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Apple doesn't need any accessories to validate its station as a cultural mainstay. But if it did, what better indication could there be than a desk designed specifically for the Macintosh?

Heckler Design says its "OneLessDesk" has multiple uses but still saves space as the lower "deck" can be stowed under the top when not in use, according to BornRich. Can it be used for non-Apple computers as well? Of course, but that wouldn't take advantage of the ready-made branding that comes with any product claiming to be made for the Mac. And when … Read more

I was going to stay out of the MacBook Air discussion given the vast volume of discussion already online. However, I was more than a bit surprised by the negativity of so many posters and commenters. As an often "road warrior," I thought it pretty interesting--even if it does skirt the edge of excessive compromise in service of thinness.

First, by way of background, I like small notebooks. My current model is a Fujitsu LifeBook P5020D. Although I don't use my notebook only when traveling, it's definitely a supplement to my regular desktop. In fact, when … Read more

I watched The Prestige (starring the always-excellent Christian Bale) this past weekend, so I was looking for the sleight of hand used by Steve Jobs as he pulled the MacBook Air out of that manila envelope at the Moscone Center earlier today. Jobs skipped the Pledge and the Turn, and jumped right to the Prestige (while oddly choosing Paul Otellini over Scarlett Johansson to assist him on stage). Still, it was an excellent display of consumer electronics magic. I've assembled a bunch of images of Apple's newest and thinnest laptop. Take a spin through this Macworld 2008 slide show … Read more

Macworld is a little like the Super Bowl: one big day where everything gets laid out on the table.

So, let's break down Macworld 2008, Super Bowl style. Instead of offense, defense, and special teams, however, I'll take each of the big four themes that Apple CEO Steve Jobs presented, and share my thoughts.

MacBook Air -- I'm not crazy about the name, but this is a nice-looking laptop. Ultraportable laptops are prestige products for both the vendor and the customer; Apple gets to show off what it's capable of designing, while the customer gets to … Read more

From an iPod perspective, the biggest announcement from Macworld 2008 has to be iTunes video rentals. Beginning in February, those of you who own an iPhone, iPod Classic, iPod Touch, or 3G iPod Nano, will be able to rent and transfer movies from iTunes. iTunes movie rentals will be priced at $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for older titles. While I'll have to wait and see how well renting movies in iTunes works, at first glance this looks like a huge win for the iPod.

Only a few competing MP3 players have dipped their toes into integrated video rental services. Specifically, the Archos line of portable video players and the Samsung YP-P2 have an arrangement with CinemaNow, which allows identically-priced movie rentals. While Apple might not be the first to pioneer DRM-protected movie rentals, no one has pulled it off at this scale. The built-in audience of iTunes users and iPod owners provides a staggering amount of leverage for Apple to completely change the way people rent and watch movies. But will it really stick?… Read more

As usual, there was a lot of excitement and speculation leading up to Steve Jobs' keynote for Macworld 2008, and although he didn't reveal any revolutionary new iPods, the introduction of a new movie rental service from iTunes is sure to please many current owners of the ubiquitous player. Also of note: iPod Touch owners can now add five new applications to the device, and the iPhone offers Maps with location capability. Check out this Macworld 2008 slide show for more info.

Now that post-keynote reality is starting to sink in, it's occurring to me that Apple's HD movie rental announcement has a big string attached named Apple TV. In order to rent HD-quality iTunes movies, it seems that you'll have to buy an Apple TV. People who just want to rent HD iTunes movies to watch on their PCs (or send to their TVs using non-Apple hardware) are left out, and will instead need to buy an Apple TV and then transfer the content to their laptop or iPod. While it makes sense that most users will only … Read more

Say what you will about Steve Jobs, but when he pulled Apple's latest laptop out of a standard inter-office envelope I stood in awe--of both his showmanship and of the laptop's remarkably slim design. Though the MacBook Air is not quite the thinnest laptop ever, it is among the thinnest we've seen (the Fujistu LifeBook Q2010 and Toshiba Portege R500 both measure 0.8 inch thick, but neither tapers to 0.16 inch like the Air).

These data can't really convey the MacBook Air's wow factor--thus the envelope trick. Yet even with that visual I … Read more

It's now been a year since Apple first unveiled its iPhone and today the company announced a series of updates to the super-hyped device. Though 3G-capability remains on the horizon (it will come this year, however) now has the capability to do a couple things its should have done form the outset. Speaking at the Macworld 2008 keynote in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised a handful of features in update 1.1.3 including Google Maps location triangulation and the ability to send a text message to multiple recipients. The result is a more useful device, but … Read more