Anyway, I’m also kind of a sucker for all things Apple. Yes, they could be friendlier on the environment, yes they could be more open in their communication, yes their customer service leaves much to be desired, etc.

But their products are just so damn cool!

So why am I talking about Google and Apple? Well, after installing gDisk on my MacBook I’ve decided not to renew my .mac membership next time around. It’s just not worth it.

gDisk is freeware. All it really does is allow you to create folders in your empty gmail space (none of us are really USING 3 gigs, are we?) and upload to these folders from your mac just as you would with iDisk. You can then access these folders and download your files from any other computer with gDisk on it.

SpanningSync takes care of syncronising my iCal and gCal and now iDisk provides me with the one thing I really found useful in .mac – the online storage space (The other features are pretty much covered by Flickr and WordPress). With gDisk I even get three times (and counting) the space compared to the standard one gig .mac subscription.

€99 a year saved. Bye bye iDisk.

That’s why I was superthrilled when Apple started selling films and TV shows in the iTunes store – but alas – most of the video content, apart from music videos, was restricted to US users.

Well, to my great joy, I read yesterday that BitTorrent had made some super deals with distributers of films and TV shows and had begun distributing legal content, so I thought I might get my fix of online film and TV there, seeing as mr. Jobs and co don’t seem to care about their content consuming brethren across the pond – but no!

BitTorrent have restricted virtually all content to U.S. users – all I can get my hands on is some music vids and a few shorts… What the ….?!

I thought the whole point of this internet bizznazz was that it really didn’t matter whether you lived here or there (yeah, I know, you don’t get the same google results in China as you would most everywhere else, but you get my point, right?) – that we were all connected and we could talk and listen and learn from each other and do business across borders and all that.

So why, huh? Why can’t I use my hard earned money in the video department of the iTunes store? Why can’t I rent Superman Returns at BitTorrent?

Oh well, thank God for youtube and the sparkling new Joost Mac Beta…

Just my two cents (worthless Euro-cents, that is)

And MAN, do I want that iPhone

But what’s up with not making the iPhone UMTS or HSDPA enabled? Edge just doesn’t cut it, speed-wise…Nokia seem to agree with me, but then again – you’d kinda expect them to, right?

Anyway, it looks dead sexy, and I like the fact that it runs OSX software.

Next thing I’m looking forward to know more about is the Modbook – the first ever Mac tablet…. oh, I hope it’s nice!

It becomes especially interesting, when you look at MS and Apple’s so very different communication strategies. MS are open about development, they blog, they test, and they pay attention to what their users request. Apple seem to take some (educated) stabs at what users request, and then keep them under lock and key until they are good and ready to communicate them.

I’m torn. I would love for Apple to be more open in their communication and involve their users much more in the development of products, but personally, I’m completely in love with my Mac. I think it’s the best computer I’ve ever worked on. Hands down. But why? First of all, I really like the fact that it looks good, and it ‘feels’ good (know what I mean?) but to me, it’s also a question of what’s inside. The software just suits me better. The UI, the apps, the ease with which I navigate between work and play – music, pictures, integration with web services, all packaged really nicely and yes, it IS more stable than any PC I’ve ever worked on.

One huge added bonus (and the reason I went mac when I did) is the fact that I can run fully functional Windows software using Bootcamp or Parallels (tried both – settled on parallels, cause I don’t have to reboot to switch between systems).

But when talking about apple’s success, one factor stands out over all the rest – the almighty Ipod! Were it not for Apple’s MONSTER of a DAP, I doubt that they would have been able to reach customers outside of their original target audience (creatives).

The Ipod is still at the very foundation of Apple’s succes, and although they try to position their computers and have them appeal to a broader audience, the Ipod is still the breadwinner of the Apple family – and probably will be for a long time to come.

But this sheep of a Mac-user will be following developments at the Expo very closely for the next four days, hoping for really sexy stuff.