What is it about Apple?

I read in a recent news article that there were two kinds of fans at the just-completed MacWorld conference in San Francisco: the long-time, counter-culture fans that have always bought Macintosh computers, and the relative newbies who have fallen in love with the trendy iPod. I'm definitely not in the first group, having never used a Mac computer. I would count myself in that second group, however. There are now four iPods in our household (a mini, shuffle, nano, and video), and it seems that I promote iPods at work more than people would care.

Does this make me a fan of Apple?

As I have started thinking more about technology, the "digital lifestyle" that Apple has been promoting with its newest products has really made me consider buying into Mac computers. For instance, I like the looks of the iLife suite that now comes with Macs. Apple understands what more and more people want to do, which is to share their experiences with other people via the Web. This has been important to me for the past several years as I have been living in Asia. I can share photos and stories about my kids, my job, my vacations, and my future aspirations with the people I care about around the world.

The new Mac computers look very exciting. The MacBook Pro notebook and the new iMac desktop, both using Intel processors, are supposed to be faster than ever before.

But this isn't really about evaluating the Mac. What I'm getting at here is a strategy. Where I think Apple is doing things better than other tech companies is forming a vision of what lifestyles are becoming. More and more, people are untethering themselves from their home computers and bringing their personal technology with them wherever they go. A lot of what may be called 'computing' is now being done away from the home or work office. It is being done with ultra portable notebooks, PDA's, cell phones, and - yes - the iPod.

In reading this article today, there was a suggestion that Apple shouldn't try to rely much longer on the success of the iPod, that Steve Jobs and co. will need to refocus on Macs. This may be true. But I think that suggestion might be missing the larger picture. The iPod isn't finished evolving, not by a longshot. It started out four years ago as a portable music player. By the fall of 2005, through various iterations, the iPod had evolved into a portable media device, capable of playing not only your entire music collection but also carrying all your digital photos, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos. It also contains a number of other features such as an address book synced with MS Outlook, games, clocks, an alarm clock, and so on. In other words, the iPod has developed into a device that lets you take much of your digital media with you wherever you go.

From having kept my eye on stories predicting the future of portable media, and through my own futurist thinking, I expect the iPod to evolve further. Eventually, it might become a wireless device. If it can access the Internet, then it will be possible to do even more things. In other words, the iPod could become the ultimate on-the-go media/computing device -- an extension of our home computer.

Which brings me back to Macs for a moment. Those notebooks look pretty slick, but I think if I were to go for a new computer I'd probably look for something that could be easily upgradable. Notebooks are not usually upgradable, and for all the extra money you pay, the main benefit is its portability. BUT, what if the iPod becomes the ultimate portable device, allowing you to have always-on contact with your home Mac? Could this happen? Could we see the day that a truly portable (meaning 'handheld') device allows us remote access to our home computer? This is the direction I see Apple moving towards.

So, I think that Apple is doing more than any other company to lead the revolution in digital lifestyle. This is not to say that other companies don't make good computers or software, or that all other portable devices fail to impress me. The difference is simply that Apple integrates all of these factors into its vision. It makes the hardware, the software, and the media content, and it does it all in a user-friendly and trendy way. It is definitely cool to use Apple products these days.

So, yes, I love my iPods. And imagining what we'll be able to do with them in the future is very exciting.

First visit Down Under

I just returned from a vacation that has been almost 30 years in the making. Yes, I just spent the past week in Australia, visiting my wife's relatives in Sydney. Here I am standing with the Sydney Harbour Bridge over my shoulder, and the Opera House is just off stage right.

I would give this trip a score of 9 out of 10 (happy, Doyle?). I can't say a perfect 10 because that would imply that I accomplished all I wanted to accomplish on this trip. Alas, there simply isn't enough time to see and do all the things one wants to do in only five days. Nevertheless, I was extremely satisfied with my time down under.

As for that earlier statement about this trip being 30 years in the making... I say that because I first learned about Australia through my uncle Allan, who lived there for about 25 years. Since first hearing about Australia, I have wanted to go there. Although we are planning to move there in 2007, I really couldn't wait anymore to go there.

This was my first trip to the southern hemisphere, which means something to me, probably because of my fascination with this world we live in. Australia is the 3rd continent I have visited (along with Asia and North America). And Sydney is the latest in my personal tour of great world cities. I got to lay my hands on the Sydney Opera House, adding to my list of visited world wonders (including the Great Wall, the Empire State Building, the Petronas Towers, and the CN Tower).

Although I felt some culture shock in Australia (the Aussie accent gave me some difficulty, as did their idioms and almost total neglect of North American sports), I came away feeling that Australia was basically like a combination of Canada and England, but with great weather. Since part of the reason for this trip was to get a first-hand sense of what it would be like to live there, I think that my family could be very happy there. Certainly, I met some really great people in Australia (including Doyle and his family, Bob and Judy, and Doyle's buddy Chris), so I think living in Australia could be a whole lot of fun!

But I still have a year to go before that happens. And for now, I get ready to go back to work at JLS. Teaching English. Yawn.