What Santa didn't bring me this Tuesday

Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 10 AM PST – Apple unveils a new lineup of mobile goodness to the world, available online immediately. The news of redesigned MacBooks and MacBook Pros is exciting, but I’m still underwhelmed by the much-awaited unveiling.

Here’s a few things that I wish Apple had considered:

1. A smaller MacBook Air. That’s smaller, not lighter. Maybe a 10″ or 11″ widescreen would be absolutely perfect for me, even if the weight stayed the same. I’m sure I’m not the only one craving a smaller Apple laptop. Many questions have been asked about the possibility of a tablet, which tends to go hand-in-hand with the smaller form factor, but this is a feature I am much less concerned about, and certainly wouldn’t influence a decision for me to buy it.
2. Firewire on the MacBook. It may be uncommon for devices other than camcorders, but Firewire is definitely a much safer bet than USB for many purposes. Though I don’t find myself using Firewire alot these days, the opportunities still arise, and when they do, I’m always glad that the connection can be made with something other than USB. For video editing, I’m not sure how users will cope. OK, so you don’t normally buy a MacBook for video editing, but iMovie is included. How does Apple expect users to capture from their cameras without Firewire?
3. Option of matte screen. This isn’t a huge deal for me, but as I work opposite a window everyday, I do appreciate the non-reflective finish of my office MacBook Pro and Cinema Display. It’d be nice to have this choice.
4. The old MacBook (white plastic) is still in the lineup at a slightly reduced price. This just seems weird. I would have rather seen a lower spec for the white MacBook and a larger drop in price, down to the 800 range.

Those are the major concerns I have. I find myself leaning towards one of the new aluminum MacBooks as my next computer upgrade, which I plan to hold off on, until the jury comes back on how they do.

Better MagSafe than Sorry – or not

So I’ve tripped over my power cord on more than one occasion, and yes, just maybe the MagSafe plug has prevented my laptop from taking flight.

I’m not so sure it’s been really helpful to me, though. In my past experience giving your laptop a little airtime once in a while isn’t usually fatal. Sure, it scares the buh-geezes out of you or the person who’s laptop you borrowed to check your Gmail account, but usually the little wonder comes out relatively unscathed.

Now, a bit past a year of having my MacBook, the power cord is shot. I’m kinda grumpy about it. Why does Apple keep making power cords with ridiculously crappy strain reliefs. Maybe the magnet in the plug is still just a bit too strong to make it truly MagSafe. Though it saves your computer, clearly the resistance on the cord is enough to kill it in time. BLAH.

Anyway. I have a mind to reinforce my next powercord with mounds of electrical tape. Not sure if I’ll do it, but it’s a thought.

I guess I can be glad mine didn’t completely melt and spark as some Internet reports reveal.

Anybody else have trouble with their MagSafe’s? Or am I the only one?

another bout with AI

here we are again, sitting in my AI class waiting for the professor to show up. last weeks insane assignment had its due date extended until today. of course, being the smart students we are, some of my classmates and i waited again to the last minute to work further on the assignment.

working with AI programming is so ridiculous. maybe i just don’t get it, but it’s such a tedious task. i thought this is why i wasn’t a CS major, but i guess it makes its way around.

anyway… hopefully class will let out early again as it has been doing. i don’t think i could stand a full length class tonight.

iBook photos

here are the aforementioned restored iBook photos..isn’t he cuuuute? (the iBook, not me)

tangerines and blueberries.. oh my

i failed to mention that my original iBook clamshell restoration project went quite well. i now have two working original iBooks. the tangerine one is my favorite, and is going to be accompanying me just about everywhere i go. i really do love it.

the restoration took quite a bit of work. i had two semi-working tangerine units, and basically had to take the two things apart almost completely. some of the surgery included a transplant of the optical drive and the display. i also cleaned up the final product a bit and made sure all of the outer plastics were looking sharp. it really is a sexy machine, albeit a little chunky at nearly 7 pounds. i was also pleased to find out that the replacement battery i purchased lasts nearly 5 hours on a charge. simply amazing.

soon i’ll be posting pictures of my new babies.. i’m sure you can’t wait.