Apple this week unveiled the new wide iPod, that ‘does video’. This was no surprise to industry analysts and media-watchers like myself as reports on the video iPod tricked through the net over a week ago. But what surprised me most of all was the unveiling of the new iMac.
The iMac is by far and away the most popular computer Apple have ever made, and it’s been re-invented many times since it’s beige entry to the world a long time ago. Many successive coloured iMacs made up the line until the “whiteness” took over and the G4 iMac came on stream to go on as one hell of a popular computer. Art galleries and architects rarely visited the silver screen on docu-soaps or newscasts without the white G4 appearing behind them as more of a statement than a computer.
Then, last year, Apple did it again. But the G5 was extremely popular, but not seen as much as a statement as the G4, primarily because the G4 faked a floating screen more visibly than the G5. The fact is the G5 was long overdue because of the limited power of the G4 and not to mention that horrible 15″ model that just looked wrong. But now there’s a G5 generation II to contend with - and I love it.
The G5 II (as I like to call it) has faster processors, better graphics, higher spec all over and some neat little extras. The Apple Remote works with the Front Row product shipped with the new G5. Front Row is a tackle on the Media Centre stuff Microsoft tried to work a few years ago. MCPCs (Media Centre Personal Computers) are popular enough in the States but have a limited base in Europe because of the various complementary products and services needed to make it work. Apple, being the clever little fruit, held on and learned from the mistakes of the incumbent recycler, and now have a rival worthy of sitting in your living room and being the focal point at every social occasion, while maintaining a great computer underneath to help with all manner of tasks - “Beauty and Brains” as the Apple website claims.
What’s most intriguing though is the inclusion of the iSight camera - a must have for web-goers in the past. The €150 product was a marvel of camera technology, and OSX 10.4 took it to the extreme with three-way iChat AV. But now, the iSight is built in - rather stylishly too! And it comes with what will become an extremely popular application, PhotoBooth - allowing that favourite among camera-owners, the photo shot. But Apple being Apple, haven’t just created something that allows the TWAIN take your picture, it created something beautiful. From the Quicktime movie of the unveiling and Steve Jobs’ demonstration of it, it is so clever and thoughtful. They’ve even managed a flash for the product - an ingenuious bright-white flash of the actual TFT screen!
All-in-all, the new iMac is just about smitten on me. I’ve wanted a G4/G5 for over 2 years now since I started getting into Apple in a big way. I’m still the proud owner of a Dell Inspiron 4150 notebook computer that has served me well since 2002, but I think it’s time to change. Not because the Inspiron isn’t up to it, but because of what it runs - Windows XP - a product older than the laptop at a staggering 4 years! Sure, I could run Linux but it’s not compatible with my web-design needs (while being extremely functional). And many will say that Vista is just around the corner (somewhere) but sadly, my beast will not comply, and so it’ll be extinct shortly after XPSP3.
But what about Futureproof? I’m just curious about what Apple next unveil (as are many around the world!). They’ve already dolled up the iBooks, now the iMacs, boosted the Mac Mini and seemed to have culled the eMac - so what next? Many will say that it’s the PowerBook on Mactel, but as excited as I was about that, I’d prefer an IBM chip burning away under the hood than something AMD has long since surpassed on power and scalability. So Apple, please jazz up the PowerBook, give it a nice G5 chip (if you can) and arrange financing in the Republic of Ireland (where your EU HQ is located) and allow me to finally rid myself of the shackles of Microsoft, and move to a higher plain.
diarmy
Flock is the new buzz word online in the land of developers and techies alike. Flock is the creation of a small group of developers as a compliment browser to Firefox, using the Firefox code as a base, which mimicks the del.icio.us projects and uses their code systems. Flock, is in some ways a lot like Safari RSS on Tiger.
Apple, dare I mention them yet again, have announced a further update to their product line “ahead of the holidays” as they say in the States. The Cupertino California computer giant has revamped the PowerBook G4 line ahead of its much talked-about replacement by so-called “MacTel” PowerBooks in the new year.
A Christy Moore entitled song, Quiet Desperation, rings true its echoings these past few days. Frank Sinatra fills the room with his music and encontre with “Send in The Clowns”. Weekends at Galway have lost their appeal - for the want of enjoyment.
