Recently I posted the evolution of my Mac setup. I’ve gone through everything from the least powerful Mac Mini, right through to the powerhouse Mac Pro – and everything in between.

The most recent combination was the 27-inch iMac alongside the 11-inch MacBook Air.  I used the iMac as a media station storing my iTunes library, movie and photo collections whilst the MacBook Air was used most frequently to browse the web and deal with email. I loved this combination;  I had an office workstation connected to my hard-drives, blu-ray drive, and iPhone dock which made things such as syncing my iPhone a very simple and regular event.

However, as had happened a few years earlier when I purchased the MacBook Pro – as soon as I introduced a portable machine into my office my urge to sit at the desktop became less and less frequent,the freedom of portability took over the requirement for a desktop machine.

The 11-inch MacBook Air

Intending on using it as a secondary machine I picked up the 11-inch MacBook Air a few weeks after its release to the New Zealand market. What having the ultra portable MacBook Air essentially did was remove my need for an iPad, instead of reaching for the iPad each morning I’d find myself picking up the Air.

Having never used an SSD I had underestimated the power of such a small machine, in hindsight its power can be put down to the blazing fast SSD (solid state drive) the MacBook Air line ships with. As the MacBook Air was only intended to be a secondary machine I opted for the 1.4Ghz, 2GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.

Throughout the day I generally leave my most commonly used applications permanently open. These include Safari, Sparrow, Reeder, Things, and Weet. None are very heavy on processor usage nor RAM, unless I’ve got an array of tabs open in Safari (which is what Instapaper is for).

Had I envisioned that the MacBook Air would become my main machine, the only change I would have made would have been to order it online so I that I could have upgraded to 4GB of RAM. For the kind of work I do 1.4Ghz teamed up with the SSD makes the applications listed above a breeze to use.

I love this current setup for the freedom it gives me to  work where I want, when I want. It’s not so much about leaving the house with my work, but there’s a great sense of comfort being free to move between the kitchen table, the couch in the living room, and then on to the bedroom within the space of a few minutes

Whilst using the MacBook Pro, due to the sharp raised edge near the trackpad, I found it uncomfortable to use for a long period of time without an external keyboard. The sloping design on the MacBook Air completely eliminates this, meaning it’s possible to sit down and crank out 1000 words comfortably.

I haven’t found either the lower amount of RAM or slower clock speed hinders my workflow when using the same applications as I had done on the iMac. Why? I’m putting my money on the excellent 128GB SSD.

I had no doubt in deciding to  pick up the 11-inch model over the 13-inch. Because of its ultra light  weight of only 1.06 KG I hardly notice the extra weight in my backpack, meaning I can carry the machine around with me at all times – something I’ve never really felt comfortable with when owning heavier and bulkier MacBook Pro’s.

Let me be honest, it’s useless for converting video. With iMac used to fly through encodes of TV shows to be sent through to the Apple TV – this essentially has made both of my Apple TV units a little redundant, as I’m only using them for the use of movie rentals now.

Storage

I’ve already touched on the topic of the blazing fast SSD the MacBook Air ships standard with. There’s no doubt about it, this is the storage medium of the future. They are quiet, consume very little power and makes the general running of the system very snappy.

Adjusting from a 1TB hard-drive to 128GB provided a little difficulty due to my large media collection. All my documents and work files are stored on Dropbox so setup of those really was a click of a button. I’ve got 65GB left on the internal drive so document wise I’ve got plenty of room to breathe.

My media storage on the other hand threw me some problems. My iTunes library clocks in at just over 600GB (120GB music, 450GB video files) meaning there’s no possible way to fit on even the largest SSD drives on the market. At the moment I’m running this library of an external 1.5TB external Western Digital drive, though having a portable workstation and an external drive that required AC power to operate is less than optimal. My iPhone which used to be synced once or twice a day is now lucky to be connected once a week.

If you’re looking at a MacBook Air as a main machine, make sure you’ve got a couple of decent sized USB powered drives for media and backup purposes.

The Future

Will it change? Most probably. There’s a strong likelyhood I’ll add a new 27″ iMac to the office again down the line, especially now they’re shipping standard with two Thunderbolt ports. However any new desktop I pick up down the line will be without typical hard-drive based storage, from my excellent experience using one in practice there’s no turning back from the benefits and quietness of a SSD.

The immediate future of the Mac platform see’s all machines shipping standard with a SSD and Thunderbolt connectivity. Apple is almost there with solid state drives, it’s the exclusive storage option on the MacBook Air, and optional on the MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and the iMac. As we see lower prices for this form of storage over the next 18 months I see these standardized across the line as a default.

For anyone serious about desktop computing with Mac OSX, a setup of the MacBook Air 11-inch, iMac 27-inch with a large SSD boot drive and external Thunderbolt Drobo for media storage looks just about unbeatable. But the simplicity of the operating the smallest, lightest, thinnest and quietest Mac in the stable has a great feeling on zen about it. The freedom of not being tied to an office is indescribable.

I didn’t realize a need for note storage until the iPod touch was released in September 2007. I was happily content using a folder on my machine holding dozens upon dozens of TextEdit documents. I didn’t have the ability to take files with me out of the house, unless I dragged a laptop around with me.

When iOS shipped on the original iPod touch the convenience of carrying my notes around with me within Apple Notes became very apparent. It very quickly became a very important tool for capturing ideas, thoughts and miscellaneous lists throughout the day and I found the cleanly designed, simple user interface very easy to use.

The iPod touch gave me a taste of what it is was like to carry around more than my music collection in my pocket, however the need to carry around my text documents really didn’t interest me until, with the arrival of the iPhone 3G S and iOS 3 it was announced Notes would sync with Mail.app over the air using the MobileMe service. Note taking became a much more integral part of my workflow as I could create a note while I was on my Mac and after leaving the house, quickly access it on my iPhone without having to plug in to iTunes before I left.

Simplenote

An alternative note app arrived in 2008. Simplenote offered over-the-air syncing, working seamlessly between multiple iOS devices and a well-designed web application. It competed directly with Apple’s own Notes app, however improved on two very important features.

Over-the-air sync

The headline feature of Simplenote is the premium over-the-air sync. Open the web app, create a new note and make a few changes to another. The changes will automatically be displayed once Simplenote is opened on the iPhone app, vice versa with the iPad app in any of the three directions.

It’s very quick, has never provided me with any loss of data, and really just works as advertised.

As of the latest revision, Simplenote also offers a sync solution over the Dropbox service; your notes sync to your Mac’s Dropbox folder as text files that can be edited in your favorite apps, such as TextEdit or TextMate. Simplenote will sync with Dropbox “every few minutes” – not as quickly as the default sync option, however it gives the user power to choose how they want their data to be synced.

Note Revisions

Simplenote automatically tracks revisions to your notes, saving the last ten versions (30 on a premium account) so that you can go back on any changes you’ve made.

In practice this is perfect for authoring blog posts. While I find it difficult to write a full blown post on my iPhone, the phone is where a high percentage of post ideas are started. I’ll often quickly tap in a couple of paragraphs or bullet points, which can then be opened on the Mac in the web app and be expanded on. Revisions makes the editing process evolution easy to track and revert to changes.

In Daily Practice

The Simplenote web app and storage is hosted on Google’s App Engine and from personal experience I’ve not once had an issue with service, speed or syncing aside from very irregular scheduled maintenance.

Initially ignoring the release due to my ‘comfort’ with Apple Notes, I couldn’t go more than a few days without hearing about Simplenote in some form – whether it was on Twitter, from a fellow blogger, or whilst browsing the charts on the app store.

I don’t regret giving it a try or setting down a few dollars for a premium membership. Since transferring all my notes and tidbits into the app it has become my exclusive text editor on both the Mac and iOS. Sure – you’ll still catch me using Pages when I need to compose a letter or formal document, however all my personal writing and note taking is taken care of via the iPhone, iPad, and web based interface of Simplenote.

I consistently struggle to keep focus, while balancing a full time day job I enjoy unwinding once I’m home but more often than not end up wasting it hopping from inbox to inbox waiting for something to happen. This time would be much better spent creating content, rather than continuously consuming it.

Shawn Blanc touched on this topic today, and came up with a few quick tricks to get yourself focused and make the most of your time.

Sometimes during the day I find myself in a random cycle of checking my various inboxes. I realize I’m going back and forth between Twitter, email, RSS, random web surfing, back to Twitter, to email, etc… I’m not doing anything productive whatsoever — I’m just zoning out looking and waiting for something new to come along. It’s a complete waste of time.

On other note, congratulations go out to Shawn Blanc for announcing a new beginning and daring to take his writing full time. Best of luck to you Shawn.

I’ve been a Tweetie user and follower since day one. Before been acquired by Twitter, Tweetie had many things going for it, namely regular updates, a clean user interface with minimal distraction/clutter, and a very active developer who frequently communicated with customers via his personal Twitter account.

Before Tweetie was acquired by Twitter and turned into their official multi platform application updates were very frequent, customer support levels above the normal especially considering AteBits was a one man shop.

The current version 2.02 is ridden with bugs publicly posted as reviews on the store front. The main issue been its inability to play nice with Spaces. If you want Twitter to stay in one Space, you can assign it to that Space in the Spaces preference pane. The downside to this is that you have to remove and re-add that assignment every time you launch Twitter. When you close Twitter, this preference is forgotten, and you have to do it all over.

Whilst small bugs like this frustrate me I understand they’re part and parcel with any software release. However I’m beginning to feel some neglect as to why this hasn’t yet been fixed with an update. Sure the App Store has a painstakingly long review process before updates are approved, but there hasn’t been any word from Loren Brichter or any member of the Twitter team with a status update – something I feel would have been addressed immediately in the way of an update patching the single issue when Brichter was running a one man shop.

I must be clear about this, I’m not intending to have a dig at Loren Brichter here. Loren is still very active on his Twitter stream constantly striving to help users. But that’s the thing. The users are exactly that, no longer Brichter’s ‘customers’ but his ‘users’. You get my drift.

iOS Interface On The Mac

I, along with countless App Store reviewers get the feeling Twitter has been converted to a desktop application wrapped in an iOS interface. It’s certainly not an eyesore, though I don’t feel like I’m using an app with an “interface so clean you would think it came straight out of Apple headquarters.”

The pretend iOS interface on the Mac is annoying and a trend I’ve seen increasingly since the Mac App Store launched earlier last month. While it’s essentially the same app with a few cosmetic changes and a different name, I miss the Tweetie interface which I believe really hit the sweet spot between form and function.

“Tweetie’s interface is so clean you would think it came straight out of Apple headquarters.” – Wired

I’m captured by simple, intuitive applications which help fulfill one task very well. I’m not a great fan of ‘do it all’ applications which ship with every feature under the sun as it adds unnecessary noise and takes away from the focal point, doing a specific job well.

Where Weet Steps In

Arguably the cleanest looking Twitter client since the original Tweetie, Weet arrived on the scene first with an iPhone release, soon followed by a (beta) desktop counterpart which just sent 1.0 in the Mac App Store. Weet is light on features and allows you to focus on reading and posting tweets rather than changing numberless settings and viewing options.

Weet quickly replaced Tweetie on my iPhone home screen once been acquired and rebranded by Twitter. Generally, it’s very difficult to tear me away from a piece of software once it has worked its way into my daily workflow/routine.

I frequently download new software to test out and play with, however for an application to replace one already set into my workflow it must be astoundingly good at doing a job better than existing counterparts. Weet was one of those applications, after a few days of using it side by side with Twitter I came to the decision to incorporate it into my iOS home-screen and haven’t looked back since. Weet is a beautiful experience to use on both the Mac and the iPhone.

Weet is available now in the Mac App Store for a very fair price of $4.99 and the iOS App Store for 99c. I recommend you check it out if you’re looking for a clean and simple alternative to the official Twitter application.

Bills, fines, letters, receipts, notices, certificates. These are all forms of clutter that together can overtake an office. I thought I had a good system for organizing the range of paper that entered my life. They’d enter my office, I’d take action on them, and file them into a small green ‘portable’ filing folder.

This worked great – until two things happened. Over the weekend I needed to find a specific receipt. It wouldn’t have been such a huge issue if the filing folder wasn’t jam packed full. It was practically bursting at the seams I didn’t even attempt to locate the receipt, I had better things to do with an hour of my time it’d have taken me to find.

I realized there had to be a better way to deal with these situations. I decided to search the logistics and costs of setting up a paperless office. Scanning my documents and doing away with the hard copy. I could see many advantages of archiving my documents digitally, the most attractive the ability to search the contents of PDF files directly through Spotlight to find that specific receipt or bill instantaneously.

After a little research I stumbled upon two well advertised portable document scanners. The Doxie and the ScanSnap.

The Doxie is the cheaper option, costing just $149 USD. USB powered with a footprint of just 11.5″ x 2.0″ x 1.6″.

Doxie is ultra-portable, fully automatic, and integrated with your favorite desktop and web apps. Doxie works with local apps too, so you can scan to Acrobat, iPhoto, Picasa, or right to the desktop with ease, creating PDF files, lossless PNG, and JPEG images, so your scans are always exactly the way you want them, where you want them.

I couldn’t find too much more information on the recently released (March 2010) Doxie other than a few YouTube videos showing it doing its thing. What made me look further for other scanning options was the flimsy looking plastic design. I didn’t want to shell out $149 only to have the decide last just a year.

The second scanner I stumbled upon was the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300. At $299, it’s double the price of the Doxie but after watching John Chow’s video review I see why. It can scan at up to 8 pages of double sided paper per minute, can auto correct misaligned documents and scan at the touch of a button.

While the S1300 can run on USB power, I recommend you plug it into a wall outlet if you’re near one. Scanning speed is cut in half when the S1300 is powered by USB. Everything is operated by a single button. Push it and the 10 page automatic document feeder scans both sides of each page. The S1300 automatically recognizes the size of each document, detects and corrects for skew, and shows images in their proper orientation with blank pages removed.

I’ve placed an order for the ScanSnap S1300 and look forward to giving it a real workout over the Christmas period. I’m esthetic to do away with my filing ‘folder’ and other bits and pieces lying around the office. Stay tuned for more on the paperless office.

Spending the last hour reading through the entire weblog archive left me inspired to say the least. I started this weblog in 2006, almost five years ago. For the first two years I posted like clockwork on a daily basis. Writing and publishing was my life.

Looking back – I did some crazy things to get this blog to the successful state it was. I remember the 4AM mornings, getting up while it was dark to begin writing before I had to head off to school. After getting up I’d spend an hour reading, keeping up to date on my RSS feeds. I’d then move into MarsEdit where I’d compose a blog post. I wouldn’t leave my desk for breakfast before I had clicked publish.

Since these times I’ve progressed in life, things have changed. I’ve been working a full time supervisor job for the past two years. I also met the woman of my dreams and asked her to marry me. Spare time came very rarely, and when it did, I made the most of it spending it with the people I love.

I’ve been trying to find the time to write for the past 6 months to no real success. I have found myself beginning entries in TextEdit, then getting buried in other work and general life and letting them gather dust. It’s taken me real courage to click publish on this entry this afternoon. Above anything else, I have the itch once again. I’m back.

In the last entry I briefly mentioned the weakness in syncing notes using Apple’s implementation on the Mac, iPhone, and the iPad.

The Notes application under iOS3 is very similar. Notes sync only when your device is plugged in and connected to iTunes. There needs to be an over the air syncing solution between all three devices utilising the MobileMe push data system.

Basically, at the moment Notes can be synced between the iPhone, iPad and Mail app, but only via a hard-wire sync — not through MobileMe. What I overlooked in the iOS4 feature list is the ability to sync notes over the air the same way mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks are done already.

The way it should have been from day one.

After purchasing the 64GB 3G iPad, I’ve managed to fit it into my daily workflow for one week now. Here are my initial impressions on the device I feel changes mobile computing in a catastrophic way.

The iPad has meant I can use my MacBook Pro as a ‘desktop machine’ only having to take it off the desk when I need to take serious work with me on the go, namely when Aperture is needed in the field. No more do I need to open the lid of my laptop each morning, I can do all the morning email processing, feed reading, and web browsing in the comfort of my bed before I head off to work – completely skipping out the desk and the power machine.

Here’s a few initial impressions.

Data Syncing – Pages and Things are the main two applications which run into a problem using. Cultured Code have worked extremely hard to make the multi platform Things as user friendly as possible when it comes to syncing data across the Mac, iPhone and iPad. They’re currently working on a cloud based syncing solution.

Pages lack of syncing is a very worrying issue. The fact that Apple didn’t hit the nail on the head first time around worries me that they don’t yet have a proper solution for keeping documents organised between the Mac and the iPad versions of the program. Apple need a permanent, easy solution to sync over cloud between Mac and the iPad.

The Notes application under iOS3 is very similar. Notes sync only when your device is plugged in and connected to iTunes. There needs to be an over the air syncing solution between all three devices utilising the MobileMe push data system.

Downloads – I download a bunch of new music each day from a range of sites. This can be overcome by the iTunes Store on the device, however this really limits me to what’s available on iTunes.

A downloads manager built into Safari would be a welcome feature, where MP3 files are moved directly into the iPod application, movies into the Videos application, and so forth. This already works with photos, to save a photo directly to the Photos app you simply hold your finger down on a photo and tap save image.

Lack Of Flash – Haven’t missed out on anything that’s made me feel like flash should haven’t been left out. Whilst the New Zealand Herald is the only site I watch video on which hasn’t moved to the new HTML5 ‘standard’ – it’s only been an inconvenience to me once or twice.

Newspaper Applications – Most of the popular US newspapers have now been converted into iPad applications. However the newspaper I read daily, the New Zealand Herald doesn’t yet have an iPad application, and I haven’t heard about anything under development. As of now the full website view in Safari is more than satisfactory until they get an app into the store.

Uploading Images – It appears that websites allowing photo uploads operate best within a native application. Sites such as Facebook and New Zealand eBay like site TradeMe haven’t let me attach images from the photos application to upload forms.

Software Keyboard – In landscape mode, very easy to type a great amount of text comfortably. Sometimes feels a little slow to react to quick typing. Delete button located in a different spot than on the iPhone’s software keyboard which makes for a difficult transition between the two devices throughout the day.

Typing Angle – Without a case which alters the angle the iPad sits at, typing a lot of text is a less than pleasant experience. However it’s not impossible, this whole entry was written with the iPad lying flat on various surfaces without the aid of a case to prop it up.

Battery – Amazing. I’m not even having the charge the iPad once a day, generally charging it overnight every second day. This point appears to be the one thing everyone has been amazed by. It’s great having a device that does almost everything I need a portable machine to do last me two days of continuous on/off use.

Standout Applications - Apple has the developers to thank for making the device so attractive to a wide audience. Personally, I’ve been using Things, Instapaper & Reeder very heavily.

Rotation Lock – Following in the footsteps of other aesthetically pleasing Apple devices, the iPad has just four physical buttons protruding off the aluminum and glass casing, the home button, lock button, volume slider, and new addition the rotation lock switch. This switch is now invaluable. Ever hated using the iPhone in bed whilst lying down and having the rotation change on you, this switch takes away that annoying rotation when you know what position you want to use the iPad in.

Following up on the point made in the previous entry, in relation to the iPhone replacing the need for a point-and-shoot camera for a majority of users – the announcement of the iPhone 4 makes this statement even more plausible.

The largest complaint heard about the iPhone 3G S camera was poor quality images in any lighting condition apart from clear sunshine. The new LED flash ticks off this common problem and means images taken in overcast weather and enclosed rooms will be drasticlly improved over the previous phone. In addition to the image quality enhancements in the new rear camera, the system also supports 5x digital zoom, and the tap to focus I’ve grown rather fond of.

There’s even less of a reason now to carry around a Flip video camera for odd times when you’re wanting to capture better quality video as iPhone 4′s rear camera is now capable of recording HD video in 720p at 30 frames per second.

Aside from having to carry one (or two) less gadgets around, the greatest advantage the iPhone 4 holds over regular point-and-shoot cameras include the ability to send captured stills/video to the web at the press of a button. No need to plug in the camera, download media, head to a website and upload. It’s now a one step task to upload HD video to YouTube, send images and HD video via email, or send either still images or video via MMS.

Early 2008, bump into me anywhere and no doubt my pockets would be full. I’ve had an unhealthy gadget obsession since my early teens, my pockets would contain an iPod of some sort, mobile phone, Flip video camera, notebook, and a point-and-shoot camera.

Late 2008 when I picked up an iPhone it made for light pockets. I’d leave everything else home and pick up my wallet and iPhone on the way. Nothing more, it replaced my iPod, notebook, mobile phone, and point-and-shoot camera.

The Point-and-Shoot Camera

Whilst the iPhone replaced a bunch of gadgets, the most important was my point-and-shoot camera. There was no need to carry it around as its only purpose was quick snapshots. For more serious work, I’d throw the DSLR and the Canon L lenses into a bag and bring them along with me.

Megapixel wise, the iPhone doesn’t stand a chance against any of the consumer choice in basic P&S cameras on the market – however in good lighting conditions it’s more than ample for anything from quick snapshots to basic action and portrait photography. Anything you’re going to be keeping in digital form only, or small sized prints.

The iPhone segregated the middle ground between camera phones of past and DSLR cameras. iPhone for everyday photography, a DSLR for more serious professional and enthusiast. It eliminated the middle ground and the widespread market for a point-and-shoot camera. They were simply no longer necessary.

The Laptop.

The iPad has had the same effect to the laptop as the iPhone, and camera phones in general did to the point-and-shoot camera. It removed the need of carrying/owning a laptop for most consumers who are simply consuming content and media on the go.

With the 3G iPad, and the Wi-Fi unit to some extent you’re able to complete most, if not all of the light tasks you do daily on your laptop. Access your email and the internet anywhere, take notes, write essays, presentations and spreadsheets, catch up on the latest news, play games, watch videos, play music, and more from the comfort of a 9.7″ LED screen with a battery no Apple laptop can match.

Whilst users who rely solely on a laptop and require all their projects and data with them at all times may find it difficult to have the iPad fill in the portable computing need and move to a desktop platform for the serious work, those just needing to perform basic tasks on the go may find the iPad removes the need to carry around a bulkier laptop.

For a good portion of the market the iPad has had the same segregation effect the iPhone had on the camera market. By removing the middle ground where a laptop sat, a good percentage of consumers should be able to get by without needing a laptop computer to go with their desktop machine.

All Bases Covered. iMac + iPad + iPhone

The iMac, iPad and iPhone combo appears rather attractive for users who need a good amount of power but doesn’t mind if they can’t do much content creation, only consumption on the go.

iMac for long computing sessions, editing and processor intensive work. The light and portable iPad sitting in its dock. Easy to pick up drop in a bag and take anywhere for emailing, reading, the internet and media consumption on the go, and the iPhone for everything else – an internet connected device which remains in the pocket at all times.

Mac mini. iMac. MacBook. MacBook Pro. Mac Pro – I’ve had them all. Since my first Apple product in 2004, I’ve experienced almost every machine in Apple’s lineup. I’ve owned consumer aimed iMac machines, powerful creative professional workhorse the Mac Pro, and three different portable machines each with their own unique attributes and use purposes.

My first machine was the late the 17-inch G5 powered iMac. A year of blood, sweat, and effort was put into obtaining this machine. Countless lawns were mowed each week as I put money toward the large (for a 13 year old child) purchase. This G5 introduced me to the Macintosh culture, while helping me begin a writing career and giving me an outlet to showcase my creative work online from an early age. I kept the machine for 24 months before progressing forward and beginning my journey through the product line.

The Second iMac

Next came the iMac Core Duo 17″. I sold the G5 and progressed to my first Intel based machine. I don’t remember much about this machine, however whilst owing this iMac my photography hobby continued to expand, and I moved to Aperture for image processing and cataloguing which the machine amply handled.

The First Portable

My introduction to portability came with the MacBook Core Duo 13.3″. This laptop was purchased to run alongside the iMac Core Duo.

Once I started using this laptop I began using the desktop less and less. I found writing to be a much more enjoyable experience in comfort. Blogging volume and quality went from strength to strength as I was able to blog while away from home, on the couch, and in the backyard. I’d been positively introduced to the portable world.

The Pro Workstation

After my introduction to the portable world, my next purchase was set to be a 15″ MacBook Pro and a 23″ Apple Cinema Display, however the fanboy in me took over and purchased the holy grail of Apple products, the Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz and a 30″ Apple Cinema Display.

As a self proclaimed Apple fanboy, the thought of owning a Mac Pro was a distant dream I thought about from time to time but nothing I ever thought would come to life. With a large wad of cash in hand, I pulled the trigger on the baseline Woodcrest Mac Pro.

Packed with a quad-core processor, 10GB of RAM, two large hard-drives, and attached to a 30″ Apple Cinema Display the Mac Pro flew through any task I threw at it. For the first time Aperture felt snappy, not lagging on export or when making adjustments on RAW files. Yes – it was more power than I required or could put to use 90% of the time, but the sheer experience of power blew me away.

The Pro Portable

Whilst still owning the Mac Pro, I received a MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 15″ which I planned to run alongside as a writing and browsing machine I could use while out of the office. After a few weeks with both pro machines in my armory, I began using the MacBook Pro more than I had planned, the majority of my work moved from the office to the couch.

I made the decision to see rid of the Mac Pro to free up my cash flow. I was sad to see it go, but I was more than happy with how the MacBook Pro was coping with the light Aperture work, and day-to-day tasks. I still had the option of hooking it up to the Cinema Display when I needed to get some serious work done. However, after a month collecting dust I also sold the Cinema Display and made use of Spaces for virtual screen real estate rather than the cumbersome, quickly aging Cinema Display.

The Current Machine & Plans

12 months on I received an offer I couldn’t refuse for the 15″, I picked up the Unibody MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 13.3″.

For the past 18 months I’ve been settled using a MacBook Pro as my primary work machine. The 15″ was running on 4GB of RAM whilst the 13″ has been running stock since it arrived.

I’m playing more of a focus on photography in my free time once again I’m beginning to feel the constraints of both the power and limitations of the 13.3″ display. I’ve thoroughly thought out the logistics of adding a 27″ iMac to my office, however I’ve loved having all my data accessible in one location. The ability to simply pick up the laptop and move my work anywhere is invaluable, making a move to a desktop machine unattractice.

Instead of adding a second machine, I ordered 8GB of RAM for the MacBook Pro. In regard to display constraints I’m waiting for a larger Apple Cinema LED Display. The 24″ looks very attractive, however the extra resolution a 27-inch panel offers would be invaluable whilst editing in Aperture and viewing documents side by side. I wait in patience.

When it comes to its line of portable machines, Apple has been guilty of regular ‘first generation product’ issues. The initial MacBook Air (revision A) was no exception as users experienced a handful of problems on receiving the laptop.

Notable issues included reports of far less than the advertised battery life/expectancy, and extremely noisy system fans which could have been easily mistaken for the sound of a small desktop fan. Not what you’d expect from a computer, let alone one manufactured by Apple.

All issues aside, the second revision of the MacBook Air corrected both of these issues, and further more in the third revision introduced at WWDC 2009, bumped the speed of the machine considerably. In the 18 months since the machine was first introduced, the base CPU has been bumped from a lowly 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Merom chip to a more than acceptable 1.86Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn.

Memory limitation is still 2GB, soldered to the logicboard. However the latest inception of the laptop is powered by 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, rather than slower 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The stock 64GB SSD which was available in the first generation can now be had in a 128GB SSD variation. Specifications wise, the MacBook Air has come a long way in its first 18 months on the market.

Most complaints regarding the heat issues, poor battery life, and less than adequate storage limitations have ceased.

The current lineup of portable Apple machines runs in three lines. The MacBook, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro.

Not so long ago the MacBook was updated to feature the same unibody design as its older sibling, the MacBook Pro. Less than two months later with the Pro line was expanded to include a 13″ option, the unibody MacBook was discontinued in favor for a single cheaper plastic bodied laptop.

The current line leaves us with a choice of either a 13″ MacBook, two variations of the 13″ MacBook Air, and three sizes of the MacBook Pro.

The direction we’re heading in makes it quite clear that the merging of the MacBook and the Air lines would make sense, and is certainly possible. The Air becoming the MacBook whilst the Pro line remains as is in three excellent size choices.

This merge would make things much more simple for those out to buy an OSX-based laptop. A 0.16-inch super thin, design conscious yet powerful for everyday tasks MacBook. Or the MacBook Pro for those who want a little more expandability or screen real estate in their system, in 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch variations.

The only way I see it making sense to have the plastic MacBook in the lineup is when bought in bulk for education faculty and students due to their cheaper build cost. In that case, why not just offer it in the educational store only?

Topical selection is an art form of its own in regard to weblog content. On one side of the table you have your ‘come and get-it-all’ sources like Engadget and Ars Technica covering broad technology, narrowed down to the likes of Quick Sprout which covers the personal development topic in depth.

This is where things begin to get interesting. Media consumers generally like focused content. The ‘average’ internet user will rarely browse weblogs, more than often just using Google to find answers and information about things their interested in.

You’ve got something that you care a lot about, and you’re obsessed about — it’s almost like an intellectual fetish. Then you’ve got something that’s your angle on that. – Merlin Mann

It’s your responsibility as a writer to ensure you’re giving readers the best possible information, knowledge and detail you can on what you’re writing about. Don’t be writing about something you’re not passionate about, it shines through. The way writing comes across has a lot to do with the dedication and passion published in-between the lines from personal experience. If you don’t have a passion for it, don’t publish it. Expecting stellar feedback and emails from your reader-base when you’re not 100% dedicated to your piece? You won’t get the reception you’re after.

Get crazy specific about the thing… Don’t just, don’t have a blog about Star Wars; have a blog about Jawas. Or, like, this one Jawa that’s just in the scene for a minute.

Like, it’s gonna be so much easier for you to dominate, first of all; you’re gonna become the go-to guy for that one Jawa, right? And what does that mean? – Merlin Mann

Passionate about the National Basketball Association? Don’t just narrow your topic down to a single conference or team, further narrow it to a specific player. If music happens to be your obsession, write about a specific band or instrument, not music as a whole.

Weblogs with focus attract readers who are passionate and extremely motivated about the topic. These readers pay attention to everything the writer has to say. The ones who are interested in the exact same things you’re interested in; reads the exact same websites you read, and reads your site from the top to the bottom. Every single word.

The feature set for the next iteration of Apple’s operating system, Snow Leopard continues to grow as the release date approaches upon us.

It has been reported that QuickTime Player X now supports playback out of the box for .flv videos, and furthermore: it can save those videos to m4v. Think about this concept little further, once the QuickTime software is updated on the iPhone, we should be able to view .flv videos on the go, with no prior conversion needed.

QuickTime Player X takes some time to load the flv file first, before allowing its playback. This is very fast in short files, but noticeably longer when long files are played.

I do believe I can handle this short delay in return for the added function in Quicktime. Snow Leopard’s advancements look better and better as release creeps forward.

Goodbye Perian.

I’ll be first to admit I’m not the most responsible when it comes to the use of mobile technology while I’m driving. I’m constantly changing songs on the iPhone which plays via the auxiliary input in my car stereo, searching for directions on Google Maps, texting, and making phone calls.

The latter of the matters is the most safe of all listed, as I purchased a hands free kit which sits above the dash. The others however, are hazardous to some extent in most, if not all driving situations.

Due to the nature of the touch screen input on the iPhone, data entry requires 100% attention focus, unlike other devices where you can input data/write messages by ‘feel.’ Once data has been input into the phone, for example Google Maps, it’s easy to follow without having to apply 100% of your attention span on the phone.

This is where the Voice Control feature on the iPhone 3G S has my attention. No longer would using the iPhone while driving be ‘as irresponsible.’ Simply feel for the home button, hold it down and tell the phone orally what I want it to do rather than take my eyes off the road and flip through applications and input areas.

Instead of scrolling through contacts to find the person I want to call, simply speak their name. Same with changing songs, speak out the name and artist or playlist and it will begin playing.

While focus has been more directed toward the increased speed aspect and the video camera capabilities of the iPhone 3G S, Voice Control is the only feature which has potential to prevent serious injury, if not death.

Don’t text and drive, purchase an iPhone 3G S instead.

Based on sales, Tweetie has been the elite iPhone application for Twitter since the App Store launched. Sitting in the top 20 paid downloads for months on end Tweetie has been exposed to a huge number of people, no doubt a major factor in why the announcement and release of the desktop application created so much buzz amongst Twitter and Macintosh followers.

Atebits software released Tweetie for Mac last week, immediately storming Twitter, holding onto a ‘trend’ spot for over 24 hours. A Macworld interview was held soon after, a few insightful comments were located in the transcript.

I really don’t know. One of the fantastic things about Twitter clients is how easy it is for users to jump from one to another. Just type in a username and password and off you go.

One of the strongest quotes from the interview, John Gruber commented on the point adding there is so little friction to switch between apps, there’s nothing to import or export, and zero commitment. This is what makes a developers job difficult when building a Twitter application. It’s difficult, if not near impossible to tie down a user to your application which the exception of them having purchased it.

Lack of feature additions in the future? With zero commitment users you’ve got a problem on your hands. However, for the public this converts into excellent applications which are regularly improved.

They serve some of the most beautiful ads around. Many people mentioned that they registered Tweetie but then opted to keep the ads on anyway (there’s a checkbox in the Preferences).

This goes to show the user-base using Tweetie and the attitude consumers have toward elegant advertisements. It’s simply no longer fair to connect ads and a negative view on the appearance and how it detracts from a publication/website. The Deck, and now Fusion have taken that view to the cleaners, quite literally.

The sidebar design in Tweetie for Mac solves these problems in an extremely elegant and scalable way. It’s new and different, which is hard for some people to swallow, but somebody needs to push the envelope and try new things or we’re all going to rot in UI hell.

It would have been simple to use an existing UI trend for many parts of the application, in particular the sidebar. The large sidebar is a UI trend found in an array of applications, especially those from Apple. Take for example iTunes, Mail, iCal, and iPhoto. The Tweetie user interface is out of the box down to the finest details, the sidebar been one of the larger and riskier attributes.

What’s sleep? But seriously, I’m throwing my weight behind Tweetie for Mac and iPhone. I have a fantastic new foundation with which to build a true next generation Twitter client. People have just seen the tip of the iceberg.

Perfect example of a committed and enthusiastic developer. Always looking to improve upon its product not only for the user-base, but for personal satisfaction.

Introducing DroboPro. A brand-new 8 bay storage system from Data Robotics. The new Drobo Pro looks amazing for those with heavy storage requirements. It holds up to eight drives instead of four, uses a dual core ARM microprocessor and has the ability to survive two simultaneous disk failures.

It supports multiple operating systems and file systems (including NTFS, HFS Plus, FAT32, and EXT3), and has FireWire800 and USB 2.0 ports as well as a gigabit ethernet port for an iSCSI connection.

While the regular 4-bay Drobo suits consumers with needs like mine perfectly, there are some users who found themselves stacking multiple Drobo units up around their office as one wasn’t sufficient enough to hold all of their media.

The new DroboPro is aimed at creative professionals and IT managers and starts at $1,299. Current Drobo owners will receive a $200 instant incentive to assist with upgrading to DroboPro through a loyalty program at drobostore.com.

Since I was first enlightened with news of the Drobo it appeared to me as the optimal storage solution for anyone working with digital media. It’s remained on my shopping list for some time – eventually I’l’ pick one up and turn it into my sole storage location for my images, music, and movies.

The DroboPro is going to change the outlook on the cost, scalability, and hassle or mass storage for individuals with large storage requirements and smaller studios alike. According to the Data Robotics press release they’ve sold 60,000 original Drobo units. I expect this product to gain as much traction as the original product did. Though the companies best asset in my eyes is its attention to listen to what its customers want and deliver, period.

Another repeat of MacHeist, another bucketload of poorly thought out criticism by bloggers toward the way the system works. For those not aware, MacHeist which is currently in the middle of its third ‘season’ is a bundle of 12 popular Mac applications been sold for the low price of $39 (normal retail price of the 12 applications is $627). 25% of all sale proceeds go to charity, while the other 75% goes into marketing and paying the involved developers, and of course the profit margin.

During the first year MacHeist developers agreed to be paid a flat fee for the duration of the event which once revealed to the media, in particular the strident writer John Gruber, hell broke loose as opinions flew all over the web regarding the fairness to the developer.

Second time around, MacHeist staff realized their mistake and adjusted accordingly, this time offering developers a percentage cut from the total number of sales. This method has carried over to the third year.

Sounds like a fair deal doesn’t it? Yet there are still a number of people out there crying out that MacHeist are ripping developers off. To those critiquing, look at it this way. No developer was forced into participating, those who have spoken out regarding their involvement seem over the moon with the results to date, and with still 13 days left in the bundle sale things aren’t going to get any slower.

The percentage cut deal has been around for the last two seasons of MacHeist, are these bloggers digging at an old matter for the heck of it or do they really believe the developers involved had a gun to their head when signing the papers?

Update: While we’re on the topic of poorly thought out criticism, have you seen this? Read into it as you will and make your own judgement.

When I purchased the 3G iPhone, I didn’t think twice about the feature-set changes from the original iPhone. I was simply excited at the fact New Zealand would be one of the launching countries of the new phone after more than a years waiting.

The two new phone features over the original – 3G and GPS really didn’t interest me much on paper, however now having had the phone in hand for a few months I’ve really woken up to the true power of 3G and GPS capabilities.

I’ll be the first to admit when in larger cities, and on occasion even my own I’m a little directionally challenged, which becomes extremely frustrating when my mates pick up on the fact, and chirp in my ear sarcastically at every wrong turn.

Google Maps on the iPhone has helped me a number of times working out directions for myself, friends, and family including figuring out traveling times and distances to and from different cities/areas, including bus times and walking routes when available.

How has having GPS on your phone helped you in the past few months?

As a teenager it’s perfectly normal, and almost expected of ones self to view the power of bass in sound systems as a number one priority.

Sure, when I’m cruising around in the car with my mates I love a bit of punch in my system, but outside of the car I’ve realized there’s so much more to good sound system than one which represents the lower frequencies well. I’m now after a system which will really please my ears and accommodate to sound frequencies all over the board – exactly why I’ve started looking into studio monitor speakers.

Paul Stamatiou recently wrote a very informative article on his purchase of the Rokit RP5G2s, on the lower end of the scale of studio monitors (yet still very high performing). The post looks super helpful for reference down the line when hooking the monitors up to a MacBook Pro.

I’m looking at purchasing a pair of the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe, which are 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors. Basically, I’m after a little advice if anyone out there is knowledgeable in this area on the in’s and out’s of this, or a similar system.