Not exactly what I expected!
- Last year I decided to move from Office to Pages for word processing, and have not been thrilled with the switch. Pages 1.0 was slow, and there’s no document reader for Windows. Hopefully the performances issues have been addressed in 2.0.
- “MacBook Pro” is more awkward than “PowerBook G5,” but we’ll get used to it, and it reveals Apple’s new naming scheme, although what will the Intel desktop towers be called – Mac Pros? I’m pretty sure iBooks will still be iBooks.
- Speaking of the MacBooks, I believe that two of the new features – the built-in camera and the magnetic power cord thing – will be present in the consumer models. The camera is in the iMac, and the magnetic cord thing will save Apple repair overhead.
- I really thought there’d be new app in iWork. Maybe in ’07.
- iLife ’06 seems filled with neat updates, especially the podcasting studio in GarageBand. iWeb is exactly what I’d like to give my parents for blogkeeping. Hopefully someone will get it working without .Mac.
- I was heartbroken by the absence of new iBooks (and my little sister is going to be super pissed) but I think there’s a good chance of a special event announcing them in March or something.
- The Intel iMac seems like an amazingly solid deal. I’d buy one right now if I wanted a desktop.
- MacBook mini: I wonder if Apple is thinking of doing a low cost notebook to snag the PC-iPod/education crowd. It’s no secret that what makes laptops thick is the optical drive.
I write screenplays, books and push software; I'm a collector and indoorsman. If you have a Masonic scepter or a copy of the Boyd Philadelphia Blue Book (any year), drop me a line.