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Oct 12 Event For Power Macs & Powerbooks?

RETURN OF THE NEWTON

you're all wrong.
steve is bringing back the Newton, with fully-featured OS 10.4 and video playback capability. it'll have a 4" widescreen with resolutions up to 1024x768, airport extreme, playback to a television with an included cable, and a laser with a range of 3 feet that can cut through anything.

npdslarge.jpg
 
SiliconAddict said:
Nor was the MP3 player until Apple came out with the iPod. Until the iPod the MP3 player was not a popular form of playing music. The CD player was and to a certain extent still is king.

If Apple brings out a video iPod with a good sized screen that is still pocketable while maintaining a "lower" Music line iPod this could work.
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I doubt it. A video iPod is a dumb idea. Have you seen the prices of laptops these days? The one on the front cover of my Local electronics store's ad costs $569. That's probably close to what a video iPod would cost and it's got a bigger hard drive, a much bigger screen, and plays DVD's among other things. That's why portable DVD players haven't taken off. Nearly everyone I know who watches video on the go (usually on a trip of some kind) watches it on a laptop. When I get on a plane, I see laptops.

The PSP only succeeds as a video player because it's a convergence device. It is a gaming machine first and a video player second.
 
Curtain Call?

The movie theater curtains (from iDVD) do seem to suggest a "Curtain Call" them to me, which in classical Theater is the bow taken *after* the end of the show.

Since the Intel Chip has been announced, this could be an analogy for a final "Curtain Call" Encore by the PPC chips ... afterall, both the PM & PB's do need updating, and 10.4.3 is known to be due to ship this month.


Another possibility that strikes out at me is some sort of "video" theme - - this would technically include the video iPod, although that's not what I really see as the noteworthy potential here, unless it comes fully complete with an iTunes version of an Video store...and if that were the case, then we would have to suspect that the recent major revision rollover to iTunes v5 would have to be fully supportive of this.

In any event, the direction that I've been going has been to think about how there's been death knells for TiVO and how this had also been a very "hot product" for awhile...

What if Apple bought out TiVO?

An interesting premise, particularly since last Friday, TiVo announced that their CFO (David Courtney) plans to step down April 15...which would allow for sufficient time for them to close their books and reorganize under Apple.

...while this might normally be a *yawn*, in a regulatory filing with the SEC on the very same day, TiVO also reported that their Executive VP of their Consumer Unit (Brodie Keast) is also leaving the company essentially immediately (the 30 September report said "next week", which would be this week), just prior to this 12 October event next Wednesday.


There is a final thought, and that is that 10/12/05 is a Wednesday, which falls out of line with Apple's normal Tuesday approach to things. This suggests some roll-outs of the stuff we've been hoping for awhile on Tuesday...with the accompanying press - - and attraction of attention from the press - - followed by a classical Steve "something big and unexpected" as the stand-alone Wednesday event.


-hh
 
deputy_doofy said:
The real question is....

How many of you would actually buy the mythical G5 Powerbook if it were released next Wednesday?

If it is a video iPod, I'm buying. I've been waiting to buy a top of the line iPod and if that includes video, that's just an added bonus! :D
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I would buy two perhaps... :D
 
something i noticed

hi all

something i noticed...
twice a year they sell both apple and ibm laptop notebooks at my university during like a 3-4 week period. normally, the models/configurations that will be available are announced at least a month in advance....

not this time....ibm models are announced...but i checked the apple models they will sell (from 16/10/2005 onwards...) and they say on the website that negocations with apple are still ongoing....

read it yourself at
http://www.neptun.ethz.ch/services/hardware/modelsApple/index_EN

never takes so long for them to get deals with apple...so to me it seems this might mean something. some new product definitely are around the corner...hopefully!

Maarten
 
BGil said:
I doubt it. A video iPod is a dumb idea.
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Jobs has publicly stated that a video iPod is a bad idea. It is one thing to play MTV-style music videos on an iPod, but quite another to watch movies.

Do I care to watch music videos on a small form-factor iPod? Maybe. It will depend on how well the feature can be implemented.

Do I care to watch movies on the same type of device? I really don't think so. I have a Dell Axim 50v with a 3.7 inch 640x480 screen. I converted a handful of DVDs for playback on this PDA and watched the movies on an airplane, but I will probably not do that again!

Watching a 5-minute music video is okay, but watching a 3-hour Lord of the Rings episode? Nah.
 
Stridder44 said:
What are you talking about? I live for the crappy low pixel, small screened, high contrast LCD. The best part is after about 2 hours your eyes being to burn from the flawless quality of 160 x 320 pixels.

/Rough estimates
//Sarcasm of course :cool:
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:rolleyes: Yes because Apple is going to take the lowest quality screen around. 160 x 320?!? My freaking iPaq 4700 has a better screen then that (640 x 480) and it runs around $400 and that is with a lot of extra junk a vPod wouldn’t need. (Digitizer, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, BlueTooth, WIFI, etc.) and I can tell you right now that watching a movie on it is NOT hard on the eyes. An iPod 2” screen. Yes. A 4” widescreen. No.
Oh. What was I thinking? Obviously you have had a lot of experience with watching video on the go on a portable system.
Right? Right? Anyone there? Is this thing on? Hello? :rolleyes:
 
Yeah

We will definetly see these updates, but the question is... will we also see something else?

The iLounge invite seems suspicious...
 
 
abhishake said:
That is brilliant.. Some of the people back then were very good at making predictions....


Anyway, as much as I would like a video iPod, ThinkSecret tends to be right on their rumors a LOT more. They don't post anything until they're pretty close to positive.. But, who's to say that APpleInsider's Insider is not valid either?

Why would you need red curtains for a PowerBook/Power Mac Update anyway? Think about that one for a second.
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Exactly!!

New Powerbook X86
 
Seriously now....

I've heard rumblings that Apple is in bed with a major entertainment distributor to release "something" in October.

The plan is expanded Music Video offerings from all ???? artists in the iTunes Music store, and the initial release of the iTunes Movie store. (name TBD)

The movies will be set with the same DRM system as the music tracks. Download to itunes (scale to full screen with quicktime), put them on your "possible" iPod Video player - or better yet -- stream them to your TV with the new Airport Express (Extreme)

The only thing that is unknown is whether the DRM will expire the play-ablilty of the movie after a predetermined length of time. It may be a rental -or- buy scenario -- pay more for no expiration of the film.

The DVD market has been beating its head in trying to come up with a model for this -- Apple has done it! They proved themselves with audio tracks -- now it's time for Video...

I for one would KILL to buy a Theatrical released movie the day it comes out in the theatres -- screw movie theatres and the sticky floors and blabbermouths.

Now i can get a new movie in my home for only me to play for two days or i can own it forever...
 
People are putting too much speculation into this damn curtain nonsense. Maybe they're there because a stage usually has curtains, and Steve Jobs will give the announcement on a stage.
 
ksz said:
Jobs has publicly stated that a video iPod is a bad idea. It is one thing to play MTV-style music videos on an iPod, but quite another to watch movies.
Click to expand...

He also publicly denounced Intel at one time :rolleyes:

A video iPod doesn't necessarily mean you'd be watching your dvd's it may be as simple as just watching QT downloads of video clips.

I doubt any new computer will be announced and it's not likely a special event will be held for a speed bump. I mean Apple didn't even hold a special event for their three button mouse (another thing Jobs stood against for 20 years).
 
Cfg5 said:
People are putting too much speculation into this damn curtain nonsense. Maybe they're there because a stage usually has curtains, and Steve Jobs will give the announcement on a stage.
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I don't really think so... Think about the last invitation.. And the last "Speech" that Steve Jobs gave.

1. The invitation had a pair of jeans.
2. He said "oh, and one more thing..." before introducing the iPod..

So who's to say that Apple's invitations don't go deep into symbolic meaning?
 
abhishake said:
....Why would you need red curtains for a PowerBook/Power Mac Update anyway? Think about that one for a second.
Click to expand...

Year of HD and H.264??? As mentioned before, could it be to upgrade the PB screens to X-Brite equivalent? (Confession: this statement is part wishful thinking since I bought a 12in SD PB the last day of Student Union (09/24) and am in a fix on whether to return it in a couple of days... would like to have the "last" Rev PB to last me for a few years, especially since I'm an eager switcher
 
BGil said:
I doubt it. A video iPod is a dumb idea. Have you seen the prices of laptops these days? The one on the front cover of my Local electronics store's ad costs $569. That's probably close to what a video iPod would cost and it's got a bigger hard drive, a much bigger screen, and plays DVD's among other things. That's why portable DVD players haven't taken off. Nearly everyone I know who watches video on the go (usually on a trip of some kind) watches it on a laptop. When I get on a plane, I see laptops.

The PSP only succeeds as a video player because it's a convergence device. It is a gaming machine first and a video player second.
Click to expand...


Yah and the last time I took my x31 Thinkpad on a plane the screen just about got crushed when the person in front of me reclined their chair. Thankfully I slammed the chair up with my palm before any real damage happened. And that was on a 13” screen. And what about when you have to put it away? PITA to stick it under the seat in a case just to pull it out again in 15 minutes. Or what about on the go. Find me a laptop that I can stick in my pocket and sure. I'm good. People watch video on the go on a laptop for two reasons. One: They have the device. Why not use it? Two: Nothing else has come out which does video any better from a mobility standpoint.
My laptop also can play music. Doesn't mean I would rather have a laptop over an iPod to take my music with me. Same deal with videos. Laptop can do video but from the standpoint of simply being portable a PSP or vPod beats it hands down. I agree about the PSP though. The device is a game machine first off and that is what is driving sales. It doesn’t mean people aren’t using it to watch videos though. Everyone I know who has a PSP has some video content on a MS.
 
jfischetti said:
I for one would KILL to buy a Theatrical released movie the day it comes out in the theatres -- screw movie theatres and the sticky floors and blabbermouths.
Click to expand...

for some movies i agree (like that crappy star wars prequel trilogoy or porn) but i enjoy going to the theater, eating popcorn and looking at a gigantic screen and hearing a loud surround sound or whatever sound system.
 
Bear said:
So you want everyone to wait another 9 months for updates?
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Everyone wont be waiting for powermacs. Only the business end of apple's clients. Remember Apple said from the begining that the mac was computer for the rest of us. I am not saying new imacs but I am saying something for the average joe to enjoy. If you cant wait 9 months for a system then you must go through them like Brittney Spears goes through shoes. You wear them once and then you toss them.
 
Stridder44 said:
I love all the people that are like "Nope. Not gonna happen. No-sir-ey. Nope. Wrong wrong wrong. Blah blah fjhaeiuwfjlkaldsj"

You make baby Jesus cry.
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This is a rumor speculation site, and there are two main kinds of speculation on any theory: "going to happen" and "not going to happen." (Preferably with discussion of why you think one or the other.) Eliminate one of those viewpoints and you eliminate half of rumor discussion.

I don't believe a video-centric iPod will happen right now. I DO think it would be useful and I DO think it would be cool. But I don't think it would be useful ENOUGH to a large ENOUGH group of buyers to be perceived as a success. Apple would be setting itself up for a perceived failure, and I don't think they will do that.

Other options, though, might still include a video component:

* Video as a "cool take-it-or-leave-it extra" on the next music-focussed iPods. Like photos. (But transporting and showing photos--via wallet snapshots or however-is something everyone does already. Unlike portable video.)

* Increased video downloading in iTunes. Maybe a formal video store. Actual movies? Long shot: huge files.

* Video library management on your computer

* New hardware for AirTunes-style wireless streaming of movies (even simply from DVDs) to you home theater system.

* True video-centric iPod... but not released yet. Wait until the market is ready, if that happens.

* New hardware of some totally other kind, video- or movie-related, in some way nobody has thought of yet. Maybe a way that makes good sense.

So video could be added to iPods, but an iPod with video as the MAIN function? I predict no. Not gonna happen. That's my rumor speculation :)
 
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