Month: January 2004

The Big Chill

It had been forecast for more than a week, but when some real winter weather finally arrived yesterday, much of England was, as usual, totally uprepared. We got about a whopping 2 inches of snow (which fell in about 10 minutes, accompanied by thunder and lightning). And the temperature plunged to well below freezing (0 degrees C as opposed to 0 degrees F, which I think is when you can really start saying it’s cold). I love this kind of weather and really miss having real winters, even though I haven’t lived in cold country for 28 years now.

Mini iPod or iBox?

With the annual Macworld expo taking place in San Francisco next week, the usual speculation and rumours are flying as to what new products will be introduced by Steve Jobs during his keynote address. Many people seem to be putting their money on a cheaper version of the iPod. But why undercut a market you already dominate? And when has Apple ever been interested in the bargain basement? The whole ethos of the company is quality for a price. So instead of the mini iPod, I am more inclined to believe Jobs’ big surprise will be the iBox, which could be the next must have product in consumer electronics. Just the kind of thing Apple could do better than anyone else. Just like it did with the iPod.