More to Come from Apple... Soon?

[nagromme]

I don't think Steve padded the keynote: it was extra long already, and if something had to be delayed, it would have just been removed, not replaced by adding more demos of iLife. (We know how fully rehearsed and planned these things are now!)

So did Steve plan it to be EVEN longer? Could be, I suppose.

As for Intel supply issues... maybe it's just a misunderstanding/misinterpretation of the fact that Core Solo isn't out alongside Core Duo--but that's simply what was expected all along. Maybe someone said they're waiting for more Core chips and assumed it was a lack of Duos... but in fact maybe it was Solos that are needed?

Even if there ARE Core Duo supply issues, I don't see that forcing Apple to delay announcing products. They pre-announced the 15" Pro, and it will probably be backordered, but Intel will be working on it--and other PC makers will be (for once) in a similar boat. More Core Duos will come in the end. Not a reason to hide the existence of other sizes of MacBook, which people will guess/assume anyway.

So I think no other sizes of MacBook were even ready to show. I can understand focussing on one size first even if the others aren't far behind.

But regardless I'm sure more IS coming soon. Even without any "issues," Apple likes to spread out the announcements for extra coverage. And we know we haven't seen Core Solo yet--and that there's no reason for Apple to ignore that chip on the low end.

Within 3 months I expect:

* ~12-13" MacBook Pro (Core Duo)... hopefully!

* ~17" (or other large size) MacBook Pro (Core Duo)

* ~12-13" MacBook (or... cringe... MacBook Express) with Core Solo (consumer machine to replace iBook--MIGHT also replace the pro 12" PB)

* MAYBE 15" MacBook with Core Solo (or maybe BOTH 12 and 13" sizes--the 12" could be the rumored stripped-down ultralight)

* Core Solo Mac Mini (same low-cost product--no expensive new home theater features, this is entry-level)

* MAYBE Core Duo Mac Mini, or Mac Mini-derived home theater model (in ADDITION to the regular Mini)

* Some kind of iPods no doubt, maybe a new Shuffle

* Beyond that, any surprise is possible, maybe new digital life style or home theater appliance/TV, or maybe that's all talk (remember O'Grady said Apple would be ditching Firewire or going FW800-only which was wrong info).

As for "something much cooler," if that's not ALSO just talk, maybe that refers to the consumer MacBooks being a more drastic departure--like being ultralights (which would tempt me even of they lack the dual cores I crave). Or having a tablet option in the lineup. (A niche I know, but Apple does have Ink recognition in OS X already.)

I say don't hold your breath for anything except a more full MacBook line.

 

[corywoolf]

I still doubt the plasma TV theory. it's just not feasable to integrate a computer and TV since they have such different usable lifespans.

maybe an iBook... it could be considered big if it gets a new design.

maybe they update the Power Mac or Xserve... they could do quad proc across the line with the cost of the core duos. hell, with the power consumption of the things they could have 8x processors... no massive heat sinks.

or maybe they announce the MacBook Pro's battery life.

ibooks and mac minis. Mac minis with the rumored pvr capability, but only on the highest end model. Probably 3 diff. versions of the mac mini (basics, superdrive version w/ slightly faster processor, pvr version with lots of bells and whistles). This is obviously all just speculation though.

 

[BenRoethig]

The ad Seemed a little too arrogant to me.

 

[BenRoethig]

Facts will not be available until ALL PC's with the dual-core are in the hands of consumers..

ANY argument in this forum is based on personal speculation whether its from the PC or Mac side..

If you dont like the Macbook dont buy it..

But please people STOP complaining about stuff that isnt even in the market yet.

And native Mac intel apps are available.

 

[law guy]

Well, when the hardware discussion portion of the keynote began and there was so much time left (I expected a 12 to 2 ET presentation) I was expecting there would be something after the MBP. I was surprised that it ended at 1:43. From the timing surprise, I find that I'm predisposed to giving the notion that other items were planned a little bit of credit. ... on the other hand, 1) when has apple let supply issues get in the way of announcements before (remember those folks in early 2003 who had their Feb shipped dates for the new PBs moving back a weeks from the original Feb date, it seems like the 601 PPCs were similarly delayed) - granted perhaps Apple wants to get out disappointing like that again; and 2) why are there so many other announced products on the market from Dell, Acer, HP, IBM with the DUOs if the issue is Duo chip shortages?

So I tend to start off beliving this and then say... hmmm... wait a minute....

 

[GFLPraxis]

Please release a Yonah iBook. Even if its single core. My Pismo just broke and I don't want to be stuck on the Dell laptop for school

BTW; the whole Mac Mini DVR idea sounds huge. Maybe that's what it is?

 

[ruud]

Is there something different about the "Core Duo" than the Pentium M Dual Core chips the other makers are getting? Does Apple just keep engineering themselves into trouble?

Who says the other vendors do not have the same issues as Apple? The Core Duo has only last week been announced by intel.

 

[GFLPraxis]

* ~12-13" MacBook (or... cringe... MacBook Express) with Core Solo (consumer machine to replace iBook--MIGHT also replace the pro 12" PB)

As long as it's not MacBook Mini. *shivers*

 

[mdavey]

ok, "get your orders in early"? there are always backlogs when something new comes out. hence the advice.

and tablets are soo... 2002. neat idea, but handwriting recognition and the rest just aren't there. and imagine playing games on a computer with neither keyboard nor mouse.

Hello - wireless keyboard, wireless mouse?

 

[Peace]

And native Mac intel apps are available.

Man I am SICK of that type of statement..

To be honost.Since I'm still under the NDA I cant say what but I CAN say I'm using NATIVE Intel apps right now on my DTK..

Now hush up about Intel stuff..

The Pro apps will be out sooner than March 1st.

[disclaimer] this is my opinion [/disclaimer]

 

[junglejuiced]

Don't know if anyone else has spotted this but on macworld.co.uk they mention the battery specs from the UK launch

Battery life - what's the charge?


Moody confirmed that the MacBook Pro still has a few features that need finalising before the new pro notebook actually ships. Chief among these - the battery - anecdotal evidence suggests that fully-charged pre-production machines on view at the UK launch event carried just four hours battery life, and this is unlikely to satisfy potential buyers.


Moody explained that no official Apple figures for battery life exist, but stressed the product will offer battery life on par with previous PowerBooks.

 

[Tomaz]

Facts will not be available until ALL PC's with the dual-core are in the hands of consumers..

ANY argument in this forum is based on personal speculation whether its from the PC or Mac side..

Yep!

If you dont like the Macbook dont buy it..

True!

But:

But please people STOP complaining about stuff that isnt even in the market yet.

???? Not allowed to complain about specs ???? Why not?

 

[StuPidQPid]

Anybody here old enough to remember the original PowerBook G3...?

The MacBook Pro looks like the same sort of "stop gap" deal.
When the G3 chip first came out, it was shoehorned into the existing PowerBook design, only to be replaced a few months later by the brand new snazzy PowerBook G3 Series Wallstreet.

Me thinks the same may happen this time too...

 

[soosy]

Look... Apple is going to do everything possible to get music and video into peoples homes.. I can assure you the profit margin on an iTunes song and an episode of Lost is much greater then a laptop or an iMac. Since Apple loves to control Harware... the media center it is - in some format. Viiv/Intel, Mini rumors... it all makes sence.

I agree that video is imminent, but you got it backwards. Apple has stated several times that the music store makes only a modest profit... the real money is in selling iPods. This is why a set-top or even Plasma displays make so much sense. Apple needs a HARDWARE product to make the real money off movie downloads.

Ideally, ANY mac running OS X would be that hardware. But assuming that there is a little more to the move to Intel, and that Intel and/or Viiv provides the DRM needed to appease the movie studios... then a set-top (mini/dvr) or even a Plasma (with set-top built in) makes a LOT of sense. People will want to watch feature movies on a TV, not a computer.

I also think this is part of the reason Apple is transitioning to Intel sooner than expected. Intel machines can't come soon enough so Apple can launch their movie store before anyone else. (So movie downloads will play on Intel Macs as well as through a set-top.)

 

[twoodcc]

I have my mouse over the "Order" button on the new intel iMac and I read this.....come on Apple, don't do this to me! Now I have to wait I guess, I hate waiting...

i'm in the same boat

 

[LaughingMan11]

Looking at the anticipation for these models i guess Apple needs 2-4 million new processors this quarter alone (plus DULL, HP etc), adding another millionseller is maybe more than Intel can handle for these new chips. Maybe Apple is waiting for enough ViiV supplies?

I'l buy an iMac anyhow, its perfect for my needs.

You're kidding right? 4 million iMacs and MacBooks in a quarter?

I'm all for healthy enthusiam and healthy optimism, but you're being unrealistic.
https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2005/04/20050413171014.shtml

- 1,070,000 Macintoshes shipped
- 608,000 Desktops (up 55%)
- iMac G5, eMac, MacMini's 467,000
- PowerMacs 141,000
- 462,000 Portables
- iBooks 251,000
- PowerBooks 211,000

Those are the numbers from the year ago quarter. Considering that the Intel macs are only going to be the iMac and the replacement for the Powerbooks, how can you justify 4 million?

In the year ago quarter only 211,000 Powerbooks were sold. In the year ago quarter, iMacs, eMacs, and MacMinis accounted for less than half a million.

Selling 4 million Macs would make Apple something like the #2 PC maker overnight. Not going to happen.

Apple's appeal and sales will go up with these new releases, but be realistic.

 

[lifeboy001]

Brilliant, brilliant....

Actually, the profit margins on shows/songs are miniscule. First of all, the market is set up like the grocery store- profitability only happens when vast numbers of items are sold. While iTMS is doing very well, the numbers point to Apple relatively breaking even. The iPod has the highest profit margins (about 25% I believe) and I would venture to guess the iMac is second if you broke down their financials. It all makes sense...

Look... Apple is going to do everything possible to get music and video into peoples homes.. I can assure you the profit margin on an iTunes song and an episode of Lost is much greater then a laptop or an iMac. Since Apple loves to control Harware... the media center it is - in some format. Viiv/Intel, Mini rumors... it all makes sence.

 

[LaughingMan11]

I have my mouse over the "Order" button on the new intel iMac and I read this.....come on Apple, don't do this to me! Now I have to wait I guess, I hate waiting...

NO NO NO NO!!!

These rumors are starting to piss me off. This report has NO grounding in reality and for all we know it's just a big fat fabricated lie.

If you want an iMac, by all means BUY ONE. If you want a MacBook Pro, by all means BUY ONE. Don't let some idiot yahoo who wants to stroke his ego affect your buying habits.

Think about your needs. If the iMac meets your needs, then get it. If it doesn't then move along. Simple as that. If you go on forever thinking that just around the corner there will be something bigger, you'll never get to enjoy technology at ALL.

And to be clear, this is NOT a frickin announcement from Apple, so don't go blaming apple for your having to wait. If anything you should be blaming yourself for being so gullible.

 

[VidGuy]

Well, given that the Yohah computers won't be around until Feb, we'll have to wait a bit for the benchmarks, so the debate is really pointless, I guess. And office computers are a rediculous comparison. Most are running tons of network stuff.

I (personally) would only upgrade now if it is essential to get a new computer say, within a month. At least you'll be getting an x86 machine compatible over the long-term. However, we don't know how fast the new machines will be on emulated apps--it might actually be slower than the old ones! So why not wait and see? Wait and see when native apps appear? (unless you computer usage is restricted to Apple-produced apps, which will be native sooner.) I would resist the techno-lust until some reliable benchmarks appear... and we *can* start to make some relevant comparisons between machines, namely new and old Mac laptops. With Apple on the Intel upgrade cycle, I would imagine that improvements will have to come quickly.

Vid

 

[dernhelm]

Anybody here old enough to remember the original PowerBook G3...?

The MacBook Pro looks like the same sort of "stop gap" deal.
When the G3 chip first came out, it was shoehorned into the existing PowerBook design, only to be replaced a few months later by the brand new snazzy PowerBook G3 Series Wallstreet.

Me thinks the same may happen this time too...

That observation is not so Stupid, Qpid!

This definitely does have all the hallmarks of the same thing going on. For one thing, why only release one size? While I'm sure it is the most popular size (15") it does seem strange that they could wedge one in a 15", but not a 17"!

Apple caved into market pressure to update their laptop line before they were really ready.

 

[Sunrunner]

Well, i did talk to a Fry's employee last monday. He said he has seen a new Shuffle. However, he said it wasn't that special, no screen. However it was a bit smaller.

Then again, the employee seemed to despise iPods. I notice a lot of Fry's employees peddling Creatives which they have displayed much better.

I still want my mac mini DVR, actually that seems to fit the description.

Some Fry's employee is not going to have any clue about anything like that. The guy didnt see a dang thing. Apple doesnt even let Apple Store employees know whats in the boxes when they get a shipment before it is announced, and third-party vendors dont even get shipped their stock until AFTER an announcement.... Geez

 

[50548]

I'm always amused when people make performance claims based on their home Apple vs. their PC at work.

Is the home Apple part of a domain? Does the home Apple access applications on file shares across a busy network?

Facts?

Well, more facts for you, then...the only difference with the Mac is that the PC is accessing one printer, while my Mac at home has only Internet connection. I work for a small NGO, so it has no "busy" networks...the PC is slow, period. Sorry...good try Shaw, but it didn't work.

I am talking about OS slowness, PDF slowness and the like, things that DO NOT depend on network or connection. Do you know how many pop-ups show up there before I even start working? At least FIVE, from McAffee, MS and whatever else..."you must update your definitions", "Anti-spyware recommends you to download new information", "Click here to close this window and continue working", blablabla...can't do it on Mac, thankfully.

Macs ARE better, it's that simple.

 

[mandis]

...and it's larger, and heavier, and uglier, and doesn't run OSX...

...and who cares if it's slightly larger and heavier?
...and who are you to dictate my taste on what is beatifull and what's not?
...and of course it runs OSX!

 

[noneis]

20" MacBooks

OK, I know for a FACT they are making these (20" MacBooks), I have a buddy who works at Intel, he has already seen em. Dell is making one too. This is most likely the "cool announcement", but I don't know the timeline on those for sure so it could be something else.

It is being made as a complete desktop replacement, not portable enough for a plane or bus, but designed to be thrown in the car and taken to and from work and home or the like. Personally, I think the 17" is too big, but if this is your desktop, its a great idea because it adds flexibilty that does not currently exsist at a comperable power level.

 

[nagromme]

Think about your needs. If the iMac meets your needs, then get it. If it doesn't then move along. Simple as that. If you go on forever thinking that just around the corner there will be something bigger, you'll never get to enjoy technology at ALL.

And to be clear, this is NOT a frickin announcement from Apple, so don't go blaming apple for your having to wait. If anything you should be blaming yourself for being so gullible.

It's not always a a question of "meets needs" or "doesn't" it's a question of meeting needs even better. More Intel Macs truly are expected, possibly soon, and the 15" MacBook Pro isn't even shipping yet anyway. So waiting in hopes of knowing more makes good sense, if a different size MacBook would meet your needs better than the 15". If you can afford to wait for more options, that makes good sense to do so. No need to insult those people.