The Apple-Project.com

AppleInsider.com is reporting some rumors about Cingular that bode well for a certain contingent of future iPhone customers. I'm talking about those of us who have voiced a preference for an unlocked iPhone to ship from Apple Computer.

The rumors about Cingular come from a Wall Street Journal article that suggests that the carrier might be partnering with several large online music stores such as Napster, Yahoo Music and eMusic. Cingular would offer an "all you can eat" subscription service from this confluence of major online MP3 sources.

Subscription services go completely against the iTunes Store philosophy, of course, suggesting that there wouldn't be any interest on behalf of Apple on being part of that project.

So, where does this leave Apple iPhone? As far as I'm concerned it leaves the iPhone in a pretty good spot. No specific carrier means the phone could well ship SIM-Free, which is what you want, trust me.

Unlocked mobile handsets work just like handsets issued by a carrier such as Cingular or T-Mobile, except that if you want to swap carriers all you have to do is change the SIM card. You're not locked into a carrier. Period.

This leaves just one rumor regarding the iPhone being linked to a specific carrier. That's the T-Mobile rumor. I love T-Mobile. I've never had a mobile carrier that I even liked, but T-Mobile has figured out that customer service is as important to customers as is the quality of the network.

But despite my feelings for T-Mobile, I don't think it's in the best interest of Apple's customers that the iPhone be tied to a carrier. Customers interested in iPhone should voice their desire that it be SIM-free.

Unless the iTunes Store requires specific technology that requires it be linked to a specific carrier, Apple should consider whether or not partnering with a carrier is necessary from a marketing perspective.

I'm quite certain that the momentum of the iPhone will sell millions of units regardless of whether or not it's locked or unlocked. But six months after it's introduction and iPhone customers begin to relocate or travel around the country, around the world, and discover that their new handset isn't supported at their new location will not do anything for Apple's image in this new space. Unlocked world phones are popular for a reason.

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It's all over the Web now, but we found the link to the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (man, that's a lot to type: how about MBP2 in the future) takeapart guide from Wired's Cult of Mac blog.

iFixit has done a nice job of photo documenting the disassembly of Apple's hot new MacBook Pro. Check it out here.

Among the features I like best are the one-piece upper case, the very clean internal layout, and the inclusion of 802.11n wireless functionality. Someone say 802.11n? This Mac is iTV ready.

It's also worth mentioning that Apple's bringing the spirit of accessibility normally found in their desktops to their portable line. Arguably, the new MBP2 is the most accessible Apple portable ever to come out of Cupertino.

I can say this from experience: the first Apple portable I opened was the Powerbook 520c (still love that Mac!), and the 520c was easy to work with when compared to the iBook line. Just take a look at the iBook service manual if you don't believe me .

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Macrumors.com is reporting that the second-generation 1GB iPod shuffle is now shipping. Great news for shuffle fans who pre-ordered the overhauled iPod.

Thinksecret.com recently reported expected delays in shipping the new iPod shuffle, but yesterday revised that prediction. It seams as though it's a reasonable expectation that as with all new Apple products that the early orders will ship first, and increased demand could well delay shipment of the most recently ordered shuffles.

Watch for Flickr unboxing photo sets later this week as customers receive their teeny tiny Apple MP3 players. Keep an eye on Apple-Project.com as we'll be publishing links to these photos and early reviews.

Here's Apple's info on the very cool new iPod shuffle;

Smaller than ever
Now made of sleek, durable anodized aluminum, the new iPod shuffle weighs in at about half an ounce and is less than half the size of the original.

Remix and match
With iTunes autofill, you can get a new musical experience every time you sync. For even more randomness, you can shuffle songs with the slide of a switch.

Everything is easy
Charge and sync with the slick USB dock. Operate its controls with one hand. Enjoy up to 12 hours straight of skip-free music playback.

Clip and go
Thanks to the simple built-in clip, you can carry up to 240 of your favorite songs on your shirt sleeve, purse strap, waistband, anywhere

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Just for the record, we said the day the 2G shuffle was announced, that it was going to be an iPod sleeper hit. There's so much to love about the direction the new iPod shuffle is taking Apple's iPod line. Super small, included iPod Dock. We'll have to wait and see, but Apple-Project's betting on this horse.

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The wait is over: Apple has posted the new .Mac Mail, the online mail client that's clearly designed to replicate the Mail.app experience.

This is good stuff for me: I run .Mac Mail on all but one Mac. I have several Macs, always on, but I only run Mail.app on one Mac at a time, this after having some sync issues with multiple Macs running Mail.app simultaneously. I spend more time in .Mac Mail more on average than in Mail.app.

The new interface is very slick. Apple's done a great job making it look and feel like Mail.app's interface. (I would add that Apple's tab navigation theme looked a little dated before the new .Mac Mail, but now it looks positively dated.)

Here's a snap of the .Mac Mail interface:

Here's a snap of Mail.app's navigation bar:

Love this: when you click "New" the new message gets its own popup window, just like in Mail.app. So do replies. Here's a snap of the reply window:

The two are very similar indeed, although using the new .Mac Mail proves that it's anything but a duplicate of Mail.app. Tons of stuff that works in Mail.app doesn't work in .Mac Mail. I have no real issue with this, I'm simply pointing out that there are differences despite appearances.

.Mac Mail's preferences are extensive. There's simply too much on the page to snap as the page requires scrolling on all but a 30-inch display: you can select keyboard shortcuts, small icons, and mucn, much more. The best improvment over old .Mac Mail's prefrences has to be that new .Mac Mail offers all the settings on one page rather than on several.

My only gripe so far is that when moving a message to a subfolder in 3-pane view that message is marked as Read upon selection with the mouse. I need it not to change the status. So far I haven't found a way around it other than to go to 2-pane view.

I might well go to 2-pane view permanently because I get a boat load of junkmail. Opening junk mail validates the to address, and no one wants that.

And WHERE'S THE JUNK MAIL HANDLING? Sorry to get dramatic, but I need JM Handling like I need oxygen. Seriously. Can't emphasize that enough. Really. Junk Mail Handling. Need it.

I would also like to see an RSS feed added (if that's possible), so I could see the new message count in Safari the same way I can see the RSS feed count for sites I have in my ToolBar.

I do like the new way that .Mac Mail times out. Old .Mac Mail used to just keep the mail viewer up, and when the user would click for new mail the login screen would come up. This way if for whatever reason you forget to close the browser when on a public computer .Mac Mail will eventually time out protecting your privacy:

All in all .Mac Mail looks good, Apple. Thanks for the upgrade. That should keep the .Mac-hata's quiet for a day or two.

(Now, perhaps we could get some more .Mac upgrades, please.)

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Don't kill the messenger.

According to this post on Macnn, Greenpeace was forced to leave their booth at the MacExpo London:

Greenpeace's 'Green my Apple' stall today was shut down at the start of MacExpo in London by event organizers who claim they received complaints from unnamed sources. Greenpeace set up the stall in an attempt to raise awareness about concerns over the use of toxic chemicals in Apple's products. The Greenpeace volunteers manning the stall were signing up Mac fans to challenge Apple to 'go green,' according to the organization.

There's no point in being heavy-handed about all this, but I always find it amusing when Apple is hammered for not being more environmentally friendly. Al Gore is an Apple board member. The irony's amazingly rich.

So, while Apple is making strides in the packaging department and elsewhere, and we applaud these decisions loudly, Apple does need to get its environmental-impact house in order. There's no point of having the desire to change the world with one's computers when it's killing the environment in the process.

Apple's efforts clearly need to be stepped up, if what Greenpeace claims is accurate. Paper packaging materials that Apple has used less of are made from a renewable resource, but the chemicals Apple works with are hazardous. There's a striking difference there.

I also openly acknowledge that changing manufacturing processes are not completed overnight, nor are they always inexpensive, but I'm a 20+ year Apple customer who would gladly pay more for my Mac products if they were:

1) Manufactured in a way that was more environmentally friendly
2) Designed in such a way as to be easily upgraded with Apple-branded upgrade packages, to reduce "Mac churn"
3) Engineered in such a way as to use less energy (something Apple is, in fact, continually working on)

In short, whether Apple wants to put the lid on Greenpeace's message, there are a lot of us out there who know there's a problem and would like to see Apple green up all aspects of their business.

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Short and sweet: If you're a Steve Wozniak fan, you'll enjoy this video Cringely has posted in place of his regular column.

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The original form of the iSight is almost officially dead. The iMachas it, the MacBookhas it, the MacBook Prohas it.

But the The New Mac Proand Mac miniare stuck with the external iSight. But that could change if the rumor of Apple Displays with built-in iSight (LoopRumors.com) proves accurate:

LoopRumors has received confirmation today on a story we told you on November 11. iSight will be included on all new forthcoming Apple Displays. Those close with the development of the new displays say we can expect an even thinner, lighter design, with more mobility, brighter screens and an IR receiver for the Apple Remote.

If true, this is a the next logical move for the iSight concept.

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Steve Jobs makes a great commencement speech here. It's a great motivational speech, period.

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Update: Apple has indeed introduced "39-percent" faster MacBook Pro models:

15-inch MacBook Pro: 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
17-inch MacBook Pro: 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Notably, the MBP15 ships with 1MB PC2-5300 SODIMM (one chip) and the MBP17 ships with 2MB PC2-5300 SODIMM (two chips). There are a few other new additions including FireWire 800, an airline Mag-Safe AC adapter, and twice the memory from the previous models. Click here for complete specs from both MacBook Pros.

Original post:

New better, faster, more feature-rich Merom-based MacBook Pro's tomorrow?

The rumor mills are cranking, so I'm sure you've read about it already. Here are a couple of links (one and two) and heads up just in case you're about to pull the trigger on your own new MBP. Sounds like if it's not tomorrow, new MBP's are just around the corner: definitely worth waiting for.

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YouTube, Google, $1.65B, those three words are stirring up a lot of conversation on the Web. From what I've read, journalists and individuals alike are divided rather equally on the topic.

Time will tell if Google got a bargain or a money pit. I have to say that I don't know enough about the transaction to have a strong opinion either way. Prior to Cringely's article on the transaction I thought it was a bit of a desperation move, myself. Since the little "secret" has come out that YouTube is actually profitable, I think it's safe to say a lot of people have changed their opinions.

I will agree to this, however, YouTube, the iTV and iTunes Store, and a few other online-related video services all represent a seismic shift in how we watch video content.

cousinlarry, Digg.com member, put it rather well here:

So what's good about YouTube? How about that I dont have cable TV, nor ever plan to subscribe again in my lifetime. I'm in my 20's -- and I will NEVER pay for cable TV again. How about that? Yet I love to watch video on my computer. I love ABC's new delayed-delivery of their shows. I'm happy to watch the shit ads they stick in there because they delivery model is giving me value - I can watch what I want when I want. I'll pay for that -- certainly with my attention, and maybe even with a little of my money. But will I subsidize "Yo Mamma" episodes on MTV and HGTV and every other shit station I dont give a shit about by subscribing to Comcast? HELL NO. Never again.

Larry, soon, with iTV you won't have to only watch Internet video on your computer.

At face value a statement like, I'll never pay for cable TV again is a bit extreme. On one hand, Larry will save $50/month for the rest of his life. Not bad. On the other hand, he's missing out on hundreds of channels, thousands of programs.

That $50/month does, in fact, get you something in the end: access to programming. And then there's TiVo and other PVRs to taylor the view experience to one's viewing habits, right? What's so bad about cable, anyway?

If you look at it from Larry's point of view, his argument is spot on as well, and I think it's his argument that will win out in the end. Here's why:

$50/month buys you cable. Another $13 or $5/month buys you access to either a TiVo or cable-supplied PVR respectively. Let's average that to $55/month for basic cable and a PVR. Now let's look at what kind of programming that gets the user when buying shows one-by-one.

Paying for individual shows via the iTunes store is one alternative to cable. That $55 buys you 27 shows at $1.99. If you're show is weekly, that buys you all the episodes for six different shows. The downside here is that all shows aren't available for purchase, let alone for download, but that's changing rapidly. A year from now the online video landscape will be vastly deeper.

Sure, the cable user gets access to thousands of programs, but how much can a single person watch in a month? Certainly not thousands. Hundreds is a reach. Two dozen shows represents nearly one show per night for the month. Some of us watch only three or four different shows a month. That's seems to make buying individual programs a decent way to go. You might even have some money in your pocket at the end of the month.

So, for the heavy television viewer access to cable is close to being a good deal. But for those of us who don't watch TV regularly, or who watch very few shows regularly, buying them from the iTunes Store, or accessing them for free on sites like YouTube or via torrent files, the alternative starts looking like a steal.

The one aspect of television programming that makes cable, and its pay-for-monthly-service competitors, a must-have is live sports. For some of us, live sports will be our only tether to the cable bill. Until, that is, live sports moves to the Web.

Back to YouTube. Google and Apple have been very cosy lately. I would not be surprised that a result of the latest news between the two companies that Apple and Google announce that Google's video content (etc) will be among the first "online" television networks ever, and that content will be made available for the first time on consumers' TVs via iTV. We'll have to wait and see.

So, iTV backed by the power of Apple's iTunes store, Google's forthcoming Internet broadcast network and torrent files, and. . .well, you get the point. Apple will have a ton of content to push through their iTV to your Mac, PC or TV, and the number and variety of programs will only grow with each passing day.

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Here's a rare glimpse of Steve Jobs at work during the first 90-days of NeXT, SJ's interim computer project.

That's Part 1 of a two part series. Look for Part 2 in the sidebar (or click here).

SJ's sense of urgency, his focus on attracting "the best people" and, his sense of humility (yes, humility), and a focus on boot-strapping is all made apparent in this documentary.

He also talks about changing the world. It's clear that he's done his part in changing the world with computers. SJ is well on his way to changing the world's way of listening to music (and, soon the way we watch video), and with Pixar and now Disney, he's going about changing the world of entertainment.

This is all so obvious as to not really sound all that interesting to post here, but after watching those NeXT videos the great strides Jobs has taken in such a relatively short amount of time is staggering.

It also makes the recent discussion on Ars Technica about Jobs' successor sound pretty awful: the companies Steve Jobs presides over will, of course, survive for a period of time without him, but they will be very different places. So will the world.

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The Apple-Project is a huge iMac fan. Put it this way, we've owned every iteration of the iMac Apple has ever shipped. In fact, we even have the Mac Plus all-in-one which we bought new in 1986. We love iMac.

That's why we've been politely calling for a 30-inch iMac, which would be just as at home in the living room as it would in the office. Wall mount the 30-inch and you have the ideal iTV companion. Put it in the office and it would satisfy most users' need speed and desktop space.

But when we heard OS Ken (podcast
) mention a 50-inch Apple display rumor today our dream died just a little. Apple's not going to have to living room strategies.

But then the sky cleared: we started wondering if it's possible to have too much desktop? Is it? Is 50-inches of OS X goodness just too much to work with? Maybe if it's on the office desk, but it would be insanely great on the wall in the living room or media room. Perhaps we can live without a 50-inch iMac after all.

It's our guess is that the forthcoming Apple iTV will largely determine the iMac's future. Since Apple hasn't put a tuner in a Mac in years (wasn't the last Mac that shipped from Apple with a tuner the 20-anniversary Mac?), it's a safe bet that Apple will run with the iTV form factor rather than ship an all-in-one media Mac. iTV users will have to connect to a display, ideally one of Apple's.

So if Apple ships the iTV along with the availability of a 50-inch Cinema Display we'll have a strong clue that the computer-living room convergence will only go so far: and it will be connected wirelessly.

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The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 79.88.

That's where Apple's share price was as this entry was posted. AAPL is pushing the 80 mark again on phenomenal earning news from yesterday.

Finally. It's been a long slog back to these levels. Ironically, perhaps, Apple's outlook is exponentially better than it was the last time AAPL was in this territory.

iPod video. iTV forthcoming. Macs running Intel chips push Apple's market share up 32%. And then there's Vista. All of this and more has put Apple in a position to continue grabbing market share from less innovative PC makers such as Dell and HP.

So, while Apple is arguably in the best position it has ever been in, why is one analyst suggesting that Apple should license the Mac platform to Dell and cease being a hardware company?

My conjecture is that the analyst isn't very familiar with Steve Jobs. Jobs has always held that he wants Apple to control the whole widget, be it the iPod or the Mac. If the analyst was indeed familiar with SJ and Apple's track record in this department, he'd understand that this wasn't a possibility.

Steve Jobs also once said that "Apple's market share was larger than BMW's, Mercedes's or Porsche's in the automotive market. What's wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?" Although Apple's position was much different when Jobs made that statement, I think there's evidence enough to support the idea that Apple will still work and think with that philosophy regardless of how much market share Macintosh grabs in the next few years. It's all Apple knows.

And what about those reliability survey results. Apple comes in with over 200 points, while Dell is at the bottom with 4. 4 points. Impressive.

Finally, isn't it the case that Apple hates Dell and Michael Dell hates Steve Jobs and Apple both? Hate is a strong word, so what about disrespect. That's probably closer to the truth. Apple and Dell go together like oil and water. The two companies couldn't be any different. Let's keep it that way.

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Nice. Despite all the bad press MySpace is getting, someone dug up a page Apple presumably created for the blue iPod nano.

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Switchers are coming fast and strong according to some reports. That means there are a ton of new Mac users with questions about Mac-PC compatibility. Which Mac applications replicate functions on their PC, are there tutorials to get Switchers started? The answer to this and similar questions is, a resounding yes:

Apple has set up a Mac & PC Compatibility page right here. Visitors will find the following topics, tutorials and more:

• Exchanging Files Between Platforms
  Exchanging files between a Macintosh and a Windows PC is not only easy but extremely common. Nowadays, even highly targeted applications and scientific packages are available on multiple platforms ó allowing for far easier file transfer.
• 
  
• Communicating over the Internet
  The Internet has simplified communication between Macs and PCs. Macintosh and PC users can now transparently exchange files, talk and even play games over the Internet.
• 
  
• Sharing the Same Network Connection
  Macs and PCs can co-exist harmoniously on the same network. They can exchange files and share printers or a connection to the Internet.
• 
  
• Media & Peripherals
  The Mac works with just about all common storage media, including CD-R/CD-RW, DVD, floppies, Zip cartridges and many more. Whatí more, the widespread adoption of FireWire and USB has made cross-platform plug-and-play a reality for most external devices ó from hard disk drives to DV cameras and PDAs.
• 
  
• Using PC Applications on a Mac
  Some Macintosh users occasionally need to run PC applications to exchange data with a client or simply because that particular application does not exist on the Mac. Several easy-to-use PC emulators for the Mac are now available.
• 
  
  Lots more there, so check it out if you're new to the Mac or you know someone who is. Good to know Apple's got this stuff covered.
  
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Informationweek.com says analysts are expecting 20-percent increase (YOY) in Mac sales to be announced today. That's very good news for AAPL.

The other interesting tidbit from that article is the fact that despite the iPods overwhelming market share, one analyst expects that iPod sales will total 8.12 million, or an increase of 26-percent over one year ago. The point being, the iPod is not stagnating as some have reported it to be.


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This piece about Apple and flat panel TVs from Yahoo! News is rather interesting:

"We saw Apple's iTV set-top box last week, showing the company has targeted the living room as its next frontier. A $299 set-top isn't going to boost Apple's revenues to new heights, but beautifully designed, elegant flat panels would. And such products at stylish stores would extend the company's reach far past computers and iPods into a wide swath of consumers who just aren't going to drop $3,000 or more in a high-touch lifestyle purchase at Home Depot.In my view, it's not a matter of if Apple will enter the flat panel market; the only question is when."So, that makes sense, that Apple would sell a HD flat panel to compliment the iTV, but will it be a branded model? Will it have added features?

I have to say that a 30-inch, or larger, iMac with built-in HD tuner (or the iTV) is much more appealing to me. I actually think that unless the iTV allows the user to access a networked Mac the iTV will represent a step backwards in the networked home.
Of course, I don't need to access the Web, or get my email, or find something on my hardrive 100% of the time when I'm home, but that option is getting more and more appealing. Although I'm not proud of this fact, I always have my black MacBook within reach when I'm away from my desktop Mac. So it just makes sense to be able to access my photos, music, mail, Web when I'm watching something on the couch (which is exceedingly rare these days).

Another article was referenced in the Yahoo piece in which the author suggested that there is a lack of leadership in the home electronics space. I totally agree, and think it's quite possible that Apple will step forward in such a role within the networked HE space with the iTV if it works on both Macs and WIndows.

That statement should be qualified. Apple could become the leader of the networked HE space if they develop PC versions of some or all of the iLife apps, most important among these being iPhoto. iTV featuring Web content, music via iTunes, and photos via iPhoto is a compelling setup. Add iMovie and it gets better.

In fact, I think Apple would be wise to make a PC ready iLife suite. It would drive more Mac sales. Most PC users I know say they actually like iTunes for all the right reasons: simplicity being the foremost reason they like the Apple app.

To put it a different way, Apple has found a couple of really good ways to sell more Macs in the iPod and the forthcoming iTV.

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Here's a nice, long article about Steve Wozniak complete with a huge photo of the legend.

The first story Woz tells isn't about the Mac, but about how he became the first guy to develop a universal remote control. He got sick of controlling piles of high-end electronics with just as many remotes. In a Woz-like fashion, a single remote to rule them all was born. Guy's awesome.

But before the remote there was Apple. Woz still loves Apple, but why did he leave? As it turns out, that remote control project was one of the catalysts of Woz's departure from Apple:

"So I made some comments like this, and then the reporter asked: "So that's the reason you're leaving?"And I said: "Oh no, that's not the reason. I'm leaving because I want to do this remote control."But The Wall Street Journal printed the article suggesting I was mad at Apple and that was the reason I was leaving. It was very wrong because I went out of my way to tell the reporter not to get it confused. Maybe it was more interesting to shape the story the way they did.

I have to think it was an accident, but it's been picked up by every book and every bit of history.Everyone in the world ended up thinking I left because I was mad at Apple." (Source.)

Cool stuff. Probably not a whole lot of new stuff for serious Steve Wozniak fans, but it's still a great read. Check it out.


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Apple filed a trademark application for "iPhone" according to an AppleInsider.com exclusive story. Nice: Apple can keep some stuff under wraps, but public applications are another story. Now we all know for sure that something's coming.

Now the rumors will focus on ID, features, and carriers. Rumors have that Cingular and T-Mobile are in the running. I'm a T-Mobile customer and I'm very happy with the Mob, but Apple doesn't need them (unless there's some hook required to use the iTunes Store that requires someone like T-Mobile).

Like I've said a few dozen times in the past, I hope Apple Computer ships the iPhone as an unlocked handset: there seems no reasonable argument not to given the success of Sony Ericsson's mobile handsets.

Think about it this way: According to Apple's ease-of-use philosophy the iPhone must ship unlocked, or SIM-free. The user must not be locked into one carrier, as all of the problems that go along with being stuck with a single provider will not be acceptable to Apple.

For example, when an iPhone owner moves to an area where their carrier no longer provides a signal - this happens to millions of mobile users every year - the user must have the option to slip in the SIM from a new carrier not be forced to buy a new phone. This is critical.

If Apple Computer doesn't ship unlocked the iPhone will have to work on a nationwide platform, and that does not exist. There's no reason Apple should partner with a carrier to get this done. If you do know of a reason, let me know.

I'd also like to know if you've found any discussion about the iPhone being locked or unlocked. It doesn't seem like anyone's talking about this.


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Go read this article and forget who wrote it, and forget that the author is a Windows user. It would be easy to confuse most of this article as having been written by a long-time Mac user.

But Chris Pirillo, as the lead-in suggests, is a huge Windows user. Yet he has pointed out some really familiar reasons, and one not so familiar, why Windows fans might give Apple a try once they get more information on Vista.

The more familiar reasons to Switch to the Mac have to be the lack of viruses and spyware found on OS X machines. The less familiar argument is the price Microsoft plans to charge for Vista: $399. (My guess is there are very few Mac users that would know M$ charges that kind of dough for their OS.)

However, I thought Chris' most interesting slam on Microsoft has to be the following:

"We’ve all been waiting with bated breath for Vista to revolutionize the way we . . . what the hell is this?! RC1 feels and looks more like an early beta than it does a final product, and they want me to fork over how much for it?"

(The answer to that question is about $400. OS X costs, as you know, $100 per major update.)

Apple, more specifically, Steve Jobs, would never let any OS of Chris' description go out the door. Ever. Sure, the OS X (which I ordered immediately when Apple made it available during a keynote) was crap, but it was touted clearly as a beta. Subsequent releases have had their issues, but I never thought it wasn't worth what Apple was charging for it.

So, could Chris be on to something? Will there be Switchers heading for Apple Retail Stores in droves? I happen to think so. Here's why, and it's something I've talked about here before:

Apple's OS X is "good enough" for any Windows user. Always has been, but it's more ready for Switchers than ever. This is because Apple has fully refined iLife so as to make media on a PC/Mac about as easy, elegant, and cost-effective as any computer user could want it to be. Plug in a camera-digital still or video-and it works, publish a Website with a few clicks, play and buy music with a few clicks, etc.

Then there's the other stuff like email, browsing the Web, and word processing. Apple's got this covered. No worries. Get into the more murky territory of business apps like Office and Apple's got this covered as well, with a little help from Microsoft, of course. Oh, the irony's getting rich.

Users can do all this stuff on Windows machines, as we know, but productivity on a PC comes with unwanted accessories like spyware, viruses, etc. And, now with Vista, all these niceties will also come with a hefty price tag of $400.

A $400 OS update, what most Windows users are going to be faced with shortly, is about half the cost of a low-end MacBookor iMac. And the kicker is, these Intel-based Macs boot OS X or Windows OS.

Once Windows users start doing the Vista-math, they're going to give the Switch some serious thought.


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Tim Cook is Apple's Chief Operating Officer, and he's being credited with much of Apple's success since 1998 according to this article in the Wall Street Journal.

Will he be the next Apple CEO? I think this snip from the article says quite a bit on that subject:

"The difference in personalities between Messrs. Cook and Jobs has helped foster a solid working relationship between the two, people familiar with them say. While Mr. Jobs is known to have a mercurial temper and a sharp tongue, Mr. Cook has the courtly demeanor of a Southern gentleman. People who work with him say his quiet manner and slow drawl have a disarming effect in a fast-paced environment like Apple, filled with its share of table-pounders." (Image source: Wall Street Journal Online.)

Read the article and decide for yourself if Cook would make a good replacement for Steve Jobs.


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This is good stuff. Newsweek asks good questions and Steve Jobs provides great answers. Like this one, for example:

Microsoft has announced its new iPod competitor, Zune. It says that this device is all about building communities. Are you worried?
In a word, no. I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable. (Source.)

SJ is so good.
He's got a point about the Zune's WiFi taking longer than sharing some earbuds, but wireless-enabled MP3 players is the future, and SJ knows it. Dollars to donuts, SJ will tell us all that WiFi is indispensable when the iPod ships with WiFi.


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More Apple. Sure, we could swing by our new(!) Apple Retail Store tomorrow to grab an Apple 'T, but we've got other stuff planned

(like a four hour ride, with 4.5k feet of vertical). Besides, we don't like crowds. Or sleeping overnight in 30-degree weather on pavement. Plus we've got a wife and a baby at home.

It is tempting, though. Maybe we'll squeeze it in. If you see a Scott CR1 roll up with a white Apple logo sticker on it, you'll know it's Apple-Project representing.


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for one don't think Steve Jobs is going anywhere anytime soon. But, hell, how would I know.

Arstechnica is being more pragmatic: they're speculating as to who might be next to take the leadership role at Apple. Here's a tidbit from the article:

"One has to examine the list of candidates as if Steve Jobs were leaving Apple today, if for no other reason than adding five or ten years disqualifies several people because of age. Even without adding time, it's probably safe to eliminate those individuals collecting Social Security, so York and Campbell are gone, probably Thompson too. A peek at the Executive Profiles and Board of Directors shows leadership at Apple begins with a Y chromosome, so that likely eliminates Susan Decker. As for Allchin, does anyone really think Apple Computer is going to hire the midwife of Windows Vista?"

No matter how you slice it, SJ is going to leave Apple Computer one of these days, years, whatever. I just hope it's still a long way off.


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Don't miss the How to Buy a Macintosh Guide. Save money on your next Apple Computer purchase.