I think I have the whole Apple marketing / design scheme down to a science.

1. Design the perfect product.
2. Remove 50% of what made it actually useful and cool to begin with.
3. Release the product.
4. Slowly add in, one by one, the missing features.

It just boggles my mind how the simplest features, that would be completely standard on any other product, merit a completely “new” product in Apple’s eyes. I’ve been wanting to video chat from my iPhone 4 to a computer ever since they announced the phone, and yet, I’m limited to only other iPhone 4′s, and only on Wifi at that. Simple things like “speed” and “a compass” were all they offered for a revision, and yet, somehow still sold “millions.” They can’t even release software on time, OS’s delayed months and features (Game Center) released with bugs and no support.

Don’t get me wrong, I love their products, and own just about everything they make, but sooner or later, their clientele are going to start seeing through the smoke show and demand actual progress, instead of a package of hope and promise.

I too, like many, was recommended to this shop (located in Allston, MA) by a local Apple store. I had a MacBook Air (out of warranty) that needed some work done ASAP (recall on a hinge that was prone to cracking), and the Apple store wanted to send it to their repair center to get it done (taking 1+ week). I was greeted by some employe after about 5 minutes of aimlessly standing around trying to find someone to help me. I explained to him my problem, and he promised a quick turn around time with no hassle.

I got a call the next day that my laptop was ready to be picked up and did so. Again, another 5 minutes of waiting before the boy sitting at the counter could look away from his solitaire game to help me. I quickly inspected the work and went on my way. As much as I wish the story ended there, it doesn’t. Read more

Found in the Utilities folder with the Applications, chances are you have probably opened it up once or twice for something. Its main function is to display all the current running processes, along with their memory and processor usage. What it also shows you is the drive space, RAM space, network activity, CPU activity, and disk activity to name a few things.

CPU – This panel will display all the information pertaining to the usage of the processor. The first thing you will notice when viewing the process list is that 100% isn’t the maximum. The way the computer calculates percents for processes is based on every core operating at 0 to 100%, meaning if you have two cores, you’ll have a total of 100% processing power, 4 cores 400%, etc. Contrast this with the summary (lower panel) which runs from a strict 0-100% scale, meant as an overview to the system, rather then a detailed look as is the process view. The “% User” which is green by default, indicates the percent of the processor that tasks that belong to you are using. These tasks include pretty much anything that opens when you log in, as well as anything you manually open or run. “System” includes things that load up when the system is started as well as processes that cannot be terminated and that are necessary to the operation of the computer. “Nice” is a bit more complicated. The Nice processes are those which are running under a scheduled order – that is processes that are given a priority, to either be executed ahead or behind others. You will usually see the Nice increase along with heavy multitasking actions, such as some Photoshop plugins. Read more

The Mac Pro. If one was to liken a computer to a mythical Phoenix, this would probably be the one. The workhorse of the Macintosh lineup, it incorporates features previously available to only server machines.

This machine is equipped from the factory with 2 Xeon quad core 2.8GHz chips, 2GB of RAM, a SuperDrive, a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT graphics card, Wireless Extreme card, and a 500GB 7200RPM drive. Aftermarket improvements include an extra 6GB of RAM (total of 8GB), a Pioneer SuperDrive, and the removal of the stock Apple HD for the addition of 4 640GB WD 7200RPM drives. Computer baseline price is $2300, as ordered $3050, with aftermarket upgrades ~$4000.

Build & Appearance - Whether you hate or love macs, you cannot deny, some serious thought went into the design of this computer. Everything from the perforation in the front and rear to facilitate case fans and air flow, to the placement of ports and bays, everything has the appearance of design for purpose. The case itself is built out of a 5mm thick aluminum that looks as if it could take a bullet. Despite this choice of light weight material, the computer still weighs in at just over 70lbs. Aside from placement of fans and the number of ports, little has changed from the design of the G5 tower. Seams line up nicely, and overall, the tower looks as if it could just as happily be on display as a art gallery. Read more

You’ve probably seen or heard of it it at some point somewhere, the MacBook Air. It’s the ultra-portable, ultra-slim 13″ laptop from Apple. Weighing in at just under 3 lbs and 0.76″ at it’s thickest point, it makes a high school book report look bulky.

Packing - Apple maintains their “Green” movement by fitting the computer, and all its accessories into a box no larger then some modern day laptops. As usual, everything is neatly packed away in an appropriately sized compartment in such a way that once you take everything out, you’ll never get them back in again. Included with the second generation models is the 45W power adapter, extension power cord, small cleaning cloth, information pamphlets, and restore CD’s (despite its lack of optical drive). Owners of the previous generation will notice the lack of a display adapter – Apple wants another $30 out of you.

Features - As with just about all Apple products, you get a little of what you don’t need and sometimes miss a little of what you needed. This particular laptop is the grandaddy of them all – the 128GB SSD, 1.86Ghz, fully loaded model. Price at time of ordering beginning of January 2009 is $2500. Read more