So all the rumors were flying about what His Jobedness was going to announce today at Apple HQ. A new full-on video iPod with a 3.5 inch screen? An Mac Tablet? A tricked out new version of the iBook? A Mac Mini Media Center that we've all been predicting for months (years?)? A boring-ass box radio that has a dock in it for your iPod?
Feh... they blew off the truly "fun" products in that short list of speculations and went with the two more boring items--in short, they announced an Intel-based Mac Mini with Front Row installed on it with a few other bells and whistles that are no big deal at all. What's really lame is that 1) there's no video capture capability to speak of and 2) these new Mac Minis are more expensive than the current MMs that are available (the cheapest currently? $499--the new MM will run you $599).
The other item they went with was the iPod boombox. Maybe it's because I live in the city or just don't have enough friends (or a backyard) to BBQ with on the weekends, but I think an iPod boombox is such a waste of time. Oooo, I can connect my iPod to a portable amp and speakers and the whole thing has handles!! Big deal. Apple is supposed to be innovative. I think there's something like this that already exists anyway.
So much for innovation.
Another (not so) fun product is a leather iPod case in two sizes--one for the 5g and another for the Nano. Again, big deal--especially when they cost $99.
Even though I was dreading another iPod (I just bought a 5g in December) I would have prefered it to this sorry lot. I may be mistaken, but don't Windows Media Center PCs have built-in video capture capabilities? Why leave that out of a Mac Mini with Front Row? Looks like I'm sticking with [http://thepete.com/blu-ray-hd-or-holo-dvd-and-how-i-will-win-the-dvd-format-wars/|my original plan for my next DVR...]
Damn, Jobs announcing something is like a mini-Christmas for the Mac Faithful--but I feel like I just got a pair of socks. :P
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