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Penryn iMacs Next Tuesday?
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Rotting Apples
On March 31 I had composed a blog regarding my analysis of the odds of seeing a redesigned Mini on Tuesday, April 1. Suffice it to say, I had concluded that there was very little likihood of a release due to the atypical pattern of the Mini rumors. Typically when a rumor appears, say a month or two before a new product appears, there is always a clustering of subtaniating evidence from ever more reliable sources as the date approaches. This did not happen with the March 7 Mini rumor. After the first splash on March 7, even though the comments section were bustling, virtually all of it could be categorized as wishful thinking and suggestions to Steve. There was nothing to substantiate the significance of the rumor.
Well, April 1 came and went and Im getting more nervous daily because my livelihood depends on the reliable performance of our Minis. And as the workload, and the sophistication of the software trends ever upward, the performance of my Minis, and my confidence level trends the other way. So while I know that I need increased computational power, due to Apple's Manhattan Project mentality, I could formulate no rational way to determine what I should buy.
I just cannot understand why Apple is so doggedly tight-lipped about its planned products. Its actually self-destructive. Does Apple fantasize that it can strengthen its market position by not letting any outsiders have even an inkling of where its headed? It certainly does not help its customers. It only works to erode their loyalty. How does a customer feel if, not having a clue what's coming out in the next couple of months, goes out and buys, say, a MacPro, only to see on the following Tuesday morning, that the Mini he really wanted and needed is now available! Ouch! This can do nothing but create bad will, and resentment; it is guaranteed to alienate that customer. Does Apple really think that every Mac buyer is so flush the he can just say, cest la vie!,*and go out and buy yet another computer because now the one he really needed just popped up on the Apple Store site?
Does such pathological secrecy give a competitive edge over other manufactures? I say, No! Toshiba, Sony and Dell are competing against one another, much more than they are against Apple. The largest determinants for their model upgrades are the availability of new Intel technology, and of course, cost. The steady upward trend in computer power happens when intel says it can.
A single example does not hold statistical water, but I suspect it is typical. I have needed some more powerful computers for my business for over a year. But hanging on the hope that some new more powerful Minis, supporting 4 GB of RAM, were just around the corner, I kept holding off buying anything. (The Mini is the perfect size for our needs.) If I would have known that on April 4, 2008 I would still be disappointed when I opened the MacRumors page, I would have gone out and bought a couple of modestly appointed MacPros, LAST YEAR, even though they would not have been my first choice. In other words, if I had something rational on which to make a decision, I would have made some rational purchases. But I kept hoping that my new Mini was just around the corner - and I bought nothing. So as it stands today, Apple has sold me several fewer computers than it would have if it were more open to its customers. And given the mounting evidence promising the imminent appearance of an enhanced Mini, I feel that I must continue to wait and, so, those extra purchases I would have made last year, will never happen. Apples loss. The computers I might have bought are now just rotting Apples.
Apple, you really must end this stupid policy!
On March 31 I had composed a blog regarding my analysis of the odds of seeing a redesigned Mini on Tuesday, April 1. Suffice it to say, I had concluded that there was very little likihood of a release due to the atypical pattern of the Mini rumors. Typically when a rumor appears, say a month or two before a new product appears, there is always a clustering of subtaniating evidence from ever more reliable sources as the date approaches. This did not happen with the March 7 Mini rumor. After the first splash on March 7, even though the comments section were bustling, virtually all of it could be categorized as wishful thinking and suggestions to Steve. There was nothing to substantiate the significance of the rumor.
Well, April 1 came and went and Im getting more nervous daily because my livelihood depends on the reliable performance of our Minis. And as the workload, and the sophistication of the software trends ever upward, the performance of my Minis, and my confidence level trends the other way. So while I know that I need increased computational power, due to Apple's Manhattan Project mentality, I could formulate no rational way to determine what I should buy.
I just cannot understand why Apple is so doggedly tight-lipped about its planned products. Its actually self-destructive. Does Apple fantasize that it can strengthen its market position by not letting any outsiders have even an inkling of where its headed? It certainly does not help its customers. It only works to erode their loyalty. How does a customer feel if, not having a clue what's coming out in the next couple of months, goes out and buys, say, a MacPro, only to see on the following Tuesday morning, that the Mini he really wanted and needed is now available! Ouch! This can do nothing but create bad will, and resentment; it is guaranteed to alienate that customer. Does Apple really think that every Mac buyer is so flush the he can just say, cest la vie!,*and go out and buy yet another computer because now the one he really needed just popped up on the Apple Store site?
Does such pathological secrecy give a competitive edge over other manufactures? I say, No! Toshiba, Sony and Dell are competing against one another, much more than they are against Apple. The largest determinants for their model upgrades are the availability of new Intel technology, and of course, cost. The steady upward trend in computer power happens when intel says it can.
A single example does not hold statistical water, but I suspect it is typical. I have needed some more powerful computers for my business for over a year. But hanging on the hope that some new more powerful Minis, supporting 4 GB of RAM, were just around the corner, I kept holding off buying anything. (The Mini is the perfect size for our needs.) If I would have known that on April 4, 2008 I would still be disappointed when I opened the MacRumors page, I would have gone out and bought a couple of modestly appointed MacPros, LAST YEAR, even though they would not have been my first choice. In other words, if I had something rational on which to make a decision, I would have made some rational purchases. But I kept hoping that my new Mini was just around the corner - and I bought nothing. So as it stands today, Apple has sold me several fewer computers than it would have if it were more open to its customers. And given the mounting evidence promising the imminent appearance of an enhanced Mini, I feel that I must continue to wait and, so, those extra purchases I would have made last year, will never happen. Apples loss. The computers I might have bought are now just rotting Apples.
Apple, you really must end this stupid policy!
Problem is, the majority of potential/actual customers aren't members of MacRumours, don't look into renewal trends and interest themselves in Penryn. It's only really an inconvenience to us.
These policies are stupid for another reason; they encourage corporate espionage. With the way Apple realiability has been charting a definitive downward curve in the OS itself with each new "update", espionage and sabatoge can be the only valid conclusions, as each new version of the OS proves itself to have even more problems and features that hinder productivity than the one before.
But what Apple is trying to hide the most is the not-so-gradual move away from large desktop computer flagships to far cheaper portables and hand-held models. Apple gets ahead of itself in this regard, and it has been painfully obvious for quite some time they are abandoning their higher end previously cutting edge desktop model pro app market in favor of the "inevitable" hand held iPhone computer for the masses.
Favoring content consumers at the expense of content creators will hurt Apple in the long run. BOTH must be given equal priority, and both MUST be cutting edge for Apple to compete sucessfully in the market and retain its cutting edge reputation.
Already high ticket content creators are looking seriously at other platforms. This cannot be good for Apple in the long run.
jeez, i surely thought today would have been the day for the update. It is a good thing I wasn't holding my breath. & it is a good thing that I got my iMac a few weeks ago, if I would have still been waiting I would have been doomed
It's just Final Cut Server.Maybe next week...
hopefully next week. surely it's coming very soon
What?!
Are you sure? Where did you get that info from?
I'm sure it's coming by next September.
Are you sure? Where did you get that info from?
The only thing certain next Tuesday is that it is after Monday and before Wednesday (oh, and that we will continue to pay taxes!)
They might as well wait until WWDC now and unveil new montevina and penryn based iMacs and Mini's, with a new design. My guess is that they're going to redesign the lot at WWDC (except the Mac Pro's).
One things for sure is that they're seriously going to have to update the specs for it to be a good option for switchers.
We need at least 2.5ghz core 2's with 2gb of RAM in the iMacs. And better screens.
One things for sure is that they're seriously going to have to update the specs for it to be a good option for switchers.
We need at least 2.5ghz core 2's with 2gb of RAM in the iMacs. And better screens.
I might as well wait until June because I want to buy one this month. What should I do wait for next week or what?
If they release an update next week there won't be one in June.
The Montevina platform itself is only due for release in June, so Apple would have to have secured a significant volume of pre-release chipsets from Intel - not an impossibility, given their recent history together - in order to release an updated range in June.
If they haven't got pre-release units then the best you can hope for come June is an announcement of an imminent update.
While I have no inside knowledge whatsoever, I'd be willing to bet big money that the MacMini will NOT have the Montevina chipset. Apple's entire stratedgy with the Mini is to use it as a sinkhole for their old technology. How will they drain their supply of Santa Rosa if that's not the Mini's next step?
Speaking of which, Merom CPUs should be running dry by now, should they not? I can't wait for the MacMini to join its long-lost brethren in SantaRosa-hood (as would be mandatory by upgrading to Penryn).
-Clive
Speaking of which, Merom CPUs should be running dry by now, should they not? I can't wait for the MacMini to join its long-lost brethren in SantaRosa-hood (as would be mandatory by upgrading to Penryn).
-Clive
No New IMAC's until December????
Hope this isn't true but an Apple associate in the mall just advised me that there will not be any updates until Dec 2008 at the earliest! I thought he was kidding but he seemed quite convincing. If this is indeed true I am buying an IMAC this weekend!
Thoughts? Comments?
Hope this isn't true but an Apple associate in the mall just advised me that there will not be any updates until Dec 2008 at the earliest! I thought he was kidding but he seemed quite convincing. If this is indeed true I am buying an IMAC this weekend!
Thoughts? Comments?
Hope this isn't true but an Apple associate in the mall just advised me that there will not be any updates until Dec 2008 at the earliest! I thought he was kidding but he seemed quite convincing. If this is indeed true I am buying an IMAC this weekend!
Thoughts? Comments?
He would know about as much as we do, maybe less.
Hope this isn't true but an Apple associate in the mall just advised me that there will not be any updates until Dec 2008 at the earliest! I thought he was kidding but he seemed quite convincing. If this is indeed true I am buying an IMAC this weekend!
Thoughts? Comments?
Take a look at the Buyer's Guide. The iMac's average update cycle is 205 days. We're at 247. Tell me if you think Apple will wait another 240 days to release a new iMac...
I don't think so.
Your Apple Associate friend is taking you for a ride... probably just trying to get you to buy an iMac today.
-Clive