Free Music: Try BlogMusik before it’s gone

As TechCrunch pointed out, this is likely to be gone quickly. Have no idea whether it’s legal or not (I hope for the guys behind it), but so far it ROCKS! This is basically a iPod-shaped web streaming application (you can even save tracks if youlogin with your emal). Click the link below to try […]

Is piracy really hurting?

I’ve come accross this interesting post on how piracy may actually help legal CD and Software business. In my opinion they’re 2 completely different stories, so let’s get started from CD business. CD BUSINESS The author points out that he would probably never heard Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Pop” if he didn’t download it from Napster. That […]

Who is crazy?

Dilbert Blog. You should go there, read it all, bookmark it, put it on your feed reader, print it, send it to your parents, sister, son, dog, read it all over again, keep your browser always open just to make sure it’s still there. Really. It’s as simple as that 🙂

Apple’s new strategy for Mac Mini

Yesterday I posted (together with other 49.379 bloggers, and counting) about the “strange” launch for Apple’s new iMacs and Mac Minis.

Weird as it may seem, the buzz hasn’t been about these new Macs, but about what’s going to be unveiled during Apple’s keynote that is going to be held on Sep 12th in San Francisco. That is, what has such an importance for Apple’s future plans to keep out of the show two of the best selling products for the company (all indications point to a movie download service, but there could be more).

But I also see a dramatic change for Mac marketing in the Mac Mini (non) announcement: since its first release in January 2005 the Mac Mini has been marketed as the “little brother” of more advanced Macs (iMac and PowerMac), meaning both smaller AND less powerfull (it always had lower performing processor vs the iMac).

Today, comparing the Mac Mini in its cheaper configuration with the cheaper iMac (see below), the Mini doesn’t look so small anymore.
Other than the “DNA difference” of the iMac having a built in LCD, they both have new generation Dual Core processors (with a slight advantage for the iMac UPDATE: processor-wise the iMac has a bigger advantage than I first thought, for iMac is using the 64bit version of the C2D while Mini uses the 32bit; I guess we’ll have to wait for the first benchmarks to see what it does mean in real life, I don’t think we’ll see the 1,5X Apple is claiming but this difference may become significant overtime. txs browse for the hint!), enough RAM to run TWO widgets at once, and so many connection options your neighbor won’t have any problem watching movies stored in you hard disk (you know… those movies).
Speaking about HD, that seems to be now the main difference, with the 60 gigs of the Mini clearly not enough to handle today’s amount of media content stored in your computer.

Even the point of the Mini being a cheaper/stripped down version of the iMac can now be argued.
400 bucks difference isn’t that much to have the privilege to enjoy your 17″ screen, 100Gb more space in your HD, and the cool enclosure (ok, it’s no cheap either, but let me get to the point).

It looks like Apple understood the main reason people bought the Mini isn’t just money (you can still get much better bargain with the same old boring windows-based machine in the shopping center near you).

Almost every Mac Mini owner I knew (myself included), bought and Apple screen to go with the Mini. That’s hardly a money-saving choice. What I’ve seen in the Mini is the chance of getting a tiny, cute, design oriented Mac that you can easily place in your living room without having to feel ashamed.

Ok, you might say, then buy an iMac! No, because a built-in monitor isn’t necessarily an advantage. First, I liked the Apple screen design more than the iMac’s. Second, I wanted to retain some flexibility not to trow away the poor (and expensive) monitor when I wanted to change my computer just because Steve rolled out the new, beefed up, Intel based version of the Mac (ok, I didn’t know that it would have happened, but you know this business works like this).

Personally I think that’s a bold move. They now have two “consumer” desktop lines that satisfy different consumer needs, both extremely consitant to their brand equity. That usually pays out.

So, what’s next? 🙂

Continue reading “Apple’s new strategy for Mac Mini”

Become a del.icio.us power user

Blogger David Brunelle posted a great article on how to become a Delicious Power User. For those of you who don’t know what Delicious is, it’s a social bookmarking site or, in plain english, a place where you can: store your bookmarks so you can access them on multiple computers; share them with your friends […]

New iMac and Mac Mini unveiled

With a surprising move, Apple quitely introduced a substantial upgrade to their iMac line. Main changes are: 1) 24″ version (to go along with 17″ and 20″); 2) 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor (with clock speeds from 1.83GHz to 2.33GHz); 3) Brighter screens; The weird thing is that this upgrade was widely thought to […]