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.

I tend to get so excited, when I see opportunities for trying out new pieces of software, joining new networks and having a look at who’s there and so on and so forth. And I do believe that networking and social software wil grow stronger and stronger in the years to come. But sometimes I wonder how many networks I really NEED to join?

Asides from having joined a couple of groups at flickr, betatesting imity, and a bunch of other stuff, I’m also on LinkedIn, and I’m pretty sure it’s the place where I can get in touch with the most people, should I need to.

But recently, kommunikationsforum (a Dansih website about communication) launched a network, and I couldn’t help but join. Maybe I’m hoping that this network will cater to my specific interests (communication and what not) and my network at LinkedIn will be bigger and more diverse? But maybe networks are like newsletters – You sign up to a bunch of them but end up using only a few?

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.