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Hip-e All-In-One PC
stallard writes "Yahoo! News reports this story:
'In November, Digital Lifestyles Group Inc. plans to ship the
hip-e, a new Windows-based PC inspired by the iMac, specifically designed to cater to teenagers. It was Chairman and CEO Kent Savage's own experience after his son asked him for an iMac that led to the new all-in-one system's creation.'"
CPU?
Latest Intel processor: high performance, low power consumption, quiet, Intel Pentium-M System
Memory?
Plenty of memory capacity - up to 2GB
The configuration page only lets you add accessories and change the "skins" for the computer.
Vague specs and zero customability! hip-e, Fuck Yeah!
hip-e? Didn't that whole thing fizzle out years ago? It's not like we're still in Vietnam.
"It was Chairman and CEO Kent Savage's own experience after his son asked him for an iMac that led to the new all-in-one system's creation.'"
Kind of like the dad who goes out to the workshop and whips something up, instead of going to the toy store.
So let me get this right, did Apple now invent LCD all-in-one computers? You do know that they where around prior to even the original iMac (see Sun Voyager for an example)?
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
As a typical teenager, this is perfect for my X-treme, hip, on-the-go lifestyle! I can use it to listen to my rock-n-roll music which I have stored as "MP3s", or I can use it to send electronic messages to my friends when I'm hanging out at the malt shop!
Any teenager who doesn't have one of these is a total square, if you ask me.
This computer seems to fit the Target color scheme in their stores: lime,pink, etc.
Hip-e
It's spelled "Hype" actually...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
a non-mac made and named for all of the fairy mac boys!
take a look at the specs. at $1699, this is a ripoff. you're paying for eye candy basically.
i can make a MUCH better computer for that price.
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
Well, it sure was a lot cheaper to design and build the whole Hip-E than to just buy the kid an iMac!!
I've met other Windows users that were equal in thier utterly pathetic traction to the Windows platform.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I, for one, welcome our new all-in-one PC overlords.
You know, for the price, why not just buy an iMac G5?
I can't put my finger on it, but the design if this thing just makes me squirm. Why not be intelligent and just rip-off Apple instead of revisiting the mistakes of the Barbie and Hot Wheels PCs?
Three Squirrels
That has got to be one of the ugliest things I have ever seen.
Now here's a teenager that is really, really pissed at his dad.
Just imagine you'd asked your dad for an imac and instead of saying yes or no he's actually going to build something similar running windows?
Jeez, it's like wanting to have this really cool sneakers and your mom coming home with these crappy imitations that, at least to her, look just as cool and are so much cheaper. Bah.
This baby is the cat's pajamas! It's about time someone in tune with the youth groove caught on and built a bicthin' system like this.
I can hardly wait for the Hip-E Univeral Music Store - HUMS.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why does this make me want to gag?
What a joke. People want iMacs precisely because they are NOT PCs. and the name "hip-e" what a joke. This is like a comedy sketch.
My son wanted an iMac, but I was so anti-mac that I started a whole company to make in a PC.
Um... spring for the iMac dude... Unless you make a killer product, there is not much attraction for the All in One Design in the PC world. Your company will surely fail.
Sounds like a gip-e.
Ugliest.....Thing......Ever!
They aren't any cheaper anyway!
"Here son, you'll love the new Nikee Aerial Jordanians! Look, they even have little mermaids on the heels. And only$200 a shoe! They must be good."
"You start high-school tomorrow, I just know they'll be perfect for your first day there".
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This makes me disgraced to be teenager.
Without looking at other companies to see if they have something similar, I can remember selling sleek all-in-ones when I worked at Gateway 4 or 5 years ago. They were called the Profile, and are still on sale now.
"Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
The hip-e is supposed to sell for $1699, isn't that the same or maybe even more than an iMac? So what's the point? The CEO's son wanted an iMac, so he designs something that costs more. That's real smart.
Once again, marketing drones fail to understand that 17 year olds are quite as stipud as you think they are, and when 40 year olds try to design for 17 year olds they often get it wrong.
DVD Player/CD Burner Drive
1.5GHz Intel Pentium M Processor
High Performance Video
512MB SDRAM Memory (expandable to 2GB)
120GB Hard Drive
6 USB ports (3 in node; 3 in nodeboard)
With the wireless keyboard and Internet hot keys, you can go to your favorite places on the Web from anywhere in your room.
Whoa! Internet hotkeys! Sign me up!
Are there any better pictures? This thing looks fairly rickety and cumbersome to set up or move around. It's not exactly elegant looking.
There's more to the offer!
Buy your hip-e now and you get to join their hip-e squad! as a squad leader!! If your friends join your hip-e squad and buy a hip-e of their own, you get $10!!!!
Of course, all of the money goes into a convenient MasterCard that you get from hip-e, just in time to teach those teens the value of living your life with a credit card bill!!
Become a squad leader! All your base are belong to hip-e squad leaders!
-=*(CC)*=-
a lot of Hipe to me...
thank you Slashdot, I'll be here all week!
Don't forget to tip your sysadmins.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
What's worse than a woefully underpowered and overpriced PC bent on granting you a "lifestyle"? Getting your friends on board with you for all the real-life fun and excitement that comes with a MULTI-LEVEL VIRAL MARKETING PYRAMID SCHEME!
Ok, that might be a little harsh, but cash rewards for talking your friends into joining your 'squad'? Stupid -- especially when it's only ten lousy bucks on a system that's worth about $800 and sells for $1700.
"Lawyers are for sucks."
- Doug McKenzie
If you are going to buy that computer, then why not buy a laptop instead? Its more mobile. Granted, most laptops do not come with 17" monitor, but for 2" difference...
Remember the year 2000? They promised us flying cars. They delivered the PT Cruiser...
Apple may take concepts that have been tried before (like the HD MP3 player), they just make pratical devices that actually do well in the mass market instead of flopping like a carp dropped on a highway.
So the "Hip-E" is indeed a copy of the iMac, in that you are assuming they are trying to copy a device that actually sells vs. one whose sales start out in the toilet with one hand on the handle.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
From the apple store (not including school discounts even though this thing is targeted towards students):
17in G5 iMac
- 512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
- 160GB Serial ATA drive
- Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
- 17-inch widescreen LCD
- 1.6GHz PowerPC G5
- Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
- NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra w/64MB video memory
Subtotal $1,573.00
Meanwhile a hip-e node:
Unknown CPU (probably slower)
Same RAM and Hard Drive
Same quality if not inferior other parts
Subtotal $1,699.00
Bottom line: more expensive and slower!
Seeing as though the Intel Pentium-M processors only go up to 2.0 GHz, this is a computer that we could probably even compare MHz for MHz against the iMac. At $1699 (a very specific price given the un-specific specifications) you're paying $200 more than a 1.8GHz G5 iMac with DVD burner (the hip-e only includeds a DVD-ROM/CD-RW) and $400 more than a 1.6GHz iMac with DVD-ROM/CD-RW.
I also find it comical that they think they are coming out with a phone soon. They really think big!
It better come with Firefox, SpybotSD, Ad Aware, Kerio, Spywareblaster, and a GOOD antivirus (Sorry Norton and Mcaffee, you're disqualified!) preloaded and with easy-to-use tutorials if these things stand any chance of surviving the spyware, viruses, and other shit a typical teenager is capable of putting it through...
Ditch Idiot Exploiter and Outhouse Explode altogether; replace with Firefox and Thunderbird!
They should have called that thing the FUGL-E because it is fuckin' ugly!
the 17" iMac with DVD-Burning Superdrive sells for $1,499.00 If you add some RAM you are at the same price, as this vaporhardware. Buy the original instead! Get a life. Get a Mac.
What on earth are they thinking? Somebody needs to go back to product design school.
Look at how the thing is built. Spec wise it's a solid product, but the way they have made it makes it look as if it was targeted towards 10 year olds and tweens.
If you are a self respecting 16 year old and if you had the option, would you get one of these or an iMac? Part of the whole point of selling high tech toys to teens is that teens who own them want to feel older, more pro, more.. well script kiddie 1337.
You make a product that takes that away and instead says to them "You will be looked upon as a kid who only does innocent things" and expect it to sell?
Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
The iMac is a niche platform (2%?) that doesn't do anything a PC can (typically) do for a lot less (and, more often than not, years earlier). I'm an Apple owner but the hardware is nothing special really.
But in this case that is not at all true, since the "Hip-E" costs as much as the iMac G5! Not to mention the adoption of just about every standard (USB, Firewire) is actually done well ahead of the PC by Macs, I'm not sure what you are thinking of as being done "years ahead" by the PC. Unless you mean the burgeoning spyware market, which I'll admit the PC has developed quite the unassailable lead in. At least I assume it's unassailable since no-one even seems to be trying.
I see you're a Mac owner now, I hope your kid is enjoying his new iMac.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
You asked for it. Now you can get it. The first all-in-one digital command central made just for you.
:/
Yeah...
I've always wanted a digital command central
512MB SDRAM Memory (expandable to 2GB)
120GB Hard Drive
17" WideScreen Ultra High Res LCD (1400 x 900)
ATI Radeon 9700 graphics controller - 64MB
DVD Player/CD Burner Drive
Wireless keyboard/mouse
Firewire/USB/Built-in Ethernet
They definately need to clean up there specs pages, I had to read 2 seperate pages to get most of the useful stuff (the first is a little short). Interesting idea, looks a little shakey in its implementation though (and that price!).
Quack, quack.
I keep thinking of analogies to what this hip-e computer represents. First thing I thought of is the girl who wants a pair Calvin Klein jeans so her parents take her to Old Navy. Or the boy who really wants a 1969 Mustang so his dad buys him a 1969 Nova. Or the kid who wants Yu-Gi-Oh stuff so his parents buy him Pokemon stuff.
Seriously, what does this computer do, transform into a bug or something? Why does it look like that? It looks like it should be hanging down into the crib of a deranged infant. Or something.
"It's everything you want in a computer..." Huh. Yeah.
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
Inspired by the iMac? I suppose, if "inspired" means take an iMac and beat it with the ugly stick. I guess now that car manufacturers sell cars pre-"riced out," it was only a matter of time before computer manufacturers started doing the same.
"Nature doesn't care how smart you are. You can still be wrong." - Richard Feynman
that pretty cool. I like the way it looks.
2 things:
1) I hope it's successfull
2) when it fails, I can't wait to get one surplus!
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
From the picture, you can see he perminently mounted it to the kids wall with a hot-glue gun!
Oh, the shame.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Check out the video card, the LCD resolution, any number of other aspects of this machine. I suspect that it integrates a large number of laptop components, rather than desktop components.
Very odd.
Actually, Kent Savage has been pushing the all-in-one concept for awhile. He was a co-founder of Netpliance and helped bring the I-Opener to its short-lived life.
This product was actually designed by M3 Design. The same design firm that brought out many Dell laptops, the new Dell Axim and the Dell Digital Jukebox.
The hip-e has a better graphics card: ATI mobility Radeon 9700
So its like an imac, but ugly, garish, and runs windows? just what i needed.
Don't worry - its just stigmata. Pass me a napkin and don't you dare tell my mother.
The name was humor enough, but the "Hip-E" squad?
I can imagine the conversaions in school:
Kid: "Hey Chuck, want to join my Hip-E squad?"
Chuck "Time for another swirly I do believe"
*Flsussshhhhh*
Kid: "That's the fifth time this week! Hey Biff, want to join my Hip-E squad?""
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
...the hip-e looks like the unholy love child of an iMac G5 and an X-Box.
hip-e:
1.5 gHz Pentium M
17 inch LCD at 1400x900
DVD reader/CD writer
Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB
120 gig PATA drive 7200 RPM
512 MB RAM
802.11g Wireless
TV Module and DVR software
Wireless Keyboard
Wireless Mouse
8-in-1 media card reader
Built in Spyware, err, "Sweepstakes LED"
Windows XP (no comment on Home or Pro)
MS Office Student edition
AIM
1 year warranty
$1699
iMac:
1.6 gHz G5
17 inch LCD at 1440x900
Combo drive (DVD reader/CD writer)
GeForce FX 5200 with 64 MB
160 gig SATA drive 7200 RPM (subtract $100 for an 80 gig)
512 MB RAM
Airport Extreme (802.11g wireless)
Bluetooth Keyboard
Bluetooth Mouse
Bluetooth module (comes with the keyboard and mouse when ordered with the iMac)
Mac OS X Panther
iLife 04 (iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand)
Appleworks 6
WorldBook Encyclopedia
Quicken 2004
Nanosaur 2 and Marble Blast games
1 year warranty
$1652
A LaCie 8-in-1 reader is $30 from Apple.com
An Elgato Eye TV 200 Firewire TV tuner and DVR is $330.
So feature wise on the hardware, the hip-e comes out ahead in price.
Performance I think would go to the iMac though, and the extra software it has is nice.
It was only a few weeks ago I saw a poster of this system in my school lunch room.. First thing I saw was just a ploy -- And it was only confirmed by - The design (it makes it look almost like a toy) - Marketing (highschools) - Marketing II (trying to get kids to beg there parents for this computer for "educational" purposes, they even have a list that kids can give to there mommy's and why they should get it. http://hip-e.com/jsp/hip-e_website_parentpage.pdf People make me sick to my stomach -- If anyone has ever read anything on the psychology behind marketing .. Actually, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser would be a pretty cool read on marketing particular.
All in all for the computer's components, I'de see the mark up higher than apple would put it... Apple brings up (mostly) there own stuff, this is just a different enclosure with a price tag.
Georgia
Ben, 16
(Ben obviously hasn't gotten laid yet).
"hip-e is the fastest, most customizable computer on the market.It's perfect for me because I can make it fit my style."
Sean, 16
(Sean obviously hasn't checked out the specs of his perfect machine.)
so now we can get a windows-based mac clone that not only is more expensive, but also uglier than that which it copies. Figures.
Apple got it right with the clean, white interface rather than clunky looking beige boxes. This thing just looks cluttered and is about as pretty as a pink-and neon-yellow classic mustang.....
"It is a good divine that follows his own instructions" - Portia, The Merchant of Venice
Perhaps it's also a "squad alert"!
Uh, Oh! Buddys Buddy in trouble! Let's Roll!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
With all the disadvantages that comes with and none of the advatages of a desktop PC with a premium price tag. Where do I sign up>
Between me and my friends (who are between 15 and 16), we would never buy this. We'd rather have an iMac G5 for the same price, or even a normal tower PC with Linux running on it. Looks don't matter, it's how it runs. I doubt this Hip-e would perform anywhere near a Mac or PC of the same price. And I can't even see the cool factor in the Hip-e, so it's pointless.
I'm going to go create my own technology news site, with blackjack and hookers. You know what? Forget the news site.
are you all terminally grumpy? It's a fine product, and your looking at it from the wrong angle.
Next year, we'll be able to get one of these for 400 bucks surplus. This of the hacking potential!
Me, I'm goint to pick up several of thse and use them to make digital windows.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
You're just hard.
This is for ... our ... children. How can we send them to school knowing that the other kids all have everything they want because they have kind, successful parents when we give them NOTHING?
There's no way to call that anything but neglect.
What's next, no car on their 16th birthday? Or worse, a used car? *shudder*.
sigs, as if you care.
The iMac has a standard mount (VESA - does Hip-E do the same?) so you can in fact hang it on the wall, and use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse from your bed. Yes the Imac also has speakers built in.
You can run your PC software using Virtual PC - except for games, that's why you have consoles...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm looking at this thing, and although there's plenty of room for improvising on the ATX case design and PC design in general, to make something that will play on stupid teenagers, the very idea of making a fast PC that's small and in a proprietary format is kinda disturbing. First, lets talk about cooling and power consumption; they're talking about a big fast harddisk, DDR memory, fastest Pentium-M, an radeon 9700 w/ 64 meg of memory, a TV tuner card, a NIC, a CD-R or DVD-RW+CD-RW drive, and a built in LCD. Now, by my counting you'd need about 400 watts of output to run all of that stuff with some headroom for adding in memory. IF they're using laptop parts then that's considerably less. Now, a good 400watt powersupply doesn't come small; you've got a series of BIG caps and BIG transformers in there, all of which get hot, you can do the gateway thing and have something that plugs into the computer, but even then. Then, you're talking a graphics card, pentium processor, and memory, in a small area. I'd like to know how long that can be run for without turning into a molten hip-e, heh (bad joke, heh).
.1km of cabling in my room and it's barely 6x8.
Second, the marketing is unsound. Unless you're in japan and in a room that's 4 by 4, there's plenty of room for a large case. Hell, I'v got 2 PC's (gaming and toy around, both large cases) and a router, a 19 inch moniter, a nice computer chair, and
Then, they're asking $1700 for a base model.
For $1700, I could get an aufully nice alienware machine, or a few e-machines, if I was so enclined. Or, If I were dumb, ask a geeky friend to design and build me a comp and pay them $100 to do so and get something comparable or better.
Finally, The idea of a "hip" computer for idiots is simply impracticle. Unless you're upper middle class you aren't going to go for one of these things, and if you're a teen, you certainly aren't going to blow 2 grand of your own money on a computer without consulting the geeks, and anyone who knows computers can spot this shitty deal from a mile away. Then again, never underestemate the power of advertising to arrest the common man's intellegence long enough to take their money.
So, in short, it's soon to be junk-e, ironically, just like many hippie's, heh.
Now, the idea of a all-in-one entertainment system/computer/gaming rig for under a grand, now that'll take off, which this seems to be some of. However, I'd rather see them break that down into a semi-microatx or microitx system with a lot of integrated things in a small desktop or tower.
Candy-Coated Knowledge
A detachable shoulder strap lets users carry beatbox independent of the hip-e node, boombox style.
Wow, that's hip!
Second: Am I the only one who read the article as
Because "crater" is exactly what it's going to do in the market at this price. For $1700, you could buy a 1.8-GHz iMac -- unquestionably faster, even without considering the benefits of the G5 CPU -- and have $200 in change left over to spend on goodies.
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
Perhaps this is the point entirely. It's possible that they looked at the Mac and thought, "hey, these guys are selling stuff based on nothing more than cool factor, so let's design something that looks hip and cash in on the market."
If indeed that's what they were thinking--and judging from the price v. specs I'd say that was the case--they missed the whole point of the Mac, which is more than fancy hardware. It's also about all the rest of things that Mac users already know about, such as great hardware plug-and-play reliability, solid OS and software that makes the machine instantly useful even to newbies.
His kid lost out.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
NOOOO MAN! don't you get it f00? It's on the wall! It looks COOLER and more HIP-EEEEEEEr.
It's a multi-level marketing scheme, too!
For only $1700, you can get in on the ground floor, and get $10 every time your friends buy one. Plus you get to be called a "squad leader!"
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
Second, how many parents care about the footprint of their kid's PC, and how many are willing to pay an extra $500 to eliminate it?
Third, any teenager who gets this for Xmas instead of an new iMac will either 1) deny to his friends that he has a computer, or 2) be taunted mercilessly by his peers until he "spills" a gallon of something on it.
This is the same dude from netpliance .. ..
maby it will make it longer than the iopener
not at that price
Inside the hip-e you'll find a large electrolytic capacitor. It's not part of the power supply though, it's really a 'stash box' for the soon to be announced 'psychedelic ROM modules'. Psychedelic ROM contains a little bit of code that stimulates selected transmitter-receptor junctions in your brain leading to an experience your granddad could only obtain through chemical means.
Dads, don't feel left out though. Our head shop will soon be offering all manner of brain direct stimuli for juniors hip-e. The little lady will think your fixing a nasty windows bug, when you're really enjoying a virtual fishing trip, a threesome with Barbarella and he orgasmatron, or the satisfaction of squeezing your nemisis civil servants balls until they burst.
Yes, the hip-e is just the thing for your son or daughter and we're not done yet! Soon you will be able to purchase the 'anti-slack' ROM which fits into an especial slot which will only be disclosed to dads over 30. Effects are superimposed on any psychedelic module and include, increased desire to work, a feeling of responsibility towards ones elders in financial and aging matters, and the electronic equivilent of a good dose of potassium nitrate for that overly frisky son.
There is also a hip-e ROM for the old ball and chain. Go rent the Stepford Wives and you'll have an idea of it's capabilities. Yes, the bugs in the film have been eliminated in the hip-e make 'em skinny, give 'em big hooters and an urge to hum, teach 'em to cook and take it up the ass module.
Now accepting delivery slot purchases for especial
ROM modules at only $19.95/each!
Not responsible for misapplication of ROM modules.
Effect on pets unknown.
If rash or swelling persists, discontinue use and seek medical attention.
Crap-E
If I was 17 (sigh...) I would certainly not want be caught dead with this thing in my room.
I showed this to my 2 grandkids: ages 9&10 (and yes those are their real names...)
"You aren't going to get us that for Christmas are you?" they said.
Me: "why not"
Them: (eyes roll as they leave the room)
10:"it is so Gay!"
9:"Duh!"
10: "Don't agree with me, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
9: "no I'm gonna kick YOURS!"
(much fakey Kung Fu ensues...)
Well, I guess they aren't really the target audience anyways., sorry, Off-topic
I like microcars
Anyone else notice that for the price, you can get a comparable Dell laptop and only slightly sacrifice screen size? $1699 gets you a decent laptop...
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
is insiired the new word for knock off?
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
You both have invites. And apparently you both want an iPod.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
When I first read about this thing on MSNBC back in august, there was one line that really stood out to me:
"So Savage decided to 'Apple-ize the PC industry.'"
I'm sorry, but hasn't Apple already done this?
And where did they find teens for tesimonials!?!
"'hip-e is the fastest, most customizable computer on the market. It's perfect for me because I can make it fit my style.' Sean, 16" Testimonials
admittedly, i've never understood the all-in-one idea, seeing as i'd much rather have the modularity of a separate box and monitor.
now, what gets me about this hip-e, and the imac g5, is that people seem to think that the flatpanel all-in-one thing is new, and even better, since apple made it...
which isn't the case, because gateway (a crap company, imho), had a model that was like that a few years back. sure, it was ugly, but... [ gateway profile ]
Good eye - it's the eye-opener guy!
(damn, why can't mod points last a week? I just had some...)
You mean the teen audiance?
Real techs prefer far older machines. And a Pentium M is still running at 25 watts. The 400Mhz K6 I'm writing this on uses about half that.
Good work men, we've managed to obliterate this menace from the earth. Thank god for Slashdotting.
This thing stinks of early 90's teen marketing. The Hip-e looks more like something out of Zack's bedroom in Saved By The Bell than the next killer teen gadget. In fact, maybe Screech (or maybe this guy http://weallhaveaplan.biz/seminars/index.html) was hired to write the copy for the site...
"Now that you know what's up, it's time to get down to what the Hip-e is all about"
" Your life is at your fingertips and totally in synch"
"beatbox" ???
"Squad Leader"
"to bring you THE place to score downloads" score downloads??? righteous dude!
I don't know, the only market this thing will tap is the confused parent desperate to understand why his 16 year old doesn't like 'family night'. I guess if writing notes on his fore head whilst asleep doesn't work....
On the other hand, get P-Diddy, 50 cents and MTV on board and your golden.
"
Item # Description Unit Price Qty Subtotal
KSIZSHPNODE001 node
(Pre-Order) $1,699.00 $1,699.00
Subtotal $1,699.00
Important: Your shopping cart contains at least one Pre-order product! This order will not be shipped until 11/30/2004. To ensure prompt shipment of all the items on your order, please place a separate order for any regular in stock products you may be interested in."
The effing little bastard won't wait that long! Now I'm gonna have to buy him a motorbike instead. Hmmm, better get a big insurance policy too. Better odds than the lottery!
hip-e and Musicmatch have partnered to bring you THE place to score downloads from all of your favorite artists. With over 700,000 tracks available and more added each day, you'll find all your favorites and a whole lot more!
Wow. An iMac with iTunes, or some POS with Musicmatch?
What a tough decision. Not.
Gotta love your dad when you ask for a cool 64bit industry-proven designer hip-and-cool wild animals-and-water themed thingummy; he doesn't go to the store, but to the garden shed.
Out he comes with his design: an innovative proprietary flattened also-ran game applicance-look wall-wart with half the bits and lots of teletubby land (green or blue flavour not mentioned) instead. Best of all, he doesn't give it to you, but markets it to world+dog so all your friends won't get what they wanted, either.
Me, I only got this hand-me-down (excuse me, re-deployed for leveraging additional utilization) 1984-vintage CP/M luggable made out of solid steel. Time to play ladder again. I'm _nearly_ past the last level! Yay!
if you click on the what you parents want to know link and then click on the link at the end of the pdf you get this specs page:
whats finny is in the pdf they talk about a bunch of functionality which is included in the hip-e that is in any PC and they list a bunch of things the hip-e replaces that come as extras (I.E. you have to pay for them) in the what your parents want to know page.
apparently my windows pc wont play MP3s but the hip-e's 17 inch screen is equivalent to a 27" TV, somthing smells of tryying to confuse technophobes who dont want their children miss the digital bandwagon...
go figure..
Let's see, $1700 for what is essentially a low-end PC with a 17" LCD. I could buy the same hardware for under $1000 easily.
So, what am I paying the extra $700 for?
Obviously the "cool" factor. Except, what is cool about buying an overpriced PC with cheeseball plastic crap on it?
iMac 1700 Hip-E 1699..where does the 200 hundred dollars come from?
Does the iMac come with a portable Music system?
Office?
How many pieces of windows software does it run?
I do not thinkk this is an iMac vs PC issue. It's a 'what should the next PC be' issue.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
If I really had a hankering for an all in one like this (yeah, right), a Sony VAIO would be better, for about the same price. Better specs, cleaner design, much better company longevity.
Is it me or is the squad thing a Piramid Scheme?
"The node features a 120GB internal hard drive and a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive mounted vertically on its right side. Underneath the plastic lies a Pentium M processor running at 1.5GHz and an ATI M11 graphics chip" It seems like they failed at copying the iMac's performance.
Sure, I can copy a Rembrant... You say that you want it to look like a Mona Lisa? I can do that too.
Cheers
Adolfo
I was a squad leader in marching band, and no one ever paid me $10.
:-(
WTF?
I missed out
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
No matter how great your product idea is, never, ever, give it a name that rhymes with "clippy".
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
I can picture my 50 year old hippie step father thinking this is pretty cool.
Sorry, no. It looks like crap. It has a fucking touchpad mouse. Even the most moronic kid would realize this is a worthless piece of shit. This isn't targeted towards teens, it's targeted towards preteens who want to look cool.
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
Where in the world did he get the name "Hip-e". I can just see the business meeting on this: Suit.A - "Well, it's supposed to be for young people." Suit.B - "I heard my son use the word 'hip', but I don't think it was an anatomical reference." Suit.A - "Brilliant, integrating slang into a product targeted to a teen audience increases sales tenfold! Or was that giving out free t-shirts?" Suit.B - "We still need to make it more comparable to an iMac though..." Suit.A - "Well, I guess we can throw a random vowel in front, they already took 'i'." Suit.B - "No, in the spirit of being 'hip', we'll put our random vowel in the END! Crazy, no?." Suit.A - "Completely, so, we have Hip-_." Suit.B - "Well, 'e' is right before 'i', and it begins electronic..." Suit.A - "Hip-e, excellent, and kids these days just love hippies, which increases sales tenfold!" Suit.B - "My brain just turned into a turkey! That increases sales tenfold!"
Networking, only one letter from NOT working...
There are actually ports on the keyboard for a portable music player and cell phone (those things you see sticking up out of the keyboard, one on each side).
Check out the "demo" video on the site - at the end the girl pops both devices into her pockets, like some sort of gun slinger... ooooooh cool (for a 6 year old).
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
>> you're paying for eye candy basically
No, you ain't even paying for that, because this thing looks HORRIBLE compared to iMac.
I mean, I'm all for constructive criticism, and would have no problem explaining that they obviously have no idea how to market to kids. And that slapping the word "hip" with an "e" on it will NOT make it appealing to their target market.
I wanted to help their company make and market a better product. But then I read about the MLM scam they have going where you join the squad and get your friends to join, and thats when all my sympathy went down the drain. I hope they go out of business fast so nobody gets suckered in. In fact, I hope someone sets up a website explaining how this is a crap computer and for a lot less money you can get a better performing, better looking computer that doesn't have a blinking LED to alert you to their "affiliates special offers and contests".
Actually, you know what? If someone has their contact info they should post it here, because I'd like to bitch them out for trying something this scummy.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
First clue ... anything with the word "hip" in it, isn't.
My vote is that it was probably designed by an empty gray haired jackass filling a $3000 suit with minimal connections to reality.
Here's a clue for you folks at Hip-E hipquarters... telling a teen that something is cool, makes it not so.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
Flashy computer.. so many strings attached. It comes with a whole 90 day trial for office so students can try out excel and word? Wow thats helpful for $1800+ ;)
Mod me down im a newf (wiki)
GOOD GOD this is a 40MB video for a frickin demo? Do these people know what COMPRESSION is?
Ha this is going to be such a flop....
Besides the outrageous size of the demo video, after viewing the product demo, it is a very unprofessional approach. Perhaps they think this will lend their product some marketability, but nothing about their product is new. Teens generally don't have a lot of money, so they're probably going to go the cheap route (i.e. computer built from parts bought at the store, or bargain computer at WalMart etc.) This ad seems to be aimed at the very wealthy, and those people can afford macs already! So I guess the only reason why you would want this computer is if you (a) like all-in-one computers and (b) don't like using Mac OS X.
I would never choose this product over an apple product, especially when the pricepoint is so close.
And what's that pathetic mp3 player they have that connects to the keyboard? Bah....
Here
This actually looks just like a cross between an apple laptop and a tadpole ultrasparc notebook.
I just spent $1,400.00 on a 1.6 GHz G5 iMac with 512Mb RAM and bluetooth keyboard and mouse running a robust BSD-based Unix operating system for my son when I could have spent $1700 on a 1.5 GHz WinTel Box?!?
Think of all the "Life Lessons" my son will miss out on with his Mac. He won't be exposed to all those viruses, and spy-ware programs - how will he ever learn to properly secure his computer system in the "real World"?
He won't have the experience of paying annual subscription fees to Virus vendors to keep his virus software up to date. He won't be hit with pornographic pop-ups left and right, so how will he be prepared when he sits down at a friends computer or a computer at work and surfs on their Windows Box?
He won't have the experience of re-installing his OS every time he needs to really clean the spy-ware and mal-ware off his box.
He won't know how to search for and install drivers for all his peripherals. Not to mention knowing how to go through the troubleshooting process of determining which software package just overwrote that all-important .dll or how to edit a registry.
He'll might learn the bash shell and vi and ssh and scp and how to tweak apache config file to do what he wants instead of learning DOS commands and how to use TweakUI.
His computer will never be able to be used on a "Windows" network or on the internet because "Macs aren't networkable" (according to the "geek" at our local computer store)
If only I'd have known about this Hip-e sooner. Well, maybe one of his friends will have pity on him and let him use theirs when he visits - anyone want a G5 iMac cheap?
"terrorism" and "pedophilia" are the root passwords to the Constitution
This design looks even more like a kids navi than the new iMac. I remember that the Navis in Lain were based on Apple designs.
Don't you find it interesting how these old design ideas get recycled and now turned into actual machines?
As much as the average 16 year old wants to "score," computers will not get you laid. Just ask the average slashdotter!
zosxavius photography
Pyramid Scheme. Amway and Herbalife for tweens!!!
From their website:
1) You tell a friend.
2) Friend buys a hip-e with your squad leader number.
3) Friend's hip-e is delivered.
4) Friend enjoys hip-e for 30-days.
5) YOU GET PAID!
From the company's perspective:
1) sell a crappy overpriced PC (It won't run high end games)
2) Exploit the devastating power of tween peer pressure, desire of belonging, and naivete to sell the computer to their friends
3) Profit!
Not only inmoral, but also barelly legal
Cheers, Adolfo
This is the worst excuse for branding i think ive ever seen anywhere, ever. Infact this is worse than those pencil-case sets with that cheap calculator thats always the same calculator but with a superman/WWF/britney sticker on it. This is just a totally pointless product and no the name is not so bad that its good. I give 2/10 for effort, it will make sales only because parents will buy it. (40% will return it within 5 days).
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Who came up with these names?
hip-e node
hip-e hangout
nodeboard
playme
reachme
gagme.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
At $1699, this product is aimed at parents of children who want an iMac because of its looks.
Hip-E
17" 1400x900 LCD
1.5 Ghz Pentium M
512MB RAM
120GB HDD (SATA?)
DVD/CD-RW Combo (speeds not specified)
"Built-In Ethernet and 802.11 Wireless" (which 802.11 revision is not specified)
Total: $1699
iMac 1.6Ghz ($1299)
17" 1440x900 LCD
1.6Ghz PowerPC G5
512MB RAM (+$75)
160GB SATA HDD (+$100)
DVD/CD-RW Combo drive (24X/16X/24X)
Airport Extreme, 802.11G (+$79)
Total: $1553
iMac 1.8Ghz ($1499)
17" 1440x900 LCD
1.8 Ghz PowerPC G5
512MB RAM (+$75)
160GB SATA HDD (+$100)
Superdrive (4X/8X/16X/8X/24X DVD-RW/CD-RW)
Airport Extreme, 802.11G (+$79)
Total: $1753
The 1.6Ghz G5 is the most similar in specs to the Hip-e. This is also considering a 1.6Ghz, 64-bit RISC chip vs. a (admittedly faster Mhz for Mhz than a P4) 1.5Ghz 32-bit CISC chip. The total is $146 cheaper for the iMac, whose specs are quite clear vs. the Hip-e whose specs are a bit more difficult to nail down.
I included the 1.8Ghz G5 to see how much another ~$50 over the price of the Hip-e could buy in the iMac line. I won't go spec for spec, but I tried to get the specs as close as possible. In this case the processor is 300Mhz faster, and you have the benefit of a DVD-RW. There are no customization options for the Hip-e, but in most cases I would assume the addition/substitution of a DVD-RW in such a machine would run you more than $50.
I haven't, of course, seen the Hip-e in person, but have seen the iMac and it's awe-inspiring.
As far as I'm concerned, case closed.
Unless one is replacing an already existing windows PC to save on re-purchasing softwares again, I can't see any advantage.
If I had a son who wanted an iMac, I would buy him an iMac. What kind of daddy would spend the same amount of money for something that is not iMac.
"Digital Lifestyles" (who here doesn't see that phone number and think "is this an e-machine?") has previously hyped partnerships with Wild Tangent and Snapstream as well - the spyware and spam come built in!
I do find it funny they're marketing a Windows computer to kids. My sampling here may be limited, but I don't know any teenage kids who equate "Windows" with "ooh, that's what I want!" OTOH maybe the illiteracy level of the press release (Check the flagrant use of "apostrophe's!") will appeal to Jr. High students.
I do know this: since she was introduced to Mandrake, the 16 year old neighbor kid is becoming a champ at gimp-ing and has sworn she'll never go back to weener-doze.
The market's flooded with people building "hip" PCs in their garages. I wish this guy luck, but I don't expect they'll be around in a year without a MAJOR response or some good ol' 90s-style VC.
iMac crashes into AlienWare and out of the rubble comes Hip-E?
Bleah... Much of the attraction to Apple's current product designs are their rather "minimalistic" looks. Everything's solid white or aluminum. The iPod is half and half, with all the controls recessed so they're practically flush with the case. The new iMac takes design cues from the iPod (no accident).
This Hip-E thing might be shaped a lot like the new iMac, but bright colors and contrasting colors on the keyboard, accented speakers, etc.? That's not Apple-like at all. Apple ditched the multi-colored iMac idea years ago!
He's posting non-arguments like this in response to anything that's remotely pro-Apple or pro-Linux:
;)
here
here
the above comment
No feedy the trolls, kids.
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
His son must really love him.
That's exactly what I first thought when I read that line.
Just to clarify for everyone, Kent Savage is the same guy behind the Netpliance iOpener. He's one of those dot-com bubble masters who doesn't really 'get-it' but can spins some concept up that looks great on paper and board rooms. Other people who also don't 'get-it' in these meetings sucker into his pitches and invest in stupid ideas like this without recognizing the fatal flaws.
The fatal flaw with the Hip-E??? They're trying to out-mac Apple. That's like trying to out-weird Michael Jackson. No slight against Apple in this comparison. They've done a tremendous job building brand awareness, applying inspired industrial design, and conceptualizing cool products. While the Apple store is located in a shopping mall here in Austin, the Hip-e folks have one of those ridiculous kiosks in the mall like those ones selling t-shirts with your picture ironed-on that says "worlds's greatest grandpa."
I read the Yahoo article linked to above and I think it's poor journalism for the writer to have not mentioned that Digital Lifestyles is the new name of Netpliance.
Here's a little blurb about them on Engadget.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Actually I think those are just short for 7-of-9 and 7-of-10. You have something againt the Borg lifestyle aternative? Bigot!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
AKA - the Commune
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
...I'd call an EGM, and FIRE THE CEO AND THE BOARD for letting $X million be spent on the R&D of this embodiment of corporate suicide. MLM's, plastique, ...
There used to be a company called Patriot who manufactured Barbie labelled PC's. I cant find the source for this.
THEY FILED FOR CH 11 pretty soon after, with the result of many pissed off consumer drones^W^Wkind parents without a present for their brats^H^H^H^H^Hdelightful little darlings.
I'm going to keep an eye on DL stock
hahaha
CEO's son:"All my life I have searched for a computer that feels a certain way. Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a nerf ball. Now, at last, I have found it."
Reporter: How much does this...monstrosity cost?
CEO: $1,699 DOLLARS? THIS MONSTROSITY COSTS $1,699 DOLLARS?!
Ahh, I'm just funning. It actually looks kind of cool, but hideously overpriced for what you get.
What the Hell is a Hip-e?
These guys are so painfully behind the times that they don't even know that "e" is a prefix used to make uncool things marketable, not a suffix.
Idiots.
~Idarubicin
Rule number one of astroturfing: the account is free, so you might as well sign-in.
No parent wants his or her child to fall behind.
Reminds me of the salesguy in that episode with Homer Simpson buying a computer: "You don't want to buy this model. Only suckers buy those. You are not a sucker, are you?"
I hope, teens will chose the Dell.
Finally someone has built a PC that costs more than a Mac and actually has worse specs than the Mac! I wouldn't have thought it possible!
'Perhaps this is the point entirely. It's possible that they looked at the Mac and thought, "hey, these guys are selling stuff based on nothing more than cool factor, so let's design something that looks hip and cash in on the market."'
Too bad they were too stupid to know about all the other POSs that came out and attempted to cash in on a) the iMac's success (hey! we'll make it cute!) or b) other themed crap. Rmember Mattel's barbie/hotwheels PCs? Or that little grey lump of shit Dell made a couple years back? Looked like a big half tube or something. Too lazy to dig that up.
Hell, the Gateway Profile probably has better bang for the buck and looks pretty similar, plus it's mroe established (been around for years) and comes from a company you've heard of.
And a trackpad on a desktop machine? On purpose? Please.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
making an imac clone is nothing new at all. Gateway did it for a while. emachines did it colors and all and Apple sued them so its nothing new. I do give them kudos though for making a unique product for wintel although I think an Alienware laptop or ibook is a better solution for a high school or college kid than this thing. (although they may want an external monitor and keyboard anyway to hook to it so they can shut the lid and reduce risk of spilling their mountain dew or bud light on the laptop keyboard).
"They say they're gonna, like, save the environment and stuff, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad...." (not-so-obligatory South Park reference)
Seriously, couldn't they think of a better name for something they're trying to market to teenagers? OTOH, the marketdroids are no doubt marketing to the *parents* of teenagers, those far-out hep cats what can actually afford such a groovy PC (unlike many actual teenagers)
(Well, at least it's much thinner than my old favorite, the Monorail)
Caveat Emptor is not a business model.
Being a 13-year-old high school freshman, I'm in the target audience for this piece of shit. I'm also surrounded every day by the target audience. That target audience thinks that Dells are the best. I can count on one hand the number of people - including me - in my school (~700 students) that know Dells should be shoved up their asses.
Nobody they want to sell to is going to hear about this. This company is trying way too hard to sell to teens, and is going to miserably fail.
ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
Guy's kid comes to him, and says "Dad, I really want a new iMac. They are teh shizzle. All the hot chicks will dig me if I have a new iMac!"
Guy thinks about this, and instead of forking over the cash for the iMac, decides it's more effective and cheaper to start a company, design a new computer, and hope to god he can convince his son that it's as cool as an iMac?
Not sure I follow the logic on that one...
It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Honestly, he even says he got the idea from a iMac. Come on, why not just buy your kid a iMac, instead of starting a whole new company, designing a new computer system, and praying to god that you don't go broke doing it.
I believe they call this reinventing the wheel
http://www.macinhack.com
I am confused.
"What your parents need to know" - wtf? Isn't it usually the teenager who knows about computers, and the older people who dont have a clue?
and why the frek does it look like a V-tech kiddies toy thing?
----- irc://irc.slashnet.org/#vendetta
If I wanted the iMac, part of what I would want is the simplicity factor. Instead, I would get the fangldanglies and colorful doodads along with a whole lot of crap that I don't need. Please, Santa Clause, if you value your cookies and milk and not having razor blades lining my chimney, refrain from giving my the hip-e.
It was Chairman and CEO Kent Savage's own experience after his son asked him for an iMac that led to the new all-in-one system's creation.
Next time just buy me the iMac.
CDE open sourced! https://sourceforge.net/projects/cdesktopenv/
Go Here Preplaid calling plans? Real professional, you damn dirty hip-es.
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
Yahoo! News reports this story: 'In November, Digital Lifestyles Group Inc. plans to ship the hip-e, a new Windows-based PC inspired by the iMac, specifically designed to cater to stupid teenagers. It was Chairman and CEO Kent Savage's own experience after his son asked him for an iMac that led to the new all-in-one system's creation.'
lam-e
I have gas, but my car uses petrol.
--Rob
Towards the Singularity.
What about the iOpener... wait! These guys are the same guys who did the iOpener. It's just remarketed stuff they couldn't sell last time.
Shit better not happen!
OK, all but the monitor and storage.
I sure miss the "keyboard with a Computer in them" computers of yore.
Oh well, mabye Santa Clause will get me one that runs Linux.
Look's like Moore's law's at work here:
The first link is to the Sinclair ZX80, a 1980 Z80 box with 4KB ROM and 1KB RAM. It sold for about $99.
5KB total memory 24 years ago compared to about 256MB on a stripped down "$99 Walmart Special Linux Box," more if you count video and other RAM. Hmm, that's 16 iterations of Moore's law, which would put us at 327680KB, which is pretty darned close. If only portables and slimline PCs were this cheap.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
It has a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 M
No TiVo and no caffeine make me something something...
something something -"e" or -"i" or -"x". Plus they are 5 years too late.
"Even though these shoes look a little trendier, I think I'd rather have them than the shoes you're giving me with the razor blane insoles. Just because you and everyone else wear them desn't really mean they are 'practical'."
Don't be afraid of something just because it looks good too.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Of all the sites to NOT be slashdotted, *this* piece of shit survives.
** A Sketch a Week **
http://www.sketchplease.com
Just give him the frickin' iMac!
that kid still isn't going to get his iMac
m y k a r m a i s m o r e p o s i t i v e t h a n y o u r s.
"You inspired it. You designed it. It's yours." So why the hell am I paying for it? I'll just go take one :P
Have you metaroderated recently?
Computer manafacturers (I know of IBM and hp, probably others) have been using laptop parts in desktop systems for a while, usually for space reasons. I can't be bothered digging up the actual models right now, but they're around. It's not that odd.
-ReK
md5sum -c reality.md5
reality: FAILED
md5sum: WARNING: 1 of 1 computed checksum did NOT match
yeah...fancy commercials AND fancy hardware
a comparable imac goes for 1200 and change. the dvd burning one goes for 1500 and this thing is more expensive. they are dreaming if they think they are going to compete with a pc product against the mac all in one. if gateway couldn't do it with a whole retail supply chain, i don't see how the yippie pc is gonna survive much past that introduction, haha.
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." - Rahm Emanuel
...doesn't his son STILL want an iMac?
The specs are almost the same as the old Gateway Profile series. In other words, it's a low-end laptop jammed into an AIO case. That's not my idea of a good PC. (Anyways, I was under the impression that 2 GHz is basically the minimum for hi-res 3D gaming.)
Also, if his son wanted an iMac because of the looks, he probably wanted the look&feel of MacOS to go with it. Well, unless he really likes playskool toys... Despite the lawsuit Apple filed against MS back in 1980ish, MacOS is and has been far superior (visually) to Windows. (I'd also say technically superior, but their decision to stick with classic for MacOS 8 & 9 killed that.)
I can't wait until Apple sues this company like they sued e-machines for their 1st-gen iMac clone.
~
If IY was a PC:
/bin/sh: command not found
[InuYasha]~$ sit
take a look at the specs. at $1699, this is a ripoff. you're paying for eye candy basically.
i can make a MUCH better computer for that price.
True, but would you be able to SELL IT to a segment that couldn't care less about what MHz stands for?
I think lots of you totally missed the point. This guy saw a good opportunity to sell a WinBox to people who wants a WinBox but don't like the way they look. Lots of people are buying iMacs without caring 2 cents for the specs, they just need to know a few things: it works, it's going to be useful for a while, it can connect to the net, it can read/write docs from school/work, it prints and it looks really cool. Period. They get bored or fightened with your specs list and they think all x86's look the same, too corporate and too boring.
Think about ipods. Are they being sold because they are tech breakthroughs?? I can name you ten products with more features and better engineered, but they don't LOOK cool.
So his kid wants an iMac, he decides to build an overpriced piece of crap, sell it, and then use the profits to buy his kid an iMac!
This thing is overpriced and stupid. Of course teenagers will want it. I weep for the future.
Ask Slashdot: Where bad ideas meet poor googling skills.
This seems quite similar to the thing I remember being hocked in my son's Sports Illustrated for Kids back about 7 years ago...
The Monorail.
At least it doesn't have a fucking GeforceFX 5200.
Lian-Li makes the perfect case to make yourself a clone of the PowerMac G5 with x86 hardware.
You could probably build your own for much less than the cost of this hip-e machine.
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
He won't have the experience of paying annual subscription fees to Virus vendors to keep his virus software up to date.
We resent that...
But this thing just says "Crap-e" to me.
No sig for you!!
... is that "computer as novelty" has its advantages.
:) (And, despite the justified jeering at the claims of greatness vs. the reality, the specs here are a lot better than you'd be happy to have a few years ago.)
:)
If a computer can be powerful enough to even consider as a modern work-play-fun thingamajig but cheap enough that it gets dolled up to sell to a particular, very niche market, then it means more cheap / free / abandoned hardware for everyone
In fact, if you are a "teen" (oooh, what a grating term) and your parents give you one of these embarrassing, ugly devices, I'll give you $50 for it, and you can go buy a violent videogame, or send your girlfriend a dozen roses.
I'd like to install Linux and stick a USB GPS mouse on it, to make the world's least-sophisticated car-computer install.
If the company goes under with unsold inventory, I'd like to be at the warehouse sale to get some new digital picture frames, too
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Another cheap attempt to compete with Apple and try to "hip" up the old dead Windows OS. Any self respecting Hippy would use Linux or buy an Apple.
Apple may take concepts that have been tried before
Like the GUI?
I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
wow. gateway had a machine in the monitor that was just like the imac and the hipeeee.
Oh wait, that was 4 years ago. Apple innovated from gateway just like microsoft innovates from everyone. Now this company innovates from apple's innovations. the iterations of these innovations is making me sick.
If only someone would discover their brain and make original things
Why didn't he just get his son the iMac like requested?
http://pixelcort.com/
..It runs Windows and uses a 32-bit laptop-oriented processor and has a touchpad mouse?
And this competes with a 64-bit RISC processor-based iMac that retails for almost $200 less?
Plus, it looks like ass. It's for the blind, right?
They no longer have to buy Macs.
Liberals call everyone Nazis yet they are the closest thing to it.
Just what the computing industry needed; more hippies.
Hey, you know monitors come in COLOR now, right?
Does this somehow make their claim more valid, because USA Today said they said it? It's like a lawyer going into court and showing the jury a newspaper: "The Daily Times says my client said he's innocent. What more proof do you need?"
Ugh.
Greg
Start a happiness pandemic
That was my whole point, thanks.
Yes Apple was not the first to make a GUI. They just made one people used instead of Xerox wonks.
Microsofts job is then to take the things people use, make them unpleasant, and get them to keep using them. Which they excel at!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It looks to me like this computer is going to be loaded with a shit load of "fun, fast, & customizable" applications that help braindead kids to launch internet explorer. Did it ever occur to anyone at the company that all of these P.O.S apps will suck at least half of the measly 256mb RAM, plus it's probably PC133 RAM.
Now how long do you think it will take to shut those out, given the design now looks very similar to the new i-Macs ?
"Naughty, naughty, naughty, you filthy old soomka !"
Agreed this is marketed more at pre-adolescents, but if that is your target audience, why buy a Barbie Computer for $70?
I love mine. I paid $60 for it several years ago and slapped in a $20 stick of 256 MB SDRAM and a 30 GB hard drive. It still has the flower decals and everything. Plus, it has a nifty handle and lightening-fast onboard i810 video and modem. It works fine for email and light web surfing. Its hostname is Klaus (as in Klaus Barbie).
Klaus doesn't have any PCI slots, though. I have to use a USB ethernet adapter. Does this rig have an PCI slots?
I'm not saying there's no room. My post sort of suggests it, but I meant that for a startup it's very unlikely to beat Apple in their own playing field. A company like Sony or Dell is more poised to pull this off because they've actually got all the surrounding product offerings to create a compelling digital hub for teenagers..
I've scoured the Hip-e website and all I can see is that they've bundled a baseline computer with a tv-tuner and a Windows OS. The rest is hype. Quotes from teenagers saying it's cool. Give a kid a free product and you can get whatever quote you want out of them. Granted, the new 17" iMacs don't have a built-in TV tuner, but they can edit DV footage and record DVDs, which the hip-e cannot. The DVD-writing iMac 17" costs $1500. The Hip-E costs $1700. What is compelling about this computer that makes it a better purchase than an iMac? If a kid skips the DVD-burning superdrive option, the iMac costs $1300 (cheaper if they get it via a student discount through the education online Apple Store) which yields enough saved $$ to add in the big 40gig iPod and still cost less than a Hip-E without the optional $149 mp3 player they're offering.
I also find it a little telling of their small stature when you do a search on Google with the phrase "hip-e digital lifestyles" and their own site isn't on the first page.
Basically, they aren't a big enough company to compete with Apple because they're dealing in too small a volume to get all these third-party components at a cheap enough price to make the Hip-e a reasoble deal.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
From the website:
Surely that should be command centre (or center, seeing as this is a U.S. based company)? My first impressions don't exactly inspire me with confidence...
You probably might want to take that foot out of your mouth long enough to read this. Doom 3, on a console, October 23rd - that's this year.
Let's see you fire up Halo 2, or a vast number of other widely popular programs in your PC on launch day. Every system has to wait for something. But mostly the XBox doesn't have to wait long as there is a lot more money to be made in console games than PC games nowadays.
Or haw about the next KOTOR? Going to be on a console first, sorry.
The simple fact is the bulk of the gaming market has moved to the console. The PC is not as vital as it once was for even a hardcore gamer.
I don't even own an XBox (not claiming i'm hardcore either) and I get by just fine with a good array of PS2 games. I got off that PC game upgrade treadmill a few years back, and could not be happier.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I find your assertion interesting.
There are some unique features that only hip-e offers and they might have some success because of this.
What are these features? Please identify these features. I've scoured their website and I'm not seeing them. What are the useful applications?? Hip-E is vague in describing how it is so specially tailored for teenagers. What is it that a teen wants that standard computers don't provide?
I used to work for a marketing company that specializes in reaching teenagers. When we saw the splash in the local newspaper (I live in Austin where Netpliance is headquartered) we were laughing our asses off. It's a typically clumsy adult approach to appealing to teenagers. I am so confident in the destined failure of this product that I will bet you $3,000 that they won't move more than a hundred thousand of these a year.
I'd like to point out that it might look cheap for them to pick and assemble all these third party components (windows OS, parts, etc), they are operating in such low volume that they are paying through the nose for these components. They aren't competing with Apple so much as they are competing with the other PC companies selling similar packages.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
If vomit could vomit, this is what it would look like. Jonathan Ive you are most definitely not, Kenny-boy.
Hip-e... get it?