If they intoduce a new headless Mac of some kind (between the Mini and the Mac Pro) I'll eat my hat. Right after I scrape the egg off my face.
Me too. My reading of Apple, Inc (not Apple Computer, there is no such company anymore) tells me they only have fast-growing, fluid markets in their sights, not moribund shrinking ones:
Apple's relatively low percentage of desktop sales compared to other PC makers reflects not (much) their design decisions or even pricing (the MB's and MBP's are as relatively pricey as their AC-tethered models), rather the fact that the other majors sell extensively into the business market which Apple has never pursued in a systematic way. Macs in those markets are used by managers/CEO's, mobile sales and other professionals, etc., not by Jane admin assistant or Joe data entry clerk or the minions on the help desks, etc.
Apple does appear poised to finally break the Fortune 500 though - just not with PC's, rather iPhones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
16:9 ratio + no blu-ray = worthless
Plenty of wide-screen content available, if not 1080p, without an optical drive: podcasts, streaming, downloads and more. And if John C. Dvorak flinging index cards doesn't do it for you, at least there's Callie Lewis.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by federmoose
my mac mini is out of date! so sad!
Alas, your Mac Mini is already "out of date." Says the man typing this on a 12" iBook - which still does everything he needs it to do. (But who does plan to finally break down and buy the next rev of the 15" MBP.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmz
Not a moment too soon. These updates need to roll out so the Apple crowd can start buying again. So many people I know have been sitting in product upgrade limbo since August, as I've been blowing smoke at them over new iMacs and MacBooks.
My cred's been getting a little thin too with a few gnashing at the teeth ready buyers beginning to doubt my confident predictions of new models this month.
These are most likely silent updates, so there may or may not be a press release. They've done this before with what they consider 'minor' updates but us as fanboys obviously obsess over (OMG! they just introduced a new model vesa mount! Suck that MS!, etc.)
while it may be nice to see the mini with faster than some mbp speeds a lot will depend on dedeicated graphics. Better yet would be 4 cores at least on something unless there us a 50% price drop，this won't out a dent in the millions of switchers. Still million of corprate will update to win 7. Millions. And the end uaervat work will be wowed esprciallybaince you can add a tv tuner, some computers come with them, for apple your looking at $200 for 3rd party, and some pcs come with it standard. Full entertainment center. The courier is another story. A game changer if it's 100%!msft controlled. Remember I am a mac user 90 % of the timeif there is nothing quad core under $1400, this is a fail and therbshouldnhavw been something quad headless as people like me have 24/30" hdmi screens. Might be time for a hacntosh especialy now that they have releaswena script that allows for all mac updates.
Time will tellmNd if they want to take some wind, there has got to be something really cool, fast prosumer and priced fair, not apple luxury tax.
I agree with many that these are probably silent updates-- mainly refinements to existing products. Though, a Mini without ODD, running OS X Server is the exception.
But nothing rumored here has the wow factor to create significant new demand. Certainly not the large, last minute demand that would require Apple to plan for significant air-freight charges in the quarter. Apple has said the air freight charges will have a negative impact on margin, are not iPhone related, and involve positioning products for the holiday season.
So what are these products?
Here are my guesses, from a functional standpoint:
1) a home server, capable of aggregating/accessing large repositories of media content, including all the normal suspects (songs, music videos, movies, TV shows, podcasts, pictures, home movies), and adding Internet TV, Live TV, Internet access, DVR (and yes, CD/DVD/BR with an external player).
2) large, expandable external storage with backup
3) streaming uploading and downloading content, concurrently among multiple devices
4) Multiple Large Screen HDTVs
5) Multiple PMDs (Personal Media Devices)
Here's the scenario:
The family is at home:
--Mom, on a computer in the office, is checking the weather and schedules for her business trip to Taos, and refining her preso.
--Dad is in the kitchen preparing dinner - crawfish etouffee, checking the recipe on a PMD
--Sis is on the computer in the family room massaging home videos and pictures for the school yearbook and collaborating with other students on the yearbook team
--Big brother is in his room watching the new Transformer video with a few friends each has a PMD
--Little bro is out back, working on his remedial-reading assignment on his PMD
--Monday Night Football is playing on the Large Screen HDTVs in the Family and Living Rooms
--Grandma, listens to La Boheme, while checking her email on her PMD
--Grandpa is importing last Saturdays Soccer game video, while using a PMD as a tablet to edit highlights for the Team Podcast and Youtube
Now, that's a digital hub in action!
OK, a lot of this function already exists in bits and pieces (but not, necessarily in the right boxes or devices). And, it all doesn't all work together, seamlessly.
For hardware: a home server; large, expandable, distributed external storage (backed up); routers; streamers are key, and quite doable with today's rumored announcements.
What would be new, and justify a separate event, is co-branded Large Screen HDTVs, PMDs, new content, and the software and apps to tie it all together (OS X, iLife, iWork).
Apple can be the "Grinch who stole Christmas" by:
-- announcing/demonstrating all this, say, in an October 27th event.
-- placing demo units in stores before November 9th (freight).
-- placing inventory units in stores before November 24th (freight) so they are available for biggest sales day of the year!
-- massive ad campaign
-- tie-in to content providers
-- provide purchasing through the iTunes store (as well as Stick & Stucco Stores)
-- provide free shipping (freight) for orders delivered before December 11
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
They are not dropping FW. They never had FW800 on the MacBooks, that ha only been a feature of the MacBook Pros. FW400 is an obsolecing port interface and Apple apparently isn?t interested in FW800 on the MacBook line.
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
without looking at specs yet, if they offered a better GPU it has nothing to do with "can't decide" Ns eveything to DO with keeping pros and semi pros from using fcp or motion.
Quads and nice looking case alterations, though likely still a bitch to take apart.
Looking forward to looking at the mouse review.
Yes and No. 21.5" is TN and without an LED backlight. 27" is IPS with LED backlight. In other words. 21.5 is the previous generation in a slightly updated case. 27" is a completely different Machine.
Dell monitors are suggested by Apple for dual displays? (From the Mac mini page)
They seem to have no interest in updating their own. On year later, the 24" ACD is still the only Mini-DP display on the market. I was hoping for 21.5", 27", and 30+" additions.
>> I hope that Apple does end up releasing a tablet next year in the $500 to $700 price range. I find that my 13" MacBook Pro is a bit overkill at times.
Comments
New iMac
New Magic Mouse
New Mac mini
Anything I miss?
Quads and nice looking case alterations, though likely still a bitch to take apart.
Looking forward to looking at the mouse review.
If they intoduce a new headless Mac of some kind (between the Mini and the Mac Pro) I'll eat my hat. Right after I scrape the egg off my face.
Me too. My reading of Apple, Inc (not Apple Computer, there is no such company anymore) tells me they only have fast-growing, fluid markets in their sights, not moribund shrinking ones:
http://www.etforecasts.com/products/ES_pcww1203.htm#1.1
Apple's relatively low percentage of desktop sales compared to other PC makers reflects not (much) their design decisions or even pricing (the MB's and MBP's are as relatively pricey as their AC-tethered models), rather the fact that the other majors sell extensively into the business market which Apple has never pursued in a systematic way. Macs in those markets are used by managers/CEO's, mobile sales and other professionals, etc., not by Jane admin assistant or Joe data entry clerk or the minions on the help desks, etc.
16:9 ratio + no blu-ray = worthless
Plenty of wide-screen content available, if not 1080p, without an optical drive: podcasts, streaming, downloads and more. And if John C. Dvorak flinging index cards doesn't do it for you, at least there's Callie Lewis.....
my mac mini is out of date! so sad!
Alas, your Mac Mini is already "out of date." Says the man typing this on a 12" iBook - which still does everything he needs it to do. (But who does plan to finally break down and buy the next rev of the 15" MBP.)
Not a moment too soon. These updates need to roll out so the Apple crowd can start buying again. So many people I know have been sitting in product upgrade limbo since August, as I've been blowing smoke at them over new iMacs and MacBooks.
My cred's been getting a little thin too with a few gnashing at the teeth ready buyers beginning to doubt my confident predictions of new models this month.
These are most likely silent updates, so there may or may not be a press release. They've done this before with what they consider 'minor' updates but us as fanboys obviously obsess over (OMG! they just introduced a new model vesa mount! Suck that MS!, etc.)
while it may be nice to see the mini with faster than some mbp speeds a lot will depend on dedeicated graphics. Better yet would be 4 cores at least on something unless there us a 50% price drop，this won't out a dent in the millions of switchers. Still million of corprate will update to win 7. Millions. And the end uaervat work will be wowed esprciallybaince you can add a tv tuner, some computers come with them, for apple your looking at $200 for 3rd party, and some pcs come with it standard. Full entertainment center. The courier is another story. A game changer if it's 100%!msft controlled. Remember I am a mac user 90 % of the timeif there is nothing quad core under $1400, this is a fail and therbshouldnhavw been something quad headless as people like me have 24/30" hdmi screens. Might be time for a hacntosh especialy now that they have releaswena script that allows for all mac updates.
Time will tellmNd if they want to take some wind, there has got to be something really cool, fast prosumer and priced fair, not apple luxury tax.
Peace.
FW gone on the MB...
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
But nothing rumored here has the wow factor to create significant new demand. Certainly not the large, last minute demand that would require Apple to plan for significant air-freight charges in the quarter. Apple has said the air freight charges will have a negative impact on margin, are not iPhone related, and involve positioning products for the holiday season.
So what are these products?
Here are my guesses, from a functional standpoint:
1) a home server, capable of aggregating/accessing large repositories of media content, including all the normal suspects (songs, music videos, movies, TV shows, podcasts, pictures, home movies), and adding Internet TV, Live TV, Internet access, DVR (and yes, CD/DVD/BR with an external player).
2) large, expandable external storage with backup
3) streaming uploading and downloading content, concurrently among multiple devices
4) Multiple Large Screen HDTVs
5) Multiple PMDs (Personal Media Devices)
Here's the scenario:
The family is at home:
--Mom, on a computer in the office, is checking the weather and schedules for her business trip to Taos, and refining her preso.
--Dad is in the kitchen preparing dinner - crawfish etouffee, checking the recipe on a PMD
--Sis is on the computer in the family room massaging home videos and pictures for the school yearbook and collaborating with other students on the yearbook team
--Big brother is in his room watching the new Transformer video with a few friends each has a PMD
--Little bro is out back, working on his remedial-reading assignment on his PMD
--Monday Night Football is playing on the Large Screen HDTVs in the Family and Living Rooms
--Grandma, listens to La Boheme, while checking her email on her PMD
--Grandpa is importing last Saturdays Soccer game video, while using a PMD as a tablet to edit highlights for the Team Podcast and Youtube
Now, that's a digital hub in action!
OK, a lot of this function already exists in bits and pieces (but not, necessarily in the right boxes or devices). And, it all doesn't all work together, seamlessly.
For hardware: a home server; large, expandable, distributed external storage (backed up); routers; streamers are key, and quite doable with today's rumored announcements.
What would be new, and justify a separate event, is co-branded Large Screen HDTVs, PMDs, new content, and the software and apps to tie it all together (OS X, iLife, iWork).
Apple can be the "Grinch who stole Christmas" by:
-- announcing/demonstrating all this, say, in an October 27th event.
-- placing demo units in stores before November 9th (freight).
-- placing inventory units in stores before November 24th (freight) so they are available for biggest sales day of the year!
-- massive ad campaign
-- tie-in to content providers
-- provide purchasing through the iTunes store (as well as Stick & Stucco Stores)
-- provide free shipping (freight) for orders delivered before December 11
Boom!
*
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
They are not dropping FW. They never had FW800 on the MacBooks, that ha only been a feature of the MacBook Pros. FW400 is an obsolecing port interface and Apple apparently isn?t interested in FW800 on the MacBook line.
Isnt that giving apple a speed disadvantage when going against windows machines?
I withold judgement tho' on whether Apple's finally produced a mouse I can live with.
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
They can...you want the firewire, you go with the more expensive pro macbook. I think it's a nice way to separate the two groups.
Again... They can't seem to make up their mind to drop it or keep it.
I guess it's dropped.
without looking at specs yet, if they offered a better GPU it has nothing to do with "can't decide" Ns eveything to DO with keeping pros and semi pros from using fcp or motion.
I withhold judgment tho' on whether Apple's finally produced a mouse I can live with.
So nothing under $2k with a core i5 or core i7?
Isnt that giving apple a speed disadvantage when going against windows machines?
i5 is $1999. Under 2k!
In the iMac video they stated IPS displays. Nice!
Quads and nice looking case alterations, though likely still a bitch to take apart.
Looking forward to looking at the mouse review.
Yes and No. 21.5" is TN and without an LED backlight. 27" is IPS with LED backlight. In other words. 21.5 is the previous generation in a slightly updated case. 27" is a completely different Machine.
Dell monitors are suggested by Apple for dual displays? (From the Mac mini page)
Dell monitors are suggested by Apple for dual displays? (From the Mac mini page)
They seem to have no interest in updating their own. On year later, the 24" ACD is still the only Mini-DP display on the market. I was hoping for 21.5", 27", and 30+" additions.
Maybe thats because it weighs about 5 pounds!