I don't play games on the iPod Touch anymore

because I found out about this: Stanza

When I was young, I would play games; as I grew up, I read books instead. It's like ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny, except less false.

Marketing Pitch: iPod Touch

Perfect for:

• Music
• Videos
• Games
• Email
• RSS Feeds
• Twitter
• Facebook

on the can.

Hi, I'm a Mac

It has been about 1 month since I received my first Mac, and here is a brief rundown of how awesome it is, and also the not-so-awesome bits, in no particular order, based on my own needs and expectations.

AWESOME:

• the looks: svelte!
• baaaaaaaaattery life: 8-ish hours!
• trackpad: for most things, better than a separate mouse
• Spaces and Expose: organizing without thinking
• speed: base model is still stupid fast
• so quiet!
• the screen: she is beautiful and highly viewable
• back-lit keyboard: no more tilting screen down to find keys in the dark

NOT AWESOME:

• sharp corners on lid opening indentation
• so easy to get dirty
• only 2 usb ports stuck very close together
• SD cards stick out from the reader, so I cannot boost storage space (or run OS X off of an 8 GB SD card)

DOUBLE NOT AWESOME:
I ordered Snow Leopard through the Up-To-Date program (pay for shipping only). It was due to arrive on September 3, having shipped on August 28. It has not arrived. I called Apple Support and waited on hold for 20 minutes or so before I could get it filed as lost/stolen. They're sending me another one free of charge with a different carrier.

The Plan: Execution

Remember last October, when I gave a fairly detailed write-up of my plan to upgrade my computer? A great deal of it turned out to be an accurate assessment, so I am really glad I waited for this latest iteration of MacBook Pros.

Back in the heyday of PowerPC Mac notebooks, there were two distinct model lines: PowerBooks and iBooks. The PowerBooks, predecessor to the MacBook Pro, were metal and awesome and came in three sizes: 12", 15" and 17". The iBooks, granddaddy of the white MacBooks, were plastic-chic, oddly adorable and came in 14" and 12" versions.

As of this Monday, the MacBook lineup returned to its roots and separated the Pro/non-Pro lineup with the same visual distinction: plastic vs. metal. The MacBook now only refers to the white plastic notebook. The Pros come in three sizes: 13", 15" and 17". The MacBook Air still exists, making all other notebook computers feel fat and unpretty. On top of that, Apple did what I never thought it would do -- cut prices.

Back in October, my decision between MacBook Pro 15" and MacBook 13" hinged on a few things: screen quality, affordability, backlit keyboard and battery life. Today's MacBook Pro 13" answers all those requirements while costing less than the base model MacBook of late 2008. It comes with an improved (Pro-level) screen, standard backlit keyboard, improved battery and SD CARD READER (finally). On top of that, it still qualifies for the Back to School steal deal.

It's going to happen. I'm just waiting for reviews to confirm screen quality improvements and then I'm off.

The Plan: holding course

On Tuesday, Apple launched the latest iteration of the MacBook line. Nerds and non-nerds alike are now gawking, gushing and griping at length about the virtues and slip-ups of these pricey slabs of metal.

As mentioned back in February, and detailed further in April, the MacBooks (and Pros) have been redesigned. They are now being manufacturered with a process pioneered by the advent of the MacBook Air in which the notebook shells are carved out of a solid piece of metal. Watch the video about this engineering feat.

For the uninitiated, here's what's new and awesome in the design:

• Looks like an iMac and a MacBook Air did naughty things
• Fully metal chassis, with the primary piece carved from a solid block of aluminum, makes for a very sturdy and svelte design
• 0.95" thick
• No more palmrest cracks or lid warpings
• Magnetic 'latch', just like the one that's been on my computer for 3 years
• MacBook Air keyboard, with backlighting on 3 of the 4 models
• Massive glass touchpad-button
• Easy-to-reach hard drive
• Battery indicator on the side

Reviews are trickling in; Apple fans are laudatory and delirious, Apple not-fans are snippy and dismissive. I, for one, like what I've seen so far and what it means for my (not evil) Plan. Envelopes were pushed.

Here's the run-down of what this latest offering means for my next way-too-well researched purchase:

Distinctions Blurred
The MacBook and the MacBook Pros once looked worlds apart. One was plastic and the other was metal. One had budget basic components, the other had the best that could be crammed into something 1" thin. Now, the two look identical, save for size, a few ports and speaker holes. The same unibody build quality, and very nearly the same underlying hardware means the MacBook is essentially a MacBook Pro Jr. For those that never needed the MBP's power but would go for it because of it's superior build, you can now safely pursue a more fiscally responsible purchase. What this means for me around this time next year is that my decision will be far tougher. I wanted to go MBP, but now, if the price is right(er), I can go MB without losing anything in build quality.

nVidia 9400M chipset
Apple has done away with the Intel chipset and their woebegone integrated graphics solution and upgraded to a company that actually knows graphics. For the same power consumption, MacBooks now have approximately 5x the graphics processing power as the previous model. Of course this chipset is fledgling, only officially released by nVidia the day after Apple's notebook event and nVidia's chipset track record is far less stellar than Intel's standards-setting level of reliability. It also means Apple's notebook refreshes cannot be predicted as easily as these past 4 years. Intel's roadmap is bared for all to see 2 or 3 years in advance. They churn out updates like clock work. Every 6 months there is either a new CPU (Q1) or a new chipset (Q3), and notebook makers follow about 2 weeks behind.

So will Apple have a newly updated computer ready for me this time next year? Maybe. Their next OS is slated to ship Oct. 09. What better way to launch Snow Leopard than with refreshed notebooks?

Dedicated to Graphics
Speaking of Snow Leopard, the hardware choices made in this redesign speak to the software advances Apple hopes to make with their next OS. They are aiming to harness the processing prowess of GPUs to work in tandem with the already over-powered CPUs and rebuild their software to take advantage of the hardware by cutting off the cruft required for historical compatabilities (PowerPC). Having stronger graphics solutions in their machines allows the software to take immediate advantage.

Good enough to buy now?
The MacBook got a significant upgrade from the previous model. The build quality exceeds the plastic one in more ways than us non-engineers are aware of. Its hardware is actually comparable to the MacBook Pro now while staying several hundred dollars cheaper. The MacBook Pro on the other hand, did not gain quite as much relative to what the MacBook was given, but still maintains a very high standard of quality that would be hard to equal with another brand at this price range.

I'm scheduled to make a purchase around this time next year. I will be keeping an eye out for signs of things to come. They will likely be upgraded in March/April with the latest Intel CPUs (Nehalem) and with hardware fixes for the bugs that inevitably crop up after a few months of use. If the update after that does not hold any significant gains, I will pony up during Back to School to score an iPod out of the mix. Otherwise, I will stay the course and (finally) switch when Snow Leopard arrives.

it is a great time to be a nerd

this past monday was Apple's WWDC (developers conference), where they announced a launched a plethora of promising items (iPhone 2.0 & 3G, OS X Snow Leopard, MobileMe). the upgraded iPhone garnered the greatest amount of attention from the intertubes. i'll admit that i was not interested in the first iPhone, but exposure to it has softened my stance over the months, and now the iPhone 3G's foray into Canada has piqued some interest.

what i was really pleased about was Snow Leopard, the next OS X. it is set to launch next year, which is exactly the time i plan on acquiring a new notebook (see The Plan). it will be light on new visible features, but high in refining processes and performance. its main focus will be utilizing the new hardware (multi-core processors) more efficiently and effectively. while some people find the name confusing, i, for one, think it is awesome. this is not simply because i heart snow leopards, but because the name speaks to the incremental nature of the improvements. essentially, OS X 10.6 will be the same as 10.5 Leopard, but with changes under the hood.

---

on Tuesday, June 17, Mozilla will be releasing Firefox 3.0, the much awaited upgrade to the lacklustre Firefox 2.0. even though i'm not a regular Firefox user, i am still excited for this release. from what i've seen in the beta, 3.0 is vastly superior to 2.0 in terms of memory usage, speed and general usability. aside from the wonderful collection of extensions and add-ons, Firefox does a lot of the little things well -- like in-line spellchecking and update management. Mozilla is looking to break the Guiness World Record for number of downloads in one day with Firefox 3.0's release. here's your chance to become part of history, or, if you're like me, wait until the day after, when the servers are less stressed and shaft them out of one more download.

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Opera 9.5 (Kestrel) was finally released today to subdued fanfare (relative to the above news). Opera currently holds 0.7% of the world's marketshare of browsers used. this is reflected in North American usage, but not indicative of European statistics, where it is the browser of choice for a significant number of countries. i've been using Opera since 9.0, so i'm a newbie in comparison to the stalwart users from 1994, when the company first entered the browser market.

like Firefox 3.0, Opera 9.5 is a fairly significant improvement over 9.27. i've been using the alphas and betas upon their respective releases, so the speed increase and some of the features are not quite so novel. however, there have been a few changes made since the last build i used (beta 2). the most marked difference is the new default skin in Windows. i must say that i am not a fan of some aspects of the new look, but they are not too obtrustive. apart from those minor niggles, there is plenty to be pleased about. i will likely devote a separate post to Kestrel in the near future. for the uninitiated, Lifehacker has a short roundup of what's sexy in this latest release.

The Plan: revisited

looks like i'm not the only one thinking MBs and MBPs are due for a redesign by this year's Q3. if you recall, back in February, i said that a redesign was most likely.

of course, one should take everything written by AppleInsider with a grain (or boulder) of salt; they are not the most reliable. in this case, however, they're simply stating the obvious. the Montevina chipset necessitates a change in the way computer makers interface with the hardware, so its inception this June is a logical time to push a redesigned chassis.

along those lines, it is also time for the various Mac product lines to become more uniform. the latest iMacs, Mac Pros, iPods and iPhones have established a new trend for Apple, leaning away from the hallmark white plastic that was so prevalent during the company's meteoric rise out of Microsoft's shadow. almost everything is now aluminum alloy with splashes of black and glass, save for the Mac Mini, Airport/Time Capsule, Mighty Mouse, Apple TV and Macbooks.

what i'm hoping for is an unholy menage a trois between a Macbook Pro, Black Macbook and Macbook Air, producing a 13" matte black aluminum alloy notebook that is 0.75" thin all around (without that silly cheese slice tapering), with the same keyboard, screen and touchpad as a Macbook Air.

The Plan

this does not refer to the plan in which i get married off to a cute, very nerdy girl with a deceptive wrist shot and the hand-eye coordination of a ping pong champion by the time i'm 24, but to the plan in which i purchase a Macbook Pro.

i will purchase one late Q3 '09, just before the holiday crush. incidentally, i will be 24, so the following is dependant on that first plan. if plan 1 (wife) does not work, i will have the funds to follow through with plan 2 (MBP).

Apple's notebook lineup was recently updated (last Tuesday) with the latest Penryn processors being dropped onto the Santa Rosa chipset. some time in June 08, the Montevina chipset will be released by Intel and the second iteration of even more efficient Penryns CPUS will coincide with that release. the Montevina chipset will require quite a bit of hardware tweaking due to different architectural requirements, so it would be the prime opportunity for the Macs to undergo redesigns. the Macbook Pro chassis has been around pretty much since Aluminum Powerbook G4s (2003), with only minor modifications to keep pace with new technology.

as is always the case with 1st Gen hardware, there will be flaws and issues and hiccups and burps, so i'm waiting until the next chipset (Calpella) is implemented with the second generation Nehalem CPUs. by then, SSDs will be fairly reasonably priced, the redesigned MBP chassis will have matured reasonably and the operating system will have hit 10.6 by then (18 month revision rate, ideally).

Meet Market

Cosmopolitan recently published a list of locations that desirable single men will congregate. at the top of the list was Apple Stores, followed by gyms, steakhouses, sports bars and Jacksonville, North Carolina. this was echoed by a TUAW post, which is how i caught wind of it. i would not have otherwise (i read YM instead, but only when friends subscribe to it on my behalf without telling me).

while it's hard to take anything that comes out of a magazine that spouts softcore sex slogans seriously, there is a morsel of truth to their asinine and alliterative assertions this time. the premise is that most guys gravitate towards gadgetry, computer gizmos, meat and sports. so chances are that Apple Stores, replete with gadgetry and computers, would boast a bumper-crop of male representatives. of course the same can be said for Best Buy or something like that, but i suppose that demographic is not quite as desirable (i.e. married?).

of course, Apple Stores will now see an influx of vapid Cosmo subscribers and desperate Mac geeks hoping to score on said influx of vapidity, on top of the beleaguered parents who've succumbed to their children's wheedling for a new iPod.

Opera 9.5 Beta

at the beginning of September, i posted about the public alpha release of Opera 9.5, codenamed Kestrel.

[marketing spiel] included in the alpha, and now given a name, is the Opera Link service. it is essentially an online repository for your browser's bookmarks, personal bar settings and speed dial sites, allowing you to synchronize any computer or mobile phone running either Opera 9.5 or Opera Mini 4. the process is simple, painless and works in the background. you can turn it on or off at your leisure. if you have multiple computers and a mobile phone with wi-fi capability, this handy feature will save you a bundle of time. there is also a web interface for firefox/ie/safari users who use Opera Mini on their phones.

9.5 is a significant evolutionary upgrade from the latest stable release, Opera 9.24. as i mentioned before, the rendering engine has been retooled for greater performance both in speed and resource usage. it will bridge the gap between 9.2x and Opera 10 (Peregrine), as most of the backend of the browser will be in 9.5. Peregrine will improve on the user interface, cross-platform compatability and usability and new tools for web developers.

[/marketing spiel]

i downloaded it this morning. i only just got home to install the beta over the alpha. so far it has not exploded. it feels snappier than the alpha (i was using an early public build as the later versions tended to crash when using Google Reader). i just signed up for the Opera Link feature a couple of nights ago before it was publicly named. it has not caused any problems, although i don't exactly have any other computers or mobile devices to actually try it out on. i just signed on so in the event my settings get wiped, or i decide to clean up my browser profile, i'll have an easy way of getting it all back. and when i eventaully migrate to a mac and need to install Opera 10 on it, i'll be set. can one of you mac users please try out the beta on OS X (Leopard leaps tomorrow, btw)?

all the rendering glitches in Blogger seem to have been ironed out as well. the glitches i've been putting up with in GMail have also been cleaned up (paragraphing, not being able to read text that i've typed unless i press enter before typing, crashing if i type then go back and press enter... it was a chore). Google Reader seems to be running without trouble. i am well pleased.