No kidding, there is really no thing besides displays, and i suppose updated G5s that could be put out for MWSF. HMM... I suppose it is 2 months away but this definitely signals a shift in Apple strategies.
Things have really changed. Not so long ago, something like the 20" iMac and the Dual 1.8 would have been Apple's big announcements at MacWorld.
This just adds to my suspicions that Apple is going to introduce an all-new consumer-level desktop machine early next year. With the PowerMac G4 towers being phased out, and Steve's obsession with keeping all-in-one computers around, Apple needs something to fill the gap for people who can't afford a PowerMac G5 tower but don't like the all-in-ones.
This isn't about market share, it's about filling the holes in the lineup where people are looking for computers.
Additionally, I think we're going to see a new PowerBook (either dual g4 or single G5) at the same time as the new consumer desktop. The new iBook G4 is great, but they can't leave the PowerBooks and iBooks so close to one another in terms of performance for very long unless they want to risk a drop in PowerBook sales.
I think we're going to see a new PowerBook (either dual g4 or single G5) at the same time as the new consumer desktop.
Won't happen. If there's one thing I've learned about Apple, it's that they never ever EVER release more than one new machine at a time. They don't want two products to share the spotlight.
The new iMacs got their day of glory. The G5s got their moment in the sun. They were BIG deals. If a new product is released at MWSF (and I believe it will -- however what, I'm not sure), it will pale the other updates and releases into the shadows.
"It's our BRAND NEW ___________! Oh, and we bumped this, this, and this."
man....... I am in the market for a new PB right now... but I simply can't force myself to pull the trigger using the plastic at the online store... with January being less than 2 months away...!!!!!!!!!
Won't happen. If there's one thing I've learned about Apple, it's that they never ever EVER release more than one new machine at a time. They don't want two products to share the spotlight.
The new iMacs got their day of glory. The G5s got their moment in the sun. They were BIG deals. If a new product is released at MWSF (and I believe it will -- however what, I'm not sure), it will pale the other updates and releases into the shadows.
"It's our BRAND NEW ___________! Oh, and we bumped this, this, and this."
Well ... they just added the BRAND NEW iBook G4 ... Oh, and they bumped the eMacs (cutting the slower processors, adding Panther, and dropping the price).
Today they just added the BRAND NEW 20-inch iMac ... Oh, and they bumped the PowerMac G5 line.
I don't think a new desktop AND a new laptop at the same time is out of the question. Still, just my opinion.
Well ... they just added the BRAND NEW iBook G4 ... Oh, and they bumped the eMacs
*snip*
Today they just added the BRAND NEW 20-inch iMac ... Oh, and they bumped the PowerMac G5 line.
Those were all just updates and upgrades to EXISTING form factors, etc.
What I mean is that an absolutely never-before-seen Mac will steal the spotlight for any show.
When the new iMac (sunflower design) came out in Jan. 2002 it was like nothing ever seen before. It stole the show. When the PowerMac G5 came out, we'd never seen a 64-bit processor in a personal computer before. The same can be said for the original release of the first iMac, the iBook (each new form factor), the Cube, Powerbooks, etc.
So the point I was making is that a G5 Powerbook and new consumer desktop wouldn't be released together, unless the PB kept the same form factor and just got a new chip (which I suppose is possible -- hell, they did it with the iBook). \
I think macworld could very well be the Apple Office coming out party. The hardware seems to be coming into place as things become available (and in time for the christmas buying season)... last year we saw Keynote and Safari... This year, i think the rest of the office apps could very well roll out. Going over apps like this would take up quite a chunk of time... i'd rather see this than hardware anyways... I have had it up to here with Office v.X
I think macworld could very well be the Apple Office coming out party. The hardware seems to be coming into place as things become available (and in time for the christmas buying season)... last year we saw Keynote and Safari... This year, i think the rest of the office apps could very well roll out. Going over apps like this would take up quite a chunk of time... i'd rather see this than hardware anyways... I have had it up to here with Office v.X
Yes, I too have had it with Microsoft Office ... but I do a lot of work with publishers and all of them say that electronic files MUST be saved in Microsoft Word format (.doc). So, unless Apple finds a way to make a word processor that can save files in Word's proprietary format, I think most Mac users will still be buying Office.
well.... if textedit is any clue, it looks like theyre working on it. This totally depends on Microsoft's "ability" to break the .doc format whenever they see fit.. we'll see what Apple can come up with...
It's all about PDFs baby. What more universal format is there?
PDFs are great, but have you ever tried importing TEXT from a PDFinto another file like Word or Quark? Word docs are just better about handling text between files/formats.
... But I'd LOVE to see Apple make their own version of Office with a great word processor that runs faster than Word and is more STABLE. Don't get me wrong, I want an Apple version of Office ... I just don't want to have compatibility issues when sending/receiving files to/from my employers and clients.
I still think we will get an all-new iMac design in January sporting a G5 processor. Despite the initial shock, the 20-inch iMac released today is really just the current 17-inch model with a larger display. Nothing else seems to have been updated. The timing is ideal for increasing Holiday sales but I don't think it means there will not be exciting things in store for Macworld.
man....... I am in the market for a new PB right now... but I simply can't force myself to pull the trigger using the plastic at the online store... with January being less than 2 months away...!!!!!!!!!
I hear patience is a virtue...
sux to be me...
i've been holding out since august for a speed bump to the top end g5's... sux to be ME (but i hear ya)
i guess new displays at macworld are a shoe-in now!
if they would only have component inputs on them i'd be so happy!
my new place is too small for a computer and tv setup...
i'd like to kill 2 birds on my next purchase! hehe
Well I am no MS advocate, but I believe credit where credit is due. I do not have any stability problems with word and quite frankly I can't type any faster so I am not worried about a faster version. World seem to be an excelent business tool and is compattible accross platforms. When it comes to spreadsheets I doubt that anything will ever beat Excel.
Updates to all iApps (most of the keynote will be based around iTMS).
Updates to the iPod line: 20Gb/60Gb/80Gb models (ride that iTunes wave).
Say goodbye to the G4 throughout the desktop range?
iMac goes G5 (1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz and 2Ghz) with the 15" model eol'd. No price drops, bigger harddrives, better graphics chip, and Superdrive throughout the line. The iMac range will be reoriented towards a home cinema, trendy familly niche market - maybe teamed up with an EyeTV offer.
eMac eol'd. Maybe replaced by a midprice 20th anniversary headless cube thingy, that would have a single G5 processor (1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz and 2Ghz), built-in ethernet and 56kb modem, 1 full size 8X AGP slot and 1 PCI-X slot just to keep everybody happy when it come to upgrading. It would be rugged enough to be used by the education market, which the iMac unfortunately isn't.
Power Mac goes all dual G5s (1.8Ghz, 2.2Ghz and 2.5Ghz if not faster, come on IBM surprise us!) bigger harddrives blah blah blah?
As for the laptops - no big surprises just speedbumps and they will stay with the G4 (4 cores?) for awhile longer - this is no longer the year of the laptop!
As for G5 XServes, Keynote and Apple/iWorks we'll see those as single Apple events or at the WWDC.
grendal, those all seem to be somewhat reasonable changes to expect within the next year... you don't actually think they'll all happen at Macworld though, do you? Typically, Apple releases no more than two new products at a major event like this.
I do believe that the majority of the keynote will be extolling the virtues of iTunes and how great it is and how much people love it. Probably there will also be a comparison between iTunes and all the other copycat music stores cropping up (all of which will of course show iTunes as being way in the lead).
iMac won't go G5 yet, I think it has perhaps one more revision with the G4 left. Maybe it'll get a G5 next summer. But who knows? Maybe it'll go G5 this spring. Unfortunately, because of SJ's personal vendetta against TV, they won't have any bundle of the sort, even if it makes plenty of sense. You're definitely right about the no price drops thing - even if LCD prices do drop, I don't think the price will go down, just because it's never gone down before so there's no reason to believe it'll go down now.
eMac will stay around. I really don't think there will actually be some sort of consumer semi-expandable compact desktop thing. No way. Cube II? No, the Cube was a failure and even though everyone here wants one, I don't think Apple will actually re-release it. People have been wanting a new Cube since it was discontinued so I don't see why they'd choose now to make a new one as opposed to any of those other times.
I also don't think the PowerMac will go all-dual. There will be one low-end single processor model at the bottom. But it does definitely make sense to have duals on the higher two models, so I think a line similar to the one we have right now (except 400-500 MHz faster) would be great.
Maybe Apple will surprise me. I think their consumer desktop line is in disarray, but I don't think they'll overhaul it. I think they're going to try and tweak the products currently there to fix it. But maybe they'll do something different and better, and end up surprising me.
I agree with you Luca? the desktop lineup is in a shambles and the situation will only get worse with each speed bump or Apple event.
The idea with this tradeshow is to get things in order and define a product coherence/strategy/roadmap for the year, and I don't see that happening if Apple continues to use two different processors throughout the desktop lineup.
I know (as well as everybody else) its not reasonable to put a G5 in the iMac or dual G5s throughout the PowerMac line, however, it makes damn good marketing and for better sales? and the $ always wins (just look at recent changes in the G5 lineup - just 100 bucks for an xtra 1.8 Ghz processor, that will make people go wow and open up the cheque book or get a visa card out! I know mine nearly did!).
Apple need to harmonize their Desktop line up, hence the G5 throughout, though they have to differentiate the Pro and consumer lineup, hence the single and dual processor strategy? its worked before
and its working at the moment - just look at the laptop range, G4s throughout.
As for the eMac - I just don't like it! Maybe it'll stick around for a couple more revisions, the Cube 2 thing plays upon recent rumors, though the idea isn't that bad. Apple got burnt the first time round (price tag and upgrade possibilities), however, they do have a terrible habit of rehashing ideas (Spartucus became the iMac), so who knows?
Apple have never been a reasonable company, though they have been known to surprise everybody at any moment! I hope 2004 will be a year of great changes?
Comments
Originally posted by murk
Things have really changed. Not so long ago, something like the 20" iMac and the Dual 1.8 would have been Apple's big announcements at MacWorld.
This just adds to my suspicions that Apple is going to introduce an all-new consumer-level desktop machine early next year. With the PowerMac G4 towers being phased out, and Steve's obsession with keeping all-in-one computers around, Apple needs something to fill the gap for people who can't afford a PowerMac G5 tower but don't like the all-in-ones.
This isn't about market share, it's about filling the holes in the lineup where people are looking for computers.
Additionally, I think we're going to see a new PowerBook (either dual g4 or single G5) at the same time as the new consumer desktop. The new iBook G4 is great, but they can't leave the PowerBooks and iBooks so close to one another in terms of performance for very long unless they want to risk a drop in PowerBook sales.
Originally posted by rustedborg
I think we're going to see a new PowerBook (either dual g4 or single G5) at the same time as the new consumer desktop.
Won't happen. If there's one thing I've learned about Apple, it's that they never ever EVER release more than one new machine at a time. They don't want two products to share the spotlight.
The new iMacs got their day of glory. The G5s got their moment in the sun. They were BIG deals. If a new product is released at MWSF (and I believe it will -- however what, I'm not sure), it will pale the other updates and releases into the shadows.
"It's our BRAND NEW ___________! Oh, and we bumped this, this, and this."
I hear patience is a virtue...
sux to be me...
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Won't happen. If there's one thing I've learned about Apple, it's that they never ever EVER release more than one new machine at a time. They don't want two products to share the spotlight.
The new iMacs got their day of glory. The G5s got their moment in the sun. They were BIG deals. If a new product is released at MWSF (and I believe it will -- however what, I'm not sure), it will pale the other updates and releases into the shadows.
"It's our BRAND NEW ___________! Oh, and we bumped this, this, and this."
Well ... they just added the BRAND NEW iBook G4 ... Oh, and they bumped the eMacs (cutting the slower processors, adding Panther, and dropping the price).
Today they just added the BRAND NEW 20-inch iMac ... Oh, and they bumped the PowerMac G5 line.
I don't think a new desktop AND a new laptop at the same time is out of the question. Still, just my opinion.
Originally posted by rustedborg
Well ... they just added the BRAND NEW iBook G4 ... Oh, and they bumped the eMacs
*snip*
Today they just added the BRAND NEW 20-inch iMac ... Oh, and they bumped the PowerMac G5 line.
Those were all just updates and upgrades to EXISTING form factors, etc.
What I mean is that an absolutely never-before-seen Mac will steal the spotlight for any show.
When the new iMac (sunflower design) came out in Jan. 2002 it was like nothing ever seen before. It stole the show. When the PowerMac G5 came out, we'd never seen a 64-bit processor in a personal computer before. The same can be said for the original release of the first iMac, the iBook (each new form factor), the Cube, Powerbooks, etc.
So the point I was making is that a G5 Powerbook and new consumer desktop wouldn't be released together, unless the PB kept the same form factor and just got a new chip (which I suppose is possible -- hell, they did it with the iBook).
Originally posted by sobelizzard
I think macworld could very well be the Apple Office coming out party. The hardware seems to be coming into place as things become available (and in time for the christmas buying season)... last year we saw Keynote and Safari... This year, i think the rest of the office apps could very well roll out. Going over apps like this would take up quite a chunk of time... i'd rather see this than hardware anyways... I have had it up to here with Office v.X
Yes, I too have had it with Microsoft Office ... but I do a lot of work with publishers and all of them say that electronic files MUST be saved in Microsoft Word format (.doc). So, unless Apple finds a way to make a word processor that can save files in Word's proprietary format, I think most Mac users will still be buying Office.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
It's all about PDFs baby. What more universal format is there?
PDFs are great, but have you ever tried importing TEXT from a PDFinto another file like Word or Quark? Word docs are just better about handling text between files/formats.
... But I'd LOVE to see Apple make their own version of Office with a great word processor that runs faster than Word and is more STABLE. Don't get me wrong, I want an Apple version of Office ... I just don't want to have compatibility issues when sending/receiving files to/from my employers and clients.
if they would only have component inputs on them i'd be so happy!
my new place is too small for a computer and tv setup...
i'd like to kill 2 birds on my next purchase! hehe
Steve Jobs proclaimed that they would release totally new iApps next year. Stuff nobody had even thought of yet. He called it "Pretty strong stuff"
maybe we will see hardware to go along with that. Resent releases could point in that direction since almost EVERYTHING has been updated...
we'll see soon enough. 8)
Originally posted by shabbasuraj
man....... I am in the market for a new PB right now... but I simply can't force myself to pull the trigger using the plastic at the online store... with January being less than 2 months away...!!!!!!!!!
I hear patience is a virtue...
sux to be me...
i've been holding out since august for a speed bump to the top end g5's... sux to be ME (but i hear ya)
Originally posted by whoami
i guess new displays at macworld are a shoe-in now!
if they would only have component inputs on them i'd be so happy!
my new place is too small for a computer and tv setup...
i'd like to kill 2 birds on my next purchase! hehe
Well I am no MS advocate, but I believe credit where credit is due. I do not have any stability problems with word and quite frankly I can't type any faster so I am not worried about a faster version. World seem to be an excelent business tool and is compattible accross platforms. When it comes to spreadsheets I doubt that anything will ever beat Excel.
Updates to the iPod line: 20Gb/60Gb/80Gb models (ride that iTunes wave).
Say goodbye to the G4 throughout the desktop range?
iMac goes G5 (1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz and 2Ghz) with the 15" model eol'd. No price drops, bigger harddrives, better graphics chip, and Superdrive throughout the line. The iMac range will be reoriented towards a home cinema, trendy familly niche market - maybe teamed up with an EyeTV offer.
eMac eol'd. Maybe replaced by a midprice 20th anniversary headless cube thingy, that would have a single G5 processor (1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz and 2Ghz), built-in ethernet and 56kb modem, 1 full size 8X AGP slot and 1 PCI-X slot just to keep everybody happy when it come to upgrading. It would be rugged enough to be used by the education market, which the iMac unfortunately isn't.
Power Mac goes all dual G5s (1.8Ghz, 2.2Ghz and 2.5Ghz if not faster, come on IBM surprise us!) bigger harddrives blah blah blah?
As for the laptops - no big surprises just speedbumps and they will stay with the G4 (4 cores?) for awhile longer - this is no longer the year of the laptop!
As for G5 XServes, Keynote and Apple/iWorks we'll see those as single Apple events or at the WWDC.
Anway thats what I think?
I do believe that the majority of the keynote will be extolling the virtues of iTunes and how great it is and how much people love it. Probably there will also be a comparison between iTunes and all the other copycat music stores cropping up (all of which will of course show iTunes as being way in the lead).
iMac won't go G5 yet, I think it has perhaps one more revision with the G4 left. Maybe it'll get a G5 next summer. But who knows? Maybe it'll go G5 this spring. Unfortunately, because of SJ's personal vendetta against TV, they won't have any bundle of the sort, even if it makes plenty of sense. You're definitely right about the no price drops thing - even if LCD prices do drop, I don't think the price will go down, just because it's never gone down before so there's no reason to believe it'll go down now.
eMac will stay around. I really don't think there will actually be some sort of consumer semi-expandable compact desktop thing. No way. Cube II? No, the Cube was a failure and even though everyone here wants one, I don't think Apple will actually re-release it. People have been wanting a new Cube since it was discontinued so I don't see why they'd choose now to make a new one as opposed to any of those other times.
I also don't think the PowerMac will go all-dual. There will be one low-end single processor model at the bottom. But it does definitely make sense to have duals on the higher two models, so I think a line similar to the one we have right now (except 400-500 MHz faster) would be great.
Maybe Apple will surprise me. I think their consumer desktop line is in disarray, but I don't think they'll overhaul it. I think they're going to try and tweak the products currently there to fix it. But maybe they'll do something different and better, and end up surprising me.
The idea with this tradeshow is to get things in order and define a product coherence/strategy/roadmap for the year, and I don't see that happening if Apple continues to use two different processors throughout the desktop lineup.
I know (as well as everybody else) its not reasonable to put a G5 in the iMac or dual G5s throughout the PowerMac line, however, it makes damn good marketing and for better sales? and the $ always wins (just look at recent changes in the G5 lineup - just 100 bucks for an xtra 1.8 Ghz processor, that will make people go wow and open up the cheque book or get a visa card out! I know mine nearly did!).
Apple need to harmonize their Desktop line up, hence the G5 throughout, though they have to differentiate the Pro and consumer lineup, hence the single and dual processor strategy? its worked before
and its working at the moment - just look at the laptop range, G4s throughout.
As for the eMac - I just don't like it! Maybe it'll stick around for a couple more revisions, the Cube 2 thing plays upon recent rumors, though the idea isn't that bad. Apple got burnt the first time round (price tag and upgrade possibilities), however, they do have a terrible habit of rehashing ideas (Spartucus became the iMac), so who knows?
Apple have never been a reasonable company, though they have been known to surprise everybody at any moment! I hope 2004 will be a year of great changes?