With 3 desktop and laptop models to choose from, Apple has a computer to satisfy many users.  The Mac Mini makes an excellent second machine or the first Mac for a switcher.  The iMac brings power, some portability and a huge screen, while the Mac Pro satisfies the needs of heavy computing users.

Laptops

On the laptop side you have the MacBook for nearly everyone, the MacBook Pro for professionals and the MacBook Air for those seeking extreme portability.

But there is a considerable gap in both lines, and one that could satisfy a large number of users with a new model. You’ll likely remember the 12″ PowerBook G4 (shown at right). Probably my favourite Apple product of all time, it packed an entire full featured laptop into a 12″ aluminum shell. It had a full DVD combo drive, discrete graphics, and a full compliment of ports. This differs from Apple’s current ultraportable laptop, the MacBook Air, because it doesn’t sacrifice power nearly as much.

I think it’s time that Apple brings back the 12″ PowerBook in the form of a 13.3″ or smaller aluminum shelled MacBook with an actual graphics card, backlit keyboard and DVD burner. I would sell my MacBook in a flash to have real graphics, an aluminum look and a full powered Core 2 Duo processor. If Apple wants to make gaming more prevalent on OS X, they need to give full graphics power to a laptop without forcing users to shell out the extra cash for a MacBook Pro.

Desktops

On the desktop side of things, there is a need for a model between the iMac and Mac Pro that blends power with upgradeability and price. Macworld calls it the mythical, midrange Mac minitower. It stems from the idea that there is no model that directly competes with the standard Windows box. Sure, you can get the Mac Pro, with 4 hard drive bays, 8 RAM slots and up to 8 cores, but if you don’t absolutely need all these things, you’re wasting money.

What would be an excellent compromise would be a computer that is somewhere between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro in size, but between the iMac and Mac Pro in power and upgradeability. With 2 or more hard drive bays, 4 RAM slots and no included monitor, it could be upgraded as needed without limitations. Companies looking for towers to use their current monitors or to build a server farm would have all the power they need, without spending extra on Mac Pros or Xserves.

Conclusion

With a new model inside the desktop and notebook lineup, Apple could cover even more of the computer market and draw in more users.

Would you trade your current machine for one of these?

Media has become a centric part of our lifestyle.  As of recent, Apple has made it easy to collect, purchase, organize, and play media through iTunes. They’ve made it easy to access this content through the Apple TV on our High-Definition TV in our living rooms, and play it back in gorgeous 1080P resolution.  But what about your existing DVD collection?  Shouldn’t it get some of this attention as well?  Here is a guide on building your own digital movie collection, and making the most of iTunes and Apple TV.

To complete this process, you’ll need to arm yourself with your personal DVD collection, plenty of free time, Apple iTunes, and third-party application Handbrake. Oh, don’t forget a nice large external hard-drive to house these movies (typically 1.5GB each).

What you’ll be doing is inserting DVDs into your Mac, ripping them to your hard-drive with Handbrake, importing them into iTunes, and adding meta-data.

Step One: Move your iTunes Library to an external HDD

If you don’t want to or believe you have enough space on your internal drive, skip this step.

Connect your external drive to your Mac and create a folder “iTunes” on it. Launch iTunes and head to the preferences, when here, click on advanced tab then click “Change” to re-locate your iTunes library. Navigate to the iTunes folder you created on the external drive and set this as your libraries destination.

To complete the move of your library, click “Advanced” “Consolidate Library”. This will move your entire iTunes library to the folder you specified on your external drive, while leaving iTunes in a perfect state to continue using without making any further changes.

Step Two: Handbrake

Now that your collection has a nice storage tank to lie in, you can begin digitizing your DVD collection. Start a Google search for “Handbrake” and download the application. Once downloaded, install it.

Insert a DVD into your Mac, and launch Handbrake. You will be prompted to select the DVD location; this should show automatically. Click okay.

Now it’s time to select your ripping (or encoding) settings. My preferred settings for top quality media is H.264, 2500KBPS, 2-Pass encoding. The resulted file will end up around the 1.5GB mark, and encoding will take a while depending on what Mac you have. On a 1.83Ghz Core Duo MacBook, this process takes around 3 hours for an average length movie.

If you want smaller files and a quicker rip time, set up with MP4, 1-Pass Encoding, 200MBPS.

Step Three: Organinzing Your Collection

Once the encoding is complete, you can eject the DVD and place it back in its case. The movie is now stored digitally.

You should see the movie file on your desktop, double clicking this file will open Quicktime and allow you to watch the movie, but we want an organized collection, so open iTunes and drag the movie onto the “Movie” source pane. Doing this will move the movie into your iTunes Library - once completed, it’s safe to delete the original file from your desktop. That file is now safe inside your iTunes library.

Step Four: Adding Meta-Data

The final step is to tag the movie with the correct title, and add any other information to the file you’d like to. Typically I set the movie genre, and the Year is came out in - thats all the information I need on hand. Lastly, head over to Amazon and do an image search for “movie name”. You should be presented with a bunch of DVD images, copy one of these and paste it as the artwork on the movie file.

There is no final step, you’ve successfully imported a movie into your iTunes collection, tagged it, added art, and it’s now ready for consumption directly on your Mac, on your iPod, or via your Apple TV.

Alternatively, there are a few different steps you can take to conquer a few common questions to do things such as rip a section of a movie.

FAQ

Q: Is there any way I can get rid of the ads at the start of a movie?

A: Indeed there is.  Not a specific option to choose when to start the rip from, however you can select which chapters you’d like ripped. For instance, the ads are typically located on the first chapter of the movie, so with a 20 chapter movie, I’d select chapters 2-20 for encoding leaving all the unnecessary ads out of my finished file.

Q: What if I just want to extract my favorite scene from the movie?

A: Simply select the appropriate chapter/s in from the chapter selection drop-down box. Only want movie chapters 12-15? No sweat, simply drop down the boxes and make this choice. When you hit start Handbrake will only extract this section of the movie.

Q: Is there any way to quickly prepare this movie to watch on my iPod?

A: If this is what you’re wanting to do, you’re in luck. Once your DVD is inside your machine, pop open Handbrake and hit the ‘presets’ tab in the top right hand corner of the Handbrake window. This will slide open another window where you should see the option called ‘HB-iPod.’ Click this then click rip, Handbrake will automatically change the settings to output an iPod friendly file.

Q: What does 2-pass encoding do?

A: 2-pass encoding is superior to 1-pass encoding. 2-pass encoding redistributes the available bandwidth which was determined by the bitrate setting and the quanitizer setting better. For example, a high motion scene may receive a greater share of the bandwidth than a low motion scene. All in all, this will ultimately distribute a higher quality finished file if you’re willing to give 50% more time that 2-pass encoding will take.

Final Words

I’ve currently imported 53 Movies into my iTunes collection, totaling 61.05GB. The hard work I’ve done in digitizing my collection will shine once my home media setup is completed with a HDTV and Apple TV.

The Rumor

It’s the most rumored product since the iPhone hit in early 2007, but the MacBook Touch has had related patents dating back to 2003. You can visit MacRumors.com almost everyday, and see that some new information from a “valid source” has been released. The most recent rumor claims that the entire MacBook lineup will see a refresh, and a new Mulitouch MacBook will enter the spectrum, all by the end of September.

Now, believe what you want but the chances of this happening by September are second to none. What we do know is that if there is ever to be a MacBook Touch, then the screen size would be at a maximum 10 inches.

I asked Jacky Liu, an incredible designer to come up with what he believed the Macbook Touch rumor could materialize into. Here’s what he came up with:

The Concept

“MacPad is a revolutionary new product that completely revitalizes mobile computing. It is an ultra-portable device with an immense amount of technology, and a tremendous amount of computing power. It is a fusion of the mobile experience on the iPhone, with the functionality and practicality of Mac OS X on the Macbook. MacPad is the future of ultra-portable computing.

The MacPad provides all the necessary features of an ultra-portable in less than 30% of the volume of the MacBook Air. Now that is impressive. Not only is the MacPad optimized for Intel’s Atom platform, it is optimized for your mobile lifestyle. Built-in iSight camera and microphone for visual conferencing through iChat, built-in 802.11n compatible AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, A-GPS, accelerometer and ambient light sensor, a Micro-DVI port and two USB 2.0 ports. This device can handle just about all of your portable technology needs.

The gorgeous 8” Multi-Touch display broadens every aspect of the iPhone experience through a completely new mobile platform, Mobile OS X. This is in essence the equivalent to the much familiar Unix based Mac OS X environment hidden beneath the full Multi-Touch interface developed for the iPhone. Applications on the Mac OS X platform can be applied to the mobile platform with no compromise, considering though whether the developer chooses to do so.

Features

If you thought Remote Disc from the MacBook Air was impressive, Parallel developed for the MacPad will completely take your breath away. Once paired with a Mac through Wi-Fi, this application exclusive to the MacPad can be used as a mobile touch display wirelessly accessing your desktop computer. This means that you have complete access to all of the information and computing power when and wherever possible, without the drag from a device of equivalent capability.

If the MacPad has access to an assigned local network, it could very well begin to sync any updated information wirelessly to and from your Mac. Pair the MacPad to Apple’s wireless keyboard and headphones through Bluetooth, and you may be on your way to technology nirvana. Whenever you or your MacPad needs a rest, place the device on its personal, elegant desktop dock mounted with the new 50-pin dock connector to begin charging. While you take your much deserved break the MacPad not only automatically syncs any updated information, the device can also be used as a secondary display for your desktop. The possibilities here are quite endless.”

Jacky Liu writes a tremendous design and environment blog over at iamjacky.com. Please check it out, and look at his other well thought out designs.

Final Words

Obviously the MacPad concept has tons of potential.  I am very excited to see what will become of this rumor.  Only time will tell.  Who knows what will be in store when we get our hands on the real MacPad.

What do you think will become of the Macbook Touch rumor?  Feel free to drop us a line in the comments.

Computing has come a long way since it really kicked off back in the ’70s. We’ve come from giant, ugly boxes of circuitry that could do very little, to slim, elegant machines of style that can do a whole lot more. And in all that time, the mouse has pretty much been the standard method of user interface navigation. But now - as with most things technological, things are starting to change.

Little things called Graphics tablets are starting to creep their way in to day-to-day use. The first home computer tablet was introduced in 1984 - called the KoalaPad, it was originally designed for the Apple II but later spread to other compatible machines. Even then, the main idea behind it was all to do with drawing. In today’s world, that original idea remains, with a few added extras.

But which is better for day-to-day use?

Being a hopelessly addicted tech addict, I love new things. I decided that, after receiving some money for my birthday, I’d buy something. After I eventually narrowed it down, the choice was between and external hard drive and a graphics tablet. The sensible option, of course, would be the hard drive. I never back up, and I should. But where’s the fun in the hard drive? I went for the tablet - it looked ‘cool’ and I was sure that I’d find some use for it. The tablet I chose was the highly popular Wacom Bamboo - not only is Wacom a brilliant make (the industry leader, I think we can safely say) but it was the cheapest one that I could find that looked decent. At £45 (or $57 in the US) there really was nothing (much) to lose.

Getting used to the tablet is hard. The Bamboo uses absolute positioning (any point on the tablet surface relates to that same point on the screen). Once you’ve mastered that, you’re all set to go. General navigation is in my opinion is slightly sped up, as you can go directly where you want to go in one tap, although I do find myself dragging my hand all the way, like you would with a mouse. You also don’t get the surface problems like you would with a mouse, as, rather obviously, the tablet is its own surface. The field where the advantages of the tablet shine most is image editing. In Photoshop, using the extract tool and lasso tool (to take two examples) is much easier as you’re drawing in a much more natural style. Skitch also becomes twice as fun when you add a tablet into the equation. If you’re the adventurous type, you could even give handwriting recognition a go, but for the 10 minutes I played around with it, the keyboard wins hands down.

A problem that I have had frequently with my graphics tablet is the pen. Misplacing it is so easy. I do honestly think that Wacom, or any tablet manufacturer, should make the pens a bright yellow so they never get lost. Places my pen have ended up include on the floor, in the bathroom, under the bed, in the wardrobe and even in my bowl of cereal. And it’s still going strong.

And if you’re a “I’m-not-clicking-anything” kinda guy, most tablets come with buttons on them for functions that you can set, although I hardly ever use mine.

So where am I trying to get with all this? Well, if you are the casual internet surfing, iTunes listening computer user, you will probably be fine with a good mouse. For those of you with Photoshop on your computer (or indeed Pixelmator) a cheap tablet such as the Wacom Bamboo is something that it’s probably worth investing in. And even me, the casual use, have never plugged my mouse back in in the whole time I’ve had this (except from when people use my computer and don’t know how to use the tablet) and I feel it does help reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury and helps with your hand-eye coordination.

The Bose SoundDock Portable is the original Bose SoundDock on steroids. It’s odd because the SoundDock Portable really isn’t portable at all. Its both heavier and taller than its predecessor, and its a pain to tote around. Aside from the grip handle, swiveling dock, and rechargeable battery, it really isn’t portable at all. Don’t get me wrong, It just seems more deserving of the name SoundDock II. But honestly, this is the greatest iPod speaker system I’ve ever owned, and the sound doesn’t disappoint.

Portable?

Not really - the Portability aspect of the SoundDock Portable simply doesn’t shine. Sure the handle, swiveling dock, and battery are nice, but it just doesn’t make any sense why it’s taller and heavier than the original SoundDock. I would only bring this product with me for the sound it produces. The sound is by far the absolute best I’ve yet experienced with any set of portable iPod speakers.

Control Me

The remote is of much better quality compared to its predecessor. It’s covered in soft rubber which makes it great to both hold and use. A playlist button has been added so you can skip between them, and change songs within the playlist. As I love playlists, I thoroughly enjoy this feature. There’s also your typical volume up and down keys, along with the skip track buttons and power switch. The remote gets great reception so I’ve never had to hit a button more than once - a lack of frustration is always a good thing.

Sound

This sound system never fails to blow me away every time I turn it on. Providing absolutely stunning sound for a portable player. Compared to the original SoundDock, the sound is much more crisp and clean. The base is much more defined, and there’s no annoying squeal like the older SoundDock.

Odds & Ends

The auxiliary input is key. Being that the older SoundDock didn’t feature an AUX input, I’m stoked to see one on the newer model.

The battery life is exceptional. I get about 3 hours at full volume, but Bose claims you can squeeze “much more” life at a lower volume. This is phenomenal for a product of this class.

As portable as it claims to be, the power supply is obnoxious. It’s about half the size of the Xbox 360 brick and is just about the size of a Cinema Display adapter. However for a portable product there shouldn’t be a power supply to carry around.

The Verdict

I truly love this product. From its design, to its added battery, it all adds up. It makes a great replacement to the original SoundDock, and its sure to last at least a few years. Compared to the iPod Hi-Fi it replaces, it packs the same sound, in a much smaller package. But one thing is for sure: It’s definitely not portable. The SoundDock 2 would be a much more suited label for the system.