::: bisonium.com :::

Today starts the week-long Apple developer love-fest in San Francisco - the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC).  This year, Apple's at it again with the ever so well-known arrogance that has become the norm in everything from their advertising to their conference banners.  Apple's latest poke at Redmond is the banner shown above (pics from Engadget).  But you know that wasn't enough.  Last year, Apple had a banner stating "Redmond, Start your Photocopiers."  This year they built on that with the following:

You have to admire a company that is so bold as to put it out there like that.  But then again, Redmond is sitting back laughing at Apple's market share.  So who's the winner?  I don't know, it will be interesting to see what Vista has in store.  But I can tell you this much, Microsoft has their work cut out for them.  OS X "Leopard" is showing some pretty promising and wicked things, and that's just what we know about.  There are some secret features that Steve would not discuss during the keynote.  Makes you stop and wonder.

The keynote didn't appear to be as exciting as others in previous years.  Quite frankly, it was boring.  The highlights are that Apple released some MONSTER desktops, now named the MacPro, which should just about be able to pilot you into the next solar system.  These Quad Xeon 64-bit machines are INSANE.  Aside from the ridiculous speeds, they finally added that 2nd optical drive bay and the ability to have 4 hard drives for a total storage capacity of 2 TERABYTES!  That's just insane people.

Ushering in a new era of outstanding performance — and completing the Mac transition to Intel processors at the same time — the new Mac Pro introduces the 64-bit Dual-Core Intel Xeon “Woodcrest” processor to the Mac lineup. Running at up to 3GHz, it’s a state-of-the-art processor that — from day one — makes the Mac Pro one of the fastest desktop computers on the planet.

With the new build-to-order (BTO) options, there are more than 4 MILLION possible ways to configure your system.  Talk about an IT administration nightmare!  But hey - don't let it be said Apple doesn't give you choices.  Just remember, if you BTO a system - there are NO RETURNS!  Nice little gotcha that they don't make too obvious when you buy the system online.

Not to be outdone on the server side, there's a whole new breed of Xserves to play with.  A Quad Xeon 64-bit nasty one at that.

The Xserve packs phenomenal power and industry-leading capabilities into a high-density, 1U rackmount server that fits easily into any network environment. And this award-winning UNIX-based server just got a 5x (1) performance boost over the Xserve G5, thanks to quad-core 64-bit Intel Xeon processing. Additional features include up to 2.25TB storage, two eight-lane PCI Express slots, dual onboard Gigabit Ethernet, and a combo drive. With all this, the Xserve provides the stability you need and the performance you want, starting at just $2999.

The "Leopard" preview is not too shabby.  There are some much needed enhancements and upgrades made to Apple Mail, iChat and Spotlight.  One of the newest features that will make a lot of people yell "Hot Damn!" is the Time Machine feature.  This takes automated backup to a whole new level.  You will now have the ability to literally roll-back files to previous states and even recover lost or deleted files from your system.  This will be a life saver for many people and especially IT departments everywhere.  Just as a little kick in Redmond's rear, Apple decided to make the Time Machine interface a little bit like the way Vista navigates through open windows.  Just remember, Time Machine is worthless if the drive fails.  You still need to think about backing up to external media or running an internal RAID 5 configuration with those extra drives you can put into the MacPro.

All-in-all, there's still quite a bit of work left to be done on Leopard.  It will be Spring '07 before we really see the final product, and with any luck, Microsoft might just be able to pump out Vista by then.  It will be really interesting to compare the 2 systems side-by-side.  For now, we'll just have to be content with Tiger and some fast machines.  Not too shabby.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Macintosh, OS X

Posted by Frank Bisono at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So last night I am watching the usual Prison Break and 24 on Fox, when this strangely familiar Apple-esque look hits my screen, and before I could say WTF...BAM - it was indeed a genuine Apple Ad.  I guess people screamed loud enough that Apple heard them and finally decided to do something about it.  The ads are a little bland, but they get the point across loud and clear.  The new ads begin another phase of the switch campaign titled: "Get a Mac".  It should be interesting to watch how these play out and what kind of "switcher" numbers they bring to the Mac platform this time around. The new ads can be seen here.

A tad bit of bisonium.com trivia for my fans....yours truly was filmed in one of the original "switcher" ads.  At the time I had switched back to the Mac after a lengthy hiatus on the PC side, and decided to write Apple an email about the experience.  It wasn't before long, I got a call from TBWA \ Chiat \ Day (Apple's Ad Agency), and after a few calls and an NDA later, I was on a jet flying first class to Los Angeles. It was an incredible experience I will never forget and gave me a killer look behind the scenes of what really happens on a Hollywood back-lot.  Ultimately my ad didn't air, but one of the guys I shot with did - it was Richard Ziskin (pictured to the right).  Nice guy who owns an umbrella factory in New York if memory serves me correct.  All the original ads can be seen here.

I was considered "talent" (signed contracts and all) and got paid quite well for the 3 days, therefore entitling me to be "SAG Eligible".  Basically I earned the right to pay a ridiculous sum of money to the Screen Actors Guild to carry a card that says I am in the union and can do more "acting".  Your first 2 gigs are on the house, by the 3rd, you have to sign up - or so they tell me that is how it works.  I passed for now as I don't see myself doing too many more commercials, but it's still kind of cool to get those letters from SAG every now and then.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Comedy, Macintosh, Video

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well here's something you don't see everyday.  Here's a very cool insider view of the MacBu @ MSFT.

[ via O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com ]

Microsoft's David Weiss gives a tour of the Microsoft Mac Lab:

Microsoft's David Weiss provides a A Tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab. Lots of interesting information and good photos from the home of Mactopia.com.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh, Microsoft

Posted by Frank Bisono at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been another hectic and busy week with little time for catching up on the blogsphere happenings, but I just HAD to take the time to post this.  If Microsoft thinks they have problems now, they 'aint seen nuttin yet.  Today Apple announced a new "feature" that will be available in OS X v10.5 (a.k.a. Leopard), called Boot Camp.  This "feature" will allow Intel based Macs to boot natively into Windows XP.  Yes - you read correctly, Windows XP running NATIVELY on your Mac.  Full PR after the jump or at Apple.com.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Windows

Continue reading "Macs Do Windows Too!" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you working in education, especially in the state of Florida, you may have heard of, or even attended FETC (Florida Educational Technology Conference).  This is one of the largest conferences of its kind in the country and it's hosted in sunny Orlando, FL.  If you happen to have missed the conference this year, Apple has graciously provided some podcasts that bring you the action straight to your computer or iPod.  You can get updates on cool products from a variety of vendors, and even hear the first Podcast Palooza in education!  You can go to the site at: FETC 06 or subscribe to the podcast at: FETC 06 Podcast.

Technorati Tags: Podcasts, Education, FETC

Posted by Frank Bisono at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The fallout from Microsoft's announcement that Vista won't ship until 2007 continues in Business Week's latest online poll.  In this case a picture is worth a thousand words.  Make sure you place your vote at Business Week!

Technorati Tags: Apple

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, so by now you have heard, seen, read or whatever about Apple's new toys announced today.  In order to maintain everyone's sanity, I'll skip the "review" and just get to the point.  Am I the only one out there who seems to be disappointed...hell, lets just say it like it is - PISSED OFF?

<rant> I mean come on Apple, a new mini - we all expected that and has some spunk that makes it a really attractive buy.  I don't think anyone will argue that.  But what I WILL be vocal about is the lack of a "real" media center device.  I want something like a damn Sony VAIO running Media Center edition of Tiger in my living room.  Who the flip is hard of hearing,  riding the "special" bus, or just simply an idiot that they aren't getting the message over there?

OOOMPA LOOOMPAS AT THE MOTHERSHIP....WTF is going on over there?  Who the bunk is going to kick a home stereo to the curb for a boom box with an iPod dock?  I'm sure it sounds great, no arguments there, but I am hardly dumping my $10,000 worth of home theater audio gear over this thing.  This is like a great box for the park, a picnic, the beach or going camping.  Maybe if you live in a dorm or a shoe-box it might be a good thing too.  This thing is priced WAY to high for what I would have bought it for, which is a nice set of speakers for my OFFICE. Instead I just ordered a kick-ass set of speakers from Logitech for my office and it cost me $50, and trust me - they sound GREAT.  Hooked up to my G5 running iTunes at work, and it's all I need.  How the hell loud do you think people are going to crank  up that iPod in the office anyways?  I don't need a $350 speaker-box for that thank you.  And WTF is up with the overpriced "leather" cases.  SOMEBODY BETTER GET OFF THE DAMN CRACK PIPE AT CUPERTINO!

Seriously my digerati peeps.  I am really down with today's announcements.  I swear on my dead poodle that I would have gone out and bought that damn video iPod TODAY if it had come out and had at least 100GB hard drive.  Let me say that again...APPLE PAY ATTENTION: the next video iPod HAS to have AT LEAST 100GB drive for me (and many others I know) to even consider it.  I already have 80GB of music and would really like to see a 120GB iPod, especially with all this new video content.

I'm not even going to get into the desire for a Treo 650 killer, tablet or a myriad of the other things we Mac nerds have been begging for.  I'm just over it.  How many people does it take to blog about something before a company LISTENS and just makes the damn thing?  Ok - enough.  And that's all I have to say about that.

</end rant>

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod, Macintosh, Rant

Posted by Frank Bisono at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Boy o' Boy - you have gotta love someone with this much time on his hands.  To be honest, it was quite brilliant.  It just goes to show the extent of how bad those of us Mac freaks WANT to believe that the gadgets we are asking for have actually been listened to by Apple and they have produced them.  I wouldn't hold my breath on that new video iPod or tablet, or Netwon, or iPhone just yet... [via MacShrine ]

iPod video: How we all got fooled:

Technorati Tags: Apple, Apple, Design, iPod, Macintosh, Video

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you Mac-toting digerati that have a few of those friends or family using a PC (you know who you are), here's a cool little hint on how to use Google's new Google Talk service via iChat.  Hint: it uses that Jabber capability in iChat some of you have been wondering about.  This tip only works on OS X v10.4 "Tiger"...

[ Google Talk via iChat ]

Technorati Tags: Mac Tech Tips, OS X, Google, Chat

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Technorati Tags: Comedy, Clueless

Continue reading "The Clueless Manifesto" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fast Company is running an article about how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others, want to change American Schools.  This is something that I can honestly say I commend Bill Gates on.  I don't however think that they can change everything or make a significant impact by just throwing money at it, as the author of this article implies.

"A couple of years ago, high schools were not on anybody's [to-do] list," says Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Now, suddenly, they are: With a boost from Gates's money, 472 new small high schools have opened in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere. Almost 400 more will open by 2009. The foundation has also backed the restructuring of almost 700 existing high schools, often by breaking them up into smaller "learning communities" focused around such themes as science, art, or technology.

Why? "America's high schools are obsolete," Bill Gates declared in a speech earlier this year. "Our high schools--even when they're working exactly as designed--cannot teach our kids what they need to know today." Fewer than 60% of Hispanic and African-American students entering ninth grade ever graduate. And many of those who do earn diplomas emerge ill-equipped for college or work. Gates's ambitious goal: 80% of all students graduating college-ready in 20 years, versus a third today.

As someone who has worked in the K-12 education system, trying to implement technology solutions in to the curriculum and seen first hand the problems they face every day, there is a lot more that needs to be done than just throw money at the problem and solve the issues through the use of technology.  This isn't an Apple vs. Microsoft thing we are dealing with anymore.  One of the main problems that nobody seems to want to speak about is the parents.  No matter what you do or how much these kids get the opportunity to excel, it all starts at home.  If parents don't start to accept responsibility for raising their children properly by getting involved and teaching them right from wrong, NOTHING in the world is going to change those kids pre-determined paths and behaviors.

What some of these organizations need to do is spend some of that money in educating PARENTS, not the students.  In most of these inner-city schools, the kids are simply products of their environment.  If the parents themselves are criminals, act like animals and set a poor example, can you really expect a different outcome from the children?  It all starts at home folks.  Until the government and school system acknowledge that and try to change the behavior at home through education and incentives like free tuition, no amount of money or technology will help these kids (or parents) succeed. And if the parents don't want to improve their lives and take the initiative to educate themselves and get off of public assistance (ie. Welfare), well then...you can pretty much figure out the rest.

I think a goal of 80% of students graduating college-ready is completely unrealistic.  Take it for what it is, there will always be folks at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder and that won't ever change.  Stop throwing money into programs and places where it won't do any good, and start spending it where the kids are on the borderline and can go one way or the other.  If you can save those kids and push them over the edge into the right direction, then we have accomplished something indeed.

Magnet programs are a great start.  As the article implies, creating programs centered around specific themes (what we call magnet programs), the kids seem to get more involved, learn more, and overall turn out better than those students who don't have that opportunity.  If you can capture a kids interests, and get them involved in something they care about, you have won half the battle.  And THAT my friends is where I jump on my Apple soap-box.  Apple just plain and simply gets it.  NOBODY else has the resources in education and can implement a magnet program in the arts like Apple does.  I applaud Bill and Melinda Gates for their efforts, they are certainly on the right track, but the missing element is what Apple seems to do best - CREATE and INNOVATE.

Full Story @ Fast Company | The Gates Effect:

Technorati Tags: Education, Microsoft, Bill Gates, Charity

Posted by Frank Bisono at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posting has been slow around these parts hasn't it?  It's been over 2 weeks and Bellsouth STILL doesn't have a clue how to fix the problem with my DSL line.  Surprising isn't it?  Every time I call I get someone in India who is clearly having to call back to the states to actually get a real Bellsouth employee to tell them what to do.  I have had it, I am sooo over Bellsouth.

There is light over the horizon though.  By the time I get home tonight, I should have a brand spankin new 6Mbps connection through Adelphia.  I originally thought Comcast serviced my area, errr - technically I guess they do since they bought Adelphia, but for now everything is branded Adelphia.

I had the cable tv installed this weekend and got 2 Motorola HD / PVR receivers to boot.  I can't begin to express how absolutely AMAZING the HD picture is from regular cable or Satellite.  Watching Discovery HD Theater has just become my favorite past-time.  DirecTV, you lost.  If you offered me the upgrade at no cost, you would have most likely kept me as a customer.  So sad, too bad.  If the cable modem is anywhere near as fast as I am thinking it will be during those heavy peak hours, I will be one happy camper.  Next step - order up Supra telecom and completely dump Bellsouth services and related affiliates.  Unfortunately I am stuck on Cingular for another year, but rest assured - their days are numbered too.

For now, you can get your bisonium fix over at Gear Live with the following posts:

Sony Ericsson P990: The Ultimate Mobile Phone

Put Some DICE In Your Ride

VMware Server Released for Free

Major Nelson Giving Away Xbox 360 for Dummies

Adobe On Mactel: An FAQ

Posted by Frank Bisono at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yet another addition to the idiots that are the reason we have so many problems in the USA.  Litigation happy attorneys and morons who file this kind of lawsuit should themselves be thrown in jail for wasting tax dollars on foolish things like this.

So this idiot files a law because Apple doesn't adorn their product with warning labels that playing your iPod too loud is bad for your hearing.  Does any normal competent adult actually need to be told this?  Like everyting else in this society, people just refuse to accept any responsibility for their own actions and expect others to pay for their stupidity.  So wait, I guess I should go sue the US Navy for exposing me to all the jet noise for the years I served in the Navy huh?  Or wait, maybe I should sue the National Guard because firing my weapon made too much noise and scared me.  Come on people....when are we going to say enough is enough and just slap these morons silly and be done with it?  The full story is after the jump...

Continue reading "Apple sued over hearing loss in iPod buyers" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jon Maddox gives us an update on Henrico County's woes after switching to Dell and dumping their iBooks.  All I have to say is: I'm GLAD it is happening to them.  SUCKS TO BE HENRICO.  Now FIRE every idiot that was involved in the decision making process to go all Dell.  There's nothing better than watching your tax dollars being thrown in the garbage I tell you...

After a much publicized move from Apple iBooks to Dell Laptops, it looks the Henrico county school system isn't having much fun with the Dells.

This is what I've heard from a buddy of mine that works hand in hand with the computers.

About 100 dells are reimaged each week in henrico and after 5 months, the Dells have the same amount of laptops being sent in for repairs as we did once the iBooks turned 4 years old.

Wow, well no one saw that coming. Duh. We all know that Dell laptops are made very very "cost effectivly" and couldn't last one year under the stress of high school students. Especially when they know they aren't theirs. Thats one of the reasons Negroponte wants the $100 laptop to be owned by its users, so they last longer.

And like Gruber said "PCs typically cost less than Macs because they're pieces of crap, not because Intel CPUs are less expensive than IBM's or Freescale's."

Posted by Frank Bisono at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[ via Apple Insider ]

As part of its exhibition at National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show this week in Aniheim, Calif., Apple Computer could be seen demonstrating a new version of its Logic music composition and production software designed to run natively on the first Intel Macs.

The company also said it is ahead of schedule developing the application and plans to release the software as Logic Pro 7.2 next month.

According to a report from Macworld, Logic’s performance seemed much faster running on the new Intel Macs than with PowerPC-based machines.

"The performance is stunning and has met my already high expectations," Dr. Gerhard Lengeling, Apple senior director and lead architect audio applications said.

The company was performing the Logic demos on a pre-production MacBook Pro laptop. During one demo, Apple’s Bob Hunt was reportedly running video, with thumbnails, music and a dozen or more high-end effects.

"None of these sessions would even run on a PowerBook," said Hunt, comparing the new Intel-based MacBook Pro to the PowerBook.

Logic's evolution to a Intel-native application won't be the only change users will notice, according to Macworld. Logic Pro 7.2 will also reportedly feature integrated support for the new Apogee Ensemble interface; Digidesign Pro Tools HD 7 DAE support; Serato Pitch ‘n Time support; Improved Rewire support; Enhanced Control Surfaces support; and 32-channel support for multi-channel Audio Units instruments.

The application also adds compatibility with GarageBand 3 through new support for playback of compressed files; a Ducking plug-in; a speech enhancement plug-in; and the same jingles and sounds effects found in GarageBand.

Owners of Logic 7.1 may upgrade to Logic 7.2 for Intel via a $49 crossgrade upgrade package Apple will begin offering in February.

Posted by Frank Bisono at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Been a loooong weekend at Disney and I am beat.  Just checkin the wires and came across this.  Pretty spankin cool!  Give some new life to that old iBook or PowerBook laying around...

[ via MacMinute ]
MacStyles relaunches expanded, enhanced Web site:
MacStyles.com today relaunched an all new and expanded Web site. MacStyles are custom-cut vinyl decals for iBooks and PowerBooks. They can be made in a variety designs and are crafted from a selection of 21 colors. Eleven new colors are being offered as of today. Along with the addition of "MacPads and MacStyles Pro," the company is working on a line of decals for iPods, as well as an extended line of accent decals known as "Maccents."

Posted by Frank Bisono at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bring it on Apple - we race fans are ready!

[ via iPod Observer ]

NHL and NASCAR Working on iTunes Music Store Deals:

The NHL and NASCAR are both within weeks of signing deals to provide content to the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), according to the Sports Business Journal (subscription required). Apple has already signed deals with ESPN and ABC Sports, and is close to a deal with MLB Advanced Media, too.

The extent of the NHL's and NASCAR content is not yet clear, but it looks like a deal may be struck in time for the Daytona 500 in February.

Video downloads at the iTMS and other legal Internet video content provider sites are proving successful for the broadcasters that have already jumped on board. The NFL and NBA are both looking for deals, although neither have committed to a specific provider yet.

Brenda Spoonemore, senior vice president of interactive services for NBA Entertainment commented "The iPod is a great device and it's exciting to see what's happening. Apple, however, is only one piece of a much larger distribution model. The key thing is having the best available content in the most convenient manner for fans."

Posted by Frank Bisono at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hmmmm, I dunno whether to cry or be elated.  I think this is potentially the secret trojan horse that Apple needs to be honest.  The perfect machine - you get to pick your platform of choice. Doesnt get much better...

[ via Engadget ]

Video: OS X 10.4.3 dual-booted on a Thinkpad:

Posted by Frank Bisono at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This guy is friggin hilarious.  John Gruber over at Daring Fireball has continued the saga from where he left off last year.  You will definitely enjoy the read...

iLife ’06 From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal Interface:

Brushed metal visits Safari.

Continue reading "iLife ’06 From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal Interface" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Frank Bisono at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sometimes there are people in this world that just don't get it.  Jeremy seems to be one of those folks here.  Now this is ok, because the poor soul is just temporarily misguided, and just needs someone to find his hot button and push it a few times. 

Yawn @ Apple:

"Between Google's "big announcement" of Google Video + Google Pack, and Apple's non-announcement's this week at Macworld (yes, I watched the whole presentation), I'm incredibly surprised there hasn't been a mass exodus of PC, Google and Mac users to something more exciting. Like Libyan Midget Volleyball."

I can understand the disappointment of the keynote, after all, even we die-hard Mac fanatics were expecting something with a litle more OOOOMPH, like say.....a 50" Plasma iMac?  Apple could very well still be working on this, or it could be total bunk.  Only time will tell.  One thing is for certain though, they WILL get there.  Now back to the main point here...

I need to try and communicate a few things to Jeremy that maybe he just hasn't been made aware of.  Apple didn't just make Unix or Linux cool, that was a side effect.  Apple made unix FRIENDLY and USABLE by anyone.  There is a HUGE difference. 

Jeremy made some comments about how Apple just announced some Widgets and fixed some broken apps.  What planet are you on Jeremy?  Apple added new widgets, which was barely mentioned, and they made MAJOR upgrades to an already incredible suite of products, which happen to ship for FREE with every single Mac.

Jeremy also seems to think that Apple's industrial design will be wiped away in the next few years, and OS X will be made moot by Vista.  Man, I gotta tell you...Jeremy is really smoking some good shit today.  NOBODY in the industry has been able to successfully emulate Apple's industrial design.  They are quite simply BAD IMITATIONS.  There is a difference between imitating someone elses design, and actually INNOVATING by not only coming up with never before used designs, but designing the hardware and technology to go in those designs, while at the same time making it all look elegant and sexy.  Apple has pioneered almost every single technology used in a PC today, from the floppy drive to wireless and firewire, Apple was the INNOVATOR.

One of the best statements by Jeremy was how Steve Jobs didn't show him any VISION.  No vision huh?  That's pretty interesting.  It seems to me that the ONLY person / company showing any vision these days is Apple and Steve Jobs.  Again, Apple was the first to demonstrate vision with the iPod and even HD.  Apple's iMovie has had HD capabilities for over a year now. 

The best quote of all has to be...

"I was disappointed. I know, a Windows guy disappointed at a Mac announcement. For shame. But, really, the only thing worth looking at that came out of the announcement was the new hardware. And it wasn’t even all that nice. Especially when you consider that you get the same hardware from any PC manufacturer for 800$ less."

Now I am really dumbfounded by this statement.  Apparently Apple is NEVER going to win over certain folks.  Now that we are not only on par, but FASTER than most PC's, they are still bitching about something.  I'd LOVE to see an $800 laptop and what specs it brings for that money.  And I bet it looks just dandy to boot.  It would never look like a 50lb plastic boat anchor now would it?  A quick peruse of Dell's website begs to differ.  WHATEVER.

Jeremy, it's ok to be a happy Windows user.  Everyone has a personal preference and taste.  But PLEASE don't make silly comments and rant about what you have no idea about.  I really honestly wish someone with knowledge of how YOU work and what YOUR needs are, would take the time to just see how a Mac could make your life better.  Everyone is different, so it could be that you just haven't seen what you need to see to make that light-bulb go off in your head.  Maybe a Mac truly isn't for you, and thats ok - they aren't for everyone.  But I used to be sitting on that side of the fence at one time, until a Libyan Midget Six Pack hit me across the side of the head and knocked me to my ass.  At that point, I screamed EUREKA, and saw the light.  The rest is history.  It can happen to you too... :-)

Read Jeremy's rant after the jump...

Continue reading "Jeremy Wright Doesn't Get It" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Frank Bisono at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So here is the blow by blow details of the Keynote for MWSF 2006:

Retail Update:

• 135 Retail Stores
• 26 Million visitors during the 2005 holiday quarter
• First $1 Billion dollar quarter
• Over $5.7 Billion in total revenue for the 2005 holiday quarter

Music Update:

• Sold over 14 Million iPods in 2005 holiday quarter.
• Over 100 sold every minute 24/7.
• Over 850 Million songs sold on iTunes /// Avg. of 3M per day ///  >1B Songs per yr. run rate.
• New video content for the iTunes Music Store.
• iPod Remote + FM Tuner for nano or 5G iPod - $49, available TODAY.
• Chrysler iPod integration support - in 2006 over 40% of vehicles sold in US will offer iPod integration New iPod Ad.

Mac Updates:

• Aperture - Recap with some old videos.
• Widgets - Over 1500 New Widgets available for Tiger.  New widgets introduced.
• iLife '06 - Impressive enhancements to the iLife suite.  New Jam Pack. New product - iWeb. Updated iWork.
• Intel-based iMac. Duo Core processor, 2x faster than previous iMac.
• New Intel TV Ad.
• PowerBook replaced by MacBook Pro. Intel Duo Core processor, 4x faster than previous PowerBook G4. Built-in iSight, Apple Remote, Front Row.
• Magsafe Power Adapter - AWESOME!.

My thoughts and commentary on the individual products to follow...stay tuned!

Posted by Frank Bisono at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, most of the world already knows the details of the MWSF Keynote, now it's time to watch it for myself, and then write up the summary reports.  You can catch the keynote here.  Back in a bit...gotta drool for a while...

Posted by Frank Bisono at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FoxTrot by Bill Amend:

Posted by Frank Bisono at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now here's an interesting blog post.  Adobe blogger, John Nack, has written a blog entry introducing Project Lightroom.  There are a couple of things in his blog entry that raised a few of my own questions.

"Obviously Lightroom and Aperture aim to tackle a similar set of challenges, and one might say, "Well, you guys are just releasing this beta now because Aperture is in the market."  That's not the case, actually, as we've been planning since early in the project to release a public preview.  But even if we were spurred by the release of Aperture, so what?  Isn't it better to break new ground on openness?"

Now if I were to read into this statement, I would be drawn into the part stating "But even if we were spurred by the release of Aperture, so what?  Isn't it better to break new ground on openness?"  This is nothing short of HOGWASH.  What's this "so what?" stuff?  So what?  I'll tell you what --- call it for what it is John.  Adobe is pissed as hell at Apple for releasing Aperture and Lightroom is Adobe's way of giving Apple the bird.  What makes that perfectly clear is that it is available for the Mac ONLY, and just happens to coincide with MWSF.  Now this could have all been planned so that the Mac version would indeed be ready for demo at MWSF, and I won't dismiss that.  However, it just seems that Adobe is taking a defensive stance and protecting their turf (which is perfectly acceptable and to be expected).  But don't get all high and mighty on this new idea of  "openness" because we all know that Adobe is about anything BUT openness.  If so, Photoshop would be "open" and all your other apps would be too. Somehow I don't think we'll be seeing too many "open" projects from Adobe.

My second comment is that it appears that Lightroom will eventually become part of Photoshop, as well as a separate app.  There's nothing to substantiate this other than John's comment in the Q&A about Lightroom being available together with Photoshop.  If this is indeed the case, then great!  It will all but guarantee that Adobe will retain the pro photographer crowd, unless Apple addresses those major shortcomings in Aperture.

I don't want to sound like I am coming down too hard on Adobe, I think that having Lightroom is going to be a great and much needed addition to the Adobe product line.  I just don't things being masked to look like something they aren't.  It's ok to come straight out and say "Apple, you crossed the line and we're pissed".  Lightroom clearly is a major shot across the bow at Apple and I say let the photo management wars begin!  The winners in this whole thing will ultimately be the end-users.

Read the full blog posting from John after the jump...

Continue reading "Adobe Blogger's Statement on Lightroom" »

Posted by Frank Bisono at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[ via Computerworld ]

South Park turns to Apple for new storage setup:

To handle its growing storage needs, South Park producers are  moving away from a sluggish direct-attached disk backup and a tape library to a faster system that later this month will blossom into a full storage area network.

Posted by Frank Bisono at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)