Leopard At Macworld San Francisco? Intel and iTV (Viiv)?

[Norse Son]

Where there's smoke there's fire... Vista -vs- Leopard

Apple already has the "shell of its former promise" that is Vista beat with Tiger.

And if the bugs, GUI gripes, memory & CPU megoliths, and security-checkoff dialogue boxes (that makes the TSA look like Barney at a backyard birthday party) are any indication, Microsoft has its work cut out for it in trying to sell this Edsel to the masses. In all likelihood they will sell 10 million copies the first week, then see a screeching halt as guinea pigs revolt to the buggy mess, and have to rush out sloppy patches for the next 5 months.

Apple should wait with the launch of Leopard until about the first of March. When it's had time to simmer in the pot - not burned like Vista. And, who knows, maybe by then Apple will be able to offer a BTO of the MacPro with a BluRay burner... And Adobe will be ready to release CS3 around then...

However, don't get me wrong; they should reveal more of Leopard's details at MWSF, when it's far too late for Redmond to "start their photocopiers" (Vista is supposed to go to production in the next week or so, isn't it?). And Apple should have their plate full with the iTV - though it will utilize much of the Front Row changes in Leopard.

So, let Vista smolder upon release like an ol'stinky diaper in a firepit. The only fire will be when Apple releases Leopard on schedule. Vista is going to be about 3 years late, missing most of its promised muscle, yet bloated with fatty code. Leopard will be right on schedule, lean & mean...

 

[BillyShears]

I don't think they have to release in January to silence Microsoft's thunder. I'm not a marketing genius or anything, but I was just thinking:

Microsoft releases Vista in January.

March rolls around.

Jobs: So now you've all seen how Vista hasn't changed your life, look at all these bugs, etc. And now we can show you those super secret features I was telling you all about.

 

[rstorm]

I don't think they have to release in January to silence Microsoft's thunder. I'm not a marketing genius or anything, but I was just thinking:

Microsoft releases Vista in January.

March rolls around.

Jobs: So now you've all seen how Vista hasn't changed your life, look at all these bugs, etc. And now we can show you those super secret features I was telling you all about.

And advertise like they advertise the iPod. Take the message main stream so the masses see what we already know...Vista blows.

 

[monke]

Maybe the iTv we were shown was the lowest model, the bigger 50" model will have the iTv built it.

 

[jettredmont]

This guy is an unknown, hence page2. Also, to me it seems as though there is still a bit of work to go on Leopard (despite it coming along nicely), so I'm not putting a ton of faith in this one.

Rob Enderle unknown?

A few years back, he was a constant source of ridicule, calling for Apple to fold up shop and go software-only etc. IMHO, page 2 is a definite promotion for him. We'll see how it works out.

 

[termite]

Rob Enderle, like many analyists, is pretty much an uninformed person who will keep spouting opinions as long as anyone is willing to pay him to do so. He is justifiably hated by many in the Linux and Free Software communities for his idiotic FUDing about the SCO lawsuit.

 

[Philberttheduck]

Should they release a Viiv TV, it better not come with no fuggin sticker.

 

[Squire]

I'm starting to wonder if Jobs was full of bleep when he said other top secret things we can't show you. I wonder if this is the same as those "hidden features" on the iPod that were talked up a few years ago and then immediately nothing came of it. We'll see.

...and the exclusive .Mac widgets.

-Squire

 

[gmanrique]

well, there is a big difference...

This time is Jobs saying there are Leopard hidden features. The iPod hidden features were rumors, not a statement coming from Jobs or Apple.

I'm starting to wonder if Jobs was full of bleep when he said other top secret things we can't show you. I wonder if this is the same as those "hidden features" on the iPod that were talked up a few years ago and then immediately nothing came of it. We'll see.

 

[AHDuke99]

honestly mac faithful, apple releasing leopard before vista solves what? who, besides we mac faithful, will know or care that leopard is launching? the media wont say anything about apple's new OS launch unless they do announce it at the expo. otherwise, not a word will be said. vista will get all teh coverage it can handle when it is ready to launch. 93% of the world's computers run windows, and a good portion of them will be looking to upgrade. i dont think rushing out leopard will steal that much away from vista.

 

[ITR 81]

This is my take on it.

Jobs will show all the normal stuff and few other stuff.
Then one more thing:
He'll show the world Leo preview...then give a release date.
Probably the end of Jan or Feb my guess.

 

[Platform]

Leopard, well I do want it NOW, but then again, bugs, performance etc.

Well just make sure those "great secret features" really are there and that 10.5.1 will be out quickly

 

[mahonmeister]

I would certainly enjoy seeing it released in January but any time in spring suits me fine.

 

[iMikeT]

I highly doubt that Leopard will ship at MacWorld. If it does, one thing is certain. Vista will be delayed for a few more months.

 

[knowledg333]

Leopard in January? Is it a good time to buy...

Hello friends.

First off, does anybody else find it hilarious that there are HP ads promoing the latest HP systems that run Windows?

But seriously, I need your input. I'm in the market to buy one of the new MacBook Pros. I have been postponing my purchase until the release of the Core 2 Duos, which recently came out. Now I'm wondering if it is the right time to buy, since the MacWorld expo is right around the corner. I personally think that a Leopard release in january is just the type of jazz and fireworks that Steve Jobs is synonymous with. But maybe there will be more happening. Waiting to see if Leopard comes out in january is tempting enough, but what if there are anymore subtle upgrades to the MBPs? Perhaps there will be a new video card option, or the 3 GB of RAM will be cheaper, or a larger hard drive that spins faster than 5400 rpms. I'm conflicted friends. What do you all have to say about it?

 

[VanNess]

honestly mac faithful, apple releasing leopard before vista solves what?

Absolutely nothing.

Nevertheless, some of the tech press and "analysts" seemed somewhat disappointed that Apple isn't going to beat Vista to the punch and presumably whatever "edge" there would be in doing so. I never understood the logic of it. MS is expected to pour considerable media resources behind the Vista launch (get the suckers while its hot), and that level of noise will be difficult if not impossible for Apple to be heard over. But what it leaves is MS with all of its OS technology cards on the table and Apple with it's "secret" features still undiscovered. Thats not a disadvantage in my book, if fact that's a major advantage for Apple because if Apple manages to come out of nowhere and significantly one-up Vista after it's released, it leaves MS absolutely frozen - it will take MS years to try and catch up again given it's renowned development cycle for OS revisions. And Apple will, by then, have iterated even further along with OS X. In any event, most of the Vista pre-release buzz has been less than stellar up until now, which can make Apple look even better when it releases Leopard.

Cringley made a good point in one of his past articles about competing with MS: the best way to compete with them is to, basically, ignore them. Companies that have historically tried to go head to head in an overt, obvious way with MS always ended up losing big time. Apple's PC guy commercials are light and entertaining in disparaging MS, they don't attempt to steal MS's core business customers, so they wouldn't register on Redmond's threat radar. But they do attract a certain amount of public attention...

It seems, by and large, that folks (even those that should know better) want to see Apple behead MS with one feel swoop and it's not gonna happen. If it ever happens, it will be more like death by a thousand cuts. First the ads, with the subtle reminders of how miserable PC ownership can be at times, and then Leopard - powered by the latest Intel technology and significantly more desirable than Vista from the company that bought you the iPod. Of course it's not that simple, but it makes much more sense than trying to go head to head for OS bragging rights with MS right when Vista hits the streets. Let MS have the spotlight (no, not that spotlight™) to make it's excuses for it's consumer unfriendly Vista licensing policy and practices and it's byzantine collection of Vista "versions"

Enderle is, as usual, dead wrong about Leopard being released at or near Macworld, but I expect there will be major announcements about Leopard. Macworld will be the most significant Apple confab until WWDC 07 and by then Leopard will have already been released, most likely the same time frame as Tiger, in April 07.

 

[solvs]

Enderle is, as usual, dead wrong

Couldn't have put it better myself. Those of you who believe this are going to be disappointed. If they release it in Jan, I'm waiting until 10.5.2 or .3 at the earliest based on what I've seen. Leopard rocks, but definitely not ready for primetime. Even less so than 10.4.0. Vista will come out, people will buy it, people will complain that it sucks, businesses will put it off as long as they can, then Leopard will come out and suck much less, so lazy tech reporters will compare the 2 without actually knowing what they're talking about, and will therefor get a lot of things wrong. Most of the consumers out there won't care.

See, I could be an analyst. Except, you know, I actually know what I'm talking about. Unlike a certain tech writer we all know and love.

"I’m not a fan of the current iMac, the PC in a monitor has been done before and the new offering has relatively poor ergonomics (when compared to the old iMac), is less distinctive, and is far less stable. I live in California, earthquake country, and the old iMac was one of the most stable products in its class, the new one places the weight too high and relies on a base that is too narrow making it likely that it would fall. Falling glass can be a huge hazard in a home late at night when you are trying to get the kids and family to safety during an earthquake,"

(There is no breakable glass in the iMac G5. It's an LCD.)

 

[vendettabass]

talking of iTV, when are us in the UK actually going to get TV shows!!!

 

[Squire]

talking of iTV, when are us in the UK actually going to get TV shows!!!

That's what the Canucks are saying, too. Kids in the Hall and classic hockey games would be big sellers, in my opinion.

-Squire

 

[ready2switch]

I don’t see Leopard ready in January. Possibly in March for the French show but more likely for WWDC if it is heal at it’s usual time. They want to make sure that it hits the floor running and with the leat amount of problems.

Also I think that this is the time table for hardware reasons. I will explain.

At this time both the Mac Mini and the MacBook will run Leopard in 32 bit mode not 64. This will limit what can be done on those platforms with Leopard.

I think that Apple will want all of it’s hardware to work with Leopard in 64 bit mode so they can show off what loepard can do.

In order to do this Apple will have to wait for the next version of Core 2 Duo. According to Intel that is due about April 2007 along with the corresponding chip sets. This will allow the iMac and the MacBook Pro to be shipped with the new chip sets and the Mac Mini and MacBook to get the current chip set.
Also the next version of the woodcrest chip set will be out.

All of the new chips will probably have SSE 4. This will be a close equialent to the velocity engine from the G4, better than the one on the G5, and I doubt the MS has developed Vista with that in mind. They will probably wait for their first service pack.

This sounds perfect for my own means. A spring release of Leopard accompanying an update to hardware across the board. Yummy.

 

[Gosh]

Let's have our own competition - the best description of Viiv gets a packet of biscuits!

 

[shawnce]

The Leopard Core will still be 32-bit upon release.

The Leopard kernel (likely for many releases, if not always) will operate in a 32-bit virtual space but fully support 64-bit physical addressing (only limited by hardware) and 32/64-bit user space virtual spaces. Apple is going to release only a single version of Mac OS X and it will run just fine on PowerPC, Intel, 32-bit capable, and 64-bit capable systems.

 

[MrCrowbar]

And advertise like they advertise the iPod. Take the message main stream so the masses see what we already know...Vista blows.

Dancing black silouhettes with the Vista-Desktops as Background and at the end, there's a silouhette of a Leopard eating them alive in a bloody mess?
Please, anyone, do this and put it on youTube.

 

[OdduWon]

take a look at vista's speech recognition, will leopard's be better?

i think we may see leopard at MWSF because iTv is the secret part of leopard. iTv is basicly a solution for a place where you don't have a mac close by running leopard's new front row. If not leopard, then we have what, iTv, the fabled true video ipod? santarosa MBP?, (santarosa would be too early). stats and figures can only take up so much time. so ithink it will be leopard, iTv and ipod cinema.

i hope leopard's speech recognition is better than tigers. i can never get the jokes to end . vista's vr looks cool, and of course solitaire was first on the revisions list and paint..... weres OUR paint? iCanvas perhaps.
check out vista http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgJyqvcAXe0
the grid thing is crazy

 

[Squire]

i hope leopard's speech recognition is better than tigers. i can never get the jokes to end . vista's vr looks cool, and of course solitaire was first on the revisions list and paint..... weres out paint? iCanvas perhaps.
check out vista http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgJyqvcAXe0
the grid thing is crazy

That was pretty cool. I don't know about Leopard's speech recognition, but the speech production appears to be superior (at least based on what Steve showed at WWDC).

-Squire