Tuesday, January 15, 2008

a new soul...

Today was a big day for us Mac-fanatics. Steve Jobs delivered his much anticipated Keynote at MacWorld. So when I got home from work, I opened a bottle of wine and eagerly watched it on the Apple website. I'm no tech wizard, but I have become a bit of a Mac geek. So here's my take on the keynote.

Steve Jobs broke the announcement down into 4 categories:

1) Time Capsule
The Time Machine backup on the new Leopard operating system is supercool, but Time Capsule makes it that much cooler for the notebook user. Being able to back up wirelessly rocks! My only beef is that it comes as part of the Airport Extreme base station. Since I already have an Airport Extreme, I guess I would have to sell it on eBay and get the new Time Capsule. A serious pain in the ass that will probably stop me from purchasing it anytime soon. Instead, I'll stick with the wired external hard drive that I'm currently using.

2) iPhone/iPod Touch
For the iPhone, awesome new functions including maps with location, webclips, home screen customization, the ability to SMS multiple people at once and other cool features. They're all available as a free download, but since the iPhone is not available in Canada yet, it's hard to get really excited about these.
For the iPod Touch, five new apps including mail, maps, stocks, notes & weather. I love the idea of these extra little applications on an iPod, without it being a phone. All new iPod Touch units will come with these features but existing owners will have to download these from iTunes for a $20 fee. Seriously? I know $20 is not much, but don't they get some kind of bonus for being early adopters?

3) iTunes Movie Rentals/Apple TV
Brilliant idea! How cool is it to be able to rent movies on iTunes?!? For $2.99-$4.99 per title you can watch a movie on your TV, Mac, PC or current generation iPod. You'll have 30 days to start watching the movie and 24 hours to finish it. What if you start watching a movie on your PC but want to finish it on the commute to work on your iPod? No problem. Just transfer it from one device to the other. What about your fancy new HDTV? Plug Apple TV right into your TV and rent movies in HD with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. You can also view podcasts, photos from Flickr and .Mac and videos from You Tube. You can even buy TV shows and music from iTunes. All without plugging into a computer. Very cool. The only catch for us Canucks is that these features are not yet available in Canada. But if all of these features are available when it's released internationally later this year, you can be sure that I will be purchasing Apple TV.

4) MacBook Air
OMG! This is the sexiest laptop ever! Apple has created the world's thinnest notebook, so thin that if fits inside one of those inter-office memo envelopes, complete with a built in iSight camera, full size backlit keyboard and 13.3 inch widescreen, LED backlit display. The trackpad allows multi-touch gestures making it much more versatile than the average trackpad. 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, 80 GB hard drive, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi and the magsafe connector. So what's missing? No optical drive. That's right kids, you can't stick a CD or DVD in this box. You can buy a SuperDrive that plugs into the USB. So how do you install software? Mac has created a remote disc functionality that allows users to install software wirelessly. What about battery life? 5 hours. This is one area that still needs improvement across the industry but Mac does an amazing job with their built in batteries. And just to appeal to my environmental side, the case is enclosed in a fully recyclable aluminum case, contains a mercury-free and arsenic-free display, includes BFR-free and PVC-free circuit boards and comes in 50% less packaging than the last MacBook. Do I want one of these babies? Hell ya! Do I have $1,799 US to spend on one when my notebook is only a year old? No way! But a girl can dream.



So all in all, Steve Jobs did not disappoint this Mac-head. I only wish that it didn't take so long to get some of these cool things in Canada. Nevertheless, you can't deny that Apple is one of the most progressive and innovate technology companies out there. And if you spot a wide-eyed, long-haired brunette drooling over a MacBook Air at a Toronto area Apple Store in the near future, make sure you stop and say hi.

8 comments:

Mary Lynn said...

Whoever thought of the whole pulling-it-out-of-an-envelope thing for the ad is brilliant. Really gives you a sense of how slim it is. And pretty. Everything Apple is so pretty.

vivian said...

No kidding eh? And if you watch the keynote, that's exactly what Steve Jobs does. It's a magical moment. Apple is the only company that has mastered both the technology and the prettiness.

Anonymous said...

I bought an ipod touch a few weeks ago and absolutely love it!!!!

vivian said...

go melanie! I have iPod envy. My iPod is still in good shape so I can't justify getting the touch. I don't know how long I'll be able to resist!

Air said...

Air needs an Air

vivian said...

Totally! Air, I think that machine was made for you!

Pel said...

The air looks fantastic. I'm tempted by it...even though I'm really a PC person. It just looks...right. Not only can it probably do the job, it looks like it's up to it as well.

vivian said...

I was a PC person for a long time. I'm so happy to have made the switch. Everything is so much easier on a Mac. And way sexier! Hardware and softer is just sleeker and cooler than anything PC.

And just in case there was any doubt, I have drunk the Kool-Aid!