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Apple's February 28th 2006 Event Rumors and Speculation

danielwsmithee said:
Sorry I messed up on the math there. With a 3 Mbit/s connection I rarely see download speeds quite that fast usually more like 500kbit/s. Which would make it about 3 hours. Either way I guess that is is plausible.

About the DRM that can be worked around fairly easily I would think. The actual authentication would come from the normal Apple servers. They could quite easily make it so it would be just a useless 700 MB file until the Apple servers have authenticated. I think you are right about there servers allready working well though.
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But, you don't have to download the whole thing to start watching. Just stream it in parts.. As long as you can download a 100 minute movie in less than 100 minutes, you might be able to watch as it download. unless i got it wrong.
 
matthewHUB said:
Guys, all this debating and we're not really getting anywhere. Take a look at the teaser... An iCal icon. Clearly this has something to do with some sort of life organiser such as a blackberry type PDA/iPod thingymajig. The invites in the past have always given a clue (sort of - sometimes with hindsight) as to what kind of avenue the product will be down.

I'm really hoping for a thin iPod-form-factor portable multimedia player, with decent apps for lifestyle organisation. Perhaps iLife on the go? not sure yet whether a stylus would be used or whether input would be with fingers only but i know i'd buy one in an instant.

I've been 'fannying around' with various diaries etc. for a long time. I have desperately wanted a PDA-type device but they've just been crap to be honest. I dunno... I'm a musician, and my diary is very important to me - dates and times constantly changing. With this device running iCal it would mean i would actually use the program! At the moment i don't as when somebody tells me a date it goes into my diary - i'd forget if i waited till i got home to put into my comp. Wish i could do it on the go.

Also, for all you guys who say you wouldn't use a PDA / don't see why anyone would want one... WTF? Do you use a diary?
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Good post!
I REALLY want an apple PDA. I read online that apple had one that was within a few months of release when it was pulled. So, looking back, iCal, Address book, iSync, etc. were made for this PDA. I would be the first person to buy one, but I doubt it will ever happen. Just my gut feeling.
Maybe we'll both be pleasantly surprised.
 
~Shard~ said:
Nope, not going to happen.

First of all, the PowerBooks were updated because they needed to be updated. They were slow G4 machines. The PowerMacs do not need to be updated.

Second of all, Apple is not going to stick Yonah into the PowerMac - it's simply not going to happen. Apple is waiting for Conroe/Woodcrest and they won't be available until the fall.

Further to this, Apple will need to come out with Intel PowerMacs that at least match or better the existing offerings. They can't do that right now. It would look bad to release a "brand new" and "superior" Intel PowerMac which doesn't benchmark as high as the existing quad which has been out for months now. The technology simply doesn't exist right now.

Thirdly, there are not enough universal applications yet. The people who use PowerMacs are generally the power users who ned those apps the most. Until we see a release date for Adobe CS3 and until we hear when FCP, etc. are going universal, we won't see an Intel PowerMac.

In conclusion, PowerMacs, are going to be the last Macs to be switched over (with the exception of possibly the Xserve for similar reasons).

Any questions? :cool:
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Well you have some valid arguments.... But remember that Adobe just announce that all ther product won't be universal binaries until the end of the next year... In the other side apple is already moving all their professional software 100% Universal, even more they start swapping their application with a minimum charge to current customers...

Adding some more to this.. I think that Steve Job will mention this on this event for sure..

I don't see Apple waiting for Adobe to release a new Powermac, considering that they have plenty profesional product to sell on this area.. Even now APERTURE is available as Universal Binary application :cool: :eek:

Regarding your post that there is no QUAD Intel processor.. You need to be clear that the G5 IS NOT A QUADRUPLE PROCESSOR.. Just a Dual - Dual Core G5 Powerpc... So for Sure Apple can match that sep tup with the new Pentium 940D processor with by the way Work a 95 watt of power consumaption...:confused: :confused:
 
I love how on page 2 someone asked why people want a tablet, and thus far there are two reposnses: one was an incoherant ramble about drawing or something, and one was about taking notes on the go and keeping your calander. Every other post basically says "I want a tablet!" but nobody can say why.

That is because tablets are only good for specialized uses and tech nerds like us that hang out on this board.

So I repeat the challange: Why does the general population need a tablet?

Calander Functions: PDA/Phone already does this for those that want it.

Note Taking: PDA/small laptop has it covered

What else is there!?!?!?! I think people just want a tablet because they think touch screen technology is cool.

And think about this: Outside of tech geeks like us, the general consumer does not even know what a tablet PC is. Ask your non-tech savy Mom or Neighbor if they even know what a tablet is. I guarantee you they won't.

If there is a Mac tablet PC EVER, I will be surprised. If there is one introduced on Tuesday, I'll eat my hat.
 
Just a couple of thoughts.


.Mac already has iCal syncing and integration. Given the recent speculation about the increase in .Mac bandwidth it could be that a Mac Mini Media center could sync with .Mac to automatically save tv shows in .Mac iDisc or Backup. This would eliminate the need for a huge drive in the Mac Mini. I see an intel Mac Mini, and a Media Center option. The Media Center may be an external Device. I don't see the media center being a standard feature with a TV card and staying under 500 dollars.

On the video ipod front. Expect it. I see apple releasing it first, and softening up the public for a touch screen Tablet. iPod True Video first, iSlate to follow ina few Months, maybe even April.


Probably a new shuffle. 66% probability.

Expect a front row overhaul to accompany movie Downloads from iTMS. Maybe even a seperate iTunes Video Store.


Expect unviversal crossgrades on all Pro apps except Adobe to be announced, this will pave the way for a new Power Mac. They might wait on the Power Mac until April. 70% probability.

The Boom Box will probably happen. 70% probability


We might see a new ibook, but I'm not really certain about it. 40% probability.

I expect to see OS 10.5 rolled out by late summer/early fall. I know it's early but they are on 10.4.6 in the next week or two.
 
Chundles said:
I would like to know from all you guys who want tablets, what the hell would you do with them? I've been racking my brains and still can't come up with why it would be preferable to a laptop. Come to think of it, a PDA is pretty useless for most of us too.

If a big screened iPod comes out, I'd certainly like to have one but I just can't see the point in a PDA or a tablet.

My itinerary for the tuesday event:

iTunes:
- upped to 6.1, adds support for longer, widescreen downloads.
​
- 1 billion songs discussed, talk about market share etc.​

New iPod products:
- Some sort of speaker system, sleek, nice, I want one.​
- Some sort of wireless doohickey that I can't explain but I will probably want one too.​

iPod nano capacity upgrades, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB

iPod shuffle replaced, smaller form factor, no screen, white/black - not much else changed. 512MB and 1GB.

One more thing.....
Why longer, widescreen content?
- Widescreen iPod pano, 80GB, same size as current iPod but a bit thicker, really, really nice touchscreen LCD screen. Limited iCal integration, more "front row-ish" user interface, US$449 - maybe less, I don't know, just guessing here.​
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Agreed. Well, it's a bit optimistic, but otherwise, sounds just about right. They're not going to release computers under the label "fun stuff" unless possibly it's a media center computer... which they wouldn't want to market as such, b/c media centers have failed quite largely all in all, and if it's just a computer with a bonus of front row, there's no big risk. Tablets seem to be nothing to me but a computer without the functionality of a keyboard (and who would rather write by hand than type? In math class, sure, but that's not a big market). PDA's are tricky- limited market, good competition already out there. I sure would never buy one. And not fun!

So, ipod! video, downloads, etc. or a surprise.
 
ELTITO said:
...I don't see Apple waiting for Adobe to release a new Powermac, considering that they have plenty profesional product to sell on this area.. Even now APERTURE is available as Universal Binary application...
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I think this is a very interesting point.

I don't really want to argue Adobe P.S. vs Aperature, however, if Apple releases a new Pro Desktop soon and pushes Aperature, will that motivate Adobe to release a new Photo Shop with universal binary sooner or cause them to play hardball and say: "Apple is small potatoes compared to the PC market...they can have their Aperature...see ya..."?
 
Knowing Steve Jobs he will probably introduce the iPod Boombox first- just like everyone expects. At the very end I think we'll see the 13" Intel iBook we've been waiting for forever.
 
Exactly.

crudsponge said:
I think everything needs to flow with the releases. It wouldn't make sense (to me) to release a MacBook, BoomBox, Tablet, Phone, ... etc.

To me personally... it would make more sense to go with the MacMini, iPod TRUE Video, BoomBox, and iTunes.
All centered around home entertainment, and coming back to iTunes.

BoomBox needs the iPod,.... the iPod needs iTunes.
The MacMini needs something more... possibly iTunes... possibly home entertainment? True video, which would work with the Video iPod.
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Exactly. Apple does not do "kitchen sink" announcements. Everything is coreographed to maximize impact and attention.
In my opinion, this is:
1) definitely consumer based (no Towers, UB Pro Apps etc.)
2) most likely not new laptops, nor tablets.
3) almost guarateed iPod/iTunes.

BTW: Think Secret & AppleInsider are amazingly quiet about what is going on in 4 days. Apple has really shut down their inside sources.
 
I would also point out that Aperture and Photoshop are very different beasts. Adobe Lightroom is the Aperture rival (and very nice it is too!)
 
When Is Fun Not So Fun?

~Shard~ said:
My bets are on an Intel Mac mini and some sort of iPod update, whether it be to the existing line or some new video thing as the rumors have been predicting...Intel iBooks are definitely due as well, but I don't know if it will be at this event or sometime in March. I guess it depends how big Jobs is planning on making this event and how much time he is planning on spending on each announcement.
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I return to the information that came out shortly after MWSF last month, which was that Mr. Jobs had to hold back some new products because they were not quite ready for release. Whatever the reason, when you consider that the MBP only recently started to ship, it would seem that the timing of this event neatly coincides. That is evidence, in my estimation, that this "fun, new" product is whatever didn't make it into the keynote in January.

Ironic then, that the head-banging and squabbles within the past couple of threads have turned what was deemed "fun" into something that might not be quite so fun due to the anticipation and inherent letdown for some people. I agree with Shard, I believe it is the Mac Mini.
 
ELTITO said:
Regarding your post that there is no QUAD Intel processor.. You need to be clear that the G5 IS NOT A QUADRUPLE PROCESSOR.. Just a Dual - Dual Core G5 Powerpc... So for Sure Apple can match that sep tup with the new Pentium 940D processor with by the way Work a 95 watt of power consumaption...
Click to expand...

But are those chips set up for multiple CPU? Does intel (or anyone) have a motherboard that holds two of those CPU's? I doubt it.

We'll likely never see another dual chip configuration in a mac (or even PC) again. Intel has quads and even 8 core in their future lineup. It makes much more sense to wait for those instead of trying to create some kind of nightmare frankenstein mobo with multiple pentiums on it.
 
First of all, thanks revjay. ;) :cool:

Second of all...

ELTITO said:
I don't see Apple waiting for Adobe to release a new Powermac, considering that they have plenty profesional product to sell on this area
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I never said that they would. I was simply stating that it is still too early or Apple to release an Intel PowerMac. Why? Because then you put your Pro users (who represent a sizeable amount of sales revenue due to the high perice of these machines) in a very awkward spot. Do they buy an Intel machine which is "new" even though it does not benchmark leaps and bounds higher than their existing dual-core PPC machines? And a machine which does not run apps natively yet, requiring the user to use Rosetta which will decrease performance? Does Apple want to do this? The simple answer is no.

For the record, yes, I agree, the Intel PowerMacs will come out before CS3 is released - I never said they wouldn't. In fact, I think it will be interesting to have Aperture universal, but not Photoshop - will this induce some pressure on Adobe, perhaps? ;) :cool:

ELTITO said:
Regarding your post that there is no QUAD Intel processor..
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Please quote me where I explicitly stated there is no Intel quad processor. I never used those words. Sure, in actuality there is no Intel quad processor, so it's a moot point, but I do not like being misquoted. :cool:

ELTITO said:
You need to be clear that the G5 IS NOT A QUADRUPLE PROCESSOR.. Just a Dual - Dual Core G5 Powerpc
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A dual core chip has 2 processors per chip. Therefore, in total, there are 4 processors in the quad - hence why Apple themselves have used the term "quad". Regardless, it is again a moot point as I think most everyone here realizes that is the case. If you want to start arguing semantics regarding processors, cores, processor cores, and the like, I'm not going to go down that road. The fact of the matter is, whether its dual dual-core, single quad-core, quad single-core, or 16 1/4-core, it doesn't really matter in this specific case.

ELTITO said:
... So for Sure Apple can match that sep tup with the new Pentium 940D processor with by the way Work a 95 watt of power consumaption...:confused: :confused:
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Doubtful. Even if they could, you have the timing issue regarding universal apps. Even if a 940D setup exceeded the quad's basic benchmarks, I would be very curious to see how apps that run natively on PPC would stack up to the same apps running via Rosetta on the Intel box - my guess is that until the apps were universal, you would not see much of a performance increase.

But all of this is immaterial. Apple is waiting for Conroe/Woodcrest for the PowerMac. Otherwise they may as well have just slapped a Xeon in the PowerMacs in January. If I am wrong, fine, I will eat crow. But I don't think I'm wrong. :cool:
 
slu said:
I love how on page 2 someone asked why people want a tablet, and thus far there are two reposnses: one was an incoherant ramble about drawing or something, and one was about taking notes on the go and keeping your calander. Every other post basically says "I want a tablet!" but nobody can say why.

That is because tablets are only good for specialized uses and tech nerds like us that hang out on this board.

So I repeat the challange: Why does the general population need a tablet?
Click to expand...

I think a tablet would be very useful in the medical world. On rounds we go from bed to bed and have to retrieve notes for each patient. Ideally all notes would be on a computer (they won't be for years but i can dream can't I), and a wireless tablet could be used by all health professionals to enter records in a consolidated set of notes. A tablet would be preferable to a pda because the increased size would be more manageable and easier to enter data on. The size would also be of benefit for the rapid review of imaging and tables of results. The medical world badly needs central computerised records which i'm certain would lead to a better standard of care with greater consistency between departments and earlier flagging of worrying symptoms or trubled patients. Sadly it'll be years before we see a useable system in practise.
 
Fireburst said:
I would also point out that Aperture and Photoshop are very different beasts. Adobe Lightroom is the Aperture rival (and very nice it is too!)
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I agree 100% with you on this... But remember that apple jump ahead with Aperture and Adobe reply with Lightroon... And for sure those guys have been fighting for a little while (Just remember Final Cut - Premiere).. Also Adobe must not be happy with Steve Jobs comments on the Macworld Keynote...

One more point to look at is that apple will have the 30 aniversary on april.. So imagine A big annoucement to celebrate It:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Tablets

slu said:
So I repeat the challange: Why does the general population need a tablet?
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Actually I don't think the general population DOES need a tablet. I do think that a sizable minority would be happy with one, though.

Specifically I want one to surf the internet from my couch/bed/deck, etc.
Laptops (even a 5lb ibook) are cumbersome. Slates let you read far more naturally (like holding a book), and apple should be able to make one that weighs less than 3 lbs. What I'm looking for is an Apple Nokia 770 knockoff with a bigger screen - for surfing, ebooks, pdf's, etc.

The only data entry i'll be doing is basic email responses. For any kind of real work I'll use a desktop. On screen keyboard would be fine, or basic handwriting/printing recognition.

Would I want to write a novel or do my taxes on it? Hell, no...

drduuude!
 
Wasnt an invite sent out to iLounge? That would kind of confirm whether or not it was iPod related.

Apple has sent out an invitation to select media, including iLounge, to a special event that will be held at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California on February 28th.

The invitation, which only features the iCal-like calendar image shown right, reads: “Come see some fun new products from Apple.” The special event begins at 9:00 a.m. at Apple Town Hall, Building 4.

iLounge has confirmed with Apple that this event will be taking place and is not a hoax like the email sent out last week purporting to be an Apple invitation to a special event on March 1st.
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Glenn Wolsey said:
Ugh guys, this looks pretty real:

http://www.macshrine.com/2006/02/24/another-image-of-ipod-video/
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It's certainly more convincing (to me) than the image floating around prior. I also appreciated the comment on that page referring to the possibility that it was taken in an Apple Store (because of the resemblance of the wood flooring) because that would be consistent with Mr. Jobs not introducing them last month.

If that is true, then the question is why were they deemed "not ready?" My personal conjecture is that they couldn't get the content licensing and delivery set up in time for the legalities involved. Now, though, it could be that the video content is ready to go, and the introduction of a new iPod (if that's what they call it) alongside the media rollout will make a much bigger splash than if introduced separately.
 
My prediction

IPod video with full front touch screen, FrontRow 2.0 enabled.
Full length films in iTMS.
IPod BoomBox.

Mac Mini (Media Center) and Airport express video expected on April.
ibook intel expected on April too.

No plan for iTablet anytime soon. But ipod video will be further expanded if it sells well (sure it will! I want one). I hope to see wifi and screen capture support in future ipod video models. PDA is useless, ipod rules.
 
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