All That Apple Stuff Today...

[Jason Dunn]

Apple unleashed several new products today, and updates to older products, so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts and reactions about what I read about (this text is adapted from a series of emails I sent to the Mobius email list while discussing this).



Apple Charging $19.95 for the iPod Touch Software Update
Utterly ridiculous, but it's what Apple does - remember the $2 charge for 802.11n? Apple has the worst type of corporate arrogance imaginable, and almost everyone lets them get away with it. But that's also how they're able to create some pretty impressive products - so you take the bad with the good. Myself, I take none of it (for now - I continue to be tempted by some of their products).

iTunes Movie Rentals
It's so incredibly frustrating seeing Microsoft have all the same pieces - Xbox Live videos, Windows Mobile + Zune hardware - and not do a damn thing with it. Microsoft could have beaten Apple to the punch by more than a year, but there's probably still some committee arguing about it. The Apple solution looks slick, and the pricing looks a bit better than the Xbox Live pricing (I think - points confuse matters somewhat).

Apple TV v2
The update looks great, lots of cool features. Finally, the product is no longer a joke - they evolved it to what it should have been when it was first released. The UI is slick, I love it. And at least current Apple TV owners don't need to pay for the upgrade. I finally got access to Xbox Marketplace movies in December, and it was a truly pathetic launch - about 30 movies, no TV shows, only a handful are in HD or even movies you've ever heard of. Apple now had a powerful round-trip solution from TV room to computer to mobile device.

MacBook Air
So it's a thin laptop - is that so exciting? Maybe it's more impressive in person. Multi-touch on the touchpad is pretty cool, though I think it's one of those "makes a great bullet point" but most people won't use it past the first day. Seems like it would be useful in iPhoto more than anywhere else. I watched the demo video for Macbook Air and I had to chuckle at how they made the lack of an optical drive a feature rather than a limitation. The "remote optical drive" thing is pretty slick though. 80 GB 4200 RPM hard drive? Bleh. 5 hours of battery life is good, and I sure wish my XPS M1330 came with a back-lit keyboard! I don't see any mention of a memory card reader either. What's with Apple's hate-on for memory card readers? It's silly their monitors don't have them, but it's inexcusable for a laptop not to have an SD/Memory Stick/XD card slot at the bare minimum. It's like if they didn't invent it, or they don't sell it, it doesn't exist. One USB port? No Ethernet port? No Firewire? This laptop is obviously aimed at a very specific niche, so while it might be a killer solution for some, it doesn't seem to be very well-rounded. I have to admire Apple's engineering though, and it's impressive that Intel designed a smaller CPU for them - I wish more notebook makers would care about making their notebooks as small as possible. Every spare millimetre matters.

iPhone January Update
This video was interesting to watch. Apple added significantly useful features to the iPhone only a few months after release - by controlling the hardware, the software, and ultimately the customer, they're able to innovate much faster than Windows Mobile can. We've all known this for a long time, but this is real-world proof of the huge liability that Microsoft finds itself in.

Time Capsule
So this is Apple's answer to Windows Home Server? Seems nice and simple, and has some good features, but it's insane that they didn't make it dual hard drive setup in case the drive fails. I suppose if it's ONLY a backup and no unique data is being stored on it, then you have a copy of that data on your Mac/PC and it's not such a big deal of your Time Capsule drive crashes. But hard drives do fail, "enterprise class" or not.

Did anyone else notice how much of this new stuff is "Windows friendly" in terms of inter-operating with a Windows ecosystem? Apple is really stepping into Microsoft's turf, which is quite interesting to see.

So what are your thoughts on what Apple unveiled today?

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's still not ready to buy a Mac.

[Jason Dunn]

Apple unleashed several new products today, and updates to older products, so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts and reactions about what I read about (this text is adapted from a series of emails I sent to the Mobius email list while discussing this).



Apple Charging $19.95 for the iPod Touch Software Update
Utterly ridiculous, but it's what Apple does - remember the $2 charge for 802.11n? Apple has the worst type of corporate arrogance imaginable, and almost everyone lets them get away with it. But that's also how they're able to create some pretty impressive products - so you take the bad with the good. Myself, I take none of it (for now - I continue to be tempted by some of their products).

iTunes Movie Rentals
It's so incredibly frustrating seeing Microsoft have all the same pieces - Xbox Live videos, Windows Mobile + Zune hardware - and not do a damn thing with it. Microsoft could have beaten Apple to the punch by more than a year, but there's probably still some committee arguing about it. The Apple solution looks slick, and the pricing looks a bit better than the Xbox Live pricing (I think - points confuse matters somewhat).

Apple TV v2
The update looks great, lots of cool features. Finally, the product is no longer a joke - they evolved it to what it should have been when it was first released. The UI is slick, I love it. And at least current Apple TV owners don't need to pay for the upgrade. I finally got access to Xbox Marketplace movies in December, and it was a truly pathetic launch - about 30 movies, no TV shows, only a handful are in HD or even movies you've ever heard of. Apple now had a powerful round-trip solution from TV room to computer to mobile device.

MacBook Air
So it's a thin laptop - is that so exciting? Maybe it's more impressive in person. Multi-touch on the touchpad is pretty cool, though I think it's one of those "makes a great bullet point" but most people won't use it past the first day. Seems like it would be useful in iPhoto more than anywhere else. I watched the demo video for Macbook Air and I had to chuckle at how they made the lack of an optical drive a feature rather than a limitation. The "remote optical drive" thing is pretty slick though. 80 GB 4200 RPM hard drive? Bleh. 5 hours of battery life is good, and I sure wish my XPS M1330 came with a back-lit keyboard! I don't see any mention of a memory card reader either. What's with Apple's hate-on for memory card readers? It's silly their monitors don't have them, but it's inexcusable for a laptop not to have an SD/Memory Stick/XD card slot at the bare minimum. It's like if they didn't invent it, or they don't sell it, it doesn't exist. One USB port? No Ethernet port? No Firewire? This laptop is obviously aimed at a very specific niche, so while it might be a killer solution for some, it doesn't seem to be very well-rounded. I have to admire Apple's engineering though, and it's impressive that Intel designed a smaller CPU for them - I wish more notebook makers would care about making their notebooks as small as possible. Every spare millimetre matters.

iPhone January Update
This video was interesting to watch. Apple added significantly useful features to the iPhone only a few months after release - by controlling the hardware, the software, and ultimately the customer, they're able to innovate much faster than Windows Mobile can. We've all known this for a long time, but this is real-world proof of the huge liability that Microsoft finds itself in.

Time Capsule
So this is Apple's answer to Windows Home Server? Seems nice and simple, and has some good features, but it's insane that they didn't make it dual hard drive setup in case the drive fails. I suppose if it's ONLY a backup and no unique data is being stored on it, then you have a copy of that data on your Mac/PC and it's not such a big deal of your Time Capsule drive crashes. But hard drives do fail, "enterprise class" or not.

Did anyone else notice how much of this new stuff is "Windows friendly" in terms of inter-operating with a Windows ecosystem? Apple is really stepping into Microsoft's turf, which is quite interesting to see.

So what are your thoughts on what Apple unveiled today?

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's still not ready to buy a Mac.

[Jaxbulls]

If I remember correctly Apple charged the $2 for that 802.11n update because of some weird US laws. When Apple released the device at first it wasn't mentioned that it was n just b/g. There is some kind of law from my understanding that prohibits Apple from just turning on n even though it had the chip. But if you charge for those features you can add the functionality. I'm wondering if that may be the case with the Touch. Of course they didn't need to charge $20 for it.

I think overall a solid keynote. While the MacbookAir may not be for either Jason or myself the thing I am impressed by is that they are innovating. PC laptop manufacturers just don't innovate. Their laptops finally look decent but when has a Dell/HP laptop had a groundbreaking feature? Meanwhile Apple has pioneered the removal of Floppy's, now DVD's, they have bluetooth standard on every machine, their magnetic closure and magnetic power adapter are better than anything on any laptop. When was the last time pc makers had this kind of innovation. This isn't a Mac-Fan-Boy it's someone looking at the bigger picture with how Apple pushes the envelope and the PC makers tread water.

[Phronetix]

I agree with Jason. Charging $20 for the Touch update is beyond ridiculous. I mean, the more I think about it, the more angered it makes me.

They are not charging any more for the new Touches, so why charge for the update? The applications did NOT need to be further developed for the Touch, did they? They are exactly like the ones on the iPhone as far as I can tell. And honestly, it is so easy to jailbreak a Touch and install the apps that it really does not make sense. If I still had my Touch, I would just keep it in its jailbroken state.

Is Apple attempting to punish the early adopters? It makes no sense. Will someone please help my simple mind with the logic?

The tv will now make its introduction into the Hayes household. The rental service justifies my continued heavy use of the US iTunes store. Now, just need to buy an HDTV set. lol This might get interesting.

The Air is pretty amazing. I wish I had an excuse to need one, but I likely never will. If I got another laptop, it would be the MacBook Pro (have an entry level MacBook). It would make the bag lighter though... The easier and better way to decrease my travel baggage weight remains exercise. :wink:

I was hoping for a 16GB iPhone. I was ready to sell my wife's red Treo, give her my iPhone and get the higher capacity. Well, after I asked her for her phone.

I have yet to watch the keynote stream. I will have more thoughts then.

Dennis

[Phronetix]

Oh, and the multitouch on the trackpad...


Jason, have you tried multitouch? I think it has potential to be a KILLER feature. Of course, the key question is whether it translates well on an indirect surface like a trackpad. Lists, for example, operate in such a way that a swipe on the trackpad upward brings the page scrolling down. Kinda like airplane navigation controls from videogames, and presumably from real life too. :lol:

[USArcher]

- iTunes Movie Rentals...I agree 100% with your assessment. They should be one or two years ahead when it comes to content partnerships for Media Center and XBox. The Media Center team has been diddling so long with Satellite tuners, Cablecards and IPTV that they haven't focused enough on new content deals. Microsoft elected NetFlix founder to their board of directors last year. You'd think Microsoft and NetFlix would have more to show for it. The state of "connected entertainment" that Microsoft touts...looks like its in severe disarray to those of us on the outside.

- Apple TV v2 $229 is really a great price considering it has 40GB, 802.11n and HDMI ports. The lowest prices Media Extender currently available is Linksys DMA 2100 $269. Microsoft needs to work with its partners to get prices down and get a Zune dock built into future Extender products.

- Time Capsule $299 is a killer price for a 500GB, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet router. Windows Home Server has some significant software/scabability advantages though that Time Capsule. I bought a HP EX470 for $599. It included at 500GB but also does not 802.11n/gigabit router capabilities. In any case, this product category is new... Microsoft and their partners can win this but they need to get the price down substantially. WHS OEM Software price is the first place to start...it should cost no where near $179.

Its seems evident that Apple is using iTunes profits to offset the cost of AppleTV and Time Capsule. Thats going to be tough for Microsoft's partner business model to compete with. Microsoft probably needs, if they haven't already, to establish profit sharing arrangements with its hardware partners.

[Adam Krebs]

I have to agree about the innovating thing, but that doesn't mean I can't be upset. I agree that Microsoft and the other guys don't seem to be innovating in the same ways, but they provide the serious tech products that allow Apple to put these features in their products at a somewhat reasonable cost. Apple doesn't truly innovate; it takes ideas that other people have come up with and deliver them in such a way that the average Joe can understand. These otherwise amazing technologies would've failed on their own, but Apple's massive hype machine keeps it alive.

It's not always the good technologies that get kept. Case in point: iPhone's* lack of a proper GPS. Instead, they use cell phone and hotspot triangulation, which is a stopgap solution at best.

The hyperbole Apple uses to market its products reminds me of daytime infomercials ("don't fumble with messy strainers!", "no more popped buttons at work!"): it's a product I'm going to pay way too much for to fix a problem I didn't know I had. In introducing the Macbook Air, Mr. Jobs declared that the notebook's magnetic latch was superior to hook closures, "no hooks or things to catch on your clothing," he explained. I've never had an issue with a laptop hook catching on my clothing...



*and their annoying habbit of not using definite and indefinite articles with their product names.

[baralong]

Originally Posted by Jaxbulls

While the MacbookAir may not be for either Jason or myself the thing I am impressed by is that they are innovating. PC laptop manufacturers just don't innovate.

Hmm, not sure about how inovative the removal of the DVD drive is. I'm typing on a Fujitsu T2010, no built-in DVD drive, small light, tablet, I get 5 hours from the standard battery and 8 when I use the extended. It also came with a docking station that has a built in DVD burner, plus I get heaps of ports (2USB firewire, ethernet, VGA audio in/out), bluetooth, but not n wifi. OK I dont' have multi-touch, but I can use it in tablet mode, wacom based. Also I don't have magnetic catches on anything, but I don't think I'll miss that.

I'm sorry if that sounded a bit "well mine is better, so there!" but the point is the only innovating feature on that is the multi touch pad, cool I"m sure. Apple makes fantastic looking laptops and way cooler than my Fujitsu, but, this one just doesnt' seem that great.

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

[onlydarksets]

Here's a deal-killer on the "Air" - the battery is not removable.

[David Tucker]

Originally Posted by Adam Krebs

I've never had an issue with a laptop hook catching on my clothing...

But the first time it pulls your pants off when you walk away from your desk, oh how you'll wish for that magnetic closure!

[byteme]

Originally Posted by baralong

Hmm, not sure about how inovative the removal of the DVD drive is. I'm typing on a Fujitsu T2010, no built-in DVD drive, small light, tablet, I get 5 hours from the standard battery and 8 when I use the extended.

It's also almost a full pound heavier, twice as thick and a smaller inferior screen. There's trade offs with everything. That said I have a hard time seeing the "Air" as a hot seller.

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***