New iPods…

Yes, it’s that time again. Apple have lifted their skirt, shown off their latest wares, and the whole world goes bonkers for a bit. Everyone blogs about whether they like the new stuff or not, and eventually everybody gets over it an moves on.

I didn’t monitor the various live and meta blogging that went on last night, but I did check up on the results when I got home. Ashleigh wasn’t impressed, but here’s my take:

iPod Touch - too expensive, but looks very nice. I quite like the idea of an iPod that I can surf the web on, but being limited to wireless hotspots and my home doesn’t really appeal. I also don’t think 16gb is anywhere near enough for “hardcore” iPod users. That said, if the price dropped, I’d probably get one instead of a Nano. Which brings me to…

Fatboy Nano - There’s something strangely ugly and yet appealing about the new Nanos. I’m totally uninterested, but I suspect they’ll do as well as they ever have and sell by the bucket load.

iPod Classic - I need a 160gb Classic in my life. I’m flat out sold on this one, no convincing needs to be done. Regardless, Apple went an sweetened the deal by throwing in an all metal case and a new interface. Not to mention a forty hour battery life. Niiiice.

I’m currently sporting the original iPod with Video - 60gb - and that’s not really enough. My collection is now around 90gb, and I’m at the point where I can’t carry everything with me. Which I don’t like. I thought about getting the 80gb version when that launched, but it would’ve be full as soon as it arrived. 160gb should last me…well…years.

So, now I need to raise £200 to get myself 160 gigabytes of steel encased mp3 goodness. Ebay beckons…

Vista RTM is fine on the Mac Mini

I’m pleased to say the RTM release of Vista installs and runs without any problem on the Mac Mini. Glass was enabled on first boot, my network connection was up and running immediately, and the system itself seems to be very snappy. I can’t comment on sound or Media Center performance yet - I only finished installing at about 1am - but I’ll try that later.

For the curious, here’s the Windows Experience Index stats:

• Processor: 4.6 (Dual Core 1.66)
• Ram: 4.5 (1gb)
• Graphics: 3.4 (Intel integrated)
• Gaming: 3
• HDD: 4.4 (stock hard drive)

So a WEI of 3 thanks to the gaming performance, but very reasonable scores for everything else.

Interestingly, in order to fix a Bootcamp problem I had to reinstall OS X. Performing back to back installations of OS X, followed by Vista was an interesting experience. Vista certainly seems to install in a shorter amount of time than OS X.

There’s more to come on both Vista on the Mac Mini, and the future of my little Apple machine.

Vista RC2 + Mac Mini = Failure!

As reported by TUAW here, Vista RC2 doesn’t work on the Mac Minis. Or at least, it doesn’t work on mine. I’ve heard reports of some Mini users getting the install to work with no problems. On my machine, the Vista installation routine doesn’t like the smell of the partition that Bootcamp creates, and refuses to install.

This is a shame - I thought Microsoft were actively supporting the Mini, and other Apple machines. This struck me as a Smart Move. Shame they’ve broken things in this release. Unless, of course, it’s a Bootcamp, or firmware problem…

I’ll have to continue to see if I can find a workaround. Or wait for the RTM release - not that there’s any certainty that this release will fair any better.

My Dream App

No, this isn’t a post about an application that would make my life complete, but rather about an online competition you may, or may not, have heard of.

Although, in a way, perhaps it is about that mythical application. Who knows.

My Dream App is an online competition, in much the same vein as Pop Idol, or X-Factor, in which contestants submit their ideas for applications (Mac only, sorry) and the general public vote for their favourite. 3 application will eventually win, and be developed into full blown, purchasable products.

The first round of voting has begun, and I thought I’d list off what I picked. All the entries are great, but - I suppose in the spirit of the competition - I’ve voted for the apps that I’d like to play with.

So…

Stick-It, Desktop Wars, Savant Carde, Atmosphere, Blossom, Portal, Puppet Constructor, Minerva, Hijack, SweepIt, iSightSee, Telepath, Whistler, and Ground Control…

…all get my vote. If you’ve not had a read of the ideas yet, or voted, it might interest you. Voters get a free license for the Pzizz software too, something I’ve always fancied having a play with.

Found: New (Unmentioned) Feature In iPod Firmware

The recently released firmware for the 5G iPod (you know, the iPod with Video) includes a feature that I don’t think anyone has mentioned before. As far as I know, Mr Jobs didn’t even mention it in the presentation.

Scott has just pointed out that when using the touch-wheel to browse your library, a certain number of revolutions at high speed cause a letter to appear on screen. From this point, keeping your finger on the touch-wheel maintains visibility and scrolling the wheel cycles through the alphabet. Letting go skips straight to the corresponding part of your collection.

It’s a neat feature, and certainly makes scrolling through a large collection quite a bit easier. Perhaps it goes some way to making up for the lack of the search functionality found in new iPods?

Apple’s Show (And Tell) Time

We’ve been here before. Every time Apple - and Mr Jobs - schedule one of their big events we, the faithful, dutifully line up with our browsers, and hang on every word. Prior to the event we’ve discussed, blogged, and flamed about rumours, hopes, and desires.

And do they live up to our expectations any more? Perhaps more accurately: Are our expectations somewhat tarnished by the countless promise of “one more thing”?

Maybe the stakes are higher than they once were. Back when the iPod wasn’t “hip” and digital music was the domain of hardcore geeks and techies, these events weren’t such high profile. These days, they’re important.

And none of Apple’s recent events have been more important than this one. With mounting speculation suggesting that the iPod bubble was about to burst, Microsoft’s competing device on the horizon, and the holiday season approaching, Apple needed to reveal something big.

And, I think, they did. Not big in a “hardcore, techie geek way”, but big in a “continued dominance in the mp3 market” way. And I suppose, these days, that’s what counts for Apple. And what’s this big thing I think they’ve revealed? Coloured Nanos - that’s what.

The Nano is, as Jobs mentioned, the most popular MP3 player in the world. The best way for Apple to make it more popular is to introduce new colours - check - and to improve the range of sizes to suit a wider range of budgets - check. The new, and let’s not forget scratch resistant - Nanos are sure to be a big hit for Apple this holiday season, assuming they can meet the demand. I suspect the new Nanos are the shot in the arm required to carry the iPod line up to the true video iPod.

And what of the Video iPod? Sadly, unsurprisingly, and inevitably there was no sign of such a device. Instead, we’re treated to an updated 5G line of ipods - the iPod With Video. The new line of 5gs (so 5.5gs?) sport a brighter screen, improved battery life, and slightly tweaked hard disk sizes.