iTunes 8

On the Let's Rock event held on September 9, 2008 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, Apple unveiled their latest iPod line up and iTunes version 8. This latest version of iTunes can be downloaded from Apple's website or through the software update utility though Vista users have experienced issues after installing iTunes 8.

Version 8 introduces iTunes Genius and grid view. Genius basically is a feature that let's you pick a song and upon hitting the Genius button, iTunes will create a playlist that has the same attributes with the song that you chose. This can let you rediscover 'hidden' songs or songs you haven't listened to for awhile. Downside is if you have a small library the Genius playlist won't seem so smart.

iTunes 8 also has the Genius sidebar on the right side which recommends songs that you don't have in your library so that you can purchase them from the iTunes Store.

The other new major feature is the addition of the grid view. You can view your collection by their album art (if present) and let's you arrange them by album, artist, genre, and composers. You can adjust the size of the icon with a slider on the upper right corner. This is also a good way to find songs or podcasts that you may want to delete from your library.

The one added feature I am most thankful for is the ability to automatically download recent episodes of podcasts that I listen to most often. It used to be an all or nothing option. Now, each new episode is download automatically when before I had to manually click the 'Get' button each and every time a new episode is available.

For more on iTunes 8 you can read iLounge's Instant Expert: Secrets and Features of iTunes 8 and Macworld's iTunes 8 review.

Product transition and the September 9 event

I think one of the 'product transition' Apple's CFO was referring to could be the shift away from hard drive-based iPods to solid state-based memory. That means the iPod classic will be remembered fondly as the iPod nano and iPod touch take center stage. Remember that when the iPods were first introduced they only came in 5 and 10 GB.

The 8GB iPod nano will cost much less to further penetrate the market worldwide. It will be priced at $99, 16GB at $149. The iPod touch will replace the iPod classic and will come in at $249 for the 16GB. $349 for the 32GB and $449 for the 64GB.

The click wheel won't be missed. It will live on with the iPod nano but Apple is shifting away from the less capable, small screen nano to the PDA-like iPod touch. I just hope that they'll add bluetooth this time. I wish Steve Jobs has the same aversion to wires as he has with buttons.

The iPod shuffle you say? 4GB at the same price. Same form factor. No sense in putting in a screen. But the bigger capacity will make it more challenging to 'browse' through your music selection. It's hell to use when listening to podcasts.

So on September 9, the classic will be out; the touch will rule.

Moving your iTunes Library? DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! Not until you read this...

Mike Schramm of The Unofficial Apple Weblog has one advice when it comes to moving your iTunes library from one iTunes installation to another: it's not as easy as you think.

(Please check out the comments. The readers offer alternative solutions to what was linked to. Actually, the author of the blog Schramm links to also chimed in. Worth the read.)

The iPod Touch v2.0 brouhaha

July 11 was a momentous day.

It was the release of the iPhone 3G, launching of the App Store and MobileMe, and the release of the iPhone (as well as iPod touch) 2.0 firmware.

The 2.0 firmware will allow first generation iPhone and iPod touch users to install applications from the App Store. (See how everything tied in together?)

There was a downside to the upgrade: iPhone users get it for free; iPod touch users have to shell out $10. Why the upgrade fee? Apple said it was for accounting purposes.

Fine. We don't want anybody breaking the law now do we?

For those who were on the fence about whether to get the iPod touch or not, the ability to install apps probably pushed some over in deciding to get the less-capable cousin of the iPhone.

For me, I'm still torn on whether to get the iPhone, iPhone 3G or iPod touch. But I thought that if I were to get the iPod touch instead (because for some reason or another the iPhone just doesn't cut it), I was going to wait for the stock of iPod touches with the version 2.0 firmware installed. I'm not going to pay anymore than I ought to.

***********

It's been almost a month since the 2.0 firmware was made available. And I've been itching ever since. I just need to try out those apps.

Mind you, I'm still choosing from among the three (iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod touch) but I thought the fastest and easiest way I can start using the apps was by getting the iPod touch.

By now, iPod touches on store shelves should have the 2.0 firmware, right?

Nope.

Macworld contributor, Jeffery Battersby, writes about the iPod touch he bought on July 31, more than two weeks after the 2.0 update, still had the 1.1.4 firmware, and how he tried (unsuccessfully) to have it upgraded without having to pay $10.

Apple has been tripping and stumbling ever since July 11.

It's like someone pulled Apple's pants down and pushed them onto the stage. With the spotlight trained on them and the audience watching intently, Apple still couldn't pull their pants back up because they still have their hands full with the MobileMe mess and iPhone releases.

Bad show, Apple. Bad show.

National Geographic Editor loves his Macbook Air

On January 15, 2008, at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Steve Jobs unveiled the thinnest Macbook ever: the Macbook Air. People ohh-ed and ahh-ed on how thin it was. But thinnest had it's price; no optical drive and the battery can only be replaced by opening the portable itself. But there's no doubt that the Macbook Air is sexy.

That's how National Geographic's West Coast Editor, Steve Casimiro, feels.

Who am I kidding? The Macbook Air is the sexiest laptop ever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it connects to the internet, processes words, “i”s your life, etc., etc. But those lines! That sleek, svelte silhouette…it’s like nothing you’ve ever laid your hands on. And yes, you have to lay your hands on it to get the full effect. You can YouTube the “manila envelope” ad like it’s a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, but there’s no substitute for touching. It’s true for Victoria (I’m guessing) and it’s true for the Air.

If you think he's absolutely enthralled, fallen head over heels with the Air, Casimiro cites some shortcomings of his sexy laptop.

The 1.6 GHz processor, in his opinion, is not the stumbling block when it comes to multitasking:

Intensive computer tasks, like heavy-duty video editing or photo processing, are more likely to be slowed by the lack of ports (just a single USB 2.0)

The lack of the DVD drive doesn't even bother him. Ripping out the drive to achieve the slender chasis was worth it. The problem lies in the internal hard drive:

The 80GB hard drive is another story... Far better would be for Apple to offer a 120GB drive or larger.

Last, he explains that the advertised 5-hour battery life is only possible if the user takes active measures to really cut down on energy consumption (lower screen brightness and just use a word processor. HA!) But that's not the real issue:

The bigger issue is that the battery isn’t replaceable. There’s no way you’ll make it from one coast to another with full computer time, unless you switch planes and outlet-jump between flights. To my mind, this is the Air’s biggest weakness.

He wraps up by saying:

The Macbook Air is the future, now... Of course the Air is sexy and of course the Air is imperfect--but it's far more versatile than most believe. The Air is designed to be a leading edge, attention-getting product. By that measure, it’s a smashing success. The surprise is that the deeper, more fundamental qualities— computing, usability, comfort—also make it a smashing success. You should give it a closer look. Make that "touch".

Another fine-looking widget from iSlayer

From the maker of the awesome menubar app, iStat menu, and Dashboard widgets like iStat nano and iStat pro iSlayer, out comes Organized, a widget the features a calendar with events, notes and to do’s. The calendar and to do’s sync with iCal and Mail. It also has a world clock built-in.

I haven't used this widget yet since I'm too disorganized to use Organized but I'm willing to give it a whirl soon

Cocktail 4.1.3 released

Macworld reports Maintain has released an update to the their Mac maintenance utility, Cocktail. New to the update is compatibility with the recently released Mac OS 10.5.4 and some bug fixes. Free to registered users. $14.95 for a license. Free trial version is available.