If you were CEO....

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
How would you make the line-up?



Here's mine, for MWNY:



PowerMac G5 at 1.2, 1.4, 1.6Ghz

SuperDrive across the board.

256MB, 256MB, 512MB

64MB GeForce 3

same price as G4's now...



Return of the G4 CUBE!!!

Apollo G4 Cube at 933Mhz, 1.0Ghz

256MB, 256MB

32MB GeForce 3

Combo, Combo (superdrive as optional)

$1,299 and 1,499 stand alone computer

$1,499 and 1,699 with 15" LCD



iMac and iMac SE:

867Mhz and 933mhz Apollo G4

128MB, 256MB

DVD-ROM, Combo

15" LCD

999.00 and 1,100

16MB ATi Radeon





sorry, im in a hurry and just threw that together...



ill edit it later, and do portables later....



[ 12-30-2001: Message edited by: gumby5647 ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    :eek:



    I think that company might lose money... those prices seem a bit low to me
  • Reply 2 of 20
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    If you were the CEO, as an apple shareholder, I would make sure that you got thrown out of the company. ARE YOU CRAZY? how do you expect Apple to make any money?? Isn't that their first priority?? NO WAY half of your "ideas" could happen at those price points. Also, how does it help Apple to make superdrive standard on the "g5" towers? How are they suposed to do that w/o taking a loss? They increase compnonents as the price increases. How are you going to fit a non slot-loading drive (superdrive) into the cube? while what you suppose would be nice, it is not going to happen, nor would Apple ever let it happen. It is just too expensive, or just downright impossible...

    If I was the CEO, i would probably come to the same conclusion (barring any really stupid ideas) as Steve is going to. He is no idiot, and tries to do what is best for APPLE not YOU. That is the way it should be. If it was any different, he wouldn't be the CEO as simple as that.
  • Reply 3 of 20
    who said any of my ideas had to make sense or be realistic?
  • Reply 4 of 20
    xypexype Posts: 672member
    [quote]Originally posted by psantora:

    <strong> If I was the CEO, i would probably come to the same conclusion (barring any really stupid ideas) as Steve is going to. He is no idiot, </strong><hr></blockquote>

    Are you implying that you are no idiot? Can you prove that or is it only a rumor?
  • Reply 5 of 20
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    Where will you get this mythical 1.6 GHz G5?
  • Reply 6 of 20
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by gumby5647:

    <strong>who said any of my ideas had to make sense or be realistic? </strong><hr></blockquote>



    yeah i guess, but i mean COME ON!!!



    also, i didnt see the MWNY at the top, so im sorry for going off like that...



    But seriously tho, a lot of people just throw up specs that they would like to see w/o even thinking about it being physically possible, economically feasable, or even useful...



    Also, there is another thread for things like this that the mactivist started (what do you have and what do you want).



    Your heading implied that it had to be realistic...



    -Paul
  • Reply 7 of 20
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by xype:

    <strong>

    Are you implying that you are no idiot? Can you prove that or is it only a rumor? </strong><hr></blockquote>



    you know how steve can be thickheaded sometimes!

    (I like how I'm throwning around his name like he's my neighbor or somthing)



    And I do classify myself as an idiot. Only an idiot would wait until the last day to start his college application essays!



    -Paul



    Edit: forgot somthing...idiot



    [ 12-30-2001: Message edited by: psantora ]</p>
  • Reply 8 of 20
    g4dudeg4dude Posts: 1,016member
    If I was CEO, I'd bring back the G4 Cube (asuming the towers were G5) and clock the Cubes at the same speeds as the G5 (Cube would use Apollo G4). The iMac would have slightly less mhz than the Cube and be G4. Minimum RAM on all systems would be 256. 128 is way too little. iMac LCD would have GeForce 2 MX in bottom two, and high end would have G3Force 3 Ti 200. Cube would have GeForce 3 Ti 200 (asuming heat wasn't too much). PowerMac G5 would have GeForce 3 Ti 500 or Radeon 8500 (your choice!). There would be no tablet, ever!!! Perhaps a touch screen Studio Display lineup in 2003. And I would make the transition to wide-screen on all products by the MWNY 2003. Oh ya, by MWNY 2002, PowerBook would have 32MB Radeon 7500, and iBook would have 16MB Radeon.



    [ 12-30-2001: Message edited by: G4Dude ]</p>
  • Reply 9 of 20
    xypexype Posts: 672member
    [quote]Originally posted by psantora:

    <strong>And I do classify myself as an idiot</strong><hr></blockquote>



    me too! is there a club we can join?
  • Reply 10 of 20
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    If I were CEO?



    Won't get into specifics regarding chips and MHz (those would be constantly increasing and improving as time went on).



    But overall:



    Stick to the four quadrant lineup:



    Consumer laptop

    Consumer desktop

    Pro laptop

    Pro desktop



    Nice, easy, makes sense.



    However, would design each machine in that lineup (consumer AND pro) to be a little more customizable, in regard to video card, hard drive, etc.



    That way, my customers and loyal users could truly have the Mac they want and not feel as though they have to take a hit on one or two features or specs, just to get three or four others they want.



    A set-up like this would recognize the existence of "prosumers", people a couple of steps up from grandma, but not quite hardcore 3D animators.



    If they want a laptop with a little more video performance, let 'em have it.



    They're happy and we keep a customer.



    Digital devices:



    I don't know. This iPod seems really cool and I'd like to have one myself. Again, avoiding specifics, I would only say this: I would take a methodical and well-reasoned approach to expanding beyond the basic computer 4-quadrant computer line up.



    I WOULD NOT waste time, money and resources on limited-appeal, "Sharper Image" items for a platform with already a small piece of the pie.



    There would have to be a hardcore, LOUD demand for it. Then we'd do it in a way nobody else has thought of, making it totally worth the money the consumer spends for it...and completely worth the time and effort we spent developing it. In other words, no G4 Cube fiascos.



    Marketing presence



    I would go into overdrive on clever, hard-hitting and well-written advertising, both print and television. I would dispel the myths and bullcrap and I'd make it to where people actually went "holy shit! I want a Mac!!!".



    That isn't happening now. It's just not. It COULD be, but it's not.



    I don't see any effort expended by Apple (in any true, meaningful way) in this particular arena.



    And it's sad.



    You can bet your ass that if I ran the company that had the iBook, iPod, OS X, iMovie, iTunes, a Titanium supercomputer laptop, AirPort, iDVD, Final Cut Pro, etc., it would be trumpeted from the rooftops worldwide and anyone who DIDN'T have a Mac would honestly feel like they're really missing out on something special and cool.



    Pricing



    I'd try my best to perhaps bring some things down to reasonable, common levels. No reason some of Apple's stuff costs what it does. The top-of-the-line iMac IS NOT worth what they're charging for it. It's a joke, and most of the world has caught on and don't think it's that funny.



    I'd try to shift away from the nichey, expensive "boutique" image (however, NOT veer into "cheesy, low-grade bullcrap for the lowest dollar territory" either) and make the Mac a true, honest-to-goodness option for all the people out there who currently don't consider it one.



    That's what I would do if I were CEO. Nothing truly groundbreaking or earth-shattering, I guess. Just some tightening up and some common sense re-evaluation of past practices and approaches.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    If I were CEO, I would have seven product lines. These are as follows:



    1. PowerMac G5 Towers for Pro's and Consumers with a lot a money.



    2. PowerMac G4 Towers for Prosumers (an area Apple still doesn't acknowledge exists, which is the cause for 95% of the bitching in this forum)



    3. iMac/Cube hybrid for Consumers and everyone else.



    4. TiBook G5 (or equivalent) - again for Pro's and consumers with a lot of money.



    5. TiBook G4 (or equivalent) for Prosumers



    6. iBook for Consumers and everyone else.



    7. Digital Devices (i.e., iPod)



    Education customers can pick any system that best suits their needs.



    Sweet and Simple. Everyone is happy.



    Just my two cents.



    [ 12-30-2001: Message edited by: Dave K. ]</p>
  • Reply 12 of 20
    crusadercrusader Posts: 1,129member
    I would sell the company, and give the money back to the shareholders.





    I think I am transforming in to ... M. Dell................no! some one save me, save me.....................
  • Reply 13 of 20
    g-dogg-dog Posts: 171member
    All I can say is you will never see a G3 and a superdrive together. Without altivec, the encoding process would just be back to 10x and up in time.
  • Reply 14 of 20
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by G-Dog:

    <strong>All I can say is you will never see a G3 and a superdrive together. Without altivec, the encoding process would just be back to 10x and up in time.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Where is that said?

    I agree tho...

    -Paul
  • Reply 15 of 20
    g-dogg-dog Posts: 171member
    It isn't said anywhere....It is just that the encoding really makes use of altivec which the G3 doesn't have. So I'm just speculating on how much the time would really take, also accounting on the proc. that would go with it (would have to be over 700 because the 700 G3 isn't currently with a Superdrive and the only model that would have it would be the highest G3 they can get)
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Steve Jobs said it at the keynote announcing the SuperDrive.
  • Reply 17 of 20
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    errrr, you misundersand. What I was getting at was where did anyone say that the iMac would keep the G3 and get the Superdrive?

    I was basicaly just going to support my idea that the iMac would get a G4 in a week...

    -Paul
  • Reply 18 of 20
    the Prosumer market is marginally small, A large amount of apple users could be considered prosumers, in the sense that they are professional consumers, they know about computers enough to know that apple computers are the best

    however, apple is trying to earn the average people market, so better than just selling different models that fall into only certain groups, apple should allow more custimization amongst models, also apple more than just having good products, definatly has to beef up their ad campaigns, their ads are cool and all, but they don't really show the average computer users [B]WHY[/B} they should by an apple product, whereas though I don't like alot of gateway and dell commercials, they do at least say "you get this this and this, and its fast" even if it isn't REALLY fast, the average comptuer user doesn't know that, and likewise will be more tempted to buying it....but apples ad campaigns is for another thread in another forum

    -later
  • Reply 19 of 20
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    [quote]Originally posted by Wrong Robot:

    <strong>the Prosumer market is marginally small, A large amount of apple users could be considered prosumers, in the sense that they are professional consumers, they know about computers enough to know that apple computers are the best

    however, apple is trying to earn the average people market, so better than just selling different models that fall into only certain groups, apple should allow more custimization amongst models, also apple more than just having good products, definatly has to beef up their ad campaigns, their ads are cool and all, but they don't really show the average computer users [B]WHY[/B} they should by an apple product, whereas though I don't like alot of gateway and dell commercials, they do at least say "you get this this and this, and its fast" even if it isn't REALLY fast, the average comptuer user doesn't know that, and likewise will be more tempted to buying it....but apples ad campaigns is for another thread in another forum

    -later</strong><hr></blockquote>





    Prosumer market small?? You have to be kidding me. How many Mac & PC users do you know that can add a PCI expansion card or upgrade a hard drive to name a couple? How about building your own PC? This is the prosumer market. And this market is probably the biggest segment in all of computing.



    Right now Apple computer is ignoring this segment by pricing their "professional line" outside the reach of most consumers (including me!!). Apple lowend tower sells for $1700 and does not include a monitor. Even if you add a cheap 17" CRT monitor you will be close to $2000 (including tax). That is utter ridiculous for a consumer to pay just to surf the web, play games, and manage home finances (just to name a few). For professionals who make money on a computer, that price is justified.



    In order for Apple to keep existing Mac users and to "snag" some PC users they need to create a justifible price computer that is upgradable so people can "tinker" with their system.



    The iMac line is great for computer users that think installing RAM is a big deal. It is non-upgradable junk to many experience Mac/PC users that need more, but are unwilling to pay a professional system premium.



    In summation, I believe the prosumer market is currently the biggest segment of computing today and if Apple continues to ignore, will be very costly to them in the future.



    Thanks



    [ 12-31-2001: Message edited by: Dave K. ]</p>
  • Reply 20 of 20
    I wonder what kind of market research Apple does
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