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You people who talk about macs being a luxury item need to get real. Yes, Macintosh computers are a superior product. Yes, their design and aesthetic qualities outpace most other systems. No, a cheap Mac won't negate either of these things. In fact, it will give you a new class of computer owner to look down your nose at. You can have the PC owner at the bottom, the owner of the $749 mac just above them, and perched far above them can be you guys in all your overpriced glory. But the idea that most Windows computers are crappy because they're cheap, is ridiculous. They're crappy because they're Windows. An affordable Mac can still be a desirable and quality machine. If we're sticking with the car analogy, think the original Ford Mustang. It was marketed as a secretary's car; affordable, stylish, performance-oriented, and now a universally recognizable automobile. That was the original iMac, likely the best thing that has ever happened to Apple, thanks to Steve Jobs. That bold move is one that needs to be made again. A Mac for the masses revived Apple after near bankruptcy, and is exactly what is needed to finish Apple's current play for market share, and to spring them back to truly competitive status in the computing world.
 
I'd like to trash some stupid ideas

1. 17" monitor is not a device. So, the questionable device is not a monitor
2. Anything that does something with music and costs $750 is for a very small niche. People get anything they want out of the devices they have right now. And whatever they buy extra costs far less than $750
3. Video iPod is nogo. Apple is not about testing completely new markets. They have never done it successfully. They always look where others have gone wrong and make it better. The only case where they tried to do something (almost) completely new was with Newton. And they failed.
4. market for 10" laptops is so small that Steve wouldn' bother with them
5. Steve has said clearly and loudly that Apple WILL NOT enter PDA market in any forseeable future

And last but not least. Apple is not a luxury item. They compete in overall computer market. And the more target groups they cover, the better they manage. Therefore I think that the headless mac with good features and small price (below $800) tag is the way to go. I really hope that they have realised it too.
 
I think it'll be a new eMac with a new/updated form factor. The eMac has been around for a while, and the last "update" was simply a price reduction. 749 sounds just right for a 1.25Ghz G4 model, which will allow for faster iMacs and PBs to be announced in Jan.

Of course I'd *hope* for a 10" entry level iBook (or eBook), but that ain't gonna happen for sure.
 
Re: I'd like to trash some stupid ideas

I agree 100% - but it could be a revised eMac...but I'm hoping for a headless/Cube - as everyone else ;)

Originally posted by ipiloot
1. 17" monitor is not a device. So, the questionable device is not a monitor
2. Anything that does something with music and costs $750 is for a very small niche. People get anything they want out of the devices they have right now. And whatever they buy extra costs far less than $750
3. Video iPod is nogo. Apple is not about testing completely new markets. They have never done it successfully. They always look where others have gone wrong and make it better. The only case where they tried to do something (almost) completely new was with Newton. And they failed.
4. market for 10" laptops is so small that Steve wouldn' bother with them
5. Steve has said clearly and loudly that Apple WILL NOT enter PDA market in any forseeable future

And last but not least. Apple is not a luxury item. They compete in overall computer market. And the more target groups they cover, the better they manage. Therefore I think that the headless mac with good features and small price (below $800) tag is the way to go. I really hope that they have realised it too.
 
new device

I don't see how a new headless G4 would take any sales away from Power Macs. Also, minimal from iMacs. It would certainly compete with some with eMacs. But I would think it would be aimed primarily and switchers/new users. A 1.467 GHz processor is quite fast for what buyers of such a system would be using it for. And there is no need not to have a fan. Comparable PCs have fairly loud fans and they sell fine. I too think a redisigned cube would be great, but the real selling points will be price and Panther.

Unfortunately, there have been previous threads on various forums with many good reasons for Apple to do this. However, they have not and I doubt they will this time either. Personally I would like to see them making some new efforts to gain market share and a properly confugured headless G4 certainly seems like it would help accomplish this. There are an awful lot of PCs sold at the $585 - $750 price level and Apple seems to have concededthis part of the market.
 
waiting waiting waiting ...

Are we sure it is music related? Will it coincide with the event on the 28th? It looks like the inventory number is in the inventory chain so it can't be far off.

New monitors would be great, but will not necessarily push Christmas sales. Who would buy a monitor just because they are cheaper, unless you were looking at replacing an existing monitor, and not many of do this with regularity. If you bought a new G5 and kept your old monitor, you might like to update to a newer more matching design - and it is strange that Apple didn't upgrade the monitors to match the new G5 casing, they will eventually, but maybe they are waiting for a drop in price for HiDef components or an increase in HiDef broadcasting.

That said, I am not on favour of a media center PC, but what about a media center period. A device that can be connected to a regular TV or to an Apple monitor (dual connection ability and a swith function) You can store a variety of media format on this with a large capacity HD for whatever you want - and you can use your Mac to sync whatever you want - your iTune library is on this, but iTunes mages evrything from your Mac, you can record TV like current similar systems and don't even need a Mac to manage this, but can transfer iMovie projects to show the family.

I guess i am rambling a little, too many beers after work, but to really acheive a digtal lifestye we need something more than a computer...even more than a Mac!
 
Lonely at the top

Originally posted by supertex
You can have the PC owner at the bottom, the owner of the $749 mac just above them, and perched far above them can be you guys in all your overpriced glory.

Would the guys on the top be using any PC or a G5 Powermac?
 
portable video device wouldn't be too far fetched...

Some portable devices that are already on the market, mostly in Japan... :rolleyes: But thanks to the internet even the americans can get the latest Japaneese gizmos...

http://www.dynamism.com/hvp20/ price $699


The only thing I can guarentee is, with all this speculation on what it is, there will be great disappointment if the new device is one of the following;
  • 60 gb ipod
  • 17" or 19" display
  • any other thing you want to stick here... :p

my .02 cents
 
Let me add my voice to the call for a low cost Mac that does NOT include a display. There are plenty of potential buyers out there who don't want an all-in-one. Right now their lowest cost option is the PowerMac G4 tower. $1299 is too much for an entry level machine. Buyers of home computers want something that is "good enough" and a $600 PC usually is. Oh sure they'll have problems with it, but with 95% of their friends running Windows there will always be someone around to help out.

The new iMac is an unbelievable product. Stick a beautiful 20" LCD display, something you'll want to keep for the next 10 years, onto a base that will be obsolete in two years. Does Apple think there are many people out there with that much more money than brains? They must :rolleyes:

I have a source who has actually seen an Apple tablet computer. Obviously it's just a prototype and may never be mass produced, but it exists.
 
This is either about displays or about a Newton 2

Originally posted by CmdrLaForge
I don't belief that this is about the displays because it should be three products then and not sub $1000. Don't think that only the 17" display is updated and the others not.

Looking forward to a cube G4 1,25GHz.

Apple is going to release a PDA in the near future, they will also be phasing out the 23 inch Apple Cinema display in favor of a 30 Inch Cinema display(wow), they are either going to update the 17 inch display now or in january with platinum(g5) design. it is also possible that they will lower the price on the 20 inch cinema display which would be awesome(hint introducing the 20 inch imac means that it is cheaper to produce a 20 inch display).
 
Originally posted by iAlan
waiting waiting waiting ...

Are we sure it is music related? Will it coincide with the event on the 28th? It looks like the inventory number is in the inventory chain so it can't be far off.

New monitors would be great, but will not necessarily push Christmas sales. Who would buy a monitor just because they are cheaper, unless you were looking at replacing an existing monitor, and not many of do this with regularity. If you bought a new G5 and kept your old monitor, you might like to update to a newer more matching design - and it is strange that Apple didn't upgrade the monitors to match the new G5 casing, they will eventually, but maybe they are waiting for a drop in price for HiDef components or an increase in HiDef broadcasting.

That said, I am not on favour of a media center PC, but what about a media center period. A device that can be connected to a regular TV or to an Apple monitor (dual connection ability and a swith function) You can store a variety of media format on this with a large capacity HD for whatever you want - and you can use your Mac to sync whatever you want - your iTune library is on this, but iTunes mages evrything from your Mac, you can record TV like current similar systems and don't even need a Mac to manage this, but can transfer iMovie projects to show the family.

I guess i am rambling a little, too many beers after work, but to really acheive a digtal lifestye we need something more than a computer...even more than a Mac!


people who have a g5 and need a monitor like me for chance, i am borrowing a friends ghetto 15 inch crt and hope they release a new one!
 
I want a BigPod!

What's the problem with the iPods? It's not intended for home use - it's a 20th century Walkman, right? I can't fit all my music into a 40GB iPod - so I'm using a PowerBook on top of my home stereo - with all my music on an external 200GB hard drive connected to my iMac in another room. Works OK with iTunes sharing over AirPort. And I have all radio stations I want right there. That's also a no-go on the iPod. And don't get me started on the navigation. iPods are for running and travelling. You can't actually MANAGE your music library with it, right?

If there was a 120GB+ drive inside a small laptop with a small screen and iTunes running, that's all I need. Make it a MiniBook or a BigPod - small keyboard and AirPort. That's all. I could take all the music I own on a road trip, to my cabin, connect it to my car stereo, and also have it as a set-top box in my living room. Great!
 
Originally posted by leet1

1. Not a symbol of anything, just a computer thats on your desk or in your lap.

In my experience, I beg to differ. Whenever I go to pitch my services to a potential client (either as a director or editor) and I whip out my TiBook to show them my reel, 99% of them say something like 'wow, you must be good if you have a machine like that'.

Once I've got them as a client and they come and see the editing suite they always comment on how great it looks (2x 17" Apple Displays + G4).

It makes the client feel like they're getting money well spent and are going to get a good, slick product rather than something whacked together by a wedding videographer !

For a lot of people macs *are* seen as a symbol of status and professionalism - especially when you're working in the media industry. If you've got a PC you're just another wannabe editor or graphic designer, if you've got a mac then you ARE an editor or graphic designer.

It sounds elitist -- but note I'm not saying that you are a better designer/whatever if you use a mac, just clients assume you are :)

2. There is better out there

Better in what regards?

3. like its been stated, more $ on a mac doesn't mean its better

It means Apple spends a lot of dough on R&D. THat's why they have such high margins cause they've gotta pay for their R&D. Like it or not, Apple has given the computer industry a serious kick up the ass since the return of Jobs.

And in a world where most Western companies aren't actually selling anything except their branding identity. At least Apple are actually selling their research!

4. There are better PC cases out there than the looks of the Mac, just not from Dell , :rolleyes:

Like? The alienware shlock boxes?

There are some neat japanese PC cases but they're very few and far between. There are some decent PC cases but they usually like a certain finesse. Most people can't be ****ed giving the extra 10% to give a product a real polish and that mentality is pretty common in the PC world.

If you know of some better looking PC cases than the G5, please send me links cause i've honestly been looking for some decent cases for a linux box. Haven't found any good ones yet!
 
Originally posted by h'biki
For a lot of people macs *are* seen as a symbol of status and professionalism - especially when you're working in the media industry. If you've got a PC you're just another wannabe editor or graphic designer, if you've got a mac then you ARE an editor or graphic designer.

It sounds elitist -- but note I'm not saying that you are a better designer/whatever if you use a mac, just clients assume you are :)


Hate to break it to you, but your totally wrong. My bros a video editor for a large company in Houston, Texas. He uses a PC and is not seen as a "wannabe" by clients. Infact, the last time I visited the place, I didn't see one mac.... :rolleyes: Their clients must just view them all as "wannabes" though, lol :rolleyes:

Better in what regards?
There are better out there is what Im guessing I meant by this in terms of performance/OS system. Macs are not top of the line.
<can't remember exactly and too late for me to read back through, lol>

Like? The alienware shlock boxes?

There are some neat japanese PC cases but they're very few and far between. There are some decent PC but they usually like a certain finesse. Most people can't be ****ed giving the extra 10% to give a product a real polish and that mentality is pretty common in the PC world.

If you know of some better looking PC cases than the G5, please send me links cause i've honestly been looking for some decent cases for a linux box. Haven't found any good ones yet!


Like the old Cube design?
Yup thats avaliable

Any shape,form, size you could think of, you could find for a PC.
 
Originally posted by h'biki

For a lot of people macs *are* seen as a symbol of status and professionalism - especially when you're working in the media industry. If you've got a PC you're just another wannabe editor or graphic designer, if you've got a mac then you ARE an editor or graphic designer.

It sounds elitist -- but note I'm not saying that you are a better designer/whatever if you use a mac, just clients assume you are :)




h'biki- I wholeheartedly agree with you. Macs do have that heightend degree of professionalism that people associate with high quality hardware.

If you're a true video editor, you use a Mac. Mac's get the computer out of the way so that your creative side can govern how your projects turn out, not how much patience you have with fixing your system.
 
Originally posted by leet1


Any shape,form, size you could think of, you could find for a PC.

Really now? Show me a shipping PC version of the iMac leet1.

And I'm not talking about an iMac system that some pc zealot ripped the insides out of. I'm talking about a iMac pc, if that's possible.

Find one.

I dare you.:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Abercrombieboy
I am suprised with the number of people that want the all-in-one form factor to go away and be replaced with a box or headless iMac. I understand that the computer can be replaced and you can keep the monitor, but what about people who do like something with style.
If you want a headless mac, they have them, G5 towers. If you want something cheaper with a G4, they have those too, G4 1.25 single or dual towers. Drop the price a little on the G4 tower and there is your headless Mac. Besides if you replace your computer every 4 years or so, about the life of the iMac/eMac, you would probably want a new monitor anyhow, something that goes with the computer. .

With all this talk of 20'' imacs I have looked into my numbers. 12 Macs in 17 years starting with a Brand spanking Mac II. 4! Monitors. Yes I have a 1.6 G5 for the power but it is huge, I cant fit it under my desk, I cant put it inside my desk, I cant put it on the floor unless I am prepared for an invasion of dust and sand. So its behind my monitor,I can barely reach it too put a cd in and it still does not match anything round it.

The posts in the Pro towers threads want more Bays,More expansion,more slots, I dont.
I want this years processor not last years,I dont need expansion slots, I need one hd and 1 CD/DVD/Superdrive.

What is wrong with the look of a nice Monitor,wireless keyboard and mouse and a single cable from the monitor that you cant see?

A 1.6 g5 Cube or even better a 2.4 G6 12 months from now when I can afford to replace the G5. Great! Bring it on.
 
Re: I'd like to trash some stupid ideas

Originally posted by ipiloot
1. 17" monitor is not a device. So, the questionable device is not a monitor

That depends on whose definition of device you're using. The term is very general. In fact, the only word that could be more so would be thing. Dictionary.com calls a device "A contrivance or an invention serving a particular purpose, especially a machine used to perform one or more relatively simple tasks."

Originally posted by ipiloot 4. market for 10" laptops is so small that Steve wouldn't bother with them

Why, then, are half a dozen other manufacturers making them? Companies spend millions on market research. Is there something you know that they don't? ;)
Originally posted by ipiloot 5. Steve has said clearly and loudly that Apple WILL NOT enter PDA market in any forseeable future

Yeah, he also thinks tablets are a dumb idea. I bet he also said that Apple would never release anything for Windows.

Originally posted by ipiloot And last but not least. Apple is not a luxury item. They compete in overall computer market. And the more target groups they cover, the better they manage. Therefore I think that the headless mac with good features and small price (below $800) tag is the way to go. I really hope that they have realised it too.

The two words most associated with the term luxury are unnecessary and expensive. My iMac, for instance, was both. Some might argue that all computers (not just Macs) are luxury items.

Please, be a little more open-minded before you label the ideas of others as stupid.

Squire
 
Regardless of what I think this might be - I hope its a media server where I can connect my TV and stereo to my Mac, ideally wirelessly.
For me this will complete the digital hub and allow the computer agnostics in my family to enjoy the Mac without (they think!) using it.
 
Not a PDA

I hate to cut it to you guys.. but it wont be a PDA. The reason is because the market is hashed... People arent shelling out money for PDAs the way they used to.. Apple wont risk entering a bear market.

Also, u 'cube' lovers out there. Forget it. The cube's sexy ferrarri like looks never sold enough before.. so Apple wont risk that again.

If you want to wish for something cool, then hope it is a souped up ipod. If u really want to stretch it, hope for a eBook.

But... In my opinion, it will probably be an eMac or a new cinema display.

Bah...
 
Re: Not a PDA

even if the cube didn't succeed once it does not mean it will not succeed. we're hopefully talking about a cube with a different price tag than the original ;) say less than half price...

Originally posted by escap0

Also, u 'cube' lovers out there. Forget it. The cube's sexy ferrarri like looks never sold enough before.. so Apple wont risk that again.


Bah...
 
Re: Not a PDA

Originally posted by escap0
Also, u 'cube' lovers out there. Forget it. The cube's sexy ferrarri like looks never sold enough before.. so Apple wont risk that again.

Exactly right.

A non-computer analogy: one day at Ford Motor Company, an engineer shows his bosses a proposed new car design that, for whatever reason, has ANY distinguishable similarity to the Edsel. (e.g.: "Think about pushbutton gearshifting.") After the appropriate laughter, he is given a quick history lesson and told to try again.

Vote here (hope here, actually) is for a simple headless G4 design that retails for $599. At that price point, walls will start to fall in a way that Mac-only offices (you lucky people! :)) apparently can't possibly imagine. There are LCD and even CRT monitors galore out there that are suitable. All we want to do is make the Wintel "Oh-Macs-always-cost-too-much" green-eyeshaded anal-retentives say, "What da hey??" It's a Trojan horse! Or it could be.
 
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