My co-workers have become well-aware of what an Apple nerd I am, and today Bill brought me this pen that he got back in the 1980s when he first started working with Rex (my boss).
I love the colors and the font of the old logo–oh! And on the back of the pen it says “Germany,” so there must have been a time when not everything was made in China. Who knew!
My soon-to-be brother-in-law sent me this clock last week—is it not freaking perfect for me? He found a guy on Etsy who has a shop called Stuff Made From Stuff, mainly consisting of clocks made from old Macs or other computer parts.
For those of you reading this who might not be Mac-obsessed, this is the actual front of an old PowerMac G4, turned into a clock. The clock actually keeps time, but I turned it off last night after learning that Link was trying to climb the wall and catch the ticking red second hand. I’ll have to turn it on again after he forgets that it’s there.
Anyway, it’s hanging up in our kitchen by the door to give it a prominent view. I love wacky art, but I love wacky art made from Apple products even more. So thanks, Katie and Junnhi!
So, today Apple announced the much-anticipated, much-rumored iPad, a device somewhere in between an iPhone/iPod Touch and a Macbook.
I think it’s brilliant. (But you’re not surprised, I know.)
It’s not a tablet, it’s not a netbook, it’s not an iPod. So what is it?
Essentially, it’s what you’d get if a Kindle, a netbook and an iPod Touch had a threeway, the iPod Touch got pregnant and then God intervened and, in his mock-turtlenecked wisdom, made the bastard child way more fucking awesome.
So, for those of you who weren’t hanging on every word of the announcement today, here are some of the highlights of the iPad:
The entire time I was watching the liveblog feed from Engadget, I was biting my lip waiting for the price. And when they announced the pricing structure, I about pissed my pants. $499 for 16GB? Yes, please.
Now, initially I thought I would want the 3G-enabled version, which at $629 is a bit of a kick in the pants. But I’m not sure. Will I really be using it so often when I’m not within range of a wireless station? Probably not. But if my habits ever change, it would be nice to be able to sign up for the 3G service (from AT&T again, of course). Especially since, contrary to most wireless company’s data plans, no contract is required. And $14.99/month for 250GB of data (or $29.99/unlimited) is unprecedented. And very reasonable.
But I’ve got some time to decide. I don’t exactly have $500 or $600 just laying around, and I’m not entirely sure I want to get in on the first version of this product. I’ve learned from experience that when buying a new, revolutionary product, it’s generally best to wait for version 2.0 (unless you have the cash to burn, of course). When the iPhone was first announced, despite having dreamt of it for years and years, I knew that the second version would be much improved. So I waited, and was not disappointed.
I guess I’ll give it some time and see what kind of apps are developed, and pay attention to how I think I would use it to better determine if it’s worth the extra $130 for the 3G capabilities (I’m already leaning toward yes, though).
Oh, and the name? Give it a rest, people. Yes, period jokes, iTampon is next, blah blah. Someone already said what you’re about to tweet there, guy. And really, what did you expect it to be called? It fits with the iPod name and accurately describes what it is. As my friend Jamie asked, “Do you snicker when someone says ‘notepad’?”
Bottom line: No matter what you call it, it’s a game-changer.
First they take the open-apple symbol off the keyboard, now they remove FireWire from the MacBook?
WTF is wrong with Apple??
Ok, so I get the open-apple symbol isn’t functional and I’m just being a nostalgic nerd by being pissed about it being gone. But also: Seriously, the new thin keyboards suck giant balls. I HATE the keys. HATE THEM.
But taking FireWire off the MacBooks completely? Are you serious? How the hell are you supposed to boot into target disc mode? YOU CAN’T with USB!
Also, if you’re transferring a shit-ton of stuff, put FireWire and USB 2. 0 in a pit together and ask them to fight to the death. FireWire will kill USB 2. 0, bring it back to life, kill it again and then go catch you a delicious bass all before USB 2.0 will be able to even understand the question.
AND my freaking iPod (well, just one of them, but my faaavorite one) is FireWire. WTF am I supposed to do if I get rid of my two desktops and two laptops that currently support FireWire?? (Haha, but seriously: I store all of my music and sync my iPods from my desktop, which I have seriously thought about replacing with a MacBook and a great cinema display from time to time. Well, that dream has been killed. JUST LIKE FIREWIRE. Also: That dream might have already been killed when the economy shit the bed. Or before that, when I realized nobody really needs seven computers, not even me.)
If all this is happening because Steve is sick and not able to kick ass as much as he usually does, what is going to happen when he actually kicks the bucket? Excuse me while I go weep for the former shell of Apple.
I am in love with my new iPhone 3G. I love all of my Apple products (in addition to the iPhone, I have two iMacs, one iBook, one Powerbook, one Power Mac—on loan to my sister, who also bought my other iBook—one Mac Classic, one iPod Photo, one iPod Shuffle, one iPod nano and a MacBook I use for work), but not since my iMac DVSE have I felt such a strong bond so quickly with one. I think it’s the amount of time we’ve already spent—and will spend—with each other. Don’t worry, Ian approves. He thinks I’m crazy, but he likes the phone, too.
But because I take it everywhere with me, I need a case for it. The last thing I want to do is cover up its beauty, but the last+1 thing I want to do is drop it and kill it. I mean, let’s just be honest here: iPhones ain’t cheap.
I especially want to get one before Friday morning, when I’ll be flying to Chicago for a quick trip home to see family. The idea of my newborn iPhone being naked in the airport makes me a bit nervous, but good cases are scarce these days. I’ve narrowed my preferences down to three different cases: the Griffin Nu Form, the Contour Flick and the Incase Slider. Now, the Incase and Contour cases apparently aren’t available right now, and I haven’t been able to find the Griffin one in stock in a store (although I haven’t really looked too hard).
When I worked at Apple, the Contour case was the one we recommended to iPhone (the original, I worked there over the holidays last year) owners, but Incase is a popular brand, too. (And recommended by two bloggers who I trust in terms of technology judgment.) So I could order the Griffin one and get it in a few days (with free shipping), but I might like the Contour or Incase one more. But those might not be available for a few more weeks.
What’s a geek to do???
Emily and I got to the Murfreesboro AT&T store at 6:30 a.m. this morning. I had planned to go to the Apple store in Green Hills, but I heard on Twitter that there were already 70 people there, and the line was growing fast. I really didn’t expect there to be this many people at the AT&T store in the ‘boro, but when we got there we counted about 54 people in line in front of us.
At 9:30 a.m. we were let into the store, and were told that they were almost out of black 16GB ones. Luckily I had decided I wanted the white one, so I was good to go. They let 12 people in at first, and had eight reps working on activations. Then as one person would leave, they’d let another in.
Of course, AT&T didn’t really prep for this type of volume (it’s not like they didn’t go thru this last year, right??), so their system was sluggish. The rep that I bought the phone from told me that I would have to go home and activate the phone through iTunes myself–and that it might take a couple of hours.
I’m updating iTunes to 7.7 right now (wish I would have thought of that last night, because it’s taking FOREVER), and will soon begin the activation process. Let’s just hope it works!!
(Oh, also, since the iPhone isn’t activated and they have already shut off my previous SIM card, I am not reachable by phone right now. I will be checking email throughout the day, so please email or Twitter if you need me.)
Update: At 2:30 p.m. I was finally able to get my phone activated through iTunes and am now able to make calls. I’m in the process of loading some music onto the phone, and then will have to transfer all of my contacts from the Shine to the iPhone.
My first impression is that this phone is freaking awesome. I spent a lot of time playing with the iPhones when I worked for Apple over the holidays last year, but there’s just something special about having my own. And I’m glad I went for the white one. I’m going to get a case for it, anyway, but so far I have yet to see a white one in the wild. Although, I haven’t really been out much today. :)
After wanting an iPhone since they were first announced last year—and after years of saying if Apple ever came out with a phone I’d own it—I am happy that I finally have one in my hands. And it was well worth the wait.
…until I can buy an iPhone 3G!!! I’ve been waiting for this moment for more than a year. When the first iPhone was announced, I was still under contract with the shitfest known as Sprint, and I was damned if I was going to give those assholes $175 to cancel a contract that was almost fulfilled.
But since before the iPhone—or even the iPod—was even a sparkle in someone’s genius eye, I said that if Apple ever made a cell phone I would own it.
And tomorrow, that goal will be recognized.
I’m not going all psycho and camping out overnight, but that’s mainly because the girly parts don’t exactly make it easy to urinate in a bush or on the side of a store. And since I consumed part of two pitchers of Magic Hat #9 tonight, it’s probably not the best time to see how the whole “holding it in” thing works.
So I’ll be waking up my sister at 5 a.m. tomorrow to head over to the AT&T store in town first, and if that looks like it’s a bust, I suppose we’ll head on over to the Apple store in Green Hills. I assume the line will be longer there, but the staff is 100 times more competent, they are rumored to have more in stock, and, well shit, it’s the Apple store. Who doesn’t want to buy stuff there?
So, folks, wish me luck tomorrow that my dreams may be fulfilled.
So a couple of months back, I left the Evil Twin of cell phone companies and switched to AT&T in anticipation of the new iPhone 3G. And sweet glory hallelujah it was announced June 9 and will be available for me to purchase July 11.
Or so I hope.
Apparently AT&T is being a shady bitch, and the $199/$299 price announced might only be for new customers or current customers eligible for an upgrade. Well, since I just signed a freaking contract two months ago, of course I am not eligible for an upgrade. At first I was really pissed about this (OK, I still am), but Ian did bring up the point that I got my LG Shine at a subsidized price, so why should I expect to get the iPhone subsidized, too? Ok, yeah yeah, voice of reason, kill my cellphone-companies-suck buzz. Anyway, I can always sell the Shine on eBay to get some $$ to go toward the new iPhone.
But now I am reading reports of people who are in a similar situation as me and have called AT&T to inquire about the price of the phone only to be told they will NOT BE ALLOWED TO BUY THE PHONE AT ALL. At first I dismissed this, because honestly, what kind of a fucked-up business model is that? Don’t allow your current customers to buy a product you’re selling? And not just any product, mind you. The Jesus Phone. Yeah, I’d like to see them try that.
But I have read thread after thread of people who have called AT&T and received the same stupid news. Of course, I have also read more comments from people who have supposedly been told they will be able to purchase it at the subsidized price (I was told this as well when I called AT&T last week), and still others who have been told there will be a higher price for suckers like me who aren’t eligible for the upgrade, but AT&T has not determined that price yet. Although, if this proves to be true, I’m thinking it can’t be any more than $175 (the cost to terminate your contract early) on top of $199/$299, because then you’d just have people ending their contracts early and starting a new one w/ the iPhone. That plus a legion of pissed off Apple fanboys does NOT equal good times. Applepocolypse, maybe.
Ah, fuck. Come on, people. You think AT&T would have their shit together on this BEFORE the damn thing was announced. It’s not like this is some lame-ass Blackberry or Samsung phone or whatever—it’s the goddamn iPhone!
Whatever the truth is, I wish they’d just announce it already, so I can get on to worry about more important things. Like what color I’m going to buy!
Note: As I was combing the rumor sites this weekend, I came across my newest favorite saying. I am giggling to myself right now thinking about it. In response to AT&T not allowing current non-iPhone AT&T customers to buy the iPhone 3G, a commenter somewhere noted that if that were the case, AT&T could “mouthify my wang.” HAHAHAHAHA. Yes, I am 12 years old. Shut it.
So while I was wallowing in the shit that has been my last week and a half, a bright spot appeared Monday: the 3G iPhone! Anyone who knows me knows my little heart has been set on it coming out for the past year, and now I only have to wait until July 11.
The new version will feature, besides 3G Internet speed, GPS tracking and push e-mail (which requires, if I’m correct, a subscription to the new MobileMe service, which I already have since I’m a .Mac customer and will be transferred over.) I’m sure there are several other new features, but I really don’t care to touch on them right now. I’m just stoked I will finally get my iPhone.
I’m thinking I’m going to get the 16 GB because it’s only $100 more for twice the storage size. It’s not going to be my primary music source (that will be reserved for my trusty, beloved iPod Photo 40 GB), but 16 GB is enough space to carry around the music I need for my daily commute, or for when I just don’t want to carry an iPod and a cell phone. Which probably won’t be too often, but whatever.
Now the option that plagues me is whether to purchase the white or black model. I like the idea of the black one because of the sleek factor, and that it won’t show dirt as easily. However, it will show fingerprints. But, since I most likely will use a case with either, those factors will most likely be negated. My iPod Photo is white, old-school iPod style, so maybe white would be nice again? Or will it maybe fade, old-school computer style?
So: black or white? Weigh in and help me decide in the comments!!
Update: Earlier today some Twitterers and I were discussing whether current AT&T customers that are not eligible for a phone upgrade would be getting fucked by having to pay extra on top of the subsidized price. Several blogs seemed to indicate that yes, indeed we would be. However, I called AT&T after work and told them that I had just signed up for AT&T a couple months ago BECAUSE of the iPhone, and that I would be severely pissed if I signed up for the iPhone only to be told I’d be penalized and have to pay an extra fee to get the phone. A helpful rep said he had a memo to address just that, scanned it, and read me a portion that said something to the effect of, “Customers who normally wouldn’t be eligible for a handset upgrade due to tenure will be made eligible” for the iPhone. He said it appeared they were making an exception because the iPhone is brand new. He asked what kind of handset I have now (LG Shine) and said I should have no problem purchasing the 3G iPhone July 11 or later for the $199 or $299 price.
Let’s hope to jebus he’s right!!!
So I usually pay my Sprint bill online. That is, when they haven’t fucked up my bill or when their Web site isn’t down.
Well, imagine my lack of surprise when last night I tried to log on to view and pay my bill and I was prompted to re-register (apparently they had made “upgrades” to their site, which for some reason required me picking a new user name and password). And, of course, I could not. I tried several times both last night and this morning, but each time received an error page that my registration could not be completed.
So I e-mailed customer service. And they e-mailed me back. Their fix?
“You must re-register for a new account.”
Ummm… yeah, that’s kind of why I freaking e-mailed you in the first place. So I e-mailed back, hey asswipes, that’s my problem. They e-mailed me back about four pages of instructions on how to register for a Nextel (the company they bought/merged with) account. Yeah, you know what? Not doing it. There is no reason I would have to go through 400 steps just to be able to view/pay my bill. For one thing, that’s not what their Web site told me to do. And if that’s really what was required, wouldn’t the site be telling people that? And lastly, if I have to go through 2 hours of registration shit, I’ll just cancel my fucking account.
So I tried to re-register again, with no luck. I emailed them back (along with my thoughts on the aforementioned Nextel advice), and received an e-mail with this nugget of goodness: “Oh, yeah, those directions were wrong. You need to (wait for it…) REGISTER FOR A NEW ACCOUNT!!!”
I’m so over Sprint.
So I got a wild hair up my ass tonight, and since I had my MacBook with Parallels on it with me, I decided I would try the oldest trick in the troubleshooting book: Use Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP to register.
Guess what? Same error page! Oh, wait, but it gets better. Sprint’s Web site actually CRASHED INTERNET EXPLORER. I mean, I know it doesn’t take much to crash it. But I laughed my ass off when I got the “Yeah, hi, Internet Explorer here. There’s some fucked up shit going down with this Web site, so yeah, we’re going to go ahead and close up shop. Good luck, sucka!” message.
Sigh. I really didn’t want to switch to AT&T until the 3G iPhone came out. I know I can switch to them now (I’m out of a Sprint contract) and get a free phone and then just buy the iPhone later, but my bill will go up significantly, since I’m getting several discounts/free services from Sprint because they have fucked up my account so badly in the past. Well, it won’t be that much more expensive… I guess about $20 more a month. But still, for someone who doesn’t use their phone for talking too much (I’m a text/Internet junkie), the pain from the increase would be ameliorated much easier by a new iPhone.
Technorati tags: Sprint, Sprint sucks, AT&T,iPhone
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
