iApps? My Eye!

- 2002.08.01

As the dust settles on Apple's decision to charge us for the intangible iTools services, people begin to ask how this will affect Job's plans for the digital hub.

I, for one, don't care.

The digital hub always struck me as a ropey idea. It's not that I object in principle to people connecting digital cameras and camcorders to their Macs, it's just that I don't want to be forced to sit through the dross that they subsequently create.

The Apple propaganda machine has been going full tilt for the last while, informing us of the wonderful free iApps that come with every Mac. So what? I like to think that for an investment of over €1,000 I'd get something other than an operating system thrown into the box.

When Jobs announced iPhoto, I dutifully went to the Apple site and downloaded it. I looked at it - and erased it. Yes, it's very nice, but I'm not going to give up Photoshop any time soon.

iMovie? Sorry, my Adobe Premier habit is too ingrained.

I do use iTunes, but then again, I'd be irritated if people expected me to pay for software that just plays music, regardless of how nice the graphics are.

If Apple want to impress me, then they'd better write a HyperCard style iMedia and Homepage style iWeb tout suite.

I am genuinely concerned that Apple is beginning to neglect its core professional user base in the graphics and media industries.

The problem with the iApps is this - they're not powerful enough. Okay, you say, but they're not aimed at commercial users. This is absolutely correct, and it's also the nub of my argument. I am genuinely concerned that Apple is beginning to neglect its core professional user base in the graphics and media industries. If Adobe ever pulls Photoshop, then the party's over. Macs will be stone dead as far as designers go, and mine will go out the window. Literally.

People talk about the "empowering" potential of the iApps, but having tools available to edit photos and video does not a professional make. The effect is more likely to be similar to that of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint - where people like me were once paid embarrassingly small amounts of money to produce professional presentations and stationery, offices are now awash with printouts and presentations made by people who think that combining double underlining, bold, and italics is a good thing.

It isn't.

So, what do I want? Well, I don't want Apple to stop making the iApps; I just want them to stop pretending that having them equals instant creative professional. The marketing strategy seems to be that "ordinary users" can bask in the reflected glory of the purple haired professional designers and movie makers. Maybe, but then again, maybe not.

Besides, I know plenty of graphic designers who are far from cool or interesting in any way whatsoever.

Power to the people? Certainly, but the digital hub is more of a strategy for selling hardware than a rallying call for creative democracy, which, incidentally, will never exist.

Next week Jason Walsh will look at your responses to Macs in the workplace.

Jason Walsh is a journalist and postgraduate student. These observations, though unscientific by any standard, derive from his studies in sociology of culture. One day soon he'll be a doctor, and then we'll all be sorry.

Recent Mac Life Columns

• Why I Plan to Stop Using Google Docs, 03.16. Jason Walsh continues his search for the perfect word processor and explains why he uses Google Docs - and why he will stop using it.
• A Writer Looks for the Right Word Processor (and Fails to Find It), 03.03. Jason Walsh searches for the perfect writing tool for his Mac but fails to find one that's "just right".
• The iPad Shows the Failure of Journalism, 02.02. Tech pundits latch on to every perceived shortcoming of Apple's iPad while looking to it to save the publishing industry.
• Why I Didn't Wait for the Apple Tablet, 01.20. Jason Walsh explains why he bought Dell Mini and made a 'Hackintosh' of it rather than waiting for Apple's new mobile computer.
• More in the Mac Life index.

Links for the Day

• Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
• Group of the Day: iBook List is the place to discuss the iBook.
  
• March 17 in LEM history: 03: Kanga PowerBook too limited? - Powerline networking - 04: Average Joe still in the dark about Macs - 05: Mac mini tools - 06: Yonah, Merom, and Conroe - Battery update for 15" AlBook - Mac mini vs. $159 Linspire PC - 08: Taking Linux to OS X with virtualization - Power Mac G5 vs. Intel Mac mini
• Support Low End Mac

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• Taking Apart the 12" PowerBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.17. There are a lot of steps involved in disassembling a 12" PowerBook. Proceed with caution.
• Ubiquitous Computing: Tabs, Pads, Books, and Clouds, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 03.16. "Ubiquitous computing names the third wave in computing, just now beginning . . . when technology recedes into the background of our lives."
• Why Run Leopard on Slow G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 03.15. Tiger has lower demands and runs more smoothly on low-end Macs, but Leopard gives you access to more up-to-date software.
• The Apple Patient, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.15. The used 12" PowerBook has a dead screen, missing key, damaged case, and minimal memory, but it does work.
• More links in our archive.

Recent Deals

• Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
• Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
• Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
• Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
• Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
• Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225.
• Best Xserve Deals, 03.12. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $499; 2.0 dual G5, $599; 2.3, $749; refurb 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,499; new, $2,699; 8-core, $3,449; refurb 2.66, $4,299; new, $4,799; more.
• More deals in our archive.

Mac Life ©2002 by Jason Walsh. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.