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Apologies to those waiting for the next installment of this project, I have been busy with various client sites…

As I mentioned in part 1, I decided to make some real world measurements of the performance of the solar panel and also the power requirements of the iPhone 3G.

I hooked up a DC power monitor to a 12 volt battery and for a period of exactly 1 week I charged the iPhone exclusively from the 12V battery via a Kensington car charger. In 1 week of my normal use, (ie with WiFi and bluetooth switched on 24/7, email checks every 15 mins, some light browsing and probably 3 or 4 hours of calls) the phone used 43.5 WH (watt hours).

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Some people use a PC or Mac for work or email and to them their computer is just a tool, nothing more. For those of us who spend a large portion of our time using our computers for recreation purposes (perhaps dealing with our digital photos, maintaining a blog or so on) it becomes an indespensible part of our lives. We can’t be without it! At that point we can become quite attached to our machines, in much the same way a car enthusiast may be attached to their Mustang, and wouldn’t consider using anything else. While many PC users love their machines it’s generally common knowledge that Mac users in particular are especially attached to their computers, possibly moreso than others. Hence being a Mac user has often been compared to a cult, with Steve Jobs as the leader. I’m not sure I’d go quite that far but there are certainly signs that I’m more than a Mac “user”, I’m a Mac “person”.

What’s the difference between a Mac User and a Mac Person?

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Filed under: Computing
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