The Ryan Heise Collection

Apple releases things, Internet goes crazy

Real quick, here’s my expert take on things.

iPod shuffle and iPod nano

These are pretty big changes from a philosophical standpoint. With the shuffle, Apple essentially admitted that the previous version was junk (it was) and rolled back to the previous generation. At $50, it’s a smart move. See lots of the clip-on shuffles at the gym.

The nano essentially admits that the clickwheel is dead and it’s time to modernize everything. Yes, the iPod classic still exists, but it got no mention today. That’s telling, kids. One important thing to note is that video was killed from the nano. This is an all-music device again. No video recording or playback. I think this is probably to differentiate it more from the touch. Last, is this iOS or something like it embedded? (ed: It’s not iOS, but a clever hybridization of iOS look and feel and iPod OS) Could we see an SDK for it?

iTunes 10

Minor improvements. Social networking. Whatever.

iOS 4.1 and 4.2

I’m waiting for 4.2 on my iPad with bated breath. Looks awesome.

New Apple TV

It’s an interesting approach. No mention of the OS, so it’s probably not iOS. (ed: Gruber says it is.) Don’t expect apps. (ed: Engadget says expect apps.) Problem for me (and a lot like me) is that, outside of the US, the content selection is abysmal. Netflix is a nice addition, and with the service coming to Canada this fall, makes the $99 device a bit more enticing. But I already have a PS3 and an Xbox 360 that can stream Netflix and everything stored on my Mac. If Apple had some answer for live events, specifically sports, I would be on board. As of now, I don’t think it’s worth it for me.

iPod touch

This, in my opinion, was the biggest news out of today’s event. With every revision, the iPod has come closer to the iPhone. Today’s iteration more so than the previous. The differentiation is now cellular-based services (phone calls, text messaging), GPS, a camera flash, and industrial design. That’s it. Yet, the price difference between an iPod touch and an iPhone of equal storage (unlocked) is $460. This strikes me as odd. I wonder if these devices will ever converge, differentiated only by the presence of a SIM and a cellular subscription.

Chris Martin

Charming fellow, but who would have thought he could make the song “Yellow” any more of a wussy-fest than it already was.

The boilerplate of these stupid Adobe emails I get because I actually have a legitimate copy of their godforsaken Creative Suite is huge. (533 words!) Anyways, I finally got sick of them and took a minute to find the unsubscribe information in this 6-point-font level of hell.

Alternatively, you may mail your unsubscribe request to: 

UNSUBSCRIBE 
Adobe Systems Incorporated 
Attn: Change of Address/Privacy 
343 Preston Street 
Ottawa, ON K1S 1N4 
Canada 

That’s right. You can unsubscribe from an email mailing list via physical mail. Is this some legal anachronism or is it another instance of “Adobe: our heads are in our asses!”? 

The battle rages on

Exhibit A

Vegemite (pronounced /ˈvɛdʒɨmaɪt/ VEJ-ə-myet) is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract.

Exhibit B

Poutine (Quebec French pronunciation  [putsɪn]) is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curd, covered with brown gravy and sometimes additional ingredients.

It’s almost not even fair.