Steve Jobs is a Fucking Genius
Seriously.
The iPod shuffle fills a niche nobody even knew existed.
The problem with these flash players is how do you figure out what you're going to listen to every day? You have a limited number of songs you can put on a flash based player, so how do you decide? And won't you get tired of the same songs day after day, and bored of making playlists night after night?
Well the iPod shuffle solves that by adding an Autofill button to iTunes, which will randomize your playlists based on several criteria (most popular, newest, truly random, etc.). Each night, plug in it in and hit a button and tomorrow you're in for a new audio adventure. Awesome.
The iPod shuffle isn't a device for storing your whole music collection, and it doesn't act like one, it's for taking some tunes with you while you're on the go. The lack of a screen isn't a problem, because futzing with your music player just takes away from the experience. Remember, this isn't your whole music collection, so why are you going to be searching for specific tunes anyway?
It took a company like Apple to recognize this and create a device that works this way.
Spotlight is exactly what I want in a "filefinder." Ever since I installed WinAMP 5.0 (I'm a Windows guy... for now), it's changed the way I store my MP3's, and find my music. I no longer think about what the file name is, what folder an MP3 is in, or any of the stuff I used to obsess about.
Now I just want to be able to start typing and have my files pop up no matter where they are. That's what Spotlight does. I guess when I first load files from, say, my digital camera, I'll have to label them somehow with some meta data (no big deal, all the photos I took at the Halloween Party can just be labeled with that), but after that, I don't have to go digging for them anymore.
This is what I hoped WinFS would be, but in my heart knew it wouldn't be.
And it's integrated with email, and all those Mac apps. It's not just a file finder, it's part of the OS.
And the Mac mini... An entry level Mac in the smallest form factor case that they could make. I would get one just for Spotlight, but I don't want another desktop, so I'd probably get an iBook/PowerBook instead.
Actually, JadeTec has had a computer the size of the Mac Mini for a couple of years now, but the base unit is £799, which is $1,500 at the current exchange rates.
Oh, and iChat video conferencing. I wish the Mac mini existed 6 months ago so I could tell my mother to get one for herself and my sister so they could do the whole webcam thing without all the futzing and configuring and finding a program that can do video conferencing. And iChat video conferencing does up to 4 people (you plus 3 others), and up to 10 people on audio conferencing.
If they had this, my mother could see her daughter & grandson every day (and me simultaneously), and they wouldn't be calling me for tech support.
Apple occupies a unique niche in the computer world. BSD under the hood, so tech nerds are attracted to it, but a great UI on top that "just works" so they recommend it to their non tech parents.
I promise you. Between being able to easily get files off of your digital camera & email them, easily find any file on your computer, easy video conferencing, lack of major viruses & spyware, the Mac mini will be the computer every nerd tells their parents to get for the next 2 years.
And I think they're beginning to close the *nix nerd/computer newbie gap. I know I'll be keeping my eye on them.
CPU speed has flatlined. Windows isn't coming out with anything (except bug fixes). I use my PS2 for video games (and with the XBox2 and PS3 around the corner, who wants to spend money upgrading their PC for video games? Not me).
Face it. Microsoft fumbled the Windows ball. Nobody knows when Longhorn will come out, and if they continue their usual "more bloat than your current PC can handle" strategy, it'll be more bloat than any PC can handle. So in the meantime, people will be trying out Macs.
I don't need to buy a computer for the forseeable future. My PC buying dollars aren't being put to any good use, so why not get a Mac? I don't need another desktop, so it'll probably be a PowerBook . The Mac mini can fit next to your existing PC, use your existing keyboard, mouse, and monitor (with a USB KVM switch), and not take up any more room under your desk.
Steve Jobs is a Fucking Genius.
page first created on Wednesday, January 12, 2005
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