iMac rumored for next week; new iPhone SDK; Apple updates - Page 2

I agree,mac pro would probably be the logical choice for blu-ray,but I don't see the advantage of it right now.What is it going to be used for,blank discs are still $20 a pop and I don't see it being used for backup.So what are people going to do watch movies!I don't think so.There's no demand for it.I don't think apple is going to take it upon themselves to jump start a format thats been out for over a year and rubbed people the wrong way over a lengthy format war.

Blu-ray isn't DVD.

You're asking Apple to gleefully accept adding AACS, HDCP and BD+ support in the OS and hardware. Blu-ray's too small in market penetration for that. Where's the Blu-ray slot loading drives? There's like one model that I know of which I believe is Panasonic. You need more vendors than one.

Intel just so happens to be adding the AACS, HDCP, BD+ support to a forthcoming Bridge chip (ICH-10 I think) later this year. Why not just wait and let Intel do the heavy lifting? Very few people's livelyhood depends on Blu-ray delivery.

I'd rather Apple focus on decent overall performance and improvements in the iMac lineup.

Apple, in the mid '90's, was the first computer manufacturer to put, first CD ROM's into their line. then recorders. At the time CD-R's were $20 a pop. Today, that 20 would be about$28.40. A lot of money. That didn't stop Apple.

When they put the first DVD recorder in the D A Powermac, the disks cost $20 a pop. In todays money, $23.90, still a fair amount.

A 25 GB BD-R costs $13, if you look around. A 50 GB BD-R costs about $20.

There is demand for it, even though you may not demand it. People WILL watch movies on it. And, I and quite a lot of others would just LOVE to use it to back up our digital photo's and videos. I'm not just talking about Pro's, who now do this on DL DVD's, but amateurs as well. That's a lot of people. But, industry uses DVD back-up as well, and would (and are) move to BD.

So, what's your point?

It's nice that Intel's adding this, and it will help, but it's not required, as you know. All that Apple needs is the software, which is, after all, what they're best at, and the HDCP output in their video. I wouldn't be surprised if they already have the software support worked out, and waiting should they want to use it. As far as a card for the Mac Pro goes, well the 8800 already comes with HDCP support, at least on the PC versions.

None of the media Apple supported in the past was widely supported before Apple did it themselves. Well, CD was becoming popular for music playback, but that's all. Apple jump started the entire computer industry on using that format. In fact, many think it was responsible for the large rise in consumer computer purchases during that time, as it solved a major software delivery problem that was cropping up, as well as allowing games on a computer to expand beyond the somewhat primitive offerings that came before.

Here is what I think regarding Blue-Ray:

1. Apple considers Blue-Ray movies a competition to AppleTV and iTunes HD movie rental and sales. Adding Blue-Ray to consumer level Macs will give people an option to buy/rent BR movies instead of using iTunes. Quality aside.

2. Apple latest iMovie release clearly shows that Apple is pushing for digital movies format even for home users.

3. Do you really want to watch an HD movie on a 24" iMac? Do you really need to backup to a 25 GB disc while you can get a 500 GB external hard drive for less than $150?

Apple is still not supporting Time Machine using USB hard drive through AE just to make people buy more Time Capsule. What make you think that Apple will let BR eat their share in HD rental now that HD-DVD is out of their way?

I think Apple will introduce BR but only for Mac Pro for now. Even if there is market for Blue-Ray, which I double because we cannot see an affordable BR player, Apple always do what they think is best for them.

Pioneer for a start makes exactly that: pioneer-bdc-202
I assume there are others too.

and hows your tech company doing? did it earn 1.7 billion last quarter?

it "seems" obvious that with all your knowledge and understanding of how a company like apple should operate that the company you run must be making the big money...
\

I agree with almost everything you're saying here. The only thing I question is the watching of movies. Both my wife, daughter, and also myself upon occasion, enjoy watching movies on our computers.

I know of others as well.

I really don't believe that we are the only pocket of people who do. It doesn't have to be a majority. Since when should Apple only cater to the majority of its customers, when the service does not detract from what the others want to do? This is true especially when it can be offered as an option, just like bigger HDD's, memory, wireless keyboards, and one time for the iMac, an upgraded gpu. That way, Apple could also gauge the demand for the feature for future inclusion as a standard device.

But, other uses are immediately useful.

Long awaited? - a whole 8 months and people have apparently been losing sleep and have been agonising over the protracted delay?

It's just not good enough, anything longer than 3 weeks between hardware updates is just slack and totally unacceptable. You tell 'em AI ! We shouldn't have to suffer like this.



Ok AI, so what you gonna do? Obviously you have been outgunned in the information harvesting game by the Matta Hari like femmes fatales of your rival.

It's just not fair, those chicks with their low cut tops, short skirts and high heels. Deviously lying in wait for unsuspecting Apple nerdgineers at the popular watering holes near infinite loop. A few drinks, a bit of nookie and some post coital pillow talk and voila!, a scoop.

I present to you, the new-look AI:




Soon to be appearing in a bar near Apple HQ. To be perfectly frank, I think it still needs a bit of work. Hormone treatments and bit of surgery might help.

The UK's largest trade-only IT distributor 'Ingram Micro' have today slashed the prices on their entire iMac line, presumably to clear stocks - this NEVER happens on their Apple products without good reason.

Penryn iMac's ahoy.

In speaking with a friend, he / she said the new iMac's looked a lot like the new air Mac?

Not sure how that would look at 20"?

Of course this same person said they were working on a model that looked a lot like the iPod Touch

Skip

Asking for an add-on option to an iMac is hardly dictating how Apple run its business!
I also make no pretension as to knowing what Apple wants or plans other than that it would be nice to have a blu- ray drive added to an iMac. You might not want one but that doesn't mean that others shouldn't have that option.
Please reply to the thread and not make sarcastic personal attacks.

Exactly. Just add an iMac SE Blu-ray just as in 1999 when Apple added the original iMac SE DVD to its iMac line. It did not replace all the CD drive iMacs but was simply offered as an option. And yes it cost more then, just as it would now. Also, the original iMAC SE DVD included A Bug's Life free DVD. Imagine if now they included either Cars or Ratatouille Blu-ray free, I would buy one today.
Or then just add it quietly as an option. Many of us want it and not just to watch movies.

BTW- weren't you stating previously that Apple doesn't want blu-ray? Are you then now stating that you disagree with Apple?

iPhone IS a computer. A mini, handheld computer.

And so IS an ipod and a calculator.

Dude... grow a brain. There are many different kinds of computers. IPhone and iPod touch is the handheld version of Apple's desktop and laptop computers.

Points to consider

• Althought the list is growing, there are only about 700 movies that are availble on Blu-ray
• The use of CDs or DVDs for backing up is not the standard. If fact, its use is diminishing particularly by home users, who are notoriously known for not backing up at all.
• The cost is prohibitive. The media is too large to give to copies of movies to your family, and too expensive for your friends to pay for it. Losing a 20 cent CD is one thing. Losing a $20 BD with all your life on it is another.
• The Blu-ray industry has still to finalize the format. Too many variables under consideration.
• The Blu-ray association has yet to authorize manufacturing its technology by the Chinese. As such, the costs are not expected to drop until they do.

Why the heat on Apple?

• Surely Apple has done extensive market research on this potential opportunity
• Has anybody else standardised or declared such for this format for their line of computers?
• Can you imagine the protests for a Mac costing 30 to 50% more? Just look at some of the receptions received to the Macbook Air/Solid State drive option.

Right now the format is still iffy. Not universally used/deployed. But most important; It is too expensive, particularly now. I can still buy a few gallons of gas for the price of a disk.

Their are just better alternatives.

http://www.blu-ray.com

If they would kill the glossy screen, this revised iMac just earned a new buyer!

Like -Dude, you can't grow a brain though you can certainly shrink one- as in your case.
An iPhone is not a MAC- hello??

What was that RE personal attacks?

you complain SO much about how Apple could be better, like they arn't already, its almost ALWAYS a negitive point that would satiate a small minority, honestly why do you bother? there are site online that would far better suit your mindset, likely m$ funded ones, why don't you give those a try. or better yet start your own computer business, after all you have all the answers. hey, why not apply to apple with your, no doubt huge and varied, CV, you are bound to be snapped up in an instant.

Translated: Blah blah blah, Apple: love it or leave it, blah blah blah, could you make a better computer?, blah blah blah.

Translated: blah blah blah, I'm a dickhead, blah blah blah I never contribute anything, blah blah blah.

See, that works both ways.

How can it not be a mac if it's got mobile version of OS X built in?????

I'd pretty well bet the farm that we're looking at a processor bump and that's about all. I would not expect to see redesigned models, or wildly differing feature sets and options; it's just not that time in the model cycle.

Although it sounds like a 30" matte LED screen (displaying "millions of colors," of course), 8gb RAM capable, all in a translucent casing with neon exterior ambiance lighting and a Blu-Ray burner would "sell like hotcakes." It would be nice if they'd include an iPod dock/charger into the base, and provide a full-size BlueTooth wireless keyboard as well.

I'd like an ExpressCard34 slot for my Sony HDV media cards and other options as well (like eSATA connectivity). And built in monitor-class speakers.

But even if Apple went and offered all this for $2699, they'd probably bundle it with a round, two-tone hockey-puck version of a wireless Mighty Mouse.

When Apple introduced the G4 with DVD Superdrive, wasn't Pioneer the only manufacturer of DVD-R writers at the time?

That Panasonic makes the slot loading Blu-ray drive should be good news for Apple, considering that the optical drives in iMacs and Mac laptops are all Panasonic (Matshita) drives.

There are some issues with Apple including Blu-ray drives in their current lineup.

First of all, a drive in the notebooks wouldn't fit with the slim fit of the current optical drives. Yes, they have slot-loading BR drives, but nothing that thin yet. So we are left with the iMac and Mac Pro. Right now Apple has no software for authoring BD so it would confuse a lot of buyers, plus Mac Pro owners would not be able to use their 30" ACD to watch any official BD films.

I don't think we'll see them until we get new ACDs with integrated iSight and IR receivers (and using DisplayPort), enhanced DVD player app that can play BD and a refresh of the iMac to Nehalem. We should also get BD authoring apps around that time for both iDVD and the Pro Apps.

Note: The iMac DV SE arrived in October 1999, which is a year and half after the first DVD titles were sold. It's been under 2 years since the first BD titles hit the shelf so the adoption rate is not too far off. Especially when you consider that the High Def optical disc format war only ended a few months ago.

And to put into more persective, the HDD capacity of the iMac DV SE was 6, 10 or 13GB, which is only a couple times more than 4.7GB capacity of the DVD disc. And other storage options had much, much less capacity.

Now we can have 500GB external HDDs (10x that of a 50GB BR disc) for the same price as a cheap BD burner which doesn't include the discs and is much slower read and write capabilities than a HDD option.



Lets get 8-bit in the entire iMac line first.



Mac refers to the OS and HW. It's an ecosystem, if you will. Mobile OS X does not run on Macs and OS X does not run on iDevices.

It's not that. The problem is that Penyrn is out. There doesn't seem to be any reason why those updates, along with a long due updated gpu, hasn't come out already.

When Penyrn first went on sale to OEM's such as Apple, supply was short. But that hasn't been true for several months.

So, why the delay?

I'm waiting to buy two 24" models. One for my wife, and one for my daughter, both with older computers.

To them, what was out 8 months ago is irrelevant. I'm sure that's true for most other people as well.

The point is that when newer technology is about to arrive, you really don't want to buy the last of the last generation.

Therefore, waiting gets annoying when you know that the products needed for that new upgrade have been available for a while, but no new product is forthcoming.

No. I'm saying that it doesn't appear that Apple wants BD. I don't know the politics internal to the company at that level.

I simply have my own suggestions as to how it could be done, and how Apple has done it in the past.

The fact that Apple has rushed new, not yet popular or widespread, technology into their machines, usually before others have, in the past, but not this time with BD, seems to show a lack of interest on their part. Don't you agree?

It's surely not that they couldn't do it if they wanted to. As a company high up in the BD consortium, Apple knows everything they need to know to make it happen, if they wanted to.

Isn't is embarrassing that Dell, or Hp, has beaten them to it?

Where has Apple's leadership gone?

I think it's gone to web delivery, to the loss of its customers best interests.

I truly hate saying that, but it seems to be the case here.

How did you get a picture of my brother/sister in law?

Not necessarily.

A phone can be computerized, but not a computer.

My microwave is computerized, but it's not a computer. I can punch any canned instruction into the panel. But, a computer is more than that. It can take new instructions, and normally, new software. Not just firmware upgrades, or possibly, app upgrades, but actual new instructions.

New instructions, and/or software will allow the device to do things it couldn't do from the factory make up the idea of a computer. This is without hacking the low level internals to add minor code that just allows one to do the same things as before, but in a slightly different way.

Most phones can't do that, so they are not computers.

I was not being terribly serious, just trying to take a bit of an ironic jibe at AI's hyperbole ;-)

Looks like you will get what you want much sooner than I will. Hey Apple, where's my HD based Touch?

I wish you good luck with the iMac update. As things have been going lately, I wouldn't trust Apple to release a glass of water without there being bugs in it.

Mel, I'm also looking to get an iMac this year and I'm waiting for the update.

What specs do you think we'll see in the update and what specs would you like to see(they may not necessarily be the same)?

I don't agree with your points.

First, the point about number of movies.

iTunes doesn't offer many more, and far less when it comes to hi def, which is in a much lower quality format anyway.

Want to bet that the number of BD titles increases much faster than the titles on iTunes, esp. if one is considering those semi hi def versions?

CD and DVD is used extensively, extensively, for backup of critical data such as artwork, photo's, video, etc.

Extensively!

The price issue is absurd. I have shown that the cost per disk was much higher for both Cd and DVD when they first came out. Your price sis also way off. It's not $20 per disk, if we're talking 25GB.

These prices will drop rapidly as adoption goes up. I don't believe you don't know that.

The format has been finalized a while ago. The idea that is is not is a myth. This has nothing to do with ver 2 players.

The last point is a non issue. The current plants are not producing anywhere near capacity. When they do, a year or more from now, I'll begin to wonder, assuming they don't increase their own capacity. This has nothing to do with the Chinese.

According to Jobs, Apple does NO market research. HE, and a very few others make all the marketing decisions.

This is an attempt on Apple;s part to move users to doenloard. It's pretty obvious.

When Apple feels itself being painted into a corner about this, then they will respond. So, yes, they do need the pressure from their customers. Pressure I KNOW they're getting from the pro market.

A computer isn't defined by what's inside. It's defined by what you can do with it, how you can modify what it does, how it does it, etc.

Hacking doesn't really apply.

I can hack a piece of computerized medical equipment to do things it wasn't intended to do, but that doesn't make it a computer.

Other than fast Penyrn's and the HDD upgrade, who knows?

I'm REALLY hoping for a serious gpu upgrade.

I don't understand why Apple always backs away once they announce a new initiative on gaming, which obviously REQUIRES better gpu's.

This last was disappointing, to say the least.

The one before, one could opt for a gpu upgrade that was somewhat better then the one in the latest model. very disappointing.

So I hope that's in there.

Otherwise, I DON'T expect anything BD related, though a player, at least, would be nice as an upgrade.

I would love for Apple to finally offer an eSATA port. Like it or not, FW is on the way out for external drives. They have to start somewhere, and this would be a good place.

For those with Mac Pro's there are two internal ports that for about $10 for an adaptor, can be brought out, and one can always by a board, if needed.

Later, we will be seeing power over eSATA, just the thing for external SATA drives for portables, but it's not here yet. Maybe next year, or late this year.

I didn't explain myself well, but I was wondering what improvements(if any) in the GPU we might see.

Time will tell. I hope that the nVidia 9600 or ATI 3870 or 3850 will be the GPU in the updated iMac. That may be too optimistic though.

That would be nice. I think we'll see a standard of 2GB RAM, and 320GB and 500GB HDDs.

I'd like to see Mini-DVI removed in favour of DL-DVI or DisplayPort (assuming new ACDs come with them). Also, after all this bad press I'd like to see 8-bit displays on all iMacs, but doing that may be look like Apple s admitting being wrong, so who knows.

All I can say about that, is what we already know.

Apple will put the cheapest gpu they think will meet the minimum specs they think they can get away with.

Exactly how they make the decision is one I would love to know. It must be based on some rational (to them!) reasoning. Perhaps it's based on what programs that Apple themselves make that they expect to be used on those machines. Whatever maximum needs those programs have is whay they will use, always opting for the cheaper solution that JUST squeeks through, rather than to opt for the one abovejust in case.

They don't seem to consider third party software, just their own.

If they had a game that required a better gpu, they would put it in, otherwise, no.

Sad, really.

That's not much, but you're likely correct about the memory and HDD.

I don't see DL-DVI or Displayport, but it would be nice, as would HDCP, for BD out.

8 bit displays may still cost too much for the 20" models, though the 24" do have them.