27" iMac - stunning value!

Most Micromasochists denounce Apples for being, amongst other things, too expensive.

But the stunning new Apple 27" iMac is just €1799 (for the quad-core version). If you subtract the current market price of a 27" IPS LED screen (let alone one with 2560 by 1440 pixels resolution), that leaves you paying (I reckon) about €500 for a quad-core computer with 4GB RAM and a 1TB drive, plus top notch wireless keyboard and mouse, DVD drive, etc. And since the lesser models still have the same screen, that means the dual-core computer (at €1499) comes more or less free with the display!

Now who can say that Macs are expensive?

New Apple candy!

Well, knock me over with a feather! Apple has done it again!

Fabulous new 27" iMac... I'll definitely have me one of those!

And less than a month ago I blogged that I'd like a Trackpad built into a keyboard. Trust those clever chaps at Apple to go one better... the new Magic Mouse with the multi-touch built into the entire top surface! Inspired! Brilliant! Bravo!

Navigon and iPhone - perfect!

I've had the Navigon software on my iPhone for a few days now. On Monday evening I went to meet an old friend for dinner in Lagos, which is not familiar territory for me. The Navigon system took me straight to his hotel (buried in the tiny back streets) and then we headed for a restaurant on the other side of the town. Our destination was in a pedestrian street in the heart of the old city. This proved the value of having the SatNav in my phone - seeing from the (very clear) display that we were within a few hundred metres of the target, I spotted a parking place and dived into it. It was then a simple matter of pulling the iPhone out of its dashboard mount, changing the journey "profile" to "pedestrian" and completing the journey on foot. Flawless!

This aspect of needing to complete the last part of a journey on foot convinces me absolutely that it's better to have a phone-based navigation system rather than a dedicated SatNav. Although some of the aftermarket systems have battery support, you'd feel a bit of an idiot walking along with a 7" Navigon screen in your hands! And even less useful would be a SatNav built into the car - once you've parked, how are you going to remember the 8 turns between your parking place and your destination?

iPhone rocks!

Apple Trackpad... please!!!

I adore the Trackpad on my MacBook Pro. I use it in preference to the Apple wireless mouse (which is too heavy, on account of the two AA cells it carries, to be comfortable in use).

So when I (shortly) buy an iMac 24", I'd like to have a Trackpad. I've seen mention of this elsewhere on the web, including a very professionally rendered mockup of what an "Apple keyboard with Trackpad" could look like. So I'm certainly not the first person to express this wish.

When are you going to make such a keyboard, Mr Apple?

Navigon and iPhone

I just got the Navigon SatNav software for my iPhone. Finally, the iPhone is now the "do everything" tool it's supposed to be. I chose Navigon rather than TomTom on the advice of a friend, who told me the 3D display is better.

Since I'll only need it occasionally I dismiss absolutely the argument I've seen elsewhere on the web that it's "not as good" as a dedicated unit. Since I already have a dedicated dash-mount (with charger) for the iPhone, it does the job efficiently and safely.

I have to do a quick trip up to Lisbon tomorrow, to a place I've never been before - so that will be the "acid test".

If computers were cars...

Had an interesting discussion recently with my brother-in-law about computers and the lack of real progress the industry is making.

Let's face it, in terms of "usefulness", computers are still stuck in the dark ages. Or rather, the software is, both "Operating Systems" and "Applications". Apple (and many 3rd party Mac developers) have a better grip on the problem than the others, but each new release seems to me to move further away from the goal rather than closer to it.

The root of the problem seems to be "feature-centric" development rather than any meaningful focus on "ease of application" or "fitness for purpose". Each new release simply attempts to pack in more "features", presumably because "the market" is now predominantly "upgrade revenue" rather than "first-time users".

In our discussion, Nuno and I agreed that if cars had followed the same development path, only the "tech-savvy" few would be able to operate them (and therefore moved to buy them). Prior to about 1940-ish, each car manufacturer arranged the controls (brake, accelerator, etc.) according to their own vision of "how it should be". Indeed, the range of "core controls" was itself varied: ignition advance/retard, fuel mixture (and others) had to be controlled manually by the driver. Moving from one brand of car to another represented a considerable challenge in re-learning the controls.

Since the 40's, the main controls have become standardised. Nevertheless, the "minor" controls still vary widely in their implementation: horns, indicators, wipers, lights, parking brake, etc. But consumer familiarity with the existence of the control means they are (usually) easily found.

Some manufacturers have recently fallen into the "features" trap, though. Take a look at the absurd array of configurable features on, for example, a BMW M5.

Microsoft is the dominant player and one of the most guilty of ignoring "intuitiveness" in favour of "geek appeal". Come on! Get with the program (pun intended)! There are other, better interface options than WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer)! Why aren't you developing them?

Obligatory Viewing

I've just watched a documentary called "Home", made by Frenchman Yann Arthus-Bertrand. This should be obligatory viewing for everyone, especially in schools.

Get it, watch it, think about it, talk about it. You may or may not agree with the whole "global warming" thing, but this documentary doesn't lecture. Through stunningly beautiful imagery and a sensibly restrained commentary (read by Glenn Close) it inspires the viewer to act.

Whether it's refusing to buy produce that's imported when there's a locally-produced option, or thinking twice before turning on the lawn-sprinkler, we can all do something to help. And if you work anywhere near the top of any giant corporation, in any field, you can definitely do something: tell your employer that the planet is more important to you than your job!