This is a nifty feature, except for one problem: during Daylight Saving Time, it calculates the time at foreign locations incorrectly. For example, the two locations I entered were “California” and “Hong Kong”. During Standard Time, Hong Kong is 16 hours ahead of California, but during Daylight Saving Time, it is only 15 hours ahead. But while it is 6:08pm in California, the iPod is displaying 10:08am in Hong Kong. It is actually 9:08am in Hong Kong — 15 hours ahead.

The same error is made with locations within the United States that do not observe DST. For instance, it is currently 3:08pm in Honolulu, but the iPod displays it as 4:08pm.

The iPod and the Mac it’s connected to both seem to be configured to observe DST, so I’m pretty sure this isn’t a configuration issue. My conclusion is that this is a bug. A rather annoying and obvious bug that should have been caught before release.

BTW, I like the keyboard on this MacBook. I’m not typing double characters like I often do on other laptops.

In a stunning move, Steve Jobs announced that Apple will begin transitioning to Intel x86 CPUs in its computer products next year. Apple has been disappointed with the performance of the PowerPC 970, especially IBM’s inability to deliver a 3.0GHz part. In addition, Apple has been hampered by heat and power issues, ruling out the possibility of a G5 PowerBook. As a result, the first Mac to ship with Intel Inside will be released by June 6, 2006, and the transition should be complete in 2007.

Apple’s press release is here.

Question: does this mean that the PowerPC platform doesn’t blow the doors off x86 processors after all, as the Mac faithful have claimed?

In any case, this opens up the possibility of home-built MacOS systems. I’ve been very impressed with Mac OS X, but Apple’s hardware has always been too expensive compared to comparable x86 boxes. If I can build my own x86-based Mac for under $1500, then Apple might just win me back as a Mac user.

Another question: what about AMD’s 64 bit Athlons? Windows is already heading towards a 64-bit architecture; I hope Mac OS X is as well.

The iPod plus my Grado headphones together generally put out very good sound. Additionally, most of my music has been ripped at 160kbps rather than the standard 128kbps for improved sound quality. With this setup, I’m hearing details I’ve never heard before in music that I’ve listened to for years. But even with this great sound quality, the iPod is not perfect.

I’ve experienced problems with the iPod’s EQ (equalization). On most songs, I apply the “bass booster” setting, which mildly boosts the bass. However, applying the “bass booster” EQ setting to songs with strong bass causes the iPod’s sound output to clip noticeably. (The powerful bass drum hits on Metallica’s S&M is where I first heard this.) This is rather disappointing, but since the Grados have good bass response, running with flat EQ is not a huge issue.

The battery has been a bigger problem. My iPod mini is a first-generation device, with a claimed battery life of 8 hrs. (Second-generation iPod minis have much improved battery life at ~18 hrs.) Unfortunately, I have yet to observe my iPod mini run for a full 8 hrs. Further, I’m having trouble keeping the battery charged by connecting the iPod to my computer via Firewire. It has to be left connected for several hours to get a full charge from my computer, and running a computer that draws 350 watts for 4-6 hours just to charge a battery the size of a poker chip doesn’t make sense. I’ve taken to using the included AC adaptor to charge my mini.