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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
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
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
Sounds like a gip-e.
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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.
It also better come with a cheque for $1699, or a free iMac, otherwise I'm not buying :P
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.
If that's the case, then the guys at M3 Design have been dipping into the LSD a bit too much.... how else would they come up with this design?
"It is a good divine that follows his own instructions" - Portia, The Merchant of Venice
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
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
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
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 ]
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.
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?
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.
Can you please explain to me what spending more money than you can afford on a wedding has to do with love?
If your future wife requires it, she's a materialistic bitch who'll never be happy. Run for your life now.
If your wife doesn't require it, than what's in it for you? As someone who's been married for two decades, I'll let you in on a clue. Two weeks after your wedding you NEVER think about it. You NEVER look at the pictures. You NEVER watch the videos.
Of course you'll say it's none of my business, but once you start asking the general public to support your desires, it becomes everyone's business.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
"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.
All right, who's the joker who gave an "Insightful" mod to a post with "LOL" in the title? Twice? Mod him back down or I'll take away your AOL account.
I am Sartre of the Borg. Existence is futile.
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)
Simple. She doesn't require it. I want to make our wedding the best for her bcuz she deserves it. We're not going to extreme lengths, but we both have large families - our family count is 160 people alone, nevermind friends.
Our parents are paying for the banquet and the booze. Her dress and brides maids are being hand made by her mom. (who's sewn about 30 wedding dresses alread really well). We're not renting Limos - we're renting Mini Coopers.
Flowers, decorations, DJ, and tuxes are all that's left for us to pay for. It's not that bad.
Really though, every penny we spend on our wedding is coming out of our house budget.
I mean, we'll probably come out likely with $15k from our guests, and probably another $20k from our parents, and we will have $40k saved by the time the wedding rolls around, but still, every penny counts. So far the google ads have gotten us $330US... That's pretty cool, and it'll pay for some nicer decorations. That's all. I think she deserves it.
it may be just a day, but for us it means a little more than just one more day.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
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
And wtf?
you post to slashdot, with an webpage that cant be viewed in Firefox?
and i might have clicked on an ad!
Piracy is Adam Smiths invisble hand fisting you in the ass, Mr. Gates. - MightyMartian (840721)
Ok, why does she deserve more than you have?! Sounds to me like she deserves a richer fiancé.
And why stop at the wedding? Does she require better shoes than you can afford?! Better clothes?! A better house?! Are you saying your little princess deserves anything less than a mansion?!
I'll leave you alone, there is one person worse than you, a person who'd donate to your asinine cause! With all the suffering in the world, giving to you should be a sin, if I believed in god.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
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.
"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.
> Is it me or is the squad thing a Piramid Scheme?
Exactly.
http://www.vandruff.com/mlm.html
------------------
You may like my a cappella music
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.
Sorry, but I think you're the one with the issue. I'll I've suggested is if you want to help, click a couple ads. Doesn't hurt anyone. To call my cause asinine demostrates a lack of maturity on your part, not an asinie cause on mine. A click is all I'm pan-handling for.
As for not watching your video, I feel sad for you. I'm not suggesting you should watch it every day, but there's value in having it. When you're old, you'll get a chance to see your old friends and family who will be dead by the time you're watching it. That luxury is priceless. Seeing dead uncle Charlie, who died of cancer, laughing, dancing, drinking and enjoying himself is more valuable than anything.
What if my parents die before I have kids? It happened to my mom. I've only seen one photograph of my grandfather - he died of cancer in the 60's. It would have been invaluable to me to get to see him laughing and drinking and ejoying himself.
You don't seem to value many things in life. Your marriage, your friends, or your relatives, and that's fine, it's your choice, but my choice is to have something to remember people by. Pictures and video are priceless, because they trigger memories that make you feel good.
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I'll agree with you on this point, you certaily value "things" in life MUCH more than I EVER will!
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
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
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.
Good. Attack me ad-hominem now. That adds credibility to you.
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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.
I'm only quoting and agreeing with what YOU said. If that's an ad-hominem attack, you should look in the mirror.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
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
They're trying to capture the evangelism often seen among Mac users (and TiVo users, and customers of other brands with high loyalty), by which they suggest the product to their friends who could benefit. What the hip-e folks don't get is that except with the new TiVo reward system or whatnot, there usually isn't a kickback involved in word-of-mouth brand evangelism -- usually just a desire to help those who could benefit.
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.
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
Most teens I know have overclocked Athlon systems they built themselves. Even the stoners. If not that, they have plain old OEM computers like Dell's.
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.
And I wanted to point out; I too have many photographs and videos of friends and family. I'll most likely view them when those in the images pass on.
I took all of these pictures and videos with cameras I bought and paid for out of my own money. Can you explain why you can't do the same? From looking at your website, it's apparent you have a camera. Whether you paid for it yoursel, is a different matter, I guess.
Why do you need a huge fancy party you cannot afford to take these pictures and preserve these memories? All you need is a camera, which you already have.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
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/
Hell at least someone got it.
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.
I wonder how people ever dealt with death before they invented photography and video..... Must have been really bad back then, I mean really... Just memories?
I think we all value things differently. Does one need photos or videos to remember people by?
I read a quote once that went along the lines of: "You're only truly dead when you're forgotten."
So maybe the key to be remembered and "leave something behind" is not by being recorded for the "afterlife" but rather by living a life that is a testament to ones own existance? Be it through family or work?
Just a thought.
M.
P.S.
Personally I find huge wedding parties a waste as well, for that amount of money one could either do a lot of good (e.g. donating it) or do something together that both can remember for the rest of their lives (travel around the world?).
But then I don't think that love doesn't show itself in tangible things but how we interact and live our lives.
If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
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!
Go buy a keyboard that works and then talk.
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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?
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
I wonder how people ever dealt with death before they invented photography and video..... Must have been really bad back then, I mean really... Just memories?
It has nothing to do with dealing with death; it's just nice to be able to show your kids their grandparents in a video. My grandmother, for example is 92. She might not be around when my kids are born. I'd like my kids to see her. Anything wrong with that?
As far as huge wedding is concerned, ours is far from extravagent. Her family is 80 people, my family is 40 people. We have another 30-40 friends we want to invite. Hardly what I'd call huge. We don't pay for the hall; it's included with the caterer. Booze is at cost, we don't pay bar prices. Food is reasonable (as far as caterers are concerned). Dress is going to cost the price of the materials. We aren't renting limos; we are renting mini coopers. The boquet is of Gerber Daisies instead of Cally Lillies (cheap vs expensive). Overall it's not outrageous. Still, we want to give people a good meal and good food for sharing in our special day. Where our families are from, gifts are $100 or so per person + shower gifts. It's just a cultural thing. East Indians invite 900 people to their wedding and they each give $20, so they have large, cheap and cheesy weddings. Greeks and Italians have nicer weddings, and the gifts match. Nothing wrong with that.
That said, a trip around the world does sound nice. But no way in hell am I giving money to a charity instead of having a nice wedding. Have you any idea how much money the united way squanders?
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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
No, nothing wrong with it, but I think using the wedding as a "excuse" is a bit.. UMmmmmm Self fulfilling?
I agree with the United Way, but there are other charities that could benefit from it. Personally I think the United Way is a bit oof "Highway Robbery' as it seems they muscle you (or trying to) into giving money at work all the time time.
If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
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.