Image from source, The Last Word

Oh, the Cult of Mac must be in full swoon at this news. I've always thought that Steve Jobs was pretty cool (in the 80s he was kind of adorkable), though I've had unpleasant run-ins with his company's followers. I think that without Jobs, the 2000s and beyond would look a bit different, and probably not as plugged in. And even if Apple has produced some ugly things (the toilet seat notebook), some things that didn't age well (the original jellybean iMac), and some irritating fans, they've also pushed the computer and media world along with them. It's doubtful I'd have an Android phone/music player without Steve Jobs.

[Excerpt]

Steve Jobs steps down from Apple

The man who brought us the iPod, iPad and those tiny white "buds" that snugly tuck inside ears is stepping down from his position as Apple CEO. Steve Jobs formally announced his resignation today, sending shock-waves through the tech and business world. . .

Read more at: The Last Word

iPhone Addiction? First Cult of Mac, Now Appleholics?

Image from source Unwired View

I was late adopter to cell phones, waiting until 2004 or so to take the plunge. It took me even longer to understand texting, or why anyone would want to do it. It wasn't until we got our third round of phones that we upgraded to "smart" phones, with texting. Now I use it, but not with anything approaching addiction. We got the full data package too, so we can watch YouTube videos, check email, listen to music. . .but we mostly don't. After all, it is rare that I'm away from a computer for any stretch of time. Of course, my phone is a Samsung Rant, not an Apple iPhone.

I've seen how the iPhone works, and I will grudgingly admit that it's pretty nifty. It seems pretty sleek and fairly fast. I like the zoom in/zoom out fingertip dealie. It's neat that you can shake it and tap it, and do all sorts of gyrations to make it do things. So, I can see having fun with the thing at first. Maybe even develop a habit of doing certain things with it. But what is it about Apple products that turn users into iZombies?

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iPhone can be addicting, says Stanford University survey

A recent Stanford University study unveiled what some may have already known: Apple’s iPhone can be (and in some cases is) addicting. . .

Read more at: Unwired View

Apple's New Keyboardless Computer (The Onion)

I didn't really want to leave a fart post up as my big entry post of the day, so I had to find something else to start the front page! And believe me, at 11:38 PM on a school night, I'm not very inspired. So how about a little Apple-bashing?

This video is from The Onion, poking fun at the over-simplification of Apple products. I myself--an admitted Apple-phobe (Mac-phobe, if you prefer) have been stymied by Apple products on the rare occasions when I've had to use them. I remember asking a Kinko's employee how to get my disk back one time, and getting the (eyerolling) response, "Just drag it to the trash can!" Well, on a PC, that would DELETE the disk! Which makes much more intuitive sense. But Macophiles find that to be "intuitive." As would the product in this video. . .

iMac with No Keyboard

Apples and Apples: An Evolution of Apple Computers

Photo from The Stranger

Many of our memories are colored by nostalgia, rendering them better or at least more prized then they have any right to. For instance, old computer and gaming systems from my past, like the Atari 2600 and the Commodore 64. Both offer little entertainment value today. If you don't believe me, buy one on eBay, and see how long you play with it after opening the box.

But the memories are fond ones. Now, what about a product you rarely have used, and have no special memories for? That would be the case for me, with this video about the evolution of Apple Computers (yes, two posts in a row about Apple). Outside of my 1984 senior high school computer class, and the rare times when I've had to, I've not used Apples. No iAnything for me. So when I look at this video, I see mostly a mixture of undistinguished and often times ugly beige and grey computer boxes.

It's not until two minutes in to the video that some color and interesting designs come into play, with the iMac (unless you include that toilet seat looking laptop). The rest look no better (and sometimes worse) than the equivelant HPs, IBMs and Packard-Bells of the day. So thinking of Apples as sleaker, more refined and "a step above" design-wise is more recent than I thought.

In any event, I do enjoy seeing the evolution of almost anything, so it is interesting, whether you're in the Cult of Mac or not.

New from Apple: The Mactini, the World's Smallest Computer

No, it's not for real, but it is funny!