- iChat AV – The ability to audio / video chat as easily as this is a major advancement in the way we communicate using the internet. Disappointingly however, video conferencing only works on G4 machines and faster, meaning those using iBooks and older iMacs with G3 processors will miss out on this feature. If anyone wants to try out the audio chat, my username is systemattic. Although as I just found out when chatting to Rik, I don’t think the internal mic on my iMac is working too well, so you’ll probably just hear me shouting.
- Panther (most notably, the new Finder, Fast User Switching and Exposé) – I’ll wait until get to use it before I write about it, but from what I can tell, the new features look great. Still not convinced about the new Finder, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
- G5 – “The fastest personal computer in world”. So, no more Wintel users going on about how the fastest Macs are sluggish compared to their machines. Still it hasn’t stopped Jack Schofield from having an axe to grind.
6:49 am on 24 June 2003 :::
mal Says:Does anyone really care about how fast machines are these days, especially when comparing platforms? Do Wintel people really still go on about it?
As a Wintel person myself, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass. The only possible reason I might want a fast PC would be to run the latest games and it’s hardly worth baiting Apple users on that – the Mac’s not promoted as a games platform. Even the PC’s dying in that sense – consoles are all that matters. So, who really cares how much faster one system can load a word processor?
As for Jack Schofield, I thought we’d all just agreed the guy was a Grade A tit? He’s really not worth mentioning, as it only enhances his profile. Just forget he exists – it’s a nicer world to live in.
7:43 am on 24 June 2003 :::
Matt Says:Well speed is important for music making software, film/video editing and compositing applications so it’s not just about how fast a computer can load a word processor. The Mac has always been a creative tool but in recent years its recognition for this has been overshadowed as it has struggled to keep up with faster Windows machines. Being a fan of Apple, I’m just happy to see them release a product that may put them back in the front seat, as it were.
You’re right, It was silly of me to paint Wintel users with same brush by suggesting that they go on about how PCs out-perform more expensive Macs. Obviously, everyone has different requirements from their computers and choose to buy products accordingly. I guess I was directing this statement at annoying journalists like Jack Schofield and I should have made that more clear. And yes, I shouldn’t be helping to raise his profile (not that linking to his writing here is going to do that anyway), but sometimes I just can’t resist pointing out his ineptitude.
9:57 am on 24 June 2003 :::
mal Says:Fair enough.
For the intensive, creative stuff you mention, I’m surprised anyone would even consider a PC. A lot of the top creative software is a port from the Mac anyway and doesn’t fit in with Windows as well (I’m thinking Adobe and Macromedia stuff here). I would’ve thought it would make sense to stick with its native environment. The proverbial no-brainer.
BTW, Expos? looks good. Not that much different to stuff that’s available elsewhere, but better executed and more simply integrated.
Hmmm… I can see the day I buy my first Mac drawing nearer and nearer.
11:59 am on 24 June 2003 :::
Matt Says:A couple of articles countering Apple’s ‘fastest personal computer in the world’ claims:
Apple Manipulating Results
Apple, Please Don’t Mess with the SPEC
Hmm.. what was the name of that Public Enemy track?
3:55 pm on 24 June 2003 :::
natis Says:I don’t know, maybe because the conference and keynote was geared towards the attending audience (developers) I didn’t find myself overly wowed. $149 for iSight? I dunno if I can do/need that.
The G5 is welcomed, but I need to see the case in person before I can fully judge it, but so far I can’t help but shake an image of a cheese grater from my head.
Panther looks awesome. User switcher looks awesome, but being I use my mac solo, I won’t be using that unless I decide to have multiple logins for different tasks (a photoshop/graphic login, a coding login) and each login having open the applications that I need. But that seems inefficient.
–natis
10:07 am on 25 June 2003 :::
Tommy Says:I haven’t considered using a PC since I bought a Mac over two years ago. Sure they may have been cheaper and boasted faster chips, but you had to run Windows or Linux on it. No thanks. I’m not insane or running a 24/7 Web server from home.
I love the user switching on Panther. I wonder if you can switch into the root account from a regular admin account? Now that would be very useful.
5:07 pm on 25 June 2003 :::
Kev Says:As I’m the only one who uses my mac I thought the user switching would be worthless to me – however neat. The regular user/root switch Tommy mentions is the only use I could come up with, I hope it’s possible.
I’m a bit scared Apple will be so pleased with their swanky new chips and architecture they’ll lose incentive to keep working on general OS speed improvements for older Macs. Those brushed metal windows resize about as smoothly as a migraine. But Apple won’t be so cruel…. right?
7:47 pm on 25 June 2003 :::
Tommy Says:Don’t count on it Kev.