New PowerBooks, Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse

no_demons writes "This morning Apple iCEO Steve Jobs gave the keynote at the Apple Expo in Paris. The whole PowerBook line up got an upgrade, with the 15" model now sporting the much rumoured goods (1.25GHz, backlit keyboard, bluetooth, Airport Extreme), available from today. Apple also announced a new wireless keyboard and mouse."

I always wondered

[kurosawdust]

Not to slay a slashdot sacred iCow or anything, but isn't it kind of pointless to call Steve Jobs's Apple Expo/Macworld speeches "keynotes" when he gives them every flippin' time? I mean, who else is gonna give the thing? *half-heartedly hopes for Moof the Dogcow*

Airport Extreme

[Timesprout]

What marketing genius thought that one up ?

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[account_deleted]

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Why batteries?

[anonymous coword]

It seems a real shame that apple decided to put four heavy batteries in them. Couldn't they be more innovitve?

Why don't they generate the power from the users keystrokes, or send little eltrical signals over the bluetooth protocol?

My ordinary USB mice don't need batteries, so I don't think that a bluetooth mouse should.

Re:I always wondered

[narkotix]

they are too busy marketing the new iShrimp

Re:Why batteries?

[BenjyD]

Personally, I think they should use cold fusion. Or maybe a small antimatter reactor.

Oh crap...

[mrselfdestrukt]

Damn! I can see it already...
My boss asking me to change the batteries in his mouse every day.

CEO

[Anonymous Coward]

T-CEO (All your market share are belong to us.)
CEO 3.0
CEO 95
CEO (with @-shaped e)
iCEO
eCEO
CEO XP
CEO X
CEO Online
GNU/CEO
CEO One
and so on...

Re:I always wondered

[rampant mac]

"All Clarus says is 'Moof' which would make him a fairly sucky keynote presenter."

If the word "cool" didn't exist in the human language, Steve would have a fairly sucky presentation also. :)

Re:I always wondered

[TiMac]

The WWDC Keynote speech brought "kick-ass" into the lingo. Both Steve and Jon Rubenstein used that to refer to the G5.

Because it is clearly "beyond cool." :)

Mouse: non-rechargeable Lithium batteries?

[chargen]

From the Mouse specs:

Power Source:
Uses 2 AA Lithium Non-Rechargeable Batteries (included), on/off switch

Another stunning lack of innovation ... Why not put two contacts on the bottom and create a USB powered charging base, like the Logitech etc cordless mice.

I suppose because most people still wouldn't get this for an aftermarket mouse as it has no scroll wheel. Come on Apple! Put your flat-scroll wheel patent to work! Let's at least see something!

I also hate the way they talk about having a single button as being "easy and comfortable to use, regardless of the size of your hand". What a way to talk up a mouse for simpletons!

Anyway... love the computers...

-Pete

Re:innovation

[hype7]

Where's the innovation here? The mouse *still* has only one button

Go ahead, show me another vendor that has a wireless, one-button mouse.

Can't find one? A-ha! That's right! Apple innovates again! :D

(How's that for spin :)

-- james

Re:I always wondered

[Anonymous Coward]

His name is Clarus The Dogcow.

Her name is Clarus. All dogcows are females. The males of the species would be called dogbulls, but there aren't any because there are already bulldogs and God doesn't like confusing names.

Re:innovation

[RMH101]

you'd probably just get nerf-gunned by someone who stores his mountain bike over his cubicle

Re:encryption key?

[Frac]

It'd also be a nice touch if they'd have put USB ports on the keyboard, that could "tunnel" through the bluetooth back to the computer.

Actually I think they should've had an inflatable kitchen sink pop up when I press ctrl-option-delete on the keyboard, but sure, throw in that USB thing too.

Steve Jobs - kitchen sink and USB. Are you listening?

Re:Bah...

[TheGreek]

The market also decided that VHS is better than Beta, that Windows is better than all other comers, and that Britney Spears is listenable.

Re:innovation

[Anonymous Coward]

This is why your mother calls you every time "there is spanish writing again" and "there is another channel in a small box on the TV" and "it's stuck in the brightness part."

Re:Bah...

[alex_ant]

Do they come with free magnifying glasses?

Re:Will they Learn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do you want a VGA port that leaks blood? It would short out the external monitor. Crazy British vampires...

"kick ass"

[Slur]

But does the G5 insanely kick-ass or kick insane ass?

Re:Bah...

[cosmo7]

My mouse has four buttons and two wheels.

Huh, that's nothing. My mouse has ten buttons, precision crosshairs and has - in place of scrollwheels - a small mousepad on top complete with a tiny mouse that I operate with my little finger.

Or children

[benwaggoner]

Forget the batteries, I just don't want to find out where my 18-month old hid the mouse!

I just wish I still had some non-wireless phones!

Re:innovation

[mosch]

the click and a half drags things. the triple click highlights lines of text. they're already actions in os x. ctrl-click (or right-click) brings up a contextual menu. it works, we're happy. the only whiners are people who don't even own macs.

What's your definition of "happily"

[owlicks58]

Quake 3 I'll give you easily... but UT2003? Come on. I have a 1 Ghz TiBook with a better video card than you and I wouldn't say UT2003 runs happily. I think anything short of a G5 won't run that game happily.

Re:No longer the latest and greatest...

[Cadre]

It's sad when you go back to 9. It's not pretty but SO much faster. Sigh.

Yea, it was so fast that they had to add the feature where holding down the mouse button paused the operating system.

Re:innovation

[danielsfca2]

non-professional computer users never know what to do with a second mouse button

On the other side of the map, in a sick irony, there's my father (lost to Windows because of its apparent cheapness). I swear, it seems like he never uses his left mouse button. He just found the right-button one day and now he has no grasp of what the term "default action" means. I'm always like, "Open that!" And he's like, "Ok, Hmmm, let's see, Open, Edit, Play, Add to Archive, Scan for Viruses, Send to:, Delete, Cut, Paste, Properties..."

And I'm like, "Damn it, LEFT BUTTON! LEFT BUTTON!"