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Jobs on Motorola iTunes, Video iPod, Bluetooth, And More
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What about the Powerbooks and Powermacs?
Anybody know what those "secret" black tarps were hiding?
I think a lot of folks are waiting for the new G5 powermacs... I wonder why they canceled the keynote?
Anybody know what those "secret" black tarps were hiding?
I think a lot of folks are waiting for the new G5 powermacs... I wonder why they canceled the keynote?
EvilMole said:Not so fast
"No one has been successful at that, yet" is a classic bit of Jobspeak. It means "of course we're going to do one - and we'll be the first to make it a success".
The best surprise would have been if Apple was simply selling black tarps, as a promo for the new iPod color choice: the black iPod nano.faustofernos said:
Piarco75 said:
I know you've been able to get a copy of a video that goes with a single but this seemed to be going one step further... including a live show as well as the single video. Has that been done before on iTunes?
I can see a video ipod having it's uses for some people (somebody already mentioned doctors waiting rooms, bus journeys etc) but I don't think it should be the main focus of an iPod.
That's how I felt about the iPod photo too. Not used the photo functionality on mine to this day.
I can really see Apple having a crack at this but I'm not expecting a fully blown iPod video any time soon.
I am the same way with the Photo. I got the 60GB when they first came out, but only because it was 60GB. I have no use for the Photo feature, althougnt the color screen is a lot nicer than the 'purple' scale one.
KittenKrusher said:
Same here. I wanted bigger capacity but yes, I love the colour screen and it's nice to see the album art.
If Apple released a new 80GB iPod (for example) that just happened to "now play video", I think that would be fine. I don't see a dedicated video player being a big hit right now though.
coolfactor said:
You have a point. But in all cases, he bent what he said. The Mighty Mouse, for example. He had to figure out a way to make its so he hadn't flat-out lied, meaning that it had to be a 1-button or 2-button mouse.
But my point remains the same: you cannot interpret anything Apple says to be true. They SPECIFICALLY DENIED the Mac mini in a conference call two months before it came out. They didn't even have a gimmick to save themselves when it came out.
NicP said:
Do you know how much does the Radio circuitry cost?. Probably around 50
cents.
Do you know how such a new feature will affect the design/complexity
of the iPod? Nothing, the iPod form factor will remain the same, nothing
added nothing removed. Software-wise, just an added item to the menu
called "Radio".
I just can't get the point that Radio will "cram" the iPod with features. It will
not add ANY significant kind of complexity to the iPod on both H/W and S/W
levels. However, it is a significant feature that MANY people want. Anyway,
let's wait and see how the iPod will evolve.
And by the way...
By the way, I think I know why the keynote was canceled. Take a look at this lineup and tell me it wouldn't be an awesome keynote:
- iPod nano
- iTunes 5
- ROKR Phone
- Madonna/HP
- .Mac update
- Dual-Core Powerbook G4 (high-end model only)
- Dual-Core Power Mac G5 (high-end model only)
- Possibly something we don't know about
Everything looks good. Then, all of a sudden, IBM sends word to Jobs that its new Dual-Core chips will not be availible in volume for a month after the Expo. Now the keynote looks like this:
- iPod nano
- iTunes 5
- ROKR Phone
- Madonna/HP
- .Mac Update
- Possibly something we don't know about
Kind of lacking without the Dual-Core. More like a special event. And so it came to Apple - cancel the keynote and make it a special event. But to avoid suspicion, schedule the event BEFORE cancleing the keynote. The Powermacs, Powerbooks, and possibly something else would come silently in October. The .Mac update would be silent and on the day of the Expo to keep the Special Event focused on music.
That's my idea. And the mystery product, if it exists, MAY be a wireless Mighty Mouse to be sold as an option on the new Pro Macs.
By the way, I think I know why the keynote was canceled. Take a look at this lineup and tell me it wouldn't be an awesome keynote:
- iPod nano
- iTunes 5
- ROKR Phone
- Madonna/HP
- .Mac update
- Dual-Core Powerbook G4 (high-end model only)
- Dual-Core Power Mac G5 (high-end model only)
- Possibly something we don't know about
Everything looks good. Then, all of a sudden, IBM sends word to Jobs that its new Dual-Core chips will not be availible in volume for a month after the Expo. Now the keynote looks like this:
- iPod nano
- iTunes 5
- ROKR Phone
- Madonna/HP
- .Mac Update
- Possibly something we don't know about
Kind of lacking without the Dual-Core. More like a special event. And so it came to Apple - cancel the keynote and make it a special event. But to avoid suspicion, schedule the event BEFORE cancleing the keynote. The Powermacs, Powerbooks, and possibly something else would come silently in October. The .Mac update would be silent and on the day of the Expo to keep the Special Event focused on music.
That's my idea. And the mystery product, if it exists, MAY be a wireless Mighty Mouse to be sold as an option on the new Pro Macs.
922 said:
I hope that they come out with new power mac's but if not, I will take a wireless Mighty Mouse.
Proud Liberal said:
Seems like the first real rumors of the device were about a week or so in advance of the actual release. https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2001/10/20011017165204.shtml
Remember, one of the things Steve Jobs did fairly consistently after his return was to kill off non-Mac projects that were seen as diversionary. (Newton, Pippin, QuickTake, Mac clones, etc...) Remember also that 2001 Apple was just coming out of one of its darkest periods, unprofitable, the G4 Cube wasn't selling, etc...
The bursting of the dotcom bubble and other factors led to a dramatic shift in Apple marketing strategy for 2001. It was all about the Mac as a "digital hub" instead of a "computer". However, the focus was still on the Mac. iMovie, iDVD and iTunes were all part of this initial push. iPod and iPhoto came later.
Take this quote from after the release http://news.com.com/2100-1040-274821.html?legacy=cnet
The so-called "halo effect" was predicted early on, and at least in my case it actually worked. I bought my iBook about 6 months after breaking down and buying an iPod, and will almost definitely be shopping for an Mactel desktop (probably a Mini) when they are released next year.
B
922 said:
And?
Apple are running a business.. businesses have to be flexible, otherwise they die.
If they suddenly see a market in a new product, then they'll go for it, no matter what they said a few months back.
Apple rely on secrecy in their new products, they aren't going to reveal anything until the right time.
922 said:
Once again, the word 'Lie' is way over used.
Stella said:
I never, ever said he handled the Mighty Mouse the wrong way. I also totally agree that he should be flexible. But my whole point here is STILL that you can't trust Apple saying "no". Peter Oppenheimer (CFO) said no to a sub-$500 computer 2 MONTHS before the Mac mini shipped, at which point it was obviously in progress. Apple could be working on a video or Bluetooth iPod for MWSF right now and he would still say "no". No, I didn't say that was bad, but I'm saying that you cannot use his comments as evidence against a product.
First off, 50 cent radios tend to sound like 50 cent radios. Pretty bad.Compile 'em all said:
As someone who designs hardware for telecomunications products, I can tell you that the cost impact of adding a 50 cent part, particularly a radio, tends to be much higher than 50 cents and some software.
In this case. First off, you need an antenna to get the radio signals from the air into your chip. Fine, use the headphone wires. Oops! now I've got to separate out the audio signals the iPod wants to send to the headphones from the radio signals they are also picking up. More components, more cost. Hmm. Funny, the radio signals are interfering with other signals on the board. OK, so I'll just try to isolate those components on one part of the board and shield them. More components, more cost. I also just shortened the standby battery life of the iPod by adding components that never fully turn off.
Phew, I finally worked that 50 cent part in there! So glad to be able to serve the minority of iPod users who want to listen to radio.
I certainly do not miss not having a radio in my full size iPod. I have better reception/better sounding radios in my house and car. If I need local/immediate news, I'm probably near If I want music or talk "on the go", I'll take the programming on my iPod any day over what's on the radio.
Note that Cell Phones already have all these problems of mixed signal board design, and so already have the required antennas and shielding, etc... So they are a better fit with these cheap radios.
B
922 said:
That's the whole point about Apple products. They are designed trying to be different. From the beginning the one-button moused is something that distinguished Macs, so that is something that they couldn't change that much. Not only because Jobs probably never wanted a two-button mouse, but also because it is something characteristic for Macs. I would see it like changing the company logo (which they did modify some years back). If going against what everybody else makes encourages innovation, I think it is a very good thing.
Compile 'em all said:
I don't think anybody would want radio circuitry which is only worth $0.50 to be a part of the design of the iPod. It isn't only about putting the circuitry in the iPod and that's it... They have to design the whole iPod circuitry to implement that part because you would obviously want to control the radio feature like you would your music. That means interacting between the existing iPod hardware and software, not only adding a switch and two side knobs on the iPod. They'd most likely have to make a whole new version of the software.
I don't think it's as simple as you say it is, especially taking into account that the iPod is one of Apple's most important products right now.
Of course Apple could it, but they would have to find their way of doing it right, and make sure that it would sell, which is of course most company's main focus.