Apple Reported to Begin Shipping Apple Watch in March, 12-Inch MacBook Air in Early 2015

[TMRJIJ]

Look, nobody said iMac was stupid.
It started the iEra and marked the beginning of Apple's road to dominance
Nobody said the iPod was stupid.
Nobody said the iPhone & iPad were stupid.
I love all of those devices and 3 out of 4 of them are world changing.

This? This is stupid.
Apple Watch was made completely without Steve's knowledge/input/blessing.
Proponents say it's great that you can get notifications without having to look at your phone.
Really? How lazy are you?
Has marketing brainwashed you enough that you think such an ability is a substantial thing?
You actually think that's a big deal, having the ability to read phone notices on another device?!?
And is having that ability worth, at minimum, $350 to you?

Couple this with the MAPS fiasco and the Beats aquisition and you have
the makings of a resume of an incompetent CEO.
The stock price has risen in spite of Tim's efforts, thank Christ.

As far as I remember, every product Apple made was criticized but still managed to sell well (except for the pippin console).
Maps fiaso was not the only fiaso. There's a reason why MobileMe was replace by iCloud.
How can you insult the Beats Aquisition when we don't even know actually what the result of it will look like?
You have no right to call someone a incompetent CEO. I don't see you running a powerful tech company. The way you're acting, if you were capable of being the CEO of Apple, I would literally burn all my Apple Products.
It's simple. If you don't like the product don't but it.

 

[iPadCary]

Can we also include the overpriced acquisition of the former CEO of Burberry?

Oh, man. I knew I forgot something .... lol
Exactly!! This high-profile, high-priced get, and for what?
To design the watchbands on the aforementionef stupid Apple Watch ....

What I was hoping for was an iBand: a stand alone FuelBand kinda thing.
But done the Apple way.
That's what I thought they hired all of those FuelBand guys away from Nike for.

mm,
This whole venture into the "fashion" world by Apple was completely unnecessary,
and their trying to shove an already proven failed idea in a smart watch down their loyal customers throats
by trying to create through a blitz marketing campaign that somehow this product
will be anything other than a really expensive completely unnecessary accessory
to an incredible device (iPhone). Sorry, I just don't see it.

+1000

 

[charlituna]

The BF is questioning the idea that the watch won't be out until March. He says they have been doing training about the watch for a couple of weeks now. Doing something like that six weeks before a release is rather odd. Usually it's only 2-3 weeks

 

[patseguin]

This is the first time in years when I couldn't care less about an Apple product release. The watch is going to fail hard. Jobs never would have signed off on it. I'd rather they concentrated on an all new Apple TV.

 

[charlituna]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a longer than usual pre-order period to account for manufacturing specific color combinations at scale.

Except they rarely to never do that. They manufacture the first run based on their best guess of the percents. That's why things go for launch day to a week later etc at different rates. It happens as the amounts allocated to online sell out.

Once they have the first few days sales they will adjust based on what sells the fastest.

----------

A lot of my non techy friends say they will be getting Apples new watch, this shows a higher demand than I would have thought. 2.9m might be a little under estimated.

That number is based on guessing not on any kind of actual facts.

 

[iPadCary]

It's actually hilarious to listen to you guys complain and point out why you won't buy it.

You guys=Apple fans.
Ever hear Apple fans raise such a stink on a new product before?
No.

And they don't care.
I promise you that Apple won't mind one little bit
and your lost sale will be insignificant.

Ah, so Tim is lying when he says "our customers are so important to us". Gotcha.

You aren't nearly as powerful as you'd like to think you are.

1. I don't think that, nor did I say/infer that. Why would I think that? lol
2. Millions of "you"s not bying this POS is powerful. Like the millions of "you"s who showed Ping the door.

 

[Mr. Gates]

Thunderbolt isn't powerful enough to push enough pixels. Ask intel when they will release Thunderbolt 3 first.

Thunderbolt may not be powerful enough to push 4K pixels, But it would work nicely another way. Apple is completely capable of incorporating a graphics processor into a 4K cinema display and solving the problem that way.

 

[BruiserB]

Honestly, I think he was meant to say Thunderbolt, not Lightning. People tend to get thunder and lightning confused, even in weather. You sound confused in your response as well, since I would argue that the Lightning port isn't "rarely" used, but commonly used by iPhone owners

I absolutely meant to say Lightning. The port itself isn't rarely used. And it's usually only used for charging and data transfer. So for the most part a simple USB cord would be fine.

What I also said was that Lightning can do a lot more than just charge and transfer data. It can act as video and audio out. It does this by dynamically reassigning the pins in the cable. That is how Apple collapsed the former 30 pin connector down to 8 and how they were able to make it reversible. The pins serve whatever purpose they need to for what the phone is doing at that time. There is a computer chip in the base of the connector that controls what is going on.

So what I said was that these "advanced functions" beyond just charging and data transfer are rarely used by most people. How many people play video or audio through a hard connector anymore? Most people use Bluetooth or AirPlay for this purpose. Therefore these functions of the Lightning connector may be superfluous, and perhaps Apple could just make do with a simple USB connector now.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

This is the first time in years when I couldn't care less about an Apple product release. The watch is going to fail hard. Jobs never would have signed off on it. I'd rather they concentrated on an all new Apple TV.

Every time I see one of these "Apple should have concentrated on ...", I think,

"Wow, we're a company of 92,600 people. We should only do one thing. All 92,600 of us, until the next thing comes along that we should do. That is the most efficient use of our collective minds. The flavor of the year is Watch. All of you OS X, iMac, TV, iCloud, iPhone, iPad, Macbook people, stop what you're doing and work on the Watch. Now!"

 

[Tech198]

may reveal ? Don't we have a right to know since we use Apple products after all.

Or would this be sort of like "If we don't tell customers, maybe they won't find out till it's too late"

Edits: Regardless of the grumble of the "one port, does more thingy" of the new MBP 12 -inch, I still like the ulta form factor.

 

[danielsutton]

As far as I remember, every product Apple made was criticized but still managed to sell well (except for the pippin console).
Maps fiaso was not the only fiaso. There's a reason why MobileMe was replace by iCloud.
How can you insult the Beats Aquisition when we don't even know actually what the result of it will look like?
You have no right to call someone a incompetent CEO. I don't see you running a powerful tech company. The way you're acting, if you were capable of being the CEO of Apple, I would literally burn all my Apple Products.
It's simple. If you don't like the product don't but it.

It may be likely that Steve Jobs did know about the Apple Watch, it takes many years to design and develop a product like that, so he may have been aware of it in its early stages.

 

[thekeyring]

Look, nobody said iMac was stupid.
It started the iEra and marked the beginning of Apple's road to dominance
Nobody said the iPod was stupid.
Nobody said the iPhone & iPad were stupid.
I love all of those devices and 3 out of 4 of them are world changing.

Let's tackle these by product.

iPod:

"Apple"s iPod spurs mixed reactions":
http://news.cnet.com/Apples-iPod-spurs-mixed-reactions/2100-1040_3-274821.html

An iPod Review, which recognises that having the iPod only work with Macs could be a problem:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/24/b...s-an-easier-to-use-portable-music-player.html

A glowing review of the iPod which, none-the-less, mentions the iPod doesn't actually look that good on paper.
"If you review the iPod's specifications, the device doesn't seem too impressive. It has a 5GB hard disk, but some other hard disk-based players feature much larger capacities.":
http://winsupersite.com/article/ipod/apple-ipod-review-140181

iPhone:

Article criticising the decision to announce the iPhone so long before it actually shipped:
http://www.macworld.com/article/1054941/blewit.html

"We Predict the iPhone Will Bomb" (Also mentions how the iPhone was "rushed to market before Apple's engineers would have liked"):
http://techcrunch.com/2007/06/07/the-futurist-we-predict-the-iphone-will-bomb/

"Why the iPhone Will Fail":
http://adage.com/article/al-ries/iphone-fail/117355/

"The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks.":
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aRelVKWbMAv0

"Apple iPhone Debut to Flop, Product to Crash in Flames":
http://suckbusters2.blogspot.co.uk/2007/06/apple-iphone-debut-to-flop-product-to.html

iPad:

"5 Reasons Why Apple's iPad Tablet Will Fail" (this one even mentions lack of Flash as a serious flaw!):
http://webtrends.about.com/b/2010/01/26/5-reasons-why-apples-islate-tablet-will-fail.htm

"5 Reasons The iPad Will Fail":
http://www.thekmiecs.com/marketing-advertising/reasons-ipad-will-fail/

"Apple iPad Will Fail, Says Dell Exec":
http://www.minyanville.com/mvpremium/apple-ipad-will-fail-says/

"5 Reasons The iPad Will Fail" - This one even complains it's battery life isn't good enough:
http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/the-ipad-will-fail/2294

My point here is have some humility. Don't be dead-set against the watch. Realise others were dead-set against previous products, with good reason, but were wrong in their conclusions, or the mistakes they saw were fixed with second- and third-gen products.

Retrospectively, we look back and forget the naysayers. The Apple Watch might fail, but Apple know what's riding on it, and would not release a product they were in any way doubtful about.

If Steve Jobs was the only ideas man, and Apple was merely responding to the need to release a new category, I'm sure they would have released the Apple TV set. It would have been all they could do, and much easier to join the world in mocking smart watches, than release one.

 

[Premium1]

All I would like to know is the water resistivity or lack thereof for the Watch.

Doesn't seem like it will have any resistivity to water.

 

[some1uDNTknow]

I'm just glad we are getting a new apple product, it has been a while.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

You guys=Apple fans.
Ever hear Apple fans raise such a stink on a new product before?
No.

Actually. Yes. Many times. Just go back to the archives here if they go back that far.

You haven't been around here that long if you don't think Apple fans have never panned an Apple product. Practically everyone here pitched a fit when Apple announced the iPod instead of a new computer... the world doesn't need another MP3 player was the refrain. Of course the iPod went on to become a legendary product for Apple, one that probably saved it.

Don't for get the Mac Cube. Underpowered, overpriced. Mac fan's hated it. It did go down in flames... because it was too expensive for what it was.

Then the iPod mini shipped. Why would anyone want a smaller player with much less storage for almost the same price as a regular iPod? Of course the mini was a break out hit, almost impossible to find in stores except for pink when it shipped and for some time thereafter.

The iPad was "just a big iPhone without the phone." People here were positive it would find a limited market because you don't need a 3.5" iPhone and a 10" iPad. Of course iPads went on to put a serious dent in PC laptop sales.

 

[Karma*Police]

Oh, man. I knew I forgot something .... lol
Exactly!! This high-profile, high-priced get, and for what?
To design the watchbands on the aforementionef stupid Apple Watch ....

What I was hoping for was an iBand: a stand alone FuelBand kinda thing.
But done the Apple way.
That's what I thought they hired all of those FuelBand guys away from Nike for.



+1000

Apple watch *is* a fitness band done the Apple Way. Sounds like you need a traditional fitness band which is a niche market. I'd wager most people will prefer the mix of high fashion, some fitness/health tracking and communications that the Apple Watch packs, and it will sell more watches in the first few months than all the fitness bands have sold combined to date.

Longer term, I can see watches swapping places with phones and becoming the primary device; the phone being relegated to a thin and light display that we take with us as the optional device.

 

[TMRJIJ]

It may be likely that Steve Jobs did know about the Apple Watch, it takes many years to design and develop a product like that, so he may have been aware of it in its early stages.

True. From what I heard, they started the early stages of development months after Jobs's death so he must have known about the concepts and plans before he left Apple on account of his condition.

 

[snebes]

I absolutely meant to say Lightning. The port itself isn't rarely used. And it's usually only used for charging and data transfer. So for the most part a simple USB cord would be fine.

What I also said was that Lightning can do a lot more than just charge and transfer data. It can act as video and audio out. It does this by dynamically reassigning the pins in the cable. That is how Apple collapsed the former 30 pin connector down to 8 and how they were able to make it reversible. The pins serve whatever purpose they need to for what the phone is doing at that time. There is a computer chip in the base of the connector that controls what is going on.

So what I said was that these "advanced functions" beyond just charging and data transfer are rarely used by most people. How many people play video or audio through a hard connector anymore? Most people use Bluetooth or AirPlay for this purpose. Therefore these functions of the Lightning connector may be superfluous, and perhaps Apple could just make do with a simple USB connector now.

I'm sorry, you're right. I re-read what you said, and I missed that your were talking specifically about non-charging use of Lightning. I agree with you on that point.

 

[Statusnone88]

Seeing how Apple always has a proprietary connector (FireWire, 30-pin, Thunderbolt, Lightning), I wouldn't count on it.

FireWire - Not proprietary. Sony and IBM also had a hand in making and using FireWire. Tons of camcorders had "mini" FireWire a few years back.

Thunderbolt - Absolutely not proprietary. Designed by Intel (not Apple) as of Feb 2011.

So yeah...

 

[ampontour]

I just finished reading the book on Jony Ive ('Jony Ive - The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products') and on page 242 while discussing unibody construction there's the paragraph: "But Jony's team got really serious about machining in 2005 for the iPhone. At that time, they visited various watch manufacturers to see how precise, long-lasting time-keeping products were made. 'We started researching watch companies just to understand machining metals, finishing metals, product assembly' recalled Satzger. What they found was a remarkably high standard of manufacturing."

Genesis of the idea for Apple Watch?

 

[MyopicPaideia]

Honestly, I think he was meant to say Thunderbolt, not Lightning. People tend to get thunder and lightning confused, even in weather. You sound confused in your response as well, since I would argue that the Lightning port isn't "rarely" used, but commonly used by iPhone owners

You actually seem to be confused. He described the Lightning connector accurately and correctly.

computer redesigns do get featured in events. They don't tend to "sell out" like iPhones, but availability can be limited for the first few weeks. The new Mac Pro was an exception--generally you can walk into a store to get the new computers.

By that logic, iPhones don't sell out either, they just have months of limited availability at launch. Lots of the new designs, especially the BTO configurations, are very limited with delayed shipping initially...just like certain colors and capacity combinations of the iPhone. You are correct, though that most standard configurations usually can be had in store with fairly little delay.

 

[unplugme71]

Seeing how Apple always has a proprietary connector (FireWire, 30-pin, Thunderbolt, Lightning), I wouldn't count on it.

TB and FW were not proprietary.

----------

I'm just glad we are getting a new apple product, it has been a while.

Yup. Should get something new every week. Last one I'm aware of was October. So long ago!!!!

 

[AndreSt]

They may move extra ports like a couple standard USB ports and a DP port onto the power cord brick instead, saving space on the machine itself as well as increasing the flexibility of peripheral placement.

They might, yes. But I don't like the ports-on-powerbrick idea. It would work for some users, but a separate port-replicator which could be placed on the table would be more useful. Personally I don't like these either. The device should have all ports you regularly need to use.

Unlike the rumored rendering of the new MBA 12" there have to be at least two universally usable ports.

 

[valleian]

You guys=Apple fans.
Ever hear Apple fans raise such a stink on a new product before?
No.



Ah, so Tim is lying when he says "our customers are so important to us". Gotcha.




1. I don't think that, nor did I say/infer that. Why would I think that? lol
2. Millions of "you"s not bying this POS is powerful. Like the millions of "you"s who showed Ping the door.

Oh, so you can admit that Steve Jobs wasn't Jesus Christ, that he did make mistakes (Ping was under Steve's leadership)? You may be forgetting about MobileMe too, oh and the Motorola Rockr, and Antenna-Gate, and the G4 Cube (not a failure in my opinion, but sales wise it was), HP iPod, original iPod being Mac-only, the overpriced original MacBook Air, etc.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

They might, yes. But I don't like the ports-on-powerbrick idea. It would work for some users, but a separate port-replicator which could be placed on the table would be more useful. Personally I don't like these either. The device should have all ports you regularly need to use.

Unlike the rumored rendering of the new MBA 12" there have to be at least two universally usable ports.

Don't disagree, really. I want two USB-C ports on the machine too. I typically have one port in use at the office at all times (MBA in my sig is my work machine) and if charging is integrated in one of the ports (or both, hopefully) then I want one more on the chassis for me to use.