I do a lot of different things for work. I write, I blog, and I take lots and lots of pictures for magazines. As a result, I have tons of pictures stored in various places, and I’m triple backed up at all times. Right now, it’s a fairly simple setup, but it’s going to get a lot more complicated pretty soon. That’s because of two things:

1. I want to do a home theatre setup
2. I got a new camera.

In the past decade or so, I’ve taken a lot of pictures. But at the beginning, a lot of my work was in film, so I have to keep the original slides. Then when I did go digital, I had a basic 6 megapixel camera. Back then, each shot took up 2.5 mb. In fact, for as long as I’ve been shooting, I’ve only got 110 GB worth of images. Now, each image is 15 mb between the raw image and the jpeg file. I shot 22 GB of a single truck the other day, and that 350 GB drive isn’t going to last me much longer.

So I’ve been debating my options, but I’d like to ask for some suggestions from you, the readers. Here’s what I’ve got:

• 20-inch iMac with 250 GB drive, hosting my iTunes library
• 15-inch MacBook Pro with 500 GB drive, with all of my business data
• 500 GB Time Capsule
• AppleTV

I’m an Apple guy. Go figure.

Right off the bat, I know that the AppleTV isn’t the best solution for my media needs. I’ve been considering buying a Mac Mini to do the home theatre part of things, but either way, I need a place to put my iTunes library. I’m in the process of converting over my DVDs, and at the moment I’ve filled up a 250 GB drive and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I figure I need at least a terabyte to take care of that.

On the photography side, I’m thinking I need to get proactive and get at least a terabyte of storage. I try to do a shoot per week, and each one is at least 10 GB worth of data. By getting a terabyte now, I’m going to have more than enough to cover my needs in the short term, and I’ll be OK when it comes time to upgrade later.

Now the big issue: Backup. My 500 GB Time Capsule isn’t going to be able to support this new setup in any way. Even if I upgraded to the 2 TB Time Capsule, I’d really only have one machine covered. So my thought is to double up on my storage. When I buy a 1 TB drive for the photography, I buy a second (or step up to a 1.5 TB model) to handle backing up both the MacBook Pro and the library. When I get the 1.5 TB for the iMac, I do the same thing with a 1.5 or 2 TB unit for backup. On the downside, my Time Capsule would pretty much turn into a router.

So there’s my current strategy. I’ve considered a Drobo, and I’ve considered just getting a Mac Mini server to handle the duty, but I think that might be overkill. Anyone have any suggestions?

The Steve Jobs-led Cupertino-based company pushed out a number of products, and while not all were raging commercial successes, they all exuded that certain “Appleness” that fanboys love and competitors try not to admit to but are secretly green with envy about.

So here, in no particular order, are my top ten Apple products from 2000-2009.

You’re bound to disagree with some, if not all, of them, so please leave your own thoughts in the comments below.

iPod

Although it feels as if the iPod has been around forever, it was in fact introduced in the October of 2001.

The beginning of the decade saw a wave of white earbuds being worn on public transport, increasing as Windows-compatible iPods became available and as the number of different iPod models increased and popularity soared.

Though criticised for tying users into the iTunes software and for heavy DRM on tracks bought from the store, there’s no denying that the iPod has been one of Apple’s biggest successes of all time, propelling it into the mainstream consumer electronics market where before it had relied the small market share of its line of computers.

There have been six generations of standard (now referred to as classic) iPods, with an increasing feature set including larger colour screens, video and downloadable games.

Additionally, a range of other media players were spawned off the back of the iPod, including the Shuffle, Nano and Touch.

Typically expensive, other media players often offered more features and better sound quality for less money, yet the Apple faithful (and many new converts) continue to buy iPod in all its variants. Many even stick to the standard white earbuds.

iPhone

A top Apple product list wouldn’t be complete without the iPhone.

Rumoured for ages before its eventual release in the summer of 2007, it has arguably done to the mobile space what the iPod has done for portable music players.

While many well-established cellphone manufacturers continue to push out a myriad of different handsets, hoping to appeal to a wide section of the population, Apple has to date launched just three iPhone handsets: the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS, all with increasing functionality, network connectivity and speed.

Though Apple has been criticised both for some hardware decisions (non-removable battery, initial proprietary headphone socket) and business ones (locking to one mobile carrier) the iPhone has been a phenomenal success for Apple.

Power Mac G4 Cube

The Cube was not one of Apple’s greatest successes but it was certainly an eye-catcher when it launched in the year 2000.

The Cube measured just eight inches cubed and was suspended in a ten-inch tall acrylic enclosure.

This wasn’t a machine you bought if you were going for the highest specification G4 available, as you could get more powerful (but visually less interesting) Macs for less money.

However, in a world of beige PC boxes (and let’s not forget that Apple itself made some pretty lousy-looking boxes in the ’90s) it was a breath of fresh air.

Not the only one, of course, as in the 2000s we also saw the…

iMac G4

The iMac has been through a whole host of changes, from the all-in-one G3 iMacs in a range of colours through to today’s Quad Core iMacs, but for me this was the first iMac that had me drooling.

It featured a fully movable display and a hemispherical base in which all the other components were stored, plus a front-facing optical drive.

Not only did it look fantastic but it also had its own range of Pixar-created TV ads.

The iMac G4 was definitely the Mac to be seen with, particularly if you were working in a design agency or other creative profession.

Power Mac G5

Though Apple has come under fire for its claims surrounding the speed and performance of the various chipsets it has used, it’s hard to deny the power of the Power Mac G5 line of computers.

Definitely aimed at the power-hungry professional, and including a dual core version, they were 64-bit computers with a rugged, anodised aluminium chassis.

The Power Mac G5 was the last in the line of professional Macs based on PowerPC architecture, superseded by the Intel-based Mac Pro.

Cinema Display 24″

Apple has created some fairly impressive displays over the years, but the 24-inch LED-backlit model, designed to complement modern Mac laptops, is one of the best.

Yes, you can get the incredible 30-inch cinema display, but this display not only features the latest LED display technology but also a range of complementary features such as iSight camera, MagSafe connector, USB hub, speaker system and built-in microphone.

A great display when you’re ready to work at a desk, or hook it up to a Mac Mini and use it as a TV.

Mac Mini

Ahh yes, the Mac Mini. Perhaps the evolution of the Cube, it has spanned the PowerPC and Intel gap, first released in 2005 with a G4 processor.

It was always promoted for its small form factor, and while it wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as some of Apple’s other Macs, it could certainly be hidden away or placed on a small section of desktop.

It is fairly well suited for use in a home theatre setup and is an interesting machine for users to upgrade.

OS X

The big cats of the Unix-based Mac OS X began roaring in 2001 (1999 if you include the Server version) and have progressed through Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.

Moving to OS X for the new millennium was a far from pain-free process, not least for many users who were used to System 9.x (or earlier) operating systems and whose software relied on it.

However, it’s probably been one of the best software moves Apple has made. It has made transitioning to Intel-based hardware a lot easier, offers a high level of reliability and security, and allows easier Windows compatibility for those that need it.

With OS X, Apple has created and continues to develop an OS and variants that can be used across a range of its hardware including the latest iPods, iPhone, Apple TV, as well as its line of desktop and laptop computers.

iMac Quad Core

I’ve picked the latest iMac because it’s both powerful and beautifully designed.

I must be honest, I’m not a great fan of all-in-one systems, despite having picked two of them for the top ten, but I’m going to make an exception for these babies.

Grab a 27-inch LED-backlit display and a 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and put it all in a seamless aluminium casing and you have one heck of a computer.

Apple has proved that, while the really power-hungry user may still want to invest in a Mac Pro, prosumers will still get an amazing system with the latest display and processor technology with an iMac.

MacBook Air

Touted as the thinnest, lightest notebook of all time when first launched, the MacBook Air has been imitated and criticised, but it continues Apple’s commitment to seamless, visually appealing design in both its desktop and notebook computers.

Granted, you have to pay a lot more money for a less powerful system than you’d get from a MacBook Pro, you don’t get an optical drive or a lot of expansion options, and Apple continues its policy of non-removable batteries, but it’s still not hard to fall in love with the Air.

So there you are. That’s my selection of ten Apple products from the last decade. What’s your favourite?

Get your daily Apple fix at the Apple Gazette.

That space around the back of your iMac: what is it good for?

Not much, so why not put a BackPack on it: a sturdy little shelf that could hold a hard drive or even a Mac Mini (apparently).

They can be stacked up and rely on gravity and a couple of clips, so no damage will be done to the computer. There’s also the added benefit of ventilation for devices that need it.

Available for $29.99 each, or $149.99 for a six pack.

He says that there’s no actual Apple hardware inside the iMac G4 Junior at present. Much of the base is simply a weight because the photo frame is quite heavy.

Cool idea anyway. Check out a couple more pictures here then head over to his blog for more.

With today’s Apple’s iPhone 3.0 event and the wildest guesses about an Apple tablet circulating again, rumours the FG HQ does not believe in, no matter how many caffeinated drinks we enjoyed already this morning, we thought it was more important to announce Apple’s newest upgrade to an even simpler UI, thus simplificating the switch from Windows to Mac more even day.

The iMac Shuffle

No price has been announced yet, but we expect the price to be competitive with the new unibody MacBooks. Features and specs after the jump.

Amazingly Uncomplicated
Taking out the screen allowed us to make the iMac even thinner. Seriously, if we turned it to the side, you nearly wouldn’t be able to see it. We’ve also built in our latest technology – VoiceOver. We liked moving the iPod controls out of the iPod shuffle so much that we decided to replace the keyboard and mouse with the same elegant input device…our inline remote. With the combination of VoiceOver and the remote, you’ll never miss your old screen. Who needs all those colors anyway? We’ve enclosed a complete 72,000 page manual that will tell you everything you need to know about navigating using the remote. Using just those 3 buttons, remote, you can easily jump to any window, launch any program…edit multi-layered Photoshop documents, anything your heart desires, you can imagine doing.
Ports? Who needs those?
We’ve also taken out all of those unnecessary USB, Firewire and display ports. We always remove at least one useful port/storage device at random from each new Mac revision, so we figured that we’d just get a jump on ourselves and remove them all this time. Normally we replace them with a newer port/device (Floppy to CD-ROM, or DVI to Mini DisplayPort), but since we’re so far ahead of ourselves, we honestly just don’t have anything to replace them with yet. After removing them, we found that we enjoyed the clean lines of this smooth metal chassis so much that honestly, we just might not bring any ports back.
What’d we leave in? The power button and the bottom-facing speakers. That way you can hear the amazingly impressive Mac startup chime and VoiceOver in all its glory.

It’s the same iMac you love inside, with nothing to get in your way on the outside.

Any color you want…The choice is yours!
The new iMac shuffle is available in any color you want, as long as it’s silver on silver.

iMac Shuffle