5 Things on My Apple Wish List

Apple has some of the best products in the world. They have world-class hardware: Macintosh computers, iPod, iPhone, AppleTV; and world-class software: Mac OS X, OS X, iTunes, iLife, Final Cut Studio, Safari, etc. However, there are improvements I would like to see to their product line.

Here are 5 improvements I hope they make:

1. iChat Everywhere.
   • iChat for iPhone & iPod Touch. iChat should be everywhere. It is the killer app. I know Apple has a deal with AT&T for iPhones, but the AT&T data plan is unlimited. This would get more people buy iPhones. iChat can be the dominant AV instant messenger, beating out: Skype, Yahoo IM, MSN Messenger, AOL Messenger, Google Talk, etc.
   • New iSight cameras. These could be used for the giant Apple Displays and for Apple TV. Why not have the ability for audio/video conferencing on your big display or TV? Makes sense doesn’t it? Make it smaller than the old iSight cameras and in high-definition (HD), please.
2. iChat setup and configuration automatic. Skype can tunnel through firewalls, why can’t iChat? The configuration is often complex and cumbersome behind firewalls. No opening ports, no fiddling with configurations, etc. – “it just works.”
3. Mac OS X full screen windows. When I click the plus button, I would like to the window to fill up the screen, just like my Microsoft Windows applications do. I don’t mind if I have to toggle between minimal, medium, and full-screen window, as long as I can auto full-screen it.
4. Mac OS X rids of mounting and dismounting drives. Why can’t this be transparent to the user? Plug-in a drive, remove a drive, no problem.
5. iTunes video content in 1080p. iTunes currently has video at 480p and some at 720p. Offer 1080p for those that want it. It may cost a little more, but Apple is known as a cutting edge company. Why have TVs capable of 1080p and then viewing content at lower resolution? Apple can make the Blu-Ray and HD DVD debate irrelevant by offering 1080p on iTunes.