Which portable Mac should you choose?

Recently I’ve been asked quite a few times what portable Mac someone should buy. Perhaps you’ve decided to switch to a Mac and give up your long standing affair with Windows PCs. It’s about time too because even though Microsoft has done wonders with Windows 7, Mac users, including myself, would claim that nothing is as stable and secure as Mac OS X, the operating system that runs on all Macs.
For now, let’s assume you’re looking for something portable. I’ll talk about Mac desktops in another column soon. With a portable computer you are mobile and can work wherever you are but you do pay more for less specifications. On the other hand with a desktop you tend to get more hardware for your money but obviously it should stay in one place and not be carried around.
In Apple notebooks you have a choice between MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
The white MacBook is the cheapest Apple notebook but that doesn’t mean it’s slow and without power. In fact, I often say that the MacBook is the most underestimated Mac computer available right now. It has a 2.4GHz processor, 250GB hard drive and a good graphics card from NVIDIA. Apple rates the battery life at 10 hours and although that may be a bit optimistic it’s not far from true. The white body is made out of polycarbonate, a hard plastic, and it’s very durable. Apple had problems with discoloration on earlier models but those problems seem gone now.
The 13-inch model of MacBook Pro is the same size as the MacBook but it has the silver-colored aluminum body. In specifications there’s not much separating the two. You get more RAM standard in the MBP, SD card slot and a FireWire port. Although the aluminum body looks better than the white I find that it dents and scratches much easier. 
Stepping up to the 15-inch models gets you faster processor, larger screen and faster graphics. On the 17-inch model you again get larger screen but Apple also adds an ExpressCard/34 slot for expansion. Which size you pick depends mostly on whether you want the bigger screen or not. It’s tempting to go bigger but the extra size and weight is considerable.
MacBook Air stands out because it’s the thinnest and lightest Apple portable and it has no built-in optical drive. To read CDs and DVDs Apple will sell you an external SuperDrive. You can’t expand the 2GB RAM on the Air and doing any other kind of upgrade is hard if not impossible as well.
There you have the portable lineup fro Apple. It  may occur to you that they offer no netbook. MacBook Air is the closest in specifications and form factor but it cost three to four times what most netbook costs. The simple fact is that Apple says they don’t believe in the netbook form factor and that anyone who wants a netbook with an Apple on it should buy an iPad.

This article originally appeared in Khaleej Times. The articles are published here one week after they appear in print. You can find all my Khaleej Times articles here.

1 year ago  /  Notes

Apple adds social networking to iTunes

On September first, Apple introduced new iPods- shuffle, nano and touch- as well as a new, smaller Apple TV and a brand new version of iTunes.
 
Now in version 10, and with a new icon- gone is the stylized CD that has been on the icon since 2001- the biggest news with iTunes is that Apple has added a social networking component called Ping.

With Ping you can follow other iTunes users and see what music they like. They can also follow you, with your permission, and see what your taste is like. It’s really a social network in its infancy more than anything, but it has huge potential to grow.

Ping may not have all the social networking functionality you’ve become used to from the likes of Twitter and Facebook but it’s likely to have a big impact. With some 160 million users, iTunes has a big and dedicated user base, a user base that spends a lot of money too. Few of those users are in the Middle East though as we can’t purchase music with credit cards from the region.

But even at 160 million users, Ping is a social networking lilliputian compared to the likes of Facebook, which recently claimed it’s 500 millionth user.

Personally I’m unlikely to be using Ping unless it connects to Facebook and Twitter. I just don’t use iTunes enough to warrant me putting any time and effort into it. If it would connect to other networks then it’d be interesting for me and I guess for many others as well. Many others who live and breathe in iTunes are likely to be sharing away, revealing their interest in Britney Spears, Louis Armstrong and others.

Apparently Apple had been in discussions with Facebook over connecting Ping to their social network but Steve Jobs said that Facebook had “onerous terms that we could not agree to.”

Kara Swisher of All Things Digital reported that despite the two companies failing to come to an agreement, Apple added a connect to Facebook component to Ping, set to use the free and open Facebook API. They even had that enabled when they showed off Ping on stage as well as touting it on their site. Then, when iTunes 10 went live, Facebook closed off that access and Apple quickly pulled the plug on the functionality.

API or Application Programming Interface is in non-geek talk basically a way that different systems or software applications can talk to one another digitally. It’s how you can log in to many non-Facebook site using your Facebook credentials, for example.

For now it seems the two tech-giants are happy enough being mum on this subject but I bet you they’re talking to each other behind the scenes to try to sort it out. I think they’ll come to some sort of agreement soon and we’ll be able to Ping across to Facebook. In any case it’s a very interesting development that Apple shows this level of interest in social networking and we’re sure to see more coming from Cupertino in this regard.

This article originally appeared in Khaleej Times. The articles are published here one week after they appear in print. You can find all my Khaleej Times articles here.

1 year ago  /  Notes

The gray market conundrum

There’s a common misconception in other parts of the world that Dubai is a place where you can find cheap electronics and other products. For us who live here that’s nothing more than a illusive pipe dream. There may be some brands here that are not common elsewhere and I’m sure there are certain types of goods that can be found for an affordable price here but it’s not in electronics, I’m sure. So what can you do to save some money on the next purchase of a Mac, iPod or other Apple hardware?

One way is to buy from the gray market. Gray market basically means goods that are distributed outside the authorized channels. In the Middle East there’s only one authorized distributor of Apple products and that is ABM (Arab Business Machines). Apple’s iPhone is the only exception, which is distributed by telecom operators around the region.

If you’re lusting after an iPhone 4 you will be able to get one from both du and Etisalat soon as they have said that they’ll start selling Apple’s latest smartphone in September. Until then, you’re limited to getting a gray market iPhone, whether it’s from a seller in the UAE or directly from abroad.

Paul Castle, who did some reporting on this for Shufflegazine last year, talked to representatives of other electronics brands, lawyers and government officials and concluded that selling gray market items is not illegal in UAE, other than in very specific circumstances, which don’t apply in the case of Apple it seems.

The authorized sellers here in the UAE, including iStyle, Protech, Virgin etc. all do a good job of selling Apple products but there can be no doubt that you can find Apple products, especially Macs, cheaper on the gray market.

So the obvious choice then, you say, is to buy gray market? Not so fast.

For one thing there’s the issue of warranty. With iPhone and iPad the case is clear: if you buy a gray market item there is no warranty coverage for you in UAE. That means if something happens and you’d like your unit to be replaced or serviced you have to take it back to the country where it was bought.

With Macs and iPods the situation is different because Apple offers a worldwide warranty on those products. That means even if you buy a gray market Mac in UAE or buy one yourself from another country and bring it here, as long as it’s still under warranty it should be services and dealt with by the service centers here.

Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that if you want Arabic on your Apple product, whether it’s a manual, a keyboard or something else, you should consider buying only through official channels as ABM are the ones doing the localization. If you buy gray market don’t complain later that there’s no Arabic support.

Whether to buy gray market or not is not a simple choice that’s just about money. In the end it’s up to you to make the choice but educate yourself so it’s an informed choice you’re making.

1 year ago  /  0 notes

What Apple can learn from Android

Yes, you read it right, I mean to propose that Apple should take a long and hard look at the Android operating system for mobile devices and learn a few things.
 
Let’s leave aside for the moment that some manufacturers of Android smartphones, like HTC, generally makes beautiful and high quality hardware. For now, let’s also set aside other hardware-related issues like an exchangeable battery- just pop in another one if you run out of juice- and microSD card- just buy a bigger card if you’re out of space.
 
No doubt Apple took a major step forward with the release of iOS 4, adding things like multitasking. But my recent experience with a HTC Desire leads me to a few pointers that Apple should take from Android.

First, Apple, you should break the link with iTunes. We can already download apps and music from the iPhone so why not add a way of backing up and restoring without a computer? I understand your desire to not cut the umbilical cord, so to speak, but it’s going to have to happen anyway sooner or later. Perhaps you have some plans in this territory involving the large data center in North Carolina?

Related to the first point, let us do software updates OTA (Over The Air). I don’t particularly like the idea of having to connect my iPhone to my Mac, download an almost 300MB update file, then sit and wait for it to install and everything. Updating the Desire to Android 2.2 “Froyo” was much more pleasant. I got a notification on the phone, it downloaded the 90MB update over the air and installed it.

The next one is controversial but Apple, please let Flash at least be an option for iPhone users. Flash is now becoming available for Android users and so many will want to have it installed. Put a switch in preferences so users can turn Flash on and off at the very least. I understand your arguments about increased battery consumption etc. but by and large we still want Flash.

Finally, I have to say I love Android’s notification system. It’s all collected in one place and you don’t have to deal with pop ups like on the iPhone, numbers on icons, etc. Just drag your finger from the top of the home screen and there they are, all notifications in one place.

To be fair, let me leave this off with two things that Apple clearly is doing better than Android. First, the App Store is still miles ahead of the Android Market in selection, functionality and usability. Second, the iTunes ecosystem is still unrivaled although music, movies and TV are not available in the Middle East.

There you have a few things Apple should learn from Android. I’m sure Apple has already considered all or most of them and perhaps something is coming in future iOS versions.

This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.

1 year ago  /  2 notes

The missing apple in your car

Apple Inc. has conquered many areas of our personal and professional lives. Indeed, our homes are increasingly full of Macs: we use iPods for listening to music, iPhones for making phone calls and of course the iPad is making itself known in areas we couldn’t even imagine just a short while ago.

But there is one area where Apple is still conspicuous with its absence and that is the car. I guess we could venture to speculate that Steve Jobs just isn’t that interested in cars and is thinking that Apple shouldn’t be bothered. Perhaps that’s true but we regularly see photos of his fancy Mercedes captured in various places in Silicon Valley.

There can be no doubt that the automotive industry is huge business with around 60 million cars sold worldwide in 2009. Increasingly, electronics is playing a part of that to the point of being a critical part of the purchasing decision. I recently talked to a manager at AGMC, the BMW agency in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and he said that customers are looking at what digital and electronic gear is on offer when deciding what to buy. It’s safe to assume that will only keep growing in importance.

Fact remains that Apple is really nowhere to be seen in terms of the electronics that’s built-in to cars. There are plenty of options for connecting an iPhone or iPod to a car’s system but Apple offers nothing that car manufacturers can put in from the factory. In contrast, Microsoft is very active with their Automotive platform, which goes into Ford’s Sync. Sync you can get in select Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Recently I had the pleasure of test driving a Ford Taurus with Sync and although it was a good experience I can’t help but feeling that Apple could do better.

However, I doubt that Apple will venture into car-electronics even though they could do amazing things in this space. A friend of mine put a Mac mini in his Mini Cooper some years ago. With a small touch sensitive LCD screen in the dashboard, he could control most of the car’s system from the Mac. For sure, it was a great way to start a discussion at parties but it was also surprisingly functional and useful. More recently people have mounted iPads in cars, which may not be as useful but pretty cool nonetheless.

Arguably the automotive industry is one of the few remaining areas that Apple Inc. has left to conquer. Whether they will or not, only some minds in their Cupertino campus knows. I will just say, “watch this space” as there may be some interesting developments ahead.

This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.

1 year ago  /  0 notes

The new iMac is a serious gaming machine

Macs have never been known for being suitable gaming computers. When Apple switched to Intel processors in 2006 many of us hoped that finally we’d see many of the popular games available for Windows be introduced at the same time or close enough on the Mac platform too. That never happened though and still there are few major gaming titles that make it to Apple’s computers.

It used to be that the hardware was to blame. Apple computers used different processors than Windows PCs and had much more proprietary or at least unusual hardware components and solutions. That’s very much changed in recent years and in terms of hardware a Mac is not that different from a PC.

Apple’s all in one iMac desktop was recently updated together with the Mac Pro. To summarize they’re now faster with better graphics and there are a few more options than before.

There are two models of the iMac: one with 21.5-inch display and one with a 27-inch display. On the 27-inch model you get 2560 by 1440 pixels, more than you’ll use in most games. It’s powered by a Quad-core Intel i7 processor of up to 2.93GHz. With support for up to 16GB RAM those are pretty impressive specifications.
In terms of graphics the top of the line iMac sports ATI Radeon HD 5750 card with 1GB of memory. That’s certainly not the latest and the greatest but I think even demanding gamers will be happy with the performance.

Something that is for the first time an option in the new iMac is that you can configure it with a second drive, a solid state drive (SSD). A solid state drive is generally faster than a hard disk drive so it can boot faster, for example. In the iMac you can opt for up to 2TB main disk drive and up to 256GB of solid state drive.

What are the downsides? Price is obviously one. You will undoubtedly be able to build a high-spec gaming PC for much less than the cost of the iMac. Configurability is another big drawback. There’s little choice in hardware components with the iMac. Go for a PC and anything is customizable.

You can of course run Windows games on a Mac with Boot Camp or other solution. However as a Mac users you want to play games in Mac OS X and a lack of games for that platform has been a problem for gamers on Apple’s platform. That has however been address lately, at least in some measure, by Valve releasing Steam for Mac. Steam is an online platform with which you can buy and download games including their famous Half Life titles. Around 100 games are so far available for SteamPlay meaning for both Windows and Mac so if you already bought the Windows version on Steam you get the Mac version for free. That’s a very good development for Mac gamers and the addition of the latest iMac only adds to that.

This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.

1 year ago  /  1 note

First interview satellite TV

I’m certainly not that experienced when it comes to different types of media but today I widened my portfolio to include live interview via satellite link. I’ve done TV before but it’s all been recorded so the live element certainly added some interesting elements to the process as did the fact that I was in Dubai and my interview was in Doha, Qatar and I couldn’t even see them.

Actually all I knew of them was their voices in an earpiece but the audio was pretty bad so I had to sort of guess a bit as to what they were asking. It’s interesting how much of the visual cues you miss when you can’t see the other person. I guess it’s like a phone interview with the difference that I have to sit and look straight into a camera without seeing them on the other side.

They had called me just about two hours before the interview and asked if I wanted to comment on the news that Mark Papermaster, SVP Devices Hardware Engineering at Apple had parted ways with the company that he’s been at just a few months over a year.

Security at the MBC building in Dubai Media City was pretty tight. Apparently the guards have to see that you have an appointment in their computer system before they let you in. When I arrived they couldn’t find me so I called my Al Jazeera contact and they sent over an email to them. It turns out that I was in the system but the guard was looking after “Karl”, which is the first name on my drivers license, and the appointment was booked under “Magnus”.

Anyway, then it was like at an airport, your bags and things go through a scanner, you walk through a detector and I was also searched with a wand. Then again inside the actual building you have to pass gates, which you either have a card for or a security guard will let you in.

This was a nice experience and hopefully it can lead to other opportunities.

1 year ago  /  Notes

Mobile phones top of household gadget waste

Our lives are increasingly full of electronics. From computers to mobile phones and gaming devices, we’re depending on these items to carry out work, study, entertain ourselves and just simply make things a bit easier.
A recent survey in the UK found that almost half of all households in that country had unused mobile phones laying around and a third of households had unused cameras, personal audio and TVs. Computers came lower on the list with only a fifth of households keeping them after they really stopped using them.
What the numbers are for the UAE I don’t know but since it seems like everyone has at least two phones here I guess they’d be higher.
If you’ve already upgraded to iPhone 4 or if you plan to do so soon, what will happen to your existing smartphone? Will it end up in the trash to add to the landfill, will you give it away, will you sell it or will it just live the remainder of its days gathering dust in a drawer?
Whichever is the case, Apple fans are known for hanging on to their old gear and not sell it or give it away. I still have my first generation iPhone as well as iPhone 3G and I bet you that when I get iPhone 4 I will keep the 3GS as well.
Along with all electronics companies, Apple has in recent years made a big deal of how environmentally friendly their products are. Included with their products is now an “environmental status report”, which for iPhone 4 includes mentions of how PVC, mercury, arsenic and other substances are not used in the product. That’s quite a change from just a few years ago when Greenpeace labeled Apple as “iPoison + iWaste.” Earlier this year Greenpeace instead said that “Apple is leading” and the other companies are trying to catch up.
But even though Apple’s products may be less damaging to the environment than they used to be you still need to take care. If you are willing to give your old gear up considering recycling it. Increasingly you can find boxes in stores into which you can slip your old phone and it goes to recycling. If they don’t have such a facility ask them- it’s really only by us consumers putting pressure on the sellers and distributors that things are going to change.
That’s something we should all be much more careful with, how our gadgets are disposed of. We need to make sure that when we’re done with our gadgets we let them go in a responsible manner. Our gadgets should not end up making more damage to our fragile planet Earth than we’re already doing in other ways. Keep that in mind when you buy your next one.
This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.

1 year ago  /  0 notes