DB#429 - Thank You Steve!
In today’s Daily Breakfast: The San Antonio River Walk; Fr. Leo; the Phone Jingle Contest; my reaction to Steve Jobs’ MacWorld Keynote: the rebirth of the iPod Touch and the Apple TV and why it’s another revolution for podcasting; new Harry Potter criticism; Salvador Dali.
Download or listen: Today’s Show
Subscribe to the feed | Subscribe with iTunes
As for MacWorld,
I am still waiting for an iPod touch that can actually fit my music collection. Please give us one with a hard drive until large flash drives actually become affordable.
I have to admit though that the Mac Book Air is pretty awesome and it would be really cool if I could actually afford one.
Excellent commentary! All these new products are starting to close the missing links in each of their product lines. I’m especially jazzed about the future of the AppleTV!
-Fr. Bill
No iPhones were you live! Thats so sad, it REALY cool Fr., you have to check one out.
I wouldn’t get too enthused about the first generation MacBook Air because there is some very important features that are not included in addition to the the fact that the user is not able to change out the battery.
Compared to other Apple laptops here is what is different, not included or the same:
*Screen size is the exact same as the lower cost MacBooks.
*There is No integral CD/DVD player/burner! So if you want to burn or playback discs you will have to pay another $100(now you are up to $1900) and be stuck with an cumbersome external plug in drive.
*The hard drive is the same ones in the standard iPods so you are limited to a max of only 160 Gigabytes(80 gigs is standard) on a much more expensive hard drive addition.
*Size is very close to the MacBooks with the main size savings in thickness(which isn’t too much different.
*No Firewire connection! This means that your data bandwidth is limited to the smaller and less reliable USB 2 port. This also means that the MacBook Air is not the Apple laptop to get if you are considering doing any kind of video editing. One needs a computer with a firewire port and an external hard drive if one is going to do much video editing even at the standard television level.
*Memory limited to only 2 GB and that is a sealed system with no way for a user to add more memory! If one wants to do anything more than basic photo work and multiple applications in this computer age of 2008 this is not enough memory
*The weight is 3 pounds compared to MacBooks 5 pounds & MacBook Pro 5.4 pounds. That is not half but it is 40% less which is a lot if you are always carrying it around. However if you need a CD/DVD player/burner then you are better off with one of the other MacBooks.
*You can Not change or swap out the battery!
You can get a lot more features, usability and practicality with a black MacBook which is $400 cheaper($1900/w disc vs $1500).
The MacBook Air is a very interesting new laptop but it lacks very important features that the other MacBooks have at a much lower price. Unfortuately this is mostly about sex appeal/latest small gadget but unfortuately it is not a practical working expandable laptop for the great majority of computer users. However it does have a gee whiz latest high tech gadget air about it. Here is a hands on look on that at:
http://www.macworld.com/article/131588/2008/01/macbookair_handson.html
I just returned home from my day-long trip to MacWorld and my head is still spinning with all of the information! I should have a “live” podcast up tomorrow with lots of audio from the expo. I was able to “test drive” a MacBook Air for about thirty minutes, with a very nice Apple guy as my personal guide. Unfortunately, he would not let me record our conversation! Since my MacBook is only a year old, I won’t likely be an Air purchaser, but it does seem to be a pretty cool innovation. One interesting feature to me was the functionality of the oversized track pad with multi-touch technology, similar to the way the iPhone allows you to zoom in on a page. Some of the pages I viewed this way looked a little askew, with text getting out of line and messed up in zoom view. This is something to consider as we build web sites to be viewed with this technology. The Apple TV demos were incredible too. I hope to have my podcast up by tomorrow afternoon with lots of commentary. Also, Fr. Roderick the folks from Libsyn and Podtrac say hello to you and send their best wishes! Lisa
I am, at best, only a semi-geek, but I love my little Mac! However, I immediately knew that I wouldn’t be interested in the MacBook Air when I saw that it had only one USB port and no firewire or CD/DVD slot. But I guess it is great for those businesspeople who have to travel. Michael’s rundown above was great!
As a Ipod touch owner, paying $20 for four applications to put on my $300 Touch is on verge of being obscene. Apple has once again proved, to me at least, they are simply after the dollars and keeping you locked into their proprietary MAC world. Jailbreak for the touch does all you talked about and about a bazillion more things. True you have to hack the touch, but Fr. it gives you much more and it is FREE minus any donation you make for the software.
It is apparent Apple is marketing towards the young upward pseudo professionals (yuppies). Wow the Air looks cool, but is it worth the premium price? I say no. Wow the 4 new apps for the iPhone & iTouch are cool, but are they worth the $20? I say no. Big head Steve may have you where he wants you - thinking Apple’s cool stuff I must have. I’m still going to shop for value and not the trendy cool LOOKING stuff. Apple is not providing value as much as providing tech gear at a PREMIUM price. Heck last year Apple even proved it doesn’t care about its’ customers with the iPhone debacle, yet again. Is cool where you want to be?
God bless,
Bob
Your Apple enthusiasim “scares” me a bit. Is Mr. Steve Jobs the new messiah ? You may want to curb your enthusiasim a bit. also — thanks for the Harry Potter comments. Always good to hear that. I think there is more to take issue with Mr. Pullman than JKR.
Father, it’s neat how you are always looking to the future of podcasting and production in general! I think you have wonderful insight into what will make a difference, and that SQPN has the best person in charge with you at the helm!
PS. I’m a bit of a closet techno-geek and understand your enthusiasm, although I believe your excitement is not so much ‘Apple-Love’ as Joe indicated, but what the technology opens up for the future. Yes?
I don’t understand how Apple does it. They ask for $20 for some new applications which should have been in the first place: Email, taking notes, wheater or Google maps are pretty standard and basic applications that are available on other smart devices for free. And still the world is exicted, why is that? New iPod Touch devices will have the software already on there - for free. So again early adopters get ripped off. I’m just amazed.
Just my 2c,
Stefan
I’m surrendering. I’m going to switch to Mac. The new Airport Time Capsule thing is what I was looking for. I need a new laptop, but don’t want Vista.
So now I know what I want: A MacBook Pro, a MacMini and the Airport thing.
And a bigger iPod: A 512MB iPod shuffle isn’t enough for all my podcast subscriptions. Will I buy the iPod Touch? 
(I have re-subscribed after a lengthy absence so I am not completely on top of the discussion!)
Re: the Harry Potter “rant”.
I have an issue with your method (not with the content): aren’t you, Father, doing exactly what you are accusing the writer of the article of doing? Labeling his view as wrong and questioning is motives is not fair. He is offering his view, as you are offering your view. You outlined what a Catholic is called to do but, in my humble view, you did not follow that outline yourself. Labeling his views as wrong kills the discussion that, I think, you are trying to encourage around the book!
Does a plain reading of the books reveal the deeper meaning that you are saying it proclaims?
Just my view!
@Stefan - If you are buying the first release of a new gadget, no matter which company sold it to you, you will always experience this.
Being an early adopter means you want to be the first person in your environment to have a certain product. That has a price. In case of the iPod Touch, this price is $20. It’s not that expensive, considering the fact you have been the coolest guy among your friends for a while.
No iPhone in Australia!
I agree with Kim in NY, your enthusiasm is for the technology fo the future more than Apple-love. Same as mine– my mouth dropped when you talked about the Google app (I think it was) that lets you use the iPhone to remote control your Mac back at home.
The MacBook Air is certainly a step into the future of wireless laptops, but it’s the iPhone that suits my particular needs. ipod, phone, and computer all in one. Like you, I’m waiting for my country to finally release it!
And I never realized just how important the Apple TV take 2 is for podcasters!
I think Marco brings up several valid points regarding Harry Potter. Here’s another: If JK Rowling is a “Christian” author, then why the public announcement that Dumbledore is gay? Why does Rowling even have to GO there?! I would think this is something of an “oops” moment for those who assert that HP is Christian literature.
Yeah, Marco has a point. I think that what I meant to say was that I think some of the arguments of the article’s writer are based on wrong information about the books. And I’m aggravated that often those that loudly condemn the HP series haven’t read the books themselves.
For the record, I don’t consider HP to be Christian literature. JK Rowling is originally from the Scottish episcopalian Church, and might have liberal points of view on topics that diverge from Catholic views.
The Secrets of Harry Potter does not explore JK Rowling’s views, but the Christian views and themes that she used as a source of inspiration.
Okay, now I see some of the story about the HP dissucion. Thanks.
In my above listing of features or lack of features on the MacBook Air I forgot to write that the MacBook Air also
*Does Not have a high speed ethernet port(that all the other Macs have) that would allow it to directly connect to the ethernet connections at wired offices or at home.
It does have wifi but that is quite slow compared to a gigabyte ethernet connection.
Is there anybody who can give me a link to BOTH articles that were in the Osservatore on the HP issue?