Apple’s MacBook, New Friends, Mac And iPod News.

The one constant in the universe appears to be change. There may be other constants, but that’s the one we deal with the most. Change. Today’s change is more Mac news, Mac360 news, Tera news.

Change is often a good news, bad news thing; the yin and yang of expectations and the unexpected.

Today, to almost no one’s surprise except that it happened today, Apple launched the iBook replacement, properly dubbed, the MacBook.

iPod color schemes are in these days and the diminutive 13-inch iBook replacement gets thinner and more expensive. Think of it as a Mac mini with a screen, but in black or white. Your choice.

Tera got it right with the MacBook name, probably the first of the Mac prognosticators to do so.

Getting it very, very wrong was Mac OS Rumors, which for months poked at other Mac sites who dared called the iBook replacement a MacBook.

A MacBook it is, priced between $1,099 US and $1,499, so it’s more expensive than the much slower iBooks. Like the Mac mini, there’s no dedicated video graphics, though performance so far indicates that’s a non-issue.

As expected, the MacBook is loaded; iSight camera, Front Row, Apple Remote, iLife, and a new glossy screen. Glossy? What’s up with that?

Surely you’ve seen the glossy laptop and LCD screens in computer stores the past year or two. They’re all the rage and obviously designed by optometrists who want you to wear glasses and contacts forever.

Glossy doesn’t mean better. It means glossy; which also means it reflects light of all kinds right into your eyes, including the light that blinks in your head when you realize that glossy isn’t good for your eyes.

Worse yet, glossy is now an option on the MacBook Pro line, which was quietly given a speed boost. Intel boosts speeds of new chips regularly, so expect more of the same in the future.

Why are screens glossy? Initially, a glossy screen looks attractive, and attracts more sales, health of your eyes be damned. Matte screens, as you’ll find on the MacBook Pro and Apple Cinema Display is better. Don’t argue with me. It’s that time of the month.

It’s also the month of lawsuits as iPod competitor Creative wags their newly granted patent under Apple’s collective nose.

Creative says the iPod’s menu screen infringes on their patent and has asked various and sundry courts to stop Apple from beating the crap out of them in the portable player market place.

If Apple can beat the Beatles, what chance does Singapore-based Creative have? None. Only the lawyers win these bouts. I say the patent falls in three rounds with a TKO.

If no news is good news, then news must not be so good. For Tera, recent news hasn’t be so promising, despite a modest gain in attitude and energy this week.

She’s asked that we put out a call to Mac360 readers for a substitute writer or two. Or three. Why? Because, as of now, it’s just me and it’s lonely at the top.

Jack and Carol are out until the end of June, Alexis is home nursing the end result of a physical encounter with her husband, and is likely to be pre-occupied with mommyhood for the next few months, or 22 years, whichever is longer and more painful.

Tera’s condition seems to have improved a bit, but the prognosis is not good, despite her early morning glee at naming the iBook replacement a “MacBook” before anyone else.

So, we could use a writer or two. Is that you? Do you love Macs? Can you spin a tale, review Mac software in your sleep, create catchy phrases with your eyes closed?

Tera and I would like to select a few substitute writers for Mac360 for the next few months while part of our staff undergoes shock therapy for messing with gene reproduction, and the other part decides to tour Europe in search of Lance Armstrong. On bicycles.

If you’ve got it, or think you’ve got what it takes to be a star and seek the glory and fame and monetary rewards for being a Mac360 substitute writer, give us your best shot.

Click the Feedback link and drop us a note telling all about yourself, and we’ll send you some details on who, what, when, where, why, and how much.

First come, first served. Oh, about the monetary rewards? I lied. Sorry.

Check out the daily list of our 9 Word mini-Reviews at NoodleMac, and Kate's daily in-depth Mac software reviews at PixoBebo.

Off Topic #58 - Do politicians use personal computers? Of course. We’ve heard Barack Obama prefers a Mac, while Hillary Clinton uses a Dell, though, apparently neither of the candidates can bowl. Does Obama’s potential vice president use a Mac? Even Clinton acknowledges Apple’s brand power but says she can’t afford a Mac. Maybe she’d win if she used a Mac.

Off Topic #23 - Mac OS X Leopard is now at version 10.5.2 which we’re proclaiming the best yet, though we expect version 10.5.3 soon. If you haven’t upgraded yet, don’t forget that Leopard is on sale at the Mac360 Store, and so are the latest Leopard books. If you plan to order Leopard or a Leopard tips book from Amazon, please consider using the Mac360 Store to place your order (it’s really Amazon). Click Here to look at the latest Leopard books.