Cool beans... but once again I wonder... Apple what about the Mac?!
You people, who are always going on and on about Apple divorcing their computer business for iPods and iPhones, have short memories. What about the ALL NEW laptops they just rolled out, built completely new/improved from the ground up? An incredible new 24" LED Monitor? iMacs given a brand new look with AI on the front and great specs in the 2nd Q of this year*? All signs certainly point to a Mac Pro refresh at MW, with probably a refresh of the iMac and the Mac mini.
My perspective is this: Apple wants to do for its WHOLE product line with what it did for the laptops -- Lasers and Water and Aluminum, oh my! They want the fit and finish of everything they sell to be on a completely other level to everything else sold. This takes time, people! C'mon!
Personally, the Apple's line-up is awesome in my opinion. The Mini, yes, the mini -- how I hope it sticks around. Who knows. I love mine. It has never given me a moments trouble and has never crashed for any reason.
We need to realize that as big as Apple's numbers are due iPods and iPhones, it's still a pretty small company. It does a lot and has it fingers in lots of pies. It is not your Father's Apple Computer, Inc.
They forgot about updating the 17" Intel MacBook Pro. Was it because they want to make it the Mac Mini of laptops, or are they just going to get rid of it by saying that sales are too small.
Their decision was pure and simple -- create their own supply and demand. They did it when they went from Titanium to AI -- 17s and 12s first, as they were NEW sizes. By leaving out the 15" (the most popular), they forced those that "couldn't wait" to buy on either end. Once they got as many early adopters as possible, the started shipping the updated 15".
This time, they flipped it, leaving out the most expensive 17". They led with the 13" and 15" to sell more of those. Some people who want a 17" will still buy a 15" and then turn around and get the 17" when it updates, giving or selling their new 15". There are people who have money for these types of purchases. They feel it's like leasing a car. Using the part that you want or need and moving on when you feel like it.
Also, the 17" is definitely a pro computer and the pros want a MATTE screen -- sounds like a great time to move some back stock which, as Tim Cook deems, is "inherently evil".
I completely agree. The only problem with your statement is that Apple doesn't care about the long term mac owners. They clearly only want the 'oh shiny' crowd. When it comes to actually getting work done at a reasonable cost, macs fall short is numerous ways.
Should Mercedes cost the same price as a Ford Taurus? They're both cars. Besides -- your "reasonable cost" comment has been run through the ACME computer calculator ad nauseam. Take a Dell or HP or Sony baseline computer and spec it out to what Apple starts with (not a piece of low-powered junk) and Apple tends to be the same or lower priced. Then factor in that the computer your getting is a work of art inside and out --- worth the money. Oh yeah... it runs the best OS in the world, hands down. I buy a new rig every 4-6 years. I buy it to last. It's worth a few extra C-notes to get it right for that length of time.
Remember, hardly anyone simply buys the low tier Dell,... they use it as a starting point to build the computer they really want. You know this, you're just stirring the pot.
JGowan
*Bought the top of the line (24" Display/3.06GHz/4GB Ram/1TB HD) -- some incredible tech.
