When I wrote about the MacBook earlier, I mentioned that Apple’s strategy to make it more of a MacBook Pro “lite” was rather amazing.
Rather than bring down their laptop’s entry level, as everyone insisted and expected it would do, Apple chose to dramatically bring down the laptop’s “pro” level instead. The smaller screen (actually an advantage in terms of size and weight), lack of FireWire, and less powerful (but still greatly improved) graphics are the main differentiators. Well, except for that $700 price difference!
Along with the new MacBook today, Apple has a new promotional video. They used to make these all the time in the early decade (my two favorites are those for the PowerBook G4 and iPod).
I suspect they took a lot of time, effort, and expense to produce, and Apple hasn’t done them in a while. But we got one today (also seen here).
I’m not going to dwell on the base MacBook that’s now $999. It was a fine machine yesterday, and for $100 less it still is. The lower price may also appeal especially to schools, etc. that may be buying in bulk.
No, the real action today is in the rest of the MacBooks and of course the new 15″ MacBook Pro as well. When comparing these models, it’s clear that the new MacBook is a huge improvement over the older model, but that the MacBook Pro is not as significant a change. Let’s take a quick look…
New rumors keep cropping up about Apple’s event tomorrow.
First, some new pictures have surfaced on Engadget of a supposed new 15″ MacBook Pro. A few other sites have picked these up, but AppleInsider has taken it further with information about a possible new display that resemlbes an aluminum iMac but without the “chin”. They go on:
In General on Wednesday, 10 September 2008 at 14:07
OK, with all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the likes of Thurrott, Enderle, and analyst Shaw Wu about yesterday’s Apple announcements (I think these guys are wrong), I thought I’d lighten things up a bit with something that struck me about the new nano design.
I haven’t had time to parse everything, and I’ll play with iTunes and give my thoughts on it later, but here are a few things that struck me — in no particular order — from today’s announcement:
I wrote earlier about why I’m not upgrading to and iPhone 3G at this time, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t given some thought as to what will become of my beloved original 8GB model.
After working with the 2.0 software and App Store for the last few days on my iPhone and my daughter’s iPod touch, I think I know…
I am not upgrading to an iPhone 3G at this time. The reason for this is one I haven’t seen mentioned before, so I’ll mention it for others to consider if they haven’t already.
There’s a new iMac competitor in town from Averatec. It’s name is incredibly bad if not descriptive: All-In-One PC.
Regarding other iMac wannabes, Gateway’s One was rather unimpressive in the specs department, but Dell’s One (yes, the same name as the Gateway) seemed to be a worthwhile machine. I wrote up the Dell here, but as you can see in that post’s subsequent updates it turned out to be a bit of a bust.
So let’s look at this latest entrant in the iMac ring…
If you read my last few posts you know that I have a nearly-new iMac now. (FYI, the new logic board “broke” my iTunes authorization and Time Machine backups, but that seems to be it).
So today I’ve been watching quite a number of videos, and when I turn them off I hear a sound. A blowing sound. Kind of like… a fan.
Is that coming from the iMac? Yes it is, it is coming from the iMac. Never heard that before, at least not like this. I better investigate…
Well, I’m home now, and writing this on my nearly-new iMac. Final parts replacement (all covered under warranty):
iMac:
Video Card
Logic Board
LCD Panel
Power Supply
MacBook:
Top Case w/ Keyboard
Regarding the iMac, it would seem the only thing they left alone was the hard drive.
I could not be more pleased with the service. They were fast (despite my comment about people in front of me only minutes before my 11:00 appointment, they called my name on time), efficient, and kept me in the loop at all times.
I had commented that it was a drag having both machines out of commission at the same time, so I especially appreciated their quick call to let me know the MacBook would be ready very soon and I might want to wait for it. That’s good service.
I was hoping for the MacBook by tonight, but thought I had no shot at the iMac today, let alone so soon.
I’ve seen numerous testimonials to excellent Apple service; consider this just another stellar review.
Tom just called to say the iMac is running diagnostics. It looks good, but they think the LCD might have experienced a little damage as well, so they’re going to go ahead and replace it. That will be another hour and he just wanted to let me know so that I could decide if I want to hang around or not.
Since I’m at the mall, I’m gonna grab lunch and a cup of go juice. Stay tuned…
OK, while I was posting my last blog entry I got a call from Tom, the Apple Genius I worked with (and with a name like Tom you know he’s gotta be good) to say they thought the MacBook would be ready in maybe 45 minutes so I might want to consider hanging around the mall for it. Since I was still in the store, that was kind of a no-brainer.
Thirty minutes later I get a call and the MacBook is ready. I go to pick it up and Tom asks me which machine I was called on. Turns out they will have both of them ready today! The iMac power supply did the trick, and the “dust” on the screen was smoke from the old power supply burning away. Ouch! They used some alcohol to clean it off. Tom went in the back to tell them to to package them both up since the iMac should be ready any minute.
Tom comes back out to tell me that one thing they had noticed is that they don’t feel the fans on the iMac are spinning as fast as they should be. As a precaution, they’re going to swap out the logic board and test it a bit more. He gave me the MacBook and said the iMac would be maybe another hour. What the heck, I’ll wait.
So I’m typing this post on the new keyboard on the MacBook as I sit outside the Apple store in the mall. One machine down, one to go…
Well, they verified the iMac was dead, and put in for just about every part in the book (I appreciate that so they can make sure it’s fixed): power supply, logic board, LCD screen and glass panel. Those last two are because I also mentioned a kind of “dust” appearing on the inside of the screen.
They said the best case is it’s ready today, and worst case it’s five days. They’ll call me.
Meanwhile, the MacBook is due for a keyboard replacement. They’ve taken it as well and said it will probably be ready today. Again, they’ll call me.
Geez, both Macs out of commission the same day. I’m posting this from the Apple store now. Well, there’s always the iPhone…
Used my iMac for an hour this morning, went out for coffee, and when I came back it was dead. Will not power up. Tried all the tricks in the book, but no go.
Bummer.
So I made an appointment at the nearest Apple Store and just checked in. I’m posting from there now. Appointment in 5 minutes, but there are seven people in front of me so I think it’ll be a little late.
I also brought my MacBook since the “y” key tends not to work half the time.
[UPDATE 6/10/08] I originally wrote this post based on preliminary information about the iPhone’s new price. Subsequent data made it clear the $199 price is based on a subsidy from AT&T. You can’t buy the iPhone online, but rather must buy it at an AT&T or Apple store and activate it in-house (there is no more at-home activation) in order to get the $199 price.
Therefore, the “true” price of an iPhone is still $499, and the value of the old generation and iPod touch are not impacted as badly as I had first thought.
The letter Microsoft’s Andy Lees sent to their hardware, carrier, and software partners is comical on many levels, not the least of which is that why would you want to emphasize the fact that you’ve got nothing to say?
It really is kind of a stupid letter, but it follows the classic Microsoft argument (indeed, the only one they’ve ever had): When you got nothin’, toss around big numbers.
With all the speculation about what the new iPhone will include, I’ve yet to see something mentioned that I think is critical, and what I’d probably like to see most.
First, keep in mind that a lot of the improvements people want in the iPhone (myself included) are software-based. Therefore, they do not require a new hardware generation. For that reason, features such as MMS reception, cut and paste, multiple email selection, etc. will not be covered here. I want them, but they could be delivered by Apple at any time.
From a strictly hardware standpoint, if you summarize the list of all the rumors the following are probably most commony specified:
OK, now that Microsoft has demoed Windows 7’s multi-touch interface (”Forget Vista, look, shiny object!”), let’s look closer at these two products with multi-touch interfaces.
The idea is to look at the facts and determine who can really be said to be in the multi-touch race. For purposes of this post (and any other article that claims to be making any sense), we’ll assume the ultimate goal is to have this technology in the hands of actual users while turning a profit.
So Apple releases a firmware update for iMacs with ATI Radeon HD Graphics.
OK, I run Software Updater but it doesn’t register. No biggie, maybe they just haven’t rolled it to the auto-updater yet. I’ll check it out and download directly instead.
Bear with me a bit as I lead into what gives this article its title.
If you check my About page, you’ll see that since August of last year I’ve switched my household entirely to Apple. A 24-inch iMac Extreme, a 2.2 GHz MacBook, a Time Capsule 500GB, an Airport Express, and just last week an iPod touch.
In short, I spent a reasonable chunk of change, but it was time for new computers and I wanted to upgrade to “n” networking, etc. The time was right and I went back to Apple after many years of them, frankly, not making a computer I wanted.
So Microsoft licensed FlashLite from Adobe for use in their Windows Mobile software. Not sure when it will be available in a mobile release, likely later this year.
Some have speculated this was to buy time until their own Silverlight product is ready for mobile use (with a few sites actually using it).
I call this a mini-review not due to length, but because I’m documenting my experiences with the TC in implementing it at home.
I did not set it up in multiple ways, or perform extensive benchmarking, etc. I bought it to create a new wireless network in my home, and I’m reviewing it based on my experience in doing just that.
CNET did a review of the X300 and gave it an Excellent rating (8.5 out of 10).
The ThinkPad X300 breaks new ground by packing a broad display, full-size keyboard, and nearly every feature a mobile user needs into a sleek, lightweight case.
It seems the minute Time Capsule began shipping some were quick to find fault with a claim made for the device. I guess when Steve Jobs used a fairly vague description like “server-grade” to describe the hard drive, such fault can always be found.
The problem for doubters is that the vagueness works both ways. Establishing a definition for “server-grade” based on a Google search, and then claiming Apple didn’t meet it, is easy but hardly conclusive.
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 26 February 2008 at 20:11
Updated MacBooks were released today, and the premium for the black model now stands at $100. The middle model upgraded with the larger 250GB hard drive is $1,399, making the cost of black an extra C note.
Before the update, the “black tax” was $125, primarily because the delta in drive size was smaller.
Meanwhile, having just bought a white MacBook (the middle model) six weeks ago — didn’t think I’d see an update so soon after Halloween’s — I can recommend it even more highly than before. I think this is one sweet machine.
With the faster Penryn processor, extra GB of RAM, and larger hard drive it will only be more so.
In the second half of 2007, Microsoft’s partners shold [sic] 14.3 million Windows Mobile phones. This compares to 4 million iPhones that Apple sold in the same time period.
Put another way, Windows Mobile outsold the iPhone by over 3 to 1.
Most would compare iPhone sales to other smartphone sales, but not Paul. Windows Mobile is on many phones no one would consider “smart”. So, put even another way, non-smartphones outsell smartphones in general.
Thanks for the newsflash, Paul. Got any updates on the Hindenburg?
One of the video podcasts I subscribe to Mr. Deity, now in its second season. In the latest episode, Mr. Deity claims ideology is the problem with fundamentalism. When asked if ideology is bad, he replies:
It’s the worst. Are you kidding me? Look at all the great evils they’re all ideologically driven. You got the crusades, the holocaust, communism, no third-party apps on the iPhone. Never, never surrender yourself to an idea my friend, never.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt rarely writes anything that makes much sense. He jabs at Apple, but his best shots are the kind Mohammed Ali would be throwing today.
Most of the time I just ignore the guy, shaking my head. Still, every now and then he exceeds a threshold and I feel like I should point it out.
Carl Howe at the Blackfriars’ Marketing wrote a great piece on Wednesday refuting all the garbage about Apple having to slash prices and sell loss-leader products. It’s fitting the headline began “News flash to reporters and analysts”, because a few of them appear to have read it.
In Uncategorized on Friday, 25 January 2008 at 13:30
So, reviews are pouring in on the device, and it’s enough to make you pull your hair out.
Why can’t anybody review this machine for the purpose it was intended? If I see one more tech pundit explain to me that this really needs to be a second Mac, not a primary machine, I’m gonna puke.
There’s been so much written about the MacBook Air since it was introduced that you can’t swing a dead cat on the Internet without running into some commentary on it.
A lot of what’s written is pretty silly. Seems like only now are some people getting a handle on its dimensions, etc. that should have been obvious from day 1.
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 0:01
It’s no secret I’m not enamored with the new MacBook Air. In fact, I chose to purchase a MacBook instead. While I think it’s a beautiful design, I also think it’s less a sub-notebook than it claims to be given its footprint.
Paul Thurrott of Windows SuperSite was just fine with it the day it was announced, but is now blasting it to high heaven. Why the reversal? I’m assuming it takes a while for him to get his marching orders from Redmond.
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 at 14:47
In today’s Macworld keynote Steve Jobs announced that the iPod Touch will now be getting five applications from the iPhone that it previously did not have:
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 at 13:29
But not as light as air. Alas, I just can’t see going with the new MacBook air. The price is OK (for now), but it’s just too much compromise for me, and here’s why.
No optical drive, but the included software, which lets it “borrow” the optical drive from any Mac or PC, is pretty cool and takes care of software installations. Other features:
In Uncategorized on Monday, 14 January 2008 at 20:11
Tomorrow is Steve Jobs’ Keynote for Macworld ‘08, and this one is going to be special for me for a reason I’ll get to in a minute.
But first, what will be offered? While there may be some very cool stuff announced (current and future), and I’m interested in it all, I’ll be especially watchful for laptop announcements. I recently wrote my views on this subject, but for this particular keynote I’m even more interested. Why? Well, for the same reason this whole keynote is special for me…
Let’s face it, next week we’ll all be discussing Macworld news, so I thought I’d review some tech headlines from the last few days and get them out of my system before the real fun begins next week…
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 9 January 2008 at 14:47
So a Brazilian ice cream maker has started a promotion where some of its Popsicles will instead contain a free iPod Shuffle.
Cool idea (pun intended). However, in looking at the pictures of what a winner looks like, I predict the next time we hear about this will be because stores have a lot of poked, prodded, and broken Popsicle packages as users try to determine if they’ve got a winner.
In Uncategorized on Friday, 28 December 2007 at 13:54
There is so much speculation about what form the next Apple “notebook” will take it makes for interesting reading. I think predicting Apple products (beyond product refreshes) is an effort in futility, so these aren’t predictions, they’re just my thoughts on the various forms being discussed and prognosticated.
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 24 November 2007 at 11:16
Paul Thurrott believes shoppers think the year-old Zune 30 (you know, the huge, brown, Boat Anchor one) is suddenly a great MP3 player.
Paul uses an article by Macworld as an excuse to drool all over the “success” of the closeout brown Boat Anchor 30 (BA30) Zune being #1 on Amazon’s MP3 player list (it’s given away for $172). The black BA30 is also cheap, but even with a better color the extra $25 is too much, so it’s at #10 — behind five iPods.
In Uncategorized on Friday, 16 November 2007 at 22:09
While technically not available until Monday, 11/19, you can actually pre-order Dell’s new XPS ONE PC now for shipping later this month. Gateway’s latest AIO machine is also called the One, so I wonder why Dell used the same name. Will Gateway sue? Can they? Would they even care? I didn’t write up Gateway’s machine because, frankly, it’s unimpressive. Only a 19” screen, weaker processors by iMac standards and too expensive for what you get.
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 4 October 2007 at 17:07
Paul Turrott has been laying low lately. He says it’s because he’s been working hard on his Microsoft Propaganda SuperSite blog, but I tend to think he was also ramping up for some serious Zune humping. He did not disappoint.
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 3 October 2007 at 17:01
So the new Zunes are here. Stories are just rolling in since the embargo only recently lifted for the major outlets a little while ago (though smaller outlets trickled the word out, such as the Gizmodo picture above).
TechCrunch’s Erick Schonfeld provides an indication of why Business 2.0 went under with a post on Apple that claims Apple is thinking like the phone company and Jobs should “think different.” For any writer to imply the iPhone is something the phone companies would ever have produced is reason enough to ignore the post completely.
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 4 September 2007 at 12:48
All this speculation and whatnot about the new iPods tomorrow. I’m on record about the 6G iPod here and here. As for the nano, the rumors I’ve seen (wider body, larger screen, video-capable, more capacity) don’t sound too crazy so they wouldn’t surprise me. I also think the Shuffle will gain an extra GB of memory for the same price.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the overall performance of the latest iMac is amazing given what was considered top of the line just two years ago. A MacNN article points out how the iMac 2.8 GHz Extreme falls just shy of a current Xserve Quad-Core Xeon 2.0GHz. Pretty impressive stuff. Further, the article states:
“the top-end Mid-2007 iMac is faster than the Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) with two dual-core G5 processors at 2.5 GHz”
As in my previous article, this thing is easily besting a Quad-Core 2.5GHz PowerMac from less than two years ago! Wow.
Unlike my media files, for photos imported from the PC the only metadata I was interested in were keywords. Since they’re in the file I didn’t have to worry about missing any data when imported.
Tackling the transfer of iTunes media from the PC to the Mac is complicated by the fact that not all data in iTunes is stored within the file itself. Date last played, ratings, number of plays, and potentially even album art are stored via an XML file. Simply transferring the data files (i.e., the MP3s and AACs) will not retain this data.
This is the first of what will be several posts about my experiences with moving from my Windows XP PC to my new iMac.
This first part discusses general setup for the “basics,” such as initial setup, registration, internet connection, and other items that get me ready to do more lengthy data import. Future posts will detail my experiences with iMusic media import, iPhoto import and usage, transferring other document types, and iMovie usage. There may be other posts as well, but the preceding are what I know I’ll be covering.
You can read the review for the superlatives, of which there are many, but the upshot is that it scored a 4.5 (out of 5) and received the magazine’s Editor’s Choice.
The new iMac has arrived, as expected. It’s thinner and, in my opinion, much better looking.
I always felt the white frame around the screen was a bit of a distraction, but now the chassis is aluminum, and there’s a beautiful black border around the screen. This not only looks great but also hides the built-in camera and microphone for an even smoother, cleaner finish.
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 26 July 2007 at 11:53
See what channel-stuffing gets you?
MacNN reports that, according to Reuters, Microsoft announced at their annual meeting with financial analysts that Vista had sold 60 million copies. MacNN then goes on to state the following:
“The announcement appears to confirm a permanent slowdown in Vista sales, which ran to 20 million in the first month, but were halved for both March and April.”
No. While a slowdown is certainly possible (what with PC makers offering XP as a substitute for Vista, and Dell even offering Linux), what this really shows is that Microsoft’s initial sales figure of 20 million was a fabrication in the first place. They had to halve the next few months’ numbers in order to clear out the channel-stuffing they did to get that initial 20 million.
I don’t know why Microsoft doesn’t understand that this practice provides only a short-term “boost,” and always catches up to you eventually, making things look worse. Didn’t they learn that with the Xbox? I guess not.
A previous post of mine commented about Microsoft’s drastic action regarding the Xbox 360, and what I believe prompted that action. I also stated that it could be argued they still weren’t doing enough. It seems that’s the case.
Look what’s happened in just the two weeks since I wrote that article:
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 21 July 2007 at 23:57
I disagreed with Paul Friday regarding his look at PC market share, primarily focusing on his blowing off Apple’s US performance. In the following day and a half I’ve learned a few things.
In the comments of my article Paul says his article “was a post, not an analysis.” I’m not sure what that means, but it seems to imply that criticism can be deflected because a “post” doesn’t count as much as an “analysis.” Personally, I don’t care what it’s called; I have a problem with it for reasons stated in my article, which I stand by.
Part of Paul’s job is apparently to give Apple little to no credit for anything, especially sales. Lately, he’s almost had to work when the quarterly IDC and Gartner data comes out because it shows Apple is rising rapidly in the US.
This time around, Paul decided to ignore the US altogether. Brilliant!
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 19 July 2007 at 23:04
Here’s a quick summary of the facts so far:
Verizon turned down Apple to be the exclusive carrier for the iPhone, primarily due to Apple’s “financial terms.” Apple didn’t want to play the subsidy game, instead wanting a piece of the action for each phone sold. Verizon wouldn’t have it.
The iPhone is released and selling like the proverbial hotcakes. Estimates are that 25% of iPhone users left their previous carrier. (The total number is likely more than that since it doesn’t count those who let their contract lapse awaiting the iPhone’s release.)
Verizon is in need of new phones to compete with the iPhone, but is unable to get them as planned due to their being banned by the FCC because the Qualcomm chips they contain violate Broadcom patents.
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 7 July 2007 at 20:43
Microsoft Watch has an article that explains “doing the right thing” is hard, and costly, but gives Microsoft credit for doing so in reference to their action on faulty Xbox 360 units (a.k.a. “the Red Lights of Death”).
From the Microsoft Watch article:
“”The fact that Microsoft is taking action and not hiding its head in the sand is encouraging,” said David Riley, an NPD senior manager.”
I believe that electronics consumers are savvier then they were 20 years ago, and are not as easily fooled by marketing statistics and checklists. They are a very “show me” bunch, wanting to see it before they believe it. If so, this bodes very well for Apple’s iPhone.
Microsoft issued a press release today introducing Microsoft Surface at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference. Put simply, Surface is surface computing designed primarily for retail locations. To see this technology in action check out Microsoft’s web site for it.
This looks like pretty good stuff. It appears to have gone through a few iterations, and is past any early stages. The press release says it will be available for restaurants, hotels, etc. by Winter of this year.
A lot of people are looking forward to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on the stage together tomorrow at All Things Digital. Some may have felt that Jobs might overshadow Gates, since Apple is a hot company right now and the iPhone is right around the corner. This may change that; Steve might be busy fielding a few questions about Bill’s latest technology announcement.
According to this piece by Kasper Jade at AppleInsider, the Mac Mini may be on its way out. The article outlines what most Mini-followers already know: The Mini has been pretty low key in Apple’s lineup, with very few updates or price breaks.
I’ve seen several blogs that don’t seem happy with Apple’s updates to the MacBook line last week. Seems they were expecting radical changes such as Intel’s Santa Rosa chip set or even a new LED back lit display.
Just one Mac feature I miss so much on Windows: Scrolling background windows. 5 hours ago
Dear Firefox: Not importing Safari bookmarks on the PC is a stupid mistake. 6 hours ago
How is it Apple's otherwise tight, focused processes seem to completely fall apart when it comes to the App Store? Who's running that show? 9 hours ago
Yes, according to Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer speaking at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans. During his speech he recounted a call he claimed to be from Apple Legal. According to the transcript:
“With all those zingers flying around, it made me start remembering other instances in which Ballmer has taken a company or product to task.” 
The latest release of iTunes (8.2.1) 
With the 
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