“No doubt the big news of this Macworld is the update Apple has done withun their notebook line and the star of the line is the now the new MacBook Air. While folks were predicting this class of machine, clearly no one was talking about Apple delivering as they have. As I often do when I see stellar product design, I simply smiled, then laughed. This is another of those devices that needs to be seen to be appreciated. After some hands on time with the device, I know I want one,” Jupiter Reseacrh analyst Michael Gartenberg blogs.
“The machine is amazingly thin and elegant with a Macbook like aluminum enclosure that just feels elegant… The new bigger touchpad makes navigation much easier and there’s a slew of new touch features. Live the new pinch to zoom in and out and the three finger swide to move left and right. In short, for everyone who’s looking to carry a Macbook but thinks the current line is just a bit too big and heavy, this is the perfect machine,” Gartenberg writes. “Bottom line, a solid win for Apple that fits neatly between the Macbook and Macbook Pro lines with some great features from both.”
As for Apple’s iTunes Movie Rentals and the Apple TV update, “This one didn’t come as much of a surprise given the abundance of information that leaked over the last few weeks. The details for content are all the major the studios with initial offerings are on board and 1,000 titles in the next month,100 of those in HD and new releases 30 days after DVD. Expect that to grow over time. Movies can be downloaded and watched within 30 days for 24 hours. Prices are $2.99 for catalogs and $3.99 for new stuff. Add $1.00 for HD. Overall this is a really good move. Let’s face it, you might listen to the song ten thousand times in the course of your life. You might want to watch any given movie perhaps once or twice. Video rental is a business model that we know works,” Gartenberg writes.
Gartenberg writes, “So what’s different here that’s game changing? After all the terms of pretty close to what you’d get with most VOD services. The answer is there are three things that separate this from what has come before.”
• The iTunes Eco-System
• Ease of Use
• Breadth of Content
“Once again, it isn’t that Apple has invented something new here, it’s how they’ve done it. While existing efforts have been met with a lukewarm response, we’re likely to see something very different in terms of consumer response to this. By mapping to the preferred consumer tech eco system and offering enough content to capture interest, this is going to be an important offering,” Gartenberg writes. “The other thing that’s clear is Apple TV is no longer a hobby.”
Much more here.
