If this works as well as it says, then this is pretty much the best backup device for a home network I’ve ever seen. Granted it only really comes to life if you have the new Mac OS, but that’s how Mac has always worked. If you like their new toys, you have to play by their rules… and buy all their crap. It’s a dick business plan, but it works for them.

As I was saying, Time Capsule really comes to life when you combine it with Time Machine, which is a pretty slick backup program that comes with Leopard. I wont bore you with all the details (you can view them here) but the short of it is basically a backup as you go program that handles it all for you on the fly. It only backs up files that have been changed, which are used to stack off of the base image it takes. It’s pretty hot. On top of that it acts as a WiFi centre that features the new 802.11n mode and even allows you to share a printer as a network item.

If I had been raised on Macs I would be pre-ordering this so fast my mouse would be burning from my ferocious clicking, simply to make my house go up a notch on the sex-o-meter.

Item number 2: Apple TV

They’ve fixed it, from what I’ve been told. I’m going to just declare my ignorance here and state that I don’t know what they did wrong with the first version, and so I really cannot discuss that here. I will discuss how Apple is offering a free upgrade to everyone who bought the original. That’s just solid customer service people.

What I can discuss is their new game plan. Basically the new Apple TV is supposed to put movie rental places utterly out of business. I know that’s not the written intent, but when you set up your business plan the way Apple has… well it’s just hard to ignore. The general idea is that you can now rent movies from iTunes. You keep it for 30 days, but once you start watching it you have 24 hours to complete it. This is just what I’ve gotten from the Macworld meeting, so I assume there are possibly different plans.

The prices are pretty reasonable; with 2.99 for library titles, 3.99 for new releases, and 4.99 for total HD movies they don’t really seem to be heavy on the money pouch. On top of this, they’ve already got most of the major labels signed up so there isn’t going to be a shortage of movies to choose from. They’re also going to feature TV shows and a slew of other media types (Flickr integration anyone?) that will turn your TV into a haven of ocular goodness.

They’ve also added a bit of Social Web 2.0 to the mix with trend-viewing. The idea behind trend-viewing is pretty straight forward. You can see who else has rented this movie (anonymous or not, I have no idea) and what other movies they have rented. People are going to end up feeling mixed about this, but I’m sure you can opt out if you’re afraid of Big Brother.

I’m going to be honest. When I have my own place and a nice TV setup, I’m pretty sure I’ll own this. It really takes the pain out of movie rentals, watching TV, and it even broadcasts to wireless speakers. That’s just awesome.

Item Number 3: Macbook Air

This was the finale piece to the Macworld expo, and with good reason. It’s fucking amazing.

Seriously.

I could go on and on about this laptop, and it’s shear sex factor breaks the whatever the hell you use to measure sex as a unit in the first place. It’s thin, its light, it’s still got processing power. It’s every Starbucks bloggers wet-dream.

First off, lets start with the obvious: it’s thin. Please note my use of both bold and italics there, because they are the best tools I have to articulate my amazement. Go watch the ad, and the guided tour. The specs can be found here, and I have to admit that it’s actually a pretty solid laptop.

The one thing I noticed is that it does not come with a built in CD/DVD drive. this is pretty much the only weakness for the laptop itself, and once again proves that Mac are amazing at getting you to spend more money on their stuff. In order to get CD/DVD support, you need to nab one of their AirDrives (or borrow another computers drive, if what I remember is right). The other flaw is that it’s magnetically clasped, and something about that bugs me. Call me old fashioned, but I like my plastic, sliding clasps.

As I stated, this is the pro-bloggers wet-dream come to life, as it’s perfect for bringing about with you. Small, light, and still managing to provide a solid computer experience what with a full keyboard and reasonable screen-size. If I had to own a Macbook, this would probably be the one i’d go for, simply for the ease of transport it offers. That, and it would make my nerd-penis fucking massive.

Of course I cannot afford 1900 dollar starting price, but I’m sure they’ll come down in a little while. I’ll probably end up just waiting for when computers are chips inserted into your brain.

So that’s the run-down of my feelings on Macworld. To summarize: Apple knows what they’re doing. They’re going for markets that are otherwise faltering, and then throwing every creative bone right at them. They’re not directly competing with anyone, and yet their winning every fight. I still don’t think I’d ever buy a Mac, but goddamn they can run my entertainment system anytime.

Also, Randy Newman? Seriously Apple, you could have picked someone younger then 9 million? Is he a robot yet? Was that some secret plug for Macworld 2009? Randy-bots? I’m pretty sure he’s gone totally nuts. If nothing else it’s clear he hates what America is becoming, so props to him for that. I cannot find a recording of his Mac performance, but this was the song he played.

And that’s the end of my gushing.