This week we ’re lionize Apple ’s thirtieth natal day by brand a list of what we regard to be the 30 most substantial products in the troupe ’s history .
Now , you might be wondering what scientific approach we used to come up with this list . A scientific poll ? A complex series of evaluation involving a 10 - point scale in multiple family ? A perl script and a FileMaker database , campaign to the expiry ?
But it was none of the above . Instead , it was the digital equivalent weight of the smoke - filled room : an e - mail screw thread , sometimes argumentative but mostly collegial , among most of Macworld ’s editor . And in the remnant , we had a inclination of 30 products , and almosteveryonewalked aside with some of their favorite on the cutting room trading floor .
But , hey , that ’s what making tilt is all about : pop out discussion . The American Film Institute has generated scores of contention with their series of “ Top 100 ” film inclination . ( “ Duck Soup ” only deserve # 85 on the list ofthe 100 good American movies ofall time?Come on!)Entertainment Weeklymagazine manages to beget at least four cover stories a year on the dorsum of arbitrary list — and then fill up its letter column and online meeting place with readers grouse about the choices .
So do we expect you to take our list gently and walk away ? We most sure as shooting do not . We know you . You all have deeply hold opinions about the Mac , and about what makes it great . And I ’m certain as you watch our listing unfold , you will altercate the worthiness of many of the items we pick . Then on Friday , when the lean reason , we ’ll get howls of protest for point that did n’t make the cutting .
That ’s hunky-dory . Make yourownlist , if you care , and put it in our forums . issue our rationale to palm . Our tilt was most definitelynotgenerated in some scientific fashion — and so it ’s just an opinion . Ours is worth no more than yours . We ’d all love to hear what you have to say . Who know ? Maybe at the end , we ’ll take to createanotherlist of the product we leave behind off .
At which degree , the give-and-take will begin again …
