MacRumors keeps a Buyer's Guide that tracks the update cycles of assorted mac products and recommends or recommends against them. It's not gospel, but it's good to track things by. http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air
It puts them at about mid product cycle, based on past updates. I'd say it wouldn't kill you to wait, but if you need a new laptop it's a perfectly okay time to buy one.
@Kung_Fu_Viking: Some foods it's really hard to eat with a fork. Say, a small round tomato in a salad or any kind of noodle. Chopsticks seem inherently superior for any food that doesn't have to be cut at the table (which should be everything). You just pick something up, don't have to worry about it rolling around or falling off the fork. Some things can't be stabbed, but anything can picked up with chopsticks.
It's not out in my country for another month or so (unless I want to import it), but I'm still deciding whether I want to get it. I may wait for some kinda sale or something. Particularly with having no experience in the Elder Scrolls fiction already.
On one hand, most of the stuff I have seen for it seems pretty cool, and I like fantasy. Some of the character building stuff seems neat, even though I prefer more set-in-stone characters. It certainly looks pretty nice though, though is it always first person? Seems a bit awkward for melee combat.
On the other hand, every Bethesda game I've bought (most fallouts) have SEEMED cool and were critically well received, but ended up being buggy messes with too loose a story that never kept my interest more than an hour. Though it may be the genre as a whole, not really just them. I like my RPGs a bit tighter and narrative focused.
32 on my 3GS, and it's way more than I need. I'll probably get a smaller 4S when I upgrade.
Have you tried Starbase Orion? I haven't myself yet, but it's apparently something of a spiritual successor to Master of Orion
I'm interested, but I live in Asia so time zones may be a problem?
I've been interested in picking it up, but it's not out for a few weeks on Steam yet, so I have to wait.
Headset buttons should also work to activate it (which would be the case in most hands-free scenarios), alternatively when the screen is on if you just bring it up to your head, you'll hear the beeps that signify it is listening.
It should work in the UK, that seems like a problem if it isn't activating at all. Or do you mean the location-based things like 'where is the nearest dry-cleaner'?
At least it works in your language, I have to speak to it in English until they release the Japanese language support.
I just updated my 3GS, though I am likely getting a 4S as soon as they roll out here. I haven't spent a lot of time testing it yet, but I haven't seen any glaring flaws. The new functions all seem to work fine, wifi syncing and the like.
Worth noting that for whatever reason, the geofencing on Reminders does NOT work on a 3GS. Most other things seem to work fine.
I can`t speak for others as to the personal impact he has had on people`s lives, and nor do I need to restate the brilliance he brought as both an innovator and businessman to the tech world. In those lights, he was without argument one of history`s greats. However, I want to just say that he did have a profound emotional impact on my life. I saw his Stanford Commencement Speech shortly after arriving at university myself, and the words he spoke there affected me to the core. That speech totally redirected my choice through university, graduate school, and life in general. Because of that speech, I am perhaps poorer than I`d have been if I went with my original university plans, but I`m happy. I enjoy my life every single day, what I am doing, and the contributions I make on a day to day basis. While this was done by my own incentive, I don`t think I`d have ever made these changes from what was the "right" or "common sense" approach had I never seen that one, life-changing speech.
People here probably know I`m a fan of Apple products, but what I have to say here has absolutely nothing to do with Apple the company or Pixar the company, but Steve Jobs the man, the public figure. He was an incredibly inspiring figure to me, and one that I will mourn greatly. Yes, I cried this morning when I heard the news, I am not ashamed to admit it. Yes, perhaps I got "emotionally invested" in somebody who I never met. That doesn`t matter, because he inspired me just the same, as any inspirational figure might for other people. Apple will be fine as a company by moving forward, but we did lose a great man today.
So indeed, rest in peace Steve.
RIP Steve,you will be missed, and the world is a tiny bit darker today for it. Regardless of what you thought of the man or the company that he headed, he was a great innovator and businessman, and died too young. Deepest condolence to friends and family. It's only a time now to mourn someone that really was unique to the tech and business world.
I thought it was a pretty good announcement, as a 3GS user it's a no brainer upgrade. If you're an iPhone 4 user maybe it's not as clear an upgrade, but you probably aren't looking for a new iPhone for another year in that case anyway. Siri is pretty awesome technology, once it is available in more languages, and the new camera is pretty appealing to me too.
@extremeradical: The biggest features seem to be the tie-ins to Amazon's streaming services, though 3G would be a nice touch in that case. I dunno how good those services actually are, I've never used them, but from an outside point of view they seem the most appealing features.
You could be right, you'd know the US market way better than I do.
EDIT: Assuming you're american, sorry if not.
I agree with 3 and 5 for sure, not entirely sure about 2 and 4. I have friends who still regularly frequent Barnes and Nobles and say that they are doing well. I can't speak firsthand, I don't THINK we have B&N here, but from purely anecdotal evidence they will hang in there for a while longer. It will certainly hurt them more though.
Don't think it will outsell the iPads though. Maybe in an iteration or two?
Maybe for the US, but a lot of what seems to make the Fire an interesting device seem region bound, unless they are planning on offering their streaming services outside the US, which I missed and would be big news? For somebody like me, the Fire seems terrible because half the touted features are actually unusable in my region. It would end up being a cheaper/smaller (too small I feel still) iPad variant. Which could be nice, but most of what seemed to be interesting about it wouldn't apply.
That said, it makes sense. It's not even being marketed here because that (and thus me) are not the target audiences. As a world wide announcement, I think the iPhone / iOS 5 are 'more important' though.
What lane said, I'm not an expert on US law, but from what I understand FBI are called in to investigate felony crimes on a federal level, rather than state departments for individual states.
I am guessing it fell within their jurisdiction, so they are going to handle it.
I like the idea of live wallpapers a lot actually, but not so sure about phones. I'm always changing my desktop wallpaper, and have a massive collection of desktop wallpapers. I've never changed my phone wallpaper once, cause honestly I NEVER see it. There's always so much in front of it, that it doesn't matter so much.
Now on say...a tablet? Yeah, I'd probably love to have something like that on my iPad. Just not so much my phone.
I like OSX, and as pointed out total UI redesigns are a MAJOR undertaking. If OSX wants to move more towards that kinda iOSy-touchy-feely type model we may see some kinda redesigns, but otherwise I'm not so sure. I think the UI changes enough from iteration to iteration that it keeps it interesting to me, while still remaining familiar, and I'm generally okay with that. If there was a major UI revision, I'd probably be hesitant and kinda reluctant at first, but I'd probably grow into it. It takes time though. I'm probably hovering around B right now I think.
That said, I'm not too keen on the Windows Phone kinda UI, something about it just really bugs me, and I've never been able to place why. It's probably great for some people, and I think it's good they are trying something different as well, I just don't think it quite fits for me. I certainly don't want to see OSX go down the Windows 8 route, Win8 could be great but...I just don't see that working. I dunno, it's kinda an...abstract feeling for me? Is that the right word?
