i went for it

One of my brother's favorite phrases used to be "I got a good deal," and I have to admit that I'm happy to say that I did, recently, too. We have two iPhones — one replaced our landline at home and the other is my long-time cell-phone. The "home phone" is a 3GS, and in today's smart phone world, it is still a great, working phone, but it is no longer able to be updated with any new operating systems. The other, a 4S, I've had for two years, and September is my birthday month ...

Long story short, I was able to basically get one (a 5C, above right) for free when I traded in the 4S, and the 3GS I upgraded to a 5S (above, left). Two new phones. And I have also finally committed to living here in Florida — I changed both of my old phone numbers from their DC area codes to our local Florida codes. And thanks to  very helpful person at AT&T (yes, really!) I got some savings in the process — I was actually paying a DC tax for using the phones. I got grandfathered in with my old unlimited plans on both phones (whoo hoo!) So much has been going wrong lately that it is a really nice change to have something go my way. And the phones are damn cute, too. Happy birthday to me!

jobs

Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher as the enigmatic Apple co-founder, has been getting a lot of negative critical reaction. The film may not be a Hollywood blockbuster with explosions and comic book heroes, like many other of this summer's film offerings, but it isn't a slanted pseudo-hagiography, either. Directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Neverwas, Swing Vote), Jobs is more a collage of scenes from the life of Steve Jobs. Kutcher does a pretty good job of looking and sounding and walking like his subject. Where the film falters is in its cut-and-paste approach to Jobs's life and career trajectory. There is a lot of time spent on his interoffice and personal bad behavior — the viewer walks away with the impression that Jobs was a dick - a brilliant dick, but nonetheless, a real dick to be around, whether at work or at home. And then, he gets fired from Apple and flash forward, he's not such a dick anymore.

Ashton Kutcher (top) and his doppelgänger, Steve Jobs, below

It's probably impossible to compress the life of someone like Jobs, or the beginnings of a company like Apple, into a two-hour film. It would have probably been better to make a mini-series. Notably missing are scenes depicting what led to Jobs's triumphant return to Apple in 1996 — his founding of NeXT Computer (which provided the OS X platform for the next wave of Apple computers) and Pixar, which revolutionized the film industry.

"I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. 

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together."

Although a film like Jobs can only really skim the surface of someone who has made such an impact on modern technology and the way we live today, it does manage to highlight some interesting aspects of Jobs's life. From his time at Reed College in the early 1970s he was driven, but not to follow a traditional path — he dropped out of school and chose to audit classes.

"... After six months, I couldn't see the value in it [attending Reed College]. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

... If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. ...If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do."

He brought his original way of thinking to his job at Atari, but couldn't really mesh with the other employees. Jobs was an idea man, a true visionary, but lacked empathy. Although there are too many scenes devoted to the early days of Apple, centered around work cubicles, Josh Gad does a great job portraying Woz, Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the Apple I computer and the co-founder of Apple with Steve.

The Steves, Wozniak and Jobs

"Welcome to Apple Computer."

Jobs ends with Steve Jobs introducing the iPod. There isn't a person in the audience, Apple groupie or not, who will feel that is not too abrupt a place to stop telling the story. Photographed by Russell Carpenter (and for a few scenes shot in India, Aseem Bajaj), Jobs is a good-looking film. The camera gets in close, trying to get inside Jobs's head. It may not completely succeed, but it does leave the viewer wanting to know more about the man.

"Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. 

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Quotes from Stanford University Commencement address, delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005

a new way (for me) to watch tv

After yesterday's post of bemoaning the current state of television, and with a little prompting and encouragement from friends far and near, I put my money where my mouth was, and dumped my cable. At least most of it. I am still using Comcast for my internet and streaming and HD box for my tv at the moment, but I am no longer a premium cable subscriber. For the first time in a long time.

Right off the bat I am saving $66 a month, and if I swap out the box I have now for a just-HD box, I will save another $7.00. So what will I be watching, you might ask? I currently have a free month-long subscription to Netflix and free week-long subscription to Hulu Plus (Can't wait to start watching obscure Britcoms!). They are each 7.99 a month, so after the try-out, I can decide to do either/or or just go for both of them. I could add just HBO for another $15 a month, but since Game of Thrones won't be back for a while, I feel no immediate need for that. But when Dinklage season returns, so may I, for a few months at least.

After a lot of internet and Best Buy research I decided to implement all of this with Apple TV. It took two minutes to set up and instantly started streaming my iPhone, Flickr, and other content from the Cloud to the tv. Welcome to the future. And thanks again friends. You know who you are.
: )

well, that was unexpected ...

I haven't been able to use the USB ports on my laptop for a while. It's been quite annoying, actually. I finally decided to do something about it yesterday and packed it up with a flash drive and went to my favorite computer store, The Mac Toy Store, which fixes out-of-warranty Apple products and also refurbishes and sells them.

It at first sounded like my beloved 13" MacBook Pro might just have a software problem, but after several tries and a look under the hood it turned out to be the worse possible outcome — a fried motherboard that would cost $800 new or $600 used. My 2009 computer, however, was worth at least $300 as a trade-in. You can probably see where this post is going.

A little later, after a swapped hard drive, I am happily typing away on my "new" 15" MacBook Pro.

Everything old is new again

I was pretty sad to bid goodbye to my 13" laptop, but the store owner and Mac guru assured me that it would live on in other computers. He also threw in a free silicone keyboard cover and soft carrying case for the 15" laptop to help soften the blow. All in all, not a bad deal at all, but not how I thought the day, or the transaction, would end.

genius bar

We have an appointment today at a local Apple Store to see if there is any hope of restoring my old PowerBook G4 for the kid to use (and also so that she won't constantly be bugging me to get on my laptop). It has been in endless boot mode and is rather hot to the touch, so I'm frankly not too enthusiastic, especially if repairing it would be costly, but it's worth a shot. I have learned through other misadventures with computers that it is simply not possible for me to have a PC at home. The last time we had a small PC it suddenly transformed into German-language only mode. Ach du Lieber! I need Macs in the house, PCs are fine anywhere else.

I just hope that if there isn't much we can do for this 'puter that I don't get myself talked into purchasing some other shiny gadget to fill the gap. But I don't rule out that as a possibility, either. I know myself too well. I do have a birthday coming in a few months ...

That endlessly spiraling circle is getting annoying

Update: The geniuses can't fix anything that old, but they suggested a Mac specialty store that could — I actually have seen it, it's near my acupuncturist. For $150 this old laptop gets a brand new hard drive and my kid gets her own computer in a week. A good deal, and way less expensive than I feared. And now I have a new resource of helpful, geeky Apple enthusiasts. Win win!

the iPad — cat-tested and approved

the zen of Steve Jobs

Article first published as Graphic Novel Review: The Zen of Steve Jobsby Caleb Melby, Forbes LLC and JESS3 on Blogcritics.

The Zen of Steve Jobs is a graphic novel that presents a possible history. It depicts Steve Jobs's friendship with Zen Buddhist priest Kobun Chino Otogawa in different periods of his life, and how that may have had a direct influence on Apple product design. The comic presents different key moments in both men's lives, including:

- A teenage Jobs and Kobun meeting in Los Altos, California in 1971;

- Jobs in 1997, after his return to Apple, and his changing its course by simplifying its approach to its products;

- Jobs In 1986, in a one-on-one session with Kobun at the Tassajara Zen Center discussing calligraphy and the space around things;

- Kobun teaching Jobs the walking meditation kinhin, its circular simplicity a direct correlation to Apple design, such as the iPod's circular navigation.

The design of The Zen of Steve Jobs reflects its subject matter. The drawings are streamlined, sometimes even suggesting calligraphy. The color palette is limited to muted greens, blues and purples, printed in two colors on a cream stock. It's an attractive piece.

Jobs is presented as both visionary and prickly, two aspects of his personality that the public has become familiar with through biographies and apocryphal accounts. The book has come out posthumously, but it doesn't eulogize Jobs. It keeps things clean and simple. It packs its most emotional punch in its depiction of Kobun, who, like Jobs was a bit of a rebel, and who tragically, drowned while trying to save his five year-old daughter (who also drowned) in Switzerland in 2002.

There is a nice "making of" section in the back of the book, which includes storyboards and potential cover artwork, as well as short biographical material on Steve Jobs and Kobun Chino Otogawa.

A collaboration between Forbes Publishing and creative agency JESS3, The Zen of Steve Jobs will have its biggest appeal for Apple fans, but anyone interested in computers or intellectual and spiritual approaches to deign will also enjoy it. It's a fitting tribute to Steve Jobs and a nice introduction to a man who may have influenced Jobs (Jobs named Kobun NeXT's spiritual guru) and the products many of us can't live without today.

Related articles

• Graphic Novel Review: The Zen of Steve Jobs by Caleb Melby, Forbes LLC and JESS3 (blogcritics.org)

of course iDid

As anyone who knows me could have easily guessed, I found myself at an Apple store this morning, just in time to pick up the new iPhone 4S — as one of the Apple staff said, "4S, 'For Steve.'" I also picked up the totally free, as in f-r-e-e 3GS, to replace our landline and my old 3G with the cracked screen.

I was lucky to join a very short line, but they said they had people camped out overnight and over 100 waiting when the doors opened at 8 a.m., two hours earlier than their normal opening hours. I got there around 9:30 a.m. or so.

I though I might just turn in the 3G somewhere for cash, as it could no longer function as a phone once I upgraded, but it turns out it's now an iPod. An iPod with a cracked screen, but hey, why not? The kid is overjoyed.

My old cracked but beloved 3G shares its wealth with the 3Gs

To everyone who can't get past the moniker 4S versus the number 5, it's time get over it. I've only had this thing a few hours and I'm very pleased with my belated birthday present to myself. I haven't even cracked the surface of all it can do, but it does make my 3G, which I have loved with a capital "L" seem like it's from another era.

I won't list all of the cool things, like iCloud, the Siri voice command, etc., etc., but the camera in this thing alone is worth the price. I haven't used a digital camera since I bought the 3G, but this camera is just so much better and jam-packed with lots of nifty features. I can't wait to fill up my cloud with lots of fun photos and video.

I'm sure this time next year the 5 will finally come out and make this baby seem slow, but I'm not looking to upgrade anytime soon. I love gadgets, but I don't always have to have the newest thing. I had the 3G for over three years, which is an eternity in the tech world.

Viva technology.

my iLife

I have owned and loved a lot of Apple products, many of them introduced by Steve Jobs.

Performa (mid-1990s) My first computer and it will always hold a place in my heart. I learned Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, and basically everything on this computer. I was introduced to video games (beyond Solitaire) like MYST and the Sims and Caesar 3. I lived in Brooklyn and went to New York City's first Apple Store in midtown and put in my order to have it delivered. It came in the hugest box I ever saw and I spent a very happy day unpacking it and setting it up.

Powerbook G3 (in 1998, the bronze "Lombard" edition) I was sick of desktop life and wanted to go portable - I have never gone back (at home — a desktop was unfortunately unavoidable at the office.) I bought this one way downtown at J&R Music World and carried it home on the subway, clutched tightly to my body.

Powerbook G4 titanium 17" (2004) I got this at an Apple store in Virginia (D.C. still doesn't have one) when my G3 powerbook was slowing down and my daughter arrived — perfect excuse to get a new computer and load it up with tons of new baby photos. I still think this design is one of Apple's most beautiful.

iPhone 3G (2008) I retired an MP3 player and my digital camera and just used the iPhone for everything. It's still an indispensable part of my daily life.

MacBook Pro 13" (2009) My lifeline, and faster and even more portable than the 17". I justified this new computer when I wanted to still be able to work on the computer during the evening, while my daughter was playing, but wanted to be able to sit on the couch, be in the same room with her, wherever she was at the moment.

iPad (2010) My daughter has ended up using this more than I do, but I do read books on it, check the internet, play games, etc.

iPhone 4s (In another week or so) I've been wanting to update my iPhone for quite a while — I cracked the glass a month or so ago when I dropped it in the garage. I want the better camera, iCloud, etc.

Honorable mention - how fabulous is iTunes? — I haven't bought a CD in years.

Thanks, Steve. For everything.

r.i.p. steve jobs : (  ♥

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"—Steve Jobs to John Sculley, from Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple

I'm so sorry for the family of Steve Jobs, who have lost someone very special to them. I'm also sorry for the rest of us. Steve Jobs truly was an original thinker and he changed the way Apple and the rest of the industry did business. Everyone else is still trying to catch up to products he made indispensable in our lives. It's not that there aren't other innovative minds out there, at Apple and beyond. But the combination of "thinking different" mixed with his sheer force of personality, what made Steve Steve — that will be impossible to replace.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”—Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

Apple released this statement:

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

In just a few short years Steve Jobs helped change the way we think of phones, computers, the internet. I can't imagine not using my MacBook, my iPhone or iPad. They have become integral tools in my life. And my daughter's life. He cut through the clutter — he shook hands with the "Evil Empire," and made it clear that floppy disks, music CDs, and even the program Flash seemed obsolete in his mind. He gave us iTunes and Pixar.

"I want to put a ding in the universe."

R.I.P. Steve. When you stepped down last month you let us know how seriously ill you must have been. But we still didn't want to believe it. You will be truly missed. Good luck, Apple. Good luck American business.

hopefully the apple won't fall far from the steve

Steve Jobs resigned as the CEO of Apple yesterday (he wants to step back and be Chairman of the Board) and I'm sure all the Macheads out there, myself included, gasped and said a silent prayer that it's not for dire health reasons.

Jobs has been more than influential for the computer industry, he has been inspirational. I wish him and the company continued success.

Steve's letter:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Best of luck, Steve in your new role. I know that Apple will continue to turn out cool stuff and get us all to "think different."

computer + drinking = no

I just got my beloved MacBook Pro back from Apple. A week without one's computer can be quite tense, let me assure you. Amazingly, even though it required seven new or refurbished parts to get my lifeless life extension back to its old self, not one of those parts was the hard drive, so all of my data was fine.

This is a lesson kiddies, they're not joshing when they say to keep a glass of something far from your computer. Of course, after more than a decade of owning computers, using them at the workplace, and, I cannot lie, eating and drinking all manner of things in their vicinity, this is the first time something of this kind has happened. But be warned.

The other signal that maybe my recent series of unfortunate events may be taking an upturn is that all the work that went on under the hood cost me not a red cent. Thank you Apple. Thank you laptop gods. I got the message. I am a new woman. Now excuse me while I get up a find my glass in the distant kitchen, as all of this typing makes a girl thirsty.

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a, b, c, d, ebook

I downloaded my first ebook, Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks. I have wanted to read it since I heard about it, and had saved a spot for it on my Amazon list. And then . . . I packed up about twenty boxes of books. And then . . . a few weeks later I started to unpack them, as well as go through my mom's already quite extensive book collection, trying to make room for mine, praying I could find at least a duplicate or two to cull. I'm not even mentioning my daughter's two bookcases full of classic children's books that she has yet to really dive into, as she learns to read.




So the prospect of buying another book seemed slim. And this is hard for me. Like the rest of my family, I am a bibliophile. When my parents divorced, I made sure that my childhood books (and others I enjoyed from their collections) didn't get lost or tossed in the shuffle of the split. Many years later, when my dad died, I was sure to preserve some of his best and beloved books—basically, anything my brother didn't want, I lugged back to New York, where I was then living,  with me. You don't throw away a book.

I have tried over the years to prune and thin my collection. I had a favorite used book store I used to frequent outside of D.C., where you could bring in books for trade. Of course I usually ended up walking out with quite a few books as well. Books have always been my way to learn—a new language, a current enthusiasm (the Tudors, herbs, mythology). Books allow me to immerse myself in a particular author or series (Jane Austen, Sharon Kay Penman, Brother Cadfael). This favorite book store was a great help in that regard, and I still have stacks of pet interests acquired from there, ready, whenever I am.




Friends from time to time have suggested different ebook readers, but I have always resisted. I did download a free app, Stanza, to my iPhone, but even with its ability to access plenty of the classics, thanks to Project Gutenberg, I just couldn't picture myself late at night reading a book on my iPhone. Email, facebook updates, sure. But not a few chapters of anything. But that has all changed with the iPad. Somewhere in size between a paperback and a magazine, the iPad is the perfect venue for a neophyte e-reader. The free iBooks app came with Winnie the Pooh (savvy Apple). I downloaded a Beatrix Potter read-along book for my daughter. She loves it. But I was still resistant. Until it occurred to me one evening that I didn't have to wait for the Christie book to go paperback, I could download it right away. Instant e-gratification. And it was. First a sample, 38 pages worth, for me to dip my toe in the e-water. And when I decided I had to read more, well—a few clicks and I did.

For those of you who have been doing this for ages, this probably seems silly, my trepidation, even quaint. But books have always been more than just something I read. They are possessions, inheritance, memorabilia. But I am open to new things. And since I just started watching The Pillars of the Earth on cable the other night, another book I have always wanted to read but hadn't gotten around to purchasing yet, it occurred to me . . . that I will be stacking up e-books on my virtual bookshelves, too.

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reason 5,987,645,321 i effin' hate windows

Grandma bought the kid a PC netbook last Xmas. I took a deep breath and welcomed the evil empire into my iHouse. The little crappy thing has kept her amused, although I had to uber-secure it. She was able to access the PBS Kids Sprout website, some reading and math games and not much else.

The other night it crashed for the umpteenth time and when we rebooted it came back with the latest Windows update—in German, the one language I have absolutely no clue about. It couldn't freak out into Italian, French, or Spanish? I have been trying every night since to try to get it back to English, with the help of Google translate. No matter how many times I try to restore it to a previous moment in time before the reboot or change the Regional-und Spracheinstellungen [Regional and Language settings] back to English it stubbornly stays German. Scheiße.

Das iPad in all seiner Pracht [Behold the iPad in All Its Glory]

I'm about at the end of my rope. I've been toying with the idea of an iPad being in our future, but I really wasn't in much of a rush. But if this p.o.s. doesn't respond soon, the kid may get to share with Grandma a much more user-friendly versatile tool. And I bet it doesn't crash once a week, either.

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questions for a new millenium

How is Yankee Candle still in business?

Really?

Taking up the same mall real estate as the Apple Store and Aveda?

I'm really curious. Is it a front for something else? How do they make their rent?

continuing the i ♥ apple theme . . .

. . . one of my favorite scenes from Zoolander.



[Talking about the files]
Hansel: They're *in* the computer?

J.P. Prewitt: The truth is male models have been assassinating world leaders for over 200 years. Abe Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery, right? Well, who do you think made the silk stockings and powdered wigs worn by our early leaders?
Derek Zoolander: Mugatu!
J.P. Prewitt: [pauses] Slaves, Derek. So they hired John Wilkes Booth to do Mr. Lincoln in. The first model/actor! Dallas. 1963. John F. Kennedy.
Matilda: Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't a male model.
J.P. Prewitt: You're goddamn right he wasn't, but the two lookers who capped Kennedy from the Grassy Knoll sure as shit were!

Derek Zoolander: Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?

Derek Zoolander: Why do you hate models, Matilda?
Matilda: Honestly?
Hansel: Yes.
Matilda: I think they're vain, stupid, and incredibly self-centered.
Hansel: I totally agree with you. But how do you feel about male models?

oh my god what have i done

I brought a PC into the house. Or at least, Grandma thought that it would be great for my daughter to have her own computer, so after Xmas we went to Best Buy and got her a little $300 netbook.

I've had to parental-control it up the wazoo, but there are some fun sites her teachers have recommended for her to try that have counting and alphabet games, etc.

While we were at Best Buy my mom was immediately attracted to the Apple merchandise.

Well, duh. But not for the kid. Yet.

Of course if Uncle Steve comes out with the not-so-secret-surprise tablet that we are all expecting to hear about at the end of the month I might have wished we waited and kept it a PC-free home. It's bad enough I have to use these things at work, right? Except I'd probably not want to share with the kid and want one for myself . . .

it really is magic

For iPhone lovers...



...that X-ray app is pretty cool, huh?

anything you can do...

At work someone suggested that I get one of the new little notebooks (PC of course) that only weigh under 3 pounds and can get me wireless connection everywhere, etc. We're going on a road trip at the end of the summer, and for about $350 (or less and less, it seems, every day) it is tempting to pick up a new gadget, justifying that I could go on the internet in my hotel room at night, etc.

But I'll have the iPhone too, and I keep coming up against that - what can any of these new gadgets (PCs, Kindles, etc.) do that my iPhone can't? I rarely use my digital camera anymore, although I'm sure I'll take it along on this trip. Email, iPod, Internet, facebook, twitter, etc., etc. - it's a one-stop shop.

Why do I need another electronic device in my world?

I have a computer at home, so for real typing and web-surfing I use that. A Mac, of course. At work I have a PC with a mega flat screen and it works great for the graphics and other things that I do there. If the MacBook Air were cheaper, I would probably justify an "extra" computer in my house without blinking an eye, but somehow bringing a PC into the house is not what I want to do.

I guess I'm a left brain (PC at work), right brain (Mac at home) sorta gal.

p.s. check out the insanely cool knit iPhone, courtesy of daddytypes.com

can you hear the angels singing?

I've always been a big fan of Apple. Besides their little-guy persona (little guy, my ass), their design excellence and perseverance, how graphic programs just work "better" on a Mac, they are just damn fun computers to use.

And now the new iPhone.

Besides it's over-the-top coolness factor, in the iPhone, Apple is now giving everyone the opportunity to buy a state-of-the-art (handheld) computer for under $300. So long, Blackberry. The iPhone rocks. Hard.

At the push of a button you can GPS yourself and watch your progress, as you stroll the nabe or get lost somewhere in your car. And that's just one of many, many gadgets on this phone/iPod/computer/camera/etc./etc.

This isn't an ad for the thing. Apple doesn't need my endorsement. I'm sure the lines are still queuing. It's just super cool, is all.