Child Prodigies: Amazing Children With Amazing Voices!

For my first post of the new year, I would like to do something different, something short and something that has really nothing to do with Apple or technology in general, other than the fact that I'm delivering it via Blogspot and with the help of Youtube.  Namely, I would like to take the time to showcase four amazing voices, from four amazing children: Antonio Jose - Digale, Decian Galbraith, Connie Talbot and Damian McGinty.  

My first child, Antonio Jose Digale, is an amazing Spanish boy and, as you can plainly hear, he has an amazing voice, a voice that seems far beyond his years. Personally, I really don't know his age, but from the video below I would guess to him to be between 12 and 14 years of age. He may be young, but he sings with the maturity of a 25 year old. His voice is strong, smooth and confident. Listening to him sing this particular song makes my face light up and my feet want to get up and bogey! The song itself is fast, catchy and lively, as is his performance.  Trust me, this kid can croon with the best of them.

Below, in this next YouTube video, we see the amazing 10 year old Decian Galbrith singing the hauntingly beautiful melody, "Tell Me Why?" His voice, as you can hear for yourself, is also confident, strong and he belts out this melody with an angelic voice that can compete with any of those from the Pearly Gates themselves! I just love this kid. It's truly amazing that such a big voice can come out of such a small body. 

Next we have the most adorable little creature, the beautiful British girl, Connie Talbot. Janette, a friend, pointed this amazing Lilliputian singer out to me and I'm so glad that she did, as this tiny six-year old has an angelic face that could easily warm the coldest heart of any banker, or, for that matter, even the heart of Simon Cowell himself - which she also just happened to do, by the way!  

Below we see this little angel bring tears of joy to one of the judges on the British show, "Britain's Got Talent," a show similar to American Idol, as she sings the old Judy Garland hit, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Judge for yourself, just how amazing little Connie is, by clicking on her YouTube video below and see if you don't agree with me.

Last, but certainly not the least, we find yet another amazing British child (apparently it's true - Britain does have talent!) by the name of Damian McGinty. Here we find Damian singing a beautiful rendition of the song, "Birds Without Wings." His voice is so steady, so wonderful, so rich and yet Damian is only 14 years old, and yes, if you think he sounds like a professional -  you would be correct! That's because he just also happens to be the youngest member of the professional singing group, Celtic Thunder!   

I really love this kid, his voice and pose are truly professional. In fact, it wasn't long after seeing him in this YouTube video, seen below, that I had to go and immediately buy his music from the iTunes music store. It was money well spent, I assure you! 

What I find really amazing about these amazing kids is not just their amazing voices. No, what truly fascinates me is their display of confidence, their pose and professionalism. They conduct themselves with the confidence of a professional performer, which, of course - they all truly are, and they all talk, move, dance and sing with the grace of a butterfly (my apologies to the Champ) and I have no doubt that they could easily hold their own with any of the best of them. 

Well, that's it for my very first post of 2009, and if you ask me, I couldn't have picked a better topic to start the year off. These kids truly are amazing, and all of them have truly amazing voices and amazing talent, and especially when considering their tender ages. Of course, all children, the world over, are amazing! Each and every child is precious and to be treasure for sure, but not many of them, and this goes, for that matter, with us adults too, could ever hope to sing as lovely as they! Chances are pretty good that we will all me seeing and hearing more from these four beautiful children, and I wish them well for the coming new year, and those in the future, both personally and professionally. So, please take the time to listen to these four amazing children, and, by all means,  if your computer has premium speakers - than use them for goodness sake - you'll be much better able to appreciate the richness of their music all the more! 

Also, I would like to wish the very best for the coming year to all the readers of this little practice blog of mine. So, from where ever you may come from, be it from Pflugerville, Texas, Beamsville, Ontario, Madras, Tamil Nadu,  Müllheim, Baden-Württemberg,  Rushden, Northamptonshire, Saint Charles, Illinois , Reading and Milton-Keyes, U.K., or from elsewhere, then please have  - the very best 2009 possible! I truly appreciate your stopping by and sincerely hope that you will continue to do so.

Happy 2009 everyone! 

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, January 01, 2009

Gizmodo - Shame, Shame, Shame On You!

I say, shame, shame on Gizmodo for their crappy story on Steve Job's health. According to an anonymous source, a source that Gizmodo says has been very trustworthy in the past, Steve Job's health has been declining rapidly and is the real reason why he will not be giving his once expected keynote speech at MacWorld next week, and, as well, the real reason why Apple will no longer be a part of the show.

Don't get me wrong, even though I think this story is pure crap and should never have been published in the first place, I love Gizmodo and read it religiously every single day. However, the sources given were so filmy that even Gizmodo tended to shy away from it, so why then did they even bother to publish it? Didn't they know that such sensational claims would hurt Apple's investors? Indeed, though starting off in the plus range, the stocked ended up in the minus range shortly after this story broke.

Yes, I can certainly understand why Apple's secrecy surrounding it's famous and iconic leader and his frail recent appearances would tend to support, at first glance, the flimsy assertions made by this anonymous source, but the problem is that on closer inspection, it just doesn't add up. Indeed, long time Apple observer Jim Goldman, writing for CNBC.com, pretty much summed up the situation in his post titled, "Apple's Job's is (Still) fine." In his post, Mr. Goldman writes:

"Never mind the Gizmodo report was flimsy at best. Never mind the blog seemed to distance itself from its own report. Traders and their hair triggers swiftly yelled "Sell!" — and rumor overshadowed reason once again.

I spoke to Apple after these headlines crossed and the company, which officially doesn't comment on rumors, reiterated the reasons it offered two weeks ago: Apple was pulling out of Macworld because the company didn't see the need to continue its investment in the expo, which included Steve Jobs' keynote.

I was told this morning (Tuesday) that nothing has changed since then. The same reasons apply today that applied two weeks ago.

I was told two weeks ago by sources inside Apple that the decision had nothing to do with Jobs' health. I got the same message today. Period."

Not only does Mr. Goldman cut straight to the chase, I believe he has a much more relistic view of the whole situation. Probably that is because he's 100% right, and I would even be willing to bet on it. No, when I look at it, it simply doesn't all add up, not at least if you look at all of the facts in a calm, mature and rational way, something that Gizmodo and Apple's skittish stock holders apparently have not. As Mr. Goldman goes on to say:

" I will say again: if Apple is lying, holding some truth back, manipulating its own stock by manipulating the truth, someone — indeed a lot of people — could be going to jail. Do I like the way Apple has handled this ongoing story? No. But do I traffic in rumors to fill the void the company has created by not choosing to be more forthcoming about Jobs' health? Absolutely not."

I agree with Mr. Goldman's assessment 100%, because when you really think about it - why would Apple withhold such information - as it will inevitably come out anyway! No one can hide what Gizmodo's anonymous source says Apple is doing for very long, and that goes especially if Jobs's cancer returned. Holding back such information, as Mr. Goldman correctly pointed out, is down right illegal! Not only that, it's also down right stupid! Stupid because Apple has absolutely nothing to gain from withholding such information. It would, however, have a lot to lose down the road by doing what Gizmodo's so called anonymous tipster has suggested is the case. Could it be possible that Apple has grown so huge, so powerful, so influential and so bloody rich, all at the hands of a leadership that would do what Gizmodo says it has been doing? That pretty much would make Steve and his executive team look like a bunch of immature idiots! I don't bloody well don't think so!

Apple's leadership has proven the exact opposite. It has consistently proven and demonstrated, all along, that it has, and is, acting in a most mature and responsible manner. It is precisely because of this maturity and responsibility from Apple's top brass, especially Mr. Jobs, that is the very reason behind why Apple has grown into such a huge, powerful, influential and rich company in the first place! To suggest the opposite, at this late point, that Apple is doing what the Gizmodo article suggests is to go against all logic!

Gizmodo's article was based on illogical and flimsy evidence from the very beginning, and that from an anonymous source. As such, it was an irresponsible post and, I believe, it was totally irresponsible of Gizmodo to even publish it, especially publishing it as if it was an established fact - an established fact that even Gizmodo felt it had to distance itself from!

In conclusion, I, like Gizmodo and many others, of course, hope only the best for Mr. Jobs and his health, and that of the health of Apple, the insanely great company that he helped to create. Without any proof what-so-ever, and from such a flimsy and seemingly illogical source, no matter how reliable it was in the past, I have to contend, that like Mr. Goldman, this whole article is nothing more than illogical and irresponsible garbage - pure rumor mongering, and as such, fit only for the trash heap!

Shame, shame on you Gizmodo! Shame on you indeed!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Photo via: CNBC.com

Blast-from-the-Past: The e-One PC

Today its time for another one of my "Blast-from-the-Past" features, and this time I'm featuring the iMac inspired, all-in-one, "e-One" desktop computer from e-Machines.

This computer was so much like the original translucent Bondi colored, gum-drop shaped iMac that Apple was able to successfully sue it out of existence barely after it was introduced, some ten years ago!

The e-One, to my memory, was the very first iMac inspired, all-in-one, PC to hit the market, and this long before Dell, HP, Avertec and others jumped in with their own inspired iMac all-in-ones. The e-One was small, portable and very cute, but if you ask me, not quite as cute as the original iMac's with it's sexy curves. The e-One was rather boxy as you can see from the enclosed photos.

Like the original iMac, the e-One featured a translucent blue and white plastic body that made it stand out from the everyday boring beige-colored run-of-the-mill PC box's that were so common. It wasn't very powerful, much as the original iMac was, but, for the money, many, thought that it was a sweet deal.

The e-One's specs where as follows:

- CPU: Intel Celeron 500MHz
- Display: 15 inch SVGA
- Memory: 64MB SDRAM on board-UPGRADED TO 200MB RAM!
- Hard Drive: 8.4GB HDD UPGRADED TO 80GB!
- Optical Drive: 24x Max. CD-ROM Drive
- Video: ATI Rage XL 3D 2x AGP with 8MB SDRAM
- Audio: Crystal CS4280 PCI Audio
- Network: 10Base-T Ethernet HomePNA 1.0(Intel® AnyPoint)
- Modem: 56K ITU V.90 Fax/Modem
- Peripherals: PS/2 Keyboard, Wheel Mouse, Microphone & Stereo Speakers built-in
- Ports/Other: 2 USB Ports, NTSC Video Input ports, 1 Serial / 1 Parallel, Audio In & Out, Microphone In, 1 Midi/Game

Of course, comparing those specs with even that of the cheapest $500 generic PC these days, those specs seem pretty puny and almost laughable, but ten years ago they were quite impressive. I remember my friend bragging how much video memory his old $5,000 Gateway system had - 4 whole megabytes - so I guess, that the e-One's whopping 8 megs of video, was pretty serious stuff back then. The 8.4 GB hard drive was also huge and impressive and I was personally very, very impressed! I remember thinking, after purchasing my first gum-drop iMac, that it's 8 GB's was enough to last until me till kingdom-come, so reading e-One's specs really brought back a lot of memories for me.

Even though I don't remember the exact price that a new e-One was, I believe it was around $799 U.S, I do remember that it was considerable less than the iMac's, and especially when you factor in that it offered features that Apple left out, such as a built-in floppy drive!

e-Machines, which was developed by a Korean partnership, in 1998, however, was very well known for it's use of inferior quality parts and workmanship, and, at the time, the e-One was no exception. There was, back then, a big controversy involving cracked hinges and power supplies with various e-Machine brands, something that I witnessed first-hand with an e-One on display. Despite these, however, e-Machines went on to become, for a time being, the third largest selling PC brand in the world, right after Dell and HP! eMachine's quality, since then, of course, has improved considerably, and especially after eMachines was purchased by Gateway and then, in turn, by Acer.

I remember seeing the e-One up close and personal for the first time at a local Staples shop and I remember feeling a little bit jealous because of it's added features and lower price. I also remember feeling a little bit cheated, but I took some solace, however, in knowing that the iMac was sexier, built-better and, most assuredly, ran a superior OS (Mac OS 8.5), rather than the plain old and ugly Windows that most people ran! After all, I could plainly see with my very own eyes just how inferior the e-One quality was as compared to my iMac, which, to this very day, still runs like new, though I rarely ever use it. Since it's just a little too nice to part with, it sits mostly in the closet. Of course, I still occasionally bring it out to play with, naturally. Unlike the quality of the iMac, I can still vividly remember the side panels of the e-One looking cheap and easily breaking off of the display unit! They really looked and felt flimsy, because, frankly, they were!

Though, in 1999, the e-One was quickly sued out of existence, by Apple for being a little too much like the iMac, it still retains the distinction of being one of the very first, if not the very first, iMac inspired all-in-one computers to ever come out of the PC camp. It brought out my fears, and even my jealousy at the time, but now, looking back, it brings out just memories of a time that seems so long, long ago. In human terms, the past ten years may not seem like much, but in computer or technological terms, well, ten years seems like an absolute eternity, and I can hardly believe its been that long since this little sucker had been born and since died!

I suppose, that despite being as powerful, sleek and capable as many of today's Mac's and PC's are, that given another ten years or so, we will look back on them as being just as underpowered, overpriced and laughable as the short-lived e-One does today!

And that is something to look forward to!


And thats my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, December 30, 2008

e-One photos via: AKIHABARA

Comming Soon, the Super iPhone?

The fine folks over at Gizmodo recently published the above photo of what they call the iPhone Pro. The photo, of course, is just a Photo Shop mock-up of a potentially new dream iPhone. This super iPhone is the dream of Gizmodo reader Matt Brady and would feature the long sought after built-in 'physical' keyboard wished for by so many! By clicking on the above photo you can see a higher resolution of a phone that looks to be just about perfect, and the dream iPhone of  millions of other people besides Matt.

Matt calls his creation the "iPhone Elite" and his dream iPhone comes with an incredible 60 GBs of memory, a true 16:0 aspect viewing ratio, two built-in cameras including a 1 megapixel front camera for iChat video conferencing and a possible 8 megapixel backside camera, one that comes complete with great optics and zoom capability! 

All this is a tall order, I know, but the short answer is that it is more than doable, and as Gizmodo says:

"Is this doable now? Technologically, it is. We've seen designs by HTC that get close to this, although they don't have the software and the final polish that this class of Apple product may have. Would it be more expensive too produce than the current iPhone 3G? Of course. Would we want to pay extra for it? Definitely yes."

The question is: will Apple actually do it? Well, that's for Apple to answer, but personally I believe that the answer will be yes!

When?

Well, your guess is as good as mine, but I would suspect that the earliest would be this coming fall and no later than the middle of 2010. At least that's what I'm hoping for. The lack of a physical keyboard is the biggest deal breaker for many folks out there and that especially goes for the business crowd. Mind you, the on-screen keyboard is nice, but it's not exactly the greatest. It's something that comes in handy, but despite what uncle Steve says, its' still not good enough for many people. I find that touch screens are better suited for things other than typing, at least for longer compositions. Short notes I can live with, and when I mean short, I mean short!

Since, as Gizmodo pointed out, other phones basically sport many of these things already, so how hard can it be for Apple to add them to what many consider to be the best dang mobile ever created in spite of all of these glaring omissions? I suspect that it wouldn't or shouldn't be hard at all.  

Again, however, the question is: will they? Again, that I don't know, but I do know that since Matt and others like to dream - so can I - and here's what I would love to see in my future dream iPhone:

One, an adjustable holographic projection screen! Yah, yah, I know, that sounds awfully silly, but then again, remember..... I'm only dreaming! Imagine such a screen - a screen that could project 2D and 3D images in front of you that could be one, two, three or more feet in size! Wow... now that's big and, no doubt, also with a very small chance of ever happening anytime soon. 

Also, imagine if such a future iPhone featured not only had 3G, 4G or what have you, but also included low cost satellite phone capabilities built-into it, so it wouldn't matter where you were - in the middle of the vast Pacific ocean, the middle of a frozen Antarctica ice field, or in the middle of the uncivilized Amazon rain forest - you would never be out of touch with the civilized world ever again! And since where only dreaming here, how about throwing in a built-in location beckon as well - this way, if your ever in an emergency or your lost, the proper rescue personnel could simply lock-in and find you! That would be great for many of my hunter type friends who constantly fear getting lost in the wilds of Canada's vast forests!

Now what good is a satellite equipped phone without also having satellite radio and tv built-in functionality as well? As it stands now, of course, satellite functionality doesn't come cheap, but if enough people had them, well, we know the story - cheaper pricing would inevitably result! Of course, video conferencing is a must. The idea that you could be lost in the woods and have those rescue teams 'lock in' and locate you is truly great, but being able to give them a video look around at your surroundings would be  additionally helpful as well. 

Of course, my dream iPhone is just that - a dream! A dream that may never happen or be even be practical, but Matt's 'Elite iPhone,' on the other hand, is not only doable, but an absolute must, I believe, if the iPhone is to survive, because if Apple doesn't add them, certainly other mobile carriers will! 

In addition to a low coast, lower featured iPhone Nano and a middle of the road iPhone, the current version, Apple also needs to add a really high-end iPhone, be it called the Elite, iPhone Pro or Super iPhone or what have you. I believe they are coming and coming soon - I just don't know how soon.

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Monday, December 29, 2008

Photo via: Gizmodo

The iPhone: Little App Makes A Big Stink!

Like millions of people around the world, I too will be taking time off during the Christmas holidays, even though I personally don't celebrate them. I shall be away from the 25 th. to the 29th, or possibly even the second of January, but hopefully not quite that long? 

So, for what may be my last post of the year, I would like to add my two cents to a new iPhone app that seems to raising up quite a stink, much like the current worldwide economic situation. Well, not really a stink in the sense that they will offend your olfactory  senses or anything, but, for some, it might just offend their sensibilities! 

Yes, as pointed out by several sources, such as TechMarketing.com  and  CrunchTech.com , a little program called 'iFart' is  making a quite big stink and, as well, a big killing with their presence in Apple's App Store! I guess  this electronic version of the old, but popular, whoopy cushion has been a huge hit with iPhone customers, and for it's creators  it's hardly anything but a stinking joke - it's been pulling in around $10,000 per day in sales! 

Wow, now thats what I call a lot of gas!

Since I'm guessing that the majority of iPhone users are adults, well in name at least, then it just goes to show you that there really is still  a lot of 'kid' in most of us yet. Apparently, by the sales numbers, this is the type of app that has a lot of people laughing about these days, including, I might add the developers who can now be seen laughing all the way to the bank!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Psystar vs Apple: The Desperation Gets Laughable!

Who's behind Psystar's desperate and expensive legal fight for the right to be able to build Mac clones? Is anyone behind them? 

Well, as Psystar's costly fight continues to rage on, it gets freakier and freakier by the minute and their increasing desperation is now growing to be quite laughable. 

As you may already know, Psystar is now claiming that Apple, one of the most sue-happy gargantuan corporations on the face of the whole planet, has absolutely no right what's-so-ever to restrict poor-little Psystar from building Mac clones for the incredibly stupid and retarded reason that they, Apple, simply forgot to properly file a copyright notice to and for OS X!

Apparently, Psystar and it's high-priced lawyers are much too busy making up ridiculous claims against Apple to have anytime to read Gizmodo, who, within minutes, quickly and easily located those copyrights that Psystar claims that Apple never bother to file, which you can see yourself here and here.  Too bad for them, as it could have saved them a lot of time, money and a lot of embarrassment.

Everyone, including Apple, makes mistakes of course, but to officially claim in court what they are claiming is almost beyond belief and shows how pathetically desperate the lawyers and Psystar are becoming. This brings up again the question - who-in-hell could possibly be behind Psystar's and why? Apple claims that they have every reason to believe that there may be someone behind Psystar, and possibly, who knows, several large corporations! And, when you really think about it, it's no wonder why others are also beginning to ponder the same thing, such as Sean Fallon, who writing for Gizmodo, says:

"I'm seriously buying into the idea that Psystar has secret supporters, because there is no way a small company could fight a hopeless battle against Apple this long. Yet, the battle rages on."

I agree! I mean, for crying out buckets of fried lizard gizzards and shaved toe-nails, seriously, this protracted legal battle has got to be costing Psystar a bucket full of cash! Cash that tiny little up-starts rarely have excess to, unless , of course, that is - they have one or more sugar-daddies out there to back them up! But why would anyone, be it individuals or corporations, be willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even a couple of million dollars for legal fees, in an attempt to build Mac clones?

Money!

Plain and simple - money! Yes, it might cost a pile of money up front in order to legally open up the market for Mac clones, but that's money well spent if it works out as they hope. Steve Jobs, it must be remembered,  once stated that four or five of the largest personal computer manufacturers approached Apple, and, more-or-less, begged them to license OS X to them! Dell has even publicly acknowledged their desire to offer OS X as an alternative to Windows. 

And why wouldn't they? Seems to me that,  if I was a computer manufacturer, I too would love to have the opportunity to offer the world's best OS on my machines as well. In other words: computer OEM's are getting a little desperate to free themselves from the tyranny of Microsoft being able to cram their inferior and buggy OS's down their throats and that of their customers. Vista has been a tremendous burden to them, not to mention cost, and it's why you hear and read that HP has an actual skunk-work project to explore the possibilities of them building their own Linux based OS, something which would free them, once and for all, from Microsoft's domination! The friction between the two is well known and I believe also extends to other computer OEMs as well.

Considering the friction between them and Microsoft, I honestly can't say that I blame them or anyone else, one itty- bitty little bit, can you? 

If someone is indeed behind Psystar, something that I have long suspected, then who could it be? Sadly, I don't know, but oh how I wish I did. - I'm personally just itching to know. Of course, we can all speculate till the cows, all wearing mini-skirts and dancing to the beat of a Latin tango, come home, on who that just might be, but until or unless Apple or some clever journalist can smoke them out, I guess that we'll all just have to wait it out and see. After all, everyone loves a mystery and, as Psystar, it's lawyers and it's possible mystery backers, get more and more desperate by the minute, they also get more foolish and comical by the minute, as well, so - I, for the moment, will simply just sit back, relax and enjoy the comedy show while it lasts! 

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Is the War Between the RIAA, It's Customers and iTunes Coming to An End?

According to a ComputerWorld post, written by Seth Weintraub, titled, "The RIAA gives up on finding a competitor to iTunes,"  the infamous RIAA has  apparently finally decided that it will give up it's long fight against music piracy, by no longer actively going after individuals for illegally downloading music files from the net. This does not mean that they won't, according to the post, stop serving notice to ISPs for large offenders, but they have at least stopped trying to put up walls around music as they have in the past.

The really big news, news which some have lately been predicting, is that the RIAA has apparently also given up on the idea of restricting the iTunes music store, as it presently does, by unfairly giving it's competitor's, like Amazon, special advantages such as totally DRM-free music, at reduced prices. According to Seth's post, we could and should be expecting to hear more information on all of this in the coming next few weeks. 

I hope so?

This would be great news not only for Apple and iTunes, but, if true, even more great news for music lovers worldwide, and, as well, also great news for the artists and the record companies themselves. Trying to break iTunes by giving it's competitors better terms, pricing and features, while at the same time restricting iTunes from the same, seems more than just unfair to me - it  also seems to be just as much as illegal as illegal downloading itself! In fact, as far as I'm concerned,  it's a restriction of trade and its beyond me why the record labels were not charged for such!

I can only hope that the RIAA's change of tactics won't suddenly mean that individuals will think that it's now perfectly ok to download music willy-nilly, because it isn't!  It never was and never will be!  I firmly believe that the RIAA, the artists and everyone else involved with music, TV and in film,  have the right to protect their work from illegal downloads - it's just the way in which they have been going about it that bothers me! Instead of accommodating people who simply wanted to be able to get their music cheaply, conveniently and quickly through downloading, they instead put up a high wall of restrictions that have simply made it easier for people to consider stealing their music by illegally downloading it. 

The RIAA's tactics in the past have been far too Draconian and they have done virtually nothing in helping to stop illegal downloads, nor did they help either the music industry, it's performers, or it's customers! They have made the RIAA into nothing more than a big, mean bully! A bully that not only made it hard on individual downloaders, but worst, on Apple, the one company that came forward to actually step in and help them make money where previously they were losing both money and the battle of illegal downloads! It's about time that they change their tactics, because clearly they were not working.

It's also apparent that, as Seth points out, that Apple's marketing muscle and popularity has been a lot more than they ever bargained for and just way too big to rain in. No matter what they did, or how they did it, Apple was always one step ahead of them. Instead of helping the industry, the RIAA's bullying tactics have hurt it and, in doing so, giving themselves a black-eye in the process, and, frankly, they only themselves to blame!

So, is Computerworld's recent article true? Is the RIAA really about to give up on finding  a competitor that could break up iTunes? Is their tactics of bullying the little guy over? Again, I can only hope so, and not only for the sake of being fair and reasonable to Apple and the iTunes store, but also in fairness to all of the recording artists and their many loyal fans, whom the majority just also happen to be loyal iTune customers!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Monday, December 22, 2008

My Top 5 Apple Posts-4- the Past Week

There's been a ton of great Apple related stories during the past week and as I have done recently, here's my take for the Top 5 Favorite Apple Related Stories for the Past Week .

My first pick for this week is a story by the NZHerald.co.nz called, "(The iPod? It's bound to fail (and other terrible tech predictions)". This story, from last Sunday, is not only about Apple, but the Apple's iPod does take it's fourth spot - namely that, as the title clearly indicates, it would ultimately fail big time. Of course, we all know what a terrible prediction that turned out to be!

Some of the other high-tech predictions that also happened to fail big time was that television was boring and that it too would fail; the famous failed prediction from Bill Gates that 640KB of memory was all that PC's would ever need,  and even the laughable idea that the telephone would fail! Interesting post all around,  so be sure to check it out by clicking on it's link above. 

Second spot for the past week is for an article by Technologizer.com and it's story, "Apple Patentmania: 31 Years of Big Ideas."  This is a wonderful post that takes a visual look back at some of the ideas that have come out of Apple over the past 31 years. Some are brilliant, some are bizarre and some are just plain bad, as they pointed out, but all of them, in my opinion, are just plain fun to look and reflect back on. 

One of these patents was for the Apple III. I remember as a young man thinking that it looked to be one of the greatest computers that could ever be! I was right about the looking great part maybe, but in actual fact I was dead wrong about the computer itself. That's because it is now considered to be one of the worst things that ever came out of Cupertino! From that rotten Apple to the most excellent Laser Writer, to the Newton, and others, you too can relive all the glory and all the infamy of Apple's colorful past with this great post, so be sure to check it out.

My third pick for the past week is by Jim Goldman, writing for CNBC's Tech Check and his post, "Politics Not Pancreas the Reason for Jobs' MacWorld Exit".  This particular story was probably the biggest Apple news of the entire past week, as well as one of the biggest of the year. The whole affair has prompted the issue of Jobs' health to crop up all over again, not that it ever exactly went away in the first place. Ever since this announcement was made, people have been speculating that Steve's cancer has returned, something that was also reinforced by people claiming that he hasn't been seen anywhere on Apple's campus since the news broke. Hopefully, as Jim said, it's just a political move and nothing more. Whatever, or wherever Mr. Jobs is, all I can say is is that I sincerely hope that he is well and will hopefully return to lead Apple for yet a very long time to come.

CIO's post, "Microsoft Beware: 2009 Could Be Apple's Year in the Enterprise",  is my fourth pick for the past week. The author, Shane Oneill, takes a look on how the enterprise is beginning to think seriously about Apple, even though surprisingly Apple doesn't seem to be thinking seriously about it! The iPhone and the Mac's increasing market share has put Apple in a position where it should see itself becoming more and more of an alternative to Microsoft for enterprise and he points out:

" I've read similar stories lately about Apple making enterprise inroads and spoken to analysts and users about Mac/PC gybrid environments and the increasing use of iPhones at businesses. Each week I become more convinced that Apple's slow burn in the enterprise is starting to ignite, despite Windows 90 percent market share."

I certainly agree and think that we are about to see an explosion in the use of Mac's by enterprise's over the next coming few years. Microsoft may be the 800 pound gorilla in the PC business world, but business's are also beginning to realize that by limiting their choices to Microsoft only solutions, they in turn, are effectively limiting their choices in providing their business's with the best possible solutions that they need. The Mac is like an insurance policy, one that helps protect them from the whims of Microsoft. The Mac finally gives them a choice and as we all know - choice is good!

My final top five pick of the past week is for nothing more than a quickie news release from Yahoo, but it finally announces something that I've been waiting and longing for, and I mean for years and years now, and that is   -   Microsoft's Messenger for Mac is finally getting A/V support! Yeah and a big, big hallelujah for that! It's long, long overdue. Finally, for us Mac users it means not having to settle for second class citizenship whenever we use Messenger.

For the longest time now I've wanted that feature, a feature that Microsoft said was impossible because of the servers it used, servers that were not compatible with the Mac. They promised that as soon as they updated them they would add the audio/visual component to the Mac's version of Messenger and apparently now they have. I could never quite personally figure out what a stupid server had to do with Mac Messenger's lack of video cam support in the first place, but at this point I don't really care. I just want them to hurry up and bring it out, so I can finally have the pleasure of scaring the hell out of my friends the next time I use Messenger and they can finally get to see my stupid face on cam! 

Microsoft is promising that a beta version will be released sometime in 2009 and that they will demo the new version at next month's MacWorld. Without going into details, Microsoft also said that they will be adding new and additional features to both the client and business versions of Mac Messenger as well.

And there you have it, and in no particular order, my personal top 5 Apple related posts for the past week and so, until next week, have a great weekend everybody.

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Friday, December 19, 2008

MacWorld Expo and Apple Expo: Is This the Beginning of the End?

Yesterday's stunning announcement that Apple will no longer be a part of MacWorld had many predicting that this would result in the beginning of the end of the venerable trade show that stretch's back 25 years. I too thought that this indeed might be the end result, but I didn't realize how stunningly fast the Paris version of the show, Apple Expo, would come about. 

Could this be possibly be the beginning of the end for trade shows as we know them, and particularly Apple related shows?

Yes, sadly, but barely hours after Apple gave their now famous press release, AppleInsider and MacWorld, among others, have reported that Reed Exhibitions, the sponsors of the Paris version of MacWorld, Apple Expo, have announced that the show would be canceled and most likely indefinitely! 

IDG, the promoters'  of MacWorld, have vowed, however, that they would kept the San Francisco event ongoing, but for how much longer is anyone's guess. Without Apple's participation many are wondering that question and for good reasons. Without Apple, the show is akin to Abbot without Costello, Fred Astaire without Ginger Rogers, or like a day out at the baseball park without hot dogs! 

In other words: what's the point?

Up and until Jobs underwent surgery to successfully remove a cancerous pancreas tumor in 2004, he had been a regular fixture of the Paris show, but not since. It was at the Paris event, if my memory serves me correctly, that Steve's keynote replacement, Phil Schiller, introduced the famous 'lamp Mac,' one computer that I never owned personally and now regret that I didn't.

Personally, and unfortunately, I feel that like the Paris show, eventually it will be the same with the San Francisco event too - it will be cancelled! How long this will take is anybody's guess, but at this point it seems rather inevitable.  This would be a sad thing indeed, as these two events are, in the eyes of many Mac fans, one of the biggest highlights of the whole year, events that are eagerly anticipated and waited for, and for us dedicated Mac users it's our Christmas in January - but only more so! 

Hopefully, this won't be the case with MacWorld, but one must be a realist and we have to look at things as they really are, and that, my dear friends, is not looking too pretty at the moment. MacWorld has been seeing it's numbers constantly dwindling over the years, like many other trade shows and, to me,  a show in which hardly anybody shows up, is frankly no show at all! 

Of course, as sad as the demise of trade shows are in general, MacWorld will still be happening this coming January. Even though Phil Schiller will be giving the keynote rather than Jobs as originally planned, it will still be given. Unfortunately, according to some analysts it's not expected that there will be any new groundbreaking products announced, but new updated iMac's, Mac Mini's and possibly some new Cinema displays might still possibly happen. I hope so anyway. However, one thing is clear, that from now on any new future gizmo that Apple will introduce will be coming in the form of one of Apple's increasingly "Special Invitation" type events. These events at least allow Apple to introduce new products on it's schedule rather than  that of MacWorld or Apple Expo's schedules. 

It must be remember that the biggest problem for Apple, with both of these two big Apple related shows, is that they fueled expectations much too high, expectations that often go far beyond anything that Apple, or any other company, could possibly hope to live up to. This and the fact that many withhold purchasing Apple gear until after these two events is yet another major reason why many feel that Apple not only decided to leave these shows, but in reality had no choice but to leave! Even though, on one hand, they helped to promote Apple and it's line of sleek merchandise, on the other hand, they actually hurt it on the other. No company would naturally want to continue in such a relationship, so on that point I can agree with Apple's decision.

On a logical and business side I can understand Apple's decision, but on an emotional basis, however, well that's a different story. That's because I really loved looking forward to these two major Apple related events each and every year, so, naturally, with one down, and quite possibly the other to follow, I now can't help but feel a little down from all of this. For Apple fans, the death of these two events  seems almost like a death in the family, which, when I think about it - it sort of is! Yes, for many of us, Apple and it's products, have all been a part of our families for years! Why, it just doesn't seem right, it doesn't seem normal that come this fall we won't have another Apple Expo in Paris to look forward to. And who knows, maybe in the next two or so years, and I hate to say this - maybe no more MacWorld either! 

God have mercy on us all!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, December 18, 2008

Apple Expo image:  Apple Expo

Apple and Steve Quit MacWorld Expo: What Does It All Mean?

The big news in the world of Apple, indeed the entire world of high-tech, is that Apple is no longer going to be participating in MacWorld and that Steve Jobs will not give Apple's next and last MacWorld's keynote. What does it all mean? What does it mean for Apple as a company; what does it mean for it's famous and iconic CEO, Steve Jobs?

Well, it surely means that something, quite obviously, is afoot, and it also means that the rumors will be flying thick-and-thin from here on out as to why and what it all portrays for the future of one of the world's greatest high-tech firms. Is Steve going to give up the helm; is he seriously sick? These questions and many others will naturally arise and they will be answered in due time, but for now, until or unless Apple actually comes flat out and tells us, we are simply left to guess and speculate.

Larry Dignan, writing for ZDNet, points out that analysts think that this indeed is the beginning of a change in Apple's key management. There seems to be, as Mr. Dignan says, multiple messages in the Apple-Macworld breakup and he writes:

"And one big message surrounds succession planning at Apple. Remember that Schiller and chief operating officer Tim Cook took center stage at an October event too. Cook even dressed like Jobs (right). That was hint No. 1 that Jobs is easing back a bit to set the stage for the new guard."

Even though I remember Mr. Cook's appearance,  dressing just like Mr. Job's, I didn't attach anything meaningful to it, but now I'm beginning to wonder if indeed it was a subtle clue into what Apple was planning to do. Maybe Mr. Jobs is planning to leave the helm after all, but if he is I believe, like the analysts, that this is only the beginning and that unless Mr. Jobs is sick, really sick, he won't exactly be leaving his post by this time tomorrow. Even though eventually Steve will have to leave, as we all eventually have to do, I think its safe to say that he has worked too long and too hard to just up and walk away, unless, as I have stated, his health forces him to. 

The simple truth is: Apple is Steve and Steve is Apple and it will be a different company, in many ways, but not all, if he were ever to leave and Steve knows it. For that reason, I think its safe to say that Mr. Jobs will continue to remain at the helm of Apple for awhile yet. When he eventually leaves, however, I firmly believe that who ever takes his place will be doing so on an increasingly gradual basis, little-by-little. Any sudden departure would be bad, very bad for Apple and it's stock holders, a situation that Steve is going to want to try to avoid if at all possible.

Especially in this recession, one that some experts are beginning to think may actually be the beginning of a depression, its vital that Apple retain the leadership skills of a man like Jobs for as long as it is humanly possible. It may be true, as some journalists have been pointing out, including Mr. Dignan, that Apple really doesn't need MacWorld or any other trade show, but its also equally true that Apple needs someone like Jobs. Jobs, after all,  is the very heart of Apple - its' very soul! Virtually everything about Apple, it's culture, it's outlook, it's style and it's very heartbeat is reflected by Job's personality and spirit. For these reasons it's vital that Apple keeps Job on the job for as long as it is possible. I'm therefore convinced, apart for health reasons, that Mr. Jobs should and will remain active in Apple's daily leadership for at least a few more years yet.

I must confess that I was completely caught off guard with this recent announcement, but honestly I shouldn't have been. After all, the clues have been coming little by little over the past few years. All I know for sure, is that whether we like it or we don't, when it comes to change, well, change never changes and it inevitability comes to us all and that includes the leadership of Apple. 

The question is what kind of leadership will emerge, if and when Steve eventually decides to leave? That's the big question here? I really don't know, but I do expect that because of Steve's brilliant management style and his amazing foresight, that any change at Apple won't be that much of a change at all, at least in the direction and profitability of the company!

Thats because Mr. Jobs has surrounded himself with like men and women as himself - men and women who think and who act in the same manner and spirit as himself! Mr. Cook, Phil Schiller, Jonathan Ive, Peter Oppenheimer and the rest of the top brass at Apple where trained directly under the hand of the master himself. This fact alone should guarantee that Apple will continue to act, perform and carry on as if Steve were still there, personally directing and guiding this amazing company, for yet a long,  long time to come.

Steve of course hasn't left yet, and he shouldn't for a few more years, but if and when he does, rest assured, he will have made sure that he left Apple in very capable and very good hands and that will ensure that it carries on, if not in body, then surely carry on in the spirit of Jobs himself!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, December 17 (already !), 2008

Image: Macworld Expo  

The Mac NetBook: How Soon? Apparently Very, Very Soon!

Despite repeated statements by Apple that they are not interested in producing netbooks, people, none-the-less, are continuing to insist that Apple is about to do just that and in the very near future. Recent reports are showing that Mac sales are down some what , which have been fueling that prediction all the more. 

Some tech sites are now boldly reporting and predicting that not only will the current economic slow down end-up resulting in Apple producing a netbook, but possibly two of them, and possibly as soon as early as next month, just in time for MacWorld! This at least is what ComputerWorld is reporting.

ComputerWorld is reporting that one analyst, Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research Inc., has spelled out his take on what Apple's next hardware moves might be, and his position is squarely based on the increasingly desperate nature of the slowing economy, and, as well, the overall growing popularity of netbooks in general, and the fact that Apple loves to announce big surprises! He says that, "This is just by triangulation.,"  as he pointed out he didn't have any special inside information.

Any announced netbooks, Mr. Gottheil went on to say, would be just that, as they wouldn't actually go on sale until the middle of the year, much like that of the original iPhone. Of course, the big problem that Mr. Gottheil pointed out, was that any new netbook would be nothing more than a stripped down MacBook , something that could potentially pose a very real risk of cannibalizing existing sales of the MacBooks themselves and something that, naturally, Apple would be concerned about protecting. 

In other words: Apple has to do something special, something that distinguish itself from the increasingly crowded netbook market place, and something that does not diminished the gains that it has made with it's popular line of MacBooks. 

And that "special something," he goes on to say, is the APP Store.

On that angle, ComputerWorld is reporting that:

"The App Store will be one of the keys, Gottheil said. "By controlling the software that can be loaded and the hardware that can be attached, Apple's device will be simpler, easier to use and more reliable than a PC, and will excel at the functions most required by users," he said.

With the infrastructure and connections Apple already has, it can redefine the netbook category. "The issue here is making it dirt-simple for the user," he said. "Macs have a good deal less hassle than PCs, but they don't have zero hassle. To some people, they are intrinsically intimidating."

The problem with current netbooks, including those powered by open-source Linux, is that while they may sport a simplified interface and be attractively priced, they lack many of the elements that Apple has. "The vendors did not invest in everything necessary to deliver the device, including software development, partnerships with other hardware vendors and online services," Gottheil said."

Well, for the most part, I agree with Mr. Gottheil. I'm sure that it hasn't gone unnoticed by Apple that netbook sales were up an incredible 160% or so for the last quarter! Now that has got to be tempting for Apple, even though they wouldn't make the kind of profit that they do now by selling MacBooks, no, not even the cheapest one, but in the end, they could potentially sell so many more MacNetBooks, as I like to call them, that their profit could be pretty close to, if not even better, than it currently is! At least, let's hope so.

The idea of any Apple netbook  being tied to the APP Store could be the one thing that not only sets any MacNetBook apart from all of the others, but one that literally propels it to the head of the netbook class! Currently, there is absolutely nothing quite like the App Store in the market place, other than a few pathetic Johnny come-lately copy cats. The App Store is a huge success and if that winning formula can be successfully applied to the netbook side as well, then indeed Apple may shake the whole notion of what a netbook is completely on it's head! 

Yes, as Mr. Gottheil has noted, even though any Apple netbook would probably sell for twice that of the lowest netbook, none of them would come with the power of the App Store behind them, and,therefore, as far as consumers are concerned, then any MacNetBook could easily be worth double, triple or even quadruple what any other netbook could offer them in value and convenience, and thats including the most expensive and more capable of netbooks, let alone the cheaper variety, which the majority consists of!

Even though Jobs stated that Apple doesn't know how to produce a $500 machine that wasn't a piece of junk, he did also admit that they were watching the nascent netbook market with keen interest, and that they had some pretty interesting and unique ideas for any netbook, if and when, they ever decided to produce one. 

I'm not privy to any of those "pretty interesting" ideas, but I have to admit that any tie in with the App Store could be a very real killer feature, and when considering how good Apple is in combining different elements together and making them work easily and seamlessly, as they are famous for, then, well, any MacNetBook could potentially be a huge hit indeed, and one that could potentially and literally steam roll over the competition, much as did the iPod and iPhone before it! Certainly, at the very least, it would most likely be the best netbook ever designed or created and one that makes all existing netbooks look underpowered, and out-of-date by comparison!

Yes, whether Apple is really that keen on producing a netbook or not, the current harsh economic realities of today's world may inevitably force Apple to change course, making in the process, the dream of a MacNetBook into a reality! With the world seemingly in the economic toilet seat, producing a netbook may be vital in not only keeping Apple growing but still in business! 

Apple may be a huge corporate giant, one that is completely debt free and one possessing one of the world's largest piggy banks, but no company, no matter how big, how rich, or how successful it may be, including Apple, is big enough alone to ignore the harsh realities of today's economic situation. If Apple is to survive, let alone grow in these tough times, then Apple may have no choice, no choice what so ever, but to adapt to the times. 

And that may mean just one thing:  Apple may have no choice but not to produce it's own netbook. One that, like the iPhone, iTunes and the iPod before it, is something completely different, better and cooler than the rest of the pact! In fact, I'm not only counting on it, I'm betting on it happening!  

So come on Apple - show the world what a real netbook can and should be, and how you can shake up the netbook market, because if there's anyone who can do - it's you! 

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Photo of PC running OS X via: Wired.com    

Is This the New iPhone Nano and Is the iPhone Pro Next?

Evidence of a newer, smaller and cheaper  iPhone Nano have emerged from a somewhat questionable and reliable source, iDeals China. According to them, and as you can see from the illustration above, that of a Nano case mock up, this is just the evidence that we all need to conclude that the iPhone Nano is indeed coming just around the corner, and possibly even by this next January's MacWorld in San Francisco on the 5th.

Of course, this isn't the first time such speculation that Apple was planning to bring out a smaller, cheaper and less capable iPhone. These "nano" rumors have, in fact, been speculated to be forth coming ever since the original iPhone was introduced almost two years ago! As Macrumors points out, iDeals China doesn't exactly have the greatest track record in such things, so at this point I am taking the whole thing with a grain of salt. None-the-less, however, there are still reasons to believe that it still might all be true.

After all, it must be remember that Steve Jobs promised, at the introduction of Apple's original  "Jesus Phone", that they would eventually be introducing a lot more models to come. Since that time, however, we have only seen two models, the original and the G3 versions. These two models, in my mind, would hardly comprise  the "many models"that Job's spoke about,  so its certainly possible that the time is ripe for the iPhone Nano to be introduced relatively shortly after all. Whether that means this coming MacWorld, or not, remains to be seen, but I'm hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the case.

Meanwhile, Engadget  is reporting that that we may even start seeing some leaked photos of the supposed iPhone Nano cropping  up any day now! Wow, I must admit that would be cool if it's indeed the case, and I will certainly be looking out for them, hoping to see any confirmation that such a iPhone Nano is indeed coming.

When you consider all of the recent rumors and reports that Walmart, for example, was about to start selling a $99, 4GB version of the current iPhone, then it starts to all add up, and you begin to wonder if it could all be true - and if this could be it? I don't know the answer, of course, but it certainly does seems possible that it could be, and that's a good thing for several reasons. 

For one, even though most people would prefer to own the current version, many don't need or even want all of the features that the current model provides. Most importantly, the sad fact of the matter is, that in these perilous economic times, many simply can't afford one, at least not quite yet. The cheaper iPhone Nano would help address this and allow, when times get better, for people to eventually upgrade from the lower priced Nano to a higher-end model.  For those who can't quite afford the current version, the iPhone Nano lower pricing points could make all  the difference in buying an iPhone  now, or whether they end up buying one of it's competitor's models!

I mention pricing points, rather than pricing point, for the simple reason that the iPhone, like all mobile phones, happens to entail a lot more than just the cost of just the physical device itself - its the total cost, including the carrier contract that must be taken into consideration. Usually, the device itself is one of the cheaper factors - the really expensive part is the contract that goes along with it! If any newer and cheaper iPhone Nano is to successful, then, of course, its equally important that the cost of the carrier's contract be in line with that of the device itself and that depends more on AT&T than Apple.

Jobs promised, at the original iPhone introduction, that they would be keeping things simple, and thus, if this is the case, we should eventually expect to finally see three possible different versions of the iPhone emerge:  a low cost basic model (the Nano), a mid-range model (the current model) and a high-end, it can do anything, anytime, anywhere super deluxe model! 

In fact, my main interest in any lower priced, dumbed down iPhone Nano, is simply that after it''s out-of-the-way, it should hasten the day when we will finally get to see that future high-end super model, which I like to call either the "iPhone Pro", or simply the iPhone Ultra! What any iPhone Ultra might contain or entail I'll leave for future discussions, except to say that it would be expensive, and something that would be justified by it having  a lot more bells and whittles than we have seen thus far, and for that matter, than what we could possibly even imagine now. 

Any iPhone Pro or Ultra would, most likely, be Apple's very first fully dedicated business phone, one designed from the ground up as a business phone and one that would feature, among other business requested features, the very first iPhone first with a fully dedicated slide-out keyboard!  As such, it might just be game over for RIM and other business phones, but we will just have to wait and see if my predictions pan out.

So, as far as any iPhone  Pro, or Ultra goes, well, it's simply not it's time yet - its rather time for the iPhone Nano to finally take the stage, be it at MacWorld or elsewhere. Any possible future iPhone Pro or Ultra, will simply have to wait it's turn, like next year's MacWorld.

At least thats what I expect and I hope.

 

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Monday, December 13, 2008

My 5 Top Apple Related Stories 4 the Past Week

Well, its another Friday and another of my, "Top 5 Favorite Apple Related Posts 4 the Past Week".

This week brings many interesting Apple related posts, such as my first pick from last Sunday and the fine folks at Information Week for their post,"Top 10 Apple Stories of 2008", written by Mitch Wagner.

In this post, Mitch thought to himself that it was a relatively quiet year for Apple, but after doing his research for the post, he quickly realized that it was anything but! As he mentions, Apple really kick-started off the year with a bang with the MacBook Air! That certainly was a big development and, as Mitch mentions, it drove the competition to come out with their own MacBook Air inspired knock offs, such as Toshiba's 2.4-pound note book in June and HP's lovely Vooodoo Envy 133. It also sparked a rush of Air accessories as well.

My second Top 5 Apple Related Post 4 the Past Week is a Reuter's piece titled, "Wal-Mart to sell iPhone later this Month: reports". Many people have been covering this story and reporting on what it might mean for Apple and it's hot-selling iPhone. Some think that Walmart, and the possibilities of a $99 4GB iPhone, will cheapen and tarnish the iPhone's image, that of it being a sleek, sophisticated and luxury brand device, while others think that it will propel the iPhone through the roof even more!

Personally, I think that if Apple plays it's cards just right, and by that I mean selling a cheaper and less capable iPhone's at Walmart, then it could send sales of the iPhone into the stratosphere while also, at the same time, create a path for people to eventually upgrade to a higher-end model, and thus, in the process, maintain the iPhone's image as a high-end, luxurious phone!

My third top post for the past week comes to us from way down under with the Sydney Morning Post's article, from last Tuesday, titled, "What's so great about Macs?" In this article, Tim Barribeau goes into the many reasons why people switch to the Mac and what keeps them hooked on them and other Apple products. There are, of course, many reasons for people choosing a Mac or Apple product, just as there are for anything else, but it seems that if you do like the Mac and Apple products generally, then chances are that someone will eventually end up calling you a "fan-boy", in which Tim replies:

"That said, their fanaticism occasionally masks a hardware and software set known for amazing design aesthetic, durability and ease of use. As with any devotee to a single brand (see Holden v Ford), the fanboy arguments are hilariously inane. Watching Apple fans go at it against Windows users, while the occasional bearded Linuxer sticks in their oar, is a daily occurrence of deliciously sad comedy."

I agree with Tim about the amazing design aesthetics and what not, but when he states, "Because, when it boils down to it, Apple products look a little better, are a bit easier to use, and cost a little more. And that's it. If that's what you want, buy it."

I disagree, because, frankly, I happen to think that Apple products, for the most part, are not just a "little better", but a lot better, a lot better by far than many of it's competitors!

On to Wednesday's post from Seeking Alpha titled, "Slower Outlook for PCs but New Apple MacBooks Gain Traction", which is my fourth favorite Apple related post of the past week.

Paul Carton, who wrote the post, mentions that despite how hard it is economically these days, Apple's high-priced new MacBook's are still strangely selling extremely well in-spite of all the gloom and doom that seems to be sweeping the industry! This is strange indeed and offers, as Paul mentions, a glimmer of hope, as positive signs from Apple and more surprisingly from Dell are truly good and welcome news to see!

This is a short post, but a great one, and one that highlights the results from a recent ChangeWave Reserch survey, so be sure to check it out.

My final post for the past week comes from yesterday. It is a post from Architosh, "The Mac's 25th Anniversary: What Does Steve Have Planned?" Like the author of the post, Anthony Frausto-Bobledo, I too am just dying to know the answer to that, as I'm sure many others are too. I must admit, I'm stoked by the thoughts of just what the Mac's big 25th. might bring.

Anthony gives us he what he thinks would be really cool to see - like how about an all aluminum, updated version of the original Macintosh! Wow, now that would be really cool, but I also very unlikely.

More likely, as Anthony admits, would be the hope of finally seeing a new Mac Touch machine. As he also points out, there has been a steady stream of multi-touch based Apple patents lately which tends to lend a lot of credence to the idea. With the huge success of multi-touch on the iPhone and Microsoft's intentions to add such capabilities in Windows 7, the chances of actually seeing a multi-touch based Mac soon, be it in a traditionally based desktop or laptop form factors, seems pretty convincing to me. Of course, as Anthony writes, the Mac Touch could also come out in the much rumored tablet form factor as well, something that Apple has in the past said that it's not really interested in. But then again, it must be remember that, Apple has made all kinds of similar statements in the past, only to do exactly what they said they were not interested in doing in the first place!

Could this also be the case here as well? I most certainly hope so!

Personally, my own hopes, for the 25th. anniversary of the Mac, would be for Apple to introduced a laptop that would fit into an all-in-one iMac like dock. In other word, you would end up basically having both an iMac desktop and, as well, a fully loaded MacBook - all rolled up into one! Now that's what I would call a real all-in-one computer!

What ever Apple introduces, or doesn't introduce, one thing is certain: come next week we'll have yet another slew of great Apple related posts from which, if I'm still alive and kicking, will get the hard task of selecting from, for yet another one of my, "Top 5 Apple Related Posts 4 the Past Week."

I hope I'm still here to write one, and that you'll be here to read it, so, in the mean time, take care and have a great weekend. See you all Monday.


And thats my 2 cents 4 this Friday, December 12, 2008