Is Netflix Having Trouble?

I’m starting to see a sprinkling of complaints about Netflix’s streaming reliability.  There’s been half a dozen occasions in the past month when my Apple TV wouldn’t connect to the service at all, even when all the other internet services worked just fine.  I’m relatively new to the service so maybe I’m just beginning to notice.  I’ve been streaming Neflix content like crazy since I got an Apple TV.  Before that, my streaming was limited to an occasional half-hour TV show on my iMac.  A couple of days ago, I got this e-mail notice:

Click to read more ...

iLife 11...Why the Hell Not?

For many Mac users, iLife is all the software they’ll ever need.  By including iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, iWeb and iDVD with every new Mac, Apple provides users with an “out of the box” experience unrivaled by any computer manufacturer.  In fact, most other computer companies load their machines with stripped-down versions of various and sundry software titles in an attempt to ship something useful to their customers.  In reality, most of these software titles are so crippled or annoy users with upgrade “nag screens” to the extent they’ve earned the nickname “crapplications”.  The real irony: companies like Sony and HP charge you extra (as much as $50) to ship your new computer without these programs...

Click to read more ...

Apple TV: Right Tech, Right Price

The other day, the FedEx man delivered a tiny box containing my new Apple TV.  Although I'd seen the pictures and press conference, I was taken aback by how small the device actually is.  I've heard it described as a hockey puck.  Now that I've seen it, I can't think of a better analogy.  Along with the "hockey puck", the only things in the diminutive box are a power cord and an Apple remote.  Noticeably absent are any cables for hooking the device up.  More on that later.

The back of the Apple TV reveals five connection ports, one each for power, HDMI, optical audio, Ethernet and a micro USB.  Their uses are...

Click to read more ...