I know one family that is a counter anecdote: mine. My girls probably watched more TV and used the computer more than you might think was appropriate based on the statement above. They are bright, well-behaved, productive, and have pretty good grades in school .

The catch? They enjoyed shows about WW II, science, technology (how many "How It's Made" are there anyway?) and the like. On the computer, they spent time creating pictures, researching strange topics, or playing with a 3D rendering program they downloaded...and yes Facebook and Zero Punctuation.

I think much of the issue with new media is what kind of interests they have when watching TV. If favorite show is "iCarly", "House wives of..." or wrestling then I see much of the problem with TV. However, as we techys know, all TV isn't created equal. Personally, Disney channel is a problem :)

Sounds all too familiar to those living in the Chicago area. While the tollways were being updated to new open-road tolling (i.e. you don't need to stop at a booth), everyone was told that those who had an iPass (the electronic toll device) would receive a discount. Of course the discount turned into: those with iPass pay the same (high) cost as before and everyone using cash pays double.

I use to work in manufacturing (wrote machine vision algorithms back then...fun stuff) and the cost can be very competitive with overseas. The key is design for manufacturing and automating as much as possible.

Labor isn't your highest expense when you have high-speed chip shooting lines and automated assembly processes. For a high volume builder such as Apple, the economies of scale work in it's favor too. Low volume manufacturing needs a board house to do the work otherwise capital equipment goes under utilized. That's not Apple or Google's problem.

I'm sure Apple and everyone's designs fit in the designed for manufacturability category so why not assemble in the states. Invest the capital on equipment and put some assemblers back to work!

I know having a lack of locally sourced parts (they are all over seas now, right?) will make it hard, but I would love to see leading brands bring manufacturing back to the states. For Apple, this would be a blessing in minimizing knock-offs and leaks anyway and a little less margin isn't going to put them out of business.

Maybe they can call the show "Junk Drawer Wars"

I always thought it was a combination of cultural expectations and the fact people aren't open to explore the tastes that are foreign to them. I like deep fried potatoes with vinegar, mayo, gravy, mustard, and ketchup. Sure each flavor combination is different, but if someone truly gives it a chance...who knows what you like!

Of course, it is possible that a deep fried potato taste good with everything.

I think many people who are pushing the agenda to allow hackintosh companies want cheap hardware with the cheap high-quality Apple OSX. However, OSX is inexpensive (relatively) because it is an upgrade and is tied to the HW sale. If the law changes, we will all get the wonderful benefit of paying MS level retail prices for OSX and wonderful DRM and activation. I wouldn't be surprised if we even see the same ridiculous price structure we see from MS today instead of the simple one-size for all.

The story behind the Enigma and how the codes were cracked are fascinating. I fell in love with the machine and the concept of rotors, symmetric encode/decode, and how the circuit and mechanical systems worked.

I was so into it that I wrote a simple free simulator for the iPhone that faithfully simulated a set of rotors and include quirks in behavior. It is old and not full featured (one set of rotors, no plug board, etc) but was a labor of love! Someone also has a full featured one for sale in the store now and there are numerous simulators on the net.

There is a paper based Enigma that is an excellent tool for teaching students about this historical device. If you are a WW2 buff, the Enigma is a must on your research list.

Sorry if sounded like I was disagreeing. Indeed it would be good if they were able to keep prices similar due to saving on infrastructure (e.g. warehouse cheaper than storefront). I think part of true added cost is the "pickers" employed to package orders and people are accustomed to delivery charges so they can pass the cost along.

Maybe as more players come in (and not the Webvan kind who could not control their zeal for growth) price will go down. Can alway hope!

As someone else pointed out, there are companies doing this. One in the Chicago and Mikwaukee areas (and more I imagine) is Peapod.

I've used them for years and the convenience of putting items on my list (iPad app) as I need them and then one button click to order is great. Having them delivered is even so convenient if you can plan a few days in advance to schedule an order. I might sound like a commercial message but I found they have really excellent produce and meat.

I know the prices are higher than local market and you do pay for delivery so you have to decide if the trade off of convenience vs. price is worth it.

I'm not a professional at all but an amateur who has used Apple professional tools for music. I was also excited about Final Cut Pro X since I also like to create shorts and wring every last bit of power from iMovie.

I read the message boards to see what was going on with the different tools and--personal opinion--some professionals aren't very. First, as a professional you constantly evaluate your workflows and tools to deliver your end product. I get that some people do not want to change what works, but I moved from Sonar Producer (DAW) to Logic Pro with very little issues and could leverage some of the different features quickly (of course, I did miss Sonar exclusive features too). Some posters on the boards were simply not able to understand there might be better workflows using the power of new tools. Second, some of the tools added were phenomenal which would probably save them enough time to focus on how to do work with the new tool. Third, the squeaky wheels got a lot of press while many on the boards were very happy with the changes and improvements. I personally found the enhancements fairly exciting based on the limitations I hit in iMovie every day.

From my own experience would I be upset if Logic Pro started looking like Garageband...yes. Would I adapt to leverage what it offers..absolutely. I already find myself using Garageband for quick songs because it is far easier to get in and out quickly; there is some real value there.

As technologist, what would we say to a professional programmer who never wanted to learn a new language, evaluate new programming tools (e.g. IDE) or leverage new build automation?

Finally, it is fortunate there is a great ecosystem of video and audio tools that can fill any gaps in Apple's portfolio. That's a good thing