Macs: If you could provide an idea/request to Apple Engineering, what would it be?

[wdlove]

A TV card built into the Mac so could download and view. Just seems that thinks work better when they are all Apple. Apple could always purchase Elgato. Just less incompatibility.

 

[gekko513]

Bluetooth keyboard with USB ports

Ooh, that's a good one! Forgot about that, I second that!

I'm afraid battery life on the keyboard would become extremely short, and the data transfer would be limited to 1Mbps until Bluetooth 2.0 becomes more widespread.

 

[joecool85]

I'd like a docking station for my Powerbook.

I'll second that one.

 

[FFTT]

I think there would be reasonably strong market for a single Processor G5
2.3 GHz Max mini Cube for $999.00

Then,
Apple should drop the Rev C "prosumer" 2.0 GHz dual G5 and revert back to the Rev B 2.0 GHz dual PRO motherboard adding the better GPU and converting to PCI-e across the entire lineup.

When Apple is ready to release the Intel based Pro machines, they should insure that ALL models will be bootable to OSX, Windows and Linux.

 

[briangig]

like former ibooks and powerbooks...some sort of rubber coating on the outside of the portables...makes carrying them so much easier and secure.

and a second mouse button on the portables..

 

[briand05]

PowerMacs with PCIe and DDR2. 1 GB RAM standard for all the powermacs and the high-end iMac. A mid-range upgradeable tower priced around $999 or so. More USB and firewire ports on all macs. Redesign the mini and give it a decent hard drive and graphics chip.

 

[polythene pam]

iBook tablet

 

[Counterfit]

Man, some of you guys


Anyways, here's what would like:
Uh, er, crap I can't think of anything right now so I'll just second some things: Built-in TV recording capabilities (Mac TV anyone? I wonder if a CableCard would fit in a PCCard slot... )
Oh, I'd like an updated logic board for my PB, Dual-link DVI, optical audio out, and all that. Okay, that's not really a request to engineering but still...

 

[ravenvii]

A wireless Mighty Mouse.

Yep I would totally re-buy the Mighty Mouse if it's released in wireless form. I'm such an Apple whore.

 

[HydroMan]

I'm afraid battery life on the keyboard would become extremely short, and the data transfer would be limited to 1Mbps until Bluetooth 2.0 becomes more widespread.

Not as short as the battery life of my BT mouse. Anyway this thread is about new things i.e. theoretical, so the BT K/B is now rechargeable with usb ports

 

[dcv]

The only thing I would really like added to my 12 inch PowerBook is a backlit keyboard. A FireWire 800 port would also be nice but not essential.

 

[chucknorris]

A lot of the requests here seem (puzzlingly) like they're coming from pc users. "Throw the newest whats-it into my computer, and I'll buy it."

I don't want a card reader or a tv tuner or even a dl superdrive in my computer, because it they will very shortly be replaced by something better and cheaper and just as compatible.

I'd rather have a faster hd or an extra firewire port (800 in the book, anybody?) or something else that allows for more scalability than something that serves one niche.

Anybody else agree?

 

[FireArse]

A request??

I'd like to request a job!!

As for memory card readers - no.
Serial ports? FUGLY, old & slow
Longer batteries on Laptops, and Quicker PPC chips before MacIntel come through

Maybe a FireWire, Wireless & Bluetooth based HDD PDA? That would rock
H.264 based Widescreen VideoPod?

FireArse

 

[Rob0711]

a working powermac psu

well it´s working. but it is simply annoying... all the machines i worked on so far made different sounds. but each was in way bothering me... i hoped they´d fix it in the current revision ( which i have at home (g5/dual 2.0)) and it´s still there... mine is making a beeping sound all the time plus the usual whine when the gpu gets powered up... that´s the only big thing i´d have them change...

 

[cyclonus5150]

I would be very pleased with cross-fade playback on iPods.

 

[CoMpX]

I would like OS X to be more like Windows XP.

That's a fillthy sin. You should be ashamed of yourself.

 

[Jay42]

got it

that is sort of a no brainer

but a separation of buttons in any type of mouse is unacceptable for apple

I think that the whole mighty mouse pressure sensor concept would work *better* on portables since it would make it really nice aesthetically (actually wouldn't want separate buttons on my powerbook, but ext. mouse I could deal with) and most of the time, you have your clicking finger on one side or the other of the built in mouse button, not both like a ext. mouse.

As for me, I would like a bluetooth iPod shuffle with included wireless buds (no price increase of course ). This would be so sweet to shove under my race helmet for skiing!

 

[minimax]

Are you drunk?

eeh

You can. There are USB -> PS/2 adapters, DVI -> VGA adapters, and most likely USB -> serial too.

yeah but i don't like carrying around all those nasty adapters

 

[cube]

- 3 trackpad buttons on laptops that work properly (multi-click support, no left click override)
- Graphics card for Cube with Shader Model 3.0a and H.264
- Firewire 400 <-> USB 2.0 converter
- Firewire 400 <-> Ultra2 Wide SCSI converter
- Fix firmware of Cube to support boot partitions bigger than 128 GiB

 

[MacWeenie]

A few thoughts...

Yeah, they should engineer us some lower prices.

Lower prices would be high on my list...
- lower prices for all the airport stuff...
- 17inch widescreen for $299
- lower the price of .mac

Other stuff, of the top of my head:

Hardware:
- mini: decent graphics, Core Image capable
- mini: figure out how to use the powerbook/iBook power supply instead of the current brick
- how about... a mini sized computer that's upgradeable. A G4 2.0ghz, or G5 or Intel half cube which accepts 3.5 inch drives, has a pci and pci-express slot, has a 5"/IDE size DVD+/-RW drive.
- work with graphics card vendors to support their cards on mac
- support digital sound input/output on all systems

software:
- provide a full office suite - word processing, spreadsheet, presentations. (iWork provides two of the three)
- provide full support of MS Exchange, e.g. Exchange calendar in iCal.
- provide an industrial strength email application. Sorry, mail.app doesn't cut it.
- provide true web compatibility - Safari is close but Firefox does a better job in many aspects.
- TIVO SW/functionality

Finally... After the Intel switch... QUIT changing things every other year!

 

[Jaffa Cake]

What I'd like to see is a mini-tablet area on the wrist pad area of the Powerbook and a stylus hidden in the side somewhere. If I've got the Powerbook on my lap, I don't have space for a Wacom tablet - having one built-in would be awesome...

The best idea I've heard so far.

 

[mkrishnan]

The best idea I've heard so far.

I wonder if someone couldn't build a stylus with the right conductivity to act on the trackpad and treat it like a tablet? It seems like, in principle, it should be doable. And then some software to treat the trackpad like a tablet, perhaps activated by a hotkey or corner.

 

[gekko513]

I would like for them to make it so that turning the scroll ball on the Mighty Mouse always produces a scroll, not so that you have to depress it a millimeter before it starts working. Other than that, I love the Mighty Mouse.

 

[liketom]

i'm sure apple has these things going on in there R&D team and is keeping the boffins that make these things busy

- iPod mini colour -jan 06
- vPod - 4 inch widescreen with 20gb storage Wi-Fi 54g Bluetooth 2.0 TV-Out cable 12 Hour batt life - Includes dock -Jan 06
- eMac G5 1.8 Ghz 512/64mb GPU/160Gb/AP/BT2.0/Superdrive 17" CRT- Paris 05
- Powerbook (Intel) ?.?Ghz 1gb/100gb/128mb GPU/BT2.0/WiMAX ready /superdrive - WWDC 06
- Powermac (Intel) Dual ?.?Ghz 1Gb/400Gb/256mb GPU/BT2.0/WiMAX ready/Superdrive/Blu-ray - WWDC 06
- Powermac (IBM) Dual 3.0Ghz 512/250Gb/256MbGPU/BT2.0/AP/Superdrive -November 05
- Airport MAX Wi-MAX compatable Base Station for Wi-Fi and the new Wi-MAX standards -Jan 06
- Airport Express 54Mb/BT2.0/TV connection for photos - Paris 05
- Airport Express Remote BT2.0 keypad - Paris 05

Apple will be redoing the iMac and iBook in 2006 a new form factor is needed for the new Intel CPU's
The Mac Mini will be dropped from the Apple line up in favour of the newly designed iMac.

 

[skubish]

Yeah they are still on all notebooks/computers that I have seen. Its the only reason I want one on a powerbook. I don't relish carrying around different adapters all the time on the off chance that I might need to fix a router or something.

Its not that common on Windoze notebooks. Most ultra portables don't have this port without adding a docking station. I know I had to buy a larger dell notebook because I needed to use a serial port for some lab equipment.

You know there is a USB to serial adapter? I have heard mixed results using it however.