Now that people have had time to settle down from the MacWorld event this morning we thought we would take a look at some of the buzz from around the Internet. We’ll checkout the new iPhone firmware, show a video of the new MacBook Air, and give our opinion on the video rentals.
Overall, I would have to say that the keynote was rather disappointing. There was no “one more thing” this time around, and a majority of what was announced had already been leaked by this point. All we really found out was the finer details.
For full information, specs, and features read our full review of the MacWorld 2008 Keynote.
–iPhone 1.1.3 Firmware–
Luckily we managed to update our iPhones with the new 1.1.3 firmware before the service went down this afternoon. I did it using the new iTunes 7.6 and Ashley did it using iTunes 7.5, so some of the other sites are wrong when they say you need the new version of iTunes in order to get the new firmware. If you are experiencing issues connecting to Apple’s servers for the firmware update head on over to Engadget who has posted some direct download links.
As far as the features go I would say that Apple did a wonderful job making this a worthwhile update. It would have been nice to have copy and paste functionality, but the advanced home screen customization and pseudo-GPS for the maps really make the update shine. Being able to have up to 9 home screens is more than what I would ever need…that comes out to 144 icons!
The only thing I’m not all that fond of with the new firmware is how the iPhone comes up with an icon for websites you bookmark on your home screen. It snaps a screenshot of the upper-left corner of the screen, scales it down, and adds some polish to it. The problem is that a lot of my “made for iPhone” sites all look the same, and I wish there was a way to assign a specific image to be used for the icon.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the Software Development Kit (SDK) will really be ready next month. Then we’ll see true third-party apps breathe new life into the iPhone.
P.S. I do feel sorry for the existing iPod Touch users out there who have to fork out $20 for the update, but I guess Apple isn’t getting any kickbacks from those owners via AT&T.
Here’s a movie posted by Apple demonstrating the new iPhone 1.1.3 firmware:
–Movie Rentals–
I was pretty excited about the movie rental system ever since news of it had been leaked. I thought that Apple would surely do this the right way, but I think they came up short in some aspects. The fact that you get 30 days to start watching the movie after purchasing it is nice. Then after you hit the play button you have 24 hours to finish it, which also isn’t that bad. The thing that really gets me is that the videos won’t be available until 30 days after they are on DVD. That probably just ruined any chance of me actually using the service.
I’m with CrunchGear on this one:
Here’s my line of thinking: If the movies were on iTunes one month after hitting the theaters, which you know I hate going to, I’d have no reason to pirate them. What’s the point in downloading a crappy CAM or Telesync if I can get a DVD quality version in one month?
–MacBook Air–
Apple’s new MacBook Air prances in at $1799 for a starting price, and if you want the 64GB Solid State Drive that will run an additional $1300! It’s sleek, small, and functional all rolled into one package, but Apple forgot to mention one thing. While the battery life is a touted 5 hours, the question of how to replace the battery was never brought up…and for a good reason. It turns out that the MacBook Air will have to be shipped back to Apple to get the battery replaced! Some things are just too good to be true.
I do have to say that the multi-touch trackpad looks rather sweet. You can checkout everything the MacBook Air can do in this video:
So there’s our MacWorld followup. In all it was a disappointing show, but Steve Jobs did say that there are still 50 weeks left in the year. The real question is whether they are going to produce something worthwhile in that timeframe.
I already expressed my disappointment with the iPod touch $20 thing in another post’s comments, so here’s what I think about the Macbook Air.
Not including an optical drive was just stupid. First Apple doesn’t include an optical drive in an $1800 computer, and then says if we do find the need for one, then cough up another $100 for the external one. And that whole Remote Disc thing just sucks. What if the Macbook Air is the first computer I’m buying. Or what if I’m replacing a broken computer. Then I won’t be able to install anything on it since I don’t have a second computer at home? Am I going to have to go to a friend’s house or the public library every time I buy something that installs from a disc? And how does it work? I’m assuming I need to have a wireless network in my home to install things via Remote Disc. So if I don’t have one, I have to spend another $30-40 on a wireless router, just to install something? That’s just ridiculous. And oh yea, if 80GB isn’t enough I guess I should spend another $1300 on 64GB more. That makes a ton of sense. Plus there’s the whole battery replacement thing that I can’t do myself so my school/work laptop will be taken away from me for a few days when it dies so Apple can charge me $130 to replace the battery.
I am more than disappointed with Macworld ‘08. Apple made so many mistakes it’s disgusting. I’m still ticked off about that $20 for 5 apps that should have been on the iPod touch to begin with. It’s not even about the money, it’s the principle of screwing their early adopters every time. Nice Apple, very nice.
Muti-Touch is a amazing idea! But I don’t really see any practical use for a Mac this size….
If Apple were going to be tacking on $20 to the price of the iPod Touch for new users, I could see them charging early adopters. However, since the price on the iPod Touch remains the same, I understand why you and many others are upset. Voice your concerns and perhaps Steve Jobs will drop the $20 charge…
I have a feeling that Apple isn’t going to get away with that. In the end I think they’ll cave in and offer it for free, and those who have purchased it will already will get iTunes credit or something. Apple needs to take some cues from Microsoft (with their Zune) and see that offering a major free upgrade shouldn’t cost users.
I actually e-mailed Apple’s iPod feedback and gave them a piece of my mind. I also told them that maybe I should have purchased a Zune instead of an iPod touch.
Don’t forget to sign the petition:
[petitiononline.com]
I was almost about to upgrade my iPod with the 1.1.3 firmware, but I realized that why pay $20 for something I already have for free?
And yes, the “thinnest notebook in the world” part was nice, but as people have noticed, and pointed out, shelling out $1800 dollars on a optical drive-free, 80GB hard drive, Mac OSX computer is really stupid. Max already pointed out the worst parts of the MacBook Air, and let me add that the name sucks. The name MacBook would have been better off.
I really wish Apple would lose its patrons. Since their popularity is going up, they think that they can do anything and people would still buy. I’m not renting any movies too, but I wish that those who rent the movies cheat on the time frame-thing. And start pirating it over the internet! Jeez. Apple really sucks now.