As you’re no doubt aware thanks to the blanket coverage all across the Web, Apple unveiled its latest hardware on March 7. That hardware being “the new iPad,” or “iPad (third-generation),” or, as most people will call it, the iPad 3. While all the Apple fanboys and fangirls virtually creamed their pants in anticipation of spending five minutes with the new iPad, some of us weren’t quite so impressed.

Earlier this month it was announced that the print edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica is no more, with the 2010 edition confirmed as the last to ever roll off the presses. In essence the Internet has killed off the need for any of us to have a 32-volume encyclopedia sitting on our bookshelves. The Web provides all the answers to questions we may have.

Metacritic is one of a handful of big review aggregation sites. Its motto of, “Keeping score of entertainment” sums up what it does perfectly. Rather than focus on just one aspect of entertainment such as movies or games, Metacritic tracks them all, with separate sections for ‘Movies’, ‘Games’, ‘TV’, and ‘Music’. However, Metacritic can be a force for both good and bad.

Last week we turned MakeUseOf over to you in order to gauge opinion on a relevant topic. We asked you a question, and you answered in a multitude of interesting ways. We have read and replied, cogitated and compiled, and ended up with an understanding of what you think of the subject at hand. The subject at hand was social networking; which has become a dominant force on the Internet in recent years.

I have ripped on Apple quite a bit here on MakeUseOf in recent weeks. Partly because a company of that size and stature deserves to get taken down a peg or two from time to time, partly to counter the weight of Apple fanboys on the Web, and partly because, well, it’s fun, quite frankly. However, in the spirit of fairness there are other tech giants ripe for a little gentle ribbing.

While there is no sign yet of a PS4 or Xbox 720 (not likely to be the real names when they do finally arrive), we do have one next-generation games console on the horizon to look forward to. Or dread. Depending on your point of view. That console is the Wii U, it’s the follow-up to the Wii.

There are a host of social networking sites available to use now. From the almost-but-not-quite-forgotten MySpace, to the all-powerful Facebook, from the strangely-addictive Twitter to the strangely non-addictive Google+. These are just the big, mainstream social networks, but there are also a lot of smaller ones catering to specific niches and individual needs. With so many options available it’s hard to make the right choice.

This generation of home games consoles is nearing an end. Sony and Microsoft are surely both working on successors to the PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively, even though neither will admit to it. While they likely won’t show their hands until 2013 or later, Nintendo has already officially announced its next-gen effort. And it’s called the Wii U. The question is whether the Wii U will succeed or fail.

Last week we turned MakeUseOf over to you in order to gauge opinion on a relevant topic. We asked you a question, and you answered in your droves. We have read and replied, cogitated and compiled, and ended up with an understanding of what you, our loyal MakeUseOf readers, think of the subject at hand. The subject at hand was mobile phones.

A lot of people really don’t like Steve Ballmer. Perhaps because he’s Mr. Microsoft, or because he was (for many years) Bill Gates’ lickspittle underling. Whatever the reason, he’s a figure of fun in a way neither Gates, or his sparring partner Steve Jobs, has ever been. And there are plenty of videos demonstrating why Steve Ballmer is ripe for being laughed at, five of which are embedded below for your pleasure.

The Internet has brought plenty of new ways to discover and listen to new music. Some are completely legit, others not so much, and a fair few of these methods are positively illegal. Thankfully there are enough that reside on the right side of the law to mean those of us who don’t want to cross the line don’t have to. One of which is Freemake Music Box.

The mobile, or cell, phone has had a meteoric rise from being an interesting and expensive concept to an essential and affordable necessity. The first commercially-available handset, the DynaTAC 8000x (not quite as catchy a name as ‘iPhone’) was released in 1983 and cost just a shade under $4,000. Bargain. In the almost-30 years since then phones have changed by a massive amount.

My name is Dave Parrack, I’m a 34-year-old freelance writer from England, and I have a problem. I’m addicted to playing Angry Birds. Being hooked on catapulting feathered weapons of mass destruction into smug pigs may not be as bad as addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, or hard drugs, but it’s an addiction nonetheless. I’ve admitted I have a problem. Which is the first sign on the road to recovery, or so they say.

Last Wednesday we began a new weekly column here on MakeUseOf. We ask you, the MUO readership, a direct question and invite you to do our work for us let us know what you think about the subject at hand. After a healthy debate we then compile the answers into an easily-digestible summary for your pleasure on the following Tuesday.

If you’re an Apple fanboy or fangirl then Apple can do no wrong. And their commercials are perfect slices of marketing genius that border on being works of art. The rest of us find most of them a little pretentious, to say the least. From the PC vs. Mac and iPod ads right through to the MacBook Air and Siri ads, all Apple commercials have a particular look and feel to them.