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In September, Apple hinted they would be adding new features to the company's .Mac Web-based e-mail, utilizing tools including Ajax, to make the user experience more like a desktop application, and less limited. Last night, with little fanfare, the Webmail site was upgraded to do just that, and after using it to send/receive, delete, open and forward messages, it's not at all dramatic - especially when contrasted with the upgrades at Gmail by Google, Yahoo! Mail, etc. Where Apple could have leapfrogged the competition, they instead opted to play catchup.

Over the last decade, we've picked up and dropped a wide variety of e-mails, Web-based and otherwise, having at various used AOL, Earthlink, @Home, AT&T, Comcast, Netscape, Excite, GMail, Mail.com, Yahoo!, a number of work-based accounts, and Mac.com. On a daily basis, however, I only use two e-mail accounts - the one for work, and my Mac.com account. GMail I use as a repository for lists with high volume, and everything else is a waste. In fact, right now I have 452 new e-mails in GMail, and 1,093 unread messages in Yahoo! mail, 672 of which have been classified as "Bulk". It's not even worth looking at the other abandoned accounts.

Years ago, I bought the $99 a year .Mac subscription to have an e-mail address I could keep using regardless of the underlying ISP. If I ever switch away from Comcast, or need my e-mail on the road, the e-mail moves with me. Thanks to Apple's Backup and iSync services, the e-mails are backed up and won't be obliterated if I suffer a dead hard drive or user error. But aside from that, Apple hasn't given the same amount of focus to their Web-based services as they have the iPod or their desktops, by any means, and even with last night's upgrade, they haven't emerged as anything resembling a market leader.

In the new .Mac Webmail service, replying or double-clicking a message pops it open in a new window, with a simplified button structure - automatically guessing at your next move. The service also comes with a standard 1 GB of available space (compared to nearly 3 GB for GMail), and search functionality - which works fairly well. The major difference between the Web version and that of the desktop would be the archives. While on the Web, you only have your In Box, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Junk. As I've saved mountains of e-mail from friends, family and commerce transactions over the last decade, I don't have access to those remotely, as they live on the desktop and don't hit my Webmail quota. If Apple tried to use their storage space to give me access to all my e-mail, that would be pretty cool, and that would put them ahead of competitive services at something.

For other views of Apple's Webmail upgrades, check here:
Mac Rumors: .Mac Webmail Updated
GigaOM: New Dot Mac Mail - Live Now

The iPod music player is one of those iconic gadgets that seems like it's always been around, but still has that "new" feeling. Five years ago today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod to a hall full of tech journalists, calling the device a breakthrough. Though curious, the initial response to the iPod was mixed - what was Apple doing introducing a device that wasn't a computer? And why was Apple getting into the MP3 player business where so many other competitors (including Rio and SonicBlue) were already?

At work, I read reports of the debut with marked skepticism. It didn't seem like something I really wanted, and I couldn't figure out a place I would play it. After all, I am seemingly always near a computer or stereo at home, have a CD player in the car, and didn't anticipate listening at work. It certainly wasn't as if I would suddenly get fit, take up exercise and go jogging with the iPod in hand, and white earbuds playing the best of techno. In fact, when one person on an Apple message board said the device was most likely geared toward 24 year-old geeks, I (being a 24-year-old geek at the time) said I wasn't interested and wouldn't be getting one.



Of course - that all changed when I got home, and watched Steve Jobs' introduction on QuickTime from the Apple site. Not 12 hours after the iPod had been introduced to the world, I had gone to the Apple store and purchased one of the first iPods ever built. In fact, thanks to my thorough e-mail archives, I still have my proof of purchase before 10 p.m. that evening, thanking me for my order.

The price for the 5 gigabyte device?

$399, plus an estimated tax amount of $31.92, for a total order of $430.92, and it wasn't even expected to ship for another 3-4 weeks. Five years later, you can't walk a block without seeing somebody wearing an iPod, and they come in sizes from a mere 512 megabytes to 80 Gigabytes, in a variety of colors, and as cheaply as $79. Yet somehow, I don't feel ripped off.

The iPod, and along with it, iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store, reenergized the world of music for many people, who saw the industry under attack from thievery engines like Napster and Kazaa. The iTunes Music Store gave those of us yearning instant gratification for music a safe, legal alternative that didn't leave us feeling dirty after download. Apple had a mega-hit on its hands, and we were there from the very first day. Congratulations Apple - you've come a long way.

Listening to ''The DJ - In the Mix'', by ATB (Play Count: 13)

Yesterday's record quarter for Apple came at a time when many analysts, media and fans are eager to see the company debut the next "big thing" to rival the iPod. With the device reaching it's five-year anniversary this month, Apple has morphed from niche computer maker to a serious brand leader for consumer devices, as well as top-notch computers and software. Now, everyone is guessing as to what is coming next from Cupertino.

It has been a long-held tradition among Macintosh supporters to try and get an early scoop on the next Apple rumor. Sometimes, they get it exactly right, as AppleInsider did with the G4 Cube years ago, or they get it wrong - as SpyMac did with the infamous iWalk. But as the iPod has transformed the company, you see more mainstream publications piling on, and analysts speculating when a new product will debut to impact revenue.

In the last two years, the most common demands are for Apple to debut a cellular phone and service, dubbed "iPhone", an Apple media center for the living room, and an iTunes movie download service, with a "true" video iPod. In the last few months the iTunes movie download service has been introduced, and iTV was previewed, though you can't buy one just yet. That leaves the iPhone and true video iPod to come.

Earlier this week, a site called TrustedReview said they had "a conversation with an extremely well informed exec" who spilled the beans on timing for the new touchscreen iPod. As if executives have opted not to honor NDAs and cross Steve Jobs. Not a good plan, especially now that we know companies like HP are all too happy to check your cell phone records in an attempt to plug leaks. Yet, the site says December is when we'll see the new iPod, explaining, partially, why Jobs to date has been so dismissive of Microsoft's Zune music player, as he was in Newsweek, recently. Meanwhile, also this week, Forbes says the new iPhone would debut in January. When Forbes starts rumors, you know something is up.

But while everybody is salivating over what's next, Apple is simply getting it done. The company is putting serious pressure on its rivals at Microsoft and Dell, and taking market share. Just imagine the hubbub when all these unannounced products actually do come to life...

Those who are the biggest supporters are often those who are the most tested. I launched into the iPod Revolution feet-first nearly five years ago, and have been a loyal customer, from the 5 GB first generation to the 20 GB second generation, and when that 20 GB iPod was foolishly left behind on a plane last year, I anted up to the 60 GB iPod Photo - then top of the line. Now, there's a very real chance that it too will become a device of the past, as in the present, it's stuck, and won't even reboot.

Unlike most of the iPod community, I use the iPod for much more than music. In fact, it serves as my remote backup device between my home and office computers. This enables me to work on projects regardless of location. But with it, I often become too reliant on the iPod, with the expectation it is failsafe, and neglect to backup. I learned this tragically last year when all my data was wiped out, and it was made incredibly difficult to rebuild.

This year, I've tried to do better. The last full backup I did of the device (files, not music) was September 18th, and if I think hard, there's very little I couldn't rebuild out of e-mail attachments to fill in the gaps if my iPod chooses not to wake up. Most of the files I build are later sent somewhere, so with some diligence, I could upload and download to get myself up to date.

But for now, I'm still frustrated. In preparation for putting together my weekly report for the office via PowerPoint, I plugged in the iPod to my home laptop (to get last week's and use that as a template). But I noticed it hadn't mounted on the desktop, and I unplugged it. Then, I noticed the iPod screen was effectively frozen (as it is now), saying 3:31 p.m. and the familiar "Do Not Disconnect" symbol. Holding the device up to my ear, I didn't hear the spinning of the hard drive, and pressing the menu and play/pause button for 10 seconds and more didn't reboot the device, as it is supposed to.

So - here we are - do we go to device number four, and use that as the excuse to get a "latest and greatest" video iPod, when all the rumors say the next one, the widescreen, is "just around the corner"? Do I instead take the opportunity to get a new laptop at work, and eliminate the iPod middleman? If I don't manage to wake up this little white rectangular box, we're going to end up spending money and time I don't have.

Listening to ''Sydney'', by Gabriel & Dresden (Play Count: 10)

In 1998, when Apple introduced the iMac, they made two major changes to the computing world - besides using colors and a new shape - the company was the first to standardize on USB, and in a big shocker, to dump the ubiquitous floppy disk drive. The world was in pure shock that Apple could have done that - and many were sure that all in Cupertino were daft. But as the years passed, USB itself grew market share by leaps and bounds, and that daring leap Apple took by axing the disk drive looked tame. As the Internet grew in popularity, people learned to e-mail files as attachments and avoid sneakernet, while floppy disks just about disappeared into the vault of antiquity.

With the introduction of the first-generation iBook, and its accompanying partner, AirPort, Apple ushered in the era of wireless networking, and though others, like Intel (Centrino) have capitalized on this trend, Apple was first to the table. Apple's foray into new technologies with Gigabit Ethernet, hybrid CD-R/DVD-R burners (SuperDrive), hard-disk MP3 players (iPod) and even faster wireless (802.11n), continues to be a good indicator as to what will come next from the broader industry.

While the common analyst response is to downplay a new technology, then offer lukewarm acceptance, nodding approval and finally adoption and praise, Apple commonly doesn't look for wide acceptance before taking the leap - and every once in a while, it gets it wrong. But not often enough that Cupertino can be ignored.

For instance, with ThinkSecret's news today that Apple's yet to be released iPhone would be native to Cingular at introduction, speculation has risen that Apple will push GSM standards forward in the US, after the technology has had significant foothold overseas. GigaOM speculates, as we have outlined above, that Apple just might be the standard setter after all. Not bad for a company everyone thought was dead just a decade ago.

Listening to ''Somebody Told Me'', by The Killers (Play Count: 8)

It's no secret that I use an Apple Macintosh at home and at work - as often as I can. I've been a Mac user since I started using computers, and the debate was between the Apple IIGS and the Mac LC, and have followed the company through several generations. Knowing that, why is it that I continue to see Apple's "Get a Mac" ads on prominent Web sites that I visit? With Web tracking technology what it is, every Web advertiser should know what platform I am on, what browser I am using, and similar Web sites I frequent. With that said, why can't Apple have its Web ads shown only to non-Mac users, to increase their success rate?

If the idea is to get Mac users to upgrade to the latest Intel Macs, that makes sense, but use a different message.

If the idea is to let Mac users know that Apple has an ad campaign out there to increase market share, that's quite another message, but it's my feeling that the computer company could be more effective with their ad targeting, and save money while reaching more potential switchers.

Just thinking out loud...

Listening to ''Gabriel & Dresden (Continuous Mix)'', by Gabriel & Dresden (Play Count: 1)

On Tuesday, September 12th, while the rest of the Mac world was sitting with jaws agape, anticipating Steve Jobs' every breath, hand gesture, slideshow and demo, I was working. Though I was vaguely aware that Apple was very likely in the process of introducing new iPods and iTunes, with Disney-branded movie downloads, I was forced to resort to the highly unsatisfactory method of getting the news through the Blackberry browser, where in text, I tried to absorb the real-time feed from MacRumors, and visualize in my head every shiny gadget and GUI.

Not until this evening, when I finally had the time to sit down and watch the Showtime event's keynote stream from the Apple Web site, did I get to see Jobs do what he does best - unveil incremental updates as if they were must-haves, and try to find new ways for me to distribute my money to Cupertino. But, as with nearly every one of Jobs' keynotes, I again came away impressed, not entirely so with the products, but with Jobs' capabilities.

While most marketeers, CEOs and PR lackeys tend to want to crowd every product feature and bullet into a never-ending slide deck, Jobs managed to introduce new products every five minutes (no exaggeration) for the first half hour of the event - moving crisply and quickly, but not skimping on substance. 5 minutes into the presentation we had a new iPod. 10 minutes in, a new iPod Nano, and 15 minutes in, a new iPod Shuffle, featuring a built-in belt clip. Next up was iTunes 7, and here we were seeing a new GUI, including CoverFlow, and the addition of "one more thing" - movie downloads.

For Jobs, though he peppers his speeches with words like "beautiful", "amazing", "great" and "outstanding", he isn't the one doing the selling. Instead, he lets the products sell themselves in such away that you find yourself thinking of what you need to do to make room for this new product in your stable or your workflow. And, in a step unusual for Apple, they took a big risk by announcing a new box (code named iTV) to interface between your computer and your television, which aimed to bring the media (movies, TV shows and music mostly) to your home theater. By showing a slim white box with all the necessary ports, and a slick GUI, he has the Web buzzing about adding yet another device to the already crowded living room, most of which feature televisions, stereos, a DVD player, a DVR, and a cable box at the very least.

iTV is supposed to marry your digital computer media to your TV. But with TiVo grabbing the shows I already want to watch (for free) and my gaining access to DVDs cheaply with NetFlix, and the Airport Express already shuttling my music to my stereo, I can think of a lot of reasons where I don't need iTV - yet. Over the next few months, as its release date draws nearer, I may go out of my way to try and find good reasons to pick one up. But I would need to have a significant change in how I manage my entertainment and my budget. With full-length feature films nearing 1 GB in data to download, even at the fastest of connections, it will be an enormous network hog and capacity hog. On my 80 GB laptop, I've got about 16 GB available, and I'm not about to spend $100+ to download the Disney library and fill it up. But, as Steve knows, some people will, and in months, we may very well be looking at another hit on Apple's hands - whether I'm along for the ride or not.

Related Links:

BBC: Apple video move divides industry
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5342408.stm

Wired: New UI Showdown: Apple vs. TiVo
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71774-0.html

AppleInsider: Apple's living room strategy a multi-year venture
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2045

Listening to ''Take Me Away (Into the Night)'', by 4 Strings (Play Count: 29)

For a mega-brand such as Apple, there's little you can do without anybody noticing. With an army of hundreds of thousands scouring your Web site on a daily basis to uncover any hidden clues as to future products and features, or writing on their blog about directories that don't go anywhere (http://www.apple.com/movies) or domain names that don't mean anything (http://www.iphone.org/ and http://www.mammals.org), when you actually do put a tidbit of information out there, it gets devoured and digested more quickly than a pair of hot dogs in front of Takeru Kobayashi.

Today, in separate "findings"...

It was first revealed that Apple had filed patent applications for a multi-functional hand-held device, aimed to act as any or more of the following: a PDA, cell phone, music player, video player, digital camera, handtop, Internet terminal, GPS or remote control. Though the sketches are well... sketchy, it of course reinvigorated discussions that Apple would move beyond the iPod and go after the market it initially forged with the Newton. The application detailed a device that could potentially forgo traditional keys in exchange for touch-sensitive keys that would make room for full-screen viewing.

In a second discovery, it's now said that Apple may be trying to bring back the famous "Cube" which didn't do so well the first time around, priced too high and lacking standard features for upgradeability and accessibility. When high-profile cracks began to appear in the otherwise flawless-looking mini-desktop, Apple put the machines on ice, but suggested they might some day return. Now, a new patent application says the Cube form factor is back on the board. Of course, being laptop centric, I don't think we'll be getting one now either.

Listening to ''Brown Paper Bag'', by Roni Size/Reprazent (Play Count: 2)

I swear, if Steve Jobs sneezes, it's bound to hit the Mac rumor sites. I'm surprised if stevejobssneezes.com isn't there with live coverage, a streaming chat site and user forums - all claiming inside information from his general practitioner. Hot off of WWDC, the Apple rumor mill is again abuzz - with suggestions that Steve and the rest of the Apple crew will unveil some "insanely great" updates on everything from the iMac to iPods, their AirPort wireless base stations, and as usual, a kitchen sink of mystery offerings - including the long-rumored, much-anticipated iTunes Movie Store, and even a video streaming device that would interface with your television set.

While Mac aficionados always expect for every single product in the lineup to get an update, plus a surprise, it doesn't really make good business sense for Apple, or any other company, to do away with their entire suite of offerings in one swoop - with inventory, supply and demand issues all being key. Instead, Apple typically updates two products at a time, and alternates their introductions. While WWDC saw updates to the Power Macintosh line, the new mysterious September 12th media invite would focus on iPods and iMacs, and a third, unnamed event later this year might see updates to their line of laptops. It just makes sense.

But here we go... the contest of the rumor sites to one-up the other.

Think Secret, with one of the better track records in this informal business, says new iPods and a new iMac are due on the September 12th event. Think Secret expects higher capacities (as always), and new colors for the iPod Nano. Their expectations for the updated iPod line are less extensive, as the long-rumored touch-screen iPod isn't expected until early 2007, barring an early release to trump Microsoft's warmed-over Toshiba Gigabeat, which they've called Zune. Think Secret also says the iTunes movie store has been postponed, for unknown reasons.

This of course conflicts with AppleInsider's expectations. With some instances of success, AppleInsider is typically more aggressive and fanciful with their expectations from Apple. The site once expected "strawberry" pink G3s, and has expected handhelds or Apple cell phones every few months for the last several years... but they try.

AppleInsider also expects new iMacs and iPod Nanos. But they take things further by expecting that Steve Jobs and Apple have even bigger plans than anyone has anticipated - video streaming of iTunes movies to television sets in customers' living rooms - extending the functionality of Airport Express, which now offers streaming to home stereos (including mine).

They also claim that rumored delays of the touchscreen iPod are overblown. But only one of these sites can be right, which will be seen next week. We'll be watching, of course.

Listening to ''Hymne & Sail'', by DJ Armin van Buuren (Play Count: 5)

You've no doubt seen how Apple has reinvented itself beyond being a computer-focused company to one that also is best represented by iPod and iTunes. The iPod/iTunes brand has really become the dominant player in the online music and MP3 player market, beating Sony, Dell and a host of also-rans.

Now that rumblings are out there saying Apple will add movies to its iTunes store, Wal-Mart is trying to use its own market power to stop it before it gets started. BusinessWeek says that Wal-Mart, who represents 40% of the $17 billion DVD market, is threatening publishers, saying that if they post their titles on iTunes, Wal-Mart simply won't carry them.

BusinessWeek: Wal-Mart and Apple Battle for Turf

Part of this is because Wal-Mart is also planning an online film service, and they don't want to support companies that work with the competition. Part of it also is that they are afraid Apple will win in online movies the way they won in online music, and that they will set the rules for costs, etc. Current rumors have the store debuting in mid-September with new films at $14.99 to own, and older films at $9.99. Disney and Lions Gate Films have signed up, with more studios to come, no doubt.

With that said - should Wal-Mart act this way, or is it acting like a monopolist? What's your feeling?

Listening to ''Get Up on It Like This'', by The Chemical Brothers (Play Count: 5)

The somewhat-stunning after-hours news today was that Google CEO Eric Schmidt has joined Apple's board of directors, joining former Vice President and would-be world supreme leader Al Gore, and the CEOs of Intuit, J. Crew and Genentech. Fresh off of the news that Google was introducing new applications that could be co-branded for business' domain, the expectation is that Apple and Google have teamed up in a joint fight against the Redmond behemoth, Microsoft. But what's not seen is that the usual direct impact a board member has on the company's products is very slim indeed.

One need only look as far as Apple to see this. When Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a close friend of Steve Jobs, was on the board, the Macintosh did not make much headway in running Oracle's business suite, and Intuit hasn't exactly wowed anybody with their support for Macintosh in the last decade or so. While we can dream of further collaboration between the two companies, beyond a Google search bar embedded in Safari, and $1.75 iPod wrappers with the Google logo, this doesn't guarantee a streamlined plethora of joint product announcements - so don't hold your breath for a Mac OS X version of Google Desktop, Google-branded Mac Minis and X Serves, or the debut of GTunes, powered by iTunes.

At least... that's my expectation. A board of directors' role is to ensure the company is growing smoothly and that all activities are above board, from compensation to product roadmaps - not to sit in a dark room and merge business lines.

But this of course won't thwart speculation. TechCrunch writes, "Could close collaboration between online giant Google and Apple hardware pose the most viable threat yet to Microsoft’s long held personal computing leadership? It certainly seems possible.", while Om Malik somehow finds a dark corner in his soul to poo-poo the relationship, saying this "portends potential headaches not just for Microsoft, but for anyone with digital media ambitions." Right. As if with one swoop, iPod and iTunes are going to get that much more market share in the face of Zune and other challengers because some guy gets to visit the Cupertino campus every two months.

What it does do is further validate Apple's rise to prominence in a once-skeptical Silicon Valley. I know Google spends millions every quarter in new Apple equipment for employees, and at some point, those MacBook-carrying Webheads are going to want the latest and greatest Google gear to go. I hope that some of the speculation comes true and can prove me wrong.

Listening to ''Under One (JK Walker Remix)'', by Todd Tobias (Play Count: 6)

Although the most die hard of Mac fans were less than enthusiastic about the lack of product introductions at the recently-concluded Worldwide Developers Conference, the media continues to be abuzz about how Steve Jobs and others promised to take on Microsoft's Windows Vista directly, as the operating system release continues to be more about delays, unfulfilled promises and bugs than about real benefits for customers. While we didn't see an update iPod, or an iTunes Movie Store, everybody got the message that Apple, with Mac OS X, is delivering an operating system today that is already well ahead of Redmond's empty promises, while Leopard, coming soon, will take the Mac maker that much further into the lead.

Newsfactor, in a piece titled, "Can the Mac Counter Windows Vista?", says that the real operating system wars are not behind us, but instead are yet to come, and that with Leopard, Apple intends to "present a direct challenge to industry behemoth Microsoft". With the move to Intel processors, and the adoption of the ability to run Windows on the newest Macintoshes, Apple has eliminated any price differences once expected between Macs and PCs, while also pushing their strong television campaign comparing Macs vs. PCs. (Get A Mac archive)

An analyst from Forrester Research mentions in the article, "In many ways, Apple doesn't have to respond to Vista's specific functionality, since Apple is already ahead of it."

But that doesn't stop others from speculating Apple's next moves. Even as other companies make announcements around downloading full-length feature films to PCs, Apple has remained quiet. But nobody expects the company to sit still and let this market pass them by, as they continue to build out their music empire. The Investor's Business Daily says that it's expected Apple would bridge the gap between the Internet and television by introducing both an online movie store, and a set-top box, similar to today's Mac Mini, which would play the films on your television.

In fact, an independent survey stated that "many respondents who were interested in an Apple set-top box showed no interest in set-tops from other companies," meaning the Apple brand, behind the power of the iPod, has come a long way.

While we're huge TiVo fans, we don't see it as the end-all, be-all of options. If Apple could somehow debut a single device to act both as a movie conduit from the Internet to the television, and as our personal video recorder, we would have to give it significant consideration, and I don't imagine we would be the only ones to do so.

If Apple even debuts half of what people expect - a new iPod, a new cell phone, a new set top box, and powers past Vista with Leopard, the next six to twelve months will be very interesting in Cupertino. That's why we're long Apple (AAPL) shares.

Listening to ''Fifteenth Letter of the Alphabet'', by O (Play Count: 6)

Today, multiple reports noted that Dell has withdrawn all mention of their MP3 player lineup from the company's store and site. Originally having launched the Dell DJ years ago to take on Apple's iPod, Dell retrenched behind the flash-based Dell Ditty, competing with Apple's incredibly popular iPod Shuffle offering. But it seems that they have admitted defeat and are walking away from the market altogether, removing yet another competitor from Apple's way.

But it certainly can't be as simple as that.

It's my expectation that Dell will heavily promote Microsoft's "coming zune" Zune MP3 player, either through offering it at cutthroat prices on their site, or in bundling to consumers looking for desktops and laptops. There really are only three potential scenarios:

1) Dell admits Apple has won (25% probability)
2) Dell will soon be branding the iPod themselves (5% probability)
3) Microsoft is the company's new MP3 partner (70% probability)

It will all get very interesting soon, as Microsoft threatens to muck up yet another market with their half-baked me-too offerings. They've done it before, and it won't stop them this time around either. Dell, unfortunately, may be an all-too willing partner in the war on the side of mediocrity.

Listening to ''Dirtbox'', by Dave Clarke (Play Count: 6)

In the dark days of the mid-1990s for Apple, the rallying cry wasn't to move people off of Windows and on to Macintosh, but instead to keep the doors open at the iconic computer company, who was on its last legs financially after a series of missteps that coincided with the absence of co-founder Steve Jobs. A decade later, it's no secret that the Mac maker is alive and kicking. Following a strong WWDC conference last week, many in the media are discussing if it's finally time to make the switch to Macintosh, as Apple debuted more powerful systems than the competition (Dell) at a lower price point, and the company's newest operating system leapfrogs Windows Vista, which is still struggling in early beta.

As Michael Gartnerberg, an analyst for Jupiter Research, told the New York Times, "much of what Microsoft is promising for Vista is available today at your local Apple store," and Gartner analysts followed that up by saying "Apple is winning mind share, which leads to market share."

All the old adages and excuses of why people would not consider the Macintosh are gone. The Macintosh is compatible with all networking standards and corporate networks. The newest Macintoshes offer Windows as an option, and the entire product lineup features the latest Intel processors. Additionally, as mentioned, the price differential between the two (Mac and PC) is gone at any level except the very lowest price band.

As the company's series of "Get a Mac" ads have shown, every new Macintosh, at factory install, comes bundled with an array of creative applications, that if purchased for the PC equivalent, could cost hundreds of dollars. Additionally, the Macintosh platform continues to be the leader in security and is virus-free, while Windows continues to be rattled by virus warnings, worms, spyware, and instability.

With all that said, the mainstream media is now getting the picture in a big way. A second New York Times article asks openly if it is "Time to trade Windows for Mac?". As Apple continues to grow mind share with its ubiquitous iPods and expanded advertising, it's definitely coming to the fore in a big way. (See also: Red Herring: The End of Wintel?)

A colleague of mine at work wrote just last week, complaining that she was beset with spyware and detested the plagues of Windows, from pop-ups to viruses.

She wrote, "I don't know anything about MACs.... Would I like one instead of a desktop PC? Are they easier or harder to manage? I keep getting hackers attacking my PC at home... Viruses, spyware, etc..." Minutes later, after visiting the Apple store online, and finding the Mac Mini, the story was different. "$599!  SOLD!!  SOLD!  That one is MINE!  "

If you're on Windows, and you're tired of the computer running you, and not the other way around, it's time to come to the light. Apple offers you a better way of life. The Macintosh platform is built to help you get things done, not to get in your way. Switch today.

Listening to ''Out Of The City (City Slickers'', by 2 Heads (Play Count: 17)

As I wrote on Sunday night, WWDC is one of the most hotly-anticipated days on a Mac aficionado's calendar. And just about every year sees an incredible amount of hype and predictions of software, hardware and magic - expectations that Apple CEO Steve Jobs can just pull products out of a hat, regardless of their ease of development, or practicality. This year was no different - as a little after 24 hours following the event, Apple is recognized for having made some strong, solid introductions, but still a cry goes up from the Web by those who expected quite a bit more.

Gone are the visions many had of wireless iPods, and a downloadable movie store, an iPhone, or the introduction of integrated Windows compatibility. Instead, we saw the company complete its move to Intel processors with the introduction of the Mac Pro, we saw a preview of Mac OS X 10.5 (a.k.a. Leopard), and we heard Steve talk about how the new Mac OS X operating system was delivering features beyond even Microsoft's wildest imagination. Steve said that despite $5 billion in R&D, Microsoft is learning to copy Apple and Google, and isn't coming up with anything new. Also, he hinted at some "Top Secret" announcements and features that will be withheld until Leopard becomes closer to reality.

In the 1990s, the build-up to WWDC was a small affair, celebrated by a select few. Now, with Apple enjoying a resurgence with the success of the iPod, adoption of Intel and delays from Microsoft, the company has enjoyed overwhelming attention by more mainstream press. Now, instead of us Mac-heads whining in private Internet forums or stock boards, we now see reaction from Wired saying that Steve Jobs has lost his magic, and CNET claiming the blogosphere is disappointed. You reap what you sow, and Apple, so far, has held strong in the face of increased scrutiny.

For me, I'm looking forward to Leopard, and hope we see a lot more in the way of its functionality. The Mac Pro line is very strong if I were in that market, but being completely laptop-oriented now, I can't ever see why I would need a quad-core Intel Xeon workstation. That's crazy talk. I can't wait to ditch the two machines at work and merge them to one, a new MacBook Pro. Now, all I have to do is convince the boss, and get it expensed.

And until then, I'm going to go back to the recorded stream and take a look at it all myself for the first time.

Listening to ''Nessaja'', by Scooter (Play Count: 5)

For every good Apple rumormonger, there are really two big days on the calendar that one should mark at the beginning of every year - the beginning of MacWorld San Francisco in January, and the first day of the company's WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC), held in the summer. At both events, CEO and mogul Steve Jobs takes the stage and often wows attendees by unveiling the latest software and hardware with his own unique flair.

Sometimes, we are surprised and in awe by the announcements, and many other times, we are disappointed, for the pre-event hype often outweighs reality, as no company could provide the level of excitement and the wide breadth of introductions that we ourselves could dream up.

This year, like every year, the rumors have been flying fast and furious. Nearly everybody expects that the company's next-generation operating system, Mac OS X 10.5, or Leopard, will be previewed, and offered early to developers. Most expect to learn more about the newest professional desktops, dubbed the Mac Pro. Others anticipate updated iPods, or even the much-discussed, but never seen, iPhone. Other potential updates include the Xserve, or the company's displays.

Rumors are so widespread for WWDC that sites are dedicated to summarizing the potential announcements, and so many different sites are offering to stream live updates that there is even a page dedicated to summarizing all the live text feeds. Amazing, isn't it?

And while all that fun is going on as Steve, clad in a black turtleneck and blue jeans, is doing some of the best marketing on the planet, the Wall Street Journal continues to bang the drum on the story around the company's alleged stock option irregularities. In a piece coming out Monday, the WSJ now says that stock option grants to directors were issued just days before stock price increases, making the beneficiaries millions almost instantly. While few specific details are known yet, uncertainty is never a good thing in today's financial markets, and it threatens to put a dour mood on today's proceedings, at least as far as the markets are concerned. (Also: Reuters)

Though still keenly interested in Apple's announcements, I'm not as much the diehard I once was, admittedly. In years past, life would stop as Steve took the stage. I would stream the QuickTime to my computer, at home or at work, and fiddle while he introduced items. In the background, either a Web chat or a stock discussion board would take my initial reactions one by one, as collectively, many of us would react - sometimes violently, to what we saw. At times, we would see Steve stall, and know a new feature had fallen out of the keynote, and at other times, we would gnash and wail when that which we had most hoped for wouldn't materialize. But tomorrow, when Steve's on stage, I'll probably be in a meeting at the office. And that, honestly, will be okay. I'll catch up after it's all done, and see the verdict then.

Listening to ''Lush 3-3'', by Orbital (Play Count: 5)

Ever since the debut of the iPod, and through Apple's sustained market share growth, critics have said the company cannot maintain its significant lead in MP3 players, or in the online music sales arena. But quarter after quarter, the company's piece of the pie has held steady at the 80% level, despite competition - real and imagined, from those like Creative Labs, and the biggest names in the business - Sony, Microsoft and Google.

Microsoft made significant headlines in July, with the pre-announcement of Zune, which in theory would present the biggest impact to the iPod lead, a hard-disk MP3 player, tied with a brand-new online music store, and anticipated features including video and photo playback, and even wireless access - something Apple's not yet debuted in its iPod line.

But, as is typical with Microsoft products, features have fallen out, even before the debut. Engadget now says that Zune may not launch with video support. According to the site, "Microsoft called up some content providers and said the video portion of its Zune device... was being delayed."

And Microsoft's not alone in its struggles. Google, long rumored as the potential big fish in the pond, has now come out and said they have no interest in selling music online, and competing with iTunes. With Apple holding a nearly three and a half-year lead in the space, it will take some amazing introduction (or a reversion back to illegal, free downloading) to knock iTunes off its pedestal.

For years, critics and observers have eagerly awaited any potential slip-ups from the Cupertino company, hoping that its iTunes/iPod market share would follow the two-decades old story with the Mac, dropping down to eventual single-digit marketshare. But they have confused different markets in a different time with different leadership, and continue to not recognize the momentum and comprehension shown by Apple in a very competitive space. Maybe it will take some high-profile failures on the part of Microsoft and Google to bring that home.

Listening to ''Spin Spin Sugar (Armands Dark'', by Sneaker Pimps (Play Count: 6)

Having always worked in private companies, and having not yet ever reached the promised land of an IPO and public markets, the world of stock markets and public trading always has belonged to other folks. I'd often hear stories of how some saw their options first become real, and then rise and fall with the whim of the traders, but it wasn't brought home to reality - sounding more like fairy tales. But some got new cars, and some got new scars, and most lived to tell about it.

I can't recall whether it was through the gossip mill or from friends who worked at these newly-public companies, but many would tell stories of how their options would be priced at the lowest point of the stock's crest in the most recent month or quarter - meaning that regardless of its present condition, they were guaranteed to have been in the money, at least a little bit. This was normal, and if I remember right, was used as an incentive - like a company perk.

However, with increased corporate scrutiny from the SEC following all the mega-scandals at the beginning of this decade, more than 60 companies are under fire for such shenanigans, and among the most well-known is Apple Computer, where a good chunk of my investments are right now. (Okay, a huge chunk.)

After market close today, the company disclosed that it may have to restate previous quarters' earnings due to the practice, which they originally hinted was not going to be significant. As you know, any uncertainty is not good news to the markets, and it's highly unlikely that Apple stock will get away with not being punished tomorrow, even if the issues took place years ago, and the people involved are themselves gone.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, it's not clear "just what the irregularities are", and that today's announcement marked a "noticeable shift" in the company's position on the option grants. Just two weeks ago, Apple said it wouldn't need such an adjustment.

For those of us holding Apple stock, the next week or so should be a bumpy ride. Next week is the kick-off for WWDC, and many new products are anticipated. We could go down before we go up, and then back down again. Buckle up.

Listening to ''The One (Driftwood Remix)'', by Dee Dee (Play Count: 7)

An Apple rumor a day keeps Steve Jobs away. Or so it seems. On what should have been a lazy Saturday in the rumor mill for the Cupertino computer and digital device maker, the Web is aflurry with yet another discussion about the often-rumored and never seen, iPhone. It's been suggested pretty much ever since Apple debuted the iMac in 1998 that a move to cellular phones was next - and that the company would leverage is unparalleled design and user interface abilities to rock the worlds of Motorola and rest of the handset developers. 

With the subsequent debuts of the iPod in 2001, and work with Motorola on the Rokr and Slvr, Apple continues to draw attention to something they haven't mentioned - the iPhone. Even the most ardent of Cupertino followers is probably tired of this news cycle - as they've only been told about the Cupertino-owned URL www.iphone.org about 10 million times.