Apple Ware

MacBook Air made its debut with lots of hype. There was even a near arrest (okay – so the guy at the airport was only detained because security had NO IDEA what the contraption was). But even I – who am in no way a computer genius – guessed that the hype would be about all there was.

The starting price for the MacBook Air is way more than most people would ever consider spending on a notebook computer. To make it even more undesirable, the ones who WOULD spend that kind of money are going to be disappointed by the lack of features available.

This got me to thinking – is it really possible to put all the power into less space? There has to be a point when things just can’t get any smaller and still is able to retain their speed, memory and options. The MacBook Air may look cool and it may even be good for come tasks, but it just doesn’t have the power that its larger and heavier cousins offer.

The MacBook Air may be a great addition to some businesses, but for my own personal use I need more. If I’m going to pay more money, then I need something that will do more than fit into a smaller package.

Apple computers have always been my favorite. I first learned my computer basics on an Apple. Even though I was impressed and actually fell in love, I have never owned my own Apple computer. If things stay the way they are today then I probably never will own one.

Apple computers are considered by many to be the “high end” machines of the computer world. The thing that gets me is the high prices. I want to be able to get as much power as I can with as little investment, because we all know that in three or four years the technology will be obsolete anyway.

There has to be a way for the technology industry to offer high end value at reasonable costs. With the economy showing signs of a continued downward trend, if they don’t offer better prices and great deals then they won’t be able to make the sales.

It is important for Apple to learn from its competition (competition only in the sense that there are other computers in the market place). Lower prices don’t have to mean compromise in integrity. It could just mean higher profits due to increases sales.

It is time for Apple to create a computer that is perfect for the average Joes out there with less disposable income and more computer needs!

Apple products tend to be some of the best on the market - and the price you pay for them will prove it. The company also seems to have touched a nerve with the younger generations. Like many companies before them, Apple now runs the risk of not holding up its standards to those that consumers have come to expect.

Customer service is often one of the first places that companies falter. Apple offer the convenience of product stores, but if you don’t live near one a quick visit to the company website will often give you the answers that you need. But for complex needs, Apple has outsourced their customer service - one of the first sure fire steps to disaster (IMHO).

Some of the electronic devices that Apple currently offers are just not as durable as you might want. The iPods are not for the overly active (therefore would not make a great Christmas gift for active, preteen boys) because a hard jarring can cause the device to no longer work properly.

As for innovation, Apple is still King. It seems to have a finger on the pulse of consumers’ desires and it meeting them beyond expectations. Less just hope that the King continues to understand that without the peasants its kingdom will fall.

Apple always seems to be the best choice, but the least utilized in the electronics department.

In college I had the privilege of working on an Apple computer. Designing newsletters and flyers was quick and easy and quite painless. But Apple was the Beta of personal computers. It was slow making its way into mainstream use, and now it’s doing the same thing with home entertainment.

When I broke down and spent real money on a personal computer, I stayed away from Apple. Even though I KNEW it was the best choice for what I wanted to do, it was not the best choice for other things I needed to do over the internet.

Now I’m moving into the family room and the Mac debate is back on. Although I know that Apple tends to make superior products, the Mac Mini just does not do it for me. Even though there is a way to make a Mac my home entertainment center, I’m not sure I want to go to the hassle or experience.

Apple hit it big with the iPod and the iPhone. Even the personal computers are making it into the mainstream. Now Apple only has to meet my family room needs and I might finally be happy.

A nice tutorial from the CNET Applesource, on how to stream video from a Mac to PS3.

It reads like an uber-geek lovefest - a page full of code and software directives. But this could actually be one killer how-to.

Reason being that MS and Sony both really want to push IPTV on their various video game stations, especially MS. A key part of this is user-generated-content (UGC) which basically means people jamming custom game cutscenes into their own little entertainments, sharing them, and so on.

If you can then mix that all up with real video footage and other media applications - you have a powerful group of forces at work.

And as few desktops both have and deserve a reputation as an ultimate media mixer as the Mac, we could be looking at the beginnings of something much much bigger in time.