Apple’s Chameleon

I don’t have an iPad (yet), but Tidbits’s Adam Engst nailed it in his latest post:

“So what’s the difference between a Mac and an iPad? It’s that blank slate thing. No matter what you do on a Mac, the keyboard and mouse and window-based operating system make it impossible to ignore the fact that you’re using a Mac, and it’s often equally as impossible to ignore the fact that you’re using a particular program.

In contrast, the iPad becomes the app you’re using. That’s part of the magic. The hardware is so understated - it’s just a screen, really - and because you manipulate objects and interface elements so smoothly and directly on the screen, the fact that you’re using an iPad falls away. You’re using the app, whatever it may be, and while you’re doing so, the iPad is that app. Switch to another app and the iPad becomes that app. If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.”

You’re not holding a device that runs apps. You’re holding apps that create a different device every time.

iPhone OS 4.0: Predictions and Assorted Thoughts

So, Apple will hold a media event on April 8th to give us a sneak peek into the future of iPhone OS 4.0. As you can guess, the 4.0 update will be one of the most important updates the iPhone will go through this year, as it will mark the path Apple is following regarding its mobile phone, most of all when compared to the recently releases iPad.

Will it be nothing more than a performance update issued for a new device to be released in June? Or will it bring brand new features to make the iPhone a complete different device from the iPad?

I say both, with some exceptions.

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Dan Frakes on Mail.app for iPad

Link

“While it has its limitations, especially for power users, it gets most of the basics right, and it excels at the most important tasks: viewing and composing messages, displaying attachments, and connecting reliably to nearly any e-mail server.”

Very good list of missing features as well. I can see most of them coming in a few updates.

New MacBooks Scheduled to Launch This Month

MacRumors reports that a user in their forums translated a news appeared in Taiwanese newspaper Apple Daily, pointing out that new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models should be on their way to launch this month.

As MacRumors further reports:

“…new models were planned for introduction in March but shortages of Intel’s new chips pushed the launch back to this month. The report also claims that Apple will be pushing all three sizes of the MacBook to a maximum of 640 GB hard drives with 8-hour battery performance across the board.”

I wouldn’t be susprised to see the introduction of SSD based MacBooks at all, though. We’ll see.

The Finder Is Dead, And So Are Geeks

I remember when I was a kid I asked my parents to buy me a computer. I didn’t ask for a Mac or a Pc, I just wanted “a computer”. Maybe I should have been more specific in my request, because my parents did buy me a computer, but one of those fake ones kids use to play around with english words and learn basic word processing. Just like this one. Thing is, I wanted a computer, but I had to get along with that. Assuming that we’re calling my first computer an actual computer, I reckon that thing had some sort of desktop with icons to switch back and forth between “programs” and choose which would have been the next step. Should I open the word processor or the dictionary? That’s what was bothering me back then. But even though that was nothing more than a toy, that computer initiated me to the concepts of desktops and apps, the basics or modern computing life.

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Couch to 5k: Get Ready for MacStories Fitness Camp!

I woke up last Monday, belly first, arm hanging over the side of the bed as the alarm chimed. It was quite early, 6:30 to be exact. I kind of tossed and turned for a bit before lumping the sheets off to one side and planting my feet solidly on terra firma. Yup, I was awake.

A quick banana and glass of milk later, I started my leg stretches, making sure to pay special attention to my quadriceps. With a little jig and a tap of my iPod, I headed out my door on what was a relatively crisp, cool morning. Five minutes later, and I was off running. Literally. Read more