Not at all, and I don't understand why it has to change at all. They added the iPad mini size and there is a rumour of an iPad Pro size. Why does the 9.7" need to get slightly larger or smaller? Where is the benefit to the user?
Way too long for Mac updates (broad well) - Sounds like they're blaming Intel. I don't think so - its not referring to Macs. Mac Mini, no. I love it but most people could not care less.
Way too long since an iPad update - Sounds like apple apologising for being lazy. Nope.
Way too long we've been calling this a "hobby", yes.
Way too long (50 years) we've had to suffer with a terrible user interface, yes.
Tim Cook: "Its like stepping back in time 50 years, the interface is terrible!"
It obvious to me what is coming...
All the pieces are already in place:
A8 ARM CPU with 4k resolution.
Metal API for super fast game playing.
HomeKit API for controlling the home devices.
Patent on using iPhones and IPads to remotely browse (passive mode) and then play (active mode) video content.
Owning the company the created the core technology behind Kinect console controllers.
And finally...
A watch with a digital crown that can scroll through contact and channels fast - just lift you hand and point at the screen to play it!
Steve Jobs : "I cracked it. The simplest UI you can imagine for the TV".
I think this one wins the prize, especially considering the hints given by Tim Cook.
I'd add one compatible and obvious guess suggested by the rumor of a 5K iMac. If they've got the resolution and pixel density to be at that threshold, they can also take over from Sharp and start selling their own UHD monitor, which from Sharp was an IGZO monitor, the technology that Apple started way too long ago investing in with Sharp, now finally coming into mature production. It may mean that a bigger iPad is possible, and an iPad mini with better color. Oh, and a retina MacBook Air. Maybe a TV, but that's not my guess.
"It's been way too long since the LCD display has taken an evolutionary leap. Apple has put more than a billion dollars over four years into this moment . . . . "
That sort of thing. The only thing I don't like about this guess is that it highlights a struggle with a second party supplier, and I don't know that Apple acknowledges such struggles, even if they heroically win in the end.
Just like the Mac lineup. An all in one tv/box and the box by itself.
This will be the first real smart TV
Never happen. Apple would never be able to build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. It would also be stupid why build a tv when you can build an add-on that can be attached to every tv. The hardware is already available, Apple would simply provide the hardware and interface to attach to any tv in the world.
It's like Homekit, Apple provides (MFi) specs and the developers work around Apple to make their third party devices work with the platform. Saying Apple is going to build a TV is like saying they are going into the construction business to build smart homes.
Maybe, "way too long", refers to a special anniversary Macintosh. It has been more than a decade since the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh was introduced in March 20 of 1997. This year we celebrated the Mac's 30th anniversary. Maybe a UHD iMac with Bose speakers. The TAM was one of the first projects by Jonathan Ive.
Never happen. Apple would never be able to build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. It would also be stupid why build a tv when you can build an add-on that can be attached to every tv. The hardware is already available, Apple would simply provide the hardware and interface to attach to any tv in the world.
Yes, they could build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. In fact, they could make a much bigger margin on TVs than desktop computers, potentially. TVs are incredibly cheap to manufacture these days and I imagine one wouldn't need very powerful hardware in the box to facilitate a smooth user experience.
I'm not saying Apple should make a TV, but they certainly could, and financial/manufacturing constraints would not be a barrier in this case.
Yes, they could build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. In fact, they could make a much bigger margin on TVs than desktop computers, potentially. TVs are incredibly cheap to manufacture these days and I imagine one wouldn't need very powerful hardware in the box to facilitate a smooth user experience.
I'm not saying Apple should make a TV, but they certainly could, and financial/manufacturing constraints would not be a barrier in this case.
TVs consumers are more price conscious and TVs are low margins.
TVs consumers are more price conscious and TVs are low margins.
It's not that simple. The TV market is much larger than the PC market, and within the TV market you can find several high-price segments that perform very well. Apple could find space within this market, in the context of a higher-end product (just as they do within every market they operate in).
In terms of margins, let's put some context around that. First and foremost, high and low margins are relative based on volume - there's a sweet spot, and it really depends on what kind of product Apple is going for and who it is targeting (that is, margin can give ground where volume increases and vice versa).
Secondly, there are numerous examples of companies doing high-margin, low-volume TV sales (a great example is Australia's Kogan, which clearly demonstrates a model of TV production and distribution that is low cost and higher margin).
So, to come back to the original point - there are no obvious barriers in terms of margins/costs that should stop Apple from getting into this space if they think they have a viable product (certainly no more so than the PC market or any other). If anything, Apple can benefit from high-scale, low-cost production and a very well-established global distribution system.
I think the challenges around a "true" Apple television are less about these issues, and more about the product itself - the UI, the interaction, the content. That's the challenging part, not the margins or the price appetite of consumers.
From what I understand, Musk was going to step down as CEO of Tesla once they brought their lower cost mainstream electric to market so he could focus on SpaceX.
From what I understand, Musk was going to step down as CEO of Tesla once they brought their lower cost mainstream electric to market so he could focus on SpaceX.
That’s 2017, though. SpaceX has quite a few targets to hit (better than they’ve been hitting) to get people to Mars by the end of the 2020s.
'It's been way too long' has to refer to Apple TV!
Remember these quotes: "...We're in two busineses today, we'll be very shortly in three business and a hobby. One is our Mac business, second is our music business, third business is the phone business, handsets. And the hobby is Apple TV. The reason I call it a hobby is a lot of people have tried and failed to make it a business. It's a business that's hundreds of thousands of units per year but it hasn't crested to be millions of units per year, but I think if we improve things we can crack that...I use the word hobby because it's provocative, but the iPod started this way." Steve Jobs, Apple Inc., D 2007
"...there was a tremendous tickup year over year [for Apple TV]. In fact unit sales were up over 3 times vs the year-ago quarter. However let me be clear, we still consider this a hobby." Tim Cook, during Q12009 financial results conference call.
It's been way too long since they had a computer just called the Apple Mac. That's why the logo is from the Apple 30th invitation. They are going to drop the "i" from the new iMac and replace it with an Apple sign.
Comments
innovation... /s
Has anyone gone through The Beatles’ and Bob Dylan’s discography to find a song with “It’s been way too long” as a lyric?
The thought just popped into my mind. Maybe not even them, since Steve’s dead. All the songs I’m finding are about lost love; bunch of whiners.
Quicksilver Messenger Service had a song named "It's Been Too Long", but not way too long.
Coldplay, perhaps? Or U2?
My guess is the Apple TV, which hasn't been an "official" product and that Apple has been calling "a hobby" for almost 10 years.
I think this one wins the prize, especially considering the hints given by Tim Cook.
I'd add one compatible and obvious guess suggested by the rumor of a 5K iMac. If they've got the resolution and pixel density to be at that threshold, they can also take over from Sharp and start selling their own UHD monitor, which from Sharp was an IGZO monitor, the technology that Apple started way too long ago investing in with Sharp, now finally coming into mature production. It may mean that a bigger iPad is possible, and an iPad mini with better color. Oh, and a retina MacBook Air. Maybe a TV, but that's not my guess.
"It's been way too long since the LCD display has taken an evolutionary leap. Apple has put more than a billion dollars over four years into this moment . . . . "
That sort of thing. The only thing I don't like about this guess is that it highlights a struggle with a second party supplier, and I don't know that Apple acknowledges such struggles, even if they heroically win in the end.
New AirPort Extreme would be nice as well.
I'm in the market for a new MBA and AirPort Extreme, so Apple, please?
They can and will make both.
Just like the Mac lineup. An all in one tv/box and the box by itself.
This will be the first real smart TV
Never happen. Apple would never be able to build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. It would also be stupid why build a tv when you can build an add-on that can be attached to every tv. The hardware is already available, Apple would simply provide the hardware and interface to attach to any tv in the world.
It's like Homekit, Apple provides (MFi) specs and the developers work around Apple to make their third party devices work with the platform. Saying Apple is going to build a TV is like saying they are going into the construction business to build smart homes.
Never happen. Apple would never be able to build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. It would also be stupid why build a tv when you can build an add-on that can be attached to every tv. The hardware is already available, Apple would simply provide the hardware and interface to attach to any tv in the world.
Yes, they could build an AOI TV and still make a solid profit margin. In fact, they could make a much bigger margin on TVs than desktop computers, potentially. TVs are incredibly cheap to manufacture these days and I imagine one wouldn't need very powerful hardware in the box to facilitate a smooth user experience.
I'm not saying Apple should make a TV, but they certainly could, and financial/manufacturing constraints would not be a barrier in this case.
TVs consumers are more price conscious and TVs are low margins.
TVs consumers are more price conscious and TVs are low margins.
It's not that simple. The TV market is much larger than the PC market, and within the TV market you can find several high-price segments that perform very well. Apple could find space within this market, in the context of a higher-end product (just as they do within every market they operate in).
In terms of margins, let's put some context around that. First and foremost, high and low margins are relative based on volume - there's a sweet spot, and it really depends on what kind of product Apple is going for and who it is targeting (that is, margin can give ground where volume increases and vice versa).
Secondly, there are numerous examples of companies doing high-margin, low-volume TV sales (a great example is Australia's Kogan, which clearly demonstrates a model of TV production and distribution that is low cost and higher margin).
So, to come back to the original point - there are no obvious barriers in terms of margins/costs that should stop Apple from getting into this space if they think they have a viable product (certainly no more so than the PC market or any other). If anything, Apple can benefit from high-scale, low-cost production and a very well-established global distribution system.
I think the challenges around a "true" Apple television are less about these issues, and more about the product itself - the UI, the interaction, the content. That's the challenging part, not the margins or the price appetite of consumers.
From what I understand, Musk was going to step down as CEO of Tesla once they brought their lower cost mainstream electric to market so he could focus on SpaceX.
That’s 2017, though. SpaceX has quite a few targets to hit (better than they’ve been hitting) to get people to Mars by the end of the 2020s.
Remember these quotes:
"...We're in two busineses today, we'll be very shortly in three business and a hobby. One is our Mac business, second is our music business, third business is the phone business, handsets. And the hobby is Apple TV. The reason I call it a hobby is a lot of people have tried and failed to make it a business. It's a business that's hundreds of thousands of units per year but it hasn't crested to be millions of units per year, but I think if we improve things we can crack that...I use the word hobby because it's provocative, but the iPod started this way." Steve Jobs, Apple Inc., D 2007
"...there was a tremendous tickup year over year [for Apple TV]. In fact unit sales were up over 3 times vs the year-ago quarter. However let me be clear, we still consider this a hobby." Tim Cook, during Q12009 financial results conference call.
I predict SpaceX becomes the first multi-planetary company in the solar system. ????
Oh, there’s no doubt about that. Even Bigelow only wants to make space stations and he has no plans past the Moon yet.
It's been way too long since they had a computer just called the Apple Mac. That's why the logo is from the Apple 30th invitation. They are going to drop the "i" from the new iMac and replace it with an Apple sign.
the Mac Pro Mini (with a Mac Mini price)
Max out your mini and you have one.