CNET’s Dan Ackerman relates that in a recent poll of most-anticipated 2012 laptops, a purely hypothetical product beat out every high-profile system previewed at January’s CES in Las Vegas; namely, a 15″ version of Apple’s MacBook Air that polled the clear winner in a survey of CNET readers, garnering 40 percent of the total vote. This makes Ackerman of a mind that a 15″ version of the Air is virtually a lock.

If all your significant other wants for a Valentine’s Day movie is romance, you can get that in pretty much any kind of movie. So, when you hear the words “Let’s watch something romantic tonight,” you can steer clear of anything with Renee Zellweger or Reese Witherspoon in it and instead take these suggestions from the hopeless romantics here at Appletell. All the movies recommended are available for rental at purchase from iTunes.

The original 13″ aluminum unibody MacBook Pro form factor, which debuted as a plain MacBook in October 2008, is getting a bit long in the tooth. But sometimes they get things right on the first try. I would argue that the 13″ aluminum unibody is one of the best, if not the best, all-round Apple laptop design(s) ever. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Macworld | iWorld 2012 has come and gone, just like that. Three days are barely enough to take a close look at all the new apps, gadgets, software and hardware that vendors were happy to show off, but it was enough time for the Appletell team to put together our list of favorite products from the show floor. This year, it’s an iPhone camera accessory, a home control system and one developer’s entire lineup.

Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm that provides seed funding for startups, has declared all-out war on Hollywood, calling for tech entrepreneurs to put forward ideas on what will be entertaining us 20 years from now. Y Combinator’s declaration of war is not so much a new call to arms as a statement of simple fact: The world is changing, and will always continue to do so. To fight against it is foolish. To embrace it, as we have seen, could just make your company the most valuable in the world.

2012 is going to be an exciting year for Apple. Already, unnamed sources and analysts no one has heard of before are coming out with tall tales of what Apple products are going to be released and what market Apple is going to take over. Yet, who better to peer into the misty and unknown future than the writers at Appletell who have been following Apple for years?

For me, a computer is primarily a writing and communications tool. Not infrequently I’ll run across someone praising the iPad for providing a “distraction–free” writing platform. I suppose much—by which I mean just about everything—depends on what sort of writing you’re doing. For much of my prose production efforts, alleged “distractions” (at least some of them) are an important part of the process.

Boilerplate conventional wisdom has it that that non-tech oriented users love the iPad for content consumption surfing. No doubt that’s true, but I don’t necessarily buy it as a logical determination. For example, I presume that part of content consumption surfing for many iPad users involves online shopping, and my experience dipping my cyber-toes in more »

Following this week’s Board meeting on the 2010 multi-vehicle highway accident in Gray Summit, Missouri, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for the first-ever nationwide ban on driver use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) while operating a motor vehicle. Ergo: No calling, no texting, no updating when you’re behind the wheel. If you can’t wean yourself from your mobile communication addiction, or at least pull over while you attend to it, don’t drive.

MONEY Magazine’s Rik Fairlie says that if you can’t justify buying a $500 tablet simply for entertainment [I couldn't, but like millions of others, I bought an iPad anyway], then take it seriously by investing even more capital in productivity add-ons. Of course, by the time you’ve paid for all that stuff, plus the iPad, you’re likely getting within shouting distance of the price of a discounted or Apple Certified Refurbished MacBook Air—something to consider.