Okay. After popping over to the Chinese Engadget site, it doesn't appear crap-gadgety at all. It actually is aesthetically pleasing. But...err...is that a single button for the trackpad?! Wow, I wonder how the Windows fanboys are going to spin this one. :)

I'm sure Apple would remind us, this new MSI notebook runs windows and looks like a cheap crapgadget. Why would anyone throw their money down the tubes on this? Seriously, I use both Mac OS X and Windows. There is no competition. My Macbook Pro is just better in every way. It's stable. I don't get pop-ups or spyware (though, in fairness, this can be avoided to some degree on a Windows box by minding one's behavior online). It's blazing fast. It doesn't just slow down all by itself over time, like Windows.

Fine, I need an adapter for projectors. Really, it's not a big deal in the least.

My wife is from Bolivia. I have had firsthand experience with these taxis and driving there. I have never been in a taxi down there where the right-hand steering wheel wasn't ripped out and relocated to the left-hand side. They're all like that. And, I can attest to the traffic. An in-law from Brazil, who had been around the continent quite a bit, remarked on the traffic in Santa Cruz as being the worst in all of South America. I was very scared the first time I took my mother-in-law's car out into the city. The traffic is heavy, and the lines on the road mean nothing. If four cars can fit, four cars will squeeze in. The traffic circles are another nightmare, where everyone is inches from everyone else, with people walking/running in between the cars while traffic is moving. It's crazy. But, the craziest of all is in the barrios off the main roads between the "anillos" (rings). In the barrios, four-way intersections do not involve stopping. They involve honking the horn as you're coming up to the intersection, to let the other drivers know you're coming through with little to no intention of slowing down or stopping. It can be a very stressful experience. After doing it for a while, even Atlanta driving seems extremely safe and civilized (I can assure you, Atlanta driving is NOT civilized).

And the monopoly claim should have been thrown out. How does Apple have a monopoly on anything? I can't buy a different computer, running a different OS? I can't by a non-iPod portable media player and get get my digital music from another vendor?

Psystar is breaking the law by violating Apple's patents and encouraging others to violate Apple's EULA. It's as simple as that.

I cannot understand why so many bash Apple. If you don't like it, don't buy it. No one is forcing anything on you.

And regarding the complaint on price, get over it. You can't always get what you want. I would love to buy a new Porsche 911 GT3, but I don't have that sort of cash. I don't bash Porsche for it. I get over it.

@SoccerMom

You must not know many executives. Power and status are excellent substitutes for money. All of these guys are already rich. It's all about the prestige.

Also, most execs are not that good at what they do, anyway. A handful are excellent. Most are not.

High-powered execs make broad stroke gambles on the direction of a company. The do so with a great deal of input and lobbying from subordinates. Subordinates assess the risk. Subordinates make the case for one direction over another. Most companies are doing little better than consulting a Magic 8-Ball, especially since execs rarely face just accountability.

Steve Jobs deserves greater pay, because he is one of the few who are excellent at the top.

Rick Wagoner has been at or near the top of GM for 10+ years, as CEO for 8 years. He has presided over a complete mess, which he did little to nothing to correct. The last year they made a profit was 2004. They've been bleeding badly for four years, and the return on investment from 96-06 was 0.5% (lots of nothing).

Why should Rick be paid well?

@Funke

Who says cats don't provide milk and meat? Kittens and dogs everywhere beg to differ. :-)

What's a "scientiest"? :-)

Anyone consider the possibility of Apple launching a revised .Mac alongside Mobile ME, where the .Mac name doesn't change at all, and an ancillary service called Mobile ME is launched for Exchange users (Mobile Microsoft Exchange)?

Think about it.

Gian

Err...IS connected to...not "are connected to". I sound like a retard. :P

Gian

Um....what do you think your cable modem or DSL modem are connected to? I've been in engineering for a variety of providers for years. Trust me, the WiMAX stuff is no different in that respect.

But, I agree to some extent regarding the life left in WiMAX. I see no future in it for a variety of reasons, which I do not have the time, nor energy, to list out here. From regulatory to technical to market demand, the list goes on and on forever.

Gian