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Tag Archives: Apple
AppleCare passes first test
Apple hardware and software are not perfect. A piece of gear can be defective or stop working… software is, after all, software. I’ve had very good experiences since getting my first Mac just over two years ago.
But a couple of things gacked up recently. A problem with my Airport (wireless router) and my new Mac Mini. Unrelated. And even His Macness, George, couldn’t put things right. So he called Apple support.
I purchased an extended service plan called AppleCare which is a bit pricey but often recommended for switchers.
We wound up calling Apple three times yesterday, speaking to three different people about the two problems. Each time there was zero wait. And each time we wound up speaking with someone that was very knowledgeable. None of those long waits while they try to read the support screens. These folks obviously knew their shit.
And they were all very friendly, but efficient. No time wasted.
But the big “ooh!” moment for me was when the lady helping with the Airport problem resolved the issue and then asked us to wait 5 minutes (until the MacBook went to sleep) to be certain everything was really working correctly.
She didn’t want us to have to call back…get a different agent…and go through the whole routine again.
I’m sure others have had different experiences with Apple and I might have a bad one down the road. But I was reminded of all the hellacious support calls I’ve endured over the years and this was a nice contrast.
What is it with the Apple logo on TV?
"Sex and the City’s" Miranda, Cynthia Nixon, sat down with Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night to promote her blockbuster chick flick. Jimmy brought out his laptop partway through the interview for an online multiple choice quiz, which decides which of the four main SATC characters the taker is most like."
I started noticing this after I turned in to a Mac fanboy. What’s the big deal about masking the Apple logo? I guess they’d mask any recognizable brand logo. The difference is how distinctive the MacBook is. But maybe that’s true only of Mac fans. To everyone else, it’s just a laptop.
So here’s today’s assignment: Name another product that is equally recognizable (without seeing the brand logo). Begin.
Alas! poor Dell! I knew him, Horatio
I’ve had a PC running Windows in my home office for… well, since there were PC’s running Windows. And before that, a Zenith running DOS. I went through a long Gateway phase before switching to Dell. And my latest Dell tower is several years old. Since getting the Mac Book Pro a couple of years ago, I only turned the Dell on to download/install Windows security updates.
And I noticed I was spending less time in my office because I wasn’t using the PC much. And I really like my little room. I missed it. So we’re sending the Dell to the farm where it can chase rabbits and play with the other computers. Replacing it is a Mac Mini.
Mac Heads will be familiar with the Mini but for your PC folks, it’s a square little slab about the size of a cigar box. No monitor, no mouse, no keyboard… just a miniature computer. But a powerful little bugger.
But the real power is how easily it networks with my Mac Book Pro. George set it up for me and I won’t try to explain it but suffice to say I can get to all the files on both computers from either computer. Lots of syncing via .mac.
Update my iCal at work… and the Mac Book Pro iCal syncs… and the Mini syncs. I can access all the photos in iPhoto on the Mac Book, as well as my iTunes library. And so on and so forth. I know my IT friends can make all of this happen with Windows but I could not.
Apple wants to be your news and information station
“An Apple patent reveals that the company is working on a podcast aggregator that would dynamically collect the news that you are interested in and deliver a personalized news podcast. In other words – Apple wants to be your news and information station. The system would allow you to:
* Subscribe to and personalize a podcast with software like iTunes;
* Select news segments selected from a variety of categories; and
* Automatically download the personalized podcast to your Apple TV, iPod or iPhone.The custom news show could consist of a 5 minute segment from CNN on the day’s national news, a 5 minute segment from a local news station, and a 10 minute segment on sports highlights from ESPN.
Once you select the playlist of content that you’re interested in, Apple’s servers would request the latest podcast content from content creators, stitch the segments together and then deliver the personalized podcast to iTunes or other podcast software. As part of this process, Apple could insert targeted advertising dynamically.” – Apple Insider via Podcasting News
Hmmm. A listener in the states served by our networks could include one of our 4 minute state newscasts, a three minutes sports report and a farm report. That “stitching segments together” part is what I find intriguing. Terry Heaton wrote about the “unbundling” of media. Is this a “re-bundling” of media?
If I were programming a local radio station, I’d be damned sure I had a killer local newscast/podcast up on iTunes.
TV will never be the same
Gave the Apple TV (Take 2) a good test drive last night by watching Ratatouille. I don’t think I rented the high def version but this was still as sharp and clear as anything I’ve watched since getting this TV.
Just to be sure, I rented The Brave One in high def and could see by the progress bar that it was going to take a while to download. But within a minute or two, a message came on that said we could start watching the movie. Once enough of the file has downloaded to buffer, you’re good to go.
I’ve also been sampling more video podcasts. The Apple TV makes this so easy it didn’t dawn on me right away, but I don’t have to subscribe to these podcasts. I can, but it’s not necessary. I can just hit play. On the latest episode or previous ones.
When I try to describe Apple TV, people say, "How is that different than Tivo?" Tivo is great for recording network or cable shows, but there’s a world of stuff online that will never make it to network or cable. And Apple TV has made it drop-dead easy to watch these programs on the big screen. Think plugging your TV into the Internet.
Apple TV. Take Two.
I think they got it right this time. My Apple TV brings the net to my living room. I can rent movies, buy TV shows and music, watch podcasts and YouTube videos and view photos from Flickr (mine or anyone else’s).
I can Tivo all my favorite shows and watch them when I want but the new Apple TV feels like a very different viewing experience. Give me a week or two to get familiar with it. I’m looking forward to watching more video podcasts. This might be the future of TV. Smarter folk than I seem to agree.
David Pogue: Imagine There’s No Apple
A few big names showed up at a reception held by the Mac Users Group tonight. Steve Wozniak was on hand and hung around to shoot the shit and pose for photos with fans.
New York Times columnist David Pogue debuted a couple of songs that he’ll perform later in the week.
Imagine There’s No Apple
Killing Me Softly with His Slides
Make iPhone listen to radio, tell you what’s playing
“You’re riding in the car and a great song comes on the radio. You’re dying to know what it is so you can go buy it ASAP but there’s no satellite radio receiver to tell you what’s playing. How can you find out what song it is? Whip out your iPhone, put it near the car speakers, and watch the screen. Poof! There’s the song, artist, and album.” — TUAW.COM
Okay. This could make me trade in my Tracfone. iPhoner Tom promises to try this out and let me know how it works.
Mac OS X Leopard Installation
I remember when installing a new operating system took a huge stack of 3.5 inch floppies (or 5.25 inch floppies!). And a lot of time. But what was really needed back then –at least by me– was patience and courage.
You knew to a near certainty that your computer wouldn’t work at the end of the process. Or some of your applications wouldn’t work or you’d spend hours tracking down and installing drivers.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped upgrading my computers with new operating systems and just purchased a new computer with the newest OS already installed. An expensive solution.
So I have had mixed emotions about the new release of Mac OS X (Leopard). Lots of new features I’m eager for, but trepidation. My plan was to wait until my Mac sensei, George, had time to do the installation.
On Saturday he informed me that this was something that I could do. Back up my data, and stick in the installation DVD.
I took the added precaution of burning my photos and music to DVD and then (with hunched shoulders and squinted eyes) slipped in the installation DVD for Leopard. Less than an hour later, the new OS was running and –so far– nary a problem.
I won’t bore you with my early impressions of the features of this new system. The web is swarming with those. I will share one thing…
Time Machine is the new backup/restore application that comes with Leopard. So I bought a new external HD, plugged it in, and let Time Machine make another full back up of my computer. It will update that back up every time I connect the laptop and the drive.
The real test of any such app is the restoration. When the time comes I need to recover a file or –god forbid– the entire contents of my computer. Let’s hope that’s off in the future. But it’s a pretty slick tool and so easy to use, I will.
But the installation was as advertised: slot the DVD and take a nap.