This all out war from Apple against Vista is an unsurprising but still ballsy move by the fruity computer company

Still, probably one of the best ads I’ve ever seen on the web…

The deal was far too tempting and actually not as expensive as I once thought.


For just over £700 I’m getting:

• A White MacBook 2.2Gz Intel Core 2 Duo, 120Gb, 1GB etc..
• A 8Gb powder blue iPod Nano

The only reason why I got another iPod was because Apple have a special offer for University students — a £79 mail-in /online rebate when you buy a Nano. Then I got a further student discount to the Mac latop – just over £50.

Although, even after all these discounts and rebates I just about blew my entire term student loan forking out for the laptop. No food for me for a little while then.

Buying my MacBook got me thinking about Apple’s future as the main competitor to Microsoft (well, 7% market share is still competing… right…). News came yesterday of Apple’s impressive forth-quarter fiscal profits; Up nearly 100% from the same quarter last year. With increasing choice, more-than-tempting student offers, complete interoperability with Windows and Linux with BootCamp and sheer the style and sophistication that Apple’s products carry, it’s no wonder why they’ve had such a good year.

In contrast, Microsoft however have had a mixed year. They have just agreed to comply with the EU ruling with regards to monopolistic methods (after about 4 years and countless appeals later). Their new Vista OS has not made a dent in the percentage of use world-wide as server administrators refuse to deploy it over worries over security. The new version of the Zune media player (that noone actually owns) has failed to impress.

Are the tides starting to turn perhaps?

"We think Windows users are going to be really impressed when they see how fast and intuitive Web browsing can be with Safari. Hundreds of millions of Windows users already use iTunes, and we look forward to turning them on to Safari's superior browsing experience too." Source

I believe that the new version of Safari will convert some Firefox users, and hopefully in time – IE users. For Apple, it is yet another demonstration of Apple furthering their brand to the average Microsoft user.

Without the iPod, Apple may well be now dead or nearly so. 

So far, the iPod has been hugely successful at making young people aware of Apple, and the style they bring. The Safari GUI being a more mature version of the iPod's design will inevitably draw the iWhores in.

Google have now confirmed that they are to be making a new smartphone-like device which ‘makes it easy to search the web, wherever you are’. Executives from the multi-billion pound UK based phone operator Orange have flown to the Google-plex to attend preliminary talks in a joint venture over the new phone.

It has said that the new phone will feature all the normal feature of a modern smartphone; 3G, GPS, touchscreen, querty keypad – but also offers what the Apple iPhone cannot – to allow 3rd party apps.

The major problem will be for Google will come with identifying who will buy the phone. Will it be converted iFreaks? Converted Win Mobile customers? A huge majority of the users of Google technology only use their search. Will they see Google as a viable brand to trust enough for the average buyer to go with?

For us programmers and expert users, the Google phone will be a huge opertunity to write programs onto it’s platform which will undoubtably come fit with SDK and be open source.

Is it even out of the question for the Goole-Orange partnership to buy such technology and expertise seen in the openMoko.org project?

What ever may happen, Apple and M$ must be crapping themselves at the prospect of open source software becoming common place in the comsumer market, and Google taking another step towards world domination.

1. Get Amarok (version >= 1.4.4)

2. Make sure you have libipod installed – this allows iPod file functions.

3. Initialise all music in Amarok.

4. Initialise iPod

5. Goto ‘Playlist’ on the left menu bar

6. Under ‘Smart Play lists’ -> Collection -> All Collection.

7. Right click -> Synchronise to media device.

8. Goto ‘Media device’ on left menu bar.

9. At the bottom of the left pane under ‘Transfer Queue’ it should now read ‘All Collection’

10. Underneath the top menu bar select ‘Transfer’

Sorted!

This is a huge step towards ridding all music of the DRM infestation, and heading towards a future of universal and non-proprietary formats (ehem, Sony).

Hopefully, we’ll see more of the big names do this, to boost their downloads.

Generally though, on a tech level, the iPhone isn’t too bad, with WiFi a/b/g, touch-screen display, and a 2mp camera. Of course, there is an iPod function to the phone – but will you really want to use it, running the risk of running the battery out?

I think this phone, at least for the first generation, will be for rich-kids or Mac buffs (come on… you all know one), and it’ll be hard for the moment for Apple to enter the mainstream market in phones.

Another problem will come when the phone is released in the UK. Will the chavs of the UK really understand a touch-screen phone? Will they still think the screen will work when lovingly wrapped up in a Burberry pouch?

It’s hard for me to imagine the public embracing the iPhone, because smart-phones are still too niche for the average user.

However, Microsoft’s Zune didn’t see such a rise in hits, even if it is already released in the US.

The on-line company Hitwise report that the iPod is currently beating the Zune in selling units alone by 30 to 1.