Apple Pro Machines -- Still Coming?

[Sonofhaig]

Have you noticed, we don't really know anything!

Could it be that Apple have actually managed to keep stuff quiet for once.

They must be pissing themselves laughing at the rumour sites because we are all hanging on, driving ourselves mad, purely on fact that updates are due about now.

We don't know anything!

We dont like this, precious, we dont.

It hurts us, precious!

(Goes quietly mad and crawls into dark cave to stroke iPod)

That's funny! And I thought I was the only one to call my ipod my precious!
After all, it is mine, my own......

 

[ralphh]

I assume the April Fools Day bit is the main point of this

Actually, there might be something to that. Apple was founded April 1, 1976. It'll be 28 years old on Thursday.

However, I don't recall Jobs being fond of marking anniversaries.

 

[nmk]

The End

You know, I used to be an avid Amiga user. The Amiga was, in many ways, a decade ahead of its time. You could do real time video editing on the Amiga in the late 80's/early 90's. You could display 32bit colour. I still remember the last days of the Amiga. The internet didn't really exist (certainly wasn't widespread) at the time, but the atmosphere was something like this. People grasping at straws, every rumor becomes a prophecy. The truth is, and I dont mean to be a Troll because I really like the Mac, that the Macintosh platform is dying. I believe that Apple may survive the Mac if they are smart about it. I'm about the sell my PB17 and get a Voodoopc or Alienware laptop. I just don't want to be onboard when the ship sinks. I'm reminded of those musicians at the end of the movie Titanic when I look at this messageboard.

 

[freddiecable]

That would be very sad, if you're true! But welcome back if the boat finds a way to stay "on top"

we/everyone certainly needs an alternative to MS

You know, I used to be an avid Amiga user. The Amiga was, in many ways, a decade ahead of its time. You could do real time video editing on the Amiga in the late 80's/early 90's. You could display 32bit colour. I still remember the last days of the Amiga. The internet didn't really exist (certainly wasn't widespread) at the time, but the atmosphere was something like this. People grasping at straws, every rumor becomes a prophecy. The truth is, and I dont mean to be a Troll because I really like the Mac, that the Macintosh platform is dying. I believe that Apple may survive the Mac if they are smart about it. I'm about the sell my PB17 and get a Voodoopc or Alienware laptop. I just don't want to be onboard when the ship sinks. I'm reminded of those musicians at the end of the movie Titanic when I look at this messageboard.

 

[Evan_11]

This is the End....

So if we're so near the end then why did Apple bother to introduce the G5 at all? Why not just ride out into the sunset onboard the Motorola G4? Why invest all the money in R&D? Stop me if I'm making any sense.

Go ahead and sell your PB17 for an Alienware PC. I question the logic of buying a powerbook in the first place if you end up selling it and buying a souped up pc gaming system. Sounds like you bought it just to look cool. Kinda like you did back when you bought an Amiga. Just for bragging rights with little use of it's power.

 

[nmk]

Not really

I want to get a VoodooPC or Alienware becuase I also enjoy gaming. It isn't the only thing I do with my PC. The VoodooPC in particular, I find appealing, becuase they have a widescreen laptop, fully loaded, with the same thickness and weight as a powerbook. I cant find this combination of portability and power in any other Laptop on the PC side.

As far as my choice of platform is concerned, my PB17 is my fifth Mac in the last five years. I use Apple primarily becuase I prefer the OS X user interface and I don't like MS technology and software lockin. I've also converted three of my friends over the last few years on the basis of the superiority of the software. Only one of them was concerned with the coolness of the design.

I think it is a little childish to assume that becuase I'm buying a laptop that is a good gaming machine, that my only interest in computers is gaming. Then consequently going on to assume that I only bought the Powerbook becuase it looked cool. Not only that but then going further back and assuming that I bought an Amiga for the same reason.

I'm actually seriously considering using the SUSE distro of Linux as my primary OS on the laptop, so in a way I'll be able to get the horsepower I want without having to succumb to MS. One of the factors that influenced my switching over to Intel/AMD architecture was the availibility of a viable non MS OS alternative.Anyway, please try to be more intelligent in your subsequent posts.

As far as your fist question regarding the G5 is concerned. I never implied that the Mac will die suddenly overnight. I think that the platform will dwindle away over the next four or five years. I believe that Apple is planning on shifting their focus to non-Mac areas of their business (eg. ITMS iPod). This transition will take some time. In the mean time they need to keep the Mac reasonabely viable in order to be able to survive during that transitional period.

 

[mrgreen4242]

the apple store germany announces in their hot news headlines: new ibook G4 with airport extreme and bluetooth.
they give no further information.

I ran the news thru the google translator, and it isn't refering to a new iBook, just an educational package that has a 14" iBook, the BT and AE modules, and a laptop case included at some spcial dicount, although I wasn't able to see how mcuh the discount was.

As much as I'd like one, there won't be new iBooks till the PB line is updated.

 

[cmoney]

I've thought of that doomsday scenario. When OS X was in Beta, I started wondering if it could be the end of the Mac. And my thoughts on the matter were that if the Mac did die sometime, I'd probably just stop loving computers so much. I'd have a PC around just to check email, but I'd probably move on to a wireless device instead.

Macs just work for me. Apple has an attention to detail that's lacking in Microsoft OSs and completely absent in Linux. I like having the complete computing solution from one company so things like the pulsating power light on the display syncs with the pulsating power light on the computer. Heck I like the fact that there's a pulsating power light on the computer at all. I like the glowing green/orange power plug on my PowerBook and the thoughtful design in the PB power supply. PC makers can COPY these details but they're never the first to bring them to market and they never work as well as the original. If it comes, I'll be here till the end.

 

[nmk]

What about this

I agree with you completely. There is nothing in the PC would that comes close the the elegance of the Mac experiance. However, what about this alternative. I am firmly of the believe that Linux will superceed Windows as a worldwide desktop OS. My belief is based on market conditions outside of the US as I'm not American. Now the linux kernel and development platform (KDE/Gnome) is opensourse. You've got a host of companies making their own KDE or Gnome based desktop variations for Linux. What if Apple were to dump OS X completely and develop a custom version of Linux to run on a new line of x86 compatible computers.

And please, OS X doesn't count here. Number one, its runs on a different chipset so the binaries for most Linux apps wouldn't be compatible with PPC. Apart from that, the applications have to be ported to run with the X11 libraries to run on OS X.

I'm talking about a proper Linux distro here. One which would run all Linux software natively, but with an Apple GUI based on standard Linux technologies. Since they would be bundling their own Linux distro (and all the assorted iApps) with their own hardware they would still be able to provide a seamless Mac experiance with complete compatibility with the rest of the world.

 

[dedeaux]

the discount

Reading the fine print it states that this $500 rebate from a system/monitor purchase is not valid for the developer program, yet on the developer store site it lists the rebate. Is this incorrect, or am I missing something in the fine print?

 

[BWM]

Reading the fine print it states that this $500 rebate from a system/monitor purchase is not valid for the developer program, yet on the developer store site it lists the rebate. Is this incorrect, or am I missing something in the fine print?

I'm in a similar situation (Apple Student Developer) and called Apple today. They told me that Brilliant Savings could not be used at the Developer Hardware Purchase Store...very sorry to let you know...I was quite bummed myself.

This whole thing has been driving me nuts!!! My wife and I agreed to get a G5 back in January...but I started reading the rumor boards and began the wait. I've been going nuts, and then got all excited about the Brilliant Savings promo, thinking I'd get a Rev A G5, but a 23" display. But alas, I fear my wait has been for naught. My ADC membership expires on April 15th.

I would be so excited if updates came before the 15th, but my expectations are quite low...

 

[pgwalsh]

But now, since the installed base has become so small, its probably impossible to make that move, licensing would probably allow too many of their captive user base to move to another hardware platform and Apple would see a smaller percentage profit from every installed OSX copy than they do from hardware and OSX combined.

I'm sure if we spent the time we could figure out how much RedHat contributes to the kernel development and other apps bundeld with the redhat distro. However, that's not what my point was.

Apple could release a 64 bit x86 version of OS X. I believe the intial version would appeal to Linux, Unix, and other tech heads. As we know, a lot of applications would need to be compiled for that platform for it to be a viable solution. Not to mention the drives etc.

That aside Apple does make great hardware. Look at xserve it competes in the low end server market. They compete and now they're adding support for windows etc. They could do the same for other hardware.

Seems that too many people think that Apple would not survive on it's own as a sotware company and as a hardware company that competes in the regular market space. I don't believe it. I think they can and obviously I think they should. This is a chance for them to grab market share and be the ultimate desktop OS. Linux will catch up... Especially with so many big companies behind it.

 

[greenstork]

You know, I used to be an avid Amiga user. The Amiga was, in many ways, a decade ahead of its time. You could do real time video editing on the Amiga in the late 80's/early 90's. You could display 32bit colour. I still remember the last days of the Amiga. The internet didn't really exist (certainly wasn't widespread) at the time, but the atmosphere was something like this. People grasping at straws, every rumor becomes a prophecy. The truth is, and I dont mean to be a Troll because I really like the Mac, that the Macintosh platform is dying. I believe that Apple may survive the Mac if they are smart about it. I'm about the sell my PB17 and get a Voodoopc or Alienware laptop. I just don't want to be onboard when the ship sinks. I'm reminded of those musicians at the end of the movie Titanic when I look at this messageboard.

Well, you are trolling. Contrary to your math, Apple still makes a profit. Its user base has proven time and time again that they will continue to shell out for the latest and greatest products. They are among the most loyal users in all of tech land. They are first adopters with big wallets (or they're not afraid of going into debt for their mac purchase ).

In case you haven't been following Macintosh for that long, people like you have been saying the Mac is dying for the past 15 years. Any company making a profit and sitting on the pile of cash that Apple has is far from doomed. Under the absolute worst scenario, it would be 5 or more years before the economically successful Mac went belly up.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I'm talking about a proper Linux distro here. One which would run all Linux software natively, but with an Apple GUI based on standard Linux technologies. Since they would be bundling their own Linux distro (and all the assorted iApps) with their own hardware they would still be able to provide a seamless Mac experiance with complete compatibility with the rest of the world.

Drool. I want. That's the only Linux distro I would pay for. I would love to see Apple take on a project like this. They have the basics for it already. The quartz system could remain relitively unchanged, opengl is opengl, for example. They would need to from scratch develop a desktop enviroment, but only from a programming standpoint, as the human interface could remain unchaged. Add in a version of all the iLife apps, and get them to donate some man hours to the OpenOffice.org team and bundle a special edition with it. Same goes for the Gimp.

Maybe throw some more money at the WINE project and integrate DirectX 'emulation' in the distro.

Put this on a 2.8ghz HT-P4 PC with a gig of ram and a radeon 9700pro that you could build for less than $800 and I would be in heaven. I'd still buy Mac laptops, but the above scenario is my ideal computer. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it.

 

[greenstork]

I'm sure if we spent the time we could figure out how much RedHat contributes to the kernel development and other apps bundeld with the redhat distro. However, that's not what my point was.

Apple could release a 64 bit x86 version of OS X. I believe the intial version would appeal to Linux, Unix, and other tech heads. As we know, a lot of applications would need to be compiled for that platform for it to be a viable solution. Not to mention the drives etc.

That aside Apple does make great hardware. Look at xserve it competes in the low end server market. They compete and now they're adding support for windows etc. They could do the same for other hardware.

Seems that too many people think that Apple would not survive on it's own as a sotware company and as a hardware company that competes in the regular market space. I don't believe it. I think they can and obviously I think they should. This is a chance for them to grab market share and be the ultimate desktop OS. Linux will catch up... Especially with so many big companies behind it.

I keep hearing that Apple has to grab market share. Bzzzt.....wrong. Apple has to make money so they can keep innovating and appease shareholders, that's all. If they believe that gaining market share is the way to go then so be it but I am not convinced that that is the best strategy and nothing that you have said leads me to believe it is.

Since nobody on these forums really understand their profit margins, it would be all speculation and here-say to claim that they must pursue software, market share, and abandon hardware sales in favor of licensing OS x on x86.

 

[mvc]

Seems that too many people think that Apple would not survive on it's own as a sotware company and as a hardware company that competes in the regular market space. I don't believe it. I think they can and obviously I think they should. This is a chance for them to grab market share and be the ultimate desktop OS. Linux will catch up... Especially with so many big companies behind it.

Well, they certainly have been pushing the software aspect over the last couple of years, with all their new iApps and Pro Apps. Perhaps they are tooling up for the possibility of being primarily software focused long term.

It would be sad though, as it would probably mean the end of their exceptional computers (see posts above for Amiga comparisons).

Still, in ten to fifteen years time, the whole PC concept will probably have dissolved literally into the furniture, so maybe they can go into interior design

 

[mvc]

Put this on a 2.8ghz HT-P4 PC with a gig of ram and a radeon 9700pro that you could build for less than $800 and I would be in heaven. I'd still buy Mac laptops, but the above scenario is my ideal computer.

You raise an interesting point here, that might speak volumes about where Apple is heading long term.

Desktop machines have become commodities, the big generic box can be filled with anything, and anyone and his kid brother can put the bits inside.

But a good laptop/portable digital device is still a design issue from a number of angles - making a powerful, compact, user friendly and sexy item (like an iPod) takes design finesse that Apple has in spades and most commodity PC manufacturers can't touch.

Its the same finesse that made the original all-in-one Macs and the original iMacs such a success.

In this area, Apple should be able to maintain an advantage, as long as they keep innovating and pushing the boundaries.

 

[B!nej]

Anyone who thinks Linux is going to become a mainstream desktop OS is dreaming - there is just no way. I used it for all my work for some five years, and the instant OS 10.2 came out I sold my PC and switched. Some people like to tinker with computers, and those people like PCs and Windows or Linux. I use my computer for work, and I don't have time to waste on "configuration" or "optimization".

Apple is not going to die. They produce the best professional and home machines on the market - I don't care about pure performance, because performance is a fallacy anyway. What's the point in rendering a video five minutes quicker if you spent ten minutes just getting the computer to work and rebooted twice in the process?

If Apple wanted to increase their market share, they could do it easily by compromising on quality to reach a lower price point. Say goodbye to your well designed cases and internals, say hello to ribbon leads, plastic facades and tin panels. Forget ECC RAM, forget high resolution displays (plenty of PC users read size, and don't notice the screen looks like a balloon and flickers like crazy), forget Firewire, forget Gigabit Ethernet, one fan at high RPM (can't hear it in the shop, but wait till it gets home!) can replace seven. Get rid of the door, just have screwed on panel.

All of a sudden you have a cheap, fast PC - wait, why would you buy that from Apple?

Apple is the only computer manufacturer right now selling real quality and innovation (alienware assembles, they do not invent). That's why I'm buying from them, and I will continue to do so until that changes.

 

[Gyroscope]

On more positive note. I figured out that it is still possible that they will release G5-X model tomorrow based on PPC 975 . This may explain why it took them so long for revision,why promo on existing g5's + displays will go until June,why SJ promised 3Ghz by summer's-end this year(he may have been conservative in his estimate). Hmm imagine 2.6-3.0 ghz machines with integrated memory controler (1/2 latency). Hyper-threading. All will happen tomorrow.
All imacs and Powerbooks will go 970fx. and emacs will receive 1.5 ghz motorola CPU.



Hey I am just trying to cheer you up folks.

 

[klaus]

On more positive note. I figured out that it is still possible that they will release G5-X model tomorrow based on PPC 975 . This may explain why it took them so long for revision,why promo on existing g5's + displays will go until June,why SJ promised 3Ghz by summer's-end this year(he may have been conservative in his estimate). Hmm imagine 2.6-3.0 ghz machines with integrated memory controler (1/2 latency). Hyper-threading. All will happen tomorrow.
All imacs and Powerbooks will go 970fx. and emacs will receive 1.5 ghz motorola CPU.



Hey I am just trying to cheer you up folks.

Been reading MOSR a moment ago?

anyways: mosr reports of rapid development for G6, but hey..we all know what mosr stands for...

 

[mvc]

All imacs and Powerbooks will go 970fx.

G5 Powerbooks tomorrow!

I can see the headlines now:

"Herds of Wild Flying Pigs disrupt Air Traffic over Cupertino"

 

[mvc]

but hey..we all know what mosr stands for...

what, Most Outrageous Spurious Rumors?

 

[klaus]

what, Most Outrageous Spurious Rumors?

something like that

 

[fpnc]

I'm with you all the way. Linux just passed Apple in installed base.

This may not be true. Apparently almost half of all PCs that ship with Linux go to China and most of those machines just get loaded up with pirated copies of MS Windows (i.e. they order Linux so that they don't have to pay for a legal, bundled copy of Windows). And no, I did not get this information from a Microsoft press release. It may or may not be completely factual, but even if it is only partly true it significantly reduces the number of PCs that are counted as running Linux.

 

[aswitcher]

This may not be true. Apparently almost half of all PCs that ship with Linux go to China and most of those machines just get loaded up with pirated copies of MS Windows (i.e. they order Linux so that they don't have to pay for a legal, bundled copy of Windows). And no, I did not get this information from a Microsoft press release. It may or may not be completely factual, but even if it is only partly true it significantly reduces the number of PCs that are counted as running Linux.

Sounds like a good rumor BUT where are they shipping these linux pcs from? Why not just build them in China?