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Is Apple too secretive?
- Thread starter yamabushi
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apple is as secretive as any other PC maker. it's a maliciously competitive industry, even rumor sites like this one probably put Apple at a disadvantage. If Apple made their updates at regular intervals, we would inevitably get screwed, as technology and processor speeds aren't going to follow that schedule. i'd rather Apple release things when they can, rather than having a 3ghz G5 but not releasing it for 5 months to wait for the next product cycle.
paul
paul
I agree.. take me for instance.. I bought my 12"PB and next month Apple released 15.2"PBs with backlit keyboard.. and I really didnt get disappointed, all I do is turning on the LCDs light a bit more
i know there is still plenty of time to reach 3 ghz. i have faith they will. my point was anytime there seems to be any sort of setback people start talking about the death of apple.
there is always going to be something bigger and better down the pike...whether tomorrow...a year from now. its good to know yes. but say you wait 6 months. something great comes out. in another few months something better will be out. as i said...buy the best you can when you can. thats all you can do. look at me. i bought a Titanium 15 a few days AFTER the AlBooks were announced. I sized up the options and the TiBook at the time was still a better overall deal. The laptop is great then. It's great now. It will still be great 2 years from now most likely. I bought a 2x2 G5. It rocks. I knew that in 6 months they would probably have a 2.5 or so...and in a year 3. i didnt care. my machine is fast now...it will be fast then. there is very little that can really push a G5. i can use photoshop, final cut, audio apps, and everything else very fast. a 3ghz machine wont make that much difference to me. i dont regret either of my recent mac purchases. they are both great machines.
there is always going to be something bigger and better down the pike...whether tomorrow...a year from now. its good to know yes. but say you wait 6 months. something great comes out. in another few months something better will be out. as i said...buy the best you can when you can. thats all you can do. look at me. i bought a Titanium 15 a few days AFTER the AlBooks were announced. I sized up the options and the TiBook at the time was still a better overall deal. The laptop is great then. It's great now. It will still be great 2 years from now most likely. I bought a 2x2 G5. It rocks. I knew that in 6 months they would probably have a 2.5 or so...and in a year 3. i didnt care. my machine is fast now...it will be fast then. there is very little that can really push a G5. i can use photoshop, final cut, audio apps, and everything else very fast. a 3ghz machine wont make that much difference to me. i dont regret either of my recent mac purchases. they are both great machines.
I would agree that is best for your sanity to buy the best you can afford and enjoy it. I dont think upgrades say with G4 Powerbooks is anything to lose sleep over, even now my 867MHz is still pretty much up to speed with the latest G4. However, the difference between buying the best G4 Powermac and the G5 that came out say a month later, that would be annoying. But the stakes for Apple are that much higher with a brand new product line, juggling old stock with potential demand for new untried product, have they got the price right, blah blah blah. It makes good sense for them just to release stuff as and when they can.
You could also look at new releases from the other way round. Now the PowerMac is a G5, take a look at prices of dual processor g4s. Maybe hang out for new upgrades in order to get what is good now, a lot chaeaper. My PB is 25% cheaper now than last year and is a total bargain for a first time PB owner.
Apple do play the information game really well. Nobody knows with any certainty about any release unil the day before, if we are lucky. And I think it wouldnt be totally inconsistent for Apple to release a 3GHz PowerMac, way before June. If garageband can come out of nowhere... and the press releases from IBM about the new processors, do you really think the public are kept totally uptodate with what is going on behind the scenes?
You could also look at new releases from the other way round. Now the PowerMac is a G5, take a look at prices of dual processor g4s. Maybe hang out for new upgrades in order to get what is good now, a lot chaeaper. My PB is 25% cheaper now than last year and is a total bargain for a first time PB owner.
Apple do play the information game really well. Nobody knows with any certainty about any release unil the day before, if we are lucky. And I think it wouldnt be totally inconsistent for Apple to release a 3GHz PowerMac, way before June. If garageband can come out of nowhere... and the press releases from IBM about the new processors, do you really think the public are kept totally uptodate with what is going on behind the scenes?
What makes the difference in the WinTel world is that everything is advanced, separately.
With Mac's, they release total packages--whereas, in the PC world, yes, Intel may release the exorbitant $1,000 chip, 3.2Ghz EE.
The difference is that it makes the "lower" models, cheaper--while at the SAME time not forcing a TOTAL upgrade.
Apple does not release motherboards or cpus. The closest they get to that is BTO's...but again, a TOTAL upgrade--which is very problematic--and is probably the cause of the perpetuation of rumor sites like these. Each new product is relatively expensive, representing a substantial and significant investment.
On the other hand, in the PC world, a new cpu release means cheaper prices for the older models--and it is usually a quick an easy swap (Pentium 4 2.4Ghz to a 3.2Ghz for example).
Upgrades are that much harder on the Apple side with the "a,b,c" (e.g. 1.6g5, 1.8, 2.0) model-based marketing.
*The ironic thing is, I too am waiting for something--a video card upgrade. Either nVidia/ATi will release a new card, and the older model prices will plummet--pointing to an opportune purchasing time window. Unfortunately, nVidiarumors or ATirumors.com does not exist
With Mac's, they release total packages--whereas, in the PC world, yes, Intel may release the exorbitant $1,000 chip, 3.2Ghz EE.
The difference is that it makes the "lower" models, cheaper--while at the SAME time not forcing a TOTAL upgrade.
Apple does not release motherboards or cpus. The closest they get to that is BTO's...but again, a TOTAL upgrade--which is very problematic--and is probably the cause of the perpetuation of rumor sites like these. Each new product is relatively expensive, representing a substantial and significant investment.
On the other hand, in the PC world, a new cpu release means cheaper prices for the older models--and it is usually a quick an easy swap (Pentium 4 2.4Ghz to a 3.2Ghz for example).
Upgrades are that much harder on the Apple side with the "a,b,c" (e.g. 1.6g5, 1.8, 2.0) model-based marketing.
*The ironic thing is, I too am waiting for something--a video card upgrade. Either nVidia/ATi will release a new card, and the older model prices will plummet--pointing to an opportune purchasing time window. Unfortunately, nVidiarumors or ATirumors.com does not exist
hmmm... well, being a switcher to my G3 iBook I was... mildly dissapointed that the G4 iBook came out LITERALLY a month later... It's a really hard thing to decide - if they'd told me it was coming out soon, it would have made me wait for the release... so, if they did that then i'm sure it'd affect sales...
I read in a Dilbert book once that a tech company had been set-up, promising a certain spec of their product in august. It came out, but at the same time they anounced their next model of the product due in march... So many potential customers were put off their purchases to wait for the next product... they repeated this with version 3... and then went bust!!
I would have probably held of on purchasing the iBook if i'd have known a new one was on the way, but they'd have definately had my custom for the new iBook... Maybe a product map is the best way.... or if they actually said "We're updating iBooks every october" and this was common knowledge, then everyone would buy their iBooks at an appropriate time......
Hob
I read in a Dilbert book once that a tech company had been set-up, promising a certain spec of their product in august. It came out, but at the same time they anounced their next model of the product due in march... So many potential customers were put off their purchases to wait for the next product... they repeated this with version 3... and then went bust!!
I would have probably held of on purchasing the iBook if i'd have known a new one was on the way, but they'd have definately had my custom for the new iBook... Maybe a product map is the best way.... or if they actually said "We're updating iBooks every october" and this was common knowledge, then everyone would buy their iBooks at an appropriate time......
Hob
I agree with dwishbone and other posters in this sentiment.
As a recent switcher I have to say that my "switch" was influenced most by mainstream press articles detailing accurate current comparisons of PowerBooks with wintel notebooks and showing that PowerBooks weren't "underpowered" and "more expensive" as my Mac friends said.
I briefly considered an iBook, but it was apparent from Apple's product line that a G3 processor was soon to be history (after all, everything else had either a G4 or a G5).
Rumors of speed bumps don't impress me if I know that a current product will meet my short-term and long-term needs. Mind you, rumors are fun, but when unfounded rumors (and I've seen that the vast majority are way off mark) devolve into encouraging people not to buy a product that's "a fit" then a problem is being created for both consumers and Apple.
I don't think Apple is being too secretive. I think Apple is trying to protect itself from well-meaning, yet misguided, "loyal" customers who are having a negative impact on expanding its customer base.