Notable issues included reports of far less than the advertised battery life/expectancy, and extremely noisy system fans which could have been easily mistaken for the sound of a small desktop fan. Not what you’d expect from a computer, let alone one manufactured by Apple.

All issues aside, the second revision of the MacBook Air corrected both of these issues, and further more in the third revision introduced at WWDC 2009, bumped the speed of the machine considerably. In the 18 months since the machine was first introduced, the base CPU has been bumped from a lowly 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Merom chip to a more than acceptable 1.86Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn.

Memory limitation is still 2GB, soldered to the logicboard. However the latest inception of the laptop is powered by 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, rather than slower 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The stock 64GB SSD which was available in the first generation can now be had in a 128GB SSD variation. Specifications wise, the MacBook Air has come a long way in its first 18 months on the market.

Most complaints regarding the heat issues, poor battery life, and less than adequate storage limitations have ceased.

The current lineup of portable Apple machines runs in three lines. The MacBook, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro.

Not so long ago the MacBook was updated to feature the same unibody design as its older sibling, the MacBook Pro. Less than two months later with the Pro line was expanded to include a 13″ option, the unibody MacBook was discontinued in favor for a single cheaper plastic bodied laptop.

The current line leaves us with a choice of either a 13″ MacBook, two variations of the 13″ MacBook Air, and three sizes of the MacBook Pro.

The direction we’re heading in makes it quite clear that the merging of the MacBook and the Air lines would make sense, and is certainly possible. The Air becoming the MacBook whilst the Pro line remains as is in three excellent size choices.

This merge would make things much more simple for those out to buy an OSX-based laptop. A 0.16-inch super thin, design conscious yet powerful for everyday tasks MacBook. Or the MacBook Pro for those who want a little more expandability or screen real estate in their system, in 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch variations.

The only way I see it making sense to have the plastic MacBook in the lineup is when bought in bulk for education faculty and students due to their cheaper build cost. In that case, why not just offer it in the educational store only?

This is where things begin to get interesting. Media consumers generally like focused content. The ‘average’ internet user will rarely browse weblogs, more than often just using Google to find answers and information about things their interested in.

You’ve got something that you care a lot about, and you’re obsessed about — it’s almost like an intellectual fetish. Then you’ve got something that’s your angle on that. - Merlin Mann

It’s your responsibility as a writer to ensure you’re giving readers the best possible information, knowledge and detail you can on what you’re writing about. Don’t be writing about something you’re not passionate about, it shines through. The way writing comes across has a lot to do with the dedication and passion published in-between the lines from personal experience. If you don’t have a passion for it, don’t publish it. Expecting stellar feedback and emails from your reader-base when you’re not 100% dedicated to your piece? You won’t get the reception you’re after.

Get crazy specific about the thing… Don’t just, don’t have a blog about Star Wars; have a blog about Jawas. Or, like, this one Jawa that’s just in the scene for a minute.

Like, it’s gonna be so much easier for you to dominate, first of all; you’re gonna become the go-to guy for that one Jawa, right? And what does that mean? - Merlin Mann

Passionate about the National Basketball Association? Don’t just narrow your topic down to a single conference or team, further narrow it to a specific player. If music happens to be your obsession, write about a specific band or instrument, not music as a whole.

Weblogs with focus attract readers who are passionate and extremely motivated about the topic. These readers pay attention to everything the writer has to say. The ones who are interested in the exact same things you’re interested in; reads the exact same websites you read, and reads your site from the top to the bottom. Every single word.

It has been reported that QuickTime Player X now supports playback out of the box for .flv videos, and furthermore: it can save those videos to m4v. Think about this concept little further, once the QuickTime software is updated on the iPhone, we should be able to view .flv videos on the go, with no prior conversion needed.

QuickTime Player X takes some time to load the flv file first, before allowing its playback. This is very fast in short files, but noticeably longer when long files are played.

I do believe I can handle this short delay in return for the added function in Quicktime. Snow Leopard’s advancements look better and better as release creeps forward.

Goodbye Perian.

The latter of the matters is the most safe of all listed, as I purchased a hands free kit which sits above the dash. The others however, are hazardous to some extent in most, if not all driving situations.

Due to the nature of the touch screen input on the iPhone, data entry requires 100% attention focus, unlike other devices where you can input data/write messages by ‘feel.’ Once data has been input into the phone, for example Google Maps, it’s easy to follow without having to apply 100% of your attention span on the phone.

This is where the Voice Control feature on the iPhone 3G S has my attention. No longer would using the iPhone while driving be ‘as irresponsible.’ Simply feel for the home button, hold it down and tell the phone orally what I want it to do rather than take my eyes off the road and flip through applications and input areas.

Instead of scrolling through contacts to find the person I want to call, simply speak their name. Same with changing songs, speak out the name and artist or playlist and it will begin playing.

While focus has been more directed toward the increased speed aspect and the video camera capabilities of the iPhone 3G S, Voice Control is the only feature which has potential to prevent serious injury, if not death.

Don’t text and drive, purchase an iPhone 3G S instead.

Atebits software released Tweetie for Mac last week, immediately storming Twitter, holding onto a ‘trend’ spot for over 24 hours. A Macworld interview was held soon after, a few insightful comments were located in the transcript.

I really don’t know. One of the fantastic things about Twitter clients is how easy it is for users to jump from one to another. Just type in a username and password and off you go.

One of the strongest quotes from the interview, John Gruber commented on the point adding there is so little friction to switch between apps, there’s nothing to import or export, and zero commitment. This is what makes a developers job difficult when building a Twitter application. It’s difficult, if not near impossible to tie down a user to your application which the exception of them having purchased it.

Lack of feature additions in the future? With zero commitment users you’ve got a problem on your hands. However, for the public this converts into excellent applications which are regularly improved.

They serve some of the most beautiful ads around. Many people mentioned that they registered Tweetie but then opted to keep the ads on anyway (there’s a checkbox in the Preferences).

This goes to show the user-base using Tweetie and the attitude consumers have toward elegant advertisements. It’s simply no longer fair to connect ads and a negative view on the appearance and how it detracts from a publication/website. The Deck, and now Fusion have taken that view to the cleaners, quite literally.

The sidebar design in Tweetie for Mac solves these problems in an extremely elegant and scalable way. It’s new and different, which is hard for some people to swallow, but somebody needs to push the envelope and try new things or we’re all going to rot in UI hell.

It would have been simple to use an existing UI trend for many parts of the application, in particular the sidebar. The large sidebar is a UI trend found in an array of applications, especially those from Apple. Take for example iTunes, Mail, iCal, and iPhoto. The Tweetie user interface is out of the box down to the finest details, the sidebar been one of the larger and riskier attributes.

What’s sleep? But seriously, I’m throwing my weight behind Tweetie for Mac and iPhone. I have a fantastic new foundation with which to build a true next generation Twitter client. People have just seen the tip of the iceberg.

Perfect example of a committed and enthusiastic developer. Always looking to improve upon its product not only for the user-base, but for personal satisfaction.

It supports multiple operating systems and file systems (including NTFS, HFS Plus, FAT32, and EXT3), and has FireWire800 and USB 2.0 ports as well as a gigabit ethernet port for an iSCSI connection.

While the regular 4-bay Drobo suits consumers with needs like mine perfectly, there are some users who found themselves stacking multiple Drobo units up around their office as one wasn’t sufficient enough to hold all of their media.

The new DroboPro is aimed at creative professionals and IT managers and starts at $1,299. Current Drobo owners will receive a $200 instant incentive to assist with upgrading to DroboPro through a loyalty program at drobostore.com.

Since I was first enlightened with news of the Drobo it appeared to me as the optimal storage solution for anyone working with digital media. It’s remained on my shopping list for some time - eventually I’l’ pick one up and turn it into my sole storage location for my images, music, and movies.

The DroboPro is going to change the outlook on the cost, scalability, and hassle or mass storage for individuals with large storage requirements and smaller studios alike. According to the Data Robotics press release they’ve sold 60,000 original Drobo units. I expect this product to gain as much traction as the original product did. Though the companies best asset in my eyes is its attention to listen to what its customers want and deliver, period.

After lunch I did a little window shopping, I wanted to check out some new watches. I really was only dreaming, and window shopping for price references. I ended up in Michael Hill, one of the largest and most vast jewelers in New Zealand checking out their mens dress watches.

There was one which struck my eye which I promptly tried on..a wrong move. It had a price tag of $600 NZD, which was quickly bargained down to a lowly $395 on the jewelers terms. He then proceeded to tell me he’d drop the price another $50 if I came back in before the end of the day. I took his business card, and walked away with one thing on my mind. Where can I find this money before the store closed.

Back in the car I loaded up my banks website on my phone and transfered the amount over from an account I’ve promised myself not to touch. I was set on it, I had to have that watch. I decided to walk back to the store to give myself a little time to think, at this stage I had two choices. Walk in and hand over my card, walking out with the watch and a head full of guilt. Or walk away from the store, and hold my head up high I had beaten my ‘want’ and made a smart decision.

I sat outside for five minutes, catching eye of the man who was awaiting my arrival back at the store more than once. Then I made a decision I feel is defining in the way I need to look at and treat money - I walked away from the store, jumped in my car, and drove home.

I believe this is the first step I needed to take in turning around my finances and really setting myself up for the future. It wasn’t easy, but the first step never is. I’m now confident I can always say no to impulse purchases. I’m well on my way!

During the first year MacHeist developers agreed to be paid a flat fee for the duration of the event which once revealed to the media, in particular the strident writer John Gruber, hell broke loose as opinions flew all over the web regarding the fairness to the developer.

Second time around, MacHeist staff realized their mistake and adjusted accordingly, this time offering developers a percentage cut from the total number of sales. This method has carried over to the third year.

Sounds like a fair deal doesn’t it? Yet there are still a number of people out there crying out that MacHeist are ripping developers off. To those critiquing, look at it this way. No developer was forced into participating, those who have spoken out regarding their involvement seem over the moon with the results to date, and with still 13 days left in the bundle sale things aren’t going to get any slower.

The percentage cut deal has been around for the last two seasons of MacHeist, are these bloggers digging at an old matter for the heck of it or do they really believe the developers involved had a gun to their head when signing the papers?

Update: While we’re on the topic of poorly thought out criticism, have you seen this? Read into it as you will and make your own judgement.

Basically it boiled down to one main factor, lack of time. The time involved in receiving and cataloging questions, running the channels, prepping and recording the video, editing the files, processing, uploading, and promoting took up an immense amount of my little free time I had.

The video show is no more as it has been that way for some time now. I just wanted to let you all know in a more formal manner. I thoroughly enjoyed creating the videos I did produce, but due to the other factors don’t expect a comeback anytime in the near future. Though, do expect me getting back to a regular writing ’schedule’ of forms.

While I’ve ‘finished’ school to some extent, I’m still planning on gaining another few dozen Level 3 credits to aid in university entry further down the track, I’ll be studying Legal Studies and Economics part time for the next 6 months. I’m feeling this will take up a day or two a week of my time.

Other plans include searching for a part time job to aid in paying the many bills I seem to have accumulated over the past few months, while I haven’t purchased any new tech equipment for quite some time now I’ve really gained a feel for living expenses and exactly how hard on the pocket it can be to drive and maintain a car.

In the ideal sense, I’d love to study full time one day a week, work three days, and dedicate one day to writing and focusing on online projects. Remember that has the word ideal attached to it, in a more realistic sense, a full-time job could be on the cards leaving to to juggle study and projects over nights and Saturday/Sunday.

The end goal is to finish these two further Level 3 courses and apply to the New Zealand police force once I’m of age to start its training. I’ll keep you up to date!

The two new phone features over the original - 3G and GPS really didn’t interest me much on paper, however now having had the phone in hand for a few months I’ve really woken up to the true power of 3G and GPS capabilities.

I’ll be the first to admit when in larger cities, and on occasion even my own I’m a little directionally challenged, which becomes extremely frustrating when my mates pick up on the fact, and chirp in my ear sarcastically at every wrong turn.

Google Maps on the iPhone has helped me a number of times working out directions for myself, friends, and family including figuring out traveling times and distances to and from different cities/areas, including bus times and walking routes when available.

How has having GPS on your phone helped you in the past few months?

Sure, when I’m cruising around in the car with my mates I love a bit of punch in my system, but outside of the car I’ve realized there’s so much more to good sound system than one which represents the lower frequencies well. I’m now after a system which will really please my ears and accommodate to sound frequencies all over the board - exactly why I’ve started looking into studio monitor speakers.

Paul Stamatiou recently wrote a very informative article on his purchase of the Rokit RP5G2s, on the lower end of the scale of studio monitors (yet still very high performing). The post looks super helpful for reference down the line when hooking the monitors up to a MacBook Pro.

I’m looking at purchasing a pair of the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe, which are 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors. Basically, I’m after a little advice if anyone out there is knowledgeable in this area on the in’s and out’s of this, or a similar system.

- Initial product release.
- Processor updates and faster bus speeds.
- Slight increase in hard-drive capacity.
- Rinse and repeat every 8-12 months.

Apple has generally kept the same design on their products for an extended period of time. The first Intel Macintosh, the MacBook Pro kept the same design (following the above transition list) for close to 34 months, nearing three years. Over the past 6 months, consumers have started speculating the need for a refresh of the line - here we have it, 34 months after the initial design was revealed at Macworld Expo 2006.

Inclusion Of Innovation

- Two NVIDIA graphics chipsets: 9400M and 9600M GT

By far the most innovative feature on the new MacBook Pro is the inclusion of two NVIDIA graphics chipsets. When you’re unplugged and on the go the lesser power card is utilized for superior battery life, however when plugged in to your MagSafe adaptor the powerful card kicks in for some serious performance.

- User accessible hard drive

The single reason I haven’t changed the internal hard-drive in the Santa Rosa MacBook Pro is the long and strenuous process of actually doing it. I could pick up a 320GB drive for pocket change at todays rates, but the idea of ripping the machine apart doesn’t sound very attractive. The hard-drive is now as easy to change on this new generation of the MacBook Pro as it is to change the battery.

- Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with new Multi-Touch gestures

No - I doubt there’s much of a change seeing touch screens on Apple’s portable lineup anytime soon, however Apple’s made up for it with the inclusion of a new glass multi-touch trackpad in each of their new notebooks. Tap, flick, twist, turn - it all works to control various gestures within your favorite Apple applications.

Compatible with MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro systems with Mini DisplayPort, yet we’re still unsure on how, and if we’ll be able to connect the new display to older machines - including the Mac Pro.

One of the fancier features is that the LED Cinema Display includes a MagSafe connector that powers and charges your laptop. The connector sits on your desk, ready and waiting which means there’s no need to unravel the MagSafe which came with your MacBook/Pro. This should excite those working in office environments who take their machine home with them each night. No more lugging around an extra power brick all day long.

The display features three self-powered USB 2.0 ports on the rear, but consumers lose out on Firewire devices as there’s no Firewire ports like the previous generation. It also features an iSight camera, microphone, and stereo speaker system all in-built to the bezel. No more having to leave your laptops lid open for video conferences.

The new 24″ LED Cinema Display is 90% of everything people have been wanting in Apple branded displays for some time now. Personally, I’m hoping we won’t have to wait long for a 30″ variation and simple solutions to use it on an older Macintosh.

Coolspotters isn’t your average celebrity site. For one, it’s not all about the latest (and often ridiculous) news posted on sites such as US Magazine and Pop Sugar - Coolspotters completely does away with the news, and focuses on products individual celebrities are using, cars they’re driving, places they’re visiting, pets they own, publications and movies they’ve been featured in, and more.

Effectively - Coolspotters is the only place you need to go to find out about your favorite celebrity. See Ryan Sheckler sporting a cool new pair of shades and want a pair of your own? Hit up the website, enter his name, and check out his profile for the products he’s using, wearing, and driving.

Would you rather search through a pile of magazines and a list of blogs to discover the latest stuff used by the coolest people, OR would you like to have all the information on the latest celebrity products and trends in one place. All searchable, and cross-referenced with some of your other favorite things - movies, TV, music, etc.

I signed up to the site and participated as an active user spotting celebrities and adding product profiles for a couple of months, before contacting Co-Founder Aaron LaBerge regarding intern positions within the company.

Yesterday was my first official day working part-time for the new startup company. I’m super excited to see how things turn out and see how the company progresses in the near future. We have some exciting deals lined up with a handful of large corporations which should give the company an even further push in the right direction.

Check out Coolspotters and sign-up yourself.

Update: I don’t quite understand the people who are saying things such as “don’t forget my tech audience here.” Coolspotters is a separate venture which has nothing to do with the direction of my blog. Just like some of you go out and work elsewhere along with writing a personal blog.

It’s possible to be excited about several things in life. I’m taking a step in a different direction with this internship (in terms of topic) - but it has nothing at all to do with this blog, two separate ventures guys.

Three days before its arrival in New Zealand, Vodafone NZ released a statement saying the iPhone would retail for just $199. Two days before release, my initial plan of picking up an iPhone on the morning of release was darkened with the phone plans revealed by Vodafone. Sure, you could get the phone for $199, but only on the high end $250 per month contract - on the cheapest plan, the 16GB phone was $699.

Five weeks later & I decided it wasn’t just lust that made me first want the iPhone, I was still wanting the phone even though I had decided to stay well away from the phone/Vodafone after they way they treated their potential iPhone customers when revealing pricing and plans. I placed an order for the phone against my initial plan.

Yesterday, my 16GB white iPhone 3G arrived on my doorstep. The base plan of 120 minutes, 600 text messages, and 250MB of data transfer for $80 is ridiculously overpriced in comparison to AT&T in America, but completely worth it now I have the phone in hand and friends are all fighting for their chance to play with it.

What’s going on in my life at the moment? I’m hard at work to finish my high school education, only a couple of months away from completion apart from a few exams later in the year. Once my education is done and dusted, I’m going to be continuing my saving for a 96-98 Range Rover (my dream accessible car at this point in time) and will be resuming regular blogging and possibly, other online work before making decisions about what to do with myself in 2009.

I feel bad for keeping you all out of the loop for such a prolonged period. Here’s hoping the tail end of my year 13 year goes smoothly.

It’s been an extremely busy week - with the launch of Desktop Vibes and an array of projects stirring close to launch I haven’t had a chance to take my foot off the floor.

Here’s a few things you can expect to see from me in the next month:

1. Brand new personal blog design.
2. Launch of a new web magazine, targeted at teenagers.
3. A new design for Desktop Vibes.
4. Content, and a lot of it spread over the three projects.

I never knew so much planning was involved in launching a project properly, although I’m enjoying every minute of what I’m doing at the moment. Future prospects continue to excite and energize me.

It has been a while since my last entry. I’ve barely had a moment to myself at home for two months, back and forth across the Tasman on a very regular basis has made I’d hard to get into any sort of realistic working routine. Now at home for another four weeks before I set off again, I’m motivated to put some ideas and thoughts I’ve been mulling over for some time into action. About damn time too.

What is the go with the blog. I’ve been thinking it over for some time now, and discussed my plans with ProBlogger Darren Rowse in Melbourne last week. Whats the go? Well, a few things actually.

Firstly, taking Darren’s advice I’m launching a new blog - Desktop Vibes. Desktop Vibes will be my new home for technological based content, the decision to move away from the name based domain name and move to something more standard has a few reasons behind it. This includes the ability to bring in guest writers into the fold, an easier and more structured path to building a brand, and the ability to write abut things I wouldn’t have normally done with the site attached to the GlennWolsey.com domain name.

Moving to Desktop Vibes for technological content and leaving this weblog for personal based entries will allow me to focus on the following:

More quality content
More specific niche focus
Ability to build a brand
Positions for guest writers

Please do head over to Desktop Vibes, bookmark both the site and the new RSS feed. I do still plan to keep content flowing through this domain, and have many planned changes/features for the future.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to pop me an email. While this hasn’t been an easy move to make, it’s something which has been cooking for some time now, and I believe the short term pain involved with result in long term gain, for both you and me.

Finishing Note: Do keep an eye on Desktop Vibes over the next few days for the official public theme release of the GlennWolsey.com WordPress theme. After hundreds of requests, I’ve decided to give something back to the community and make this theme public. Theme could be up as early as this evening. Buckle up, it’s going to be an exciting ride.