[Infowarrior] - iHype. Bleh.

[Richard Forno]

Pardon the interruption......but this is a nagging question that just  
deserves a mini-rant for a slow Friday:

Is it just me or is Apple less of a "computer" company and more of a  
"gadget" company?

It seems all we hear, read, or see from Cupertino these days is the  
iPhone, iPhone Apps, The App Store, and so forth.   Visit most Mac  
websites and the discussion is nearly all about the iPhone and its  
latest SERVICE$/PRODUCT$/ACCESSORY$.   I mean, it's getting hard to  
find the "Mac" stuff among all the "iPhone" stuff on the boards,  
blogs, and sites.  And I bet the iPhone-to-Mac TV ads are running 3- 
to-1 in favor of the iPhone, too.   Frankly, for all the i-hype, it's  
getting a bit stale.[1]

One has to wonder if there's a serious if not undeclared shift in  
their corporate focus from computers and operating systems to consumer  
gadgets, content delivery[2], and the "halo" of the iPhone  
"experience."  After all, they delayed the release of OSX 10.5 last  
year to focus on getting an overly-hyped and tightly-locked gadget  
known as the 'Jesus Phone' released early.

To me, it just seems that Mac computing seems to get much less  
attention from Cupertino and the Mac community these days.  Put  
another way, is anyone else here sick, tired, and/or disgusted with  
the Apple iPhone hype machine?

Thus endeth the rant.  Go surf in peace.

-rick

[1]  For those wondering, given that a) the iPhone has no user- 
removable battery and b) is "p0wn3d" by Apple via remote, I have no  
desire to get one.  Two major architectural and security-related  
errors in my view, which really makes me wonder why so many geeks and  
supposed security-minded folks want (or carry) them.

[2] Don't get me started on the DisplayPort HDCP fiasco from this  
week, either.  Despite a few years of good feelings and slick  
marketing, Apple finally pulled the curtain back a bit to show where  
its loyalties appear to lie in the "iTunes" content-delivery  
experience.  And it ain't with the customer.  :(