MacNoob

Apple’s recent hiring of Bob Drebin has sparked a tsunami of speculation as to Apple’s intentions regarding chip design and manufacture.  AppleInsider points to LinkedIn profiles of Drebin and Wei-han Lein to support their speculation about a new, home-grown mobile processor for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch successors.  With last year’s purchase of PA Semi, over $25 billion in the bank and all the new hardware hotshots including Mark Papermaster, Apple seems to have all the pieces in place to mount a serious effort to design and build its own chips.  The question is: For what?

Consensus among pundits points to the afore-mentioned mobile processor and that may be true, but I think they have something else up their sleeve.  Looking closely at Mr. Papermaster’s hardware group, one finds a ton of engineers (some say over 100) with graphic chip design and manufacturing backgrounds.  I’m starting to believe Apple has a desire to make its own graphics hardware.  Here’s why…

1. OpenCL technology (that leverages GPU capabilities) built into Snow Leopard promises to take OS X performance to the next level once application development catches up to the standard.  This just feels like something Apple would leverage by controlling the hardware and API completely.
2. Intel and Nvidia sue each other so frequently their lawyers have their own parking spots at the courthouse.  Apple has clearly staked its foreseeable [Mac]hardware designs on Intel and everyone seems to agree, that was the correct move.  If the squabbling gets nastier, Apple may have to distance itself from Nvidia to avoid getting caught in the middle.
3. AMD (owners of ATI) has to be reeling from the exodus en masse of their key engineering people.  I don’t think their graphics product pipeline has run empty yet, but with so many ex-employees now in Cupertino, ATI no longer seems like the kind of company Apple would need to partner with.
4. If ATI and NVidia are both undesirable, that leaves…NOBODY! (Yes, I know Intel makes graphics chipsets, but Apple’s last hardware refresh ditched them altogether.  The divorce is final.) Apple clearly hopes to make OpenCL a differentiator between OS X and Windows.  Given its history of tight (and closed) coupling of OS X to its hardware, Apple may not wish to bet the farm on any technology they don’t own outright.

Any of these reasons, taken separately, don’t amount to much, but together they make a strong argument for both the means and motive for Apple to build their own graphics hardware.  Couple that with a $25 billion bankroll and there’s no doubt they could if they wanted to.  Now it’s just a question of Apple’s desire and few ever seem to guess that right.

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After spending the better part of the last 25 years in the computer business, doing everything from low-level (assembly language) programming on mainframes to corporate I/T management, Apple has made a convert out of me.  About six months ago I spent around $650 on a Dell Studio Hybrid for my game-room entertainment center and I’ve regretted the decision ever since.  Unless the world changes dramatically, it is the last PC I’ll ever buy.  I’m done.  Kaput!

This is coming from a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Windows professional of 17 years.  I was such a die-hard Microsoft fan I bought a Zune!  Not one of the new, sleek ones either, but the first generation model shaped like a deck of cards, only fatter.  (I’m offering to give it away to registered readers of this blog, but can’t get enough people to sign up.  I think I might have done better offering a sharp stick in the eye!)  Many years ago I bet my professional future on Microsoft and have since made decision after decision that kept me on a Redmond-centric career path.  I don’t regret those choices too much.  In my professional lifetime there have always been ample opportunities to work with Windows systems and prosper.  That probably won’t change substantially for the foreseeable future because Microsoft is so entrenched in corporate America. But a new day is dawning and Microsoft’s sphere of influence is shrinking measurably.

Two and a half years ago I bought my first Apple product (a 30 gig iPod video) and my computing life was changed forever.  I had owned my Zune for about three months at the time.  My daughters all asked for (and got) iPods for Christmas that year and I was amazed at how much more user-friendly the whole iPod experience was, even with Windows.  Before the new year, I too was an iPod owner and eight months later I bought a new 17” MacBook Pro.  Since then I’ve bought an iPod Touch, a MacBook Air, an iPhone and two iMacs.  Yep, I got it bad.   Business analysts like to talk about the iPod “halo effect”, but for me it was more like a good nuking.  In fact, my only transgression was the afore-mentioned Dell.  I wish I’d bought a Mac Mini, but really thought I needed a Blu-ray player. The machine doesn’t do anything well. Its blue-ray player is skippy, and it seems like every time I want to sit down and watch something I have to wait for another update to finish and reboot. The only really good experience I’ve had with it is playing shared content with iTunes! Like most PCs, the Dell was long on specs but short on performance.

Maybe spending so much of my life immersed in win32 made switching to Apple even more of a pleasurable contrast.  Whatever the reason, moving to OS X re-invigorated me and I am constantly, pleasantly surprised by how well thought out the operating system is and how well everything works together.  Add to that Apple’s superb industrial design and I’m completely hooked.  I could (and often do) sit in front of this iMac for hours and enjoy the last minute as much as the first.  When I have to do something on one of my Vista machines I get the chore done and log off.  The day is fast approaching when the MacNoob house will be devoid of anything Windows and I can’t wait.  A wealthier MacNoob would have made this a reality already.

The only negative resulting from my switch: I still work in a veritable sea of Microsoft OSs, replete with barely manageable firewalls, anti-virus servers and a never-ending list of patches and zero-day exploits.  It was the same before I switched, I just didn’t know how bad I had it.  Now, wrenching on my Windows network has become a real chore.  It used to be fun before I realized how avoidable much of the effort is.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I’d taken the blue pill and never known the pleasure of using my Macs. Uggggh! I just got a chill.

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The biggest differences between buying Macs and PCs is selection and price.  Apple uses a completely different business model than Microsoft in that Apple is a completely self-contained product.  If you want to run OS X [legally] then you have to buy a genuine Apple computer.  Finding significant discounts on new Apples is virtually unheard of.  Even sites like CDW and MacMall who pride themselves on lower prices rarely discount Macs more than 5 or 6 percent.  When you consider Apple ships all their systems for free, the deal usually winds up being a wash.  If you’re looking to save some money on a relatively new Apple then you only have one choice: the “Special Deals” section of the Apple on-line store.

When I say “relatively new” I mean you can get a factory refurbished Mac that’s usually a model from a few months ago with the same warranty and benefits you’d get buying a brand new Mac at your local Apple store.  Discounts on these machines can be as much as 25%!  Being the penny-pincher that I am, I just bought a 24” iMac from the “Special Deals” store for $1199.  Equipped as follows:

• 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo
• 320 GB 7200 HDD
• 2 GB RAM (800 MHz)
• 1066 MHz Front-side Bus

This machine is one generation removed from the newest iMac, but certainly plenty of machine for my needs.

The purchasing experience couldn’t have been more pleasant.  I went to the site, found what I wanted, added it to my shopping cart and put it on my credit card.  Since the basic ground shipping was free, I had it overnighted for only $36 more (I’m the impatient type).  I also wanted to max out the system memory [from 2 to 4 GB] so OWC was happy to sell me the 4 gig kit for $39.  Both boxes arrived the next day.

The iMac arrived in a plain white box with a handle just like a new machine from the Apple store minus the pretty graphics.  Unboxing this refurbished machine was just like opening up a brand new one.  All the protective film was in place and the keyboard and mouse were brand new as were the OS X DVDs.  Before I even removed the protective film, I swapped out the memory so when I turned the machine on for the first time it would boot up with 4 gigs.

Because this was a refurbished machine, I really gave it the “white glove” treatment before turning it on.  I used a flashlight to carefully inspect the case and, more importantly, the screen and aluminum bezel.  If there ever was a blemish on this computer either I didn’t find it or Apple removed it.  Its’ physical condition was perfect.

Next, I powered up the machine and went through the OS X initial configuration.  My only disappointment was finding the OS X version at 10.5.4.  Not a huge deal, just more downloading required.  Before starting all that though I checked every port on the machine to make sure they were all in working order.  No problems there either.

I spent the next eight hours updating and installing software and copying documents from my MacBook Pro.  It’s amazing how much stuff I collected in just a few months.  I synched with MobileMe and now everything I need is on the new machine.  All in all, this was almost exactly like a new buying experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the “Special Deals” section of the Apple on-line store to anyone looking to save a few bucks on a “like new” Mac.

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Being a longtime IT professional and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, the last thing I expected to happen to me was to fall in love with a Mac.  As a matter of fact, I’ve been wrestling with computers for so long I didn’t think there was a machine in this world capable of stirring my emotions again.  If you’ve read this blog at all you’ll know that [as of 19 months ago] I’m a “switcher”.  I used to detest the term.  I really thought it was a none-too-flattering label that long-time Mac users pinned on us noobs.  Now I wear the moniker proudly.  To me it says that, even while I was late to the Apple party I at least had the good sense to show up.  After more than a year and a half I’m not sure it still applies, but whatever you call me I’m a Mac guy now.

I do still own a bevy of Windows machines and am quite proficient with them, but I’ve sworn they will be the last.  Why, you ask?  Well, I just happen to have compiled a list…

1. OS X and the MACH/BSD kernel beneath it make for one hell of a fine operating system. It is stable, secure, responsive and a real pleasure to work with.  Its ease-of-use is well touted, and all the problems I had with it early on were mostly my fault.  You see, the biggest hurdles I had to overcome to be proficient with it were in my head.  I was continually over-thinking it.  Once I realized the engineering behind OS X is largely focused on ease-of-use then the UI became natural and fluid.  In short, I had to quit thinking like a Windows dope.
2. Sometimes, less is better. Because Windows has been so dominant for so long, there are literally thousands of applications available for any given task.  Finding the right one for me was often an exercise in searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.  On the Mac, most everything you need is included or available for less than a hundred bucks.  Simply adding iWork to the standard offerings is all most people will ever need (I write this blog using Pages).  Unlike Apple, Microsoft doesn’t include much “out of the box” functionality with Windows and most of their consumer productivity offerings are total crap.  If you need quality applications from Mr. Softie prepare to spend $200+.
3. The creeps haven’t targeted us yet. Maybe it’s because Macs comprise less than five percent of personal computers worldwide, but so far the very organized world of bug writers have mostly ignored our platform.  I’d like to credit OS X’s superior security model but the reality is [as this year’s Pwn2Own competition exemplified] all platforms are exploitable.  For now though, I’m really enjoying the absence of antivirus and anti-spyware apps bogging down my system with never-ending sweeps and updates.
4. All my “i” gadgets work better with my Mac. My iPod, iPod Touch and iPhone are all designed to work with OS X and Windows.  It’s pretty apparent the iPod never really took off until Apple released the Windows version of iTunes thus multiplying the available user base fifty fold.  That’s how I got started with Apple as did countless thousands of others.  When I moved my iPod from my Windows machine to my Mac I discovered how seamless the original integrated environment could be.  The “halo effect” generated by my first iPod has expanded to the extent that I have completely abandoned the Windows world and publicly declared that I will no longer purchase anything but Macs.
5. Apple design is second to none. I currently own a 17” Macbook Pro that I purchased from Apple in October 2007, just as soon as I could get one with Leopard (OS X 10.5).  Although it’s a previous generation model, it is the most beautiful piece of hardware I’ve ever owned.  My first iPod was a fifth-gen 30 GB video model (Q4 2006) and I’ve expanded my collection to include both first and second-gen iPod Touches and a 3G iPhone.  Each is an example of first class industrial design and tower above their competition in both physical design as well as user experience.  Of course, they’re not perfect, but they absolutely blow away everything in their respective categories.  In short, Jonathan Ive is the man.  I am absolutely drooling over the new “unibody” 17” Macbook Pro, but I have decided to wait for Intel’s “Nehalem” processor which will be a step change up in performance.  If things go according to script, that should happen sometime this year.

Mainly because of reason #3 (above), I’m hesitant to be too loud with my Mac evangelism but sometimes it’s just too irresistible (and Windows bigots often make it very easy).  Some of my co-workers have caught on and preempt me.  I’ll walk in on a conversation about the latest worm, spyware threat or BSOD incident and get told to, “…get that smirk off your face!”  I’m really not trying to be a smart-ass most of the time, but often the best answer to someone’s computer problem truly is “Get a Mac.”

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Being a die hard Firefox fan, I never thought I’d ever say this:  Safari 4 is the browser for me.  Like I mentioned previously, Foxmarks is the “must have” add-in I use to keep my bookmarks and logins synchronized across all my machines.  Now that it works with Safari 4, the major roadblock to switching is no more.  Additionally, 1Password and Evernote work with the new beta just as well as they did with Safari 3.  I had a dozen or so add-ins installed in Firefox and really thought I’d miss them more than I do.  Obviously, they weren’t that important.  Beyond that, I find Safari works great with almost every site I visit on a regular basis (except Microsoft’s MSDN, naturally).  I do have the occasional misfire when trying to upload a photo to Facebook, but so far that’s been about it.

I spend over half my day within a browser environment and that’s when Safari’s speed really starts to shine.  Web services like Pixlr, GMail and others are noticeably faster than they are in Firefox and Google Gears seems to have adapted quite nicely.  In addition to its’ speed, Safari renders fonts and graphics beautifully.  After a month of steady use, I notice a definite loss of sharpness when I go back to Firefox.  Safari is just prettier.

As far as I’m concerned, the ball is back in Mozilla’s court.  They’re going to have to do something very, very good to unseat Safari as my default browser.

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I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about podcasts lately. More specifically, “What’s a podcast?” I know anyone who reads this blog is familiar with podcasts, but sometimes I forget there’s a whole world of Windows users and other computer illiterates who are unfamiliar with the concept of RSS feeds, iTunes and the world of new media. Since this blog is geared toward the new Mac user (i.e. someone intelligent enough to make a proper computer buying decision), I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my experience with netcasts (the brand-neutral term for podcasts).
I’ve been listening to podcasts for about three years now since buying my first iPod in 2006. I have a 30+ minute (one way) commute every day and since discovering on-line media I rarely ever listen to the radio any more. Instead, my drive time is filled with entertaining and educational podcasts that run the gamut from NPR to Diggnation. One of my first discoveries after buying my iPod was just how many hundreds of podcasts there are to choose from, both video and audio only. With big selection comes big confusion and it’s hard to trust reviews in the iTunes store.  Believe me, there are some real stinkers out there.  Once a week I’ll be reviewing my favorites until I run out.  Maybe it will spare you some of the trial and error I went through.
This week’s selection is my absolute favorite, No Agenda [link opens iTunes] with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak or, as they like to say, Crackpot and The Buzzkill. Adam is an American living in London and is sometimes called the “Podfather” (by whom I don’t know, but it’s in Wikipedia, so it must be true) for his pioneering work in the new medium. John C. Dvorak is a long-time (since the ‘80s) tech journalist and television personality from the early ZDTV (later named TechTV) days based in San Francisco. These two share an amazing chemistry and their conversations about a range of topics make for very entertaining listening. The show’s title is an accurate description of its’ subject matter which can vary from world politics to food and wine and anywhere in between, all with an international perspective tossed in. The nicknames Crackpot and The Buzzkill [which they seem to enjoy] are derived from an only slightly exaggerated description of their personas. Adam’s take on things can sometimes make a conspiracy theorist blush, while John could turn the second coming into an overbooked dinner party. Together, they just work. Each hour and a half show, recorded twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, is fresh and surprising because you never know what they’re going to talk about. I sometimes wonder if they know before they start recording. I think the impromptu nature of the production is what makes it so entertaining. That, plus the fact that these guys go together like sweet-n-sour. Their very professional combination results in much more than their sums.
One word of caution. I’d have to give No Agenda an “R” rating. Definitely not for the kids, but it is one of a very few shows that can make me drive around the block a couple of times instead of turning into the driveway.

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