Mac.LTL

The iPod Hi-Fi was confirmed dead by Apple today. Rest in piece, iPod Hi-Fi.

2006-2007

Hate the new iPod shuffle colors? Well, you can still order the old colors new from Amazon.com (sorry, full-price though) while they last.

Orange

Pink

Green

Blue

Note that none of the new iPod models released yesterday support Mac OS X 10.3 “Panther”, even the new shuffle, though I don’t see why it would not be unofficially supported, as the new update is just cosmetic changes.Just an FYI to all you Panther users..

See here.

Well, tonight, I ordered the new iPod shuffle in the color lavender. I can’t wait until it arrives, as my old iPod shuffle (1st gen), sadly kept getting corrupted, and requiring a restore/reset for some reason, so I’ve been iPod-less for a while. I do like the new form factor of the new iPod shuffles, as they’re smaller, and they were made 200% better today when they announced new colors, particularly the lavender color, which as it turns out is my favorite color. Anyway, I will report on it when I receive it in a few days. Also, even though today’s iPod shuffle refresh only changed the colors, Apple surprisingly says that the iPod shuffle now requires Mac OS 10.4, instead of only 10.3+ like the previous releases. While I do understand why Apple is slowly dropping 10.3 (including security updates perhaps this or next month), but requiring a new OS just for a cosmetic change? Hmm, anyway…

 New iMacs were unveiled today. They include the keyboard that had been previously rumored. The new iMacs are made of aluminum and glass. They come in a 20 and 24 inch versions. One particularly nice thing about them is they are eco-friendly. They do seem to bear a closer resemblance to the iPhone than the iPod.  There is also a nice ad for them you can watch.  Prices start at $1199 on the Apple Store.

I think it’s being a little overlooked, but iWork ‘08 and iLife ‘08 have also about.  A lack of an ‘07 version is something I was very dissapointed about when I went to Macworld ‘07.  iWork ‘08 includes a new application.  In addition to Pages and Keynotes, you’ll now have a spreadsheet application called Numbers.

Rumors have been rampant of a new Apple keyboard.  I’ve been reading mixed opinions on what people think of how it looks.  I personally care more about how it feels on my fingers.  The rumored keyboard looks similar to the MacBook keyboard, of which I’ve gotten very use to typing.

It seems my MacBook is suffering from hairline cracks.  I only just noticed them.  I thought they might be small streeks of dirt and never looked too closely.  One got extremely exacerbated and I finally noticed.  I wasn’t aware this was a problem with the MacBooks.  Seems it’s been reported everywhere, including ZDNet and AppleDefects.com.  I have an AppleCare Protection Plan and they set me up with a Mac Genius at the nearby Apple Store.  We’ll see how that goes and see what they can do.  I’ll try to follow up with an update on how well my customer service experience goes.