when has apple scooped the rumor community?

rok · August 30, 2004 8:05PM

i was trying to think about it as we sit here watching the minutes pass by until expo (see, that makes this relate to temporary insanity), and often times, even if it's just hours before keynote, the rumor community has figured out at least part of a lot of announcements in the past several years. even the great timecanada.ccom debacle before the lump-stick-rectangle redesign of the imac scooped steve's thunder.

which begs the question, as hard as steve and apple have tried in the past, how many times have they TRULY surprised us?

obviously, the original imac comes to mind, as i saw its whirling GIF on apple.com and exclaimed to my wife-to-be "what the f*ck is THAT?!?" i seem to recall also being surprised by Keynote and the eMac.

Anything else?

mpmoriarty · August 30, 2004 8:14PM

If I recall, nobody expected Apple to come out with a 17-inch with illuminating keys.

Mike

rnsk · August 30, 2004 8:19PM

Recently the closest i can think of is the Airport Xpress.

the was some *super vague* rumblings of something kinda like it awhile ago, but it always got speculated into a wireless iPod

I know I was a suprised by it...and, pleased by the clever engineering.

-K

rok · August 30, 2004 8:25PM

ah, i thought of another one... did anyone see Motion coming?

and i would say GarageBand, BUT Apple had trademarked the item a decent while before the announcment, if i recall.

davidem · August 30, 2004 8:35PM

The original iPod seemed like a surprise to me... as was Garageband. iTunes also was a nice surprise...

When Apple bought NeXT late '96 i was kinda surprised too... Most rumors pointed to Be.inc.

I hope i'll be surprised again in 6 hours...

rnsk · August 30, 2004 8:47PM

Yeah these are all good. I remember the iPod... rio 500 form factor, but Creative Jukebox capacity...and *firewire* for speed.

I *had* to have one

-K

pscates · August 30, 2004 8:49PM

I can't believe no one mentioned the iBook G4 from last year!

I remember waking up, seeing their page with the two new G4 iBooks on it and literally wiping my eyes and kinda shaking my head (like I wasn't sure I was awake yet and reading things properly).

There was no real talk of the iBook going to a G4. We all wished it, but we seemed just resigned to the fact that their "consumer laptop probably has to stay with a G3 for a while".

I was jazzed because that meant everyone - no matter what they bought from Apple - was on equal footing in terms of using X and all. The G4 just seemed more responsive, so I was glad that the iBook no longer felt like the neglected stepchild! With that one change, it suddenly felt like Apple had a future-facing, proper, OS X-friendly line-up. I was pleased.

That was a huge surprise. The eMac was another. As was AirPort Express and the 17" PowerBook!

I distinctly remember those four particular products seeming to just drop out of thin air, with no advance inkling or rumbling whatsoever! Those are the products I like because you dont' get a chance to build them up to some ridiculous, impossible-to-live-up-to degree...like this iMac G5.

macsrgood4u · August 30, 2004 8:58PM

The original iMac was a BIG surprise. The iPod was hinted at when the invitations were sent out and a magazine actually published the name of the player a few days before the event.

placebo · August 30, 2004 8:58PM

Let's see...Apple surprises?

original iPod

iPod Mini

Airport Express

Powerbook 12"

Powerbook 17"

Motion

iMac 2

And those are just in the last couple years.

idave · August 30, 2004 9:07PM

I guess it depends on what you mean by surprise. Of Placebo's list, the Airport Express and Motion were the only total surprises. Everything else had been hinted at weeks, days or hours before.

pscates · August 30, 2004 9:19PM

Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking. Hell, the iPod mini (even though we didn't know its name yet) was talked about for MONTHS here, ThinkSecret, MacRumors.com, etc. No one was surprised. Only the design and name were a mystery until the keynote. But everyone was expecting a lower-capacity, fun colored "little brother" to the iPod.

And iMac 2 WOULD'VE been a surprise if not for Time Canada.

I still remember the first time I saw those leaked photos the night before the keynote, of Jobs and Ive standing on either side of it. I was giddy.

"OHMIGOSH, THAT'S THE COOLEST LOOKING COMPUTER EVER!!!".

Two months later, I had mine! 800MHz, SuperDrive, the first version of iPhoto, etc. I kept moving that screen all around...just because I could.

witsend · August 30, 2004 9:20PM

When Logic Audio was bundled with every plug in and virtual instrument. This virtually cut the cost of the package by 2/3!

I nearly fell off my chair and was ringing people as sad as me at 2.30am...

Did not see it coming!

chromos · August 30, 2004 9:28PM

I thought that the original iBook introduced in July 1999 was a surprise, esp. with the built-in AirPort. That wowed me. I don't think people were expecting it to come so soon, and to debut in a consumer machine at that.

orbitpink · August 30, 2004 9:31PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pscates

Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking. Hell, the iPod mini (even though we didn't know its name yet) was talked about for MONTHS here, ThinkSecret, MacRumors.com, etc. No one was surprised. Only the design and name were a mystery until the keynote. But everyone was expecting a lower-capacity, fun colored "little brother" to the iPod.

And iMac 2 WOULD'VE been a surprise if not for Time Canada.

I still remember the first time I saw those leaked photos the night before the keynote, of Jobs and Ive standing on either side of it. I was giddy.

"OHMIGOSH, THAT'S THE COOLEST LOOKING COMPUTER EVER!!!".

Two months later, I had mine! 800MHz, SuperDrive, the first version of iPhoto, etc. I kept moving that screen all around...just because I could.

I too remember when I saw the iMac on Time Canada, I knew that my slush fund was going to be depleted within the next few hours!

2 months later, I had mine as well! My mom and dad, and little brother Kip use it now, as I have moved on to greater things---the PowerBook.

I wonder what's coming?

7e7 · August 30, 2004 11:07PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rok

i was trying to think about it as we sit here watching the minutes pass by until expo (see, that makes this relate to temporary insanity), and often times, even if it's just hours before keynote, the rumor community has figured out at least part of a lot of announcements in the past several years. even the great timecanada.ccom debacle before the lump-stick-rectangle redesign of the imac scooped steve's thunder.

which begs the question, as hard as steve and apple have tried in the past, how many times have they TRULY surprised us?

obviously, the original imac comes to mind, as i saw its whirling GIF on apple.com and exclaimed to my wife-to-be "what the f*ck is THAT?!?" i seem to recall also being surprised by Keynote and the eMac.

Anything else?

Didn't Apple scoop us big time with the Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian colors on the CRT iMac? I think a lot of people thought somebody hacked Apple's site that day. There was a lot of moaning and groaning over that one...

ensign pulver · August 30, 2004 11:22PM

I think the spirit of this thread deals with major hardware introductions: actual Mac computers with all new form factors. Keeping a software title or peripheral secret (no mater how cool or groundbreaking) is a lot easier. Speedbumps, color changes and additions to the existing lines don't count.

That said, the only big things Apple kept completely quiet were the original iMac, both iBook form factors, the TiBooks and the iPod and iPod. Everything else, including the slot load CRT iMacs, the Cube, the iMac 2, and the G5 were all leaked in some fashion.

Only a few hours until the iMac 3 joins the list of true secret introductions.

when has apple scooped the rumor community?

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