:: digital introvert » macworld 2009

Macworld 2009 Impressions…major letdown

Tom — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:09:47 +0000

Well it’s been and gone, Apple’s last ever Macworld Keynote, and boy was it not worth waiting for. For those people hoping Apple would go out with a bang, sadly they didn’t. Anyone hoping for a new product or even an updated Mac mini, look away now. We were treated to ’09 updates to the iApps, a new service called iWork.com and finally the predicted Unibody MacBook Pro 17″. Here’s a brief rundown of what you missed.

iPhoto ’09 – Geotagging now shows a map of the location GPS tagged photos were taken, smart facial recognition lets you tag a persons face and iPhoto automatically groups photo’s of the same person together, pretty cool. iPhoto now also links with Facebook and Flickr.
iMovie ’09 – Updated Themes, video stabilization, advanced audio editing, GarageBand style action pop up video editing for enhanced precision.
iWork ‘ 09 – Updates to Keynote, Pages and Numbers. Keynote can now be controlled using an iPhone or iPod Touch. App is available on the Store now for $0.99. Not much else exciting, more themes, more transitions, more formulas, you know the score.
iWork.com – Online site were people can share Documents, edit and add comments, download files in Microsoft Office, PDF or iWork format.
Mac Box Set – For Mac users still using OS X Tiger, Apple have a great offer which includes Leopard, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 all for $169.
MacBook Pro 17″ – Unibody enclosure, 2.66GHz (option for 2.93GHz), 320GB Hard Drive, 4GB DDR3 (expandable to 8GB), Nvidia chipset, Dual GPU’s (9400m integrated, 9600MT dedicated), Glass Trackpad, new non-removable Battery uses clever on chip technology to constantly monitor cell usage. Promises 8 hours of battery life and up to 1000 charging cycles.
iTunes DRM Free – Well nearly, 10 million songs on iTunes, of them 8 million are now DRM free, new pricing structure $0.69, $0.99 and $1.29. Entire catalogue to be DRM free by end of quarter.
iTunes WiFi Store – You no longer need a WiFi connection to access and download songs, a 3G connection is adequate, with a full library still available.

So no sign of the much anticipated Mac mini? Is Apple saving it for it’s own event? Probably. Not even a preview of Snow Leopard, it really was a massive letdown. Here is a rundown of some of the rumors that didn’t make it to Macworld (a lot).

Mac mini
iPhone nano
Apple Cinema Displays
iPhone tethering
Apple Netbook
Mac Pro updates
iMac updates
Mac Tablet
Mac Home Media Server
Snow Leopard

Macrumors Live Keynote Blog hacked??

Tom — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:45:20 +0000

Something strange is going on with Macrumors and their Live Keynote Blog. It appears someone has hacked into their feed and is deliberately vandalizing what was a very informative update on the goings on at Macworld. Amongst entries posted by the mystery guest was “STEVE JOBS HAS DIED” which is a pretty sick joke after the letter Apple released today. See more in the pics below.

Unibody MacBook Pro 17″ at Macworld?

Tom — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:09:35 +0000

Apple news website 9to5Mac have it on good authority that an updated 17″ MacBook Pro sporting a Unibody shell will make an appearance at Macworld. Indeed they go on to speculate that Apple will fitting the new model with an internal, non-removable battery pack that promises vastly superior running time compared with the 13″ and 15″ models.

If this is true it will be the second laptop Apple have offered with a non-removable battery, the MacBook Air already sports an internal battery, much like the design of the iPod’s and iPhone’s. Whether this is a good idea remains to be seen. Any laptop owner will tell you, batteries don’t last a very long time. From experience alone I’d say batteries in Apple’s previous range of laptops will start detriorating after hitting 200 charging cycles. Do Apple have a new battery technology ready to set free?

Current MacBook Pro 17"

Banners appearing at Macworld.. Keynote practice?

Tom — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:10:56 +0000

The banners have started appearing at Macworld. These pictures courtesy of AppleInsider show Apple’s booth shrouded in secrecy as usual. Interesting is the image taken through the door showing what appears to be a stage recording taking place. Both AppleInsider and website Macrumors seem to suggest this is a Keynote rehearsal. From what I can make of the picture, that does not look like the intended Keynote presenter, Phil Schiller. So why rehearse with a person who isn’t going to take to the stage? My guess is they are just testing the sound and recording equipment. Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

Macworld getting closer.. new Mac mini? iPhone nano?

Tom — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:48:28 +0000

As Macworld quickly approaches the rumor mill is running wild on possible new Apple products and updates. Here’s a run down of what we’ve been hearing the most.

Mac Mini – new update to include faster processors, N-spec WiFi, the same GeForce 9400m used in the new MacBook’s. The other rumors suggest Apple will be including a removable SATA optical drive in the new Mini, this can then supposedly be swapped for another SATA hard drive for those wishing to use their Mini as a Media Hub. Aesthetically the new Mini is said to swap the white top of the current model with black to bring it in line with the new Apple look.
iPhone nano – case manufacturers around the globe are slipping up with listings for a new iPhone nano model. Usually when you start finding this happening from multiple sources you know something is going on. But how can Apple dumb down the existing iPhone? By making it smaller but with the same features, it would surely just attract everyone to the nano? My guess, no GPS, no Camera and less Memory.
Mac Media Centre – probably my most wanted Apple product ever. If, like me, you have a big media library on your main Mac at home, what happens when you have a multiple Macs in the household? Most of us have laptops these days, what happens then? Do you keep a totally separate library on your laptop? What about playlists, ratings, play counts and iTunes purchases? All this needs to resolved and quickly. I bought a Time Capsule and had limited success turning into a truly useable Media Hub.
Netbook or Mac Tablet – I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll see either of these products at Macworld. I’m guessing these will make an appearance towards to mid part of 2009, maybe even in the fall, depending on market conditions.

My guess is Apple will either release a software update for the Time Capsule enabling it to become a true Media Hub, or they will market the new Mac mini as one. For me the way to go would be the Time Capsule. If you think about it the Time Capsule comes in two sizes, 500gb or 1TB. The most anybody would fit in the rumored Mac mini at the moment would be 2 x 320GB drives. It makes sense to go with the Time Capsule because it also uses a network grade drive making it less susceptible to failure. The only problem you would face then is that you’d be using your backup drive to store all the files you really should be backing up in the first place!

No Jobs at MacWorld, literally..

Tom — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:33:51 +0000

Is has been announced that Phil Schiller will be taking this years MacWorld Keynote much to the suprise of the Mac Community. Steve Jobs has traditionally spoke at Macworld, leading to more rumors about his ill health.

Another interesting development is that Apple won’t be takin part in another MacWorld after this year. Many companies have dropped out of this years show, including even Adobe. Apple are said to be concentrating on their own ‘Special Events’ instead. Not only do these events suit Apple better in terms of cost, but they also mean there is no pressure on them to spring big hardware surprises year after year with a set timescale, they can show new products when they feel they are ready.