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Apple may introduce a radically different Mac product family by year's end - Page 4

post #121 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

Yes, consider this:

You are in the field (a soccer field, in my case) or onsite at an event.
-- With your camera you capture your video onto SD cards.
-- You plug these into a SD Card reader and transfer the compressed card* to the Mac (or iPad)
-- With FCPX you begin processing the SD card in compressed form
-- In the background, you can transcode (expand) the video to ProRes Proxy if desired

Might be a situation for amateur videographers but my only point is that if you require the services of a render farm, you are a professional and in a professional environment, you would probably not be transferring data to a MBP or an iPad in the field as an interim step in production. Maybe for the director to carefully analyze the shot while on location, but that is not the original version which is saved. It might also be reasonable to question why you would even be using FCPX in a professional environment, but that is even farther off topic.

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post #122 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

Off topic ... p.s. Am I the only one that goes between Mac and iPad and wishes for consistency in the auto correction?

Most of our Macs run Lion. The Mac in my bedroom is one of the original Developer Replacement iMacs -- it can't run Lion so it is running the latest SNL.

Some of our iPads and 1 iPhone run iOS 5 beta -- the others are running standard iOS 4.3


Crazy, who Me? Between scrolling, autocorrection, dictionary lookup and Safari's unanticipated page reloads....

Nah! I've always been borderline sane!
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #123 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post

As in physically injured? Did they get holes punched into their fingers by a tape machine?

Well, that depends on whether the hole punch was skin or skinless, does't it? If I remember correctly, Skin is the one without any -- and Skinless is the one with some.

"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #124 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

Alas my HD Camera, a Sony HDFX is still tape based ... I think I'd better sell this and although not as good at many things go for a Nikon DSLR with HD ... Oh but all those tapes and no way to re digitize if I sell it! Groan... (I'm torn between Canon and Nikon but the HDR stills and auto focus options on video are not yet there on Canon ... last time I checked.)


I have a new video camera but I am in the market for another DSLR camera. I like the Canon lenses better but the Sony chips are rated higher. Difficult decision although there is supposed to be a Nikon announcement on the 24th. Should be interesting.

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post #125 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

Yes, consider this:

You are in the field (a soccer field, in my case) or onsite at an event.
-- With your camera you capture your video onto SD cards.
-- You plug these into a SD Card reader and transfer the compressed card* to the Mac (or iPad)
-- With FCPX you begin processing the SD card in compressed form
-- In the background, you can transcode (expand) the video to ProRes Proxy if desired

* A compressed 8 GB AVCHD card yields about 56 GB uncompressed data.


Then, back at the ranch, you transfer the compressed SD card to RAID and let the ProBoxes do the heavy lifting:
-- transcoding to better ProRes codec
-- analysis of clips for color correction
-- analysis of clips for camera shake and roll correction
-- analysis of clips for sound defects (wind noise and camera hum)
-- analysis of clips for people
-- analysis of clips for closeup, intermediate or wide shots.

This is all going on while you sit at your laptop or a kb/mouse/display and process the ProRes Proxy files.

As the ProBoxes finish their work the advanced FCPX automatically uses the advanced ProRes files instead of the Proxy files.
-- You flesh out your story line.
-- You insert some cut-away clips based on the people and distance analyses.
-- You do color correction, then grading, then color matching.
-- You do sound correction.
-- You add titles and effects.

Ta Dah!

Why wait to get back to the ranch? Do it in the field with the iPad. Ancient thread post alert, me from April 2006, but all this has been roughly progressing this way for a long time. I wanted a different aspect ratio, but iPad is essentially the beginnings of
this.

Quote:
I want a tablet that's actually a tablet -- think steno pad sized. That gives you a form factor of 6.5x9.5 and 5/8" thick. 1.5lbs/680 grams.

Full wireless connectivity, and auto-synching with your desktop or laptop if it knows where it is on the network--worldwide. Uses your laptop/desktop on the network to get heavy duty tasks done, not quite thin client, but more X-grid/remote desktop like.

Put a 9.5 to 10" widescreen touch sensitive display on it, that's bigger than the original Macintoshes had with about a 1/4" bezel and a great size weight for on the go video. Usually, but not always streamed from your own home/work machine! Gotta be able to have enough local storage to watch on a plane/train, or kids in the back seat crossing the wastes of Nebraska.

A battery good for 12 hours in a reasonable conservation mode, 100% non-moving storage. Tons of RAM and lots of flash. It's all local cache for more speed on less power draw.

Killer app? - Sound recording capability and built in sound editing/voice parsing for post meeting/class processing. Farm that work out to the laptop/desktop and save battery. Now you can sit in a meeting or lecture, take time stamped notes and drive a auto-transcript generation utility. This gets even better if you make it Keynote syncable. Just import any PPT slides to Keynote and get the full auto synch for later playback/review. Yeah, there are implementation details here but you get the idea. Never again have some asshat be able to wriggle out of a statement made in a meeting or lecture. Never again have to lug something more than a pound an a half to do notes on or handle quick jottings.

Killer app 2?. When sitting on the desk next to the laptop/desktop and docked for recharging have a mode that would work like an intelligent input device/second monitor simultaneously. I can't begin to tell you how slick that would be for prototyping ideas, or marking up homework, etc.


Throw some other cool app stuff in to boot, I'm sure some of you have some more great ideas. Bottom line is this is not a primary machine replacement, and not a repackaged form factor of anything currently in the market today. It is a new set of functionality in a form factor that could be positioned as the ultimate must have lightweight extension of the current machine into a worldwide computing asset. You are essentially taking your office/home machine's capabilities with you in the size of a steno pad. I probably won't do great for FPS dynamic graphics games, but could probably handle most other genre's just fine, and that's OK because that's FPS is not what it would be designed for.

It would probably also drive a little ecosystem of accessories like on-the-go keyboards, optical drives, GPS navigation and other I/O devices [universal semi-self programming home theater remote? interface] to add things some folks want that others don't.

Shoot for the $499-$599 price point. We are't far off from the capability right now, battery life/form factor and some of the remote software design are the biggest issues right now. Apple already has the underlying technological pieces, just not stitched together in one cohesive manner.

Now just add the rest of the cloud connected remote computation and change the game as to what you can do with an iPad and what you need in a laptop.
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post #126 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I just said they aren't *that* portable, not that they weren't portable. Everything that isn't bolted to the floor or tied to a power supply the size of a room is technically "portable" including a Mac Pro.

A laptop is truly portable - unless you're incredibly weak. I have a 17" MBP that I carry with me all the time when I travel. An iPad isn't powerful enough. So what do you recommend?

Obviously, laptops have a place. The fact that you don't use one doesn't mean that they're useless.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I never liked laptops or used them much because it's a trade-off of power vs. portability. They don't sync with another computer, so if you buy a laptop it only makes sense if it's your main computer. As a main computer, the trade-offs are many. There is processing power for one, but also the screens are small, the ergonomics are bad, and the connectivity is somewhat less than a desktop overall.

You keep saying that they don't sync with another computer - which is a total lie as I pointed out earlier. There are a number of options allowing them to sync.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

As portable devices, they are the heaviest of the lot, and require one to basically carry a large heavy bag full of stuff around most of the time (power supply, mouse, spare batteries, dongles etc.). Battery life has never been stellar until very recently, hard drive space is small etc.

My MBP is 3 years old and has a 500 GB drive. That's more than enough for anything I need. But if the hard drive on a MBP is small, how do you manage on an iPad?

As far as large, heavy bag full of stuff, I'm really grateful that I'm not as helpless as you claim to be. I carry mine through airports around the world - and never found it to be painfully difficult.

Screen? 17" is more than adequate for millions of users. Heck, 11" is enough for lots of people.

Just because you prefer a larger screen doesn't mean that a laptop screen is useless. Just that it's not useful for you.

Battery life is more than adequate today. Feel free to live in the past if you wish, but if I buy a new computer, it's going to be a 2011 model, not one from 2005.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I've always used a Mac Pro (and before that a G4 tower), with a large screen, at a desk. With that as your main computer, portable devices don't make much sense unless they sync so for mobile I have used Palm's, PocketPC's, iPaq's etc. until the iPhone came along and blew them all out of the water.

I love the way you think that everyone must be like you. The fact that YOU don't like portable devices doesn't mean that they don't make sense.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

Now I do about 50% of my work on the desktop and the other half on the iPad. If you could draw on the iPad and do any kind of serious graphic work, I would probably only need the Mac Pro about 10 or 20% of the time.

That's nice. As soon as everyone is like you, then your complaints might become valid.
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post #127 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Or, make it something like a Mac Mini with hard disk. (would probably need to be slightly larger for CPU cooling and a faster hard disk).

Now, what it really needs is ZFS. My understanding is that ZFS reallocates storage space dynamically. You could set this up so that each box has a hard disk, CPU and RAM. When you plug in a new one, ZFS creates a new RAID adding the new disk to the old ones without losing data. (you could do the same thing with SSD, but it would be far more expensive).


Yeah, I was all hot for ZFS a while back -- played with it but it was really hard to setup and administer... not used to using the CLI anymore.

I was hoping that Apple would provide a simplified (mainly invisible) front end.

AIR, there were some IP and or licensing difficulties -- so Apple abandoned it. Maybe that Apple would need to open-source its code,

Wasn't this owned by Sun -- and now belongs to Oracle.

As to each box having its own HD -- I think a separate RAID with hot-swappable drives is a better solution.
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #128 of 225
8/22/11 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

"FireWire 800 is really slow." So we enter the next phase BTW is your iMac using a 7200 or 5400 drive?

I wonder if this new Family product, all dreaming aside on my personal wishes, if not an HDTV maybe a server with local storage that auto communicates with the cloud for those items tagged for remote backup.

7200!

Lok at this:

The Pegasus appears as a SAS SCSI device.


But there is a hardware designation for a RAID device.

Hmmm... TTBOMN, Apple doesn't make any hardware with a RAID device...

and when you select the Hardware RAID item it shows:

"This system doesn't contain any supported hardware RAID devices. If you installed hardware RAID devices, make sure you installed them properly."



"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #129 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

... (random insults, vitriol, personal attacks and general frothing at the mouth) ....

My only question is why you are being some kind of hyper-aggressive a-hole here.

I wasn't "dissing" laptops or making fun of people that use them or anything of the sort. I thought I thought I was calmly describing what I use and why it works for me.
Then you come back with this shite? WTF?

There are trade-offs to using a laptop versus a desktop. Everyone knows this. I described a few.

Maybe you should take a valium and go suck your thumb in the corner somewhere.
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post #130 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Might be a situation for amateur videographers but my only point is that if you require the services of a render farm, you are a professional and in a professional environment, you would probably not be transferring data to a MBP or an iPad in the field as an interim step in production. Maybe for the director to carefully analyze the shot while on location, but that is not the original version which is saved. It might also be reasonable to question why you would even be using FCPX in a professional environment, but that is even farther off topic.

The lines between amateur, prosumer and pro are blurring, AFAICT.

If you don't want to begin culling clips in the field, at least you could transmit the compressed media to a computer at the office or station-- where transcoding and analysis can begin.

I have used FCP for several years -- as a Prosumer. Now, I am using FCPX and Motion 5.

Because of the way these apps exploit the hardware, you can do things that are not practical with FCP 7 and Motion 4.

I have a friend, a high-level exec an a major Broadcast Network, who says (emphasis mine):

Quote:
FCP is actually a powerful program but I still think iMovie does the job for most less than 10 minutes productions. Its real value is revealed when using After Effects or Motion, integrated tight in the production. Content is still king and video 'direction' makes a video look pro... not really the 'editing' tools in most cases.

If you ever travel to NY I would love to give you a tour of some of the edit suites and see how the product is integrated in the workflow. FCP is not the main edit tool, however as a FCP fan you will see its value when connected to graphic virtual sets and tapeless video ingest servers. Pretty amazing in capable hands. But you will also see how simple on & off-line systems (equiv. to iMovie) does the bulk of the work.


I submit that there all kinds of pro tools and pro users -- what may be good tools for a Movie may not be good for a daily show, or a sports highlight... or even some ads and interviews.

That doesn't make them less pro -- just different.


As to FCPX -- that is a story yet to be told -- but it shows promise.

You should be aware that it took several years for FCP to become "good enough" to be used by the "pros".
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
post #131 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

I have a new video camera but I am in the market for another DSLR camera. I like the Canon lenses better but the Sony chips are rated higher. Difficult decision although there is supposed to be a Nikon announcement on the 24th. Should be interesting.

Have a look at this... it's funny:

An open letter to Canon from a disgruntled DSLR owner
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
Reply
post #132 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I just said they aren't *that* portable, not that they weren't portable. Everything that isn't bolted to the floor or tied to a power supply the size of a room is technically "portable" including a Mac Pro.

I never liked laptops or used them much because it's a trade-off of power vs. portability. They don't sync with another computer, so if you buy a laptop it only makes sense if it's your main computer. As a main computer, the trade-offs are many. There is processing power for one, but also the screens are small, the ergonomics are bad, and the connectivity is somewhat less than a desktop overall.

As portable devices, they are the heaviest of the lot, and require one to basically carry a large heavy bag full of stuff around most of the time (power supply, mouse, spare batteries, dongles etc.). Battery life has never been stellar until very recently, hard drive space is small etc.

I've always used a Mac Pro (and before that a G4 tower), with a large screen, at a desk. With that as your main computer, portable devices don't make much sense unless they sync so for mobile I have used Palm's, PocketPC's, iPaq's etc. until the iPhone came along and blew them all out of the water.

Now I do about 50% of my work on the desktop and the other half on the iPad. If you could draw on the iPad and do any kind of serious graphic work, I would probably only need the Mac Pro about 10 or 20% of the time.

No two people's needs are identical but you have to recognize that the laptop/desktop sales ratio keeps climbing to the point where laptops are the vast majority of computers sold now. They must be meeting people's needs. A lot of people's needs.

For me, I go all over the place with a laptop and don't have a problem. Don't bother carrying a mouse. At home, it get's docked so I have in an instant a larger monitor, full keyboard, mouse, etc. Works pretty darn well.
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post #133 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:32pm
The only new line up I'm waiting for are the new macbook pros with the air design.. besides that the 1 thing we can count on with apple is getting "new products" every few years.. so when will those macbooks will be available is what i'd like to know.

zenga
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post #134 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:39pm
Hey guys!

It's the new Apple TV line of IMacs.

Or should I say iOS based TVs?

Or Steve crammed an AppleTV into a TV AND expanded its capabilities to make the TV work like a giant iPhone screen, besides the existing Apple TV functions.

It's like a 55" iMac running iOS thru a remote and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Come on, it's kindda obvious!

Just imagine your iPhone turns into one of these 40"-55" ATVs remote and you can control a lot of stuff on the jumbo screen with your iPhone!

Imagine that it in fact becomes a 55" iPhone!

Imagine that your iPhone serves as keyboard and remote for the jumbo ATV!

Some videogame producers have kind of demonstrated this with a cable connected between the iPad/iPhone and the TV.

Now imagine Apple develops the software on the ATV end that integrates and complements the iPhone/iPad end.

Can you imagine the possibilities? Can you see all video-games makers making games that take advantage of a 55" screen mated with the iPhone/iPad screen?

You easily presenting you newly taken photos from your just ended trip to this amazing resort on the big screen without any transferring or connecting? The professional slide-show presentation to the board of administrators of your big company? The videos downloaded from the cloud or iTunes?

Can you see this in light of Apple's post-PC era new strategy? These kind of Jumbo iMacs working direct with the cloud?

All Apple devices tightly integrated?

This will inevitably happen but Steve will make it a reality in an amazing way.

Talk about differentiating the iPhone and iPad from it's competitors! People will definitely not be able to compare the iPhone or iPad with other devices because

IT'S THE ECOSYSTEM, STUPID!

If there's any substance for this rumor, it can't be anything but the new line of Apple 55" insert new name here (iOS iMac).

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!!! Christmas = consumer products => TVs

I rest my case!

Edit: I got the name - it's the 55" iPlay!
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post #135 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post

Why do they need a Mac Pro to keep existing?

It wont stop them from existing, but without the MacPro the professional market would be sorely pissed and Apple would miss out on a giant chunk of the media creation market its worked so hard to cement itself into over the last few decades.

Professionals need workstations. MacPro is a workstation. 2+2 = 4 (etc.)

... at night.

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... at night.

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post #136 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleGreen View Post

Touch does not work - ergonomically - on vertical screens.

And a single menu bar does not work - ergonomically - on Macs with multiple displays.
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post #137 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Haggar View Post

And a single menu bar does not work - ergonomically - on Macs with multiple displays.

That has nothing to do with ergonomics.

... at night.

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... at night.

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post #138 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post

The trouble is that I have already bought it. I own the iMac. Now I'm being abandoned because they've changed the interface rules. It's one thing if you introduce a new product with a new way to interact with it. It's another to change existing systems. Yes, today I can undo many of those interface changes. But we all know Apple. Eventually, they will remove the tools to return the Mac to its classic interface.

Stop clinging to the past and get with the future. The only thing worse than change is stagnation.
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post #139 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoganHunter View Post

Maybe the Mac Pro isn't going so Pro anymore...
If the rumor points to something true, I guess Apple will release a redesigned Mac Pro with less Pro oriented hardware but still good enough to satisfy demand of content creators, gamers and good enough for some server needs. But hey... this is more of a wish than an educated guess :-P

Does Apple fill their own data centers with Mac Pros and Mac Minis sitting in racks?
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post #140 of 225
8/22/11 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

What is it you feel is being abandoned by Apple with regard your iMac? Do you mean Lion is too radical or the rumors of further changes even to Lion. Just asking for clarification..

THis is like saying you wish OS X could still be like OS 9. You have to move along or stay by the wayside... Just hold on tight for a fun ride I'd say

I do not like the user interface changes in Lion. I do not want to purchase it. This means I also don't get the security fixes (and other updates beneath the user interface). I have to take the bad to get the good. Apple has a reputation for only fixing security exploits on their latest OS's. So if you don't update, you get left vulnerable. Yes, I feel abandoned.
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post #141 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by XamaX View Post

Hey guys!

It's the new Apple TV line of IMacs.

Or should I say iOS based TVs?

Or Steve crammed an AppleTV into a TV AND expanded its capabilities to make the TV work like a giant iPhone screen, besides the existing Apple TV functions.

It's like a 55" iMac running iOS thru a remote and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Come on, it's kindda obvious!

It was "kind of" obvious in 2003 when this was first posed. Nothing has ever come from it.

Quote:
Can you imagine the possibilities? Can you see all video-games makers making games that take advantage of a 55" screen mated with the iPhone/iPad screen?

Why would I buy a $4,000 TV when I can buy a $99 box that does the same thing?
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #142 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

It's a redesigned Mac Pro. Nothing to see here, people.

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post #143 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I could never see the attraction of a laptop.

They aren't *that* portable and they don't even come close to the power of a desktop. They also don't sync so you have to be "either-or" for your main computer. Using a desktop as well as a laptop is just awkward at best.

I like the idea of a powerful desktop (if you need it) and iPad for everything mobile. So far this is the perfect combo for me.

So what did you do for "everything mobile" before the arrival of iPad? ... Many laptops are getting very close to the performance of desktop systems. I have used laptops with external displays/docks for many years now in the AEC business. Portability/Performance ratio has continuously improved. MacBook Airs can now handle 3d design software like SketchUp quite well, and yes: I do find myself even taking that light machine with me less and less, because the iPad can handle a lot of the work while traveling. Another aspect of a laptop over a desktop however is the reduced space the system needs in a home or office. The connection of TV and computer supports that thought process.
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post #144 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

Have a look at this... it's funny:

An open letter to Canon from a disgruntled DSLR owner

Well that is why I have a real video camera. It takes reasonably good stills but not as good as my aging DSLR which I intend on replacing. If you want to shoot video, use a video camera. If you want to shoot stills, use a DSLR. The fact that they each claim to do both doesn't mean they are any good at the other medium for which they are not primarily designed.

Similarly I have Macs, Windows and Linux boxes and I always select the appropriate platform for the job at hand.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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post #145 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Granmastak View Post

It makes sense! Apple has always pushed the envelope when it comes to getting rid of older technology and radical redesigns! With the kind of deep pockets they have now their R&D has a lot of fuel and they can hire some of the best.

Can't wait to see them

It's certainly an exciting idea. Whether Apple hits this target or not, who knows. But it's something other PC makers have only taken halfhearted (at best) stabs at.
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post #146 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post

A rumour about nothing.

Seinfeld would have approved.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hobBIT View Post

Perhaps some kind of cloud computer.

Something that holds all data and applications in the cloud, yet has a real keyboard, can run iOS apps as well as re-compiled Mac apps, but offers a touch screen too.

Think MacBook Air with very little local storage, an ARM quad-core chip and insane battery life.

Apple had a few patent applications about notebook/tablet conversions...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esoom View Post

Hmmm, iOS version of a ChromeBook makes sense, that would explain the LTE microcells being installed in Apple Stores.

Would fit with iCloud's rollout timeline.

MBA type form factor anyone?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Granmastak View Post

Come to think of it they had filed for some interesting patents a while back. Had to do with lower power consumption and solar panels. Steve's plan was to produce the entire product line with no mechanical parts. I would think that would save on power a lot, not to mention the flexibility of "soft" keyboards pointing devices etc

So a roll-up, ARM-equipped, 16 core, solar-powered, convertible, 27", liquid metal ChromePad Pro with virutal wormhole storage to make it pocketable. Yup.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zunx View Post

A Mac mini tower is a must. Quiet. Quad core. Something between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. Because the iMac is a waste of display after three years or so! The mythical midrange Mac minitower at
http://www.macworld.com/article/5856...drangemac.html

And a matte display of course. Sign the matte display petition at MacMatte as thousands have already done:
http://macmatte.wordpress.com

You guys are so charming in your persistence and futile resort to logical arguments. Never stop asking.

An iPhone, a Leatherman and thou...  ...life is complete.

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An iPhone, a Leatherman and thou...  ...life is complete.

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post #147 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

It's a redesigned Mac Pro. Nothing to see here, people.

Love the douchy, "I know all" tone
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post #148 of 225
8/22/11 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post

This is a ridiculous attitude. Every OS is based on a particular vision of how a computer should work. You can agree with it or not, but it's got nothing to do with, "we know better than you"; it's a matter of, "this is our vision, if you like it, buy it."

Thank you. I can't stand the corporate paranoia. Apple is a company and its products are voted on by consumers. If you don't like it, don't vote for it. Where do so many people get the idea that companies like apple are forcing them to accept anything? Hollywood? Anti-corporate ideology being taught in schools? Sometimes I think people like that should live in a dictator-ruled country for a short time to learn the difference between being told what to do and having the power of choice. Companies like Apple are probably the best evidence of living in a benevolent world - they have a vision for what they want to make, they take the risks of making it, then they show it to the public and say, "look what we did...do you want to come along for the ride?" Oppression! Big Brother! Greedy corporations! ...uneducated children?
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post #149 of 225
8/22/11 at 2:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

Yeah, I remember Taligent -- but that was happening as we were leaving the industry (and Silicon Valley).

If you were around Sunnyvale in the 1980s, our Sunnyvale Computer Plus store was at Fremont and Mary. We sold the stores in 1989.

Headstrong?

In 1979, I was doing a demo of an Apple ][ in our store with a crowd of about 15-20 people behind me.

All of a sudden this loud voice calls out from the back -- "You're doing it wrong!"

Jobs pushed his way to the front and proceeded to give the best damn Apple ][ demo I ever saw (better than Woz or his younger brother Mark -- who I thought was the best).

I lived about 3 miles from your store so I know exactly where it was! I was closer to Santa Clara. I ran in to Woz a few times, at least twice on El Camino Real since his car was so easy to spot.
I saw Jobs on a NeXT cube demo and I was impressed! That time Newton was actually the talk of the town and apple was under that chucklehead Sculley.
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post #150 of 225
8/22/11 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post

One criticism leveled against the iPad is it is NOT a computer like a Mac or PC and cannot be used to create, but only consume. The iPad IS powerful enough to create, but the apps have to struggle through iTunes to sync with a mac, etc. The iCloud eliminates the syncing.

This isn't true at all. The iPad can be a very good platform for creation.
Quote:
Consumers never really needed PCs to be so powerful as they seldom use them for anything but the internet and email. But slow PCs choke on video and awful flash animation.

I hope you see ho illogical the above statement is. If PCs choke on video and flash, very consummerish uses, then they arent powerful enough.
Quote:
Imagine a device that runs iOS and all iPad/iPhone apps, has 3G/4G/wireless, has a laptop form factor, can easily connect to your TV as a display, has 18 hours of battery life, costs under $1000, but can still be used like a regular computer to create documents, write SW, uses the cloud, but doesn't run an Intel processor. A dumbed-down PC with the all the power of an iPad and enough of the power of a Mac.

They exist and frankly are called laptops.
Quote:
Apple isn't making the Mac more like the iPad, but preapring to make the iPad more like the Mac (without the whole desktop interface). Remember, it's all OSX underneath, just the GUI that makes iOS different.

Actually I agree here, Apple has a long way to go with iOS.
Quote:
That could be the new device. It exists only in my mind, right now.

Actually I expect that there are many virtual iOS devices around. However there are likely dozen of prototypes hanging around Apples research labs right now. IOS is a success, Apple will likely try to leverage that success on different platforms or devices.
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post #151 of 225
8/22/11 at 2:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

I have a new video camera but I am in the market for another DSLR camera. I like the Canon lenses better but the Sony chips are rated higher. Difficult decision although there is supposed to be a Nikon announcement on the 24th. Should be interesting.

In the past I bought Nikon simply because I like their lenses better. At least for the lenses I was interested in they where pretty much state of the art.
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post #152 of 225
8/22/11 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aknabi View Post

"I know all" tone

Love the insult (that you need to remove) and the fact that you actually believe that's how I was saying it.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #153 of 225
8/22/11 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

My only question is why you are being some kind of hyper-aggressive a-hole here.

I wasn't "dissing" laptops or making fun of people that use them or anything of the sort. I thought I thought I was calmly describing what I use and why it works for me.
Then you come back with this shite? WTF?

There are trade-offs to using a laptop versus a desktop. Everyone knows this. I described a few.

Maybe you should take a valium and go suck your thumb in the corner somewhere.

That's nonsense. First, my post wasn't full of vitriol or anything.

You stated that laptops were useless. That is a silly viewpoint - when the market continues to switch to laptops.
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post #154 of 225
8/22/11 at 3:12pm
Macotakara is just guessing. Anyone can "predict" that future MacBooks will resemble the MacBook Air in some ways, just as anyone can "predict" an earthquake will strike again along some faultline.
"And just like that, everyone here realizes you're just another sweaty little Google licker with an axe to grind and no idea what he's talking about." --addabox
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"And just like that, everyone here realizes you're just another sweaty little Google licker with an axe to grind and no idea what he's talking about." --addabox
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post #155 of 225
8/22/11 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


As in physically injured? Did they get holes punched into their fingers by a tape machine?

The injuries were psychological in nature.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

Perchance, are you referring to Boomer at the Trepedating Pole?

I think the zephyr window should be outlawed.
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post #156 of 225
8/22/11 at 3:39pm
I'm definitely on the side of those who think it's going to be a skinny iMac with a touch screen. It would be smaller, thinner, lighter, easily maneuverable, possibly with battery power so it can be picked up and moved around easily. The Lion interface clearly predisposes the Mac to gain touch capabilities, and there would be a huge market for sleek touchscreen computers, particularly in business/education (e.g. thin clients, kiosks, concierge services, order input for bars/restaurants etc.). There are a lot of patents which back up this concept as well, not to mention the power of further leveraging the popularity of iProducts to sell Macs.
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post #157 of 225
8/22/11 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwfrederick View Post

iMac with a touch screen

It would need the most amazing base leg thing in the history of computing. No one will ever use a vertical touchscreen and no one will buy an angled computer unless it can be put vertically for media.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #158 of 225
8/22/11 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by benanderson89 View Post

It wont stop them from existing, but without the MacPro the professional market would be sorely pissed and Apple would miss out on a giant chunk of the media creation market its worked so hard to cement itself into over the last few decades.

Professionals need workstations. MacPro is a workstation. 2+2 = 4 (etc.)

Apple has shown that they're not afraid of ruffling the feathers of professional users. Pros aren't their main market.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post

I do not like the user interface changes in Lion. I do not want to purchase it. This means I also don't get the security fixes (and other updates beneath the user interface). I have to take the bad to get the good. Apple has a reputation for only fixing security exploits on their latest OS's. So if you don't update, you get left vulnerable. Yes, I feel abandoned.

I've been staying behind a version of Mac OS a lot, and they do release a fair number of security updates for the previous version of the OS.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Well that is why I have a real video camera. It takes reasonably good stills but not as good as my aging DSLR which I intend on replacing. If you want to shoot video, use a video camera. If you want to shoot stills, use a DSLR. The fact that they each claim to do both doesn't mean they are any good at the other medium for which they are not primarily designed.

I agree, though it's really a pick your poison kind of thing. To get cinematic depth of field in a pro video camera, you'll need to spend to spend about 3x as much as you would an SLR.
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post #159 of 225
8/22/11 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post

I agree, though it's really a pick your poison kind of thing. To get cinematic depth of field in a pro video camera, you'll need to spend to spend about 3x as much as you would an SLR.

No expert here, just trying to learn...

Can't you get "good enough" depth of field by using filters and other effects in post?
"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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"So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world."
– Alan Kay –
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post #160 of 225
8/22/11 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post

No expert here, just trying to learn...

Can't you get "good enough" depth of field by using filters and other effects in post?

I don't consider myself an expert either.

I've never tried in post. It seems like a lot of work though. You can "fake" it at record time by having the camera as close to the subject as possible. You don't get near the level of flexibility as you might want, but with with a little cleverness, it can work.
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