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Did you get the feeling that Steve Jobs hates the Mac mini?
- Thread starter lem0nayde
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I'm not exactly sure what "rendering" is. If Apple built rendering support into iMovie, iDVD, and Final Cut Express... would that mean that all Macs connected on my network would be available to render effects and clips on the same project? I would assume that would drammatically increase the time it takes to complete a video or dvd project?
I don't think he hates it, he can't really spend a lot of time on the mini mac, what is there to explain. And thats where the monitor cable goes, and thats where the USB cable goes....
Its not something that you can spend a lot of time talking about.
A Mac is a Mac.
Its not something that you can spend a lot of time talking about.
A Mac is a Mac.
joshuawaire said:
Think of a "render farm" as having many processors working together. They have dual G5's think of this as a multiple G4 box.
Rendering is the process that it takes a digital content frame, effect, Sfx, etc..created in a 3D application, Video application or audio application.
At present text rendering is easily handled on the fly. Think of rendering as to the final product of all the composted clips, frames, images, Sfx, audio in ONE FINAL Product.
Oh. He could have shown a video on how Johnathan Ive designed it, and how small the logic board is, etc. He could have given it to some celebrity and asked them "how its going to change there lives." Like always. He could have speant more time on it, if he wanted too.
He will like it soon enough.
He will like it soon enough.
joshuawaire said:
I used "rendering" in an entirely abstract way, to refer to any non-realtime process encountered in a media production pipeline. I personally am simply interested in offloading these time-consuming, and CPU-sapping processes off my laptop and on to another CPU.
However, there are some applications that support distributed rendering. In those cases (and with the requirements being met, e.g. G5 processor, or a particular network speed, or whatever), the amount of time to complete these time-consuming tasks is reduced because there are more CPU's simultaneously number-crunching.
Best,
Logicat
m a y a said:Think of a "render farm" as having many processors working together. They have dual G5's think of this as a multiple G4 box.
Rendering is the process that it takes a digital content frame, effect, Sfx, etc..created in a 3D application, Video application or audio application.
At present text rendering is easily handled on the fly. Think of rendering as to the final product of all the composted clips, frames, images, Sfx, audio in ONE FINAL Product.
So it wouldn't be useful in the iLife applications? It takes me hours to render an iDVD project, maybe that is just because my computer is slow(er) [800Mhz G4 iMac].
joshuawaire said:
This is one perfect example. Even though it's not a rendering farm (i.e. distributed rendering across many CPUs), it'll still spare you from locking up your main machine for hours.
You don't even need a monitor attached to run that Mac mini; you can use Apple Remote Desktop or VNC instead.
Best,
Logicat
m a y a said:The guy did make a good attempt in speaking in english, he didn't use a translator. Give him that much, he was excited due to Steve's RDF and it also was a last minute invite.
I'm not meaning to insult his english, it just seemed to me that halfway through his speech SJ got up and was kind of hesitant about something. Like he was helping the guy off stage (because of stumbling thought or speech), time was running out, or something like that. I dunno...
Macmaniac said:
Nah, I don't buy that. Steve spent more time demoing the Dashboard widgets than he did with the Mac mini! He spent like 1/3 of the keynote showing off Tiger features that we've all already seen - TWICE. Yet he spent a paltry 5 minutes with the Mac mini. Maybe saying that he hates it would be too strong a word. But there is still something up...
Actually, I think that Steve realized that Nick had already done both the introduction and PR for him, so there was no need for him to waste too much time on it
Yes they are definitely two products that have gone against years of low end disdain.m a y a said:Well I believe the Mac mini and iPod Shuffle are two products that go against his previous statements including the iMac G5.
Yes, I did get that feeling that he didn't like both and to a point the iMac G5 products.
The old Apple would have gone in with a 1-2GB iPod Shuffle (149/199) and gone after the top end of the flash market.
The $99 512MB iPod Shuffle and the $499 Mac Mini is Apple's first foray into value priced products in a long time.
Though they are two machines aimed at stopping the market share slide.
I agree that Steve needs to quit bashing product categories if there's any realistic chance that Apple will enter that market. While perhaps useful for short-term marketing, such statements risk a backfire -- they embed ideas in people's heads about, for example, the relative uselessnesss and poor value of most flash-based digital audio players.
Jobs is one of the best nonpolitical speakers out there right now -- though he's been using manuscripts that are probably a spot too detailed (I for one think he could get by with an outline and a couple rehearsals, and have a better overall presentation).
I do suspect that he sometimes lets his personal opinions get a bit too far in the way of business -- which is why the Mac Mini has taken so long to come about. It's an obvious idea for an obvious market segment; it's basically an iBook with the most expensive parts (LCD, battery, trackpad, keyboard) removed. I probably won't be getting one at least until my Dell drops dead in a couple years (if it does), but I like the idea. He's come a long way since the early eighties or even since NeXT, but Steve Jobs is still the same man who was the "villain" in several sections of Michael Moritz's The Little Kingdom -- a visionary of the very caliber needed at a company like Apple, even if he isn't the most fun person in the world for whom to work. And hey, he seems to know Warren Buffett's two rules of business (#1: Don't lose money. #2: Don't forget rule number one)
Jobs is one of the best nonpolitical speakers out there right now -- though he's been using manuscripts that are probably a spot too detailed (I for one think he could get by with an outline and a couple rehearsals, and have a better overall presentation).
I do suspect that he sometimes lets his personal opinions get a bit too far in the way of business -- which is why the Mac Mini has taken so long to come about. It's an obvious idea for an obvious market segment; it's basically an iBook with the most expensive parts (LCD, battery, trackpad, keyboard) removed. I probably won't be getting one at least until my Dell drops dead in a couple years (if it does), but I like the idea. He's come a long way since the early eighties or even since NeXT, but Steve Jobs is still the same man who was the "villain" in several sections of Michael Moritz's The Little Kingdom -- a visionary of the very caliber needed at a company like Apple, even if he isn't the most fun person in the world for whom to work. And hey, he seems to know Warren Buffett's two rules of business (#1: Don't lose money. #2: Don't forget rule number one)
joshuawaire said:
You don't really have a slow computer.
rendering will bring down any system, its the nature of rendering.
Though you get the point that you can render iDVD projects on the Mac Mini and still work on your main system without any drawbacks.
Blackheart said:
Time reasons that is all.
It would be funny to see Steve give a small speech at a SONY Expo or something of that sort.
Sun Baked said:
iPod Shuffle rev B, 1Gig and 2Gig models now at 99 and 149 USD.
When is the question?
If Jobs hated it, it wouldn't have seen the light...
Anyways its a really good product. Perfect for causal users who are looking for upgrade.
Having said that, I am not really sure if this is really going to push the market share. Because in general, people are quite baffled about how it works. I was watching CNN yesterday, and the news correspondent (which I take as an intelligent person may be not so much into computers) was totally clueless about how the mac mini works. The person at the conference told him that you have to connect your own monitor, keyboard and mouse. He still could not figure out and asked "how do you connect that?"
And I am sure that will be the question for many average windows users. And with the kind of marketing (read none) Apple does, ironically mainly mac users or techies would buy the mac mini, as a second or third computer.
May be only my opinion though...
Anyways its a really good product. Perfect for causal users who are looking for upgrade.
Having said that, I am not really sure if this is really going to push the market share. Because in general, people are quite baffled about how it works. I was watching CNN yesterday, and the news correspondent (which I take as an intelligent person may be not so much into computers) was totally clueless about how the mac mini works. The person at the conference told him that you have to connect your own monitor, keyboard and mouse. He still could not figure out and asked "how do you connect that?"
And I am sure that will be the question for many average windows users. And with the kind of marketing (read none) Apple does, ironically mainly mac users or techies would buy the mac mini, as a second or third computer.
May be only my opinion though...
There really do seem to be two types of Jobs keynote speeches, the ones where he is really enthused (G5 Powermac, Aluminium Powerbooks, Tiger (last year)) and then we have the ones like yesterday where it seems to be a mixed bag even though nearly all those products are key to apples expansion. I can understand him being more interested in software, afterall he (like Bill G) isn't really a hardware man, a computer is just something that can bring his ideas to life.
The key people at apple are the designers, I would even go as far as saying that without Johnny Ive and his team apple would probably have sunk a good few years back. The original iMac might have been Steve's baby but the design genius behind was a Brit (sorry had to get that in ). Apple sell to new customers primarily on looks and the now world wide appeal of the iPod.
iWork is a key apple product but you do get the feeling they are between a rock and a hard place; if they make it a complete office sweet they will go directly against M$ but will in most cases win on price but I don't feel apple want to rock the boat, having Bill on board is important at least to the corporate masses out there. So right now it is rather incomplete, you feel people will buy it for one product (Pages or Keynote) and will consider the other as a freebie, it would appear to have basically been done to get rid of Appleworks so why aren't they shipping it with the new mini mac? It would be a killer buy if you got a mac and a modern word processor which is compatible with M$ Word included for free.
As for specifically Steve's keynote yeaterday, maybe the strain of not being able to have the hardware he really wants because of CPU problems is just taking the shine off all computer announcements. Lets face it if apple had had a good consistent supply of new processors they would be way out in front as far as the complete package goes. Best OS, best software, and the fastest most reliable hardware. Sadly right now they are Kangarooing all over the place having to limit new products so they don't tread on the toes of more expensive ones.
I don't think the 10.4 lockup helped either even though he did joke it off.
The key people at apple are the designers, I would even go as far as saying that without Johnny Ive and his team apple would probably have sunk a good few years back. The original iMac might have been Steve's baby but the design genius behind was a Brit (sorry had to get that in
). Apple sell to new customers primarily on looks and the now world wide appeal of the iPod. iWork is a key apple product but you do get the feeling they are between a rock and a hard place; if they make it a complete office sweet they will go directly against M$ but will in most cases win on price but I don't feel apple want to rock the boat, having Bill on board is important at least to the corporate masses out there. So right now it is rather incomplete, you feel people will buy it for one product (Pages or Keynote) and will consider the other as a freebie, it would appear to have basically been done to get rid of Appleworks so why aren't they shipping it with the new mini mac? It would be a killer buy if you got a mac and a modern word processor which is compatible with M$ Word included for free.
As for specifically Steve's keynote yeaterday, maybe the strain of not being able to have the hardware he really wants because of CPU problems is just taking the shine off all computer announcements. Lets face it if apple had had a good consistent supply of new processors they would be way out in front as far as the complete package goes. Best OS, best software, and the fastest most reliable hardware. Sadly right now they are Kangarooing all over the place having to limit new products so they don't tread on the toes of more expensive ones.
I don't think the 10.4 lockup helped either even though he did joke it off.
Correct. However, I'd use ARD or VNC so I can use the apps that don't have a client for distributed rendering. This would allow me to utilize the Mac mini without buying a second monitor, mouse or keyboard, or being stuck keeping it on my desk hooked up to a KVM.
Best,
Logicat
lem0nayde said:
Really? I didn't even notice that. In fact, I've never been asked by my OSX if I want to open an application. Is that a feature?
dejo said:
I believe it's now the default behavior for a brand new installation of OS X: the very first time that an application is ever run for a given user account, that user is prompted to allow it or not. If you answer 'yes', you shouldn't be prompted again for the same document type + application.
For example, you could double-click what looks like a Photoshop document, and instead launch the virus payload application that you've unwittingly downloaded, which is executed with your full user rights.
This dialog box should foil a trojan horse by intercepting the action. The OS would actually stop the payload's execution and confirm that you really want this new application to run for the very first time.
Best,
Logicat