Apple Jan. 27 launch event... what will it be?

[Uncle Ted]

Could Apple Buy Disney? Wall Street Revives Rumor of Mega-Deal

Apple could potentially find the cash to pull off a $200 billion-plus takeover of Disney — creating a company worth $1 trillion with “almost limitless opportunities in content and technology.”


That’s according to a speculative analysis from RBC Capital Markets, which in a note to client Thursday said such a colossal tie-up would be contingent on Apple getting tax breaks to “repatriate” overseas cash.


“Recently, investors have increased their expectations that Apple could seriously consider acquiring Disney,” RBC analysts Steven Cahall and Leo Kulp wrote in the note.


A combined Apple-Disney would create an instant competitor to Netflix that would take advantage of the Mouse House’s content and Apple’s user base, the anlaysts speculated. Other benefits: integrating Apple consumer tech as experiences in Disney’s theme parks; and landing global streaming sports rights for ESPN via the combo of Disney-backed BAMTech and Apple distribution and a strong balance sheet.
[...]

http://variety.com/2017/digital/news...or-1202029827/

Apple/ESPN could be bad news for BYU Football... Tim is not a fan.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

http://variety.com/2017/digital/news...or-1202029827/

Apple/ESPN could be bad news for BYU Football... Tim is not a fan.

Um, Tim will see this and probably convert to Mormonism.
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[Donuthole]

Mrs. D has been making do with our 6-year old Lenovo laptop because she will never spend money on herself. Last year she splurged and, after some urging on my part to buy herself something she wants, bought a $130 acer chromebook. Like any chromebook, it is great for internet and pretty much terrible for anything else. I think she would really enjoy a macbook, and since she'll never buy herself one, I'm thinking I"ll do it for her for Mother's day. She would use mostly for internet, photo and video storage and editing, moviemaking and digital scrapbooking, etc. So I know a macbook pro isn't necessary. Any input on a 12" Macbook vs. the 13" Macbook air?

[old_gregg]

Mrs. D has been making do with our 6-year old Lenovo laptop because she will never spend money on herself. Last year she splurged and, after some urging on my part to buy herself something she wants, bought a $130 acer chromebook. Like any chromebook, it is great for internet and pretty much terrible for anything else. I think she would really enjoy a macbook, and since she'll never buy herself one, I'm thinking I"ll do it for her for Mother's day. She would use mostly for internet, photo and video storage and editing, moviemaking and digital scrapbooking, etc. So I know a macbook pro isn't necessary. Any input on a 12" Macbook vs. the 13" Macbook air?

i don't think i would go smaller than 13".

[Commando]

Mrs. D has been making do with our 6-year old Lenovo laptop because she will never spend money on herself. Last year she splurged and, after some urging on my part to buy herself something she wants, bought a $130 acer chromebook. Like any chromebook, it is great for internet and pretty much terrible for anything else. I think she would really enjoy a macbook, and since she'll never buy herself one, I'm thinking I"ll do it for her for Mother's day. She would use mostly for internet, photo and video storage and editing, moviemaking and digital scrapbooking, etc. So I know a macbook pro isn't necessary. Any input on a 12" Macbook vs. the 13" Macbook air?

The macbooks are pretty dang awesome. They may be taking it a bit far with the minimalist motif, since they've gotten rid of all the ports except a headphone jack and the power jack (USB ports, etc are via a dongle that goes into the power jack). However, I prefer the shape and aesthetics of the MacBook to the MacBook Air, whose asymmetrical wedge shape is unnerving to me for whatever aesthetic reason. Sounds like you can't go wrong, though, if she was willing to put up with a Chromebook.

[Uncle Ted]

Mrs. D has been making do with our 6-year old Lenovo laptop because she will never spend money on herself. Last year she splurged and, after some urging on my part to buy herself something she wants, bought a $130 acer chromebook. Like any chromebook, it is great for internet and pretty much terrible for anything else. I think she would really enjoy a macbook, and since she'll never buy herself one, I'm thinking I"ll do it for her for Mother's day. She would use mostly for internet, photo and video storage and editing, moviemaking and digital scrapbooking, etc. So I know a macbook pro isn't necessary. Any input on a 12" Macbook vs. the 13" Macbook air?

The MacBook air hasn't really be refreshed for some time. But you may find a deal in the refurbished stock: https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/ho...macbook_air/13

The 12" MacBooks are very light but under powered, IMHO. They use the mobile intel chipset which is good for battery life but not so good for performance. The keyboard is the butterfly thing which has a soft touch. But there seems to be a good supply of these in the refurbished stock in all colors and flavors: https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/ho...ls/mac/macbook

I would go for the 13" MacBook pro: https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/ho...macbook_pro/13

The mother of your children deserves nothing less.

[Pelado]

The mother of your children deserves nothing less.

Sure, but what about his wife?

[Shaka]

I have the latest MB Pro and the Thunderbolt 3 ports frustrate the crap out of me. If she has any external peripherals you will be buying expensive dongles which may or may not work. In my case I have to string multiple dongles together to get a piece of equipment to partially work.

If she needs to store stuff externally (which almost everyone that shoots photos or video does) and wants to store on a drive instead of a cloud, She is better off getting a Lenovo or something that uses good old USB ports. Thunderbolt 3 is just too new and there isn't much out there that supports it.

[Shaka]

I have the latest MB Pro and the Thunderbolt 3 ports frustrate the crap out of me. If she has any external peripherals you will be buying expensive dongles which may or may not work. In my case I have to string multiple dongles together to get a piece of equipment to partially work.

If she needs to store stuff externally (which almost everyone that shoots photos or video does) and wants to store on a drive instead of a cloud, She is better off getting a Lenovo or something that uses good old USB ports. Thunderbolt 3 is just too new and there isn't much out there that supports it.

I stand corrected on the regular Macbooks. I guess they come with USB 3.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have the latest MB Pro and the Thunderbolt 3 ports frustrate the crap out of me. If she has any external peripherals you will be buying expensive dongles which may or may not work. In my case I have to string multiple dongles together to get a piece of equipment to partially work.

If she needs to store stuff externally (which almost everyone that shoots photos or video does) and wants to store on a drive instead of a cloud, She is better off getting a Lenovo or something that uses good old USB ports. Thunderbolt 3 is just too new and there isn't much out there that supports it.

I assume you mean the USB-C ports.

In this case I am with Apple. Yeah, it is kind of a PITA, but at least this is an industry standard that makes good sense and will be adopted by all manufacturers eventually.

[old_gregg]

non-cloud storage is dumb

[hostile]

I got my wife a MacBook Pro for Christmas. She loves it.

[Shaka]

I assume you mean the USB-C ports.

In this case I am with Apple. Yeah, it is kind of a PITA, but at least this is an industry standard that makes good sense and will be adopted by all manufacturers eventually.

Personally I feel it was a miscalculation to go all or nothing on it before there was a larger base for peripherals. Introduce it but include a regular TB port as well as USB and even Firewire. The strategy they used pissed off a a lot of their historical power users (multimedia guys) because it rendered a lot of their outboard gear unusable.

[Shaka]

non-cloud storage is dumb

Your statement is dumb. It's tough to do serious production work without external drives. Clouds are great for backup.

[Shaka]

I got my wife a MacBook Pro for Christmas. She loves it.

I like it for the times I take it out in front of the TV and surf the web. I'm torn on the touch strip. I get pissed off when I think of all the pricey outboard equipment that the move rendered unusable. With that said this is coming out soon and may solve my problems.