In the wake of yesterday's WWDC keynote introducing iPhone 4 and iOS 4, these are the features I think I will most look forward to in a future iPad revision:

1. Retina display

2. Camera

3. More application RAM. 256MB seems positively anemic.

Because newer is not completely better, here is a short list of things I miss (and things I don’t) about various Apple laptops I’ve used since 1995:

PowerBook 5300cs (1995–98)

• the internal magneto-optical drive from Fujitsu that I had, which felt (and still feels) seriously futuristic
• paying nearly $500 for a 16GB RAM module
• the flaming battery recall
• SCSI
• the lap-singing heat

PowerBook G3 (Lombard) (1999–2002)



• the snail-being-fried-by-a-Pentium-II-processor ads
• the black color and sleek lines
• SCSI 
• the lap-singing heat

PowerBook G4 15” (Titanium) (2002–2005)



• the minimal bezel around the screen; the integration of the iSight camera has made every bezel since seem unnecessarily wide
• the lap-singing heat
• the hinge design, which invariably cracked after a few years of use
• the trim paint job that flaked off

PowerBook G4 12” (Aluminum) (2005–2007)



• the compact footprint, so satisfying to tote around (the lighter MacBook Air, by contrast, feels too thin)
• the lap-singing heat

PowerBook G4 15” (Aluminum) (2007–2010)



• two Firewire ports (400 and 800)
• ExpressCard slot; seriously, I still don’t get why this was ditched in favor of a card reader in the Unibodies
• the lap-singing heat
• 3GB RAM limit

Surveying this crowd, it’s clear to me that the 12” was my past favorite. But I also have to say that my 2010 MacBook Pro Unibody is the best portable computer I have ever used, except for the fact that it doesn't have a true expansion slot and skimps on Firewire ports.



In my never-ending quest for useful and well-designed input devices, I recently snapped up a deal at Fry’s ($39) for Microsoft’s Wireless Desktop 3000 keyboard and mouse set.

I’ve been using it for a little over a week at work with an identically colored black-with-white trim Dell LCD connected to my MacBook Pro, and I think it’ll be my main set at work for the time being.

Pluses:

• One USB transmitter/receiver dongle for both keyboard and mouse (standard for sets, I know, but if you’ve ever mixed USB-based wireless mice and keyboards it’s a little inconvenient to have two separate dongles, especially when ports are at a premium).
• The USB RF-based approach automatically means it is more responsive than Bluetooth, which is characterized by an annoying latency for almost all input devices I’ve tried.
• An abundance of (too many?) configurable keys; I like that the Aero Flip 3D button is automatically mapped by the drivers to OS X’s Exposé “All windows” F9 keyboard shortcut)
• The full-sized mouse uses the newer and supposedly better BlueTrack optical technology
• The battery indicator LED (upper right corner of the keyboard and apparently on top of the mouse)
• Relatively compact profile (if size weren’t a consideration, I’m sure I’d find the Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 more comfortable)

Minuses:

• The keycaps use decals, which will surely rub off in time.
• Above said configurable keys are flat and harder to depress (similar to the function keys of the very compact Arc Keyboard).
• Construction looks and feels cheap.

If you’re on a Mac, you’ll definitely want to download the latest drivers.

p.s. checking out this keyboard for possible use with a future iPad.