Of Mice and Fruit: MightyMouse Meets Its Match

6 Comments »February 8th, 2009

Today I finally came to the end of my rope, or cord that is. My Apple MightyMouse failed to live up to its name – it’s nipple-like scroll ball no longer responds to upwards scrolls. You can scroll from left to right, or go down, but not up. It’s rather like driving a car that won’t go in reverse. This is the SECOND MightyMouse that exhibits this problem, which stems from a build-up of dust and gunk in its innards similar to what once happened with old school mice before optics and lasers replaced those dirty little balls.

So I went trodding off to my local Best Buy to find a suitable replacement. That’s when I came along this little fellow – the Rocketfish Bluetooth Wireless mouse. Upon first glance it almost looks like a MightyMouse, which is intentional as Rocketfish markets this mouse as an iMac accessory. But at just $48, it cost almost half the price of Apple’s own wireless mouse and seems to have better ergonomic design. How does it stack up? I’ll be writing about this mouse more in the days ahead as I get more play time with it, but so far it looks and feels really good. Stay tuned.

Apple’s New Keyboard Design Has Won Me Over

17 Comments »March 17th, 2008

Folks, I am pecking out these words on Apple’s innovative new low-profile desktop keyboard, and having a marvelous epiphany in the process. This is without doubt the best desktop keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of fondling. The keys are responsive and well spaced. I find myself making far fewer accidental keystrokes and typos. And now I am so completely hooked on it I can’t fathom going back to traditional scissor-switch style keyboards, which seem antiquated in comparison. It’s that good. (more…)

Apple Trots Out More MacBook Reruns

6 Comments »February 26th, 2008

Let me say straight off that I am imbibed with as much Mac fetish as the next fanboy. When it comes to notebooks, the MacBook Pro still remains the standard by which all contemporary laptops are judged, in my feigned humble opinion. But today’s “new” MacBook rollout left me feeling as though I’m watching reruns of early 1950s sitcoms. Did Apple’s hardware design team go on a writer’s strike? Was Johnny Ives shipped away in a crate to some Chinese manufacturing plant? Why is Apple prolonging the life of these tired designs? (more…)

How I Became a Mac Snob: The Journey of A “Switcher”

15 Comments »February 18th, 2008

To look at my blog and read my rapturous Apple exalting posts, you might assume that I am a long time Mac fanboy who gets teary eyed in the presence of an Apple IIc, or screams like a giddy teenage girl at the mere mention of SCSI drives. Nope. That was all long before my time. The truth is that I am a “Switcher”; A Windows user who converted to Mac. And even then only recently. My affinity for Apple grew over a number of years, culminating in the final decision to move to OSX as my primary platform, supplanting Windows. It didn’t happen overnight, and it almost didn’t happen at all.

How did I arrive at this point, you ask? Read about my long journey after the jump. (more…)

Apple Finally Nails Leopard’s UI, Removing the Ugly Bits

14 Comments »February 12th, 2008

With the latest software update for Leopard (10.5.2) released yesterday came a few hidden surprises. Not the least of which was an option to disable Leopard’s most controversial, and in my opinion ugliest, feature; the translucent menubar. Apple has now included a check box in System Preferences, under Desktop & Screen saver, allowing the user to turn off menubar transparency altogether. This seemingly small change is far more significant than it looks.

Scads of third party tools that perform the same task have been available since the OS first shipped last year, but this is the first time that I can recall Apple having retrograded a feature at the request of users. The fact that Apple actually listened to the outcry of disgruntled Leopard users is staggering. Why Apple chose this path from the beginning is a mystery to me. It’s a visual effect one would expect to see in Vista, and that isn’t meant as a compliment.

Translucent menus are a usability nightmare. The effect makes text options less visible and muted. And aesthetically its charm quickly wears off once that semi-translucent menu bar turns into a blurry mess at the top of your screen. Needless to say I and legions of other users are happy to see the transparency effect go.

Thank you, Apple. You’ve made the right choice. Now, if you would kindly replace the homely looking Dock and kitschy space wallpaper with something more tasteful?

MacWorld Dud: Latest iPhone Firmware Update Leaves me Wanting More

1 Comment »January 20th, 2008

As expected, Steve Jobs took center stage at San Francisco’s Mascone Center last Tuesday, pouring glasses of Kool-Aid to the press and spellbinding Mac fans. MacWorld, for those of you unfamiliar with the event, is Apple’s annual Mac trade show and keynote that is part infomercial, part state of the Union address, and part Renaissance Festival (with the period costumes and jousting) all rolled into one. Jobs gave his usual performance, acting as PT Barnum, with product announcements and demos to wow a doe eyed audience. This is MacWorld after all, so iPhone took a backseat to a major new product added the portable line, MacBook Air. More on that later. (more…)

I Got a MacBook!

10 Comments »June 6th, 2007

Well I finally bit the bullet and purchased a MacBook, though with some hesitation. Don’t mention the fact that Apple charges outrageous premium pricing for the black model or I will drop into a fetal position and throw a tantrum. But I have to admit the white motif is growing on me, and the design is simply beautiful.

Enjoy the MacBook pR0n. Visit my Flickr gallery for more photos.