When the first version of the Macbook Air was launched in 2008 it was met with mixed reviews. The travel ready notebook was sleek, shiny, and ultra thin, but had it’s fair share of shortcomings. With a starting price of nearly $1800 and only 80GB of storage the Macbook Air left a lot to be desired. The original did not come equipped with either a disc drive or USB ports, and was notoriously slow in comparison to the standard Macbook. With an overhauled storage system more akin to that of the Ipad, the new Macbook Air runs on a flash based storage system which tends to be more responsive and reliable. By removing the normal housing found around flash chips Apple was able to reduce the size of the chips by up to 90%, allowing for a significantly larger battery. The larger batteries allow the 11in model to run continuously for up to 5 hours and the 13in model 
for up to 7 hours. Apple has also added two USB ports which slightly increase the size of the unit but make it much more versatile. The new model also comes equipped with a “standby mode” which allows the unit to go into “hibernation” for upwards of a month using almost no battery at all and still allowing for instant start up. With a starting price of $1000 the Macbook Air is expected to completely replace the original Macbook by next year.
Macbook Air
Shorter Attention Spans = Shorter Commercials
With the average American attention span on the decline, TV advertisers are beginning to again rethink commercial airtime. Americans have grown accustomed to instant information from sources such as Twitter and Facebook, and this change in information processing is playing a role in the advertising community. Almost two decades ago advertisers recognized that the average person mentally tuned out about half way into one minute commercial ad spaces. Since that time the thirty second ad time has ruled the industry. But recently advertisers are beginning to think that thirty seconds may even be too long for the average viewer. For viewers this means more commercials per commercial break, and for advertisers it means decreased expenses.
Instead of seeing informative plot based commercials, future viewers can expect to see advertising more akin to the “Old Spice Guy” and Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world”. In the past five years fifteen second advertising slots have seen an increase by more than seventy percent, to nearly 5.5 million last year. Fifteen second ad times now make up 34% of the overall television advertising industry. With the average fifteen second ad costing advertisers $20,000, they don’t see the point in spending twice as much for a commercial thats just as affective.
With the fifteen second ad space becoming more prevalent advertisers are working on ways of making them more effective. Commercials are becoming increasingly loud and action packed. The explosive “in your face” commercial has become an industry standard. Another common tactic is “commercial repeating” in which a company will promote the same product within the same commercial block. This repetition helps to subconsciously instill a message into the minds of audiences. Viewers should be expecting to see wacky, repetitive, and explosive advertising taking over their televisions soon.
Xbox Kinect
With the November 4th launch date just around the corner there’s a lot of buzz around Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 peripheral, Kinect. Originally called “Project Natal” Kinect is Microsoft’s first attempt at creating a controller free gaming experience. The new product has been given an advertising budget of five hundred million dollars, significantly more than the advertising budget for the Xbox 360 console’s launch. That money has been seen in the form of television advertisements, Time Square billboard ads, and a plug on the Oprah Winfrey show. Microsoft is spending so much money in the hopes of out performing it’s two main rivals, Nintendo’s Wii and the new Playstation Move. Unlike both of its competitors Kinect allows the users to control the console functions with his or her body and voice. Microsoft’s social media network, Windows Live Messenger will now have video chat capabilities. This new application will use Kinect’s ability to track movement using motorized sensors to ensure that the user always stays in frame even while moving. The new video chat application also allows users to watch movies with friends via Windows Live Messenger. Though the new interface and voice activation feature sound amazing the games themselves seem to be lagging. So far there have been roughly 15 new game title releases for Kinect, the large majority of which center around exercise and dancing. Microsoft has said that some of the new games will be Kinect compatible and that others will be Kinect only games. The company has developed new packaging for these games to distinguish them from standard Xbox 360 games. Though the majority of the game play released seems fluid and natural none of the titles seem worth while. At $150 for a starting package it would probably be best to wait until more noteworthy games are announced.
iLife 11
Today Apple has announced the release of several new products. The most talked about of these new products is iLife 11, Apple has deemed it the best version of iLife yet. iLife 11 comes standard on all new Macs and is available for purchase at a market price of $49. The new product features upgrades for iPhoto,iMovie and Garage Band. iPhoto has probably seen the least dramatic of these changes, with added Facebook and email enhancements which allow users to view Facebook comments of their photos directly from iPhoto and to email photos more easily. It also features a new full screen display mode reminiscent of the iPad. iMovie has undoubtedly seem the most change, notably so, a fully revised editing system. Sound can be edited in a more precise and in depth way now that the system uses a detailed waveform overlay system for individual clips, this allows users to edit clips easily and more accurately. Using what Apple calls “one step effects” it is now possible to create and add special effects and voice-overs instantly. “Groove Matching” is the most notable new feature for Apple’s music editing program, Garage Band. Groove Matching automatically syncs up instrument rhythms to make them sound more fluid and natural. One of the most fun new additions to come from iLife 11 is the “how do i play” feature, which can track a users ability to play either the guitar or piano and give criticism to ensure a positive progression. Though iLife 11 is not the most innovative of Mac products, it certainly seems worth the $49 upgrade charge for preexisting Mac owners.
