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Apple Shareholder's Meeting

Originally posted by idkew
Well, it seems to me pretty obvious that Moto is going to be losing a lot of business in the near future.


Boo Hoo Hoo :(
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The sad thing is that Motorola probably won't feel it. There just isn't that big of a demand for the existing G4.
 
Re: Re: Re: soo...

Originally posted by Awimoway
This is not one of those times. (Sometimes circumstances demand that you throw the rule book out. It's okay to break the rules as long as you know what they are, after all.) Apple is probably losing more customers by not holding them in anticipation of something actually worth buiying. Potential customers are not picking up PowerMacs right now. The new Powerbooks could have made a bigger splash. All of Apple's good efforts to raise the product line's profile has been undermined by the serious MHz gap.

Don't dismiss calls for an early 970 announcement as typical naive rumor-site blathering. It's not the same old cliche this time.



As for what Steve meant by "many" of the rumors not being true--I think he's mostly referring to acquring Universal music (and maybe some of the iGadget, iTablet, iPhone, etc rumors that are running rampant in the last 2-3 weeks). That's the rumor that has hurt Apple the most.
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People aren't picking up Macs for the same reason they're not picking up PCs: the economy is not in the best shape right now. If you think sales are slow now, wait until Steve announces the 970. Unless it's ready to go next week, then I do agree that it's a bad idea. I think it'll come at WWDC - maybe secretly, and that an announcement will be made in July. I say July because I have it on good authority that Apple could be shipping by then.

One more thing, an announcement such as the 970 would mean you'd end up with too many old PMs, iMacs, etc on the shelf - lots of overhead. It makes no economic sense to announce the new chip so far in advance. While most would like a roadmap, Apple keeps people in the dark to protect it's small marketshare. They need to income. If the economy picks up a bit at back-to-school time, then a July announcement and shipment would be best.

Oh yes, and if you're introducing a Mac-only music service, why would anyone buy a new Mac if they know it'll be outdated in a few months? Apple likely hopes that some people sitting on the fence about the Mac will buy one with the big announcement on Tuesday - especially if it is as easy as advertised. If he introduces the 970 as well, what's the point?
 
Re: soo...

Originally posted by freundt
...why are they so secretive about their plans to remedy it? sheesh, you'd think they'd be shouting from the mountaintop that the speeds are going to get drastically better...
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Ditto on preserving the current market and don't forget that Apple still NEEDS those Motorola chips. Not wise to bite the hand that feeds you (even if it is poorly) until you find another place to graze.
 
I don't think we've come to the end of the G3...

I read an article that said Moto wouldn't license Alti-Vec to IBM, but let it go when they dropped development of the G5. During that time supposedely IBM had Alti-Vec enhnaced G3's. They still use the G3 and it's still viable as a laptop processor. I've heard they can push it to 2Ghz. That with altivec wouldn't be too bad in an iBook. If they follow intel, maybe the can push it to 3Ghz. Ha!
 
Originally posted by jch200
so, I wonder how long it would take to replace not only all of the G4's, but also the G3's, so that moto can be out the door. Could be a while.
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Umm...aren't the G3s made by IBM. Perhaps, as soon as the 970's come out and everything is upgraded to 970 except for iBook, the iBooks will just get G3's with some limited 970 techonology, with the G3s running at 1.5-2.0GHz. This way, all of Apple's line would be above 1GHz, and they'd only rely on IBM, which seems to be a pretty reliable company.
 
Everybody keeps saying that the reason Apple doesn't leak/announce the 970 early is that it would kill sales. Ok, I agree. But what happens to sales of non-power mac hardware when the 970 pmac IS released? If Apple only releases a 970 powermac I can assure you that iMac and powerbook sales will surely slow down.

I think it would be bold and cool (though unlikely) if Apple released an entire line of 970 pMacs, and at least one 970 of the rest of the mac line. Very cool. Very unlikely. I'm just saying that the consumer line sales could suffer and hurt apple just as much if not updated soon after the powermacs.
 
Originally posted by Centris 650
... I think it would be bold and cool (though unlikely) if Apple released an entire line of 970 pMacs, and at least one 970 of the rest of the mac line. ...
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Not that hard. (1) PowerMac 970, as we all agree. (2) iMac 970. (3) 17" PowerBook 970. Just three motherboards, and you can argue that the PowerBook could be a little later.
 
First, I don't think a 970 Powermac is going to hurt iMac sales as bad as everyone thinks. Most iMac customers are looking for a value based, stylish system. Once the PowerMacs are moved to a 970 it will allow Apple to push the iMac futher in performance with no limits, (ie L3 cache) 1.25+ Ghz processors, especially if Apple gets the 7457. With the Pro line out of the way...the consumer models can be pushed to the limits on the G4 chip. I am the type of user that would still buy a G4 iMac even if the PowerMacs are out, because the iMac is perfect for what I do and I like an all-in-one design, a lower price means more to me then a 970...I might be the only one that would say this...but I would rather have a 1.25Ghz G4 iMac for $999 then a 1.4Ghz 970 for $1,999.

If the theory about the 970 killing the consumer G4 lines was true...why is the iBook still a very sucessful model with a G3?

If you want to make max profit, then you put your best technology on your most expensive models, and wait until the excitement dies down to add it to lower models. Think...for an example if you could buy a 1.4Ghz 970 iMac for $1299...how many people would just go that route instead of a PowerMac with 1.8Ghz that costs hundreds more, expecially if they need a new monitor.

Last, to the people that say Apple should not be talking about the 970 right now...well they are right...very right!

Will you loose a few sales to PC's because of this...well sure you will, but you will still sell a good number of PowerMacs. If they are truly people that wanted a 970 Mac they will be back when the 970's come out. If they really love that PC and in that case you would have lost them as customers anyway. If you announce it now...months and months before it is ready...sales would go to nothing, zero!
 
Re: Re: soo...

Originally posted by phillymjs
This is also why Apple is moving away from major announcements at MacWorld Expos... their sales dry up in the months preceeding the show because people don't want their brand new computer to suddenly become obsolete when a newer one is unveiled at the Expo.

~Philly
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Well said and BINGO!!:D
 
Oh one last thing, to the credit of the beloved G3 processor...I think the speeds that IBM has pushed it too have been awesome. I think the Sahara is actually idling at 900Mhz in the iBook. If Apple said to IBM, "We want you to push it for all it's worth" I think we would all be amazed, it would probably be outclocking everything Apple is making right now. Remember this is still a 4 stage processor. Not many processors have ever seen clock speeds over 500Mhz using only 4 stages. Not bad IBM.
 
Originally posted by AllenPSU
The sad thing is that Motorola probably won't feel it. There just isn't that big of a demand for the existing G4.
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You're close. They won't feel it much. But the reason is Apple is only about 6% of Motorola's revenue stream for the semiconductor group. The G4 is a very popular chip. If Motorola does not have to concentrate on optimizing designs for PC type systems, they probably gain in the long run.
 
Originally posted by Centris 650
Everybody keeps saying that the reason Apple doesn't leak/announce the 970 early is that it would kill sales. Ok, I agree. But what happens to sales of non-power mac hardware when the 970 pmac IS released? If Apple only releases a 970 powermac I can assure you that iMac and powerbook sales will surely slow down.

I think it would be bold and cool (though unlikely) if Apple released an entire line of 970 pMacs, and at least one 970 of the rest of the mac line. Very cool. Very unlikely. I'm just saying that the consumer line sales could suffer and hurt apple just as much if not updated soon after the powermacs.
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I don't think it unlikely at all. In fact, I think Apple will release a completely revamped lineup in July. The G4, as we know it, will no longer be needed. A someone said above, IBM does have 750s with Altivec. They've offered them to Apple, but Apple doesn't want them - yet. Why? Because they outpace the Moto chips running at the same speed. They also happen to have a 450 MHZ FSB capability. I haven't heard if Apple is interested in the new 750s coming out, but I think they'll end up in iBooks and eMacs. From what I know, IBM may start production of both the 970 and 750 series @ .09 micron as early as the end of the year, enabling them to get speeds of up to 4 GHZ from the 970 and about 3.2 GHZ out of the 750 (the 970 can reach 2.5 @ .13 and the 750 can reach 2 GHZ @ .13). While I do have a source on info for IBM chips, I don't know anyone inside Apple, so I only guess they're interested. But I don't know why else IBM would make an updated version of the 750. I think Apple will be off Moto completely by the end of July, going completely to IBM.
 
now with all of this talk, i remember rumors from a while ago regarding a G$ iBook in may. everyone said that there would be no G4 iBook including me, and now, it seems liekly. it will happen when the pb line goes 970.
 
Originally posted by Mblazened
i'm very excited to see the new machines
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:eek: post of the year :eek:
--it's what we're all thinking and saying, just simplified.


i dunno. the 970 talk has been stagnant for so long. we know it's comming. it's pretty hard to say anything about it until we get some new info.

apple's shareholders have no more access to company info than us. they got press conference answers to mac geek questions. i'm sure most of 'em saw it coming. the music service could prove to be a big revenue stream for apple, though, and coupled with a 970 release before years end, apple may find a way to salvage a bad year for it's investors.
 
iStation Picture

about the audio rumors:

http://www.sejus.com/earth2willi/fo...topic.php?t=252

Makes sense to provide a way to sell your subscription service without requiring a $2000 computer.. built in modem, ethernet, optional airport card. Streams internet radio in standalone mode. Various audio I/O and connection to iPod for about $100-$200, bundled with or subsidized by the subscription service (buy 3 years of deluxe membership prepaid, get the iStation free).....
 
Poor Reporting by Most Mac News Sites

I want all Mac news zealots to notice something interesting about the coverage - or lack thereof - of the Apple shareholders meeting.

Except for one Reuters report, which MacMinute, MacNN and MacCentral all mirrored, no other news Web site covered the shareholders meeting except one - Think Secret.

This is sad and a real indication of who covers Mac news and who just re-hashes it. For MacCentral to say they are a real news organization is a joke. It's pathetic when we count on these sites to give us new, original content and they are letting us down.

I'm sick and tired of Mac users who think they know the news criticizing Think Secret for reporting rumor when they are the ones going out and actually doing REPORTING. They are the ones finding news through the oldest known tool a journalist has...SOURCES.

The next time you want to criticize or see others criticizing Think Secret, let's check their track record and let's check the track record of so-called Mac news sites who just copy others.
 
i agree. ThinkSecret is really one of the the only sites that is origional in it's news and rumors, then SpyMac takes the rumors, and news sites take the news.
 
In fact, Think Secret's coverage of the meeting was creepily detailed and accurate ... indeed, it makes me wonder how their correspondent was able to transcribe so much information, considering recording devices were not permitted. ;)

(How do I know Think Secret's report was good? I was at the meeting.)
 
Originally posted by Mr. MacPhisto
A someone said above, IBM does have 750s with Altivec. They've offered them to Apple, but Apple doesn't want them - yet. Why? Because they outpace the Moto chips running at the same speed. They also happen to have a 450 MHZ FSB capability. I haven't heard if Apple is interested in the new 750s coming out, but I think they'll end up in iBooks and eMacs. From what I know, IBM may start production of both the 970 and 750 series @ .09 micron as early as the end of the year, enabling them to get speeds of up to 4 GHZ from the 970 and about 3.2 GHZ out of the 750 (the 970 can reach 2.5 @ .13 and the 750 can reach 2 GHZ @ .13). While I do have a source on info for IBM chips, I don't know anyone inside Apple, so I only guess they're interested. But I don't know why else IBM would make an updated version of the 750. I think Apple will be off Moto completely by the end of July, going completely to IBM.
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So you have a 'source' for these outlandish claims? Does this mean you have insider info? Or are you simply quoting some random post on Spymac? I don't suppose you have anything like a link to backup your claims...
 
A funny bit from the Thinksecret article:

An inquiry about proposal one, re-electing the board of directors, asked if there really was any choice at all in the re-election of the board, since Apple's shareholder notice notes "The six nominees for director receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of the shares entitled to be voted for them shall be elected as directors." There were a total of six nominees. Heinen said that people did have the option of not voting. Jobs then commented that he received 83% of the votes to be re-elected, the highest second to Al Gore who received over 90%. Gore added, "Does it matter who has the most votes?" which sent the crowd into laughter.
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Originally posted by alcyone
In fact, Think Secret's coverage of the meeting was creepily detailed and accurate ... indeed, it makes me wonder how their correspondent was able to transcribe so much information, considering recording devices were not permitted. ;)

(How do I know Think Secret's report was good? I was at the meeting.)
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why was there no recording devices allowed at the meeting? and how did you get in?
 
Re: Re: soo...

Originally posted by mstecker
Because then they wouldn't sell any current products? Just a wild guess.
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But opn the same hand, reverse switchers are going back to PC's because they are cheaper and faster... I wonder how many people have switched back because of this.
 
Re: Re: Re: soo...

Originally posted by freundt
But on the same hand, reverse switchers are going back to PC's because they are cheaper and faster... I wonder how many people have switched back because of this.
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This is a good point. I'm guilty to some extent. I still use my Mac (I am right now), but the last few computers I've purchased have been PC's. They're cheaper and faster and they do what I need. It's been too long since I've purchased a Mac, but there hasn't been a Mac released that's really made me want to spend the kind of money Apple is asking for. I do like Jaguar quite a bit, but there needs to be more than just a great OS. I'm 95% sure I'll buy a new Mac this year as it's been 5 years. However if Apple doesn't produce something really good (for the desktop), then I'll use my 5% option.

It's sad really. The OS kicks butt and the applications are excellent. The designs look great, but the performance is marginal. One thing that's always bugged me about Apple is that they come out with some great machines, but they're always lacking some feature. I've never seen Apple put together a desktop (not talking imac) that has all the features a power user would want. I want machine that contains all the features of the best computer the PC industry can put out. That coupled with the great OS and the iApps and you have a Gold Metal winner.
 
Why no recording devices? I suppose any "closed" meeting, as this was, or meeting during which confidential information might be revealed -- which never seems to be the case at stockholder meetings -- warrants that.

I got in because I'm a (small) shareholder.

And yes, Gore's joke was funny. You don't often get the chance to see Jobs laughing out loud. :p
 
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