Category: Software

Another big build up and Steve (Jobs) announces 3 brand new iProducts.  What are these I hear, well they are…..

A new MacBook, MacBook Pro and a 24″ Cinema display.  I’m not going to bother linking images, cos you’ll see one eventually.

The MacBooks both are carved out of a solid slab of aluminium (using some funky new process), anyway they look really smart however, several issues affect these new iProducts.

• Glossy screens – even on the MBP, glossy on all screens cos brighter is better apparantly
• No firewire on the MacBook (pro has FW800)
• Stupid Apple pricing

Glossy Screens

For years graphic pro’s have been able to purchase the old MBP with matte of glossy screens.  I’d guess the majority of them chose the matte.  Matte is easier to calibrate and doesn’t reflect as bad.  Apple’s response to screen reflection is to increase the brightness.  Think they’ve dropped a bollock on that one.   I have a few customers still using their old white 24″ iMacs as they don’t want to go glossy.  Now Apple state all screens will be glossy.  So that potentially wipes out iMac sales for graphic/image work.

For these users where next?  Get a MacMini and a decent screen, or a MacPro and a decent screen?  or ditch Apple and get a PC setup and crossgrade the Adode products to PC.  The latter would be a cheaper option.

No Firewire

Probably not a big point for some, but for many firewire enables users to fully use iMovie with their DV camcorder, or it used to.  Apple for some unknown reason have decided to remove all firewire support from the MacBook (Alu).  I use this for my firewire drives, just as well I’ve not bothered to update.

Pricing

Now this is where Apple have lost the plot.  With the current downturn you’d expect common sense pricing.  Though I do concede the new funky aluminium case will be expensive to produce, however as Apple really make a lot of cash on hardware I felt they could’ve not taken the piss.

A few prices to compare:

Macbook (white)

2.1ghz Combo £699 – now has a superdrive but costs £20 more

MacBook (Alu – comparision with previous plastic MB in terms of speed)

2.4ghz SD £799 – Alu version 2.4ghz £1,149 (o.k. it has better GPU, HDD and a backlit keyboard!)

To save you a little cash they do a cheap version..

2.0ghz SD (Alu) £949 – smaller HDD and no keyboard back light, also as with it faster brother no FW.

Now they are still producing the old faster plastic MB with FW for £229 less than bottom spec Alu model.

In the US the base plastic MB dropped by $100, the UK went up by £20.

The moronic pricing continues with the MBP and MBA.

Jobs went on to say that the ‘pro’ features in the new Alu MB are a cost saving of $700 over the base MBP price.  I think he was trying to say ‘look, you’re getting a pro, but paying less’

Nice try Steve, but we are not getting a MacBook Pro.  In fact we’re getting a less than pro.  A MacBook with a glossy screen and no FW.  That’s not pro.

Also released (available Nov) was a speed and gpu bump for the MBA – frankly no one gives a shit about this featureless ‘but very light’ laptop.   Also announced is a new cinema display, woo woo woo.  But hold on, this is newApple (putting spin and gloss on to hide the cracks).  The new 24″ Cinema display is glossy and is designed to compliment the new MacBooks (all 3).  It has a unique cable that has a USB, Magsafe and Mini Display Port connector.  Seems they don’t want old tech connecting to this new funky LED display (running at a laughable 14ms and 1000/1 contrast ratio).  Have Apple reinvented the ADC again?  Seems so, I guess an adapter to convert DVI to MDP (I assume that’s the correct abreivation) will be available at a bargain £50 or so.

Eventually you’ll have to buy an adaptor whatever you get, unless you buy newApple to newApple kit.  Of course if they ever decide to update the MacMini then it’ll have MDP on board as Steve said ‘it’ll be on all new Apple products’ (or words similar).  So as I do want an Apple glossy display I’ll need and MDP to DVI/HDMI converter, again costing £50.

So kind of at a loss with the current updates.  I know from the Q&A session with Steve Jobs, Jony Ives and someother bloke that a Netbook isn’t in Apples plans.  So maybe my next purchase will be an Acer Aspire netbook (with Linux).

I really love using my Mac, seems Apple are doing their best to move many over to a PC with this update.  I really can’t see any reason to update my MB for a good while yet.

Apple need to look at price, you can get PC laptops for half the price, but with better technology (bar the OS in my opinion).  No doubt some fanboy wankers will get upset with this post, but I care not.  I’m a very happy Apple user, I love their products.  I feel this update is more about style, maybe that is Apples new direction.

Style – Like Bang and Olufson – Stylish, overpriced and weird looking.

As title, come to Brum. Well McDonalds in the library anyway. Here you’ll find plenty of free unsecured wireless*. Also you can access the frankly shite Birmingham Free Information Zone (FIZ).

So you have a choice, free internet to everywhere or shite council information.

*It is an offence to knowingly use someone else’s internet connection with out their knowledge. I assume I’m using the free internet supplied by McDonalds.

(I know at lot of the unsecured ones are BT openzone – which is subscription based, but still surprised by the lack of security on others.)

So as title, I find wireless to be a bit of hit/miss technology.   Maybe it’s just my kit, but it fails too often for my liking.

My wireless if strange, it seems to be up and working (cos the LED says so) right up to the point where I connect my Macbook.   It’s not just the MB, as my DS used to do it as well (before I decided to use WPA instead of WEP).   Currently it just takes the piss, claiming that it is working when it plainly isn’t.  I would hit it, but it’s the only router I have.  Plus I know how it’s configured.

Keen readers (me), will remember the problems I had with the Apple Airport distress unit.  The positive with the AP was the free update to 802.11n spec.  Still this was more unreliable, though a general concensus with Apple wireless is it’s o.k., not great.

Still at least wireless isn’t as shite as bluetooth.

Don’t bother checking details here though. I’ll probably be panning the refresh button for a while waiting to see the latest gadget. It seems it’s an iPod event, but many are expecting much more. I’m hoping the long awaited, but seemingly never delivered mini laptop will be shown (at least!). Though fully expecting the usual bumping of iPod capacities as well as new designs.