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TheAppleBlog
TheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.
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The Apple Experience

Maybe it is because I am a recent switcher that I notice details long-time Mac owners may take for granted, details that are so minute yet so useful and so quintessentially ‘human’. The level of attention painstakingly paid to the many small details found on every Apple product is a testament to Apple’s design philosophy, and is what sets the experience of using an Apple product a head above its competitors. Here are some thoughts I have about The Apple Experience.

Apple’s One-Two Punch

To take at face value alone Apple’s own statement, that it is first and foremost a software company, is to be merely skimming the surface. The Apple experience, be it with a Mac, iPod or iPhone, has no equal only because of the way Apple marries software seamlessly to the hardware that serves it. In an Apple product, software and hardware are inseparable: the success of that product weighs equally heavy on the shoulders of both its software and hardware components.

Take, for example, the iPod. The two main factors that make the iPod the success story it is are the Wheel (hardware) and the user interface (software). Would the iPod have reigned if it had sported a four-way D-pad instead, as was the norm for devices of that era, with the UI probably taking an entirely different direction as a result? Probably not. Would the Wheel have worked if it served an alternate user interface? Again, probably not. Another software factor that can be considered as equally important is iTunes and its ease of use.
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Netflix "Watch Instantly" Now Available to Mac Users
In true trick-or-treat fashion, Netflix announced Friday that the first beta phase of its new streaming player is over. Mac (and PC) users can now opt in to use the new Silverlight player as part of the next beta phase.

Existing customers can simply visit www.netflix.com/silverlightoptin to opt in to the new player. After a one-button click and a quick download of Silverlight, you’re all set to go. However, there are a few things to be aware of before you make the jump.
1. The player is still in beta, so there may be bugs.
2. Not all movies are available to watch in Silverlight. There’s no mention as to how many movies are ready to view, but after opting in I didn’t notice a radical reduction in the number of titles available. I’m assuming they covered the most popular titles and are leaving “High School Musical 3 1/2″ until later.
3. The new player only works on Intel-based Macs.
4. Once you opt in, you must use Silverlight on all your machines to access the “watch instantly” feature. There will no longer be a difference between watching it on your Mac and watching it on your PC.
Having spent a few hours with the new player last night and this morning I am very impressed. Playback has been flawless, video quality is about the same, and the Silverlight interface is impressive and smooth. I haven’t encountered any bugs yet when fast forwarding or switching to full screen mode. I just hope that this jump to a single platform will mean Netflix can now concentrate on improving the selection of “watch instantly” titles.

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