Apple updated not one, not two, but all three of their desktop models today, announcing speed, storage, graphics, and other enhancements to the Mac mini, the iMac, and Mac Pro. As they typically do, prices remained the same (or went down) on all of the upgraded models. Perhaps most notably was the 24″ iMac now starting at $1499.
Previous generation (and refurbished) models are also available at reduced prices.
Well, the keynote is over, and the announcements have been made (iLife ’09, iWork ’09, iWork.com, new 17″ MacBook Pro, and even a DRM-free iTunes!) And while there was no Steve… there were some pretty neat things.
Check out the extensive video tutorials for both iWork ’09 and iLife ’09. Some really amazing new features in iLife like face recognition, amazing integration of geo-tagging, and a greatly improved iMovie app.
No time to go in depth here, but definitely worth the upgrade. Both iWork and iLife are $30 off through April 20 with the purchase of a new Mac. And you can buy a Mac Box Set (Leopard, iLife 09, and iWork 09) for $169. (That’s a really good deal, actually.)
Come by my Apple store and check it out! 🙂
Today at 1pm EDT, Apple fans all around the world will be tracking the always greatly anticipated announcements to come from the keynote presentation at the annual Macworld Convention and Expo in San Francisco, CA. But this year, the keynote will be a bit different. And perhaps less highly anticipated than usual?
No Steve Jobs.
This year, one of the most famous CEOs on the planet will not be presenting the reports on Apple’s progress, the new products, and he most certainly won’t be uttering his now-famous line, “One more thing…” Does that mean Apple will not be announcing any new products of any significance? Is it just because this is the last Macworld that Apple will be attending?
Will it still be FUN????
Seriously. This day just after Christmas has been just as big (and fun) as any holiday for Apple fans around the globe. It used to be even more, but Apple has begun announcing product updates and releases much more on their own schedule, and throughout the calendar year over the past several years. They have already diminished the significance of the first Tuesday in January, but … still…
My thought is that it’s a little bit of everything. Life changes. Obviously, Apple has decided that the big trade show/convention deal is not in their best interest. (Even one with their name in it!) So, that is a change. Eventually, Steve Jobs will move on from Apple. That will be a change. Life is change.
Today, I, along with Apple fans all over the world, will be following along (as we are wont to do) as Apple moves forward. A bit unceremoniously (last Macworld keynote… no Steve Jobs…) but I’m sure to more FUN in the future. 🙂
I may have a report here later regarding whatever “FUN” Apple announces today.
[NOTE: I am writing this as a fan of Apple, not as an employee of Apple, Inc. I have no special knowledge, or inside information on products or personnel or anything of the sort. So don’t ask.] 🙂
For some reason, this little feature in Mac OS X 10.5 Disk Utility (and previous iterations of OS X) keeps popping up as a solution lately. I thought perhaps readers of this blog might benefit from a little reminder, and quick tutorial for performing this routine maintenance task.
First, what it is not. It is not “defragging” your computer. (Spell check doesn’t like that word.) Windows users frequently ask for a way to do such a thing on the Mac, but to my knowledge there is no way built into Mac OS X to do such a thing, other than what happens at log in. Mac OS X does perform similar tasks each time you log in to your computer.
What it does do is explained in this support article from Apple. I don’t completely understand it, but what it does seem to do is take care of “quirks” that pop up every now and again. It could be a computer that seems slow, or files not behaving the way you think they should… I have prescribed it a lot recently, and it seems to do the trick.
How it’s done:
For good measure, you can log out and back in. (Or restart the computer.)
If you’ve been noticing “quirks”… give that a try and see if it improves performance on a sluggish or quirky Mac!
Apple is holding another event tomorrow, simply billed as “Spotlight on Notebooks“. As I’ve said before, I’ll refrain from any speculative comments re: what we might see, since I am now employed by Apple. I’ll be working there tomorrow, so I’m sure we’ll all be following the announcements as they come (as much as we can). Should be interesting to see what is updated. There are many rumors out there… tomorrow at 1pm EST we find out which are accurate.
I love Apple events 🙂 (But I always wish I could afford to buy more of the fun stuff that is announced!) 🙂
Given that I am now employed by Apple, I will refrain from speculating on any of the product or service announcements that will be made, but this invitation went out from Apple this week, regarding an event scheduled for next Tuesday morning (local time) in San Francisco. Looking forward to seeing what they announce!
(Believe it or not, even working for Apple, I don’t know any more than you do!) 🙂
I found a cool game via a web link from Facebook, I believe. It’s a site that sells lots of games for the Mac, offering a free 1-hour demo of each. I saw this one called Burger Shop at #3 on their Most Popular list and decided to try it… it was a blast! I showed it to the boys and they loved it, too!
Basically, you fill fast food orders 🙂 Jen and I think this was made by the fast food industry, because when I was playing it with the boys, we were all really starting to crave burgers, fries, milk shakes and more. 🙂 It’s got a fun little story that goes along with the game, and is super fast paced but pretty simple. Click on the photo above to check it out.
If you don’t have a Mac… come visit me at the Apple Store… 🙂
I got back just a while ago from my first shift at the Apple store. I was really looking forward to it, wondering just how it would actually play out. I know Macs, for sure, but I didn’t really know how thing go at the store. I knew I was going to tag along with a more experienced Apple Specialist (that’s what I am doing also) so I figured it would just be fun.
What happened was great, but very unexpected.
When I got there, it was obvious that it had been pretty busy. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but found the manager on duty and they tried to pair me up with someone… but there was no one to be found. They finally decided on someone, but he was on break. After lots of indecision, I offered (if they were OK with it) to just jump in, with no training. 🙂 The person who was assigning me my duties confirmed that with me, and then, in a bit of desperation perhaps, said, “OK! Get out there!”
I headed into the sea of people and found a mom and daughter standing by the laptops whose body language suggested they were not certain what to do next. I approached them and introduced myself, and explained that even though this was my very first shift, I would try to help them best I could. And help I did. After fifteen minutes or so, and explaining all the great stuff Apple has to offer (that applied to them) they were ready to make their purchase! I really couldn’t believe how fun (and easy?) it was!
From then on, it never stopped. Ever. It was 9:01 when I actually did not see anyone who looked like they would like assistance. 5:30-9:00 … straight. Every minute was spent talking to someone about Macs, and selling lots of stuff! It was fun and crazy! (They assured me that it’s not usually that busy!) 🙂
And do you know what I did when there was no customer to assist? I found some fellow employees to talk to. I asked one of the other “new hires” how she liked her second shift. I spoke with a few of the other Specialists. I met one of the Creatives (the guys who train people in using their Macs) and talked with him at length about Macs and their software.
By the time all was done, it was just after 11pm that I was getting in the van and heading home.
I called Jen. I couldn’t wait to. I had wanted to. We have a cell phone that is pay as you go, and the minutes are super low right now, so I only told her a few quick things, and then said we’d get to chat more when I got home. And I couldn’t wait to do that. But then, as I was going home a different way, I thought of our very good friends (one of whom is in Mexico right now!) and I decided to call the one who is not in Mexico to see how all of that was going. (I had forgotten that normal people don’t feel like it’s 5pm at 11pm….) Again, with limited cell minutes, we only spoke for 2-3 minutes, but here’s my point.
I am energized by being with people. I literally can not get enough.
When I got home, I told Jen some stories from my first shift, and I listened to her stories of what she and the kids did. We chatted about various things, and she finally asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”
I thought about it and then said, “No. I’m really not.” And kinda chuckled about it. I hadn’t eaten since lunch (12:30) so… I should have been hungry…. but… I really wasn’t.
The only thing I could figure was that being with people – and helping them learn about Macs – energized me. To the point that I didn’t even notice or feel hunger? I didn’t even need food!
And even though I needed to take a shower from the day, I really didn’t want to. The only thing I could tell Jen was that it seemed, “boring” … that’s not a word I use, so that was weird. But I think I figured out that all I wanted to do was stay with Jen, and keep enjoying the interaction. I really love interaction with other people. A lot. Like, I never really want a time where there isn’t interaction. Maybe I do, but it’s very rare. (You could argue that me writing this blog is a form of “interaction” as well…)
So, it’s most definitely settled. I am a people person to my core, and that is most certainly what I need to be doing with my time. I need to be with people. We have seven living in this house, so I have that covered, but it really puzzles me why God has given me office work to do. Granted I do get to work with people on some level, but mainly I am working by myself at my desk most of my days.
After tonight, I am just reminded that it is nice that God gives me relatively short chapters. Hopefully the next one more directly involves interaction with people. 🙂
As you are well aware, if you have spent any time at all here at GregsHead.net, I am a big fan of all things Apple. I have informally been a “representative” for Apple for many years (often the number one resource for Apple info and assistance amongst people who know me) and was even officially a representative for a year and a half from 2006-2007 as an Apple Authorized Business Agent. Most recently, I signed on as an Apple Business Store Affiliate, which allowed me to place banners on my websites that paid me a commission when a click turned into a sale.
All very nice. But now, as of Saturday July 26th, 2008, I am actually employed by Apple, Inc. 🙂
OK, I’m just working as a specialist at the Apple Retail Store, but hey, it’s true: I’m an Apple employee. Most are convinced it’s just where I need to be, and I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to being around all the other Apple fans (my coworkers) and helping people solve their computing questions and even dreams by listening to them and recommending solutions from my 13 years of experience on the Mac platform. (And a few years as an Apple-trained agent as well.) Really, should be a blast.
This week I will be working a couple shifts, and actually get to get “on the floor” and do that. So, we’ll see how it goes, and if you’re in the Rochester area, make sure to stop by and visit. I’ll hook you up with the perfect Apple solution for you! It’s what I do. 🙂
[editor’s note: As an official employee of Apple now, I may not be as free to discuss Apple products, definitely not rumors, and other such things. That saddens me greatly, and I’ll definitely still be a huge promoter of all things Apple, but will also try to not overstep any boundaries. Apple is very good at boundaries…] 🙂
I’m late to the party with this one, but it’s been busy around here… what can I say?
So, last week there were reports that a genuine Mac OS trojan had been discovered “in the wild” (meaning, in the real world, affecting real Mac users). I checked it out (per the link above) today and found that it’s still just a good opportunity to get some hits to your site.
The so-called “trojan” is an AppleScript file that must be downloaded, and double-clicked (opened) in order to do anything. I must admit, what it is able to do is impressive. It somehow works around the OS safeguards and is able to do some things only an administrator should do. However, it still requires user activation.
So, the Mac continues to be (by far) the safest computing platform available. I do wonder if this particular script “counts” enough for Apple to have to say there are now (1) viruses for the Mac?
(NOTE: I visited a page where Apple used to claim there were currently zero viruses for the Mac OS, and now it does not explicitly say that. Perhaps they are becoming a bit less smug about their incredible security? Perhaps.)
