DISQUS

Glad to see you're making the time to take some photographs again. Lovely shot. What lens were you using?

I'm not sure it was ever 'portable'.. 'luggable' would be a better word. The 'classic' design (original Macintosh, Plus, SE, SE30, Classic, Colour Classic) was hauled around by a lot of people, hence the availability of cases. Darian Systems founder (and introducer of public internet access to the Custard Factory - and probably Birmingham) Adrian Sutherland used to haul the (25lb) Mac Plus back and forth between Birmingham and Zurich regularly. Now I'm looking at my (5lb) MacBook, thinking it's bulky, and wondering whether I should upgrade to the MacBook Air..

I was talking to my daughter (now 7 years old) about the first computer I ever used, which was a Commodore PET (the old 4k version with the cassette deck and the chicklet keys). What surprised me was not how laughably underpowered it was compared to the average disposable calculator or digital watch, but how familiar it seemed to her. The built-in monitor, the keyboard, the storage device: It seemed suddenly like we haven't come that far at all in 30 years. Where are the leaps of alien-like technology in computing? Microsoft Surface? Give me a break. I find myself experiencing moments of awe and astonishment more frequently in the presence of a new iPod than in that of a desktop computer (and yes, a notebook is essentially a desktop). Maybe this evolutionary approach is good, but I look at my Message Pad 120 (and Apple's prototypes for hybrid Newton/deskphones) and think that perhaps somewhere it all went wrong when a 14-year old device still looks like the future of computing. The iPhone/iPod touch (note to Apple: Do something about what we call this new mobile OS X platform!) is the first thing since Newton that doesn't look like a sideways step.

Ah I have a Colour Classic too (and, like the one in your photograph it's the UK variant with the English spelling thank you very much!) and the hybrid Mac mini project has been on my mind a while. Trouble is, I don't have the heart to gut it. Maybe I should use the old SE instead. Or the Mac Plus. Or just get another Colour Classic. Oh god, I seem to be surrounded by defunct kit too. Let's not talk about the Apple IIe...

BTW, I'm guessing you know that floppy disks really were floppy before Apple (yes them again) popularised the 3.5" diskette. I'm looking at a set of two Apple II 5.25" floppy drives as I type.

Don't be too hard on the MacBook because the HDD failed. I have it on good industry authority that 10% of drives fail a year, so it's really a case of when not if. The problem's getting worse too, as storage increases in density, which probably explains why neither you nor I used to have this kind of a problem. There's almost no chance that Apple's problems are any worse than any other manufacturers since they use reputable drive suppliers. In truth, things like the on-board motion sensor in the MacBook probably make them more reliable than many other machines.

I had a drive problem in a 1st gen white MacBook as a result of a motherboard issue. The Apple Store ran software (which I was willing to buy for £80, but they saved me the trouble) which fixed the disk enough to recover 99% of everything (yes, I was backed up anyway), and the motherboard got replaced inside 3 days (Friday to Monday). They even let me hang on to the machine long enough to swap the HD out with a spare work MacBook so I could carry on working, and they ordered the parts while I was waiting. They thought the top plate was a bit loose too, so they replaced that as well. I couldn't have been treated better.

You're definitely on the right track, though I'll be giving much more thought to this posting later. My opinion? A city is a Wiki, though the PTB* seem to think of Birmingham as more of a swanky PDF.

*Powers That Be

Please put me down for one Stef. I know at least one person who would like it as a present.

Hmm.. Is the T-Shirt on Cafe Press yet?

I'm very surprised by this too. O2's data plans have always sucked IMO, and the obsession with entertainment (second only to Three) is bound to conflict with Apple's own interests sooner rather than later. I really don't want my network to be in the entertainment business, but we don't have much choice on that front.

Personally I'm also disappointed. I'm a long-time T-Mobile user and get a great deal on their wifi hotspots and wireless data. Until O2 can provide a proper wifi network on a par with BT or T-Mobile, this is a deal breaker for me. The lack of good and easily accessed wifi means using the regular phone data network much more, and that's just going to be too slow. At the moment I use my 3G network a lot for email on the phone and web via my MacBook when there's no wifi. So, for me, no iPhone. Poo.

I've seen mixed service from Apple amongst my colleagues, but complete motherboard/screen replacements via phone support were routinely getting collected, fixed and returned within 4 days in a number of cases I know well. The Genius Bar (here in the UK at least) is fantastic when the item looks basically broken and they can do a straight swap. The staff will spend a long time with you too, and are generally reluctant to send people away unhappy (the face-to-face factor I suspect). I've had busted Apple In-Ear Headphones replaced just by saying they were broken, and a new 30GB iPod swapped for new because I couldn't get photos to synch reliably (I now think it's a problem with my photo library or software, but the Apple guy couldn't see the problem and just replaced it on the basis that it might be the hardware). Undoubtedly the Stores are a competitive advantage, and it makes a big difference with iPods too. I know of nowhere that you can get this sort of face-to-face service and help when you're buying a Zen, a Walkman, or dare I say it, a Zune ;-)