Tech

Within two hours of my complaining to Amazon about the Random House book mentioned in the earlier post, I got a note of apology and a full refund. That's a big star on the board for Amazon and makes me feel warm. I think if all buyers take similar action publishers will soon realise that customers expect the same level of presentation and attention to detail that they have been accustomed to receiving when they buy a printed book. 

by Mike Evans, 17 August 2012 One week with Squarespace 6 and we are already feeling part of a new, fast-growing family. Suddenly, Squarespace has...

Author: Michael Evans

Having got my body back to the UK after four days of trekking across Europe, I was not surprised to see that Apple's deliveries have also fallen foul of the Great Dust. My new MacBook Pro 13.3-in 2.66GHz, tricked out with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, is still stuck somewhere, presumably in Ireland.

Shipped to	LONDON, GB	16 Apr 2010
Estimated Delivery Date (Subject to change)	19 Apr 2010 (Subject to change)
Current Delivery Status	Shipment delayed due to weather conditions - please contact carrier for update	18 Apr 2010

I suppose it's not surprising, but there must be many eager punters disappointed by the non-appearance of their new toy. And it's an indication of what must be happening throughout the economy. My Piel Frama case for my (not yet purchased) iPad is also stuck somewhere in a Spanish despatch depot. All this is insignificant when compared to the plight of countless thousands of air passengers, as I know from bitter personal experience, but it will take weeks for the backlog of commercial deliveries to clear. Any bets on when my MB Pro will arrive?

I was an early convert to Day One. I reviewed the trio of apps (iPhone, iPad, Mac) last September when I was on my 62nd Day One. I’m now on Day 193 and still going strong. I make a point of writing something every day and, so far, I haven’t missed once.

Hugo Rifkind writing in The Times this morning: So Apple, the trendiest of all trendy massive technology companies, turns out to be bang...

There will be more apps, free and paid, in the Android Market than in Apple’s App Store by the end of September. Already the...

By Michael Evans

When the world's Apple Stores came back on line a few minutes ago we saw the much-rumoured new range of iMacs for the first time. There also a brand new MacBook with LED display and seven-hour battery, a range of new Mac Minis and an all-new magic mouse. I'll be first in line for the mouse, since I've never been wholly satisfied with the current Mighty Mouse offering.

After the recent upgrades to the MacBook Pro line, Apple now go into 2010 with a completely new offering in all categories. Even the venerable Mac Pro, very much a niche seller, has had a recent makeover. 

The iMac, which for many is the ideal desktop computer, now comes with either 21.5in or 27in widescreen LED-backlit displays, a new edge-to-edge glass design, a la MacBook Pro, and an all-aluminium enclosure. The Intel Core 2 Due processors start at 3.06 GHz, a big hike from the current range. There are also Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors for even more performance. All new iMacs come with a wireless keyboard and the new multi-touch mouse. The 3.05 GHz 21.5in model starts at £949 while the 27in i5 2.66 GHz is £1,599. I can see a 27in model gracing MacOldie Towers before the end of the year. 

The new MacBook has a white polycarbonate unibody construction and runs a 2.26 GHz Core 2 processor, 2GB RAM (standard) and a 250GB disk. It's a lovely, svelte curve of a laptop that's destined for stardom with a price tag of £799. At 2.13 kg it is slightly heavier than the aluminium MacBook Pro. I'll be down to the Apple Store tomorrow to get a first glimpse of this latest model. The old MacBook was a good machine and there will be offers for those wanting an even cheaper entry-level machine. 

Arguably the most interesting newcomer is the new wireless mouse, the multi-touch Magic Mouse. The top shell acts as one button or two and allows gestures and scrolling in the same way that you use a trackpad on a MacBook Pro. This I've got to have, even at £55 a pop.

I have a soft spot for the Mac Mini, the last of the new line-up. It was my first Mac and I am sure it was one of Apple's most successful recruiting agents before the iPhone came along. But they are no longer cheap. The basic 2.26 GHz/160GB Mini costs a whopping £500 while the faster 2.53 GHz with a 320 GB disk runs to £649. That's into iMac territory, even before you add in the screen, keyboard and mouse that come as standard with the desktop models. 

There is just one glaring omission from today's announcements: The Mac Tablet or whatever it is to be called. That is likely to come in January, probably for announcement at the WDC. Apple will then have a full house of products to add more muscle to the current booming sales.

Apple May Have Won The PC War… By Losing The Windows Battle M.G.Siegler has a good point. Apple lost the Windows battle and was nearly...

Ordered on July 30, promised despatch August 27, arrived August 31: The new Kindle third-generation e-reader has landed at MacFilos Towers and was unboxed in seconds. There is no printed Kindle box - simply an adapted standard Amazon despatch box - which is rather surprising. The USB cable with integral plug/charger, only slightly larger than Apple's 5w iPhone charger, was a welcome surprise. It's particularly nice not to have to carry a separate proprietary charger and the USB cable with mini-USB plug is light enough.

Set-up couldn't be easier. The device was already registered to my Amazon account (yesterday I received an email explaining this and telling me that if the reader was intended as a present I would need to re-register it to the recipient - all straightforward stuff) and the free 3G sprang into life immediately. In the Settings menu I quickly found my wifi network but spend an awkward few minutes entering the long (and difficult) access key. The new Kindle doesn't have numbers or symbols on the keyboard; you call up a symbols menu and then have to navigate around using the 5-way controller pad. It's not the best, but then I don't expect to be using the keyboard often. 

As soon as I was connected I found all my library (at least, those books I've purchased through Amazon) became available and my current book opened at the last page I was reading on my iPhone before the Kindle arrived. The built-in, free worldwide 3G connection means that I'll be up to date wherever I am and this is one of the most compelling reasons to choose the Kindle. 

After long experience with Sony e-ink displays, the clarity and contrast of the Kindle screen is amazing and it will be very interesting to make comparisons between the Kindle and the iPad. On first flick, the page turn is much quicker than I expected and, subjectively, is not much slower than on the Apple devices.

I am now looking forward to comparing the reading experience on the new Kindle against the iPad and iPhone. More on this when I've read a few books over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I will ponder on how much Amazon have to pay the network providers for free lifetime worldwide use of their networks. I'd like a deal like that on a micro-SIM card from someone.

Money note: This Kindle with lifetime 3G cost me £126.81, plus tax and delivery - a total of £153.30. It's a far cry from the near £300 that Amazon were asking for the Kindle only a month or two ago before, ahem, Steve-O pulled the rug from under their feet with the iPad. Those iPad naysayers out there cannot dispute the fact that the Apple device has had a dramatic effect on the e-ink book reader market. The price point is now so sweet that buying a Kindle is a no-brainer for any keen reader. 

Writing in The Times this morning, Richard Morrison recounts his encounter with David Hockney in the courtyard of the Royal Academy. Hockney, he says, suddenly whipped out his iPad and showed him one of his “gloriously colourful new landscapes of East Yorkshire.” But the iPad added some extra magic: it built up the picture just as Hockney painted it on the screen. Several hours of work was fast-motioned into 20 seconds. Morrison continues:

Every week, it seems, we hear more evidence that Microsoft's strategy in the last decade or so has not worked. Windows is now occupying the low ground as more any more consumers of choice defect to Apple and to non-Microsoft smart devices.