Fear of a Mac planet
Adam Turner can feel himself succumbing to the Mac side of the force. This is how a PC person can slip to the other side.
It started innocently enough with an iPod Shuffle, but Apple is slowly taking over my life.
The Shuffle
Like most addictive substances, the first hit was free. The Shuffle was a freebie at a Christmas party last year, but I didn't use it much until I took the big leap of faith in January and bought a black MacBook.
The MacBook
I'd spent a few weeks with a MacBook Pro loaner over Christmas to determine if Leopard would meet my needs, but I didn't anticipate how slippery a slope the road to Apple would be.
The iPhone
Not long after, I bought myself a first-gen iPhone from the US to replace my clunky imate JasJam - something I wouldn't have considered were it not for the fact I already owned a Mac. Again I had the advantage of a loaner first to see if the iPhone would meet my needs.
As with most Apple products, it was elegant and beautiful to use but lacked some of the advanced features of its Windows counterparts. I decided the pros outweighed the cons and took the plunge. I'm even thinking of paying for my MobileMe account when the trial expires, just for the over-the-air calendar and contact syncing.
I bought a MacBook because I was sick of fighting with Windows XP on my ThinkPad, and then an iPhone because I was sick of fighting with Windows Mobile on my JasJam.
I'm also sick of fighting with Windows Vista on my media centre. The TiVo is an excellent solution for those who want a PVR that "just works" but I've long dreamed of replacing my Vista MCE box with a pimped out Mac Mini.
Of course it would play nicely with my MacBook and iPhone - Jobs relies on the fact that the more Apple gear you own the more useful it all becomes. Still, I'm waiting for a Blu-ray compatible Mac Mini, but it could be a long wait because Apple would rather I bought content from the iTunes Store.
But Apple TV, not so good
A Mac at the heart of my lounge room would signify that I'd finally succumbed to the Mac side of the force. It's even more appealing now that Apple is finally selling and renting movies and TV shows from the Australian iTunes store.
Unfortunately watching high-def movies requires buying an Apple TV media player, which is certainly Apple's most crippled product. The Apple TV has one purpose, to talk to iTunes and encourage you to buy content from the iTunes Store. That's great for Apple, but not so good for me.
I want to play downloaded DivXs, recorded TV and DVDs ripped to a hard drive, but the Apple TV won't do any of this out of this box. There are plenty of options for hacking the Apple TV, but I really don't want the hassle.
I know that puts a serious dint in my ubernerd street cred, but I want a solution that just works and isn't constantly thwarted by Apple firmware upgrades. The cat-and-mouse game between Cupertino and the hacking community makes great reading, but when I sit down at the end of the day to watch TV I just want it to work. I think my family is also sick of our lounge room being a testbed.
Where the PC still wins
The other option is to covert all my content to Apple TV-friendly formats using something like Handbrake. I'm reluctant to do this, mostly because it's a hassle and I shouldn't have to. If my Vista MCE box can play all these formats, I don't see why an Apple-based solution can't.
Right now I'm playing with an Apple TV to test the movie service, along with a pair of Apple Express wifi points to test out multi-room audio. Of course it all integrates beautifully with my existing Mac gear, with the iPhone acting as a remote control.
The lure of the Mac side is strong and I'm fighting the urge to by an Apple TV. The multi-room audio is amazing, especially I now live in a house big enough to justify it, but the Apple Express is very limited and I'm thinking several Apple TVs spread around the house might be a better solution.
Perhaps I'll dabble in a few Apple TV hacks to see what I can achieve. Still, at the heart of my home entertainment system, I want a full blown computer.
The Mac Mini is long overdue for a refresh and there are rumours of a decent Apple media centre - a cross between a Mac Mini and an Apple TV. That would certainly get my attention.
As usual it will be elegant and beautiful but lack some of the advanced features of its Windows counterparts. Still, it will gel so perfectly with all my other Mac gear that I'll be powerless to resist. With Apple at the heart my my lounge room, my journey towards the Mac side would be complete.
Other Blog Entries written by Adam Turner:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Comments: 1
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bgl
Aug 22, 2008 8:54 AM
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Frankly, I'm surprised Apple TV even sells! |