Nosce te ipsum

In what seems like a more and more frequent event, a largely PC centric publication or website has awarded another of Apple's products with either Editor's Choice or Product of the Year. This time around it's CNet awarding Apple's 20" 2.1Ghz iMac with their Editor's Choice From the article:

The good: Built-in iSight camera for videoconferencing and photos; remote control and Front Row software let you enjoy media from across the room; faster and cheaper than past models.

The bad: TV missing from Front Row media application; can't adjust the height of the screen; expandability limited to adding RAM; only 90 days of phone support.

The bottom line: The Apple iMac G5 gets trimmer and cheaper as it ups its performance and adds a handful of multimedia features, resulting in an all-around first-rate home PC.

For the right audience, the iMac is an amazing machine and always has been. Ever since it was first introduced and then went on to be known as the machine that would ultimately turn around Apple computer and put it back on the right track towards once again being a profitable company. The 20" iMac in particular, especially with Front Row and Photo Booth, continue it's legacy as one of Apple's most innovative computers.

It's all around great to continue to see Apple's products getting such good press based on their merits from the very same publications that loudly rang the Apple Death Knell over the last decade. How quickly times change. I started Apple back in the glory days of the Apple II and watched the world change with the introduction of the first Macintosh in 1984 and was a loyal user until the mid 1990's when the realities of the job required that I spend the majority of my time on Windows PCs (that and the fact that Macs of that era were in a real low point) but when talk of the earliest betas of Mac OSX hit the developers circles, my interest was definitely piqued and before long I was the proud owner of a shiny new Titanium Powerbook which was one hell of a warm welcome back into the Macintosh experience.

Despite it's early stage, OS X showed the potential of being the best operating system ever created and I've never looked back. Compared to 2001, being a Mac user today is an entirely different experience. We always knew we had the absolute best hardware and software and even this new iPod thing was just too cool but outside of the core Mac community, no one else really understood it. It was like being privileged to this amazing secret that no one else was in on but today, more and more people are waking up to Apple and it's products, thanks in no small part to the incredible success of the iPod.

Their retail operations are growing at an amazing rate and compared to how you used to have to buy a Macintosh, these new stores offer a truly compelling way to learn about the Mac. Being someone who lives and breathes this stuff, a trip to the Apple store is a good reminder of how regular people are just getting their first taste of Apple and it's products. I was reminded of that the other day when I went to my local Apple store and overheard a guy in his 20s asking the employee for some advice about which Microsoft iPod would be best to surf the IntraWeb. Without missing a beat, the associate calmly replied: "The black one" (I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried folks!) For those of you who have made the switch, all I can say is enjoy the ride - we truly do live in very interesting times.

Washington, Nov. 15 - A leading Catholic cardinal is warning Catholic parents to be careful when buying iPods and other wireless devices as Christmas gifts because they could be used by minors to access pornography.

Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, who co-chairs the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, said iPods, PDAs and video cell phones can easily send and receive pornography, much of it unsolicited.

In addition to the obvious technical inaccuracies in their article, I still find it humorous that the Catholic church is telling me when what devices to buy based on their belief systems which as the last few years have shown, have been horribly tainted by the actions of some of their members. Watching a porn flick seems a minor offense besides the stuff they have been getting away with lately, just ask your local choir boy.