iPod? iPhone? What Happened To The Mac?

From the first hello of 1984, we’ve had a love affair with the Mac. From Motorola chips and high prices to Intel chips and iLife, we love the Mac.

So, what should we make of all this nonsense about the iPod and iPhone? They’re just fads, right? Is the future in the religion of gadgets?

Not so fast. It’s time we got back on course, stuck to basics, and remembered who we are and what we care about. Macs and Mac360.

The problem is that it’s not just about Macs anymore. It’s about Apple and Steve Jobs. It’s about iPods and iLife. It’s about Mac OS X.

More recently, it’s been almost all about the iPhone, arguably Apple’s most successful new product launch. Ever. The iPhone. You’ve heard of it, right?

How could anyone not hear of the iPod and the iPhone-- just like Apple’s Mac, closed and proprietary devices, but unlike the Mac, everybody wants the experience Apple puts into the Mac in their music players and cell phones.

What’s interesting is how far off course everyone is these days. It’s no longer just the Mac. In fact, the Mac hasn’t had much center stage since the switch to Intel chips about 18 months ago.

In January, the Mac faithful, including Mac360’s Kate MacKenzie and Bambi Brannan, journeyed to Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Was there news about Macs? Nope. It was mostly iPhoneworld 2007.

Macworld Expo needs to have a name change. Appleworld Expo. Or, maybe we need smaller, more frequent expositions. iPhone Expo. iPod Expo. What’s wrong with iLife & iWork Expo?

Whatever happened to the Mac? Venerable Macworld magazine is increasingly iPod and iPhone and Apple news, with not so much about the Mac.

MacSurfer, one of the best sites ever for listing what’s really going on in the world of Macs is in need of a new name as much as iTunes Store.

MacDailyNews, one of our favorite Mac sites, is heavy on everything except Mac news these days. Mac news on MacMinute is down to about about 30 seconds, with the rest of the news spread between Apple, iPod, iPhone, and iEverything Else.

The same goes for nearly every Mac-oriented web site across the internet. Macsimum News is news about-- Macs-- and iPods and iPhones and Apple. Thank God for MacOSXHints and MacUpdate.

Our friends at AppleMatters have the right idea. They live under the ever expanding Apple umbrella.

Mac360 started as a web site about Macs-- reviews and commentary. Recently, we’ve been as much about iPods, iPhones, and Apple as anyone else. Apple360.com, anyone?

So, since the Mac is officially back, it’s back to the Mac we go for the crew at Mac360. More reviews. More commentary. More helpful hints. More Mac. Less everything else.

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 #6 - The MacHeist is back. In case you missed it a few months ago, MacHeist is a great way for Mac users to get 12 top Mac applications and utilities for $49. Many of these have been reviewed on Mac360, so we highly recommend that you take a look. The value, what you get for what you pay, is remarkable. Click Here to look, buy, download.