MacWorld SF 2004 Rumor Wrapup: Winners and Losers

[rdowns]

Originally posted by MattMass
I just wanted to say that it is not accurate to say the resellers are not privy to advanced product information.

While I am no longer there, I used to work for an education reseller. Before the release of the G5, we were told directly by an apple rep that we should get rid of our PowerMac stock because new models with a "new processor" would be announced soon.

I'm sure that this is rather rare, as we were a big store, and we did a ton of Apple buisness.

I worked for an Apple reseller from 1986-1995 and new product briefings and non-disclosures were routine. Apple used to love to show off new products and technolgies to us. I bought OpenDoc hook, line and sinker. Maybe it's different now that Jobs is back.

 

[d.f]

Re: Re: Garage Band is bigger than you think...

Originally posted by Toe
I couldn't agree more. I think Garage Band is nothing less than revolutionary (in typical Apple style). It doesn't only allow your hardware to do a new thing... it is another example of Apple's Power-to-the-People role in society, and a very important one.

Lots of people have computers for one reason or another. And anyone can buy a used USB Mac for $400 or less. For an additional $49 for iLife, they then have access to and control over a complete recording studio.

Anyone with a musical instrument or an additional $99 for a keyboard can now produce music pretty much on par with stuff from the multi-billion dollar music companies.

And on that same Mac they can then burn CDs or rip MP3s and distribute their music in any way they please.

Music is one of the strongest voices of the people... usually much stronger than the written word, because it is so much more accessable and enjoyable.

This really is a revolution. Perhaps even bigger than the laser printer was for the printing industry. Just wait and see the waves of change start rolling.

With all due respect this whole Garage Band nonsense is getting harder to listen to.

It is NOT the audio version of Photoshop or other professional software.

it ISN'T going to 'change' things.

it's simply a nice bit of software that adds a fun gimmick to the Mac.

If it was anything more then the Music biz would be alight with discussion over this product. They're not. Most don't even have a clue about it. 99% of al albums / singles are still going to be recorded in £250,000 plus stidios with the help of software such as Pro Tools (which retails at around £20,000).

Apple hat's off to you. you made something that already existis into a neat, user freindly software programme for the masses.

keep it up.

 

[Squire]

Re: Re: Re: Garage Band is bigger than you think...

Originally posted by d.f
With all due respect this whole Garage Band nonsense is getting harder to listen to.

It is NOT the audio version of Photoshop or other professional software.

it ISN'T going to 'change' things.

it's simply a nice bit of software that adds a fun gimmick to the Mac.

If it was anything more then the Music biz would be alight with discussion over this product. They're not. Most don't even have a clue about it. 99% of al albums / singles are still going to be recorded in ?250,000 plus stidios with the help of software such as Pro Tools (which retails at around ?20,000).

Apple hat's off to you. you made something that already existis into a neat, user freindly software programme for the masses.

keep it up.

I both agree with you and disagree. Here's where I agree:

Originally posted by d.f
it's simply a nice bit of software that adds a fun gimmick to the Mac.

If it was anything more then the Music biz would be alight with discussion over this product. They're not. Most don't even have a clue about it. 99% of al albums / singles are still going to be recorded in ?250,000 plus stidios with the help of software such as Pro Tools (which retails at around ?20,000).

And here's where I disagree:

Originally posted by d.f
it ISN'T going to 'change' things.

It's a neat new gimmick and, because of that, a lot of people who normally would not try their hands at making their own music WILL try to do so now. That's a lot of people making music.

Squire

 

[Toe]

Re: Re: Re: Garage Band is bigger than you think...

Originally posted by d.f
With all due respect this whole Garage Band nonsense is getting harder to listen to.

It is NOT the audio version of Photoshop or other professional software.

it ISN'T going to 'change' things.

In terms of creating social change, it doesn't have to be the Photoshop of the music world... just the iPhoto.

If people have a cheap, easy way to create music that can be shared with others (locally and globally), things will change.

Folk songs about oppression and hardship might seem like cool bluesy stuff to many, but to the communities in which those songs are created, they are catalysts for change.

Just do a little web searching. Music of the people is a driving force in society, and Apple just made that music more accessable by several orders of magnitude.
http://globalvisions.org/cl/sfsc/#ThePowerOfSong
http://www.mershon.ohio-state.edu/Projects/Individual Projects/horowitz.htm
http://www.links.net/vita/swat/course/rapchange.html
http://www.pe.net/~dalaimo/socmusic.html

What made rap music so powerful as an outlet for social unrest was the inexpensive community recording studio. But those studios still had pretty big operating budgets. GB changes the equation. A lot.

 

[mozzchops]

I think you should check your facts before dismissing the website as fake.

Do you homework and you'll find its a REAL company offering REAL services.

(I did and it checks out, its a registered company and has been trading for over 5 years)

The fact that Apple didn't allow them to use the Xserve G5 before launch is irrelivant - its specs where spot-on (the only thing not right was a 2.6Ghz Xserve G5 available) !

I also asked Apple if the had permission to use the images and they said yes.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by mozzchops
I think you should check your facts before dismissing the website as fake.
.....
The fact that Apple didn't allow them to use the Xserve G5 before launch is irrelivant - its specs where spot-on (the only thing not right was a 2.6Ghz Xserve G5 available) !

It's fake because they made up the specs.

The specs were not "spot on". They were the old xserve with "2.6GHz G5" in place of the G4 procecssor.

arn

 

[mozzchops]

And exactly what is a Xserve G5 ?

Its an Xserve G4 with a G5 processor, 1 less drive bay, 2 extra holes for blowers.

I'm sure 2.6Ghz is just round the corner.

Also , the 3.5TB RAID wih 250GB drives has been up for about a month or so now.....

comments

 

[BagelTycoon]

Re: the end of marketing & release religion

Originally posted by groov'
I think visiting a Fair like Macworld is still OK if you want to physically see and touch all the newest Mac compatible products together in one place before you buy.

But using it as a forum for product-announces - especially if you can't even buy them next couple of months - is not only a disaster, it's a totally outdated way of consumer - what: pleasing? pampering? spoiling? treatment? care? massage?

Right on the mark...If you can't get a hands-on look and feel for how a new gadge works, most of these announcements are really self-serving.

One product that I tried to play with less than an hour after the keynote -- the iPod mini -- didn't even work. It was attached to a 12" PBook at a station in the Apple exhibit. Despite pressing buttons to try to get the little thing to turn on, it wouldn't.

An Apple booth rep (one of the men & women in black who looked like they just got off the Starship Enterprise with colored armbands to match their minis) saw my lack of success and tried to get it working, but the thing was dead to the world. No screen, no music, no juice. Nothin'.

You don't release a product unless it's ready to rock n' roll. Maybe this was just a minor fluke, but Apple should never release a product like this and put it on the floor unless it's good-to-go.

I hope it's not a harbinger of things to come with the slim, albeit overpriced mini.