As predicted by half the internet, new slightly shinier Macbooks have been released today by apple. No huge changes beyond the move to Core 2 Duo processors and slightly shinier starting specs.
Sadlty no sign of a decent graphics card, which is the main thing that would stop me from buying one. I would consider a slightly smaller laptop if it had that feature. But more on that another time.
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According to wired, the EPA has decided to rework milleage ratings, and very surprisingly there has been huge change on the hybrids, and far less on the conventional cars. This has been reasoned on the "Idling" part of the tests that were "excessively" long. I know i happen to have lived in 2 of the most congested cities in the western hemisphere, but isn't what cars do in cities mostly idling? My understanding was that one of the selling points of a hybrid car is that when you aren't moving, an electric motor keeps the engine going but no petrol is wasted...
Now i don't doubt that mileage ratings are always going to be slightly dodgy, but this seems to be a deliberatly lobbied attempt to attack hybrid cars. Admitedly the manufacturers should be dropping the prices more, and working towards improving the technology.
There were reports a couple of years back that by suplimenting the battery capacity of the Prius, you could be approaching 80-90 mpg fuel efficency, but that was probably in part due to the correct driving technique of the owner who did the modifications.
Hybrid cars aren't the answer, but they are a step in the right direction, the EPA has done nobody but the conventional car industry a favour. I may be being cynical here, but why develop a test that appears targetted to damage the performance of Hybrid cars...
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Microsoft going off about patents should be taken a bit more seriously than it has been. SCO for all its failings was onto a clever strategy, however given that they were
I've been thinking about where apple is going wrong, particually in light of the MacBook refresh. Admitedly i've got my eye on a MacBook pro but i've definatly been tempted by the small form factor of the Macbook.
However the Macbook is still too big to be small in my eyes. Looking at people who have the Powerbook 12", its a small, but beautiful form. It shouldn't be used as a desktop replacement, but i have no qualms using an external monitor and keyboard (although i do prefer my trackpad these days), when doing long stints at my desk.
There are other implications of the 12" form factor, beyond the size, a smaller screen does result in better battery life, as was established with the 12 " powerbook versus the 15" powerbook.
Sadly for whatever reason, the small and powerful seems to be lacking from apple, its an oversight because i know of many mac users who swear by their 12" powerbooks and ibooks, (if i had the money i'd buy a 12" ibook to have as a rough and ready machine if i wanted to travel).
Assuming its not Apple missing the mark, it must be some form of ulterior motive, either its a design issue (unlikely since there are smaller than 12" windows laptops", or more likely they have something in the wings they are preparing to bring out of the wings at the right time (after a few more tweaks).
Speculating i do wonder if they are looking at fuel cell based mini macs, although the tech is still a little bit infant stages, but an ultraportable with days of battery life with a decent OS would be a definate apple coup...
Anyway, I'm going to keep my eyes and ears and 4 noses peeled, and if i hear anything, this blog will be the 3rd place to hear about it from me...
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