3. All models use new style motherboard (133 MHz bus, DDR, optional bluetooth, Airport Extreme, FireWire 800)
eMac:
1. One $799 cheapo CD-ROM or CD-RW version
2. All use new style motherboard
3. Stand included standard (come on, that's just cheap to not include it).
iMac CRT:
1. Drop way down in price ($499-$599)
2. Or improve it a lot (Trinitron, iBook-like mobo with 750fx and Radeon, larger HD)
3. Or just kill it if neither of those.
PowerMac:
1. All duals
2. Better standard graphics cards (GeForce 4MX sucks, put Radeon 9000 on low end and Radeon 9700 or GeForce 4 Ti on high end)
3. More custom-config options for dual drives - offer a fast CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM. Many budget PCs offer a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM which is faster than a Combo, allows copying CDs directly, and costs less.
PowerBook:
1. PC Card slot, FW800, L3 cache, light-up keyboard, more motherboard RAM, more easily replaceable hard drive on 12" model (more of a PowerBook Mini and less of an iBook G4).
2. 15" model get everything the 17" has (of course).
3. Better graphics than the GeForce 4 Go, the Radeon 9000-m is better.
iBook:
1. DVD-ROM standard or as a $50 option on the low end (like before).
2. Larger HDs all around.
3. At least 256 MB standard RAM (128 mobo, 128 in user slot).
4. New style mobo (133 bus, FW800, Airport Extreme, DDR).
5. Higher resolution on the 14", like 1152x870. Or replace 14" model with 13", 1152x768 one.
All laptops:
1. Two button trackpad + scroll section along one edge.
2. Full size arrow keys that just go below the rest of the keyboard, like on PC laptops or the PowerBook 2400.
All desktops:
1. Two button + scroll mouse
2. More versatile keyboard with various buttons like "Mail" and "Browser." Or at least allow the function keys to be used for launching programs.
All models:
Double the RAM on all models. OS X is unusable with 128 MB and slow but okay on 256 MB. As long as 256 MB is the minimum, you won't get people switching to the Mac thinking that Macs are all really slow and crappy. My iBook was really slow and crappy with 128 MB... now it has 640 MB and it's nice and fast.
Stop trying to murder OS 9 and let it die naturally. For example, don't make the cinema displays require OS X... don't even make them require 10.2, because there are still people who don't feel like shelling out the extra $130 for what many regard as a minor update.
Quit using ADC. Leave ADC as a standard feature on all PowerMacs, but switch the displays to DVI. Eventually, ADC will die. ADC is really dumb, what I dislike about it most is that it limits Apple's market for their excellent monitors to just Mac users. Imagine how many 20" and 23" cinema displays they'd sell if they used DVI! Apple's obviously not afraid to sell products to non-Mac users, look at the iPod. Why not do it with their monitors too?
- 1 USB and 1 FireWire port located a bit more conveniently (since it IS a "digital hub" type of machine)
PowerMac
- I simply don't care about the towers.
- Overpriced and underspec-ed
- They can go to hell
PowerBook G4
- AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth on ALL models (12", 15" and 17")
- Illuminated keyboard on ALL models
- DVI and spanning on ALL models
(in other words, the PowerBooks - regardless of size - should all share the same core of nice, high-end "pro" features...in some ways, the 12" PowerBook - as cool as it is - seems "crippled" to me. I'd rather it have all the cool bells and whistles of the 17" model, even if it means it costs $2100 or so...the G4 iBook would come in and fill that $1000-1800 laptop gap)
iPod
- complete redesign with color video/photo display
- voice note recording
- larger hard drive capacity (to allow for above features)
Apple Displays
- Tilt capability
- Swivel capability
- Less plastic/"wasted space" around display area
Overall - applying to all of Apple's products - I'd like to see more customization and user-decided "tweaks" or upgrades when purchasing. In other words, every model can be custom configured with optical drive, video card, RAM and hard drive choices (within reason, of course). In other words, if you want a 17" widescreen iMac but don't care anything about the SuperDrive, you can simply order a 17" widescreen iMac with a Combo Drive.
That sort of thing: give the customer true choice and flexibility and don't tie features and cool things to certain products/tiers only (they used to be REALLY bad about this during the color era: to get a graphite iMac, had to buy the top-end model, even if your needs/budget only required a model that was $400 cheaper).
If people could truly custom build the system of their dreams (that truly met what they needed) like all these PC companies seem to offer in many cases, I think that would be a good thing.
midrange graphics card and cheaper BTO upgrades. It's +£97 for the Radeon 9000 upgrade but +£308 for the 9700 or GeForce 4600 upgrade :eek: Maybe Radeon 9500 and GeForce 4200 options?
Standardized serial ATA drive "cartridge" allows hard drives to be conveniently swapped. PowerMacs should have two bays; imacs just one and an internal hd.
ipod:
plugs in the serial ATA bay.
user-replacable battery.
audio input.
displays:
tilt and swivel like iMac.
forget ADC, use DVI. If someone needs a USB hub, they can afford $30.
Comments
- HyperTransport
- Serial ATA
- PCI-X
- 24-bit/96KHz 6.1 DD/DTS Sound built-in
PowerBook
- dual processor
- longer operating time
- replace trackpad with something tactile
1. Low-end $999 CD-RW version
2. Middle-end $1499 17" Combo version
3. All models use new style motherboard (133 MHz bus, DDR, optional bluetooth, Airport Extreme, FireWire 800)
eMac:
1. One $799 cheapo CD-ROM or CD-RW version
2. All use new style motherboard
3. Stand included standard (come on, that's just cheap to not include it).
iMac CRT:
1. Drop way down in price ($499-$599)
2. Or improve it a lot (Trinitron, iBook-like mobo with 750fx and Radeon, larger HD)
3. Or just kill it if neither of those.
PowerMac:
1. All duals
2. Better standard graphics cards (GeForce 4MX sucks, put Radeon 9000 on low end and Radeon 9700 or GeForce 4 Ti on high end)
3. More custom-config options for dual drives - offer a fast CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM. Many budget PCs offer a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM which is faster than a Combo, allows copying CDs directly, and costs less.
PowerBook:
1. PC Card slot, FW800, L3 cache, light-up keyboard, more motherboard RAM, more easily replaceable hard drive on 12" model (more of a PowerBook Mini and less of an iBook G4).
2. 15" model get everything the 17" has (of course).
3. Better graphics than the GeForce 4 Go, the Radeon 9000-m is better.
iBook:
1. DVD-ROM standard or as a $50 option on the low end (like before).
2. Larger HDs all around.
3. At least 256 MB standard RAM (128 mobo, 128 in user slot).
4. New style mobo (133 bus, FW800, Airport Extreme, DDR).
5. Higher resolution on the 14", like 1152x870. Or replace 14" model with 13", 1152x768 one.
All laptops:
1. Two button trackpad + scroll section along one edge.
2. Full size arrow keys that just go below the rest of the keyboard, like on PC laptops or the PowerBook 2400.
All desktops:
1. Two button + scroll mouse
2. More versatile keyboard with various buttons like "Mail" and "Browser." Or at least allow the function keys to be used for launching programs.
All models:
Double the RAM on all models. OS X is unusable with 128 MB and slow but okay on 256 MB. As long as 256 MB is the minimum, you won't get people switching to the Mac thinking that Macs are all really slow and crappy. My iBook was really slow and crappy with 128 MB... now it has 640 MB and it's nice and fast.
Stop trying to murder OS 9 and let it die naturally. For example, don't make the cinema displays require OS X... don't even make them require 10.2, because there are still people who don't feel like shelling out the extra $130 for what many regard as a minor update.
Quit using ADC. Leave ADC as a standard feature on all PowerMacs, but switch the displays to DVI. Eventually, ADC will die. ADC is really dumb, what I dislike about it most is that it limits Apple's market for their excellent monitors to just Mac users. Imagine how many 20" and 23" cinema displays they'd sell if they used DVI! Apple's obviously not afraid to sell products to non-Mac users, look at the iPod. Why not do it with their monitors too?
g4
FW800
Light up Keyboard
iMac:
FW 800
$999 Pricepoint
eMac:
Same specs as iMac
$799 pricepoint
4x superdrive
airport extreme and bluetooth
PowerMac:
Front access to USB
Faster system bus
real DDR
TiBook:
same features as 17" Al
iPod:
cheaper!
remote with a small LCD
iBook
- G4 processor
- AirPort Extreme
- Special Edition widescreen model?
iMac
- 17" widescreen on all models
- AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth on all models
- 1 USB and 1 FireWire port located a bit more conveniently (since it IS a "digital hub" type of machine)
PowerMac
- I simply don't care about the towers.
- Overpriced and underspec-ed
- They can go to hell
PowerBook G4
- AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth on ALL models (12", 15" and 17")
- Illuminated keyboard on ALL models
- DVI and spanning on ALL models
(in other words, the PowerBooks - regardless of size - should all share the same core of nice, high-end "pro" features...in some ways, the 12" PowerBook - as cool as it is - seems "crippled" to me. I'd rather it have all the cool bells and whistles of the 17" model, even if it means it costs $2100 or so...the G4 iBook would come in and fill that $1000-1800 laptop gap)
iPod
- complete redesign with color video/photo display
- voice note recording
- larger hard drive capacity (to allow for above features)
Apple Displays
- Tilt capability
- Swivel capability
- Less plastic/"wasted space" around display area
Overall - applying to all of Apple's products - I'd like to see more customization and user-decided "tweaks" or upgrades when purchasing. In other words, every model can be custom configured with optical drive, video card, RAM and hard drive choices (within reason, of course). In other words, if you want a 17" widescreen iMac but don't care anything about the SuperDrive, you can simply order a 17" widescreen iMac with a Combo Drive.
That sort of thing: give the customer true choice and flexibility and don't tie features and cool things to certain products/tiers only (they used to be REALLY bad about this during the color era: to get a graphite iMac, had to buy the top-end model, even if your needs/budget only required a model that was $400 cheaper).
If people could truly custom build the system of their dreams (that truly met what they needed) like all these PC companies seem to offer in many cases, I think that would be a good thing.
<hr></blockquote>
Something like that.
Lemon Bon Bon
[ 02-08-2003: Message edited by: Lemon Bon Bon ]</p>
More firewire ports
Lighter
Cheaper
PowerMac:
faster
cheaper
sooner
flatsceen displays with WYSIWYG. Square pixels on ALL MODELS APPLE!
- cheaper; £1500 is a lot of cash for a consumer PC
- Better low end model: it's sub 1GHz, has a GeForce 2 MX and SDR SDRAM. Nice to see it has 256MB RAM though
- Better graphics card in the 17" models?
iBook:- Still only 128MB RAM: an upgrade to 256MB onboard would be nice.
- 12" Combo model to less than £1000?
- Altivec capable CPU (but probably not until the PowerBooks are updated further)
PowerBooks:- All of the 17" features to the 15" model
- Not sure about the GeForce 4 MX Go series: I need pixel shaders, even on the move :cool:
- Some of the 17" features on the 12" model (only because I don't have a DVI monitor
)
PowerMacs: clockspeed/PowerPC 970 upgrades banned? Hmmm....- ATA 133/Serial ATA
- All duals (until the 970 arrives)
- midrange graphics card and cheaper BTO upgrades. It's +£97 for the Radeon 9000 upgrade but +£308 for the 9700 or GeForce 4600 upgrade :eek: Maybe Radeon 9500 and GeForce 4200 options?
[ 02-08-2003: Message edited by: Stoo ]</p>2) More bandwidth
3) Faster Processors
<strong>Also:
flatsceen displays with WYSIWYG. Square pixels on ALL MODELS APPLE!</strong><hr></blockquote>
Perhaps I'm exceptionally stupid, but what's that supposed to mean!?
Lower prices to europe/australia customers.
powermac, imac:
Standardized serial ATA drive "cartridge" allows hard drives to be conveniently swapped. PowerMacs should have two bays; imacs just one and an internal hd.
ipod:
plugs in the serial ATA bay.
user-replacable battery.
audio input.
displays:
tilt and swivel like iMac.
forget ADC, use DVI. If someone needs a USB hub, they can afford $30.
smaller sizes and lower prices.