Apple 2007 Roadmap

[osequis]

Having patented the new iPhone navigation technology, having OSX constrained in a small device, why only make iPhones?
This keynote was only the tip of the iceberg.

In the few months Apple will release a myriad of products that will confirm that computers still are a key element in Apple future.

1) Apple will deliver the new standard in pro laptops. Fingertouch controlled GUI and on screen keyboard, this Macbook Pro will be a sandwich of two displays, one for input/output and the other for output only, no physical keyboard but maybe a trackpad. Add last gen processor and a flash HD. Sizes will vary from 12" to widescreen 17".

2) For those who don't want/need a phone, a new iPod PDA with almost all the features of the iPhone will appear, sans some of the communication features, but a bigger screen. Wireless connectivity, but with a limited range. Will communicate with other iPods and Macs of course. New applications and games will be created by big developers.

3) MacPro will get quad, octo and beyond... The iMac will have a minor cosmetic revamp, and a quad core...New displays in bigger sizes, more TV oriented... nothing new here... well maybe the Mac Mini will evolve to Mac MiniTower.

4) Leopard will be the factor between entertainment and productivity. Resolution independence, 64 bit and a revamped GUI will help to create new complex and powerful apps and appliances.

Well, is obvious I just let my imagination go... what do you think Apple is going to do this brand new year?

[Chundles]

Originally Posted by osequis

Having patented the new iPhone navigation technology, having OSX constrained in a small device, why only make iPhones?
This keynote was only the tip of the iceberg.

In the few months Apple will release a myriad of products that will confirm that computers still are a key element in Apple future.

1) Apple will deliver the new standard in pro laptops. Fingertouch controlled GUI and on screen keyboard, this Macbook Pro will be a sandwich of two displays, one for input/output and the other for output only, no physical keyboard but maybe a trackpad. Add last gen processor and a flash HD. Sizes will vary from 12" to widescreen 17".

2) For those who don't want/need a phone, a new iPod PDA with almost all the features of the iPhone will appear, sans some of the communication features, but a bigger screen. Wireless connectivity, but with a limited range. Will communicate with other iPods and Macs of course. New applications and games will be created by big developers.

3) MacPro will get quad, octo and beyond... The iMac will have a minor cosmetic revamp, and a quad core...New displays in bigger sizes, more TV oriented... nothing new here... well maybe the Mac Mini will evolve to Mac MiniTower.

4) Jaguar will be the factor between entertainment and productivity. Resolution independence, 64 bit and a revamped GUI will help to create new complex and powerful apps and appliances.

Well, is obvious I just let my imagination go... what do you think Apple is going to do this brand new year?

Well, I don't see them using a screen as a keyboard. Sure it's OK for text messaging on phones and stuff (although I do still prefer buttons) but can you imagine typing professional reports on something with no physical feedback? Awful.

I also don't think they'll be bringing back Jaguar, especially after all the Leopard talk

[osequis]

Hahaha... yeah.. is a different cat

Fixed.

[balamw]

I too think that the iPhone is just the tip of the iceberg.

Two pieces of the puzzle that I now see in a very different light are:

1) Resolution independence. I always thought this was intended to make the text readable on high resolution screens where pixel bound font sizes would make text teeny, but I see the error of my ways. It seems the key thing it'll let you do is make better use of a small screen like on the iPhone.

2) Dashcode. I had been wondering why they were keeping it close to the vest, and when they finally released it it was a beta but I now assume it was in part of the big iPhone picture and that developers will be able to write applets for the iPhone using Dashcode.

I just hope that we don't have to wait until WWDC to find out more about this kind of stuff, and that new exciting Macs are coming along with Santa Rosa.

B

[AEagleX7]

i would think it benefits the iphone (assuming the deivce uses a port of OS X)

[surferfromuk]

What's happening to the Apple Brand this year ?

I've said it before and I'll say it again ;

50" Apple brand 'Consumer' LCD Television - with integrated Apple TV streaming technology!!.

I am quite literally flabbergasted that Apple haven't yet done this. It seems so obvious - it's hardly that different from a cinema display in reality...

PLEASE!! I have money waiting - act now!!

[dominicansrul93]

i dont have a mac(even though im dying to get one) cause im still in skool and my parents say comps are comps and u dont need expensive macs and crap like that.
when im in college i might get one and im looking forward to those features!

heres wat ithink is gonna happen.
1. just like osequis said a iphone like ipod with similiar features(which ive heard comes out by christmas so i might get it)
2. obviously a new imac that will be more leopard like.

[PCMacUser]

Originally Posted by dominicansrul93

i dont have a mac(even though im dying to get one) cause im still in skool and my parents say comps are comps and u dont need expensive macs and crap like that.
when im in college i might get one and im looking forward to those features!

heres wat ithink is gonna happen.
1. just like osequis said a iphone like ipod with similiar features(which ive heard comes out by christmas so i might get it)
2. obviously a new imac that will be more leopard like.

Well stay in school and work on that grammar and punctuation

Your parents are right though - computers are computers. They pretty much all do the same thing. It's just that with a Mac, the computing experience is a little bit more focussed. What I mean by that is that you don't need to spend as much time worrying about security and viruses on a Mac, and there's less software to choose from so you don't spend hours trying to figure out which program is the best out of thousands of options.

As for price, I'd say an Apple Macbook is very very competitively priced for what it offers. And the Mac Mini is an economical option if you've already got a screen, keyboard and mouse.

With your comment in (2), it's probably worth pointing out that Leopard is the name of Apple's upcoming operating system, rather than a physical computer design. Once it is released, all Apple computers will have it preinstalled.

[ctango]

Funny how an old post can come to life again.

I don't think that the MacBook will go dual monitor, but I so wish it would. Apple does have the interchangeable keyboard patent in it's pocket, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that in April. Demoing a MacBook Pro that you can take the keyboard out and put in it's place a video editing interface. While it would be far more functional to have the screen change between keyboard and whatever, I don't think it would work for a majority of the users. For example, step back for a second and try typing a response on the desk. That's what it would feel like to type on a screen. I would love it, since I don't hunt and peck. But there are still a large number of people who are hunting and pecking.

That said, if the keyboard panel would have a little bit of give to it, that would be an entirely different story. Apple could have the system make a sound on successful a keystroke (like the digicams do when a picture is taken). Make it a small simple keyboard sound. You would be able to have the feel of pushing on something, and you would also have the audio feedback of typing.

Now. Will it happen no. But it should.


chris

[CRAZYBUBBA]

I seriously think theres room in the lineup for a 12" tablet mbp. *fingers crossed*

[Shanesan]

2007 will show the return of micro computing!


All hail the 540c! All hail the microcomputer!

[k2k koos]

Originally Posted by dominicansrul93

i dont have a mac(even though im dying to get one) cause im still in skool and my parents say comps are comps and u dont need expensive macs and crap like that.
when im in college i might get one and im looking forward to those features!

heres wat ithink is gonna happen.
1. just like osequis said a iphone like ipod with similiar features(which ive heard comes out by christmas so i might get it)
2. obviously a new imac that will be more leopard like.

Good luck at school, grammar and spelling need some improving I believe...

And how exactly is an iMac more "leopard like", you are confusing the hardware with the software......Unless you want a casing with a leopard skin print ( a bit like the flower pattern from yester year on the original CRT iMacs)

[Max Payne]

Still waiting for the good year for the Mac to begin as promised by Steve Jobs.

[ctango]

So, in 2007 we have seen...

Display price drops
8 core desktop
23" iMacs
DRM removal
tv
iPhone teasers


Is that an accurate tally so far?


We are 1/3 of the way done, so at this rate there would be another 8 to 10 products or improvements in the lineup.

[FF_productions]

Originally Posted by ctango

So, in 2007 we have seen...

23" iMacs

It's a 24 inch iMac and it has been around since September 06.

[johnee]

has anyone thought of the diabolically confusing conundrum of a digital abacus?
this has nothing to do with the 2007 line up, but when I saw that snap of the old laptop, it hit me like like a matter-antimatter explosion.

[apachie2k]

Originally Posted by Chundles

Well, I don't see them using a screen as a keyboard. Sure it's OK for text messaging on phones and stuff (although I do still prefer buttons) but can you imagine typing professional reports on something with no physical feedback? Awful.

I also don't think they'll be bringing back Jaguar, especially after all the Leopard talk

i have to dissagree... on the simple basis that technology is supposed to be about adapting itself to physical benifits. While neither are used to the concept of a physical button, we can both agree that it is limited. Can we live in a world where before our eyes, we choose the "digital touch buttons" size or value. We can switch between different styles, languages, and such. It will make playing games easier because developers can create specific buttons for specific purposes. The future does not include the large, limited, unadaptable physical input devices.

Something with no physical feedback is certainly a prefrence developed due to an existing condition, that we have all been more or less accustumed too, but as a new generation comes to age, will they be saying the same thing???

[FF_productions]

Originally Posted by apachie2k

Something with no physical feedback is certainly a prefrence developed due to an existing condition, that we have all been more or less accustumed too, but as a new generation comes to age, will they be saying the same thing???

You make a good point. It would be hard for people of this entire generation to adapt to touch screens but imagine what the future can hold...

[iLoveMyMBP]

I hope apple brings back some sort of external webcam. I own a macbookpro with a built in isight..but people with older powerbooks, ibooks are missing out because the external isight is no longer avaiable