Meh. Never anything wrong with a Mac mid-tower... no matter what anyone has to say about it.
Nothing wrong it from my POV as a consumer, but if I were at Apple I'd kill it if I had such power as I don't think it's good for Apple's business in its current focus. Now, if they change their focus to business, a mini-tower may have more relevance to their business model, but I still think that Apple would be better off at making a business-line of desktop computers that aren't available to the consumer.
I wasn't planning on purchasing until next year anyway, probably two iMac refreshes from now. I'm really hoping they introduce a 30' iMac to complement the 30' ACD they are sure to release. I want my computer to be a TV replacement. I know it's a dream not likely to be fulfilled.
How does "set" get interpreted as "no new products"? Couldn't "set" equally mean, our new product lineup for the holidays is "set" ... but we ain't telling yet?
I am also very disappointed! I also missed out on getting an iPod 8gb for only ?14 (student discount that ran until end of October if purchased with a new iMac ), because I wanted to wait for the update. Now I'm not sure what to do... decisions decisions...
How does "set" get interpreted as "no new products"? Couldn't "set" equally mean, our new product lineup for the holidays is "set" ... but we ain't telling yet?
The article was from a Macworld reporter speaking to an Apple spokesman. Really, now. That's unambiguous.
The store update was for holiday-themed stuff, no new products. Headphones and mic still aren't shipping either.
Disappointing really. Now it means I won't have a new computer to use over the holidays. I wanted a new Core i7 Mac Pro for work but if it comes next year, it means transitioning to Leopard without fully testing it. Work tends to die down over Christmas so it's easier to make the transition. No new Mini for casual gaming at home, experimenting with CUDA or the iphone SDK (Leopard-only and I didn't really want to manually upgrade with new machines coming) and doing 3D stuff over the holidays either.
If the new Macbooks had been £700, I might have gone for one as I'd use a large external screen anyway but not at £950. I'd miss firewire but I'd be prepared to get new devices.
Ah well, another boring Christmas as usual and overall disappointment at Apple's offerings for another year. I'm glad to see the changes to the laptop range and the move towards Nvidia but the negatives that came along (glossy, higher prices, dropping firewire) have dampened this and no desktops just kills the whole year for me.
"Intel, HP, Microsoft, NEC, NXP, and TI will present the initial spec for a design review in November with first silicon to be stamped in "early 2009." While the new interconnect (pictured) will remain backward compatible with USB 2.0 and prior devices, new cables laced with an optical link and a max length of 2-meters will be required to take advantage of those high speeds according to a senior engineering manager with NEC.
Of course, it's all just a lot of smack-talk 'til they deliver, but with Apple running Intel inside now, Sony putting USB in their camcorders, and eSATA proliferating for external disks... well, Firewire's days sure seem numbered."
Both the Radeon HD 2400 and 2600 have remained unchanged since the aluminum iMac was first introduced in August 2007, or 15 months ago, leaving hardware H.264 video acceleration and other improvements aside.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The graphics cards that Apple have been using in Macs have had hardware H.264 decode for years and that includes the HD 2400 and 2600. See this page. What's the first bullet point of "product features"?
"Hardware based H.264/VC-1 decoding".
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
Well, everything said in the MacWorld magazine report sounds about right. Has an Apple spokesperson ever deliberately lied about holiday product plans in recent history? With the economy in recession, it makes total sense for Apple to make the decision to shelve any further product launches this year. Q4 margins will stay intact, giving holiday revenues a good pad toward bolstering shareholder confidence, come the new year. Refreshed iPods and new MacBooks seem to be all the official holiday fare for '08 that we can expect. If all we have to wait for is MWSF for the rest of the line to get caught-up, then even that'll be a short wait. Then, I hope to see a refreshed iMac line-up, and, hopefully, a re-engineered, possibly re-productized MacMini. But I won't expect to see anything in the line between the mini and an iMac. And that tablet thingy? I'm guessing 2010, if at all.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The graphics cards that Apple have been using in Macs have had hardware H.264 decode for years and that includes the HD 2400 and 2600. See this page. What's the first bullet point of "product features"?
"Hardware based H.264/VC-1 decoding".
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
Somehow only the new Nvidia chipset thingy notebook line now has full consumer-level hardware H.264 decoding. As in, as implemented by Mac OS X.
The next iMac update will probably have all-Nvidia chipset/ GPU/ etc. for gaming and stuff, hardware H.264 decoding...
Oh, and good luck all USA-ians. You all know what most of the world wants you to do, right...?!
...Of course, it's all just a lot of smack-talk 'til they deliver, but with Apple running Intel inside now, Sony putting USB in their camcorders, and eSATA proliferating for external disks... well, Firewire's days sure seem numbered."
Outside of the pro market, the writing's definitely on the wall. Better pay your last respects to Firewire while you still can. It's about to join ADC, Parallel and so on in Port Heaven, within a year or so... at least on the consumer side.
Somehow only the new Nvidia chipset thingy notebook line now has full consumer-level hardware H.264 decoding. As in, as implemented by Mac OS X.
The next iMac update will probably have all-Nvidia chipset/ GPU/ etc. for gaming and stuff, hardware H.264 decoding...
Yes, should have made it clearer: the hardware has been there for ages but for some reason Apple never bothered before with the required drivers (software support in OS X) to make it work. However, the latest MacBooks do have the required drivers. The Apple TV also uses GPU-based video decode.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
Oh, and good luck all USA-ians. You all know what most of the world wants you to do, right...?!
Well, everything said in the MacWorld magazine report sounds about right. Has an Apple spokesperson ever deliberately lied about holiday product plans in recent history? With the economy in recession, it makes total sense for Apple to make the decision to shelve any further product launches this year. Q4 margins will stay intact, giving holiday revenues a good pad toward bolstering shareholder confidence, come the new year. Refreshed iPods and new MacBooks seem to be all the official holiday fare for '08 that we can expect. If all we have to wait for is MWSF for the rest of the line to get caught-up, then even that'll be a short wait. Then, I hope to see a refreshed iMac line-up, and, hopefully, a re-engineered, possibly re-productized MacMini. But I won't expect to see anything in the line between the mini and an iMac. And that tablet thingy? I'm guessing 2010, if at all.
It would be a crappy MWSF 2009 if it was just updates to existing lines.
The tablet rumour will be making the rounds, along with Apple HDTV/OLED, Apple 30" LED Cinema Display, and the inevitable "xMac" rumour will rear its head.
I mean, it's been pretty kickass this year with totally redesigned laptops, an all-new display design, all-new mobile phone device... Boy, Apple's got to deal with big expectations in a bad economy. 2009 will be time for them to bring their A++ game. Personally, I can't wait. A reason to wake up in the morning, if nothing else.
6GB RAM in a MacBook Pro with 512MB VRAM. For example, that's what 2008 brought us. Alongside iPhone3G madness, yeah, 2009 will be a year to watch.
I honestly pray for Steve's health and for him to be closely involved with Apple for at least a few more years during the economic and political storm. And I hope he continues grooming and developing talent.
It would be a crappy MWSF 2009 if it was just updates to existing lines . . . The tablet rumour will be making the rounds, along with Apple HDTV/OLED, Apple 30" LED Cinema Display, and the inevitable "xMac" rumour will rear its head.
I hope I'm wrong. An OLED display would be a sexy enough feature for another Apple product debut, so that seems reasonable. The 30" LED sounds within reason as well. As for the much-rumored "xMac" . . . I hope they do blow me away.
Thanks, I feel better now. Since I also recently bought a 24" 3.06 GHz iMac, it's good to know that all that "extra" money I spent for the upgraded graphics wasn't "wasted."
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
It's anyone's guess why Apple's support for H.264 was always half-assed. They got in early, but just supported the basics. I'm not sure Quicktime can play back High Profile even now.
It's anyone's guess why Apple's support for H.264 was always half-assed. They got in early, but just supported the basics. I'm not sure Quicktime can play back High Profile even now.
No, I'm pretty sure it can't. Certainly you can't encode High Profile with any of Apple's tools. You have to get third-party plugins for Final Cut if you want to author High-Profile stuff. Apple's H.264 implementation is also pathetically slow for both encode and decode (although it has improved since introduction; hopefully Snow Leopard's QuickTime X will deliver breakthrough performance).
Comments
Meh. Never anything wrong with a Mac mid-tower... no matter what anyone has to say about it.
Nothing wrong it from my POV as a consumer, but if I were at Apple I'd kill it if I had such power as I don't think it's good for Apple's business in its current focus. Now, if they change their focus to business, a mini-tower may have more relevance to their business model, but I still think that Apple would be better off at making a business-line of desktop computers that aren't available to the consumer.
Properly just update to using Geforce 9400M instead.
How does "set" get interpreted as "no new products"? Couldn't "set" equally mean, our new product lineup for the holidays is "set" ... but we ain't telling yet?
The article was from a Macworld reporter speaking to an Apple spokesman. Really, now. That's unambiguous.
The store update was for holiday-themed stuff, no new products. Headphones and mic still aren't shipping either.
If the new Macbooks had been £700, I might have gone for one as I'd use a large external screen anyway but not at £950. I'd miss firewire but I'd be prepared to get new devices.
Ah well, another boring Christmas as usual and overall disappointment at Apple's offerings for another year. I'm glad to see the changes to the laptop range and the move towards Nvidia but the negatives that came along (glossy, higher prices, dropping firewire) have dampened this and no desktops just kills the whole year for me.
Hopefully this means USB3 is coming:
http://www.engadget.com/tag/usb3.0
"Intel, HP, Microsoft, NEC, NXP, and TI will present the initial spec for a design review in November with first silicon to be stamped in "early 2009." While the new interconnect (pictured) will remain backward compatible with USB 2.0 and prior devices, new cables laced with an optical link and a max length of 2-meters will be required to take advantage of those high speeds according to a senior engineering manager with NEC.
Of course, it's all just a lot of smack-talk 'til they deliver, but with Apple running Intel inside now, Sony putting USB in their camcorders, and eSATA proliferating for external disks... well, Firewire's days sure seem numbered."
Both the Radeon HD 2400 and 2600 have remained unchanged since the aluminum iMac was first introduced in August 2007, or 15 months ago, leaving hardware H.264 video acceleration and other improvements aside.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The graphics cards that Apple have been using in Macs have had hardware H.264 decode for years and that includes the HD 2400 and 2600. See this page. What's the first bullet point of "product features"?
"Hardware based H.264/VC-1 decoding".
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The graphics cards that Apple have been using in Macs have had hardware H.264 decode for years and that includes the HD 2400 and 2600. See this page. What's the first bullet point of "product features"?
"Hardware based H.264/VC-1 decoding".
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
Somehow only the new Nvidia chipset thingy notebook line now has full consumer-level hardware H.264 decoding. As in, as implemented by Mac OS X.
The next iMac update will probably have all-Nvidia chipset/ GPU/ etc. for gaming and stuff, hardware H.264 decoding...
Oh, and good luck all USA-ians. You all know what most of the world wants you to do, right...?!
...Of course, it's all just a lot of smack-talk 'til they deliver, but with Apple running Intel inside now, Sony putting USB in their camcorders, and eSATA proliferating for external disks... well, Firewire's days sure seem numbered."
Outside of the pro market, the writing's definitely on the wall. Better pay your last respects to Firewire while you still can. It's about to join ADC, Parallel and so on in Port Heaven, within a year or so... at least on the consumer side.
More than likely, they will continue their trend to introduce new products in January at MacWorld. Stupid.
Somehow only the new Nvidia chipset thingy notebook line now has full consumer-level hardware H.264 decoding. As in, as implemented by Mac OS X.
The next iMac update will probably have all-Nvidia chipset/ GPU/ etc. for gaming and stuff, hardware H.264 decoding...
Yes, should have made it clearer: the hardware has been there for ages but for some reason Apple never bothered before with the required drivers (software support in OS X) to make it work. However, the latest MacBooks do have the required drivers. The Apple TV also uses GPU-based video decode.
Oh, and good luck all USA-ians. You all know what most of the world wants you to do, right...?!
Well, everything said in the MacWorld magazine report sounds about right. Has an Apple spokesperson ever deliberately lied about holiday product plans in recent history? With the economy in recession, it makes total sense for Apple to make the decision to shelve any further product launches this year. Q4 margins will stay intact, giving holiday revenues a good pad toward bolstering shareholder confidence, come the new year. Refreshed iPods and new MacBooks seem to be all the official holiday fare for '08 that we can expect. If all we have to wait for is MWSF for the rest of the line to get caught-up, then even that'll be a short wait. Then, I hope to see a refreshed iMac line-up, and, hopefully, a re-engineered, possibly re-productized MacMini. But I won't expect to see anything in the line between the mini and an iMac. And that tablet thingy? I'm guessing 2010, if at all.
It would be a crappy MWSF 2009 if it was just updates to existing lines.
The tablet rumour will be making the rounds, along with Apple HDTV/OLED, Apple 30" LED Cinema Display, and the inevitable "xMac" rumour will rear its head.
I mean, it's been pretty kickass this year with totally redesigned laptops, an all-new display design, all-new mobile phone device... Boy, Apple's got to deal with big expectations in a bad economy. 2009 will be time for them to bring their A++ game. Personally, I can't wait. A reason to wake up in the morning, if nothing else.
6GB RAM in a MacBook Pro with 512MB VRAM. For example, that's what 2008 brought us. Alongside iPhone3G madness, yeah, 2009 will be a year to watch.
I honestly pray for Steve's health and for him to be closely involved with Apple for at least a few more years during the economic and political storm. And I hope he continues grooming and developing talent.
Nevermind, I found out here: http://barefeats.com/mbpp05.html
It is still faster.
It would be a crappy MWSF 2009 if it was just updates to existing lines . . . The tablet rumour will be making the rounds, along with Apple HDTV/OLED, Apple 30" LED Cinema Display, and the inevitable "xMac" rumour will rear its head.
I hope I'm wrong. An OLED display would be a sexy enough feature for another Apple product debut, so that seems reasonable. The 30" LED sounds within reason as well. As for the much-rumored "xMac" . . . I hope they do blow me away.
So how does the nVidia 8800 card in my 24" iMac compare to the new Macbook Pro's?
Nevermind, I found out here: http://barefeats.com/mbpp05.html
It is still faster.
Thanks, I feel better now. Since I also recently bought a 24" 3.06 GHz iMac, it's good to know that all that "extra" money I spent for the upgraded graphics wasn't "wasted."
It's anyone's guess why it's taken so long for Apple to get with the program on the hardware H.264 decoding front.
It's anyone's guess why Apple's support for H.264 was always half-assed. They got in early, but just supported the basics. I'm not sure Quicktime can play back High Profile even now.
It's anyone's guess why Apple's support for H.264 was always half-assed. They got in early, but just supported the basics. I'm not sure Quicktime can play back High Profile even now.
No, I'm pretty sure it can't. Certainly you can't encode High Profile with any of Apple's tools. You have to get third-party plugins for Final Cut if you want to author High-Profile stuff. Apple's H.264 implementation is also pathetically slow for both encode and decode (although it has improved since introduction; hopefully Snow Leopard's QuickTime X will deliver breakthrough performance).
Here goes the economy slowing down Apple.
Now would be a good time for Apple to license out OSX.