Suitcase Nuke

There is one specific reason why Apple refused to support Flash in the iPhone's browser. It's the same reason Apple has ignored other media platforms like Windows Media or Real Player. They continuously push the open H.264 codec that is fully supported in QuickTime. When it came to Adobe's Flash, they recognized Adobe's push to close large parts of the web to a proprietary platform. They argue that you can accomplish the same task using open standards. Just go to Apple's site. Not one bit of Flash anywhere, but you wouldn't guess it.

When it came to the iPhone, Jobs argued that the regular variant of Flash was too bulky and bloated (following in Windows' footsteps) to be useful on a mobile device. He didn't spell out that he really believes Flash is unnecessary. But some people like their "Skip Intro" fun. He continued to point out that the mobile version used by many others was so stripped down it's basically useless.

I have hardly noticed Flash's absence aside from not viewing Strong Bad's emails . However, my aunt just surprised me by buying an iPhone for herself. And the uninformed AT&T clerks told her she would have no problem doing her online classes on the phone while she has downtime at work. Maybe she didn't explain how her school's system works, but it's a closed system that uses Flash for all interaction. So no dice.

Obviously it's a critical mistake to make web content only available on certain platforms or browsers. I still recall the early days of online banking when so many places wouldn't support anything but Internet Explorer, and sometimes not even IE if it was on a Mac.

It's hard to predict where this all goes in the future, but now it looks like Apple and Adobe might be working something out after all. You can read about it here at Appleinsider.com.

Just eight short years ago I purchased a sleek, wonderful Titanium PowerBook G4; my first personal computer purchase. It shipped with Mac OS X 10.0 (I know, it's redundant.) and OS 9 on a separate partition. How wonderfully far we have come. Now, it officially moves, along with a few others into classic realm as Apple officially discontinues offering parts and support for it.

You can read the list here. My "Titanium Studhorse" is now out to pasture, in need of a new logic board to revive it. Pause for a moment of remembrance.

My eternal love to my first only soulmate, the Titanium PowerBook G4 notwithstanding, Apple sure does keep cranking up the beauty of their laptops. As Design VP Jony Ive noted, it's a whole new level of fit and finish, unmatched it seems by nearly any other electronics manufacturer. MacBook Air introduced the manufacturing process: machine a block of aluminum to one, solid "unibody" for the lower case. This provides for more structural integrity with less aluminum. Oh, and it looks gorgeous, too. One thing that's always separated Apple's products is their lack of protruding plastic parts and clunky squared edges. The new MacBooks simply improve on that record.

New graphics options, larger hard drives, multi-touch glass trackpad, removable hard drive/battery, backlit LED display. . . The only thing I don't really like is the glass screen. I always thought the glossy option was a negative, and now going glass-only is something I don't like. But, on the other hand, I do love my glass-surfaced iPhone. Head over to Apple.com to view the gorgeous pictures. As always, Engadget has a full hands-on as well as a run-down from the media event.

That's not really that important to you, what is important is that NBC is making some TV episodes FREE for you! Some premiere episodes, some good ones from previous seasons. Shows like 30 Rock, The Office, Psych and others in SD and HD. Just hit up iTunes and download them. Shows like 30 Rock and The Office are always good for a re-watch, so it's worth the lengthy HD download. They've also thrown in some special pricing for some seasons, and ABC is getting in on the action with HD TV shows and special pricing, too. Use caution, though. It's easy to blow a nice chunk of change (not to mention bandwidth) in the iTunes store. Impulse buying loves a comfy desk chair!