Introducing the MacBook Mirror

Further to yesterday's Apple notebook event. I'm eager to get hands-on with the all-new MacBook and MacBook Pro models replete with all-glass screens! Flu permitting, I'll drop by the Apple Store Princesshay, on Saturday, following a Devon Tweet Meet at The Phoenix Centre, Exeter.

In view of MacBook pricing (unless someone would sponsor me), I'll consider a purchase following Macworld 2009! With this is mind, an iPod touch (32GB) is now an affordable alternative in the portable web browsing space. And a, most belated, replacement for my Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)!

I'd be most interested to know your thoughts about Apple's move to all-gloss screens for the MacBook and MacBook Pro products. Is it more of a vanity mirror than practical enhancement? Please post your observations in comments. Thank you.

Will Apple scratch Microsoft's Surface?

With Halloween only a few weeks away it's opportune that Apple should unveil new treats, at its notebook event, today!

Despite the credit crunch/crisis (a journalistic euphemism for recession as far as I'm concerned), electronic goods continue to be "recession-proof" and consumer appetite for new MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro products has not abated! I've held off purchasing a new iPod touch (32GB) because of the ongoing speculation regarding new MacBooks!

There's considerable conjecture concerning what the new notebooks may or may not deliver in terms of their form factor (the flair of a MacBook Air) and functionality.

Clearly, Apple is keen to leverage touch screen technology - strikingly showcased in its iPhone and iPod touch - and place Microsoft's Surface ambitions into consumers hands now! In only a few hours time we'll know the answer.

Update
Apple announced the new 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro tonight (GMT), which derive design cues from the MacBook Air and current desktops! The new Multi-Touch Trackpad is, literally, as smooth as glass!

In view of the hefty price tag for an entry level MacBook, I'll wait until Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard ships before making a purchase.

Tweet-Up

Yesterday I attended my inaugural Tweet-Up or Tweet Meet, depending on your preference.

What's a Tweet-Up? Making new friends and acquaintances online is one thing, but meeting them is entirely different! Hopefully it gives people a chance to learn new things, meet even more friends and have a good time away from the online world that we all now and love.

Saturday's Tweet-Up stemmed from an idea proposed by one of my Twitter peeps @LittleLaura! The venue of choice, as suggested by yours truly, was the Apple Store Princesshay, Exeter; anywhere else would have been considered sacrilege!

At Apple Store Princesshay I got up close and personal with the MacBook Air! Still stand by my previous assertion that it's a 'pretty paperweight'! That said, it's the future...

It was great to meet-up with like-minded, and friendly, folk and discuss everything from how long we've been using Mac OS X and the return of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in last night's episode of Doctor Who to Tim Burton's cinematic oeuvre - Edward Scissorhands is still his most accomplished film-to-date in my subjective opinion - and musicals!

We intend to have a Tweet-Up on a regular basis! If you're actively involved in the social media space (this is the only prerequisite), would like to attend and drink copious amounts of coffee and tea, then please follow me on Twitter or, alternatively, leave a comment on this post!

Special thanks to @LittleLaura and @huskypup. Two Twitter peeps you should be following.

Twitter adores ASUS Eee PC

Last night (GMT) Twitter was awash with excitement regarding the award-winning ASUS Eee PC range of portables! Of particular note was the all-new Eee PC 900; the latest weapon of choice for discerning bloggers-on-the-go everywhere (and that includes Mac Users too)!

A few weeks ago The Gadget Show, shown on five (a UK-based commercial television network), tested the Apple MacBook Air, Sony VAIO TZ31 and ASUS Eee PC, to ascertain which product offered the best value for money in terms of both ease of use and wireless blogging for all members of the family.

Inevitably the MacBook Air achieved merit for its eye-catching beauty and build quality. The ASUS Eee PC was victorious due to its multimedia flexibility (an aspect woefully overlooked in the MacBook Air), ease of use and compelling price point! What blogging-on-the-go consumer would bemoan £200+ against a bank-breaking £1000+ for either the MacBook Air or Sony VAIO TZ31? Unless you need to undertake any heavy lifting...

I've yet to play with an ASUS Eee PC (sponsored review machine anyone?)! But, many of my Twitter (direct link to my profile) peeps own, or loan, an ASUS Eee PC and can't recommend the brand highly enough!

Time Capsule Craft

Of all the announcements during Steve Jobs' Macworld Keynote, the all-new Time Capsule is, for me, the most enticing!

MacBook Air looks, at face value, to be style over substance and I can't justify £1200 (or more) for an expensive paper weight! In a couple of years I'll be eating my words! After all Steve Jobs foresaw, and accelerated, the demise of the 3½-inch floppy disc with the advent of the original iMac! However, £199 for a 500GB wireless hard drive/Wi-Fi base station, that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, is a worthwhile investment!

With the introduction of iTunes HD movie rentals, has Apple put the final nail in the coffin of the optical format wars? Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying "Clearly, Blu-ray won, but in the new world order of instant online movie rentals, in HD, no one will care about what format is where."

iTunes HD movies are only encoded in 720p and do not contain a PCM, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS-HD Master Audio track at this time. For now Blu-ray remains my preferred HD medium!

An 'air of excitement' surrounds Macworld 2008

Apple's alliance with Nike extends beyond iPod co-branding to include a new line of sneakers! I jest of course, although a pair of Air Mac would be most desirable! However, the notion of a, speculative, product called MacBook Air exudes irresistible cool! Especially when said device could be a wafer-thin laptop replete with flash drive and Blu-ray!

We won't know for certain what "2008. There's something in the air" equates to until Steve Jobs' Keynote, at Macworld 2008, tomorrow! It's safe to assume that web-enabled gadget geeks, around the globe, will be watching...