Will iPads replace laptops? The CEO of BestBuy thinks so. Tim got his hands on the new iPod Nano, and has a report! Also, as this is the last OWC Radio by host Tim Robertson, he reflects back on the history of the show.
Author Archive
Tim Robertson’s Last – OWC Radio #42
Friday, September 17th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
Category: OWC Radio
Be Fair to Yourself
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
It comes down to a matter of what is right and wrong. At least, when I was a child, and the world worked in pure black and white, with no shades of grey, fairness was everything. If one child cried, “That’s not fair!” people would take note. Fairness was everything.
As an adult, fairness has many different meanings, and many shades of grey. It’s not fair to take something that does not belong to you, unless it’s taxes. And then, how much is a fair amount? Who decides?
The most common type of fairness I see comes from personal lives. “I worked for two hours on that report, and saved it every five minutes. But my hard drive just died, and my report is gone! That’s not fair, I did the work!” Does this sound familiar to you?
When your personal sense of fairness is breached, it hurts all the more. In the above case, yes, the person did the work, and diligently saved their document every five minutes. (Probably a Windows 95 user who is used to the computer crashing every seven minutes.) But today, with the price of external hard drives way down, and the size of storage capacity way up, there really is almost no reason to ever lose your document, and more importantly, the hours you spent working on it. Article Continues…
Category: Product Spotlight
Mike Bombich of Carbon Copy Cloner – OWC Radio #41
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
OWC Radio host Tim Robertson has an interview with the developer of Carbon Copy Cloner, Mike Bombich. A very fun interview, and one of the first Mike has done as the developer for CCC. One of Tim’s all-time favorite Mac applications, Carbon Copy Cloner is a tool every Mac user should be using. This or That, of course, at the end of the show!
We would love to hear from you! email us at podcast@macsales.com
Category: OWC Radio
Apple Event with David Cohen – OWC Radio #40
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
Tim is joined by his one time podcasting co-host David Cohen to talk about yesterdays big Apple event. Topics include: is the new Apple TV actually better than the current Apple TV, as both David and Tim are owners of an Apple TV. What’s going on with the iPod Classic? Is the new iPod Nano worth buying? And Ping, Apple’s new music social network inside iTunes, has launched, and you’re invited to become friends with Tim! Plus, This or That with David!
We would love to hear from you! email us at podcast@macsales.com
Category: OWC Radio
The new Apple TV and ONE BIG question remains
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
Nothing heralds the coming of the fall season like professional football in the United States, except maybe the annual September Apple event, and this year was no different. Some people were left sated by the bevy of new Apple products that were announced, while others were left scratching their heads and wondering, “Was that it?”
While the fall 2010 iPod line-up looks great, especially the new iPod Nano, Apple CEO Steve Jobs saved the “one more thing” moment for the revamped Apple TV. As an owner of a 160GB Apple TV, I was worried that if/when Apple did revamp the device, my current model would be rendered useless at worst, or outdated at best. Surprisingly, neither happened.
The new $99 Apple TV looks to be a great device, albeit one with no internal storage capacity. Streaming is the word of the day, with no ability to either buy content or store it locally on the Apple TV. Rentals, starting at $.99 for television shows, will be streamed to your Apple TV over the internet. (Hope you have a fast internet connection!) You will also be able to stream content from a Macintosh via WiFi or Ethernet, or an iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) via the new AirPlay built into iOS 4.2. (Coming this November)
The only real question I have is this: will AirPlay be a service that other iOS apps can take advantage of, or is it reserved for Apple’s own apps? If indeed, as some have speculated, AirPlay will be available to third-party developers, would it be logical to assume that apps could transform the Apple TV into something much greater than we saw on stage at this Apple event? If I can stream any video content from my iOS device to my Apple TV, I would be able to watch videos content from apps such as HBO, HULU Plus, ABC, and many others.
All of a sudden, the Apple TV looks to be much different from the first generation device. Right now, other than Netflix (which I have on my PS3 and Xbox 360) and the AirPlay, I don’t see any significant changes that would warrant my abandoning my current Apple TV for this newer, quieter, and cooler one. Or am I missing something?
It’s a Mag, Mag, Mag, Mag World!
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
My ears are sore, thanks to my iPhone.
Not from listening to my music too loud, although I have been known to do that from time to time. No, my ears are sore because my Apple earbuds were violently ripped out of them.
It was not some strange White Earbud Vandal who ripped my earbuds out. In fact, the only person I have to blame for my sore ears is myself. Allow me to explain.
The audio system in my car does not feature Bluetooth or any direct connect audio input. Instead, to connect my iPhone to the car audio system, I use a cassette adapter. Not elegant, but the audio quality is better than an FM Transmitter. Unfortunately, I had taken the adapter out of the car yesterday, and didn’t remember doing so until I had already left home today. So I plugged in the earbuds that came with my iPhone, left for months in my glove compartment, and was enjoying music that way.
When I got out of the car, I forgot about the headphones. My seatbelt, however, must have thought it would be fun to snag on the white headphone cable as it retracted into its home above my left shoulder. That’s one way to take earbuds out, and quickly! Ouch!
More often than not, when this happens, it is the iPhone itself that goes flying, not my earbuds. Nothing says “AppleCare” like watching your iPhone bounce off a cement floor, all because of the headphone cable and jack.
So the thought came to me: what if Apple were to use a MagSafe plug for headphones? The MagSafe, of course, was introduced by Apple in 2006 with that years MacBook Pro. The power cable is held in place by magnets. It is secure, but even a gentle tug will pull it free.
Why not use the same technology for headphones? Call it the MagSafe Audio. Apple could include a new MagSafe headphone / earbud with every new iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad, as well as sell small, inexpensive MagSafe Audio adapter for use with third party headphones.
We all know that Steve Jobs hates buttons and holes, and this would take another one away.
The MagSafe Audio, a technology to save the life of an iPhone. And, possibly, prevent my sore ears more abuse.
Les Tokar Interview & Apple Event – OWC Radio #39
Monday, August 30th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
This week, OWC Radio host Tim Robertson talks with Les Tokar, the owner and operator of The SSD Review. If you only listen to one podcast to learn about SSD’s, this is the show you want to hear. Everything from ease of installation, what to look for when shopping for an SSD, and what an SSD actually is. Plus, audio feedback from John G., Phil lost his bookmarks, and there is an Apple event looming, but will Tim watch it live?
Category: OWC Radio
Office 2011 – Cautiously Hopeful
Friday, August 27th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim
I have made no secret over the last few years that while there are times I am forced to use Microsoft Office products on my Mac, it’s definitely not my first choice. For everyday writing, I tend to lean more towards Pages, or even Text Edit if I don’t need to worry about fancy layouts or graphics. I just want to get things done, and for years, Microsoft Word simply presented too many inconsistencies and became a resource hog I could do without.
All that being said, I cannot help but be somewhat impressed with some of the new features coming to Office 2011 for Mac. The below video highlights what I am talking about. Article Continues…
