Highlights of today’s slew of releases out of the Infinite Loop:
Airport Extreme and Time Capsule: (1) simultaneous dual band support (so 2.4GHz and 5GHz devices can operate at full speed in their respective channels instead of being subject to performance at the most primitive device’s characteristics), (2) guest networking, and (3) remote sharing of attached storage via MobileMe (“your own personal file server wherever you go”).
Tip: Airport Extreme + 1TB or 2TB drive > Time Capsule.
Mac mini (specs): 4GB RAM limit (6GB may be the true limit), Mini DisplayPort, and Firewire 800. The mini is still alive and kicking!
iMac (specs): 8GB RAM limit; $1499 price point for the entry-level 24” (I love our early 2008 vintage 24” iMac). The new compact wired keyboard? OK, but not one I’d enjoy typing on for long periods of time.
MacBook Pro (specs): 2.93GHz processor option; 8GB RAM limit for 17”. Hot!
Mac Pro (specs). ~2X performance boost over previous-generation Mac Pros.
Worth remembering for anyone who is on the fence about buying now: all of these computers will see significant performance boosts when 64-bit Snow Leopard ships on them later this year and takes fuller advantage of the gigaflops within. Of course, you can buy now and upgrade later for $129, if history is any guide.
Bottom line? Today we’re seeing the natural evolution of hardware, as expected, but the real excitement is in software. Still waiting for: Apple TV, take 3; Blu-ray; Snow Leopard; and devices X, Y, and Z.
Dear My Mac Hero,
Have you checked out Kindle on iPhone? Is there a verdict? :)
Dear gentle reader,
Yes, and in this case, size does matter. I can’t imagine that the iPhone app will cannibalize Kindle 2 sales, due to general long-term reading comfort issues (the little UI annoyances that people are complaining about, like having to flick across the screen to turn a page instead of simply pressing one edge of the screen, should be trivial to address, but you can’t do much about a 3.5” screen).
The real question the release of the iPhone app raises is when desktop clients for Kindle content will appear, or when will we see other Kindle-sized devices that can offer a more comfortable reading experience. And I wonder how much the fear of piracy plays now into decisions about opening up platforms or markets—I hope we’re not going to see a replay of the whole music DRM fragmentation fiasco.
J. P.