Mac Mini + Notebooks: First to go to Intel?

I believe that at Mac World San Fransisco this January, new iBook, PowerBook, and Mac Mini's will be announced. If you look at the logistics, PowerBook G4's have been around forever, over 3 years. The G4 has only increased in laptops from 400mhz to 1,667mhz, a nice increase...but it's time to move on to new architecture. I purchased a 1.33ghz PowerBook G4 12" over a year ago, and now you can buy the same exact model with just 300 more mhz for slightly less...not that big of a deal. The notebook line needs to be upgraded, and quickly. The G4 just can't compete with P4's, Athlon 64's, and Apple's own Desktop G5 Chip.

The Mac Mini is the most fasinating machine to me. It seems as if the machine itself was created just to be a Media Center, and now that Front Row was introduced, and the fact that iTunes Music Store now sells TV shows, proves this point. Pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. After all Steve Jobs said "this is the year of HD," and now we have iPods that play movies and TV shows, Apple negotiating contracts with some of the largest TV empires (NBC/ABC). And what stands at the forefront of Apple's push into the Consumer Electronic market: the iPod and the Mac Mini.

The new Mac Mini will most likely sport a nice integrated dock, and will have room for a 3.5' Hard Drive. Current Notebook Hard Drives (2.5') have slower speeds, and much less capacity (100gb vs. 500gb). For the same exact price point, Apple can have a 200GB 7200RPM 8mb Cache hard drive in the Mac Mini.

The Deal-Grabber:
The Mac Mini will have an optional ($150) TV Capture card. Either there will be a mini-pci slot for the card, or it will travel on USB 2. This completes the Digital Media goal that Apple has. There you'll be sitting in your living room on your Mac Mini with Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and remote control...on your 50" LCD TV...watching a show or movie that you downloaded off ITMS. You can then schedule to record a show (at no monthly fee...byebye TiVo)...and put it on your iPod.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense. By making the Mac Mini slightly larger (or just wider) to accomatate the 3.5' drive, you therefore open up a lot more much needed space. And if you're putting a 3.5' HD, put a 3.5' DVDHD or DVDRW drive right next to it. It all works out. Certainly it's not as mini as the previous model, but you get a lot more at the same or similar price point.

First Review: Agent 18 ClickShield for iPod Video 60gb 5g

I noticed the lack of quality cases for the iPod Video as soon as it was released: there were none other than the generic socks and slip cases. I wanted a screen protector, etc. and I just couldn't find it on Apple's site for the longest time, so I ordered a ClickShield from Agent 18 (I have used the 3g version before and loved it).

I was one of the first ones to order Agent 18's new iPod Video ClickShield Case, and I just received it today. I was firstly worried that the "clear see through case" wouldn't be quite clear enough to still maintain it's awesome black color. I was proved wrong. You can see the black clearly through the case, but don't expect the same overly-shiny finish that you find on your iPod. An immediate observation is that the screen-portion of the case is slightly inlaied, meaning that if you rest your ipod face down on a table, the screen-portion won't be showing, and therefore won't scratch. Nice job, nice feature. The case clicks together very well and securely, and the only parts of the actual iPod not protected are: the clickwheel, the very bottom (including dock and silver surrounding it), and the headphone jack + hold button on top.

The only thing that I don't like about this case is how the hold buttom is set so deep in, that the harshly cut opening (sharp edges!)for it can make it difficult to use the button, espeically for people with large fingers, but it's a minor gripe. This case is absolutely awesome, and there is no discoloration of the screen at all, everything looks as it should. For this price (roughly $20) I believe that there should be an included disattachable belt clip, but hey, these things are getting so small anyways.

Verdict: 8.0/10 (Buy!)

Hello Everyone! My name is Joss from Rhode Island, and welcome to my blog. This blog was created beacuse I love Apple. It's a great company with unparalleled innovation. I'm really looking forward to see what happens in future years, and exactly just how much of a chunk Apple takes out of Micro$oft. The iPods have obviously been quite successful, and arguably saved the company from a previously imminant downfall. If you have any interest in the development of Apple, I would highly suggest reading iCon, it really is an awesome read.

This is just a first post...expect way more (hopefully somewhat daily). But if you want to comment on anything that I say or will say, feel free to leave a comment below (you don't need to login or anything). Thanks for looking, and keep checking in! Don't forget blogs are a place where your mind can be heard, so speak out!



You can view the blog any time at:

http://macrumors.blogspot.com


-Joss