Jobs To Keynote MWSF '06

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1391) reports that IDG World Expo announced Steve Jobs will be the keynote speaker for MacWorld San Francisco (http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/) at the Moscone Center on January 10, 2006.

MWSF keynote speeches are typically a forum for Apple to make consumer-level product announcements, with last year's address releasing the Mac mini and iPod shuffle, along with iLife '05 and iWork.

As always, MacRumors.com will attempt to provide live coverage from the keynote speech, although recent media events by Apple have been in locations with blocked communications channels limiting only specific media outlets to provide coverage. If you are planning to attend the keynote speech, please contact us (http://www.macrumors.com/site.php?mode=submit).

[AoWolf]

I think we all expected this. It is however good news. The big question is what is he gonna launch :-) I hope we get a good leopard preview.

[Lacero]

Excellent! and predictable!

Is Leopard going to be uncaged in fall 2007? I think Steve will wait until WWDC 06 to do a complete preview of Leopard.

[liketom]

i'll be there for my 3rd Macworld keynote stream lol

[Eevee]

The new intel Mac laptops WILL be the main topic of Job's keynote speech!

Go, Steve, go!

[Mord]

no **** sherlock, who dident expect this?

[PoshSpod]

MWSF keynote speeches are typically a forum for Apple to make consumer-level product announcements, with last year's address releasing the Mac mini and iPod shuffle, along with iLife '05 and iWork.



iLife '06 I hope!

[Epicurus]

I don't think we'll see any hint of 10.5 at a Macworld, just a typical recap of the amazing Christmas iPod sales, the future of the Music Store, and a display of the future of Intel hardware. iBooks, iMacs, minis, iPods... Who can say for sure which line (or lines) gets the spotlight. If jobs does like normal, we'll get two expected line upgrades plus one kicker. All the rest will trickle down over the following weeks in a series of "special events" to keep the hype up as long as possible.

[liketom]

i predict that Jobsey will say --

" We got some really cool stuff for you all today , and i think your going to love them "

o and

" Just one more thing... "

:rolleyes:

[kretzy]

Yay! Another Steve performance to look forward too. hehe I feel this is going to be a one BIG keynote...intel, leopard and maybe something iPody. :)

[Yvan256]

Come on, iBook mini! I'd like something similar in size to a Sony UX50 (see a size comparison picture (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/feature/sony_UX50.htm) with a GBA).

[liketom]

Come on, iBook mini! I'd like something similar in size to a Sony UX50 (see a size comparison picture (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/feature/sony_UX50.htm) with a GBA).
that would be a PDA then ? not a iBook Mini

[SiliconAddict]

Steve’o has some make up to do what with skipping Apple Expo. :D

[Flying Llama]

Are you serious??!! Jobs is gonna be there presenting?? Ya, right.

[lopresmb]

yeah!! Time for the "reality distortion field"... its gonna be great...

[SiliconAddict]

that would be a PDA then ? not a iBook Mini

A better comparison to Sony wares would be the PCG-X505 (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review952.html) IMHO that form factor, with a better keyboard layout, combined with an ULV Pentium M and OS X would be a KILLER iBook.

[Lacero]

Steve Jobs will take center stage to introduce the Mac mini with FR 2.0, updated shuffles, iLife '06 HD, iWork '06 with Numbers, and the one more thing... Intel PowerBooks, with flash-boot capability.

Hubba!

[liketom]

A better comparison to Sony wares would be the PCG-X505 (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review952.html) IMHO that form factor, with a better keyboard layout, combined with an ULV Pentium M and OS X would be a KILLER iBook.
Agreed !!


december 1st and i'm already looking forward to steve's keynote :D

[shadowmoses]

This is one of the most anticipated keynotes in ages, should be very exciting...

Shadow

[adamfilip]

Come on, iBook mini! I'd like something similar in size to a Sony UX50 (see a size comparison picture (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/feature/sony_UX50.htm) with a GBA).


Something maybe a bit bigger

total size of 5.5" x 8" x .75"
2lbs

7" screen 1024x768
6+ hrs battey
slot loading superdrive
backlit keyboard
this is what i want!.

[nagromme]

New iPod armbands! Fingers crossed! Are we there yet?

[Stella]

Some truly excellent products to be released:

- Intel based laptops hopefully.
- Of course, iLife 06 and iWorks.
- New Shuffle
- Demo of Leopard - its time, one year to go. Tiger has been out long enough and Apple should have something to show. There haven't been many rumours about which will be new - new Finder and resolution independent display - but that doesn't warrant a new OS version alone.
- at least one new consumer software and hardware to be unveiled.
- RDF reaches new heights.


Too soon -
- Apple branded phone
- digital camera
- Intel based desktops

[BornAgainMac]

I wish Apple would make the keynote a $2 download or free from iTunes.

[DavidLeblond]

*crosses fingers in hopes for the iPod Inviso*

[liketom]

I wish Apple would make the keynote a $2 download or free from iTunes.
good idea - but i wonder if they are the same servers ? itunes/apple.com's quicktime events

- Bluetooth Mighty Mouse
- Airport Express 2
- Proper Movies on iTunes Music Store

arrr such a long way off to find out :rolleyes:

[Lacero]

*crosses fingers in hopes for the iPod Inviso*
I'm betting Steve's going to show a bit of that SNL skit at the Keynote.


Here's to the Crazy Ones http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35452 (http://www.uriah.com/apple-qt/movies/think-different.mov)

[Crager724]

I'll predict the iPod will get a bigger screen. The video content at the iTunes store will be expanded and of course the Intel laptops will be debuted. As mentioned earlier we will also get a 2005 wrap-up and will get to hear how many iPods were sold.

[mdavey]

*crosses fingers in hopes for the iPod Inviso*

Ah, it would be funny if he did refer to the Invisio!

Steve is on-stage, spotlight on him
Steve: One more thing... I'd like to introduce you to the iPod Invisio!
Pick Invisio out of the air, just to your right
Crease up with laughter
Steve: Only kidding! - No, I'd like to introduce you to the all new Apple PowerBook range with Intel core.
Stage lights up, revealing plinths with new product range on them

[m-dogg]

I don't think I've ever been this excited, this early, for a keynote. I can't wait!

Can you imagine how much people would freak out if no new Intel products get introduced?!?!?!?!? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[SiliconAddict]

I'm betting Steve's going to show a bit of that SNL skit at the Keynote.




Hehehe. :D What if the actor who played Steve comes up on stage instead? Didn't Noah Wyle do this at a MW after Pirates of Silicon Valley came out? :confused:

[Macmaniac]

It would be nice if Apple would offer a live QT stream for us poor sods on the East Coast. I love you Steve, but I am a poor starving college student, and I can't afford to fly cross country:(

Oh well, just praying they don't jam the airwaves!

[hvfsl]

Well I am looking forward to ordering the following just after MWSF:

PowerBook P5 15inch:
128MB X1800M
dual core 2Ghz Intel Yonah
1GB DDR2 667 RAM
100GB 7200RPM HD
DVD writer

Battery life approx 3 hours under max load, 7 hours under low power settings.
:D

[Ja Di ksw]

You know, before I found this message board, I never knew when this stuff was coming out. I would just sit around happy and then one say see that, "oo, there's something new on Apple's webpage" or maybe one of my friends would tell me something came out.

But now I have to sit for over a month, sometimes more, sometimes a LOOOONG time, wondering, waiting, hoping. Now for the next month I'm going to be sitting around wondering what will happen at the Keynote.

I hate you all :D

[AidenShaw]

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/756.gif

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/756.html

[treblah]

good idea - but i wonder if they are the same servers ? itunes/apple.com's quicktime events

I really don't think that would matter. They could stream it from their Akamai servers and have it to download on their iTMS servers.

[Winston Smith]

Ah!! this year it's going to be such fun waiting, at least I hope so it seems many of the rumours out and about already could fill the entire keynote.

Any significance to the fact that the Keynote is on Tuesday this year and not the usual Monday? Is it just to tie in with the normal update/release day?


Edit***Seems I got beaten to the Joy of Tech attachment, oh well***

[russed]

I wish Apple would make the keynote a $2 download or free from iTunes.

why? it is free already!

[FireArse]

The new intel Mac laptops WILL be the main topic of Job's keynote speech!

Go, Steve, go!

no **** sherlock, who dident expect this?

HAHAHAHA i nearly fell off my chair reading that!! I do hope for the Yonah PB's. Think the iBooks are well looked after for the time being. As for the rumors surrounding the Mac Mini - i not so sure.

Common Steve - dual core 32-bit [when is 64-bit coming] PowerBook with roughly the same look & feel (if not better quality) than the PPC ones!!

FireArse

[durvivor]

If I wanted to attend this ... very exciting ... keynote? What would my best plan be?

On the surface I see that I need airfare to San Fransico... And, from the registration page it appears as though I need to buy a "User Conference" ($215) pass to attend the convention and the keynote?

But, what then? Do I need to line up over night just to get a seat? Or, can I just get in line 1 hour before they keynote?

I'm asking for someone who has been there done that to describe what I need to do if I wanted to be there... In the room for the unveiling of the first Intel machines.

[~Shard~]

Definitely not a surprise, but it's good to receive the confirmation if nothing else. Hopefuly MWSF will bring us FrontRow 2, iLife 06, iWork 06 (with a spreadsheet addition) and some Intel goodies, whether it be a Mac Mini or a portable! :cool:

[steve_hill4]

HAHAHAHA i nearly fell off my chair reading that!! I do hope for the Yonah PB's. Think the iBooks are well looked after for the time being. As for the rumors surrounding the Mac Mini - i not so sure.

Common Steve - dual core 32-bit [when is 64-bit coming] PowerBook with roughly the same look & feel (if not better quality) than the PPC ones!!

FireArse
I also want them to look and feel like the current PowerBook G4s. I am worried about holding out to the first x86 PBs and them looking and feeling like a Sony Vaio. :(

If they take the current casing, slim it down, (if the rumours are true anyway), and throw in an iSight built in, then I will be happy. If they do a complete redesign and start making it out of inferior materials as well as slimming it down and iSight-ing it, I will feel we are being cheated.

Does anyone else suspect they will switch to white and black options for the iBooks and keep the PowerBooks roughly as they are? this would be a good move I feel.

[moesker007]

Hey everyone, what are your guys and girls expectations on what iLife and iWork '06 will bring? I haven't bought iWork and i'm waiting for '06 i hope they throw a spreadsheet program in there. well i'm back to cisco class peace

[dirtymatt]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Steve boycotted all MacWorlds when they moved outta NYC. I know we've gone from Boston to San Francisco, but still it ain't New York, New York.

Was I dreaming?

Not quite. Apple stopped going to the east coast MacWorld when it was moved to Boston. The west coast MacWorld has been in SF for uhm...ever? and Steve has been there for I guess as long.

[~Shard~]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Steve boycotted all MacWorlds when they moved outta NYC. I know we've gone from Boston to San Francisco, but still it ain't New York, New York.

Was I dreaming?

Yep, wake up! :p ;) Steve has always done the keynotes for MWSF and WWDC, as well as the MacWorld Expo in Paris (save a year ago when he had his health scare.) No boycotting going on here, it's just in regards to the Boston event that Apple completely pulled out of.

Hey everyone, what are your guys and girls expectations on what iLife and iWork '06 will bring? I haven't bought iWork and i'm waiting for '06 i hope they throw a spreadsheet program in there. well i'm back to cisco class peace

I could see a spreadsheet program (Cells, Numbers) being added to iWork, and as for iLife, obviously there will eb marginal updates to every app, however I am going to pay particular attention to iPhoto, to see if Apple essentially turns it into "Aperture Express" or not. High res photobooks, etc. would be nice! :cool:

[steve_hill4]

Definitely not a surprise, but it's good to receive the confirmation if nothing else. Hopefuly MWSF will bring us FrontRow 2, iLife 06, iWork 06 (with a spreadsheet addition) and some Intel goodies, whether it be a Mac Mini or a portable! :cool:
Definately iLife with Front Row and possibly a remote thrown in for a price increase looks likely, but I am more interested in iWork '06, with spreadsheet, better Pages, (closer to a word processor-publisher hybrid than currently is), and maybe a few smaller apps for drawing, just to show it really is AppleWorks successor.

iWork is currently £69, and adding some extras as well as "Numbers" would bump it up to about £100, but still well worth it.

[mongoos150]

*crosses fingers in hopes for the iPod Inviso*
LOL

I would be stoked with a Yonah PB that actually got what it claimed in battery life...(Yonah=SPEED).:D

[Stella]

Yep, wake up! :p ;) Steve has always done the keynotes for MWSF and WWDC, as well as the MacWorld Expo in Paris (save a year ago when he had his health scare.) No boycotting going on here, it's just in regards to the Boston event that Apple completely pulled out of.

No Steve in France this year either.

But then, they had nothing to show.

[JDOG_]

iWork is currently £69, and adding some extras as well as "Numbers" would bump it up to about £100, but still well worth it.

If anything, my guess would be a slight price drop on iWork '06 by ten pounds or 15 dollars. I'm not so sure it's been doing too terribly well and even with the addition of another program or two, it's still not all it can be as an integrated suite (like iLife has become). I could be wrong, but I only know 2 people with iWork and they used it once, maybe twice for Keynote alone. Neither of them would touch Pages and they're tech savvy and patient.

I love Macworld SF :) Q1-Best time of the year for tech everything!

[~Shard~]

Definately iLife with Front Row and possibly a remote thrown in for a price increase looks likely, but I am more interested in iWork '06, with spreadsheet, better Pages, (closer to a word processor-publisher hybrid than currently is), and maybe a few smaller apps for drawing, just to show it really is AppleWorks successor.

iWork is currently £69, and adding some extras as well as "Numbers" would bump it up to about £100, but still well worth it.

Including FrontRow with iLife definitely makes sense, since those are the apps Front Row intferaces with. And I see iWork slowly growing and becoming more mature as well - we knew from last year that iWork '05 was only a first step.

[~Shard~]

No Steve in France this year either.

But then, they had nothing to show.

Yes, that's true - Jobs was going to give the keynote, but then the whole things was cancelled. Then all the good stuff started getting released the week afterwards... ;)

[Bubbasteve]

I think we all expected this. It is however good news. The big question is what is he gonna launch :-) I hope we get a good leopard preview.

Agreed I'm really looking forward to the event, and if they show a good leaopard preview than I will be that much more excited

I'm thinking...

Intel machine of some type... maybe even 2
iLife and new iWork
and maybe an upgraded shuffle... but that might be pushing it
hopefully a preview of leopard
SJ will do a song and dance number on stage... I think that would be entertaining

[~Shard~]

hopefully a preview of leopard


I think we won't be seeing much talk of Leopard until WWDC myself, but I could see Jobs briefly mentioning it, like he did at this year's WWDC. It also depends on the release date. If 10.5 won't be released until 2007, don't expect to see too many details regarding it for a little while yet. :cool:

[Stella]

I think we won't be seeing much talk of Leopard until WWDC myself, but I could see Jobs briefly mentioning it, like he did at this year's WWDC. It also depends on the release date. If 10.5 won't be released until 2007, don't expect to see too many details regarding it for a little while yet. :cool:

Stop microsoft from copying Apple's innovative new features.. :-p

[andrewm]

Stop microsoft from copying Apple's innovative new features.. :-p

Maybe it's for that reason, but I do find it strange that nothing at all about Leopard seems to have leaked--beyond, perhaps, a rumour or two about an 'updated Finder' and 'resolution independence,' or some such. Why not a single screenshot? Not a single mysterious screenshot (y'know, like of an iWork Assistant in the form of a Steve Jobs bobble-head) that might or might not be a hoax, to leave us drooling over the holidays?

[~Shard~]

Stop microsoft from copying Apple's innovative new features.. :-p

;)

Or, along those lines, accelerate the development of Leopard such that just before Microsoft releases their version of Tiger (aka Vista), Leopard is released, taking all the wind out of their sales (double entendre intended.)

Then, as icing on the cake, make Leopard run natively on PCs as well, capturing even more marketshare. :eek: :cool:

[dernhelm]

Including FrontRow with iLife definitely makes sense, since those are the apps Front Row intferaces with. And I see iWork slowly growing and becoming more mature as well - we knew from last year that iWork '05 was only a first step.

I really like Pages and Keynote for light work, but for anything even remotely complex, they just don't have the chops. The problem Apple will have is adding the right features and keeping the usability and small footprint. The niche that these products fill is the good enough word processing application that anyone can use and get the results they want, so long as what they want is relatively straightforward. Word does not fill that niche, you really need to either be trained or just spend a LOT of time with that product in order to learn how to use it to accomplish even some basic tasks (e.g. sensible word wrapping around pictures).

Apple seems to be taking the "less is more" approach to these applications, and that is an approach that I applaud. However, as they become more and more accepted, Apple will be pressured to add more and more "power" features, and that is hard to do without adding complication.

[p0intblank]

Very nice. It was practically a given that Steve would do the keynote, but it's always good to read it. This should be the most exciting MacWorld yet. :D I can't wait!

[~Shard~]

I really like Pages and Keynote for light work, but for anything even remotely complex, they just don't have the chops. The problem Apple will have is adding the right features and keeping the usability and small footprint. The niche that these products fill is the good enough word processing application that anyone can use and get the results they want, so long as what they want is relatively straightforward. Word does not fill that niche, you really need to either be trained or just spend a LOT of time with that product in order to learn how to use it to accomplish even some basic tasks (e.g. sensible word wrapping around pictures).

Apple seems to be taking the "less is more" approach to these applications, and that is an approach that I applaud. However, as they become more and more accepted, Apple will be pressured to add more and more "power" features, and that is hard to do without adding complication.

Quite true - we'll just have to trust Apple to find that balance, giving users what they want without creating the equivalent of Microsoft bloatware which loses all user-friendliness and simplicity. Apple needs to clearly define the niche that it wants Pages to fit in, so users can clearly see if that app is the right fit for them or not - this will also help Apple to ensure they don't turn Pages into something that it's not intended to be.

[germanboy3383]

oh i cant wait for steve to talk economic benefits again and that ipods not probably taking 95% of the mp4 market...seriously, nanos are like one of the top sellers as its literally on every1s wishlist!
so some of u think that there will b an upgraded shuffle? wow..lol...i am very happy with my shuffle...
also my friend told me that there was rumors about isight2 did anyone hear about that?

[Yvan256]

that would be a PDA then ? not a iBook Mini

PDA equals "distinct operating system" to most people. I'm not talking about a PDA, I'm talking about a portable computer the size of a "PDA".

I don't want some "OS X lite" operating system that requires a special version of software (like Windows CE or PalmOS). This is one of the main reason the PDA market isn't as strong as it could be (similar to MP3 players before/without the iPod).

A better comparison to Sony wares would be the PCG-X505 (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review952.html) IMHO that form factor, with a better keyboard layout, combined with an ULV Pentium M and OS X would be a KILLER iBook.

This thing (PCG-X505) is way too big, there's no real surface difference between that and a 12" iBook/PowerBook. Making something thinner doesn't make it smaller (you can't fit a 0.5" thick laptop in your pocket if it has a 12" screen).

Imagine a thin (0.5") Mac mini, cut about 25% on the depth (say, 6x4x0.5").

[BornAgainMac]

why? it is free already!

Keynotes are free but not downloadable. Plus keynotes disappear forever when Apple feels that it is time. It would be nice to see a keynote on the iPod and share with friends or create your own DVD collection, etc.

It's fun to watch keynotes of the past and to see the audience clap on using a ATI 128 Rage Pro in iMacs or the silence when .Mac was not going to be free for example.

Someday Steve will retire and Keynotes of 2015 may be boring without Steve.
Apple might turn into a Microsoft and you will miss the good old days of Macworld.

[Yvan256]

I wish Apple would make the keynote a $2 download or free from iTunes.

Indeed! This is something I'd be glad to pay for! (though I'd rather have the hi-res 640x480 version, not the iPod-ready 320x200 version - I'm aware I may have the wrong numbers here, but it's about hi-res vs low-res, not the exact pixel resolutions).

[Tommyg117]

intel, here we come.

[AoWolf]

Lots of talk of a smaller iBook got me thinking. What is the practical value of of OSX on smaller hardware? I am not being rhetorical with that either. I doubt the pros would use it they mostly want faster computers. Students already have the iBook and it does a pretty good job.

[Yvan256]

Hey everyone, what are your guys and girls expectations on what iLife and iWork '06 will bring? I haven't bought iWork and i'm waiting for '06 i hope they throw a spreadsheet program in there. well i'm back to cisco class peace

Well, from the last keynote, you can at least be sure there's gonna be new slide transitions with Keynote 3. :cool:

[bousozoku]

This is one of the most anticipated keynotes in ages, should be very exciting...

Shadow

I think Keynote 2.0 was the most anticipated Keynote, but no one expected Pages. ;)

I'm not sure why it's news that SJ is going to be at the Moscone Center giving the keynote speech. If he wasn't the one, then, it would be news.

Those Intel-laden consumer machines should be a huge presentation, especially if they crash on stage, the way they do at Microsoft's developer meetings. :eek:

[Yvan256]

Lots of talk of a smaller iBook got me thinking. What is the practical value of of OSX on smaller hardware? I am not being rhetorical with that either. I doubt the pros would use it they mostly want faster computers. Students already have the iBook and it does a pretty good job.

It can run the same software as your laptop/desktop. But it's small enough that you carry it around everywhere. That's the two main reasons for such a product.

A 12" laptop may be small but still not small enough to carry around all the time. It's like a "Discman vs iPod" comparison. You don't really mind carrying an iPod around all the time because it's small enough (especially the iPod nano), but you'll likely leave the Discman home if you're not sure you'll use it (too big).

[kwajo.com]

hmmm, keynote, jobs, SF, macworld, these are all words I like seeing in a headline when I refresh macrumors. I can't wait, screw christmas, I want MacWorld now! :rolleyes:

[DCBass]

Hey everyone, what are your guys and girls expectations on what iLife and iWork '06 will bring? I haven't bought iWork and i'm waiting for '06 i hope they throw a spreadsheet program in there. well i'm back to cisco class peace

I for one hope that they include an equation editor in Pages. It's frustrating getting a masters in econ when Pages doesn't have this, and MS doesn't even make it available in their mac version of office.

Oh, and we better see some Leopard. And some iPhoto = miniAperture action.

That's all I've got to say.

[Yvan256]

Those Intel-laden consumer machines should be a huge presentation, especially if they crash on stage, the way they do at Microsoft's developer meetings. :eek:

Hardware is usually not at fault, software is. Which explains why it crashes at MS meetings. ;)

[2nyRiggz]

excellent! bring it on mr. jobs...what do u have for me


Bless

[aswitcher]

Well I guess we should look at what is the most popular thing Apple is seiling and expect it to be upgraded...

Shuffle needs an update - bring on OLED screen. Doubles as a IR remote :)

Mac Mini - another small and profitable product for Apple to spin millions off - especially if its geared to the ipod etc

100 Gig iPod Video - finally...

8 Gig Nano...

Screens need to be more competative. Lets see better resolutions at least and some price drops. aybe a 17" or 19" with speakers designed for the mini. HMDI?

New airport express with video out...

[grigglerocks]

I'm really hoping for FrontRow 2.0 to be built in to iLife 06. This would allow the MacMini to be an obvious Media Center Mac.

[liketom]

I'm really hoping for FrontRow 2.0 to be built in to iLife 06. This would allow the MacMini to be an obvious Media Center Mac.
your wish is Steve Jobs command :D

i want to know what 6 scoundrels voted negative for this news of the Keynote?:eek:

[lopresmb]

You know, before I found this message board, I never knew when this stuff was coming out. I would just sit around happy and then one say see that, "oo, there's something new on Apple's webpage" or maybe one of my friends would tell me something came out.

But now I have to sit for over a month, sometimes more, sometimes a LOOOONG time, wondering, waiting, hoping. Now for the next month I'm going to be sitting around wondering what will happen at the Keynote.

I hate you all :D
thats funny,

I remeber years ago being kinda ticked off that the "Apple store is down right now, we'll be back in about an hour" sign was up. Back then I had no clue that that was an product update thing, I just thought it was down for some reason...:o

[dswoodley]

YES!!!! Powerbook G5 is on the way!!!:D

[liketom]

YES!!!! Powerbook G5 is on the way!!!:D
you win first prize !!!


i wonderd how long it would take someone to come up with that :D

ps first prize is a banning:eek:

[joe877]

I for one hope that they include an equation editor in Pages. It's frustrating getting a masters in econ when Pages doesn't have this, and MS doesn't even make it available in their mac version of office.


It is indeed included in the Mac version of Office. (In 2004, at least; I'm looking at it right now.) In Word, choose Insert > Object..., then choose Microsoft Equation.

Help is your friend. Entering "equation" into Help would have found you the answer instantly. ;)

[iHavenolife]

PB G5's in time for the new intel chips. Black iPod shuffle. New mac mini. Everyone expected Jobs to keynote, but still good news.:)

Apple brand video game system---------------------------i think not

[nsjoker]

iwork with spreadsheet app please. :mad:
new intel notebooks and airport express 2.0 wouldn't hurt either.

[derbladerunner]

... and airport express 2.0 wouldn't hurt either.

Well I guess 2.0 depends on availability of standards such as 802.11*n* and/or UltraWideBand, so Apple has to wait and see....

802.11n news:
http://wifinetnews.com/archives/cat_80211n.html

UltraWideBand news:
http://www.ultrawidebandplanet.com/

Both technologies are embattled between industry groups, much like Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD.

I wonder how much earlier Apple could get this stuff to work earlier thanks to the collaboration with Intel and then flash/upgrade Airport Express 2.0 to the finalized standard(s) once it's approved later in 2006.

[~Shard~]

YES!!!! Powerbook G5 is on the way!!!:D

Once again, please, don't be that guy... :rolleyes:

Screw G5 PowerBooks, at this point an Intel PowerBook is what we should really be looking forward to. Hell, a 7448 Freescale PowerBook would be better than a G5 PowerBook at this stage of things! :eek:

I doubt we'll be seeing Intel PowerBooks at MWSF, as I think the iBook will probably get updated first - however that being said, if the iBooks have Yonahs in them and the PowerBooks don't, they'll need to be updated fairly soon afterwards themselves. What I'll really be waiting for though are the Merom PowerBooks in a year. :cool:

[paulman]

I call:

iLife 06 (obviously) with super duper improved iPhoto (with some aperture features), usual updates to the rest
iWork (better pages and 1 or 2 more apps, say spreadsheet etc)

Also I reckon a simple website designer in one of the suites, possibly iLife since it would work well with iPhoto/garageband for podcasting maybe. Apple are keen to get people to do projects with their macs so this could easily fit in.

Intel mac mini

I reckon that they will wanna get lots of switchers with the first intel mac so a big consumer emphasis.

Also I call iWork being included (instead of appleworks) with at least the consumer macs when they go intel.

But I'm probably wrong

[Pistol Pete]

I wish Apple would make the keynote a $2 download or free from iTunes.

or i wish it was downloadable from anywhere....:(

[Peace]

Speaking of MacWorld..

I've heard rumblings about a Grateful Dead branded iPod.

[~Shard~]

I reckon that they will wanna get lots of switchers with the first intel mac so a big consumer emphasis.

I think this makes sense as well. Whether it's via the Mini or the iBook though remains to be seen - perhaps both? :eek: ;) I think consumer emphasis is important though, hence why I think the iBook will go Intel before the PowerBook, even though that will somewhat tip the scales, what with updating the consumer machine before the Pro machine. But, perhaps this is the way of the future - Apple already did this by introducing new technologies into the iMac before the PowerMac received them a short time afterwards - precedence has already been set. :cool:

[g0gie]

The keynotes are free... on the Apple news section...

[GregA2]

"at this point an Intel PowerBook is what we should really be looking forward to."


<moves quietly toward the door>

INTEL Powerbooks a MONTH from TUESDAY!!:D

<ducks out, runs down the hall>

[Yvan256]

The keynotes are free... on the Apple news section...

Where's the download link? ;)

Keynotes are free, yes, but only streaming. There's no download option.

[Eraserhead]

It is indeed included in the Mac version of Office. (In 2004, at least; I'm looking at it right now.) In Word, choose Insert > Object..., then choose Microsoft Equation.

Help is your friend. Entering "equation" into Help would have found you the answer instantly. ;)

I think it's not installed by default too...

[Peace]

I think it's not installed by default too...
It is if you choose to install VBA.
That "could" open up some holes imho.

[LimeiBook86]

Yeah this isn't a shocker at all, it would only be news if Steve wasn't doing the keynote. I bet it'll be something like this:

Talks about iPods and sales of the iMac
Updates iLife '06 and iWork
Talks about how FrontRow has changed the way people view media
Introduces either A) Mac Mini Intel with DVR or B) Add-on Remote for Front Row
Talks about intel, - introduces PowerBook :D

I think maybe an iPod Camera attachment might come out, there was something about Apple updating a patent on their QuickTake cameras not too long ago - I can't stop thinking of it...so maybe something camera related? :rolleyes:

Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see. It'll be fun looking back to see how many of us were right or wrong :p

[neutrino23]

I for one hope that they include an equation editor in Pages. It's frustrating getting a masters in econ when Pages doesn't have this, and MS doesn't even make it available in their mac version of office.


Get a copy of AppleWorks. It includes an equation editor. You can create the equations there and copy them to pages. Once there you can resize to fit. I do this a lot with Keynote, Nisus, etc.

With a little effort you can probably find a used copy somewhere for not too much.

[MacsRgr8]

Whoa... everyone seems pretty certain that some Intel Mac will arrive @ MWSF.

It still is way ahead of the initial ETA (around WWDC 2006, as many predicted following WWDC 2005 Keynote), and many developers will not be ready with their "transition".

So, if an Intel Mac will be released, it must be a consumer one, as these are less dependant of Pro-software which probably will not be x86 ready for some tine (Adobe's CS for instance).

Problem is, IMHO, that Apple's comsumer apps (iLife '06, iWork, Safari) will be the only apps which will scream on a new MacTel, as these are probably the only ones fully working on x86 (maybe some 3rd parties are ready, but not many).
Will that be enough for coming switchers?
Would you (as a PPC Mac software owner) buy one?
Ofcourse, us Mac-heads would buy one anyway (I would :D ), but it won't be my most productive machine.
What about games?

Don't get me wrong.... I would love to see a MacTel (it still is a bad name) @ MWSF. It would get the "wheels.... well, not in motion, but in warp drive" regarding the transition.

But, I just hope that the ignorant switcher who just bought a new MacTel mini won't be disappointed regarding it's speed with some software.

[neutrino23]

If I wanted to attend this ... very exciting ... keynote? What would my best plan be?

On the surface I see that I need airfare to San Fransico... And, from the registration page it appears as though I need to buy a "User Conference" ($215) pass to attend the convention and the keynote?

But, what then? Do I need to line up over night just to get a seat? Or, can I just get in line 1 hour before they keynote?

I'm asking for someone who has been there done that to describe what I need to do if I wanted to be there... In the room for the unveiling of the first Intel machines.

There are two classes of seats. The User Conference and such gets you into the outer ring of seats. If you are press or VIP or buy some sort of combo package you get a priority seat. The priority seat people get their own line.

Of course, some people start lining up the day before. However, if you get there by 5:00AM you will be near the front of the line. Between 6:00AM and 7:00AM the line grows very rapidly.

The hall is quite large. I guess it seats some three to five thousand. However, if you show up an hour before the keynote I suspect you will wind up watching on TV in an overflow hall.

[~Shard~]

"at this point an Intel PowerBook is what we should really be looking forward to."


<moves quietly toward the door>

INTEL Powerbooks a MONTH from TUESDAY!!:D

<ducks out, runs down the hall>

Don't think I won't catch ya.

If you run, you only die tired. :cool:

[SiliconAddict]

Whoa... everyone seems pretty certain that some Intel Mac will arrive @ MWSF.

It still is way ahead of the initial ETA (around WWDC 2006, as many predicted following WWDC 2005 Keynote), and many developers will not be ready with their "transition".


How many times do we have to quote Jobs?

He said that by the time we meet here next year we plan to be shipping x86 Macs. That means between June 2005 and June 2006 Apple wants something shipping. The optimists were hoping for Winter of 2005. The pessimists were thinking 2nd quarter of 2006. And the realists are thinking 1st quarter 2006.

As for the developers. . That is what Rosetta is for. Look at the likely candidates for transition to X86: the Mac Mini, the iBook, and the PowerBook. All of which are running slower G4 chips.
I've been wondering about this since WWCD - If you take into consideration the performance of the G4 vs. the potential performance of a dual core Yonah what is the likelihood that even in emulation PPC software could be as fast as G4 PowerBooks? G4 Mac Minis? G4 iBooks? Sure I'm not expecting the software to scream along at break neck speeds, but it will probably run at an acceptable click. All the while Apple has all of their iLife apps converted and probably most of their pro apps. There really is no reason they can't go X86 in January-March. And at some point Apple has to light a fire under the developers a$$es. Its been 7 months so far since the x86 bomb was dropped along with transition dev hardware. Right now developers should be well on their way for most apps. <-----Note the word should.

[maestro55]

I will certainly miss not being there and seeing this, I hope everyone who is there really does enjoy it. Looks like Apple has made a lot of plans to keep them going for years to come.

[~Shard~]

How many times do we have to quote Jobs?

He said that by the time we meet here next year we plan to be shipping x86 Macs. That means between June 2005 and June 2006 Apple wants something shipping. The optimists were hoping for Winter of 2005. The pessimists were thinking 2nd quarter of 2006. And the realists are thinking 1st quarter 2006.

Exactly. If they will be shipping by WWDC 2006, that means they need to be released prior to that date. Hence, we will hear an Intel announcement at MWSF. It is not "too soon" for Intel - the time is just right. :cool:

[Project]

So will iTunes still be Carbon on Intel Macs?

[rdowns]

New iPod armbands! Fingers crossed! Are we there yet?

Are you nuts? Apple would never upgrade their armbands before they update their socks.
:rolleyes:

[rdowns]

I'm betting Steve's going to show a bit of that SNL skit at the Keynote.


Here's to the Crazy Ones http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35452 (http://www.uriah.com/apple-qt/movies/think-different.mov)

You feeling under the weather? You look a little pale.

[aafuss1]

A bluetooth, laser Mighty Mouse. (Even MS now has laser mice on the market
FCE 4.0
iWork '06 and iLife '06
Surely, Apple could support WMA in future products-as now one of its rivals, Sony has now started adding WMA support to iPods. How much marketshare does WMA have now compared to mid-2004?
Intel iBook or Powerbook
Logic 8-at NAMM?

[cwoloszynski]

I am going to speculate that Apple will name the new laptops:

iBook G6
Powerbook G6

The 'G5' was an Apple moniker, and I am sure that they don't want to emphasize the Intel part too much. Since all the old Intel machines were x86, perhaps they will play on the 6 in x86 and call the new machines G6.

Obviously, the dual core machine may be powerbook Dual G5.

Let's see if I get this one right!

Just my opinion.

[sushi]

Excellent! and predictable!

Is Leopard going to be uncaged in fall 2007? I think Steve will wait until WWDC 06 to do a complete preview of Leopard.
Hey Lacero, looks like your slipping in your instant replies -- number 3! ;)

I doubt we will see Leopard at MWSF this year.

I do think we will see something intel running Tiger.

Sushi

[sushi]

Don't think I won't catch ya.

If you run, you only die tired. :cool:
Good one!

Nice to see ya back.

Needless to say, this MWSF will be anticipated greatly.

Sushi

[~Shard~]

I am going to speculate that Apple will name the new laptops:

iBook G6
Powerbook G6

The 'G5' was an Apple moniker, and I am sure that they don't want to emphasize the Intel part too much. Since all the old Intel machines were x86, perhaps they will play on the 6 in x86 and call the new machines G6.

I think Apple will leave the marketing title of "G5" for the IBM chips, and will indeed rename the Intel chips something else, since they are a completely different architecture. However, I disagree that they don't want to emphasize the Intel part too much - this is the future of Apple, and Jobs has already gone to great lengths to emphasize the transition, so I don't see him holding anything back now, at the dawning of the pivotal release of these machines. :cool:

Just my opinion.

Of course it is - who else's opinion would it be?!? :p :cool:

Good one!

Nice to see ya back.

Thanks sushi - always good to be back. :)

[EricNau]

Intel PowerBooks, with flash-boot capability.

Hubba!

Will never happen, it just doesn't make any sense, except maybe saving 50 seconds oh goodie!

edit: atleast anytime soon

[~Shard~]

Will never happen, it just doesn't make any sense, except maybe saving 50 seconds oh goodie!

I don't know about you, but I would take saving 50 seconds - that's a long time in the computer world! I could see the potential for something like this... :cool:

[iPhil]

Hey Lacero, looks like your slipping in your instant replies -- number 3! ;)

I doubt we will see Leopard at MWSF this year.

I do think we will see something intel running Tiger.

Sushi



If i remember correctly that 'Jobs' said that leopard will be out by end of 2006 or early 2007 right before "Vista" or @ the same time launch as "Vista" :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

So no MWSF look @ 'Leopard' but there's a good chance of a Preview of 'Leopard' @ WWDC '06..;)

the sstatements were from my memory from watching the 'Stevenote' @ WWDC '05 .. I watched it in QT..:o

[EricNau]

I don't know about you, but I would take saving 50 seconds - that's a long time in the computer world! I could see the potential for something like this... :cool:
Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to startup your computer in 10 seconds, but I don't think the technology is "good" enough yet (atleast not for a personal computer).
Not to mention - Flash is not stable enough - I know people who go through Flash drives in a matter of months, and when they fail, you have no warning at all. I know people are going to argue with me saying; "HDD can fail at anytime also," and yes, this is true, but flash is even less reliable.
I just don't think it can be done yet (atleast not well). - I'm not sure I would buy a laptop that used flash to boot.

Hey: You're back! You've been gone a while.

[~Shard~]

Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to startup your computer in 10 seconds, but I don't think the technology is "good" enough yet (atleast not for a personal computer).
Not to mention - Flash is not stable enough - I know people who go through Flash drives in a matter of months, and when they fail, you have no warning at all. I know people are going to argue with me saying; "HDD can fail at anytime also," and yes, this is true, but flash is even less reliable.
I just don't think it can be done yet (atleast not well). - I'm not sure I would buy a laptop that used flash to boot.

I hear what you're saying. :) I'm actually looking forward to the future and flash-based HDs, but, as you say, that will be a ways away yet before the capacities, costs, etc. are where they need to be.

Hey: You're back! You've been gone a while.

Yeah, it was a couple weeks - I was off honeymooning in Hawaii. :cool:

[kirk26]

A better comparison to Sony wares would be the PCG-X505 (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review952.html) IMHO that form factor, with a better keyboard layout, combined with an ULV Pentium M and OS X would be a KILLER iBook.

Why does everyone like that huge gaping space on the Sony Vaio? That is what makes me not buy Vaios.

[EricNau]

Why does everyone like that huge gaping space on the Sony Vaio? That is what makes me not buy Vaios.
Huh?:confused:

you've lost me

[EricNau]

Yeah, it was a couple weeks - I was off honeymooning in Hawaii. :cool:

Then I forgive you. ;)

BTW: My original statement about Flash Boot Drives; "That will never happen" - should be changed to " That will never happen anytime soon."

[hyperpasta]

Huh?:confused:

you've lost me

He's talking about the keyboard. SONY puts the keyboard against the front edge of laptop, with empty space by the display. Everyone else does the opposite, with the keyboard by the display and empty space at the fonr for resting hands/hlding the trackpad. The SONY way is totally impractical.

[maya]

Oh my, I do not know what Steve Jobs will release at MWSF 2006. Why am I not surprised? Maybe he will release nothing and just stand on stage for 1.5 hours making a fool of himself.

Every year its the same thing, people ponder and speculate what will happen and be released at an Apple Expo XX. That same repetitious crap.

iPod
Mac

some reviews of some product(s) and statistics.

What a surprise, I cannot contain myself. :rolleyes:

[~Shard~]

Every year its the same thing, people ponder and speculate what will happen and be released at an Apple Expo XX. That same repetitious crap.

Yep - that's why most of us are here - it is MacRumors after all! ;) :cool:

[dontmatter]

Some truly excellent products to be released:

- Intel based laptops hopefully.
- Of course, iLife 06 and iWorks.
- New Shuffle
- Demo of Leopard - its time, one year to go. Tiger has been out long enough and Apple should have something to show. There haven't been many rumours about which will be new - new Finder and resolution independent display - but that doesn't warrant a new OS version alone.
- at least one new consumer software and hardware to be unveiled.
- RDF reaches new heights.


Too soon -
- Apple branded phone
- digital camera
- Intel based desktops

Yup, everybody's got their own wish list. But I want to point out for all who mention it-ipod shuffle can't be updated without running into the nano. So if we get a shuffle update, which we probably will, given how old it is, how little it sells, and how much the price of competing products has dropped (and apple doesn't like to drop prices, they'd rather make the product better), we'll get a nano at 4 and 6 gigs. Which would be awesome.

[maya]

Yep - that's why most of us are here - it is MacRumors after all! ;) :cool:

A sad day, we have become so shallow. :(

There is no surprise anymore. I want to hear just once that MWSF XX is cancelled and we are not sure when there will be another Expo or event. Something to mix it up and get it interesting again. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

Yup, everybody's got their own wish list. But I want to point out for all who mention it-ipod shuffle can't be updated without running into the nano. So if we get a shuffle update, which we probably will, given how old it is, how little it sells, and how much the price of competing products has dropped (and apple doesn't like to drop prices, they'd rather make the product better), we'll get a nano at 4 and 6 gigs. Which would be awesome.

I don't know if we'll see a Shuffle update, but I agree, if they did, they would also update the nano (to 4 & 6 GB) they did this the the Mini, why shouldn't they do it to the nano (as it is the replacement for the mini).

[EricNau]

A sad day, we have become so shallow. :(

There is no surprise anymore. I want to hear just once that MWSF XX is cancelled and we are not sure when there will be another Expo or event. Something to mix it up and get it interesting again. :rolleyes:

Cancel MWSF! :eek: Don't ever mutter those words around here again! :eek:

[Stella]

Yup, everybody's got their own wish list. But I want to point out for all who mention it-ipod shuffle can't be updated without running into the nano. So if we get a shuffle update, which we probably will, given how old it is, how little it sells, and how much the price of competing products has dropped (and apple doesn't like to drop prices, they'd rather make the product better), we'll get a nano at 4 and 6 gigs. Which would be awesome.

Too right about the Shuffle and Nano.

How much do you improve the Shuffle until it starts impacting on Nano sales?
It won't take too much for the Shuffle to be a lot cheaper than the Nano yet have the same capacity. Of course, minus the screen.

[~Shard~]

A sad day, we have become so shallow. :(

There is no surprise anymore. I want to hear just once that MWSF XX is cancelled and we are not sure when there will be another Expo or event. Something to mix it up and get it interesting again. :rolleyes:

No surprises anymore? :confused: So I assume you saw the iPod nano coming a mile away, as well as the seriously-updated iMac shortly thereafter? :rolleyes: :p :D

Speculating is fun, it gets the creative juices flowing, and gives members the chance to converse about possibilities and alternatives they may never have thought of - it's the benefit of being in a think-tank structure! And then when Apple surprises us with something we weren't really expecting, that makes it even better! ;) :)

[EricNau]

How much do you improve the Shuffle until it starts impacting on Nano sales?


Considering memory/storage usually goes in increments of doubles (...32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1GB, 2GB...)
The only way they could update the Shuffle would be at the very least to up them to 1 GB & 2 GB. The Nanos start at 2 GB. They would just have to update the nanos also.

[maya]

No surprises anymore? :confused: So I assume you saw the iPod nano coming a mile away, as well as the seriously-updated iMac shortly thereafter? :rolleyes: :p :D

Speculating is fun, it gets the creative juices flowing, and gives members the chance to converse about possibilities and alternatives they may never have thought of - it's the benefit of being in a think-tank structure! And then when Apple surprises us with something we weren't really expecting, that makes it even better! ;) :)

Technology getting thinner, smaller and, flatter big surprise there. This trend has been going on for ages. No surprise. :rolleyes:

If you think this is something new, you must have come out of your cave recently. :eek: :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

No surprises anymore? :confused: So I assume you saw the iPod nano coming a mile away, as well as the seriously-updated iMac shortly thereafter? :rolleyes: :p :D

I saw that iMac coming a mile away, mostly because I didn't want another iMac as I had just bought a Rev. B, therefore it is only natural for me to get exactly what I don't want. :o

Speculating is fun, it gets the creative juices flowing, and gives members the chance to converse about possibilities and alternatives they may never have thought of - it's the benefit of being in a think-tank structure! And then when Apple surprises us with something we weren't really expecting, that makes it even better! ;) :)

I agree! And besides, the people are nice. :)

[EricNau]

A sad day, we have become so shallow. :(

There is no surprise anymore. I want to hear just once that MWSF XX is cancelled and we are not sure when there will be another Expo or event. Something to mix it up and get it interesting again. :rolleyes:

Technology getting thinner, smaller and, flatter big surprise there. This trend has been going on for ages. No surprise. :rolleyes:

If you think this is something new, you must have come out of your cave recently. :eek: :rolleyes:

If you really felt this way...You wouldn't be here. :rolleyes:

[AidenShaw]

There is no surprise anymore. I want to hear just once that MWSF XX is cancelled and we are not sure when there will be another Expo or event.
The Intel transition will mean that Apple will introduce updated systems at the Intel press events, on stage with Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and *all the other* Intel OEMs.

Jobs will have to get used to sharing the spotlight, at events that he can't control.

What's the point of Jobs trying to wow the Mac faithful with a new Yonah-based PowerBook in mid-January - when the other vendors introduced their Yonah 'books at the Intel event the last week of December?

It will be interesting to see Jobs adjust to being a minor player on a stage that he can't control....

ps: It's not an accident that the word "control" is repeated several times - Jobs is an ultimate "control freak", and he just handed control of the Mac destiny to Intel....

[maya]

I agree! And besides, the people are nice. :)

So to predict a Newton 2 or some sort of new Apple branded/designed PDA is great to speculate when in reality you have no say in what Apple will release. If it comes true great if not a disappointment, but no surprise there either.

Why even waste you time, if you believe you can do better rather than speculate to allow your creative juices going then put it on paper and get it into the design/industrial field. Stop pondering and start moving. Unless you just like to waste time. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

The Intel transition will mean that Apple will introduce updated systems at the Intel press events, on stage with Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and *all the other* Intel OEMs.

Jobs will have to get used to sharing the spotlight, at events that he can't control.

What's the point of Jobs trying to wow the Mac faithful with a new Yonah-based PowerBook in mid-January - when the other vendors introduced their Yonah 'books at the Intel event the last week of December?

It will be interesting to see Jobs adjust to being a minor player on a stage that he can't control....

I don't see why it will be that different. Apple wasn't making their own processors before, and they never had to "share the spotlight" with other companies that used IBM also.

[maya]

If you really felt this way...You wouldn't be here. :rolleyes:

I am sure I have been here longer than you, mate. I once cared..then the glimmer of it all just fades overtime. You will get there, you might not think so, but you will. :rolleyes:

[thejadedmonkey]

Yawn...I didn't vote, but if I did, it would be negative. Who cares about an update to iLife, or a faster CPU, or a this or that. oooh...I got something really sweet. Let's officially release what hackers have been doing for months. It's like it's something really sweet, but it's nothing new at all. The iPod was new. It reinvented how the world listened to music. The intel macs are revisions. iLive is a revision.

As far as I'm concerned, the best rumor so far is Numbers and that laptop with the battery that can last all day on a single charge. that's a brand new app, and a laptop that reinvents how we use laptops.

[~Shard~]

Technology getting thinner, smaller and, flatter big surprise there. This trend has been going on for ages. No surprise. :rolleyes:

Yes, but it's how it's implemented that is the beautiful thing, and the hard thing to predict. So when CDs were all the rage, MP3s were hardly around, and Discmans were being used, you automatically knew iPods were coming, since technology is getting thinner, smaller and flatter? Right... :rolleyes: If I see any postings for a Assistant Oracle at Apple I'll pass them along to you. :p :)

I saw that iMac coming a mile away, mostly because I didn't want another iMac as I had just bought a Rev. B, therefore it is only natural for me to get exactly what I don't want. :o

You saw Front Row, a remote, built in iSight, DDR2 RAM and upgraded displays coming with the new iMac? ;)

If you really felt this way...You wouldn't be here. :rolleyes:

Busted... ;) :cool:

[Cookieee]

I am psychic, therefore I predict that
they will release a Powerbook G5 afterall,
and, straying a bit from the Aluminum look and feel,
the new Powerbook G5 will have a non-stick Teflon surface
on which you can fry an egg, thus fully utilizing the
"over-heating" feature of these new powerbooks.

[EricNau]

So to predict a Newton 2 or some sort of new Apple branded/designed PDA is great to speculate when in reality you have no say in what Apple will release. If it comes true great if not a disappointment, but no surprise there either.

Why even waste you time, if you believe you can do better rather than speculate to allow your creative juices going then put it on paper and get it into the design/industrial field. Stop pondering and start moving. Unless you just like to waste time. :rolleyes:

Why are you wasting your time telling me to stop wasting my time? :confused:

And your posts per day average is still higher than mine.

[maya]

The Intel transition will mean that Apple will introduce updated systems at the Intel press events, on stage with Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and *all the other* Intel OEMs.

Jobs will have to get used to sharing the spotlight, at events that he can't control.

What's the point of Jobs trying to wow the Mac faithful with a new Yonah-based PowerBook in mid-January - when the other vendors introduced their Yonah 'books at the Intel event the last week of December?

It will be interesting to see Jobs adjust to being a minor player on a stage that he can't control....

We seem to agree with something, Apple is no longer "different" on the hardware level and they seem to have been transitioning to the standard of the entire industry slowly. No need to pay the premium anymore. That special presence that Apple once represented is fading away quite quickly. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

You saw Front Row, a remote, built in iSight, DDR2 RAM and upgraded displays coming with the new iMac? ;)


Na, I just knew they'd replace my iMac with something better that I wish I could buy, but can't afford. :( :o

[AidenShaw]

I don't see why it will be that different. Apple wasn't making their own processors before, and they never had to "share the spotlight" with other companies that used IBM also.
Then name all the other companies that were releasing systems based on MPC74xx and PPC970 processors....

'nuf said.

Apple was sharing the stage with all those other companies - in other words, they were alone on the stage.

[EricNau]

I am psychic, therefore I predict that
they will release a Powerbook G5 afterall,
and, straying a bit from the Aluminum look and feel,
the new Powerbook G5 will have a non-stick Teflon surface
on which you can fry an egg, thus fully utilizing the
"over-heating" feature of these new powerbooks.

HeHeHe

BTW: you can already fry an egg on those things. OUCH!

[thejadedmonkey]

We seem to agree with something, Apple is no longer "different" on the hardware level and they seem to have been transitioning to the standard of the entire industry slowly. No need to pay the premium anymore. That special presence that Apple once represented is fading away quite quickly. :rolleyes:
It's really depressing too! As the intel transition approaches, I mourn the loss of the G5. Maybe Apple'll keep OS X PPC updated, so if Motorolla or whomever makes their PPC's ever comes out with a G9 or something, Jobs can say "One more thing...Apple's will start using this new state of the art processor utilizing an advanced PPC archetecture."

[maya]

Yes, but it's how it's implemented that is the beautiful thing, and the hard thing to predict. So when CDs were all the rage, MP3s were hardly around, and Discmans were being used, you automatically knew iPods were coming, since technology is getting thinner, smaller and flatter? Right... :rolleyes: If I see any postings for a Assistant Oracle at Apple I'll pass them along to you. :p :)



You saw Front Row, a remote, built in iSight, DDR2 RAM and upgraded displays coming with the new iMac? ;)



Busted... ;) :cool:

Actually many people saw the iMac transform into a media centre to some level. How soon or how well it will be implemented was in Apple's hands. So no surprise there. DDR2, larger screens, thinner profile, again all predictable. The question only remained when it would be released.

When the LCD iMac G4 was released, people already knew before the introduction where the iMac was heading and that was a computer slapped behind the LCD screen. Which was dismayed by Apple Tech Team as flawed, yet here we have the iMac G5. Contradiction I believe so. :rolleyes:

The iPod or whatever its called in the next 1-3 years time, will either be broken into pieces or become so small that it will be rendered useless to the average consumer as navigation and usability will not complement design. You can only get so small, thin, flat before it turn useless. Its all about balance. Design you got to be joking right, for anything I give a great thanks to the iPod OS, since even that to a point is not original. Nothing about the iPod or the OS for that matter is really original, it is however all about timing. And on that note Apple had great timing and that is all.

Why can't other companies not follow that success, since they are trying to implement too much too fast, with poor support, etc... or either they are just retarded that they know nothing or little about branding.

Apple is not know for they Computers rather iPod music/mp3 players, and the last time I checked they were registered as "Apple Computers" not "Apple iPods." :rolleyes:

[dontmatter]

PDA equals "distinct operating system" to most people. I'm not talking about a PDA, I'm talking about a portable computer the size of a "PDA".

I don't want some "OS X lite" operating system that requires a special version of software (like Windows CE or PalmOS). This is one of the main reason the PDA market isn't as strong as it could be (similar to MP3 players before/without the iPod).



This thing (PCG-X505) is way too big, there's no real surface difference between that and a 12" iBook/PowerBook. Making something thinner doesn't make it smaller (you can't fit a 0.5" thick laptop in your pocket if it has a 12" screen).

Imagine a thin (0.5") Mac mini, cut about 25% on the depth (say, 6x4x0.5").

mmm, hafta disagree. You say that PDA's are not as high of market share because they run skimpy OS's. Like mp3 players before the ipod.... oh wait, that's why the ipod sells so well. Really simple OS. If you put the full fledged OS on there, not only woudl it be a major resource hog given what you can fit into a PDA, and be ghastly to operate without a keyboard and mouse, but also it would be decidedly complex for the job it needs to do. You aren't going to be able to use all the features of an OS on something that small, so do you want them? No.

And perfect evidence. Mac mini is just barely enough computer to run the OS well, some would argue not given the lack of HD space. You KNOW apple crammed that thing tight. And you argue making it 1/4 the size, while adding input devices and a screen. Asking for a little bit of a miracle.

If apple does release a product in another market like that, I'd be dissapointed. Apple is small, so they should use that to their advantage, as they do. It allows them to be nimble, to focus on doing a few things right, to not have to please everybody and therefore embrace simplicity. Apple will do better by working to do better in the buisnesses it's in, or entering into others that are prime (like ipod), than trying to leverage its way into doing everything that is being done. Why? Apple can grow that way, they don't spend money (don't have risk) and don't have huge boat and thousands of projects they have to keep going when they need change direction. Microsoft, though, has no room to grow within its market, but has a lot more leverage and a lot more secruity of revenue stream built in. So its best course is trying to get into as many markets as it can as a method of growth, and use its weight to kick others out. So they fight the netscape IE wars, the AAC WMA wars, the cell phone OS wars- they make a media center OS, hope it goes somewhere, make a tablet PC, hope it's the next big thing.

But if apple did that, they'd be broke fast.

So I'm just aiming to say, not to you but to all those who dream of an iphone or a PDA or a true media center or a true video ipod -- don't expect it. Apple's got the privelage of being able to pick and choose markets and hence battles. It will exercise that privelage.

[EricNau]

Then name all the other companies that were releasing systems based on MPC74xx and PPC970 processors....

'nuf said.

Apple was sharing the stage with all those other companies - in other words, they were alone on the stage.

Apple may participate in those events, but I don't think we'll be seeing changes in the current "system". We'll still have MWSF, and it will still be Steve Jobs.
I think this just means Steve will have to be in more places at more times.

Besides, as they are sharing the stage with other companies (Dell, HP, etc.) then those CEO's can think things like "geeez, I wish we had thought of that." Then they'll get nervous and pee their pants on stage in front of everyone. :p

I'm not sure what kinds of events these would be, but if they are open to the public, it just means even more publicity for Apple. (Because people that would never consider an Apple would see if right near their beloved HP and realize it kicks the pants off of it.)

[damax452]

Apple has made me really hate the word 'keynote'. All I see on mac sites is "steve jobs to keynote X event" Please stop using it immediately.

[maya]

Cancel MWSF! :eek: Don't ever mutter those words around here again! :eek:

It's a sad day when a computer company runs your personal life and the highlight of your personal life is an Expo or Show held by that company. Sad indeed. :rolleyes:

Wake up call, you do not live in the Matrix. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

Actually many people saw the iMac transform into a media centre to some level. How soon or how well it will be implemented was in Apple's hands. So no surprise there. DDR2, larger screens, thinner profile, again all predictable. The question only remained when it would be released.

When the LCD iMac G4 was released, people already knew before the introduction where the iMac was heading and that was a computer slapped behind the LCD screen. Which was dismayed by Apple Tech Team as flawed, yet here we have the iMac G5. Contradiction I believe so. :rolleyes:

The iPod or whatever its called in the next 1-3 years time, will either be broken into pieces or become so small that it will be rendered useless to the average consumer as navigation and usability will not complement design. You can only get so small, thin, flat before it turn useless. Its all about balance. Design you got to be joking right, for anything I give a great thanks to the iPod OS, since even that to a point is not original. Nothing about the iPod or the OS for that matter is really original, it is however all about timing. And on that note Apple had great timing and that is all.

Why can't other companies not follow that success, since they are trying to implement too much too fast, with poor support, etc... or either they are just retarded that they know nothing or little about branding.

Apple is not know for they Computers rather iPod music/mp3 players, and the last time I checked they were registered as "Apple Computers" not "Apple iPods." :rolleyes:

It's a sad day when a computer company runs your personal life and the highlight of your personal life is an Expo or Show held by that company. Sad indeed. :rolleyes:

Wake up call, you do not live in the Matrix. :rolleyes:
Why are you being so bitter? :confused: You've ended all of your last 8 comments with the " :rolleyes: " symbol.

[maya]

Apple may participate in those events, but I don't think we'll be seeing changes in the current "system". We'll still have MWSF, and it will still be Steve Jobs.
I think this just means Steve will have to be in more places at more times.

Besides, as they are sharing the stage with other companies (Dell, HP, etc.) then those CEO's can think things like "geeez, I wish we had thought of that." Then they'll get nervous and pee their pants on stage in front of everyone. :p

I'm not sure what kinds of events these would be, but if they are open to the public, it just means even more publicity for Apple. (Because people that would never consider an Apple would see if right near their beloved HP and realize it kicks the pants off of it.)

Pride comes before a Fall, and Apple is due for another (remembers the G4 Cube as of recent years). That is indeed how life works and Apple is not immune to it either. The iPod will either evolve or die out, since there is only so much you can do before it stagnates and dies a slow death. :rolleyes:

[maya]

Why are you being so bitter? :confused:

Apple coins its self as being "Innovative" when in reality it is not. Even past programmers, Woz have stated his several times in the present and the past. When everyone was going crazy as to how great OS X was, and Woz and some other programmers stated that its nothing new, nothing innovative but only evolutionary at the least.

I am not bitter, I am looking at Apples presence without a jaded outlook. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

Make that the last 10 posts you've ended with the " :rolleyes: " symbol.

[EricNau]

Apple coins its self as being "Innovative" when in reality it is not. Even past programmers, Woz have stated his several times in the present and the past. When everyone was going crazy as to how great OS X was, and Woz and some other programmers stated that its nothing new, nothing innovative but only evolutionary at the least.

I am not bitter, I am looking at Apples presence without a jaded outlook. :rolleyes:

Correction;
You ARE looking at Apples presence with a jaded look.

jaded |ˈjādid| adjective tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something

-I'm sorry you feel that way

[maya]

Make it the last 10 posts you've ended with the " :rolleyes: " symbol.

It eeks me as to how jaded and naiive people are to Apple and its products as of recent, that they are willing to accept anything and I do mean anything that might be wrong with an Apple product and pass it up as they own fault. In the mean time Apple either does little or nothing to improve on that flaw and yet they release some new product with the same problems. Get it together, you work on these products for how many years the hardware is controlled internally and yet you still cannot get it right. The OS is a different issue, you can not fix all bugs however they do try. Apple has also caught many times trying to bloat they marketing on very level. I do not need to remind people, if you were following Apple for years you know what I am referring to. :rolleyes:

[maya]

Correction;
You ARE looking at Apples presence with a jaded look.

jaded |?j?did| adjective tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something

-I'm sorry you feel that way

Notice the --> :rolleyes: at the end of that statement. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

Notice the --> :rolleyes: at the end of that statement. :rolleyes:

Sorry, you were using it so much I guess I didn't notice it anymore.

[maya]

Sorry, you were using it so much I guess I didn't notice it anymore.

Ah you actually managed to make me laugh. :eek: :)

[~Shard~]

Na, I just knew they'd replace my iMac with something better that I wish I could buy, but can't afford. :( :o


;) I knew that's what you meant. :)

[Seasought]

AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1391) reports that IDG World Expo announced Steve Jobs will be the keynote speaker for MacWorld San Francisco (http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/) at the Moscone Center on January 10, 2006.

I look forward to this. Even more so now that I've switched. Regardless of what is actually revealed I'm enjoying the excitement of it all.

[steebu]

I'm thrilled about this.

[maveness]

I am not bitter, I am looking at Apples presence without a jaded outlook. :rolleyes:

Look "jaded" up in the dictionary... it perfectly describes your current attitude: world-weary and cynical.

[Peace]

Unless I'm missing something,which is quit possible:rolleyes: I see no reason Steve Jobs would be obliged to appear on stage with any other CEO's at Intel's insistance.
Just because he buys their chips doesn't mean he has to show up at official Intel PR gigs.
:rolleyes:
:D

[EricNau]

Unless I'm missing something,which is quit possible:rolleyes: I see no reason Steve Jobs would be obliged to appear on stage with any other CEO's at Intel's insistance.
Just because he buys their chips doesn't mean he has to show up at official Intel PR gigs.
:rolleyes:
:D
That's what I first thought, but then I started thinking it might actually help them. There might be some deticated HP user out there that shows up to see the CEO of HP show off his new computer, and then see Steve Jobs show off the Apple - there is no way you couldn't just love it. Not only is Apple a wonderful product, but Steve Jobs knows very well how to show them off. It might help Apple get a little further into the PC world - making it easier for people to switch. (Note: I didn't say they were becoming like PC's but the more PC users see of Jobs, the better.)

My 1000th Post! :D :D :D

[stephenli]

didnt apple signed with freescale for supply of G4 processors till 2008?
if mac mini use intel in the next update, what would the G4 processors for?
eMac? iBook? PB? or..........iPod?!?!?!??!? ;)

[steve_hill4]

Well I guess we should look at what is the most popular thing Apple is seiling and expect it to be upgraded...

Shuffle needs an update - bring on OLED screen. Doubles as a IR remote :)

Mac Mini - another small and profitable product for Apple to spin millions off - especially if its geared to the ipod etc

100 Gig iPod Video - finally...

8 Gig Nano...

Screens need to be more competative. Lets see better resolutions at least and some price drops. aybe a 17" or 19" with speakers designed for the mini. HMDI?

New airport express with video out...
Asking a lot there, but I agree with most of it, (not sure the time is right for more iPod or nano upgrades, I'd say March at the earliest). I think Steve will mark the first anniversary of the shuffle with an upgrade of that, hopefully with a small OLED screen, (ala Sony), but still find it unlikely. iWork '06 and iLife '06 are almost certainties, but we are unsure what exactly they will include and cost. The Mac Mini also needs an overhaul and hopefully it will go intel with the PowerBook.

I know so many want it to be the Mac Mini and iBook, with the professionals going later, but the PowerBook is really in need of an upgrade in processor and the iBook can still go a little faster on the G4. Switch to a 1.5GHz and 1.67GHz for the iBooks and over to Yonah for the PowerBooks perhaps.

[steve_hill4]

I think maybe an iPod Camera attachment might come out, there was something about Apple updating a patent on their QuickTake cameras not too long ago - I can't stop thinking of it...so maybe something camera related? :rolleyes:

You mean something different to the iPod Camera Connector that is already available, (and has been since the iPod Photo Rev. B)? I would be more inclined to predict a firmware update to allow slideshows with imported photos, (from camera, as it currently restricts you to from computer only), and maybe some added transitions, 3-D especially. Either way, if it is a firmware update or a new attachment you are predicting, I wouldn't see this as a major announcement at MWSF.

[steve_hill4]

Why does everyone like that huge gaping space on the Sony Vaio? That is what makes me not buy Vaios.
That and their screens. I still much prefer the Apple style screens, but brighter, than the X-Black screens. Seen the 23" Sony display recently and that isn't X-Black and alongside the standard 19" X-Black, it looks so much better.

Same with a vaio and PowerBook alongside each other. The PB could do with being a bit brighter, but still easier and better looking than the vaio.

[steve_hill4]

So to predict a Newton 2 or some sort of new Apple branded/designed PDA is great to speculate when in reality you have no say in what Apple will release. If it comes true great if not a disappointment, but no surprise there either.
130 posts and the first post mentioning a Newton, I believe. Again let us speculate how switching to intel will give apple the PDA sized processors needed for another Newton. I may have to wait a few years into it, but I would buy one.

[Photorun]

People are voting this story negative?! What would they prefer... a purple dinosaur? Mimes?

[steve_hill4]

People are voting this story negative?! What would they prefer... a purple dinosaur? Mimes?
That would be pretty cool, Steve Jobs playing charades at MWSF, getting people to guess what he is announcing. :D

[mdavey]

That would be pretty cool, Steve Jobs playing charades at MWSF, getting people to guess what he is announcing. :D

:D

[AidenShaw]

That's what I first thought, but then I started thinking it might actually help them. There might be some deticated HP user out there that shows up to see the CEO of HP show off his new computer, and then see Steve Jobs show off the Apple - there is no way you couldn't just love it. Not only is Apple a wonderful product, but Steve Jobs knows very well how to show them off.
Boy, y'all are looking at the world through Apple-coloured lenses....

These are Intel events, not Stevenotes.

When Intel introduces a new laptop chipset, some Dell laptop VP will be there, and get a couple of minutes to talk about new Dell models using the new chipset. You didn't see Carly and Michael and crowd onstage at these Intel events - just Intel talking about the new product, and a display of some of the new models built with the new product.

There's also a lack of surprise in these announcements. For example, everyone knows that Yonah is imminent. Geek sites have them in hand, reporting on them. Manufacturers are getting them, and building them into systems. Pretty soon they'll be in full production (if they aren't already) and the system builders will be filling the channel with Yonah laptops. Then there will be a press invitation "Come see Intel announce 'Yonah' next Tuesday™". On Tuesday the only surprise will be if the official name is not "Pentium M".

If the Steve does a "one more thing" after the transition is well underway, it will need to be for true innovation - not a simple refresh to newer tech.

For example, there was no innovation in the latest PowerMac announcement - just the same old box refreshed with current technology (dual-core chip from IBM, PCIe from Intel et al.).
_____________

Think about what the situation would be today if another manufacturer were shipping PPC 7448 based laptops. How long could Apple continue to ship 7447-based systems? Could Apple just update the screen and call it a new model, without using the same CPU as the other guys? Or could Apple, months after the other guys are shipping faster or better systems, stage a Stevenote and watch the guy in black say "one more thing"???

I think not....

[steve_hill4]

If the Steve does a "one more thing" after the transition is well underway, it will need to be for true innovation - not a simple refresh to newer tech.

For example, there was no innovation in the latest PowerMac announcement - just the same old box refreshed with current technology (dual-core chip from IBM, PCIe from Intel et al.).
_____________

Think about what the situation would be today if another manufacturer were shipping PPC 7448 based laptops. How long could Apple continue to ship 7447-based systems? Could Apple just update the screen and call it a new model, without using the same CPU as the other guys? Or could Apple, months after the other guys are shipping faster or better systems, stage a Stevenote and watch the guy in black say "one more thing"???

I think not....
His keynotes would hopefully evolve into something more than just new hardware announcements. We've seen other products creeping in more and more in recent years, (iPods being the main ones), and he can also concentrate on Apple/3rd Party software and peripherals designed to make the Mac experience even better. Let's say it does go this way, one week Apple stand alongside the others in announcing their new models and then the following week we have a keynote where Steve shows us what the new software and hardware works like together, (like say a PowerBook with a seperate HD iSight, running Aperture Express). That would still be like we have now, except the base machine would already be known before the keynote. More of a demonstration than an announcement.

[~Shard~]

Boy, y'all are looking at the world through Apple-coloured lenses....
_____________

Think about what the situation would be today if another manufacturer were shipping PPC 7448 based laptops. How long could Apple continue to ship 7447-based systems? Could Apple just update the screen and call it a new model, without using the same CPU as the other guys? Or could Apple, months after the other guys are shipping faster or better systems, stage a Stevenote and watch the guy in black say "one more thing"???

I think not....

Excellent points. Now that Apple is moving to Intel, things are changing - drastically. To be successful in this new world, Apple is going to have to adapt, similar to what you've described above. All of a sudden some tactics and approaches to "new" technology are not going to be acceptable anymore, and Apple is going to have to step up. 2006 will indeed be an interesting year.... :cool:

[AidenShaw]

All of a sudden some tactics and approaches to "new" technology are not going to be acceptable anymore, and Apple is going to have to step up.
I think you'll see more choices, more evolutionary changes, and fewer "big bang" Stevenotes.

For example, about six weeks ago I ordered 4 new Dell workstations. Due to a manager hitting the wrong button during the approval chain, the request went into limbo even though the status was reading "approved".

When I found this out early this week - of course I did not immediately try to fix the problem and get the request out of limbo.

I went to the Dell website, and checked the current configuration and options lists for that model. Since six weeks ago, the price had gone down for memory and a faster CPU was available, as well as dual dual-core. The 24" LCD was also a bit cheaper.

I got a new quote, cancelled the old order, and placed a new order for better tech at a lower price.

No big announcements, just continual technology refresh. That's the new world.

[~Shard~]

I think you'll see more choices, more evolutionary changes, and fewer "big bang" Stevenotes.

For example, about six weeks ago I ordered 4 new Dell workstations. Due to a manager hitting the wrong button during the approval chain, the request went into limbo even though the status was reading "approved".

When I found this out early this week - of course I did not immediately try to fix the problem and get the request out of limbo.

I went to the Dell website, and checked the current configuration and options lists for that model. Since six weeks ago, the price had gone down for memory and a faster CPU was available, as well as dual dual-core. The 24" LCD was also a bit cheaper.

I got a new quote, cancelled the old order, and placed a new order for better tech at a lower price.

No big announcements, just continual technology refresh. That's the new world.

Precisely. Apple is no longer going to be able to wow us with "updates" to their products, if these are in fact not true updates. As you said, what kind of "update" would Apple have released to the PowerBooks if a 7448 model was available? Apple is not going to be able to wait months at a time before releasing updates - that's not the speed the Intel world moves at, as you have shown in your above example. Apple is going to have to keep pace, or they will seem foolish to the public. "Here are our new laptops which finally have technology the rest of the Intel PC world has had for the past 4 months!" If Intel releases a new chip, lowers the price, whatever, then Apple will need to react to that at the same time as Dell, etc. - not wait 4 months later just because that's when the next Stevenote is scheduled for. :cool:

I can replace components in my PC at my whim, as soon as new technologies are available, and don't have to wait for an overarching "update". And costs continue to decrease. How will Apple address this when they will be using, in effect, those very same components?

[sushi]

So no MWSF look @ 'Leopard' but there's a good chance of a Preview of 'Leopard' @ WWDC '06..;)
Agree.

I should have been more clear in my response to Lacero's comment about seeing a demo at MWSF.

Like you, I think we will see it at the WWDC, but not before then.

Sushi

[sushi]

He's talking about the keyboard. SONY puts the keyboard against the front edge of laptop, with empty space by the display. Everyone else does the opposite, with the keyboard by the display and empty space at the fonr for resting hands/hlding the trackpad. The SONY way is totally impractical.
Just think that is how all laptops were before Apple introduced the PowerBook series back in the early 90s.

Sushi

[sushi]

I think you'll see more choices, more evolutionary changes, and fewer "big bang" Stevenotes.

For example, about six weeks ago I ordered 4 new Dell workstations. Due to a manager hitting the wrong button during the approval chain, the request went into limbo even though the status was reading "approved".

When I found this out early this week - of course I did not immediately try to fix the problem and get the request out of limbo.

I went to the Dell website, and checked the current configuration and options lists for that model. Since six weeks ago, the price had gone down for memory and a faster CPU was available, as well as dual dual-core. The 24" LCD was also a bit cheaper.

I got a new quote, cancelled the old order, and placed a new order for better tech at a lower price.

No big announcements, just continual technology refresh. That's the new world.
Great move with the Dell equipment.

Everything is a moving target these days. Get what you need today.

It will be interesting to see how Apple makes this transition. Before they could say whatever they wanted to justify their own upgrade cycle with the different architecture.

Now that they will be in the Intel/x86 architecture home, things will have to be different. There will be no excuses for lagging behind the changes. No more toasted bunnies!

Sushi

[BruinJohn]

Remember on SNL a couple of weeks ago when they spoofed Steve Jobs and the fast changing world of iPods? I hope Steve makes a joke about that. It would be funny. "one more thing, the new iPod pequeno, wait, the new iPod invisa...."<p> In terms of computer schtuff, I would love to see a new Powerbook form factor. I like the minor improvements that have been going on, but I think the Powerbook line has become someone stagnant, and the 12" is being treated like the "red-headed stepchild" and getting left behind. This leaves me to believe that the 12" will get the most attention this next MW. But I know that there will be a lot of time spent on the intel transistion. I can't wait!!!

[iPhil]

Agree.

I should have been more clear in my response to Lacero's comment about seeing a demo at MWSF.

Like you, I think we will see it at the WWDC, but not before then.

Sushi


It sounded like Leopard was in pre-Beta stages @ WWDC '05 .. So slim chance of X.5 aka 'Leopard' being shown in seven months @ MWSF '06..

The OS upgrade (10.4 -> 10.5) usually takes apple between year to 18 months to launch, so if 'Leopard' is on a 18 month route then WWDC '06 should be a preview time of the OS..

X.4 aka Tiger was launched this year so if X.5 was in preview mode for MWSF '06, Apple would done 1 OS team for Tiger(to tweak itand polish it) and 1 team OS Leopard.. but im thinking that after tiger was released that they started on 'leopard' so they have lil bit more than a year to get a preview package for jobs @WWDC '06..

[Qunchuy]

Besides, as they are sharing the stage with other companies (Dell, HP, etc.) then those CEO's can think things like "geeez, I wish we had thought of that." Then they'll get nervous and pee their pants on stage in front of everyone.
Yeah, the HP introduction of their brand of iPod was painful to watch.

[giffut]

In the german section of the Apple refurbished store they blow out all iBooks, all Powerbook models and all xserve products.

The store usually only opens on wednesday, but is now daily open right until the 4th of january ...

... feel free to guess what that means.

[sushi]

Yeah, the HP introduction of their brand of iPod was painful to watch.
What?! You mean that you didn't like the color? :eek: :D

[mdavey]

In the german section of the Apple refurbished store they blow out all iBooks, all Powerbook models and all xserve products.

The store usually only opens on wednesday, but is now daily open right until the 4th of january ...

... feel free to guess what that means.

Oh yes, the UK store is the same! Discounts 20%-27% on PowerBooks, 20% on iBook 14" and various Xserve. 20%-32% on iMac G5.

Arrgh - as if it wasn't hard enough to wait before :mad:

[~Shard~]

It will be interesting to see how Apple makes this transition. Before they could say whatever they wanted to justify their own upgrade cycle with the different architecture.

Now that they will be in the Intel/x86 architecture home, things will have to be different. There will be no excuses for lagging behind the changes. No more toasted bunnies!

Yep, this is pretty much what I said earlier. If component "x" is released and Joe PC-User can go out and buy it from TigerDirect, NCIX, or wherever to plop in his machine, or if Dell starts including it immeditaley in their offerings, it's not going to cut it if Apple doesn't follow suit and makes its user base wait a few months to benefit from that same new technology.

[steve_hill4]

This is already killing me, and over a month to wait before we see what really is on offer. I doubt that with all the speculation around intel Macs being released early that we will have to wait beyond MWSF, but I just want to see what else Apple wows us with.

With more and more rumour sites reporting them each day, it's going to be a busy holiday season, rumour-wise.

[~Shard~]

This is already killing me, and over a month to wait before we see what really is on offer. I doubt that with all the speculation around intel Macs being released early that we will have to wait beyond MWSF, but I just want to see what else Apple wows us with.

With more and more rumour sites reporting them each day, it's going to be a busy holiday season, rumour-wise.

Keep in mind that in previous years, Apple has had so many product updates in the pipeline that they only have announced a few items at MWSF, and then over the subsequent weeks, into February, many other product updates have been released, only announced on Apple's main page. So, I guess all I'm saying is, don't think that just because something isn't announced at MWSF that it won't be coming out for a long time - it might be the week afterwards. ;)

[AidenShaw]

...with all the speculation around intel Macs being released early...
Early?

Jobs said by WWDC 2006, not "at WWDC 2006".

The minute he said that, people should have expected them at MWSF !

When the developer site said "code for Dothan", that should have rung a loud bell <ding>MWSF<ding>. Apple wasn't going to wait for Yonah, Apple was going to use the chips that were available at WWDC 2005 ! <ding>

"Not late" isn't the same thing as "early" :rolleyes:

[Yebot]

Since they stopped the live webcasts a while ago, will I be able to wander into an Apple Store and watch the Keynote live?

[AidenShaw]

Since they stopped the live webcasts a while ago, will I be able to wander into an Apple Store and watch the Keynote live?
They had Keynote at the Union Square Apple Store last weekend, you should have no trouble seeing it.

[~Shard~]

They had Keynote at the Union Square Apple Store last weekend, you should have no trouble seeing it.

Yep - just keep in mind that it isn't free. I've heard people asking about downloading it for free, too, which is illegal - Apple doesn't like that sort of thing. :cool:

[SiliconAddict]

Yep, this is pretty much what I said earlier. If component "x" is released and Joe PC-User can go out and buy it from TigerDirect, NCIX, or wherever to plop in his machine, or if Dell starts including it immeditaley in their offerings, it's not going to cut it if Apple doesn't follow suit and makes its user base wait a few months to benefit from that same new technology.


A better question is this: can you upgrade CPU's on your future PowerMac and even PowerBook. The latest mobile CPU's usually come with ZIF sockets so it should be possible to pop the hood on your x86 PowerBook (And PowerMac) and do your own upgrades. That's assuming that Apple doesn't solder the CPU's into place which laptop manufacturers are known to do.
Upgrade cycles on x86 Macs could get really interesting. Even more so if whatever chipset Yonah uses is compatible with Merom to the point that its pin for pin compatible. I could easily see people hacking their Mac to get a Merom chip in there instead of shelling out a few grand for a new laptop.

[AidenShaw]

The latest mobile CPU's usually come with ZIF sockets so it should be possible to pop the hood on your x86 PowerBook (And PowerMac) and do your own upgrades.
My Dell D600 is quite a bit faster than it was when it arrived... :D

ZIF is nice.

[~Shard~]

A better question is this: can you upgrade CPU's on your future PowerMac and even PowerBook. The latest mobile CPU's usually come with ZIF sockets so it should be possible to pop the hood on your x86 PowerBook (And PowerMac) and do your own upgrades. That's assuming that Apple doesn't solder the CPU's into place which laptop manufacturers are known to do.
Upgrade cycles on x86 Macs could get really interesting. Even more so if whatever chipset Yonah uses is compatible with Merom to the point that its pin for pin compatible. I could easily see people hacking their Mac to get a Merom chip in there instead of shelling out a few grand for a new laptop.

Very good point. It is so easy in the PC world in many cases to upgrade your machine in this manner, component by component. As I said above, I don't think Apple users will be very happy if they have to wait for essentially a new overall system from Apple before they can "upgrade", whereas a PC user can, as you say, buy a Merom and pop it in their Yonah PowerBook (as an example) and move right along. Interesting times ahead, that's for sure. :cool:

[AidenShaw]

Originally posted at http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=1951589&postcount=196


I agree, the cheapest laptops all tend to have Celeron M's in them. To get to Pentium M, you need to go to prices that aren't much cheaper than iBooks, if at all.
And what's wrong with that? Why can't Apple BTO the CPU that you want, like Dell?

See http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=MLB1610&s=biz:

Intel® Pentium® M Processor 770 (2.13 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) [add $400]
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 760 (2 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) [add $200]
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 750 (1.86 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) [add $100]
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) [Included in Price]


Why not give the customer the choice of a $699 iBook with a 1.4 GHz Celeron M, or a $999 iBook with a 2 GHz Pentium M, or a $1299 iBook with a dual-core 2.13 GHz Yonah?

The customer can make choices like that from Dell and HP, and pretty soon Apple will be just another Intel shop....

[~Shard~]

And what's wrong with that? Why can't Apple BTO the CPU that you want, like Dell?

...

The customer can make choices like that from Dell and HP, and pretty soon Apple will be just another Intel shop....

Yep, it's like what myself and SiliconAddict (and yourself of course too :o ) have been saying - Apple is going to have to step up and adapt, or be left in the dust. They're going to be playing a different ball game now, and will have to compete when it comes to things like this. And with OS X being hacked on more and more PCs, there are fewer reasons for people to stay with Macs if Apple does indeed drop the ball on this, as they can simply buy a PC instead with the exact same (or better) components, in a more timely manner, possibly for cheaper - and install OS X on it. :cool:

[mdavey]

The customer can make choices like that from Dell and HP, and pretty soon Apple will be just another Intel shop....

They can, it is true. But interestingly, much of the industry seems to be moving towards the model that Apple and Sun use: pick a 'small', 'large' or 'ultimate' configuration then customise bits (perhaps change the HDD size, RAM or optical drive). Perhaps Apple will allow customers to 'customise the CPU speed'? I can't see them offering more than 3 different CPU speeds for any model, though.

One of Apple's strengths is keeping things simple. They'll need to tread a fine line.

[~Shard~]

One of Apple's strengths is keeping things simple. They'll need to tread a fine line.

Agree, and I think this model is important, yet they will have to adapt once they're playing with the other Intel shops.

[AidenShaw]

One of Apple's strengths is keeping things simple. They'll need to tread a fine line.
Look at the Apple store page for the PowerMac at http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/7201105/wo/qg53CA3wKmaL2w8DtoF1jb5LV9e/2.?p=0

There's a heading "Memory", and you can click on a list and choose one of 15 different memory configurations.

There's a heading "Hard Drive", and a list with 3 choices.

There's "Graphics Support", with 3 options. "Display" with 4 options.

What's the big change if they add "CPU Speed" with a couple of options ?????

That's what Dell has - there's a list of choices for the CPU chip along with the other BTO options....

[mdavey]

What's the big change if they add "CPU Speed" with a couple of options ?

That's pretty much what I said, wasn't it? I think you are vehemently agreeing with me ;)

[Edit: well spotted on the 15 memory configs, though. Do you think Apple is slightly more flexible when it comes to Pro products?]

[Yvan256]

mmm, hafta disagree. You say that PDA's are not as high of market share because they run skimpy OS's. Like mp3 players before the ipod.... oh wait, that's why the ipod sells so well. Really simple OS. If you put the full fledged OS on there, not only woudl it be a major resource hog given what you can fit into a PDA, and be ghastly to operate without a keyboard and mouse, but also it would be decidedly complex for the job it needs to do. You aren't going to be able to use all the features of an OS on something that small, so do you want them? No.

But a music player doesn't need a full-fledged OS either. As long as it works, nobody cares what OS is inside the iPods.


And perfect evidence. Mac mini is just barely enough computer to run the OS well, some would argue not given the lack of HD space. You KNOW apple crammed that thing tight. And you argue making it 1/4 the size, while adding input devices and a screen. Asking for a little bit of a miracle.

If you think the Mac mini is "barely enough computer to run the OS well", either you're used to a dual-G5 PowerMac with 8GB of RAM or you've never run Windows XP. My Mac mini (1.42GHz, 1GB RAM) runs OS X without any problems. Sure, video encoding is slow, and I can't play HD Quicktime files, but aside from that, there's nothing to stop that little machine.

As for the size, I'm talking 2/3 the surface of a Mac mini with the thickness of an iBook. Sure, the Mac mini is tighly packed, but remove the DVD drive and you gain at least 20% in volume (IMO). This palmtop wouldn't have any CD/DVD drive (if you need one, you use an external one). If you put a trackball, a trackpoint or a touchscreen in there instead of a trackpad, you also decrease the input area.

Lastly, mix a CompactFlash microdrive with Hitachi's perpendicular recording technology and you get a 20-40GB microdrive. It requires a lot less room and a lot less power (and strangely, could be faster than a 4200 RPM 2.5" hard disk, given the more packed bits, requiring 5-10x less spinning speed).

Give this thing a 1024x600 resolution (widescreen), two USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi, bluetooth, maybe a CompactFlash+SD media reader built-in, and you have a winner.

What's the point in having such a machine? Again:
- it's small enough that you don't think twice about carrying it around all the time
- it runs the same software as your desktop/laptop (which means any special app you need is always on the road with you - no more "oh crap I don't have that app for my PDA" situations).
- Apple doesn't have to put much ressources into the OS and software for that PDA (it's nothing more than "yet another laptop model" instead of "a completely different platform").

[maya]

130 posts and the first post mentioning a Newton, I believe. Again let us speculate how switching to intel will give apple the PDA sized processors needed for another Newton. I may have to wait a few years into it, but I would buy one.

We have been through this, "oh bright one." :rolleyes:

Keep reading. :rolleyes:

[maya]

That would be pretty cool, Steve Jobs playing charades at MWSF, getting people to guess what he is announcing. :D

That would actually be quite interesting to say the least. ;) :)

[generik]

Very good point. It is so easy in the PC world in many cases to upgrade your machine in this manner, component by component. As I said above, I don't think Apple users will be very happy if they have to wait for essentially a new overall system from Apple before they can "upgrade", whereas a PC user can, as you say, buy a Merom and pop it in their Yonah PowerBook (as an example) and move right along. Interesting times ahead, that's for sure. :cool:

Is the Merom pin compatible with the Yonah?

I am still all set to stake out till the 2nd revision, but if that were true... I'd just right to Yonah straight :D

[~Shard~]

Is the Merom pin compatible with the Yonah?

I am still all set to stake out till the 2nd revision, but if that were true... I'd just right to Yonah straight :D

I don't know actually (was just using that as an example) but wouldn't it be something if it was... ;) :cool:

[AidenShaw]

I don't know actually (was just using that as an example) but wouldn't it be something if it was... ;) :cool:

Intel Merom to Be Pin-to-Pin Compatible with Yonah – Intel Exec. (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20051019183430.html)

Intel Discloses Some Specs of Next-Gen Mobile Product

by Anton Shilov

Intel Corp. disclosed certain specifications of its code-named Merom processors, which is slated to come in the second half of 2006 and utilize fully new architecture. An important point is that Merom will be compatible with mobile platforms designed for Intel Pentium M processor based on the Yonah core.

The code-named Merom processor will feature 14-stages pipeline, down from 31 or more stages found in current Intel Pentium (Prescott) designs, 4-issue out-of-order execution engine as well as improved performance of the floating-point unit (FPU).
...
Intel’s Vice president of mobility group and general manager of the mobile platforms group Shmuel Eden said that the world’s largest chipmaker intends to launch Merom as pin-to-pin compatible with Yonah, which may mean that systems originally designed for Yonah may be upgraded to support the future chips by installing a new BIOS.

But, you may need a new BIOS update from Apple to do it, so....

[digitalbiker]

Boy, y'all are looking at the world through Apple-coloured lenses....
These are Intel events, not Stevenotes.
When Intel introduces a new laptop chipset, some Dell laptop VP will be there, and get a couple of minutes to talk about new Dell models using the new chipset.

I agree and this is one of the major issues that I think Apple / SJ will have a hard time adapting to.

In the past Apple really has not been good at a rapid update cycles for computer products. They haven't had to be. They were unique in the marketplace and people were willing to suffer a little stagnation of product line, pay more for that product, because when it did come out it was unique, interesting and useful.

By switching to Intel hardware, Apple gains access to current tech but loses that uniqueness in the marketplace. Now the only uniqueness will be the OS and formfactor. To be honest it is very, very, hard to be unique with formfactor when you are using the same innards as everyone else.

In addition, x86 compatability will almost certainly allow WINE or VPC apps to run at nearly native speeds. This will mean software vendors that once had a unique position of being the only OS X supplier of a certain software will now be competing with windows versions of similar software. I wonder how many small Apple developers will be killed off by this type of competition simply because they don't have access to windows version sales but windows developers have access to Apple version sales through WINE or VPC.

Also how many major software vendors will simply drop OS X native versions and simply instruct Apple users to run their product in WINE or VPC. OS 2 suffered this same fate because it was too compatible with windows.:(

[~Shard~]

But, you may need a new BIOS update from Apple to do it, so....

... so who's good at hacking BIOSes to get this to work? ;) :D

Seriously though, this is good to know - thanks for the info AidenShaw, this is a good example of what we've been talking about. :cool:

[~Shard~]

By switching to Intel hardware, Apple gains access to current tech but loses that uniqueness in the marketplace. Now the only uniqueness will be the OS and formfactor. To be honest it is very, very, hard to be unique with formfactor when you are using the same innards as everyone else.

And, as you elude to later in your post, this essentially applies to the OS as well, not just the hardware "innards" of the machine. When other options become available, whether it be VPC, WINE, or more and more people hacking OS X for PCs themselves, Apple loses another unique attribute. Some Mac users who stick with Mac just because of OS X, and decide to put up with some shortcomings would have fewer reasons to put up with them if they weren't tied down by OS X.

[digitalbiker]

By the way, as a side note on the iWork subtopic, Apple should either dramatically improve this product or drop it completely.

Keynote is useable and has some unique features but it still lags sorely behind PowerPoint.

Pages just plain sucks. I find it a real annoyance to use and refuse to deal with it anymore. Unless Apple has a Pages template that matches what you want exactly, it is a real pain in the a$$ to suitably modify. It also is the slowest WP that I have ever used. I used Pages to make a modest document of 55 pages with embedded tables and jpegs. It literally takes 15 minutes for pages to open this document and get to a point where the beachball stops so that you can scroll the document. It took me 2 days to generate this document and fart around with all of the stupid, unlocking, ungrouping, shifting, centering, re-grouping, relocking to get things to flow correctly on the page.

As for the comment about keeping it simple;

Well this is presentation software and complex word processing, If it can't be used by professionals who make daily presentations and want nice looking formated documents because it is too simple and doesn't include pro features then who is going to buy it.

So far MS Office has absolutely nothing to worry about from iWork!:rolleyes:

[Epicurus]

Also how many major software vendors will simply drop OS X native versions and simply instruct Apple users to run their product in WINE or VPC. OS 2 suffered this same fate because it was too compatible with windows.:(


Apple can fight this in two ways: (1) Encourage its rabid fan base to turn out a mountain of new code/applications for the Intel platform that only work for Macs, or (2) Play up the "whole package" concept for the Mac like they do with the iPod (iPod+iTunes+iTunes Music Store).

For the first option Apple needs to shine some light on the emerging Dashboard/Spotlight/Automator community and all the cool things going on there. Secondly Apple needs to turn out something like DashCode to make building Widgets really easy for the amatuer programmer. A more fully featured Automator (made even more like an iApp while also bringing in some Xcode features to make "iCode") with a real GUI editor and better code level editing outside of AppleScript would let users develop small applications for the Mac platform easily and quickly. Essentially Apple needs to churn up its current development base and bring in a new wave of developers at the same time. Aiming at the person new to programming (the student programmer) is the best way to grow a new base.

For the second option, Apple needs to build on the "halo" effect further. Getting people to think iPod->iMac is one thing, but having them think iPod->PowerBook is another. The Mac has to be a complete package. For many, the iMac with iLife is 90% there already. But that's just one segment of the market. Making the PowerBook that complete out of the box is more difficult. Shipping an expanded iWork '06 with all new Macs would help (if iWork picks up all the remaining AppleWorks features and can mirror MS Works in basic functionality). iWork doesn't need to compete with MS Office, but it should at least clearly beat out Works.

Adding iSight to the portables gives some added value, as would adding flash drives to increase boot times/extend battery life. Apple could try to keep its edge with gimicks like these, but selling a complete package is easier and earns you bigger revenues.

[digitalbiker]

And, as you elude to later in your post, this essentially applies to the OS as well, not just the hardware "innards" of the machine. When other options become available, whether it be VPC, WINE, or more and more people hacking OS X for PCs themselves, Apple loses another unique attribute. Some Mac users who stick with Mac just because of OS X, and decide to put up with some shortcomings would have fewer reasons to put up with them if they weren't tied down by OS X.

Exactly. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to this brave new world.
I am hoping that the additional pressure and competition will push Apple to be truly innovative, so that they will not only survive but will flourish and produce some of their best computer products in decades.:cool:

[Epicurus]

By the way, as a side note on the iWork subtopic, Apple should either dramatically improve this product or drop it completely.

Keynote is useable and has some unique features but it still lags sorely behind PowerPoint.

iWork will survive at least another year if only to replace AppleWorks for the Intel Macs. Apple isn't going to port AppleWorks to Intel, and probably won't bother pushing it through Rosetta, so iWork gets the bill.

As for Keynote, I find it far and above better than PowerPoint in my daily uses of it (Keynote 2 was better than Keynote 1 and I have high hopes for version 3). Pages was a wash, but its just v 1.0 software anyway. We'll see what Pages 2 brings and then decide. iWork needs spreadsheets, which it will get if iWork really is replacing AppleWorks entirely. Hopefully whatever does come out is in better shape than Pages 1.0, especially with its AppleWorks heritage.

Even with a better than expected round of upgrades for '06 iWork is no match for Office, nor should it be. As I've said before, all it needs to do to make a place for itself in the market is beat MS Works. As far as I can tell, Apple should have little trouble accomplishing this very shortly.:D

[~Shard~]

Exactly. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to this brave new world.
I am hoping that the additional pressure and competition will push Apple to be truly innovative, so that they will not only survive but will flourish and produce some of their best computer products in decades.:cool:

I hope this is the case as well. If so, it could be extremely exciting and rewarding times ahead for the Mac community. I hope this forces Apple to adapt (which it of course will) as in the end, it will make Apple a better company and will result in its user base reaping the benefits. If this means some growing pains and hard lessons in the interim, so be it, I say. :cool:

[digitalbiker]

Apple can fight this in two ways: (1) Encourage its rabid fan base to turn out a mountain of new code/applications for the Intel platform that only work for Macs, or (2) Play up the "whole package" concept for the Mac like they do with the iPod (iPod+iTunes+iTunes Music Store).

For the first option Apple needs to shine some light on the emerging Dashboard/Spotlight/Automator community and all the cool things going on there. Secondly Apple needs to turn out something like DashCode to make building Widgets really easy for the amatuer programmer. A more fully featured Automator (made even more like an iApp while also bringing in some Xcode features to make "iCode") with a real GUI editor and better code level editing outside of AppleScript would let users develop small applications for the Mac platform easily and quickly. Essentially Apple needs to churn up its current development base and bring in a new wave of developers at the same time. Aiming at the person new to programming (the student programmer) is the best way to grow a new base.


Good points. I also think that Apple needs to really focus on the Dashboard/Spotlight/Automater iCode project. Right now these features have tremendous potential but most Tiger users probably don't take advantage of any of them except once in a blue moon.

Most users are creatures of habit and keep organizing and doing things the same old way. Apple really needs to create a new paradigm for the daily workflows and organization of the typical user. Educate the user or automate everthing for the user.

[AidenShaw]

...as would adding flash drives to increase boot times/extend battery life...
I'm sure you meant "improve" boot times, not "increase" them. :)

But....

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123053,00.asp

Intel Slashes PC Power-up Time

Chipmaker demonstrates 'Robson' flash memory to boost laptop startup speeds.

Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service
Monday, October 17, 2005

TAIPEI -- Intel has unveiled a new technology on Monday that significantly reduces the time it takes for a notebook PC to power up or access programs, while improving battery life to boot.

Intel's new Robson cache technology ensured an almost immediate start-up of a Centrino-based notebook PC during a live demonstration at the Intel Developer Forum in here Monday. A laptop with identical hardware but without Robson took several seconds to boot up.

The laptop with Robson also opened Adobe Reader in 0.4 seconds, while the other notebook required 5.4 seconds. It opened Quicken in 2.9 seconds, while the laptop without Robson technology needed 8 seconds to do the job.

Drawing on Flash
The secret behind the Robson nonvolatile cache technology is NAND flash memory. Instead of booting from the hard drive, a laptop using Robson would turn to standard NAND flash memory instead. The difference saves time and battery power, according to Intel.
...
It looks like flash-assisted disk could become part of the "Centrino" package itself, no differentiator here.

[mdavey]

To be honest it is very, very, hard to be unique with formfactor when you are using the same innards as everyone else.

They won't use the same innards as everyone else. They'll just be using the same CPU as others. Right now, Apple ships a custom IO chip with most of its machines (Intrepid, KeyLargo and various other versions). I would expect them to continue to design a custom IO chip for their Intel range.

Given Apple's stake in AltiVec, I continue to speculate whether we won't see a new Apple IO chip with AltiVec support and perhaps an integrated BlueTooth and/or GPU in 6 to 18 months time.

[AidenShaw]

They won't use the same innards as everyone else. They'll just be using the same CPU as others. Right now, Apple ships a custom IO chip with most of its machines (Intrepid, KeyLargo and various other versions). I would expect them to continue to design a custom IO chip for their Intel range.
Why would they go to this expense, when Intel is investing a huge amount in building exactly these kinds of chipsets?

Especially since Apple's "custom" chips are the root of many problems (e.g. the 1394 performance of the G5).

Given Apple's stake in AltiVec, I continue to speculate whether we won't see a new Apple IO chip with AltiVec support and perhaps an integrated BlueTooth and/or GPU in 6 to 18 months time.
This would surprise me immensely.

AltiVec
Any external general-purpose AltiVec coprocessor would almost certainly perform far worse than the native SSE set of SIMD instructions in the Pentium. It would have huge latencies, and probably a arcane programming interface.

On the other hand, Apple might put a Cell or Xbox360 cpu on the board as a dedicated media processor - allowing something like an MPEG-4 encode to be offloaded. Even so, a specific commercial MPEG-4 silicon codec would probably be cheaper and faster.

Bluetooth
Doesn't really fit the model of a device that needs to be in the Northbridge or Southbridge. Doesn't have high bandwidth needs, and already requires offchip components for radios and antennae.

My Dell laptop's Bluetooth is a tiny card about the size of a AAA battery (but flat) that contains the Bluetooth chip, RF drivers and antenna. It plugs into a miniature USB socket on the motherboard. Seems like a pretty good solution, and not one that would be "improved" by putting a small portion of the card into the bridge chipset.

GPU
http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/gma900/ - 'nuf said.

Intel already has PCI Express DirectX9 (that's "CoreImage", in Mac-Speak) graphics in the Centrino chipset.

I find it unlikely that Apple will want to invest in the effort required to take on Intel, ATI and nVidia in this space. It would be a huge effort, and probably take Apple a long time to come up with a product as good as what's on the market.

[steve_hill4]

I don't know actually (was just using that as an example) but wouldn't it be something if it was... ;) :cool:
I have a feeling it will be. Yonah has the same number of pins as the current Pentium M range, but they have moved the position of one pin to make sure it is incompatible. I don't think they will change it again yet.

[speleoterra]

So to predict a Newton 2 or some sort of new Apple branded/designed PDA is great to speculate when in reality you have no say in what Apple will release. If it comes true great if not a disappointment, but no surprise there either.

Why even waste you time, if you believe you can do better rather than speculate to allow your creative juices going then put it on paper and get it into the design/industrial field. Stop pondering and start moving. Unless you just like to waste time. :rolleyes:

I agree. Pointless to speculate

[Epicurus]

I'm sure you meant "improve" boot times, not "increase" them. :)

But.... It looks like flash-assisted disk could become part of the "Centrino" package itself, no differentiator here.

Being the first to use the new technology is still brag-worthy. If they can get Blu-Ray into their desktops/laptops first too, that would be good. Since the whole Apple market is smaller and Apple has almost total control over their hardware/software, even if Intel makes their new technology available to everyone, Apple might be the first to implement it.

Apple could serve as Intel's field tester for new technology. This could hurt as much as it helps, but it may happen. Especially if Apple still has a hand in creating its own chipsets (although I feel they'll hand that off to Intel sooner or later).

[AidenShaw]

I have a feeling it will be. Yonah has the same number of pins as the current Pentium M range, but they have moved the position of one pin to make sure it is incompatible. I don't think they will change it again yet.
Perhaps it's incompatible with the previous chipset, say due to some small thing like being dual-core, or a different voltage, or different cache bus, ....

If that's the case, moving a pin or two to prevent damage from being accidentally plugged into the wrong motherboard is a good thing.

[G wizz]

do you think apple will get into the portable gaming thing, with the success of the ipod taking over portable music. or does the cost out way the sales:confused: