Why notebook PC makers will be happy about the MacBook Air
When Steve Jobs stepped up to the podium at Macworld earlier this week, I’m sure notebook PC makers were -- how can this politely be expressed? -- demonstrating signs of trepidation. Today, they’re going to be a lot calmer. Calmer and happy too.
Apple has done an amazing job on the PC industry ever since Jobs’ return. For once, the term "messianic" might be appropriate, or as close as it ever becomes in terms of technology. Where Apple had not executed in the Jobs 2.0 era was in mobile computing where its products often looked heavy and unwieldy. Little wonder that most of us expected a subnotebook that would offer a truly portable alternative for rail commuters and others who need something that really does sit comfortably on the lap rather than perch like a suitcase on beer pump. We were expecting something wonderful, disruptive and market making
The MacBook ain’t it.
With a 13.3in screen, this is a device that sits halfway between what I would have thought would be the two main target audiences. Hard-core graphics workers will lament the lack of an even larger display and feel that processor and RAM options are limited. Generalists will wonder why they need such an unusual mixture of lightweight product and full-size format.
Adding to the list of caveats, there will be big concerns about external optical drives, lack of fixed Ethernet, and the sole USB port. OK, so you can buy add-in extras but this is a specification that has “compromise” written through it like Blackpool rock. It is also a product that screams like a catwalk vamp about Apple's old failure -- a preference for style over substance.
Both sets of users will be thinking long and hard about the price. The US sticker is harsh enough but the UK tariff is just abusive. Whatever happened to the special relationship, you guys?
Apple has been on a golden run for a long time and the MacBook Air would appear to have redeeming features interms of its trackpad and screen. But this is product would appear to be more iScrewedup than iPhone.
PC or not PC? Mac is the question…
Computers should last for decades, according to the received wisdom, so long as moving parts like the hard disk don't wear out. While this may be true, the sad truth is that new software releases will quickly render your state-of-the-art purchase inadequate for the job after a few short years.
And so I have come to the conclusion that it is time to replace my main system at home with a new model, preferably one smaller and less noisy than the one I currently rely on. (Note to self: don't build own PC from separately bought components ever again – it isn’t worth the hassle).
Having decided to bite the bullet, I find myself wondering whether my new system should be another PC, or should I opt for a Mac instead? The Mac Mini in its compact little desktop case looks very appealing, and with Apple now using Intel chips, it is possible to run Windows alongside Mac OS X, so I can keep my old applications.
In fact, with the latest release of the Parallels Desktop virtualisation software, it is possible to run Windows apps so that they appear to be native, and Parallels even provides a tool that can convert an existing PC into a virtual machine image ready to be transferred to the Mac.
For many users, choosing between a Mac and a PC may not be such a critical choice any more. Many applications that people use are browser-based, and this applies to consumer as much as enterprise applications. Email and IM can be provided by tools such as Google Mail, and even productivity tools such as word processing are available as online applications. Even if you prefer to keep software installed locally, there are Mac versions of Microsoft Office, and open standards such as the OASIS Open Document Format (ODF) are making cross-platform compatibility less of an issue.
The decision to buy Mac or PC is therefore likely to come down to personal preference as much as anything else. As for me, the nature of my work means that I will be installing and running Windows applications much of the time, so it may make more sense just to plump for a new PC. After all, there are some equally appealing mini desktop designs around nowadays, such as Acer's Veriton 1000 or Shuttle's XPC range. Now, where did I put that Vista install disk…
Will Apple's iPhone appeal to business?
Apple managed to confound its critics in style at its Macworld show by announcing a product that many people (myself included) believed to be nothing more than vapourware; the iPhone.
The device, which combines the functions of a camera phone and an iPod music player, looks most impressive and is sure to be a hit in the consumer market when it ships later this year. After all, most iPod users seem fanatically devoted to them, and almost certainly have a mobile phone as well. Who wouldn't rather have just a single device to carry around, provided it can fulfil both functions equally well?
But I wonder whether Apple might also find some interest from the enterprise market. Many workers have been crying out for a more intuitive user interface in their mobile devices, and if the iPhone lives up to the early hype about its high-resolution touch-sensitive display, then the company could be onto something.
Even more significant is the built-in 4GB or 8GB of storage, which is primarily there for the iPhone's music player functions. There must be mobile developers out there that are even now dreaming of the kind of applications they might build with this much local storage available in a handheld client device.
Of course, many executives are virtually wedded to their BlackBerry, and enterprises have generally preferred to adopt a Microsoft-based strategy for mobile and wireless applications.
But another factor in the iPhone's favour is that it runs OS X – the same operating system as Apple's desktop systems. This should mean that existing developer tools can be used to build applications for the device, and there are a great many programmers already familiar with these tools.
Depending on how similar the iPhone version of OS X is to the Mac version, Apple might have just handed developers a robust and high-performance platform for mobile applications, one that might give Microsoft's mobile division serious cause for concern.
The iPhone is most definitely worth keeping an eye on.
