Posted by
CmdrTaco
on from the no-surprises-here dept.
Les writes "Mac insider site Think Secret has its scoop on what Apple CEO Steve Jobs will announce at Macworld Expo in New York next week. The site says that Power Mac G4s won't be updated until August, but we'll instead see a 17" flat-panel iMac and a demo of OS X 10.2 Jaguar."
Rumors! The Expo has not yet happened.
by
EchoMirage
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Unfortunately Taco forgot to denote that these are rumors. Although Think Secret claims to "know" definitively, they only publish rumors based on heresay, second-hand knowledge, and claimed industry "insiders." Many times, they have been wrong.
If you will remember a day or three ago, sites like Think Secret were prevented from obtaining a media pass to the Expo because of their ability to wildly spin incorrect information (amongst other conspiracy theories).
In other words, this is only a possibility, but the Expo hasn't happened yet.
Re:Rumors! The Expo has not yet happened.
by
Saint+Fnordius
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
1. ThinkSecret is less than useless, since their rumor hit miss ratio is equal to "dart board" methods.
2. Ziff-Davis (ZDNet and C|Net) seem to be the source of this smokescreen. Also not the most accurate source of Apple news. Sometimes I get the feeling that the guys over at C|Net are more knee-jerk than factual (although David Coursey got real Mac-lustful after his trial with a flat-screen iMac).
3. The other rumor was the resurrection of the Cube, bundled with 17" flatscreens. After all, the Cube wasn't killed, just put into hibernation. Maybe they had to pull it back out of the freezer to make room for Ted Williams?
4. If it is true, then Apple needs to lower their inventory of current iMacs, as their price is going to drop as soon as the bigger, better version hits the market. The only explanation as to why they haven't done so yet is because they know it's a sign the sages look for. But it isn't a good reason at all. 5. There was a fifth reason to discount this rumor, but the RDF rays are wearing off. Fnord.
Flawed reasoning
by
YanceyAI
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
According to the article:
How are we so certain that Macworld won't bring new towers? Use common sense! Just look at the Apple promotion announced earlier this week offering $300-$500 back when a Power Mac G4 is purchased along with a 17-inch Studio Display, 22-inch Cinema Display, or 23-inch Cinema HD Display. This is a clear sign that Apple is sitting on a huge inventory of G4 towers.(emphasis mine)
I'm not saying that they're wrong, just that the speculation is weak. They may have a ton of displays, or they may be trying to move the inventory for the very fact that they are releasing a new tower.
-- Can I bum a sig?
Take This With a Grain of Salt
by
TomHandy
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
ThinkSecret is one of the less accurate rumor sites......and I don't think they're even all that good. Look at their explanation for why they are so sure G4 speed bumps won't be announced.....all they are going on is "common sense" that there is a special promotion running right now for current G4's.
And some of their other rumors reported for Macworld New York are patently ridiculous, despite being labeled as 100%....i.e. iTools being renamed.Mac.....which is so inherently stupid it isn't even funny, considering that the name makes no sense at all since it would only cause consumer confusion, especially since there is no.mac TLD to use for such a thing. And it would probably add unnecessary confusion with.NET as well, even though iTools and.NET are not really related technologies or systems at all.
Since CNET is also running this story, shouldn't they now be considered a "rumors site" and have their press pass revoked from Macworld? Additionally, why is this news? Why not at least wait until after the product is announced? Is a 17" screen even worth mentioning? Or is it just something that's been submitted 10 billion times and is only being posted to make the deluge stop?
-- rooooar
Steve and the PDA...
by
soboroff
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
"0% - Mac PDA or tablet
Our sources tell us Steve Jobs constantly complains about how bad the user experience is for Mac users using PDAs. From one source: "'Why is it so complicated?', Jobs has often said." Apple is working on something, that's for sure."
I wonder if the user experience with PDAs wouldn't have been so bad if Jobs hadn't killed the Newton. I love my Palm, but I can't count how many times I wished it was a 4oz Newton!
Re:Slightly OT: UK accounts packages for Mac?
by
idfrsr
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
I just realized that this might be a good time ask if
there is anyone putting together an open-source tax software package.
If one was properly designed, to be modular, it could be used world wide provided your locale's tax rule module was written. I would love to access to a high quality bit of tax software*...
* DISCLAIMER:
Admittedly, it would have to carry lots of disclaimers about using it at your own risk and what not, but it is just an idea...
-- "The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away"
-Tom Waits
I dunno if they are trolling or not. Some carracho bandits out there are reporting that this is the latest builds of Jaguar, under the Internet tab in the System Preferences (where it is currently iTools).
Some have speculated that this might be Apple competing w/ Microsoft as far as brand recognition (note these are pretty much the same people who said the same thing when Microsoft decided to call the latest Windows "XP" about a month before OS X 10.0.0 was released).
However, for my own useless speculation, I don't think this will be a direct competitor to the.Net idea, but being a fairly nice set of network services (homepage, file storage, email, iCards, etc) might make some think that it is close enough.
Just my humble opinion.
-- "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Re:There goes their ticket to Macworld...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I just don't get the handwringing about not giving press passes to "rumour sites". Its Apple's party and they can invite who they want. If a rumour site hurts apple's bottom line (and they do by pre-announcing products such that people are waiting for the speed-bumped processor or bigger screen) then why should they receive any sort of benefit (in the form of a press pass to see the keynote)? If the rumour site wants to be there, they can pay the conference fee just like everyone else.
Possibly the more important thing to note is that almost two years ago, Jobs announced that Apple would be moving away from announcing products at MacWorld because it sets the expectation of the public and hurts apple's bottom line. Remember, the iPod was introduced at an "Apple Event", not a conference.
Here's a potential idea. Right now iTools users accounts are located at:
http://homepage.mac.com/username/
Well...it could be really cool if Apple did something more like this:
http://username.mac.com/
Then all Apple users would have their very own.Mac(.com) domain name. Of course, there is absolutely no proof of this...just rampant speculation.
But, isn't that what this entire story is about?
-- "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Where are dual CPU machines?
by
cb0y
·
· Score: 0, Insightful
God damn,why waste pumping out more expensive $800 CPUs at 1.2ghz (not that apple can)
Why not just make the default TOWERS ALL dual cpu (since the OS can do it) and make them all 2x 900mhz at least.
Surely 2 x $200 CPUs are better than 1 ultra expensive one.
WHy are we stuck in this old 80s idealism of single cpus when we have prooved making dual cpu setups isnt expensive.
Re:No matter what
by
drsmithy
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
Sometimes intelligent conversation about the Macintosh platform is hard to come by on slashdot.
Intelligent conversation about the Mac is hard to come across anywhere. I mean, if it's not people asserting a 1Ghz G4 is much faster than a 2GHz P4 at everything, it's review sites benchmarking by the number of bounces an icon makes in the Dock as the program loads.
Business Reasoning
by
maggard
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
How are we so certain that Macworld won't bring new towers? Use common sense!
Er, howzabout economic sense?
Apple is looking to bump their numbers.
While Apple has weathered this downtown better then almost any other PC manufacturer they did just have a 5%+ layoff in Cupertino, their numbers are down, and things likely won't heat up until late August/September when back-to-school starts (traditionially a strong season for Apple.) So they're trying to push what appears to be their slowest moving boxes - the top-of-the-line ones with the lovely Apple LCD displays. This doesn't require any great insight but just a quick course in modern make-the-books-look-good-for-The-Street management.
Will there be a 17" flat-panel iMac (remember they're still selling the old all-in-1-CRT iMac as well as the 17" eMac)? I hope so - I just advised a buddy to buy an eMac for the extra screen-space & faster processor for only $100 more. On the other hand that arm is a complicated device, there have been complaints about it, and scaling it up to 17" may be a jump Apple's not ready to make so soon.
My own guess? With the announced new graphics pipeline through OpenGL and it's requirement of 32 MB of video RAM I'm betting we'll see that met across the board. But Towers? If they're ready in time; otherwise they may wait 'till late summer. It depends on what other marvels Steve has to trot out and if new towers would get much attention next to those (really they're more-of-the-same-but-faster.)
-- I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
CPU is, literally, small apples.
by
2nd+Post!
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
The CPUs, at 800MHz or higher, is no big thing. Really.
The current bus speeds, at 133MHz, is nearly 6-8 times slower than the the CPU. Some of that memory bandwidth is also being allocated the AGP, DMA transfers, firewire transfers, and just about anything else in the Apple mobo that uses the RAM. So the CPU is *starving* at the GHz level, especially at the dual CPU level.
Being force to wait 10 cycles while waiting for memory is bad.
On the PC side a CPU may be 2GHz now, but the memory is also quad pumped 133MHz as well. 2x the CPU but *4* times the memory bandwidth.
So yes Apple needs faster CPUs, but they need faster memory even more.
Re:Yeah, Think Secret is reliable
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
What are you talking about? ThinkSecret hasn't actually been wrong about a rumor in a long time - check the archives. They've posted dozens of articles since the last Macworld, and I'm struggling to think of one of their rumors that didn't come true in that time.
Meanwhile, sites like MOSR and SpyMac are wrong with just about every article they put up.
Slashdot Mirror
Unfortunately Taco forgot to denote that these are rumors. Although Think Secret claims to "know" definitively, they only publish rumors based on heresay, second-hand knowledge, and claimed industry "insiders." Many times, they have been wrong.
If you will remember a day or three ago, sites like Think Secret were prevented from obtaining a media pass to the Expo because of their ability to wildly spin incorrect information (amongst other conspiracy theories).
In other words, this is only a possibility, but the Expo hasn't happened yet.
How are we so certain that Macworld won't bring new towers? Use common sense! Just look at the Apple promotion announced earlier this week offering $300-$500 back when a Power Mac G4 is purchased along with a 17-inch Studio Display, 22-inch Cinema Display, or 23-inch Cinema HD Display. This is a clear sign that Apple is sitting on a huge inventory of G4 towers. (emphasis mine)
I'm not saying that they're wrong, just that the speculation is weak. They may have a ton of displays, or they may be trying to move the inventory for the very fact that they are releasing a new tower.
Can I bum a sig?
And some of their other rumors reported for Macworld New York are patently ridiculous, despite being labeled as 100%....i.e. iTools being renamed .Mac.....which is so inherently stupid it isn't even funny, considering that the name makes no sense at all since it would only cause consumer confusion, especially since there is no .mac TLD to use for such a thing. And it would probably add unnecessary confusion with .NET as well, even though iTools and .NET are not really related technologies or systems at all.
Since CNET is also running this story, shouldn't they now be considered a "rumors site" and have their press pass revoked from Macworld? Additionally, why is this news? Why not at least wait until after the product is announced? Is a 17" screen even worth mentioning? Or is it just something that's been submitted 10 billion times and is only being posted to make the deluge stop?
rooooar
I just realized that this might be a good time ask if there is anyone putting together an open-source tax software package.
If one was properly designed, to be modular, it could be used world wide provided your locale's tax rule module was written. I would love to access to a high quality bit of tax software*...
* DISCLAIMER: Admittedly, it would have to carry lots of disclaimers about using it at your own risk and what not, but it is just an idea...
"The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away" -Tom Waits
Some have speculated that this might be Apple competing w/ Microsoft as far as brand recognition (note these are pretty much the same people who said the same thing when Microsoft decided to call the latest Windows "XP" about a month before OS X 10.0.0 was released).
However, for my own useless speculation, I don't think this will be a direct competitor to the .Net idea, but being a fairly nice set of network services (homepage, file storage, email, iCards, etc) might make some think that it is close enough.
Just my humble opinion.
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
I just don't get the handwringing about not giving press passes to "rumour sites". Its Apple's party and they can invite who they want. If a rumour site hurts apple's bottom line (and they do by pre-announcing products such that people are waiting for the speed-bumped processor or bigger screen) then why should they receive any sort of benefit (in the form of a press pass to see the keynote)? If the rumour site wants to be there, they can pay the conference fee just like everyone else.
Possibly the more important thing to note is that almost two years ago, Jobs announced that Apple would be moving away from announcing products at MacWorld because it sets the expectation of the public and hurts apple's bottom line. Remember, the iPod was introduced at an "Apple Event", not a conference.
Well...it could be really cool if Apple did something more like this:
Then all Apple users would have their very own .Mac(.com) domain name. Of course, there is absolutely no proof of this...just rampant speculation.
But, isn't that what this entire story is about?
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
God damn ,why waste pumping out more expensive $800 CPUs at 1.2ghz (not that apple can)
Why not just make the default TOWERS ALL dual cpu (since the OS can do it) and make them all 2x 900mhz at least.
Surely 2 x $200 CPUs are better than 1 ultra expensive one.
WHy are we stuck in this old 80s idealism of single cpus when we have prooved making dual cpu setups isnt expensive.
Intelligent conversation about the Mac is hard to come across anywhere. I mean, if it's not people asserting a 1Ghz G4 is much faster than a 2GHz P4 at everything, it's review sites benchmarking by the number of bounces an icon makes in the Dock as the program loads.
Er, howzabout economic sense?
Apple is looking to bump their numbers.
While Apple has weathered this downtown better then almost any other PC manufacturer they did just have a 5%+ layoff in Cupertino, their numbers are down, and things likely won't heat up until late August/September when back-to-school starts (traditionially a strong season for Apple.) So they're trying to push what appears to be their slowest moving boxes - the top-of-the-line ones with the lovely Apple LCD displays. This doesn't require any great insight but just a quick course in modern make-the-books-look-good-for-The-Street management.
Will there be a 17" flat-panel iMac (remember they're still selling the old all-in-1-CRT iMac as well as the 17" eMac)? I hope so - I just advised a buddy to buy an eMac for the extra screen-space & faster processor for only $100 more. On the other hand that arm is a complicated device, there have been complaints about it, and scaling it up to 17" may be a jump Apple's not ready to make so soon.
My own guess? With the announced new graphics pipeline through OpenGL and it's requirement of 32 MB of video RAM I'm betting we'll see that met across the board. But Towers? If they're ready in time; otherwise they may wait 'till late summer. It depends on what other marvels Steve has to trot out and if new towers would get much attention next to those (really they're more-of-the-same-but-faster.)
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
The CPUs, at 800MHz or higher, is no big thing. Really.
The current bus speeds, at 133MHz, is nearly 6-8 times slower than the the CPU. Some of that memory bandwidth is also being allocated the AGP, DMA transfers, firewire transfers, and just about anything else in the Apple mobo that uses the RAM. So the CPU is *starving* at the GHz level, especially at the dual CPU level.
Being force to wait 10 cycles while waiting for memory is bad.
On the PC side a CPU may be 2GHz now, but the memory is also quad pumped 133MHz as well. 2x the CPU but *4* times the memory bandwidth.
So yes Apple needs faster CPUs, but they need faster memory even more.
Let's hope for DDR interfaces come MWNY
GPL Deconstructed
What are you talking about? ThinkSecret hasn't actually been wrong about a rumor in a long time - check the archives. They've posted dozens of articles since the last Macworld, and I'm struggling to think of one of their rumors that didn't come true in that time.
Meanwhile, sites like MOSR and SpyMac are wrong with just about every article they put up.