Text 10280, 77 rader
Skriven 2006-03-22 19:29:56 av Ellen K (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 10268 av Mike '/m' (1:379/45)
Ärende: Two Juicy New Apples
============================
My new office-mate (also a refugee from the IT department, but he works for
marketing now, i.e. we are a mixed match here) requested and got a Mac laptop. 
It's really tiny.

> From: Mike '/m' <mike@barkto.com>
> http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_13/b3977030.htm
> ===
> MacBook and mini please the eye, the brain, and the budget
> As design innovations go, MagSafe isn't a big deal. It replaces the
> standard power cord socket on Apple Computer's (AAPL ) new MacBook Pro
> laptop. With the old design, you'd send the computer flying if you
> tripped over the cord. MagSafe is a nifty magnetic connector that simply
> breaks away. History books won't celebrate this invention, but it's an
> example of the smart touches that distinguish Apple in an industry where
> design is all about slicing a buck off of the bill of materials.
> The new MacBook (from $1,999) is the successor to the 15-inch PowerBook
> G4 and is Apple's first notebook to use an Intel (INTC ) Core Duo
> processor. While the insides are all new, Apple kept the PowerBook's
> very successful, three-year-old design essentially unchanged. Two more
> Intel-driven PowerBooks are expected to follow, one large and one small.
> The Intel processor makes a big difference in these laptops, more so
> than for the new iMac desktops, which I reviewed on Feb. 13. That's
> because the chip in the old PowerBook was a full generation out of date.
> When the MacBook Pro is running programs written for the Intel chips,
> you get an impressive speed increase -- though it falls short of the
> 300% gain claimed by Apple. As for the older Mac programs, they all run
> perfectly well, but the user won't feel any improvement.
> TO TEST DRIVE THE MacBook Pro, I ran a piece of free software called
> HandBrake that converts the video on a DVD so that you can view it on a
> video iPod, an extremely processor-intensive task. HandBrake is one of a
> new breed of "universal" programs that can run on both old and new Macs.
> Converting 16 1/2 minutes of recorded video took 22 minutes on PowerMac
> G4 and just nine on the new MacBook. You won't get boosts like that in
> reading e-mail or browsing the Web, but you will see real gains in tasks
> such as photo processing and video editing.
> Apple has managed to go on selling PowerBooks even as their performance
> fell further behind in the Windows competition. One reason may be the
> company's ability to connect with customers on an emotional level. The
> camera built into the new MacBook is a good example of how Apple
> combines functional and fun. Used with the built-in iChat software,
> these turn a Mac into an instant and very good teleconferencing device.
> When you first set up your user account, you are invited to take a
> picture of yourself and use it as your login icon. Now try the same
> thing on a Windows PC. It's a taxing, six-step process, assuming the
> picture is already saved on your PC.
> The new Mac mini (from $595), a desktop not much bigger than a fat
> paperback book, also runs on Intel now, and it has handy new tricks. It
> has a selection of video connectors and Front Row software that make it
> simple to show videos and photos and play music on a TV/stereo system.
> It comes with excellent networking technology called Bonjour that can
> find and play content stored on other computers -- even Windows PCs, if
> the content is stored in an iTunes library.
> There are good reasons competitors such as Dell (DELL ) and
> Hewlett-Packard (HPQ ) have a tough time keeping up with Apple. One is
> Apple's rejection of rock-bottom pricing. Desire for big orders from
> low-end retailers such as Wal-Mart (WMT ) has pushed HP and other PC
> makers to adopt the cheapest hardware platform, leading to $300 desktops
> and $700 laptops. There's no way to hit that price point and match Apple
> on design. What's more, PC makers sell to corporations, which insist on
> the ability to replace components easily. Apple's beautiful design
> doesn't allow that, and home users don't care.
> Apple has thus turned its lack of access to corporate markets into a
> virtue. It can focus its energies on what appeals to consumers,
> especially ease of use and products that please the heart and the eye as
> well as the brain and the budget. The new mini and the MacBook are just
> the latest happy examples.
> For past columns and online-only reviews, go to Tech Maven at
> www.businessweek.com/technology/wildstrom.htm
> ===
> I like this, "... The camera built into the new MacBook is a good
> example of how Apple combines functional and fun. ... When you first set
> up your user account, you are invited to take a picture of yourself and
> use it as your login icon...."
> /m

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