Text 10301, 88 rader
Skriven 2006-03-23 20:47:24 av Mike '/m' (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 10280 av Ellen K (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Two Juicy New Apples
================================
From: Mike '/m' <mike@barkto.com>


I'm playing with a MacMini Duo here.  It's a lot smaller, and a lot faster,
than I had expected.

 /m


On 23 Mar 2006 00:29:56 GMT, Ellen K <Ellen.K@harborwebs.com> wrote:

>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 because the chip in the old PowerBook was a full generation out of date.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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