Back to the Classroom

Apple and schools have always gone together. Everyone in my generation has stories about a computer lab full of Macs when they were growing up. In recent history, Apple offered the eMac, but that died in 2006 and never got a satisfactory replacement. Is the time right to get back in the classroom?

While I don't consider Macs overpriced, the low end iMac is $1199 and the cheapest Mac mini runs $699 before adding a display. Add in the cable clutter, and I'm not sure Mac minis are the best options for a lab. I found myself looking at what Apple has done with their A4 platform and iOS and wondering how it could fit.

Apple is killing it with their platforming. The iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV are sharing most of their components, and even boards. Given that these are selling in quantities measured in hundreds of millions, their margins are great and give them some pricing freedom (Apple TV for $99). iOS is solid and only getting better. What if Apple built a new eMac based on the iPad?


Stands result in compromises, so all we need is a proper desktop case and a keyboard. The keyboard is easy. We already have it. For the case, let's look back to the sunflower iMac. That's the one with the articulating arm that was designed to easily move the screen and then have it stay put. Why do we need this? This is the answer to Gorilla Arm. Apps such as word processing, reading, video lessons, and anything with a light use of UI can be used in the vertical mode. If you are painting, drawing, or playing a touch based game, grab the edge of the display and pull it down. It will look just as Apple has patented it. When you are done, toss back to vertical. Can't you see Jony Ive holding back a joyous giggle as he shows you how this works?

Unibody aluminum will hold up well to kids knocking them around. The high degree of recyclability sets a good example as well. The minimal power draw of the A4 will lower utility bills.

Speaking of bills, I'll price this at 5 of them. $499 buys you the eMac + keyboard + iWork suite. Pages becomes the AppleWorks of today's generation. After unboxing, go crazy in the App Store. Apps like The Elements, Brushes, Google Earth -- the store is popping with great apps that kids will love. No need to be a switcher later in life. Kids will grow up with it.

I also think there is value in the inherit limitations of iOS. When I wrote papers on a IIc, I didn't have distractions. The computer and app were the same thing. The iPad brings this focus back. Sure, multi-tasking is on its way, but the OS is still designed with a singular app as the focus. This lowers the computer literacy bar, encouraging kids to get on with the creation, rather than get bogged down in the process. It can also aid in administration. For example, Grade 1 gets their own screen of apps. No unnecessary windows. No launchers present when apps are running. It just keeps things simple.

Will Apple actually build something like I envision? I feel like their are bigger fish to fry for them, but I think it would be amazing to see them take it back a little and return to the classroom in a big way.

XPS One vs. iMac

I've been trying to get my parents to switch to an iMac. While thinking about it, I wondered how the iMac stacks against the recently released Dell XPS One. I picked a common price point that my parents would probably buy at. Here's the raw facts.



Before today, I didn't know that Dell was bundling Adobe Elements studio. That is a decent bundle to lay against iLife '08 even though they aren't exactly made of the same types of applications.
It is only fair to point out that the XPS One also has a built-in TV tuner (nice). So what else did I miss? Leave a comment.

Which do you think is the better deal?

iMac for Mother Earth

The new iMacs are out (yes!) and I couldn't help but notice how much Apple is highlighting the green aspects of the computer. Maybe it's because they've taken such a beating before, but perhaps it's just the new, kinder, gentler, Apple at work.

So where are the highlights? Well, the tech specs tout Energy Star compliance. Which version of Energy Star might be in debate. The standard recently changed and the old iMac was not compliant. You can check the list (Excel file), but it was mostly the Mac mini and the MacBook that met the new standards.

Apple also proudly states "The use of recyclable glass and aluminum makes iMac friendlier to the environment, too." on their design page.

To complete the link parade, don't forget to check out the environment section of Apple's website.

Drumming Your Fingers on a Table

Engadget has a rumor and purported images of a keyboard said to be ready for the upcoming iMac from Apple. The keyboard is stripped down to the bare essentials in materials but keeps the expected keys and even looks to add some function keys.

I'll assume this is the new keyboard. I like most of what I see. A few observations:

• The keys are like the ones found on the MacBook - I like the keys on the MacBook. Lots of folks dismissed the chiclet style keys, but I don't mind them. Then again, I don't mind the current Apple keyboards either, but if you read some Apple forums you'd find that plenty of people hate that keyboard. I used to be a keyboard snob and would only use a Microsoft natural board. I've since mellowed and even traded in my disgusting natural at work for a clean new Dell that seems to borrow some design cues from Apple.


• No Apple key - The Command key currently has an Apple logo on it. The trouble is, the Apple is never referred to in documentation. Users are told to hit the command key and keyboard shortcuts list the feature key logo. This is very confusing for switchers. At least it isn't like the old days with the closed apple key and the open apple key. Anyway, everyone is crying fake on the keyboard because the apple logo is gone. I'll interpret it as Apple drinking some of their own simplify juice and getting rid of the confusing icon for the key that is never called the apple key. Wouldn't it be great if Microsoft did the same and got rid of the silly Windows key?


• Design - I like the clean design and the design looks like it will be easier to keep clean! While the clear plastic enclosure on the current Apple keyboard looks nice, it's really just a window display for dirt and crud.


• Design Part 2 - By refining the keyboard down to its simplest form, Apple may be opening the door for 3rd parties again. One of the side effects of Apple's minimalist design is the non-minimals (what kind of word is that?) will accessorize the crap out of it. Look how many billions of dollars there are in the iPod accessories market. Do you like your keyboard to slant forward? No problem. Someone will come out with a slab of plastic that this keyboard will click in to. Like more USB ports? Sure, how about a glowing blue enclosure with 6 USB ports out the side. Want an iPod dock in your keyboard? Seems like that would be easy enough to mold in the plastic as well. Now, you won't be able to change the curve of the keyboard, but if that's your style, you wouldn't be happy with this keyboard anyway and would already know what you like (see earlier comment about keyboard snob). This already happened with the Mac mini. Companies like Plasticsmith rolled out multiple products to fit your Mac mini needs.

In the end, if Apple can get you excited about your computer over $20 worth of keyboard parts, that's great for them. If they can't, then so what. You can pick from hundreds of keyboards out there.

Teramac Dreams

WWDC is fast approaching, and now that the new MacBook Pros have been released, I fully expect new iMac hardware to be shown next week. This makes me happy because I've been wanting an iMac for a long time now. I was hoping for a release in January, but that didn't happen. Now, with the delay of Leopard, I still might not buy new hardware until it is released, but still, let's see the new iMac!

So what do I want to see? Honestly, not much. My biggest wish is hard drive capacity. Perhaps I'm an odd dude, but I want prosumer like specs, but I don't want a low end Mac Pro. I want an iMac with a TB of disk space. They are real close now. You can get 750GB as a BTO. The biggest restriction is the iMac's single hard drive.

To get past that single hard drive limitation, let's go big. Let's go 30" big. The iMac currently tops out at 24" and that's the one I've had my eye on. However, if they made a 30" version and filled it will giant hard drives, I might be tempted. I don't want external drives. They are ugly. They take up space. They require more wires and more power supplies. No thanks. I don't want a server in my closet. They're usually loud (even in a closet), burn electricity, and I don't have any outlets in my closets so you have the ugly wires again.

Since we're dreaming, I'll get real crazy and ask for 3 hard drives in my iMac. 2 of them will be high performance drives in a RAID 1 configuration for performance and data reliability. This will hold the OS, applications, and documents. The 3rd will just be that big lump that stores all of my media (music, movies, pictures). If we're shooting for that TB, we can do dual 250 gigers teamed with the single 750 drive. As long as you have room to cram those drives in, this is all quite doable.

So what else do I want? LED backlighting seems to be all the rage. I'm not real picky on video cards. Case redesign? Maybe a tweak or two. I really think the iMac is close to perfection in the case design. Multi-touch display. No thanks. I don't think the world is ready for that on a screen just yet. As a standalone pad, yes, I want one, but think of how people sit in front of the computer screens. The screens aren't usually within comfortable reach. You'd have to design new office chairs and desks to easily do multi-touch on your display. Either that or mount it high on a wall and stand-up.

The countdown continues.