Minimal Mac

Apple’s current biggest competitor is itself, and I think Steve Jobs learned this the hard way - from the sidelines. When he returned, one of his first hires was a gentlemen named Tim Cook, and while Tim Cook holds a degree in industrial engineering, he is not an engineer, a designer, or a poet. Tim Cook is an execution machine and he exists at Apple to enable them to pull off one thing - the iPod Mini moment.

An upcoming iPhone app for private and secure communications. If you are in the military, intelligence, or operating in any hostile or unsecured environment, this is for you.

(via Ben Brooks) 

It’s an iPad stand (that supports all iPad models and orientations)…

That doubles as a MacBook stand.

Brilliant!

Its $49 (free shipping too). Kind of a steal for such nice, smart, multi-purpose design.

Turns out, though, that there’s one more bit of precision required to make the Apple Store so Apple-y. The notebook computers displayed on the store’s tabletops and counters are set out, each day, to exactly the same angle. That angle being, precisely, 70 degrees: not as rigid as a table-perpendicular 90 degrees, but open enough — and, also, closed enough — for screens’ content to remain visible and inviting to would-be typers and tinkerers.

This has been passed around a lot as remarkable attention to detail and a way to get folks to touch the devices and thus begin to form a bond with them. 

I’ve avoided linking to it until now because the fact is, this is not all that unusual. There are whole consulting companies that work with retailers to incorporate these sorts of strategies. In the industry it is typically called a Planogram and the strategy being employed by Apple is based on Attachment Theory.  These techniques are used in various ways at every major retailer in the country.

The reason this is a story? I have no idea. Because it is Apple and it is therefore seen as especially brilliant? Likely.

The real question I want an answer to is why I can’t stop buying Gorilla Munch cereal at Trader Joes despite the fact it is at the toddler eye level. 

I usually don’t go out of my way to post these types of deals. But, when it features two of my favorite things that I use daily, how could I not? I mean, both Marked and DragonDrop for only two bucks? You’d be crazy not to get them both. 

Every year, on this day, I take some time out to remember my friend Rodney. Rodney committed suicide via a gunshot to the head on June 15th, 2002 after a long struggle with depression. He was a dear friend, Mac fan, and talented writer. I miss him dearly.

Every time Apple releases something incredible or posts record sales, I can’t help but think about how much he would have been enjoying it. That is, as much as depression or the medicines used to treat it allow you to enjoy anything.

Some who know me know that I live with bi-polar disorder (manic depression). I have spoken about it before. I have been hospitalized for attempted suicide myself many years ago.

There is no real cure. After many years of medication and therapy treatment that had varying degrees of success, I now use a combination of mindfulness meditation and non-violent communication to help me navigate through it. It has been the most successful of all.

That said, there are struggles. I would be a liar if I said that I don’t understand what it was that made Rodney ultimately pull the trigger. Despite having a successful job, a loving wife, a nice house, and being a respected writer for several sites, none of those things matter when the chemistry in your brain decides it is time to go and that it will never get any better.

This day also happens to be my wedding anniversary so it is always a bit bittersweet. In fact, I normally wait until the 16th to post this but, for some reason, that did not feel right this year. I guess because the fact is that he died today. That there is no glossing over it. That denying such is in some way denying that life is filled with both things gained and loss. That both are OK and deserve all of the emotions appropriate for each.

Finally, if you or someone you know is suffering from a mental disorder, I urge you to use compassion and empathy when speaking with them about it. But, please do so. Ask them to seek whatever help they can. Let them know how you feel.

Not sure what more to say other than thank you for listening  to me fight through the tears once again.

Fuck suicide. Fuck it to hell.

P.S. The best way to celebrate a writer is to read his writing, most of which is linked or archived on Low End Mac.

Note: For a few who have asked, here is the book that has guided me on using mindfulness meditation to treat my mania and depression: The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Also, I would be an idiot for not mentioning… National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - With Help Comes Hope

My favorite take on today’s event yet. I think Kyle nails it in several ways. Starting here:

Apple’s hardware is getting to the point where it’s so good that it’s good enough for nearly everyone, so dramatic improvements like a retina display for Macs is a relatively minor improvement for users.

Like I said earlier, there is plenty in today’s announcements to want but, unless your tasks depend on you having the newest and fastest, nothing to really need. 

More importantly, and thus thrust of the post, he really nails what Siri means for the shape of possible future hardware from Apple:

…Siri could make the smartphone unnecessary for a lot of people in the same way that the iPad makes the PC unnecessary for many regular users. That’s what a disruptive innovation is, and it provides Apple with new, untrod territory to explore. If Siri continues to get better, and makes good on its promise, it will allow Apple to create new kinds of computing devices that do to the iPhone what the iPhone did to the iPod. 

I agree and think in only a couple of years time we will be in smack-our-head-we-shoulda-seen-that-coming territory largely due to Siri.

This is probably one of the best things I’ve written in a while.

WWDC? Oh, that. Yes, well, you don’t need any of it. You will want all of it, but you don’t need it.