Coffee, Doughnuts and…Apples?
While Microsoft is celebrating its release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, one begins to wonder what Apple is up to during all of this commotion. Well, I can tell you what Apple is up to in three words: Apple wants business. Apple isn’t hurting for business in the least bit if that’s what you thought I implied (silly Microsoft fans)….oh no, on the contrary, Apple is engaging with businesses!
I had the pleasure of being invited to what Apple calls a Business Networking meeting at the Apple Store in the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. The focus of the meeting was surrounding applications from the Apple App Store. I was informed that several applications, hand-picked from Apple Business staff, were going to be featured during the meeting in an effort to showcase what kinds of functionality can be achieved through the use of applications downloaded from the Apple App Store on either Apple iPod Touch or Apple iPhone devices. I accepted the invitation and rustled up my notebook, a pen, business cards, and my camera to bring with me to the event last Wednesday. You can see pictures I took from the event towards the end of this post.
Scott Goldstein, an Apple Business Partner at the Apple Store in the Menlo Park Mall, in Edison, NJ
The meeting started at 8 AM and was packed (see pictures from the event towards the end of the post)! Scott Goldstein, an Apple Business Partner at the Menlo Park Apple Store, opened up the meeting by stating that there was a pleasant surprise in store for all of us who had attended the meeting. Apple had just announced its new MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Mini server computer systems all running the new Apple OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” operating system, and Scott wanted to take some time to introduce these products to us and what they can do for us and our businesses. With that, Scott handed the meeting over to Manny Cabo, an Apple Creative at Menlo Park that has been working with Apple since 2003! An Apple Creative is an Apple representative that demonstrates proficiency in using one or more creative software packages designed by Apple Computer for the purpose of creating professional design, print, film, multimedia or creative content.
Apple MacBook: Redesigned
Manny started out talking about the newly redesigned white Apple MacBook computer units that released on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. The white MacBook has been traditionally a favorite among students and consumers since its inception in late 2002, where the biggest complaint has undoubtedly been its insufficient battery life compared to its big brother, the MacBook Pro. MacBook users can finally rejoice however, as the new MacBook features a built-in 7 hour battery! Joining its big brother, the MacBook now has a full uni-body design and glass multi-touch trackpad that supports the same trackpad gestures as its brethren. With a width of a little over an inch, and a weight of just under five pounds, this machine packs a powerful punch in the realm of mobility. Some may also notice its new rounded edges which apparently help with sliding the machine in and out of a bag or backpack; all clear reasons to upgrade from previous MacBook computer units which were heavier, bulkier and sported batteries that would possibly last for 3 hours if you were lucky.
Apple Mac Mini…server?
Quite possibly the most interesting new release from Apple in the past two weeks has got to be the Mac Mini server. Manny continued the Apple Business Networking meeting by introducing the Mac Mini server. The Mac Mini server comes pre-installed with Apple OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” server with support for unlimited computer connections. That means that if your business had 2 computer systems and you grew to 500, they could all connect to the Mac Mini server without incurring any additional charges! Now, where the Mac Mini may not be the solution for everyone, it sure has caught my attention with a 2.53 GHz dual-core 64-bit processor, 4 GB of memory and an amazing 1 TB of hard drive space! For those of you who don’t know, 1 TB is equivalent to 512 2 GB USB Sandisk Cruzers! That’s a ton of space, power and performance all thrown together in a little 6.5 inch square box! The best part of the whole deal is that these devices cost $999 each! You couldn’t build a server comparable for a cheaper price even if you tried, way to go Apple!
Thomas Bishara comments on his new Apple Mac Mini server
All techno-babble aside, it sounds great and all, but how does it perform? Is this purchase worthwhile if you aren’t technically savvy? The machine comes pre-loaded with server operating software, so it can’t be that easy…or is it? I was excited to actually meet Thomas Bishara at the Apple Business Networking meeting, as he admittedly purchased a Mac Mini server for his home of six Apple computer systems. Here is what he had to say about his Mac Mini server:
I’m really new to it and I really dont have that much experience with it yet but if you give me a week or two I’m sure I can give some more insightful feedback . I have to be honest though, the server side is relatively new to me. I am trying to create a central file server, a media server, in which I can start a project on one machine and finish it on another. The current problem I am facing is that not all of my computers have the data that I am working on, so if I am working on a project and want to use another computer, I would have had to copy the data over, whereas with this solution I can leave it in one central location and share it to all my computers. I’m also looking to get into podcast producing. So, the two main reasons as to why I picked it up was for centralized storage and the ability to do podcast producing, and for the price, how could I go wrong?! -Thomas Bishara
I tried sending him an e-mail a few days ago about possibly doing a follow-up interview which I could post here, but I haven’t heard back from him yet. I would be very interested to see what he thinks of his server now and how its working out for him.
Apple iMac:Â Look Ma, No Wires!
One thing I have to say about Manny Cabo, is that he has a true passion for the products that he presents, and the new Apple iMac was no exception. Manny did an exceptional job introducing both the 21.5 and 27 inch LED-backlit all-in-one Apple iMac computer units unveiled by Apple two weeks ago on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. These quad-core computer systems…yes, I said quad-core…come with Intel’s newest innovation, the Intel i7 processor. The performance is incredible, and despite thinking that performance comes with a power-hungry consequence, this machine is ENERGY STAR certified and is made from highly recyclable materials making it environmentally
Manny Cabo, an Apple Creative at the Apple Store in the Menlo Park Mall, in Edison, NJ
friendly on top of everything else! The most surprising and compelling point however was brought up by Manny:
The mouse and keyboard on the new iMac actually are now completely wireless. The mouse is actually really cool as it has a glass surface that allows you to scroll with just gesturing a finger swipe on the outside of the mouse. You can swipe left or right to scroll left or right as well, and right clicking is as easy as thinking there are actual buttons on the mouse by pressing with one finger tip on either side. The keyboard is also wireless, and they both use bluetooth to communicate to the machine, freeing up any USB ports you would normally have to use for your digital camera, printer, extrnal drive or any other device you wanted to connect to the iMac. The nicest thing about this machine is that there is literally only one cable needed; the power cable. The machine has a wireless network card, and the mouse and keyboard are both wireless, so if you have wireless in your home, all you would literally have to do, is plug it in and turn it on! -Manny Cabo
Some of my clients need a new computer, and for the cost of one computer featuring an Intel i7 processor, they essentially get a free 21.5 or 27 inch LED-backlit monitor free with the deal if they go with the new iMac. -Keith Sedor, Apple Consultant
I couldn’t agree more with Keith as the displays are bight and crisp, and the picture is sharp.
“There’s an App for That”
After Manny Cabo had finished unveiling the newly revised Apple hardware, we all took a break in which Keith Sedor very generously brought in Halloween festive decorated doughnuts and coffee for us all to enjoy! When we had gathered back from our break, we dove right in to the focus of the Apple Business Networking meeting: Applications on the Apple App Store.
The Apple App Store can be accessed from within Apple iTunes
Apple has released two types of devices to date that can install and work with applications; the Apple iPod Touch, and the Apple iPhone. If you own either of those devices, you can download and install applications on them. You can acquire the applications in one of two ways that I am aware of. One way you can obtain applications is that you can download the application immediately by using the App Store icon on either the Apple iPhone, or if you have a wireless Internet connection configured on your Apple iPod Touch, your Apple iPod Touch. The other way to download applications doesn’t require a compatible device, although to use the applications that you download, you will need one. This way involves using Apple iTunes either on your Windows PC or your Apple OS X computer system. If using Apple iTunes, open up the application; Apple maycheck to see if it has any updates to perform, and if any exist, it is always recommended to update to the newest version of iTunes (the latest version of Apple iTunes is currently version 9). After updating Apple iTunes, you will have to create an Apple iTunes account if you haven’t already. You then will have to be logged into your Apple iTunes account in order to purchase or download applications from the App Store. Even if you are going to download an application that is marked as FREE, you still must have an Apple iTunes account, and be logged in. Once you have done that, you will see a tab labeled App Store (if using version 9) from within Apple iTunes. Click the link once, and you will be able to browse the store, or search for an application that you might be looking for.Â
What about maintenance? Are the applications good for over 3,000 miles without an oil change? Well, the nice thing to note about the applications that you download and install from the Apple App Store, is that they automatically will prompt you to update them if there should be any change or application fix that is released from the folks who design and build the actual application! With the ease of installation, variety, and auto-updating notification features of the applications found on the Apple App Store, it’s no wonder Apple has already exceeded 2 billion application downloads to date!
All three presenters, Scott Goldstein, Manny Cabo, and Lou Villalva (an Apple Business Specialist) did a great job compiling the following of list of applications that they feel truly show consumers as well as business users alike, some of the power that the Apple App Store is bringing to both the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. If you have Apple iTunes installed on your computer, may it be a Windows PC or an Apple OS X computer system, these links will function. If not, you can always download the latest version of the Apple iTunes application here. If you already have Apple iTunes installed and are still having trouble with the links, please drop me a line as I want to fix any problematic links if you should run across them. And now…on to the applications:
Featured Applications: News – Instant Access to Being In the “Know”
Featured Applications: Creative – An Artist’s Toolbox in the Palm of Your Hand
Featured Applications: Navigation – Now How do I Get to that Place Again?
Featured Applications: Entertainment – Who Said Finding Fun Couldn’t be Free?
Featured Applications: Remotes - Calling all Remote Controls…You’re Fired!
Featured Applications: Finance – Should I Buy or Sell…Let’s Find Out
Featured Applications: Social – You’ll Never Believe what I Heard…
Featured Applications: Communication – Expanding Past Text Messaging
Featured Applications: General Business – Tools That Appeal to All
These applications are only a drop in the bucket, as there are at least 95,000 more listed in the Apple App Store, so I highly encourage just searching from within the App Store for items of interest, as you will be pleasantly surprised at some of the applications available. Because of the tremendous amount of time put into talking about some of the different applications listed above, there was little time for an open Q & A, but each of the presenters made themselves available even after the conclusion of the event to compensate.
Scott Goldstein then brought the Business Networking meeting to a close introducing some of the in-store offerings for business users to take advantage of to help them in their efforts of using Apple solutions in the business place. It was mentioned that there would be a November meeting, and that an e-mail would be sent out letting us know when it would be scheduled.  With the introduction of the new Apple OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” server, and the new Apple Mac Mini server running this server software, Apple knew there would be some confusion as most people are more familiar with the standard OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” installation on most other Apple computer systems. Scott offered us at the Business Networking meeting a free evaluation version of the Apple OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” server. I believe this was a great move as most of us are not familiar with the Apple server environment, let alone the newest release! If you are interested in trying out the server and would like an evaluation copy of this software, send me an e-mail, and I will give you a copy of the disc given out.
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Lou Villalva, an Apple Business Specialist at the Apple Store in the Menlo Park Mall, in Edison, NJ
As you can see, Apple is taking business seriously. I am thinking about creating a series of videos on how to use OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” and OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” server in the coming weeks ahead. I would love to know what kind of topics people would like to see, and if there is an interest in such content. Apple proved to me that they are making strides in the way of moving towards business-focused solutions, but as Lou Villalva put it, “I believe Apple is definitely on a train moving towards answering the needs of the business sector, I just think that the train is very slow and steady in its progression, and without the proper feedback from people using Apple in their place of business, it may take some considerable time before businesses embrace Apple solutions in their own place of business”.
So even if you run a sole proprietorship, manging only yourself in your own business, or are one of seventy-five people in your corporate office building, Apple wants to know if you are using their solutions. Is Apple the right choice for your business? Have you ever thought about what benefits you could reap from implementing an Apple solution as simple as a wireless router, to an Apple computer system? I know the perfect person you can ask, and guess what…they are waiting for you at your nearest Apple Store location. Ask to talk with a business specialist and let me know how it goes!
James Zepp
November 8, 2009
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Name: James Zepp
Occupation: CTO
Company: Acxsis
Age: 26
One Response
Just wanted to say HI. I found your blog a few days ago on Technorati and have been reading it over the past few days.
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