New site look and yet more Mac rumours
03 August 2007

"...the current gossip about new iMacs on the horizon looks to be a better bet than most of the insane forum posts I usually read (and to be honest participate in!!)"

Unless you're reading this via an RSS reader you will have noticed already that the Clayton Family web site has undergone a serious revamp. I hope you like the new look! The last site change was 2 years ago so it was high time I introduced a totally new theme.

This site is the first one I've constructed using Adobe Design Premium CS3 (ie Dreamweaver CS3 and Photoshop Extended CS3). It's built using a modern design ethic with the content being totally separate from the design something I'd been working towards over the last couple of site re-designs but never totally achieved until now.

I've taken this opportunity to read through all the content and tweak where necessary. I've also added new sections for Mac OS X Hints and Tips, moved the location of my blog and added a new page to the Family section appealing for feedback from friends some of whom I haven't seen for quarter of a century.

Regular visitors will notice that the photography section is now gone. I plan to add a revamped photo blog to the site in due course, but in the mean time you can see my photographic efforts dotted around these pages and a new feature is a (changing) photograph at the top of the home page.

If you notice any dead links or other issues with the site revamp then please let me know.

Mac gossip
There are always rumours circulating in the Mac owning community and this was to blame for me unnecessarily waiting 6 months before I bought my Mac Pro, however the current gossip about new iMacs on the horizon looks to be a better bet than most of the insane forum posts I usually read (and to be honest participate in!!) There has been talk for a while now of a new "industrial" design for the iMac replacing the "white monitor" build that has been the norm for some time now. This talk has been fueled by pictures recently leaked by Apple Insider showing a new thin metal cased keyboard with keys not unlike those found on a MacBook. What the main computer will look like we can only imagine, but Apple have invited select tech journalists to a Mac-related announcement next Tuesday (7 August 2007) so we don't have too long to wait until we find out how accurate these latest rumblings turn out to be.

Personally I can see a new case for the iMac together with a slightly increased spec. I don't expect to see new Mac Pros or laptops nor do I think that iLife and iWork will be updated yet although some of the rumour sites think that this will happen at that event.

There's been much talk during the last few months that Apple is abandoning its computer business in favour of MP3 players, phones and set top boxes. The frenzy was fueled when Apple dropped the word "computer" from its name and became just plain "Apple Inc". I've always thought that this talk is ridiculous. Although Apple are growing their product line the Mac remains an important part of their output. The so called "halo effect" from iPods and now the iPhone coupled with dodgy reviews of Windows Vista and Unix 03 certification for their own next generation OS can only help to grow the computer arm (or "leg" as Steve Jobs seems to prefer to call it) of their business. It seems obvious to me that there's nothing to worry about, but hopefully the new iMac, iLife, iWork and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard coming in the next few months will allay those particular concerns.

Thank goodness for wireless
We've recently welcomed a new addition to our small family. Misty the cocker spaniel puppy came bounding into our lives on 27 July. She's a real bundle of fun and Mel and I haven't laughed so much in ages. As this is a technology blog I won't go into detail here but I'm sure some pictures and news will be added to the family pages of this site in due course. Don't hold your breath, though, as I'm spending a good deal of time playing with her and very little on the computer.

Yesterday evening Mel went out and after playing with Misty for a while she curled up and went to sleep on her doggy duvet. I wanted to be near her just in case she woke up so couldn't go upstairs to use the computer (she's too small to use the stairs yet and if I took her up there I'd be worried she'd fall down them!!). So if Mohammed can't go to the mountain... I've bought a shareware program called Desktop Transporter that allows me to log on and use any Mac in my house from any other Mac. This kind of functionality appears to be built in to Leopard but details are sketchy at the moment so this will do for now. I was able to sit downstairs on the sofa and use the computer upstairs (Edmund) as if I was sat up there looking at it. Genius! I dropped some files in the trash at one point and the "trash" sound effect came from upstairs. Misty thought that was a bit odd and was looking to see who was up there.

That's enough techno waffle for now. I expect there will be some more very soon following the announcements from Apple on August 7.