Something is Coming...

[iBot]

Stockroom activity at L.A. Apple Store

Just got back from the Apple Store at The Grove mall in L.A. I poked my head into the stockroom (in the back, just around the corner from the Apple-design public restroom) and saw an employee loading dozens of unopened boxes of 12-inch Powerbooks onto a dolly-like cart (palette with wheels). I saw him take his load up to the second floor of the store, via the service elevator, and into another back room beside the upstairs theater.

IMHO it looked like he was making space in the main stockroom, which at this point is still packed to the gills with current products -- non-adjustable flat-panel displays, G4 PowerMacs, Powerbooks, etc. (I peeked into the stockroom and there were no mysterious unmarked boxes, and there were obviously none labeled "Do Not Open: G5 PowerPC 970 Ultra-Bling-Bling PowerMac Extreme." Unfortunately, but not surprisingly.

Before he took the Powerbooks upstairs, I asked the stockroom guy if they were expecting shipments of anything new. He not surprisingly disavowed all knowledge of any such thing, and didn't break his poker face when I asked about G5s.

My best guess is that whatever the new products are, they'll be delivered after store hours some time this week, so that meddling amateur spies such as myself will not have gawker access.

 

[tjwett]

When is the last time Apple didn't let us down? I'm guessing we'll see Panther, Panther Server, New XServe, and some thing tiny like the Pal thing or a web cam.
a bummer, overall. I think.

 

[tazznb]

Re: Something is Coming...

Originally posted by Macrumors
A few more notes:

- MacBidouille's readers had posted on their forums regarding new boxes from Apple that had arrived at a FNAC -- a computer/department story in France with instructions not to open before Monday, June 23rd. The post claims two box sizes... one which is speculated to be laptop sized, while the other is described as much larger.

The one that's laptop sized could also be the xServe server, too.

Hint: I was at Steves' brother's uncle's son's (well I could've just said his cousin's, but that'd be too easy) house the other week, and he said that Apple will be supporting graphic cards that will be in excess of 256Mb video ram.

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by taznb
The one that's laptop sized could also be the xServe server, too.

No. If that report is even accurate, it isn't a box of Xserves.

I mean, how many Apple Stores actually have boxes of Xserves in the back room?

 

[cc bcc]

Re: Re: Something is Coming...

Originally posted by tazznb
The one that's laptop sized could also be the xServe server, too.

Hint: I was at Steves' brother's uncle's son's (well I could've just said his cousin's, but that'd be too easy) house the other week, and he said that Apple will be supporting graphic cards that will be in excess of 256Mb video ram.

An xServe is thin, but very deep. These boxes would be long. And what pyrocaster said, they only sell a couple of thousand a year, no need to have so many in 1 store.

 

[BernieC]

One of the boxes that Apple stores have been getting were t-shirts for the Apple Camp initiative.

Even still, I'm very excited to see what the 23rd is going to bring. I've asked for the day off :-D

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Re: Re: Re: Something is Coming...

Originally posted by cc bcc
An xServe is thin, but very deep. These boxes would be long. And what pyrocaster said, they only sell a couple of thousand a year, no need to have so many in 1 store.

exactly, and from what i heard... xserves are actually the biggest box of apple products (maybe one product was bigger, i forget). but certainly not laptop size

 

[iJon]

Re: Re: Re: Something is Coming...

Originally posted by cc bcc
An xServe is thin, but very deep. These boxes would be long. And what pyrocaster said, they only sell a couple of thousand a year, no need to have so many in 1 store.

yeah xserves are ungodly huge, you owuld be able to notice them.

iJon

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

Based on the screen shots of the small screen device Apple put on their web site the day iSync 1.1 was released, I am betting on the PAL device. Why else would Apple quickly remove the pics???

 

[dhaveconfig]

The XServe boxes are monstrous...

They only just fit through a doorway in width, they're a good 10cm longer than full rack depth, and they're probably around 30cm high.

 

[Romanesq]

I Vanna bedder deal

I've been watching these developments over the last few weeks with great interest like so many others.

Here's one view: I think people have forgotten the boldness of Apple under the reigns of one of its founders. This is going to be one of those "old" times again.

Jobs knows one thing. It's get off the stick time. Launching the on line tunes service has been masterful and this without even 95% of the computer users out there accessible yet. Already Apple has generated the buzz and clear ownership over a medium others have been frothing at the mouth for.

Now it clearly takes time to move an organization of this size forward in a global consumer marketplace but I believe that time has arrived.

In my mind, only half of this equation may be incorrect.

The 970s are in production. Definitely in new boxes with beefed up versions to follow shortly.

Hopefully, powerbooks are getting the chip and the 15 incher is to also be followed by a tbd date for the 12 and 17 incher. (Depending on current stocks, Apple may sit on the offical announced date. )

Logical? Maybe. But that's my gut.

The big, bad bold Apple Computer is back. And about to kick much ass.

 

[e-coli]

Originally posted by JOHNGAETANO
Based on the screen shots of the small screen device Apple put on their web site the day iSync 1.1 was released, I am betting on the PAL device. Why else would Apple quickly remove the pics???

What screen shots on Apple's site?

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by JOHNGAETANO
Based on the screen shots of the small screen device Apple put on their web site the day iSync 1.1 was released, I am betting on the PAL device. Why else would Apple quickly remove the pics???

Do you mean the Palm Zire?

 

[e-coli]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
Do you mean the Palm Zire?

no, this image. very intriguing.

 

[iJon]

Originally posted by e-coli
no, this image. very intriguing.

thats pretty interesting, any more info on what exactly this is?

iJon

 

[e-coli]

I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it is. but whatever it is, it has a "logout" option. I would say that it's just some new type of soon-to-be-announced .mac functionality, but I dunno.

 

[GulGnu]

"Seems like a no brainer considering Jobs huge ego. They guy wants a public platform when he shows off his new 970 baby and without a stream it ain't going to happen. ITMS is not hardware."

It shouldnt matter that much it wasn't hardware - it was one of Apple's biggest deals in a lomg time - with the added flair of showbiz.

 

[cliffm]

Maybe its new store displays!!

There were a few "strange boxes" at apple stores right before MWSF that turned out to be product displays.

 

[Lokii]

Seems to me that the image is part of iSync. It looks like a way to keep bookmarks up to date on different Macs.

Just my 2cents

 

[iJon]

Originally posted by cliffm
Maybe its new store displays!!

There were a few "strange boxes" at apple stores right before MWSF that turned out to be product displays.

but with every product display there has to be a product. guess we will have to wait till monday.

iJon

 

[JoeRadar]

Originally posted by Blackcat
It's not logical to use an unproven cpu in servers, especially if you are a new server vendor.

Although, it makes sense for a compute engine (e.g., rendering farms). I wonder if/when Pixar will go with Xserves?

 

[cubist]

It's just software. But good software!

X11 will be fully integrated, so Unix apps can be ported unchanged. OpenOffice, FreeCiv and GIMP will run right next to Safari and iTunes.

Classic will be better integrated, so Classic apps will run and look just like Aqua apps.

Something like AtEase will become available for classroom users.

The new version of ProjectBuilder/Cocoa/OpenStep will allow a Mac to be used to develop applications that run on Mac or Windows.

Why, Panther will include over 129 improved features...

 

[nagromme]

Apple hasn't announced new servers

Unless I missed something, Apple has not announced new servers for WWDC. They've annouced that OS X Server 10.3 will be previewed as well as client 10.3. Panther Server in other words--just software, and not a big surprise.

 

[kansaigaijin]

not streamed on-line because they want people in the stores with credit card in hand for new 970 Powerbooks AND PowerMacs, as MacB had them going into production at least a month ago, that would indicate why the conference was delayed, so that the machines were ready, the Panther demo was a decoy.

 

[iJon]

Re: Apple hasn't announced new servers

Originally posted by nagromme
Unless I missed something, Apple has not announced new servers for WWDC. They've annouced that OS X Server 10.3 will be previewed as well as client 10.3. Panther Server in other words--just software, and not a big surprise.

we all know what they are suppose to introduce, we are all wondering what they havent told us that will be announced.

iJon