Art and Entertainment - The most important Apple story for 2007 is that the phenomenal number of valuable products it released. OK, perhaps not every product was great. However, they had been all still exciting and generated significant buzz. What other company can claim that?
Here is my look back at Apple's year. I offer my brief assessment of each and every new product -- using the benefit of end-of-year hindsight.
iPhone. The invention from the year. The gadget from the year. The you-name-it from the year. Could this product possibly live as much as all of this hype? Yes. Definitely.
In fact, it isn‘t perfect. Where is voice dialing and built-in GPS, first of all? I‘m already salivating during the expected 3G iPhone 2. 0 coming in 2008.
However, the 1. 0 version remains as near an out-of-the-park home run as anyone could wish for. For my money, it is the most groundbreaking product Apple has created since the initial Mac in 1984. It is already hard for myself to imagine how I managed without one. Whether I‘m looking up a location in Maps, checking movie times in Safari, hearing my voicemail using the incredible simple its visual interface, sending a fast e-mail message, enjoying music (which We do more frequently once I always have an iPod with me ), or playing perhaps one of the games I added after hacking the device, it would appear that I‘m always using my iPhone for something.
Leapin' Leopards
Mac OS X 10. 5 Leopard. A mixed bag. Yes, It‘s some intriguing new features. I‘m especially keen on screen sharing and To My Mac. Time Machine is likewise a plus.
However, the greater I exploit Leopard, the greater I find it actually offers very little inside the method of "should have" features. Indeed, if I‘d been forced to revert to Tiger tomorrow, I would not object. Actually, I might welcome a go back to the Dock in Tiger (using its hierarchical folder menus ) as well as firewall in Tiger (using its capcapacity to turn individual ports on and off ). Then there will be the too-numerous startup and login problems in Leopard (see my recent MacFixIt column for exactly what I am talking about here ). I‘ve the detect that, with another stuff Apple had happening in 2007, Leopard wasn‘t given the eye it needed. It might take until around version 10. 5. 3 before Leopard is truly a "finished" product.
Apple TV. I own one and I enjoy it. I‘ve it connected to my home theater system inside my living room. However, my major use of It‘s for playing music, not video. For streaming music from iTunes, it‘s a far better choice compared to the AirTunes component in an AirPort Express -- because Apple TV offers a video interface and handheld remote control. More appropriately, by syncing files towards the Apple TV's hard drive, you are able to play music without having to become connected to some Mac in the least.
For Apple TV to reside as much as its name and become really useful like a "TV", it requires a big upgrade. An obvious starting point could be some kind of DVR-like capability.
AirPort's Landing
AirPort Extreme. If you‘re thinking of upgrading to a brand new AirPort Extreme Base Station to the speed boost from the 802. 11n network, you most likely shouldn't bother. In particular, in case you use your WiFi network only for connecting towards the Internet, your Internet speed is really a bottleneck that could prevent you against seeing any overall speed gain in comparison to 802. 11g. Actually, the speed result could be even worse than no gain in the least (as I detailed inside the MacFixIt column months ago ), because of issues with signal strength specific to "n" networks.
Still, a chance to add a networked hard drive towards the Extreme is really a plus. In fact, when you have no wireless router in the least, the AirPort Extreme would have a worthwhile purchase.
iPod touch. I‘ve done an almost 180-degree turn here because of the initial release from the iPod touch. My first reaction was: Great! This is the iPhone-less iPhone that users happen to be clamoring for. You can now possess the iPhone's touchscreen interface without having to cover a two-year phone contract.
My more recent reaction, however, is closer to what is the point?" I do know I‘m showing my iPhone bias here but... the iPod touch does such a lot lower than the iPhone that I keep feeling the touch is simply a crippled iPhone. For US$100 more in initial cost, you can have an iPhone with a similar 8 GB of memory, all of their added features and save yourself having to carry around another device being an iPod. If you‘re willing to reach with AT&T (NYSE: T ) when your cell phone carrier, the iPhone is that the strategy to use.
New Nano, New Life
iPod nano. The new nano is a worthy successor towards the previous generation nano. I‘d been especially glad to discover it now plays video, albeit I suspect most users won‘t be watching many videos on it. Upon the downside, I‘m not a fan of the redesigned "fatter" shape.
life '08. I still have mixed feelings about iMovie. It‘s easier to create a quick movie now, but I miss the timeline controls that I now got to upgrade to Final Cut Express to obtain.
For photo, its biggest new feature is Events. Personally, I do not have much use for it. Indeed, it sometimes gets inside my way, creating events automatically that I would like not be created.
The improvements in GarageBand are cool. I had fun with Magic GarageBand. A chance to easily make multiple takes of the recording is helpful.
Overall, life '08, a little much like Leopard, is worthwhile although not the essential upgrade. Still, if you‘re upgrading to Leopard, you will probably wish to upgrade here also. In fact, in case you buy a brand new Mac, you will get the new life included.
I work '08. Numbers gives work a spreadsheet, then it‘s a good one, with Apple's expected focus on visual appearance and interface details. Pages and Keynote happen to be nicely upgraded also. The tracking feature in Pages is an especially big plus; animations in Keynote provide some fun new options. I work '08 might not be able to replace Office for many users. However, it keeps getting better with each new version. In case you do not need Office, I work '08 is a superb alternative.
Those Mac ads. Finally, a little bit of advice about those "I am a Mac; I am a PC" ads. Some could find them a little irritating. Some may claim they overstate the primary attributes of a Mac. Some may feel they‘ve begun to don out their welcome. Not me. I still find them to be able to be one among Apple's best ad campaigns. I enjoy each new batch. I especially got a kick from the special one which opened the WWDC in 2012 (you can see it still here ).
If little else, the ads are an enjoyable method to be ok with the Mac, and why not? It is an excellent year for the Mac and all the remainder of Apple. As I said at the outset, even when not every product was an entire success, you continue to need to be impressed by a number of worthy products Apple put out. It is a challenge to imagine Apple topping itself in 2008, but we will soon begin to discover. Macworld Expo is simply all around the corner.
I think it's enough all about Apple's 2007: That Was the Year That Was. Thanks so much :)
Apple's 2007: That Was the Year That Was
Here is my look back at Apple's year. I offer my brief assessment of each and every new product -- using the benefit of end-of-year hindsight.
iPhone. The invention from the year. The gadget from the year. The you-name-it from the year. Could this product possibly live as much as all of this hype? Yes. Definitely.
In fact, it isn‘t perfect. Where is voice dialing and built-in GPS, first of all? I‘m already salivating during the expected 3G iPhone 2. 0 coming in 2008.
However, the 1. 0 version remains as near an out-of-the-park home run as anyone could wish for. For my money, it is the most groundbreaking product Apple has created since the initial Mac in 1984. It is already hard for myself to imagine how I managed without one. Whether I‘m looking up a location in Maps, checking movie times in Safari, hearing my voicemail using the incredible simple its visual interface, sending a fast e-mail message, enjoying music (which We do more frequently once I always have an iPod with me ), or playing perhaps one of the games I added after hacking the device, it would appear that I‘m always using my iPhone for something.
Leapin' Leopards
Mac OS X 10. 5 Leopard. A mixed bag. Yes, It‘s some intriguing new features. I‘m especially keen on screen sharing and To My Mac. Time Machine is likewise a plus.
However, the greater I exploit Leopard, the greater I find it actually offers very little inside the method of "should have" features. Indeed, if I‘d been forced to revert to Tiger tomorrow, I would not object. Actually, I might welcome a go back to the Dock in Tiger (using its hierarchical folder menus ) as well as firewall in Tiger (using its capcapacity to turn individual ports on and off ). Then there will be the too-numerous startup and login problems in Leopard (see my recent MacFixIt column for exactly what I am talking about here ). I‘ve the detect that, with another stuff Apple had happening in 2007, Leopard wasn‘t given the eye it needed. It might take until around version 10. 5. 3 before Leopard is truly a "finished" product.
Apple TV. I own one and I enjoy it. I‘ve it connected to my home theater system inside my living room. However, my major use of It‘s for playing music, not video. For streaming music from iTunes, it‘s a far better choice compared to the AirTunes component in an AirPort Express -- because Apple TV offers a video interface and handheld remote control. More appropriately, by syncing files towards the Apple TV's hard drive, you are able to play music without having to become connected to some Mac in the least.
For Apple TV to reside as much as its name and become really useful like a "TV", it requires a big upgrade. An obvious starting point could be some kind of DVR-like capability.
AirPort's Landing
AirPort Extreme. If you‘re thinking of upgrading to a brand new AirPort Extreme Base Station to the speed boost from the 802. 11n network, you most likely shouldn't bother. In particular, in case you use your WiFi network only for connecting towards the Internet, your Internet speed is really a bottleneck that could prevent you against seeing any overall speed gain in comparison to 802. 11g. Actually, the speed result could be even worse than no gain in the least (as I detailed inside the MacFixIt column months ago ), because of issues with signal strength specific to "n" networks.
Still, a chance to add a networked hard drive towards the Extreme is really a plus. In fact, when you have no wireless router in the least, the AirPort Extreme would have a worthwhile purchase.
iPod touch. I‘ve done an almost 180-degree turn here because of the initial release from the iPod touch. My first reaction was: Great! This is the iPhone-less iPhone that users happen to be clamoring for. You can now possess the iPhone's touchscreen interface without having to cover a two-year phone contract.
My more recent reaction, however, is closer to what is the point?" I do know I‘m showing my iPhone bias here but... the iPod touch does such a lot lower than the iPhone that I keep feeling the touch is simply a crippled iPhone. For US$100 more in initial cost, you can have an iPhone with a similar 8 GB of memory, all of their added features and save yourself having to carry around another device being an iPod. If you‘re willing to reach with AT&T (NYSE: T ) when your cell phone carrier, the iPhone is that the strategy to use.
New Nano, New Life
iPod nano. The new nano is a worthy successor towards the previous generation nano. I‘d been especially glad to discover it now plays video, albeit I suspect most users won‘t be watching many videos on it. Upon the downside, I‘m not a fan of the redesigned "fatter" shape.
life '08. I still have mixed feelings about iMovie. It‘s easier to create a quick movie now, but I miss the timeline controls that I now got to upgrade to Final Cut Express to obtain.
For photo, its biggest new feature is Events. Personally, I do not have much use for it. Indeed, it sometimes gets inside my way, creating events automatically that I would like not be created.
The improvements in GarageBand are cool. I had fun with Magic GarageBand. A chance to easily make multiple takes of the recording is helpful.
Overall, life '08, a little much like Leopard, is worthwhile although not the essential upgrade. Still, if you‘re upgrading to Leopard, you will probably wish to upgrade here also. In fact, in case you buy a brand new Mac, you will get the new life included.
I work '08. Numbers gives work a spreadsheet, then it‘s a good one, with Apple's expected focus on visual appearance and interface details. Pages and Keynote happen to be nicely upgraded also. The tracking feature in Pages is an especially big plus; animations in Keynote provide some fun new options. I work '08 might not be able to replace Office for many users. However, it keeps getting better with each new version. In case you do not need Office, I work '08 is a superb alternative.
Those Mac ads. Finally, a little bit of advice about those "I am a Mac; I am a PC" ads. Some could find them a little irritating. Some may claim they overstate the primary attributes of a Mac. Some may feel they‘ve begun to don out their welcome. Not me. I still find them to be able to be one among Apple's best ad campaigns. I enjoy each new batch. I especially got a kick from the special one which opened the WWDC in 2012 (you can see it still here ).
If little else, the ads are an enjoyable method to be ok with the Mac, and why not? It is an excellent year for the Mac and all the remainder of Apple. As I said at the outset, even when not every product was an entire success, you continue to need to be impressed by a number of worthy products Apple put out. It is a challenge to imagine Apple topping itself in 2008, but we will soon begin to discover. Macworld Expo is simply all around the corner.
I think it's enough all about Apple's 2007: That Was the Year That Was. Thanks so much :)
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