Jobs speaks out on the Cube
I think this belongs in future hardware, because it says something about the future direction of Apple computer, and it demonstrates that Jobs does in fact learn from his mistakes.
From : <a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020107/tc/tech_apple_jobs_dc_1.html"; target="_blank">http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020107/tc/tech_apple_jobs_dc_1. html</a>
Jobs is interviewed today, and he had this to say about the failure of the cube:
[quote]``The Cube was targeted at low-end pros. We were just plain wrong on that,'' Jobs said. ``Consumers loved the Cube, but it was too expensive. This, I think, is a more stunning design than the Cube, he said, and ``it is priced dramatically less.''<hr></blockquote>
Very cool! Jobs really does "get it", and he understands that the cube was overpriced. It's too bad that he didn't see that earlier (seemed obvious to me), but any man that can learn from his mistakes has something going for him.
About future Apple products, I think this demonstrates that Steve Jobs understands the importance of value, and the iBook and new iMac prove that Apple is targeting the consumer market with products that ooze value from every seam, crack, and orifice.
My next question is, will Apple apply what they learned with the cube to the pro lines? Will Apple offer a cheaper version of the towers, with less expandability, so that they can target the low end pro market?
Here's what I'm getting at: make the current tower more expandable, and then make a new version that's less expandable.
High end Powermac:
G5 processor
3 expandable drive bays, 1 zip drive bay.
5 pci slots
1 agp slot
room for 5 HDs
Case with usb, fw ports on the back, and on the front.
Same side door case design.
Flat case top, so peripherals can be stacked upon it.
Consumer Powermac:
G4 processor
1 expandable drive bay
1 zip drive bay
1 AGP slot
1 pci slot
Room for 2 HDs
Considerably smaller than the current tower, almost cube-like in design, but larger than the cube and with a fan and normal sized pci/agp slots.
Am I being wishful, or does Jobs understanding of value suggest that such a future is possible for the Powermac lineup? This lineup would serve pros better, by giving them even more expandability. And it would serve consumers better, by giving them an affordable tower, allowing them to choose a display, and make minor upgrades to their tower.
These consumer towers would have to be priced to go, start them off at around $1200. The pro towers could be priced right about where the current towers are priced, in fact, I don't think there is room for Apple to go higher.
At $1200, the low end tower + $500 display would run about $1700, a little less than the high end iMac, but of course this tower wouldn't come with a superdrive. So it would be targeted at a much different buyer than the iMac is.
I think this sort of tower lineup would serve Apple well, and the low end towers would sell VERY well to consumers. There are many Mac users who need more expandability than the iMac, but less than the Powermac. This consumer tower would be the answer for them.
EDIT: It works now
[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: Junkyard Dawg ]</p>
From : <a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020107/tc/tech_apple_jobs_dc_1.html"; target="_blank">http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020107/tc/tech_apple_jobs_dc_1. html</a>
Jobs is interviewed today, and he had this to say about the failure of the cube:
[quote]``The Cube was targeted at low-end pros. We were just plain wrong on that,'' Jobs said. ``Consumers loved the Cube, but it was too expensive. This, I think, is a more stunning design than the Cube, he said, and ``it is priced dramatically less.''<hr></blockquote>
Very cool! Jobs really does "get it", and he understands that the cube was overpriced. It's too bad that he didn't see that earlier (seemed obvious to me), but any man that can learn from his mistakes has something going for him.
About future Apple products, I think this demonstrates that Steve Jobs understands the importance of value, and the iBook and new iMac prove that Apple is targeting the consumer market with products that ooze value from every seam, crack, and orifice.
My next question is, will Apple apply what they learned with the cube to the pro lines? Will Apple offer a cheaper version of the towers, with less expandability, so that they can target the low end pro market?
Here's what I'm getting at: make the current tower more expandable, and then make a new version that's less expandable.
High end Powermac:
G5 processor
3 expandable drive bays, 1 zip drive bay.
5 pci slots
1 agp slot
room for 5 HDs
Case with usb, fw ports on the back, and on the front.
Same side door case design.
Flat case top, so peripherals can be stacked upon it.
Consumer Powermac:
G4 processor
1 expandable drive bay
1 zip drive bay
1 AGP slot
1 pci slot
Room for 2 HDs
Considerably smaller than the current tower, almost cube-like in design, but larger than the cube and with a fan and normal sized pci/agp slots.
Am I being wishful, or does Jobs understanding of value suggest that such a future is possible for the Powermac lineup? This lineup would serve pros better, by giving them even more expandability. And it would serve consumers better, by giving them an affordable tower, allowing them to choose a display, and make minor upgrades to their tower.
These consumer towers would have to be priced to go, start them off at around $1200. The pro towers could be priced right about where the current towers are priced, in fact, I don't think there is room for Apple to go higher.
At $1200, the low end tower + $500 display would run about $1700, a little less than the high end iMac, but of course this tower wouldn't come with a superdrive. So it would be targeted at a much different buyer than the iMac is.
I think this sort of tower lineup would serve Apple well, and the low end towers would sell VERY well to consumers. There are many Mac users who need more expandability than the iMac, but less than the Powermac. This consumer tower would be the answer for them.
EDIT: It works now
[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: Junkyard Dawg ]</p>
Comments
C'mon, you can do eet.
1)features and design
2)price
I think Steve sees the price value, notice, since the iBook the hardware has been almost reasonable? Seeing how the iMac is better then the low end tower, either tower prices come down big time or they get a big ass processor with lots of shit!!
[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: KidRed ]</p>
But I was also wondering if the smaller larger-than-cube-like tower, they could attach a 17" or 20" LCD. Yeah, I know they won't cause they have the Studio Displays, but now I'm getting to like the armature thing and if the arm came out of one side of a heavy cube, with the back able to be opened 'a la yosemite, I think it would be great.
As for your post topic, yeah, it is good to hear Jobs admit the truth. I still think with all the R&D they put into the Cube though, why not make cheaper configuration and sell it for 10% margin and at least get something out of it. It obviously to me was the most popular form to date. This iMac may one day get that honor.
Now I'm confused.
<strong>How did they learn something from the cube when the iMac was said to have started out BEFORE the cube?
Now I'm confused.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Just b/c it was already in development that doesnt mean that they didnt take lessons learned about price and features (value) and apply them to the iMac even if it was in the middle of development. Could explain why it took so long...
-Paul
<strong>zip drives? yawn.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Can we get some yawn smilys?
And how about ones that laugh??
<strong>
Can we get some yawn smilys?
And how about ones that laugh??</strong><hr></blockquote>
I think we need an emoticon that barfs.
So, if I consult the magic Steveball, it replies, "Signs point to yes." Just the same, I'm not holding my breath.
SdC
Hmmm...maybe that headless iMac isn't such a far fetched idea....
<strong>
I think we need an emoticon that barfs.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Spot on.
Not so sure I couldn't live w/out the zip drive bay, but I think there is a very significant market for just such a beast if the cost can be contained.
The only question I have and I don't have any answers is, what are the cost savings for Apple that could be passed on the buyer?
.\tWhat are the cost savings that 1 PCI slot has compared to 3 or 4?
.\tWhat are the cost savings that one extra drive bay has over 2 or 3?
.\tWhat would be the cost savings of a G4 @ 867MHz - 1.0GHz over a 1.2GHZ - 1.4GHz G5?
Maybe Apple is working on such a computer. I never did figure out how Apple expected to sell the Cube for $1799 when the low end tower at the time sold for $1599? $1699.
If the Cube had sold for $799 - $999 with somewhat less of a cpu, I believe they would have flown off the shelf(re: note that this is gambling w/ Apple's money not mine). With one PCI slot and a standard size AGP slot, I doubt they could have made them fast enough to supply demand. The Cube was great the price sucked.
And yes a computer like this would take away some sales from the iMac, but maybe is would also result in a large increase in overall sales
sure is easy gambling w/ Apples money not mine, except wait a minute, just thought, I'm a stock holder, it would be part of my money. Hey Jobs let's do it.
[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: rickag ]</p>
I think it should be a G5 (there goes a lot of the savings, I know ...). Actually I think it'd be kind of neat if this computer was also bare! Yup, no ram or Hard Drive (and if your really wild no Video Card!). You pick them up on your own or customize it through the Apple store (if you want to pay overpriced). The last 2 G4's I've bought I did 2 things as soon as I got them, remove the Ram & Hard Drive. What a waste! Why did I have to buy them? I wanted faster/higher capacity ram & Hard Drive (yes I could've had two hard drives in the machine but for some reason I don't seem to like it, I prefer having an external FW).
This way we could pickup cheap Ram (ramseeker.com) & competatively priced Hard Drives (dealmac.com, dealnn.com). Thoughts?
If Apple sold mobos and let people build their own Mac on top, I wonder just how much that would cannibalize sales of their full towers.
Furthermore, why do all the R&D of case design and such? Cheaper to make just the mobos and sell them.
On a different angle. I wonder what an iMac with 2 arms and 2 monitors would sell like? Wouldn't this be cheaper than 1 really wide flatscreen? Of course it may need a heavier base to support the weight of 2 monitors and the second graphics chip/board and larger power supply to power more screens.
But think of the uses:
- Watch a DVD accross both screens (if they can be moved to be close enough to not bother).
- Extra screen real-estate for working with large images and/or have more palettes and tools displayed at once.
- Change to mirroring and rotate 1 screen around 180 degrees for business settings where people are on the other side of your desk.
- Be the only company to sell an all-in-one system with 2 screens. (that I know of).
So 1 PCI slot, 1 AGP slot. That's the expandability, slightly more than the cube, but I think that extra PCI slot would lure many more customers than did the cube. And of course, the room for an extra HD would be a very important expansion option, considering the software RAID available in OS X.
I know Jobs has repeatedly said that Apple will not enter into any price wars with box retailers, that Apple would "innovate" their way out of this recession. But why not do both? Continue to innovate, but sell this consumer tower on the cheap side as an experiment.
At $1200-$1300, this consumer tower may appear to compete with the iMac in price, but it's such a different product that I don't see it cannabilizing many iMac sales. This tower would basically be the SAME price as the G4 iMacs, but instead of getting a display with it, it would come expandability and display choice.
Such a consumer tower could also be part of the OS X strategy, because it would target the *nix geeks who don't have $4000 to blow on a Mac. Most of these *nix gurus are used to building their own boxes, they aren't very likely to spend $2000+ on a Powermac unless they are diehard Mac users. But if Apple offered a cheaper way IN in the form of a consumer tower, then it seems like more *nix gurus would be tempted to take a chance with Apple just to try OS X. If they can drop only $1300 on a Mac "box" and use it with an old monitor they've got gathering dust, then after a few months of using OS X, they'll be saving up for a high-end powermac and most importantly programming some bad-ass apps for OS X.
Anyone dig what I'm sayin'?