Friday, January 18, 2008

Did Apple Set The Standard Again?

Macworld 2008 is now in the books. Some stunning new products were announced. For a company that is no longer a "computer" company it does a pretty good job of disguising itself. Perhaps Microsoft/Dell should take notice.

For me, the new MacBook Air is a beautiful product.  It is a true portable that embraces wireless. Finally having the option of a full sized keyboard and reasonably sized screen in a remarkably thin and lightweight package will set a high bar for portable notebooks. A docking station is no longer needed; I only see the need for two cables in the office. One cable is for power and the second for an external monitor. WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connections for the network and mouse/keyboard eliminate the need for additional cables.

But for me the most significant product announcement is the new Airport/NAS or Time Capsule. The combination of software (Leopard’s built-in Time Machine) and wireless hardware make automated backup a reality.  There is simply no reason for us not to have our digital life stowed away safely and inexpensively. But best of all, instantly retrievable.

I am confident that the PC community will catch-up, but non-Apple users will have to wait until Windows 2009 . . . is released.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Happy New Year

After a prolonged absence, I am back.  Writing, for me, is difficult. I find myself doing almost anything to avoid it. This is not a good formula to become an active blogger. Something needs to change … me.

Effective communications is essential to most every job. And it is especially so for a consultant. Gathering and writing requirements for the next project is at least as important as the system architecture, design and code. I believe that regular writing in any venue will improve writing in all areas.

The blogosphere is full of serious writers, reporters, journalists and just plain ordinary folk who have something to say … hopefully something interesting. I plan to fit in the latter category.

I look forward to hearing from you. Please comment, criticize, question; let’s create a dialogue.