Poll: Favorite New Apple Product of MWSF 2005?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Favorite New Apple Product of MWSF 2005? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=427)

[Nermal]

I think that the new mini Mac is the best new thing because it eliminates the two biggest complaints about Macs (price and single-buttonness). Personally I wouldn't buy one because I already have a G4 tower, but they'd be great for new users.

I'm seriously considering a Shuffle though, I'm impatiently waiting for local pricing. I've heard that in Australia they're cheaper than comparatively-sized flash drives!

[Rocketman]

I will be purchasing a Mac Mini (1/2 Cube) and 1 or perhaps two iPod cheaters.

Also if the Mac Mini proves to be cool, I will likely form a grid/cluster with 4-6 Mac Minis since I cannot afford a dozen G5 cluster nodes.

Rocketman

[crazzyeddie]

Also if the Mac Mini proves to be cool, I will likely form a grid/cluster with 4-6 Mac Minis since I cannot afford a dozen G5 cluster nodes.

Rocketman

Good luck with bandwidth... they only have 10/100 cards. XGrid won't be much fun over such a slow network.

[tj53]

What about firewire networking?

[DaleMox]

What about firewire networking?

hehe, could be quite neat actually... would you need that godzilla firewire hub for it???

Ciao,
Dale

[Stella]

What about firewire networking?

FW networking has been around for a while.

WOW a new poll after 3 months or so.

My favourite - mac mini. Stunned. An OK spec'ed and affordable mac.

[tj53]

FW networking has been around for a while.


Yup, been around for a long time. Should provide good speeds for XGrid too. Problem is that mini only has 1 FW port. Have to add a few hubs.

[jsw]

Mac mini. No doubt about it. Perfect to target potential switchers, excellent, excellent form factor. And an amazing software set for $499.

If you want to upgrade the OS on an older Mac, and throw in, say, iLife, for $300 more you get a better-spec'd Mac that includes those. Nice.

[1macker1]

I'm impressed with all the new products and software. But I think Pages was the most impressive. This is gonna knock word off it's feet. I think you really need to see it in action to appreciate it.

Good deal at being able to use teh iPod shuffle as a USB data transfer tool too.

[Fender2112]

Now the only excuse those Windows folks have is "But there aren't as many games".

Aside from that, I was blown away at how small it is. When with G5 mini be avaible? :D

[tj53]

Halo really playable on a 32MB 9200 Ati as stated on apples site?

http://www.apple.com/macmini/graphics.html

[chanoc]

Kudos, a new poll!!!! :eek:

My vote for the Mac Mini! iPod shuffle: great gift idea, but I prefer a regular iPod (with screen).

Not only is the Mac Mini a great < 600.00 option for Windows switchers, but also great for us poor-wage-slave-8.50 an hour Mac users whom find it hard to afford a G5. :cool:

Payday is this friday, the 16th, and my new Mac Mini by the 22nd!! :)

[absolut_mac]

I voted for the Mac Mini.

The iPod introduced Apple to a lot of people who either have never heard of them, or prior to that thought of them as an obscure specialist company for weirdos.

Now the Mac Mini will wisen them up to the fact that, unlike MS, Apple is not a one trick pony :)

[Freg3000]

Mac mini will win the poll hands down. It is surprising however that it got the least amount of time at the keynote, iirc.

[tech4all]

....Mac mini. Everything else is nice and all, but the Mac mini just sticks out to me for some reason :)

[sorryiwasdreami]

Mac Mini!

This is a breakthrough in price/value/features comparison for Apple products. Think about it: iPod photo or computer?

Duh.

[nagromme]

If Apple has me almost WANTING an iMac Mini, when the specs are about the same as the Mac I already own, that says something :D Tool cool--and great to grab a certain type of users for a first big wave of switching/adding. [EDIT: Oops! That's the name I expected and it's stuck in my head.]

But I voted for iLife '05. iPhoto alone is worth the price to me--the new books, the new tools, the new sub-folders, the improved UI with the library strip on top... and especially the new slideshows with Ken Burns effect!

But GarageBand 2 is worth the price alone too... and I have a full library of 2000 Soundtrack loops ready to add to it :)

It's the one Apple product I personally am actually buying. MAYBE iWork eventually, if Tiger's TextEdit doesn't do what I need.

Except... I've always thought USB thumbdrives were kind of cool... great for cable-less cross-platform data shuttling... and with an iPod thrown in for $99... No! No! I can't... I just bought a 60 GB iPod. Or... can I?

[bousozoku]

The Mac mini is it, but everything is extremely worthwhile and I'll look forward to Pages and an enhanced iDVD, which will hopefully be more dynamic.

[anubis]

Mac Polls should switch from "New Poll every weekday" to "New Poll every quarter"
I voted for the Mac Mini. This baby is ****** awesome. Imagine how sweet it would be to get one of those things with bluetooth and airport. Then the only cables that will be hooked up to it are power and video. And that tiny package! Un-freakin believeable. I predict that this will be the next Bondi Blue iMac of 1998
The price point of the mini is unbelieveable. At $499, it even competes with low-end offerings from discount powerhouses like Dell. Here is some ammunition to use against your PC-touting friends: PCs that cost $499 usually have Celeron processors, and we all know that Celeron is the biggest pile of crap ever devised by mankind. Second would be that $499 Dell PCs have integrated video. We all know that integrated video sucks. Integrated video has no 3-d acceleration capabilities and steals system RAM to use for video rendering. The on-board 9200 of the Mac Mini clearly blows the low-end PC competition out of the water with its superior form factor, processor, and video.
The iPod Shuffle - I'm not that impressed with. I have an iPod mini and I'm finding that 4GB is insufficient. And no screen is a little... weird...
Pages looks pretty good... I can't wait to try it out at my bookstore soon.
The Mac Mini is just really sweet. If i didn't already have a dual 1.8 G5, I'd be all over that baby.

[24C]

I voted Mac mini, as I'll be replacing a old G3 beige. I phoned a few mates last night who always moaned about Apple pricing...they've found another use for their PC display. Nearly all want to use the iLife package.

I don't need one but I ordered an Apple 1G thumb drive...did you know it plays music!

[Chaszmyr]

The price point of the mini is unbelieveable. At $499, it even competes with low-end offerings from discount powerhouses like Dell.

Wow I just checked out Dell's website. They really don't offer a better computer for the price. Some might even go so far as to say they don't offer as good of computer for the price.

[Sir_Giggles]

I vote for the iPod shuffle as being the breakthrough product. Even Steve feels so. Just look at how he pauses to announce the number of iPods sold in 2003 vs 2004 and you can see they take this whole iPod business very seriously.

iPod shuffle will wipe out the competition. Goodbye Creative.

[nagromme]

Wow I just checked out Dell's website. They really don't offer a better computer for the price. Some might even go so far as to say they don't offer as good of computer for the price.

I was surprised too! Go to Dell.com and just TRY to build something with the warranty, software bundle, connectivity (Firewire, DVI/VGA/TV-out-ready, concealed wireless antennas), CD burner and DVD player of a Mac Mini. You may find higher Mhz in a bottom Dell, but you won't find dedicated VRAM. (And wow, Dell sure nickles and dimes you on the software options!)

You'll easily end up paying more than $600! Especially if you buy what you need to gain a little of the Mac's security from viruses/spyware. But if you want to match OS X, iLife '05, the portable size, the style, and the quiet... you can just give up :)

I hope Freescale can make enough G4 chips :o

[virividox]

the mac mini is by far my fav new product, wish it was a little more specd up but cant really complain its sooo small its amazing!!!

[CrackedButter]

Voted for iWork knowing it would be the least favoured.

I have also put an order out for iWork and the new ipod.

I would of bought the mac mini but i just got a second hand Powermar G3 off ebay dammit! :)

[coolfactor]

This is going to shake up the industry. Apple is seriously kicking butt. iPod competitors are going to go "huh? oh..... right! that's how it's supposed to be done!", and the Mac mini is the iMac of the 21st century! Geez, if the iMac G5 wasn't enough, Apple had to go Wow us again, and again, and again! Amazing!

[ebow]

Like most people who've responded so far, I voted to the Mac mini. I'll be strongly recommending one to my parents to replace their very aging Compaq/Win98SE system. I almost had them convinced to try an eMac, but this will be a much easier sell.

That said, though, my favorite result from MWSF would have to be a new poll! :D Hopefully administrative responsibility for the poll has been shared a bit and we'll see weekly, current-topic polls in the future.

[gerardrj]

Mac Mini, easily. A brand new mac for $599, outstanding.

iWork, I don't get. It's nowhere near being an AppleWorks replacement. There's only presentation and word processing. Where's the database, spreadsheet, drawing, painting? Granted, these things may show up later, but $79 for two apps? At that pricing structure the full AppleWorks replacement will be about $239! You're talking about Microsoft pricing now.

[shamino]

The price point of the mini is unbelieveable. At $499, it even competes with low-end offerings from discount powerhouses like Dell.
I respectfully disagree. In order to use that $500 computer, you need to spend another $75 on a memory upgrade, and $60 for a keyboard and mouse. So the base model really costs $635.

I went to Dell's site to put together a comparable machine. 2.4GHz Celeron (which as bad as it might be, is at least as powerful as a 1.25GHz G4), 512M memory, Combo Drive, a FireWire expansion card, and leave out the bundled monitor. The price came to $560.

Now, you can easily argue that Apple's superior software bundle, better video chip and the small case are worth the $75 price difference, but that won't do a thing to convince a PC snob and you know it.
The iPod Shuffle - I'm not that impressed with. I have an iPod mini and I'm finding that 4GB is insufficient. And no screen is a little... weird...
Normally, I'd agree. But they added a software feature to iTunes that changes the picture. Specifically, the "auto fill (http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/shuffle.html)" feature that will automatically grab a random collection of songs from your iTunes library and pack your iPod with them. So you can have a constnatly rotating assortment of songs in the iPod without having to do any significant amount of work.

Assuming you connect the iPod to your Mac and redo the auto fill on a regular basis (say, after getting home from work in the evening), the result should, IMO, be rather usable.

Of course, someone like myself would still rather have a 60G iPod. As much as I think the shuffle can work (and I may even impulse-buy one, given the price of the 512M model), I'm still enamored with the concept of being able to carry my entire collection with me. I just wish I could justify the $600 price tag for the 60G model (nothing smaller will hold my entire collection.)
The Mac Mini is just really sweet. If i didn't already have a dual 1.8 G5, I'd be all over that baby.
I could easily see this becoming a media center computer. Imagine if you will - a Mac mini attached to your TV (many HD-ready TVs include DVI ports or DVI-compatible HDMI ports. Apple sells an adapter (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9267G/A) for compsite and S-video.) Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. A FireWire TV tuner box. When combined with iMovie/iDVD, you've got all the components for a really nice setup.

Of course, this whole rig will cost much more than $500, but maybe less than a PC equipped with similar hardware and Windows XP Media Center.

[shamino]

iWork, I don't get. It's nowhere near being an AppleWorks replacement. There's only presentation and word processing. Where's the database, spreadsheet, drawing, painting? Granted, these things may show up later, but $79 for two apps? At that pricing structure the full AppleWorks replacement will be about $239! You're talking about Microsoft pricing now.
Especially when the educational price of MS Office is $150. (Assuming you or a child of yours is a student or teacher, of course.)

But if you think of it simply as a replacement for Keynote (with it's $100 pricetag), it's a pretty good deal. You're getting two programs for less than what one of them used to cost by itself.

But you're right that it is no AppleWorks replacement.

[dsharits]

My vote is for the Mac mini, not because I would ever buy one, but because it will drive down the prices of the older Macs. :D

Daniel

[emw]

No question it's the Mac mini. Form factor is excellent, specs are reasonable for the price, and the software included makes it all worthwhile. It's all I can do not to buy one for myself, even though I don't need it!

I like the iPod shuffle, and think it will get some legs because the price is nice and it will work with iTunes vs. the crap that generally comes with other MP3 players.

[dobbin]

Wow I just checked out Dell's website. They really don't offer a better computer for the price. Some might even go so far as to say they don't offer as good of computer for the price.

Some might even say Dell don't offer a computer as good as this for *any* price ;)

[Sir_Giggles]

I kinda liked Sonys new HD video camera, Steve was holding during the Japaneses' speech.

$3200 for HD. Sounds like the winner to me. They showcased it at CES, too bad I wasnt there. Looked more promising than at MWSF.

[relimw]

This is going to shake up the industry. Apple is seriously kicking butt. iPod competitors are going to go "huh? oh..... right! that's how it's supposed to be done!", and the Mac mini is the iMac of the 21st century! Geez, if the iMac G5 wasn't enough, Apple had to go Wow us again, and again, and again! Amazing!
There's a story in today's Wall Street Journal about the keynote and the new products. If you get a chance, grab a copy.
There's also 2-3 storys online at wsj.com (http://www.wsj.com/), you'll have to do a search for 'apple'.

[relimw]

Now the only excuse those Windows folks have is "But there aren't as many games".


Hmm, $220 for a new xbox, or $500 for a whole computer? If these things sell like hotcakes (and there's no reason to assume they won't) Apple will make a market share for games. That'll make the rest of us happier. :D

[Sir_Giggles]

Can't believe everyone is voting for the Mac mini. I think the iPod shuffle is the biggest product at Macworld. The Mac mini is just a watered down, cheap computer, think iBook without a screen and keyboard.

[blackfox]

In keeping with the choices provided by the poll, I voted for the MacMini, for reasons already listed in this thread. I am also intrigued by iWork.

Still, after watching the keynote and some other random Apple video (i think WWDC 2004), I have to say the best product looks to be Tiger. Yes, not officially a MWSF product, but will undoubtably be the best product Apple releases in 2005 (for me).

[Sir_Giggles]

In keeping with the choices provided by the poll, I voted for the MacMini, for reasons already listed in this thread. I am also intrigued by iWork.

Im sorry but I found iWork to be an extremely boring product line. There are better alternatives out there. And Apple wants to charge $79. That is simply redicualous.

[rueyeet]

Mac mini, no doubt. I want one, and I have NO reason to get another Mac whatsoever. Surely once there are refurbs they will be the Cheapest Macs Ever......must....resist....RDF..... :o

If you want to upgrade the OS on an older Mac, and throw in, say, iLife, for $300 more you get a better-spec'd Mac that includes those. Nice.Seriously! For me, running Jaguar on a 667 MHz TiBook, getting Panther/iLife 2005/iWork is $287....that's over half the cost of a miniMac. And people over at CubeOwner (http://www.cubeowner.com) are saying the miniMac can't replace their Cubes because the processor isn't expandable; even if you did have an upgradable older Mac, the cost of most worthwhile processor upgrades would cover the cost of a miniMac. If you're still making do with an older Mac, or going the low-end route, the miniMac may actually be the cheapest upgrade path!

I could easily see this becoming a media center computer. Imagine if you will - a Mac mini attached to your TV (many HD-ready TVs include DVI ports or DVI-compatible HDMI ports. Apple sells an adapter (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9267G/A) for compsite and S-video.) Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. A FireWire TV tuner box. When combined with iMovie/iDVD, you've got all the components for a really nice setup.

Of course, this whole rig will cost much more than $500, but maybe less than a PC equipped with similar hardware and Windows XP Media Center.That's exactly what I was thinking of to justify buying one: ditch buying a display, hook it to my TV, get an EyeTV, and get Apple's wireless keyboard and MacMice's wireless two-button mouse: Presto, PVR and living room computer.

Must...resist...RDF.... :D

[blackfox]

Im sorry but I found iWork to be an extremely boring product line. There are better alternatives out there. And Apple wants to charge $79. That is simply redicualous.
Fair enough. Bear in mind, however, that I based my judgements not on how much I personally like/dislike these products or how useful they may be to me personally, but on how successful they will be in the marketplace and for Apple.

I know my mother/aunt/sister-in-law would love something like iWork. Those people's opinions (and money) are as good as any...

[SilvorX]

wow.. first new poll in who knows how long

I say iPod shuffle and Mac mini (tied), iPod shuffle because now almost everyone can afford an iPod shuffle now, instead of buying a cheap pos "mp3 player" now. Mac mini because it's the cheapest mac ever, I don't care if others think it could be alot better, it's good enough in my opinion, sure a gig of ram costs as much as the comp itself, but they have to make the money somewhere

[Patmian212]

I think ilife05 has some cool new features eespecially imovie hd.... I think the mac mini is cool for new users but im not a big fan.

I voted iLife 05'

[anubis]

Can't believe everyone is voting for the Mac mini. I think the iPod shuffle is the biggest product at Macworld. The Mac mini is just a watered down, cheap computer, think iBook without a screen and keyboard.


You're missing the point... Yes, essentially it's an iBook without a screen or keyboard. At HALF the cost. The Mac Mini's price point is it's major feature, and that is what will drive sales. Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Mac Mini has a fast bus speed, memory architecture, and CPU speed than any available iBook (at least the 1.42GHz version).

[ipacmm]

I voted for the Mac mini even though I ordered one of everything that came out yesterday.

[Patmian212]

This MWSF was good for consumer products but what about the pro products? :rolleyes:

[wdlove]

It's awesome to have a brand new poll, thank you.

I think that the Mac mini is my favorite new product at MWSF. The first Mac to overcome the problem of being too expensive. It will also save space according the monitor that is chosen. Finally a Mac for the regular person.

[MattG]

The mini gets my vote. Too cool! I want one for my home entertainment system :)

[macFanDave]

I had to decide whether it was asking whether it was the best product for me personally or which one I think is the best product.

I have a Dual 2GHz G5 PowerMac and I borrow my daughter's iPod whenever I need it. I don't need the new features of iWork. Howeever, as soon as it is available, I'm getting iLife '05. The new iPhoto and iDVD features really appeal to me.

So I voted iLife although I think the other choices are excellent.

I'm very interested not only in HOW MANY Mac minis Apple sells, but especially TO WHOM they are selling them. Will there be Unix/Linux geeks, programmers, switchers, current Mac users? Only time will tell!

[Rocketman]

Good luck with bandwidth... they only have 10/100 cards. XGrid won't be much fun over such a slow network.

As a Rev B suggestion, several folks have said the video memory is too low. Make it 128mb or make it upgradeable.

Offer FW 800 for grid/cluster purposes.
Offer a FW 800 hub/switch right next to or under the QUANTITY field for the Mac Mini :)

Rocketman

http://www.v-serv.com/-upload/avatar2.jpg

[verozov]

a lot of new stuff... i think the mac mini is the coolest though.... but now i can't decide whether i want a iPod mini or a Shuffle...

[Bunzi2k4]

Mac mini, no doubt. I want one, and I have NO reason to get another Mac whatsoever. Surely once there are refurbs they will be the Cheapest Macs Ever......must....resist....RDF..... :o

Seriously! For me, running Jaguar on a 667 MHz TiBook, getting Panther/iLife 2005/iWork is $287....that's over half the cost of a miniMac. And people over at CubeOwner ("http://www.cubeowner.com) are saying the miniMac can't replace their Cubes because the processor isn't expandable; even if you did have an upgradable older Mac, the cost of most worthwhile processor upgrades would cover the cost of a miniMac. If you're still making do with an older Mac, or going the low-end route, the miniMac may actually be the cheapest upgrade path!

That's exactly what I was thinking of to justify buying one: ditch buying a display, hook it to my TV, get an EyeTV, and get Apple's wireless keyboard and MacMice's wireless two-button mouse: Presto, PVR and living room computer.

Must...resist...RDF.... :D


You know, that's a really good idea. If I needed a computer, I'd probably get one. But so far, the only thing I don't like about the computer is the video card. I have a laptop with a 32 megs video card, and It's a little sluggish when playing the newer games. But I don't really need computer games when I have a ps2...

[pimentoLoaf]

A MiniMac, and I want one.

Pricing out a replacement for my 6100/66 powerMac and a 500mhz iBook:

MiniMac @ 1.25ghz combo wiFi/blue 512mb - $700
Apple keyboard - $30
MS Starck optical mouse - $20
MS Office 2004 upgrade - $240 (from office 2001)
Photoshop Elements 3 - $90

Already have a 17" NEC from the 6100, though it needs a thorough vacuuming.

All this for around $1080, not including tax, shipping & handling.

[Rocketman]

Given a large(er) fraction of Mac Mini buyers will be PC users, what hardware do they have to BUY to make their existing peripherals work with this Mac?

I would think PS2 to USB converters, ATAPI to FW boxes, and perhaps others.

Ideas?

Wish list?

Rocketman

[Bunzi2k4]

I Have come to a conclusion. The mac mini would be awesome.


in a car.

[mms]

The mini is awesome. My dad is planning to get its next revision or so as a replacement for his aging Cube. With the $499 tag it is a great entry level Mac for those that don't want the hassle of the huge CRT in the eMac. A BTO graphics card upgrade would have made it nearly perfect, IMO.

[SeaFox]

I respectfully disagree. In order to use that $500 computer, you need to spend another $75 on a memory upgrade, and $60 for a keyboard and mouse. So the base model really costs $635.

I'll agree with that. I configured a MiniMac like I wanted and ended up with a system pushing $750.

I went to Dell's site to put together a comparable machine. 2.4GHz Celeron (which as bad as it might be, is at least as powerful as a 1.25GHz G4), 512M memory, Combo Drive, a FireWire expansion card, and leave out the bundled monitor. The price came to $560.

Now, you can easily argue that Apple's superior software bundle, better video chip and the small case are worth the $75 price difference, but that won't do a thing to convince a PC snob and you know it.

Don't you mean PC slob? The snob's aren't buying Dell low-ends, they're buying Falcon Northwest or building their own system.

I still voted for the MiniMac. If anything simpoly because it gives me the option of a low end system without having to give up my monitor for a sub quality display.

[SeaFox]

Given a large(er) fraction of Mac Mini buyers will be PC users, what hardware do they have to BUY to make their existing peripherals work with this Mac?

I would think PS2 to USB converters, ATAPI to FW boxes, and perhaps others.


Many people have those fancy "multimedia" keyboards, which come with USB-PS2 converters, assuming the keyboards weren't USB to start with. But yes, I suppose adapters may be required.

ATAPI->FW boxes? For what? The market targetted here is people who aren't going to be screwing around upgrading their machine to begin with. Hence, they don't have any internal devices to transfer over. This is like complaining that you new computer doesn't include a bunch of extra three inch bays for all your old internal drives.

Macs have USB ports, so that should take care of any external devices your average consumer has (which is what 'peripherals' is by definition). Will need a powered hub, though. Also, an input/output for audio, like an iMic. The MiniMac has no sound input ports.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Had to vote for the Mac mini, cool little machine which I know gonna attract alot of switchers.

I really like the iPod Shuffle, too. If I didn't have an iPod mini I would already hav ordered one. It kind of reminds me of my first mp3-player, a small, light, SD-card based, USB Packard Bell (I think) player without any screen. Just that this one connects to iTunes and are a googol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googol) times cooler...

Probably not gonna buy iLife or iWork just yet, iTunes is the only program in the iLife suite I'm using regularly (and a bit iPhoto), and I rarly use AppleWorks which came with my iBook, usually just use SubEthaEdit when I need to write anything...

[3Memos]

I was exercising with my ipod mini an hour ago and I was thinking about what the impact the shuffle would have on the flash player market, and what people would think about it...

Initially, I believe people will be turned off by the lack of a screen, but then I as I thought further, I realized that a screen really isnt necessary if you have only 100 or so songs on it. People that would like the shuffle wouldnt necessarily want to be picking songs from a screen. In most cases, I think what Apple has done here has been to re-define the market, and made a new iPod that in many cases, better, than the mini.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts.

[Wuddel]

Not that I think that anyone would seriously vote for it but Final Cut Express HD ist missing. The Mac mini was the bomb of course but iWork is pretty decent too. Especially when you think of value/price-ration for the educational market where iWork is only $49.

[Trekkie]

I'd like the 'wow it made a new poll happen' option ;)

[shamino]

Im sorry but I found iWork to be an extremely boring product line. There are better alternatives out there. And Apple wants to charge $79. That is simply redicualous.
Why? Keynote used to cost $100 by itself. Now you're getting it and a word processor for $80. What's so ridiculous?

The only thing ridiculous about iWork is that Jobs is promoting it as a successor to AppleWorks, which it can't be until they add in spreadsheet, database and paint/drawing features. If you ignore the hype and look at what it really is, it's not a bad deal.

[Bear]

Mac Mini, easily. A brand new mac for $599, outstanding.

iWork, I don't get. It's nowhere near being an AppleWorks replacement. There's only presentation and word processing. Where's the database, spreadsheet, drawing, painting? Granted, these things may show up later, but $79 for two apps? At that pricing structure the full AppleWorks replacement will be about $239! You're talking about Microsoft pricing now.As was stated by others, last year Keynote was $100, this year, the updated version is $79 and includes Pages. How much does Microsoft sell word or Excell for by themselves? (If they're still sold seperately that is.)

I suspect with iWork 06 (I am speculating on the name) I figure we'll get Keynote 2.5 or 3, Pages 2 and Sheets 1 and I bet it'll be still somewhere between $79 and $99 for the bundle. A good deal I'd say.

As for drawings, I suspect that you will see it as part of Pages. And of course there is always OmniGraffle which is already better than what comes with AppleWorks.

[Bear]

Im sorry but I found iWork to be an extremely boring product line. There are better alternatives out there. And Apple wants to charge $79. That is simply redicualous.Are there better alternatives for only $79? Microfosft Office is $399 for the Mac. That's $100 per App essentially (if you count Entourage) and here Apple is charging only $40 per app.

I think you need to recalibrate what you think is ridiculous.

[pimentoLoaf]

Paint/Drawing?

Apple has bundled GraphicConverter with all systems for many years now.

[Bear]

...

Probably not gonna buy iLife or iWork just yet, iTunes is the only program in the iLife suite I'm using regularly (and a bit iPhoto), and I rarly use AppleWorks which came with my iBook, usually just use SubEthaEdit when I need to write anything...You know, I wish more people who didn't hve a use for something would state it as politely andclearly like you did.

Too many people when they don't have a use for something seem to attack it.

[Rocketman]

Clearly the Mac Mini is going to draw many folks, PC users included to Apple. I wonder how many will look at the iBook G4 12" at only $999 WITH Airport Extreme included, WITH a screen included, WITH the added value of portability, lower memory upgrae cost, and seriously look at a sidegrade?

Rocketman

[PretendPCuser]

...you lost!!

iPod shuffle will wipe out the competition. Goodbye Creative.

Word, Sir Giggles, word.

[[-Stash-]]

Mac mini. No doubt about it. Perfect to target potential switchers, excellent, excellent form factor. And an amazing software set for $499.

If you want to upgrade the OS on an older Mac, and throw in, say, iLife, for $300 more you get a better-spec'd Mac that includes those. Nice.

Agreed. I might actually buy a Mac because of the MiniM(e)ac. Very nice, though I think I'll be upgrading the RAM myself thanks Apple ;)

[[-Stash-]]

Clearly the Mac Mini is going to draw many folks, PC users included to Apple. I wonder how many will look at the iBook G4 12" at only $999 WITH Airport Extreme included, WITH a screen included, WITH the added value of portability, lower memory upgrae cost, and seriously look at a sidegrade?

Rocketman

Actually (being a PC user for 10 years) I have to say that the main draw is OSX and NOT the hardware. Having said that, 3 years ago I recommended my girlfriend she get an iBook as there was nothing close to it in the PC world on the market.

The MiniMac is at the right price (in the US with the current exchange rate) for me to maybe get my feet wet in OSX, which with Pather seemed to come of age.

[[-Stash-]]

Don't you mean PC slob? The snob's aren't buying Dell low-ends, they're buying Falcon Northwest or building their own system.

Ey, hey! I build my own, I'm not a PC snob, I just like to be able to play games :P PC users buying a Falcon Northwest are simply "Rich" and unwilling to learn the minimum to put together a PC (it doesn't take a lot, most things only fit in one place anyway).

I liked the Mini Mac beacuse I think that Mac hardware is overpriced. I thinkit's fantastically designed, and I think the software is great as well, but I still think it's overpriced. The MiniMac doesn't appear to be hence the interest to muck about with something new, and Exposé rocks :P

Edit: Please note the "I think"s ;)

[michelle]

MacMini fo' sho'! It's innovative, affordable, and oh-so-cute

[wrldwzrd89]

I voted for iWork because I think it's the most intriguing and the one with the most potential for growth. I also like iLife '05 - I plan to purchase iWork and iLife '05. The iPod Shuffle and Mac mini are GREAT ideas, just like iLife '05 and iWork - however, I am not in their target market, so they are of little interest to me. I'm one of those people who would much rather spend US$6000 on a PowerMac setup than $500 on a Mac mini along with other keyboards/mice/displays/etc. The iPod shuffle appeals to me more than the Mac mini does, though.

[El Capitano]

Mac Mini is easily the 'coolest'. But the one I'll actually buy is iWork, simply because (like the rest of the world) I need a usable word-processor.

I already own Word, to open .DOC files (TextEdit can't always cope), but don't use it unless I have to: it's slow even on this dual 1.8, I can never get my head round the UI, and the page layout functions are unusable. Until I finally replaced my OS 8 Mac earlier this year, I used MacWrite Pro for everything. Now Apple has released MacWrite Pro '05. I like it.

As for spreadsheets, Excel's the best bit of Office, without question. So the only rationale for introducing a spreadsheet into iWork would be as a lower-priced alternative. Maybe Apple will take a different tack again - after all, 90% of SOHO Excel users use it as a list manager/rudimentary db, not a spreadsheet.

The thing that intrigues me most about iWork is the name 'Pages'. Now, for most computer users, that's generally preceded by the word 'web' these days.

At present, there's no low-level web-publishing solution for Mac users. Pages 1 appears to be a user-friendly combination of Word and Publisher; I suspect Pages 2 will add FrontPage to the mix.

[ASP272]

I love all the new products, but iPod Shuffle has to be my favorite. The Mac mini is really cool, but to make it worthy to me you have to max it out, and that makes it more expensive than the iMac G5, which comes with a nice monitor, keyboard and mouse. The iPod Shuffle will take over the MP3 player market and make Apple and the iTunes Music Store #1 for good, and that will hopefully lead bands like Metallica and Evanescence to wise up and put their music out there for us to buy legally.

I've read some reviews on the iPod Shuffle that say the switch on the back can be hard to move, and you can hit the buttons on the other side accidentally while sliding it. Other than that, though, the no-screen factor doesn't bother me. I've had an iRock 256mb forever and it has a screen and I don't think that I have ever looked at it. I always listen using shuffle mode unless I am using my 20gb iPod. Then I might use a playlist or two.

iPod Shuffle rocks!

[waterbouy]

If I am not mistaken, Steve-o said that iWork was building toward a replacement for AppleWorks. That leads me to believe that the gaps will be filled once a balance of features and usability has been attained for the every day consumer.

Personally, I would like to see a spreadsheet included as the natural extension of the table functionalty. After all, a spreadsheet is contained on a page, just like text, pictures, graphics and -umm - movies and audio :)

Then, you are always working in Pages.

The comment about extending to create web pages also seems right on the money too (sorry not to quote the author of the post).

Al in all, every product presented seemed a great step in the righ tdirection for Apple. Keep it up!

water :D

[Edit: Spelling]

[the_mole1314]

Mac mini since it will grow apple, iWorks because I won't have to use appleworks anymore.

[shamino]

']Ey, hey! I build my own, I'm not a PC snob, I just like to be able to play games :P
Same here. I recently built myself a gaming rig that cost a lot less than the pre-built ones you can buy. I built a Shuttle XPC (compact case) system with an Athlon-64 3200+, 512M RAM, 200G SATA disk, ComboDrive, and Radeon 9800 Pro (8x AGP) for about $1200 worth of parts.

If I was to build a similar system for somebody else, I'd probably charge $1800-2000 for it. Partly to include a retail copy of Windows XP (I had an extra license at home, which I used. But I'd have to buy a license for someone else, and I can't get OEM pricing out of Microsoft), and partly because my time and effort is worth something.

FWIW, the nearest-match system I could configure from Falcon Northwest (one of their FragBox models (http://www.falcon-nw.com/fragbox.asp) - superior to mine in some areas, inferior in others) costs $2140.

[shamino]

Personally, I would like to see a spreadsheet included as the natural extension of the table functionalty. After all, a spreadsheet is contained on a page, just like text, pictures, graphics and -umm - movies and audio :)

Then, you are always working in Pages.
And then we can make silly comments about Apple re-inventing what Xerox invented decades ago.

The Xerox Star systems (and later, the ViewPoint systems) worked exactly like this. You created formatted-text documents, into which you could embed frames for anything else (spreadsheets, equations, vector graphics, etc.)

Of course, on those systems, the line between OS, application and document was completely blurred into oblivion. You never explicitly launched anything. You'd just create and edit documents. The system would auto-launch whatever it needed to get the job done. (And it usually would never kill any of them, so after a short time, everything you own is running in the background. Makes for a responsive system, but needs a lot of RAM.)

[Guto]

My favorite new product is iWork 04, for sure.

[Yvan256]

I think that the new mini Mac is the best new thing because it eliminates the two biggest complaints about Macs (price and single-buttonness). Personally I wouldn't buy one because I already have a G4 tower, but they'd be great for new users.

I'm seriously considering a Shuffle though, I'm impatiently waiting for local pricing. I've heard that in Australia they're cheaper than comparatively-sized flash drives!

It's possible. In Canada, a Kingston 512MB USB Flashdrive is 129$CAN. And the 512MB iPod shuffle is also 129$CAN. Basically, the iPod shuffle is a free add-on to the Apple 512MB USB Flashdrive. :D

[H&Kie]

Mac Mini!

[Yvan256]

iPod shuffle will wipe out the competition. Goodbye Creative.

Not only will iPod shuffle wipe out a lot of Flash MP3 player competition, but at those prices they'll even wipe out some of the USB Flashdrive competition! :eek: :D

[3Memos]

It's possible. In Canada, a Kingston 512MB USB Flashdrive is 129$CAN. And the 512MB iPod shuffle is also 129$CAN. Basically, the iPod shuffle is a free add-on to the Apple 512MB USB Flashdrive. :D

Erm. Apple must have got preferential pricing on their memory cards. Suppose they licensed the technology and got a third party contractor to build them?

[Yvan256]

Mac Mini, easily. A brand new mac for $599, outstanding.

iWork, I don't get. It's nowhere near being an AppleWorks replacement. There's only presentation and word processing. Where's the database, spreadsheet, drawing, painting? Granted, these things may show up later, but $79 for two apps? At that pricing structure the full AppleWorks replacement will be about $239! You're talking about Microsoft pricing now.

Talking about prices, wasn't iLife 49$ instead of 79$?

[Yvan256]

Can't believe everyone is voting for the Mac mini. I think the iPod shuffle is the biggest product at Macworld. The Mac mini is just a watered down, cheap computer, think iBook without a screen and keyboard.

I see the Mac mini as a headless eMac or 12" iBook too. But both of those were the only ones I was checking (two lower-priced Macs).

This Mac mini just gave me my third and final choice, with its lower cost. :D

[Yvan256]

This MWSF was good for consumer products but what about the pro products? :rolleyes:

Screw the pro products, just keep using your dual 2.5GHz PowerMac G5. :D

Can't wait to see Apple ads... "Dude, you're getting a Mac mini!" ;)

[Yvan256]

Are there better alternatives for only $79? Microfosft Office is $399 for the Mac. That's $100 per App essentially (if you count Entourage) and here Apple is charging only $40 per app.

I think you need to recalibrate what you think is ridiculous.

OpenOffice.org is only 0$. :p ;) :D

[Yvan256]

Clearly the Mac Mini is going to draw many folks, PC users included to Apple. I wonder how many will look at the iBook G4 12" at only $999 WITH Airport Extreme included, WITH a screen included, WITH the added value of portability, lower memory upgrae cost, and seriously look at a sidegrade?

Rocketman

Well, the 12" iBook is 999$US, the basic Mac mini is 499$US.

The 12" iBook has an LCD display, a keyboard+trackpad, airport extreme and is portable (duh, it's a laptop), but only has 30GB (instead of 40GB) and uses DDR266 (instead of DDR333).

Airport extreme is a 79$US BTO for the Mac mini, so the comparison is more like 999$US vs 578$US.

The question is, would you take a 66MHz decrease in RAM speed, a 10GB decrease in HD space, but have the added value of it being a laptop, for an additional 421$US?

Sure, some will "upsell" themselves to the 12" iBook.

But 421$US is still 73% of the price of the Mac mini + airport extreme option.

And if you don't count the airport extreme (for those without a wireless setup), that makes the 12" iBook 84% more expensive than the basic Mac mini.

So you see, even if you try to upsell to the iBook, it's 73 to 84% more expensive to get the 12" iBook.

The Mac mini will sell like crazy, I'm not surprised one bit that the shipping time jumped to 3-4 weeks in only 2 days. I'm afraid to see what the shipping time will be in 2 or 3 weeks though!

[Yvan256]

The thing that intrigues me most about iWork is the name 'Pages'. Now, for most computer users, that's generally preceded by the word 'web' these days.

Nah, I think that's another friendly knock at Microsoft...

Microsoft "Word", Apple "Pages".

I'd rather edit "pages" than one "word". ;)

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Can't believe everyone is voting for the Mac mini. I think the iPod shuffle is the biggest product at Macworld. The Mac mini is just a watered down, cheap computer, think iBook without a screen and keyboard.

What's wrong with the iBook...??? It's a solid little workhorse, maybe not the fastest, but great stamina and toughness... Gets the work done, even after being dropped (only hit the floor once)... I voted for the mini for reasons stated above (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1210339#post1210339) and I love my iBook, actually thinking of getting myself another (so my girlfriend can retire her old pismo and use my current iBook G4 800 as her working machine...). Don't badmouth the iBook and give the Mac mini a chance to show its worth... ;)

PS! Thanks Bear, I always try to be polite, it's just nicer for everyone... :)

[wrldwzrd89]

Talking about prices, wasn't iLife 49$ instead of 79$?
It sure was. If you followed the rumors, the original forecast was for iLife '05 to remain $49, while iWork would be $99. It seems Apple decided that they couldn't charge $49 for iWork, but they wanted consistent pricing between iLife and iWork, so they settled on $79 for both.

[3Memos]

It sure was. If you followed the rumors, the original forecast was for iLife '05 to remain $49, while iWork would be $99. It seems Apple decided that they couldn't charge $49 for iWork, but they wanted consistent pricing between iLife and iWork, so they settled on $79 for both.

I believe part of the price increase for iLife was because Apple has to pay for the MPEG4 licences, on top of all the great innovations.

[wrldwzrd89]

I believe part of the price increase for iLife was because Apple has to pay for the MPEG4 licences, on top of all the great innovations.
Ahh, didn't think that MPEG licenses would be an issue, but with iMovie and iDVD going HD it makes sense.

[devman]

wow - tough poll! I voted mac mini but I've bought everything on the poll already (except the shuffle - which I will order soon though).

iWork is great because I've been DYING for an updated keynote and Pages solves my problem with Mellel not having quite enough support for artwork, but InDesign being a huge step up and way overkill for most of my needs.

iLife is worth it to me just for the iPhoto enhancements.

Even though I have a clickwheel iPod, the shuffle just makes so much sense to me for the gym. Size of a pack of gum, weighs an ounce, just click autofill and away I go - or synch my workout playlist. I love the idea and I believe Apple have it right with this device.

And the mini of course, which was the first thing I ordered (plus the FCE HD upgrade too ;-)

[wrldwzrd89]

wow - tough poll! I voted mac mini but I've bought everything on the poll already (except the shuffle - which I will order soon though).

iWork is great because I've been DYING for an updated keynote and Pages solves my problem with Mellel not having quite enough support for artwork, but InDesign being a huge step up and way overkill for most of my needs.

iLife is worth it to me just for the iPhoto enhancements.

Even though I have a clickwheel iPod, the shuffle just makes so much sense to me for the gym. Size of a pack of gum, weighs an ounce, just click autofill and away I go - or synch my workout playlist. I love the idea and I believe Apple have it right with this device.

And the mini of course, which was the first thing I ordered (plus the FCE HD upgrade too ;-)
I went ahead and ordered iLife and iWork. I might get an iPod Shuffle too. I don't have a genuine use for a Mac mini, so that's why I haven't bought one.

[DrEasy]

In order of preference:

1- Mac Mini: price point + form factor = winner! This could look great in my living room, as a stereo and DVD player, slide show, web browser... Is there a nice bluetooth remote for this or will a wireless mouse be enough?

2- iLife 05: gotta love GarageBand 2 with 8-track recording! iPhoto looks better and better.

3- iWork: still needs at least a spreadsheet app to replace AppleWorks or Office, but maybe it is better this way... Wouldn't want Microsoft to pull the plug on Office, most people will only switch to Apple as long as Office is actively supported.

4- iPod Shuffle: the price is good and I don't mind not having a screen, but I'd at least need a "skip playlist" button (assuming you could download multiple playlists) to be sold. Maybe the next version will have it?

[Bear]

OpenOffice.org is only 0$. :p ;) :DYeah, but it would be nice if a real Aqua port of Open Office was on the horizon.

In this case I will support Apple and iWork. I've already ordered it.

[verozov]

definetly the iPod shuffle - ive already ordered one...

[~Shard~]

My vote goes for the Mac mini. I'm growing tired of iPod updates, the Shuffle really didn't do anything for me. It's great that Apple is capitalizing off the iPod's success, and milking it for all it's worth, but it's getting a bit much now for me, and now that I have a 3G iPod, I'm somewhat indifferent when it comes to new updates and all that.

The Mac mini though is great - affordable, gets rid of the common complaints (attached monitor, one-button mouse, too expensive) and is an excellent solution I'm going to recommend to a lot of my friends who are looking for new machines. I always had trouble convincing them of the iMac's $1500-$2000 price tag (Canadian, + a couple extras), but a sub-$1000 machine like this, even when including a couple upgrades (memory for instance) is a lot more attractive.

Well done Apple! Let's hope it's more successful than the Cube!

[wrldwzrd89]

My vote goes for the Mac mini. I'm growing tired of iPod updates, the Shuffle really didn't do anything for me. It's great that Apple is capitalizing off the iPod's success, and milking it for all it's worth, but it's getting a bit much now for me, and now that I have a 3G iPod, I'm somewhat indifferent when it comes to new updates and all that.

The Mac mini though is great - affordable, gets rid of the common complaints (attached monitor, one-button mouse, too expensive) and is an excellent solution I'm going to recommend to a lot of my friends who are looking for new machines. I always had trouble convincing them of the iMac's $1500-$2000 price tag (Canadian, + a couple extras), but a sub-$1000 machine like this, even when including a couple upgrades (memory for instance) is a lot more attractive.

Well done Apple! Let's hope it's more successful than the Cube!
I think this Mac will bash the Cube into the ground in terms of sales. Why? The Mac mini fixes the two biggest problems with the Cube:
1. It's not overpriced, unlike the Cube.
2. It SHOULD have a better cooling design than the Cube had.

[~Shard~]

I think this Mac will bash the Cube into the ground in terms of sales. Why? The Mac mini fixes the two biggest problems with the Cube:
1. It's not overpriced, unlike the Cube.
2. It SHOULD have a better cooling design than the Cube had.

Yep, agreed - the Cube's price point is what really killed it in my opinion. And as I said, I have a few friends who are interested in Macs, and this Mac Mini is going to be a lot easier of a sell then an iMac. I do always try to dispel the common myths, on how Macs aren't outrageously expensive when considering factors such as included software, stability, longevity, user-friendliness, etc., but it's just so much easier when you have something like the Mac Mini now. ;)

[Yvan256]

Well done Apple! Let's hope it's more successful than the Cube!

The only downfall of the cube was its price. Which is the mini's strong point.

The real problem is, how long will people have to wait to receive the ones they buy! :eek:

[Nickygoat]

My vote too for the Mac mini. The price point, for the spec is just about perfect - apart from the RAM, but thats true of all Apples products. Just shelled out for an iPod photo before Christmas so not looking for another one. My g/f is seriously interested though.

[~Shard~]

My vote too for the Mac mini. The price point, for the spec is just about perfect - apart from the RAM, but thats true of all Apples products. Just shelled out for an iPod photo before Christmas so not looking for another one. My g/f is seriously interested though.

Yah, but you can get into that whole debate about RAM requirements again regarding that. The fact is, many people wouldn't require more than 256 MB RAM for their standard applications - Mail, Safari, etc. We aren't talking about Power users here who are going to be buying the Mini. And with a system like the Mini, and the whole philosophy of it being "minimal", why would you want to include more RAM than the average user might need?

Everyone always complains about what a premium Apple charges for extra RAM, and never to buy extra RAM from Apple, yet you would want Apple to include 512 MB in the Mini instead, thereby bumping up the price of the unit significantly? That doesn't make the best sense and doesn't fit with the concept of the Mini. I think the 256 MB RAM is fair.

[shamino]

Yah, but you can get into that whole debate about RAM requirements again regarding that. The fact is, many people wouldn't require more than 256 MB RAM for their standard applications - Mail, Safari, etc. We aren't talking about Power users here who are going to be buying the Mini. And with a system like the Mini, and the whole philosophy of it being "minimal", why would you want to include more RAM than the average user might need?
This is all well and good, but it should be able to run well with the software it comes bundled with.

Good luck getting acceptable performance out of iPhoto or iMovie with only 256M of RAM.

Stripping down the memory in order to advertise a lower price point is counterproductive. The media pundits will buy a stock model and then try to do something the ads say they should be able to do - like do a one-click transfer of video from a camcorder to DVD. And when they find that it takes forever due to massive amounts of swapping, they will give the computer a bad review.

[Nickygoat]

Yah, but you can get into that whole debate about RAM requirements again regarding that. The fact is, many people wouldn't require more than 256 MB RAM for their standard applications - Mail, Safari, etc. We aren't talking about Power users here who are going to be buying the Mini. And with a system like the Mini, and the whole philosophy of it being "minimal", why would you want to include more RAM than the average user might need?

Everyone always complains about what a premium Apple charges for extra RAM, and never to buy extra RAM from Apple, yet you would want Apple to include 512 MB in the Mini instead, thereby bumping up the price of the unit significantly? That doesn't make the best sense and doesn't fit with the concept of the Mini. I think the 256 MB RAM is fair.
Yes you can get into that whole debate. Everyone does complain about the premiums and buys from somewhere else, but the users this is targeted at won't know that and will want something that works optimally out of the box. I know a few people who are interested in buying one because I've spent the last few years raving at them about how good macs are. Buying with 256MB is fair and does keep the price down but it won't show off the mini to it's best effect to any switchers. As I said this is a complaint that can be levelled at ALL of Apples machines. As for power users -256MB in the 2 bottom PowerMacs? Please.

[3Memos]

As for power users -256MB in the 2 bottom PowerMacs? Please.

As much as I hate it when Apple skimps on memory, they also overcharge on memory upgrades. So for Apple to include 512 as minimum on their entry level PowerMacs, you'd end up paying more upfront. Best to get the least amount of RAM from Apple, then buy from third party.

[Nickygoat]

As much as I hate it when Apple skimps on memory, they also overcharge on memory upgrades. So for Apple to include 512 as minimum on their entry level PowerMacs, you'd end up paying more upfront. Best to get the least amount of RAM from Apple, then buy from third party.
Good point and taken. Anyone know why Apple overcharges for RAM? I know they're more expensive - you get what you pay for - but for RAM? Easy money? BOT I still think the mac mini is the best thing from MWSF and will convert a fair number of PC users.

[shamino]

As much as I hate it when Apple skimps on memory, they also overcharge on memory upgrades. So for Apple to include 512 as minimum on their entry level PowerMacs, you'd end up paying more upfront. Best to get the least amount of RAM from Apple, then buy from third party.
Ordinarily, I'd agree, but the mini's case design does not allow for easy do-it-yourself installation. Installing the DIMM is easy, but opening the case may not be. Although Apple won't void your warrantee for upgrading the RAM yourself, they do recommend that this kind of installation be done by a professional.

According to comments at Daring Fireball (http://daringfireball.net/2005/01/small_cheap_no_display), the case is snap-fit, with clips on three sides. You can see the clips and DIMM socket in this photo (http://images.apple.com/macmini/images/designinsides20050111.jpg). One person quoted there says it was easily opened using a putty knife and a jackknife. Maybe so, but I wonder how many newbies and switchers will be willing to do this. And I wonder how many will be able to do it without breaking off any of the clips or damaging the finish of the case.

Opening the mini's case definitely looks easier than accessing the internal DIMM slot of an iMac/G4, but I'd hesitate to recommend this procedure to other people. (Of course, I may change my mind after I have a chance to see the mini up close and read some articles that describe the take-apart procedure.)

[~Shard~]

This is all well and good, but it should be able to run well with the software it comes bundled with.

Good luck getting acceptable performance out of iPhoto or iMovie with only 256M of RAM.

Stripping down the memory in order to advertise a lower price point is counterproductive. The media pundits will buy a stock model and then try to do something the ads say they should be able to do - like do a one-click transfer of video from a camcorder to DVD. And when they find that it takes forever due to massive amounts of swapping, they will give the computer a bad review.

Yep, fair enough. Actually, if you want to talk about iLife apps, how about GarageBand - that requires more memory than iPhoto or iMovie. ;)

[~Shard~]

As much as I hate it when Apple skimps on memory, they also overcharge on memory upgrades. So for Apple to include 512 as minimum on their entry level PowerMacs, you'd end up paying more upfront. Best to get the least amount of RAM from Apple, then buy from third party.

Yah, this is my thining as well. However in the case of somethig like the Mac Mini, is upgrading the RAM even possible, with that thing being so self-contained? Upgrading the memory post-purchase is fine for a PowerMac, but what about something like a Mac Mini where you can't get at the DIMM slot?

[HiRez]

Halo really playable on a 32MB 9200 Ati as stated on apples site?I really don't see how it's possible, since I've seen Halo running on a dual 2.0 G5 with a 128 MB Radeon 9800, at reasonable settings, and it was still dog-slow. Any Quake III-based game would probably run well enough though.

[Bunzi2k4]

I really don't see how it's possible, since I've seen Halo running on a dual 2.0 G5 with a 128 MB Radeon 9800, at reasonable settings, and it was still dog-slow. Any Quake III-based game would probably run well enough though.


I have a powerbook g4 running 867 mhz with a Geforce 4MX (32 megabyte video card). it runs, but not very well. The settings I've found to be best for me was 1024x768 resolution, medium or low detail, no decals, low fog/smoke/fire (forgot what they called it), and running at 30 fps. It gets choppy when fighting against a whole covenant armada and hordes of flood, but it isn't terrible. Another good idea is to put it to 800x600 and run in a window.

heck i've seen Halo run on a 350 mhz g3 imac! it had 128 megs of ram, and an 8 megabyte video card. the framerates were good (640x480 in a window), but everything was a shade green or blue, depending if a plasma rifle or pistol was shot.

[shamino]

Yah, this is my thining as well. However in the case of somethig like the Mac Mini, is upgrading the RAM even possible, with that thing being so self-contained? Upgrading the memory post-purchase is fine for a PowerMac, but what about something like a Mac Mini where you can't get at the DIMM slot?
From what I've been reading over on MacInTouch (http://www.macintouch.com/macmini03.html), Apple doesn't officially support user upgrades, but it is possible. The case can be opened if you're careful (or if you have a special tool). Once that's done, there is one easily-accessible DIMM socket. You can pull out the existing DIMM and replace it with a 512M or 1G DIMM.

Still, I won't recommend that others do this until I've personally seen the procedure. It may not be as easy as it seems.

[xsedrinam]

Though I was one of several who was less than enthusiastic that Keynote 2.0 was bundled with Pages, (iWork) the added features of Keynote2 with text animation (no longer need to go to LiveText for that effect), improved pdf features, flash import/export, links, presentation mode and separate image manipulation along with much improved audio (AAC), my vote goes for a modest and inexpensive application, Keynote 2.0.
X

[wrldwzrd89]

Though I was one of several who was less than enthusiastic that Keynote 2.0 was bundled with Pages, (iWork) <snip>
Why would you be less than enthusiastic? Consider this - if compared to Keynote 1, you're essentially getting Keynote 2 for US$20 less AND getting Pages for FREE. Remember, Keynote 1 was US$99, and iWork sells for US$79.

[3Memos]

Hardware announcements aside. iPhoto would be my pick as the best software app of 2005. I love the Photo Book feature.

[nfocus design]

I like the iPod shuffle best. I just got mine yesterday and love it. My only wish is that it would have come out before Christmas. It would have made a great stocking stuffer :D

[JzzTrump22]

I definately think the mac mini is the coolest thing.

[Platform]

1. Mac mini
2. iWork 05
3. iLife 05 :D

[ravenvii]

Mac mini, hands down. Made me break my "no rev. A" rule, even.