Changethethought

You can say whatever you want to say about the current global economy. You can say these are hard times. You can say that the balance of power has tipped to far towards a few who have too much while the rest with much less have been made to suffer. But there are very few individuals within this framework you could single out for having made an impact completely on their own. An impact that opened new doors and allowed access into a new kind of freedom within an age of digital communication.

I have worked on an Apple computer for a better part of my life. I would say more than 15 years and maybe even more like 20. I have fed my family, built my business and communicated with people all over the world through the devices that Steve Jobs’ company help shepherd into existence. I feel in a very strange way that I owe him a bit of what I have accomplished for providing me with a platform to create, feed and express myself.

Technology is freedom. It levels the field and opens a door through which we can communicate without borders and in real time. Steve Jobs helped open many of those doors for us. He was in that regard a true pioneer.

With the utmost respect we express our gratitude and also our condolences for his passing on October 5th, 2011. He will forever be remembered as a person who was not afraid to ‘Think Different’ and changed the world because of it.

written by Christopher | tags: Apple, Dead, steve jobs, World News

Minneapolis studio Mono has updated with a simple new website that features some downright sophisticated and amazing work for a remarkable roster of clients. They are on top of where advertising and design is today and should be closely watched.

written by Christopher | tags: Advertising, Apple, Graphic Design, Minneapolis, Mono

Well yesterday was the big day and the new iPhone 4 dropped (after all of the ‘prototype’ leakage hubub). It does look like one dazzling piece of technology, but really after the last few years of product releases from Apple, did anyone expect anything less? The most promising new feature, not just for Apple but the entire mobile phone market has to be FaceTime, wifi-enabled video chat. It immediately made me realize that soon my wife will finally be able to speak to her family in Brazil and see them as she does. It’s hard to describe how much that means to someone who lives thousands of miles away from their country of origin and family. The question for me is how soon I will be able to upgrade to one since I just purchased a phone and a plan in October of last year.

I have to say, you have to chop off an arm every time you make an Apple purchase, especially as a small business owner but yesterday I spent the entire day trying to get a wireless modem to work in my studio. I went through two modems, both of which I had to return to the store after several hours on the phone with a help desk service. After an entire wasted day of this I finally paid about twice what I had expected to pay for a router for the Airport Extreme. It was a painful purchase as it has been a very slow month with a lot of expenses but I brought it back to the studio, plugged it in and had a much faster wireless connection speed running throughout the studio within about 15 minutes of setup.

Oh Apple, why must you hurt us so good? I love you, but your like an expensive date that puts out and then when the strings are tied keeps asking for more and more as the relationship evolves. I should have written a prenup.

written by Christopher | tags: Airport Extreme, Apple, iPhone 4, Mobile Phone, Technology

After the internet technosexualsphere almost busted a collective nut, Apple finally unveiled their latest creation today and it’s called the iPad. And no, it’s not a feminine hygiene product. It’s basically a giant iPhone using the touch technology that has given Apple the ‘must have’ buzz it has needed to reach record sales this year. Strangely, stock dipped immediately after the unveiling. The price tag is so far set at $1000 dollars with software that is somewhere between a typical Mac OS and an iPhone OS.

Here is a little blurb from Engadget:
“It’s a half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display, and it’s running a custom 1GHz Apple “A4″ chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It’ll come in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes, and it’s got the expected connectivity: very little. There’s a 30-pin Dock connector, a speaker, a microphone, Bluetooth, and 802.11n WiFi, as well as an accelerometer and a compass. The device is managed by iTunes, just like the iPhone — you sync everything over to your Mac.”

Read all about it at Engadget.

UPDATE: Apple has made the device available already through their website. The 16GB introductory price starts at $499 topping out with Wi-Fi + 3G for $829.

written by Christopher | tags: Apple, Computers, iPad, iphone, Macintosh, Touch

If you really liked Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ campaign, and I mean really liked them, AdFreak has amassed all 66 of them. All of the ads were directed by Phil Morrison of Epoch Films for TBWA Media Arts Lab. That was quite the gig to reel in.

written by Christopher | tags: AdFreak, Advertising, Apple, Get a Mac, TBWA

Well, it’s official. Steve Jobs announced the release of the 3G iPhone this afternoon. They will be available July 11th starting at the much lower price of $199 for the 8 gig version and $300 for the 16 gig. It’s a tough jab for early adopters and one more reason I refuse to buy anything that first comes off the Apple production line no matter how fantastic. I will however, be picking up this new version of the iPhone next month. I am happy I waited.

written by Christopher | tags: 3g iphone, Apple, iphone, steve jobs