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The greatest Apple story for 2007 is the incredible variety of fantastic products it launched. OK, maybe not every item was excellent. However, they were all still interesting and created significant buzz. What other business can state that?
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The most significant Apple story for 2007 is the sensational number of excellent items it released. OK, perhaps not every product was excellent. Nevertheless, they were all still exciting and produced significant buzz. What other company can say that? Here's my appearance back at Apple's year. I offer my brief evaluation of each brand-new item-- with the advantage of end-of-year hindsight. iPhone Calling iPhone. The invention of the year. The gizmo of the year. The you-name-it of the year. Could this product perhaps live up to all this buzz? Yes. Absolutely. Naturally, it is not ideal. Where is voice dialing and built-in GPS, for starters? I am already drooling over the anticipated 3G iPhone 2.0 being available in 2008. Nevertheless, the 1.0 version is still as near to an out-of-the-park crowning achievement as anyone could want. For my money, it's the most innovative item Apple has produced given that the initial Mac in 1984. It's currently difficult for me to envision how I handled without one. Whether I am searching for an area in Maps, inspecting film times in Safari, listening to my voicemail with the unbelievable ease of its visual user interface, sending a quick e-mail message, enjoying music (which I do more frequently now that I constantly have an iPod with me), or playing one of the video games I included after hacking the gadget, it seems that I am always utilizing my iPhone for something. Leapin' Leopards Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. A mixed bag. Yes, it has some appealing brand-new functions. I am particularly keen on screen sharing and Back to My Mac. Time Maker is also a plus. However, the more I use Leopard, the more I discover that it actually uses really little in the way of "should have" features. Undoubtedly, if I was required to revert to Tiger tomorrow, I wouldn't object. Really, I would welcome a go back to the Dock in Tiger (with its hierarchical folder menus) or the firewall in Tiger (with its ability to turn individual ports on and off). Then there are the too-numerous startup and login issues in Leopard (see my recent MacFixIt column for precisely what I indicate here). I have the sense that, with all the other stuff Apple had going on in 2007, Leopard was not offered the attention it required. It may take till around variation 10.5.3 before Leopard is truly a "ended up" item. More Required for Apple TV Apple TV. I own one and I enjoy it. I have it linked to my home theater system in my living room. Nevertheless, my major use of it is for playing music, not video. For streaming music from iTunes, it is a far much better choice than the AirTunes component of an AirPort Express-- because Apple TELEVISION uses a video interface and push- button control. Even better, by syncing files to the Apple TV's disk drive, you can play music without having to be linked to a Mac at all. For Apple TV to live up to its name and be really beneficial as a "TELEVISION," it needs a considerable upgrade. An obvious beginning point would be some sort of DVR-like ability. AirPort's Landing AirPort Extreme. If you are thinking about updating to a new AirPort Extreme Base Station for the speed increase
of the 802.11 n network, you probably shouldn't trouble. In particular, if you use your WiFi network simply for linking to the Web, your Internet speed is a bottleneck that will avoid you from seeing any overall speed gain as compared to 802.11 g. Actually, the speed outcome can be even worse than no gain at all (as I detailed in the MacFixIt column months ago), due to problems with signal strength particular to "n" networks. Still, the capability to add a networked disk drive to the Extreme is a plus. Naturally, if you have no wireless router at all, the AirPort Extreme would make a worthwhile purchase. Touch: Paralyzed iPhone? iPod touch. I have done an almost 180 degree turn here considering that the preliminary release of the iPod touch. My first reaction was: Great! Here is the iPhone-less iPhone that users have been demanding. Now you can have the iPhone's touchscreen user interface without needing to pay for a two-year phone agreement. My more recent response, however, is better to "What's the point?" I know I am revealing my iPhone bias here however ... the iPod touch does so much less than the iPhone that I keep feeling the touch is simply a crippled iPhone. For US$ 100 more in preliminary cost, you can have an iPhone with the very same 8 GB of memory, all of esper its added features and save yourself having to bring around a second gadget as an iPod. If you are willing to opt for AT&T (NYSE: T) as your mobile phone provider, the iPhone is the way to go. New Nano, New Life iPod nano. The new nano is a worthwhile follower to the previous generation nano. I was especially delighted to see that it now plays video, despite the fact that I suspect most users will not be watching much video on it. On the downside, I am not a fan of the upgraded "fatter" shape. iLife '08. I still have actually blended feelings about iMovie. It is certainly much easier to make a fast movie now, however I miss the timeline controls that I now require to update to Last Cut Express to get. For iPhoto, its greatest new feature is Events. Personally, I do not have much use for it. Certainly, it sometimes gets in my way, creating events automatically that I would prefer not be produced. The enhancements in GarageBand are cool. I had fun with Magic GarageBand. The ability to quickly make numerous takes of a recording is certainly useful. Overall, iLife '08, a bit comparable to Leopard, is a rewarding but not important upgrade. Still, if you are updating to Leopard, you'll most likely want to upgrade here too. Naturally, if you buy a new Mac, you get the brand-new iLife consisted of. A Nicer Office
iWork '08. Numbers provides iWork a spreadsheet, and it's an outstanding one, with Apple's anticipated attention to visual look and interface details. Pages and Keynote have been nicely updated as well. The tracking feature in Pages is an especially huge plus; animations in Keynote offer some enjoyable new choices. iWork '08 may not be prepared to replace Workplace for most users, however it keeps improving with each new version. If you don't absolutely require Workplace, iWork '08 is a terrific option. Those Mac ads. Lastly, a word about those "I'm a Mac; I'm a PC" ads. Some may find them a bit annoying. Some may claim they overemphasize the benefits of a Mac. Some might feel they have actually begun to break their welcome. Not me. I still find them to be one of Apple's best ever ad campaigns. I take pleasure in each new batch. I particularly got a bang out of the special one that opened the WWDC this year (you can still see it here). If absolutely nothing else, the advertisements are an enjoyable method to feel good about the Mac, and why not? It's been an excellent year for the Mac and all the rest of Apple. As I stated at the start, even if not every item was a total success, you still need to be impressed by the sheer number of deserving products Apple put out. It's hard to envision Apple topping itself in 2008, but we'll soon start to see. Macworld Exposition is just around the corner.
