Seating for Feb 28 event limited, Mac mini expected

[AppleInsider]

Only a couple hundred outsiders will be provided seating at Apple Computer's special media event next Tuesday, which is expected to yield the first Intel-based Mac mini desktop computer amongst other products, AppleInsider has learned.

Earlier this week, Apple invited select analysts and members of the media to the event, scheduled to take place on the morning of Feb. 28 at the Town Hall Auditorium, located at 4 Infinite Loop on the company's Cupertino, Calif.-based campus.

Unlike recent Apple media events -- which have taken place in large venues located in both San Jose and San Francisco -- the upcoming event will feature a more exclusive audience of several hundred, rather than several thousand, due to the smaller size of the Town Hall Auditorium.

One of the more memorable events that have taken place in the same building was the launch of Apple's first 5GB iPod digital music player and iTunes 2.0 on Oct. 23, 2001. Apple also used the venue to roll out its 500MHz G3 iBooks in May of the same year, and its Xserve rack-mount servers the following year.

While Apple's precise agenda for the event is being kept closely under wraps, sources have grown extremely confident that the company will unveil a new line of Mac mini desktop computers based on Intel's Core processor architecture.

Source predictions aside, several other aspects support an imminent release of the Intel-based Mac mini, including Apple's recent refusal to fill large orders of the miniature computers, a scant supply of PowerPC-based Mac minis at Apple's two largest US-based distributors, and recent word from extremely reliable sources that the Intel Mac mini would soon be transitioned to manufacturing.

An Intel Mac mini is not the only product Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to unveil at the event, though confirmation of other product introductions is still somewhat lacking at this time.

Two additional Apple products believed to be close to an introduction are a 13-inch widescreen Intel iBook consumer laptop and an iPod Boombox audio system, which is expected to provide plug-and-play music for the living room.

The Apple Town Hall Auditorium
Reports have indicated that the former has been under development alongside the Mac mini, while the latter was originally slated for an introduction in January but was pulled last minute when Apple received word there would not be enough supply of the device to meet expected demand.

The company has also reportedly been prepping several other iPod and music consumer electronics devices of unknown nature, as well as an update to its iTunes digital jukebox software.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[aallan]

So what about the leaked images purporting to be of a new video iPod? Are you totally dismissing them?

Al.

[Gates_of_Hell]

Originally posted by aallan
So what about the leaked images purporting to be of a new video iPod? Are you totally dismissing them?

Al.

Yup. They're fake.

http://www.folio.superbaka.com/fakepod.html

[shanmugam]

any live or delayed webcast of the event?

[DaveGee]

Originally posted by aallan
So what about the leaked images purporting to be of a new video iPod? Are you totally dismissing them?

Al.

No. They're real.

[aallan]

Originally posted by Gates_of_Hell
Yup. They're fake...

How very disappointing...

Al.

[Thorsten]

Well I think we will see new MacMini and possible video iPod and Boombox, if the images are true.

I myself hope for a MacBook as I want to get one asap.

I believe the MacMini rumour to be very true while I would expect the MacBook and around April and the videoIpod anytime within the next 6 month.

[JeffDM]

They probably don't need a large auditorium as they have a pretty good set of journalists and other media people that are in their pockets anyway.

Is a full-size video iPod feasible yet? If Apple continues the trend of being very slim, will it really be able to power itself for more than a couple hours? The 5G has a relatively small screen and it only runs 3 hours, a larger screen of double the area, of the same tech will simply suck down power a lot quicker. They could use OLED to save battery power, but I wouldn't pay for an OLED based device until I see adequate assurances that the short life issues of OLED have been addressed.

[aegisdesign]

There's demand for a BoomBox?

[minderbinder]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
There's demand for a BoomBox?

I assume it will be more than just a boombox, probably more of a jukebox that can connect to a stereo. iTunes from the living room without having to have a mac there, and better interface/controls/remote for that situation than an ipod.

[OriginalMacRat]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
There's demand for a BoomBox?

I guess you didn't go to MacWorld last month.

There were at least three different vendors selling modified backpacks and purses that were iPod boomboxes.

Not to mention all the standard boomboxes in dozens of different styles.

If there is a market for all those offerings, I don't see why an Apple branded one couldn't be planned.

[JeffDM]

Originally posted by OriginalMacRat
I guess you didn't go to MacWorld last month.

There were at least three different vendors selling modified backpacks and purses that were iPod boomboxes.

Not to mention all the standard boomboxes in dozens of different styles.

If there is a market for all those offerings, I don't see why an Apple branded one couldn't be planned.

Are they selling? There is a difference between offering those suckers for sale and actually making a sale.

[DaveGee]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
There's demand for a BoomBox?

Yea... as sombody else stated (in some thread I was reading)... A boombox?!?! Hey, the 1980's called and want their technology back.



A living-room / family-room / 'receiver type' player yea maybe but a boombox I dunno...

Dave

[Cosmos 1999]

iGhettoblaster pOwA!

[1984]

I don't know about the term 'Boombox' either but maybe something small like this or this but with wireless connectivity to a Mac running iTunes.

[ThinkDifferent]

Originally posted by shanmugam
any live or delayed webcast of the event?

I agree, I would be wicked pissed if they don't post a webcast of this event!

Anyone know if they posted the original iPod announcement which was located the same auditorium?

[sobelizzard]

yeah, they posted a webcast after the fact for the original iPod intro

[TednDi]

Unless it looks something like this.

then they do an edit.....

http://tauquil.com/archives/2006/02/...note-bloopers/

[NOFEER]

what if that boombox was connected and wifi, so that you could access your music anywhere aka slingbox, then that could be joined to a media center

[mdriftmeyer]

You mean they didn't knock down Town Hall for this extra special event? It's a nice Hall. It doesn't need to seat anymore than it does.

[elwood56]

Here's what I think the "boombox" would be like.

The "boombox" is basically an Airport, with AirTunes capabilities. It is different from the AirportExpress in that the "boombox" comes with a remote, build-in speakers, and a display. You can stream music from a mac to the "boombox" just like you do with the Airport Express, but you can also control it directly from the living room because of these added features.

Furthermore, the "boombox" can receive video streams from a mac or the internet and feed into a TV set. You can now listen to music, watch videos, movies, etc. that are stored on a mac without leaving the living room. the Front Row will be the interface that appears on the TV.

Something like this should not be very difficult to be built, and my guess is that it will be something like $300. Yet it can basically turn a mac into a media center in a snap.

This could be really really big, if Apple can build a movie distribution (streming) system just like the iTunes music store.

The iTunes will manage the contents so the "boombox" will be available to PC users as well, and Apple can dominate the movie distribution business, just like they did with the on-line music distribution.

[sc_markt]

If there is a new mac mini, I hope its got a decent video card (or an option to upgrade it). Maybe also an option to have a dual core mac mini.

- Mark

[Commodus]

Circumstantial (but possibly corroborative) evidence:

Future Shop has all its available Mac minis (1.25 GHz English and French, 1.42 GHz French) listed as clearance items, and are on sale from their regular prices. These are the 512 MB models, not leftovers from earlier.

[brentonbrenton]

i agree with elwood56. except they'll also release an updated airport express that supports video to deliver the music to the boombox and video to the mac media center. the media device and boombox won't act like a hub, that would cannibalize their airport devices market.

then airport expresses will move off shelves, ppl can then later buy the boombox and media center as they see fit. that'll bring money in like crazy as ppl undoubtly have to at least buy the airport device, then media or boombox device also. at the end of the day, their a business - its about money.

[Thorsten]

Originally posted by elwood56
Here's what I think the "boombox" would be like.

The "boombox" is basically an Airport, with AirTunes capabilities. It is different from the AirportExpress in that the "boombox" comes with a remote, build-in speakers, and a display. You can stream music from a mac to the "boombox" just like you do with the Airport Express, but you can also control it directly from the living room because of these added features.

Furthermore, the "boombox" can receive video streams from a mac or the internet and feed into a TV set. You can now listen to music, watch videos, movies, etc. that are stored on a mac without leaving the living room. the Front Row will be the interface that appears on the TV.

Something like this should not be very difficult to be built, and my guess is that it will be something like $300. Yet it can basically turn a mac into a media center in a snap.

This could be really really big, if Apple can build a movie distribution (streming) system just like the iTunes music store.

The iTunes will manage the contents so the "boombox" will be available to PC users as well, and Apple can dominate the movie distribution business, just like they did with the on-line music distribution.

I think something similar like that.

I think the devie would come with a touch screen and iPod slots so when your at an outdoor party people can just slid their iPods in your boombox and you can have an awesome party.
The Music is accessed via a touchscreen interface and looks similar to iTunes and the the iPod.
Maybe the Boombox would have a build to order option for a harddrive so the BoomBox also becomes kiind of an iPod.
When your at home the Boombox wirelessly syncs with your iTunes library and when your at parties instead of having 20 slots in the boombox for the 20 dozen iPods that are there.
There are only like 3 slots and the contents of these iPods can be copied to the boombox harddrive. Also since the Boombox would then anway havea USB 2.0 plug for the Shuffle it would be awesome if then the Boombox is also compatible with other MP3 Players (unfortuanetly not other DRM) but this would be pritty cool, get non iPod owners to buy the Boombox then they would see how awesome the Boombox is and then buy more Apple products.

[Robin Hood]

Originally posted by sc_markt
If there is a new mac mini, I hope its got a decent video card (or an option to upgrade it). Maybe also an option to have a dual core mac mini.

- Mark

I'm betting on Intel Integrated Graphics with shared video memory.

[Mac on a Mac]

I'm seeing a photography related announcement.

[JeffDM]

Originally posted by Robin Hood
I'm betting on Intel Integrated Graphics with shared video memory.

I hope not, unless the mini switches to dual channel memory. Even then, that's a bit distasteful. When I decided to buy a mini, that was one of the things that helped differentiate the mini from similarly priced competitors. Too often, the shared graphics seems to bog down a computer unacceptably.

[NOFEER]

why not have a native apple built "photo shop" alternative.

[TednDi]

Originally posted by NOFEER
why not have a native apple built "photo shop" alternative.

Adobe

[Brendon]

Originally posted by sc_markt
If there is a new mac mini, I hope its got a decent video card (or an option to upgrade it). Maybe also an option to have a dual core mac mini.

- Mark

If it is to be positioned in the living room it would also need a real Hard Drive, 7,200rpm and good size 250gig, plus the already mentioned good graphics card + Core Duo. Maybe with the slightly larger size of the HD, they could add a second memory slot.

[NOFEER]

Originally posted by TednDi
Adobe

what i meant was, i would think that apple realizes it's growth and maintenance in several fields requires certain software, wouldn't it have a program to fill the void in case it was being held hostage by those software companies, e.g. MS and adobe. then for apple to push it's high end powermacs it can't until a native PS is available. where is the motivation for this development for native mac intel software?? couldn't MS and adobe gang up on apple. how do they protect themselves...strategic aliances?...develope it's own.
I"m surprised that apple doesn't have it's own emulation software or align with a company that can other than MS

[TednDi]

I would go with the idea that apple has a PS killer in the design lab locked down in the bowles of infinite loop. Also there I would conjecture is a full fledged MS emulator that doesn't need windows and a full featured Office App.

Right now, Apple is focused on gaining market share and mindshare.


If Adobe or MS make any overtly hostile moves then Apple will trot out these Apps.

Till then I believe that Steve will continue to mock PS on Apple hardware and improve the editing in Aperture.

Slowly, and incrementally.

[Mac Voyer]

I sure hope the boombox thing is in the $300 range because I just bought the Logitech mm50. If Apple puts out a system in the same price range as what i just paid, I will curse them all the way to the return counter.

[DHagan4755]

Do you think that Asteriod project will surface at this event too?

[aegisdesign]

Originally posted by DHagan4755
Do you think that Asteriod project will surface at this event too?

Hasn't it already? See iControl

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...trol-main.html

Garageband has direct support for that.

[iMav]

Originally posted by Robin Hood
I'm betting on Intel Integrated Graphics with shared video memory.

That's my bet too. Perhaps to offset the cost of the more expensive Intel CPU and keep the same price points.

[Brendon]

Originally posted by DHagan4755
Do you think that Asteriod project will surface at this event too?

My guess is that something like this would wait until Intel is shipping the ultra low power CPUs that are scheduled for later in this year. I mean that if it has been waiting this long, why rush it now, why not wait for the best hardware platform to support the project, rather than cripple it from the beginning.

[aidanp]

so are macbooks now "out of the question" or is there still a chance. i just want one so bad!

[Zenga]

Originally posted by aidanp
so are macbooks now "out of the question" or is there still a chance. i just want one so bad!

le's hope for a "one more thing"