Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Upcoming Product Transition
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
oh crap! I think that might be it! Jobs said at All Things Digital that there was some things for .Mac in the works. So exciting things. That very well may be it! Remember that data center they bought a while back... hmmm......
Apple will not integrate iLife into Leopard. iLife is a money maker but it cost to develope these updates and if it is integrared into Leopard it Apple will not recoup the cost of the developement. You add the cost of development of Leopard and apple margin would be greatly reduced.
No, they haven't. That is just not true. 10.4 didn't. No, iLife was NOT included with 10.4.
I just read through most of the posts here and yours makes the most sense (provided that apple did buy a data center [link anyone?]). I would expect a media event in early August with new iMacs and the unveiling of the new .mac and iLife. Then the iPod would be announced in October or so (after the student promo ends... they always seem to do that).
With their new focus on Web 2.0, it would only make sense that Apple would offer their own really advanced webapp. Their website has recently been redone in some pretty nice AJAX.
They'll cancel the AppleTV and add a mini-DVI port to the Mini that will support an HDMI connection. I'm sure it's eating them up inside to have a product out that's affordable. Need to fix that right away and replace it with a more expensive option. 
Yeah, it'd be more like the iMac is announced with some amazing new hardware feature which is REALLY popular, and since people realise this new feature will be in MBPs in a few months they stop buying MBPs.
My mind is working at about 10% (gettting married on Sunday, stressed, and our minister just had a heart attack!)... so I'm not thinking well outside the box.
I still think it's touch screen.
If you like... click through your files using cover flow, access files via stacks... but I think this will be more useful in iLife. iPhoto zoom into shots (just pinch), change their order, rotate/straighten with fingers. iTunes coverflow access almost identical to iPhone. Screen saver like the AppleTV, except you can grab a photo, and pull it around, zoom in/out.
Like I said, I don't think that's enough... so anyone able to think way outside the square on this for hardware that when released on iMac would make people hold off buying a MBP?
Okay... I AM a little slow today. Just saw this comment...
Yep.
2 other interesting responses I saw...
1) Apple dropping PC hardware altogether
2) Apple counting sales revenue for a new PC over 2 years (like they do for the iPhone)
I doubt #1 will happen - there's less reason than ever for that.
#2 is quite possible.
I wonder if they would even consider a subscription model for computers, in general. Pay a monthly fee for your computer, with .Mac built in & AppleCare, subscribed OS & iLife upgrades, and a guaranteed minimum monthly purchase/rental from iTunes
1) Apple dropping PC hardware altogether
2) Apple counting sales revenue for a new PC over 2 years (like they do for the iPhone)
I doubt #1 will happen - there's less reason than ever for that.
#2 is quite possible.
I wonder if they would even consider a subscription model for computers, in general. Pay a monthly fee for your computer, with .Mac built in & AppleCare, subscribed OS & iLife upgrades, and a guaranteed minimum monthly purchase/rental from iTunes
I'm not sure there are so many "fence-sitters" that Apple expects it to decrease their numbers for the current quarter. I would assume it has to do with the turnover of new technology (such as an iMac redesign). Just as turnover is expensive as it relates to employees, it can also be expensive with new technology. Chances are, as soon as Apple releases a new iMac (for example) they won't have a zero stock of "old" iMac parts. There is certainly a cost when switching to new technology (production, education/training of employees, higher technology costs if the sales prices remain the same, discounted "old" iMacs, etc.). This is why I believe they mentioned a possibility of lower numbers with the transition.
Fixed that for you.
The only time you ever get iLife for "free" is when you buy a Mac. Other than that, you pay for upgrades, period. It never comes with boxed OS upgrades.--Eric
The just said they were going to have revenue issues, no?
I don't think they are, but if they had a new xMac with all the power of a Mac Pro, then what's the point? I have a new PC server on order that's got a motherboard smaller than the motherboard in a MacBook. Yeah, it's only a single dual-core machine, but a MacPro mobo doesn't have to be hugely bigger to go octocore, especially if they go 3D.
Nah, throw a coupon in the box and reflect revenue *this* quarter. No-brainer.
Oh, not again. MacWorld is for all Mac users. NAB, Photokina, et. al. are for very specific niche media markets. WWDC isn't just for pro-users either - it's for the people who write apps that run on MacBooks and iMacs. (I was just doing the WWDC thing pre-emptively.)
Nice idea, but boy that much flash? 4GB of flash still runs $20 on the open market; $320 worth in an iPod. Even if they had a 50% discount, that's still hefty - there goes all their iPod margin. But, boy, sexy.
Damn, I'd have to buy one of those too. Now, this I can see. I was really surprised to see it missed by the MBP refresh and the timing would be right to explain the long iMac refresh delay.
The theory that the transition is all about Flash is the best one I've seen here.
It's much too soon for that. That has to wait until the PC world has gone 64-bit/non-legacy.
It's a shame, but Steve sure likes his symmetrical grids, doesn't he. Prepare for market confusion.
Yeah, a C2D
TV which could run MacOSX apps would be welcome. Let's put an end to this debate: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301229
Um
I'm not sure how saying that I'm forgetting about products that were announced and then shipped at a later date undermines my statement that Apple rarely ships hardware releases immediately. You prove my point.
I'm not sure how saying that I'm forgetting about products that were announced and then shipped at a later date undermines my statement that Apple rarely ships hardware releases immediately. You prove my point.
i mentioned this earlier -- "major product transition" means a big shakeup in the PC/notebook lines (there's not really much to change in the ipod). since it's clear that leopard and therefore any big changes in the hardware offerings are probably going to miss the back-to-school surge next month, they're probably going to use that opportunity to deep-discount the current lines and push out the old inventory before bringing in the new models.
I completely agree with this. But the downfall of this is HD content. That's where comcast has a leg up on everyone! With comcast you can get HD content On Demand.What do you mean by "ports"? A coaxial connection? Absolutely not going to happen. Apple has a plan for TV -- and it does not involve a cable connection.
Apple has too much to gain from $1.99 downloads of TV shows -- and a possible subscription plan this fall -- to turn iMacs into DVRs.
If Apple made everything in the TV Shows section available for $29.99 a month and added live sports, award shows, etc., I would seriously consider getting an
With or without a subscription plan, I think
TV has the power to display HD, but I'm not about to spend all day downloading an HD movie/ show. It's asking for a miracle, but I'd love to be able to do it. Until then I have no use for TV yet... unless they do merge it with the Mac Mini and maybe add Blu-Ray??ding. we have a winner. the ultraportable potentially cannibalizes the MacBook line, so there needs to be a major rearrangement. the prevalence of MacBooks amongst college students means that back-to-school deals presents a golden opportunity. throw in the usual ipod and now iphone bundles for some lock-in, and you've got a sweet combo.
Apple should actually ship 3 versions of Leopard (for the same price, of course)! Or have the box marked "Premium, Business, and Ultimate versions all included". A great way to have a bit of fun at MS's expense
As for this "transition", I think it's very simple. Completely new enclosure/form factor for the iMac. New chipsets and enclosures mean more startup costs for the models, thus lower margins. We could potentially also see new form factors for the Mac Mini and/or Mac Pro.
Or how about this. Leopard ships early, and SJ says something like "Since we're shipping an entirely new and revolutionary operating system, we felt it was only appropriate to have an entirely new lineup of computers to go along with it." New iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, etc. OK, maybe not
Hmm... perhaps the product transition is the mouse? Apple makes more than computers, iPods, iPhones, and AppleTV's, you know....
I say product transition is iMac + mini + MT Mouse.
Or how about this. Leopard ships early, and SJ says something like "Since we're shipping an entirely new and revolutionary operating system, we felt it was only appropriate to have an entirely new lineup of computers to go along with it." New iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, etc. OK, maybe not
Uhhh..... No. That would mean the Mac Pro would go 14 months without an update. Unacceptable.
We most certainly are waiting!
It's great to see another TooL fan, by the way. I am seeing them again next month (London).
I think you are wrong. Didn't Oppenheimer say that it's a "product-transition he can't really talk about at this moment"? If the transition was simply due to people waiting for Leopard, he would have said it. But he didn't. He said that it was due to unannounced product-transition that he can't discuss in detail.
You neglect to take into account the fact that since the Intel switch, all product introductions have been instantaneous. When the Quad XEON's weere announced, I bought one. It was on my doorstep in four days.
And I'm happy they provided you with such excellent service. But look at wider history, not a simple benchmark of your happiness. Apple does some increadable *****, but getting product to users has had many problems in the past. OSX.5? G5 PowerBooks? Hello?
However, any revision of a current product, with the exception of high-end modifications, cannot be pre-announced, because it will kill all sales of the current model for the pre-announcement period. If Apple said today that a "totally re-designed iMac with larger, brighter screen, more RAM, larger HD, quad core processor, and twice the graphics performance" would be released in 2 months, would you buy the current model? Would anyone?
That is my point. You might just have to look back at my original post. I'm waiting for a new iMac myself.....