A Fantastical Holiday Guide

This week, as children across the land burden the laps of portly, temporary mall help to cast last minute wishes for footballs, tinker toys and Red Rider BB guns, I’ll be sitting at my desk, fingers-crossed with a few holiday fancies of my own. I’d like to think I’ve been a well behaved boy this year, so in addition to old standbys like world peace, good will toward men and a substantial lottery win, I’m asking for these five tech-related gifts—as infuriatingly unlikely as they may be.

Blind no More!: Apple/NOAA

1. A non-glossy-screened Macbook Pro
When Apple recently unveiled its line of newly tricked-out MacBook Pros, my bank account let out a sigh of relief—my savings had been granted a stay of execution. For me and for a large and very vocal contingent of MBP faithful, the lack of an option for the classic matte screen is a total deal breaker. I’ve loathed the glossy display since I first spotted it in the wild on a Wintel notebook some years ago. Good for watching a DVD in total darkness? Perhaps. Working in Photoshop in a well-lit room? Not so much. And there’s the irony: Where but on the sun is there better lighting than at an Apple retail store? That’s where I first played with the new MacBook Pro and that’s where I decided I’ll never buy one. If Apple is going to exterminate the matte display for good, it might consider a mood change for all of its 200+ retail locations around the world. But, I don’t think it’ll come to that. I’m hoping the matte will return once this particular production run of MacBooks is over. Apple has a long history of forcing its own preferences on the consumer, but it also has a history of sometimes correcting its missteps when enough people complain. So, Steve, this is me complaining.

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By Tom Conlon Posted 12.17.2008 at 1:39 pm