The Apple rage

At today's MacWorld (expo for all things Apple), It released three new products and numerous upgrades, two of which are aimed at getting more mainstream people to buy Apple.

First, the iPod Shuffle. Basically, a USB mp3 player with no display, holds 512 mb or 1 Gb of music (around 240 songs), battery life of 12 hours but the size of a stick of gum starting at $129 Cdn. Nothing innovative here because it's basically Apple's offering into the flash player market. I don't know what the price difference is like with players already out, but it'll at least appeal to people like me who don't have a flash player right now but loves the ability to integrate an mp3 player with iTunes without shelling out for an iPod. That, or anyone who wants follow the Apple crowd. Plus, it's probably easier to exercise with and there've been increasing reports of people being robbed for their iPods. So, it'll likely appeal to more people than I think it will.

Second, the iMac Mini. It is around $629 Cdn, doesn't come with keyboard, mouse or monitor, but has the power and storage of my 12-inch powerbook. Oh my god, am I drooling over this right now. I think this will definitely sell and convince people to switch. It's cheap, it's small (light), it should appeal to people who only used their PCs for basic things (word processing, email, internet, movie) and can now switch over to avoid the spyware, viruses and instability with windows. Plus, they can use their existing peripherals or buy cheap aftermarket USB keyboards and monitors. A cheap, versatile, one-time purchase computer for the mainstream user. I'm definitely considering getting one for my parents.

Finally, iWorks. Currently, it consists of Pages, the Apple created word processor, and Keynote, its answer to Powerpoint. Now, both have unique features, but I particularly like Keynote's new features of providing two displays: the presentation for the audience and the other that can include notes, a timer and the next slide. It basically integrates the stopwatch and cue cards directly into the program. Beautiful. While I like MacOffice, I'm hesitant about getting iWorks. It still lacks a spreadsheet and a database program that can work with SQL. Also, I would also be concerned that this would deter cross-compatibility since software developers would see this as Apple responding to MacOffice to take a bite out of Microsoft's market share and wouldn't want their own product to suffer the same fate.

But the Shuffle and the Mac Mini. Man, two more reasons to switch to Apple (if you don't have a flash player and you're not a hardcore computer user).