So it’s just a matter of time before people start re-hypothesizing that cellphones give you cancer, especially in light of recent news that Steve Jobs is on indefinite hiatus.
Rather than take the high-road, we decided to be first into the pit, and created this clever infographic to illustrate how the iPhone 4’s antenna might be a game-changer.
We encourage you to sign up for Tumblrs for Humanity if you are offended (or even if you aren’t).
Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not a total Mac hater. I have a MacBook at home, but I’ve always said that it could never completely replace my PC because the productivity software just isn’t on par with Microsoft Office for the PC.
Well, Microsoft released Office 2011 for Mac on 10/26 and have claimed that it’s more compatible that previous versions of the software. Also, it seems to have integrated the ‘ribbon’ feature from the 2007 PC version (although it doesn’t look exactly the same).
If this new update for the Mac really does bring the premier productivity suite up to date and on par with it’s PC version, then it could truly represent a game changer for Apple in terms of catering to a larger chunk of consumers who need to either work from home, or work within applications that they’re familiar with using while at the office. There’s still the whole ‘gaming’ population out there, but we’ll save that for another article.
If you’re a faithful reader who’s had a chance to get their hands dirty with this latest update, let us know. What’s the skinny on Office 2011 for Mac?
Unless you’re living on the Moon, I think pretty much every internet user has heard about the debacle Apple is facing regarding the iPhone 4’s antenna. Here’s the short version: Apple introduced the iPhone 4 (and highlighted its antenna), and pretty much the next day there was a YouTube video showing a user putting his hand on top of the little line on the left-hand side of the phone. In other words, hold your hand in the wrong place and the phone loses signal.
Apple’s defense up until this point was:
Seriously? Steve, you sold us on the iPhone in the first place because it was the smarter smartphone! Do you really think your users, some of the smartest people on Earth, are going to go along with this half-assed reasoning? In all honesty the only thing this has led us to believe is that you are disconnected from reality.
How did this happen? From 2004-2008, Apple was innovating like no other, providing products that consumers needed and came to love. Although there were the occasional failures, and some products that just didn’t seem to make sense or weren’t entirely developed, for the most part users came to feel that Apple understood their needs and PC manufacturers didn’t. I mean hell, they survived the epic of all disasters when the iPhone started dropping calls everywhere.
Then came the unibody: the obsession with making products out of one piece of metal.
It is my firm belief that unibody theory has driven Apple away from its users. After all, who really cares that their PC was made out of one piece of metal? I could understand if every device worked perfectly and the only factor in peoples’ minds when they were buying a computer was industrial design, but come on! You were successful because you made complex things like making movies easy. You were successful because you run an operating system that isn’t the primary target of malware providers. You were successful because people like having access to more than one artist at a time when they’re listing to music. You were successful because we didn’t need both an MP3 player and a phone in our pockets.
YOU WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE YOU MADE A PRODUCT OUT OF ONE PIECE OF ALUMINUM. You were successful because your laptops looked cool and were light and easy to use. Over the past two years Apple has been obsessed with unibody theory, putting the unibody in every one of its laptops. People don’t care that you paid millions to construct the housing around my keyboard with laser guided drills. People care that their laptop looks cool, is light, and can stand up to a beating. My favorite laptop of all time was my IBM ThinkPad, because it had steel hinges. To this day that laptop still opens and closes securely.
I think that a lot of people think that the other shoe will drop when a memo gets leaked from the testers in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude that advised Steve that if you held the phone a certain way, it loses signal. After you have worked in a large enterprise, one understands that it didn’t matter what any of the testers said. Why? Because the CEO is obsessed with design, and the iPhone 4 was designed from the start to use an antenna on the sides of the phone. It is obvious to me that Apple no longer holds user experience as the first priority — instead, we’ve got a groupthink mentality where the company thinks what really matters is precision engineering.
Steve, it’s time to abandon your obsession with unibody theory. People don’t care that the product is perfectly engineered. They care that when they pick it up, they can place a call easily and quickly. You designed a phone where people who are left handed interfere with the signal. It’s time to admit you need to encase the antenna in plastic, and you’re going to give away bumper cases until you do. If you’re obsessed with microns, shouldn’t you be obsessed about the 1% of calls being dropped on the 4 vs. 3GS? Motorola, RIM and Nokia seem to be able to put antenna performance above exterior design.
And please stop complaining about the issue being blown out of proportion — you’re right, it has been, but when you claim you’re the best you have to face the fact that smaller problems are going to be your biggest issues.
It seems like ‘Netbooks’ are all the rage these days. They’re portable and long-lasting, but are underpowered and their screens are too small to really do much outside of light web-browsing, checking email and watching a movie on the road. The real problem with them, however, is that you’re probably still going to need another legitimate machine in your home in order to take care of all your computing needs… hello there optical drive. I suppose that the next most popular market these days is for ‘desktop replacement laptops’ which boast more robust processing and larger screens, but they aren’t the sort of thing you want to lug around with you.
My question: Why hasn’t anyone come up with this solution for me?
First things first, no, I don’t think it needs to be an Apple solution. This is just the best mock-up of this sort of thing that I could find (thanks computerworld?).
What I’m looking for is an elegant solution that will provide me with adequate performance for multi-media, productivity, and multi-tasking that I can take with me when I need to, but that also integrates seamlessly into a desktop solution in order to preserve my eyesight, allow me to work with a real keyboard and mouse, and still have room for the rest of the clutter on my desk.
I understand that there is such a thing as a ‘dock’ that will provide this sort of functionality, but that comes with it’s own extra tangle of cords and wires and doesn’t really look all that pretty on your desk. Some solutions are better than others (hengedocks.com), but once again, try to find something that isn’t a Mac solution. Hello PC!? Are you hearing me?
What about cost? Well, break it down like this. A decently spec-ed productivity laptop (PC) is going to run you about $500-800 depending on your needs. Next, you can pretty easily score a 22+ inch monitor for less than $200 these days. So all that’s left is the integrated docking solution and all told you’re not looking at any more than $1,000 bucks for a great solution and an agreeable price point. If you pony up for a ‘netbook’ and a ‘desktop’ system you’re going to be spending that much anyway, so why not.
Other advantages to this approach? Purchase just one copy of your OS and any other program you plan to use. All your files are located on one machine (one hard drive), if you’re working on something but need to hit the road it’s right there with you. No need for flash drives, or emailing things to yourself for later. If your household needs more than one computer, you can get multiple ‘laptop’ portions of this system that are all compatible with the same desktop setup.
Okay, so the challenge has been presented. Get to work PC!
Anybody else out there feeling me on this one? Post your comments, questions, or witty retorts below.
