meme( trackpads on the new MacBooks - Boring, but part of an important leap forward )

I guess it's hard to get too excited about the new trackpads. The functionality doesn't really seem too different from before. I mean, they do look quite smart, just one large generous square below the keyboard. And the trackpad as button is a neat trick. Ok, now I'm excited! I think the important thing here is apple exploring new input methods. Their control of the whole platform gives them the freedom to do this, but it's still massively difficult to introduce new techniques. So, you have to give them lots of credit for trying. For me, every new input device or sensor means that much more potential for new interaction possibilities, which, is exciting, no?

meme( will the 12" powerbook be the high water mark of laptop design forever? )

Is it so hard to just remake that machine with current technology? Jeez... 

meme( the new Macbooks: beautiful on bottom and ugly on top )

I don't quite know what to think about the design of these new machines. The new manufacturing process seems to produce beautiful results. I always liked the look of the black keyboards on the macbook airs vs. the cheezy silver paint on plastic keys of the macbook pros. And the build quality really does seem to give the thing an intrinsic beauty. But I'm not really down with the black glass displays with the overly large bezel (bevel?). I've tried to get used to it on the iMacs, but it always strikes me as an ugly face on a beautiful body. I think a major problem is that the OS X desktop seems to clash with the black of the display. Who's with me? Another problem is that the bevel seems too wide for these science fiction times. I can imagine that by 2023, it will have grown to a full 3 inches on all four sides of the display.

meme( It's remarkable how little macbook pro performance has increased in 3 years )

Ok, it's been more like 2 years, 8 months, but the processor has gone from 1.83 Core Duo to 2.6 Core 2 Duo. The graphics capabilities don't seem to be improving by leaps and bounds either, although I'm no expert here. We have a 2.5 year old MacBook Pro in the house and it still seems top of the line, although it wasn't lovingly carved from a single block of electrum, or whatever.

meme( apples powerbook/macbook has changed remarkably little in 7 years )

I mean obviously the new Macbook Pros are very, very much more powerful than the original titanium Powerbooks, and they have a camera and all kinds of wireless in there now, but they look amazingly similar. Even the keyboard is black again and the thickness is about the same. When that thing came out, everybody shit their pants on the spot. Where's the pants shitting laptop of today? We know they've released the trouser soiling phone. The macbook air is a pretty ambitious machine. Hopefully snow leopard will give it some reasonable performance and we can drop our 6 pound monsters. 

meme( the Apple special events feel special while they are happening, then not so special one hour later )

Obviously I'm not the first person ever to make this observation, but it doesn't mean it's not true.

meme( People who call laptops "notebooks" are no friends of mine )

It's really along the lines of ATM or PDA: stupid important sounding terms that people love using because they get to use more syllables. Steve Jobs is obviously a genius, but he really falls down on this point. Of course, he does pronounce binary "bianary" (one more syllable), so who knows.