Caution! This Computer is Not Edible!
I’m not a Mac fan, by any means. I don’t hate Macs either, but this little number they’re calling the i-Pod Shuffle looks like it could be something I’d enjoy. That is, once I got something faster than a dialup connection and installed the iTunes software and such.
But this. Well, it’s neat but color me underwhelmed. I think it’s a heck of an achievement to stuff that much hardware into that small a space and it certainly looks nifty as hell.
But, it’s awful pricey at 500 dollars, considering that it doesn’t include a monitor, keyboard, mouse or printer. You can get a comparable system from Dell for the same price and it comes with everything. But if you’re into neato toys and have the cash to spend, or have a few Mac parts lying around, then this might just be the ticket.
Now, back to that I-Pod Shuffle. The idea is cool: plug the unit into your computer, download a bunch of tunes into it, and it’ll play them in random order. You get a different playlist every time you stuff it full of songs. That’s a pretty clever way of marketing what is essentially an i-Pod without the screen. It’s still a bit pricey considering its size (1 GB of space for 150 dollars) but not overly pricey.
What I’m more worried about is the fine print at the bottom of the ad.
- Music capacity is based on 4 minutes per song and 128Kbps AAC encoding.
- Do not eat iPod shuffle.
- Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
- Some computers require either the optional iPod shuffle Dock or a USB cable extender (sold separately).
Yes, yes. I have the caveats. Song size may vary. Don’t eat the i-Pod. Rechargeable battery life is fleeting. You may need to buy a connector.
Wait.
Don’t eat the i-Pod??
Is this a problem in some starving suburb of Hipsterland? Look, I understand that it may be the size of a pack of gum, but is there really a concern that someone may msitake it for an actual pack of gum and try to chew on it? Does it give off a pleasing aroma like beef jerky that may entice the unobservant?
Whatever. Don’t eat the i-Pod. And don’t marinate the Macmini.
(via Hubs and Spokes, who, I’m sure, will not be fricaseeing his G2)
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Category: Pop Culture
Actually, I usually put it in a double boiler and make a nice sauce. Very smooth.
And it's a G4.
The mini-Mac is PC equiptment compatible. So someone like you, who has monitor, keyboard and mouse already, can just plug-and-play. Besides, Windows won't have anything "comparable" with OSX until Longhorn comes out … whenever that is.
marc, you shuold put out a Mac recipe book. Mmmm….mac and cheese.
Robbie…I don't want to start a whole flapdoodle about OSX but, to be honest, if an OS runs my computer and stays out of my way, then I (just as a user) consider it comparable with every other OS that runs my computer and stays out of my way. UNless there's a huge kick-up in performance out of a new OS, then it's just the same as an old one. That's kind of why I'm not quite on the OSX bandwagon. I'm sure it's neat but I, as an average mook, and not quite sure why it's better than the pretty cheap version of Win98b running on my PC right now.
If, as you say, you have no basis for comparison, you would have to be underwhelmed by any new computer, wouldn't you?
You're right, the Mac OS doesn't offer a huge kick-up in the computer's performance, and isn't designed to–the point is to increase your performance. You can always disagree about whether it does that for you personally, though the studies show that people generally work more efficiently on Macs than PCs, if they're equally familiar.
My own metric on whether a new OS is worth my time is whether it gives me a signifant advantage for the cost – no matter the system on which it runs. That's the reason I haven't seriously looked at a Mac – because the advantage it will give me isn't worth the financial hit I'd end up taking. It's also why I've only fiddled with Linux – any advantage I might get from it would get sucked up (plus some) in time I'd have to spend setting it up and fiddling with it.
That said, I've thought for a long time that if I were to splurge on a computer, I'd splurge on a Mac.