PC Magazine: Mac G5 Best Personal Computer
PC Magazine Announces the Winners of the 20th Annual Awards for Technical Excellence
NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- PC Magazine, a Ziff Davis Media
publication, announced today the winners of its 20th annual Awards for
Technical Excellence. The awards recognize products or technologies that have
advanced the state of the art; and will have a significant impact on the
future directions of technology. The winners were revealed at a special
ceremony held last night, November 17, 2003 at the Venetian Hotel in Las
Vegas, Nevada. The ceremony was sponsored by CDW.
"We review thousands of products each year and have found the entries in
this year's awards to be among the best the technology industry has to offer,"
said Michael J. Miller, editor-in-chief, PC Magazine. "2003 has been a year of
steady recovery, regained confidence, and renewed optimism, and nowhere is
this better reflected than in our finalists and winners. Congratulations to
all of them."
In order to be eligible for these awards, the products had to ship or be
generally available between September 2002 and September 2003. PC Magazine's
editorial staff and Lab analysts nominated the products, protocols and people
who had the most impact on the industry. Over 35 products in 11 different
categories were selected as finalists. All finalists and winners will be
posted online at http://www.pcmag.com/techex and will be featured in the December
30th issue of PC Magazine. The 2003 winners are as follows:
Personal Computers Mobile Devices
-- Apple Power Mac G5 -- PalmOne Treo 600
Components Storage Devices
-- AMD Opteron & Athlon 64 -- Cornice Storage Element
Digital Input Devices Digital Output Devices
-- Foveon X3 5M Direct Image Sensor -- Epson Stylus Pro 4000
System Software Collaboration Software
-- VMware ESX Server 2 & Virtual SMP -- Colligo Workgroup Edition
Communication Software Development Tools
-- Microsoft Office 2003 System -- BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1
Protocols Person of the Year
-- 802.11g -- Carly Fiorina, CEO, Hewlett-
Packard
Lifetime Achievement
Scott Cook, Founder, Intuit
About PC Magazine
PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive
labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of
technology products and services. Reaching highly engaged technology
influencers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging
technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology
pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current
as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and
continually on the Web.
NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- PC Magazine, a Ziff Davis Media
publication, announced today the winners of its 20th annual Awards for
Technical Excellence. The awards recognize products or technologies that have
advanced the state of the art; and will have a significant impact on the
future directions of technology. The winners were revealed at a special
ceremony held last night, November 17, 2003 at the Venetian Hotel in Las
Vegas, Nevada. The ceremony was sponsored by CDW.
"We review thousands of products each year and have found the entries in
this year's awards to be among the best the technology industry has to offer,"
said Michael J. Miller, editor-in-chief, PC Magazine. "2003 has been a year of
steady recovery, regained confidence, and renewed optimism, and nowhere is
this better reflected than in our finalists and winners. Congratulations to
all of them."
In order to be eligible for these awards, the products had to ship or be
generally available between September 2002 and September 2003. PC Magazine's
editorial staff and Lab analysts nominated the products, protocols and people
who had the most impact on the industry. Over 35 products in 11 different
categories were selected as finalists. All finalists and winners will be
posted online at http://www.pcmag.com/techex and will be featured in the December
30th issue of PC Magazine. The 2003 winners are as follows:
Personal Computers Mobile Devices
-- Apple Power Mac G5 -- PalmOne Treo 600
Components Storage Devices
-- AMD Opteron & Athlon 64 -- Cornice Storage Element
Digital Input Devices Digital Output Devices
-- Foveon X3 5M Direct Image Sensor -- Epson Stylus Pro 4000
System Software Collaboration Software
-- VMware ESX Server 2 & Virtual SMP -- Colligo Workgroup Edition
Communication Software Development Tools
-- Microsoft Office 2003 System -- BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1
Protocols Person of the Year
-- 802.11g -- Carly Fiorina, CEO, Hewlett-
Packard
Lifetime Achievement
Scott Cook, Founder, Intuit
About PC Magazine
PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive
labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of
technology products and services. Reaching highly engaged technology
influencers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging
technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology
pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current
as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and
continually on the Web.
Quote:
Graphic artists and content creators are rejoicing over the Apple Power Mac G5. In a dazzling display of disruptive technology and processor independence, Apple's top-of-the line G5 is the first dual?64-bit computer and the first desktop application of the IBM PowerPC 970 CPU. The vast majority of Macintosh apps run flawlessly on this brand-new platform.
The three PCI-X slots ensure fast I/O; the AGP 8X Pro graphics bus, FireWire 800 bus, and USB 2.0 bus are equally state of the art. Apple has also done a superb job of heat management, having divided the case into four thermal zones, each with low-speed fans appropriate to the load. The result is a commendably quiet machine.
The G5 performed significantly better than any previous Mac?and equaled or bettered the performance of Intel-platform machines?on our all-important graphics and content creation tests. As a 64-bit operating system and applications emerge, users will enjoy the dual 1-GHz front-side buses and rapid access to up to 8 gigabytes of RAM. The G5 is an important step forward in desktop computer technology and a vital cornerstone of Apple's future.
Graphic artists and content creators are rejoicing over the Apple Power Mac G5. In a dazzling display of disruptive technology and processor independence, Apple's top-of-the line G5 is the first dual?64-bit computer and the first desktop application of the IBM PowerPC 970 CPU. The vast majority of Macintosh apps run flawlessly on this brand-new platform.
The three PCI-X slots ensure fast I/O; the AGP 8X Pro graphics bus, FireWire 800 bus, and USB 2.0 bus are equally state of the art. Apple has also done a superb job of heat management, having divided the case into four thermal zones, each with low-speed fans appropriate to the load. The result is a commendably quiet machine.
The G5 performed significantly better than any previous Mac?and equaled or bettered the performance of Intel-platform machines?on our all-important graphics and content creation tests. As a 64-bit operating system and applications emerge, users will enjoy the dual 1-GHz front-side buses and rapid access to up to 8 gigabytes of RAM. The G5 is an important step forward in desktop computer technology and a vital cornerstone of Apple's future.
Comments
Well, they can't say anything about XP being good.
It's great to "bust Balmer's balls".
Hardware, software, a new OS, owns the whole digital music/download/playing game, praise and accolades from some unusual places, all products sporting G4s and above, a wide range of prices and configurations available, etc.
I won't launch into another rant on the topic, but I sure wish they'd start backing all that up with a visible, informative and eye-catching marketing campaign.
They're firing on all cylinders as of late and they're STILL relying - it seems - on word of mouth and "accidentally stumbling into a retail Apple store" for people to give them a serious look.
Not good. They can do better than that. And they should. The hardware, software and OS deserve better. PEOPLE deserve better!
If people only knew...
This much cool stuff from one company, they should OWN the planet...not merely have a small 3% chunk of it. Amazing, actually. And not in a good way.
What's their problem in this one area?
Sigh...
(okay, it was a mini-rant...sorry...can't help it...it bothers me to no end!!!)
Look at the history of Apple's advertising since Steve came back: no numbers, no prices, a mere smidge of "we're better than Wintel because..." It's all high concept stuff that is not effective.
Here's my particular peeve: Apple has never on television shown a glimpse of Mac OS X. I'm convinced that 20 seconds of a full frame video capture of someone surfing the web, writing an email and using iTunes will dazzle enough Windows users to say, "My God, XP is blue and green pigeon droppings compared to that!"
There's a lack of down to earth, practical compare and contrast to the Wintel that's missing. "Do you like my iMac? Isn't it pretty?"
Screed
Originally posted by pscates
Just further delicious icing on the cake to what has been, IMO, an amazing, kick-butt year for our favorite company.
Hardware, software, a new OS, owns the whole digital music/download/playing game, praise and accolades from some unusual places, all products sporting G4s and above, a wide range of prices and configurations available, etc.
I won't launch into another rant on the topic, but I sure wish they'd start backing all that up with a visible, informative and eye-catching marketing campaign.
They're firing on all cylinders as of late and they're STILL relying - it seems - on word of mouth and "accidentally stumbling into a retail Apple store" for people to give them a serious look.
Not good. They can do better than that. And they should. The hardware, software and OS deserve better. PEOPLE deserve better!
If people only knew...
This much cool stuff from one company, they should OWN the planet...not merely have a small 3% chunk of it. Amazing, actually. And not in a good way.
What's their problem in this one area?
Sigh...
(okay, it was a mini-rant...sorry...can't help it...it bothers me to no end!!!)
Apple is a little like God,
Not going to beat you over the head with facts and figures but for those who know... they know...
hehehe had to throw that in
Fellows
I'll never be convinced by anyone here that there ISN'T a way - in an ongong series of 15-30 second spots - that the basic "vibe" of using a Mac (the hardware, various iApps, the OS itself, etc.) couldn't be distilled down to some cleverly-written, beautifully filmed commercials that would really take things to a whole new level.
We can quibble all day about "no, Apple doesn't need to do that" and "that's not Apple's style" and so forth.
But the fact IS, there are SO many people out there who are completely unaware or misinformed about Apple and their products. They know only what they remember from college or high school OR what some know-nothing co-worker or brother-in-law says about them (almost always wrong, by the way).
I mean, you see commercials all over the place now about "digital music", "digital video", "staying connected", etc. (in other words, the whole "digital hub" thing). And it pisses me off to no end that these commercials and the people in them are acting as though a) they were first to do it, b) they do it best or c) no other platform can do this type of stuff (photos, video, music, wireless, etc.).
That's when I want to reach out and choke Apple and give them a good smack for not reaping the rewards and benefits of the seeds THEY themselves sowed 2-3 years ago! They come out with iMovie, iTunes, iDVD, etc. and then sit and let Gateway, Dell and Microsoft (and other tech/software companies) make commericals and print campaigns playing up THEIR role or place in all this.
Meanwhile, I'm sitting there going "helloooo? There's been free digital video editing software on the Mac for about 3 years now, lunkheads..."
I'm sorry, but the fact is Apple can design and produce the coolest hardware, apps and OS on the planet (they do) but it doesn't mean anything in the end if people simply don't know about it.
That's why I'm constantly disheartened by Apple's inexplicable ability to somehow make a campaign as attractive, exciting and 1/10 as engaging as the stuff they create. It's almost as though they use all their energy and creativity to MAKE the stuff...and have nothing left over to market it.
That's just sad, considering...
If I could have 15 minutes in a room with Steve, that would be the one and only thing I'd want to ask him about. Because at this point, I'm genuinely at a loss and honestly find myself thinking "well, I guess they're satisfied with their 3% niche...if it doesn't bother them, I guess it shouldn't bother me."
But still...
Originally posted by pscates
Yep.
It's almost as though they use all their energy and creativity to MAKE the stuff...and have nothing left over to market it.
I'm not sure of the creative process between Apple and their ad agency.
Typically a client, Apple in this case would express their desired results of a campaign. It's the agency's responsibility to come back with creative that would work around the strategy.
We're not sure if Apple's briefing to the agency specified showing the benefits of their products or maybe just making their products look hip.
I guess ultimately, it's still Apple's direction and final say in the end.
But it ain't, in this case.
And I don't blame anyone but Apple because it is there deal and they have say-so on it all. I just think they're forever guilty of "flash over all else" in their marketing.
And sometimes, for some things, that's great. That's all that's needed.
But we're dealing with something unique here: a company seen by most as a niche player, BUT who time and time again sets the tone and charts the course for the entire industry.
Apple isn't Honda or Whirlpool or any other popular brand you can simply see everywhere you turn your head or see at every Circuit City, car lot or Sears in your hometown.
This takes a little effort. Effort that I'm not seeing much of, in any sort of meaningful, "appeal to someone besides diehard Mac geeks" way.
People, on balance, don't know about them. And, as I say upthread, what most people DO know is false and outdated. Or silly, decade-old myths that have never been true but have somehow lodged themselves into popular lore and you get people like my uncle who ask "Yeah, doesn't Microsoft own them now? They were going under, I heard...".
And the countless other silly stuff we've all heard and seen over the years. Left alone and unchallenged, how/why would anyone come to think otherwise?
They won't.
I mean, c'mon... Hardware? Software? .Mac? Hot news? It's all nicely done and fun to visit, but super-geeky, all Mac code, n' practically all for us.
I'm hoping that the fact that Apple.com's old-style tabs and Jaguar striping are still on top indicates time and effort is being put instead into a major redesign that's under wraps. I hope it'll be good.
The V tech cluster, the good revues coming from PC magazines, are the best campaign avalaible. Apple makes now competitive products in term of raw performances : that's new and that's great. It's much better than the old Apple's distorsion field campaigns that we used to see.
I predict that 2004 will be a great year for Apple.
Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
Add to the above the fact that PC Magazine gave Panther it's highest rating (5 stars) and you can't say Apple isn't trying.
It's great to "bust Balmer's balls".
What balls?
iTues,iPod,G5,VT Cluster have each made a major impression on the general public.
I've read responses from many windows users who have tried out iTunes for the first time and you can see the light bulb turning on in their heads as they say "I get it now."
I don't know if any of the change in attitude in the peecee world will translate into market-share increases for Apple. I think Apple needs Linux to continue to break down Microsoft's stranglehold on the computer world before Apple can see significant growth.
Almost everyone I know who doesn't have a Mac wants one to some extent, but they are still clinging to windows no matter how much they hate it for games or cheap home built boxes or just simply not being able to imagine a world without windows.
Originally posted by pscates
I won't launch into another rant on the topic, but I sure wish they'd start backing all that up with a visible, informative and eye-catching marketing campaign.
Untill today, no ad campaign seems to have changed anything about Apple's marketshare. The Jeff Goldblum "beige" rant, "There's no step three", dancing colorful iMacs and iBooks... It was all really cool. Really "different". No other computer company could have pulled that. Imagine Dell boxes dancing to the sound of Barry White or the Rolling Stones...
After going for the cool factor, Apple tried something different with the switch ads. Again, it looked like Apple: light-toned, humourous, stylish... in a new way. Those ads tried to "educate" people. Again, it didn't help with the marketshare. I think the problem is that Apple is perceived as a stylish, but elitist and snobbish company. The only way to change that is to stop making things "different". To stop being "cool". Dell, HP and Gateway aren't cool.
For most people, a PC is a utility, like a dish washer or a vacuum cleaner. For most people, an elegant or stylish dish washer will seem weird. For a dish washer, people will always go for the plain looking boring model, because they will feel ripped off if they buy the nice looking stylish one, even if the price is the same: they don't want to spend money on style and elegance for that kind of stuff.
So what Apple is trying to do is now pretty simple. Instead of going for the "cool" or "wow" factor with a new campain, they launch innovative products that give people who are not ready to buy a mac, a little taste of the mac: iPod, iTunes for Windows, Music store. And show them the better design of both the hardware and the software is worth it.
My co-workers (I have one of the only two Macs in an all-windows network of 200 machines) are amazed by the ease of use of iTunes for Windows, particularly by the music sharing feature. Every day, I find one or two more people on the LAN sharing their music. And this is their work box: they found the feature so cool, that they made the effort to transfer the MP3 collection they had at home on their work PC. Most guys in my office never even considered ripping their CDs before they installed iTunes, and now they're ripping like crazy.
I think that does more for Apple than any ad campaign will ever do.
Originally posted by Hobbes
I completely agree. Apple needs a new campaign that's much more friendly toward people who haven't thought about Apple in a long time. A clever, stylish campaign that gets across Apple style to a T, and lures people over to check out the Apple site, which, incidentally, could also could use a major redesign to be much, much more potential switcher-friendly.
I mean, c'mon... Hardware? Software? .Mac? Hot news? It's all nicely done and fun to visit, but super-geeky, all Mac code, n' practically all for us.
I'm hoping that the fact that Apple.com's old-style tabs and Jaguar striping are still on top indicates time and effort is being put instead into a major redesign that's under wraps. I hope it'll be good.
Yeah. Maybe they could make a site specially for potential switchers like they did with the iPod. appleswitch.com or applemove.com. They could put promo (look at iTunes! see how cool browser tabs are?! watch the windows get small with Expose! etc.) And post links to xvsxp.com, maybe, or just the good parts of it (the parts that Apple is better in.)