Apple's Efforts to Innovate Inconsistent as of Late
| by Joe Leo, Columnist | September 22, 2006 |
'THINK DIFFERENT' (a three-part series)
Part One
continued... from: page 2
'BIG MAC' ATTACK: "Gojira! Gojira!!" which translated from Japanese is "Look at that Mac laptop, it's huge!!" Well, not really, but Gojira is the Japanese name of Godzilla, and you can't help but make that comparison when looking at the ultra-compact 12" PowerBook hitching a ride on the tail of its replacement. (Um, can I get "Super Size" fries with that?)
Apple was clearly thinking different in its approach to the MacBook from every possible front, to the machine's size, name-- though by that time, everyone figured that one out --and style. But did they use their own strategy on building upon the positive attributes of its predecessors, namely, the product line it replaced?
Just to be fair, they did take some of the good attributes from existing and/or previous product lines. Such as using the refined and almost seamless form factor of the MacBook Pro / PowerBook G4, and even bringing back something from the grave... the much missed "black Mac" (PowerBook G3) from the late 90s / early 2000s.
But Apple wasn't thinking about the major attribute of its 12-inch line that they should have kept and incorporated into the replacement machine. The one standing out in the open... the "ultra-compact" portability factor.
Okay, so what does an inch more really mean? Well, a lot. (More on that in our next column).
What happened to Apple's way of fixing things that don't work? It seems they overlooked that area completely. The white models get discolored easily-- never mind if it was due to the so-called "bad plastics" problem that other Mac-centric news websites have reported --while some black models' matte finishes were reported to be flaking off. Gasp!! Egad!
"Biff! Wham! Boffo!" (a small tribute there to the campy "Batman" TV series starring the "original" Batman actor Adam West, which ran on ABC from 1966-68).
Does this all sound familiar? Cousins sometimes do share attributes with other members outside of their immediate family. Looks like this one should have been the real "TiBook"-- a half titanium PowerBook, half iBook hybrid. (For clarification to those who don't know, the word "TiBook" was the nickname given to the titanium PowerBook G4 line).
These MacBooks are supposed to be replacements to a fantastic line now officially retired from store shelves? Where did Apple's streak go, in terms of making good things even better than before?
They even totally disregarded their own "Think Different" routine by thinking the exact same way (an example of that double-edged sword discussed earlier) as their rivals from the dark side by...? [ insert lightsaber sound effect ] Giving the MacBooks glossy screens, saying that consumers had been wanting that feature-- already in PC laptops for years --for quite some time.
Oh please. Shall we even sidetrack and move on to Boot Camp and Windows??
Thankfully, with the new iPod nanos that were released just last week, Apple seems to be getting it right again. We take comfort in the fact they fixed a problem in their product line by doing what? Going back to a successful model that worked by taking the smooth aluminum-cased design of the iPod mini, and shrinking it down to nano size.
You will remember that the first generation iPod nanos replaced the minis, and the even smaller/thinner design of the nanos, along with a new color screen, was slowly becoming a surefire hit, the mini slowly fading out in popularity into the back of people's minds... or just the back of everyone's closet or retail outlet's stockroom.
The mini was the most popular line and fastest/best-selling iPod that Apple ever sold. "Why fix it if it ain't broke?" (excuse the grammar). Well, we all know that it did "broke" and everything flopped on Apple's part, with the tons of problems-- even a class-action lawsuit --associated with the nano's easily-scratched/breakable fragile screen.
Funny how the product that replaced a product, was in a sense, technically replaced by the original product it replaced, using that famous Apple-tweaking formula. (Are you still with us on that one?). Who says you can't solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking you used when you created it?
Oh, that's right, Einstein did. Just not in that exact word order. Oh, and one more thing? ...
Since Apple knows how to do things in that "Think Different" way, let's hope that someone will think differently real quick and create the second generation MacBook soon-- a 12-inch model sporting low-end Intel Core 2 Duo processors (since the Pro line is rumored to be receiving a higher-end update with these chips soon), with non-glossy screens (thank you), a backlit keyboard, all encased in shiny silver or black aluminum.
Or even better yet, blue! someone's favorite color. You readers will all know whose idea it was for the second-gen MacBooks if the 12-inch portable line makes its return. We'll talk more about the laptop situation later (and why this columnist started ranting and raving about all of this in the first place...).
[**this feature is a multi-part series, planned in three columns over the next few weeks]
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