Theory about Smeagol

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matty8rmatty8r
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Lord of the Rings. New Zealand. Vegamite (mentioned in the song that smeagol links to. Peter Jackson. Shake. The Return of the King.



Maybe I'm not the first to say this, but maybe AI got info from Weta. They used shake (an apple high end special effects acquisition) for almost all of their compositing for the first two films. Maybe apple has been testing out their machine with the team down in New Zealand, thus the Smeagol name, thus the vegemite song.



Thoughts?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matty8r

    Lord of the Rings. New Zealand. Vegamite (mentioned in the song that smeagol links to. Peter Jackson. Shake. The Return of the King.



    Maybe I'm not the first to say this, but maybe AI got info from Weta. They used shake (an apple high end special effects acquisition) for almost all of their compositing for the first two films. Maybe apple has been testing out their machine with the team down in New Zealand, thus the Smeagol name, thus the vegemite song.



    Thoughts?



    Why a new thread for this? It's already being discussed!



    He, just kidding



    Interesting theory. I dunno, but maybe you're reading more into it than is there. Perhaps Apple simply chose the name because they like it. It seems more likely that AI chumps would have connections to moles with Apple connections in the states, than with moles from Weta in New Zealand, but you never know.
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  • Reply 2 of 7
    ensign pulverensign pulver Posts: 1,193member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matty8r

    Lord of the Rings. New Zealand. Vegamite (mentioned in the song that smeagol links to. Peter Jackson. Shake. The Return of the King.



    Maybe I'm not the first to say this, but maybe AI got info from Weta. They used shake (an apple high end special effects acquisition) for almost all of their compositing for the first two films. Maybe apple has been testing out their machine with the team down in New Zealand, thus the Smeagol name, thus the vegemite song.



    This is actually a wonderful theory. Weta using prototype G5s with a custom 10.2.x build that became associated with LOTR. Makes a lot of sense.



    You should've posted here though.
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  • Reply 3 of 7
    jmordojjmordoj Posts: 1member
    I think the name comes from the fact that the movie "Lord of the rings" took arround 3 years to make, and maybe that how long apple has been working on the ne generations of Macs
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  • Reply 4 of 7
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    logical hypothesis. if true, you'll win a cookie.



    certainly, once Apple bought Shake, Technical Directors from WETA would have had visits from the 'Apple' Shake team to help them optimize anything they asked for help with. if a TD can't get the developer on the phone to build needed functions, heads will roll.



    Apple benefits from the perceived bake-off of LoTR effects vs. say, Hulk. If people prefer the Shake stuff, Apple can piggyback in the PR glow (and run more Hot News links to "Macs in Film Production"). Pixar will be a bonus client, but presumed nepotism from Steve's dual CEO role may devalue it's endorsement... Peter Jackson is the One Ring to grab right now.



    For a change, the perfect confluence of mutual interest in Non-Disclosure...

    Apple/Shake folks get advance work on the Tolkien finale (can't share info),

    WETA folks get advance work on custom G5 mules (can't share info).



    each side has a vested interest in the other's success. preservation of their secrets contributes to that success. coincidentally or by complementary design, if they themselves succeed, they are helping the other look better.



    Steve digs synergy



    or..

    it could all just be that the Cupertino teams are huuuge Tolkien fans and are paying a compliment to Jackson's folks... one that the late Carl Sagan failed to appreciate until the project name took irony on him.



    it will be interesting to hear an 'official' explanation after the fact, if there is one
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  • Reply 5 of 7
    vinney57vinney57 Posts: 1,162member
    Ding !Ding! Ding! Give the man a cigar...
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  • Reply 6 of 7
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Since this is the "Theory" discussion, how about a conspiracy theory? Apple finally realizes that the rumors and speculation can not be stopped, so Apple decides to make it work for them. The eWeek article is an official Apple leak to heighten interest in WWDC.



    Last year everyone realized that new 64 bit Power Macs were coming, as soon as IBM announced the 970 topic on the Microprocessor Forum. So Apple fills in a few more details for eWeek, but keeps it low key so there are no unrealistic expectations. Any surprises will be positive, not negative.



    The code names Smeagol and Q37 give away no fact about the new hardware but add a little interest and maybe some confidence in the report's accuracy.
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  • Reply 7 of 7
    bodhibodhi Posts: 1,424member
    Put it in the one of many threads discussing this.
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