Well, I had a feeling the Qtrax deal was a little too good to be true. Right when things were set for launch, Warner Music said it had not authorized use of its tracks. EMI soon followed suit.
You can read the rest of this sad debacle here for yourself.
Laterz. 
It seems suddenly there are lots of important things happening on the digital music front. I’ll start with this interesting little nugget about QTrax. I don’t know about you folks, but I didn’t see this coming. Believe it or not, this is NOT a gag. It goes without saying that this will require a bit more research, but I must admit my first impression is positive. Ironically, I was just talking with a friend last night about how I was befuddled at the music industry’s lack of vision in regards to using peer-to-peer technology. Unquestionably, peer-to-peer is a brilliant way to distribute content, but we’ve known this for years from the amount of file-sharing that’s gone on worldwide. I’m sure the folks in the know at record companies had to delicately walk the old guard in charge through the ins-and-outs of why this course of action is inevitable. So, it’s not unthinkable it took them five years to come up with a solution that seemed palatable. Of course, their bleeding losses from lack of CD sales like a stuck pig probably provided a bit of incentive as well. In any case, things just got really interesting for us consumers. Legal and free. That’s pretty cool. 
Even Amazon is making a little noise worth listening to. They’ve announced their intentions on going global with their MP3 music store. I for one am quite pleased at this announcement. While I’m a huge fan of Apple products, I’m a consumer first. A consumer who believes competition is best for all consumers. So the sooner they get this going, the better. Given the right prices, I’ll likely start purchasing from them first chance I get.
Now if only Apple would use this same aggressive approach regarding the rental of movies and TV shows… Maybe I’m simply being impatient. After all, I’m pretty sure Señor Jobs understands Apple is losing millions every single day this opportunity is not offered to folks outside of the U.S.
Okay, this ended up being a longer post than I planned. I gotta run.
Laterz.
The hits just keep on coming boys and girls!
What am I referring to? It seems that the sleek little MacBook Air SuperDrive is for MacBook Air laptops only. Take a peek here if you like.
We can’t say Apple doesn’t let us know… right? Okay. Maybe we can. But I believe they tell us in this fine line: “The sleek, compact SuperDrive for MacBook Air.“. Golden, ain’t it?
Okay. Someone help me understand. Why wouldn’t Apple want to sell these drives to just anyone for $99 each? I mean, few people, even the most ardent dislikers of Apple products, argue that Apple produces good looking products. Why not simply offer this to everyone like they do the Airport Express and Airport Extreme? Maybe they just want to offer it to just Mac users? Nah. That can’t be the case. I own a MacBook Pro it seems even I won’t be able to use the SuperDrive.
Can someone help me understand this?
My good friend Elvis hit the nail on the head when he said about the MacBook Air, in a teasing and mocking tone mind you, “But it’s so thiiin! You can put it in an envelope.” That about summed up how I felt after seeing how señor Jobs offered it to us this past Macworld 2008. I was sort of gob smacked. It was like “deja vu” for me. I got that same feeling I had when the iPhone was released. It was another case of, “Is that IT?!?” for me.
Try not to get me wrong folks. I’ve owned my MacBook Pro for a year now. Hands down, it’s the best computer I’ve ever owned or used in both my professional and personal life. The battery life is rather atrocious, but this is my fault. My battery cycling habits could use some improving. Despite the anti-Mac criticism of both colleagues and friends, I have little doubt my MacBook Pro would out-perform even their most modern Windows PCs.
My wife’s MacBook is a great piece of machinery as well. She followed my switching to Mac not too long after me. Our Windows PC was really starting to become a pain, and I’m not one of the tech types who believes “it’s good to reformat your hard drive and reinstall your Windows OS on an annual or biannual basis“, as I’ve heard some techs say in a sage-like tone as if that was something to brag about. I shouldn’t have to reinstall my OS because of normal everyday use. After more than a few of the usual Windows lock-up-so-you-have-to-reboot problems, and hearing me talk so highly about my MBP, it wasn’t long before she bought her MacBook.
Since buying and installing our Airport Extreme, there’s been nothing but smooth sailing in our home network. Unlike the bumps I encountered with my Linksys WRT-54G, our Airport Extreme is fantastic and does a noticeably better job routing, and I love being able to connect to my 500Gb external router via the Extreme. An IT pro friend of mine bought his Airport Extreme because it was the only router available reasonably priced that could take full advantage of his 100Mb/100Mb line at home. (Yes, you can actually get that sort of bandwidth at home in Sweden without having to sell a kidney.)
I didn’t write all of the great stuff about the Apple products above because of a tangent or because I felt like endorsing Apple products, though I don’t really mind sharing the joy they’ve brought me. I wrote it so you can understand that I when I criticize any of them, I’m not doing it because I have an ax to grind. I usually have good reason.
Now on to the MacBook Air.
As I wrote in the first paragraph, “Is that IT?!?” I’m confused! All they hype, all the fuss, all the letting the press and blogosphere spin out of control for this? A good friend of mine, who purchased a MacBook just this past summer, felt a bit miffed because he wasn’t sure if he should’ve waited. His reaction after only seeing the picture of MacBook Air was that it looked cool. No argument there. Apple knows how to make cool looking products better than anyone. However, my response to him was: “Cool my eye! What a rip off! It’s a cannibalized MacBook thrown in a different form factor with a price-bump of $800-$2000. No optical drive, no firewire or Ethernet connection, and if you want the battery changed you’ll have to take it to a dealer or send it in with the understanding that it may take up to five business days for it to be changed, on top of the $129 price for a new battery. The only two USB ports are recessed, so certain peripherals are probably not going to fit.”
It’s been five days now since I sent that. I’ve had time to think things through and digest them a bit more. I’m afraid I remain unmoved. Besides my friend Elvis’ “But it’s so thiiin!” comment, there is absolutely nothing that makes me want to even consider purchasing or owning it. I was and remain pretty excited about Apple getting involved in solid state technology, but a price bump this much has dampened my interest considerably. Terribly so, I must say.
To experience the benefits of solid state technology via the MacBook Air I would have to pay $3,098 in the U.S. That’s only going to get me 64 GB of hard disk space, 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, two (recessed) USB ports, Bluetooth, no Ethernet connectivity, and no optical drive. For the $1,499 that a black MacBook costs, I get 160GB of hard disk space, 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB of RAM (though I can upgrade this to 2GB for an additional $150, or even 4GB for $850 if I really feel like going crazy!), two USB ports, one firewire port, Bluetooth, one Ethernet port, and 802.11n WiFi capability. Some are claiming there’s no need for Ethernet because WiFi is everywhere. Yeah… That excuse works juuuust fine until you’re stuck in that one hotel that doesn’t offer it, or one of the many hotels that have spotty coverage that will force you to walk from place to place looking for one of the few spots have good coverage. Typically it’s by your hotel room door or in the bathroom, while the Ethernet jack is right there near the desk. Accuse me of seeing the glass as half full if you like, but I’ve been away on business in that very same situation and needed to get access. I was REALLY glad to have an Ethernet port.
And the lack of ability to change the battery for the MacBook Air..? HELLOOOO! This is one of the major faults of the iPhone! So now folks who own both devices risk losing both their laptops and phones for a few days while they ship them off to Apple for them to be changed? Thanks, Steve!
In any case, I expected more from Apple. Maybe it’s because I own a MacBook Pro and know what they can do when they put their minds to it. Especially for $3098!!! If you’re considering spending that much on a laptop, please take a quick look at these tech specs for a suped up MBP 15″ (forgive me, but I’m a believer in if you’re willing to buy a 17″, you may as well face up to your wanting an iMac):
And, yes, it has the same ports and more as the MacBook I mentioned above. That should pretty much say it all.
Nevertheless, I’m not going to end on a bad note. There were, of course, some nice things that came out of Macworld 2008. I’m afraid I’ll have to save that until the next time. 
Though I’m not really sure why anyone would conduct a video search through Skype (but I’m admittedly ignorant in this area), here‘s an alert from the Ars Technica folks you need to be aware of just in case you do.
I’m a bit late on this, but there are still 4 1/2 days left for purchasing this year’s MacHeist Bundle. As crazy as it sounds, this is your chance to get $428 worth of pretty neat Mac apps for just $49.
The previous MacHeist Bundle sale did pretty darn well, netting in an estimated $800,000. The MacHeist crew expected to sell around 5,000 bundles, but ended up selling nearly 17,000! That’s a miscalculation I’m sure they’re glad they made.
I was recently asked the very reasonable question, “…but are any of the apps useful”. My response? “I sure think so. With the exception of Wingnuts2 (probably a fun time-waster, but a time-waster nonetheless), iStopMotion, CSSEdit, and Speed Download I see personal uses for everything else… Pixelmator alone is worth $59 and gives me a bit more functionality than iPhoto ’08 offers” (IMHO).
Then there’s the added incentive of knowing that part of your money will be donated to a worthy cause. From the MacHeist folks: “Last year, our members were offered a choice of charities to have 25% of their purchase donated to. This initiative became a spectacular success, with $200,000 raised by the end of the event. This year, we’re hoping to shatter last year’s record numbers, and show how generous the Mac community can be.”
Here are the charities you can choose to either split your donation among or choose specifically from.
This deal may not be for everyone, but my guess is more than a few of you in the Mac community around the world will step up join in. The clock is ticking, and there are only four days left, so make your move quickly.
BTW, the next time you hear someone criticize Macs as being too expensive, please try and remember moments like this.
Hat-tip to my good friend Erik for this.
Yep. That’s right.
InfoWorld writes, “Almost nothing is buried for Apple or developers to uncover, while users gain from Apple’s unsurpassed attention to usability and effortless integration from stem to stern. Leopard will change the way you work with computers, entirely for the better.”
You know it’s strange. I try time and again to get some of the hardcore, long-time Windows IT professionals I know to realize that I didn’t switch simply because it’s cool. Like them, I know something good in the IT world when I see it. I knew Windows 95 was special compared to Windows 3.11. I knew Windows NT was special as well. Nevertheless, I also knew Windows ME was… well, Windows ME. All that said, when I gave Mac OS X a good look, I knew there was something special there. I’m pretty sure now I’m not alone. I know other folks who I respect a great deal professionally who I told about OS X. They heard me out, asked me a few smart questions, and then took the leap as well. They seem to be quite satisfied I’m glad to say. Some satisfied enough to buy more than one Mac, and some so satisfied they switched both at home and in their workplace. And then there are some who I’m pretty much writing off now. Who are they? They’re the ones who deride Mac OS X without even having tried it. Now I’m simply employing a skill I’ve learned from a good Viking friend of mine: The Norwegian Silence. ‘Nuff said.
In any case, click here to read why InfoWorld’s Tom Yager gives Apple’s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard a perfect 10.
