Apple Event August 7th

[matticus008]

Because the Mac Pro is a workstation not a desktop. The Mac Pro is aimed at professional while this new desktop would be aimed at the home user/gamer. Two totally different markets.

The latter being a market Apple has never wanted to get involved with. Gamers are notoriously picky about hardware and are inherently incompatible with Apple's approach of producing a solid and simple line of products. No configuration Apple could offer would match the flexibility they could get by building their own systems to suit their tastes.

You'll note that Apple has deliberately and carefully produced products that are anything BUT the vanilla desktop or the plain production-line notebook. They don't want to court the bottom-dollar people or the builders who demand extensive choice, and they shy away from making products that could be seen to compete in those segments.

That's why the PowerBook went for thin and light (A 1.1" notebook in 2003?). It's dramatic and aesthetic but the PowerBook itself was rarely anything more than middling specs and performance. That's why the Mac mini is so small. It's not just a budget PC--it's a silent, stylish complement to a room. That's why the iMac isn't just a mid-range tower with a monitor.

For all of these things, just looking at the computer from the standpoint of component specs neglects everything that makes an Apple computer an Apple computer. Gamers care about specs (they care about revisions within single components, even), and for good reason, and so they should continue building their own systems or getting standard towers and swapping out parts. They're not meant to buy a Mac for their killer game system. You know, the right tool for the right job and all that.

It's not Apple's way, and I wish people would stop trying to shoehorn it in. Computers are built into the design at Apple, rather than designing computers around the components. You can't have a wildly expandable, flexible system with that approach--Apple can't make other hardware magically fit their constantly evolving designs.

 

[theheyes]

If you follow what Steve Jobs said about OS X on the iPod, surely it will eventually merge into the Mac range in some form.

Would you call iLife a Mac product? Yes because it's Mac software.
Would you call iTunes or Safari Mac products? Still probably, even though they now both run on Windows.
Would you call the iPhone or tv Mac products? Well, they both contain forms of OS X so I guess they should be Macs. Anyway, both are peripherals that whilst working with Windows, are also designed to work with a Mac like iTunes that powers them.
Would you call a new OS X powered iPod a Mac product?

Would I call AppleTV or iPhone Macs? Certainly not. Neither would I call an OSX iPod a Mac. To me, a Mac is a Personal Computer. The same way I wouldn't refer to a Palmtop running Windows Mobile a PC. It has a processor, RAM, internal storage, I can browse the internet on it, word process, but I still wouldn't call it a personal computer.

I do appreciate your point however, the line is becoming increasingly blurred. Not just in Apple products but everywhere.

Thats just my opinion, I don't want to get drawn into a semantics debate. Theres no 100% correct answer.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I'm not saying I don't want a new iMac. I waant as much as the next guy. But I'm saying, the peices aren't fitting:

• Apple's site still says "new" for a product that 329 days old
• If Apple wanted this to be a big evet, the would have booked at Moscone

But, you never know.

2007 is the year of Mac.

It says new because it was an updated model, at some point. Just because you and I (and everyone here) knows it's a year old doesn't mean that everyone who goes to apple.com to finally replace that aging Dell knows it's a year old machine. It's MARKETING. You think Apple should say "buy this really nice, but out of date computer for $1200" on their website?

As for the other point you made in your last post, about "every new iMac coming with..." they are referring to it being new, as in new out of the box, not freshly updated.

 

[DanB91]

The latter being a market Apple has never wanted to get involved with. Gamers are notoriously picky about hardware and are inherently incompatible with Apple's approach of producing a solid and simple line of products. No configuration Apple could offer would match the flexibility they could get by building their own systems to suit their tastes.

You'll note that Apple has deliberately and carefully produced products that are anything BUT the vanilla desktop or the plain production-line notebook. They don't want to court the bottom-dollar people or the builders who demand extensive choice, and they shy away from making products that could be seen to compete in those segments.

That's why the PowerBook went for thin and light (A 1.1" notebook in 2003?). It's dramatic and aesthetic but the PowerBook itself was rarely anything more than middling specs and performance. That's why the Mac mini is so small. It's not just a budget PC--it's a silent, stylish complement to a room. That's why the iMac isn't just a mid-range tower with a monitor.

For all of these things, just looking at the computer from the standpoint of component specs neglects everything that makes an Apple computer an Apple computer. Gamers care about specs (they care about revisions within single components, even), and for good reason, and so they should continue building their own systems or getting standard towers and swapping out parts. They're not meant to buy a Mac for their killer game system. You know, the right tool for the right job and all that.

It's not Apple's way, and I wish people would stop trying to shoehorn it in. Computers are built into the design at Apple, rather than designing computers around the components. You can't have a wildly expandable, flexible system with that approach--Apple can't make other hardware magically fit their constantly evolving designs.

if this is true then apple should have not allowed id or EA to come on stage at WWDC. this might have been true in the past for apple, but the times are changing. gaming is getting bigger and the demand for more customizable machines are also climbing. it would be a bad turn for apple not to allow them into the mac platform. apple will always keep there simple computers, thats their way, but they should be able to adapt to another market if they wish to expand. apple will eventually get into gaming, just like microsoft, its only a matter of time.

 

[urbanski]

if this is true then apple should have not allowed id or EA to come on stage at WWDC. this might have been true in the past for apple, but the times are changing. gaming is getting bigger and the demand for more customizable machines are also climbing. it would be a bad turn for apple not to allow them into the mac platform. apple will always keep there simple computers, thats their way, but they should be able to adapt to another market if they wish to expand. apple will eventually get into gaming, just like microsoft, its only a matter of time.

so....howzabout a new but still all-in-one imac, but this time with user-upgradable gfx card like the asus c90?

c30, c60, c90, go!!!

 

[gloss]

so....howzabout a new but still all-in-one imac, but this time with user-upgradable gfx card like the asus c90?

c30, c60, c90, go!!!

The current iMac actually has that, except no one makes cards for it.

 

[ABM]

if this is true then apple should have not allowed id or EA to come on stage at WWDC. this might have been true in the past for apple, but the times are changing. gaming is getting bigger and the demand for more customizable machines are also climbing. it would be a bad turn for apple not to allow them into the mac platform. apple will always keep there simple computers, thats their way, but they should be able to adapt to another market if they wish to expand. apple will eventually get into gaming, just like microsoft, its only a matter of time.

WTF? The Porsche 911 is for racing, the Hummer H1 is for off-road and so on... It's still the same with computer systems i think. You have to buy the system that fits best to your needs!
Some of the reasons to buy my first Mac were the great and stable Mac OS X, style AND the fact that it was not the same hyper-fast way getting old fashioned or outdatet like an Windows based PC.

 

[urbanski]

The current iMac actually has that, except no one makes cards for it.

well...sorta. from mxm-upgrade.com:

"The 24" iMac uses a card that is based on the MXM formfactor but offers no compatibility. A reader of MXM Upgrade has tried several MXM cards in his Apple, including a reference 6200 card MXM Upgrade has send him, and none of those worked. If we are correctly informed, this comes from an incompatible vBios and this behaviour was also seen in the past with incompatible AGP cards."

 

[bogg]

well...sorta. from mxm-upgrade.com:

"The 24" iMac uses a card that is based on the MXM formfactor but offers no compatibility. A reader of MXM Upgrade has tried several MXM cards in his Apple, including a reference 6200 card MXM Upgrade has send him, and none of those worked. If we are correctly informed, this comes from an incompatible vBios and this behaviour was also seen in the past with incompatible AGP cards."

Which basically was his point.

The option is there, there just isn't any manufacturer for replacement cards that do work

 

[DanB91]

WTF? The Porsche 911 is for racing, the Hummer H1 is for off-road and so on... It's still the same with computer systems i think. You have to buy the system that fits best to your needs!
Some of the reasons to buy my first Mac were the great and stable Mac OS X, style AND the fact that it was not the same hyper-fast way getting old fashioned or outdatet like an Windows based PC.

huh?? did u quote the wrong post or something? urs has nothing to do with how apple has a desire to go into the gaming field

 

[Genghis Khan]

wow...really?...had me fooled

 

[appleguy]

Maybe its the G5 Powerbook lol
or maybe the G6

or maybe they are spliting Mac from Apple and have it as its own indity (much like filemaker) so Mac Ltd own by Apple Corp.... nah

it will be the 13" iMac in the Mac Classic design

 

[barcodebawtv]

MacCube

I wouldn't mind if they brought back an upgradable cube. I was looking at those online the other day and MAN - they are still sexy after all of these years.

I'm against an ugly tower (I'm sure we can all agree on that) but something affordable and upgradable is appealing too. I doubt it'll happen, but if they could do it right...

 

[urbanski]

Which basically was his point.

The option is there, there just isn't any manufacturer for replacement cards that do work

which is why i said "sorta"...it wasn't designed/intended to be upgradable.

so mebbe this time the imac will be designed to have user-upgradable gfx card (which you can actually buy somewhere!)

 

[zeppo93008]

Maybe, Apple will just annouce the new keyboard, and that is it. So much for all that build-up for excitement from the past.

 

[doo-hik-ee]

Maybe, Apple will just annouce the new keyboard, and that is it. So much for all that build-up for excitement from the past.

Hahahaha, and the weird thing is I would still be happy. That thing is beautiful.

 

[LizKat]

iImagine.... it's anything you want it to be

They must go nuts at Apple trying to figure out whether to let us do all the pre-event hyping or should they plan to feed the beast themselves now and then during the runup to whatever it is.

 

[matticus008]

if this is true then apple should have not allowed id or EA to come on stage at WWDC. this might have been true in the past for apple, but the times are changing.

They've brought all kinds of game companies on stage throughout the years. It never really means anything. There's a difference between the "PC gamer" archetypal customer and having games on your platform. The Sims is a game, but it doesn't require the kind of computer that the "gamer" market buys. Just look at the Wii--it's not a "gamer's system" with the horsepower of competitors, but it's wildly popular, particularly among those seeking casual entertainment. Its mediocrity in specs is not standing in the way of availability and fun. In that way, it's exactly like a Mac.

the demand for more customizable machines are also climbing.

On the contrary, it is falling rapidly. With new system prices so low, upgrades are few and far between for the average user. Commodity items, which now include most desktops and several laptops, are simply replaced. Apart from Fry's, most electronics retailers have substantially scaled back their selection of components to a handful of items, mostly for convenience. Notebook sales are also outflanking desktops by a wide margin, and they have roughly the same upgradability as any Mac.

it would be a bad turn for apple not to allow them into the mac platform.

It wouldn't be a turn at all. Hardcore gamers are going to use Windows for the foreseeable future, not only because DirectX is so popular, but because it gives them the hardware flexibility they need. Apple gets gamer money in other ways by selling them secondary systems. Nearly any given Mac has more than sufficient power for most titles and the casual game player.

 

[Kawasaki]

Wish I could be there.

 

[Schtumple]

replace the mac mini with the "imac mini"?
a cross breed with the new metal enclosure (supposedly)?

my design is as follows, having poor PS skills rocks

I tried to resize that to look close to a 17 inch screen.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

replace the mac mini with the "imac mini"?
a cross breed with the new metal enclosure (supposedly)?

my design is as follows, having poor PS skills rocks

I tried to resize that to look close to a 17 inch screen.

Ha-ha! That graphic made me laugh ... tho, surprisingly ... I want one!

Or, maybe not.

I just want my new iMac!!!

 

[DanB91]

They've brought all kinds of game companies on stage throughout the years. It never really means anything. There's a difference between the "PC gamer" archetypal customer and having games on your platform. The Sims is a game, but it doesn't require the kind of computer that the "gamer" market buys. Just look at the Wii--it's not a "gamer's system" with the horsepower of competitors, but it's wildly popular, particularly among those seeking casual entertainment. Its mediocrity in specs is not standing in the way of availability and fun. In that way, it's exactly like a Mac.

On the contrary, it is falling rapidly. With new system prices so low, upgrades are few and far between for the average user. Commodity items, which now include most desktops and several laptops, are simply replaced. Apart from Fry's, most electronics retailers have substantially scaled back their selection of components to a handful of items, mostly for convenience. Notebook sales are also outflanking desktops by a wide margin, and they have roughly the same upgradability as any Mac.

It wouldn't be a turn at all. Hardcore gamers are going to use Windows for the foreseeable future, not only because DirectX is so popular, but because it gives them the hardware flexibility they need. Apple gets gamer money in other ways by selling them secondary systems. Nearly any given Mac has more than sufficient power for most titles and the casual game player.

but the thing is there is no reason not to make a cheap highly customizable system. apple wants to convert as many people as they can to the mac platform, so its for everyone, not just for the causal person, or the guy who works with final cut studio. for example, the only way my friend will go mac is if they become game friendly. i am in the middle, i hate windows sooo much, but i still keep my dell around for games. they have their professional market, and their consumer market. why not try to compete with m$ in games? whatever, i have my analysis and u have yours. but i guarantee there will be a mac games related announcement in the 2007-2008 period, if not next week.

 

[Schtumple]

Ha-ha! That graphic made me laugh ... tho, surprisingly ... I want one!

Or, maybe not.

I just want my new iMac!!!

Ahhhhhh lovely, I wanted to do this for a project, merging a mac mini with a cinema display, one day, anyway back to the topic

Am I the only person who really isn't a major fan of the cinema display look?

Too much metal for my liking, I hope the iMac doesn't turn out like that, the iMac's always something of a style icon

Something original would be nice and not just a rip off of another product...

 

[fluidinclusion]

Many wouldn't buy

This makes me happy. I hope they do introduce the new iPods and some new computers. But why wouldnt they wait until 10.5 is released?

Because large organizations (schools, businesses, government) will NOT buy the new computers if they don't have 10.4. They all usually wait 1 year or so before upgrading to a new OS (Mac or Windows), so it is vital that the new machines can run 10.4. It's always happened this way, as far as I can remember. Even the first G4 Powermacs (I bought one) had OS 8.6 - right before OS 9 came out.

 

[breath of apple]

Yea!

I am so excited!! iWorks '08, iLife '08, and new iMacs would be great!!! 6 more days and counting.....