I guess just about everybody on the planet who dares to run a website or blog is probably writing about this stuff, but I can't pass up on chipping in my own two cents on last nights KEYNOTE by Steve Jobs. I can't believe a year has passed since the last mac-world where the intel macs where presented. That time I followed the whole show online with hawk eyes, waiting to see what rumors came true and which ones where just bogus. This year however I was glad the thing was over. Not because I was waiting to find out what was new .. But because I was downright sick of all the speculations in podcasts, on blogs and what have you. While most apple fanatics today ( I close my eyes and see the local mac club panting in exhilaration ) are probably lucky their keyboards are white anyway (get it ) I'm not so over the moon with the entire line of products that are presented and my favor goes out to the underdogs of new products. Lets go over them.
My god : Has this little baby been hyped. If I have to listen through another podcast that speculates about the coming Iphone or read one more digg entry with yet another mock up shot of the Iphone .. I'll scream.. Oh wait ! That means i'm gonna have to scream a lot .. for a long time .. for about ONE YEAR ! ! ! ! . If you want the specs on this baby or a complete review .. Hit google and knock yourself out for about 3 weeks delving through the press this little device is going to get. What irritates me is that here in Europe we are going to have to wait UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR before they ship ! What the hell ? One complete year between the launch in the US and the launch in Europe ? Its not that I'm craving for my apple fix here (hell , I'm one of the few people that actually wants to review the product before buying it) but this is too far out. Granted : it might be the killer phone ( I can already feel the loss in weight around my waist as my ipod and my treo merge into just one device) and am surely exited about the specs (Widgets are going to be big ! Dave's prediction on the GGP has come true) but why wait a complete YEAR before making the switch ! The only thing that REALLY pisses me off on the whole deal is that i'm going to have to endure a whole years worth of press about the 'iphone' .. My iphone blaaa… your Iphone Blaaaa and so forth. Listening to a lot of American podcasts I'm going to feel pretty out of the loop when they chat this cellphone up.
The AppleTV.
Ah , this I like a little better. Now I can finally have a go at running all the video podcasts I have on my mac mini, straight to my tv set. Mind you the technology of a breakout box is not that new , I've been using my KISS player for the last few months and it too supports playing my Itunes music and my video's on the tv , just not the "IPOD VIDEO VIDEO's" (with Apple's proprietary codec) At about a 150 dollar , the cheapest Kiss player also has a built in DVD player that can handle just about any kind of video codec (as long as it ain't apple). Too bad actually but i've found a workaround that lets me play the video's i've recorded with my EyeTv to the television. Its not top notch .. but it works. The AppleTV is not such a bad thing. Giving me breakout-box power using Wireless Networking technology is always nice for the wife but pumping a lot of video over a 54meg G connection is problematic at best. Thats why the apple TV uses the N-wireless standard and also sports an internal 50 gig drive. My questions are : Is that N standard apple proprietary ? and is 50 gigs of HD space enough. But the last and most important question is : Where the crap is my content. Once again : this appletv works great for playing video podcasts but is actually intended to play video's you bought of the Itunes Video store. … WHAT ITUNES VIDEO STORE. Once again : Europe does not even have one. We can't buy stuff to play on our apple tv. The only thing we can play are video podcasts and stuff. But buying tv series on line and all that crap ? No way when you are in Europe. Then why buy this 400 euro device ? Just for video podcasts and playing your Itunes music ? Where is the content Steve ?
The new airport !
Now here is the peace of hardware I like best. Priced at 150 euro's is the cheapest slickest wireless router you can buy. Equipped with TWO antenna's it can do both Wifi N (FAAST !) and Wifi G at the same time. So that would make a very good solution when you are upgrading from one standard to the other (otherwise your wifi router would switch everything to the speed of the slowest client). So i'm happy there. It looks cool, can sport a hard drive and (for us Europeans) might be the best buy so far. (if this N-standard is going to be THE standard)
Epilogue.
I think Steve Jobs needs another geography lesson. He should probably try to zoom out on Google Maps and see that there are other continents on the globe as well. Now i know that their are legal deals stopping him from opening up the Itunes Video store but putting a year between the launch of the Iphone just to get it across the pond ? Do these buggers have to swim themselves ? I'm pretty disappointed at the US-centered policy of apple in this last keynote. Not because I'm begging to buy , but because I have to endure the press for a whole fracking year before I can counter it with some valid arguments of my own.. As a user. I guess they can't spell EUROPE in LA.