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My thoughts on the Expo keynote

Macworld logoI took a few minutes yesterday to jot down my thoughts regarding the keynote. As described in the article, I was disappointed--not by the iPhone (wow, what a product!) nor the Apple TV, but by the complete lack of information on OS X, the lack of new Apple software, and the non-existence of any new Mac hardware (excluding a never-mentioned AirPort Extreme).

Don't get me wrong--I'm not negative on Apple, and I think the iPhone is truly revolutionary. It's going to spawn a full line of products (come on, Apple, drop a 100GB drive in there, remove the phone wiring, and sell the true Video iPod). I do think it will take Apple in exciting (and profitable) new directions, and I can't wait until I can play with one in person. But attending a Macworld Expo and not getting any new Apple hardware or software to play with is...disappointing.



An ode to the Expo

Macworld logoI got a bit bored last night, after checking in and getting everything set up in the room. Left with time on my hands and not much to do, I started thinking about the upcoming keynote. For whatever reason, the poem 'Twas the night before Christmas started running through my head, but repurposed for Tuesday's event:

"Twas the day before Macworld, and all through the nets
Not a weblog was silent, they were all taking bets;
The photos were taken of posters afar,
In hopes that St. Jobs' stuff would clearly show thar.

I finished a version (although without using every single stanza in the original long poem!), then sent it to my buddy Kirk McElhearn to take a look at. He tweaked a few words, added a couple more stanzas, and we wound up with this.

Somehow, the tie-in with Christmas and the Expo keynote seems quite fitting; I hope everyone gets what they're hoping for tomorrow!







The perils of iPod movie watching

Macworld logoWhile flying to Tampa for the MacMania cruise, I had a chance to really put my new 80GB iPod to the test--I had purchased a couple of movies from the Music Store, and was anxious to see how well the iPod worked as an in-flight entertainment device.

So how'd it work? Well, I had a very non-standard experience, which I wrote up in this editorial at macworld.com, along with my general observations on using the iPod as a movie viewer.







Black Mac is back!

After just under a month on the road (Portland to Austin to Memphis to Austin to Portland), my black MacBook is now back in my possession! The good news: so far, the power adapter isn't overheating. The bad news: it still makes more noise than I would consider "normal," though it's not audible from as great a distance as before.

What's truly strange is what they replaced:

  • APP-646-302 DSPL 13.3 GLOSSY AUO: I'm assuming that's the 13.3" glossy screen...
  • APP-603-9181 ASSY, BEZEL, BEST: I think this is the bezel that goes around the screen.
  • APP-616-0268 BATTLITH LITH, 55WHR, ATL, BLK: A new battery.

I guess I understand the battery replacement...but why the screen and bezel? Perhaps the connection between the screen and the machine itself was somehow causing an issue? Or maybe a tech's screwdriver slipped and gouged the original screen :).

In any event, it's back, and based on the first hour or so of usage (downloading 2.52GB (well, it feels like that much!) of system updates), the overheating problem seems to be resolved. Hooray!

Update: After letting the machine run for a good two hours, I felt the power brick, and it seemed notably cooler than before the fixes. To confirm, I hooked up the USB temperature probe, and found that the temperature now maxes out around 94F. That's a good 30+ degrees cooler than before. So while it's still warm to the touch, I no longer fear a meltdown if I leave it too close to something made of plastic.