Apple appears to be taking its policing of the rumor mill to the phones, in one case dialing a customer who expressed concern over Internet reports on the Mac mini's fate to assure him the situation would be addressed in due time.
Having read a blog post speculating that a discontinuation of the current Mac mini line overseas may be indicative of the product's ultimate demise, one advocate of the tiny desktops fired off an email with his concerns to Apple's newly-crowned Mac hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield.
Although Mansfield didn't issue a personal reply, a colleague in Apple's executive*care division did almost immediately, offering no timetable for a Mac mini update but assuring that the company was well aware of system's market value, and suggesting the customer continue to exercise patience.
"I got a prompt reply by phone from an Apple*executive*care person essentially giving me no new information but assuring me that Apple knew the mini was a popular machine and to be patient," the customer told AppleInsider. "I certainly appreciated the contact, and I think it was a nice way of letting me know that rather than bug their head guys."
Fans of the diminutive desktop have become increasingly restless in recent months, as the mini continues to grow long in the tooth. The 6.5-inch square systems haven't seen significant architectural advancements in years and were last refreshed with component updates over a year ago.
Apple's behind-the-scenes customer guidance appears to back similar reports which have recently stood out in resistance to claims that the mini may again be on the chopping block. Following AppleInsider's report on the beginnings of a Mac mini overhaul earlier this year, an entrepreneur with a vested interest in the prolonged development of the computers spoke out in a report titled "The State of the Mac mini."
He outlined the mini's popularity among businesses, particularly small organizations, as well as those in the hospitality, entertainment, and security sectors. Expressing certainty that a new version of the mini was on the way, he outlined several features expected in future models.
One of those feature revelations, to which AppleInsider can lend a nod, suggests that Apple will offer new options that will allow the systems to better cater to the server and storage markets for which they've become extremely popular.
"In ordering a Mac mini from Apple, there will be an option to have two SATA HDDs and eliminating the optical all together," the report said. "With the new Remote Disc introduced with the Macbook Air, this option will be tempting for many."
Although there's no evidence to make a solid prediction at this time, overdue updates to the Mac Pro and Mac mini, combined with Apple having forgone a once-planned bump of its iMacs ahead of the holiday season, next January's Macworld Expo could be shaping up to be a Mac desktop-tinged affair.
With Apple dissin' the PRO users with the MACBOOK and NO firewire. I don't see why they wouldn't take it a step further, release the mini as a gaming machine, remove firewire, problem solved. If Apple stays on their stupid path to BUYING PRO (many musicians are furious they can't use their AUDIO firewire in new macbooks) then expect the mini to be strong but no firewire.
I say, release FIREWIRE in this, then the musicians will have something, not portable, but at least usable.
This line of thinking still keeps laptops in the high end for musicians and artists. Personally, I think Apple would do better if they stopped worrying about PRO users (less than 1%) and released the MB with FIREWIRE. Pro's will buy both.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
I'm scratching my head over that one...
Anyways, here's what I'd like:
Mac mini $499
-the skimpy "made for business version" only available to businesses
Mac mini $599
-2.2 GHz processor
-2GB RAM
-250GB HD
-DVD-RW
Mac mini $799
-add 2.4GHz processor
-320GB HD
Mac mini or a Mac tower, $999
-2.4GHz
-4GB of RAM (to compete with similar priced PCs)
-500GB HD
if a tower, then:
-slot for extra HD
-dedicated graphics card
All the above include: at least 1 USB port on the front, FireWire 800...and in the non-business versions: IR sensor on the front (for remote), and keep all the back ports the same (except maybe switching to FW800) and adding a coax thing. Apple could add to frontrow the ability to turn it into a tv viewing and recording device...enabling them to market it as that AND as a very functional computer.
The perfect Mac is a quiet Mac. As powerful as possible, but mainly quiet. That is why I have a Mac mini instead of a Mac Pro. The dream Mac for me would be a quiet Mac as powerful as possible. A Mac miniTOWER!
Not the case here, I have a MacPro and my wife in the same office has the Mini. The Mini sounds like a plane taking off most of the time. (she pushes it pretty hard) My MacPro is silent. I do blow out the machines once a month, the Pro fan does run a bit when dusty.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
Consumers would get no cost savings. All of a sudden, it would be a mini that can only drive a $900 Apple display (more than 3x the cost of some 24" LCDs). So much for an entry-level Apple system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbonner
Not the case here, I have a MacPro and my wife in the same office has the Mini. The Mini sounds like a plane taking off most of the time. (she pushes it pretty hard) My MacPro is silent. I do blow out the machines once a month, the Pro fan does run a bit when dusty.
Something's wrong with your mini. I run mine full out for hours at a time encoding video with Handbrake. There's a little bit of fan noise, but nothing I can hear from 6' away.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
And how does this upgraded mini with a 30" screen not murder the Mac Pro?
Because that is the question that has kept Apple from offering a headless mid-Mac.
The mini is a nice machine, but I don't understand why Apple doesn't make it better.
I know why. The older the hardware gets, the cheaper it gets (as long as it is still available from Intel, of course). Apple's margins on the $599 model are probably insane, and the $799 model has to be more profit than cost. And given its status as the cheapest Mac, Apple must be selling the mini by the truckload, regardless of how out of date it is.
I agree and it wouldn't take much- just discontinue AppleTV, add it's software to the mini, add an HDMI port and boom - it's a combo of both. I would keep the optical drive though -with an option for blu-ray.
I agree except for the HDMI port. Display port would be better as it is HDMI compliant but smaller. Besides, Apple has already announced it would be putting these on all their future products. This should be a sign that Apple is moving towards Blu-Ray.
And how does this upgraded mini with a 30" screen not murder the Mac Pro?
Because that is the question that has kept Apple from offering a headless mid-Mac.
Yeah, those guesses don't make much sense... but yay for speculation! (Meanwhile, I'd hate for Apple to discontinue the iMac. For me it's the machine I'm most looking forward to buying once I save up the $.)
And for God's sake people, stop emailing the high-ups at Apple! There are feedback forms at apple.com for every product and service they offer. I'm certain the people you're emailing recognise the issues before you go telling them directly, and I'm sure they're more than busy enough without dealing with complaining little cheeks who refuse to utilize the standard mode of communication and who, by sending direct correspondance for silly problems, dilute the chances of anyone wishing to get a meaningful message across using those channels. /rant
Should I bold, comic-sans, red size 48 and sticky that paragraph for future reference?
I have long been baffled (as have many of you it sounds) by how difficult it is for Apple to get the hardware "right". I can't think of any hardware product from Apple that isn't disappointing, or, said another way, that isn't far outmatched by the competition in price, feature, or usually both. Apple sure gets the software right... but why can't they get the hardware right? My impression is that Apple has creative, innovative, skilled people and an atmosphere that fosters such traits, so the only sane explanation I can ever come to is Steve Job's stubbornness. It must be his curious ideas about what a computer must look like that accounts for such a long history of disappointing hardware.
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
The mini is a nice machine, but I don't understand why Apple doesn't make it better.
I'm not sure if this is a brain fart on your part or if you just missed the obvious. Apple went about as far as it could in telling this person they have a new computer coming to fill Minis role.
By the way I do agree that the Mini is a nice concept but frankly I went with a MBP this spring for two reasons. One was portability the other was the fact that it was a more modern device. Which comes back to atleast keeping it current performance wise. I'm not sure if that is what you mean by better. From my point of view the only thing the current Mini lacks, to make it better, is state of the art performance and the ability to signifcantly expand it's memory.
By state of the art I mean for it's class of machine. The Mini really needs a quad core processor running at a reasonable clip. Also the days of 4GB limited machines has passed. Any new Mini that comes out needs to support at a minimal 8 GB of RAM.
Quote:
It should have the same HW as a MBP. Losing the optical disk might be a good way to boost storage without increasing size.
I'm still reluctant to loose the CD drive but on a desk top it is obviously less of an issue. Personally I'd like to see Apple break out of the mold that a SSD drive has to look like a traditional disk drive. What I would love to see on the new Mini is one traditional drive slot and a COMPACT PCI EXPRESS slot, that is the PCI Express slot used in note books and embedded systems. The nice thing here is flexibility. You can throw in expansion cards of your choice but there is also a growing market for SSD in this format. This then could be your second drive slot or it could be an expansion slot of your choice.
Quote:
I still think that the mini and the AppleTV should be one kick-ass device.
I think that would be a mistake. Mostly because out side of the home consumer the Mini serves roles that Apple TV can't. I know many people see the Mini as a consumer machine, but I suspect that that is only a small portion of it's market. Many corporations have implemented Minis on a large scale including Ford. They like what the consumers hate about Mini - to them it is a good STABLE platform.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
The board will need much better video then the 9400m that uses system ram add a pci-e x16 or a MXM slot or have 9600 with 256 or vram.
I have long been baffled (as have many of you it sounds) by how difficult it is for Apple to get the hardware "right". I can't think of any hardware product from Apple that isn't disappointing, or, said another way, that isn't far outmatched by the competition in price, feature, or usually both.
Took awile to get to the end of that sentence.
I won't claim that Apple is perfect but they are not as bad as you imply. The last great screw up in my mind was the AIR. Even that is slowly being fixed or is turning from a worthless machine into something good for special applications. Frankly I see the MBP & the MB as certainly some of Apples best efforts to date.
Quote:
Apple sure gets the software right... but why can't they get the hardware right? My impression is that Apple has creative, innovative, skilled people and an atmosphere that fosters such traits, so the only sane explanation I can ever come to is Steve Job's stubbornness.
No I think it is different than that. Number one Apple is managed to make money first. They are not trying to under sell anybody. Second there is very little value in the churn of products seen in the PC industry. It is one of the reasons that there are no stable PC manufactures. Even mighty Dell is stumbling bad.
It is fundamentally this: Apple needs to make a lot of money to remain stable and feed it's R&D engine. Without it's current business model a lot of what you see today would not be possible.
Quote:
It must be his curious ideas about what a computer must look like that accounts for such a long history of disappointing hardware.
Over Apples long history there have been some dramatic failures from Apple. Yes some of those appeared to be Steves Pet projects. Just remember Steves pet projects have also saved the company. But how does one innovate without failure.
Quote:
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
Actually Apple is doing good enough to cause MS some concern. In any event you have failed to realize that Mac OS/X is certainly not 24 years old. Not even close. The reality is that Mac is now a rather powerful UNIX workstation. Since OS/X has become stable Apple has taken significant market share, you really have no basis for your complaint.
Frankly I'm very happy that Apple is doing as well as it is right now. Sure they can do better, especially when it do better with respect to the needs of the consumer. However I don't want them to give up on innovation. Sometimes you just have to see what flies and doesn't.
the latest A.Insider articles indicate the Mini is preferred for the server markets than Xserve is hilarious. Talk about unintented consequences...
The Mini is notable in that it has an external power supply and is basically a small cartridge sitting on a rack. The utility of such depends on the Application of course. In the right Application it can be very economical. It may loose a hair on service ability but makes up for that in being nothing more than a brick that can be swapped very quickly.
Comments
Apple appears to be taking its policing of the rumor mill to the phones, in one case dialing a customer who expressed concern over Internet reports on the Mac mini's fate to assure him the situation would be addressed in due time.
Having read a blog post speculating that a discontinuation of the current Mac mini line overseas may be indicative of the product's ultimate demise, one advocate of the tiny desktops fired off an email with his concerns to Apple's newly-crowned Mac hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield.
Although Mansfield didn't issue a personal reply, a colleague in Apple's executive*care division did almost immediately, offering no timetable for a Mac mini update but assuring that the company was well aware of system's market value, and suggesting the customer continue to exercise patience.
"I got a prompt reply by phone from an Apple*executive*care person essentially giving me no new information but assuring me that Apple knew the mini was a popular machine and to be patient," the customer told AppleInsider. "I certainly appreciated the contact, and I think it was a nice way of letting me know that rather than bug their head guys."
Fans of the diminutive desktop have become increasingly restless in recent months, as the mini continues to grow long in the tooth. The 6.5-inch square systems haven't seen significant architectural advancements in years and were last refreshed with component updates over a year ago.
Apple's behind-the-scenes customer guidance appears to back similar reports which have recently stood out in resistance to claims that the mini may again be on the chopping block. Following AppleInsider's report on the beginnings of a Mac mini overhaul earlier this year, an entrepreneur with a vested interest in the prolonged development of the computers spoke out in a report titled "The State of the Mac mini."
He outlined the mini's popularity among businesses, particularly small organizations, as well as those in the hospitality, entertainment, and security sectors. Expressing certainty that a new version of the mini was on the way, he outlined several features expected in future models.
One of those feature revelations, to which AppleInsider can lend a nod, suggests that Apple will offer new options that will allow the systems to better cater to the server and storage markets for which they've become extremely popular.
"In ordering a Mac mini from Apple, there will be an option to have two SATA HDDs and eliminating the optical all together," the report said. "With the new Remote Disc introduced with the Macbook Air, this option will be tempting for many."
Although there's no evidence to make a solid prediction at this time, overdue updates to the Mac Pro and Mac mini, combined with Apple having forgone a once-planned bump of its iMacs ahead of the holiday season, next January's Macworld Expo could be shaping up to be a Mac desktop-tinged affair.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
With Apple dissin' the PRO users with the MACBOOK and NO firewire. I don't see why they wouldn't take it a step further, release the mini as a gaming machine, remove firewire, problem solved. If Apple stays on their stupid path to BUYING PRO (many musicians are furious they can't use their AUDIO firewire in new macbooks) then expect the mini to be strong but no firewire.
I say, release FIREWIRE in this, then the musicians will have something, not portable, but at least usable.
This line of thinking still keeps laptops in the high end for musicians and artists. Personally, I think Apple would do better if they stopped worrying about PRO users (less than 1%) and released the MB with FIREWIRE. Pro's will buy both.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
I'm scratching my head over that one...
Anyways, here's what I'd like:
Mac mini $499
-the skimpy "made for business version" only available to businesses
Mac mini $599
-2.2 GHz processor
-2GB RAM
-250GB HD
-DVD-RW
Mac mini $799
-add 2.4GHz processor
-320GB HD
Mac mini or a Mac tower, $999
-2.4GHz
-4GB of RAM (to compete with similar priced PCs)
-500GB HD
if a tower, then:
-slot for extra HD
-dedicated graphics card
All the above include: at least 1 USB port on the front, FireWire 800...and in the non-business versions: IR sensor on the front (for remote), and keep all the back ports the same (except maybe switching to FW800) and adding a coax thing. Apple could add to frontrow the ability to turn it into a tv viewing and recording device...enabling them to market it as that AND as a very functional computer.
The perfect Mac is a quiet Mac. As powerful as possible, but mainly quiet. That is why I have a Mac mini instead of a Mac Pro. The dream Mac for me would be a quiet Mac as powerful as possible. A Mac miniTOWER!
Not the case here, I have a MacPro and my wife in the same office has the Mini. The Mini sounds like a plane taking off most of the time. (she pushes it pretty hard) My MacPro is silent. I do blow out the machines once a month, the Pro fan does run a bit when dusty.
Here's my guess for Jan WDC.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
Consumers would get no cost savings. All of a sudden, it would be a mini that can only drive a $900 Apple display (more than 3x the cost of some 24" LCDs). So much for an entry-level Apple system.
Not the case here, I have a MacPro and my wife in the same office has the Mini. The Mini sounds like a plane taking off most of the time. (she pushes it pretty hard) My MacPro is silent. I do blow out the machines once a month, the Pro fan does run a bit when dusty.
Something's wrong with your mini. I run mine full out for hours at a time encoding video with Handbrake. There's a little bit of fan noise, but nothing I can hear from 6' away.
Here's my guess for Jan WDC.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
Voila - Apple eliminates two whole lines of R&D development (the discontinued iMacs with custom motherboards, and the custom Mac mini board, itself ) with substantial simplification and cost savings!
And how does this upgraded mini with a 30" screen not murder the Mac Pro?
Because that is the question that has kept Apple from offering a headless mid-Mac.
The mini is a nice machine, but I don't understand why Apple doesn't make it better.
I know why. The older the hardware gets, the cheaper it gets (as long as it is still available from Intel, of course). Apple's margins on the $599 model are probably insane, and the $799 model has to be more profit than cost. And given its status as the cheapest Mac, Apple must be selling the mini by the truckload, regardless of how out of date it is.
I agree and it wouldn't take much- just discontinue AppleTV, add it's software to the mini, add an HDMI port and boom - it's a combo of both. I would keep the optical drive though -with an option for blu-ray.
I agree except for the HDMI port. Display port would be better as it is HDMI compliant but smaller. Besides, Apple has already announced it would be putting these on all their future products. This should be a sign that Apple is moving towards Blu-Ray.
And how does this upgraded mini with a 30" screen not murder the Mac Pro?
Because that is the question that has kept Apple from offering a headless mid-Mac.
Yeah, those guesses don't make much sense... but yay for speculation! (Meanwhile, I'd hate for Apple to discontinue the iMac. For me it's the machine I'm most looking forward to buying once I save up the $.)
And for God's sake people, stop emailing the high-ups at Apple! There are feedback forms at apple.com for every product and service they offer. I'm certain the people you're emailing recognise the issues before you go telling them directly, and I'm sure they're more than busy enough without dealing with complaining little cheeks who refuse to utilize the standard mode of communication and who, by sending direct correspondance for silly problems, dilute the chances of anyone wishing to get a meaningful message across using those channels. /rant
Should I bold, comic-sans, red size 48 and sticky that paragraph for future reference?
Jimzip
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
The mini is a nice machine, but I don't understand why Apple doesn't make it better.
I'm not sure if this is a brain fart on your part or if you just missed the obvious. Apple went about as far as it could in telling this person they have a new computer coming to fill Minis role.
By the way I do agree that the Mini is a nice concept but frankly I went with a MBP this spring for two reasons. One was portability the other was the fact that it was a more modern device. Which comes back to atleast keeping it current performance wise. I'm not sure if that is what you mean by better. From my point of view the only thing the current Mini lacks, to make it better, is state of the art performance and the ability to signifcantly expand it's memory.
By state of the art I mean for it's class of machine. The Mini really needs a quad core processor running at a reasonable clip. Also the days of 4GB limited machines has passed. Any new Mini that comes out needs to support at a minimal 8 GB of RAM.
It should have the same HW as a MBP. Losing the optical disk might be a good way to boost storage without increasing size.
I'm still reluctant to loose the CD drive but on a desk top it is obviously less of an issue. Personally I'd like to see Apple break out of the mold that a SSD drive has to look like a traditional disk drive. What I would love to see on the new Mini is one traditional drive slot and a COMPACT PCI EXPRESS slot, that is the PCI Express slot used in note books and embedded systems. The nice thing here is flexibility. You can throw in expansion cards of your choice but there is also a growing market for SSD in this format. This then could be your second drive slot or it could be an expansion slot of your choice.
I still think that the mini and the AppleTV should be one kick-ass device.
I think that would be a mistake. Mostly because out side of the home consumer the Mini serves roles that Apple TV can't. I know many people see the Mini as a consumer machine, but I suspect that that is only a small portion of it's market. Many corporations have implemented Minis on a large scale including Ford. They like what the consumers hate about Mini - to them it is a good STABLE platform.
Dave
Yet no word on Copy and Past, Sync To Do's, Sync Note or PUSH.
Not true at all! All of our Mac Minis have all these features.
Here's my guess for Jan WDC.
1 -Apple unveils a Mac Mini w/the same motherboard and optical drive as the current MacBook including the new mini video port (name?).
2 - Apple ships 20" and 30" displays to go with the new 24" display already available.
3 - Apple DISCONTINUES the iMac suggesting the new MAC mini could be optionally attached to the back of the new displays. (A retooled 24" display will make it's debut at the WDC too.)
The board will need much better video then the 9400m that uses system ram add a pci-e x16 or a MXM slot or have 9600 with 256 or vram.
Anyways, here's what I'd like:
Mac mini $499
-the skimpy "made for business version" only available to businesses
Mac mini $599
-2.2 GHz processor
-2GB RAM
-250GB HD
-DVD-RW
Mac mini $799
-add 2.4GHz processor
-320GB HD
Mac mini or a Mac tower, $999
-2.4GHz
-4GB of RAM (to compete with similar priced PCs)
-500GB HD
if a tower, then:
-slot for extra HD
-dedicated graphics card
.[/QUOTE]
Drop the $800 mini make the faster cpu and bigger HD BTO on the $600 one.
and start the tower at $800 with a nvidia 9400 / 9300 desktop chipset on baord video + pci-e x16 2 wide with a x4 and x1 slot.
I have long been baffled (as have many of you it sounds) by how difficult it is for Apple to get the hardware "right". I can't think of any hardware product from Apple that isn't disappointing, or, said another way, that isn't far outmatched by the competition in price, feature, or usually both.
Took awile to get to the end of that sentence.
I won't claim that Apple is perfect but they are not as bad as you imply. The last great screw up in my mind was the AIR. Even that is slowly being fixed or is turning from a worthless machine into something good for special applications. Frankly I see the MBP & the MB as certainly some of Apples best efforts to date.
Apple sure gets the software right... but why can't they get the hardware right? My impression is that Apple has creative, innovative, skilled people and an atmosphere that fosters such traits, so the only sane explanation I can ever come to is Steve Job's stubbornness.
No I think it is different than that. Number one Apple is managed to make money first. They are not trying to under sell anybody. Second there is very little value in the churn of products seen in the PC industry. It is one of the reasons that there are no stable PC manufactures. Even mighty Dell is stumbling bad.
It is fundamentally this: Apple needs to make a lot of money to remain stable and feed it's R&D engine. Without it's current business model a lot of what you see today would not be possible.
It must be his curious ideas about what a computer must look like that accounts for such a long history of disappointing hardware.
Over Apples long history there have been some dramatic failures from Apple. Yes some of those appeared to be Steves Pet projects. Just remember Steves pet projects have also saved the company. But how does one innovate without failure.
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
Actually Apple is doing good enough to cause MS some concern. In any event you have failed to realize that Mac OS/X is certainly not 24 years old. Not even close. The reality is that Mac is now a rather powerful UNIX workstation. Since OS/X has become stable Apple has taken significant market share, you really have no basis for your complaint.
Frankly I'm very happy that Apple is doing as well as it is right now. Sure they can do better, especially when it do better with respect to the needs of the consumer. However I don't want them to give up on innovation. Sometimes you just have to see what flies and doesn't.
the latest A.Insider articles indicate the Mini is preferred for the server markets than Xserve is hilarious. Talk about unintented consequences...
The Mini is notable in that it has an external power supply and is basically a small cartridge sitting on a rack. The utility of such depends on the Application of course. In the right Application it can be very economical. It may loose a hair on service ability but makes up for that in being nothing more than a brick that can be swapped very quickly.
Dave