No iMac, eMac or Displays?

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret reports (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwsf03cpus.html) that not new iMacs, eMacs, displays... or Laptops and PowerMacs at MWSF:

Apple will not use Macworld Expo in San Francisco as a venue to upgrade the iMac, eMac or flat-panel display families, but instead will wait to do so until late January or early February at the latest.


Which leads us to the obvious question... of what will be updated? Best indications at this time include iApp updates... at least.

[iJon]

I don't believe it. It just doesnt make sense. Guess we all will have to wait and see. How accurate is ThinkSecret, i dont keep up with who has been accurate with what lately. someone fill me in.

iJon

[dricci]

If this is true, then there's got to be something big coming... unless Apple wants this to be the most boring keynote ever. :eek:

[yamadataro]

I'm happy with this news.

I'm currently quite satisfied with my Tibook G4/800 and PowerMac MDD.
But even if I were not satisfied with them, speed bumps and minor upgrades are not very exciting. Are we still really excited about CPU speed??? I'm not.

I want something else. Hopefully something beyond my imagination.

My Visa¨ card is ready when you are, Steve!
Grrrrrrr....

[arn]

Originally posted by iJon
I don't believe it. It just doesnt make sense. I will find out in a couple of days though when I get my email from Apple saying to stop ordering certain products. Guess we all will have to wait and see. How accurate is ThinkSecret, i dont keep up with who has been accurate with what lately. someone fill me in.

iJon

ThinkSecret has been relatively reliable lately... they have had their misses... but overall, this info ranks higher than most non-News sites.

arn

[dricci]

Originally posted by iJon
How accurate is ThinkSecret, i dont keep up with who has been accurate with what lately. someone fill me in.

From what I've seen, Think Secret is almost never wrong. However, with the recent arrest of the leaky contractor, rumor sources may be drying up.

[scem0]

this isn't bad news, but it is kind of cool to see them released via
the keynote. Oh well.... if this is even true.

[iJon]

Originally posted by arn


ThinkSecret has been relatively reliable lately... they have had their misses... but overall, this info ranks higher than most non-News sites.

arn
thanks arn, that is interesting. I know apple has gone on this approach with the powermacs because the dont want sales to drop before macworld. Maybe they are goign with this approach to not announce hardware at macworlds.

iJon

[DreaminDirector]

Come on new iDevice. Anything. Man, I'm too high strung about this.... Anyone else feel extra anxious about the keynote?

[Coca-Cola]

Me too. I can't take it any longer. I can't wait. The rumors seem very specualtive and wierd this time. Do you get this feeling too? Let's see five more days with a slow weekend in between. Yikes.

[vniow]

I'm hoping to be truly shocked at MWSF if this is true.

They better have something wild up their sleeves.

Oh, and iJon, give us anything you may have, we're starving out here!!

[canadianmacguy]

I could see this - this is the new Apple, the Apple who wants to take the emphasis off of the hardware, and onto OS X and the software.

We know a .mac upgrade is coming, syncing with your online address book is coming "January 7th", according to www.mac.com. I'm sure they'll add something else for their subscribers, which is fine by me. :-)

I'd be fine with new/updated software - I bought a 733 with the super drive 2 years ago, after I saw a demo of iDVD (was going to get a cube).

[mmoin]

Very weak, now I'm going to either have to wait another month or just bite the bullet and buy a machine that is going to be upgraded soon, yuck. Here's hoping that they're wrong.

[dth21]

Originally posted by dricci


From what I've seen, Think Secret is almost never wrong. However, with the recent arrest of the leaky contractor, rumor sources may be drying up.

Keep in mind, more recently Think Secret has been spotty at best. They totally blew the Nov PowerBook launch.

"There has been much speculation that at least the high-end models of both product lines might include a SuperDrive with DVD-RW/CD-RW capabilities. Let us put this issue to rest: There will be no Superdrive version(s) announced."

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/nov5portables.html

If iApps go pay (which some newbie over at AI is posting) and there's no existing hardware revs, I'd be _very_ surprised.

[nanosound]

After last year, I've learned not expect anything. If anything, it will be something no one has thought of, like the Luxo iMac.

But if MacWorld will be just a software show from now, then next year I'll stay home and web it.

Too bad, because I'm ready to spend some bucks on a new system. As long as I don't have to wait too long...

[Hemingray]

Well all I gotta say is... if they DON'T update the iMacs, eMacs, or display line, they'd better have something good up their sleeve. I can't imagine Steve devoting another keynote to OS X or the iApps! Oh, and how about that Xserve Raid?

[Nemesis]

Yeap, this one could be true. In fact, it would be cool to see this happening: when Steve enters on a stage, a huge sign

[Beej]

Well if this is the case, I think it's a good thing. It means there will be something great to talk about, better than hardware speed bumps. Perhaps a new iDevice or some funky new .mac features.

It may also mean there are some good hardware upgrades in the not-too-distant future, and Apple wants to clear old stock and then announce them, rather than announce them a month early and have sales on current models grind to a halt.

[Timothy]

I wonder if Apple is purposefully sabotaging the importance of MacWorld with the recent bad blood between Apple and IDG. It may well be that they've decided not to use MacWorld for any meaningful announcements, thus, lessening the importance of the show by lessening our expectations of the show.

I am now guessing that Apple will do some minor but not earth-moving updates of a few iApps, and Steve will use the bulk of his time touting technologies that we are all familiar with: OSX, Rendevous, iSync, iCal, and others... I think Steve has decided that stability and steady, measured growth are much more important than big ventures and risks.

I hate to say it, but gone are the days of overwhelming Expos, with the famed "one more thing." Apple is all about staying the course now.

Besides, for me...short of an Apple PDA, I don't know what would excite me anymore. There is no magic hiding behind door number three. We all know the game now, there is no magic G5 chip ready for use...and I am guessing that we won't see any new announcements in this regard until at least 2004. Nothing comes out earlier than we expect; delays are the rule, not the exception.

2003 will be a slow, painful year for mac enthusiasts...

[Cappy]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but haven't they recently not broadcasted one or more of the macworld shows over the internet to cut back on costs and such. Why bother announcing that this will be broadcast when they might be delaying any of these updates that would typically be announced at such a show since the iMacs at least are more consumer oriented?

If the rumors are true, then one would have to wonder what's in the pipe softwarewise as well as the so called digital lifestyle productline.

My wishlist would include Mac OS X for x86 but realistically I don't see it happening...at least not this soon.

[Nemesis]

Yeap, this one could be true. In fact, it would be cool to see this happening: when Steve enters on a stage, a huge sign unfolds behing him saying "Nothing this time. Sorry folks.".

And Steve would explain how they tried their best during the last few years but that everything looks pretty boring right now.

"It's useless to fight against Dell, IBM, Microsoft, HP and others. So we at Apple have taken a different approach which I'm announcing to you today -- lets move our asses from IT completely!"

"So we are switching our attention to rising environmental problems and healthy food production issues." Then he says that Apple will finally justify its name and start to invest in apple orchards in Silicon Valley and support farms nationwide that will export good quality food to the third world countries.

"And one more thing: I'm going back to India, to search for a truth, like once I did".

:p

[mmoin]

Unless Apple really wants to screw with our heads, they wouldn't have made all the special offers expire on the 7th (with one exception) unless they were introducing new models on the 7th.

Though, then again, they might figure that they can "fake us out" into buying if they don't introduce anything at MWSF.

I think it's probably the former, the latter is just a bit too far-fetched.

[iJon]

Originally posted by Cappy
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but haven't they recently not broadcasted one or more of the macworld shows over the internet to cut back on costs and such. Why bother announcing that this will be broadcast when they might be delaying any of these updates that would typically be announced at such a show since the iMacs at least are more consumer oriented?

If the rumors are true, then one would have to wonder what's in the pipe softwarewise as well as the so called digital lifestyle productline.

My wishlist would include Mac OS X for x86 but realistically I don't see it happening...at least not this soon.
i dont think so. they stopped letting tech tv do the macworlds. that was a good thing though because they always diss the new products that come out besides that poor mac guy on the show.

iJon

[gregorybe]

I don't know what Think Secret was thinking, but Ingram Micro's iMac inventory as of 1 a.m. on 1/3/03 is iMac CDRW 0 iMac Combo 104 iMac SD 29 iMac 17" 466. eMac Combo 155 eMac SD 201. This doesn't sound like a "glut" to me.

[iJon]

Originally posted by gregorybe
I don't know what Think Secret was thinking, but Ingram Micro's iMac inventory as of 1 a.m. on 1/3/03 is iMac CDRW 0 iMac Combo 104 iMac SD 29 iMac 17" 466. eMac Combo 155 eMac SD 201. This doesn't sound like a "glut" to me.
good call man, i think thinksecret is gonna be wrong on this rumor.

iJon

[iJon]

everthing just doenst add up, i really think we will see new imacs tuesday.

iJon

[s10]

Apple will update what need to be updated urgently; the G4pro

btw Why does the latest version of Bias Peak says for OsX & G4+?

[Knox]

Assuming ThinkSecret is accurate, some good news in that article is :

"However, Apple is expected to update the Power Mac line, like the iMacs, in late January or early February."

Which agrees with the geek.com rumour of 1.0-1.4Ghz G4s in February.

[MacsRgr8]

Originally posted by dricci
If this is true, then there's got to be something big coming... unless Apple wants this to be the most boring keynote ever. :eek:

Like MW Paris last year... :(

[ChicagoMac]

I'm going to be pretty ticked off if this is true. I've been waiting two months for this upgrade! Makes me mad enough to buy a windows thing! Wait a minute, what am I thinking!?!? Oh, I forgot to take my medication!

But seriously, I don't want to wait another month for an upgrade. I already moved my old computer downstairs so the girls could play their Mickey Mouse and Barbie games. I want my upgraded Imac!!!:mad: Think Secret, think Shmecret!

[bigdog]

So we're talking a consumer-ish show [obviously not strictly consumers, it is a trade show after all] but who's to say we won't see at least some preliminary demos of 10.3? Didn't Steve show off 10.2 during MWSF last year? I can't remember exactly when he took the wraps off Jaguar, but I vaguely remember watching a keynote stream where he was like a giddy schoolboy, showing off this and that and saying "Available this summer!".

Since this summer is the expected/anticipated date for Jaguar's successor, maybe we'll get a glimpse of some of the features the Apple developers have been throwing together as of late.

Also, iTunes was shown off back at MWNY with the Rendezvous capability with a "release sometime next year" set by Steve himself. Now that QuickTime 6 is out [with AAC] and Rendezvous is adopted more widely with Jaguar actually out for everyone, I'd like to think we'll see this update.

I prefer to leave hardware speculation up to the legally insane and those with painkiller addictions, so I will.

[Spievy]

I really hope this rumor is NOT true, I will be very disappointed :(

[Kid Red]

Except for the imac, this should be no suprise. They haven't updated the pmacs at an expo in like 2 years. As for thinksecret 'blowing' the pbook update, they nailed everything BUT the superdrice, so I wouldn't say they 'blew' it. Following that same issue, maybe Apple put out negative rumors (like no superdrive) about no imacs/emacs so people will be blown away.

[dth21]

Originally posted by bigdog
So we're talking a consumer-ish show [obviously not strictly consumers, it is a trade show after all] but who's to say we won't see at least some preliminary demos of 10.3? Didn't Steve show off 10.2 during MWSF last year? I can't remember exactly when he took the wraps off Jaguar, but I vaguely remember watching a keynote stream where he was like a giddy schoolboy, showing off this and that and saying "Available this summer!".

I prefer to leave hardware speculation up to the legally insane and those with painkiller addictions, so I will.

Jaguar was unveiled at WWDC last May. We're not going to hear about 10.3 from Apple for another 5-6 months, at least.

[lmalave]

Originally posted by Knox
Assuming ThinkSecret is accurate, some good news in that article is :

"However, Apple is expected to update the Power Mac line, like the iMacs, in late January or early February."

Which agrees with the geek.com rumour of 1.0-1.4Ghz G4s in February.

Yeah, I'll bet they'll still announce them at MWSF and start taking preorders. Especially for those G4 iBooks and dual-CPU PowerBooks :D

[snahabed]

I think the hardware is at a relatively good stage right now.

The two areas I think Apple really need to get to town on are:

1. iApps -- I really want to see iTunes 4 with AAC and rendezvous. This has to be coming soon; I thought it would come out at MWNY actually! Long overdue and very welcome. iChat and iPhoto are very green and could use some major tweakage. iMovie hasn't been updated in forever -- but then, how much more can really be done, and how much more would ruin the simplicity of the program? And of course AppleWorks really needs some Apple work. I am fully de-MSed except for Office, and while I know it is unfair to compare AppleWorks to MS Office rather than MS WORKS, I still long for something good enough that I can ditch MS once and for all *insert gleam in eye*.

As an aside, I am disturbed about these inklings of rumors about converting iApps to for-pay programs. My god, people went berzerk over the switch of bloody iTools, and most people barely touched that. If the more-frequently used iApps were converted, god help the poor sap who announces it, as he or she will be hanged :) However, maybe they will update iApps with "premium" services and features, and tie them into .mac ... They need to add SOMETHING to .mac before September, because there will be a mass exodus when people are expected to pay $99 (be it justified or not), and really, there was never a mass adoption, so.... I know I will only renew if the price is lowered or more good services are added, and I sure ain't talkin about Bejeweled :)

2. Digital Devices -- Where are they all? I thought the iPod was supposed to be the 1st in a line of products? Does not Apple want to extend its arm into Sonystyle territory? Or has the economy dashed their dreams? I honestly don't care what it is... DVR, camera, phone, the dreaded PDA, a letter opener, a pooper scooper....

But would Apple really release a new consumer digital device right AFTER the holidays? That would be odd, as such lower-priced techie gems have "perfect gift" written all over them.


So in conclusion :) Give me iTunes 4, and I'll be smiling. That is ALL I am asking for, is that so much?

:cool:

[Room40]

From Think Secret:
"The nation's two biggest Apple distributors -- Ingram and TechData -- are sitting on anywhere from one to four weeks of iMac and eMac inventory."

This can absolutely NOT be the reason why Apple will wait to the end of january with beefed up hardware. One to four weeks of inventory is the same as a dry channel. And as mentioned by gregorybe earlier in this tread, there really is nothing there.

So then, given Think Secrets track record as of late, I still think they are correct, but for all the wrong reasons.

[brian0526]

If true, this would be very disappointing to me. I've been thinking of making the switch from PC to Mac for over a month. I finally get all psyched to buy the Mac and I hear there's going to be a performance bump in less than a month. So, I'm waiting for MWSF.

Hopefully, the new iMacs will be available soon. My patience is wearing thin and I don't want to buy another Dell.

[sparkleytone]

Originally posted by dth21


Keep in mind, more recently Think Secret has been spotty at best. They totally blew the Nov PowerBook launch.

"There has been much speculation that at least the high-end models of both product lines might include a SuperDrive with DVD-RW/CD-RW capabilities. Let us put this issue to rest: There will be no Superdrive version(s) announced."

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/nov5portables.html


keep in mind as well that EVERYONE blew the november launch with the exception of macrumors. it was pretty much accepted that, since there was no slot loading dvd burner in existence, there would be no superdrive.

[utilizer]

All I'm waiting for is the revision of the PowerBook -- I'm quite content with the power of my upgraded Pismo P'Book. It's the Powerlogix Bluechip G4 500 mhz upgrade. RAM matters also so that's why it has a gig of that in it too.
But getting back to the point, I don't see anything worthwhile that Apple has right now to buy. I'm not excited by a mediocre PowerMac, or a just barely cutting it for the next couple of months TiBook. And all the "i" products, except for iTunes and iPhoto of course, suck. iCal isn't even close to the integration that Microsoft's Entourage has. I tried the Mail application and iCal at first but it gets annoying when you have all of these separate Apps in which to do the things that you've gotta do. It really bogs down this machine too; Entourage doesn't!
So I'm calling it quits until Apple will release something worthwhile of buying and hopefully, Thinksecret is wrong this time as they were in November!

[pyrotoaster]

ThinkSecret is one of the most reliable sources for Apple rumors on the net. They're constantly pulling stories for Adobe's lawyers (they probably have a mole in Adobe), and they have a great record with their reports (which makes up for the lack of them).
Their last flub was the Powerbooks with SuperDrive, but in all fairness, almost nobody anticipated a slot-loading SuperDrive.
With the release of the iCal and iSync updates yesterday, and the iMacs and eMacs later in January, I think we're looking at something BIG :D
But what?
There's been a lot of talk about iTunes 4, and while I'd like to see a new iTunes, we have to remember that iTunes 3 is only six months old (it was released at MWNY). Maybe the big software announcement will be a Chimera-like (or based) "iWeb".
As for hardware... I would prefer a PDA or Tablet-like DLD over an iPhone.
The keynote will feature something big. I know some people have pointed to Apple's feud with IDG, but that was just a way to slink out of a second expensive expo without headlines like "Apple too poor for expo!" Steve Jobs likes the publicity Apple only gets at MacWorld, so something BIG is coming. I'm sure of it.

[gregorypierce]

Well they've got a lot of things to showcase with respect to enhancements in the OS, OpenGL increases make games more viable on the platform, they've finally gotten Java up to date (and maybe it will be near final at launch), they've probably got some more iApp features that integrate into the OS as well. All in all I'm hoping that they have more stuff to do with the OS as opposed to having more machines to do the same stuff.

Until they release Macs with the IBM chip, nothing they have to say on the hardware side outside of having an iPad (and me thinks that this patent may have something to do with that) will be exciting to me.

[Flowbee]

This rumor might make sense if they *do* have a brand new hub device to announce. Macworld is one of the few times each year Apple can count on mainstream media attention, and they may want all of the buzz focused on the new iWhatever... and not call attention to small speed bumps and upgrades on their computer line until they have some 'big news' on that front.

But, of course, there's no consensus on if a new hub device is ready for launch. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[pyrotoaster]

Flowbee has a good point. Accurate product leaks have been drying up since Grand Master Jobs started his crackdown on rumormongers. For once we might really be surprised by a keynote.

[macphisto]

I am actually thinking about buying a new 17" iMac this next week or so, and I decided to pay a visit to a rather prominant Apple dealer in my town. The guy (who is fairly high on the food chain in the company) told me to wait until next Tuesday because they were bumping the speeds on the iMacs and prices were dropping (a certain amount, which I will not disclose ;) )

Let's just hope that he is right. Besides that, remember like it has already been said/posted, Think Secret blew it when it came to the Powerbooks and iBooks.

:)

[richard5mith]

I have a hard time believing this, because the reason given is that they want to clear the reseller channel of old stock.

But who is going to buy an iMac over the next three weeks, knowing they'll be cheaper and faster at the end of the month? I was planning on ordering mine on Tuesday, but I'll certainly be waiting now.

[chubakka]

But thinksecret doesn't seem to know what WILL happen at the keynote now does it?

All it seems to know is apparent quantity of products in stock... big deal... :rolleyes:

I think iMac updates would look pretty unimportant if Apple has better things to announce... I'm not stressing. I'm ordering an iPod next week unless something else warrants a purchase.

[pyrotoaster]

First, macphisto, that reseller was just saying what everybody was saying up until today. Hell, up until earlier this week some people were convinced we'd see 19" iMac screens at the keynote (that's very unlikely, 19" LCDs are too expensive to keep the iMac affordable, and it would make the computer look top-heavy). And remember, ThinkSecret says the upgrades will still happen, just a few weeks later than expected.
Speaking of ThinkSecret, if they "blew it" on the Powerbooks (they were almost right, they just didn't think Apple had a slot-loading SuperDrive), then everybody "blew it." Most people didn't know a slot-loading SuperDrive existed until Apple put it in the TiBook.
And Mr. richard5smith, maybe none of us would buy a new iMac today, but there are plenty of people (maybe not "plenty," but some) who would walk into a CompUSA and buy an iMac today, totally clueless about what we're talking about.
Chubakka, nobody knows what's going to happen at the keynote right now. Apple finally got a lid on its leaks. You do make a very good point, iMac updates would look unimportant if Apple did something big, which I think they will.
The iMac was last year's big expo announcement, it even made it into the summer expo (with the release of the 17"). The mainstream media is paying attention to Apple, this is the time for something big. I'm willing to put my money on a new DLD, it's only natural with the success of the iPod.

[lmalave]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
First, macphisto, that reseller was just saying what everybody was saying up until today. Hell, up until earlier this week some people were convinced we'd see 19" iMac screens at the keynote (that's very unlikely, 19" LCDs are too expensive to keep the iMac affordable, and it would make the computer look top-heavy). And remember, ThinkSecret says the upgrades will still happen, just a few weeks later than expected.
Speaking of ThinkSecret, if they "blew it" on the Powerbooks (they were almost right, they just didn't think Apple had a slot-loading SuperDrive), then everybody "blew it." Most people didn't know a slot-loading SuperDrive existed until Apple put it in the TiBook.
And Mr. richard5smith, maybe none of us would buy a new iMac today, but there are plenty of people (maybe not "plenty," but some) who would walk into a CompUSA and buy an iMac today, totally clueless about what we're talking about.
Chubakka, nobody knows what's going to happen at the keynote right now. Apple finally got a lid on its leaks. You do make a very good point, iMac updates would look unimportant if Apple did something big, which I think they will.
The iMac was last year's big expo announcement, it even made it into the summer expo (with the release of the 17"). The mainstream media is paying attention to Apple, this is the time for something big. I'm willing to put my money on a new DLD, it's only natural with the success of the iPod.

Yeah man, all signs point to a new DLD. I'm pretty much burnt out on speculating, though, so I'll just wait the few short days 'til SJ takes the wraps off....

[gregorypierce]

richard5mith, you assume that everyone who buys a Mac (like all those people who are supposed to be switching) even know that there is a big event next week or that the prices should be dropping in the next month or so. Just because there are many people who watch for what Apple is doing, there are many many more who just go to the store and buy stuff.

[macphisto]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
First, macphisto, that reseller was just saying what everybody was saying up until today. Hell, up until earlier this week some people were convinced we'd see 19" iMac screens at the keynote (that's very unlikely, 19" LCDs are too expensive to keep the iMac affordable, and it would make the computer look top-heavy). And remember, ThinkSecret says the upgrades will still happen, just a few weeks later than expected.
Speaking of ThinkSecret, if they "blew it" on the Powerbooks (they were almost right, they just didn't think Apple had a slot-loading SuperDrive), then everybody "blew it." Most people didn't know a slot-loading SuperDrive existed until Apple put it in the TiBook.


Well, actually, I have talked with the retailer on occasions (days) before Macworld, even with all the rumors circulating, and he would never divulge any information on what was coming out, nor would he speculate, no matter how major or minor. This time how ever he said with "surety," to wait till Tuesday to buy a new imac, for reasons of speed bumps and price drops of $300. That is what I based my speculation on, not if but when (I have no doubt that they would come, sorry if I did not make that clear in my last post).

Secondly, I just thought that it was funnly that thinksecret posted that in the TiBooks "…the addition of SuperDrives is not…," meaning no superdrives that round of updates.

That is all. I just think that it is amusing and rather cool that Apple continues to suprise and amaze us all, that even that which we think we know is way off course occassionally, even with all of the rumors and "leaked information" that abound.

Thats's my 2¢

[Durandal7]

This sounds like specluation to me. I have 2 problems buying this report:
A) "A number of highly reliable sources within Mac distributors" Now, it seems to me that there is no apparent back inventory and there are shotages of some iMac and Powermac models. You don't need a source to get inventory information.
B) "and high level executives within Apple itself have confirmed the report" Eh? High level Apple executives leak to Thinksecret? :confused:

It sounds to me that their sources aren't talking, seeing as how Thinksecret seems to have no idea of what will happen at the expo.

[chubakka]

exactly my thoughts.

[pyrotoaster]

I'm not saying there aren't some questions I'd like answered by ThinkSecret, but the site has a very good reputation, and they wouldn't risk something as important as their credibility over a single report days before the expo.
Coming from just about anywhere else, this would all sound very fishy, but I'm willing to give ThinkSecret the benefit of the doubt.

[MacKid]

Originally posted by Timothy

Besides, for me...short of an Apple PDA, I don't know what would excite me anymore. There is no magic hiding behind door number three. We all know the game now, there is no magic G5 chip ready for use...and I am guessing that we won't see any new announcements in this regard until at least 2004. Nothing comes out earlier than we expect; delays are the rule, not the exception.

2003 will be a slow, painful year for mac enthusiasts...

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but was it not Steve himself who said that 2003 would be a revolutionary year for Apple (I know the quote is not exact) ?

[pyrotoaster]

Mackid is right, Steve did say something along those lines. In all fairness, the year is about three and half days old. He could've been talking about IBM's PowerPC 970, but assuming a reference to MWSF is in there (and there probably is), it means we are looking at something big out of the keynote.:D
Also, it wouldn't have sounded very good if Steve had said, "This will be a slow and painful year for Mac users everywhere!":rolleyes:

[gregorypierce]

Heck he may come out and demo the Power970 and say... "but wait, you can't have it until Christmas" :)

[lmalave]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
Mackid is right, Steve did say something along those lines. In all fairness, the year is about three and half days old. He could've been talking about IBM's PowerPC 970, but assuming a reference to MWSF is in there (and there probably is), it means we are looking at something big out of the keynote.:D
Also, it wouldn't have sounded very good if Steve had said, "This will be a slow and painful year for Mac users everywhere!":rolleyes:

I'm sure SJ wasn't thinking of the 970 when he said 2003 would be the biggest year for apple ever. Think about Apple's 25 year history - that's a bold statement. This would HAVE to be a major strategy shift of some kind for Apple. The biggest strategy switch I can think of that still sounds plausible is for Apple to become a consumer electronics company, like they already started with the iPod. So were talking iPhone, iSetTopBox, etc. I think the other ideas that have been thrown around (i.e. releasing OS X for x86 and becoming a software company like Microsoft) are too disruptive to the existing business model and do not seem in character for Apple. Keep in mind that financially Apple is actually a pretty conservative company - that's how they still have $4 Billion in the bank amidst this downturn. Any move Apple makes will be an incremental change from the existing business model (like moving into the MP3 market as a complementary product for the Mac), NOT a single reckless move that they bet the whole farm on.

[pyrotoaster]

I agree totally with lmalave here. I think Apple is headed for the consumer electronics market. This has probably been in the works for years, with the Apple retail stores being a critical factor.
I don't think we're looking at an iPhone (yet), but instead an iPDA. Possibly even a tablet that's more like an iPod than a tablet; sort of like a PDA, but with a ten-hour battery and five, ten, or twenty GB hard drive.
I think we'll see a keynote devoted to software for OS X (I'm not ruling out an Apple web browser or iTunes 4) and consumer electronics. That would explain the very rational decision to leave out desktop hardware for the time being.
I can't wait for the keynote, I've got 400 bucks in Apple Store gift cards just waiting to be spent!:D

[pyrotoaster]

Almost as if saying "shut up!" to those who have said that ThinkSecret is just saying what won't be at the expo, not what will, ThinkSecret (redundant, yes) has posted its predictions, including a possible "surprise tablet?"

[lmalave]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
This has probably been in the works for years, with the Apple retail stores being a critical factor.


Ahhh, I didn't think about the retail store angle...good call!