With the next batch of refreshes to the Apple line on the way (or waiting for Lion to be released depending on who you listen to), the fate of one of Apple's longer standing products appears to be up in the air. Wither the MacBook? Apples student friendly polycarb laptop seems to have less love than the Mac Mini.

The MacBook was introduced in 2006 as the direct replacement for the iBook. Since then it's been the low cost laptop, the student computer that was still cool enough for everyone to use. It was also designed to be tougher than the more elegant but ultimately more fragile MacBook Pros.

Over the years the MacBook recieved periodic updates, but only really in processor speed. It became black for a while, then Aluminium and then unibody as it lost firewire. The last update to the MacBook was over 320 days ago, that's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than Apple usually waits between refreshes, unless you are a Mac Pro.

So, when Lion hits the stores, will the MacBook join the Pro and the Mini in getting its long overdue refresh. Well, maybe not.

Apple always used to differentiate between it's Pro machnes and the MacBook by including (or not) FireWire. The last update to the MacBook stripped it of this interface. Thunderbolt is very much the replacement for Firewire so would not necessarily appear on a MacBook, except that Thunderbolt is also now the video out so any MacBook that wants to connect to a second monitor will need it. Any laptop without video out is just plain stupid, but Apple really don't want access to Thunderbolt on non Pro machines.

And look at the prices. The MacBook is currently exactly the same price as one of Apples hottest selling machines, the MacBook Air. In addition, since the MacBook was conceived the iPhone and iPad have joined us and Apple has strong hopes for the iPad in education. Just where the MacBook is strong.

In addition, where are the rumours? With Lion round the corner and plenty of talk about Air and Pro updates, the MacBook chat is completely absent. Nothing.

So, the outlook doesn't look rosey. Unloved, unupdated, left behind by new technology and looking for a market to sell to, the MacBook looks like a very lame duck. Which is sad because it's not at all a bad machine. I certainly wouldn't give my young children Air's to use. It wouldn't last five minutes, and the iPad is NOT a computer, they can't easily to their homework on it, so there is a need for the MacBook, I just think it's not a need that Apple cares much about fulfilling.

When the new lines are announced, I do hope the MacBook survices, but all in all I'm not hopeful.

So your looking at your new MacBook, iPad or Apple iWhatever and you're thinking wow, this sucker is ten kinds of beautiful and there are only 10 kinds of beautiful to be had, so it's maxxed out on beauty. But wait, there is an eleventh beauty that most owners never get to see and it's a beauty that makes my day better. It's the inner beauty of a machine put together with thought and skill.

Yesterday I had cause to completely disassemble an aluminium unibody MacBook for a customer. Taking it apart was very nearly as joyful as putting it back together. Careful use of components and a well designed internal layout made it just like a high tech jigsaw. There's not even too many parts and those fit together logically and clearly. OK so there's a lot of screws and you do have to take care but really it's a tour de force of industrial design.

Apart from the fact that what I was doing was replacing a keyboard. Because the unibody design is SO lovely the keyboard is only accessible after the Mac has been completely gutted. And it's held in place with 50 (yes 50) tiny tiny screws, hidden under a plastic cover that rips if you look at it too hard. Which is entirely daft. Entirely daft unless you really really need to make the outside as beautiful as Apple has.

So there you are. A sparkling mass of contradictions. A computer so lovely that it makes routine part replacement insanely hard but then makes the process of replacement a joy through more lovely design.

That seems very very Apple to me.

As far as most people know or care, Apple aren't a server company. However they do of course make a server version of OS X Snow Leopard, called er, Snow Leopard Server. They also make the world's most over priced computer (that's the Mac Mini in case you were wondering) in server form and until the end of last month (Jan '11) they made an actual server, the X-Serve. Well the X-Serve is no more. Apple's advice is to install OSX Server onto a Mac Pro (which is actually the worlds most even more over priced computer) or use a mini. Neither option fills server admins with joy. The Mac Pro is too big, not rack mountable, lacks critical server features such as hot swappable power supplies and is far far too expensive. The mini IS small, but lacks speed, power, RAM, expandability and is of course far far too expensive (for what it is).

And now, with the release of an update to the feature list we can expect from OS X 10.7 (Lion) comes the news that OS X Server will be rolled into the main client OS. Apples current Lion feature list is here.

So, it looks like OS X Server, sold as a £410 product is on the way out.

OS X Client (or OS X to most people) comes with a built in limit to the number of users that can be connected to a Mac at any one time, this limit being 10 people. Apple aren't saying if this limit will still apply when using it as a server OS, but it may well. Not that a lot of smaller companies will mind, they may well have less than 10 employees and never notice. But where will this leave bigger organisations?

Well, Apple may lift the 10 connections limit. Or they may go another way. Their only current server hardware is the mini server. It may be that in order to continue to sell this product and differentiate it from the normal mini, that Apple takes the step of bundling a "Pro" version of Server OS with this Mac.

Which ever way Apple go, it's an interesting step in the evolution of OS X Server. On the one hand it makes Apple even less of a compelling proposition as a proper server supplier but on the other it gives every small Apple using business a way into running a server in their office environment.

Todays announcement that Steve Jobs was taking a second break from his post as CEO was both unexpected and perfectly timed. Rumours about Jobs' health had pretty much faded away under a constant barrage of earning reports and new device launches, then BAM!

Apple chose to release the news on Martin Luthor King day, a day with no trading in the US, to minimise the effect on stocks. It was also the day before Apples Q1 earnings call, at which we can expect a flood of huge numbers and relentless growth, again, designed to help bouy up the stock price.

It's almost a certainty however that Apple stock will take a hit, but not because analysts don't believe in a post Jobs future, but rather because they do.

Traditionally Wall Street hammers Apple post earnings call on the grounds that no matter how well they have performed they almost certainly should have done better. So far so standard greedy. This time round this hit will come accompanied by concerns over the future of Apple without it's Svengali. Yes tomorrow should see plenty of fearmongering.

Last week analysts were hinting that they expect aapl stck to hit $450 by the end of the year (it's $348 today). They probably still do, after all Apple is nothing more than the worlds biggest cash machine. It literally spews out profit. Banks and funds looking to hitch a ride on the wave up to $450 will have no choice to buy in at the current high water mark. Unless market fears should push the price down to say $300. That's an extra $48 profit on each share bought once the stock recommences it's upward movement, as everyone expects it to.

Apple really IS much more than just Jobs now and Wall Street knows this. Spreading a little fear and doubt into the market serves only to boost the profits of institutional investors later.

In the meantime here's hoping that Jobs looks after himself and gets well soon, although I'm not sure he'll actually be back at Apple full time ever again.

January
Just at the lowest point of the year, with empty wallets and bulging tummies Apple will announce the launch of their newest device, the iWantwhateveritturnsouttobe. Priced to give you an instant heart attack and so desired by the beautiful people, not having it will make you feel insignificant and small. And it wont even ship until the summer.

February
Your crappy iPad is looking old and tired. Where once you pulled it proudly out in bars (ooeer) you now tweet from darkened corners and have switched your signature to sent from my my Android phone. just in time Apple will announce the iPad 2. Hurrah! And it won't even ship until the summer. Sent from my Android phone. 

March
Steve Jobs will announce his retirement. Apple shares plummet back to the $14 a share I really wish I had bought some at back in the mid 90's when only designers used Macs and we all felt really special because windows 3 was so pisspoor. Unlike last year when we all felt really special and Windows Vista was so pisspoor. 

April
Steve Jobs returns to Apple (again) Share recovery. Doctor Happy Mac becomes the richest man in the Cotswolds. 

May
New iMacs! The new models are so sexy it becomes illegal to sell any Apple computer to a person under 18 years of age.

June
Not content with their new 18 rated iMac Apple announce they have created a device so desirable that it kills 95% of people who see it. Still no USB 3 or Blu Ray though.

July
Apple remember that they are still shipping the Mac Mini with Core2Duo processors. Inexplicably high sales of the mini bolster the decision to raise the price to £999. "It's a bargain, really, says Apple spokesman, "now fuck off and buy one". 

August
iPhone 5 announced. The only visible change is a subtle alteration to the position of the external antenna bands, which Apple completely fail to mention despite describing the device as "so revolutionary you'l loose your head over it".

September
Apple store crashes when customer unexpectedly buys a MacPro and Apple realise they hadn't made any since 2008. "We just completely forgot about it" apologises a spokesman,"anyway it's really just a Mini in a big case, why not buy one of those". In separate news Apple raise the price of the Mini to £1700 and rebrand it Mac Mini Pro. 

October
Apple announces Jason Thomas of Princeton, New Jersey has made the 100th face time call since the service was launched. A spokesman confidently predicts "over 200 users" by 2015 

November
Despite a worldwide search for new adjectives to describe it's products Apple announce they have had to create a new one to adequately convey the sheer brilliance of their products. MobileMe, Ping and FaceTime are rebranded as being "scwaflerific!! ™

December
Apple release teaser details of "the biggest event in the entire history of the world, eve. You think people remember where they were when Kennedy was shot? Well this event is so big you forget who Kennedy even was!" December 18th Apple announce AC/DC available on iTunes.