I am curious to see what you guys really think: MWNY Prediction Thread.
As far as my predictions go.
Hardware
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G4 Powermac Speeds Up To 1.5 Ghz
iMac Speed Bump To 1 Ghz
New iDevice Most Likely A Camera Of Some Sort
---------------------------------------------------------
Software
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iMovie 3
iDVD 3
Mac OS X Version 10.2 (Jaguar) Available Immediately.
Hardware
--------------
G4 Powermac Speeds Up To 1.5 Ghz
iMac Speed Bump To 1 Ghz
New iDevice Most Likely A Camera Of Some Sort
---------------------------------------------------------
Software
-------------
iMovie 3
iDVD 3
Mac OS X Version 10.2 (Jaguar) Available Immediately.
Comments
Today Apple's "iCEO" announced that he had captured the longtime fugitive Steve Balmer. Balmer had been charged with indecent exposure at a local bar, following a speech he made at a Microsoft event. After being charged Balmer escaped from the authorities and had tried to flee to Canada, killing a border guard and a innocent black bear by streaking through the woods near the border. When asked how he was able to capture the fugitive, Jobs smiled and said somthing about a RDF and a private helicopter. Police are detaining Balmer at a local jail.
Apparantly, Martha Stewart and the Annoying Dell Kid are next. Beware...
I'm sure there will be some talk about the oh-so-great Bluetooth. "[We don't really have it yet] but it's cool anyways."
Second, about Jag-wire "It's so faaaaaaaaaaaast! Repeat after me, 'fast'!" Maybe a demo of some of the features. The actual release would be nice, but I'd rather see them delay it for another few months and polish it even more.
Third? Maybe that digital device stuff I can't afford anyways. Who knows... a watch that synches time through Bluetooth, or something.
Fourth, the long-awaited introduction of new PowerMacs. I doubt they'll be G5; I guess they'll have some clever optimisation tricks like the XServe, and additionally even more Megahertz (let's say up to 1.4 GHz). Of course, there will be a Photoshop comparison, and of course, Photoshop 7.0.1.234.1.325.special_apple_build.234 will be twice as fast as Photoshop 7.0.0 on Win32.
Fifth, he's gonna talk about how great their notebooks are, how great they would work together with Bluetooth if that *did* work and so on. Of course, he won't miss to tell us that Jag-wire has Bluetooth support included "isn't that excellent?".
Sixth, he'll probably clear up the iMac CRT || eMac || iMac LCD confusion, for example, by lowering eMac prices and giving up iMac CRT.
Have I forgotten anything? Oh yeah, digital hub is excellent, of course.
Including digital hub *software*, such as the oh-so-great iTunes, the even better iMovie, the yet better iDVD and the not-to-forget iPhoto.
Also including their pro software, which he'll list up for those who never heard of it, which is nobody.
That's it. Nothing interesting. At least I hope so, because I plan to buy my iBook *before* MWNY. Not intending to waste money.
-we'll have high expectations
-they won't be met
-we'll be dissapointed
I'm betting on this one, really.
G-News
I think they'll bring Steven up on stage and have him sit down in front of one of the new towers with aa new 19" flat panel to match the new enclosures. They'll run some Photoshop tests, Steve will get to play his favorite games and use all the iApps, and finally when all the fun is over, Steven will be stunned, blurting out "DUDE! I SHOULDVE BOUGHT A MAC!". Finally men in black suits will run up from offstage, carrying briefcases and unbrellas. They will open their umbrellas, directly pointed at the Dell kid, and guns will rapidly fire. The folks in attendance will let out a huge roar, and news will reach China in seconds of this spectacular session.
iMac speed bump to ~933 MHz.
One more thing...
Same QuickSilver style case w/new DDR mobo up to Dual 1.2 GHz "new" G4. Gigawire thingy finally explained.
Apple seems to recycle the case design for YEARS and the QuickSilver was just a faceplate and color change from the previous design. Frankly its a good design except for the lack of an extra front drive bay and/or front mounted I/O ports (FireWire would be nice, screw USB).
A set top box that streams music and video via airport. The box would have airport and firewire inputs, with standard audio and video outputs. It could solve the ?mac in one room, entertainment center in the other? problem. I know that other companies make this sort of device, but apple could probably do it more elegantly.
Also, what about incorporating the design of the iMac flat panel into the larger LCD screens? (I.E. a large/heavy base with the same extending arm) This would solve one of the main complaints about the current LCD screens, which is that they aren?t adjustable.
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
-Jaguar release: not available but date announced. Looong demonstration. Upgrade pricing announced. Audience groans.
-New tower enclosures with 1.2GHz 7455 processors and same DDR setup as Xserve. (Come on, when was the last time Apple surprised us with FASTER machines?) Okay, MAYBE 1.4GHz. No FireWire2, no USB2.
-If towers go to 1.4, iMac goes to 1GHz; otherwise iMac tops out at 933.
-Lavish praise for portables, just updated.
-Lavish praise for eMac.
-AppleWorks 7, maybe other iApps updated.
-New iDevice.
Hmm, that isn't much of a show. Maybe I'm being too conservative. But with all the lines except towers just updated or brand-new...
same ridiculous price points
Maybe a new iDevice
Basically, a total hardware dissapointment that Steve will try to deflect attention from with some sort of iDevice.
<strong>I predict more prediction threads</strong><hr></blockquote>
I predict the prediction of even more prediction threads.
<strong>I think we'll see more pro users buying x86 boxen.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Oh yeah, while we're at it.
I predict even more "If Apple doesn't come up with something great by [so-and-so], they'll go bankrupt" posts.
<strong>I think we'll see more pro users buying x86 boxen.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's such ignorant thing to say. Most "Pro" users work for a company that makes purchase decisions. I don't think they have much if any say. The designers here don't come up to my boss and say. "I'm dissapointed in the current PowerMac specs, please give me a wintel box and purchase new licenses for all the expensive software I use."
As far as other power users that work independently or own their own businesses, I can't see them doing that either, unless they have lots of money to burn or no idea of what they're getting themselves into.
MM.
Have you seen the video performance of a single P4 2.53Ghz, let alone a dual? Or the 3-d render performance on the best x86 boxes? Pro's are buying them. Take a good long look at the quarter over quarter sales of Apple's PowerMacs. Notice anything? I do: shrinking sales. And this is the pro user base we're talking about here -- people whose bosses regularly update the studio equipment on a timely cycle. If sales are shrinking (even slightly) it's far more likely that they're buying something else than choosing to wait for the next great mac (one that's finally up to snuff performance--and price--wise)
I've seen plenty of accounts of those self same pros complaining that their bosses have switched them over to x86. Macs might rule publishing and 2-d design, but 3-d, engineering, modelling, simulation and video are WIDE OPEN. Pros in these markets have little incentive to stay with a given platform. Their work habits, in these cases, were short in the making, and can quickly be un-made. Also, there is no BOX AT ALL, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM that is fast enough for these users untill we start getting a machines that produce a final result within seconds of being issued a command, not hours or minutes, SECONDS, the closer to instantaneous, the better.
Please join me in a round of applause to thank the ex-wives and dysfunctional families of the Jagwire team members. Their personal lives are ruined, but we think the results were well worth it."
<strong>Fine then: most pro users bosses will buy them x86 boxen. <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Have you seen the video performance of a single P4 2.53Ghz, let alone a dual? Or the 3-d render performance on the best x86 boxes? Pro's are buying them. Take a good long look at the quarter over quarter sales of Apple's PowerMacs. Notice anything? I do: shrinking sales. And this is the pro user base we're talking about here -- people whose bosses regularly update the studio equipment on a timely cycle. If sales are shrinking (even slightly) it's far more likely that they're buying something else than choosing to wait for the next great mac (one that's finally up to snuff performance--and price--wise)
I've seen plenty of accounts of those self same pros complaining that their bosses have switched them over to x86. Macs might rule publishing and 2-d design, but 3-d, engineering, modelling, simulation and video are WIDE OPEN. Pros in these markets have little incentive to stay with a given platform. Their work habits, in these cases, were short in the making, and can quickly be un-made. Also, there is no BOX AT ALL, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM that is fast enough for these users untill we start getting a machines that produce a final result within seconds of being issued a command, not hours or minutes, SECONDS, the closer to instantaneous, the better.</strong><hr></blockquote>
What is the actual timeframe of this "timely cycle". I'm curious to know.
<strong>(snip) Take a good long look at the quarter over quarter sales of Apple's PowerMacs. Notice anything? I do: shrinking sales. (snip)</strong><hr></blockquote>
Have you seen the data on peecee sales? I believe I recently saw that year on year sales were down again. Intel stock just dropped 18% in a day as they forecast lower sales in the near future.