Over at CRN - the best place to find out about what's happening in Australia's sales and distribution channels, I offer some opinion on whether the iPad could spawn a grey market in locales where the 3G version doesn't arrive promptly through Apple's official channels.

Apple's distribution model for the iPad tablet looks, smells and feels a lot like its approach for the original iPhone. And if history is any guide, that means a strong potential for a grey market.

Here's the full story.

Apple announced the iPad about 12 hours ago and it's been occupying most of my time today. I managed to get a story out early this morning via IT News about whether the iPad matches the hype that surrounded its release.

Frankly, I'm a little underwhelmed. Although some of the technology is undoubtedly impressive it really isn't much more than a over-sized iPhone minus the camera.

I'm sure that the coming weeks will reveal more and once it's actually released in about 60 days we'll know everything there is to know. But, until then, I'm thinking that the iPad is a solution looking for a problem.

To be fair, Apple's design teams usually do a top notch job in the design of their products. However, there's one thing they have messed up on several times recently - the placement of USB ports on the MacBook family of notebooks.

I have a 13-inch MacBook Pro. It's is probably the best notebook I've ever owned or used. But whoever decided that the best place for the USB ports was to have them close together is living in a bubble. Many USB devices, in particular USB modems, are wider that that the space between ports. This means that when one device is plugged in you can't acces the second port. Devices with USB cables suffer similarly if the cable connectors aren't extra slim.

So Apple, please do something about this. 2mm of extra space on either side of the ports would make a huge difference for most of us. That's all I ask - 4mm please.

The entire blogosphere and more than a few traditional news outlets are all saying that Apple is going to be announcing a tablet during the big event they've scheduled for 27 January 2010 (3.00AM on the 28th for those in Australia). While the idea of a tablet has some attraction to the market, I'm not convinced that they're going deliver one.

CES saw many many companies release and announce tablets and eReaders. At the moment, it's fair to say that on the eReader side of things, Amazon owns the market with a device that has the entire book buying and reading process refined. When Apple released the iPod there were other MP3 players around but none had high capacity hard drives and Apple managed to nail the usability through the iPod/iTunes ecosystem. In other words, they weren't first to market but they were arguably best to market.

With the tablet, Apple won't be delivering something new or something that hasn't already been well done by something else. For Apple to turn the hype of a tablet into market success they'll need to not only create a great product but fulfil a need that the market may not even know it has. Remember the hysteria surrounding the MacBook Air. Sure, the Air is a damn sexy product (I've owned one) but its limitations and the introduction of the 13-inch MacBook Pro have rendered the Air to all but obsolescence.

So, if Apple doesn't announce a tablet, what will they unveil. I suspect that it will be something from the shopping list below.

1 - A new Apple TV with integrated tuners making it a full PVR solution

I've got an Apple TV. If it had a high definition tuner and Apple applied its software engineers to the task of making this Steve Jobs hobby project easy to use then they'd have a winner. For the win, they could release a software update so that existing Apple TV units could install a USB tuner to the unused port at the back of the Apple TV.

2 - A netbook (they described this as a "nascent market" last year and hinted that they were doing some product development)

The establishment of the 13-inch MacBook Pro line basically made the MacBook Air into a firth wheel. I suggest that the 13-inch MacBook Air will be superseded by a lower cost 10-inch MacBook Air. However, if this happens, Apple won't be calling it a netbook in order to avoid the stigma that comes from some of the cheapest, more underpowered netbooks it would compared with. Also, unless it costs less than $800 USD it won't sell.

3 - The iPhone nano - a smaller, cheaper iPhone (fits their iPod strategy)

This one's less likely but still on the cards. While Apple might not be the biggest seller of handsets on the market, they practically own what David Pogue calls the "app phone" market. recent research from Gartner says that Apple owns practically all mobile application sales. While I'm not sure that Gartner's figures are 100% correct (What about the installed base of Palm and Windows Mobile apps? How about sales from independent software vendors?).

A second model, appealing to the portion of the market that wants a more compact form factor would be a sure-fire winner.

4 - A new iLife and iWork update (an anticlimax for all the hype)

iLife updates were typically released at the Macworld Expo. Although Apple is no longer attending the Expo, an iLife update is on the cards. iWork is less likely although the paintball effect on Apple's media invitation could point to an expansion of iWork to include a drawing program. The establishment of features like Instant Alpha in the other iWork apps makes me think this is a possibility.

5 - A huge shock: Steve Jobs to resign as CEO (stay on as chairman)

Let's face it - Jobs is a busy guy with many interests and the company didn't go belly up when he took his medical leave of absence in 2009

Not every Mac I buy is a brand spanking new, state of the art, latest and greatest. From time to time I buy used gear as for some tasks that's all that's needed. For example, a Mac that's used for web browsing, email and some MS Office stuff doesn't need oodles of RAM or Intel's fastest processor. A good, used iMac G5 will do those tasks with a minimum of fuss.

In March this year I purchased a used 17-inch iMac G5 with the built in iSight camera. From memory this was the last generation of the G5 iMac line. It's a nice machine that's well built and proven to be reliable.

Last week the screen seemed to suffer from some sort of failure. There was a stripe, about 30mm wide, running down the right side of the display. It wasn't totally black but looked like a faded stripe. The reseller's warranty on used goods was three months and I was a couple of months out of that. I rang them anyway as, if noting else, I knew they'd be able to repair it.

I took the iMac in and after some quick checking concluded that it was probably a screen problem rather than a logic board one. I left he machine there and the reseller told me that they'd call a couple of days later to let me know whether they could fix the fault.

That call came as promised. However, it wasn't a progress report - it was a collection request as they'd replaced the display at no cost to me. Although it was out of warranty, their view was that the iMac didn't fulfil the service level they expected. Wow! A reseller that considers the customer in how they handle warranty claims.

That reseller was New Wave Systems in Burwood, Melbourne. The iMac was the first system I've purchased from them. It won't be the last.

Boy, was I ever surprised when this appeared on my screen yesterday.

OK, it was just for a port scan but at least I know the software (the latest version of Norton Internet Security Dual Protection For Mac - this was a review copy given to me by Symantec. There's a full review in Australian Macworld's May edition) is doing something.

What's it for?: Copying stuff from your iPhone to your Mac
Score: 3/5
Pros: Easy to use, just works
Cons: No file syncing, wired connections only Mac only
Cost: $19.99USD
Buy from: Ecamm PhoneView

Syncing an iPhone through iTunes works well but there may be times when you need to extract data from your iPhone. For example, if the disk in your Mac dies then the photos or music on your iPhone might be your only backup. Ecamm's PhoneView application lets you connect an iPhone and browse its contents so you can copy data between your Mac and the iPhone without using iTunes

After installing PhoneView it automatically launched and was ready for my iPhone to connect.

After connecting my iPhone by its USB cable I was able to view its contents and copy content to and from its filestore. In addition I was able to read SMS and Notes, with an option to save them to my Mac (this may be important for business users concerned about record keeping), copy music and photos from the iPhone and use the iPhone as a portable disk. iPhone 3GS support arrived in the latest version so you can even copy your videos to your Mac.

Using the iPhone as a portable disk does add to its usefulness but it would be great if Ecamm developed an iPhone app so that copied files could be read on the iPhone. Having shelled out $20 I'd like to be able to read the data I've been able to copy. Given that the iPhone OS supports reading of many different file formats it's a little disappointing to not have a companion app for this purpose. However, the ability to store a backup of key files is very handy.

If only...

The one thing I'd really like to be able to do with PhoneView is create SMS from my Mac and have the iPhone send them. While I'm working, it'd be great to be able to use my Mac that way. But that's a small criticism.

Connection to PhoneView requires connection by USB - no Bluetooth or WiFi allowed. Given that the ability to connect over WiFi for data transfer is supported in a huge array of apps this is a serious omission. For me being able to connect my iPhone wirelessly would add significantly to PhoneView's utility as I could use it while commuting.

Should you buy it>?

PhoneView is a very useful piece of software. The ability to copy data from your iPhone is very handy and the $20USD price tag is reasonable. I picked up PhoneView as part of a recent MacHeist bundle and it's proven to be one of those handy little apps that I'd probably not have purchased on its own. However, I really like this app and find it very useful.

Back in May 2007, I wrote a feature for Australian Macworld on batteries and power solution. You can read the entire yarn here [22MB PDF].

In that story I recommended that users should regularly cycle your notebook or mobile phone's battery. That means letting it run all the way down and then fully recharging it.

Today, I came past this story over at ZDNet. It seems that Apple has a nifty diagnostic app running on an iPod that can diagnose whether a failed battery's condition has come from neglect or from a defect.

One of the telling things about this particular visit to the Apple Store was something the tech told me. He said that he would replace the battery with a new one because it has be “used correctly.” When I asked him to elaborate on what that meant, he told me that Apple’s notebook batteries last longest when they’re routinely charged and discharged.

Apple's batteries are more sophisticated than a simple collection of single cells. There are "smarts" built into them that retain information like the number of charging cycles and let you check the remaining charge by pressing a small button either on the battery (for older Macbooks and MacBook Pros) or on the unibody for more recent models.

If you're a mere mortal and don't have a fancy iPod gizmo for testing your battery, you can achieve much the same with iStat Pro - a widget created by iSlayer. In addition to all the useful system information it provides it's able to access that interesting battery data.

As it turns out, battery life is very much a "use it or lose it" proposition. In order to get the most out of your battery, both in terms of longevity and capacity make it a habit to run the battery down regularly.

I typically connect my MacBook Pro to the web in two different ways; WiFi and a Huawei E160G 3G modem. One of the things I've found, that is really annoying, is that OS X is really dumb when it comes to dealing with multiple network connections.

What I find is that OS X tries to connect to a WiFi network while the 3G connection is active. The problem is that if the WiFi connection is poor OS X persists in trying to use it even if the 3G connection is better. I've encountered the same thing when I've connected an iMac to one router by Ethernet and another over WiFi (Idid this as part of some router testing). OS X was unable to aggregate the connections.

The cure is easy - turn off WiFi before initiating the 3G connection. But that's not very Apple-like.

For an OS that's generally very traveller-friendly this is a real PITA.

Well, as the owner of a shiny, new 13" MacBook Pro I was a little surprised to read that Apple had dropped the hard drive spec from what they had on the previous, MacBook. Rather than the faster 3Gbps eSATA drives they previously used, they introduced 1.5Gbps drives.

In response to some comments by customers, they've released a firmware update to support the faster eSATA specification.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7 addresses an issue reported by a small number of customers using drives based on the SATA 3Gbps specification with the June 2009 MacBook Pro.  While this update allows drives to use transfer rates greater than 1.5Gbps, Apple has not qualified or offered these drives for Mac notebooks and their use is unsupported.

Did you catch the last sentence - this is a firmware update to support hard drives that they won't support.

I sense confusion in The Force.